If I Were Not A Catholic…

Living The Worthy Life: If I Were Not A Catholic…..

Bishop Fulton Sheen explained this best in a Catholic Hour Radio Broadcast:

"If I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated. My reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh. If you would find Christ today, then find the Church that does not get along with the world. Look for the Church that is hated by the world as Christ was hated by the world. Look for the Church that is accused of being behind the times, as our Lord was accused of being ignorant and never having learned. Look for the Church which men sneer at as socially inferior, as they sneered at Our Lord because He came from Nazareth. Look for the Church which is accused of having a devil, as Our Lord was accused of being possessed by Beelzebub, the Prince of Devils. Look for the Church which, in seasons of bigotry, men say must be destroyed in the name of God as men crucified Christ and thought they had done a service to God. Look for the Church which the world rejects because it claims it is infallible, as Pilate rejected Christ because He called Himself the Truth. Look for the Church which is rejected by the world as Our Lord was rejected by men. Look for the Church which amid the confusions of conflicting opinions, its members love as they love Christ, and respect its Voice as the very voice of its Founder, and the suspicion will grow, that if the Church is unpopular with the spirit of the world, then it is unworldly, and if it is unworldly it is otherworldly. since it is other-worldly, it is infinitely loved and infinitely hated as was Christ Himself. But only that which is Divine can be infinitely hated and infinitely loved. Therefore the Church is Divine."

Today, Brothers and Sisters, let us look at four aspects of this broadcast and how it could easily apply to our lives today.

First, if I were not a Catholic, and were looking for the true Church in the world today, I would look for the one Church which did not get along well with the world; in other words, I would look for the Church which the world hated.  Now, look at the Church today.  Are we trying to lead people or follow?  Are we trying to adopt to the world around us or are we trying to lead the people to Christ?  Are we in jeopardy of losing our souls or are we in communion with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ?  These are the questions you must ask yourself.  These are the problems that are plaguing the world today.  There is a true pandemic out there and it is frightening.  The problem is that many of us are not recognizing who or what the enemy really is.  In bad times do we stay away from the Church?  In good times do we stay away from the Church?  If we stay away from the Church long enough what happens to our children?  Who or what has taught them?  What will happen to our grandchildren?  Who will teach them?  Wait, in the end, what will happen to us?

Second, my reason for doing this would be, that if Christ is in any one of the churches of the world today, He must still be hated as He was when He was on earth in the flesh.  Are we more worried about trying to offend anyone that we never engage in evangelism?  Are we too afraid to welcome a stranger to our church so that we never are friendly?  Are we too afraid that we may be called upon to do something at church that we never volunteer for anything there? Are we more interested in being well-liked than worshiping Jesus Christ?  Are you looking for the perfect church and will not attend one until you find it? Well, Brothers and Sisters, let me know when you do because when you do, you will no longer be a member.  They would not nor should they accept this type of behavior.  

Third, look for a Church that is being accused of doing things.  Many liberal Christians look with disdain and distrust at Traditionalists and this is especially true for traditional Eastern Catholics or traditional Western Catholics.  When your church is nothing more than a series of different service missions, one must begin to wonder-why go to Church at all.  Just go to the soup kitchen, go to the food pantry, go to a homeless shelter, and go to the street mission.  Brothers and Sisters, these are not bad things in and of themselves.  They only become bad when they replace the reason for the Church.  The church was created for the worship of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The Liturgy is a virtual and visual display of Jesus Christ every time you go. Jesus is the centerpiece of the Church.  When you take Jesus out of the picture then that is when the Church falls.  Service for Jesus is important but it is not more important than the worship of Jesus Christ.  

Fourth, look for a Church that is rejected by this world. Is the Church trying too hard to appease its critics or are we trying to convert our critics?  Is the Church trying to fill the spiritual needs of their members or to fill their pockets with physical things?  There is a great difference between good taste and the inability to help others.  

When GK Chesterton was asked what was wrong with the world he replied, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

This is more true now.  The problem being is that the harder Churches try to fit into society the more they become like society.  In that case-remember the words of Bishop Fulton Sheen when he said, “Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right.”

Am I wrong?  Do you not believe that what Bishop Sheen said eighty years ago is as fitting today as it was then?  Brothers and Sisters, we too are looking for the truth and that truth is that Jesus Christ is the reason for our existence, without Him we are without hope, and with him everything is possible.   Amen.