Category Archives: Church

Is Catholicism A Cult?

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“The word cult has three definitions. First of all, it can simply be a group that loves something. When people refer to an “Elvis cult” or “The O.C. cult,” they mean really devoted fans.

The second definition is that of a religion whose beliefs differ from the majority around them. In the Roman Empire, Christians were sometimes considered a cult because they worshiped Jesus rather than the Roman gods.

The third, and most commonly used definition, refers to a religious group that is:

1) Exclusive. They may say, “We’re the only ones with the truth; everyone else is wrong; and if you leave our group your salvation is in danger.”

2) Secretive. Certain teachings are not available to outsiders or they’re presented only to certain members, sometimes after taking vows of confidentiality.

3) Authoritarian. A human leader expects total loyalty and unquestioned obedience.”

— From Christianity Today website

 

So, are Catholics members of a cult?

According to definition number one we are.  We are “really devoted fans” of Jesus Christ and the Church He founded.

According to the second definition, we might be, depending on the time and the place.  The Catholic Church is the Church Jesus established.  Hence, the early Christians considered by the Roman Empire to be a cult were Catholics.  America was discovered by a Catholic, but the U.S. was colonized predominantly by Protestants.  In the 1800s, when large groups of Catholics came to the U.S., they were not welcomed.  They were not wanted.  They were considered “papists,” or “Romanists,” something other than Christian, even though “Christianity” and “Catholicism” had been synonymous for 1500 years before Protestantism even appeared.  To the early American Protestants (and some modern day Protestants), Catholics were considered cult members.  Ironically, Protestants could also be considered cult members according to their respective founders such as the cult of Martin Luther, John Wesley, John Calvin, King Henry VIII, etc.

The third definition does not describe Catholicism.  We are “exclusive” in the sense that we believe Jesus meant it when He said, “I am the way, the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except by me.”  We also believe Jesus established one Church, gave His authority to that Church, and, as King, made Peter His first Prime Minister.  Catholics believe that all Christians are part of the Church, although many, either willingly, or, through no fault of their own, have been cut off from many of the graces available through the Church.  They have been deprived of these graces due to the Protestant movement and/or heretical teachings.  Those who obstinately resist those graces do indeed place their salvation in jeopardy.  But this is as much as saying that those who obstinately reject Christ place their salvation in jeopardy.  The Church and Jesus Christ go together.  They cannot be compartmentalized.  This is why, when Jesus confronted Saul (Paul) of Tarsus on the road to Damascus He asked him, “Why do you persecute me,” not “Why do you persecute my Church?”

The beliefs of Catholicism are not secretive or confidential.  Anyone can read the Catholic Catechism either in book form or on the internet.  There are no “confidentiality” requirements to becoming Catholic.  In fact, we are supposed to tell people about the Faith so they know where to find the Church that Jesus established.

The Catholic Church is not “authoritarian” it is “authoritative.”  The authority she possesses was not claimed by her or taken by her but given directly to her by Christ.  Jesus said, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to me.”  He told his apostles, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  He also gave Peter the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven (like an Old Testament king appointing his Prime Minister).

The Catholic Church expects obedience because Jesus Christ expects obedience.  Christ is the Head and the Church is His body.  Where the head goes the body goes as one unit, not as many parts in various directions.  The obedience is not “unquestioned obedience.”  Catholics must have doubts and questions in order to learn.  “Seek and you shall find” includes asking questions and growing in understanding of the Faith.  The obedience of the Catholic is what Paul described as “the obedience of the Faith.”  It is obedience out of love.  Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”  Catholics are not dumb animals without brains.  As Pope John Paul II said, “Faith and reason are the two wings on which the soul takes flight.”  Catholics are supposed to think with their brains and love with their hearts, not just have a “blind obedience.”

People who accuse Catholics of being in a “cult” usually use the term in a pejorative way to attack the Church with misconceptions.  These people do not want Christ’s Church to have authority.  They want to cling to their own authority.  They suppose that, since Catholics have a pope, we must be following a man instead of Christ.  In reality, we are all following Christ in a grand, 2000 year old parade.  The pope is simply the man Christ placed first in line behind Him.  Consider Paul’s words in Philippians 3:17 to “be followers of me.”  As an apostle, Paul was a leader the Christians were supposed to follow.  By doing so, they were following Christ.  Catholics do the same thing when we follow the bishops, the successors of the apostles.  The pope is simply the head bishop.

