I went into the Redemptorist
formation for 5 years, fortunate for me that at least I received a strong
foundation when it comes to faith and the Catholic religion per se. But after
living 5 years outside formation, somehow I already made a clear distinction
between the life of a religious and an ‘ordinary’ Catholic. And in this paper I
will give my reaction according to the perspectives of a lay man.
The Church should not reject
“people who have sex outside marriage, use contraception, don’t attend Sunday
Mass”, and should I include the LGBTs. This statement of Bishop John Buckley
touches most lay man’s concerns, particularly on moral issues. Personally,
speaking in behalf of the lay, we tend to disregard most of the teachings of
the Church and live a life that is somehow directed by the Church’s teachings
but we tend to choose what we follow and not just simply obey without
rationalizing. In this generation of Catholics, seldom would you hear lay
obeying guidelines without even asking why. Most of the time it ends up with
protest against the Church, a clear example was the case of Carlos Celdran
raising a placard with the word “Damaso” during a Mass as a sign of protest
against the involvement of the Church on RH Bill proceedings. It was an
indication that lay are getting more inquisitive.
It is in these situations that
the Church has created a gap. Nowadays, lay Catholics have gone afraid in going
to church for Mass because they always feel guilty and unworthy. This guilt and
unworthiness becomes part of our system. When asked to attend Mass, they would
say it’s only for the religious and the clean. This should not be the case
because, as sinners we are then called to conversion and the Church can help us
out. The Church is indeed our refuge and not someone who merely gives emphasis
on our mistakes. Bishop Buckley was right in saying that religion is about hope
and strength and not about condemnation or rejection. This development serves
as a challenge to our Church leaders, who have attained a certain degree of
distance from the faithful, to reach out and explain that the Church is a
refuge.
And it is true that these laws
and regulations are the ‘ideals’ that we should follow. Ideals that should
shape our mentality and shall then establish our Christian way of life. I
believe that having them as our examples to live by will benefit us in one way
or another but I also stand with the thought that not living on these ideals
doesn’t make me less of a Christian, in this case less of a Catholic. What is
essential is what my conscience dictates me. If I feel that I am happy and is fulfilling
what Christ requires me to do then I am a Christian.
It should be noted also that
there is a great responsibility for the Church to be constantly on guard when
there is threat to our Values. It is essential that the Church should remind
the faithful to live a life pleasing to God but in a manner that does not
cultivate a culture of rejection and fear. The Church, I believe, has gone too
much preoccupied by setting up guidelines and laws but forget to think of what
is essential; and that is to love one another as God has loved us. I always
stick to my standpoint that religion is just a vessel for me to face God but
then again in the end I’ll be facing my Creator alone.
This is my reflection on my Theology Class.
