An Interesting Need

I had the opportunity today to listen to a priest convey how the Catholic church is under attack from all sides and it is clearly the fault of the secular world. He said that Jews and Moslems do not experience this same problem, and that they would not stand for such abuse as was shown the Pope on his recent visit to England. Interestingly there was no mention of the protestant church's in this venting. Almost as if they didn't exist, but wait, am I feeling picked on here? He cited as absolute truth a couple of second hand sources he had read in a magazine for priests that show that secularists in charge of the NYC school system are teaching children in an English class that religion is foolish. I checked the NYC school curriculum on line and was unable to find what must hidden so deeply only dedicated researchers can find it.

This homily reminded me of a similar rant, by another priest, about five years ago. He spent the better part of 20 minutes explaining to the congregation how hard it was to be a priest, how under appreciated he was, and how in Italy they knew how to show their priests the respect they deserve. Wait, would that be the same Italy that has about a 23% annual attendance rate?

So what do these two homilies have in common? Both were given by impassioned priests who want to convince their flocks that there is much to change, they are not living as the priests would have them live and unless serious change occurs we are going to heck. On the one hand Catholics must rise up, united in their cause, to stamp out the secularist movement and restore the church to its prominence, on the other I think the priest just needed to be stroked to tell him he was doing a good job (this was right about the time another priest in the diocese was arrested for selling drugs to children).

All this being said, I think there really is an ageless question to consider. When will mankind mature to the point where all people have a right to worship as they see fit, where their beliefs are not called into question, or trampled on, or viewed with hostility? The words of the new testament hold great meaning for us, but as we deal with the politics of human life I think we forget a couple of the most important lessons.

But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadduccees, they came together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This the great and first commandment. And the a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets." (Matthew 23, 34-40)