Saturday, April 25, 2015

Safety

I read in a recent church newspaper how students at one of the college campus churches want a church where they can feel safe being Catholic.  Oh really?  I don't recall Jesus saying, "Go and be safe."  Safe seems the complete opposite of giving one's life for God.  I find that some campus church programs are about getting students to go to church, to enjoy being with people who think like them, and to pray a lot.  None of this prepares students for life in the world beyond college.  Sitting in front of the Blessed Sacrament at a 3 AM slot time just does not do this.  The laity are supposed to change the world by the way they live their everyday life in work and relationships.  To do this one must engage with people who are not thinking like you.  We need to learn to pray not just privately, but in the midst of daily life.  We do not avoid unpleasantness but try to change what is wrong, to make it right.  This means we must know what is the right in each circumstance.  The cross has no "safe" in it.

3 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't understand why students feel unsafe being Catholic? Perhaps they want safe sex with modern contraception that the Catholic hierarchy should "try to change what is wrong, to make it right". It's not just the laity that needs to change unpleasantness.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hey Father Terry I just started reading your blog and really enjoy it. I only got through a few but I like your honesty so much. I was out of theCatholic Church for about 30 years and am coming back.
    Hey Carol, I couldn't understand your comment. If your for safe and legal birth control will you be my new bestie? The church I'm going to has a lot of very older folks that seem to be angry for no reason. Feeling like ship out of water a bit. Trying the Mapleton church today.

    ReplyDelete