Ran across this article by Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture that details some of the dangers of blending Church/State programs. The article was published in 2009, but it is a must-read and very pertinent to the situation in the DOR. Here's a snippet:
The offices of Catholic Charities, at both the local and national levels, receive the lion's share of their funding from government programs. They have become agencies of the welfare bureaucracy. The agencies themselves are no longer truly acting for the Church, carrying out the corporate charity of the faithful. They are now wards of the state.
And this:
Catholic social teaching emphasizes the importance of public policies that support healthy family life; high tax rates place undue strain on families of modest means. Moreover the steady rise in tax rates, coupled with the constant expansion of government programs, dry up support for independent charitable ventures-- which invariably are more efficient than the government efforts. The dollars required for tax payments are no longer available to be donated to local civic organizations-- or, for that matter, to the support of the Church.
And this, too:
Mother Teresa of Calcutta never accepted government support for the many charitable ventures undertaken by her Missionaries of Charity. It's true that she was prudent enough to recognize the dangers of depending on state support. But she had another reason for her policy as well. She wanted to be certain that she and her sisters were motivated by nothing other than the love of God. She wanted no distractions: no elaborate schemes for social change, no ambitious plans for government partnerships.
My discernment tells me that everything you are posting in regards to the direction the Diocese and parish are heading in is accurate. It makes me sick but even more, sad. What must our Lord be thinking as His Church compromises truth and integrity for financial and political gain. We must push back-or one day we will all have to defend why we didn't.
ReplyDeleteAnn
Tired of pushing back, just feeling the need to worship in peace. Maybe one day my energy will return but for now, the ABC parish is home. "Pushing back" has turned into a nasty "we say, they say", how can this be from Christ?
ReplyDeleteUsed to be that the confirmation ceremony included a slap to the face....this was to remind us as followers of Christ we not only share the joy of the resurrection, but the pain of the cross and persecution. We are called to be soldiers of Christ, we forget this some times. Christ said he did not come to bring peace and would set brother. Against brother. It isn't supposed to be cherubims and light...especially when confronting the ills of the world. God Bless..
ReplyDeleteGretchen,
ReplyDeleteTo the mainstream of this post...people being imperfect tend to pay attention more to whose paying the bills. If the Church isn't paying most of the bills then it isn't rocket science to figure out that Catholic Charities and such will be less "Catholic" and more secular.
A Perfect example is Catholic Charities in Boston that was making adoptions to Gay Couples, and was forced to stop adoptions all together. Why? Because if they were to accept any state money they had to follow the law that adoptions had to be made to Gay couples as well as straight...so in order not to lose the state money for the rest of their operations, they got out of adoptions completely. So pro-life alternative to abortion is sacrificed for the sake of keeping public funding.
10:21= You have misinterpreted my comment. To better restate: I am just tired. Tired of not being respected, not being heard, not being included, on and on, by parish leaders. That's all I meant. I will continue to, and hope you do the same, to seek and share the truth. I just can't bear to sit in the pews. It's too much of a distraction. I need my "Jesus time", in peace.
ReplyDelete