Good and Bad Catholics



Martin Luther summoned to Rome 

One cannot pretend to be a good Catholic and be a racist, or pretend to be a good Catholic and be pro-abortion” according to a recent statement by the head of Canada’s national pro-life organization of priests Fr. Tom Lynch.  These comments were specifically aimed at Justin Trudeau, son of the late and former Prime Minister to Canada Pierre Trudeau for his pro-abortion stance.

Whether or not you are pro-life or pro-choice is not at issue here.   What is at stake at least from the perspective of  Prof. Lynch is that there are only two types of Catholics – good and bad!  This dualistic approach to religion is often used by fundamentalist to divide and conquer.  How many more people need to suffer worldwide if the major world religions continue to take such an uncompromising position?  In the eyes of God we are after all One. 

Instead of seeking division we need to develop an attitude of forgiveness and understanding.  At the same time what is needed is not more churches, temples, synagogues or mosques but places that minister to the needs of all.  What is needed are not more answers – dogma and doctrine but more questions.  Humility is still the best way to recognize that we don’t know everything about God, as he is still giving birth to each and all creation.  As the universe evolves so must our understanding of God.  So perhaps what is needed is less industrial religion and a greater desire to find God within in ourselves and each human being.  If there is to be peace in this world the world’s religions must clearly stop competing to find favour with God.

Religious fundamentalism is rife, not because people do not believe in God but because people think that they have to do battle for the Creator and defend him from competing and conflicting belief systems.  If that were true our God is not only completely impotent but weaker than most human beings.  The challenge for religious institutions is to help all people to awaken to the Holy and precious creations we are in the eyes of God.  This will no doubt require a very large dose of God’s humility.  A  humility that acknowledges that we don’t have all the answers. A humility that thrives on not knowing. A humility that accepts and encourages human diversity.  And finally a humility that replaces dogma and doctrine with mystery.

Modern scholars tell us that the word ‘religion’ was probably derived from the Latin term ‘ligare’ meaning “to bind” or “connect”.  What is that we are bound to or reconnect with?  Is it an institution or God?  The role of the religious institution is hopefully the latter.  Jesus, who was never a Roman Catholic or Protestant, was born, raised and died as a Jew and never insisted that anyone should join his Jewish faith.  Jesus taught by example how we could live in harmony with each other and as One – not separate  due to our religious belief systems.  When we as adults depend on or the trade the love for God for  the love for Church than perhaps  the institution has failed us.  At that point we will have entered into a dangerous form of co-dependency.  As any parent would, the institution must guide us to trust in God and ourselves above all other things.  Remember God’s promise he will never leave us an orphan.  According Jesus told us:  ‘The Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and make you remember all that I have told you’ – John 14:26

As for  Justin Trudeau and his pro-choice  belief, perhaps he is simply re-acting to the militant tone or absolute terms so often expressed by some self-righteous defenders of the faith.  A gentler way to convince people to understand pro-life is to include and honour all life from the Alpha to the Omega.    

Finding God

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee; blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen

 Several years ago I was asked to introduce a video presentation featuring a well known Catholic priest and personality to an all men's group at a local parish.  The presentation was to follow their annual general meeting so I waited in the hall until they completed their prepared agenda.  I had arrived just in time to hear the men conclude the business section of their meeting with a Rosary.  As is the habit its familiar refrain was recited with the usual vigour and haste.   I have often wondered about the value of such prepared and formal prayers.  Is it because it’s the dutiful Catholic thing to do, or do we believe that somehow it will please God in his lonely heavenly realm?  It did not appear as though the recitation moved anyone to a higher plain or prompt them to question a particular aspect or understanding of faith. Repetition can be a useful teaching tool for primary school students, but these were all mature men, lay and clergy combined.  Remember, the Rosary was originally created as a substitute to help illiterate monks recite a simple refrain after they lost the skill to recite the 150 Psalms.  

While the value of a repetitive prayer may be very  handy when difficult and demanding circumstances keep us from a clearer focus; it should not lead us to a form of unified boredom.  The Catholic Mass, except perhaps for the Liturgy of the Word, follows a predictable format.  However, Catholics will quickly point out that the Liturgy of Eucharist should be understood as the highlight of the celebration. It is here that the body of Christ takes the physical form of his presence among his people. How many times do we miss that opportunity through our lack of response?  I truly believe that God already rests deep within every indestructible soul. The play of Mass is purely intended to remind us of that fact.

 

     

Predictability and repetition may be helpful to guide us through a semblance of unified praise and worship but I have often wondered what would happen if the celebrant were to open the proceedings with the questions: “Why you are here and what do you want to do?”  It has been said, and rightfully so, that many of us have become spectators instead of participants in what should be high drama. After all we do not gather together to be entertained but to participate in our joint search for God and may reflect his image to all he places in our path. The clergy can help point the way but can never become the destination.

