As many are aware, this past week a report was made public detailing sexual abuse in Catholic churches across Pennsylvania. I’ve read and heard many responses from lay people, priests, and our own bishop here in Harrisburg. Reactions range from anger to disappointment to sorrow. Many feel they can no longer stay in the Church because they feel a trust has been broken. I empathize, especially as someone who chose to join the Church as an adult.
Earlier, I had made a small post on Facebook. I share it as a preface:
“I’m still working on my own response to the scandal that has consumed the Church, but this morning I was greatly moved by the priest’s homily and also having a PACKED sanctuary loudly proclaim the Nicene Creed. It was a sobering reminder that the Church is more than its priests, more than its bishops, and certainly not about any mere man. Our faith, our trust is in our triune God who loves us and keeps his covenant, despite our failings. Praise be to Him that our faith is not in men!
I am also reminded of James’ letter and the opening verses:
‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.’ — James 1:2ff
And so, I choose to persevere and not lose faith. Saints in heaven, pray for us.”
Another verse that has come to mind is Jesus when asking his disciples who people think he is and who they think he is. This is his response after Peter says he is the Christ:
“Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” —Matthew 16:17ff
Jesus gives his assurance that as the cornerstone, he will build the Church, and that despite the powers of hell, it will never be overcome. The Church is not new to scandals; they have been occurring since its formation. Paul’s letters show us that clearly as does the book of Acts in the Bible, and Church history is riddled with heresies and schisms. The early Arian controversy had the Church split before the councils of Nicene and Constantinople settled the issue. The great schism of 1054 split the western and eastern churches (now Catholic and Orthodox respectively). And nothing more needs to be said about Martin Luther and the Protestant Reformation in 1500. Despite these and many more, the Church still stands as a beacon of faith and hope.
There’s a small story I’ve heard twice now recently regarding the steadfastness of the Church. Supposedly, during the French Revolution, Napoleon had a conversation with a cardinal. During this, he reportedly said, “Your eminence, are you not aware that I have the power to destroy the Catholic Church?”, to which the cardinal replied, “Your Majesty, we, the Catholic clergy, have been done our best to destroy the Church for the past 1,800 years. We have not succeeded, and neither will you.” While somewhat humorous, it shows that Christ’s promise stands true.
The Jews also tried to dismantle the Church early on. In Acts 5, some of the apostles have been brought before the Sanhedrin for performing miracles and proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. The Jews are ready to stone the apostles for what they consider blasphemy, but a man named Gamaliel speaks up:
“Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” —Acts 5:35b-39
Here we see the wisdom of this man. He knows, based on recent history, that if what the apostles are doing is of their own volition, it will fail. Again, we see the truth of Jesus’ words proclaimed earlier to the apostles.
My encouragement to all Catholic believers is this: Persevere. We know we are sheep among wolves, but our Shepherd is there to guide us, protect us, and nurture us. That is who our faith is in, not our priests or bishops, but in the One who gave us the promise that he would never forsake us. Sisters and brothers in Christ, pray for our Church.
Sunday, August 19, 2018
Sunday, June 10, 2018
Non-practicing Catholics
“I’m a non-practicing Catholic.” As Catholics, we may hear these words at some point from people we encounter, or even friends and people we know fairly well. I have heard it from a few people in my life, including family members. But what does this term exactly mean and what are its implications?
Generally, non-practicing Catholics are people who received early sacraments, such as baptism, first communion, and maybe even confirmation, but do not regularly attend Mass nor hold strongly to Church teaching. They identify as Catholic because of these early sacraments, and most of the time, in my experience, are “cradle Catholics”, those who were born into a Catholic family. Depending on the person, they may still believe that because of receiving early sacraments, they are destined for heaven. Chreasters, those who come to church for only Christmas and Easter, may also fall into this camp.
When I think about these people, I’m reminded of the letter in Revelation to Laodicea (3:14-22). In it, John writes to these people, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (3:15f). Some pretty harsh words for these folks! This is the situation for non-practicing Catholics, and really, those who claim to be Christian but do not show it in their lives, either by word or deed.
Now, people read this and think that we should either be fully for or against God, hot or cold respectively. But God does not desire that we should be against Him. Instead, this passage would be better illustrated with beverages. Depending on any given situation, a hot or cold beverage is refreshing. A cup of hot coffee or tea can be soothing, while a nice cold glass of water is refreshing. No one prefers to have a lukewarm drink! This is why this letter is written: the believers in Laodicea had become complacent, and therefore were going to be spit out unless they repented.
The same is true for all of us today. We need to be mindful of our own faith journey. It can be very easy for us as Christians to merely go through the motions and do the minimum that is asked of us. But this is not what God desires! He wants us to stand out, to be hot or cold in a room temperature world.
Generally, non-practicing Catholics are people who received early sacraments, such as baptism, first communion, and maybe even confirmation, but do not regularly attend Mass nor hold strongly to Church teaching. They identify as Catholic because of these early sacraments, and most of the time, in my experience, are “cradle Catholics”, those who were born into a Catholic family. Depending on the person, they may still believe that because of receiving early sacraments, they are destined for heaven. Chreasters, those who come to church for only Christmas and Easter, may also fall into this camp.
When I think about these people, I’m reminded of the letter in Revelation to Laodicea (3:14-22). In it, John writes to these people, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm — neither hot nor cold — I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (3:15f). Some pretty harsh words for these folks! This is the situation for non-practicing Catholics, and really, those who claim to be Christian but do not show it in their lives, either by word or deed.
Now, people read this and think that we should either be fully for or against God, hot or cold respectively. But God does not desire that we should be against Him. Instead, this passage would be better illustrated with beverages. Depending on any given situation, a hot or cold beverage is refreshing. A cup of hot coffee or tea can be soothing, while a nice cold glass of water is refreshing. No one prefers to have a lukewarm drink! This is why this letter is written: the believers in Laodicea had become complacent, and therefore were going to be spit out unless they repented.
The same is true for all of us today. We need to be mindful of our own faith journey. It can be very easy for us as Christians to merely go through the motions and do the minimum that is asked of us. But this is not what God desires! He wants us to stand out, to be hot or cold in a room temperature world.
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