Two Roads in Life

There are numerous articles written about Pope Francis from different perspectives on the 10^th anniversary of his pontific. He certainly is different from his immediate predecessors, Benedict XVI and Saint John Paul II. Some complain that he does not lay down the law, I’m exaggerating, when people go off the rails. Others rejoice when he seems to be inviting all and everyone to the table. Although I am not one to claim to see things clearly, I wonder what standard or criteria is being used for those who put so many words on paper, or online, to judge our current Holy Father?

I think a distinction needs to be made here. To judge or critique someone is a very tricky and a very dangerous proposition. I doubt that many really mean to do this. They might rather say, “Boy, I wish the Holy Father would bring this out about this or that, or in his comments would clarify this about so and so.” Or “Doesn’t the Holy Father know he is causing confusion (to me and many others) by not saying what needs to be said?” In other words, “Why doesn’t the Holy Father do things the way I think he needs to?”

We only need to look at the many instances in the gospels where the leaders of the Jewish people, and even the disciples themselves, said the very same thing.  If we were to reread the Gospels from the standpoint of the disciples, trying to figure out why Jesus did so many things that were confusing, or seemingly against the law, it might help us to reflect more and speak less about what God may be doing through Pope Francis. The example of this past Sunday’s Gospel of The Woman at the Well, is an excellent example. “They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but none said, ‘What do you wish’ or, ‘Why are you talking with her?’”

One primary reason I think this is so common is because of our weak and fallen human nature. I can attest to this myself – I am my own example for bringing this out. Over the past 50 or so years, I have studied, reflected upon, and tried to follow Christ and spread His message to all who will listen. During that time, I have learned much through study, prayer, and ministry. However, what happens below the surface is a tallying of all this work and effort. My ego – my pride – has kept tabs on this progress. Spiritual pride is very difficult to detect, I am continually reminded of this defect in myself. It is painful to accept this in ourselves and impossible to overcome without God’s purifying grace. In thinking of this recently, I was reminded of the passage from Micah 6:8 “He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord required of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.”

The Church of my youth had a clarity that served Catholics in a way that is not present today. In the 1950s Catholics knew who they were and what was expected of them in order to be recognized as active and practicing Catholics. To be a Catholic in the 1950s was to be set apart in a number of ways from common culture of the day. Catholics went to church every Sunday, they did not eat meat on Fridays. For devotion, they had crucifixes showing the figure of Jesus nailed to the cross, rather than simply a cross. Catholic children went to Catholic schools, and they wore distinct clothing, or uniforms, which stood out from the rest of children in the neighborhood. Although Catholics were neighborly, they most often associated with other Catholic families. Although Catholics did not proselytize or flaunt their faith in public, neither did they hide their faith from others. Everyone in the neighborhood or workplace knew who the Catholics were. Most Catholics knew their faith well and would not hesitate to defend it, even in public.

Much has changed in the last 65 years.

Today it is no longer easy to tell who, among the general population, are Catholic. The foundational cultural Judeo – Christian values that were apparent among most of the population in the United States in the 1950s are no longer practiced or even acknowledged. The rejection of authority and the rebellion of values, more common to teenage years, saw a huge societal insurgence in the late 1960s and early 70s, leaving in its dust years and even centuries of growth and practice among societies. The seeds for this bulge and rupture no doubt had been planted and grew for years below the surface. Now, however, it had burst and was in full light.

Today we have a Catholic president who is not shy about making it known he is a Catholic. He does this to the point of getting press coverage as he attends Mass and receives Holy Communion. However, in his political life, his actions are in complete contradiction to someone who professes to be a Catholic in good standing with his Church. As president, he does everything in his power to protect and advocate for a woman’s right to kill the unborn child in her womb. This is done even when another branch of the federal government has overturned that so-called right. Other examples could also be given. For example, concerning the sacredness of marriage and the family in which the president seems to be fighting tooth and nail to protect and advocate for the breakdown of the family. He not only allows but defends and whole-heartedly supports the destruction of marriage and the family unit. By his actions he completely ignores the dignity of the human person and the institution the family as established by God himself, which are fundamental truths of the Catholic faith.

In addition to what was said about our current president, could be also said about two Catholic politicians in California who profess to be Catholic. Yet, in similar ways to our president, they act in direct opposition to the teachings of the Catholic Church. One, who until recently, was the Speaker of the House in Congress. The other is currently the governor of the State of California. One of these Californians, while serving in the United States House of Representatives, was clear and outgoing about proclaiming to be a Catholic in good standing, while being brazen about standing up for positions in stark opposition to the foundational values of the American people which were shared by most Americans some 70 years ago.

What are people of good will to do?

I have been a Catholic all my life. I was baptized as an infant, went to Catholic grammar school as a child, raised in a devout Catholic family of seven children, and attended Catholic High School, all in Southern California. Most evenings, all of us children would say the Rosary with our parents, kneeling in front of a statue of Mary the Mother of Jesus and a lighted candle. We studied the Baltimore Catechism to learn the dos and don’ts of our faith, went to Mass as a family on Sundays, went to confession once a month, saved our nickels to put into the Pagan Baby boxes that lined the classroom shelves, and tried not to commit any mortal sin.

The rest of our lives were knitted together with all of the above. The four of us boys played baseball and kickball in the street, made scooters out of wooden boxes and zoomed around the neighborhood. My little brother would often sit squished up in the box with arms folded over his knees like a pretzel while the scooter raced around the neighbor sidewalks. I can’t remember what our sisters did while us boys were busy playing, but they seemed to do all those things girls do. In the early evening, Mom would come out on the porch and announce that dinner was ready. We all came in, washed up and sat down to eat.

At times, mostly us boys, would be a little mischievous and get into trouble. Being young, we seemed to have more energy than Mister Clean on steroids, trampling through front and back yards destroying anything (accidently) in our paths. When word got to our parents and we were questioned about our mischief, we often lied about our whereabouts, hoping not to get caught and punished. However, when the monthly time for confession was upon us, we struggled to recall those times, and remember how often, and dutifully confess these and other matters that needed to be made known. Confession was not easy, but to neglect making something known that needed to be told, was not an option for us. By being honest, God would forgive us and we would leave the confessional in the peace that only a child can experience.

There was one time that I do recall. I was in the 2^nd grade and a group of us boys were in line for confession. I had made a good examination of conscience and was quietly standing in line when all of a sudden, from inside the confessional, Fr. Regan called out loudly, “YOU DID WHAT?” I was stunned. I nervously quickly re-examined my sins, how many times, and anxiously awaited my turn. I had been deeply shaken. I continued to go to confession as often as I was taught to go, then a little less often as I got older. That memory stayed with me, buried inside and I am sure had a subconscious effect on me. It was only much later when I had gathered with some priests at a dinner that I told the story openly. After hearing the story, a good friend, Fr. Roy, said with a smile to all sitting at the table, “I imagine the little guy, trying not to miss any possible sins, went through the Commandments one by one. When he got to the Sixth Commandment and confessed, ‘I committed adultery three times’ the priest hearing him was probably so surprised that he shot back with his response.” I cannot express the sense of humor and inner peace I felt at Fr. Roy’s words.