tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post4076146116922858259..comments2024-02-14T14:53:03.810-07:00Comments on Καθολικός διάκονος: What does the survey tell us; trying to make some sense of the dataDeacon Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01385969740195992108noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post-61955267624191128502009-04-29T22:36:00.000-06:002009-04-29T22:36:00.000-06:00I feel briefed.I feel briefed.Sarahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14711213736190653568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post-43447614117809036262009-05-03T23:57:00.000-06:002009-05-03T23:57:00.000-06:00Thank you for your personal assessment/take on thi...Thank you for your personal assessment/take on this article. <br><br>You write in a later post, '...after posting my gouge on the Pew Forum's latest research...' Was it a gouge? If so I missed the critical aspect. Maybe I'm being facetious, I don't know. Statistics only tell us so much, right? And I'm new to your blog and unfamiliar with your style of writing. I've always thought of numbers and percentages as having very limited potential; expecting too much from an article/research like that would be like hoping my cat might bark. But then I could be wrong; it wouldn't be the first time. Anyway, I'm a 'book'-lady, so I usually seek for answers in stories, preferably individual human lives.<br><br>However, my primary reason for writing was to thank you for your post. Reading it inspired me. You make many excellent points; I wish you could have been one of my daughter's Confirmation catechists. <br><br>Our book club is reading Pope Benedict's <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/638183.The_Spirit_of_the_Liturgy" rel="nofollow">The Spirit of the Liturgy</a> and I was reminded of the important connection between physical presence at liturgy and maintaining one's faith. I'm a so-called 'cradle Catholic' who went through a turning away period in my life. I fall into the category of those people who attended weekly Mass throughout my teenage years, often without thinking it served much purpose. Now, I wonder... Perhaps I was being 'fed' all along simply by being there, without my even realizing it. Yes, liturgy is vital, so is discernment and, 'rigorous intellectual and existential scrutiny', 'substantial preaching' and engaging catechesis which begins early and continues throughout life.<br><br>As G. K. Chesterton said, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”<br><br>God bless you!the bookladyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11263580845211880738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8254272216866737058.post-92160705125872497172009-05-04T08:15:00.000-06:002009-05-04T08:15:00.000-06:00First of all, welcome to my blog. Second, I apprec...First of all, welcome to my blog. Second, I appreciate your articulate comment. A gouge is one's take, or assessment on a given matter, or, in this case certain facts.<br><br>I agree with you write that "I've always thought of numbers and percentages as having very limited potential". Indeed, what they offer is limited. What limited potential there is I am interested in discerning. In the end, what truly matters is that individual human beings encounter Christ. Ideally, they encounter Christ by encountering Christians, that is, people who live the new life given to them in baptism and sustained by the Eucharist. As far as this particular survey, I believe there are some good take aways for parishes to assist them in becoming truly eucharistic communities. As with most things, even Scripture, data needs interpretation to be meaningful.<br><br><i>Spirit of the Liturgy</i> is a gem, a truly great book. You are also correct when you insist that, while liturgy is central, it cannot be the only thing. After all, the only empirical proof of Christ's real presence in the Eucharist is the life of the one who receives it in order to mediate His presence in the world.<br><br>God bless you, too, especially on this Monday!Dcn Scott Dodgehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09994604395739905637noreply@blogger.com