July 23, 2012, Tator Tots

I don’t get Tator Tots^®.  What I mean is, I don’t understand why people like them.  That little, deep-fried barrel of fake potato, to me, just doesn’t have much flavor, and the little flavor it does have is a far cry from any real potato I’ve ever tasted.  Of course, that’s just my opinion.

Be that as it may, I still, of my own volition, took a free sampling of a local restaurant’s version at lunch one day. I was not impressed.  They were no better than any potato barrel that has come before it. In fact, I thought it was worse than the ones you bake at home.

Looking at the outside of the infamous tots, I always think I will like them—but I never do.  

 
Now the exact opposite is true for those who look at the church from the outside.  Typically, they are happily surprised.  After listening to the cultural voice of the day, they think they know what to expect, but when they delve deeper into the Church, they are usually shocked that what they thought they knew is often not reality.

For example, some may think the Church is out-dated and requires its members to mindlessly follow a rigid set of rules; they are usually surprised to learn just how relevant the Church actually is, that its members are thoughtful people and that there is great freedom in practicing the faith.

 
Here in the church, our deepest longings are satisfied.  If we center our lives on the seven sacraments and the truth of God’s plan, Jesus’ fulfillment of it and how the Church continues it, everything begins to make sense.

But I realized one day that looking from the outside in, one might not understand why we do many of the things we do.  More disconcerting, however, is the fact that we (on the inside) often do not understand it very well ourselves.  That needs to change; perhaps we can learn a thing or two from our brothers and sisters in The South. 

Speaking about Catholics flowing into Protestant Churches, Father Jay Scott Newman, Pastor of St. Mary’s Church in Greenville, S.C., said:

“. . . .those who are casual cultural and cafeteria Catholics quickly become either ex-Catholics or evangelical Catholics, and that is paradoxically one of the reasons why our congregation and many other Southern parishes are flourishing: The unique challenge for Catholics seeking to live their Christian faith in the South leaves no room for spiritual mediocrity, doctrinal confusion, uncertain commitments or a lukewarm interior life.”  (ncregister.com, July 1, 2012)

Could it be that we have fallen into a lukewarm practice of our faith and that until we are required to explain and defend it we may remain so?

If the time ever comes when we are required to do so, will we be ready?

I would propose that the time has come, and to a large extent, we are not ready. I think the leadership of the Church is doing a good job trying to prepare us for this much-needed evangelization, but the laypeople of the church are going to really need to step into the game.

We don’t need a theologian’s understanding of the teachings of the Church, but we do need to be able to give witness to our love of Jesus, the Sacramental mysteries we live, and, perhaps, a good dose of old-fashioned zeal.

Our participation in the life of the Church, where we become equipped with the tools necessary to live out our baptismal call of love should be evident.

 
I would suggest that each of us commits to being more accountable, that we strive to learn something new we can share, every day, and that we find it within ourselves to make any necessary life changes that will more closely align us with God.

 
It is my hope that whenever anyone takes a closer look at the Church, that what they find on the inside stands in great contrast to any negative expectations they may bring with them.