Attempting to answer questions posed by a young Catholic about about events in the Church after Vatican Council II has to be somewhat experiential rather than theoretical: I mean we can only offer possible explanations, not firm facts. Accepting the inadequacy of such information these are my responses:
The jump in vocations after the Council reflected an enthusiastic response to the immediately evident changes, particularly in the celebration of the Liturgy in the vernacular and the involvement of many in the new ministries to which the laity were called. The Liturgy particularly opened up the richness of the Scriptures to many unfamiliar with them and the joyful celebration of the Eucharist accompanied by contemporary hymns involved the whole community in the prayer of the Church. Leadership of such a vibrant community was extremely attractive to an idealistic young Catholic.
The departure of many from the active ministry of the priesthood was influenced by many different motives.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Why so hostile?
I read a lot of comments on articles and blogs by various Catholic and non-Catholic columnists and I am troubled by the vicious tenor of so many of them. Many comments are thoughtful and reasoned statements of agreement or disagreement with the author and I appreciate reading such responses. But far too many are of the "argumentum ad hominem" type, "if you don't like the message attack the messenger", both his intelligence and his character. I supopose it is easier to call someone an idiot or a liar than to refute his arguments, but such a lazy response is in itself dishonest and is an admission of inability to point out the actual error of a position.
Such negative debate seems to be a feature of political campaigns this year and contributes to the polarisation of the various parties who seem more concerned with their electoral victories than the good of the nation. Each side is backed into a corner with no possibility of compromise, no ability to find a middle ground, nothing but a stand-off which leaves the economy at a standstill, the various departments of the government without any clearly identified goals and ordinary citizens frustrated by the lack of leadership.
Such negative debate seems to be a feature of political campaigns this year and contributes to the polarisation of the various parties who seem more concerned with their electoral victories than the good of the nation. Each side is backed into a corner with no possibility of compromise, no ability to find a middle ground, nothing but a stand-off which leaves the economy at a standstill, the various departments of the government without any clearly identified goals and ordinary citizens frustrated by the lack of leadership.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Stop and Listen
I grew up in an Ireland which was 95% Catholic. We also had the Church of Ireland, Methodist and Presbyterian Churches, but that was about it. One of my memories when I first came to Florida was a billboard which read "Bartow's 37 Churches Welcome you."
It has troubled me over the years that Christians were so divided, so wasteful of their efforts to bring members to Christ in their particular church. I fantasized that the Christian Churches of a community should unite to give a presentation on the basics of Christianity over several weeks, followed by brief presentations in each church on what made their church more Christian. Unlike recent election primaries, I would hope that the most convincing presentations would focus on the many achievements of the other churches and their fidelity to the Gospel, while humbly admitting their own failure to live up to their mission.
It has troubled me over the years that Christians were so divided, so wasteful of their efforts to bring members to Christ in their particular church. I fantasized that the Christian Churches of a community should unite to give a presentation on the basics of Christianity over several weeks, followed by brief presentations in each church on what made their church more Christian. Unlike recent election primaries, I would hope that the most convincing presentations would focus on the many achievements of the other churches and their fidelity to the Gospel, while humbly admitting their own failure to live up to their mission.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
About Authority ....
I frequently read comments posted by that most prolific writer, Anonymous. It irritates me, probably because I disagree with them, even when their subsequent comments disagree completely with their previous one. I'm not sure what it really is that is off-putting to me, possibly that a signed criticism carries more weight than an unsigned one. The writer is putting himself on the line.
Still there are reasons, sometimes substantial ones, why individuals do not want to identify themselves. It's a lot easier to append your signature to a statement or petition where you are one of many, than it is to stand alone in speaking up. Sometimes such action may jeopardize one's future or even one's current position. That's where age gives one great freedom. If you are near retirement, you can be pushed out without fanfare. I am inclined to think of some bishops who have received a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge into their twilight. But that frees them to speak out, unlike an otherwise pastoral cardinal who endorsed the papal teaching on birth control in Humani Generis but told a priest privately "I had to say it. It was expected of me." If you are retired, there's nothing "they" can do to you. If you are a prominent and respected theologian "they" can withdraw your license to teach as a Catholic theologian, and if you are a priest you are removed from the list of episcopabile.
Still there are reasons, sometimes substantial ones, why individuals do not want to identify themselves. It's a lot easier to append your signature to a statement or petition where you are one of many, than it is to stand alone in speaking up. Sometimes such action may jeopardize one's future or even one's current position. That's where age gives one great freedom. If you are near retirement, you can be pushed out without fanfare. I am inclined to think of some bishops who have received a gentle (or not so gentle) nudge into their twilight. But that frees them to speak out, unlike an otherwise pastoral cardinal who endorsed the papal teaching on birth control in Humani Generis but told a priest privately "I had to say it. It was expected of me." If you are retired, there's nothing "they" can do to you. If you are a prominent and respected theologian "they" can withdraw your license to teach as a Catholic theologian, and if you are a priest you are removed from the list of episcopabile.
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