Response to Huffington Post Writer

Good day and peace be with you my friends,
This is a response to the following article:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dear-pope-francis-end-the-religious-ritual-that-devalues_us_5787c4e4e4b0e7c8734f96f9

First, what the author does is extracts one response out of the context of the Mass. She is basing her argument on only a snippet, "I am not worthy," of the whole Mass, the liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist. The phrase she is referring to is, "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed." (Matt 8:8) This is found within the liturgy of the Eucharist. Right before, the priest elevates the host which is composed of the actual Body of Christ, "Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb." After we have received the Body of Christ through the liturgy of the Word, we (God's family) are preparing our hearts to receive the Body of Christ physically in consumption of the Eucharist. We first recognize and admit our faults to each other (our spiritual family), and ask each other, along with the saints, to pray for us. 

Second, she notes a verse of the Bible in Mathew 8:8, yet still pulling a verse out of context. The title of this section of the chapter is titled, "The Faith of a Centurion." She described the Centurion as "unsaved." But who knows her definition of "saved?"  In the first part of Chapter 8, Jesus heals the leper after he comes downs the mountain with all His followers. Then comes the story of the Centurion. Based on his dialogue with Jesus, it doesn't appear he is "unsaved" as he understands the significance of Jesus and his miracles. He shows Jesus great humility by saying, "I'm not worthy that you should enter under my roof..." We, as does the Centurion, recognize Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God, etc. Otherwise, he likely wouldn't have shown the humility that he did.

The author then states, "By believing we are not worthy, we open the door for the mistreatment of ourselves and the mistreatment of others as we seek to assuage the psychological pain the false belief imparts." First off, worthy of what? To receive His Body? Yeah, we aren't. But somehow God finds it in His heart to forgive us and cleanse us of our sins so we are able to consume His Body.  Regarding the mistreatment statement, Huh? By believing with all my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that "we are not worthy," we recognize that we all are #1 the family of God, and #2 we are human and we make mistakes. I don't think that the author believes she is perfect and NEVER makes mistakes; so I won't address that. In order to do right, we have to recognize there is wrong. In Mass, we are recognizing our faults, being cleansed of our faults/wrong and consuming the Body of Christ in an effort to become more like Him and closer to our family. 

The author says, "The guilt of unworthiness calls for us to judge ourselves and to judge others just as harshly. We cower within power-over structures or worse; we attempt to control others in our imagined superiority. The insanity continues as inferiority complexes pursue power and wealth as outward substitutes for what Jesus, Buddha, and many other saints and sages have said can only come from within." When I go to Mass every Sunday, I realize that we are experiencing what the disciples experienced. While I watch the priest elevate the host, I picture myself among the disciples while Jesus is offering His Body and Blood. "This is the Blood of the New Covenant." I love Scott Hahn's writings on his studies. He studied Covenant Theology. The Bible is a series of covenants between God and man, and every time the man has not upheld his part of the covenant. Think Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, etc. However, the God became MAN to establish a covenant that would not be broken. This covenant has made us His family. For that, we believers are eternally grateful for all of this that He has done for us. He is the judge. We are not called to judge each other. We are called to unify and make ourselves vulnerable among our family by recognizing and sharing our faults. 

We do not see ourselves as superior to anyone, as Catholics. We are here to serve, learn, love, and teach. Our spiritual family takes an important part of this formation.  

She continues with, "Tacking on “but only say the word and my soul shall be healed” is not enough. Jesus did say the Word. Yet, Christianity along with many other religions, continue to shove a dagger of inequality into the hearts of those the religious community is supposed to be serving. Where is the healing?" My friend, if you truly understand the Mass, you would understand that's exactly where the healing is...in the Mass with our family....in the liturgy of the Word and the liturgy of the Eucharist. Our faith is not divisive as it brings our family together, and often. We learn with what each of us struggle, with what each of us need help, and we offer support and love to all of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The Church is always open to bringing more individuals into the faith, into the support system, and into the family. 

Yes, we go to Mass every Sunday. I don't curse you if you don't attend. Its my purpose to love you, first and foremost. But also to listen and serve you. If during that time, I'm given an opportunity to share my story, I will. By Christ apparent in my story, I hope that God speaks to your heart. I hope he gives you the desire for spiritual eyes and the yearning for sharing His Body at the table. 

She says, "Daily we see the emotional pain of inner self-hatred projected into the world through acts of violence. This behavior originates from feeling disconnected, powerless, and undervalued. A false belief in unworthiness contributes to drug and alcohol abuse and deviant behavior. Many continue to leave religion as they seek more positive and supportive environments elsewhere." As a Catholic man, I can say there is no "inner self-hatred" here, or acts of violence. I'm not sure to which violence you are referring. But the Church teaches us to respect ALL forms of life, including the unborn. If the behavior of violence originates from feeling "disconnected, powerless, and undervalued," then maybe the lack of a family, like the Church provides, is exactly how this it is projected into the world? We must be careful to be honest with ourselves and recognize the need for a family. 

The author indicates, "The sooner we speak of our goodness; the sooner we can truly unify as a people. Then faith isn’t even required—we become the living Word." Because we recognize our faults to each other during the Mass, we effectively tell each other that we need each other. We need our spiritual family. We learn, grow and rely on each other. We are unified because we do more than just go to Mass every Sunday. We reach out to our fellow brothers and sisters and spend time with them. 

One thing that sticks out to me in this last statement, "Then faith isn't even required." As Kim can attest, I get very excited to share the Church's teachings, what has been revealed to me through demolishing book after book including the Bible, and how my spiritual eyes have been opened. My hope is that others can see my passion for the Mass and my family in my life and experiences. I'm humbled to be a part of such a large, supportive, and loving family. 

"It’s time for a mass healing. I implore you to call for an end to the religious ritual of the declaration of unworthiness. As children of God, we are equally worthy—even the “ignorant.”"

It IS time for a MASS healing. As children of God, we are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, to the Mass, communion, and family. We must be careful to stop talking and start listening. We must act as Christ, and love our neighbor. Only by God's grace are we worthy to receive the Body of the once-and-for-all sacrifice of His own's Son's Body. The faith does not call for inequality, but for each family member's call to serve by using their talents. 

In saying all this, I fail to see the relationship that the writer is attempting to make that "I am worthy" is causing divisiveness. The Church unifies God's family. All are welcome to join us at Mass for a healing. 

I apologize for any errors as this was written off the cuff more so than usual. 

Until next time, my friends,
Jason