Tell Me Why I Should Be a Catholic When… the Church Has Such a History of Evil to Her Name?

For More Leaflets Like This Tell Me Why I Should Be a Catholic When… The Church Has Such a History of Evil to Her Name? Feel free to Xerox this leaflet as you like. For other leaflets like this one, go to www.rondachervin.com and select E-Books and Leaflets from the sidebar on the left. Ronda Chervin by Ronda Chervin, Ph.D. 5 TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME? Jesus himself seems to have given a partial complete their Jewish heritage by accepting their has not felt frustration because of the apathy of answer in Mark 14:3ff when some asked why a Messiah and his Church. some middle-class and rich Catholics toward costly perfume was being poured out on his head Of more recent European Hebrew-Catholics we the desperate needs of the poverty-stricken. when the perfume could have have Blessed Edith Stein, Blessed Francis The response of the saints, however, was not to been sold and the money Libermann, Raissa Maritain, Venerable Hermann abandon the Church but to take upon given to the poor. Jesus Cohen, Max Picard, John Osterreicher, Father themselves the task of instituting programs for replied that the poor are Alphonse Ratisbonne, and Rabbi Israel Zolli. From the relief of the poor by supplying food, always with us, but that this the United States, among the most well-known are clothing, and shelter as well as free hospitals, was something special, since Karl Stern, Father Raphael Simon, Charles Rich, and schools, and the like. A model of how anger at the woman pouring the Father Arthur Klyber. Father Elias Friedman is a apathy can become zealous service can be perfume was anointing his South African who was a Carmelite monk at Mount found in St. Vincent de Paul of France who body in preparation for its burial. Carmel near Haifa in Israel. He is the founder of the organized such rich ladies as St. Louise de Traveling around the world and visiting International Hebrew Catholic Association. Marillac to go out into the streets and find the beautiful cathedrals, one is not given the For information about these and other Jewish orphans, the sick, the illiterate, and help them. impression that the people of the towns and cities converts to the Catholic faith see The Ingrafting St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s Missionaries of think of the cathedral as something belonging to (New Hope, Ky.: Remnant of Israel, 1987), which I Charity have helped thousands of the poorest the priest or bishop or the pope. Rather, they edited, and four booklets [He's a Jew; This Jew; of the poor as do Catholic charities throughout regard the church as theirs. Poor as they may be, Queen of the Jews; Once a Jew), edited by Father the world. While working for social justice, we they can, if they wish, visit daily their "spiritual Arthur Klyber, also published by Remnant of Israel. must offer immediate aid. living room," reflecting the glory of the life to Of those converts with a burning desire to help come in heaven. the poor who chose to work within the Church This attitude might be compared to the way a rather than to scorn her as unworthy, the one who poor married woman might cling to the gold ring stands out the most in our century might be Dorothy on her finger as the last thing she would sell even Day, founder of the Catholic to provide necessities. The ring symbolizes for her Worker movement. At the time of how important the bond of love is, even more her youth in the early part of the important than the "daily bread," which would in twentieth century, Dorothy had any case disappear within a relatively short time joined the Communist party after the sale of her treasure. hoping that social revolution could Great Church architecture, art, music, accomplish the justice that could vestments, chalices, lace altar clothes — all these not be found in the United States indicate that important as social justice is, beauty as it was. Disillusioned, she began to experience is also a hunger of the human soul. "One does not within herself a great spiritual thirst. live by bread alone" (Matthew 4:4). When she met the Catholic radical Peter Maurin, Among those who became Catholics knowing together they founded a sort of Catholic full well the evils of particular Catholics in communism. They would champion the rights of history, some of the most striking conversions are workers as well as tend to the immediate needs of of Jewish people. Realizing that Jesus, Mary, the poor by means of a newspaper, soup kitchens, Joseph, and the apostles as well as most of the hospitality houses, and common prayer. early disciples were Jewish, they are thrilled to Probably there is not a single Catholic saint concerned with active works to help the poor who TELL ME WHY I SHOULD BE A CATHOLIC WHEN…THE CHURCH HAS SUCH A HISTORY OF EVIL TO HER NAME? 1 o some observers there is the promotion of religious institutions. The results you will say special prayers for the dead in no organization in the seem always to be ruinous, for power always tends those families who contributed more than one world with a worse to corrupt. Here is an example from our times: many hundred dollars to the fund? It might seem like record than the Catholic religious colleges want federal aid for their students. a bright idea until you realize that it could lead Church! The very words But to retain this aid, they often believe they must later to greater and greater abuses such as in "Roman Catholic," far secularize their schools by omitting prayer from the case of the lavish works of art found in from conveying images classes not directly about theology, or by tolerating great cathedrals now admired even by those of great saints, remind dissenting forms of pluralism to avoid any possible Protestants (originally, protesting Catholics) such critics of tales of charges concerning lack of academic freedom. You who were so rightfully horrified by the sale of persecutions, inquisitions, religious wars, might note that contemporary examples of worldly indulgences for the building of cathedrals at the scandalous popes of the past and despicable reasoning often seem less shocking than those of the time of the Reformation! priests of the present. past, because our own compromises fit our cultural Happily in our times popes have little How could a church devoted to following the mind-set and therefore seem readily forgivable! worldly power and the last century and a half teachings of the Prince of Peace be so violent? At the worst times of the past, elections of popes have seen one holy pope after another. How could followers of a Savior who was so pure took months and even years as outside forces tried The story of the Crusades is also a sad one. give in so frequently to sexual sin? How could to poison the food of candidates There is documentation to prove that Church disciples of a Master who lived so poorly deemed unlikely to further the selfish leaders planned these excursions luxuriate in palaces? projects of princes and emperors. Other for holy reasons. They believed The earliest history of believers in Jesus was abuses included nepotism (handing out that if the warlike knights marked not by sins of violence perpetrated by Church offices to nephews and other could be sent to rescue the Christians but by martyrdom of Christ's followers relatives in order to benefit the Holy Land from Muslims at the hands of others. It was only when extended family in financial ways and they would cease their Christians became politically powerful that they also ensure allies) and simony (selling local feuding. The knights were in a position to resolve disputes by force of of holy things such as indulgences). of the Crusades were arms. Although such practices seem foreign and almost taught to avoid all unnecessary bloodshed and Some wars were defensive and were waged bizarre to moderns, a close reading of Church certainly to avoid the sins of looting and rape against barbarian invasions; others involved history makes it easy to see how they developed so prevalent in medieval times as well as in battles over religious ideas. When there was a from innocent to evil. To translate into modern times. Unfortunately, most of the conflict between groups professing differing ideas contemporary life, let us suppose you were crusaders fell into the temptation of indulging about the nature of the Trinity or about Christ, president of the United States. What would be more in atrocities in spite of all warnings to the and each group included powerful political natural than to put into your cabinet a young contrary. Wars, whether religiously motivated figures, the situation was ripe for attempts to nephew who was politically ambitious as well as or not, always include atrocities. After all, enforce unanimity through violence! good? This could easily lead to other members of atheistic states such as the Soviet Union were Eventually many thought that if Church your extended family expecting similar responsible for far greater atrocities toward leaders themselves were chosen from the upper opportunities even if they were not especially suited enemies — and citizens. governing classes, greater harmony between for the posts in question. Or, suppose you are a Indeed, a close reading of the Holy Church and state would prevail. It was not long priest eager to renovate your parish church.

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