American Catholicism
This page is a draft of some reflections in response to a question from Alex in e-mail: "For all of secularism in the United States, America is among the most vibrant nations for Catholicism in the world. As the faith declining in Europe and elsewhere, why do you think American Catholics are preserving their faith better than others and what effect can (or should) we Americans have on the larger global Church?"
Some strengths and weaknesses of American culture
| strengths | weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Tradition of human rights | Establishment of counterfeit "rights" |
| Tradition of revolution against injustice | "Rebels without a cause," rootlessness |
| Freedom of opportunity | Inequality of wealth |
| Pragmatic approach | Absolutizing pragmatism |
| Free markets | Unfair competition and unjust business practices |
| Science and technology | Materialism and scientism exalted as opponents of religion |
| Stable government | Creation of a bureaucratic class that serves itself first |
| Literate citizens | Consumption of dreck |
| Rule of law | Legalism and proliferation of absurd lawsuits |
| Freedom from corruption | Self-serving politicians, judges, and police officers. |
| Freedom of the press and mass media | Pornography and other attacks on the foundations of virtue |
| Freedom of religion We are free to preach the gospel in our nation. What a wonderful gift we have to strengthen the Body! |
Hostility toward and isolation of religion from the public sphere |
| Openness to immigration | Failure to assimilate immigrants to the American Way. |
| Connections to Europe | Slavish imitation of the European socialist model |
| Distance from Europe | Isolationism, "The Ugly American" |
| Power to dominate war zones (WWI, WWII, Korea, etc.) "With great power comes great responsibility." |
Unjust or imprudent wars |
Strengths and weaknesses of American Catholicism
| strengths | weaknesses |
|---|---|
| Piety | American Catholic forms of Puritanism and Minimalism |
| Generosity | We give too much money and not enough of ourselves. |
| Community | We can become dependent on our local Church experience and alienated from the Catholic tradition: "We are Church" is an anti-Catholic slogan. |
| Spirit of inquiry | Rebellion against the teaching authority of the Church |
| Spirit of gratitude | Complacency |
| Openness to experiment | Dissolution of ties to the global Church. Adoption of the values of our culture instead of those of the Church. There are many "baptized pagans" in American Catholicism who are Catholic in name only; they sin, divorce, and abort at the same rate as the rest of the American population. |
| Freedom of evangelization | Proclamation of dissent instead of assent to the teachings and rule of the Church. |
Law of karma
"Karma" is a word from Hinduism. Its root meaning is "action," but it also refers to the inescapable consequences of our actions. It is essentially a spiritual law that justice is done infallibly.
Those who do good reap good.
Those who do evil reap evil.
The spiritual consequences of our actions are immediate and have long-term effects on our lives. No one can do good without becoming good; no one can do evil without becoming evil.
The sins of our nation are many; the consequences will follow. We have sown the wind of lust; we will reap the whirlwind. Our willingness not just to tolerate abortion but to promote it as public policy has certainly had and will certainly have destructive consequences for the nation. The tens of millions of victims of abortion are small and silent, but their blood cries out from the earth as did the blood of Abel. This is not something we can pretend is of no consequence. It is bad karma.
We are equally human and equally vulnerable to sin
In 1993, I read The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich by William L. Shirer. The book made me realize how the majority of Germans accepted the dismantlement of one of the world's most civilized and cultured nations, step by step. I see no reason in principle why the same sort of tragedy could not happen in the United States. We are just as human and could be just as easily misled by charismatic figures. What happened in Europe could happen--could be happening--here.
This led me to become involved in the prayers for life in front of the abortion clinic on Main Street, just a couple of miles from where I live and work. We can't take our blessings for granted; we must pray and work to see that the things that have made our nation great are not abandoned.
We have not solved the problems of Europe. We have not experienced them--yet.
We have abandoned Catholic schooling
Andrew Greeley's sociological studies showed that Catholic education was the best means of passing the faith on to the next generation.
America had one of the largest Catholic school systems in the world.
We still have more nominally "Catholic" colleges and universities than any other country, by a huge margin.
"Corruptio optimi pessima:" The corruption of the best things is the worst thing.
What can American Catholics do to renew the whole Church?
Our first and last vocation is to be good Catholics. Simply by living the life of faith, hope, and love, we exhibit God's own goodness to others. If we are faithful, the fruits of the Spirit will develop in us and attract others to join the Body of Christ.
Pray
- Repent of our own sins and, through, with, in, and for Jesus, make reparation for the sins of others. Pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy "in atonement for our sins and those of the whole world."
- Pray for the development of all of the vocations we need in our day: single-heartedness, marriage, religious life, and the priesthood.
- Pray for a new Pentecost, another Great Awakening that will lead our nation to repent of its sins and repair the evil we have done: "Renew in our own days your miracles as of a second Pentecost; and grant that Holy Church, reunited in one prayer, more fervent than before, around Mary the Mother of Jesus, and under the leadership of Peter, may extend the kingdom of the divine Savior, a kingdom of truth, justice, love and peace" (John XXIII's prayer for the Vatican Council).
- Pray the Infallible Prayer: "Thy will, not mine, be done."
- Deliver us, Lord, from every evil.
- Sequence for Pentecost.
- Pope John XXIII's prayer for a New Pentecost.
Fast
- Every Friday is a day of penance for Catholics. Consider offering your Friday penances in reparation for the sins of the nation.
- Some people have revived the Eastern tradition of also offering penitential acts on Wednesdays.
Give Alms
- Support The Station of the Cross.
- Give not just your money but yourself to God's work. Develop the Lay Apostolate. Strengthen the faithful remnant.
- Support divorced Catholics living chaste lives. We need great saints in our day to show that obeying the Church's teachings on chastity is the way to holiness and happiness.
- Vote conscientiously and work for the preservation of the values that made this nation great.