Distraction from the Real Enemy

Not long ago, my nineteen-year-old son Nate went to confession at a neighboring parish. While confessing his sins, he realized that the priest hearing his confession was looking at his phone. Upon closer examination, Nate realized he was playing Candy Crush instead of truly listening to him.

***

About a month ago I had a conversation with a friend of mine in ministry. He noted the rise of traditionalism in the Church and how the younger generation seemed drawn to the Tridentine Mass and studying the Church Fathers. He said to me, “I used to think that Rebuilt was the key to renewal of the Church but now I think the return to radical traditionalism is the way.”

I responded: “Why can’t it be both? Isn’t it possible that God is working both through our methods and in communities that want a more traditional approach? God isn’t confined to just one way of rebuilding the Church. He probably is playing on a bunch of different chess boards.”

For whatever reason, something in us wants to limit the movement of God to what we are doing and discount what God might be doing in other places. We must criticize their efforts instead of acknowledging God might be at work there, even if it’s not our thing. This isn’t to say there might not be flaws in other communities or weaknesses in their strategies. Every ministry, every parish, has weaknesses. Every ministry can only do so much.

Here’s the key question: Is God working through that ministry and parish to bring more and more people to Him? If the answer is yes, then let’s celebrate it.

Unfortunately, we in the church can get jealous when we see other ministries or parishes flourish. It’s not really new. The apostles experienced it. In the ninth chapter of the Gospel of Mark we are told:

John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him because he is not following us.” Mark 9:38

There is so much wrong with John’s approach. John sees someone doing something good, driving out demons, healing people from oppression and pain inflicted by evil spirits but instead of celebrating it, he tries to shut it down. He discourages the good work this other guy is doing. Why? He says, “Because he doesn’t follow us.” Not because he isn’t following you, Jesus. He isn’t part of our crowd or our group. He isn’t doing it the way we would do it.

John shows us there is such a temptation to criticize people doing good work when they don’t do it the way we would do it rather than seeing if they are following Jesus. Obviously we don’t have the power to shut others down but we often diminish their efforts. We might acknowledge their good work, but then we diminish it with slights or insults or qualify it. Nativity has been criticized as the "cupcakes and cappuccino" church because of our café. So rather than learn how our café helps build community and create excitement and energy, leaders of other churches mock it.

Now let me confess, I have also pointed out the weaknesses of ministries in the parish renewal business. Some of my points are legitimate, but some also come from jealousy I have had like John. They seem to have more traction or a better name in the ministry market and I wish we had that. At times I have called them competitors - but that is the wrong word. We might be in the same ministry space, but to see ourselves as competitors is the wrong attitude.

The real enemy in the Church are not other people and other organizations that are doing good. Our real enemy is the spirit of luke-warm and mediocre efforts by church people who don’t really care. It’s a luke-warm spirit that has priests play candy crush in the confessional, lectors read unprepared for Mass, preachers to say whatever comes to mind in the moment, and volunteers who no longer put energy and effort into their service.

We would all agree this luke-warm spirit does more damage to the Church’s mission than the people who don’t do things our way or the ministries that aren’t with us. And yet we don’t criticize luke-warm ministries or parishes, we criticize the ones that are moving, the ones that as my friend Ron Huntlely likes to say are “kicking butt and taking names.”

Here's what Jesus says to John:

“Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able to soon after speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us.” Mark 9:39-40

As a church we have to stop criticizing people who are doing good work. We need to call out the luke-warmness - that is the greater problem. Luke-warm people rarely build great ministries or parishes. And so we don’t criticize them or get jealous of them. We get jealous of people with larger ministries or of people who are succeeding in ways we are not.

Jesus calls us to have a much more open attitude. God is working on several planes. Let’s celebrate the people, parishes and ministries that God is using. There is plenty of work to do in rebuilding the Church. There is more than enough work to do for God in our generation. When over 80 percent of Catholics don’t go to Mass and there are so many lost people in our world, there is plenty for all of us to do. The harvest is plentiful so let’s celebrate others who are laboring in God’s kingdom.

The next time you are tempted to criticize another parish or ministry or ministry leader because it’s not your cup of tea, STOP. Instead, celebrate the good work they are doing. One of the ways we will see revival in our generation is when we stop criticizing one another and start yoking our efforts together.

The more we can celebrate the good work God is doing through others, the greater work he can do in us and with us.

Rooting for you, 
Tom