If Catholics are members of a cult, it is simply the cult of Jesus Christ.  There is nothing wrong with being a follower of Jesus.  I’m not ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I’m a really devoted fan of His!

Why A Crucifix? Why Not An Empty Cross?

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I have often heard complaints about the Catholic use of the crucifix.  The typical remark is something similar to, “Jesus rose from the dead and is alive.  Why do you keep Him on the cross?  We use an empty cross because Jesus is alive!”  There are also people who think that the crucifix demonstrates that Catholics believe in “re-killing” Jesus at every Mass, which is a misunderstanding of the Mass.

Catholics know very well that Jesus is alive, and we do not “re-kill” Him in the Mass.  In fact, for the six weeks of Easter, the crucifix in my parish church is replaced by an image of the risen Christ.  Throughout the year, every weekend is a “little Easter” as we are expected to acknowledge the soberness of Good Friday and the celebration of Easter Sunday.  Catholics do not minimize Christ’s resurrection.  After all, it is His resurrected, glorified body we partake of at every Mass.

The Romans put crucified people on display to frighten the population into submission.  Catholics put the crucified Christ on display to say, “We’re not afraid of death or of you.”  In his Catholicism television series, Fr. Baron points out that holding up the crucifix is actually a kind of “taunt.”  It’s an “in your face” way of saying, “Christ has conquered death.  Do your worst to us and we will still overcome because Christ has overcome.”

We can also point to the Apostle Paul’s statement that “we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness” (1Cor 1:23).  The crucifix is a visual aid for preaching the Gospel.  It stands in stark contrast to worldly expectations of what power and leadership are about.  But, “the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Cor 1:25).  The Romans crucified thousands of people, but only Jesus conquered death.  Only Jesus was crucified willingly and for our sake.  His “foolishness” and “weakness” show God’s true power and leadership.  Catholics are showing the world, not just any cross, but the cross of Jesus.  That’s the one cross that changes everything.  Like Paul, Catholics “preach Christ crucified.”

When we look upon the crucifix, we also see more than the cross of Jesus.  We are also reminded that we are not yet finished with our own crosses.  Jesus has risen, but we still have a cross to bear in this life.  The servant is not above the Master.  The servant follows the Master.  The crucifix is a daily reminder that Jesus does not remove all of our suffering in this life.  In this life, we are called to embrace whatever suffering comes our way for His sake.  The crucifix indicates that Christians are still called to follow His lead to the cross.  The empty cross is a bit too sanitized and easy to look upon.  Christ calls us to life as it is here and now.  Life is messy.

Catholics absolutely rejoice in Christ’s resurrection and we await the day when we can join Him in that blessed hope.  Yet, we also realize that we must presently be about the business of carrying our crosses.  We, like our Master, must die to self before we can live with Him.  So, we look upon the crucifix now and place our future hope in the resurrection.  We’re not finished yet.  We’re still running the race and fighting the good fight.  The crucifix reminds us.

The Bible? Yep, There’s An App For That. But…

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We have reached a point in history where the Bible is available to practically everyone.  We can even carry it around on our smart phones if we want to.  We have access to all sorts of information about the Bible with a few clicks of a mouse or the slide of a finger.  Things have changed drastically since the days when there were only a few Bibles copied by hand.  And yet, some things have not changed at all.  The meaning of Scripture has not changed.  The truth contained in Scripture has not changed.  The ability to properly discern the meaning of the text still resides with the Holy Spirit, not human technology.  Our technology cannot match God.

Consider the account of the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:31.  The Apostle Phillip saw him reading from the prophet Esaias.  So, Phillip, guided by the Spirit, approached the man and asked him if he understood what he was reading.  The man replied, “How can I unless some man guides me?”  So, Phillip explained (preached) to the man how the Scriptures pointed to Jesus Christ.  The eunuch then asked to be baptized.  He became a Christian, not because he read and understood the copy of the Scriptures he possessed, but because a Spirit-led, authoritative interpreter of that Scripture preached to him.  That Ethiopian eunuch might as well have been sitting there Googling the Scripture on his iPhone.  He still would have needed the apostolic authority guided by the Holy Spirit.

The Bible contains, among other things, Paul’s letters to various churches regarding many different topics such as salvation, end times, proper behavior of Christians, the Lord’s Supper, etc.  Peter (the first pope and head of the apostles) also wrote some letters.  In 2Peter 3:16, Peter mentions the letters of Paul.  Peter writes that Paul’s letters contain information that is “hard to understand.”  Not only are the letters hard to understand, but there are a lot of people twisting the truth of those letters “to their own destruction.”  In other words, interpreting the Bible is difficult and dangerous.  Peter then warns the Christians not to be led astray by people that are improperly interpreting Paul’s letters.

Having a laptop with fancy Bible software or a smart phone has not made it safer to interpret Scripture.  In fact, it has probably increased the danger.  We now live in a world of relativism, the antithesis of truth.  People generally no longer believe in absolute truth.  “You have your truth and I have my truth.”  “You have your Bible interpretation and I have my Bible interpretation.”  “You follow your Jesus and I’ll follow my Jesus.”  This is partly the result of many Bibles with little or no guidance from apostolic authority.  Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth and the life.”  Pontius Pilot says, “What is truth?” and then washes his hands of it and crucifies Truth.  Such is our world of mass information and relativistic mindset.

Can’t people become Christian in any church?  Isn’t it even possible for people to pick up a Bible, read it, learn about Jesus and become Christian?  Of course.  But becoming Christian is only the beginning.  Disciples must learn how to remain Christians, grow as Christians and conduct themselves as Christians.  Just as we do not leave newborn babies to fend for themselves, The Master did not set us adrift on the winds of conflicting doctrines.  Jesus did not leave us alone with only our Bibles.  He left us a Church for guidance.  When we ignore or abandon the apostolic guidance of that Church, we place ourselves in peril.  When we act as if we know better than the Church that Jesus established and gave His own authority to, we place ourselves in peril.  When we have devotion to the Bible but not to Christ’s Church, we place ourselves in peril.  It is not the Bible that divides Christians; it is the issue of authority.

The question of authority extends even beyond the interpretation of Scripture.  The Bible does not explicitly address certain issues facing modern Christians.  While technology has given us smart phones, it has also enhanced our ability to “play God,” particularly in the beginning and ending stages of life.  Science promises great power and ingenuity, but it does not promise morality or spiritual truth.  If Christians are divided over moral issues that are addressed in the Bible, how much more will they be divided on issues where the Bible is silent?  There has to be an authority to interpret Scripture and to address contemporary moral issues.

Keep your Bible on your phone, your Kindle, your laptop, your desktop or in a drawer by your bed if you wish.  It matters not.  What matters is the authority by which we discern the Bible.  There are now literally thousands of conflicting interpretations and various lifestyles all claiming to be led by the Holy Spirit and all using the name “Christian.”  It’s confusing.  God is not the author of confusion (1Cor 14:33).  We still need the apostolic, Spirit-led authority that unlocked the Scriptures for the Ethiopian eunuch.  We don’t need more technology or Bibles, and we don’t need just any church or just any preacher; we need the Church preaching apostolic truth.

Why Don’t Catholics Carry Bibles To Church?

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If you watched the History Channel’s The Bible series, you might not have noticed that there was something missing in the last episode.  The Apostles were spreading the Gospel far and wide even as they encountered much persecution and opposition.  The number of Christians was growing substantially.  Paul of Tarsus was shown disrupting Christians as they participated in The Lord’s Supper (Mass), and inciting the crowds to murder Saint Steven.  After his conversion, Paul was shown visiting various parts of the world and preaching to them.  What was not shown were Christians carrying Bibles around.  That’s because the Bible did not yet exist (only Old Testament scrolls existed).  Nevertheless, the Gospel was being preached and people were being converted.

