by Jim Sano
Tom nodded. “Those were on my list too and to address those I needed to understand the significance of Jesus becoming man and the Church He left us. God loves us unconditionally, without end and without fail. Throughout history, He continuously worked to renew our relationship or covenant with Him, despite how often we turned our backs on Him and found worth in our other gods, whether it be ourselves, or pleasure, power, money, or possessions. When Jesus was born, He took on the flesh of a human being and was both fully human and fully divine. He gave everything, even His life, to show us how much He loved us and wanted us.”
David interrupted. “You know, I never did get why God had to make His son die to forgive and save us.”
“That is a great question and hard to answer when we assume that God is an angry, revengeful, and cruel God. God can only love. He loved us so much that He gave us the gift of free will to have a relationship with Him. We are children of a loving God and made to love and trust His loving plan for each one of us. When Adam and Eve didn’t trust God, the devil convinced them they could be gods and the deciders of what is right and wrong. The problem wasn’t with the apple in the tree but with the ‘pair’ on the ground, who committed an offense against an infinite God.”
David smiled at the pun. “Are you saying that there would be no integrity or justice in the relationship if they didn’t make amends but because the offense was an infinite one, they really couldn’t repay?”
Tom exclaimed, “Wow. Very few people would see that.”
“I don’t know that I actually believe that there were an Adam and Eve but let me play this out. Since the injustice had to be repaid by man, but couldn’t be because man is not infinite, God had to lower Himself to become a man to make the payment because He was God at the same time?”
“David, I think you missed your calling. You should’ve been a theologian.”
“Yeah right, but there is some poetry to this.”
“How about this? When Jesus was dragged before Pontius Pilate, Pilate said that he found no guilt in Jesus, but the people called for him to be crucified. There was a tradition once a year to set a prisoner free, and Pilate picked the worst one called Barabbas, thinking that the people would naturally pick Jesus to be let go. But they didn’t, and Pilot washed his hands of the case. Most people don’t notice the significance of the innocent Jesus standing next to the actual criminal Barabbas and taking his place to die on the cross.”
David and Tom were quiet for a second, and then David spoke up. “Do you mean that we are the ones who sin against God and didn’t trust Him, but God took our place to serve the punishment and pay the price?”
“Yes, the greatest act of love. Jesus experienced ridicule by many, abandonment by His closest friends and one friend turned Him in for a few coins. He was mocked and experienced stress, incredible suffering. The scourging tore the skin off His back, and finally the most painful form of execution by crucifixion that slowly crushed his lungs under the weight of His collapsing body hanging by nails—all for sins we commit every day without much thought at all.”
David sat back and took in a long breath. “That’s a lot to think about, but what does that have to do with the Catholic Church?”
“The Church is the Body of Christ. It is like a two-sided coin, messy, sinful, dysfunctional, and corrupt on one side and beautiful, giving, wise, and the source of truth and love on the other side because it’s both human, us slobs, and divine, the body of Christ. It’s both because Christ took on flesh and was both human and divine, and the Church He left us is both human and, at its core, divine. So, you will see corruption and the failings of the sinners who are in the Church, but the Church itself is the pillar and foundation of truth and love in Christ at the same time. We can’t lose sight of that part and that the Church doesn’t have the capacity to teach anything but the truth when it comes to faith. The Church does incredible good every day as the single largest provider of social services on the planet, including feeding, clothing and sheltering, educating, providing healthcare, and other services for the poor all around the world. Before I learned about the Catholic Church, that was not something I was aware of.”
“That’s fine but why are they so anti-science, if not just to hold onto myths and power?”
“The Church has been far from anti-science from the beginning. The Church is focused on truth and has appreciated revealing that truth through art, literature, and yes, science. The Church sponsored science from early on and was responsible for creating the scientific method. It also created the first hospitals to care for the poor and the university system for education. I also found out how many priests were physicists, astronomers, doctors, and scientists—and Catholic scientists such as Copernicus, Descartes, Newton, Kepler, and Pascal were devoutly religious. The Church has always been a promoter of true science since it reveals the beauty, truth and incredible design of the universe, big and small.”
“Then why would they torture and imprison Galileo just for discovering the truth about the earth and the universe?”
Tom smiled. “I will admit that it’s more of a complex tale than most people want to hear. There were bad decisions on both sides, but the majority of what you and I believed is propaganda that many have been all too willing and even eager to believe. Aristotle taught that the earth was unmoving and the center of creation. Almost all astronomers accepted that view of the cosmos without question, but Galileo was intrigued by Copernicus’s heliocentric theory. With a crude telescope he invented, he began to gain some evidence through observation. While scientists and academics of the day weren’t convinced because Galileo had not yet proved his theory by the scientific standards of the day, Galileo moved from proposing it as theory and began proclaiming it as truth.
