Dwight Longenecker has a good post on Churches, Hypocrisy and Stolen Umbrellas. Religious utopianism is always a problem and it often leads either to church shopping, church creating, or despairing grumbling. I consider myself fortunate to have been able to listen to shows like Catholic Answers live on my way into the Church. I developed no pretentious of a perfect and scandal free Church. The scandal of Judas is not an new story, but an old one. I have learned, slowly though it be, to be more scandalized by the fact that I am a Catholic. Gee they will let just about anybody in.
Catholic call-in shows are not exactly loaded with calls from people asking for advice on how to move from the Teresian sixth mansion of prayer to the seventh. Many calls are people scandalized on one thing or the other. Protestants scandalized about Catholics practices and Catholics scandalized by liturgical abuse, the clergy, and other Catholics.
It is easy to admit on our lips that we are all sinners, though sometimes are hearts just aren’t quite in it. We know that it is the Publican and not the Pharisee who walked away justified, but sometimes we want to say to the Pharisee "Preach it brother." I consider it a mixed blessing to be a mid-life convert. Like Alec Guinness my one true regret is not becoming a Catholic sooner. On the other hand it helps me to see that I have no idea where other people are on a conversion timeline only that that God wills all men to be saved, if only they cooperate. Great sinners have become great saints. There are the Sauls to Pauls, though there are also always the Judases. My concern has not been to try to pick out others who might go to Hell, but to ensure that I don’t increase the population of Hell by one myself.
Dwitght like G.K. Chesterton enjoys standing things on their head. Being a long time fan of Groucho Mark I am reminded of his famous quip "I would not join any club that would have someone like me for a member." Well I would not belong to any church who would not have me as a member. That a cross has been closely associated with hospitals and medical organizations is no surprise in that it is the Church which was the first hospital. As Jesus said "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
1 comment
Now it’s about those Theresian mansions! Just how many more do I have to go through? I’m at “zero” right now!
I’m a cradle Catholic who received the full complement of 12 years of good parochial education and who still dropped out (out of sloth as much as anything) for 23 years in college, then reverted in 1981 and have slowly pursued a long and torturous path back for about the same amount of time, still probably working on that first mansion.
It’s perfect where I am right now as long as I keep getting closer. Had I stayed with the Church in 1960, I no doubt would have become infatuated with Vatican II and become a responsible progressive (like my college pals who still are) demonstrating for all the predictable causes today. No thanks.
God worked wih me in His own mysterious ways. I thank Him daily for those second, third and “nth” chances.
I can’t handle most of those live shows like Catholic Answers or on EWTN for very long. The questions are such as you imply, or it’s an eight year old or a 38 year old with pretty simple problems. Great for those who face similar situations!
I really like Fathers Levis and Trigilio on their taped show on EWTN, which I understand is unrehearsed with questions previously unknown to them. But the questions are all very good. And of course the answers are almost always orthodox. Although I have seen them come back and correct an answer they gave on a previous show once.
John Martignoni, with the Bible Christian Society, has a good email service, sending good questions and answers out on a regular basis. He also gives free booklets (donations accepted, of course).
Great blog you have! A nice variety of news, orthodoxy and humor!