Recently the in the news I heard the term “cafeteria Catholic” used in reference to a politician who while claiming to be a good Catholic man, supports abortion, which the Catholic Church is overwhelmingly against. The person making the comment went on to say that a lot of Catholics are like that. They chose to go along with the things they like about the Church and ignore the things they don’t like. I would extend that comment to most of us. There are things about Christianity and other world faiths that their members adhere to, and other things that they ignore. It is just the way it is.
Let me extend that notion to other areas of our lives. Who among us goes along with all the things our doctors tell us? Who among us trust our mechanics to accurately diagnose and repair our cars? Who among us trust news people to give us the news without prejudice? Do we trust our teachers? Do we trust our government leaders? Do our tax preparers really have our best interest at heart? Can you trust your lawyer? Our world and church is getting so confusing that many tell me, “I just don’t know what to believe anymore! I just can’t trust anyone!”
Many people turn to the internet as a way of researching to find the truth. It seems all to be there, from truths about our faiths, to how to fix our cars, to just about anything you want to know about. When it comes to faith, I trust in the Bible, and the Teachings of my Church. While I believe that God gave me a brain to think with, he also gave me a free will, to make choices about faith based on his Word and the Apostolic Traditions. I believe there is a direct link to that Apostolic teaching so that it continues to be protected and handed on today.
In all honesty, I must confess, that while I endeavor to hold as true the Bible and Church teaching, I don’t understand much of it and so for me it remains a mystery. Many turn to science for answers and I truly love science, but while science can give us knowledge, it can’t give us faith. My faith tells me that I am destined to grow in holiness. I take that to mean that I try to live as Jesus taught, do his will, believe in the teachings of the Bible and Church and conform my thinking and behavior to them.
Holiness requires that I do my best to conform my belief, thinking and behavior to doing the will of God and believing him and his Church, even when I don’t fully understand it. I don’t really have the right to pick and chose the beliefs, commands, and behaviors that suit me. The Ten Commandments are not multiple choice, neither are the teachings of the Church. In humility, I can accept beliefs and teachings that I don’t fully understand or can explain. Yet, in this life I make progress. I try not to get sidetracked by things above my ability to understand. I don’t want to be just a “Cafeteria Christian”.
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May he let his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you his peace.”
