Oct
27
We’re Under Attack - So What?
October 27, 2007 |
Are Catholics under attack? If so, does it matter?
Deacon Keith A. Fournier has an interesting column on Catholic.org - “Anti-Catholicism on the Rise - We Must Stand Firm.”
A great deal of what he said is true - Catholicism and Catholics are being attacked, mocked and joked about at every turn. The “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence” sacrilege in San Francisco, the U.N. official blaming the Church for the AIDS epidemic in Africa, comedians using us as their punch line to lighten up the room. Deacon Fournier is also correct in stating that being anti-Catholic is one of the last remaining acceptable prejudices in America.
So, I gotta pose the question - so what?
So what? We’ve been persecuted, mocked, scorned, marginalized, suspected, and denigrated at so many times in our history, it’s difficult to keep count. Remember, it all started with Christ being subjected to ridicule, scorn and ultimate persecution on Good Friday. In the 19th Century, there was a national American political party (the “Know-Nothings”) dedicated to an anti-Catholic platform. There has only been one Catholic ever elected President (and he had to back-seat his faith in order to get to the White House).
And let’s be clear, most of this bias comes to us vicariously. Are we personally subjected to this bias? Probably not. May we be subjected to it at some point in the future? Probably, if it gets bad enough. But as for now, I’ve noticed that some of the most virulent bias I have personally experienced has come from lapsed Catholics.
The problem arises when we allow ourselves, our fellow Catholics, and our Church to use this anti-Catholicism as an excuse. An excuse to follow the popular cultural winds that state that wrong is right, bad is good, false is true, and slavery is freedom. An excuse to say marriage is antiquated, children are an inconvenience, and sexual purity is an impossibility. An excuse to give into the intolerance exhibited towards those of faith and allow our freedom of conscience and religious expression to be slowly stripped away. An excuse to not practice our faith through the sacraments and prayer. An excuse to want to be popular with man instead of on the right path with Christ.
And the biggest problem may be that there are those who want to raise the white flag at the very moment in time when we are winning in the faith arena. People of all ages are being drawn to a Catholicism that means something and stands for something.
I’m reading The Tide is Turning Toward Catholicism by David Hartline of CatholicReport.org (see photo above). It’s a great, important analysis of how Catholics are practicing the faith as never before. And we’re talking about the youth, young adults, lapsed Catholics, converts, and 40-ish Cradle Catholics (like me) who missed out on catechist training (which was non-existent in the ’70s and ’80s) and are trying to make up for lost time.
Our culture has gotten so screwed up that we all are looking for direction, foundation, security and truth. And the place to find it is the place that should have been our home all along - the Church and the faith.
And there will be those who don’t get it and will try to pull out all of the stops to rationalize the “tide” away. Maybe this trend is what Deacon Fournier had in mind at the conclusion of his column -
“Our position is the opposite of hatred of the human race. It is borne out of a love for the dignity of all men and women in their person, their bodies, and their families. It expresses our hope to see all men and women experience authentic human freedom and flourishing. Our positions also serve the Common Good of society.’
‘Anti-Catholicism is on the rise in our day. However, Catholics must not cower when confronted by those who attempt to silence us. Our message is not our own. It is for the whole world and it still sets the captives free.”
Keep in mind - we are not the first Catholics to face this type of environment and we will not be the last. The question is whether we will accept Christ’s call to build his Church on earth or whether we will miss the call because we are too busy doing the culturally acceptable thing.
Do we spend more time talking to someone in a chat room or talking to Christ? Do we know more about Britney, Lindsay and Hannah/Miley (and the gang from High School Musical - don’t ask) than we do our blessed Mother Mary? Can we recite the famous Bluto “when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor” speech (from Animal House) better than we can the Apostle’s Creed?
Good questions to ponder considering that the tide is turning - what side of the tide are we on?
We can’t make excuses. We must bear fruit (see today’s Gospel from Luke 13: 1-9). It’s that simple.
Comments
1 Comment so far
Anti-Catholicism has been called the last great American prejudice. You raise some great questions to consider how even those inside the Church contribute to this in the small ways, which gives permission to the much stronger, more virilent anti-Catholicism to flourish.
God Bless!