Almost Holy

Confessions of a Bad Catholic...

Spare Anger

by Rocco Palmo

I don’t know about you, but I’m tired. The Italians call this time of year the Ferragosto—the August getaway tied to the feast of the Assumption which, like many things Roman (and Catholic), derives from Pagan origin. But here I am, still in Philly, still plugging away, longing for a period of more than 48 hours at the beach to work on my tan, work on my sleeping habits, and most of all, to work on myself and just get back to where I need to be.  

In the midst of what’s supposed to be the great summer slowdown one of my pet observations about the Church is coming true yet again.

A couple of months ago I was on a conference call with the BustedHalo editorial staff and the topic of how to handle reader feedback came up. When I told them that the best lesson I’ve learned since starting my blog, Whispers in the Loggia, is that people have a lot of “spare anger” on their hands the room broke up with laughter.

But whether the issue is how opponents of the new liturgical translations are agents of Satan, the Church's teachings on war and peace are wimpy bunk and no obligation for real patriots, the latest Papal pronouncement bears the marks of the Freemasons or Mel Gibson was set up by (name of preferred villain here), some of the vicious reactions I find in my inbox are no laughing matter—not to mention that reactions of this kind tend to miss the forest for the trees.

Instantly Connected

Where does all this spare anger come from? What does it say about the period in which we live? And, when it comes out in the context of our faith community—and it does in spades—aren’t we forgetting that what unites us is greater than what divides us? (btw: This isn’t intended to be a commentary on the feedback that poured in after the last Almost Holy but a wider observation. I’m grateful that by and large those who wrote in about my column on women’s ordinations did me the favor of disagreeing with me without being disagreeable. We hope to publish some of those reactions in the near future.)     

We live in the most comfortable, advanced, wealthy, spoiled society in history. Technology enables us to be instantly connected around the globe without moving from the intimacy of our desks or couches—or, in my case right now, a Starbucks. We can learn and accomplish more than the hardest workers and greatest minds and voices among our forebears.

It doesn’t take much to set people off these days, and in many ways the advances that unite us also serve divide us and compound the rage individuals and small groups feel who previously would’ve been geographically divided. Within the Church, we've got two camps who feed off the other's rage, often seeming less concerned for the good of the whole than with claiming scalps and winning the day not for our common side, but their ideological pole.

See How They...

It’s not communion, it’s cannibalism. It’s not purity, but politics—and if the Good Lord happened to return in the midst of our here and now, I’d put what little money I have on that He wouldn’t be happy with what He saw.

I try to keep in mind the observation of the great 20th century theologian Romano Guardini: “The church is the cross on which Christ is crucified [again].” You’d think that, after 2,000 years, we’d figure out a way to stop that.

I may be 23, but I’ve been blessed to see a lot.  Even witnessing the ugliness the flock can unleash has been a blessing because it provides a useful cautionary tale. In time and in spirit, we need to be reminded that the travelers closest to Jesus were the first Christians, of whom it was said, “See how they love each other,” not, “See how they love those who agree with them on everything.”

Where Are They?

I’d like to offer my own spin on an old children’s rhyme you might remember: “Here is the church/Here is the steeple/Open the doors/Where are the people?” The short answer is “They’re gone.” The longer answer is “They’re gone because we’ve let ourselves get in the way of Christ—His teaching, His goodness, His redemption, His love.” And in the face of this, I’ve kept a simple prayer close by: “Lord, save us from those who follow You.”

When church people fight amongst themselves, it’s a sure sign that— instead of being a countercultural force for the uplift of the world—we have succumbed to the self-centered, hedonistic excesses of the culture we seek to present an alternative to. Again, its value as advertisement can’t be underestimated—an advertisement for anyone with a rational mind to run away. Give those watching from outside enough credit to admit that they can see pretty clearly through our ugliness.

Someone once said, "By their fruits you will know them..."

Last time I checked, that someone was Jesus. Not exactly the poster-boy for rage. But he's the one we're called to walk with… that is, if we dare.

Rocco Palmo, 23, is an American correspondent for The Tablet and author of the blog Whispers in the Loggia.

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