Musings of a Catholic Convert

Listen, folks.  We are not a denomination.  We are part of the universal Church of Jesus Christ.  The ONE, HOLY, CATHOLIC, and APOSTOLIC Church.  Why is it then that the Bishops in this country form their own groups (ex. The US Conference of Catholic Bishops) and make statements of "acceptance" or "rejection" as if they were an authoritative body unto themselves.  They are Bishops first and foremost and they never stand alone, regardless of their ethnicity, geographical locale, or whatever other categorization someone might want to use.  It is this segregation and posturing that continue to alienate and confuse Catholics in the United States.  We are not Protestants.  We are not in schism with the Church.  We are not autonomous.  

As I watch the proceedings of the Bishops annual conference, I wonder if our Bishops do not understand this.  Furthermore, I wonder why, if they were somehow their own group, why they would not use their authority to stand for truth in a unified way.  

I am admitting to you, my reader, that I am frustrated.  You know that I spent many years in the Protestant world, seeing all sorts of different ecclesiological structures with their strenghts and their weaknesses.  The most glaring weakness was and is a lack of authority and unity.  But after discovering the Sacraments, and the Church which administers them by the will of God, I think to myself, "Now I've returned to the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.  Finally, the unity and authority as Christ intended."  But is that what I see?  Do I see unity and a universal stand for truth?  Do I see unity in practice?  Or do I see pockets of strength and pockets of weakness?  Do I see continuing segregation from the Magisterial teachings of the Church and from piety?  How can I not be frustrated?  

I'm further frustrated because I feel so powerless now.  Before, I was a pastor and an authority figure, even if people didn't always like or respect me.  Now, I am a layman who writes and speaks, but only to those who invite me.  Although I have many opportunities to serve and to minister, I find myself most often "preaching to the choir".  What can I do?  I write and I pray.  I try hard to remember God's promises regarding the Church and to remember that the Sacraments are why I am here, not the leaders (or absence of leaders).  But I am, after all, a weak man, and a worrier.  I've seen what removal from authority does and I know what happens when there is no leadership.  The Catholic Church has the fulness of the Truth and I expect nothing less than for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be preached from the rooftops if necessary.  I expect the leaders to guide and encourage their charges toward Truth and Righteousness.  

When people look at the Catholic Church, what do they see?  What reason do they have, apart from a self realization of the Sacraments, to be part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church?  If we appear to be just another denomination, if we appear to have nothing more than any other religious body out there . . . why be Catholic?  Can you see where people are coming from?  Can you appreciate their apathy?  

I thank God every day for Catholics who take their faith seriously, especially Bishops, Priests, Deacons, and Religious. They have not bought the lie.  They are living the faith as it is meant to be lived.  They give me encouragement.  Today, I'm seeing a lot of the opposite.  That's the reason for my rant.  To those "choir members" who read my blog, I apologize for my soapbox speech.  You likely share my frustration at some level.  Pray with me that God will stir the hearts of Catholics in this nation so that they will be a force for revival in America.  Pray especially for our leaders.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 10:44 am and is filed under Awesome Priests and Bishops, Family / Chlann. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.