Not unrelated to my earlier post, there was a sermon that nicely summed up what is wrong with some Catholic teaching this past Advent. Gaudete Sunday is a Sunday in Advent when we allow ourselves to think a bit about the coming joy of Christ's presence.
Our priest that day decided to preach on the theme of real joy. Here we are in the midst of a season of sacrifice and we take a moment or two to anticipate our coming joy. So what is real joy?
If you guessed that his message was that real joy is even more sacrifice, you guessed correctly. This priest sees Advent and Lent as two annual seasons of denial when we look forward to that glorious day when we will be able to deny ourselves all the time.
As much as I'd like to be able to say that this sermon had people streaming for the doors, the truth is that the entire congregation sat through it with the same blank expressions we always affect for sermons. Come leaving time, however, the people divided into two distinct groups.
Some people at the mass loved this message and rushed to shake Father's hand and congratulate him on it. Deeply committed to an ascetic lifestyle—out of which they get a sense of emotional satisfaction and a feeling of psychological peace—they loved hearing a priest tell them they were living the right way. This way of life suits them and they are comfortable with the thought of doing it forever. If you told them that heaven was a place where no one ever craved chocolate croissants, they'd be thrilled.
They have already had their reward.
Others shuffled off at the end deliberately avoiding the door where Father was standing shaking hands. Miserable, unhappy people that they are, they looked forward to a reward and probably found a temporary one at Sunday Brunch. If you told them that chocolate croissants offer just the tiniest glimpse of infinitely greater joys that await us in heaven, they'd be thrilled.
They have not yet had their reward.
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