Notes From Another Parish
“Dad, his homilies are church repellent!”
So said my daughter Bea several weeks ago, with regard to another Catholic parish in the Archdiocese. She played piano there for several Masses this summer, in addition to playing at St. Matt’s while she was in town.
“Tell me more,” I said. And so she did. She said that this other priest’s homilies were usually about 20 minutes long, but with little content. As I understood her comments, this other homilist usually said that “God is good, and we should listen to God.”
So far, so good. Bea went on, however, to note that he didn’t really develop this idea, by contrast with what she enjoyed about Fr. Steve’s and Fr. Thomas’s homilies. She noted that here at St. Matt’s, homilies connect to the Gospel and other readings, with applications to everyday life, and calls to social justice and care for the poor. According to Bea, our preachers say more in six minutes than this other priest says in 20 minutes.
By itself, this was disappointing. What was worse was Bea’s other observation: this other priest’s comments that “Catholics are good. Non-Catholics aren’t. Let’s convert everyone to Catholicism.”
Can I get a “Yikes!?”
I’m old enough to remember when Catholic supremacy was still part of Catholic culture. I’m glad that changed—thanks in large part to the Second Vatican Council. Here’s what John O’Malley wrote in his book, When Bishops Meet: An Essay Comparing Trent, Vatican I, and Vatican II:
“If after Vatican II the Catholic church emerged as a major voice promoting human rights, it also emerged as the most conspicuous and important voice urging reconciliation among religious traditions . . . . It gave Catholics a new job description. They were now to be agents of reconciliation among the religions of the world. No more crusades! Indeed, no more belittling other religions or persecuting their faithful. On the contrary, Catholics needed to make every effort to understand them and work with them for the good of society at large.”
I’m glad to be part of a Vatican II parish. I find it “church attractive”. How about you?
Thank you for your support, and have a great week!
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