It is ironic that, when people start new churches and make attempts to recreate the environment of the first Christians, they bring their Bibles with them.  The first Christians had no Bibles and most could not even read.  “Faith came by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17).  The Word of God was preached by the Apostles and the men they appointed.  One did not need a Bible.  All that was needed were ears to hear.

Eventually, some things were written down and letters were sent to various Christians.  Over time the Church gathered up quite a bit of written material.  But even then, people did not generally know how to read.  And the written materials were not handed out for everyone to bring to the service with them.  People still had to be read to and come to faith by hearing, not by reading.

The Church carried on in this manner for about 400 years until it was decided that the inspired writings needed to be compiled into one collection of books.  The Bible is a collection of writings, a library (from Koine Greek τὰ βιβλία, tà biblía, “the books”).  The Catholic Church had to decide which writings were inspired by God, and which ones were not.  They did this through the authority given by Christ 400 years earlier and under the direction of the Holy Spirit.  Hence, we were given the Bible.

However, Christians still were not carrying Bibles to services with them.  They still could not read.  There were only a limited number of copies of the Bible.  The Bible was copied by hand over centuries.  Were it not for Catholic monks bending over tables in monasteries and protecting the copies we might not have Bibles today.  A congregation was blessed to have even one copy of the Bible.  It was so valuable it had to be protected from theft and damage.  Still, the people came to faith by hearing, not by reading.

The invention of the printing press made it possible for more folks to have Bibles.  Even then, it took years before Bibles were household possessions.  It was a mixed blessing.  More people had Bibles, but there was more confusion about what was in the Bible.  Suddenly, everyone that could read became a Bible interpreter.  Rather than being good for the Church, this phenomenon fragmented the Church.  People began to think they knew better than the Church that had written, compiled and preserved the writings for hundreds of years.  Today we have a Bible in every hand, but we also have 30,000+ ways of interpreting the Bible.  The Church is weakened in her mission to the world by such division.  People took the Bible away from the Church and started thousands of other “churches.”  This is not the Christian unity that Jesus and His Apostles had in mind.  People hijacked the Bible from the Church and coopted the name “Christian.”

Today Catholics are still listening to the Word of God being read to them (although they can certainly read along from their Bibles or the Catholic Missal if they want to).  If a Catholic goes to daily Mass, he/she will hear nearly the entire Bible over a three year period.  Literate Catholics are also encouraged, even exhorted, to read and learn the Bible outside of the Mass.  We are offered Bible studies and have access to all sorts of educational materials about the Bible.  We can even interpret the Bible as we read it, as long as we don’t come up with ideas that contradict the apostolic teaching of the Church.

The Catholic Mass is divided into sections.  One section is the Liturgy of The Word.  This is where we hold up the Bible (literally hold it up to honor and reverence it), read from it, and preach about it.  However, The Liturgy of the Eucharist is the high point of the Mass.  This is where we do what Jesus told us to do in remembrance of Him.  Even throughout the entire Mass there are words from Scripture integrated into the service.  For most Bible-Christian churches, the high point of the service is typically singing, the reading of the Bible and preaching.  Catholics also do these things, but we have preserved Christ’s emphasis on the Eucharist, His life-giving flesh and blood.

Most Bible churches have communion, but it tends to be a lesser emphasis and is only symbolic in nature.  Some churches only have communion once a quarter.  Mostly they focus on the Bible and preaching.  The Apostles would not recognize such services.  They would be looking for the Eucharist, not the Bible.  Churches that emphasize the “Bible alone” are a relatively new phenomenon, but most people are not aware of the history.  They just assume that Christianity has always been based on the Bible.  But, the reverse is true.  It is more accurate to say that the Bible is based on the Church.  The Church did not always have the Bible.  The Church came first.

So, Catholics don’t usually carry Bibles to church with them, even though the Bible is actually a Catholic book.  It’s not that we don’t believe or teach from the Bible.  For 2000 years our Faith has come by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God whether written down or not.  Catholicism is original, authentic Christianity in its fullness.  We love the Bible.  We teach and preach from the Bible.  We read and listen to the Bible.  It is a Catholic book.  It is part of us.  We carry it in our hearts wherever we go.

