Dear Parishioners,
In the past several weeks, a
recent interview with Pope Francis has drawn enormous attention with
headlines and reporting that lead Catholics to believe that we are about
to abandon our sacred dogmas and moral teachings. This is sad, but no
surprise. The media is notoriously bad at reporting Church news as well
as the subtleties of philosophies, teachings, and even the structures
of the Catholic Church. So, what did the pope say? Here’s one of his
controversial statements and my reflection which I hope fills out what
he meant:
“The dogmatic and
moral teachings of the church are not all equivalent. The church’s
pastoral ministry cannot be obsessed with the transmission of a
disjointed multitude of doctrines to be imposed insistently.”
Some
have interpreted this as the beginning of a “break” or “change” in the
Church’s dogmas and moral teachings. This is not correct nor a response
that is new. It is, however, a very serious challenge. He further
said that our proclamation must be missionary in style where love and
compassion come first. If we forget this, we as a Church will no longer
be the “moral edifice” to the world, but a falling “house of cards,
losing the freshness and fragrance of the Gospel.” These are very
dramatic images to be sure. So what does all this mean?
First,
the pope was reminding us that some dogmas and moral teachings are more
central than others. For example, the belief in one triune God is more
central than the reality that when either consecrated eucharistic
species is divided, the whole Christ is present in each part of the
species. Both are dogmas, both are essential parts of our Faith, the
former being at the center, the latter being definitively true yet not
as central. Committing murder and cheating on a test are both immoral.
The former is more grave than the latter.
Second, the
pope wanted his audience to remember that we shouldn’t spread the
Gospel by starting with dogmas and moral teachings. Rather, the pope
wants us to remember that the Gospel we are to proclaim starts with
God’s love.
We are to love God and our neighbor (cf.
Matt 22:39). That comes before all else. It is a commandment. We are
to show to others that God is love. Certainly, we hold true to moral
living and need to teach it, but it is a consequence of the most
fundamental and compelling part of the Good News. Reading the Gospels
makes it clear that Jesus did this very same thing. Just imagine Jesus
saying that the Good News was to not commit adultery? How many
followers would that inspire? And while Jesus did teach against
adultery, this was not the center of his mission. And therein lies the
pope’s point. Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God and secondarily
would also teach about the moral life. Recall the woman caught in the
act of adultery whom the Pharisees wanted to stone (Jn. 8:1-11)? How
did Jesus react to the woman and in what order? He listened, showed
compassion, forgave her sins, and then told her to go and sin no more.
How did he react to those who were accusing? He listened, stooped down
to write, then challenged them to a self examination of conscience. Some
who are rigidly focused on only the moral life, the Pope commented,
have gotten the whole thing backwards. I must admit that, at times, I
have done this myself. So, I take the pope’s words to heart.
When
we meet someone who is living a life of serious sin, we must first
proclaim that God loves them and desires to be in full communion with
him. We must begin with the person, not the sin. We should let them
know that we love them. We should show authentic care and concern. We
should remind them that God’s love and forgiveness is available to them
and that God’s love is bigger than our sins. We should express the joy
that comes from being close to God, his Church, and the Sacraments. We
should, if the situation allows, invite them to walk with us or ask to
accompany them in that journey of restoration. Such a proclamation is
more likely to draw someone to the heart of God. Such a witness may woo
one’s heart to burn for love of the truth. With one’s heart now open
to the wonders of God’s love, they may be more likely to reexamine their
lifestyle, repent, and be further transformed into the person they were
always called to be. This is what the Pope was trying to say. We need
to evangelize and share the “saving love of God” and then we must
catechize. If we begin in the other direction, people are more likely
to perceive us as simply a Church of rules and regulations and forget
that the heart of the Bride, the Church, is focused on the heart of the
Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
Every now and then, we get
this right. For example, this past week, a pair of young adults entered
our church without permission and began to shoot a music video.
Several persons who happened to be in the church were shocked and didn’t
know what to do. Rightfully so. None of these people came at these
young men with vicious indignation or self-righteousness. That was a
win for charity right off the bat. Instead, I was asked to come over to
talk to the men, and so I did. The music was in a modern rap style and
the main artist was using our church interior as backdrop for his music
video. Clearly, it was inappropriate to do any kind of filming in our
church without permission. Furthermore, the potential contents of the
video might have been at issue. So, instead of accusing the young men, I
honestly expressed my interest in their art, got to know them and their
background, and then gently reminded them to call ahead for permission
if they wanted to shoot any videos in the future. As it turned out, the
main artist was crafting a video with music that described his love for
his mother who died when he was young, how he missed her, and how much
inspiration he has drawn from her as she looks down from heaven on her
son. The young man shared with me a very troubled past. I tried to
empathize and encourage him in his journey. Finally as they were
leaving, I invited the main artist to return so we could talk some more
about his struggles if he desired. We parted in friendship with a
promise for the link to his video when it is available online. What
church did this young man encounter? I hope a compassionate one. I
hope it was a church that took interest in him as a person first before
the rules. I hope this was a moment of success, a moment of compassion
and not just an eviction from the church building by some angry
Catholics. I hope this is true. I think it was. Have I resolved
similar situation in the past with such peace? No. So, the challenge
remains out there for me and I hope you too.
With
recent unprecedented socio-political developments in our country, we
have been challenged more directly on moral fronts and have felt the
need to respond. Cardinal Dolan of New York and president of the USCCB
would likely be the first to agree with the pope. You might recall that
at the beginning of the heated debates about the HHS Mandate, Cardinal
Dolan was quoted saying, "We didn't start this battle, and I'm kind of
uncomfortable with it... We'd much rather be conciliatory." The heart
of Cardinal Dolan is one about the mercy of God and care for the poor.
It was the disregard to our religious liberty which mandated we pay for
so-called medical procedures that would kill the poor which compelled
our bishops to speak out. It is only when specific issues arise that
our bishops step up and respond. Archbishop Sample is very much like
this. In my own dealings with our archbishop, I could sense that he has
the heart of a shepherd. He has said that he will speak on issues
when needed. You see, being shepherds as our pope and bishops are, they
desire to proclaim the Gospel first, love much, and correct little.
None of this changes dogma or the fundamental teachings of our faith.
But, the pope’s words remind us all of the challenge of charity. He
reminds us of the hierarchy of truths. He reminds us of the importance
of the human person and the need to reach out with compassion.
Finally,
I apologize for the length of this letter, but the pope’s reflections
are important. The two sentences that I have focused upon make up only
0.3% of his entire text. I highly encourage all of you to read the
entire interview. He had a lot to share. I think readers will get a
deeper insight into the heart and thought of our new pope. A link to to
the entire text is available on our web site, stannechurch.com.
Blessings,
Fr. William Holtzinger
Pastor
