Its hard today not to pick up a newspaper, magazine, or turn on the TV, and not hear some sort of critique or criticism of the Catholic Church. Our Church is very forthcoming and transparent in who we are and what we stand for and believe in. While it is hard to hear and see these things today, it is nothing new. Jesus told us it would also happen since such attacks have always been the consequence for those who follow his Father.
In today’s Gospel Jesus foreshadows his passion. He tells his twelve disciples, that in Jerusalem he will be handed over to the authorities and will be mocked, scourged and crucified. Jesus was ridiculed, mocked and put to death because he surrendered to His Father’s plan. Now the question is posed to us just as it was to the sons of Zebedee, “Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?” They said they would and they did. So can we? For many, the chalice entails the long routine of living a Christian life, with l its daily sacrifices, disappointments, set-backs, struggles, and temptations. The challenge today is for us to do the same. We can’t be surprised when we find ourselves experiencing the mockery and ridicule that Jesus and his apostles all had to suffer before us. As Disciples of Christ we must be ready to lay down our lived each and every day in the little and big sacrifice required. St. Patrick told us we need to arise through the strength of His Crucifixion with His Burial, for as long as Christ is with me, before me, behind me, in me, beneath me, above me, on my right and left, and in the heart of every person who thinks of him, we can all drink of that chalice. For it is only in suffering with Christ that we might truly follow him in glory.
I kind of got into a heated argument yesterday with Mom about the Church. My Mom goes to this Church in Chicago, notice the issue right away, my family goes to one Church and I go another, in which the Pastor uses inclusive language, mainly changing the words of the Creed to be more inclusive, I suppose. He changes the words of “he became man” to “he became one of us,” and “for us men and for our salvation,” to “for us all and for our salvation.” Words of the Eucharistic Prayer are changed as well, and his homilies are something to be desired, but the Creed is what gets me when I go to Church with my family. Granted, there are bigger fish to fry in the sea in terms of problems in the Catholic Church, but is that not leading the faithful astray.
As a seminarian, studying for the Roman Catholic Church, in the Archdiocese of Chicago, is it not my responsibility to say something about this. The words of the Creed are what we believe as Catholics to be our faith. It is from the Latin “credo” which means “I believe.” (With the new translations to be approved we will soon be saying “I Believe” instead of “We Believe.”) By the priest changing the words of the Creed, he is therefore, in my opinion, changing what we, as Catholics, profess to be the truth, and therefore, not only leading us astray, but pushing his own agenda. The Altar, the Ambo or the Presiders Chair is not a place for a priest to push his own agenda. When priests are ordained they promise to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church, the Creed is a teaching of the Church, and therefore by him changing words, he is not upholding the teachings of the Catholic Church.
Maybe I am blowing this out of proportion, but as someone in the seminary, having asked priests about this, they seem to be on my side. Should we even have sides, when we are on the side of the Church, in professing and upholding the teachings correctly, should not all priests be on the side of the Church? I guess this is just something which has been bothering me for sometime. My Mom fired back at me with it is not just this priest or this parish, it is everywhere, and that is true, so what are we to do? This parish never used to be that way, or maybe it was, but it never came from the Altar out of the priest’s mouth. I just find it funny to have this inclusive-language Father at the same parish with a “more conservative” Father there as well. It just does not make sense to me.
We should be united in what we believe and profess, mainly our “Credo.” So how are we to be united in faith through our Creed when priests are out there doing things like this? Leading their flocks away from Christ is not being a “Good Shepherd,” so what are we to do? I guess we all need to pray for a conversion of heart, but still, is there not more we should do?
