Being a member of a parish or diocese isn't really optional in the Catholic Church. Besides, it isn't beneficial to not belong to one. The Church tries to balance the individual with the community. Communal public worship has its place-specifically at Sunday Mass, but there is also something to be said for quiet solitude, holy hours, and mental prayer, as well.
Catholics don't have a choice when it comes to worshipping communally and personally. Catholic belief is that humans need both perspectives. This is part of the reason that the Cross is a symbol in the Church-the vertical bar represents a personal relationship with the Lord, which can only be done individually. The horizontal bar represents a person's obligation to also belong to the faith family of a parish and diocese. When Catholics are registered to a particular parish, they get more than envelopes for the collection basket. They also become members of a spiritual family that wishes to pray both with and for them. When Catholics are asked to be Godparents at a Baptism, only registered Catholics can get a confirmation from their pastor that they are in good standing. Whenever they are registered in a parish, they will be listed for prayer when they become hospitalized. And guess who receives visits from Catholic chaplains in the hospital? Unregistered Catholics tend to slip between the cracks, and are often unintentionally ignored.
Often, you will read that a person is a "former" or "fallen away" Catholic. You almost never read about former Muslims, Jews, Protestants, etc. Oh, they exist, to be sure. But, for whatever reason, various media personalities and authors are always fascinated by ex-Catholics. My guess is that the mystique and mystery of Catholicism help to fuel the curiosity that non-Catholics have towards it.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment