i've been enjoying a long weekend at my parents' house and being at my parents' house always includes, among other things, meaningful and enlightening conversations with my dad. the other night we sat in the hot tub (first time this year!) for two hours and chatted about a variety of things. then earlier today i said i couldn't remember what we'd done last easter—when it was, what the weather was like, etc. "welcome to adulthood," he said. (one year blurs into the next, i guess.) anyway, that got me trying to remember why easter is when it is every year. i know it has something to do with full moons and when Ash Wednesday is but all that stuff i learned in Catholic school has gotten jumbled in my brain with everything else.
"it's funny, isn't it?" my dad said, "they know exactly when Jesus was born, but the day he rose from the dead changes every year."
and that launched us into a conversation about god and Jesus and religion. my dad is a firm believer in faith, but wary of—if not downright against—organized religion. and to hear him talk about it, it's hard to disagree. throughout the ages, organized religion has caused nothing but strife, frustration, even violence. people are threatened by what they do not understand—and, even more so, by people who believe differently than they do. which is completely counterintuitive if you believe in Jesus.
if i remember correctly from my thirteen years of Catholic education, Jesus preached love and acceptance and patience and doing-unto-others. religion has become the antithesis of that. religion is about exclusion and persecution, irrational fear and brutal judgment. just look at the Middle East.
but the fallout isn't always as severe as that. for example, the last two years i've gone to mass on Christmas Eve and both times listened to the priest announce just before communion that those present who had not attended mass throughout the year should not come up to receive the host. seriously? why? would Jesus have that attitude? i would think Jesus would say, "hey, so good to see you. come, join us." he'd be glad that i was there at all, i think. he wouldn't feel the need to ostracize me. (and it's not like the priest announced something similar before the collection baskets went around—he didn't say, "if you don't come all year, please don't make any donations.")
anyway, i guess adding fuel to the fire is the current scandal surrounding the Vatican and the seemingly endless cases of priests molesting young children. no one in Rome seems to care and that was a topic on This Week this morning (a show my parents watch—pardon the pun—religiously). there were two practicing Roman Catholics participating in the roundtable portion—who also happened to be political pundits—and once the economy and healthcare had been covered, the topic turned to easter and the current state of Catholicism. they both agreed (and one was a Republican and one a Democrat, so you know there's not much they can agree on) that the Vatican was concerned only about the Vatican and not about its flock.
again, completely contrary to the teachings of Jesus. more like a big corporation than a church of god.
heavy thoughts for one of the biggest holy days on the Catholic calendar, i know, and i have long considered myself a lapsed Catholic because of how strongly i disagree with so many of their "policies" (anti-gay, anti-abortion, etc.) so take my opinions with a grain of salt. but i do think these are ideas even the most ardent believers should examine. we're in a very self-absorbed, self-indulgent era right now, and thanks to technology isolation is on the rise. maybe it's time to get back to the basics—just because someone doesn't look, act, think or believe like you, reach out a hand anyway. don't judge, accept.
when all else fails, love.
mbm
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