“Galileo was asked to present his findings to Pope Paul V and Cardinal Robert Bellarmine. Galileo hadn’t proved his theory and couldn’t answer the strongest argument against it. Despite popular storytelling even to this day, Galileo was actually warmly welcomed and asked to continue working to prove his theory before stating it as an absolute fact, and also not to present it on theological grounds until it was proven. Galileo had agreed but then didn’t comply with the pope’s request. He also wrote a piece in which the pope felt mocked, and this didn’t go over well with a pope who felt betrayed. Galileo wasn’t tortured, but he was forced to recant his proclamations about his theory and was put under a comfortable house arrest. There were proponents of Galileo in the Vatican as well as opponents, but it’s interesting to note that Galileo ended up being half right and half wrong in his theory since he also proclaimed that the sun was the fixed center of the universe.”
“Are you saying that everyone in the Church was clean on their handling of Galileo and in all their actions?”
“I don’t think so. Remember that the Church was under a huge amount of upheaval at the time of the Protestant Reformation. They were on the defensive, but as one noted scientist, Alfred Whitehead, said in the age of burning witches by Protestants, ‘the worst that happened to the men of science was that Galileo suffered an honorable detention and a mild reproof.’ The Church has acknowledged that Galileo’s condemnation was wrong. The rejection of his theories, however, were stronger among Protestants and his fellow scientists than the Church.”
“Huh. That sounds so different from what I’ve heard for so many years.”
“You mentioned the Crusades and the infamous Spanish Inquisition. Are you up for the skinny on either of those? If you want to read up on the actual history as compared to the tales that have found their way into history textbooks and college professors’ lectures, I can get you some.”
“I will take the skinny version only, please.”
“I will give you the Crusades in one minute. For four centuries, the Muslim expansion by the sword had captured two-thirds of the Christian world and destroyed thousands of churches, including the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, where the tomb of Jesus lay. The Emperor of Constantinople made a desperate plea for ai
d from the West to help defend the faith and culture itself. This was the birth of the Crusades as Pope Urban II rallied the knights to push back on the conquest and free the captured Holy Land where Christians suffered torture, slavery, and imprisonment. There were good and bad things that happened in a string of Crusades but the myths that we hear today were developed by anti-Catholic Protestants in the 16th century, and I can say that because I was an anti-Catholic Protestant. In any war, there will be awful things that happen, but the idea that rich knights gave up their treasures and lives for the sake of getting richer isn’t historically accurate, and the injustices to Jews during some marches were highly condemned by the Church.”
David said, “As long as we are in history class, how do you get around the Spanish Inquisition?”
Tom laughed. “Do you really want more?”
“Let’s get it over with.”
Tom sat up. “Okay, so try to forget what you think you know from Mel Brooks and Monty Python. A couple of things to keep in mind. First, the ‘Black Legend’ about the now-infamous Spanish Inquisition was started by Protestants, especially in countries that were enemies of Spain. Secondly, there were two players to think about, the king and the Church. The king was primarily interested in safeguarding his kingdom and the Church was trying to save souls. At that time, faith was in the very fabric of the culture, including science, philosophy, politics and personal identity and salvation. It was about universal truth, and so heresy struck at the heart of truth and tore apart the fabric of the community. Also, kings believed their authority came from God, and neither the king nor the common people had much tolerance for what was a serious crime against the State, not the Church. By Roman law, heresy was a capital offense as was damaging shrubbery in a public garden in London. It was a different time and there was also witch hysteria in Europe that killed 60,000 people because there was no strong court-hearing system in most places. Does that make sense so far? I don’t want to put you to sleep.”
David looked up at the blue sky and nodded. “Keep going.”
“So, the question was how to discern heresy in order to stop unjust executions. You would need people who were well educated and trained in the faith to have a fair trial, because heretics would be considered traitors to God, and therefore, to the king. To the Church, the accused were lost sheep who had strayed. A fair inquisition, which is simply an inquiry, provided a means to escape death and a way to rejoin the community. Since the Church had the only people trained in theology, they were asked to run the inquiry, and they had strict rules on the process but no authority to apply any penalties. They did keep detailed records and most people were acquitted. If the accused were found guilty, they could confess their sin and do penance if they were sincere, but if they were unrepentant, then the Church handed them over to the State authorities. Torture was rare and only done by the State with strict guidelines, limited to fifteen minutes, done with a physician present and recorded by a non-cleric. Any confession had to be repeated the following day to ensure it was sincere. No major court at the time had fewer executions, less than one percent of cases, and they were considered the most humane court and prisons in Europe. The only abuse came when authority slipped from the pope to the kings in the 14th century. During this same time, it was the secular inquisitions that burned thousands in Germany, while places like Italy and Spain that had Church-run inquisitions, found the witchcraft claims false.”
Eyebrows furrowed, David asked, “You mean to tell me that the Inquisition was fairer than state trials and helped to save people from unfair convictions and punishment?”
Tom nodded. “In most cases, yes. So, what was the deal in Spain? Spain had conquered the Muslim jihad in the 8th century, so Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in a diverse and tolerant way, which was rare in the Middle Ages. However, anti-Semitism did creep into the society over time and baptism or death was forced by the state, not the Church. Church doctrine held that forced baptisms were invalid, thus allowing Jews to return to their religion. However, most Jews didn’t go back and voluntarily converted while they still lived like Jews and were called ‘Conversos.’ The Pope met with Jewish leaders on the situation, but only more Jews converted, which led to more tension.
