21st Sunday Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b; Ephesians 5:21-32;
John 6:60-69
I had one of “those” moments a couple of weeks ago. You all know what I mean. Someone says something to you and you’re not sure how to answer them back. Ten minutes later, you think of the perfect response, but it’s too late. The moment has passed.
My family was in northern Ohio on vacation a couple of weeks ago. While there, we visited the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. My son was wearing a St. Xavier shirt. A gentleman approached me and asked if we were Roman Catholic. I answered yes. The man introduced himself as Jeff. I told him my name and then added that I was a deacon in the church. This man took this as an invitation to tell me all of the problems with the Roman Catholic Church today. It seems Jeff was born and raised Catholic, left the church as a young adult, and only recently had found Jesus in one of those non-denominational mega-churches.
Jeff told me that the Catholic Church spends a great deal of time educating our children, but once they have been Confirmed, the church abandons them. There are no places for an adult to learn more about the faith. People become discouraged and they stop attending mass.
Jeff said that the Catholic Mass is boring. The same thing happens week in and week out. The people occupy the pews, mindlessly standing, sitting, kneeling and reciting prayers memorized long ago, without a second thought to the meaning behind the words. They don’t want to be there. They come out of sense of obligation. They think that by being at mass, the attendance card gets punched and the score will be higher when tallied on the last day.
Jeff said that the number of priests has dwindled so badly that the church will accept practically anyone now days. Heck, they are even allowing married men to become priests in some instances. The opportunities to serve the church are limitless – unless you are a woman. Why would anyone choose to be catholic?
When the man had finished his rant, I wasn’t sure how to answer him. I wasn’t bothered so much by his bitterness toward the church. No, what bothered me the most was the amount of truth that his words carried. I’ll admit it. I couldn’t counter any of his attacks until later, after he had moved on. By then it was too late. But just in case Jeff followed me back to Louisville and is here today, this is how I would like to answer him.
Yes Jeff, the Catholic Church does spend a lot of effort to educate its youth. And yes, there used to be very few options available for adults wanting to learn about their faith. But times have changed. In addition to RCIA classes, we now have bible study for adults, prayer groups and other forms of adult formation. We have a program called Well Built Faith which breaks open the catholic beliefs and traditions, and makes them easy to understand. There are other options as well, such as Awakening Faith, which reaches out to those who have fallen away from the church. These new opportunities allow the Catholic faith to grow and evolve beyond what was learned as a child. You should take advantage of them.
Secondly Jeff, you need to remember that the Mass is a celebration. I was invited to attend a birthday party not too long ago, and I did not want to go. I felt obligated to attend. All I wanted to do was show up, make an appearance, drop off a gift, and get out of there. There have been times in my life where I felt the same way about the celebration of mass. But the great thing about the catholic liturgy is that it is a communal prayer. On those occasions when I’ve arrived at mass in the wrong frame of mind, often, the joy and the prayerfulness that I see in others can lift me up and help me to redirect my focus to Christ. I can only hope that when someone else comes to church feeling out of sorts, that my joy and enthusiasm will reflect God’s love back to them. Mass is a celebration of transformation. The bread and wine are transformed into the body and blood of Christ. Through the mass and the reception of Eucharist, we become one with that paschal sacrifice. We become the sacred vessel that takes Jesus out into the world. We carry out his mission of bringing about the Kingdom of God.
Finally Jeff, you stated that women have no place in the church. I completely disagree. Some of Jesus’ most faithful and beloved disciples were women, and that is still true today. Women are the silent leaders of our mission. They are the teachers of the faith. But more basic than that – women are the family leaders in proclaiming the Good News. Take a look at any family that you consider to be faithful or devout. I'm betting that nine times out of ten, you will find that the woman of the household is the primary spiritual leader. You are correct, Jeff, in saying that the Roman Catholic Church will not ordain women. But that in no way diminishes their faithful and spiritual discipleship within our church.
In conclusion, I will acknowledge that the church is not infallible. We’ve made our share of mistakes and blunders. We have our blind spots. But I truly believe that the Catholic Church, from Rome down to each individual, wants to do God’s will and carry out Christ’s mission. The path we take in choosing to follow Jesus is not always an easy one. We are called to stand with Christ even when it’s not popular or politically correct. Jeff, I can’t tell you why everyone should be catholic. But for me, I have to ask “to whom shall I go?” Jesus has the words of eternal life. He is present within the Catholic Church in the Word, in his people, and in the Eucharist. Nowhere else on earth can you find Jesus present in all three forms. That’s why I am catholic.
Deacon Darryl J. Diemer
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 23, 2009
(on the occasion of the one year anniversary of my ordination to the Permanent Diaconate)
