There are a number of books on the Independent Sacramental Movement. My own points of interest vary considerably from many in the movement because I have different concerns. One of the biggest differences I see is the lineages of episcopal succession. I am not a bishop though I was ordained a presbyter (priest) in the Roman Catholic Church. Apostolic succession is something that Roman Catholics just take for granted. The concern is less the actual lines of apostolic succession as preserving the faith of the apostles.
I bring this up because I just read the book “Independent Sacramental Bishops: Ordination, Authority, Lineage, and Validity” and wanted to share a few points made in the book. This is not my area of expertise or interest so my remarks are brief. One of the things I love about the Independent Sacramental Movement is the recovery of “many theological, spiritual, and liturgical traditions of the past 2000 years” (p75). The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Western Rite but ISM communities can draw upon a vast literature of Eastern, Western, and Oriental Christian sources on top of a variety of other sources. The author goes on to critique all the discussion about validity as “it dishonors the sacrament we have received and the Spirit Who has bestowed it” (p.87). Finally, the author speaks about the convergence found in the ISM movement. Since there is the ability to draw upon diverse sources, there is a “convergence of practice and teaching: an ability and willingness to listen to the many strands of Tradition, and to apply wisdom to a new day, whatever its source among our faith ancestors” (p 88).
I read a second ISM book this week entitled, “Islands and Bridges” by Rev. Libardo Rocha. Fr. Libardo speaks about how faith needs to be lived more than being defended (p. 8). There is a chapter in the book about Catholic Terrorism and how Catholic priests, bishops, and some of the faithful can set themselves up as arbitrators rather than as disciples and servants. By defending God, such people fail to see the dignity that we all have as God’s children. Rather than critiquing these false views, the author is trying to provide a positive response to God. God is calling us to life and love with God and with each other. “The true saint, then, is the person who is truly human, the person who possesses a great capacity to hate, but who channels that capacity towards love…. The saint is the person who is truly human, who possesses the capacity and philosophy to change the course of history and to more fully humanize the Church, making it not only more human, but also holier and much more Christian” (p. 33). Furthermore Fr. Libardo distinguishes between genuine obedience rooted in love versus the reality of obedience that many bishops demand (p. 35). Fr. Libardo wants priests to be truly human because Jesus is fully human. Jesus “had feelings and emotions, giving us hope that the feelings and emotions we experience – the same feelings and emotions that can sometimes be toxic to us and to others – can be made perfect and be translated into holiness” (p. 34).
I want Fr. Libardo to have the last words.
We want to be. We want to be able to say, “I am.” Problems thus arise when our focus on ourselves leads us to forget the other. We want to have. We want to be able to say, “I have.” The problem lies not in possessing things, but in not sharing the things we possess. We want to know. We want to be able to say, “I know.” But, knowledge and wisdom for a person’s own sake are useless, since wisdom is meant to be shared with others, and, as Jesus suggested, the only forgivable sin is speaking against the Spirit of Truth (p. 39).
Peace,
Ben
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