What Would You Do? - Our Readers

He Can't Bring Himself to Apologize
What would you do in this situation? Readers solve the dilemma.

The Scenario: Susan, a 31-year-old housewife, wants to convince her pastor to host a weekend apologetics and evangelization seminar at the parish. She fell away from the Faith in college, but since then, she's become deeply committed to Christ and involved in her parish, and the catalyst was her attending a similar conference at a nearby parish a year earlier. Now she wants others to experience what she did. Msgr. O'Skeptic, her pastor, is reluctant to allow the conference. He says those sorts of things are "unecumenical" and "pre-Vatican II." Susan wants to help him see that, properly carried out, an evangelization conference would really enhance the parish's spiritual life. What should she do? What would you do?

I'm a 22-year-old Roman Catholic male. About a year ago, I attended a Cursillo retreat and it did a lot to strengthen my faith in Christ and the Church. I understand Susan's desire to share with others what brought so much joy and meaning to her life, and what led her back to the Church. On the other hand, I see where Msgr. O'Skeptic is coming from. He may be suspicious that the conference will teach something against Catholic tradition and doctrine. Susan should try to persuade him that an apologetics conference could bring others back to the Faith. She should present all she knows about this seminar, answering his questions about its credibility, its fidelity to orthodoxy, etc. If it helped Susan come back to the Church, it can probably help others as well.
Jayson, via e-mail

To be frank, I wouldn't waste time with Msgr. O'Skeptic. I would seek out a like-minded pastor at another parish. One could also go to the bishop, but there's no guarantee of comfort in those quarters these days. However, if Msgr. O'Skeptic was the only pastor within a reasonable distance, I'd do my homework on the Church documents on evangelization: the Catechism, Vatican II documents and the Code of Canon Law. I'd show him that evangelization is right in line with Vatican II.
Mark, via e-mail

Susan should respect her pastor's opinion. He may have little experience with evangelization and may not be the right person to host the conference. She might return to the parish that led her back to Christ and volunteer to help them continue their good work. Above all, Susan needs to continue nurturing her newfound commitment to Christ. If she feels led by the Holy Spirit to pursue evangelization, she should concentrate on people in similar circumstances to her. In other words, the conference ought to focus on reaching out to fallen away Catholics, and the unchurched. I don't feel a seminar format is quite right for evangelization. I think evangelization should be life by life, soul by soul.
Anonymous, via e-mail

I would advise Susan to pray for God's guidance in this matter. All the works of God which have any lasting effect are preceded by prayer. I would also suggest that she get together with other believers who are of the same mind and heart to pray with her. The proverbs that come to mind in this situation are, "Acknowledge Him in all your ways and He will direct your paths," and, "Before making war, seek much counsel." I have tried to take the leadings of the Lord and implement them on many occasions and have met with failure, as I neglected to seek the Lord's guidance. It's not unlike those battles that the Israelites fought when they entered the Good Land. When they sought the Lord for guidance, they met with success. When they leaned unto their own understanding, without seeking God's direction, they met with dismal failure.

Fortunately, God restored them over and over again. We will most likely meet with resistance when trying to do God's work, because we have a very powerful and cunning adversary, Satan. His whole being is committed to destroying the works of God. But we have a more powerful and wiser Commander in Chief to lead and guide us in His work. In John, we are reminded that Jesus came to destroy the works of Satan. This doesn't mean it will be easy, though. Look at the problems the Apostles had with bringing the Gospel to the Jews. They were run out of town, scoffed at, thrown into prison and eventually killed for their Faith and their activities. St. Paul said, "I warned you for three years, night and day, with tears, to beware of false teachers who would come from among you, to lead the flock astray." Jesus warned that the weeds, sown into the Church by the devil, would be left to grow up beside the true believers. In the parable, the workers were not allowed to pull the weeds, in order to avoid damaging the wheat.

