Let us admit it… American politics is polarized. People get very passionate about hot topic buttons, and both sides of the political spectrum seem to be blaming the other side for not doing enough or for being the cause of what is going on in society. Furthermore, it is often the extremists from both sides that get the most vocal when something happens, and the news media feed on these sensational outbursts, reactions, and rage baits because those things sell commercials, sponsorships, and viewership counts. We often end up with more divisiveness and blame-centered rhetoric, with people pointing fingers at one another for a short time, then things cool down until the next thing that will trigger another reaction. Sadly, we have allowed ourselves to take on an either-or mentality in many ways that we live our lives, and it has a detrimental effect on our everyday interactions. Nonetheless, there is a different way — a third way — that is centered on the holistic Catholic teachings that we must discern and put into practice with how we live our faith. Our true faith is much more than the either-or rhetoric because we are called to be both faithful to the Gospel and teachings of the Church as well as to evangelize, dialogue, and collaborate with one another with dignity and respect for the greater good of all.
If I may entertain you a little bit… Please let me share a little experience from my own perspective as a military Catholic priest who is serving our uniform personnel and their families. It can be challenging to be in a pluralistic environment as a priest. It can be tempting to choose the either-or option, because there are many reasons to do so, but we are both called to be faithful to our priestly vocation as well as the pastoral care that can be done for those who do not know the faith or have no understanding of anything that is higher than themselves.
Too oftentimes, I have seen my fellow brother priests and chaplains take on the either-or mentality: either worrying too much on their professional career side of the house at the sacrifice of their own ministerial duties and responsibilities, or only staying within their own ministerial comfort zone and forgetting their calling to cast the nets by being present and care for those who are without a faith. Without being stereotypical, one can see which side the person chooses to be when they worry only about showing face and doing things that benefit them professionally, or choose to be ignorant in developing their military professionalism because it is easier to do the things that they already know in ministry. Again, without being too stereotypical, it tends to be the Protestant chaplains who focus more on their professional and career side, while Catholic priests like to stay within the comfort of their own parish settings. Nonetheless, both sides have missed the point and forgotten who they truly are called to be as visible reminders of the Holy!
I am not going to focus a lot on our Protestant side within the Chaplain Corps because there are a lot of different issues that have to be addressed, and it would take a lot of time! Due to the diversity of theological differences, especially an underlying rift between the liturgical traditions and the evangelical or nondenominational conglomerate, there is no real consensus on what ministry looks like for the Protestant side of the house. There is also an increasing concern about those who quickly go through the pipeline through an online institution to get their degree, ordination, and pastoral experience to simply check the boxes, that there is a true lack of genuine pastoral sensitivity, maturity, and identity that can easily be warped and lost by worldly temptations and shallow careerism. There is, then, a pressure for a lot of them to focus on their military career because it is what puts food on the table, as well as a way for them to prove themselves as ministers. While there are great ones out there, and I have had opportunities to work alongside them, many tend to play it safe or do what they think will appeal to senior leaders to earn their places at the table. Due to the very nature of having more Protestant chaplains versus the low number of priests, they tend to have more time and opportunities to pursue better projects and assignments that set them apart or gain traction than priests. That is unfortunate in some cases because we have to fill essential billets first, so Catholic communities are cared for, while there are more who are free to go into specialized or embedded assignments. Nonetheless, not everything is as rosy as it seems because they do have to make some sacrifices with their own family life, because something has to give in order to get the mission done.
Switching to the Catholic side, I hope that priests remember that military chaplaincy is a “vocation within a vocation.” It is a particular vocation (on top of our priestly vocation) that God has called us into as we serve our Catholic military members and their families; therefore, we must remember that we are called to enter the mission field to plant, care, and lead others to a higher purpose, understanding, and calling of who God wants them to be. It is disappointing to forget our priestly vocation or get so sidetracked in doing all the right things that we lose our true focus, mission, and purpose! Trust me, the Devil is oftentimes in the details. Many times, our leadership can lead us astray with good intentions because they want to take care of our military career, pave the way, and set us up for success. For them, it is a sense of stewardship and care, but we must learn to go beyond the either-or mentality to embrace both the priestly and chaplaincy sides as a way to care for both Catholics and our troops as Christ did in very own ministry in caring for those who sought Him as well as those who were lost, forgotten, abandoned, or rejected by others.
Unfortunately, some priests drank the careeristic Kool-Aid and spent more time, energy, and effort doing anything and everything else except their priestly duties and responsibilities. Some have lost their zeal for souls by only doing the basic sacramental duties without truly caring for the parish community entrusted to them, because they see it as no value added for their career paths. They rush through things, act like they are forced to do Mass or the sacraments, or just simply lost their true passion, focus, and vocation as priests because they burn themselves out in proving their military and professional side. It is sad to see that it has always been the Catholic community that suffered and was neglected because priests are spiritually and pastorally lazy, as they spend their time, effort, energy, and focus elsewhere.
