Hiding Behind Our Ignorance
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| Photo by Ewelina Karezona Karbowiak on Unsplash |
The monthly meeting occurred, and, like has happened for the past four or five months, the discussion focused on the problems with the United States and the Church using Anthony Esolen’s Out of the Ashes as a starting point. This month, though, the participants were charged with finding a solution. Beginning with Ireland’s referendum vote on May 25th, within three minutes and after a question about the lack of quality catechesis being ultimately to blame for the direction that vote took, the discussion switched to school shootings.
How each person responded was predictable, since it was how each person has always responded. The gentleman, who blames the media and the pervasiveness of electronic devices, blamed the media and the pervasiveness of electronic devices. The gentleman, who blames the atmosphere of children’s competitive sports, blamed the atmosphere of children’s competitive sports. The gentleman, who shows up only when the pastor shows up, showed up. The gentleman, who blames the wide availability of such a diversity of opinions and ideas in today’s culture, blamed the wide availability of such a diversity of opinions and idea in today’s culture. The gentleman, who tries to form a synthesis of the stated opinions, tried to form a synthesis of the stated opinions. After all of the discussion, the meeting ended without a solution.
Why?
These gentlemen enjoy each other’s company and the camaraderie. They, however, do not want to go much beyond whatever level of commitment to their local parish to which they are already comfortable. They, therefore, posit problems too large to have any solution to which they could contribute. For example, the gentleman, who complains about the pervasiveness of the media and electronic devices, uses Facebook and LinkedIn copiously and has given all of his children smart phones. A small contribution to his take on the problem with the world and the Church is within his purview, yet he balks. Since these gentlemen are insufficiently catechized and, seemingly, refuse to either catechize themselves or to find a reputable source of catechesis, then take the time to delve more deeply into their faith, they believe they can remain simultaneously blissfully ignorant and happily faithful to the most simple and rudimentary understanding of the faith, an understanding which allows them to ignore their responsibilities to working towards a solution and their culpability in advancing the problem.
The gentle reader may argue that the above explanation was dictated by a profound cynicism. If only it were, except this has been the pattern for the past five years with this group. But not only with this group. This pattern is found at every parish and in every undergraduate and graduate theology classroom and at every parish mission and in every book or program by the latest Catholic media darling and throughout Catholic Twitter and at every biennial meeting of the USCCB and in every diocesan chancery and every discussion about the New Evangelization…
For reasons, which are probably as individual as the individuals defining problems too big to solve, Catholics do not want to tackle realistic problems, problems whose solutions begin with the meaningful and lasting catechesis of ourselves and our fellow Catholics. As was made evident again on May 25th in Ireland, Catholics can protest and campaign, canvass and pray, intervene and lobby, but at the end of the day, when two-thirds or more of Catholics in any country support abortion, everyone needs to start looking at another strategy. That strategy is catechesis, because no Catholic accurately and intelligently catechized would ever vote for the legalization of abortion. Whether as individuals or parishes or dioceses, Catholics must start looking past the shiny problems, which bring them so much fame and fortune, and get back in the trenches catechizing themselves and their neighbors in the pew. If Catholics tweeted about the need for intelligent and challenging catechesis, and then followed up on those tweets, as much as they tweet self-promotion and calls for adulation, the world might actually start changing.
But do any of us really want to know what God truly expects of us?
Well stated, Marcus.
ReplyDeleteAs a pastor in the Lutheran Church [LCMS], I see the same problem in regard to - a lack of catechesis and a lack of DESIRE for catechesis. The apathy of geunine digging and delving deeper in one's faith is, unfortunately, not limitied to Rome. Wittenburg is there too, as are many of the other denominations within the United States, Canada and Europe.
The question is, "why?" Why these countries?
The next logical question, "Where is the faith on fire?" The continent of Africa springs to mind. But why?
There is the crux. And the answer is quite ironic - persecution. We only need look to Tertullian's writings in the second century to see this truth - "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the Church."
For decades, here in the good ol' USofA, we have gotten softer and softer. There really hasn't been widespread religious persecution here for the country's entire history [with perhaps the exception of the cult of the Mormons]. I believe the lack of catechisis and the lack of desire for catechesis is directly related to this lack of persecution. And without the pressing need of faith we become blase and indifferent, making the need for catechesis marginal at best.