"I don't want to sound like I'm preaching
..."
What is my Primary Obligation as a Catholic?
| "How
shall they believe Him, of Whom they have not
heard? And how shall they hear, without a
preacher? (Romans
10.14) |
Where are the Preachers?
If they are not in
the homes, in the playgrounds, in the work places of Catholics
at any opportunity at all that presents itself then they
have ceased to be. They are no longer among us. "But we hear the
Priest every Sunday give a homily!", you retort. Indeed, I
reply. You hear much about "what I think Jesus
means" ... and not what the Church teaches us that Jesus means.
I am not interested in hearing what a given priest "believes
Jesus is saying" but I am deeply interested in hearing what
Jesus actually says Himself, what the Holy
Catholic Church teaches us that He means ... which
is to say, what Christ means!
This is often quite
different from what "Father Bill" believes Christ is
really saying apart from Christ's own words that
appear oddly clear to us without an involuted explanation
involving things too often only remotely or imaginatively
tangent to the actual Gospel Reading. It's show time. Time for
the priest to display his talent for finding humor in the most
solemn utterances of Christ and bring laughter, rather than
the occasion of grace, to the congregation. "Oh", we
ooze, "that Father Bill is such a rascal! Look at the
gleam in his eye!" (wink).
The Third Rail
This, of course,
presumes that
he attempts at all to invoke the meaning (real or imagined) of
the Gospel passage just read. So often, too often, most often,
it is overlooked entirely in favor of a rise from the audience
... I mean, congregation. "Let's see how clever I can be, how
entertaining, how funny, and they will love me! I will then
prove myself to be a good priest, for I brought them something
far greater than the Sacraments, even greater than Jesus Christ
Himself in the Holy Eucharist I brought them laughter ...
and even "spiced it up a bit" to show them that I'm no different
from them. Sure, I'll throw in the obligatory, "love each
other", "you are the light of the world", and very clearly
"God's chosen ones" but I'll stay clear of the third rail
called sin. What if I prick someone's conscience?! The
basket would be empty in a month! and who will be left for
me to tickle pink? Where would I get my positive "feed-back" fix
for the week?" This is serious stuff.
The alter
Christus altered and tailored to fit
We used to know, "Father Flannery" and "Bishop Sheen". Remember?
Probably not. Why? Because the priest no longer sees himself,
nor (consequently) do we see him, as an "alter
Christus", literally, "another Christ" in the world,
which his ordination to the Priesthood made him. We have opted,
instead for the leveling of Christ in the person of His priest
to the lowest democratic and common denominator: a mere
man. They are just, "one the guys" (sorry, girls) and so we now
have "Father Dick" and, here in Boston, even "Cardinal Sean". We
are all on an intimate first-name basis with our
priests, bishops, and cardinals. Try that with your own Senator
or even your local Representative or Mayor. Why is this?
"It's just so ... cool!" Our cardinals, bishops, priests
in order to "really reach us, to understand us on a human level"
have de-Christifed themselves, thrown off that
out-dated vestige and aura of an alter Christus
"another Christ" so that they can be "just another guy". And
somehow that desacralizatiion will make us more likely to be
holy when we are in contact with them ... Right.
"Them goddam Yankees"
In repudiating being "Christ-like" they no longer call us in our
own vocations to be Christ-like either. We are called to be just
"one of the guys" ("C'mon, Fadda ... it's Miller Time!
Let's crack open a frosty and root for the Red Sox. Them goddam
Yankees ain't no good no how jus' like you said in your last
homily ... and the one before that." Sanctity is the Series and
the Parousia is the Sox in the finals, and Heaven? ... the
Boston Patriots in the Superbowl. "Fadda Bill" is definitely one
of the guys. And none of the "guys" is anything like Christ. It's
circular ad infinitum. Saint Peter who was crucified
upside down in Rome or Saint Paul beheaded in the same place?
Home-schooling kids stuff. Okay, that was a cheap shot.
The kids are head and shoulders over "the guys" you know,
Fadda Bill, Cardinal Sean, ... and the "other Christs" who left
His company to become "just one of the other guys" so "that in a
way beyond comprehension the other guys can get to Heaven, too.
Maybe even before the 6th inning. "Pass me another frosty, would
you Fadda?"
So, What has this
to do with Preaching and being Catholic?
Well, this really brings us back to Saint Paul:
"How shall they believe Him, of Whom they
have not heard? And how shall they hear, without a preacher?
(Romans 10.14)
"Fadda Bill" and "Cardinal Sean" have more
pressing matters than saving souls. In fact, the entire lexicon
associated with the "salvation of souls" is a fourth-tier
priority behind Social Justice, Saving the Planet, and
Immigration. I mean, get real! Mother Earth is in far more
pressing need of salvation! Look at the oil spill in the Gulf of
Mexico! Where have you been? And all those poor water fowl!
