A View from the Pew
Note, this is not THE view from the pew. I am a man working to live life as a faithful Catholic, husband, and father. I need a place where I can work out my own stuff. I believe doing so in public will greatly increase the integrity and intellectual and spiritual rigor with which I do so.
I also have some Rules for Me, but Not for Thee…
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- Written by: Brian Mitchell
- Category: A View from the Pew
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I love word play.
Initially the wording of the title of this post captured the denotative meaning of what I was after but carried militant overtones that I found off putting. “Rules of Engagement” is the literal phrase used in military settings to dictate how one is to behave when encountering the enemy. This is very nearly in direct opposition to the nature of the conversations within which I want to be engaged.
Then it occurred to me that “engagement” is also the word used to describe the period of time shared by a man and woman prior to and in preparation for their marriage. It is a time of mutual love, ongoing discernment, and preparatory excitement.
Bingo! My hope is that these “Rules of Engagement” serve as a dialogical framework within which I can explore ideas, share values with others, and ultimately transform my combative heart into an engagement of love with others as we live our lives and prepare ourselves for the eternal wedding banquet with our Creator.
In a spirit of sacramental love, they are rules for me, but not for thee. I obligate myself and no one else.