I was talking to a friend last Friday after our holy hour for priests and she made a brilliant point about what's happening these days in the modern, post Vatican II Church. Here's the question. In the history of the Church over the millennia, who were persecuted and martyred? Who were executed in the Roman Coliseum and covered with pitch and set on fire to light Nero's garden? The Pharisees? The Sadducees?
No indeed! It was those who were faithful to Christ and His Church -- completely faithful! You know, the believers who refused to the point of death to offer a pinch of incense to the false gods.
And this is the country described by Archbishop Marcello Sorondo, head of the Pontifical Academy of Science as being “the best implementer of Catholic social doctrine," a country that “has defended the dignity of the human person.” One wonders how the Chinese prisoners blood and tissue-typed for forced organ donation feel about that.
"Observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but do not practice." Matt 23
Jesus advises his listeners in today's gospel to obey what the Pharisees say, but not to imitate their actions.
That's a good lesson for us as we face the crisis in the Church. Let's look at some recent actions of members of the hierarchy (and the pope) and reflect on the consequences of those actions for the faith of the little ones in the pew.
Jesus was always concerned about simple believers and the responsibility of the teachers not to scandalize them. Today we are exposed to scandal on a daily basis from within the Church herself by false shepherds. And it is a serious threat to the faith.
Amoris Laetitia: It goes without saying at this point that the actions arising out of the document Amoris Laetitia undermine the indissolubility of marriage.
Music has a way of getting into your head the way nothing else does. Have you ever heard a ten-year-old singing lewd lyrics, hardly even knowing what he's saying? I once broke a record album (remember those?), Purple Rain by Prince, that one of my children bought. I probably wouldn't have realized how bad it was if the lyrics hadn't been written on the outside of the record jacket.
The enemies of God have always recognized the power of music. Look at the satanic links in heavy metal and other hard rock. If you think that's a modern phenomenon, think again. the Arian heresy was one of the most devastating errors in the early Church. It taught that Christ was man and not God, that He was, in fact, a creature of the Father, not the Creator. An Arian slogan was, "There was when he was not."
The heresy took hold so quickly that St. Jerome said he woke up one day "to find that the whole world was Arian." One of the ways it spread so effectively like a plague bacillus was through music. A medieval collection of lives of the saints has this entry about Arianism and St. John Chrysostom's reaction to it:
The Arians, whose numbers were increasing, and who had a church outside the city, became so bold that one Sunday they pushed their way into John's own church, singing their hymns and antiphons, and shouting derisively: 'Look at the fools who believe that three make one!' Then John, fearing that the simple folk would be drawn into heresy, commanded the faithful to gather in the churches at night, to hear sermons and to sing hymns.
After Vatican II a number of questionable songs came into use in the Church. They emphasized the Mass as banquet instead of the sacrifice of Calvary. They stressed the "we" aspect of liturgy almost to the exclusion of worship. One, Gather Us In, became the source of numerous hilarious parodies. I don't know if the bad songs contributed to the two thirds of Catholics who don't believe in the Real Presence, but it certainly could be a factor in view of the experience of previous generations with the "teaching effect" of bad music.
So let's look for a return to beautiful Catholic music that teaches as well as lifts the mind and heart to God. But also remember how important music can be in apostolic work and look for more songs that celebrate life. They can help turn the culture of death around. And, folks, if your a grandparent like I am, don't expect the kids to like the same kind of music you do, and praise God for the song below even if it doesn't suit your taste. It speaks to the young.
