| January 29, 2007 | Volume 82, Number 7 | |
|
|
Materialism hurts vocations effortThank you for sharing Mary Hood Hart’s thoughts about “Overindulgence” in this issue (Jan. 15) of The Catholic Virginian. While I appreciate all that she said, it has all been said many times before, yet I see the problem as continuing to grow. It seems that as long as the economy is growing, this issue is not about to be impacted by those few of us who believe it is a serious problem. My reason for this message is simply to share my thought that the problem of overindulgence is directly related to another critical problem with which we are all familiar, the lack of vocations. As long as parents’ and society’s focus remains on the material well-being of our children, there is little or no hope of resolving either of these problems. Parents need to recognize the long term effects of placing materialism at the forefront of their children’s minds, but they must also realize that this gross materialism also effectively eliminates any consideration of a religious life for their future. Can we expect parents to support their children if they begin to recognize a possible calling to the religious life? I don’t think so. It’s just too austere. Most seminaries or convents and such probably do not even fulfill the basic necessity of having a widescreen LCD television available !! Yet not too many years ago it was considered a great honor when someone in a family did receive a call to serve, and family members would support that son or daughter in every way possible. Following Mary’s magnificent example of accepting God’s word was the right thing to do. Just this past weekend we began reciting two prayers at the closing of our celebration of Mass (it will continue for the foreseeable future). Notice the parental emphasis added at the end of the Vocation prayer: “...and give parents the love and strength necessary to support their children when they are called to serve.” I truly believe that our entire Church needs to change its ‘recruiting’ emphasis, from those young people who might recognize a calling, to the parents and other family members whose support of a calling is absolutely necessary to bring it to fruition. They, too, must be willing to do God’s work.
Human beings said not infallibleAs a youngster, I was baptized a Lutheran. I rarely attended church and as such was considered a non-practicing Christian. When I completed high school, I entered Fordham University in New York and accepted a position with the FBI and entered the FBI Agent internal training program. Essentially the FBI funded my undergraduate education. At Fordham I was taught by Jesuit priests and eventually Catholicism became a way of life for me. In my junior year, I converted to Catholicism. I had aspirations of entering the priesthood and sought counsel from my Jesuit professor friends. Their advice was to pray and give myself ample time to make certain the priesthood was the right choice for me. Their advice was appropriate and the decision was indeed a struggle for me. I continued my career in the FBI. Over the years, I have remained faithful to Catholic beliefs. I continue to do so today and have always respected and admired those who have been blessed and received a calling to pursue the priesthood. However, I also realize that first we are born human beings and then we become what we are. As human beings we are not infallible. We will make mistakes in life but it does sadden me greatly that more and more we are discovering that many of those who have taken vows of celibacy — those on whom we as Catholics across the country rely for spiritual guidance and the administering of the sacraments — have discredited themselves and subjected the Catholic Church to ridicule and embarrassment. I am most empathetic toward the good and holy priests in the world. God bless them for their devotion and faith, but they must have to endure some disparagement for the shameful and humiliating behavior of those who have strayed. That now includes Fr. Rodney Rodis. I believe now as well as in the future Catholics will need to pray more often for religious vocations in order to reverse and rebuild the downward trend.
Pastoral care on homosexualsI am grateful our Church had the courage to expand the dialogue on human sexuality in its recent letter on pastoral care for homosexuals. (The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at their annual fall meeting in November in Baltimore) I feel the Church reinforced the fact that a person’s holiness is not based on his sexual orientation. I think more people misunderstand this than we realize. I was taught that Catholic marriage is a sacred union in which two become one. Children are a physical manifestation of this union; each time you look into a child’s eyes you bear witness to it. Whether single or married, those who don’t have children of their own help nurture the next generation in a variety of ways. I was also taught that in the natural cycle of life, sex serves the purpose of procreation. When sex is trivialized as an enjoyable way to pass the time, it can be easy to lose sight of the basic facts of life. If we view sex purely as a physically enjoyable experience, abstinence might seem like an unbearable burden. The reality is far from it. Our sexual drive of “creative energy” can be channeled into many other activities which don’t involve sex. These activities are as joyful as they are fulfilling. As we maintain control over our sexual drive, we retain much greater control over our lives. This rings true for everyone, married or single. At times it may be a struggle to accept these teachings. Some days I wish everyone who wants to get married in the Church could so so. Unfortunately it’s not that simple, and so it’s something on which I pray and meditate. In my heart, I believe that our doctrine was derived in the light of faith, reason, and through a deep spiritual connection. Through prayer and meditation I find peace. I pray that each person can connect with the spiritual wealth that exists in Christ and in our Church community. For anyone who has been turned away by the Church’s teachings on human sexuality, please try to work it through. Our Church is not complete without you!
About Us | Archives | Around | Articles | Columns | Contact Us | Editorial | Hispanic Apostolate | Home | Opportunities | Parish Profile | Shortakes | The Catholic Diocese of RichmondCopyright © 2006 The Catholic Virginian Press. Articles from Catholic News Services, including Fr. Ditzen’s column, may not be reproduced here due to copyright considerations.The Catholic Virginian is a biweekly publication serving the people of the Catholic Diocese of Richmond. This website includes some, but not all, of the articles from the print version of The Catholic Virginian.For subscription information Contact Us. |
