Nabi Asketh: How more vivid a dichotomy could there be when we compare two different lifestyles in light of the Gospel….
The first lifestyle: That of the bishop of
bling….[Editor's Note: German Bishop of Limburg, Franz-Peter Tebartz-van Elst, who resigned in the midst of scandal in 2014 blaming an underling for his lavish spending on his personal lifestyle.]
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| Nice Digs! Read about the $43 million renovation! |
And then there’s Wuerl and McCarrick with
their lavish mansions on Embassy Row in the exclusive area of D.C., including
butlers, groundskeepers, maids and so on….
We cannot forget FORMER Bishop Bransfield with
his several mansions in West Virginia. The Wheeling mansion was equipped with a
sunken bar, wine cellar, an elaborate master bathroom with heated floor tiles,
a $30,000 dining room table and staffed by groundskeepers, maids and his very
own personal chef. His workplace? A brand spanking new $14,000,000 chancery
building with a fireplace, vibrating desk chair, a personal shower that used
fresh rain water,a super-sized plasma TV and all sorts of other high tech
gadgets.
The second lifestyle: That of Father Liu
Jiangdong, a Holy and imprisoned priest of China….
Fr. Liu Jiangdong of Zhengzhou: a 'martyr' to Synod on Youth
by Bernardo Cervellera 10/26/2018
Fr Liu, ordained 13 years ago, was arrested and his priesthood suspended. The authorities accuse him of "having violated religious policy and regulations". He was "too active": he organized - just as the Synod would like - meetings for young people, even under 18 years of age on catechesis, evangelization, charity, vocational discernment. The Religious Affairs Office also ripped the cross from the bell tower of the Church of the Sacred Heart, the parish of Fr. Liu. (Read more here...)
Rome (AsiaNews) - The Synod of Youth, which is about to end at the Vatican, has perhaps found its own martyr. Fr. Liu Jiangdong, a priest of the diocese of Zhengzhou (Henan) was imprisoned for a week and the Patriotic Association and the Religious Affairs Bureau has banned him from exercising his ministry.
The reason: he was "too active" with the young, he organized meetings of prayer, catechism, culture even with children under 18, for whom the new religious regulations prohibit entry into church and have a religious education. The province of Henan issued a directive in April to implement these bans.
Fr Liu is a priest of the official community, thirty years old, ordained in 2005 and is parish priest of the church of the Sacred Heart in Zhengzhou. At the beginning of September the Religious Affairs Bureau and the Patriotic Association arrested him and held him in isolation for a week on charges of having "unordered financial accounts" and having "used public money for private purposes". More generally, they accused him of "having violated religious politics and regulations on religious activities".
A Henan priest confirmed to AsiaNews that in reality Fr. Liu was arrested and suspended from the priesthood because he "did too much: he founded so many communities of young people and old people. And since he does not follow the regulations, the government is angry ".
Therefore, on the last Sunday of September, government representatives announced in church that he would be suspended from the priesthood.
To express even more the contempt towards Fr. Liu and affirm control over the community, the authorities also ripped the cross from the central tower of the sacred building.
Jesus said, "Let the little children come unto me."
The parish of the Sacred Heart is known for its lively activities (see photos). There are initiatives to help young people to discern their vocation, moments of catechesis and evangelization. Young people are also urged to carry out charitable activities for the poor, the elderly and the sick: all the things that the Synod on young people is hoping that every priest will do for the youth of their parishes. For this, Fr. Liu really is the icon and martyr of this Synod.
Nabi asketh: Which of the clergymen described
above best lives the Gospel of Jesus? And ever more important: Which clergymen
would you trust to lead you and your family’s souls to Heaven???
Life might seem forever, in the day to day as we move along in our allotted time; some trying to extract every seemingly good thing in the time they have time left.
ReplyDeleteBut, one day it will be over. Lying on our last bed, bleeding out on the street, kneeling in the sand with a scimitar poised to strike, however it is we meet our destiny, we will then consider how we spent the time God gave us and for which time and treasure He will demand we give an account.
At that time, Bling will not count for much. Bishop Bling Bling will envy all the weary steps of Bp Jiangdong as they both receive their rightful rewards.