Today’s Catholic and Mother Church

Editor:

I offer this reflection as a counterpoint to Mr. Massimini’s Aug. 26 column cataloguing some of the past embarrassments of our church.

One of the endearing images of our church is that of mother. I consider my own mother and how our relationship has changed over the years. When I was an immature teenager, my mother was probably the easiest person for me to criticize. (I thought I knew everything!) But by the grace of our God my mother and I outlived that phase of my life and I discovered the wisdom of the fourth commandment. My mother is to be honored, honored not because she is without fault but simply because she is my mother.

I could probably write an embarrassing expose about my natural mother as Mr. Massimini has done about the church. There is no doubt that Mother Church was and is flawed, but I think our basic attitude toward our Mother Church (as toward our natural mother) should be one of honor, which I found lacking in Mr. Massimini’s column.

I found it poignantly ironic that the Star Herald article headline on the opposite page to Mr. Massimini’s column was “Times when the church makes you feel proud” (over a column by Sister Mary Ann Walsh) with a picture of five 9-11 rescue workers carrying out the fallen body of Father Mychal Judge, a modern day martyr. The second century theologian Tertullian wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.” The early church prospered not but because her members were willing to criticize her but because her members were willing to die for her. I think that is still true today and it is conceivable that we may all get that opportunity.

Joe Sosnowsky

Ocean City