Thank you to all readers of the letters I wrote whilst in hospital. I continue now with accounts of my reactions to my everyday experiences.
Recently I was made aware of Carlo Acutis and was very disappointed with myself for not having heard of him before. I have searched the Internet for some details and brought myself to a consideration of the Roman Catholic faith, the Eucharist, transubstantiation, sainthood and their possible incorruptible bodies when they are dead. We must all have views on these matters, whether or not we are atheists, adhere to the tenets of Christian Anarchism, or anything else. By reading about Carlo and the wonderful life he led I am moved to address my views on these matters. In my next few blog entries I will take these matters one-at-a-time.
Roman Catholicism first then. Carlo was a child and he would have little or no views on the political power of the faith. He was the complete innocent, and born into the faith he took it on without question as most of us do with our early religious experiences. But his innocence brought him into direct contact with Jesus, and I think he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to take Jesus on board and not to let go. This, to my way of thinking, is a fundamentally anarchical reaction to our developing spirituality. He continued with his relationship with Jesus, inspiring many who came into contact with him, and gave little regard to the authoritarian structure of the Church who supported him and thereby they benefited from his innocence, building him up in the eyes of the masses and furthering their own feathered beds. Dorothy Day grew up into adulthood, but even as a self-acclaimed Christian Anarchist she held onto her affiliation with Roman Catholicism. I guess this is a manifestation of being in this world but trying not to be part of it. Carlo Acutis, if he had survived into adulthood, may well have followed the same path as Dorothy. No Christian Anarchist wants to pursue a path of violence, and Carlo's use of the Internet, I wonder if he had ever heard of Teilhard de Chardin (probably not, because Teilhard was not a favorite of the RC hierarchy), was commendable and exciting. Unfortunately the human powers that be are not going to give up their power without a fight. Christian Anarchists can only die for the truth they hold, their love of Jesus, just as the early Christians did, and now Carlo Acutis.
Recently I was made aware of Carlo Acutis and was very disappointed with myself for not having heard of him before. I have searched the Internet for some details and brought myself to a consideration of the Roman Catholic faith, the Eucharist, transubstantiation, sainthood and their possible incorruptible bodies when they are dead. We must all have views on these matters, whether or not we are atheists, adhere to the tenets of Christian Anarchism, or anything else. By reading about Carlo and the wonderful life he led I am moved to address my views on these matters. In my next few blog entries I will take these matters one-at-a-time.
Roman Catholicism first then. Carlo was a child and he would have little or no views on the political power of the faith. He was the complete innocent, and born into the faith he took it on without question as most of us do with our early religious experiences. But his innocence brought him into direct contact with Jesus, and I think he was inspired by the Holy Spirit to take Jesus on board and not to let go. This, to my way of thinking, is a fundamentally anarchical reaction to our developing spirituality. He continued with his relationship with Jesus, inspiring many who came into contact with him, and gave little regard to the authoritarian structure of the Church who supported him and thereby they benefited from his innocence, building him up in the eyes of the masses and furthering their own feathered beds. Dorothy Day grew up into adulthood, but even as a self-acclaimed Christian Anarchist she held onto her affiliation with Roman Catholicism. I guess this is a manifestation of being in this world but trying not to be part of it. Carlo Acutis, if he had survived into adulthood, may well have followed the same path as Dorothy. No Christian Anarchist wants to pursue a path of violence, and Carlo's use of the Internet, I wonder if he had ever heard of Teilhard de Chardin (probably not, because Teilhard was not a favorite of the RC hierarchy), was commendable and exciting. Unfortunately the human powers that be are not going to give up their power without a fight. Christian Anarchists can only die for the truth they hold, their love of Jesus, just as the early Christians did, and now Carlo Acutis.