The Red Flags Of Religion And Tradition

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There were two, main concerns expressed to me by Bible Christians when they heard that I was Catholic.  First, they were afraid that I lacked a personal relationship with Jesus.  Second, my “religion” and its “traditions” were what prevented me from having that personal relationship with Jesus.  In other words, religion and tradition are bad, relationship is good.  Whenever you hear someone make this point, red flags should begin to frantically wave.

If someone tells you that Jesus is anti-religion or anti-tradition, don’t believe a word of it.  Jesus was anti-hypocrisy.  He told His fellow Jews, “Do what the scribes and Pharisees tell you to do, because they sit on the seat of Moses.  Just don’t act the way they act” (Matt 23:1-3).  In other words, “Your religion and tradition is good, but your religious leaders are behaving badly.”

Jesus confronted the scribes and Pharisees and called them hypocrites.  Jesus also pointed out that they had piled on man-made traditions that were ruining the good, God-given religion and Sacred Tradition.  Jesus never said, “Get rid of the religion.”  He essentially said, “Stop ruining the religion that God gave you.”

Jesus took the religion that God had given the people and made it better.  He fulfilled the religion and brought it forward; He did not abolish or destroy religion.  Jesus continued the religion given by God. Jesus established His Church, placed certain men in charge of the Church, gave those men His own authority and commissioned them to spread the religion.  The religion is called Christianity.

Like Judaism, Christianity contains Sacred Tradition (Tradition with a capital “T”).  Catholics know this as “The Deposit of Faith.”  This is handed down by apostolic authority, the authority given by Christ.  For example, the Apostle’s Creed, the seven Sacraments and even the Bible are part of Sacred Tradition.  When people condemn “tradition” they are unwittingly condemning the Bible.  The Bible was given to us through the Sacred Tradition of the Catholic Church.  Paul said, “Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word of mouth or by letter” (2 Thess 2:15).  Here we can see that both oral and written traditions are important and are given by apostolic authority.  Catholicism contains both the written and the oral Sacred Tradition.

Catholicism also has traditions (tradition with a lower case “t”) that are disciplinary, pastoral or cultural in nature.  These are not the same thing as Sacred Tradition.  However, that does not mean that these traditions impede a personal relationship with Jesus.  These are outgrowths of a personal relationship with Jesus.  Imagine, for example, a mother and a daughter making cookies together every year for Christmas.  That is a family tradition that grew out of a relationship that already existed.  Making cookies does not “replace” the relationship between the mother and the daughter.  So it is with many Catholic, lower case “t” traditions.  Catholicism does not interfere with a personal relationship with Jesus.  Catholicism is all about a personal relationship with Jesus.

There are occasions when people abuse Catholicism and/or fail to make the connection between the religion and the relationship.  This has always been the case.  That is why Jesus warned us about it.  Jesus knew that the abuses in Judaism could also happen in His Church.  Nevertheless, He established His Church and promised that it would endure by His power, not by man’s power.  It has endured.  2000 years later, the Catholic Church is still going, still spreading the Gospel, and is the largest charitable organization in the world.  After all, “Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world” (James 1:27).  In other words, religion should promote charity (love) and holiness.  Such is the goal of authentic Catholicism, the religion of Jesus Christ.  Those who believe otherwise simply misunderstand authentic Catholicism.

So, Catholics, when someone wants to tell you that your religion is preventing you from having a personal relationship with Jesus, red flags should begin to fly about.  Tell them that quite the opposite is true.  Your religion is a personal relationship with Jesus.  It was given to us personally by Jesus.  The more you learn The Faith the more you will know this to be true.

What Has Jesus Given Us? (Hint: More Than Cool Special Effects)

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As we reflect on this Good Friday, let us attempt to fathom what Christ has given us.

Himself – He has given us Himself, fully human and fully divine.  God has given everything He has.  He has taken upon Himself our sinfulness and weakness.

Eternal life – He has conquered death.  He has removed the power of sin.  He has provided the means of eternal salvation through the New Birth of baptism.  He provides Himself, The Bread of Life in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist as food to sustain our growth and spiritual life.  Eventually, He will give us glorified, resurrected bodies.  We will be the perfect creations of body and spirit that we were always meant to be.

