The Catholic Conundrum

My father was Catholic; my mother was not. When they married, it was not the first marriage for either, so suddenly my father was not so Catholic anymore. This is not an uncommon pattern. As goes Henry VIII, so goes a lot of people, down through history. The Reformation comes to mind as a rather obvious example.

Henry VIII (and my father, for that matter) understood that there is no such thing as an "al a carte" Catholic. Henry solved his problem by creating the Church of England (Catholicism lite with a side of divorce) and my father solved his by simply pushing organized religion aside.

What they didn't do is to choose some subset of beliefs from Catholicism, mix in a little astrology, some numerology, a thimbleful of Zen and stir it up with a big helping of personal superstition. They did not do this, because Catholicism doesn't allow it. In Catholicism, either you buy the whole she-bang, or no wine and wafer for you. None. This unfortunate fact has been reiterated this week by the United States Conference of Bishops. On that page there are links to three documents, including (in .pdf format) Happy Are Those Who Are Called to His Supper: On Preparing to Receive Christ Worthily in the Eucharist. As these documents show, and the Boston Globe reports, The requirements Catholicism place on their members are in open and obvious contrast to the beliefs and actions of the majority of Catholics in the United States.

If you happen to be one of these non-compliant Catholics, I have a dirty little secret to tell you. The Catholic Church does not want you as you are. The Catholic Church requires that you adapt to it. Relevancy in the modern world has not been a priority of Catholicism since the time of Pope John the 23rd. There is no indication whatsoever that the Catholic Church has any desire to be a more "user-friendly" interface to God. So wake up.

The willingness of non-compliant Catholics to continue to embrace their Catholic faith defies all logic and reason. The only way to force a higher level of understaning on the Catholic Church regarding issues ranging from birth control, abortion, and capital punishment to premarital sex and homosexuality is for non-compliant Catholics to immediately and officially leave the Church in large numbers. Make a stand. Let your voice be heard.