There are fewer things sadder than hearing non-practicing Catholics rationalizing their behavior. The AP discusses the low Mass attendance in Boston—“Fewer than 1 in 5 attend Mass in Boston”—and quotes a typical non-practicing Catholic.
“Having to go some place to pay homage to God every Sunday doesn’t mean you’re a good Catholic, or a bad Catholic, or whatever,” said Gaul, a Boston equities trader. “I don’t think you’re going to die and go to heaven and hear, ‘Frank, you didn’t go to church for 15 years.’”
Look everybody! It’s Frank the prophet. Well, he must be a prophet because he knows the mind of God. It’s funny seeing all the self-justification that goes on: “God doesn’t care.” “God knows I’m a good person.” “God doesn’t need me to go to church.” Really, have you asked Him? Because everything I’ve read by Him says the opposite.
The definition of what it means to be a good Catholic comes not from those who reject the Church, but from the Church itself. If I join the Boy Scouts, but don’t attend troop meetings, don’t go out for merit badges, don’t wear my uniform, and only show up for the occasional camping trip, the Boy Scouts would be completely justified in saying that I’m a bad Boy Scout and throwing me out on my butt.
True, simply occupying space in a pew on Sunday doesn’t make you a Catholic either, but these people should at least be honest with themselves. They just don’t care what God says and they’d rather be the ones in charges of their lives—at least until something goes wrong and they need Him.
Frank says he doesn’t think when he dies he’ll go to heaven and hear God chastise him for not going to church. Unfortunately, all things being equal and conceding I don’t know the state of Frank’s soul, the objective reality is that he’s probably right about the first part. A Catholic who doesn’t go to Mass and willfully violates the Second Commandment probably won’t be going to heaven. It’s a hard truth, but someone’s got to tell them.
Since Frank doesn’t go to Mass, I’m not sure how he’s going to hear it from the pulpit. This sounds like one of those “laity evangelizing the world around them” deals. This obligation falls on you and me, not the priest.
No, it falls on all of us, especially the priests, and definitely the Cardinal/Bishops. When “Catholics” state falsehoods publicly, like mumbles menino (and Frank), the Cardinal/Bishops need to clarify the falsehood to prevent the Franks of the world from remaining ignorant.
I bet Frank doesn’t even know that and that’s the failing of our bishops and priests.
I believe that would be the failing of Frank. And it’s a stretch, in my opinion, to think that “Frank doesn’t know that,” or at least know that it’s church teaching.
No, it falls on all of us, especially the priests, and definitely the Cardinal/Bishops.
I disagree, in part. Yes, it is our obligation to correct the misconceptions of our brethren and sisthren. On the other hand, basic Church teaching — particularly honoring the Lord’s Day by participating at Mass — isn’t exactly “new.”
Here’s where the BS comes into play:
The distractions of college life first interrupted Gaul’s regular Mass attendance. Then came uncertainty about why he was going in the first place, a marriage to a non-Catholic and leeriness about trusting his young children to a church in which so many youths have been hurt.
We’re doing more than a bit of rationalizing here, and we’re showing our hand, aren’t we? Frank hasn’t been to church in 15 years, not since 2002.
Still, stuff like this doesn’t exactly help:
The Rev. Bernard McLaughlin, pastor at St. Gerard Majella Church in Canton, said his church, has a band that plays contemporary worship songs to attract younger people, and he avoids the heavy-handed pronouncements from the pulpit that he says turn off today’s Catholics.
Uh…Father? Those “heavy-handed” pronouncements might turn off “today’s Catholics” (and what the bleep does that term mean?) but you’re in the business of soul-saving, not vote-getting.
Sorry to inform you, Fr. Bernard McLaughlin may be confusing his two roles, so you might be on to something. He is the Chaplain for the Mass. Legislature. Travaglini appointed him. That should tell you a lot about who he is. Travaligni claims to be Catholic, but goes against Church teaching on every vote where the opportunity arises. McLaughlin is trying to get votes. He is a VOTF priest. He ought to be hammering the allegedly Catholic Legislators for being so immoral. Instead, he sits in his official state sponsored office and lets it all pass by as if he has no moral obligation to set them in the right direction. Whatever happened the the unbreachable wall against church and state. I guess the wall is not important as long as the church complies with the state.
