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SHOW YOUR JOY AND OTHER CURES FOR OUR TIMES
Church reform is at the heart of Francis' papacy. Will he succeed in his mission? That is the question Father Rocco D'Ambrosio asks in his book Will Pope Francis Pull It Off?
D'Ambrosio never resolves the question. But he does examine the pope's speeches and writings to clarify how Francis views the present condition of the church. In his 2014 Christmas address, Francis outlined 15 diseases plaguing our community, including: fallacy of indispensability, excessive activity, mental petrification, functionalism, poor coordination, spiritual Alzheimers, rivalry, existential schizophrenia, gossiping, idolatry of superiors, indifference, perpetual sad face, hoarding, cliques, and worldly profit.
While we can't unpack all of these here, it's useful to consider how we might "diagnose" the church's present illnesses. Do we agree with Francis' list even in part? The sad church face is one that stands out as a source of puzzlement. If we believe what we say, shouldn't there always be joy in our assemblies?
—Alice Camille,
reprinted with permission from TrueQuest Communications
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