As one oft guilty of being a polarizer (though without the compensatory popularity, although I always feels that is precisely what gives me license), I'll offer these posts up as an inadequate recompense:
Mark Mossa is leaving the blog world:
I thought I saw an opportunity, an opportunity to bridge a gap between people of different perspectives in the Church. So, I threw my hat into the fray and it was fun, for a while. It even appeared that I might make some progress in this endeavor and perhaps even accomplish some goals that I had set for myself in becoming aware of the various dimensions of the Catholic blogosphere... And, at first, there seemed to be some hope of success at this, and there are still a coterie of bloggers (you know who you are) that give me hope in this regard. Yet, I’ve grown tired of swimming against the tide. The most negative of Catholic blogs still continue to be the most popular and, like myself, the more positive bloggers seem to be posting with far less frequency.
Michael Liccione contra moralism:
Lately I've noticed a style of moral theologizing in which moral uprightness, understood as external conformity with precepts that can sometimes be quite technical, is presented as a sine qua non not just of the Christian life itself but even of—well, basic credibility. I don't want to call that Pharisaism, exactly; the precepts involved are typically more important, objectively speaking, than many of those the Pharisees thought important. But we have here a kind of moralism particularly seductive for highly intelligent Catholics who, if they succumb to it, thereby become prone to impugn the character of those who disagree with them about one or more of the technical precepts at issue. Such moralism is a problem for both "the Right" and "the Left," i.e. for the rigorists and the laxists. It is important that moral theology not become moralism because, if and when it does, it becomes at least as much an obstacle as an aid to Christian spiritual growth.
Amy Welborn at the NY Times blog (never thought I'd say that; credit to the Times) on our divisiveness:
Progressive, conservative or orthodox? Traditionalist or Novus Ordo Mass? Commonweal or National Catholic Register? Do you buy your books from Our Sunday Visitor, Ignatius or Paulist? Do you love EWTN or want to scrape it off your cable lineup? Scott Hahn or Ron Rolheiser? Boston College or Thomas Aquinas? What’s your favorite swear word? Apologetics? Social Justice? “Gathering Song”?
And never the twain shall meet, it seems. What kind of witness is that, the Pope is asking?
Not that he’s suggesting that a round of Kumbaya (or Tantum Ergo) followed by sharing (or a beer) will fix it all up. But he’s calling Catholics to focus on Christ and serve him … sacrificially. And let the Spirit work.
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