Posted by Terry Nelson on May 5th, 2008
Amy Welborn has written the best review of Philip Lawler’s book, The Faithful Departed that I have read so far. She really is a good writer - here are a couple of things she wrote in her review:
But the other side of the coin is that the bishops do, indeed, act in concert, as a conference. They may object to being characterized as speaking in one voice, but the fact is, they do. It doesn’t matter if Bishop A or Bishop X believes that stronger, more vigorous action should be taken in a certain area or if Bishops M, N and O are disgusted with the behavior of Bishop R. Good for them, but if they allow the cautious majority to set the direction and speak for all, either to the Vatican or to the rest of us, the complaints that we shouldn’t characterize “the bishops” as a monolith doesn’t hold much water.
The story Lawler tells is of an episcopacy weakened by accomodation and fear of disapproval by political and social elites (and perhaps with secrets to hide as well). The trickle-down effect of the accomodationist gestalt is that what is ultimately communicated to the rest of us is that none of this really matters. It’s changeable. It’s not worth sacrificing for. - Charlotte was both blog.
Good catch!
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Posted by Terry Nelson on May 5th, 2008
Is finally approved…
I have never heard of the apparitions of Notre Dame de Laus. They occurred in the 17th century in the French Alps, to a young shepherdess, Benoîte Rencurel, and continued on and off for fifty four years. At times on a daily basis, at other times separated by weeks and months. For many who thought the “unprecedented” duration and frequency of the alleged apparitions at Medjugorje indicated that they may be false, news of this apparition may change some minds. How providential!
I found this message from the events at Notre Dame de Laus:
… At Laus, France, when Benoîte Rencurel [1647-1718] a modest shepherdess and a Dominican tertiary enjoyed apparitions of the Most Holy Virgin Mary for some 50 years. These apparitions have been recognized by the Church and Laus has become a fairly important place of pilgrimage up to our time. The Holy Virgin granted many graces of conversion there.5
In Abbé Roger de Labriolle’s book, Benoîte, La bergère de Notre Dame de Laus6, on page 7, we may read the following account of an event which occurred in 1668.
One of the punishments suffered by Benoîte merits being underlined in our ecumenical era. She was taking a child to be baptized at Remollon, where some Huguenots (i.e. Protestants) asked her if she believed that they were able to save themselves in their religion. ‘I leave that to the judgment of God’, she replied.
The Virgin - Gaillard affirms - corrected her saying that she had too much human respect and that she had not told the truth, because, if she had said no, some of them would have been converted. This they have not done.
As a penance she did not appear to Benoîte for a month. It was no doubt a matter of pastoral tact which did not involve a truth of the faith.
We will leave the responsibility for the last sentence with the author. - Source
Links:
The story of the apparitions
French Apparitions
The sanctuary in the Alps.
French Alpine Shrine Gets Vatican Approval
Histoire et message
French Shrine
(Thanks to Danielle for the story.)
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