Dear readers,
It’s been years. So long that I write this article wondering if I’ll readily remember how to publish on my own blog site once completed. It’s not that I’ve lacked thoughts over the last 3+ years. I’ve lacked time. However, I thought today’s article would be pretty quick to write.
It’s “Good Shepherd Sunday.” I’ve recently been corresponding with my “shepherd”, my bishop, because of the ridiculous hoops imposed upon parents and prospective godparents in order to have a child baptized. It’s kind of an “are you Catholic enough” litmus test. Things like, “bring a note from your pastor if you are a prospective godparent, averring that your derriere regularly dusts a church pew”…and not just any church pew, the church pew of your parish.
I believe the motivation is tied to some convoluted logic that the mass exodus from the Catholic Church is occurring because parents and godparents suffer from a lack of Catholic-ness. It reminds me a bit of the Deuteronomists of ancient days who thought that rather than treat people well, the world was a mess because people weren’t dutifully pious. Just dip that genuflection 6 inches lower and miracles will happen.
I think part of this convoluted logic involves delusion that the shepherds have such gosh-darned insightful utterances shared only during their homilies that if one isn’t consistently absorbing them, the world falls apart.
In fact, the answer to why people flee the Catholic Church was spoken by every ordained clergy today who read the gospel reading. “Jesus said: ‘My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me’.” (John 10:27) TA DAAAAA! You don’t know your sheep, so they don’t follow you. Or in some instances, you don’t know your sheep but your sheep know you and flee in the opposite direction because you are so very, very lost.
Let’s examine this inane “are you Catholic enough” litmus test. Due to his regular mass attendance, JD Vance, the U.S. Vice President who repeatedly exposes himself as a self-righteous, pontificating jackass who brays like a donkey belying his poor grasp of Catholic social justice teachings is “Catholic enough” whilst he vehemently espouses Dickensian legislation to punish and deprive children of food, education, Elmo and due process but a person who attends mass at different parishes is not. Pause for effect. Someone dutifully in the pews but then screwing over the most vulnerable for his own political gain is “Catholic enough.”
My dear shepherds, you are lost. I repeat. You are very, very lost. If being Catholic is defined by you as “butt in pew, anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-women leadership, anti-birth control, and blind obedience to afore-mentioned anthology of anti stances,” you are lost. Not only are you lost. You serve spiritual poison not spiritual nourishment. Sheep run away.
Why do people flee the church? Do you know your sheep????? ....Is the pope Italian?
Louise, thank you so much for your great post, which I am going to share. It's so good to hear your voice again!
ReplyDeleteI agree that there should not be unreasonable barriers to the sacraments,especially baptism, which if one believes in the efficacy of the sacraments, incorporates the catechumen in the body of Christ, even if that baptisand is a babe in arms. However, I remember my Dominican parish in Montreal,coming out of the 'Quiet Revolution' when many people stopped practising their faith, and progressive-minded priests were trying to counter the idea that baptism is a big celebration, often just undertaken for appearances or to please granny, but with no intention on the part of the parents to follow through. I myself was baptised at 2 months and my family never set foot in a church before or after (until I got serious about my faith on own in my late teens). This either purely cultural, or sometimes almost magical view of the sacraments, was something the Quebec church wanted to change, and so if a couple wanted their children baptised,they had to indicate that they were serious in some way about this more than just go through the motions.It was not a question of providing a letter attesting to attendance in one's own parish but rather that, as you say, if the couple seek baptism in their usual parish church, they would already be known to their pastor (in a situation where weekly attendance no longer ran in the hundreds). In some cases, where a couple wanted their child baptised in a different parish (perhaps where one of them grew up and their family still lived,such as is the case with some expat families), then the priest celebrating the baptism might ask for a letter attesting to the couple's good standing. Same applies nowadays to some godparents who come from a different parish, I have indeed seen that. But the more barriers you put up, the more you communicate that as you say, you need to be 'good enough' to receive the sacraments, which is why the late Pope Francis liked to say that the church is there for the sick not the healthy, like a field hospital, taking care of the most urgent needs first. I think some clergy still need to take that on board.
ReplyDeleteGlad you are back! As one of those who sheep who left the flock because of lousy, bordering on corrupt, shepherds, I am not surprised at the continued self-righteous attitude of the US Catholic hierarchy. For decades, they have misread Jesus' straightforward teaching. For decades they have myopically focused on demanding that the government do what their preaching could not. In so doing, they convinced their sheep to vote for a man who is a walking, talking billboard for the seven deadly sins. US Catholic Bishops enabled Trump's election, and with it, the most corrupt, soulless, evil administration in our nation's history. How dare one of those hypocrites ask me to prove my faith. "Let him who is without sin cast the first stone."
ReplyDeleteSo glad you're back!
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are back too! And as always, you hit the ball out of the ballpark on this one. I used to teach RCIA (now OCIA - someone at the Vatican did not have enough constructive things to do obviously and thought that was a necessary change). I think you ought to send it to the new pope. I don't think he would think what you describe is OK on his watch.
ReplyDeleteI am also glad you're back. I hope to see many more of your thoughtful reflections!
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear your thoughts again voicing what so many of us think. 😊
ReplyDeleteSo pleased to hear your thought
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