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Post Script: A call to the Church to deal with human sexuality honestly

Vatican II invites the Church into the Modern World … I mourn the present day priesthood as it struggles … Jesus will rise again, not as a monsignor!

Today I sent a simple invitation to two bishops and a monsignor, boyhood friends with whom I skied many a black diamond trail; the invitation is a copy of that sent to my classmates to attend a memorial celebrating the recent deaths of two of our seminary brothers. I am aware I am in mourning; all my life I have mourned the early death of my father as well as mourning the death of my youth, many lost opportunities, my dismissal from the institutional priesthood, and many loved ones I knew in life. If not careful I can move into depression at which time anger and emotional instability can take over. As I write this article I am finding myself mind-paralyzed, a bit brain dead as I look back nostalgically. "Where have all the soldiers gone … long time passing …?" Ah life, you mysterious experience and I never choose to come into you in the first place. Tomorrow I can feel better, especially if I make contact with people. Allow me to ramble a bit … always with priesthood in mind. I never go a day without some awareness of priests.

Our local paper wrote of Father Paul Locatelli, a Jesuit educator, who after 20 years of excellent leadership and educational progress will soon be departing the presidency of Santa Clara University to work in Rome. Paul has steered student bodies toward new church along the paths of justice and peace, my letter to editor noting that Paul Locatelli was primarily an educator and incidentally a priest. In the early Christian church the position of teacher was the most highly respected, whereas 2nd or 3rd century sacerdos was feared, a final concession in the roman social system harkening back to the Jewish temple priest. As I venture into Jesuit George Wilson's CLERICALISM THE DEATH OF PRIESTHOOD (2008 Liturgical Press) I sense Wilson going the way of spiritually hungry people seeking out educators to learn of Jesus. Remember Luke's Emmaus story: Jesus alone is the primary teacher and the Master's way of teaching is mysterious.

I have shed many a tear and experienced much pain in writing this series on priesthood, now and then bordering on despair from recall. I continue to enjoy being a committed-by-baptism Jesus priest and as I age I rejoice in my mother's early priestly training. I don't miss my clerical title or institutional pulpit; I find the medieval trappings detrimental to a Jesus' mission. I am an idealist who believes Jesus and his Spirit has something to do with this whole disruption. I know the pain and disillusionment of laity and clergy during these turbulent years of discovery and transition; Jesus will rise again and I accept the reality that his resurrection period at the time of Trent is coming to a close. My evaluation is that the Spirit has chosen to go into the world in the guise of the laity. I encourage Christians to give Jesus a try: "my yoke is sweet and my burden light!"

Daily I hear from people who have abandoned the whole experience of religion, dear friends who say to me "Tom, why do you continue to be interested in this Mickey Mouse nonsense?" I mourn them, aware that they have such paltry education, a condition even in 2008 that is continually being forced upon them by roman stupidity. As people free up from ignorance and fear they can have an awareness of what influence they have as an adult Christian yet there are few systems to support the priesthood of the people; this is the terrible price being paid today for the child-like way Catholics have been educated in the past. I had a nightmare last night, a milling huge crowd, waiting, beginning to riot as I in vestments fumble for the proper reading (assisted by one of my bishop friends) which we never find … "Father McKenzie writing a sermon that no one will hear, while darning his socks…" (Beatles, Eleanor Rigby 1967) Transition can be a frightful place while maturity vests one in the courage of The Master. GO, Jesus told his disciples, into the whole world and Jesus will go with us. A Eucharistic reception is a recommission to go forth.

There are two books I need to finish reading before I launch into my next paper on the psychology of Priesthood; I have just received Bishop Robinson's CONFRONTING POWER AND SEX IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH and CLERICALISM THE DEATH OF PRIESTHOOD by George B. Wilson SJ. Hopefully my spirit will revive and the books will help me deal with the negativism and frustration that surrounds me and is presently inside of me. My DNA being basically pioneer I know the cost of being a leader; on Good Friday I won't go to ceremonial church yet I will read the Passion of Jesus. I need to feel deeply his despair as the Master cries out on Calvary about his abandonment while trusting in God's ultimate love of his beloved son. I refuse to go along with clericalism and its motto of GOD IS IN THE HEAVENS AND ALL IS RIGHT WITH THE WORLD; I have a faith that God approves of Jesus and so too approves of John the 23rd and Vatican Two … and the People of God and myself. I need, and lack at present, an ANUM CARA.

