Amy has a quick link over to a the Commonweal blog site where they are discussing the new organization, Take Back Our Church and its founder Robert Blair Kaiser. If you have the stomach for it, peruse over it and you’ll see pretty much the sum and substance of the chasm between the “left” and “right” views on reform of the Church. Personally, between the ad hominem attacks and the tete-a-tete worthy of presidential candidates in a televised debate it was rather difficult to read.
Perhaps my favorite comment by one of the many participating (one Bill Mazzella) was, “Unless we realize that the bishops are the problem we will get nowhere. Unless you think that ecclesia semper reformandi does not apply to them.” Well. I see. Of course. As another suggested, perhaps we should throw them all out and start all over again. But at that point, why not also pick a new name for this Church, since the term “Roman Catholic” is symbolic of all they think is wrong with the Church. And while we’re at it, we can instill democratic voting policies. And while we’re there, let’s make sure we use the butterfly ballot a la Florida 2000.
It is truly sad to see so many putative Catholics – no, putative is the wrong word since one can assume they received the Baptismal sacrament and are therefore fully Catholic, even if in rather “imperfect” communion – take such personal pride and glee in bashing about everything that is wrong with the Church. I have to confess – as a convert I never experienced the “bad old days” (and this was the first time I’ve seen anyone use the term without ironic intent) but I also do know that the Chair of Peter and the succession of the Bishops from Apostolic times was how I knew this was the one Faith most rightly and fully ordered through time.
My simple response to these folks can be found in my post in “A New Springtime”, part 2. Their lack of pride in the greatness of the Church (that greatness coming from the wellspring of its existence, our Lord and Savior) is distressing. Furthermore, if they really believe in the justice and rightness of their cause, they should study their Faith more (and not, as one commenter suggested, “Forget the Catechism”) and when they feel they have the fundamental basis covered to form a cogent and respectful argument bring it forth in a proper forum, be that in a private meeting with their Bishop, in an academic paper or in a properly structured and representative debate forum. To simply slap together (and that is far too harsh a term) a book and website and then stomp their feet demanding to be heard reeks of the unrestrained and unfocused anti-anyestablishment movements of the 1960s and 1970s, and only the unrepentant or uneducated would suggest those movements were wholly without sin. Do I think there are problems in the Church? Sure – it is made up of humans, after all. But am I about suggest we start over again? Not on your life, mister. It took me twenty-some years to find God, and I’m not about to throw the baby Jesus out with the bathwater. Reform comes from within, not from without – that is called properly “revolution”.
As Fr. Corapi is fond of saying, “preach less, pray more.” Speaking of that…I have a blog post I’m forming up on the Liturgy of the Hours. It’ll be interesting to see where that goes. Orate, fratres.
