A SHEPHERD TIPPING SCALES

COALED LIPSon fire

“ … live coal…has touched your lips…“ Isaiah 6

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You must have heard the saying that the only thing that doesn’t change is change but I  make bold to correct that saying because there’s something else that does’t ever change:

• God’s Word

I posit this against the backdrop of the Christian world view as presented in the  Holy Bible in over a hundred verses amongst which is Matthew 24:35, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.’

Of a truth, many agree on the fact that God’s word never changes but some propound that (akin to the Northern Star’s constancy) it accommodates some slight shift to the left or right in terms of its practicability (as time and situation allows) and this is acknowledged by the Bible itself. Yet many agree too that there’s an imperative for such shifts not to impinge on the real essence and import of the eternal value of God’s word as enshrined in the Bible. Take for example, the new Sabbath being Sunday and the non exclusion policy for uncircumcised Christian converts in the fledging church in Jerusalem;  these being a deviation from the initial law of God became acceptable in line with the exigencies of the messianic perfection of God’s word for His purposebof making straighter and easier the path of redemption for the elect.

So, evidently, from the past, situations and things have changed (and would continue to do so) in line with the needs of the times but it must be noted that the essence of the word of God, as contained in the Bible would never change.

So, I get confounded by opinions in such  articles as https://www.ncronline.org/opinion/guest-voices/catholic-students-theologians-ministers-write-open-letter-pope-francis which give the impression of an effort to subvert this constancy of God’s word.

These days, there’s an upsurge in such and this seems to be in in an attempt to induce or brutally arm twist the church to misinterpret biblical injunctions, the goal of which is to suit the egocentric ideological thinking of deviants.

The attempt at pushing into favourable reckoning and acceptance, Biblically censored concepts while at the same time perching on the sacrosanctity of other Biblical truths obviously tantamount to blatantly yet subversively calling for a change in the word of God through manipulative and pick and choose interpretations designed to suit personal whims and caprices, assuage egos and achieve epicurean desires.

So, there’s a brutish call out of the Holy See in the light of secular and irreligious standards by a ring of forces for its refusal to twist facts and ring in maleficent trends which are based on misinterpretations that are in opposition to Christian truths and so these days the trend is to ask for support for concepts like:

• Surrogacy 
• Planned Parenthood
• LGBTQ
• Gender Theories
• I Must be Married Again
• You Must Wash My Feet

Of course, the Bible says in 2nd Timothy 4:3The time will come when people will not listen to sound doctrine, but will follow their own desires and will collect for themselves more and more teachers who will tell them what they are itching to hear. 4They will turn away from listening to the truth and give their attention to legends.

It becomes imperative therefore, as we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday, to examine the implications of these pressures and the impact they have on the Church, especially in the light of the shepherding difficulties they create for the Vicar of Christ and the distractions and confusion caused the body of Christ in its pursuit of holy living and of bringing the Good News to the world.

In reaction to these recent efforts to entrench pressure on Papa and the church even after the publication of Fiducia Suplicans by the Office of the Dicastery of Faith (which was more of a soft pedalling in the whipping off, of the most disagreeable issues that warranted it’s publication), with an unsavoury matters arising from it; accusing the church of making gains from investments in an untoward business venture, I put down the following verse:

Money sent rHOME to papam

HOLY sheep pens, I believe

ONE blessed weight pull

PETER’s princely pence

UNIVERSAL mites, holy see might 

Money sent rHOME to papam

Money sent rHOME to papam

I believe sacrifice is arm, leg,  

Eyeing straight paths in straits.

No selfish acts to keep back some

Bagger stuff layed out in Vat

Money sent rHOME to papam

Money sent rHOME to papam

Hellthorned John Thomases

bent on crooked ways 

Choke flesh, Insult upon jury

Weigh in broadway pound, bagging

Money sent rHOME to papam

Money sent rHOME to papam

Gating Ben 4square off, won’t binge

Sweet John palled, toot

Frugal Pius tending Fiery Frank’s 

Nicturnvictuals, all content with 

Money sent rHOME to papam

Money sent rHOME to papam

Can’tvadtise or monetise

Fortitude, Constancy, Light, Firmness 

Unwavering faith won’t 

Shiver on bagger tonguing 

Money sent rHOME to papam

I must admit the above verse was inspired in anger mood while eagerly awaiting a rebuttal from Papa on the ‘accusation’, but very wisely, no rebuttal was made, evidently following the apostolic injunction of St. Paul in this same Letter to Timothy that exhorts:

 ‘5But you must keep control of yourself in all circumstances; endure suffering, do the work of a preacher of the Good News, and perform your whole duty as a servant of God.”

This quote is a true reflection of our current Papa’s general attitude towards the attacks being made on him and the church by in-house strays that have now constituted themselves into what now seems a formidable sect of Christ’s church.

