Fr. Pacwa at St. Theodore's

Father Mitch Pacwa spoke at St. Theodore's last night. The topic was St. Paul, and he provided some interesting insights into St. Paul's times and life. I certainly feel inspired to read Acts and the Letters again!

Someone raised a question about how we can evangelize, especially in the workplace where it is often not allowed.

Fr. Pacwa talked about simply "doing little things" and acting like a Catholic and in that way inviting questions. Wearing a scapular, for example, or saying grace when about to eat in a public place. "People will ask you questions ... you gotta get people to question."

He mentioned that people will often raise objections about the Church, frequently noting that they were once Catholic but ...

One objection involves bad popes (or, for that matter, bad bishops and priests). He pointed out that the reason people know about these bad ones is the Church keeps the records. it is the source of the information in the first place, and doesn't just bury it. Moreover, he pointed out that even when they are bad, they still hold the office, and that the office deserves respect. He likened it to the military. You might have bad officers, but you still have to respect the rank of the officer.

One part I liked was that he emphasized doing so with a bit of humor to help lighten situations. Certainly better than thumping people over the head! I'm bad at that part.

Two other points he made got me thinking - perhaps in ways he hadn't intended. He mentioned the Pharisees, who were primarily lay people obsessed with the minutia of the law. The Traditionalists and there obsessions with rubrics and canon law? And he talked about folks who wanted to cling to and even go back into the old Covenant - the folks who want to go back to Pre- Vatican II ways? Hmm.

Overall, enjoyable.