Ranting is like any contact sport, I suppose. If you don’t practice it regularly, you get flabby and lose your edge. It appears that’s what’s happened to me over the past few weeks. I haven’t posted anything on my blog since May 5, a period of almost three weeks, a virtual eternity in the blog and rant business.
It’s not that there hasn’t been enough material — political or ecclesiastical. Just Newt Gingrich and Donald Trump alone provide an endless supply. And, of course, there is never any dearth of material on the ecclesiastical side either. For example, long-time friend John Vezeau sent me a stinging critique of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice report on the Catholic clergy abuse scandal, which you can read for yourselves.
I was as flabbergasted as John was when I read the news reports on the study, suggesting the moral climate of the 60s and 70’s may have been a major factor in the pedophile scandal. I couldn’t help but think of comedian Flip Wilson’s line which he used to explain his errant behavior: “The devil made me do it.”
On the other hand, I was heartened recently by the actions of theologians at Catholic University, where House Speaker John Boehner, a Catholic and graduate of a Jesuit university, was the commencement speaker. The theologians sent a letter to the Speaker beforehand reminding him that there is life outside the womb and being “pro life” means more than being opposed to abortion. They suggested that supporting a budget that would seriously harm the poor and the disadvantaged is not “pro-life” and is contrary to Catholic social teaching.
I use this example, not to beat up on John Boehner because I happen to like him and realize he is captive to the extremists in his own party as the President is, to a lesser extent, in his. Once again, my piñata of choice is the U.S. Catholic Bishops organization, which supplies me no end of material.
Contrast what happened at Catholic U. to what happened when President Obama was invited to be the commencement speaker at Notre Dame. Remember the reaction from the Catholic hierarchy, including several U.S. bishops, who expressed outrage that a Catholic university would invite someone so at odds with fundamental Church teaching on such a key moral issue as abortion?
And, yet when a Catholic politician is invited to be the commencement speaker at the United States’ signature Catholic university, and his public stance is at odds with the absolutely number one moral imperative of the Bible as well as Catholic teaching and the Church's social justice policy, the bishops are silent. Not a peep.
Need I say more?
Gerald E. Lavey
My dad is the classic Republican sort of pro-life, so as a result, I was also. I was about 14, I think, when I was talking to my grandma one day (my step-dad's mom). I made a comment that women who have more children than they can afford should have them taken away.
ReplyDeleteShe stayed very calm, and very sweet, and proceeded to tell me about her own children being taken away. She had 5 children when her husband died. They had always worked hard to make ends meet when he was alive, and without him, it was impossible. She told me about the humiliation of asking for charity, the heartbreak of losing her children, the terrible things that happened to them in the custody of people who saw them only as poor white trash.
I was ashamed of myself, all the way down to my soul.
Now that I think about it, that woman changed my life without ever knowing it. I had almost forgotten it myself...
This is great post. Thank you! I'd send it to my dad, but it would just make him mad. ;)
Hi Jerry,
ReplyDeleteReally enjoyed the post. Seems that the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) is operating in high defensive mode. Too bad there's such a lack of admirable leadership. I wonder if it's going through a multi-stage response to trauma. We're certainly seeing a predominance of denial and anger. I think people yearn to see leaders practicing a healthy, grown-up response to "sins" so that they can internalize those practices in their own lives. What are the avenues open to us when we ourselves have violated our contract with people or institutions? According to the USCCB, you circle the wagons and assign blame. Unfortunately, that's what thirteen year olds do.
Kevin