At least it is, if you are not "recycling"! Thus sayeth Msgr Paul Dudziak of St. Rose of Lima Church in Gaithersburg, MD. He said, and I quote, "every home that is not recycling is like its own BP oil spill, trashing the earth." And when was this inspired oracle delivered to the adoring throngs? On Pentecost Sunday! So the environmentalists hijack not only Lent (with their "lenten carbon fast") but now they exploit a major Church solemnity for their own ideological ends.
I thank my colleague at "A Washington DC Catholic" for alerting me to this, and suggest that you read his post. (Also read his post from today; the Archdocesan Environmental Committee apparently wants us to "repent" for the Gulf oil spill.) He stated that while he had the audio of the homily, he was unable to post it. I communicated to him that I was able to do so. He sent the file to me and I now make it available to you at this link. Note: the "oil spill" gaffe occurs right at the beginning of the clip. Msgr Dudziak goes on to lament violence, as well. However, he focuses primarily on military activity (forgetting that not all force is violence), but of course is typically silent on the violence done in the first environment that humans know: the violence of abortion committed in what should be the safest environment, that of a mother's womb.
Some of you might recall that this blog was inaugurated last September. One of my first posts had to do with my own visit to St. Rose. I urge you to revisit that post. That will make it easier to conceive how progressive propaganda thinly disguised as a homily can proceed from that place.
Maybe They Can Have a Bake Sale?
19 minutes ago
Clearly Msgr. Dudziak is being hyperbolic. He consistently gives some of the finest and challenging homilies I have heard --- all of them spiritually challenging, some politically challenging as well. He addresses many issues, including abortion (http://www.aim.org/special-report/abortion-and-americas-future).
ReplyDeleteIt is unfair to come to a parish one time clearly looking to be critical and report on things out of context. Even more so, it is unfair to take a segment of one homily and claim it to be representative of the man who gives it and the parish in which it is given.
I thank "anonymous" for providing the link to Msgr Dudziak's remarks regarding abortion. That is indeed most reassuring.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the remark about the "oil slick" was not mere hyperbole. It was a direct insult to those who might differ with him on the arguable benefits to recycling. Absolutely inexcusable.
As I said in the post, the audio clip was provided by a third party. I don't know if this individual is a regular attendee; it's quite possible that he/she is. I might therefore suggest to my anonymous commenter that he/she is making brash assumptions about this person who recorded Msgr Dudziak.
We may not have the same understanding of the word hyperbole. I hardly think he means that each non-recycling family is making the same impact that oil spill has made, but instead that he was using an exaggeration to make a point. Good homilies challenge people's behaviors and this may (as you say) insult those who disagree: hardly an inexcusable act as a homilist. It seems completely within the bounds of interpretation of Catholic Teaching on the subject of good stewardship to critique the behavior of not recycling. I honestly admit that I did not know there are persons who are fundamentally against recycling.
ReplyDeleteFinally, my comments were not directed at the person who provided the link (which I imagine is from the parish's website where all recent homilies are available.) Instead, they were directed at the author of this blog's public critique of this small segment of a lengthy homily, as well as the author of this blog's detailed account of his/her one visit to this Church last September: both of which left much out of context and provide no opportunity for a defense.