Pastoral and Parental Bishops

bishops

It appears that many American bishops think that the way to deal with the scandal of giving communion to Catholic pro-abortion politicians is to be “pastoral”. I can understand and accept that giving mercy and being pastoral is important, especially in regard to an individual’s spiritual state.  However, those politicians’ high profile status and authority instituting administrative and legislative support to the murdering of unborn babies has scandalous consequences providing temptation for others to sin (to support the intrinsic evil of abortion) that requires something else beyond being just being pastoral. I would suggest they look at being more “parental”.

Parental Lessons from Child-Rearing

I think that the bishops can learn something from us laity who have children.  In raising our kids, some pretty basic principles were followed. If one broke our rules or did something wrong they wouldn’t get to do something they liked to do (watch TV, go to a movie, or go out with friends) for a period of time. Once they admitted they were wrong, committed to not doing it again, and “served their sentence” the ban was lifted.

Our kids learned, from those experiences, what was expected, what was considered right and wrong, and moved on. Today, they are decent and responsible human beings and parents of their own. I like to think that I was being “pastoral” by being “parental” in helping them to see the implications of their behavior, holding them accountable, having them make amends, and requiring a consequence for their behavior that gave them a model to follow.

Pastoral and Parental

To be sure, being parental is being pastoral in many ways because we love our kids and want to aid them in their development. It is also about being corrective when needed. When I think of this whole issue in a parental context, I ask the question, “What would we parents do if our child supported the murder of innocent children?”

Many times, the images and perceptions of bishops and priests are presented as that of parents, (after all, we call a priest, Father) and its time for the bishops to act more like parents with these pro-abortion politicians. While our kid’s behavior was, by and large, internal to the family and not in public view, the same cannot be said for the Catholic pro-abortion politicians.

The Bottom Line is About the Sanctity of Life

The media likes to make out that this a political issue but it is not. It’s about the sanctity of life. October is Respect Life month within the Church and the 40 Days for Life has been kicked off. What better time to draw a line in the sand that the defense of life is a priority and not some sense of pastoral comfortableness. The pro-life effort is fought on many fronts from legal battles, to public marches and prayer vigils. In the various venues, it is very much about messaging because, ultimately, it is about changing the hearts and minds of individuals including those pro-abortion politicians.

There can be two levels of pro-life messaging, in regard to the communion issue. The first level is that abortion is the killing of an innocent unborn child and should be seen as intrinsically evil and a grave sin. Secondly is that the sacrament of the Eucharist is the true body and blood of Christ and one should not partake of it if in mortal sin (which supporting abortion is). To do so is an act of irreverence and arrogance.

Allowing pro-abortion politicians to receive the Eucharist undercuts both messages, makes our pro-life efforts more difficult and sends a different message. It says that the issue of abortion isn’t really that important, that their support for the killing of unborn babies is tolerable, that it’s OK to go against Church teachings (both in terms of abortion and the worthy reception of the Eucharist), and its OK to publically influence others by their behavior that says abortion is acceptable (in other words they are leading others into sinful behavior).

The notion of being pastoral to pro-abortion politicians and not holding them accountable seems, at times, as an attempt to appear not to be offensive but to be merciful, and the rationale that we should not judge is used to justify the pastoral approach. In that context, as one who is active in pro-like activities and is an Extraordinary Minster of Holy Communion, I have to say that I am offended by our hierarchy’s actions and I think it is appropriate to judge pro-abortion politician’s behavior. I respectively disagree with some in the hierarchy and I think we all can and should make judgments (including the clergy and the laity) about an individual’s behavior, especially when that behavior has serious consequences for the sanctity of life and sacramental integrity. In turn, we should use the Church’s teaching (as expressed in the Catechism) as a basis for those judgments.

What is needed is for the bishops to stand up and show some parental authority. Parental correction, in the end, can actually be pastoral. As the writer of Hebrews (12:11) states:

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

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4 thoughts on “Pastoral and Parental Bishops”

  1. My Bishop, father of fathers in my diocese, is constantly saying we should dialogue with teenagers. Being the father of four, once four teenagers at the same time (13, 15, 17, 19), I understand the importance of communication, but “your mother and I want you to pick up your room…. now!”
    Why? Because we love you.

    It’s not easy being a father sometimes. I’m not seeing much fatherhood in clergy these days.
    Not many firm handshakes.
    Not much loving action.

  2. Pingback: MONDAY EDITION – Big Pulpit

  3. When bishops act “parental”, they turn away people from the church. I am an adult, and I expect to be treated as such. The bishop is not my parent, and he even if he were my parent, I am still an adult. As children grow, they earn the right to make their own decisions. The church can (and should) defend and try to spread its teachings. At the same time, it has to respect its limits when there are disagreements. If the church begins policing its members’ actions for rigid orthodoxy, it will quickly enter full-blown cult status. Luckily, the church has largely abstained from this practice because of the lessons learned long ago. Sadly, it seems that many in the American church have forgotten the lessons of the Inquisition, and I hope we remember them before we are forced to relearn them.

  4. True brilliance is shown by taking a seemingly complex topic & making it clear & understandable. Somewhere along the line, the Pope emeritus reminded us that only truth is authentically pastoral! I understand Dr Collingwood to be saying that an authentically pastoral action will also be “parental.” Bravo Dr Collingwood. 👏 👏 👏

    No more stones or snakes for those who need parental love!

    “Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asks for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him.” (Matthew 7: 9-11).

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