Tears in the Storm
Red Alert! All Hands to Battle Stations!
Photo by Marilyn Hetrick
Our Mother the Church is under siege.
False prophets distort her teachings to turn the hearts and minds of Catholics. Large numbers have left the Church, especially our young people. Many of those remaining are confused about the Church’s teachings.
Those who are true to the Catechism of the Catholic Church have been marginalized as a sect called Conservative Catholics. Progressives describe them as backward people who blindly follow a dictatorship of old men in skirts who employ medieval methods to subjugate the masses.
Progressives prefer their own version of Catholicism—an alternate reality in which Catholicism has evolved to include secularist beliefs. In their universe, a fictional pope named Francis issues theology with tweets, one-liners and memes assuring mankind that all dogs go to heaven, tolerance requires publicly funded abortion on demand, and Catholic politicians must abandon traditional Catholic beliefs in public office.
Most Americans, including some Catholics, are unaware that the Church is headed by Jesus Christ and Catholic doctrine does not include the moral relativism of secularism.
How did the United States reach this bizarre idea of Catholicism? We find clues in recently released emails that confirm one political party set up groups that planted seeds for a “Catholic Spring,” a revolt of Catholics against Catholic teachings.
Which party did this isn’t as important as the underlying fact: Catholic faithful are susceptible to a malicious, targeted campaign to dismantle and marginalize Catholicism in the United States.
We can try to blame ruthless, unethical politics and rampant secularism for what has happened to Catholicism in the U.S. But, the truth is we Catholics who hold the ultimate responsibility.
We don’t know our own faith. What we know of our 2,000 years of tradition and Catechism comes from hour-a-week religion classes leading up to Confirmation. As adults, we rely on Sunday homilies to refresh what we’ve forgotten. Sometimes, we pick up additional tidbits—like the rest of the world—in Tweets, Facebook posts, maybe a link to a 3-paragraph story.
When politicians and bloggers express secular beliefs and call them Catholic, we believe them because we don’t know any different. We incorporate their secular beliefs into our concept of Catholic doctrine.
And, one day, we’re confronted with the horrible truth: Our personal beliefs no longer match the teachings of the Catholic Church. We are Catholic in name only.
We Catholics have become both victim and perpetrator in the war on the Catholic Church. A nuclear war in which secularism is winning.
The war must stop. The deadly bombs must be defused.
Catholics must mobilize. We must arm ourselves by praying and studying authentic Catholic teachings. We must fight lies and hate with truth and love.
There’s a war going on. What side are you on?
“Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
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About the Author
Marilyn is a cradle Catholic and a Cursillista. She is a parishioner at Holy Savior, the first Catholic Church in Clinton, Mississippi.
Marilyn’s parents and a handful of other young couples founded Holy Savior in 1966. At the time, Catholics were rare in the deep south—often met with curiosity, suspicion, and outright opposition. Her parents’ devotion and Marilyn’s own experiences with anti-Catholicism strengthened her own faith, as well as inspiring her to oppose unfairness toward minorities and marginalized people.
One of the first women to receive an MBA from the University of Southern Mississippi, Marilyn had a long career in Human Resource Management, part-time consulting, and instruction of public managers and elected officials. After her retirement, she and husband Bill ran their own real estate brokerage, were community volunteers and received Clinton’s Outstanding Citizens of the Year award. Since Bill's death, Marilyn has continued their legacy, continuing to volunteer and serve the community.
