A Hard Message in the Current Crisis

A Structure Outpaced by Human Development

  

 Message sent to my Pastor       

    

The preamble you offered from the heart before presenting an overview of the parish’s financial status was so impressive. It was impressive for its honesty and forthrightness. It was impressive in communicating a concern you share with your parishioners - the disappointment, the absolute dismay and horror, as well as the concern and fear engendered by the current situation of the Roman Catholic Church. I think behind it all is your own sadness about the state of things and your opinions about what the necessary response should be but never seems to come. For all of this sincerity and frank communication I am personally grateful and I think all your people feel the same way.

As I continue to listen to and read reports about current events both political and ecclesial and consider them in the light of history I am beginning to conclude that the Church is losing ground in every way because its very structure has been surpassed by cultural and sociological developments. Its organization as a male bastion could hold sway and power as long as women and other groups were almost universally held as inferior and without rights. Institutional misogyny, slavery, rigid class systems, etc., held in societies were these attitudes were normative. Not withstanding the current mad wave of social hatred raising its head, western civilization has developed (matured in its evolution) to the point of general rejection of past societal norms which cast some to the margins of polite society. The injustice and harm wrought by those systems has been recognized in society and by governments. 

But the Roman Church has not kept pace. It is so out of step with current attitudes that revelations of horrors wrought by the system in the past and those which continue are causing people to bail out; to walk away from an institution whose very structure is revealed to them each Sunday as totally out of step. 

The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in 1954 in Brown vs. Board of Education that by virtue of their very separation into different schools, Black and White students were not receiving an equal education even when their teachers, buildings, books, etc. were on par in quality. Today I have concluded that the Roman Church cannot possibly refashion itself in light of current societal norms of equality of human beings regardless of race, class and gender AND at the same time maintain a structure which does not reflect this equality. 

This brings me to express my current feelings as a woman of the Church. Each Mass or sacramental rite I attend is an affront to my self identity as a woman of dignity, competence, experience and worth. I enter no other place where women are tacitly told they are not equal, not worthy, not able; that there is something inherently wrong with them, that automatically excludes them from a spiritual role and experience. Such structural intransigence will continue to give birth to misogyny, to a sense of privilege in the ordained and hierarchy, and to an attitude which allows for abuse of all kinds. Most basically, these structural realities make any preaching of Gospel morality, of Jesus’s message of love above all, ring hollow if not obviously hypocritical.

This is the truth, the elephant in the room, in the discussion of any Church reform. I was not surprised that Pope Francis requested that the US Conference of Catholic Bishops not issue any statements at the end of its recent meeting. Instead he postponed official statements regarding reform emanating from the Vatican until after a February 2019 meeting in Rome. Could it be that he too has concluded that the hierarchy is incapable of reforming itself? Could it be that he sees that the poison has so infected the body that the entire system requires a venous infusion of moral antibiotic?

I wish the people had an opportunity to discuss these matters in a frank and constructive way and that our opinions could be heard where ears would be open and egos put aside.

The Catholic Church 

in a Tailspin: Random Thoughts
Concerning the Ongoing Crisis

Friends who read my posts to Facebook have asked that comments offered be gathered into one place for ease of sharing or copy/paste function. The following appeared over the last few days mostly in response to statements from organizations, members of the hierarchy of the Church or articles in Catholic or secular media.

8/15

I hang my head in shame and embarrassment, not to mention the sheer evil of it all. How do we combine the revelation of sexual abuse cover up in PA, which I am sure could be replicated in so many other places. How do we combine this news with the recent ad put out by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops presenting a prayer specifically mentioning changes in the Supreme Court which would mean an end to Roe v. Wade? How do we combine this news with the Church’s stance against the ordination of women, condemnation of LGBTQ community, etc., etc.? 

When the last negative pronouncement from the Church concerning female ordination was released I said that even institutions can choose to commit suicide. I think we are watching it today in slo-mo.

8/16

Famed theologian Karl Rahner said, “The Christian of the future will be a mystic or not at all.” Those words and this opinion piece speak of the necessity, especially in these times, of enriching one’s personal interior relationship with the Divine. It is from this deep and honest relationship that moral decisions are best made. It is the fertile ground of ‘primacy of conscience’, well removed from institutions and dogmatic prescriptions whether religious or political.

8/16

“The underlying causes of these ongoing abuses and the collusion of so many senior members of the Catholic hierarchy are complex and multi-faceted. However, we believe that deeply rooted questions of misogyny and clerical attitudes towards women and girls urgently need to be interrogated, along with other aspects of priestly formation and church teachings on human sexuality and gender. Misogyny flourishes in all-male communities and continues to distort priestly attitudes towards many aspects of embodiment and sexuality. We believe that it constitutes a major contributory factor in the sex abuse crisis which is not sufficiently acknowledged."

                                      Excerpt from Statement from Catholic Women Speak

8/17

Cardinal Dolan can be as obsequious as the Dicken’s character Uriah Heap in his public state regarding revelations from the Pennsylvania Grand Jury probe. Things will not change until the inner unwritten rules of the club change - it is a matter of hearts and minds. As huge as this scandal is, it is only one feature of systematic hypocrisy. The list is long: disregard of parish input in appointment of pastors; mistreatment of good priests who run into rough spots, dismissal of women; ordination of unfit men regardless of warning signs; financial mismanagement; insufficient supervision of priests; lack of requirement for in-service education for priests; the farce of discussion groups in parishes to prepare for school or parish closings or archdiocesan synods and then totally ignoring input from the grassroots, etc., etc. And we cannot forget failure of the larger Church to grapple with the necessity of ordaining married men and also women to the priesthood, the failure to speak out about moral issues with the excuse that we cannot get political. Yet the Cardinal has publicly lobbied against proposed State legislation to extend the statute of limitations for sexual abuse cases. In the eyes of the hierarchy the only issues that qualify for political action are abortion and religious liberty. 

                                                 ***************

I must add that it is also instructive to read the comments posted in response to my posts. They indicate what this has done to the faithful church in the pews. The Jesuit publication America put out a survey yesterday. It allowed for narrative responses to the questions regarding reactions to the latest news. I look forward to passing on the findings from analysis of results.

Troubled Child 

                   + Lethal Weapons 

                                                = Tragedy

Miss Ethel Laventhal, 4th grade, P.S. 101, Brooklyn, NY was my first teacher crush. I was in Class 4.3, next to the intellectual behavioral bottom of the four homogeneously arranged classes of that grade. It was done that way then with no concern for such obvious “labeling”. Expert in the matter of sizing up kids, Miss Laventhal recognized my misplacement, told my mother what needed to be worked on, praised my improvements and achievements. Next year saw me in Class 5.2 and the next in 6.1. I was oblivious of her professional intentions but the benefits were significant for my future. However, I did take in how her skills were applied to other children.

There have always been troubled children. There have always been those children in schools with baggage that rendered them noticeable to administrators, teachers and peers. Miss Laventhal spotted the one in her class. I knew he was trouble; nasty, pugnacious, uncooperative; the one to whom you gave wide berth if you were smart. But I saw how Miss Laventhal won him over. Even at the age of ten I marveled at the miracle. She made me want to have that kind of influence as a teacher. 

Later when I was teaching in public and parochial elementary schools and when I served as teacher librarian in a middle school Miss Laventhal’s radar became mine. I was not alone among my peers. We could all speak the names of the most needy children, those burdened with excessive emotional baggage, those with short fuses, those social misfits, those most insecure and therefore most likely to act out, and those whose futures we worried about. Statistically, there are just bound to be some emotionally disturbed or just plain needy children in every school. One such child was in my care in second grade. When she entered puberty her mother stabbed her to death in their home.

Troubled children have always meant possible tragedy but now an element has been added to the equation. The equation reads, “TROUBLED CHILDREN + LETHAL WEAPONS = TRAGEDY.” I believe that the weight of lethal weapons is what tips the scale in favor of tragedy. Certainly we can always improve our ability to notice troubled youngsters (not to to mention disturbed adults). We have to notice, to compensate for their losses, to help them achieve, to assist them in development of social skills, to remove them from harmful environments and more. Today, in spite of the rhetoric, we do not seem to have the political will to support such efforts adequately. But I believe, that even more importantly, we do not not have the political will to face the import and truth of the equation and act to remove military weapons from the open market, to stringently regulate all lethal firearms, to require by law (inspection necessary) locked domestic storage for all guns. It is only these measures which can remove lethal weapons from the equation which includes innocent toddlers, those with non-existent impulse control, youngsters and adults in momentary extremis of anger, frustration, depression or pain, and those clinically diagnosed with a mental disorder.

Simply put, I believe that even though it is definitely necessary to attend to the emotional needs of the troubled, some of that discussion merely distracts from the elephant in the room. Our current gun laws leave the equivalent of sticks of dynamite  readily at hand to be used by any one so inclined. Those so inclined include curious children, troubled youth, those angry or resentful adults eager for revenge, the abusive spouse, or those in a manic state.

Stringent background checks are not the answer. It is impossible to sift out all possible troubled souls and identify dynamics predictive of violence. It is no longer a matter of tiny steps to restrict gun purchases. We have arrived at the point of no return which which will shatter those clinging to Second Amendment rights established when it took almost a minute to load a rifle with just one shot. 