Forgiveness – Through the Sacrament of Reconciliation He has given us forgiveness and new life when, through our feeble, human nature we damage or extinguish the spiritual life within us.

His Church, His Bible and The Holy Spirit – He established His Church.  He gave the Church the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us.  Through His Church He gave us the Bible and men with His authority to rightly interpret the Scriptures.  Through the Sacraments of His Church we are given graces beyond measure.

His family – He became our Brother, led us to His Father, and from the cross, gave us his mother.  He connects us to each other as one Body of believers on Earth and in Heaven.  Through Christ, the Communion of Saints is one, big, universal family.

He has given us much more than I can list here.  He has not left us as orphans to fend for ourselves.  He has provided all we need for our pilgrimage from this life to the next.

Holy Week: The Servant Is Not Above The Master

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I’ve been reflecting today about Holy Week and the finale episode of The Bible series on the History Channel.  I’ve been thinking about what the world did to Jesus.  Jesus told His followers that they also would be hated and persecuted because of Him.  He didn’t hint that the world might do so, but He assured them that it would do so.  He also told his followers to expect, accept and embrace suffering.  The Apostles were virtually all killed for following Jesus.  The next 2000 years produced innumerable, Christian martyrs, including many of the first popes.

Why do so many present day Christians expect their lives to be free from suffering?  Jesus said that the servant is not above the Master.  The servant follows the Master.  The Master suffered for speaking, indeed for being the truth in love.  The Master did not suffer because He spoke things that made everyone feel good.  The Master did not suffer because He pointed out how fair and free from injustice the world could be.  He suffered because He testified to the sinfulness and injustice of the world.  He suffered because He pointed beyond this life and our attachments to it.

I’m not suggesting that Christians need to go out and pick fights or seek out ways to suffer.  But, I do believe that if we stand for truth when the world tries to feed us lies, we will not need to seek out suffering or persecution.  It will come and find us.  If it does not come looking for us, we’re probably not following Christ.  If we receive constant applause from the world, we’re probably not following Christ.

Jesus said, “Blessed are you when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.  Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy: for behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.” (Luke 6:22-23)

Christians, are we prepared to be blessed?  Are we prepared to leap for joy?  Christ had His resurrection.  Ours is yet to come.  We are still in the world.  But, we are not of the world.  Speak the truth in love.  Then, be ready to follow the Master.

Love Means Sometimes Having To Say You’re Sorry Out Loud

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Imagine that you were born in a primitive part of the world that had no access to technology.  Imagine that you had never seen a cell phone or a television or a radio.  Then one day, a stranger showed up in your land.  Somehow, this stranger knew your language, and he told you about the place he was from and some of the people he knew.  Intrigued, you said to the stranger, “I would like to meet some of those other people, too.”  “Of course,” said the stranger, “I will ask them to come join us.”  Then, the stranger pulled out a little, square, black object from his pocket and began to speak to it.  After putting the object back into his pocket, the stranger said, “They will be here tomorrow morning to meet you.”

Confused, and thinking this person might have a screw loose, you said to the stranger, “I thought you were going to talk to your friends about coming to visit.”  “Yes,” said the stranger, “I just spoke to them.”  “No, you didn’t, you spoke to that thing in your pocket.”  “Well, that is a phone.  It allows me to communicate with my friends.”  “You mean you don’t have to speak directly to your friends?  You can speak to that little phone and it does everything for you?”  Well, no,” explains the stranger, “I was actually speaking to my friends through the phone.  The phone is an instrument through which I speak directly to my friends.”

After a crash course in basic technology you begin to understand how the phone operates.  Once you understand about radio waves and electronic speakers, transmitters and receivers, you can see just how much sense it makes.  At first it seemed like the stranger was a confused, crazy person talking to a little black box.  Now it seems like a good idea.

In a similar way, non-Catholics (and even some Catholics) think it is unnecessary and even silly to confess one’s sins to a priest rather than going “directly to God.”  What is misunderstood is that Catholics are going “directly to God” when they confess to a priest.  The priest is merely God’s chosen instrument.  God realizes that we, being physical and spiritual creations, benefit from actually speaking our sins out loud to another and hearing the words of absolution audibly spoken back to us.

When Jesus walked the earth 2000 years ago, His followers got to use their physical mouths to speak to Him and their physical ears to hear Him say, “Your sins are forgiven.”  Jesus did not communicate to them strictly through telepathic or “spiritual” means.  He spoke and listened like a man to other men and women.  2000 years later, Catholics still have access to this gift through the priest.  Jesus is right there the whole time.  Jesus listens and Jesus forgives through His instrument, the Priest.  This is the system established by Christ.  It is the way Christians are to find forgiveness (especially for mortal sins) apart from “emergency” situations that I will not cover here.  Suffice it to say that the normal way to drive a two lane highway is to not cross the solid, center line.  In certain emergencies, crossing the center line might be necessary.  The normal or “ordinary” way for Christians to find forgiveness for sins (particularly mortal sins) is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  But there is no reason to avoid the Sacrament for venial sins as well (even though these can be forgiven apart from the Sacrament of Reconciliation).

In a sort of reversal of the phone analogy, people today see the Sacrament of Reconciliation as “obsolete technology.”  In other words, why pick up the “phone” to call someone when you can just instantly “be” with that person (i.e. Jesus in spirit).  “We can talk directly to Jesus anywhere!  Why do we need this ancient, “go-between” priest nonsense?”  This attitude is an outgrowth of the “Jesus and me” theology that is so prevalent today.  This theology emphasizes a one-on-one relationship with Christ at the expense of the corporate, familial, sacramental reality of the Church.  This can be seen in the attitude that says, “As long as I’m not hurting anyone else, it’s ok.”  But sin is not just between the sinner and God.  Sin hurts the entire Body.  If one member of the Body is sick, the whole Body suffers.

We humans tend to deceive ourselves and justify our sins.  It’s too easy to “talk to Jesus” about things and not be truly honest with ourselves.  We can too readily fashion Jesus into who we want Him to be.  We don’t like to confront and admit sin.  The priest can help us discern if we are being too hard or too easy on ourselves.  So then, why not just talk to a trusted friend or a therapist?  We can derive some psychological benefit from doing so, but Christ did not give the authority to “bind and loose” to your friends or to therapists.  Christ did not say to your friends or your therapist, “Whosoever sins you forgive are forgiven and whosoever sins you retain are retained.”  Christ gave that authority to specific men in His Church and to their successors.

It is one thing to “be sorry” and another thing to “say you are sorry” (despite what the Movie Love Story might want us to believe).  I see this frequently in my counseling office.  People tend to be defensive and avoid admitting their faults.  Getting an apology from some folks is like pulling teeth.  So many marriages would be a lot happier if both partners knew how to apologize and how to graciously accept an apology.  As earlier stated, sin affects not only the sinner, but the entire Church, His Body.  Therefore, Christ wants us to make our apology and find healing through the Church, His Body.  He wants us to do the real work of humility and actually speak our sins out loud to the Church.  He wants us to make a full apology through His Church.

When Jesus healed the blind man, He made mud with spit and dirt, put it on the man’s eyes and then told him, “Go wash in the pool.”  Imagine the blind man saying, “Forget all this mud and washing nonsense, just heal me now, Jesus!”  No, the blind man did as Jesus instructed and was healed.  Jesus often gave specific instructions to those He healed.  Jesus told His disciples, “Whoever hears you hears me,” and “Whosoever sins you forgive are forgiven, whosoever sins you retain are retained.”  Yet, we often say to Jesus, “No, I don’t want to go through that process to call upon your Name, express my personal belief in You and find healing for my soul.  It’s too humiliating, too inconvenient, too old fashioned, too complicated, too messy.  I want to do it my way.  Just forgive me now, Jesus.  I don’t need Your apostles or their successors or any of Your Church getting in the way of my relationship with You.”