Illegal Immigrants have unaddressed and underfunded legal
rights! The Social Network for all that ails society cannot be
ignored! And your talking about "souls"? I mean, get real! 4.7
million ducks are in the Mississippi River coastal marshes and
face destruction! And you're talking about the peril of the
destruction and damnation of millions of human souls for all
eternity who haven't even died yet? Where are your priorities?!
Yeah, okay, there are dozens of government agencies to deal with
these issues ... and not one outside the Church to deal with the
salvation of immortal souls. But after all! Can't you see?
That's the trouble with you Catholics. You keep your eyes on God
and not on the things that really matter to the world: ducks,
wildlife, deforestation, endangered animals, global
warming, politics, immigration, Wall Street! Not all of
you, I grant. Your bishops have lots of conferences on
these issues. At least they get it!"
Indeed. Where
are our priorities as Catholics?
With Christ
That is where they should be. At
least in the eyes of Christ, the Gospel, and the Church. We have
hundreds of organizations preaching social justice, immigration
reform, global warming but no one is preaching the
Gospel! Even those to whom it has been entrusted have
tossed it off as an atavistic embarrassment. So who ...
WHO will preach the Gospel? Most often not your priest.
And your bishop is busy with other matters and
photo ops
3. Your
Parish Council is planning a secular book reading or inviting a
speaker who is in deep disagreement with the Church, and your
Religious Ed is too busy with the book vendors of
splashy and worthless "Catechisms" that cost you a bundle every
year and that your children do not read (thank God!). WHO
IS LEFT?
YOU!
"Preach the word: be
instant in season, out of season: reprove,
entreat, rebuke in all patience and doctrine",
Saint Paul says 1. "But I'll be shunned! My
friends will flee me! My boss will fire me! I may even end up in
jail if I do it in public or on government property!"
Most likely.
But that THAT IS THE COST OF BEING
CATHOLIC! It is the cost of faithfulness to Jesus
Christ, His Church, and the Gospel:
"Going therefore,
teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded you."
2
These are the very last words, the final
commandment, given by Christ before His Ascension into
Heaven. They are the last words of the Gospel of Saint Matthew.
If you do not preach the Gospel,
in season and out of season, and at great cost no one will.
_________________________________
1 2 St. Timothy 42
2 St.
Matthew 28.19-20
3
http://www.cardinalseansblog.org/
"Mirror, mirror
on the wall ..." Number of photographs of
"Cardinal Sean" himself on his own June 2010 "blog": 37 to
date (12 June 2010) ... and 18 more days of photo-ops to go!
May? A modest 47. There was, of course, a time when Christ used
to be "the point" and the "center of attention". But that alluring
mirror that "Cardinal Sean" seems ever to hold before himself and us
appears to suggest to him that he is much more "photogenic" than
Jesus, especially on the Cross. But that is what "blogs" are about,
right? Promoting oneself ... not another. And certainly not "Jesus
Christ crucified" whom Saint Paul incessantly preached (1 Corinthians
1.23).
Printable
PDF Version
Responses to the Editor:
"This is a very, very good article that
makes its point very clear... yes it has to be said ... Thank
you! It proclaims a truth, that we have an obligation to give
Christ to others and not just the hierarchy, priests and
religious.
Give a definition of PREACHING, many people regard it, interpret
it as a negative... i.e moralizing , it is not it is the
proclamation of the the truth of the Gospel, it is giving Christ
to others!
It is so profoundly true, that the Holy Spirit is the great
revealer, He can make the most dense of passages clear to us,
often 'personal explanations' only confuse. Take for example
when you expose yourself to Sacred Scripture for the first time:
God speaks, communicates as He will and clearly even if the
individual words seem difficult. What you have written here is
so true! Excellent point:
" ... apart from Christ's own words that appear oddly clear
to us without an involuted explanation involving things too
often only remotely or imaginatively tangent to the actual
Gospel Reading".
I would add too that St Paul and Christ's followers preached a
CHRIST CRUCIFIED, they did not avoid the problem of pain and
suffering but gave us words and concepts that drew us beyond it
to the Resurrection, omitting to talk about dying, death and
suffering is also a great failure on the part of many preachers.
The THIRD RAIL is so important in a world loosing the sense
of sin, this needs to be said, all the great preachers in the
church, Francis, Dominic, Anthony, and so many others tried to
touch the heart of man to return to God... and what's more it is
WHAT PEOPLE FOR THE MOST PART want to hear, I have at times
given some souls hard love and it is much more fruitful that
pussy footing around the issues... truth must be spoken, but
always in love.
The other Christ's-- also an excellent point, excellent.... we
have bought into the world far far too much. But there ARE
exemplary preachers in the priesthood: look at Fr Baron, Fr
Canta La Messa, Fr Corapi, Fr Groeschel ... and many others. Why
do people really listen to them? Because at the end of the day
the soul yearns for TRUTH.
