“Hell, and Damnation” 

Last week I was at one of the local Bay Area Catholic Churches (Northern region of California) and received quite the surprise. The local Deacon was delivering the Gospel and associated homily. It was based on the importance of the Eucharist, which no one in the Catholic tradition would likely deny. Certainly, the sanctuary which was filled with worshipers would not push back on this observation. But then he started to get really into it. Within a short period, we were transported to a place of Hell and damnation theology where the importance of the sacraments of reconciliation and the Eucharist were determined to be our only clear admittance to heaven. 

After noting that only 17 percent of Catholics in the USA attend Mass weekly (the actual stat is 23 percent according to a recent Gallup poll), the Deacon then declared that only those receiving the Eucharist were going to gain admittance to heaven. (Not a great outcome for non-Catholics BTW). The implication was that only this small percentage was heading upwards, the rest elsewhere. I could feel the mood changing in the Church as he was speaking, even amongst these dedicated worshippers. After all, he was talking to the 17% he mentioned in the homily. I digress. 

I felt like I had been transported back to my elementary school catechists (Irish nuns) of the 1960s, even those wonderful nuns were not spouting as rigorous or rigid a message as the one coming forthwith. This is the sort of message that causes others to consider whether they should be attending at all. The Deacon continued to mention the grave sin of missing Mass at all, and its consequences of leaving a soul in a state of serious sin, with dire consequences. The Deacon, then by now unceasing, was not just emphasizing the consequences of not receiving the Eucharist, but also then encouraged the congregation to communicate this message to encourage their family and friends who were not attending the service tonight. Fear and retribution are rarely a good method of evangelization; however, this was not just being proposed … but actively promoted. 

Now, while you could say there were certain elements of Catholic teaching embedded in the content of this scary homily, it certainly could not be considered invitational to those who were either planning a return to the Catholic Church or those first visiting. This sounded like some of those outside the Church see the Catholic faith; that is judgmental, inflexible, and downright scary. This is not the Church that I know, not even the Church I grew up with. Those nuns from Ireland professed God’s love in their teaching, although sometimes sprinkled with corporal punishment for bad classroom behavior. 😉 

Do we get to heaven by avoiding going to hell? Keeping us out of hell may be the good intentions of the Deacon, but I am not sure he is going to convince many in this process. 
Perhaps it wasn’t just the Deacon I felt for after the Mass was concluded that day. (BTW he did interject after the blessing and make a clarification he was only talking about people who could make it to Church, and not those who were ill or unable to travel). So perhaps he realized himself that he had gone too far. 

Those I felt sorry for were those who were to take his message home. How were they feeling? Should they recite it perfectly to their family, friends, and neighbors and perhaps risk further estrangement? 

I know the Deacon’s heart is a good one, but how can we expect others to flock toward us when a message relies on scaring someone? The message of Christ’s love for us is prevalent in all Catholic teaching. Why not lead with this, and those who find the love, beauty, and grace that the Eucharist encapsulates, may be joined by many more than the current 23% of those who participate. 

For those of you reading this who are not of the Catholic faith, I can assure you this message is not the onramp that most of us use as an introduction to Christianity, particularly the Catholic variety. 

As John Duns Scotus, a great Franciscan theologian once declared. “God is love, and Love is God”. 

Reflection and photograph Copyright 2024 Michael J. Cunningham OFS