After all, hadn't she read the newspaper today, or yesterday, or the day before? Didn't she hear about the cardinal who transferred abusive priests from parish to parish? Didn't she see Meet the Press where two priests one a theology professor at the University of Notre Dame publicly refuted the pope and the Church's teaching on celibacy? Did she hear about the lawyer in Massachusetts who is filing a lawsuit naming the Vatican and the pope among the defendants?
I wanted to tell this young woman about the priest I knew as a young altar boy, who would stumble around the altar drunk, and about his replacement, who married myself and my wife and who also molested little boys and did five years in prison for it. I wanted to tell her about the priest I knew in the military who gave sermons on Mary and Joseph's sex life, and who claimed that “Jesus had to come to terms with his own sexuality.” Then there was the Army chaplain who kissed my wife on the lips as she exited the church one day after Mass. I thought also about a former parish priest who would travel the world on cruise ships and be away from his parish for weeks at a time, even during Lent. And the priest who yelled at me when I tried to talk to him about a wonderful organization called Catholics United for the Faith. He said that we should let the bishops renew the Church. And finally about the priest in my state who had a pornographic homosexual website for priests. I could have gone on and on and on.
I have been Catholic my whole life. I am 32 years old and the father of seven children. I work very hard so my wife can stay home to raise and homeschool the kids. I have thirty-three dollars in the bank. God willing, my children will never step foot inside a public school or day care. Everything I dreamed about doing as a young boy and teenager I have dismissed as vanity. My wife and I accept all of the Church's infallible teachings and try our best to open our lives to God's divine plan. We are endeavoring to do our part and are sick and tired of those clergy not doing theirs.
Of course, we can't focus exclusively on wayward clergy. The large majority of Catholics are so in name only. Leading “Catholic” politicians are the biggest advocates of the Culture of Death in its many forms. Catholics often seem to be bigger supporters of abortion than other Christians. Artificial contraception is widely practiced by Catholics without any reserve, despite the Church's ancient and infallible teaching that it is a grave sin that can imperil one's soul. Catholic universities are among the most “progressive”, teaching relativism and dissent in the name of “academic freedom.” Many of our churches are devoid of reverence. The altar is no longer a sacred sanctuary, but rather a public gathering place. All too often, the liturgy takes on the atmosphere of a school play, complete with joke-telling and clapping of hands. Our great cathedrals and beautiful churches are being remodeled and renovated until they look more like new age temples.
The young woman I spoke of has never heard of Medjugorje. She was surprised to learn that Protestant bibles have fewer books than Catholic bibles. She didn't know what a cloistered nun was, or who the Carmelites are. She is still learning how to say the rosary. I wanted to warn her, scare her even, about what seems to be coming on the horizon for the Church. The sex lawsuits may be laying the groundwork for other lawsuits against the hierarchy. When will someone decide to sue the Church for discrimination over its refusal to ordain women? Or how about reparations for the Inquisition and all those other terrible crimes the Church is supposedly responsible for throughout history? Perhaps the Church has too much wealth and this is God's way of correcting that. In my worst imaginings I see heretic bishops eventaully ordaining women, homosexuality being forced on the Church, pro-life activities being labeled as hate-crimes. The final attack may be on the Mass itself. We should probably be prepared to worship in our homes.
So yes, I had a strong temptation to send the young woman away with strong warnings about this decision to return to the faith of her youth. But I could see that it was too late for that. The Holy Spirit had touched her heart. She loves Jesus … and so do I. So I told her instead about the incredible things we have in the Catholic Church; the universality, the marriage of faith and reason. I told her about the wonders of the Mass. I told her about some of the awesome, holy priests I have met, like the ones in the parish I attend now. I gave her copies of Imitation of Christ and The Secret of the Rosary. And she went home thankful and excited.
Isn't it amazing how our Lord can continue to sanctify us despite the efforts of so many of his priests and people to resist sanctification?
© Copyright 2002 Catholic Exchange