Legal Commentary

Everybody's Talking At Me

By Kevin Funnell

Everybody's talking at me.
I don't hear a word they're saying,
Only the echoes of my mind.
People stopping staring,
I can't see their faces,
Only the shadows of their eyes.
--Harry Nilsson

Too many Catholics have unconsciously come to see the church through the lens of American secular politics; to falsely divide the "institutional" church from an imaginary "real" church. Too many Catholics use the church as an arena in which interest-group battles are fought out while organizing lobbies and pressure blocks, demonizing ideological opponents, interpreting relationships largely in terms of power. None of this has anything to do with Catholic ecclesiology, and it's a temptation that infects nearly all parties in the church, no matter what their point of departure--left or right. This may be the most distressing example of how assimilation to American culture has produced distortions in Catholic life, of which we're only dimly aware and that now require a huge effort of reevangelization.

[...]

People, not words, make converts. This is because the Catholic faith is much more than a set of principles we agree to, but rather an entirely new way of life. People must see that new life being lived. They must see the joy that it brings. They must see the union of the believer with Jesus Christ
---Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Render Unto Caesar

Yeah, that means you, man-in-the-mirror.

It's time to walk the walk. Until you get that right, don't try to talk the talk, because you come off sounding like a damned fool.

Just sayin'...

On a much lighter note, the always slap-happy Dr. Bob appears ready to eat the barrel of a .44 S&W. 

Full post as published by Counseling Kevin on July 03, 2010 (boomark / email).