Reactionary right fails its theologyPresident Obama's willingness to bravely take on the reactionary wing of the Roman Catholic Church speaks to his superior understanding of the theology of the Judeo-Christian tradition. I attended Fordham University, a Jesuit university that eschewed athletics unlike its sister institutions Boston College and Georgetown, in favor of a rigorous intellectual environment. While at Fordham, we were instructed in the differences between the catechetic teachings of the Vatican-centric church and the theological traditions of the Church that go back to the beginning of philosophy.
The Jesuit professors opened the eyes of many of their parochially educated students to the works and ideas of such "Catholic" thinkers as Tielhard de Chardin, Hans Kung, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Michael Harrington and others whose spiritual visions allowed a more expansive understanding of theology, freeing many of us from the straight jacket limitations dictated by a belief in a world encapsulated by the firmament of Genesis.For me one of the most profound lessons taught to me by the Jesuits was when I was an alumnus. Having recently been discharged from the Navy and traveling by car, I came upon a figure hitching by the side of road. He was dressed in the traditional garb of a Jesuit priest. His long white hair bespoke of someone who was an octogenarian. I pulled over and offered a ride, which he accepted. I asked if in fact he was a Jesuit and he said yes. I told him I had attended Fordham. He said he had taught there for many years. I asked, as I had been away in the Navy for two years, if he would hear my confession. He turned to me, a bit startled and said:
"Son, you have as much God in you as I have in me. You don't need me to hear your confession. Christ came down to take the middleman out of religion. You don't need a priest or a rabbi, a church or a temple, all you need is love. At the Last Supper, Christ taught us that where love is there is God."He then said he had reached his destination and I could let him out. He turned to me, made a sign of the cross on my forehead and said, "Go in peace my son." He then got out and walked up a path to a Jesuit retreat house where he lived. I would suggest that all those Catholics who are sure they have a unique conduit to the Divine, read not just the theologians favored by a Vatican ensconced in a world of material wealth that the apostles would have found even more opulent and repugnant than that of Pontius Pilate. Liberation of the mind is a great gift; the only greater one is liberation of the soul.
JIM NORCHI
Pittsfield
Link (here)
Blogger Note: This is the first time I have read someone connecting left-wing Catholic Theology with such a clear anti-sacramental attitude. I suspect the un-named Jesuit being quoted was taken out of context or words were put into his mouth.
Read more about confession from the Jesuit, Father John Hardon
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