In his introduction Bishop Robinson speaks of early seminary training and its inadequacy; I know of the seminary prohibition of 'AMACITIA IMMACITIAE', aka, 'The Friendship of Enemies', that silent unspoken fear of homosexuality that dominated seminary culture. (Alone I was finally able to look the word up in the dictionary when I was 18 years old, still not understanding; our justice priest friend, quite a stepper, was over last night on his way to a St. Patrick's dance and dinner, our friendship going back to 1944; Bill hugs my wife but he and I unconsciously choose not to sit on the same couch together.) I quote here the words of the late John O'Donahue, Irish mystic and Jesus disciple. John's words speak for themselves, a needed re-addition to the spirituality of any follower of Jesus, be she/he cleric or lay.

"ANAM CARA In the Celtic Tradition there is a beautiful understanding of love and friendship. One of the fascinating ideas here is the idea of soul-love; the old Gaelic term for this is anam cara. Anam is the Gaelic word for soul and cara is the word for friend. So anam cara in the Celtic world was the "soul friend". In the early Celtic church a person who acted as teacher, companion, or spiritual guide was called an anam cara. It originally referred to someone to whom you confessed, revealing the hidden intimacies of your life. With the anum cara you could share your inner most self, your mind and your heart. This friendship was an act of recognition and belonging. When you had an anum cara your friendship cut across all convention, morality, and category. You were joined in an ancient and eternal way with the "friend of your soul". There is no cage for the soul. The soul is a divine light that flows into you and into your other. This art of belonging awakened and fostered a deep and special companionship. In his Confessions John Cassian says this bond between friends is indissoluble. "this, I say, is what is broken by no chances, what interval of time or space can sever or destroy, and what even death itself cannot separate." Copied from John O'Donahue's ANAM CARA 1997, Harper Perennial

On Good Friday 2008 I shall take time to reread the above; my great challenge is to love myself as Creator God loves me and to love others as myself (fundamental Christianity). My seminary training taught me to demean myself and I have within me the archetypes of the lone wolf, the young boy who was fatherless and went to seminary and is poorly equipped to love others and surely deficient in marriage. On Ash Wednesday of 1961 I stood close to John the 23rd and heard him ask his secretary to smoke twice as many cigars and to just love John as a Lenten penance … Man Becoming! The glory of God is man fully alive! (Iraneus)

I'm OK now, back on a Jesus track. How about an Easter resurrection for priesthood next week?

PS In #8 last week I failed to give you my take on MONSIGNORS; it is a title, not an officium, literally a servant in the papal household (to remove chamber pots?). There are two types, one that dies with the pope and the other who outlasts the deceased. P.J. MCGrath, bishop to San Jose, was obviously pushed by Rome to create ten new monsignors. PJ, new to the diocese, by-passed some of the outstanding people priests and nominated a somewhat bazaar selection, the rank and file of the old timers grateful they got bypassed as a gratuity need be sent (perhaps a thousand dollars or so) to Rome and a new red-trimmed cassock needed; two of my peers refused to show up for the ceremony. The newspapers love to photograph monsignors as they usually wear a red belly band. In being fair I must say that after Vatican Two the appointment of monsignors virtually died. One of my classmates borrowed a cassock to be invested; he's married now. Three others in our class are hard working priests who deserve the honors … sic transit gloria mundi, esp when one gets old.

Tom McMahon, San Jose, Ca., 19/03/08. I am going to take part in an Easter egg hunt with my two year old grandson. I will go unto the altar of God who gives joy to my youth!

NEXT WEEK: An Easter resurrection for Priesthood.

ARTICLE NAVIGATION: You are presently looking at Part IX
PREV | NEXT
PART I | PART II | PART III | PART IV | PART V | PART VI | PART VII
PART VIII | PART IX | PART X | PART XI | PART XII | PART XIII | PART XIV | PART XV
Post Script: A call to the Church to deal with human sexuality honestly

©2009 Tom McMahon

[Index of Commentaries by Tom McMahon]