Of Windmills
Today, for some odd reason, I thought of windmills and Don Quijote, so I hopped onto Dr. Goo and typed in – “tilt at windmills.” (Google’s English dictionary is provided by Oxford Languages):
tilt at windmills phrase of tilt attack imaginary enemies or evils. "the priest was too busy healing the sick to bother with tilting at ecclesiastical windmills"
My only issue with the definition and example is that often the enemies or evils aren’t necessarily imaginary, though the circumstances or impetuses might be, otherwise, it’s “practically perfect in every way” (Mary Poppins).
In this case, I am not speaking about protecting the innocent or fighting against very real enemies and evil – I am talking about going out and looking for a very specific fight within an innocent system so that an imaginary enemy or evil is created out of nothing. As I have said for years, “when all you look for is fires, soon all you will see are fires where there are none.”
Instead of following our Christ’s teaching, specifically Matthew 18:15-17, we run behind people’s backs badmouthing them in a frenzy of fire. Then we blame them for all the ills of the world and project our own failings onto them so that we feel justified in our search to destroy the giants (windmills).
What’s the quote? “…first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your neighbor’s eye (Mt 7:3-5)
Of Paper Cathedrals
It was recently brought to my attention that one of my ministries is considered by some as little more than a paper cathedral solely because, for the past few years of covid, I celebrate without parishioners present during Sunday Sacred Celebrations. These people consider me to be little more than a church in name only.
The families I support, the people I serve in the gutters (where few dare to tread lest their shit actually begins to stink), the things our ministries give away, the mental health services we freely give to those without insurance, the Sacraments I celebrate are not real – apparently – because I do not have regular parishioners who come into a building where they can be greeted in the comfort of a well-established place of worship.
You know what – then I’d rather be a paper church where I actually make a difference in people’s lives than blow smoke up the asses of people with heads the size of watermelons to make them feel better about their egos and myopic worlds, and I would rather celebrate with the Angels present than to commune with those who feel the need to inflate their own egos through the destruction of those who are in the gutters helping those who struggle with their own demons.
‘nuf said about that…
