Crazy Catholic Question#145: Why am I still a Catholic?

Why am I still a Catholic?

Well, I don’t know about you, but weeks like these leave me hanging on by a pinky finger. The tragic news coming out of Pennsylvania of the thousands of children’s lives forever marked and shaken by an abuse of power - not only of the priests who sexually violated them but also of our own hierarchy’s complicity in concealing this horrible violence – leaves me asking “What am I still doing here?”

C.S. Lewis once wrote “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is God’s megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” The nature and intensity of this pain coupled with the fact that we have not invited—no, DEMANDED—an outside investigation of the magnitude conducted in Pennsylvania in every, single (Arch)diocese that exists indicates there is something very serious and systemically wrong with us, the way we are organized and our whole Catholic, clerical culture. It’s been 16 years since the Boston Globe broke the silence. What is going on? The fact that our own Archbishop appears to view this problem as a lapse of chastity rather than a catastrophic failure in leadership only compounds the problem; amplifies the pain.

Catholic Historian Kathleen Sprows Cummings wrote a great NYT piece this week in which she talks about two different tacks to take in bringing about change in patriarchal institutions. “Some feminists seek a place at the table; others want to reset the table. The former hope to promote gradual progress from within an existing framework of norms and organizational structures; the latter demand nothing less than radical, wholesale reform. When it comes to the Roman Catholic Church, I have always been a “place at the table” kind of feminist…Tuesday’s grand jury report has changed my mind…<and has>  propelled me directly to the center of the “reset the table” camp. We need to rip off the tablecloth, hurl the china against a wall and replace the crystal with something less ostentatious, more resilient and, for the love of God, safer for children!  People will say that there is still holiness in the church, that there are many priests and bishops with good and pure hearts, and they are right. But there are times when the sin is so pervasive and corrosive that it is irresponsible to talk about anything else, and this is one of those times.”

So, why are we still Catholic? Why are we still coming to the table? Because WE, the Body of Christ, the Church, The People of God, are absolutely essential to any kind of substantial reform.  

What we believe, what we hold sacred and how we choose to live our lives and the Gospel values we profess with integrity is what makes us Catholic. I cannot simply stop believing what I believe, nor do I wish to. I bought the dream hook, line & sinker; Jesus’ vision of what could be is still compelling and sometimes the only thing that gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s the source of my hope. The Bishops don’t own that hope, or the Church, or the People of God. Jesus is the source of that hope and I don’t think He is going anywhere in this debacle. He is right where He always is, in solidarity with the wounded. I say we all follow him there with gusto. I’m not sure what that is supposed to “look like” quite yet, but I think the first step is to listen together.

To that end, the first item on our agenda at our next Chic Chat Women’s Spirituality meeting on Friday, Sept. 21st at 11:30AM in our library is “Discuss how to respond to Pennsylvania report.” If you would like to attend, ALL women and men are very welcome. Personally, I like this creative proposal:  https://dailytheology.org/2018/08/17/statement-of-catholic-theologians-educators-parishioners-and-lay-leaders-on-clergy-sexual-abuse-in-the-united-states/

Send your Crazy Catholic Question to Lisa Brown at dre@ctredeemer.org or read past columns via our website at www.ctredeemer.org.