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 recently. I'm sure you've all had a
similar experience. 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. While there, we visited the
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. I was wearing a St. X
alumni shirt. A gentleman approached me and asked if I was Roman
Catholic. I answered yes. The gentleman 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 in an age where women are assuming major leadership roles
in all walks of life, the Catholic church seems to be moving
backwards. The recent controversy involving the Leadership
Conference of Women Religious demonstrates that Rome is trying harder
than ever to assert its dominance and keep women everywhere
underfoot.
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 with us
today, here 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 engage today's
youth at universities through campus ministry. There are retreats
and spiritual direction available for those seeking a closer
relationship with God. We have “Why Catholic” which breaks open
our beliefs and traditions, and makes them easy to understand. These
new opportunities allow the Catholic faithful 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. But it goes much deeper than that. Through 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 the church is oppressing our women. I'll be
honest here, Rome's treatment of women has been a frustrating point
for me as well. We should all recall that some of Jesus' most
faithful and beloved disciples were women, and that is still true
today. Women around the world, both vowed religious and lay women,
continue to serve Jesus and his corporal works of mercy. They run
our schools, staff our hospitals and ease suffering everywhere with
our missionary presence. 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. Nine times out of
ten, you will find that the woman of the household is the primary
spiritual leader. Ask yourself this simple question: Who has had a
greater impact on my spiritual formation – my mother &/or wife
or the pope and bishops?
Are
today's women bothered by their absence within the church hierarchy?
I'm certain that many of them are. To quote today's gospel, “this
is hard; who can accept it?” I'll tell you who - those who
understand that is is God whom we love. It is Jesus whom we follow.
It is our brothers and sisters in Christ whom we serve.
In
conclusion, I will acknowledge that the church is fallible. It is
run by people and people are not perfect. 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 Diemer
21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 26, 2012
