In the thousands of years before the inventions of the
telegraph, television, and Internet, continents and even countries
were isolated from each other for most intents and purposes. Other
than trade and conquest, there were really no reasons or means for
one culture to be influenced by another.
And for most of her history, the United States of America was a
nation of immigrants who arrived with some vestiges of their former
ethnicities that did not separate, but served only to forge what
became known as the American culture: founded on Judeo-Christian
values but with an abiding tolerance for all faiths; grounded in
the rule of law yet tempered with a love for justice. She was an
odd but lovely combination, overwhelming spirit of Yankee
individualism that expressed itself in a deep concern for the
rights and freedoms of all.
But with the advance of technology, the world became a “smaller”
place, as they say, bringing many benefits to our shores. But
coupled with the great moral upheavals of the 1960s, this increased
access to the world also led to a dimming of the light of our
culture; the diminution of what was once known as the American Way,
our unique identity.
In the Catholic Church, technology and cultural upheaval brought
a desire — an inordinately misguided one, according to many — to
open her windows to “let in some fresh air.” And this was nowhere
more true than in the United States, where the interpretations of
the “spirit” of the Second Vatican Council by American bishops
wreaked havoc upon the faithful in this country. As reported by an
eager media teeming with young anti-establishment types for whom
the Church represented perhaps the ultimate evil, Vatican II was
portrayed as a get-out-of-jail card for millions of Catholic
Americans imprisoned by the cruel and outdated dictates of
Rome.
But these changes were met with dismay and confusion by most of
the faithful. How well I remember my grandmother bewailing that St.
Christopher had been “done away with!” when in fact, he was very
much still a saint, whose feast day was merely removed from the
General Roman Calendar due to difficulties with his historical
identification. It was the relatively minor actions of Vatican II
like this which received much gleeful attention from the media.
Still, there were other, more significant changes which, whether
or not officially sanctioned by Rome, led to much more confusion
and disillusionment. Perhaps willfully misjudging the intent of the
Council, the majority of American bishops followed the lead of the
press and ignored what was contained in most of the actual
documents, in favor of the broadest interpretations of a few, and
even expanding beyond them. Gone in just a few years were many of
the traditional treasures of Catholic worship, the worst loss being
the virtual abandonment of the Tridentine, or Latin, Mass in
America.
Today, many folks I know are Catholics in name only: those who
treat their faith as some sort of inherited, ethnic embarrassment.
They readily abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent and, indeed,
resolve to “give up” something during it. They are thrilled to
parade around with black smudges on their foreheads on Ash
Wednesday but otherwise rarely see the inside of their local
parish. But regrettably, it is probably mostly due to the abuses of
Vatican II that they have no clue as to why they are doing these
things. A truly sad state of affairs.
But as has happened throughout her history, through adversity —
whether heresies or the personal sins of her members — the Church
has grown stronger. There are millions of American Catholics who
faithfully soldiered through the past few tumultuous decades, only
to see young people and new converts embrace the faith in recent
years. Pope Benedict XVI’s call for the return of the Latin Mass,
as well as the new English translation of the Roman Missal, are
encouraging to those who long for a more traditional form of
worship.
In his
address to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops last week,
Cardinal Timothy Dolan called for a restoration of Friday
abstinence, commonly referred to as meatless Fridays, as well as a
renewed commitment to the frequent practice of the Sacrament of
Penance, better known as confession. While many faithful Catholics
have never stopped these practices, and indeed find their faith
strengthened and even confirmed by them, a whole generation has
been robbed of a precious heritage by their obsolescence.
A return to these solemn and ancient practices might seem
strange at first to a generation of Catholics who have been raised
in a culture of relativism and taught that nothing old is
worthwhile. But even a discussion of the reasons behind these
practices cannot but strengthen the entire Church.
Time will tell if, at this late date, the Church in America can
recover her identity. But if she can, might not the rest of
America? Stay tuned.
