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Endured or Inspired?
I also attended Mass, where things were pretty much business as usual-- a friendly rural town, good folks, a well intended music ministry, and a good homily from a loving pastor. Yet the end result of all this is pretty much the same across our entire nation, if not in most of the world: Catholic worship is something that must be endured, rather than something that really inspires us before receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. Despite all of our college degrees, workshops, and seminars, Catholic worship is a very humdrum affair. Are we among those who endured, or those who were inspired? Though not exclusively, I am afraid that it is most often the former.
To some this might seem good, because it keeps us from falling into the trap of an emotionally based worship experience. Likewise, it keeps us from similar traps: the personality cult of following a charismatic pastor who gives motivational talks instead of sermons, or the entertainment-based music ministry that is a great rock band that plays new Jesus worship songs without much real content. Others might say that the terrible liturgical worship experience is really a gift to the Church to keep us focused squarely on Jesus in the Eucharist.
These are good points to consider, and certainly valid up to a point. But do we really believe that liturgical worship is supposed to be bad on purpose in order to keep us from the errors that sometimes come with great worship experiences? This is certainly not the teaching of the Church, which encourages good liturgy and a prayerful and enthusiastic worship experience. As the Church says, "Good liturgy builds faith, bad liturgy destroys it." Believe me, I do not see the typical Catholic parish falling into these traps anytime soon! If anything, we have gone to the opposite extreme. As I said before: Catholic worship is often something to be endured rather a true inspiration to prepare us to receive the Mystery of mysteries, Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
Recent Historical Renewals
Despite its naiveté, it was not that long ago that the Church was brimming with hopes and dreams about the renewal we were experiencing. Worship, while sometimes terrible from a technical perspective, was often wonderful due to the anointing of the Spirit that ran through every song, gesture, and word. There was a palpable work of the Holy Spirit in our midst, and we all knew it. There was a sense of a prophetic and sovereign work of the Spirit of God among us. It could not be stopped, nor could it be forced. But we did have to cooperate with it in order for the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit to continue in our midst. Apparently we did not cooperate so well.
What happened? I believe that God literally dumped the Holy Spirit upon the Church with Vatican II, the Jesus Movement, and movements like Cursillo, Marriage Encounter, and the Charismatic Renewal. But we have not really allowed the Spirit to work freely in the Church. Instead we only shored up the old "safe" structures and told God and the People of God that the Spirit must work within them. Why? Because He had done so in centuries past. He certainly did, but those same structures were once new. For instance, Latin was once the vernacular as compared to the Greek spoken by the educated. It was the "vulgar," and the Bible translated into Latin (street level Latin at that) was the "Vulgate." It took courage to use street Latin as the language of the Church. It said that we are a Church not only for the rich, the powerful, and the educated, but also for the ordinary person, the uneducated, and the poor. Are we really open to such "newness" now?
Another great historic indicator of an authentic renewal and reform of the Spirit is the rising up of many new communities. While this happened all around the world, such new communities almost never succeeded in the Untied States. Why? Some would say abuse of power by leaders. Most would say because of the rampant American individualism so deeply seated in the American consciousness. Both are probably true. Only a few survive today, my community of The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage being one of them by the grace of God. But we all hang on by a thread in our troubled society in such a troubled time.
Renewal and Reform
Some have said that we want renewal but not reform. Again, this is a good point up to a point. We do not want to throw the proverbial "baby out with the bath water," nor do we desire to throw out all that makes us authentically Roman Catholic Christians. But there have been plenty of reforms in the history of the Church that did not make us less Catholic. One has only to think of the Gregorian Reform that saved the Church from the control of secular power, and opened the way for a phenomenon of the Spirit that raised up tens, if not hundreds of new monastic communities. I would propose that we be open to both renewal and reform as long as both make us better Catholic Christians.
Left, Right, or Radical?
Today in the Catholic Church there is a liberal left experiment that has lost its momentum. This has mainly to do with sex and gender issues. Will simply opening up the flood gates of modern morality set us free? Sociology and psychology used to think so, but nowadays would say not.
There is also a far right reaction that is nearly obsessed with orthodoxy, whereby they think that the reestablishment of Latin masses, strong clericalism, devotionalism, and the like will solve all of the Church's ills. Some? Maybe. All? Not likely. People need fundamentals, but fundamentalism seldom works, even when it comes in Catholic clothing.
But there is also a huge middle ground made up of average folks who love God, the Church and the world in which we live, and are just trying to get by in the rat race of modern American living without too many casualties. They constitute a huge Catholic "silent majority" that form the authentic "sense fidelis," or sense of the faithful that is one important contingent in the teaching authority of the Church. This is where the Faith really lives, where our spiritual "rubber meets the road," and it is here that we can find our greatest hope. The problem with the latter is that we are often the very status quo that needs to be changed. In order for this group to be effective we must be radical, but not fanatical. We avoid becoming obsessed with the fanatical fringe, but are completely radical, or rooted deeply in the core of the gospel of Jesus and the balanced teaching of the Church.
