Fools In Cassocks

Prosperity destroys fools and endangers the wise. -- George Herbert

There is nothing so pernicious, so evilly enticing, as the love of the spotlight: to be attended to for one's success, or one's glamor, or one's opinions. It can ruin any human and any human institution. Even the very wisest, humblest, and Godliest of men are susceptible to its allure.

Once in a great while, the temptation comes upon us all. It comes in varying magnitudes, in surprising fora, and at unexpected times, but the underlying appeal remains constant: You're important, so indulge yourself: Go ahead and act that way.

Resisting is a matter of survival.

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Have a look at the trigger for today's tirade:

In the archdiocese of Los Angeles the latest issue of The Tidings, southern California’s Catholic weekly publication, the front page features a story about Gov. Jerry Brown’s (D) signing into law a bill that granted illegal immigrants the right to hold drivers licenses.

As LifeSiteNews reported, Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez personally appeared at the podium prior to Brown signing the legislation.

According to the article in The Tidings, Gomez thanked Gov. Brown and Assemblyman Luis Alejo for their “leadership and commitment to our poor and working poor, especially our immigrants.”

Gomez qualified his statement, however, noting, “As good as this legislation is, it’s still only a half-measure.”

“Our nation’s immigration system is totally broken,” the archbishop stated. “Sacramento can’t fix that problem. Only Washington can. We need immigration reform that keeps families together, that gives rights to workers, and that provides a generous path to citizenship.”...

Brown highlighted Gomez’ presence and support at the bill-signing, placing his name first in a list of attendees included in the official press release.

Once again, a prelate of my Church has succumbed to the lure of the spotlight and the praise of politicians. Worse yet, Archbishop Gomez has done so against the laws of this nation and whatever amount of good sense God gave him.

Such prelates are busily squandering the last droplets of the prosperity the Catholic Church in America earned five decades and more ago.

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The election of John F. Kennedy to the presidency ushered in an unprecedented degree of interest in the Catholic Church among Americans of other denominations and creeds. Never mind that JFK himself was no shining example of Catholic manhood. Never mind that his entire extended family has been shown to be a textbook example of self-exaltation above the laws of God and Man. The mere fact that Kennedy was a nominal Catholic, and that he refused to back away from his religion for the sake of his presidential campaign, caused millions of eyes to fix upon the Church with respectful interest.

The change was more dramatic than one who did not live through it might believe. Priests and nuns were treated with increased respect when out and about. Churches became significant neighborhood landmarks. Catholic teachings and traditions were openly discussed, and not just so non-Catholics could laugh about them. Perhaps for the first time in North America, jokes told about "the tunnels between the rectories and convents" were greeted with disapproving frowns. In a characteristically American but dangerous way, the Church, which had always had to tread rather lightly in this predominantly Protestant land, had attained a form of prosperity: inclusion in popular respect.

Such prosperity, when attained, should be put to work in service to one's duties. That applies to all men and all institutions, but most particularly to ministers of God. Such men have sworn an oath that demotes personal considerations below those of their faith. That's the defining characteristic of a professional, and the reason why I bridle at the misuse of that word.

In a contest between duty and prestige, altogether too many persons will choose prestige. Some of them happen to be Catholic bishops.

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Many things have come and gone since then. The Church in America has made many missteps. This recent tendency to conflate Catholic doctrine with particular political positions is probably the worst of them. It will complete the destruction of that inclusive respect, that acceptance as an authority of substance, that the Church earned decades ago. It's especially poignant for us Catholics, of course, but it will be of telling significance to any follower of Christ, regardless of denomination:

The Christian faith is an individual election.
Jesus never told anyone how to vote.
Nor did he exhort His followers to violence or lawlessness. The spectacle of a Catholic archbishop, one of the Princes of the Church, explicitly endorsing public policies specifically for the benefit of overt lawbreakers, could be the arrow through the heart of the Church in America. Yet Archbishop Gomez is surely not an evil man. More likely he's just a well-intentioned fool: one who knows better but does worse. It is typical of fools that they ignore one of the simplest and sternest of all traditional wisdoms, one that transcends place, time, and creed:

The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Pray.