The fact that many people today, base their opinions on feelings instead of objective truth and facts, is often discussed in Casa Kehoe. My husband has a mechanical engineering degree. The sign behind the desk in his (work) office says, “Trust in God, all others bring data. He is constantly frustrated by people who come up with conclusions based on what they feel or think without investigating what really caused the problem.
As for me, I am a primary source kinda gal. Please don’t tell me what so and so wrote about Vatican II; read the actual document! Don’t tell me what expert X opined about The Theology of the Body; read what John Paul II wrote.
I majored in Psychology in college, and I had a talent for finding fatal flaws in scientific studies. Those who conduct studies, too often, jump to the conclusion that they desire without the data verifying the results.
It naturally follows, then, that we (Deacon and I) believe that there are certain truths that are always and everywhere true. Relativism just does not make logical sense.
In addition if nothing is true, then everything is permitted. Abortion. Pornography. Homosexual marriage, sex outside of marriage, torture. And it goes on and on.
Many Christians have lost the concept of sin and the need for repentance and continual conversion. Christians have forgotten that Jesus is The Way and The Truth.
Jesus did not say that his way is one path among many equally right paths. He did not say that he is one truth among many valid truths; “”I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”(Jn. 14:6)
Jesus shows us how to strive to be holy. Discipleship involves picking up our cross to follow him. Discipleship means striving to become another Christ. Above all it means to love as Christ loved us. Sacrificial, self giving love is the vocation of all Christians.
To strive for holiness is to be truly free. Anything else is a dangerous illusion:
It is tragic that we live in a culture that does not know true freedom. The world is broken. Families are broken. People are broken. We search for the answers to the age-old questions of the human heart. Who am I? Where am I going? Does my life have meaning and purpose? What must I do to be happy?
Too often people look for the answers in all the wrong ways. Sex, money, fame, material things, pornography, success.
Yes many are lost to the distortions of our world. But Jesus is always searching for us. He is always inviting us to return to Him.
Pope Benedict has spoken often about the dangers of relativism. Relativism is the belief that there is no such thing as settled truth, settled doctrine, or objective morality. Everyone is right. But if all beliefs are equally true, doesn’t it also follow that all are equally not valid? At the very least nothing has any meaning or any worth.
Relativism is simply not compatible with the Catholic faith.
As then Cardinal Ratzinger, just before entering the conclave which would elect him Pope, said:
“Today, having a clear faith based on the Creed of the Church is often labeled as fundamentalism. Whereas relativism, that is, letting oneself be “tossed here and there, carried about by every wind of doctrine”, seems the only attitude that can cope with modern times. We are building a dictatorship of relativism that does not recognize anything as definitive and whose ultimate goal consists solely of one’s own ego and desires.”
The Church professes what is always and everywhere true, because Jesus is the Truth. Jesus is also the Word. The Word—Logos—is reason. If truth claims are not objective and consistent, then they are not compatible with reason.
So I was not surprised by a recent discussion that my husband and I had with friends who are Catholics. They are lovely, generous, and intelligent. But they are not orthodox Catholics. We explained what we believe and why we believe it.
At first we were not surprised by their responses. We have heard it a million times before. They knew us when we were not exactly good Catholics. I am sure we have surprised them!
The shocker came when our friends had a rather low opinion on reading or studying the faith or any subject for that manner. Everything comes down to how we choose to interpret, based on our feelings and experience, what we read. They were a bit dismissive of our large collection of books.
One more thing before I go. Monsignor Pope, on the Archdiocese of Washington’s (D.C) has a great post: On Beauty’s Relation to Truth – A Personal Testimony . Read the whole post. He even has a clip from one of my favorite movies The Mission.
The Archbishop of Denver has a good article in First Things concerning lawsuits against the Church in the context of what the Church is and is not. Excerpt:
Every bishop in the United States has a filial love for the Holy Father and a fraternal respect for his brother bishops. But these familylike words—filial, fraternal, brother—are not simply window dressing. They go to the heart of how the Catholic community understands and organizes itself—and, more important, to how the Church actually conducts herself, guided by her own theology and canon law.
