The Generation Emerges from the Past!

When I was a young priest, I was mesmerized by other priests and ministers who seemed to embody my values and ideals. I can recall going to some sort of workshop with Phil Berrigan,  a Josephite priest who was totally committed to peace through many non-violent protests, most of which resulted in his being in prison. He was the primary leader of a house of persons committed to peace. His brother, a Jesuit, Dan Berrigan, was equally committed to peace but probably is more well known for his writing. There were many others at the time that confirmed by convictions, ultimately leading one step at a time to leaving the priesthood.

While Dan who still is living remained a priest, his brother married a nun, resulting in a change in his status but not his convictions. He remained involved with the house that still championed the peace movement.

I surely saw myself as followers of the Berrigan brothers.

With that as a background, I read with great interest one of his daughter's religious odyssey. It was the first time that I had information of how the next generation of one of my hero's worked out. While  her story is not unusual, at least from today's vantage point, it did make me think about my history with my children.

After my marriage and children, I changed from being rather indifferent to my personal well-being to one far more aware of my responsibilities for my children. I never changed my values, but my behavior was more constricted. No more protests, no more willingness to take risks. During their development at home, I remained a committed Catholic Christian, i.e., regular Sunday attendance, promoting a Christian outlook by sharing my belief system. It was only after their leaving home that I started to travel a different road.

Commitment to Christian worldview, including identifying with Jesus as one's Savior, would be a major effort by anyone in this day and age. When I was young, including my early years as a priest, my belief system was supported by a broad cultural and social support system, e.g., being a priest then was special, in contrast to current perceptions. I grew up with a belief system nurtured by regular church attendance, beyond Sundays, e.g., Stations of the Cross and daily Mass during Lent, as well as beliefs pounded in my "mandatory" catechism classes.  Once that system collapsed in the 1960's, one's commitment was personal to a high degree and passing on that commitment to the next generation, would require much more personal involvement  than was done in earlier times. The Baltimore Catechism was a disaster from a theological perspective, but it did give people words to relate to very complicated concepts. Now, most young people are theologically ignorant, independent of their convictions. Asking questions about the "nature" of Jesus, e.g., was he "God"?, would leave most tongue tied. Or one imagine what would be response to the question of the Trinity. The Baltimore Catechism gave a most simplistic answer to the question. One can contest even its validity, but it did serve as a reference to the questions about the "nature of God".  Often today, such questions are totally irrelevant, but it would be difficult to have an adult commitment to Christianity without some understanding of such questions.

I conclude these thoughts with another scenario that has disturbed me over time. Recalling that I served a priest from 1963 to 1969, I was committed to the progressive changes promoted by the Vatican Council. During my relatively brief career as a priest, I was involved in all sorts of controversy. I was in and out of meetings with the bishop and his representatives who saw me as a huge problem and headache. To give this picture is little more clarity, when I returned from Washington where I participated in the Clergy against Vietnam Protest, I found out that a large number of parishioners signed a petition to get rid of me, resulting in another petition supporting me. When I left in 1969, I then was aware of my involvement in essentially destroying much of the belief system that parishioners had absorbed in their younger days. For those who could see the benefits of a different theological perspective, they found support in the likes of me. They went out of their way to hear what I had to say, just as others made sure to avoid the liturgies I led. I am not sure how these adults that I influenced "positively" did over time, but I was always concerned that they would be unable to pass on a more mature version of Christianity if people like myself left the ministry. Those who remained tended to be more conservative and would likely not be inclined to foster their new insights. Their children, I often feared, would be even more unlikely to be committed to Christianity. It is one thing to abandon a belief system for good reasons, but it is another when one never knows enough about Christianity to either reject or endorse. Religious commitment is far more complicated than learning standardized responses cited in the Baltimore Catechism.

Tired of It All!

I know that I am old and getting older each day. I cannot say that I want life to end soon. I really would like to see how my grandchildren develop. I look forward to conversations about values and perspective. I would love to witness a grandchild graduate from high school, college being a real reach. One gets the picture that I am growing older by the minute.

While getting older, I read with excitement the developments in medicine, science, and technology. I love every bit of it. I am totally enthralled with the ease of accessing virtually an infinite amount of information so readily. I never get jaded by its ease of access. I am constantly in a state of wonder.

Having said this, I admit being just pooped by the mindlessness of our congressional leaders. I am admittedly biased. I am a very progressive Democrat. I would not deny being more a socialist than anything else. I see the world as a gift to be shared. I would surely enjoy living with less if there were virtually none with so little.What is going on today in Congress is deadly. I cannot bear to read anymore of the insanity that is being voiced by the zealous minority.

At the same time, I realize if the "shoes were on the other feet", i.e., if the Tea Party were in the majority, I would more than welcome the same shenanigans to prevent their imposing their position on the rest of us.

And so, death is not so bad after all!