Intermission of Fragments VII - The Strange Joy of Catholicism

As I´ve said, at the moment I do not have the time I would ideally like to devote to this project.

And thus, this weblog is mainly being ´run on¨ a few previously written fragments. Here is another one, more fragmentary and crude and rough than most ...

Years ago, I attended a lecture by an impressive man, who would later become the Archbishop of Canterbury, head of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

Now although I cannot recall the exact words spoken by this truly impressive speaker, I believe the following to be a faithful representation of something that he said:

“I’m reasonably happy being an Anglican, well ... as reasonably happy as any Anglican can be.”

For me, it was an incredibly striking and telling comment, which has reverberated in my soul ever since.

Reverberated, because of the contrast it made with something I might call: ‘The Strange Joy of Catholicism.’

For it seems to me, that not only have I experienced a profound joy in Catholicity, but that in all I have read, there is recurrent testimony to other Catholics experiencing this strange joy.

For the record, I also imagine something analogous exists in Eastern Orthodoxy. Though I am not well versed enough in Orthodoxy to say.

Now this joy paradoxically seems to exist even when there is great anger and bitterness towards the Catholic Church.

For it seems to me that no matter they may be, Catholics frequently display tremendous attachment to their faith.

It is ***mysteriously important*** to them, no matter if they feel disillusioned with the Church or not.

Thus disillusioned Catholics are frequently asked ‘Why don’t you simply leave the Church?’

Indeed, I find myself mentally putting this question to certain radical Catholics.

For instance, the Catholic theologian Fiorenza proclaims “Ordination is subordination” and advocates doing away with one of the central pillars of traditional Christianity (Orthodox and Catholic) that is, the notion of the ordained hierarchy,

I find myself wanting to ask: ‘Doctor Fiorenza, if you have a vision of the Catholic Church so alternative, so alien to the essential tradition, instead of trying to destroy the essence of the traditional Church, why do you not simply become a Protestant? Join a Christian Church, free of suppressed, subordinated priests?"

But I know or sense already, that even in the angriest Catholics, there is so often this deep aversion to leaving the Church.

It seems there is something holding them there.

We could think of it as a bonding glue. And I suspect that this same glue is the reason why the Catholic Church, along with the Orthodox, have known so comparatively few schisms through the centuries.

By contrast, the Protestant Churches do not seem to me, to have the same glue of attraction.

Hard data I lack. But I think it a fair wager that people move from one Protestant Church to another, far more easily and often, than Catholics or Orthodox move away from their faith.

And I think it can also be wagered that it is this same cohesive force that has kept the Catholic Church comparatively free from schism.

Thus it seems to me that the real answer that people rebel against or seek to reform the Catholic Church, rather than simply leave, is that Catholicism possesses an incredible attraction at its core - however much it may also anger or alienate.

And I suspect this attraction is rooted in a strange, strange joy.

This strange joy that I have felt so deeply since entering the Catholic Church.

And of which I have since heard so much repeated, confirming testimony to among so many other Catholics ...

To all of this I feel more attention should be drawn - because I also suspect that at the root of this strange joy, is the POWER of the Sacraments ...

End of rough, crude fragment ...

I look forward to spending more time at this weblog with you friends, known and unknown, when I can.