To be honest with you, it is personally humbling and moving to see those who truly want to care, mentor, and help me grow professionally and ministerially because I rarely see it in my own personal and priestly journeys. I admire their desire, and I am grateful for their care; however, I have to tell them many times that I stopped planning for my life because I honestly do not know what will happen to me next. Everything that I had hoped and planned for my life never work so I just work hard and give the best that I can each and every day! I try to repay those who trust in me by how I am personally seeking to creatively make things better for everyone around me in the team, as well as those who are entrusted to my care. I try to be both a faithful priest in pastoring and leading my parish community, as well as being present and caring for my airmen and their families. I love serving the Catholic community because I am a priest first and foremost, and it is what I am called to do and have given my life for this specific vocation. However, I must also take care of those who might never set foot in the Chapel or know God because this is the vocation to be a missionary within my own priestly vocation.
Even though I cannot be proselytizing in any way, shape, or form, my faith teaches me to care, love, and treat everyone with dignity and respect. I know the reason why this is important for me because it is grounded in my own theocentric mission, purpose, identity, and calling to love and care for others. Without a doubt, love is the reason that God the Father sent His Son to die for us, so that, through the power and working of the Holy Spirit, we are able to become more Christlike each day in responding to the Trinitarian love. He is the reason why I choose to embrace all my current challenges because they help me to be humble, open to learning new things, and be a good steward of His gifts to me! There are days that I feel overwhelmed, tired, discouraged, or downbeaten, but I choose to stand up and do my best so I will not disappoint those who need me. There are certain things that I do not personally like to do, but I learn to be better at doing them, asking for help when needed, and pushing through my own personal reservations and dislikes because it is not about me alone! There are times when I am uncomfortable with doing the formal military stuff, but I push myself to do it because it affords me the opportunity to do what I am truly passionate about.
Therefore, I would like to challenge you to go beyond the vocal, reactionary, and typical either-or mentality to embrace the both-and mission that is centered on His will for us. Whatever that looks like for you, please take a moment to discern the Catholic way beyond the divisive, self-centered, and worldly ways. If we know the freedom and love we have in God, we will be able to assist one another along the way to the truth, eternal, and beautiful. The power of the Gospel enables us to grow and mature in His loving truth, yet at the same time perpetually renews and transforms us so we can sanctify and enrich this world not with our own humanistic likings but to the truth and everlasting values in and through His life-giving love. No matter where we are or who we might be in our very own state of life, we are endowed with particular gifts and blessings made in His image and likeness for the good of others, as collaborators and stewards of His grace. Hence, living in the truth, loving the eternal, and searching for what is beautiful helps us to be readily willing to answer and serve the needs of our neighbors, preach the Gospel, and sanctify this world with the very gift of ourselves.
When we know our eternal purpose and mission, we can use what we have in all genuine humility and limitations to help one another along the way. If we are able to will the good of the other person as a brother or sister in Christ, we are able to love them in all of their gifts and failures, hence able to treasure and respect them as they are, instead of what they should be for us alone. When our faith is grounded in the truth to love, treasure, and collaborate with our Creator to make this world better, we become more humble, patient, respectful, and loving because we are to love one another as truly made in His image and likeness instead of treated as objects, products, or means. When we love and give ourselves wholly and completely, our self-worth becomes holistically grounded in the transcendental, eternal, and everlasting, hence being in touch, awakened, aware, and sensitive to the power and working of the Holy Spirit in our midst.
When we recognize the eternal truth and beauty that have been endowed by the Lord for the sake of our liberation from the enslavement of this world and the good of others, we are able to console, assist, and genuinely give ourselves to those who are around us, helping each other along the pilgrimage of life. As collaborators and stewards in His vineyard, we are called to be mindful of our brothers and sisters who are around us as well. We answer to a higher calling and standard as a personal way to respond to His call to use our gifts and blessings to seek the greater goods and needs of the world at large. Many times, less essential things have to be broken down to remind us that we just cannot go our same path — we cannot live this way anymore — because whatever we have right now is not real, life-giving, or meaningful. It takes patience and humility not try to scapegoat and put the blame on God or others, but to recognize that what we are doing was not meant to be! Perhaps the necessary obstacles presented themselves so we can see the opportunities to take the time and create the space for God to intervene, re-prioritize, and recognize what we need to change for the better.
I pray that each and every one of us recognize that we cannot go on with the empty, vocal, and vain “blame” game! Each and every one of us needs to remember that we are His hands and feet, calling to genuinely serve, make sacrifices, and embrace each other out of love. Talk is cheap because everyone loves to talk and point fingers nowadays, but very few are willing to genuinely care and serve in their everyday dealings. It is so easy to feel good about attacking and demonizing others because it strokes our egos and makes us feel superior to them, but how many are actually conforming their lives to truly leave their egos, comfort zones, and desires to be in control behind to follow and be His disciples? Let us, therefore, let go of the divisive, cheapened, shallow, vain, and small-mindedness of the either us-versus-them or me-against-you mentality in order to embrace both our true Christian vocation and the particular ways God calls us to die to ourselves and serve one another with genuine stewardship of the gifts bestowed upon us for others. Let us be both faithful to the Gospel and teachings of the Church as well as to evangelize, dialogue, and collaborate with one another with dignity and respect for the greater good of all.