Integrated Monasteries
While the Catholic "silent majority" constitutes the theological balance between the right and left extremes, it can also be the biggest part of the "lifestyle heresy" that so plagues western civilization. I am referring to the heresy of individualism, and all that goes out from it: consumerism, materialism, hedonism, and the like. The evidence of the failure of this heresy is all around us. Global warming from environmental abuse threatens the delicate balance of the earth's current eco system. War across the planet is due to the many who have the little rising up against the few who have the much. Sexual immorality and the breakdown of the nuclear family threaten the very social fabric of civilization as we know it. The so called "high-tech high-touch" computer revolution has created an entire generation of people who have access to great knowledge, but attain little wisdom. Able to access and communicate with thousands and millions at a time, many cannot carry on authentic human relationships with much success. It has not made us more human. It has made us more machine-like in the long run. Are computers bad? No. I write this on a laptop, and send it out via the internet. But we are not yet using them successfully.
How many of you reading this right now are willing to flee this sinking ship of modern society? Traditionally this call has gone forth from monks, and hundreds of thousands have responded without computers or mass media. Will you respond today? How many will give up possessions and control to find the greatest wealth known on earth or in heaven? How many who are single will embrace only Christ as your spouse in celibate chastity, and so bring salvation to the entire world? How many will give up superficial freedom to embrace the deeper freedom from your false self through obedience to a Rule and a spiritual father or mother in Christ? How many will venture into the solitude to find your true spiritual home, silence to find your true voice, and self-renunciation to find your true self in Christ? How many will give up all to gain everything?
And this is not just for celibates. How many families feel trapped in the web of modern society? All through history faith-filled families have affiliated with monasteries in order to live more simply according to the teachings of Jesus. During the reformation these took the form of communities that became the "plain people" like the Mennonites, Quakers, and Amish. At our community at Little Portion Hermitage, we welcome such families really ready for this life to join us in residence. Are you one of them? We call this integrated monasticism, and consecration of life, as contrasted to traditional consecrated life. I call you to it in the name of God right now.
Mega Churches
But let's get back to the point of authentic worship services. What about our Evangelical counterparts? In America non-Catholic Evangelicals are filling mega churches up to 10,000 seats that offer great sound and lights, a great band, and a great motivational speaker, not to mention well-developed small groups for Bible study, prayer, and fellowship. Its above-mentioned dangers are obvious, but I must admit I really enjoy singing occasionally on a great sound system in a church that really knows how to use music in worship. I also enjoy their preachers, though I find their content incomplete. But I really, really miss the Eucharist in such settings. Having said that, I really, really wish that Catholic parishes could learn the best things from mega church worship services, and apply them to our own liturgical worship.
Monastery or Parish
I have often said that I was brought into the Catholic Church through the Franciscan and monastic door. The parish church has never had much appeal to me. The Catholic Church has always been wise enough to allow for radical gospel expressions in the monastic and consecrated life tradition. This existed along side of, and in harmony with the diocesan and parish structure of the Church. It is this more radical expression that called me, and calls most of those who relate to my witness for Christ and His Church. Many thousands have now come into the Roman Catholic Church because of my witness as a Catholic "convert." This brings me great joy. But not a few have also come and gone after not experiencing what I teach and live at Little Portion Hermitage. This is a great sadness to me. True enough, it could be argued that they were not really Catholic to begin with. But what a terrible indictment of our lukewarm mediocrity and stale status quo! And what will we face for our shortcomings in our lukewarm and mediocre witness when we stand before God at the end of our life? This fills me with a holy dread, and I do penance for those lost, as well as for myself.
Awaken the Sleeping Giant
Should this mediocrity and lukewarmness be tolerated? Certainly not! This is true especially within oneself, but also within one's church home, be it parish or monastery. Why can't we have great music ministries, great preaching, and creative use of the talents within our clergy and parishioners? We can if we will but act. Most desire it. A few are willing to sacrifice and risk in order to achieve it. Does it take courage? You bet it does. Will we be rejected by some? Almost certainly so. But that is no excuse to just fall back into our personal safety zones and just float through our spiritual life in a malaise of mediocrity or lethargic lukewarmness.
So I say to the Church-- I shout it from the housetop of my hermitage: Awaken! Popes, bishops, clergy, religious, and lay people: Awaken! Dare to dream again. Dare to change, to be renewed and reformed personally within your own life. Only then can we bring authentic renewal and reform to the Church or to the world. Dare to really rise up and follow Christ as His disciple. The majority of Catholics make up a giant unified population in our nation, and upon the earth. We are a sleeping giant. Will we allow the sleeping giant to awaken? As scripture says, "Awake, O sleeper! Today is the day of salvation…if today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts." It is time to awaken the sleeping giant. It is time to rise. It is time to believe again.
John Michael Talbot
Founder, Spiritual Father and General Minister
The Brothers and Sisters of Charity at Little Portion Hermitage
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