Their claim of being a part of the church is clearly spelt out in the open letter, as above, to the Pope in response to the publication ‘Dignitas Infinitas’, a publication that sealed any hope of their demands being met as summed up in its the following closing lines.

“I grew up feeling like I was going to be damned to hell because of backwards ideologies like this. Jesus said, ‘Come as you are’ and this is just disgusting behavior. We aren’t going to go away because you write it, we exist and we matter.”

So, in consideration of this claim of being part of the church of Christ, which they truly are (though wounded, ailing and in need of help), it must be admitted that in  light of their non-compliance statements, efforts to bring them back and assimilate them into the mainstream of the sheepfold would meet stiff opposition and such effort can’t be done sitting in an armchair. So, going beyond the banal with an aggressively radical creative effort and exploring methods, modes and means (probably novel or never before used) is absolutely necessary to adequately tackle the challenges keeping these in strangleholds.

This is where some are at odds with Francesco, our Papa, claiming that his action and Shepherding style, as regards these, are not in conformity with strict biblical injunctions and fall short of  the example our Lord left for us,  but from his habemus papam moment, with his first homily dwelling on the most incredible theme of environmental protection (I mean, who does that, but to show he is actually in tune with the perculiar needs of our time?) back to the most remarkable pre-papacy activities of going out go feed the poor himself from his self packed excess meals in his Bishopric See of Buenos Aires, there had been no doubt we were going to have a Pope that would practically tip the scales and if necessary cascade them so as to proffer solutions to modern day challenges in the radically different Shepherding approach of going all out to reach out to strays, no matter how far away and dangerous the path may be.

Our Lord specifically asks him, like his predecessors, to go after the stray and feed and care for them but because it’s becoming increasingly difficult to do so in our day, our current Papa embraces novel ways to achieve this aim. Take for instance, the fact that these days the sheepfold is filled not only with sheep whocan’t identify the voice of their owner and are actually lost within their own home but worse still, include outside strays who don’t want to come home! So it is that the difficulty of keeping the sheep has assume such dimensions and ramifications that our Papa seems it wise that like Eneke the bird, in ‘Things Fall Apart’ says, ‘..if men have learnt to shoot without missing I have learnt to fly without perching.’

The job of soul saving is an imperative and our visible Shepherd keeps going in search of those who beyond the usual tax collectors, women of easy virtue, liars and other such in the age old sinners bracket – the usual focus of our conversion efforts – are in a new bracket manifesting sin strains and colorations only our Lord, in His omnipresence knew would come to being in our time and he courageously evolves ways to net them into the fold of salvation, a job which must be done. We must recognise that we are talking of strays that  keep within the fold but doggedly refuse to submit to authority, refuse to identify as sick, those who adamantly turn down help and lay claims on a clean bill of health and worse still who gang up into strongholds being rallied by wolves within and outside the church, hoping to inject others with the germ of error. 

Our Papa refuses, however, to give up on them but instead has engaged in a heart operation like procedure where the most important thing is the keeping of the heart happy while it is being worked on, much to the consternation of most, for this extremely skewed and grossly contentious approach is broadly misunderstood by many, including his less amongst equals peers, who have been unambiguous in joining issues with him, asking for reassuring clarification but it is also capitalised on by strays who still angle for a further complimentary stance on which to push their case forward.

And so, from misunderstandings and contrived antipathy within and without the sheepfold, we see a variance of stances against these such policies evolving from this papacy.

In all of this though, it’s obvious why Papa has had to go so far, bending over backwards to win precious souls for whom our Lord had shed his life saving blood.

For the flock entrusted to him, more for reason of their weakness, to feed and care for, our current Papa wants us to re-evaluate our rating in the measure and extent of LOVE we are prepared – see 2nd Corinthians 13 – to extend to others, regardless of their stance while patiently waiting for them to be brought to the full knowledge of the truth of godly living required by the gospel. Indeed, he says in Fudicia Suplicans that this new sinners bracket is not to be castaway but embraced in anticipation of the love the church is waiting to shower on them when they, like the prodigal takes even one single steps to return home, for our Lord says he comes not for the saint but for the sinner(even when the sinner is oblivious of his sin. In Luke 23:34 Jesus says “Forgive them, Father! They don’t know what they are doing…”)  So, like the rich young ruler in Mark 20: 17-27, let it be their choice to conform or turn away, when they are shown love.

In going the unexpected route to accommodate the unrepentant and to advance the apostolic essential of keeping 99 in the fold while going after the lost one, before it gets completely lost and keeping an eye on the end goal of the game; salvation made open to all,  this good shepherd, much like his master JESUS, shuns the temptation to play to the gallery, and instead risks being misunderstood for St. Paul says:

“1In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and because he is coming to rule as King, I solemnly urge you 2to preach the message, to insist upon proclaiming it (whether the time is right or not), to convince, reproach, and encourage, as you teach with all patience.” and that is what Fiducia Supplican perfected by Dignitas Infinita, the last two Holy See publications in these spirituality turbulent times have striven to do.