Also, you should hear him rifle through the Niceane Creed during mass. It’s almost like he wants to get through it so he doesn’t have to think about the entire list of things that he supposedly believes as a Catholic. I am not making this up . . . it is so fast it is almost hilarious . . . but it ought not be.
“I don’t think you’re going to die and go to heaven and hear, ‘Frank, you didn’t go to church for 15 years.’”
Actually Frank you may very well here about your lack of interest in Mass in a place other than Heaven – it is as simple as that. I pray the attention gained from this little article makes Frank reconsider his priorities.
“sisthren?”
I would be hesitant to question someone coming up to communion because I didn’t think they were participating well during the Mass. At the time of reception is not the time to confront. However, I do appreciate it when the priest makes it clear at a wedding, funeral, or even Christmas, who can receive communion.
A couple of months ago I attended Mass and there was a couple there celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. Each of their children, (must have been 5 or 6) was present with their spouses and kids. Each had 4-6 kids. Every one of the children and grandchildren knew what they were doing in Mass. It was clear Mass attendance was not a new experience. What a priceless legacy! I pray I will be so blessed.
Stunted and Sorry:
Okay, okay, I take the point. The problem is: that’s almost the only point that gets made nowadays.
Maybe Dom overstated the case. But people are so afraid to state the case at all that folks are given the impression that there really aren’t any rules and really isn’t any truth.
Look, Dom said, “All other things being equal.” And it’s important to remind people: “This is a serious obligation. It’s not a matter of choice. You gotta do it. You can’t just opt out because of bad experiences.”
Look, I hope God shows mercy to this fellow and to all of us. We “good Catholics” have a lot of problems, it’s true. And we do get pharisaical sometimes; it’s a temptation that should be resisted.
Still, this guy can’t just get away with saying it doesn’t matter if we go to Mass or not. He needs to be corrected. Your son or daughter or cousin or friend might read that and it might play into all the natural excuses that we humans make. And there’s another Somebody who just loves that and cooperates with it in every way to lead us to a Place that we will not be happy in.
For two thousand years, Catholics good and bad, saintly and pharisaical, have been saying: “Fear Hell! Flee the Devil! Listen to the Church and obey Her or you will find yourself in the clutches of the Evil One and your immortal soul will inherit immortal misery.” We must find a way to keep saying that ORDINARY truth, despite the fact that God’s EXTRAORDINARY Mercy may find a way around it—perhaps in many, many cases. Perhaps in fewer than we like to think.
Wilma has a good point – I wonder what would happen to “Frank” if he were invited to a good Bible study class. But Frank already knows that such things exist – but probably does not have any time in his busy life as an “equities trader”.
Has anyone called Frank Gaul and asked him politely , fraternally, with utter humility, to come to Mass – or even just to meet for a beer and a short talk? You can be sure if he were a Mormon, Baptist, Mohammedan, Hassidic Jew etc. one of his co-religionists would do this.
I will sent his a letter.
Just last week, Cardinal O’Malley said that people who only attend Mass on Christmas and Easter are still Catholic…so there you go….
Maybe Frank read that article.
Thanks, Cardinal O’Malley.
You nailed it. Frank may very well have heard many sermons that de-emphasize morality, do not stress the true teaching of the church and may, in fact, stress the opposite of what the Church truly teaches.
We need to stop pretending along with the conservative pro-Bush neo-Catholics that everything is well in the parishes. Faced with apostate, open homosexual priests conducting possibly invalid Masses … can you really blame Frank? He’s lost like most Catholics. We gotta give pause as to what we are throwing him into when we demand that he goes to Mass.
There are millions of Roman Catholics who fear God, want reverence, solemnity, the Truth but that doesn’t seem to eminate from Father Limp-wrist, Sister Polyester Pant suit and the 25 Eucharistic ministresses jamming the altar.
On the flip side, Frank is practicing USCCB Catholicism … their policies, dogma, ethos, liturgy … is all based around turning seekers of the Truth away. And when they cannot turn them off with rotten music, gay clergy and butchered Masses, they sell the parish as a last resort.
Frank’s soul is emptying … he’s going thru what 100% of my family went thru in the 1970s … this is the Catholic diaspora.
Disclaimer: I miss Mass on occaison … but I know it is bad and I know it is a item worthy of the Confessional.
Bottom line: Jesus said, “Unless you eat my body and drink my blood you will have no life in you.”
Cardinal O’Malley seems to be undermining this.
“The Rev. Bernard McLaughlin… and he avoids the heavy-handed pronouncements from the pulpit that he says turn off today’s Catholics. “
Jesus was so popular that people demanded he be crucified.
Is this not the result of many priests’denial and failure to preach the theology of ‘the last things’ or ‘eschatology:’ judgment (both particular and last judgment), heaven, hell, and purgatory (cf. CCC 1020-1060)? The priests failure to preach the reality of venial and mortal sin as well as their allowing only 45 minutes of Confession each week for a congregation of 2,000 souls is in defiance to their Sacrament of Holy Orders. Woe to them, woe to Frank for not responding to Grace. God loves us enough to give us 168 hours a week, cannot we not love Him enough to give Him back just one of these hours?
Yes, but Chris, the ASSUMPTION can’t just be that everyone is ignorant of sin. We don’t live in a world where sin only comes into existence when people are told about it online.
Sin existed and ruled the world before Christ. The generalized assumption of innocence in the face of sin is at odds with the whole Christian message.
First a commentary. There is often little Charity to be found here.
1. Cardinal O’Malley says that C&E people are Catholics. They are in that they have been Baptized into the Church. I believe you remain a Catholic in the eyes of the Church until you renounce you faith (if I am wrong, I know you will correct me). That’s why on one’s death bed, even if you haven’t been to Church or Confession in 50 years, you can make your confession and receive Viaticum. GET OFF THE CARDINAL.
2. Priests are indeed failing. Go to the Forum and vote in my new poll: Did your pastor/celebrant remind the people of the necessary prerequisites to receiving our Lord in Holy Communion on Easter? https://www.bettnet.com/blog/index.php/forums/viewthread/152/
3. Most Catholics who are now in Evangelical Churches either: a. Fell away and were “saved” by an Evangelical who is evangelizing. or B. Were shoved out the door by their Pastor or Parish Community.
Have you ever visited a warm Non-Denom Church? Great Music, they welcome you at the door, the have fellowship and food after, great kids programs, etc..
I visited Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, CA for a Tuesday night Bible study. They met me at the door, found out I was from out of town, sat me next to the pastor’s wife, blessed me after, and tried to save me. If I wasn’t strong in my faith, and SELF catechized, I’d be attending Calvary Chapel.
Many of the commenters are right on one thing. We need to help bring these people back to the flock.
“Were shoved out the door by their Pastor or Parish Community.”
My experience is that they were not so much shoved out the door, but were so inward focused that they lack a capability to see weaknesses and act charitably towards others. I have heard something like, “Father so so was rude to me…wasn’t nice to me…”
Priests and your fellow Catholics are humans too with weaknesses and short-comings in character and behavior. To use this as an excuse to blow off the Church, on one level, comes across as childish.
Charity is needed all around.
Peace
Folks: I was very careful in my writing of this blog post so that I wasn’t passing judgment on whether someone in particular was going to heaven or hell.
Not going to Mass is objectively grave matter and is objectively evil.
The subjective application of that principle to any particular person, including Frank, is between them and God.
But it still behooves us to point it out. If I see Frank walking on the train tracks and there’s a train coming behind him, Frank may have wilfully placed himself in danger or just wandered onto the tracks. But there’s still a moral requirement that I warn him of the danger.
My philiosophy, when you are surrounded, low on ammo and leaders collude with the Enemy then fix bayonets and ATTACK! This is spiritual war. Step #1: parish shop. Step #2. The home is the domestic church, make yours at least a domestic basilica. Step #3: have babies and lots of them (if possible). This isn’t as bad as England during the Deformation (aka Reformation) or during 1800s France.
