Resisting the Tide

We have posted here on gay pride as well as concerts in our sacred spaces. Now you may not think there is a connection between these two disparate topics but there is. Both of these revolve around the very human need to belong, to feel part of a group or a family. Let me explain...

I remember reading one of the articles on the Sheepcat about the difficulties of reaching out to people who are susceptible to same sex attraction. It explained that one of the things they get from the gay community is a sense of belonging and support. Most of these people have experienced some estrangement from their family and such belonging and support is very important. If churches are not capable of offering a similar sense of belonging and support they will have a very difficult time reaching out to these people. If all you are offering is a really well done Sunday liturgy or even an occasional special event, well you needn't bother. It's simply not enough. These people need a little more than a Sunday morning Catholic faith.

What about concerts in our sacred spaces? While I strongly disagree with the profane use of our sacred spaces, we need to look at one of the key questions that seems to be ignored here. Why is there no hue and cry amongst the parishioners when these things are first announced? For the most part, complaints about these events seem to be coming from people who have no connection to the parishes involved. It seems to me that the natural and appropriate action would be for parishioners to make their concerns known to their pastor when concerts which violate the norms are first announced. Why does this not happen? The person who lodges his complaint from a safe distance risks far less than the one who must risk losing friends and becoming a pariah in their own parish. The need to belong and feel part of a community is at war with the need to stand up for a principle.

Society tells us that anything that gives pleasure is a good thing so long as it is consensual. It tell us that our churches are nothing more than auditoriums. Resisting this tide of secularization and the demise of the sacred in our lives is no trivial matter. While there are many who go along with such things for base motives, I am sure there are also some who do so out of fear of being left alone, of being bereft of support, of being singled out as an intolerant bigot or fear of being ostracized. It may be fear of causing division in a parish community or of starting some sort of fight. We need to ask what we are doing to support such people in making the right decisions and standing up for Catholic principles. If all we are doing is cheering them on from a position of safety, then it's simply not enough. We need to stand with them.

He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick...