Dear Rick:
I'm kind of new to this whole Catholic thing. I went through RCIA in 2008 and 2009, got confirmed at Easter of 2009, and was raised Protestant.
Being new to this, I bring a certain sort of humble curiosity to the Catholic faith. I love the liturgy. I love the Catechism. I love the community.
Maybe you're way better at this than I am. It's entirely possible. I can understand where you might know how to live out your Catholic faith much better than I do. So I guess I need to ask some questions.
My friend Thomas Reece posted a link to a Catholic News story today regarding the Papal Consistory which created 18 new Cardinal-electors, including Cardinal Dolan in New York and several others. After reading a few quotes from Dolan, I went over to read his address on the New Evangelization. It's a good read. I hope you take a close look.
Here's a key passage:
We as believers, must have at heart even those people who consider themselves agnostics or atheists. When we speak of a new evangelization these people are perhaps taken aback. They do not want to see themselves as an object of mission or to give up their freedom of thought and will. Yet the question of God remains present even for them. As the first step of evangelization we must seek to keep this quest alive; we must be concerned that human beings do not set aside the question of God, but rather see it as an essential question for their lives.
So, let me ask you a question:
1. Do you think that forcing non-Catholics to adhere to Catholic teaching about contraception and sexuality is a way to invite them to "keep this quest alive"?
Personally, I don't.
I would welcome others to comment on this. I used to be an atheist after being raised Christian, so I can only speak from my own experience. But I will say that the rigid teaching of Christian leaders on the topic of sexuality, combined with the blatant hypocrisy of these same leaders, led me to doubt in the goodness and faithfulness of the Church.
Another quote from Dolan:
What keeps us from the swagger and arrogance of triumphalism is a recognition of what Pope Paul VI taught in Evangelii Nuntiandi: the Church herself needs evangelization!
This gives us humility as we confess that Nemo dat quod not habet, that the Church has a deep need for the interior conversion that is at the marrow of the call to evangelization.
This raises another question for me.
2. Where do you see the interior conversion of the Church occurring in America today? And how do you personally avoid the kind of arrogant triumphalism that turns off so many non-Catholics in our midst?
You are a prominent Catholic in a very public role in American politics. Certainly, your name has been reviled and you've been made into a laughingstock in the LGBT community, thanks to Dan Savage and others. (By the way, have you ever engaged in a direct conversation with Dan Savage or another prominent advocate of gay marriage? What have you learned about yourself from those conversations?) While you are by no means considered to be a Catholic leader (you're a layperson, not a saint and not a priest), you do speak for many American Catholics when you make statements about public policy based on your Catholic faith.
In his allocution to the Consistory in Rome today, Pope Benedict spoke of the need for clergy (especially those Cardinals in positions of prominence) to take leadership through the way they love and serve:
The new Cardinals are entrusted with the service of love: love for God, love for his Church, an absolute and unconditional love for his brothers and sisters, even unto shedding their blood, if necessary, as expressed in the words of placing the biretta and as indicated by the colour of their robes. Furthermore, they are asked to serve the Church with love and vigour, with the transparency and wisdom of teachers, with the energy and strength of shepherds, with the fidelity and courage of martyrs. They are to be eminent servants of the Church that finds in Peter the visible foundation of unity.
3. For a woman who has been victimized by rape or domestic violence, how do you demonstrate the unconditional love of Christ? Where is your sacrifice? What sort of servant leadership are you demonstrating to support victims of sexual violence in America today?
The Pope spoke of the example of Christ and the stark contrast between selfish materialism and selfless charity:
Dominion and service, egoism and altruism, possession and gift, self-interest and gratuitousness: these profoundly contrasting approaches confront each other in every age and place. There is no doubt about the path chosen by Jesus.
4. Why do you seek to mandate chastity while doing nothing to mandate charity?
Once again, please understand that I'm new to all of this Catholic stuff. I'm late to the party. Maybe you can help me understand how to be a better Catholic.
Thanks,
Benintn