A Sunday Thought About "Conservative" Catholics to Start the Week Off Right
Before we get to today's comments about so-called "conservative" Catholics, let's assess where things stand on this Fifth Sunday of Lent.
The last two weeks of Lent comprise the "home stretch." We had that Laetare Sunday "break" last week that bolsters us as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week, now just one week away. As we persist valiantly in our special prayer, fasting, and almsgiving these final days of Lent, we might remember that we join millions of fellow Catholics over a vast stretch of centuries who have similarly offered their 40 days of sacrifice out of love for Him Who gave His life for us.
And we emphasize "love" here for a reason. The difficult sacrifices don't always "feel" like love. For example, fasting during a work day - done with temperance, of course - can feel not-so-great. Let's say you decide to skip a meal like breakfast. Lacking the usual morning fuel, the hour before lunch may seem like an eternity, especially if your morning work has been particularly intense. Maybe you get a bit edgy, short-tempered. But remember: love entails sacrifice. (Just ask Jesus if you're not sure what that means.) So your sacrifice expresses love for Him Who loved you without limit. You remember all this and, with God's grace, you smooth out that edge. As for being short-tempered, that really doesn't mix well with charity, does it?
The subject of charity brings us now to the subject of our "conservative" Catholic brethren. Some characterize "conservative" Catholics as uncharitable. They care more about doctrine than people - or so they say. And, let's face it, our current Pope has, consciously or not, fed this "logic." But you know what? Maybe it's actually true for some Catholics who call themselves "conservative." Then again, some Catholics who call themselves "liberal" can be pretty uncharitable. Just mention a prominent "conservative" Catholic in their presence. Anyway that's been my experience.
What brought all this up was an article last week in Reuters, a secular publication, about Catholic conservatives. I read through it and this caught my eye:
You see, our disciplined exercise of prayers, fasting, and almsgiving isn't political; it's personal. Just as our Catholic faith is personal, not political. "Conservative" Catholic only makes sense if it refers to conserving our Holy Faith as it was handed down to us by Our Blessed Lord over 2,000 years ago, faithfully preserved in the traditions of His Holy Church, which He Himself founded. But usually the label comes overlaid not only with aspiring to remain true to our tradition, but also a whole list of political positions that really aren't all that critical to our salvation.
Not that there aren't any times when we should oppose some of the senseless and destructive practices that infiltrated our Holy Church since Vatican II; or express outrage at the personal corruption of bishops and priests, never mind some of their questionable positions on social, economic, and political matters. Just as long as we remember when we wake up each morning that our first and most important endeavor this day and every day is the struggle for holiness. Because in the end that's all that matters. When we die, Our Lord won't ask if we were Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, or solicit our views on capitalism, the environment, or the death penalty. The object of our particular judgement will be whether our own thoughts, words and actions reflected the True, the Good, and Beautiful rather than the world, the flesh, and the devil.
So instead of fretting over the pronouncements of a Pope, let's get back to our Lenten discipline with the hope that it strengthens us such that we can take up the struggle for sanctity with renewed vigor throughout the year.
The last two weeks of Lent comprise the "home stretch." We had that Laetare Sunday "break" last week that bolsters us as we prepare ourselves for Holy Week, now just one week away. As we persist valiantly in our special prayer, fasting, and almsgiving these final days of Lent, we might remember that we join millions of fellow Catholics over a vast stretch of centuries who have similarly offered their 40 days of sacrifice out of love for Him Who gave His life for us.
And we emphasize "love" here for a reason. The difficult sacrifices don't always "feel" like love. For example, fasting during a work day - done with temperance, of course - can feel not-so-great. Let's say you decide to skip a meal like breakfast. Lacking the usual morning fuel, the hour before lunch may seem like an eternity, especially if your morning work has been particularly intense. Maybe you get a bit edgy, short-tempered. But remember: love entails sacrifice. (Just ask Jesus if you're not sure what that means.) So your sacrifice expresses love for Him Who loved you without limit. You remember all this and, with God's grace, you smooth out that edge. As for being short-tempered, that really doesn't mix well with charity, does it?
The subject of charity brings us now to the subject of our "conservative" Catholic brethren. Some characterize "conservative" Catholics as uncharitable. They care more about doctrine than people - or so they say. And, let's face it, our current Pope has, consciously or not, fed this "logic." But you know what? Maybe it's actually true for some Catholics who call themselves "conservative." Then again, some Catholics who call themselves "liberal" can be pretty uncharitable. Just mention a prominent "conservative" Catholic in their presence. Anyway that's been my experience.
What brought all this up was an article last week in Reuters, a secular publication, about Catholic conservatives. I read through it and this caught my eye:
"Going to bed. Wake me up when this pontificate is over," Damien Thompson, associate editor of the British weekly "The Spectator" and a conservative Catholic commentator tweeted last month.I imagine Mr. Thompson doesn't care for our Pope. I confess I feel his pain. But this tweet, like most tweets, likely expresses nothing more than a fleeting thought or emotion. Yet, for some reason, it hit me right in my Lenten solar plexus. It reminded me why I no longer think of myself as a "conservative" Catholic. It comes down to the whole point of Lent.
You see, our disciplined exercise of prayers, fasting, and almsgiving isn't political; it's personal. Just as our Catholic faith is personal, not political. "Conservative" Catholic only makes sense if it refers to conserving our Holy Faith as it was handed down to us by Our Blessed Lord over 2,000 years ago, faithfully preserved in the traditions of His Holy Church, which He Himself founded. But usually the label comes overlaid not only with aspiring to remain true to our tradition, but also a whole list of political positions that really aren't all that critical to our salvation.
Not that there aren't any times when we should oppose some of the senseless and destructive practices that infiltrated our Holy Church since Vatican II; or express outrage at the personal corruption of bishops and priests, never mind some of their questionable positions on social, economic, and political matters. Just as long as we remember when we wake up each morning that our first and most important endeavor this day and every day is the struggle for holiness. Because in the end that's all that matters. When we die, Our Lord won't ask if we were Democrat or Republican, conservative or liberal, or solicit our views on capitalism, the environment, or the death penalty. The object of our particular judgement will be whether our own thoughts, words and actions reflected the True, the Good, and Beautiful rather than the world, the flesh, and the devil.
So instead of fretting over the pronouncements of a Pope, let's get back to our Lenten discipline with the hope that it strengthens us such that we can take up the struggle for sanctity with renewed vigor throughout the year.
We adore Thee O Christ and we bless Thee,
Because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.
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