Call us Spiritual but not religious Catholics

As we enter the New Year, it is time to look at why so many Catholics attended only Christmas Mass - and why many don't even do that. The clericalist way to describe them is fallen away.

Some of the fallen away were never truly there. They don't go to Mass because they no longer live with an older generation which asks "which Mass do you go to?" or "do you need to go to confession?" on a weekly basis. The latter is almost a query as to whether you have had "impure thoughts," or more precisely, masturbated.

In times past, people had a belief that having a belief in God was advantageous, but never had true faith. Some of these reputably work in the Vatican or are priests and ministers. There is a field of counseling that is made for these people.

While some who only go to Mass on Christmas, Easter, to weddings and funerals go to Confession beforehand, most no longer do. These Catholics still go to Communion and still have an experience of Grace. In other words, they no longer believe that missing Mass is a sin, mortal or otherwise.

COVID convinced others that not going to Mass was not sinful, because the Church had no problem issuing a "dispensation." If the Church can determine whether or not something is a sin, then that thing is morally neutral, even if beneficial. Many who are no longer there probably never got back into the habit. I would not know, since I am one of these.

There are some for whom not attending is more deliberate. Some of them never attend at all, but have not lost faith in Jesus, are fully catechized and experience the Lord when they receive Communion. They stay away because they have lost faith in the Church. This view used to be called anti-clerical.

Abortion politics is certainly one reason people leave in protest - or stay and ignore the the clergy. Conservative American clergy have so identified with the Republican line (or more accurately the Republicans have aligned with conservative Catholic bishops). 

Pollsters have found evidence that weekly attenders tend to be pro-life Republicans, while less frequent attenders tend to be pro-choice Democrats. This is now almost a truism.

Others disagree with denying women, married people or outed gays ordination or with the bishops who blame the abuse of minors on gay priests. 

Gay priests never abuse children and do not welcome advances from gay teens. It is the asexual priest class, who thinks they are holy for giving up heterosexuality who, because they are often emotionally immature, which are the danger.

Then there are those priests and bishops who defend the rights of errant clergy to fire gay and lesbian Church employees or prohibit the children of gay couples from attending Catholic Schools. The same clerics punished Sisters who supported healthcare reform, deny contraceptive coverage to Church employees and refuse to let Catholic School teachers exercise their rights to collective bargaining.  

These bishops refuse to see the justice of allowing women who cannot safely bear children receive sterilization and punish hospitals who would allow abortion or fetal hospice when a child has no hope of surviving to birth, even though doing so is a serious health risk (both physical and emotional) to the mother.

The same crowd would deny Communion to Catholic politicians who support such sane measures. This is not because such support is sinful. It is not - even doctrinally only facilitating a specific abortion leads to excommunication. They do so because they want a consistent Catholic message in the public discussion. Their own.

These same clerics speak out against Pope Francis in public or simply ignore him when they are told to bless divorced Catholics who have remarried or who are gay. Whenever some whiny bishop who will never become an archbishop or cardinal is sacked or rebuked by the Holy Father for such open or quiet disobedience, an angel gets its wings.

This form of malignant narcissism is why some leave the Church - rather than simply limiting attendance. This is not my approach. I still affirm my Catholicism. I will not be pushed out. My baptism is still valid. Rather, I consider it my duty to stay and denounce hierarchical error and hubris. It's also more fun.

Such protest is an act of Faith in God. It is exercising real faith rather than loyalty to "the Faith." This is the essence of spirituality; doing the right thing for God and our fellows. Such faith requires the belief in an all Loving God; the perfection of love - not perfect obedience. It takes seriously the promise that Jesus is gentle and humble of heart, whose yoke is easy and whose burden is light.

Belief in a humble God takes true faith, as such love and humility is not achievable by us in practice. We can only ask to receive it and see and serve others the way we think Jesus would. This is true spirituality. 

So even when denouncing the actions of some clergy, we must both pray for them and offer our truth-telling as an example for those in the clergy to emulate and find spirituality.