Why am I a Catholic?

After one has spent pages detailing the failures of the Church, primarily the hierarchy, to live up to the ideals of Christianity, it is necessary to say why I am still a practicing Catholic. Every day I run across people who ask “why if you feel that way are you still a Catholic?” The simple answer is Peter’s: “Lord, to whom shall I go? You have the words of eternal life!” But those words are increasingly difficult to distinguish in all the clamor and debate today. As one realizes that the Church only gives us the principles but we must make our own decisions as to their application, right and wrong are no longer simple obedience to another human, be he bishop or pope. Before God it is my decision, not theirs. And that is what my faith comes down to: it’s God and me and no one else

There are others who have supporting roles: my parents who shared their faith with me and my brothers as we recited the family rosary each night, my god-parents, my aunt and uncle, and some priests from my childhood. And my wife by the love she shows me each day, a tangible image of God’s unconditional love. But my Christian dignity is as an individual for whom Christ died and I am privileged to make the choice to respond to His love in love and trust and faith.

That’s not exactly the question I set out to answer. I suppose some may feel I’m too lazy to change or too stubborn or too dumb, that I don’t know any better. I don’t! I believe that Christ is the divine Redeemer, the Son of God. I’m not even sure what that means, which is what faith means, but I believe. And I believe that He lives not just with the Father in Heaven but also in His Church, His community of believers here on earth.

Trust betrayed

The NCR reported last week that Fr. James Connell, vice-chancellor of the Diocese of Milwaukee Wisconsin diocese, had publicly spoken from the pulpit and apologized to his parishioners on November 13-14 for his failure to address the issue of clerical pedophilia. His remarks evinced the frustration felt by many priests about the scandals of the last decade. Hopefully many more priests will follow his lead. Many of the abuses predate that period but the public revelation of the scandals, not just the abuse but the prevarications and outright lies by members of the hierarchy at every level in covering up the crimes of their fellow priests and bishops, is what is most heinous and most distressing to the ordinary Catholic.

Some apologists try to excuse these crimes by saying that it was a different time with different standards. The same argument would justify the massacre at Wounded Knee, lynchings by the Klan, Nero’s persecutions or the Holocaust. Let’s just stop a minute and think things through to their logical conclusion.

Cursillo

The other day a friend asked me what I meant by saying that a Cursillo was the most significant event on my spiritual journey. I knew what I meant, but I could not express it in a nutshell. I think Catholics, particularly Irish Catholics, are not accustomed to giving personal testimonies or witness talks. Yet that is what Christ told his disciples to do --- to be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. When I was younger two topics were taboo in polite society in Ireland: religion and politics.

But times change...