We, in the ever-increasing churchless Northeast, have a new RC bishop in our diocese. I am quite excited about this. I have heard he is a "house cleaner". Finally! Even though I am switching rites. I have had enough. In fact, the more I try and attend any one of the local RC parishes within walking distance of my home - either home - I experience something sharp and painful and I am reminded why I love the Divine Liturgy and of why I have left the West for the East.
I had so hoped to convert to Eastern Orthodoxy, partly because Orthodox priests had warned me that the Byzantines "could not be trusted", and I was told that I could still love Il Papa and pray my Rosary daily. I would just need to keep it secret - on the Catholic down low. I took this information to a Byzantine priest - identical in liturgy and feasts to that of their brother Orthodox - and he said,
"The Orthodox have had a burr up their butt for centuries now. "
It made me laugh and I realized that I believe this to be true as well. Though I love EO, I love hearing, "We pray for our Holy Father, Benedict..." as a regular part of the Divine Liturgy. So, I am switching rites and not churches. I just can't get over the words I continually heard in the EO, "We have long memories." Everyone else, it seems is bound to forgive their enemies, except, the EO who is allowed to keep a long list of the wrongs committed against them. Now, I am certain they would argue this point, but since my Catholic Church is the brunt of their struggle and anger...I have to scoot quietly out of the room. Too Roman. Too Roman...
Thank God. Because I just cannot leave Peter behind. No way.
I love my new priest. So does the rest of my family. He is smarter than 10 priests I know. Forget about rabbis and pastors. He blows them all away. Whatever question I have, he just answers with that Catholic authority that seems to be lost on may of our RC parish priests around here these days. He reminds me of why the Truth is the Truth even if you twist, detract from it, make it all your own...The Truth stands aside from our opinions or personal revelation and authority.
"On this Rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it..." So said Christ. You can cut yourself off from it, reform it, protest it...but the Truth is still the Truth no matter what winds of change are blowing or selling these days.
"I am not here to help you get in touch with your feelings," my new Byzantine priest says about the Sacrament of Confession - too rarely practiced by we Catholics anymore. "Just tell me what you did and how many times you did it. If I need to talk to you about it, I will. Otherwise, get over it, quite sinning, and move on in grace."
Reminds me of the priests of my youth. I am old now - 35 remember? Memory is becoming rusty in parts, but not in the parts that matter. I remember what a priest is supposed to act like. That he is supposed to love his job and make his focus Christ and not employment and career advancement.
So...have fun with the new bishop, my fellow RCers. You won't see me around all that much. Not since I started making the Sign of the Cross from the opposite direction. Enjoy all those guitar Masses. Enjoy all those hippies in collars. Not that any of you will notice I have not been in attendance in months. I have the Dormition of the Mother of God to decipher and fast through now. I am busy moving and praying and begging God for all the help He can spare me.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a big, fat sinner.
A final farewell, for now at least
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12 years ago
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I love to read about your spiritual journey!
ReplyDeleteThe new bishop is a "housecleaner" all right---but I know personally he was brought in part to this diocese to address what is going to be a VERY nasty case of priests abusing children in a local parish (not mine). The cousin of a dear friend of mine recently revealed that as a young adolescent he and others were taken on "retreats" and repeatedly molested by a priest while another priest took pictures. the molester is dead. The one who took the pics, still serves in the church. Could get verrrrry interesting. MT
Miss Thaeda,
ReplyDeleteIndeed, I have heard this very same thing. There were 24 priests in one year alone who were convicted of child molestation in our diocese, and this was just in 2004. These were just the ones that had adequate evidence against them. The others got away...until now. I hope he gets work done.
Hey-- where are you guys attending? I'd be interested to visit.
ReplyDeleteWarmest,
Sarah
So do I. I think the tragedy is that due in large part to our religion-hating media, everyone thinks only priests are child molesters. They fail to understand that one in every three women was sexually assaulted at some point---by a teacher, a neighbor, a babysitter, a cousin---there are FAR more child predators outside the Church than in. Still, the ugly part for me is not that it occurred, but that the Church covered it up. We are all only human I suppose, but it is still troubling. MT
ReplyDeleteHey Skinny Sarah,
ReplyDeleteI can pass that along to you via email. You should come:) You would love it:)
Hey MT,
ReplyDeleteI feel the exact same way. Lots of people of people are perves, but priests are not allowed to factor into that number AT ALL, and big, fat bishops are not AT ALL allowed to cover up the sins of many with a multitude of green dough and silence pay.
I am happy about Bishop Barres. He comes from angry German Moravian stock. My brother said, in Drexel Hill where he used to live, there was an old German man who used to get up at dawn and do nothing but sweep the sidewalk and pull trash out of the gutters. Dave said his street was cleanest in the entire town. And he said the man was angry every day at American slobbery and lack of self-pride. I am hoping the new bishop has this German sense as well. Clean up! Clean up! Everybody, everywhere!