Teaching & Living the Faith: September 2011 Archives

Working with religious education of children and adults I see a bad trend: the over managed life. So much so that people are putting their social and personal activities above their religious duties and relationship with God. The Third Commandment is no longer holding sway; the Church's teaching on keeping Sunday for worship and family seeming is out the window. Of course, people strenuously rebut this accusation. Truth be told, you can't deny that there are activities competing with a proper Catholic observance of Sunday. Praying in Church --with a stable faith community-- is not merely an obligation (speaking of Sunday Mass as "an obligation" is a mediocre way of approaching the question of faith, relationship with God and Church observance).

The new Archbishop of Philadelphia, Charles Chaput, OFM, Cap., is doing what Saints Peter and Paul would have done: teach the Faith with clarity but pastorally: if you don't accept the teachings of Christ as found in the New Testament and articulated by the Church, then you really aren't Catholic. You may be Christian, but not really Catholic. Cafeteria Catholics --Catholics who pick-and-choose what to believe-- don't trust in Christ, nor do they believe in the objectivity of truth taught by the Church. The promises of Christ and the Church aren't too good to be true. The teachings of Christ and the Church are the way, the truth and the life for all Christians. Chaput has been clear about what it takes to be an authentic Catholic and picking and choosing is not the method. Sorry.