By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
Those who already understand the faith well and make sincere efforts to know it better do so by frequent recourse to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, as we have been taught to do by Pope Francis. We must, however, together with him, navigate the barque of Peter through, and despite, the worldly machinations of the Church’s enemies and those who might be mistaken as her friends, such as the National Catholic Reporter and Crux news outlet, a subsidiary of The Boston Globe.
In the press briefing on his much-discussed flight back to Rome from Rio following World Youth Day, the Pope made known that he considers himself a “son of the Church” and that, for that reason, the teachings of the Catechism must be considered normative for him as they are for every member of the Church.
This fact has been buried under mountains of comment and spin in print and on the Internet in postings about his more famous “Who am I to judge” comment, which was itself quoted out of context and used to promote an agenda alien to Catholic faith and morals. All of us must, however, consider ourselves duly informed that the Catechism of the Church is the primer from which both the Pope and the faithful must read and learn exactly in what Catholic faith and morals consist.
The pervasive and powerful effect of the Internet and the constant flood of new and sometimes contradictory information must now be taken into account as we navigate the world in our lives of faith with Heaven as our final port of call. Novelties on the Internet must be put to the test, as is true of everything else. God reveals in the Scriptures that in the gift of the Holy Spirit we must “test everything and retain what is good.”
Our much-weakened system of Catholic catechesis must now compete with the 24-hour news cycle and the resulting nonstop “anti-catechesis” of the world, which often undermines the truth. Our people whom we encounter in the pews each week often use the media without discernment and may unwittingly suffer the erosion which leads to falling away from the practice of the faith. Those who discontinue attending Mass or pursuing further education or formation opportunities as offered by parishes show that they have somehow become at least indifferent. There are many roots which lead to this phenomenon and no doubt undiscerning use of media in a faith formation vacuum is one of them.
The complaints of faithful Catholics that Pope Francis’ style of leadership is confusing in manner are not going away and therefore must be dealt with. One could theorize that as the Vicar of Christ he must address himself to the world, to those of no faith and to those who oppose the faith, and therefore he must speak in such a way as to ensure himself a hearing if he is to entertain hope of being effective. We cannot know his mind as God does but, if his intention in saying such things as urging married couples not “be like rabbits” and “who am I to judge?” is to keep the door open to a world waiting for the Gospel, perhaps it is we who must not judge.
The latest interview of Raymond Cardinal Burke published by Rorate Caeli (full text at http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com) is one means of helping us to navigate the sometimes murky Catholic waters of faith these days. The comforting and familiar teachings of one of our leading churchmen, who could as easily have been elected Pope as anyone else, provide some direction.
In the same way that Pope Francis seems to speak so often to the doubters, the defiant, and the prodigals, Cardinal Burke relates well to the many who are suffering the “older son” syndrome. These are the many who are always faithful to the Church despite the crosses that come with consistent witness, who seek to know her teachings and to remain faithful despite lacking a sense of affirmation from so many in Church leadership.
In the full text of the interview, as available on the Rorate Caeli blogspot, Cardinal Burke is asked: “After eight years under Pope Benedict XVI, clergy, laymen, even the media became accustomed to clarity. With so much confusion stemming from the daily statements of Pope Francis, confusion from the synod, et cetera, is it best to focus more on the local and parish level and on the Church’s tradition, rather than looking for specific guidance from Rome on issues of the day?”
Cardinal Burke responded: “Yes, I think that, in fact, Pope Francis himself has given that indication. For instance in his apostolic exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, he says that he doesn’t consider it to be a magisterial teaching (n. 16).
“With someone like Pope Benedict XVI, we had a master teacher who was giving us extended catechesis on various subjects. I now say to people that, if they are experiencing some confusion from the method of teaching of Pope Francis, the important thing is to turn to the catechism and to what the Church has always taught, and to teach that, to foster it at the parish level, beginning first with the family. We can’t lose our energy being frustrated over something that we think we should be receiving and we’re not. Instead, we know for sure what the Church has always taught, and we need to rely on that and concentrate our attention on that.”
We are called to a serene and confident knowledge of the faith “in season and out of season” as Cardinal Burke models and teaches. Let us remember, as Scripture teaches, that Christ is “the same yesterday, today and forever.” This means that we must strengthen our ability to filter out the superficial and empty bantering of the worldly who often speak about faith with but little actual knowledge of it. We must continue to pray always, discern the signs of the times in the light of Revelation and act for our own salvation and that of others as necessary.
God desires that all be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, from the Pope down to the most newly baptized believer. And, as well, we each of us called and blessed to confidently and joyfully proclaim the Gospel to all with His love and in His grace: “What you have received as a gift, give as a gift.”
“Praised be Jesus Christ now and forever” and thank you for reading.
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(Follow Fr. Cusick on Facebook at Reverendo Padre-Kevin Michael Cusick and on Twitter @MCITLFrAphorism. Father blogs occasionally at mcitl.blogspot.com and APriestLife.blogspot.com. You can email him at mcitl.blogspot.com@gmail.com.)
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