Those who know me are well aware that I am a blue-blood Catholic to the heart. Always have been and always will be. I embrace the teaching of the Church, from Her doctrines on abortion to euthanasia to the Immaculate Conception of Mary to the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
But just because I pray every day, go to Mass every Sunday, and do my best to live out my Catholic faith on a daily basis doesn't mean that I have to defend my bishops in each and every thing they do. Lord knows they've made several mistakes, and as human beings they will continue to do so.
One thing I've been saying for years is that the Church needs to involve itself more in the ongoing debates that have shaped and will continue to shape our society. Too many of our bishops are content to hide in their cathedrals, and though they often give the impression that they're taking an active role in policy-making, in reality they aren't doing all they can do.
There are many leaders in our government who call themselves Catholics. They go to Church on Sunday with their families, put their money in the collection basket, and give everyone the impression that they're devout followers of Christ. Yet when they go into the chamber of the statehouse or the Capitol to cast a vote on a hot-button social issue, whether abortion, euthanasia, or gay marriage, they go against the teaching of the Church. How do they justify this?
What they have said is this. While they may personally be opposed to abortion or gay marriage, they have to represent the majority of their constituents and need to set their personal beliefs aside. Do you buy that? If so, then I have a bridge to sell you.
The logic in that statement is flawed for several reasons. First of all, if you are really the devout Catholic you proclaim yourself to be, how can you go against your conscience? In reality, what you're doing is selling out. Second, if your constituents elected you and they're aware of your faith, why would you go against the teachings of that faith? Weren't they aware that they were getting a Catholic in office? Unless of course you ran on the platform of, "I won't let my beliefs interfere with the job." In which case you're selling out again.
Third, engaging in this practice means you believe that morality is subjective. Abortion may be wrong for you, but it doesn't have to be wrong for anyone else. Well, that's just totally bogus. Any evil act, whether murder, robbery, rape, or adultery is wrong regardless of who commits it. It can't be right for one and wrong for another. Morality is objective, not subjective. Unless of course you think that the Muslim terrorists who truly believe they're right in killing infidels through suicide bombings and beheadings are justified in their actions.
The bottom line is that politicians who play this game are the biggest phonies of them all. They want society to perceive them as loyal Catholics who go to Church with their families. They want to be viewed as good stewards who donate their time, talent, and treasure. But they also want to remain popular enough to hold public office so they can remain in a position of power, authority, and high social status. Does this sound like a sellout to you? Sure seems that way to me.
You can't have it both ways. But the Church is letting them do it. Why? You got me.
Here's a recent example that illustrates my point perfectly. Last month, the Maryland House of Delegates killed a bill that sought to legalize gay marriage. That's the good news. The bad news is that several "Catholic" politicians in Maryland's state government stood on the wrong side of the issue. I find that extremely distressing.
Governor Martin O'Malley, a graduate of the Catholic University of America and a parishioner at St. Mary's in Annapolis, promised to sign the bill if it got to his desk. Speaker Mike Busch, a graduate of St. Mary's High School who actually returned to his alma mater to teach before seeking public office, was very outspoken in endorsing the bill. And who was the bill's original sponsor? None other than State Senator Richard Madaleno, a graduate of Georgetown Preparatory School.
Supposedly all of these men met with Church leaders to discuss the bill before it was introduced. But it's clear that this was nothing more than a formality. They did what they felt they had to do to give the Church the impression that they're listening. They did what they needed to do to justify their own actions as "Catholics." But they knew all along what they were going to do, and they went ahead and did it. That is, they tried, but in the end they failed.
In response to this travesty, Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, lamented the apparent lack of clarity and conviction in the Archdiocese's catechesis on marriage. Alright, that's a start. I agree wholeheartedly with him that the Church needs to be more firm and more clear in articulating Her doctrine on faith and morals. But how does that remedy the current situation?
U.S. Bishops need to take a stand, once and for all. They need to form a united front against the assault on the Church and on Her teachings, and they need to start hitting back. They allow themselves to be played for fools, standing back and watching while politicians like O'Malley, Busch, and Madaleno leave their Catholic faith at the statehouse entrance. Why do they continue to do this?
I suppose it could be that they would argue that Jesus would never publicly condemn or excommunicate these men. After all, he was loving, kind, gentle, merciful, and compassionate.
While Christ was all of those things, he was also quick to stand up for the truth, even when it meant scolding those who were in power. He didn't hesitate to overturn the tables of the moneychangers and vendors in the temple and throw them out. Sorry, but to me this doesn't sound like a guy who would let these politicians get away with what they're doing. Did he not say that with great power comes great responsibility? He'd call them out on it, at the very least. Our bishops won't even do that.
I've heard it said that the bishops are also afraid of the negative publicity that would come with such a move. No doubt there would be a backlash from the liberal media, but they already bash the Church whenever the opportunity presents itself. So how could taking a stand against hypocritical politicians possibly make things worse?
Another possibility, and one I try not to think about for fear that it may be the correct answer to my question, is that they don't want to alienate these leaders from their parishes. Chances are they donate a great deal of money to the Church, and there is a certain status that is associated with having the governor or speaker sitting in your pews every Sunday. But does this really mean we should kowtow to them? If so, then our bishops are selling out every bit as much as the politicians.
One point no one can argue is that religion does not have nearly as prominent a place in our society as it did in the first half of the 20th century. Granted, there are many, many reasons for that. But unless our bishops stop subscribing to the doctrine of wimpism, we're never going to regain that prominence.
Allow me to conclude with this. To me, the most misunderstood passage in the gospels is the one where Jesus utters, "Turn the other cheek." It has become a hallmark for Christians over the years, but its meaning has been completely twisted by the faulty translation.
Jesus never said, "Turn the other cheek." What he said was, "If someone slaps you on your right cheek, then give him your left cheek." How is that different, you ask? Well, just as it is today, back then the vast majority of people were right-handed. In order to slap someone on the right cheek, you'd have to give them a backhand slap.
Striking someone with the back of your hand is demeaning. It's as if you're dismissing the person completely, implying that they're somehow beneath you. So what Jesus meant is this. Don't let anyone belittle you. Don't let anyone make you out to be less than who you are. Stand up for yourself. And though he may not have actually said it, I believe he'd like for us to hit back if the onslaught continued.
And that is what our bishops need to do. Start hitting back. Speak out against these politicians. Condemn their actions. You don't have to issue a proclamation that they're going to hell. Just tell the world how hypocritical they are. Tell them that they have no business receiving Communion when they show up in Church on Sunday. These are the things we need to start doing if we're ever going to be relevant again. Otherwise, the entire world will go to hell: literally and figuratively.
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