Don't know that we don't know

I caught part of a stranger movie last night centered on demons, hell, and sin. Of course the main characters were catholic priests. It is always amusing how the catholic rituals are portrayed. Put a robe on someone, make up some Latin, and there you have a catholic priest. Place bread and wine before them, use the Lord's prayer, and you have the Mass. Religious woman have long habits and full veils. And in this movie the Church is the problem and not the solution. This is Hollywood's portrayal of the Catholic Church. Movies and T.V. are about twenty-five years behind the Church in real life.

I say this in this post-modern time as we try to convey the relevance of sacraments and morals. Our culture views much of what the Church offers as quaint. Baptisms and first communions are great Kodak moments, but it is hard to understand what more there is in relationship to real life. But yet if we are serious about what it is that we are doing, we are drawn into a counter-cultural response by the very premise of what we profess. Baptism broadens our vision of the world around us and challenges to takes responsibility for the faith that we profess. Eucharist and Confirmation are a sign and symbol of our living the paschal mystery - not in the safety of our homes but in the world in which we live.

A priest friend mentioned how years ago his students wondered why the Church forbade to read the Gospel of Thomas. They had picked up that bit of misinformation from a popular movie. But rather than worry about a Gnostic Gospel, we need to fulfill the precepts of the Gospels we hear week after week. Forgiveness, healing, justice, the respect of human dignity, are all part of our tradition, but we maintain a Hollywood mentality of secret archives, demons, and singing Irish priests. The crux of the Gospels is conversion and discipleship. But it is easier to live at the surface of our faith.

There was a T.V. show years ago that came close to portraying real parish life. One where peoples lives did not always have a happy ending. It lasted less than a season. I guess there was not enough sex and violence. Our faith is a powerful relationship that connects us to God and one another. We are on a journey which transcends this life, and yet is all too down to earth. The motif of our life is the cross, and the challenge it contains.