Thoughts about the Church, God, and Man, in View of Recent Revelations

I believe that religion is first and foremost about God…our worship of and relationship with God; and then, also, about our relationship with our fellow human beings created by God.

As a Christian, I believe that religion is also about Jesus Christ coming to our world to redeem us and teach us, teaching us about our relationship to God..."Our Father, who art in heaven"...and about our relationship to other people. "I was hungry and you gave me food…"…(etc., and)…"…as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me." (Matthew 25:40)

As a Catholic, I believe that God gave us the Church to help us with all of the above. I believe the Mass and the Sacraments help me grow closer in my relationship to God; and I believe the Church helps many people with food and other needs, and encourages us to do so personally, as well. But...

Churches are administered by human beings and, as such, are subject, in their humanity, to inhumanity. The sins which the Catholic Church (and other churches) preach against are sometimes committed not only by churchgoers but even by Church leaders (Catholic and others)…and sometimes, as we have been seeing, have  even been covered up by Church leaders. This is very wrong. I am so very sorry for anyone affected by this. I can't even…there are not even enough words to express my sorrow for those affected.

For me personally (and I do speak as someone who has never been abused within the Church), I see the Church as both Divine and human; and while I decry the sins and crimes of some of its leaders, at the same time, I appreciate the blessings that come from the rich liturgies of the Church, from those in the Church who are following their vocation as they have been called to it, to minister to God's people in love and in sacrifice, the blessings which come from those many who are not committing crimes against their fellow human beings.

I see some people say, 'stop giving money to the diocese' – and while I understand where they might be coming from and I judge no one for that sentiment – for me personally, that would mean two things, to give less to programs which help the needy (although one can do that elsewhere, if they actually will or do, and I'm sure many do). And I see it as giving less to the support of seminaries and other avenues of continuing the Mass and Sacraments. For those who have given up on the Church, obviously they probably won't give money; but if I want to continue to attend Mass and receive the Sacraments (and I do), then it seems to me that I will also want to continue to contribute to making that possible. 

I also believe that the number of priests who abuse their position is relatively few…relative to the total number of priests who serve; although I fully acknowledge that even one would be too many. The numbers we have been hearing about in our recent past are way too many. I have seen the Church take steps in more recent years to change this, and I hope it will continue this progress and - not slowly but - quickly and completely. I hope - and of course pray - it will move "full forward" on vetting and accountability, and "full stop" on tolerating abuse, crimes, and cover-ups.

As always, what I have written is my opinion and my viewpoint, and does not necessarily represent anyone else.  What I have written is also subject to my own humanity, and I may be saying too much for some and too little for others.

With a heavy heart, but trusting in God's love, and in his healing for all those affected,

Margaret Mary

Is Everything Beautiful?

This morning I was thinking of a line from a song from my youth. The line goes, "Everything is beautiful, in its own way." I loved that song. But this morning - I don't even know why the song even popped into my head - and this morning I was thinking, everything is not beautiful. Many things are beautiful! But not everything is.

That's not just me, being negative or pessimistic. It's just a fact of life. Sex trafficking is not beautiful. Greed which over-develops properties, or develops them wrongly, and causes septic flooding into homes following heavy rains is not beautiful. Anger and pride and jealousy and all the things which cause violence, wars, and shootings are not beautiful.

   

So I looked up the song lyrics...and it sounds like it's actually more about looking for the good, mostly looking for the good in people. And perhaps the more we can acknowledge the good in people, perhaps, the more things really can be beautiful.   

But I think we have to acknowledge the sufferings of others too, and especially not blame them for their sufferings...so they will go away and leave us to see only "beauty" (or convenience or comfort; isn't that why we do it? If we blame someone for their sufferings, then we can sit back and enjoy our own "beauty", right?).

I think we need to acknowledge the ugliness in the world in order to have compassionate hearts. I'm not talking about harping on the problems in the world. I'm not talking about dwelling on the ugliness. That can be just as dangerous as pretending it doesn't exist. But I think when we acknowledge that people have cause to suffer, cause to complain of suffering, we can better show mercy, whether it's a world-wide event or something right in front of us.

I think we can, then, better show mercy, whether it's acknowledging that God made people of all races and abilities, and that he sends young souls to peoples of all religions and cultures...or whether it's helping a tired, elderly person who is struggling to buy a drink at the vending machine at the airport...or stopping to listen to a homeless person who just wants someone to talk to...or slowing down and remembering to breathe before answering that family member who we think is being annoying.

It is said that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, but I think maybe it's also in the eyes and ears, and voices and hands, of those who help to produce it.

Come

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."
Matthew 11:28

Sometimes we find Him at church and sometimes in the works of His creation, sometimes both at the same time. 

Be with us, Lord. Comfort us and strengthen us in the trials of this world and help us to comfort and strengthen others. Amen.

Working "for a living"

The term "people who work for a living" has been on my mind. You see, right there, in those last three words, "for a living" is the problem for many folks! I'm totally convinced that most adults – and many youth - either work or want to work.

But working "for a living" is not simply a matter of desire. It is not the sole responsibility of the worker to make enough money to pay for housing and food.

Let me put that another way. Most workers cannot set their own wages or salaries! That might be so obvious that you might even laugh. But do you see the correlation there? We – society, social media - sometimes blame people that they don't "work for a living", even though many do work, but many employees aren't given the opportunity to make an actual living. 

And most employees today can't simply work two jobs or work overtime, even if they have the health and enthusiasm to do so. It's amazing to me how many full time jobs require that their employees refrain from moonlighting, expect them to not pick up another job during their time off.  And this is often true even though they are not making adequate money to support a family or, sometimes, not enough even to support one person.

Then there are the many part-time jobs which never offer full time work for most of their employees, yet require full-time availability. May I respectfully repeat that one, for those who aren't aware of it? Many part-time jobs (retail is an example, but not the only example)...many part-time jobs require full time availability even while offering only part time work.

"We need you to come in for this meeting tomorrow." Or: "We need you to fill in (during a time that you don't normally work) for this person who called out (or who quit)." Oh, but when you do, then, next week you may get fewer hours, because we can't have you getting paid for more than "x" number of hours in a pay period. Often, it's tough for the "bosses" too. I'm not blaming them for this! The problem is much greater than their position, and I'm not even sure I understand the ultimate problems and solutions. I'm just saying it's the way things are today, and while I think changes need to be made, that's not my topic this morning. 

This isn't a rant about employers, but rather, it's about pulling together! ...instead of (verbally) beating each other up! (whether individually or in the things we say and pass on in social media). It's about encouraging people, in an empathetic way, and truly listening to them, instead of implying (whether intentionally or not) that we've got it all together and the other guy doesn't. 

It's scarier this way, though, isn't it?...especially if we do have it all together ourselves, at least economically, at this time in our lives. If I admit that maybe my brother's troubles might not be his own fault, then I'm admitting to myself that troubles might come my way, too. 

You see, it's true. Troubles might come our way! When they do, are we going to beat ourselves up or are we going to comfort and encourage ourselves? And do we want others to truly listen to us and try to understand? 

Or, maybe those troubles already have come for you, and for that, I am truly sorry. And I know most people do have some kind of trouble or another. 

We don't have to go it alone! Not, that is, if we accept one another and try to acknowledge the world as it is, and not only as we would like it to be. 

I believe we are all stronger, the more we pull together. Do you think so too? 

Love and blessings to you all
Margaret Mary