Radical And Orthodox- A great Look At A Prince of the Church

Whispers in the Loggia has a superb piece on the Cardinal-Archbishop and also Capuchin Franciscan Sean O'Malley of Boston. Go too Red Hat, Brown Radical for more. I highlighted him a few weeks back as to incredible work he was doing with the Orthodox on a historic pilgrimage he was a part of at Great Pics and Insight Into an Important Catholic/Eastern Orthodox Pilrimage that Is Going On. This pilgrimage that was very important to the Holy Father. Of course all that was highlighted on on his own blog itself!!!.

This part struck out to me:
I am told that there is a desire to introduce more Peace and Justice and Ecology into the Constitutions. I believe the Capuchins should be very much embodied in promoting the social Gospel of the Church. I would like to express two caveats. First of all there is the danger of a false sense of security. In other words by talking a lot about the social justice themes we might think that we are living a radical form of the Gospel Life. I see many religious communities in my country produce documents worthy of the Green Party, but they are dying on the vine themselves. Was it Saint Francis who said the saints did all the work and we get the credit by talking about them?Francis reformed the Church and society by living the Gospel Life in a radical way. He did not criticize the hierarchy, the nobilities, and the corrupt leaders. He lived a life of intense prayer, poverty and love – and it was like a bomb dropped on the world. His idea of brotherhood led to a Christian pacifism in the secular Franciscans that brought many wars to a halt. He even held out an olive branch to Islam at a time when our ancestors where planting the seeds of an ageless enmity that is blossoming in terrorism today....

and

If we embrace or institutionalize a comfortable, bourgeois life style, the Order will die out, no matter how much lip service we give to a liberal social agenda. Our way of life lived in all its radical renunciation is capable of producing men whose witness of prayer, poverty and love will help transform society by calling people back to God, calling them to come home to the Church, by helping people to have a sense of personal vocation and to be part of a communal mission....

It is always striking to me that like the real World the Catholic Church is full of tensions. I note with some amusement that some Catholics try to set up some Catholic Saints and viewpoints above others. Saint Dorthy Day comes minds. However Saint Day, with her absolute Pacifism and , must share our Catholic World view with Saints that did not share that view.

I have a place in my hearts for the Franscians. When I was at Louisiana Tech I converted to the Faith under Franciscans guidance. I was blessed to have a Orthodox Priest that very much mirros the good Cardinal. I saw up close and personal how his life differed from the fruits that other Francisians priests had whose mission it seemed was to tear down all Catholic sacred tradition. May the good Cardinal's numbers increase.