O happy fault,
O necessary sin of Adam
which gained for us
so great a Redeemer!
Leave it to God to turn one of the most horrific (and stupid) events in human history into the occasion for the most glorious and blessed event in human history. The Fall, unnecessary and debilitating as it was to mankind, was overturned and then some by the Incarnation, Passion, and death of Christ. As we struggle with difficult circumstances, we do well to recall God’s unparalleled ability to turn good from ill.
Strangely enough, I was reminded of the felix culpa in thinking about the many public verbal gaffes that this and the former Pope are said to have made. The more prominent examples include Regensburg and the Muslims, condoms for AIDS victims in Africa, and the relatively recent “Get into Heaven Free” cards given to homosexuals and atheists. You can chalk a big portion of the kerfuffles up to media ignorance on pretty much anything having to do with Christianity; well, ignorance or a determined bias toward reporting quotations that can be spun in a sensationalistic way, and glossing over standard, traditional catechesis and evangelism.
But perhaps more is at work than media distortion. Might we see the finger of God in these misstatements?
…and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say. For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you[r foot in your mouth] (Mt 10:18-20, with likely copyist addition).
Oops.
Train_Stood_On_its_Nose.jpg at wikimedia commons
What effect have these gaffes had? Certainly they feed into the public perception of the Church as antiquated and out of touch, but there’s more than a bit of confirmation bias there. What effect has it had on Catholics? If you’re like me, the “kinda serious Catholic person” amongst your friends and acquaintances, then you’ve involuntarily become the Papal public relations spokesperson, fielding questions like “What did the Pope mean when he said X?” “Is he changing Church teaching?” “Are you guys really going to finally allow contraception?” “Seriously, atheists get into heaven? They have to stay on your side, then.” “I bet Francis allows gay marriage by the end of the year.” Whether we like it or not, we should “always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope (1 Peter 3:15),” or for any explanation about the faith.
Is the Holy Spirit allowing these public relations evils to happen for the greater good of jarring complacent Catholics into learning about their faith? He did it to me in allowing me to get into heated discussions with my then-Baptist fiancee, and I got married and became a kinda serious Catholic person as a result of it. The speed with which these gaffes get publicized, thanks to social media, challenge us to know our faith when the inevitable questions come.
O happy gaffe,
O predictable misquotation of Francis
which gained for us
so great a respect for the index of the Catechism!