Morning Catholic must-reads: 01/02/13

“And Cardinal Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, has announced that he is listening to Amy Winehouse CDs in an effort to understand youth culture.”

http://www.zimbio.com/The+Roman+Catholic+Church/articles/RwMwovGHIdN/Cardinal+Gianfranco+Ravasi+Says+Catholic+Priests

Lord only help his foolish wit; Amy Winehouse did indeed have a unique talent for capturing (tens/teens – twenties/thrities age) angst (and is remarkable still for injecting – no pun intended – enthusiasm back into a brassy “rock ‘n’ roll” style of pop), but already she is like all ephemeral (youf) “influences” .. a thing of the past. He might be better listening to Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga’s/ Limp Bizkit’s/ A$AP Rocky Featuring Drake, 2 Chainz & Kendrick Lamar Long.Live’s newest replacement in teensville; better still, seek advice from the music industrialists and their cohorts – the DJs, Music Media, and almost any of his cure’s recalcitrant “teenagers” (e.g. any soul emotionally stuck between 10 and 40 years of age/ the 50-70-plus ageing guitar-plucker-Age-of-Aquarius followers). Cardinal Ravasi – of the Modern Art enthusiast/ “most interesting man in the Church” media tag – seems to me to be well suited to lead the pontifical Lenten Lectures .. with or without references to the sad passion of so many pop music idols (and their worshippers) .. intelligent, articulate, cultured, his humanist credentials are second to none; he is therefore the very type of today’s Age of Aquarius ecclesiastic whose heart (and soul) in genuine conversion to Christ is most needed to help convert others of the less intelligent, articulate, cultured ilk (or ought to be so):

“Today too, if the Church wishes to speak effectively to the world, if she wants to continue to proclaim the Gospel faithfully and to make her friendly presence felt to men and women who live their lives feeling that they are ‘pilgrims of truth and of peace’, even in contexts that seem more difficult or indifferent to the proclamation of the Gospel, the Church must make herself a witness of the credibility of the faith. This means that she must be able to offer concrete and prophetic testimonies through effective and transparent signs of consistence, fidelity and passionate, unconditional love for Christ, together with authentic charity, with love of neighbour.” Benedict XVI to Gianfranco Cardinal Ravasi for the 16th Public Meeting of the Pontifical Academies.

No tears from me -  one down, how many more to go?