Will Converts Find Real Catholicism Or Performative Religion?

Photograph: ARD1

It’s been said that many people, especially younger generations, are joining the Church in significant numbers across Europe, America, and elsewhere. Seekers and converts have a clear idea of what the Church should be, thanks to their access to reliable online resources. But do they discover genuine substance and authenticity when they step into a typical diocesan parish?

• https://www.catholicregister.org/item/3353-archdiocese-of-paris-convenes-council-in-response-to-historic-rise-in-catechumens

Catholic Light or Catholic Lite?

Younger Catholics and Catholics-to-be are interested in finding the Jesus known by the saints, not some Pop-Tart religion where Jesus is reduced to a social justice warrior cast in the image of modern ideologues. Seekers are not interested in the politicized religion of the Jesuits. If online videos and everyday conversations are any indication, they’re drawn to the Church of Aquinas, the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, Palestrina and chant, and a reverent liturgy where they meet Christ and are formed by his teaching. They are turning away from permissiveness and avoiding other empty trends. They want the Gospel that helps them worship God in the beauty of holiness (Psalm 96:9).

Church Militant

It may be that the latest wave of converts are the vanguard of lasting change that has been building since Pope Saint John Paul II provided the impetus for renewed evangelization rooted in the unvarnished Gospel of Jesus Christ. With Saint John Paul II at the helm, Soviet Communism fell. A remnant of European communism lingers as socialism, gasping for air, violently thrashing about when exposed for what it is - illiberal and antihuman. It's complete demise cannot come soon enough.

Saint John Paul foresaw challenges to human identity in his writings on the theology of the body (See Father Roger J. Landry, Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body). Pope Benedict XVI diagnosed the dictatorship of relativism and gave the Church the tools whereby she could enhance her response to the assault on human identity. The number of young people physically and psychologically harmed by those supporting the creation of chimeras is shockingly high. Innocence and integrity have taken a severe beating at the hands of ideologues practically incapable of, and certainly acting against, common sense and real compassion. Thankfully, that social contagion is falling apart. Other than Catholics challenging the assault on society, culture and individuals, most others have remained silent, out of fear of prosecution, or indifference and tacit agreement, as the number of casualties has grown to pandemic proportions.

Bishop Barron, Father Schmitz, Brian Holdsworth, Sachin Jose Ettiyil, Beauty of the Catholic Faith (X), the team at The Catholic Thing, Julia James Davis, and many others responding to the Holy Spirit and helping the Church to recover her identity, remind us that the Catholicism worth finding is that of the transcendentals - truth, goodness and beauty. Sadly, there are too many bishops - some would joke that any of the German bishops qualify - who are leagues out of touch. They persist in marketing a religion of the wayward 1970s, one that is rife with silly experimentations and heterodoxy, in the misguided attempt to sell 'relevance-to-the-world' as the key to "success." Their religion constitutes another Gospel (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 Corinthians 11:4). Evangelization is a naughty word in circles of prelates and lay people who are addicted to a false ecumenism that relies on a neutered Christ and socialistic religion.

So, let’s identify the obstacles and champion the changes needed to support those seeking the true Jesus Christ and His Church.

1. If priests aren't celebrating Mass in a dignified manner, then how do they justify what they are doing? Christ is the Principal Actor in the Mass. Should not the actions of the priest and other ministers respect the dignity of Jesus Christ, Son of God, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity?
2. If priests aren't calling and guiding people to holiness, then why do they bother preaching? Is the Church a social club or a hospital for sinners in need of the salvation that Christ offers? We need each other for support to live a life configured to the Gospel. We do not need fake advice that allows us to avoid the necessary commitment to the Christian life.
3. If a priest is obstinately unfaithful to his vows, then why is he still a priest? To be sure, many lay people are in need of a reality check, too. Yes, we hold our priests in high regard, and we understand that the devil attacks our priests and so they need our prayers. A priest who obstinately avoids his obligation to live a life of virtue is an obstacle to the sanctification of his flock.
4. If priests do not respect the General Instruction of the Roman Missal by refusing to offer Holy Communion on the tongue to those who wish to receive Holy Communion on the tongue, then why should anyone respect any of the norms? If the attitude of (far too) many Catholics toward the Eucharist is any indication, then surely an act of greater reverence will help the same acquire a better attitude toward the Lord our God Who makes Himself vulnerable for us to receive Him in the Mass.
5. If the laity imagine they can barter their way into heaven, then why bother with confession? Self-canonized saints are not saints.
6. If the laity canonize their deceased relatives by placing them immediately in heaven, then what of purgatory and the teaching of the Church? Sure - ask someone to pray with you for a miracle, and if a miracle occurs, document the experience and report it to your pastor. Avoid statements such as, "I know Auntie Harriet is with God. She was so holy in this life." Do not assume you know the state of her soul. Better to say, "I hope Auntie Harriet is with God. If she's not with God, I don't think I'll stand a chance of making it to heaven." In such instances, a little humour is not a threat to the truth.
7. If bishops declare sinful relationships acceptable and bless couples living in irregular unions, then why bother showing respect for any of the Church's teachings about sexuality and marriage? There is no shortage of scandals these days. Church leaders, if they are any kind of Christian, should not be blessing sin. The blessing of irregular unions can be attributed to the loss of the sense of sin that has plagued the Church for the better part of a century. How many souls have been lost due to shabby catechesis?
8. If bishops hide abusive priests from prosecution, then why advocate for vocations to the priesthood and why put children at risk of abuse? Indeed, there have been priests wrongly accused who have suffered cruel indignities. Liars will have to give answer before God for their false accusations. That said, priests who have used their office, their ministry, to assault the innocence of young people deserve removal from the priesthood and incarceration. No 'ifs', 'ands' or 'buts'.
9. If a bishop fails to preach clearly the Gospel, why would non-believers consider adopting the Faith? Faced with imprecise teaching, people tend to follow one of two paths. They either ignore what their being told and follow the call of God in their hearts by studying the Faith and by becoming the faithful Catholic that we all should be, or they walk away disillusioned and wander into spiritual dead ends.
10. If a pope gives more attention to worldly matters than to the salvation of souls, why should the faithful pay him any attention? A pope's job, if you will, is - as the Chief and Universal Shepherd of Christ's Church - to preserve the teaching of the Apostles and to govern Christ's Church. Popes who stick their noses into political debates risk being reduced to a mere commentator and possibly subject to accusations of partisanship. Politics are (or should be) beyond the purview of any clergyman. Faith and morals, yes. Politics of the right, centre or left - no, no and no! Leave politics to the laity. Lay men and women, of course, have a duty to abide by Catholic teaching, which is elucidated by the Church in profound and comprehensive ways.

https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/documents/rc_pc_justpeace_doc_20060526_compendio-dott-soc_en.html