It is the first day of August as I write this, and I come with a lot of things going on in my mind. For one thing, I decided that it was time to find another parish church after the pastor decided to focus on nonessential stuff like the SSPX (the nearest SSPX chapel to Baltimore is almost 2 hours away, so what was the point?) while ignoring some pretty looming issues in the Catholic Church in this city. For one thing, the unfair characterization of the SSPX as "Protestant" was a bit much, and theologically it doesn't jive - where our good friar got that from evades my process of reasoning. I had a very interesting email exchange with him most of today, and I think it best to move on at this point. But that leads me to something I wanted to talk about in regard to how one can serve the Church.
Romans 12:4-5 states that the body has many members, and although each member has its own distinct function, they are all essential to the Body of Christ. For all the rhetoric in annual diocesan appeals about investing "time, talent, and treasure," when the reality hits as to how to apply it, basically it is the diocesan powers-that-be saying "Give us your money, and screw your talents." In other words, if they don't think you are "good enough" (although your hard-earned money you put in the plate is certainly OK) then they don't care what happens to you. It amazes me at how many people languish in parishes who have so much to offer but they are coldly turned away by aloof clerics when they offer. It's a scandal. So, that leads to a question.
What is the difference between a parish priest and a televangelist? Answer: the first has only a plate to collect in. This is obviously not a blanket assessment of every parish priest, because there are many who do have a pastor's heart and love their parishioners, but I have seen it firsthand and it is not a good thing. When the color of your money matters to a church more than your talents, abilities, and even your needs, then it is time to find another church and maybe cut off your money supply to them. You may not even be giving much in some terms, but it may also be your best despite the amount. Yet, you are for some reason not feeling appreciated, and it is a bit disconcerting. Now, the idea of tithing is not a "give to get" scheme of course, but at the same time you are hoping that maybe something of your faithfulness would garner some appreciation of the fact that you, too, are a child of God and deserve some dignity. I don't want to spend a lot of time commiserating over this, as I have wasted enough on it today already, but I want my readers to get a good message out of this - if you have a talent, find a way to use it for God. If your church doesn't appreciate it or even care, then they can jump off a short pier into a deep lake, because thankfully God is bigger than them. One of the reasons I started this blog as a matter of fact was to actually make a platform to share my ideas as well as develop a writing passion I have, and I think I have done well. I am not garnering millions of views, but that is because no one else cares to listen anyway but I appreciate the ones who do. You who are reading this now, you are not reading it by accident - you matter because God sent you here. Therefore, if something I said challenges you and also motivates you, then I have done what I am supposed to do. And, critics be damned - we don't worry about them, or detractors. Not everyone is going to be adoring fans, and I get that - I myself have things I am not a fan of either, yet those things seem to be doing fine without me anyway. May my detractors gain the same understanding.
This is a good segway into what I discovered online today. I was watching videos by this young guy named Jonathan Wright, who has taken it upon himself to do deep-dive research into Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). As anyone who knows me can attest, CCM is definitely not my thing, as much of what passes as "Christian music" today is fluff and it is about making a fast buck rather than actual ministry - Jonathan seems to share that sentiment with me to a degree too. But, I also admittedly learned some things from him about some very well-known CCM artists of the past, and I found it personally interesting. One thing Jonathan did was he did a bit of a deep-dive into CCM star and my fellow West Virginian Michael W. Smith. Now, Barbara loves this guy, and it's OK if anyone does as I don't think anyone will fall into moral turpitude listening to him. However, to me it sounds like the guy - who is in his 60s now - never broke puberty in all honesty with his voice ( I feel the same way about Bobby Vinton, who sings similarly interesting enough). There are many newer CCM artists who sound even worse than him now though, so he is definitely not the worst I have ever heard. That being said though, I will say that I was impressed to hear about his story. It turns out in the early part of his career as he was starting out in Nashville, he hit rock-bottom with cocaine use or something, and told God to do anything to get his attention, even breaking his legs if necessary. Thankfully that didn't happen, but Michael did have a sort of renewal of his faith and in all honesty although his singing sucks his personal story is inspiring. Then there was the story of Rich Mullins, who also died prematurely at the height of his popularity. Mullins is the guy who wrote that well-known chorus "Our God is an Awesome God," and it's a good piece of worship music in all honesty. However, this Indiana-born Quaker farm boy was also one who did his own thing, and although he faced a lot of challenges (including alcohol issues), an observer of his story comes away realizing this man was genuine, consistent, and there is much to admire about him as a person - despite making literally millions in royalties, Mullins chose to live on a modest $25K a year and he also kept his profile minimal. Then come to find out, he was just on the verge of converting to the Catholic Church when he was killed in a tragic car accident in 1997. I feel the same way about Michael W. Smith and Rich Mullins though that I also do about people like Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, and Gene Simmons - not a fan of the music, but respect them as decent human beings. It also works the other way too - for instance, I love Billy Strayhorn's compositions (especially the great stuff he wrote with Ellington) but his lifestyle appalled me (in case some people who are not jazz fans don't know, Billy Strayhorn was as gay as a picnic basket). I think Ozzy Osbourne in all honesty probably had a better chance at heaven than Billy Strayhorn did. It proves that oftentimes the cover does not say much about the content of the book, something I was trying to educate my parish priest about today. That was not where I was going with the discussion so I will get back on track.
The problem with the CCM industry since a bunch of greedy corporate types started seeing it as a cash cow in the mid-1970s is the same one with most other contemporary music - it is canned, repetitive, and devoid of originality. It just wants a good sound to tickle ears and sell, even if the message is so repetitive and annoying that it makes you want to whack your own self in the head with a rolling pin when you hear it more than twice. CCM and the modern Catholic Church have that in common nowadays - they don't like new voices or original talent, and tend to let great potential rot on the vine rather than cultivating it. This goes back to what is meant by transcendental properties of being in the philosophical context. There are three things deemed as transcendental properties of being, and they are truth, beauty and goodness. God is the complete incarnation of all of them - God is perfect truth, he is perfect beauty, and he is perfect goodness. A fourth property - love - could also be included, but that is a whole category in itself. God gave every human person brains, and with those brains an inclination toward these three things which reflects the individuality he gifted each of us. How we use them is what is integral - do we use them or let them be wasted? Also, what about when others fail to see them, and tell you that you are not "good enough" to do this, or that, because you didn't include a cover letter with a resume? The hilarious thing about that is when I have been rejected for things I know I would be called to and excellent at, often the person chosen over me tends to fall miserably short, and whoever gave them that opportunity ends up regretting it. Likewise, often people are pigeonholed by society and the need to survive to just settle for things they don't belong in, such as a crappy job that suppresses their natural talents, and often they become so burnt-out and discontented they leave on their own free will. It is always good that you and God know the truth, but you still come up short on your rent. That is perhaps the most constricting part of the current age we live in - people do not live up to their potential because often they are denied those things which could help them realize it. This is going to lead to people having a lot to answer for one day, and unlike the quack psychopath Anthony Fauci, they can't plead the fifth to protect themselves. Any rate, just wanted to share that.
This is really all I needed to say tonight on these issues, so I will see you next visit.
