Today I received my sparkly copy of Theological Reflection: Sources courtesy of Amazon.  Lots of creep points for buying the Prof's latest book, I trust.  A few sly smirks when flicking through I found bullet points and numbered lists - it's not just me after all...  Also a sense that actually I have heard of quite a few of these people, so maybe I'm not quite so ignorant after all.

Amongst the flicking, I found some poetry by Oscar Romero, and this one (dated 19 December 1977) struck me...

Let us not measure the church

by the number of its members

Or by its material buildings.

The church has built many houses of worship,

many seminaries,

many buildings have beeen taken from her.

They have been stolen

and turned into libraries

and barracks

and markets

and other things.

That doesn't matter.

The material walls here will be left behind in history.

What matters is you,

the people,

your hearts

God's grace giving you God's truth and life.

Don't measure yourselves by numbers.

Measure yourselves by the sincerity of heart

with which you follow the truth and light

of our divine Redeemer.

Theological Reflection: Sources, Elaine Graham, Heather Walton and Frances Ward, London, SCM, 2007 p. 368 

Yes and Amen