The Church is much closer to a confederation of families than a modern corporation. And this has real, everyday results. In practice, the influence of the Holy See on the daily life of the Archdiocese of Denver is strong in matters of faith and morals. We’re deeply grateful for the leadership and wonderful teaching of the papacy. But in the operational decisions of our local Church, the Holy See’s influence is remote. In twenty-two years as a bishop, my problems have never included a controlling or intrusive Vatican.
It is only recently that the Church’s teaching on homosexuality has been difficult for many people, especially teens and young adults to accept. The fact that proponents of same sex marriage are framing the argument in terms of civil rights has made the Church’s position contentious. Our insistence that we are not bigots does not impress those who see homosexuality as morally neutral and a civil right.
Since, however, homosexual acts, go against the natural moral law and against right reason, the Church does not accept that there is a civil right to homosexual marriage.
Yesterday, I presented the foundational reason for the Church’s teachings that go against our culture: The Church does not have the authority from God to change what has always and everywhere been taught. It is Christ who reveals to us what is true.
Before I present the Theological arguments for the Church’s position on homosexuality I want to be clear on the Church’s treatment of people with homosexual inclinations.
First it is important to understand that the Church does not exclude homosexuals. The Church recognizes that homosexual inclinations are not chosen by individuals. It is not a sin to have same sex attractions. It is only homosexual acts which constitute grave sin. Homosexuals are to be “accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. (Catechism of the Catholic Church #2358). Homosexuals are to be treated with dignity, and “unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided” (CCC#2358).
Further, the Church understands that the call to chastity, which for all unmarried persons includes celibacy, is a very hard cross for homosexuals to carry. All Christians are called to carry their Cross—their trials and sufferings—and follow Christ.
The Theological Argument
In Genesis there are two accounts of Creation. In the first creation story we learn that God created man and woman in his image and likeness. This means that human beings have a unique relationship with God that the other creatures do not.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them and said to them “be fruitful and multiply….” (Gn 1:27-28).
Man and women are created with equal dignity; but they each have different roles. They are not interchangeable. God, did however, make them complementary.
Both sexes are necessary to God’s plan for human beings. In the Pastoral letter “Marriage Love and life in the Divine Plan, the US Bishops state the following:
“Having created Adam, God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone” (Gn 2:18). So God creates a helpmate who is suitable for him and matches him. “Helpmate” (ezer) is a word reserved in the Bible not for inferiors but most often for God himself, who is Israel’s “helper.” Indeed, after God creates all of the animals and brings them to Adam to name, it becomes clear that none of them is “the suitable partner for the man” (Gn 2:20).
Then God puts Adam under a deep sleep and, using one of his ribs, builds up a woman for him as a suitable partner or helpmate. When he sees the woman, Adam cries out in wondrous joy:
This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh;This one shall be called “woman” [ishah], for out of “her man” [ish] this one has been taken. “(Gn 2:23) (page 9)
The Church has always understood that man and women were made for each other. In marriage they are to become one body (Gn. 2:24). The Bishops explain that man and woman are two different ways of being human persons. In marriage they become a community of two persons.
It is also important to note that Christ, by quoting from the two creation accounts of man and woman, raised marriage to a Sacrament. ( Mt 19:3-12; Mk 10:6-9)
God gave marriage to one man and one woman. He told them to “be fruitful and multiply”. One of the purposes of marriage is for the couple to cooperate with God in creation by being open to life. It is only a man and woman who, through their sexual union, have the ability to procreate.
Homosexual sexual unions are inherently sterile. “Homosexual acts “close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved” (Considerations Regarding Proposals to Give Legal Recognition To Unions Between Homosexual Person, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith)
Perhaps one way to understand this, is to consider the nature of God. God has many attributes, he is eternal, almighty, just, merciful, for example. But God is, most of all, love. That is why, although He is one, he is a trinity of three persons. God is in himself a family. God created us out of love. God does not need us; he is self sufficient.
God’s love is overflowing. So much so that God the Son, true God and true man, emptied himself on the cross out of perfect love for us.
We are called to love as God loves. God’s love is life giving. This means that we are called to be open to life in marriage. Couples who use artificial contraception make sex a sterile act. This is also a grave sin.