When we enter the Lord's work, it's no small thing. We enter into "The Mother of All Conflicts." This is a war for the souls, the hearts and the minds of mankind. Susan should be equipped by the Spirit before trying to engage in any kingdom activity. Otherwise, she'll find herself beaten up and lying in a spiritual ditch wondering what happened. Jesus told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they received power from on high. We could learn much by waiting for that same power.
Jack Butler, via e-mail

I'd explain to the pastor that the lack of apologetics after Vatican II seems to be one of the causes of the exodus out of the Roman Catholic Church in the last couple of decades. People did not understand the basic tenets of their Faith, and many were pulled away by persuasive Protestants. Key Catholic beliefs, like the Real Presence in the Eucharist, need to be understood and appreciated. Apologetics is meant to strengthen one's Faith, to teach us why we believe what we believe as Catholics. One of the responsibilities of the Church is to equip and teach, and this conference would do just that by strengthening the congregation's faith, as well as bond them together as a community.
Kate, via e-mail

If I were to try to encourage a reluctant pastor to approve a prospective apologetics seminar, I'd first realize that if his heart and mind are to be changed, it will only be through the grace of Christ. So I would pray for the pastor to receive that. I'd share with him my testimony of the power of converts to bear witness to the "pillar and foundation of the truth," the Church (1 Tim. 3:15). I'd point out that authentic apologetics serves to equip the people of God to give a reason for the hope that is in them (1 Peter 3:15). Priests are aware of the steady decline in Mass attendance in our increasingly secular society, and that this is due, in part, to the inadequate catechetical and apologetics instruction. I believe that evangelistic zeal and apologetics proficiency transmitted in practical terms is a great way to begin to remedy this current crisis.
Bryan J.P. Gesinger, via e-mail

Many of today's parish priests were trained in the seminary system during the 1970s and 1980s. During this era, there was a strong shift away from bedrock subjects like apologetics, patristics, Greek and Latin, historical theology and systematic theology. Instead, most seminaries stuffed their curricula with "fluffier" things like "interpersonal psychology," "process theology" and various forms of "higher criticism" of the Bible. Consequently, many of today's diocesan priests were deprived (and didn't even realize they were being deprived) of vital elements of their priestly academic formation. So we have to take this into account when a pastor resists suggestions for an apologetics conference.

Susan should step back and try to understand where he's coming from. During his seminary years, he was never trained in apologetics. He almost certainly witnessed professors demonize apologetics as "outdated," "pre-Vatican II" and "reactionary." So Susan should adopt a gradual approach, showing her pastor the value of authentic apologetics, the kind that's in sync with Vatican II and has as its aim, not the winning of arguments, but the winning of souls in a charitable way. By sharing good apologetics books, conversion stories, tapes and other resources with Msgr. O'Skeptic (always in a non-confrontational way), by praying for him daily and by always keeping a friendly, patient and understanding attitude toward him, Susan may well bring him to the point where he sees the value for his parish in such a conference.
B. Gantry, Palo Alto, CA

Next Issue's Scenario:
Steve and Isabela are a Catholic couple in their late 20s who have three small children. They're distressed by the liturgical abuses they see each Sunday in their parish. They want to be involved and committed members of their parish, but their pastor doesn't seem interested in listening to their concerns. He brushes them off when they ask about these issues, telling them there are no "abuses" taking place, just "healthy liturgical creativity," and besides, they don't have the proper theological training to evaluate liturgical matters anyway. Steve and Isabela have been invited by a Catholic neighbor to begin attending a local schismatic Traditionalist "chapel" that touts itself as a haven for Catholics who are bothered by abuses in their "novus ordo" parishes. For the sake of their children and their own peace of mind, they're tempted to attend the Traditional Latin Mass offered by the schismatic group. What should they do? What would you do?

E-mail your 200-word or less suggestion to brianpl@erols.com, or mail it to "What Would You Do?," Envoy Magazine, P.O. Box 640, Granville, OH 43023.