Karl Keating's 7/27 E-Letter

KARL KEATING'S E-LETTER
July 27, 2004

TOPIC:
WANT TO GET FIRED? SHARE THIS E-LETTER
ISSUING AN "ULTIMATUM"
YOU TOO CAN BECOME A MILLIONAIRE

Dear Friend of Catholic Answers:

My E-Letter makes some people happy and some people apoplectic. One of the latter is a priest who runs a small (and ever smaller) parish in Georgia. Here is the story, as recounted to me by a subscriber who identified herself as Theresa:

"I sent your E-Letter to a lot of my Catholic friends, including my parish priest. I was an extraordinary minister of Holy Communion, head of the women's group, an instructor in Pre-Cana, an instructor for pre-baptism, and a member of the parish council and choir. I was fired from all those positions.

"My priest called me up, told me in a disgusted tone never to send him letters from you again, and then proceeded to fire me from all of my volunteer positions. I was essentially kicked out of my home parish.

"Just a final note: This man cornered me at Mass this past Sunday and yelled at me for telling him that I don't agree with his views on married priests. I was very diplomatic, respectful, and calm. It's unfortunate that some of our shepherds are like this, and ours wonders why his flock went from about 400 to just over 100 during his tenure."

Driving away three-quarters of one's congregation is not something normally considered a sign of successful pastoral management. I recall hearing about one diocese where the bishop told pastors that they would not receive associate priests for their parishes unless their parishes regularly produced priestly vocations. That bishop smartly used the carrot. It seems that Theresa's pastor confines himself to the stick.

SIGN ON THE DOTTED LINE--OR ELSE?

Last week I discussed the "Affirmation of Personal Faith" instituted by Bishop Robert F. Vasa of the Diocese of Baker. The "Affirmation" is to be signed by anyone working in parish ministries. Anyone unwilling to sign must remove himself from ministerial positions. Several subscribers to the E-Letter wondered whether taking such a hard line is the way to go.

Stacey Burdue wrote:

"I don't believe an ultimatum is the most effective, or Christlike, method to enforce the Church's teaching upon people or to assume those involved in ministries have successfully finished their journey. I do believe that God is with all people on their journey, that the people involved in ministries bring a multitude of gifts that do benefit the Church a great deal even while some may struggle with some very serious issues.

"I do not believe that we are living Christ's command to love our neighbors when we present them with a document that says 'sign this or get out.' I believe to do so would hurt the people who are trying to be good Catholics by participating in a ministry yet who are still on a journey of faith themselves."

On one level I sympathize with this argument; on another I don't.

Certainly each Catholic is on a journey of faith. The person sitting next to you in the pew may be considerably ahead of you, or considerably behind you, in that journey. But aren't there two elements to the journey, one intellectual and one spiritual?

When we speak about people being on a journey, if we're speaking about Catholics, as distinguished from non-Catholics, we almost always mean people who are trying, however fitfully, to deepen their spiritual lives--to avoid habitual sins, to become more regular in prayer, to attend Mass not just on Sundays.

If we're speaking about non-Catholics, usually we mean a journey toward acceptance of Catholic teachings: letting go of misconceptions and errors from their pre-existing faith, coming to see and to adhere to Catholic truths they heretofore had rejected.

What we usually don't have in mind, when we talk about Catholics who are on a journey of faith, is Catholics who don't accept basic teachings of the Church. We presuppose that Catholics know basic teachings and accept them.

I can understand why many Catholics might not accept the Church's teaching on the circumincession of the Holy Trinity--they have never heard of such a teaching. It's not that they reject it. They just don't know about it. Most Catholics, even solidly orthodox ones, never have it brought to their attention. No need, really. It's an obscure teaching, one commonly reserved for theological journals.

But when we look at Bishop Vasa's "Affirmation of Personal Faith," we don't find any mention of circumincession. What we find are simple, almost self-evident teachings that every adult Catholic has heard of and should be able to understand without difficulty. There is nothing complicated about opposing abortion, contraception, or homosexual acts.

Adult Catholics who approve of abortion in some cases, who approve of (and likely practice) contraception, who think there is nothing wrong with homosexual acts--such Catholics are not, except in highly unusual cases, "on a journey of faith" with respect to these issues. They are not seeking advice ("Explain to me, Father, why abortion is always wrong"). They simply oppose Catholic teaching, either in their own lives ("My spouse and I see nothing wrong in using contraception") or in the lives of others ("Homosexuals should be able to express their love as they see fit").

Now maybe there are some people who, on such issues, truly are struggling to learn the Church's teaching and who, once they have learned it, will accept it. But such people are rare birds. What we're really talking about is people who know full well what the Church teaches on these matters and who, for whatever reasons, reject that teaching.

I really don't think such people are "on a journey of faith" at all. To be on a journey is to make progress, however fitfully. Such people have turned off the highway and parked themselves under a tree: "This is as far as I'm going." They really don't want to continue the journey because they know where it will take them, to acceptance of things they'd rather not be burdened with. They don't want to be fully Catholic; they are satisfied to be partially Catholic.

But that isn't good enough, says Bishop Vasa, when it comes to holding positions of authority in the Church. If you're going to teach the faith, if you're going to be seen as an exemplar of Catholicism, if you're going to be identified by the public as a representative Catholic, then you need to represent the entirety of the Catholic faith, not just the portion of it you like. And that is why he issued his "ultimatum."

That's too harsh, too loaded, a word for the "Affirmation." I think it's better to look at the "Affirmation" as an attempt to have truth in advertising. You hold yourself out to be a Catholic? Fine, then be a Catholic in fact, not just in title. It's not fair to others if you say you're Catholic when in fact you're only half-Catholic.

A GET RICH QUICK SCHEME

Fr. John F. Paul, S.J., wrote that "Somehow I had the idea that your E-Letter had to do with Wall Street and investments. I was going to add your address to my junk senders' list. Then a friend made a reference to one of your E-Letters. I went back and, thank God, realized that your E-Letters are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to faith issues and the modernist crisis that has all but destroyed the Church."

That was a close call, Father, but you've given me an idea. Maybe I should start an investment letter. Still better, I could take out full-page newspaper ads touting my secret to instant financial security. Image this headline: "How to Become a Millionaire in Ten Easy Steps." Then the small text: "Step No. 1: Get a million dollars ..."

Until next time,
Karl

********************
To subscribe to Karl Keating's E-Letter, send an e-mail to eletter@catholic.com and write "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line or go to http://www.catholic.com/newsletters.asp.
********************
To learn more about the Catholic faith and about Catholic Answers, visit us at http://www.catholic.com.
********************
The content of this E-Letter is copyright 2004 by Karl Keating.