 

Many Catholics today continue to insist that Tradition and Scripture are the necessary tools to help us find our way to this inward reality.  For some that may indeed hold true – but it cannot be the only way. God meets us where we are not where others would have us be.  The way to God cannot be attained through formula but rather through the diversity congruent with  each unique human being.  Tradition must always remain open to question and inquiry recognizing that faith is a dynamic and can never remain static when held under the domain of the Holy Spirit. 

Finally it is not about a religious institution, nor about your neighbour, not about me, and not really about you the reader- it is simply about forming a direct relationship with God; or more specifically discovering the God within. For most of us that goal is not only scary but perhaps beyond our immediate imagination.

In order to develop that relationship and trust we need to let go of all our usual support systems.  Think of it in these terms.  You enter a forest to find God. You set out with a group of trusted friends armed with a book of instructions on how to survive in the woods, and knowledge gained from innumerable lessons previously provided in the  in the event you should lose your way.  On the third day of your journey you wake up in the middle of the night, from a deep sleep,  only to discover that everyone is gone.  You are completely alone and everything you need to survive has been taken.  What will you do?  How will you find your way home?

You will now have to make decisions based on your own judgment – but without the help of others.   At this point the advice others have given you, in good faith and to the best of their ability, could prove to be valuable but also useless – now you alone must decide.  What will give you the strength to carry on and find your way back home?

I’m sure you will immediately grasp the fundamental truth in this simple analogy.

 

But now here’s the Good News - we will all find God!  But we will also know that he found us first and that it had nothing to do with the morality of your neighbour; what the religious leaders or the church told you, or all of the issues   facing the world today, such as abortion, contraception, same-sex marriage, etc. etc.,   God will always reach beyond all our expectations and assumptions and he/she will never leave us orphans.

            

Honouring our unique gift

In a universe of time and place no two snowflakes and no two human beings have ever been found the same. Within our universe exist billions of galaxies and within each galaxy exist billions of stars. No two galaxies have ever been found the same. At the opposite end of the scale scientist are discovering that similar comparisons exists within our microscopic world While the Bible tells us that God created each person in his image it should remind us that we are each unique reflections of the creator's infinite reality. We cannot even imagine what God looks like except to look more deeply into the heart of creation itself. We cannot expect to have two people to experience creation in the same way. Nor should we expect them to express their experience in the same way. It is simply illogical to ask any two people to agree to any particular set of 'beliefs. Each person will only understand these religious formulas and beliefs in the context of their own unique experience. Recognizing and respecting the unique qualities of each person therefore may call for a quantum leap for some who believe that unity requires a strict adherence to a set of rules. Our hope for this troubled world calls for expressions of diversity – not similarity. The desire for similarity creates jealousy and the evil of competition. Similarity restricts our experience of God by limiting our experience of God to manmade rules and regulations. Diversity opens the world to infinite possibilities and allows us to awaken the hidden God within. Sacred scripture for each religion is filled with stories of people's unique experience of God. So too we must also live our own unique and sacred story in the presence of our Creator.

Many of our religious institutions follow a prescribed doctrine of beliefs. To challenge these beliefs is often considered heresy. Through ages past and among some extreme examples of religious fundamentalism these challenges are often met with threats and acts of deathly violence. Strangely enough these very negative responses ignore the infinite nature of the Creator they are trying to protect. Our Creator does not need our protection otherwise we are merely confusing him with gods of a lesser nature. While Institutional religions have been largely responsible for creating institutional responses to honour our God they seldom encourage its followers to look beyond the immediate. This would require change. And institutional religion fears change. They fear change because it takes our unique experience out of their control.

Today I met a man who had recently lost his wife due to a very lengthy illness. In his grief he shared how people had tried to comfort him with well meaning phrases such as 'time heals all wounds', or 'your wife is now in a better place', etc. Tragically he shared how these words did little to lessen his present pain. In conclusion our friend tried to diminish his own pain by stating 'Oh, well I suppose I'm lucky compared to the people in Haiti' If he could not recognize his own pain as a unique experience, how could we expect him to overcome the grief for others? What have we learned about the gift of grief? Do we not know that it is the God within that grieves for us and with us?

As a former Catholic I understood that the sacrament of communion meant that we honoured the gift of the God within. Upon reception of that sacrament we were called to reach out to others and creation in a manner that reveals God's Revelation to the world. What an amazing Creator we have knowing that we might fail miserably within mere seconds of receiving his unique gift. Communion begins as a simple gathering of unique individuals, regardless of race colour or religion. And, regardless of how it is celebrated, must be understood as sharing without dividing. Real communion is the starting point calling for our unique God like response to others and the rest of creation. It must therefore never be celebrated is a mere ritual. Communion as celebrated in the Catholic sense therefore represents a unique way of celebrating the God within. However, our Creator does not make demands as to how we celebrate his divine indwelling. Honouring the God within our neighbour it is not about membership to any religious institution nor is it about rituals and Holy buildings and statues. It is simply a response to the quiet voice within that would have us accept all others as equals and unique gifts from our Creator.