Sorry, Even The Pope Is Not Allowed To Change Those Things

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The other day, a news agency posted opinion polls on Facebook asking whether or not the new Pope should “change the Church,” “allow women to be priests,” “approve contraception,” etc.  Such opinion polls reveal at least two important things.  First, society is generally clueless about authentic Catholic teaching and the Pope’s authority.  Secondly, people tend to believe that Christ should serve them, not that they should serve Christ.

The Catholic Church (including the Pope) does not possess the authority to change Natural Law or the Law of Christ.  Certain things have already been established by Christ.  Some things the Church has deemed immoral and/or unnatural within the physical realm and the supernatural realm.  The Church cannot say, “OK, those things are now considered moral and natural.”  Morality and nature are not subject to public opinion.  Catholic doctrine is not subject to public opinion.  (Incidentally, there is a difference between Church doctrine and Church disciplines, a distinction many don’t consider).  Christ’s Church is not a democracy.  Catholic Christians are subject to the Church, because the Church is subject to Christ.  The Pope has been given authority to protect the Deposit of Faith, not change it.  Hence, the Catholic Church stands fast on matters of Faith and morals, even while other Christian churches cave in to public pressure.

We live in a fast food, have-it-your-way world.  This is why so many people “church hop” and look for a church that agrees with their own opinions.  People want to worship a Jesus that fits nicely within their zone of comfort.  People want to shape God and the Church into their own images.  This is upside down.  Christians are supposed to be conformed to Christ, not to the world.  Nevertheless, they often use the world’s standards to push for change in the Church.  When those changes do not happen, they are indignant.  This is not the humility of servants of Christ.  It is ignorance at best, and rebellion at worst.

What? The Church Is Full Of Old People? Thank God!

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I have heard critics of religion in general, and Catholicism specifically, point with glee to the increasingly gray heads of congregations.  By doing so, they hope to emphasize the irrelevance of the Church to the modern world.  They reason that, since churches are not full of young people, it must mean that church no longer works for contemporary society.  A church full of elderly folks indicates that the world has passed them by and they are just old fashioned, stuck-in-the-mud old people.

Yet, who do we typically turn to when seeking wisdom and experience?  We look to those that have been through it all.  We do not seek out the youthful and energetic among us.  Youth and energy is not bad.  However, the youthful tend to seek out their peers, until they require wisdom.  Then they look for mentors to “show them the ropes.”

Why not go to those old people who still populate the pews and ask them why they are still there?  Instead of assuming that church no longer “works,” why not assume that wisdom still resides there while so much youthful energy has been sidetracked by the siren song of fleeting pleasures that the world offers?  Instead of saying, “Ha ha, look at all the foolish, irrelevant old people!” why not say, “Wow, look at all the old people!  I wonder what keeps them there.  Maybe they know something about life we arrogant youths have yet to learn!”

When I was a boy, my mother told me to watch for restaurants with lots of seniors.  She said that seniors were generally good at discovering places that had decent food at reasonable prices because so often they were on a budget and were more careful with their health.  Why not find a church with lots of seniors?  They understand the value of life and they are more careful with their spiritual health.  It is a shame that younger people will avoid a church simply because the congregation is predominantly seniors.  To think that older people should be dictated by the whims of youth is an upside down perspective.  How can youth learn from their elders if they avoid them?

Think twice about going to a church just because it is lively, youthful and allegedly “relevant” to the person of today.  As a Christian, just how “relevant” do you want to be to the world of today, anyway?  The more youth there is the less wisdom likely resides there.  Just because it feels good and has what you want doesn’t mean it has what you need.  Obviously, age is not a guarantee of wisdom, but youth and energy is not a guarantee of truth, either.  There is no substitute for experience.  Our new 76 year old Pope Francis is a case in point.

When facing the battles of spiritual warfare in life, who do you want fighting beside you?  Do you want to be surrounded only by clumsy, new recruits, or do you want to be with veterans that know their way around a battlefield?  Imagine a new combat soldier saying, “I don’t like being in this company.  Too many veterans.”   Whatever struggle you may be facing, there is an older person that has been through it already.  Personally, I want lots of experienced prayer warriors around me.  I like seeing lots of old people in the Church.  In fact, I hope to be one myself someday.