What do you expect the priests to do? Sit there and for hours alone?
Preach it brother!!!! Can I get a A-MEN?
Stunted –
Re-read what fbc wrote.
Frank is not collateral damage, he is fallen soldier, he’s been lied to, he’s surrendered.
Wilma –
Unless you eat my body and drink my blood you will have no life in you.
Think about that Scripture .. None of us need Martin Luther or Benny Hinn to understand that one.
It is easy to stop going to Mass. Just like it is easy to stop eating healthy and not to excerize or keep in contact with friends and family. It’s just a bad habit. You work five days a week, you run errands or whatever on Saturday, you want to sleep in on Sunday.
God created me (not the other way around), and the least I could do is once a week celebrating Him and learning who He is through Mass. I have to admit some Sundays I rather not, but I know I’ll pay for it sometime mid-week where I’m out of routine and in a funk.
Not going when you don’t feel like, I find out are the Sundays I most need to go.
Going on a regular basis keeps me “spiritually regular”.
Stunted, she actually said that??
“she preferred to lay naked on her bed and ‘feel’ God”
Eeeww.
Wonder what God thought of that?
Wilma is the Other Side of the angry Radical Traditionalist. It’s the other side of the horse from which to fall. Though this horse may have three or four sides…
I think Stunted is doing VERY well, though she may resent me for saying it. She’s trying hard not to let bitterness and disillusion get the better of her and she doesn’t think she’s discovered the Magic Key, except that it’s in the Catholic Church.
Stunted, I’m awfully glad you’re in the Catholic Church with me. I rather think that a brief prayer from you would set me in good stead. Shall we trade? You say one for me; I’ll say one for you. God bless.
This was written by a Catholic priest: Doyle—actually a guy I respect because he has made a stand for the abused…
http://www.votf.org/vineyard/April20_2006/doyle.html
I think maybe this thread has — finally! — got back on topic. Thank you, VOTF, and thank you Father [insert-all-due-respect-efforts-in-eighties-etc-here] Doyle.
Wilma,
Thanks for bringing the thread back to where it started…Catholics rationalizing non-Catholic behavior.
Who would’ve thought that an angry ex-Catholic fundamentalist would approvingly quote a liberal VOTF priest while expressing admiration for reactionary Rad Trads?
I believe we now have three of the Four Horseman of Apocalypse.
Tme to get your affairs in order, the Second Coming is around the corner.
Wilma: You’re not telling us stuff that Catholics haven’t heard before and isn’t explained in Church teaching.
Anyway, discussion of Catholic v. Protestant thinking on John 6 is off topic for this thread. If you want to continue to discuss it, do so in the forum
For the record, Wilma, “Allah” really is just the Arabic word for “God” (al-Illah, “the God”).
Although it was stupid pandering for that cardinal to use it in that situation (he was speaking to a mixed Christian-Muslim audience), Arab Christians use that word every day to denote the Christian God, the Holy Trinity.
About the requirement for Sunday attendance at Mass: sometimes people do go out of a sense of duty, to fulfill their legal obligation in a minimal way. And y’know, that’s not all bad: sometimes that obligation keeps people in touch with Christ through times of spiritual dryness or depression when they otherwise might have given up on the faith.
Salvation is not a purely individual “spiritual” matter. It involves some particular concrete things. The Word became flesh. John 1 doesn’t tell us that the Word became paper. Christ became incarnate for our salvation, and he keeps us that pattern of being concrete and touchable through all the means of grace.
Salvation involves belonging to God’s chosen people, the Church community he founded; it involves worshipping Him in the particular way Christ gave us; it involves confessing our grave sins to Christ through His priest and being absolved by Christ through the priest; it involves the Holy Eucharist, truly consecrated.
It involves these shocking things that Jesus spoke about in John 6, and which he didn’t explain away as merely “spiritual”. He let disciples leave Him if they didn’t accept His teaching about His body and blood.
Even today, some disciples still leave Him over this teaching.