This is hard for many people outside and (sadly) inside the Church to understand. For at least the last forty years contraception has been accepted. Being open to the gift of children is no longer seen as essential to the marriage state. In addition sex is no longer understood as a sacred gift given exclusively, by God, to a man and woman who are in a lifelong permanent marriage. Sex is now seen as a pleasurable activity that can be enjoyed outside of marriage.
It is not surprising, then that homosexual acts, are now considered okay in our culture. My husband and I have been asked, what would we do if one of our children or grandchildren had homosexual inclinations and acted on them.
We would love them. Unconditionally. Completely. But Unconditional love does not mean unconditional approval. Love is unconditional when you love in spite of actions or beliefs that you disagree with.
When our children were dating their now spouses, they would come to visit us with their significant other. They knew that they would have to sleep in separate rooms. That is how we will handle it when our grandchildren come of age (the oldest is 7). Even if their partner is of the same sex.
Here is a video which explains the Church’s teaching:
I was recently asked, in a workshop that I was giving, “why doesn’t the Church come into the modern world? This question followed a discussion of the Church’s teaching on homosexuality and the exclusion of women from the Priesthood.
The foundational reason for the Church’s often counter cultural positions is that she does not have the authority to change her doctrines. We believe that all revelation comes to the Church through Jesus Christ. Christ gave all authority to Peter, the Apostles, and their successors. The Catechism of the Catholic Church States:
85 “The task of giving an authentic interpretation of the Word of God, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority in this matter is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ.”This means that the task of interpretation has been entrusted to the bishops in communion with the successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome.
86 “Yet this Magisterium is not superior to the Word of God, but is its servant. It teaches only what has been handed on to it. At the divine command and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it listens to this devotedly, guards it with dedication and expounds it faithfully. All that it proposes for belief as being divinely revealed is drawn from this single deposit of faith.”
When Jesus identified Peter as the rock upon which the Church would be built, He also promised that the gates of hell would not prevail (Matthew 16:18-19).
The Church therefore is holy because she was born from the blood and water that flowed from the side of Christ on the cross. The Church is united to Christ.
At the same time the Church contains sinners. The recent coverage of the child sex abuse by members of the clergy have made this painfully obvious. As Pope Benedict has said, “filth” has entered the Church. Yet we know that the Church will survive attacks from within and outside the Church, because the Church belongs to Christ, and He promised that evil would not win.
The Church exists for the sanctification of its members. She has her sights set on the Kingdom of God. The goal of the Church is the salvation of souls, and not the rewards of this world.
As members of the Body of Christ, the Church, we are all called to strive to be holy so that we can one day see God face to face. We can only do this with the grace of God and through the Sacraments of the Church.
As we strive for holiness, we will often find ourselves at odds with our culture. To be a Catholic, to be a Christian, means that we are counter cultural. It has always been so.
In the Gospel of John (15:18-20), Jesus warns us that the world will not like His message:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own; but because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world, the world hates you.”
The Church must remain true to Jesus Christ. He is The Truth. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Many doctrines seem harsh and impossible to our modern ears. It does not help that many people, especially those in the media, do not try and understand the reason for her teachings. All we hear is that the Church is stuck in the dark ages, and that She discriminates against women and homosexuals.
Neither is true, and the Church has written extensively on those teachings, but they cannot be reduced to Tweets or easily made into sound bites.
Tomorrow, if all goes well, I will attempt to lay out the Church’s theological arguments for why those with homosexual inclinations are called to live a life of celibacy. Perhaps I will have time to go into the reasons for excluding woman from the Sacrament of Holy Orders.
Then, at the end of those three days, something happened that changed her life forever. “It was the third day, the sixth hour of screaming. We were about to wrap up yet again. I was basically done screaming, there was a pause, and then the monk looked up and said to me “you have no idea, absolutely no idea how much God loves you; He made you out of nothing, he knows you, you have no idea how much he loves you, His daughter. So don’t feel ashamed, let it all go. Give it up, give it all up, give your life up to Him … He loves you so much.”
