BayCityRickL:
My observation is that this priest is doing what a lot of other priests are doing nationwide, and he is reaping the results right in his own parish. The evidence of what he is doing (actually what he is not doing) is right there under his nose.
Rick,
Are your notions the same as mine, that part of that “not doing” is not conveying the fullness of the faith, as opposed to sticking to things people are not discomforted with hearing?
Back in May when I converted fully back to God (cradle Catholic sucked in by the world), I was moved to write a letter to Pope Benedict to thank Him for speaking about the “dictatorship of relativism”. He cast a net of admonition and he caught me in it. That propelled me into the deepest personal conversion I have ever gone through. It eventually led me to Grotto where more straight talk took place and cemented my relationship with God. In the letter I wrote in part:
Some Catholics fall away purposely and sadly. They are not seen in Church pews. Others, like me, slip away quietly without even realizing it, all the while sitting in a pew.
I now understand there is only one true North and it does not move to suit a direction in which we wish to go.
Rather than following statically based elements of simple truth, or true North, I was following those that were dynamic and complex, suiting my desires. This complexity leveraged excuses and the damage of such practice is now visible to me. I had shattered my compass all on my own.
In all his charisma, Pope John Paul the Great set the stage and got the world looking to Rome, and now you, Pope Benedict, look out to the world and the faithful are attentive. As the great Moses led our Jewish brothers and sisters out of slavery, I believe you, the successor of Peter, will help us to see the bondage of our immorality and the oppression of our sins. This is the key that unlocks the chains of human suffering the world over. I believe it is time for us to hear you, to learn, and to pray for understanding. Some will listen and they will hear the truth with all the simplicity intended by our Lord Jesus Christ. They will see the Papacy and the Magisterium as the gifts that they are, not as burdens. Others will allow complexity and pride to block the voice of God within their hearts and they will not know that the voice they hear is their own. They will not understand that obedience is an act – not of submission but, of freedom. Many will believe that unification is not possible within our Church not seeing that it is through conversion back to absolute truths and Catholic doctrine that enables it. While a few life-long Catholics may walk away from their roots, I sense that many more non-Catholics will come home as the veil of confusion is lifted during your reign.
This will happen when we are continuously and vigorously challenged by our shepherds, telling us in one, consistent voice those things we wish not to hear. All must lead us north to the land of great promise.
In other words, Pope Benedict, while still Cardinal Ratzinger, jarred me from my relativistic and secular ways through that pre-conclave homily.
Rather than insisting that the Church bend to my whims, full freedom occured when I saw that it was impossible for each and every person to find true North without using the Compass - His Church, the way it was intended, to give us moral direction. We would all like to claim our direction is North.
It is not the Church that must change, it is the priests and the people who must follow the Church in its fullness. When that happens, the pews will fill back up.
When Jesus ordered the apostles to cast their nets out he wanted them to have faith and not worry about not get enough fish. In the same way, priests need to start casting their nets of admonition and begin talking about those things we wish not to hear. They need not worry whether they scare people away. God, in his mercy, will reward those shepherds, who challenge their flock to sanctity through truth and fullness, by filling the pews . Those of humble heart will come. Those who retain pride will turn away.
For this reason, I think it is weak homilies, weak and errant doctrine, no talk of penance, and giving in to our excuses of being too busy for Mass. They need to challenge us on this. Only a small percentage of people truly have legitimate constraints so as to block both Saturday and Sunday attendance.
It is by the grace of God that they got the job, family, and hobbies that they have. Is He not worth giving one hour per week of worship?