Gun possession must be severely limited in this country. We must acknowledge in an honest way that there simply is no other choice. 

And we must remember the miracles wrought by teachers in every age.

Epiphany Reflection 2018

"By Another Way"

Brother Max Schmalzl, CSsR
1850-1930

Reflection offered at Epiphany Concert of St. Joseph's Church, Kingston, NY - January 7, 2018

Today we mark the end of the Christmas season by remembering the Three Kings, Wise men from afar. Guided by the light of a star and following the suggestion of a brutal scheming King, they arrived at Bethlehem of Judea and offered homage to the one they immediately recognized as a Holy Child of God. “And having been warned in a dream not to return to King Herod, they departed to their country by another way.” While knowing the story by heart I was struck this time around by the repeated mention of light in what are called the Infancy Narratives of the Gospels. I was also struck by the very last words of the account; they ‘returned home by another way’. The act of going another way took on new meaning.

Ephipany is one of those fancy church words that comes from the language of ancient Greece. Today we commonly use the word to describe a Eureka moment when suddenly it is as if a light bulb goes on in the brain and we can finally say, “I got it.” Suddenly you fully ‘get’ a new concept or know how to use that new app on your I-phone just plain get a great idea. This common use is not off the mark. In Greek the word indicates a manifestation - a great reveal – an occasion when it seems a great light has been focused on a new truth.

Today we are thinking about those three wisdom figures who traveled from afar and following a star, came to a stable where God revealed the divine nature of an otherwise totally unremarkable child. But this event is only the first in a trio of Eureka moments in which the Messiah was revealed.  The next is the baptism of Jesus when Luke tells us the voice of God was heard saying “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” The third is the wedding feast in the town of Cana told in the Gospel of John where Jesus turned water into wine to save a family from embarrassment. Scripture says, “Jesus did the first of his signs in Cana of Galilee and revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him.”

Christians have tied together these three revelations of Jesus’ identity from the earliest days. Our Episcopalian sisters and brothers call the whole length of time from today to Ash Wednesday Epiphany-tide. That designation prolongs the period in which we are invited to meditate on our personal response to the Christmas revelation of Jesus as the Son of God, the Messiah of our ancient longing.

It is interesting that we use the image of a light bulb coming to life to describe our Eureka moments. Light imagery so often appears in Scripture to explain what the revelation of the Messiah will mean for us. The three Kings were led by the light of a star. The last lines of the great prayer of the father of John the Baptist tell us that when the Messiah reveals himself, “The dawn from on high will break upon us to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death and to guide our feet in the way of peace.” Much earlier in Hebrew scripture the prophet Isaiah declared:

The people who walked in darkness

have seen a great light;

Upon those who lived in a land of gloom

a light has shone…

For the yoke that burdened them,

the pole on their shoulder,

The rod of their taskmaster,

you have smashed, as on the day of Midian.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us;

upon his shoulder dominion rests.

They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,

Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.                                  Isaiah 9:1,3,5

Even today we harken back to the light metaphor in our Christmas candles, our brilliantly lit homes, and sparkling decorations on evergreen trees. The real significance of these lights is that they draw attention to and underscore the central spot light focused on the child lying in the food trough of barnyard animals behind an inn with a no vacancy sign.

If that is the Epiphany moment; if seeing the new born child reveals his identity as our Messiah what, if anything is that supposed to do to us? I propose that these Epiphany revelations of Jesus as Lord and Savior have to become conversion moments; bringing us to a new path in our daily pilgrimage journey to God, giving us the choice to go home by another way.

We are told by Isaiah the Prophet that the Messiah will bring this message:

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,

because the LORD has anointed me;

He has sent me to bring good news to the afflicted,

to bind up the brokenhearted,

To proclaim liberty to the captives,

release to the prisoners;

To announce a year of favor

and a day of vindication by our God;

To comfort all who mourn;

To give them oil of gladness instead of mourning,

a glorious mantle instead of a faint spirit.               Isaiah 61

Like the Kings we came to the manager at Christmas. We are told that after their Epiphany moment the visitors offered their gifts to the babe before them and then “return home by another way.” I know they are trying to avoid the evil Herod. But “going home by another way” suggested to me that they went home changed by the light, changed by their Eureka moment.

Our Epiphany moment must bring us to conversion, a commitment that invites us to follow another way; the way of bringing good news, binding broken hearts, releasing those imprisoned by any circumstance, comforting those in sorrow, and spreading the oil of gladness far and near. The other way may lead us into our various communities or most especially to those with whom we share the dinner table at home. This other way is marked by an increase of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; all under the mantle of love which we are told is the bond of perfection.

Robert Frost poetically described the moment of choice and consequences unimagined.

The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.