Think of Padre Pio, thousands went to him and why? Hard love,
the truth, hard confessions! and Gospel directness! That's why!
We buy into second best by supporting the joke scenario, which
makes me want to weep anyway.
I laughed my head off about the ducks, this is so so true! Well
done! A good thrust, I think this is one of the devils
greatest smoke screens of our time, to occupy the mind of man
with this issue. Of course we need to respect the earth and not
abuse it, that is simply common sense. But the
constant issue about global warming eventually gets on my
nerves.
Is man going to harness the sun? The winds? Is he going to by
his own human strength change the planet! COME ON ... there is a
great blindness here; look, our planet in many ways is dying but
its all part of the life cycle.... its happened before, if you
study the life of the planet we haven't got it in our power to
change this cycle, we might think we have ... but we have not.
It would do man far more good to see this, accept it and seek
for God... the planet has been through ice ages, and fire all
before, all before, its a natural cycle. OK, we may have
assisted it but do we really think we can make much difference
to GOD'S PLANET! Come on!!! Its a great diversion all this ...
from what really matters for man.
Your paragraph on this was sooo good! Ducks! Now its snakes!
They say there is a great dying off on the planet of snakes
(apart from politicians)!
I loved your ending WITH CHRIST ... it was a good ending.
I really did enjoy the article.
Well done! Keep going!
B.O.C.
NYC
Dear Sir:
While I agree with your assessment that our priests and bishops
should not be referred to on a first name basis (though I think this
applies to everyone, the informality of 21st century culture is
ridiculous) there is something that needs to noted in regard to
'Cardinal Sean' (I infer that you are referring to Cardinal Sean
Patrick O'Malley). The reason that Cardinal Sean goes by 'Cardinal
Sean' is due to the fact that he is a member of the Order of Friars
Minor Capuchin. He was born Patrick O'Malley and took the name Sean
(in honour of St John the Apostle) when he professed his vows as a
member of the order. Thus, his proper name is in fact 'Cardinal
Sean', due to his membership in a mendicant order, which precedes
his status as Cardinal Archbishop. We do not refer to Mother Teresa
as 'Mother Bojhaxhiu' or the Blessed Father as 'Pope Ratzinger'.
Certain persons do actually adopt a Christian name as a mononym
depending on the traditions of their order (Cardinal Sean and Mother
Teresa) or position (Pope Benedict XVI). The point I am trying to
make here is that this is one of the few cases in which it would be
acceptable to call a Cardinal by his [assumed] first name, just as
you normal member of OFM Cap would be called 'Brother Paul' or
'Father James' as opposed to 'Father Taylor' or 'Bishop Anderson'
which would apply in the case of a diocesan priest or bishop.
Other than that, spot on article. Very good.
Pax tecum,
Aaron M.
EDITOR'S REPLY:
Point taken, and many thanks for the correction. We do, however,
note that a Catholic addressing a Cardinal should, in fact, address
him as "Your Excellency", a protocol widely recognized in forms of
address. It is also noteworthy that the press, as well as Vatican
documents, invariably address Boston's present Cardinal as,
"Cardinal O'Malley", thus avoiding the embarrassing cutesiness of
presumed personal familiarity that the name, "Cardinal Sean",
invokes. To wit:
If non-Catholics, and "professional" Catholics (not
"professional
Catholics") invariably accord the Cardinal this dignity, so,
a fortiori, should Catholic laymen and ecclesiastics.
We are reminded of a story several years ago of a
meeting after Mass between the priest and some members of the
congregation upon leaving. One new parishioner, "Mrs. Jane Doe" was
introduced to the priest and greeted him as "Father Murphy".
"Please", the priest insisted, "you can call me Father Dick".
Unabashed, the woman responded, "and you can call me Mrs. Doe."
Dear Mr. del Campos,
Loved it! Why do priests think it is cool to be
"kind-of-priests but not really priests", but as you said,
"just one of the guys". Aren't they supposed to examples of
holiness, and not Joe Cool with a collar pretending to be American
Idol? Its like, "Wow! I'm cool! I can relate!" In the parishes
I've been to the priest seems like he can't wait to leave the altar
and get out into the audience and play. OR he invites all the kids
to come up while he sits down with them and plays Mister Rogers.
When are they going to get it that we go to Mass not see him "be
cool" while he makes a moron of himself, but to be with God who is
somewhere backstage waiting for his turn! Who are the real morons
who teach them this junk? That's what we'd like to know!
Cindy and Mark K.
MA
EDITOR'S REPLY:
We suggest you contact:
Rev. Arthur Kennedy - Rector and President
Saint John's Seminary
127 Lake Street
Brighton, MA 02135
(617) 254 - 2610
info@sjs.edu
Perhaps Rev. Kennedy can shed some light on the pedagogical method
that appears to reduce authentic vocations to comical skits. We
would be interested in what you find. Let us know, would you?
|
