Scottish Catholic Observer

The many wise words shared during Holy Week, at the Vatican and here in Scotland, were uplifting indeed. Actions, however, do speak even louder than words: Actions such as Pope Francis washing the feet of young prisoners; actions such as Archbishop Philip Tartaglia asking the congregation of St Mary’s Cathedral in Edinburgh to stand with the clergy as they renewed their priestly commitment at the Chrism Mass; and such as Bishop Joseph Devine heading to a remote Motherwell parish on Good Friday to show his pastoral care for a newly installed parish priest and his congregation.

There is so much good in our Church that it pains us all to look or acknowledge anything that is less than glowing, especially as others outside our Faith have historically, and currently, been only too quick to do so.

What is it about being Catholic that often makes us too afraid to ask questions of our Faith, and condemn those who do? Genuine questions are not doubts, nor trouble making. Often they are opinions or constructive queries that can be addressed and discussed if we all keep an open mind.

However, just before going to press this week, the SCO received a knee-jerk reaction to an opinion article in the SCO comment section. It read: “I thought this paper was a supporter of the Catholic Faith, this article seems to say otherwise.” Upon rereading the opinion piece, the reader withdrew their objection.

It appears, then, that we have a long way to go to leave the ‘if you are not for us, you are against us’ mentality behind and see that the Catholic Faith can withstand more than a little scrutiny and survive intact after participation in ecumenical and interfaith discussion. In fact, in the Year of Faith, we may all even grow stronger in the Catholic Faith as a result of such scrutiny and dialogue. Thankfully Pope Francis has lead the way this Easter. He prayed for peace in the Middle East and stronger Christian-Muslim dialogue at the torch-lit ceremony for Good Friday.

And, during the Good Friday Service, Papal preacher Fr Raniero Cantalamessa said: “We must do everything to prevent the Church from becoming Kafka’s castle, where it is impossible for the messenger to get word out to the world. So we must have the courage to knock them down and return the building to the simplicity and linearity of its origins.” He also spoke of impediments: “Dividing walls, starting with those that separate the various Christian churches from one another, the excess of bureaucracy, the residue of past ceremonials, laws and disputes, now only debris.”

We have this treasure of Faith ‘in vessels of clay.’ Like clay vessels, we can seem slightly ‘crazed’ and can be all too easily broken—but the treasure within is indestructible.