Faith Nourished

I am curious why people resist tradition. Sometimes I will ask people directly (when I know they will not take it personally) why it is that they do not want to be a part of a traditional parish, and instead choose the more modern and contemporary parishes. The majority of the answers are the same: "I like it", or "the music is nice", or "my friends are there", and even, "it is entertaining". All these answers are self referential. They are dependent on what the speaker's personal preferences are.

Never have I heard someone say he avoids tradition because, "my faith is nourished there so I am becoming more holy" (it may be out there, but I have never heard it). I do not think it is an accident that this answer is given so rarely. What does it mean to be "nourished" and become more "holy"? It is certainly more than a simple happiness. I have seen pagans be happy when someone they hate is miserable; that is clearly not holiness. Is it ever right to choose a church because we "like" something about it? No. We are supposed to choose a church because it is going to get us to Heaven (even if we have to go kicking and screaming).

Pope Francis a few years back said that if someone's faith was nourished at an Ordinariate parish, they are welcome to join there. This presumes that for your faith to be "nourished", it is something that you can recognize and distinguish from something that is fully self-serving. Yet, few Catholics today have their consciences formed rightly, so few are able to discern this. They keep doing what they are used to, because it is familiar. Because they are still in the Church, they believe that means their faith is growing. Not always the case.

Thus, if someone chooses to remain at a parish that is something other than traditional (and I personally know many who do), then the presumption is that their faith is nourished there. Let us hope and pray that we each can examine our hearts to make sure that we are not staying where we are just because we are "happy" or "entertained", but because we are becoming truly holy--which is the only right reason to be there.