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DL82
Guest
I have recently been reading the two most famous accounts of St Francis of Assisi’s life, the Mirror of Perfection and the Little Flowers. It struck me that there are no chroniclers today to give an inspiring account of the lives of our holy men and women. We have become an age of instant communication, where the press are ready to pounce on the latest tiny detail in the lives of secular celebrities, yet our living saints-to-be live in total obscurity.
Of course, it is right that holy people should be humble, but that ought to make us want to write about them even more, even to the point of imposing ourselves on their lives. I certainly get the feeling St Francis didn’t much like having people writing about how wonderful he was, he thought much less of himself than any of his followers, and never believed his own hype.
Just after I thought to write this entry, I found this in today’s Office of Readings:
“Let the humble not bear testimony to himself, but leave witness to be borne to him by another.”
Basically, I had this ideas, and I wanted to know what people thought of it:
A lay association, particularly drawn from the literate professions, journalists, civil servants, academics, authors, poets, anyone who writes for a living, or feels called to write and write well, whose role is to make regular visits to a monastery, convent, parish priest or some other Catholic association, and write passionately about the good that is being done by a particular person or group of people, accompany them on their works of charity, pilgrimages, etc. write down the content of their sermons, interview people who have been touched by their lives, etc. etc. and produce something for posterity and for the present, showing the good work the Church’s heroes do today. Let’s face it, there are enough people in the media ready to write about the bad things that happen in the Church, somebody needs to redress the balance!
To lay people, would you be interested? To those pursuing vocations to priesthood & religious life, would these people help or hinder you in your service to the Church?
Of course, it is right that holy people should be humble, but that ought to make us want to write about them even more, even to the point of imposing ourselves on their lives. I certainly get the feeling St Francis didn’t much like having people writing about how wonderful he was, he thought much less of himself than any of his followers, and never believed his own hype.
Just after I thought to write this entry, I found this in today’s Office of Readings:
“Let the humble not bear testimony to himself, but leave witness to be borne to him by another.”
Basically, I had this ideas, and I wanted to know what people thought of it:
A lay association, particularly drawn from the literate professions, journalists, civil servants, academics, authors, poets, anyone who writes for a living, or feels called to write and write well, whose role is to make regular visits to a monastery, convent, parish priest or some other Catholic association, and write passionately about the good that is being done by a particular person or group of people, accompany them on their works of charity, pilgrimages, etc. write down the content of their sermons, interview people who have been touched by their lives, etc. etc. and produce something for posterity and for the present, showing the good work the Church’s heroes do today. Let’s face it, there are enough people in the media ready to write about the bad things that happen in the Church, somebody needs to redress the balance!
To lay people, would you be interested? To those pursuing vocations to priesthood & religious life, would these people help or hinder you in your service to the Church?
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