“By the 15th century, the Conversos had gained power and wealth, which led to anti-Semitic pushback by those believing it was a conspiracy to secretly overtake the country and the Church from within by insincere converts. Most were, in fact, good Catholics who took pride in their bloodline back to Christ. King Ferdinand and Queen Isabelle requested that the Church help them with an inquisition to investigate. The King had full authority in the inquisition to help calm the built-up resentment by both Christians and Jews. Both sides accused large numbers of Conversos, overwhelming the process, but Ferdinand believed the problem of secret Jews was real and needed to be dealt with.
“The process drifted from Church standards, and this resulted in abuse and confusion early on. While most Conversos were acquitted, there were publicized burnings based on clearly false testimonies. Pope Sixtus issued a letter to the local bishops of his concerns about the imprisonment of the innocent, torture, deprivation of goods and property, and unjust executions. The Church ordered bishops to take direct control to ensure well-established norms for justice were respected, that the accused had legal counsel and rights of appeal to ensure fair treatment, and that salvation of souls was the focus. The King didn’t follow the Pope’s requests, and the process went out of control. I found that the actual history has been greatly distorted in a propaganda effort and few people have felt much incentive to find out what is true and what is fiction when it fit what they wanted to believe.”
David nodded. “And I thought you just wanted a run today.”
“You brought it up.”
“Remind me to not do that again. So how did all that information bring you to decide to do what you do?”
Tom asked, “You mean being a priest?”
“Yes, you know what I mean. What got you to pull the trigger?”
“The stuff about Galileo, the Crusades, and the Inquisition was just getting the garbage out of the way and the foggy glasses off. The real momentum came by learning the truth, listening, getting involved and praying, and then I started to see things better and clearer. I felt freer as I let go of my own notions and trusted God’s. When I decided to give my life to this gig, it was the greatest feeling I ever had, and I’ve felt a deep sense of peace and purpose ever since. This may sound strange but when you become a priest, you are married to the Church in that you give your entire being to her. So, if I have ever seemed a bit zealous in defending the Church, I’m just sticking up for my girl, so to speak. It has been a privilege to be invited into people’s lives, their celebrations, their intimate struggles, their joy, and their pains. I love being a parish priest more than anything I’ve ever done, except, of course, beating you on the court.”
They both laughed and watched the world go by for a while longer before begrudgingly getting themselves up.
On their way back, Tom said, “I know you said your mom would regularly criticize the Church, but how do you feel personally?”
David was quiet and then answered, “I don’t know anymore. I feel a sense of resentment and resistance to it, and I don’t think I trust it. I just know that I don’t need it and see no reason to think otherwise.”
“Well, thanks for being honest. I’ll try not to take it personally, but I’ve often found that there’s usually something deeper involved when people feel a strong sense of resentment toward the Church.”
“Like what?”
“Most guys who are either atheists or have a strong resentment towards the Church or God often had relationship issues with their dad. I don’t mean to pry, but were you and your dad close?”
David started fidgeting and rubbed his right hand through his hair. He tried to respond but nothing was coming out of his mouth. Tom must’ve sensed David’s high level of discomfort and put
his hand on David’s shoulder to apologize. David instinctively pulled his shoulder back. “Sorry, I have to go,” he said and headed home, leaving Tom standing at the intersection.
Chapter 30
The next morning, David was still feeling angry at Tom for invading an area he didn’t want to revisit but embarrassed about abruptly walking away like that. He went to work on Monday feeling no more at peace about it or about his life in general. What was he so afraid of when someone asked about his father? It happened. It’s over. He had moved on. But all his time with Tom was making him wonder about the point of his life. So, why had he been so driven, while avoiding close relationships with others, certainly with God? If he met himself, what would he think? Would he want to befriend him? Why did Tom want to be friends with him? Tom never asked him for anything and gave his friendship freely with no advantage to himself. Who else in his life felt that way about him? Until he was eight, he would’ve said his father. Now, the only other person, besides Tom, seemed to be Kathleen. David had pulled the rug out from underneath her when he walked out, but he felt no hate from her, no revenge, and no repayment for justice. Maybe that was her way of making him feel guilty, but that didn’t fit who she was.
His mind was racing, and he told Izzie that he was going to take a walk and she could get him on his phone if she needed him. Once down on the street, he decided to walk over to Tom’s to apologize for being so abrupt on Saturday. As he approached, he saw Tom at one of the large wooden doors heading into the church. Tom spotted David out of the corner of his eye and turned to descend the handful of granite stairs with a welcoming smile. Before David could say a word, Tom reached out his hand. “David, it’s so good to see you. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am for intruding the other day.”
David’s eyes welled up for a second before he collected himself. “I think you have it backward. I came here to apologize to you for walking off like that. You’ve been a good friend and deserve better than a rude reaction like that.”