It is tragic that there are so many people who do not know that God loves them. I know, from personal experience, that telling people that God loves them and knows them is the most powerful invitation to conversion.
Booker T Washington was a former slave who rose to prominence after the Civil War. In 1895 he gave a speech known as the “Atlanta Compromise Speech”. It is considered one of the most important speeches in American history. The speech contained the following story:
“A ship lost at sea for many days suddenly sighted a friendly vessel. From the mast of the unfortunate vessel was seen a signal: “Water, water. We die of thirst.” The answer from the friendly vessel at once came back: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A second time, the signal, “Water, send us water!” went up from the distressed vessel. And was answered: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” A third and fourth signal for water was answered: “Cast down your bucket where you are.” The captain of the distressed vessel, at last heeding the injunction, cast down his bucket and it came up full of fresh, sparkling water from the mouth of the Amazon River.”
In the speech he was urging southern black people to work with their white neighbors instead of looking to the north for assistance. He said, “Cast down your bucket where you are. Cast it down, making friends in every manly way of the people of all races, by whom you are surrounded. ”
You may be wondering what this has to do with a Theology of Staying. As an armchair theologian, I have been mulling over the idea that a nomadic very American type of lifestyle might have an adverse effect on spiritual growth.
First, let me share with you a little of my background. My husband and I have lived in Des Moines Iowa for nearly thirteen years. In the same city. In the same house. To some people this is not startling news—especially in Iowa. But this is the longest I have ever lived in one place my entire life.
While my husband grew up on a family farm, in Ireland, that has been in the family for over a hundred years, this is the longest that he has lived in one place for the (almost) thirty-seven years that we have been married.
Ironic. Growing up I always swore that I would live in one place in an old house with a white picket fence. Maybe the nursing home will have a white fence.
There are many good things about moving to other places: exposure to a variety of people, cultures and places; learning to adapt to different situations. There is also the perk of leaving a house before it is time to paint or replace the carpet.
My parents would prepare my brother and me for a move by telling us that it was a chance to start over with a clean slate. (Dad, Mom I am not complaining. It was a good thing to do). In many ways moving was great. Who doesn’t want, at least once in a while, to have the chance to reinvent herself? I came to love that clean slate.
But I am beginning to question, now that I seem to be planted where I am for the foreseeable future, if there are negative aspects of moving so much.
I haven’t had to cast down my bucket to find solutions to problems.
Specifically until recently, I haven’t had to deal with relationship problems. This has led to a difficulty in forming lasting attachments to people. There never was a chance to develop loyalties to a place or people. I always knew that I would be moving. We do have old friends, but it is only because they have done all the work.
Recently a misunderstanding occurred with a good friend, and I do not have the experience to deal with it.
The same is true for my husband. If things weren’t going the way he wanted to at work; well he could always find a better job in a better place. There was no incentive to work things out or to assess what the problem was. He has now worked for the same company for over seven years (a record), and he had to learn how to work things out instead of leave.
So why is this a spiritual problem? Because all Christians share a vocation. We are all called to love. We are all called to love (Agape) others by putting the good of others before our own needs.
In order to love, we have to cultivate compassion. To have compassion means to suffer with. It means understanding that most people are broken. When people treat us badly, there is often something going on in their lives. There is so much pain out there.
When you are a nomad, with no sense of place or loyalty or history, it is easy to write people off. It is easier to avoid doing the hard prayerful work of forgiving others including our enemies. There is a good chance I will never encounter my enemy again.
When you are a nomad, you don’t have to temper your personality. Staying in Iowa, where people are generally even tempered, has been a real eye opener for this assertive New York personality. I am learning to think before I speak. I am learning to take a mental walk around the block to calm down.
But most of all I have learned to give people the benefit of the doubt.
All sin is the failure to love. We are all called to holiness of life, “be perfect as your father in heaven is perfect (Matthew 5).
This means we are called to purity of heart. Only the pure of heart will see God face to face. One of the things this requires is to see others as icons of Christ, as icons of divine beauty. I am beginning to think that this means really getting to know others. This requires hanging around for a while.
So unless God has other plans, I think that I will cast down my bucket where I am.
A Deacon's Wife 