The Protestant moment?:

...The sacrifice is Orthodox parishes were started by laypeo- can't be blamed on Vatican II or Humanae seen by many as too much to ask of a fam- vitae...

...The positive side of this is a great This is the least that can be said about the people knew more intimately than deal of lay responsibility, and a genuine a traditional religion, and even this least their celibate counselors...

...Catholicism looks toward son for this is plainly not celibacy...

...O'Brien...

...pick-and-choose approach to Catholic fact that most live in housing provided by Then there is the question of congre- teaching, and so forth-but variations on the churches they serve, or are given a hous- gationalism...

...Since December of last year Which should lead to some caution, on selections are from Theological I have served as pastor of a small Orthodox the part of those Catholics who blame Investigations, written from the early 1950's to the 1980'schurch in New York...

...A number of tainly true that the restriction of ordina- fession...

...There is really little in the America before it was yours...

...It has never been offered as an and make them feel good about themalternative to personal confession, and selves-in other words, a religion that will the fear that it will replace private con- leave them where they are, one comfession seems misplaced: many people in...

...America, is likely to face a priest short- than Greek churches...

...But the belief that a change in considered...

...One must defend consciously programmed and called up in the church from erroneous sinners...

...Judaism, of course, doesn't have to ily...

...The goes against the American grain...

...and this is something their Orth- Orthodox believe that any teaching of the tion to celibates is a major part of the odox grandparents would not have church about any aspect of morality (aborproblem...

...Eighty of the key 174 Catholicism...

...This was our problem in this theme can be found in Orthodox ing allowance...

...It is true that the exodus of priests Commonweal 8 October 1993: following Vatican II doesn't have an people who now feel free to come to Finally, we have our own equivalent of Orthodox equivalent, and it is almost cer- Communion without having gone to con- "cafeteria Catholicism...

...Immediate moral turbu- Church Year UFOs...

...the tradition number of priests may be incorrect...

...VILLAGt worry about Christian problems with the Or take the matter of the decline in prac- priesthood, confession, etc...

...these parishes still come to confession- The real question here may be the place but in all parishes, there are a significant "First a vicar who doesn't believe in God of traditional religion in a culture that celnumber (in some parishes a majority) who and now the butcher's become a vegetarian...

...As Karl (as do philosophers and theologians) on Rahner once said, "no doctrine of God is the nature and function of the uncon- possible any more without a doctrine of scious, as well as on the question of man, no theology without anthropology...

...churches with a Slavic background of the church isn't really consulted...

...but it is true, and true of the range of Rahner's theological True enough, and true not only of Orthodox as well...

...The to such an inadequate model of persons problem here is that psychologists disagree and their moral functioning...

...There are some Orth- among some Jews I know a real hostility odox churches where Communion is to Orthodox Judaism, which is seen as too infrequent, where confession is expected demanding and too serious about traditions before each Communion...

...lence threatens once again...

...0 10: 8 October 1993 Commonweal...

...gregationalism of American Protestant the similarity, certainly with regard to this S24-95 Christianity, and the pragmatic rationali- movement away from the communal, hier- Karl Rahner ty of our economic and business systems archical, and sacramental understanding THE CONTENT are increasingly congenial to the mindset of the church toward a pragmatic, con- OF FAITH of American Catholics...

...The own jurisdiction, the Orthodox Church in are more likely to emphasize confessions authority here is the zeitgeist...

...The Orthodox didn't have Humanae ribly attenuated in a great many churches...

...showed itself unrealistic about a problem gation...

...Apart from the sense that the people are the church...

...pletely incapable of transforming them...

...fined to penitential seasons like Lent and Habits of the Heart, by Robert N. Bellah, Advent...

...All of these rep- gregational, and individualistic approach The Best of Karl Rahner's resent enticing alternatives to the com- to church membership...

...another minefield of controversies...

...thought...

...Papal K r~ The KARL persons who "remember" that they took authority becomes one with the Truth, the NER part in satanic rituals, or were sexually whole Truth, and nothing but the Truth- Great abused as children, or were abducted by so help us, God...

...It has been an in- Vatican II, or Humanae vitae, or sexual s42.50 teresting experience...

...comes askew there will be repercussions Human memory and its function open in your moral theology...

...He also quotes Psalm 19 twice, Ratzinger and the pope becoming wedded "Free me from my unknown guilt...

...whether we could ever possess unknown It follows that when your anthropology bemoral guilt...

...Most Christianity and Judaism, and obviously way of a "career path...

...Here I'm passing over a dif- tion and premarital sex among them) must this discipline would lead to an adequate ference in practice in various jurisdic- be decided by the individual...

...Un- Perhaps the worst effect of Ratzinger's Collections fortunately for a concept of anamnesis, we views is that they justify silencing dissent now know that false memories can be un- and reasoned dialogues...

...In a number of Orthodox Church et al., spoke convincingly of the tendenin America parishes, general confession cy of Americans to seek a religion that will is offered, often in conjunction with satisfy them, confirm their expectations, Vespers...

...ebrates individualism...

...I am not sure who Theological Writings munal, hierarchical, and sacramental it was who said, "In America, even the Edited by Karl Kehmann and Albert Raffelt understandings that lie at the heart of Catholics are Protestants" (Conor Cruise Fully captures the encyclopedic Catholicism...

...To go from theo- scandals involving priests, for such phelogical discussions in seminary classrooms, nomena as "cafeteria Catholicism," the de- At bookstores or from the publisher to reading articles on feminine images of cline in the number of priests, the fact that 1-800-937-5557 the Holy Spirit in early Syriac Christianity, few people go to confession, and so forth...

...I dread seeing for guilt...

...1-1 Con ent of Faith TW BEST OF OF SEVERAL MINDS John Garvey Karl Rahner THE PROTESTANT MOMENT...

...there is a reality beyond them...

...I think fact that in all likelihood most Catholics negative side is parochialism: the sense this is more a problem for America than didn't go to confession to ask priests for of Orthodoxy as a worldwide church, and for Orthodoxy, Catholicism, or Judaism, advice, but rather to confess their sins, this of the parish as a community which par- but it is a problem that has consequences doesn't square with the Orthodox experi- ticipates in a much larger reality, is ter- for Americans who want to be in touch ence...

...The rea- case that Communion is increasingly seen to be parochial...

...essarily communal: they place us in the Some Catholic scholars have located the pie, immigrants who asked the churches presence of the shared voices of many genproblem in Humanae vitae: people began in their mother countries to send them erations, and insist that if we choose to disto make up their minds...

...on significant priests, and then proceeded to regard the agree with the harmony that can be found moral questions without priestly help, this resulting church as their own domain, and there we may be seriously out of touch with line of reasoning goes, when the Vatican the priest as the employee of the congre- reality...

...the great as a private decision, having little to do its own particular history to see how and majority of our parish priests are married...

...An inspirational treasure for ember 10, 1993), Margaret O'Brien There are many differences between anyone joyfully anticipating a Steinfels writes, "The prevailing Catholic and Orthodox parishes, but prayerfully reflective sojourn individualism, the tempting con- what struck me in Steinfels's quote was through the church year...

...New York, NY 10017 Catholic Reporter and Christian Century), Take the decline in the number of to go from this into a parish, and then to priests...

...CROSSROAD then to further reading (like much of what A comparison with the Orthodox experi- 370 Lexington Avenue appears in Commonweal and National ence might be interesting...

...THE GREAT RELIGION IN THE UNITED STATES CHURCH YEAR Edited by Albert Raffelt and Harvey D. Egan Here is the definitive collection n her contribution to Common- see what most people regard as their reli- of Karl Rahner's homilies, meditations, and retreat conferences...

...with the communal nature of the church, why people have jumped ship, stopped The reason, more likely, is the relatively and the communal dimension of sin with confessing, left the priesthood, taken a low salaries most priests are paid, and the which confession is meant to deal...

...but there is tice of confession...

...with their traditions, who feel a love for vitae to contend with, of course, but al- Although this has its origin in American them, and yet do not feel capable of movthough the decline in the use of confes- Orthodox church history, it has been re- ing beyond the quest for autonomy and insion may not be as apparent as it is in the inforced by the Protestant congregation- dividualism-indeed, can't imagine that Catholic experience, we have a great many al mentality to which Steinfels points...

...My tions...

...It remains true in any The point of this is that all of us tend age in the relatively near future...

...Traditions are necsimply never go to confession...

...Increasingly, which don't square with life in the modhowever, the trend is toward frequent em world-at least with the lives a lot of Communion, and confession may be con- us want to lead...

...Ratzinger quotes an existentialist psy- Well, you can see the problem of relychologist, Albert Gorres, to support his case ing on the unconscious...

...weal's forum on the laity (Sept- gious life, is instructive...