Even The Good Priests Disappoint: holy tears and the gods of exclusivity & bureaucracy

Recently, there have been two good but disappointing priests in the lives of my extended family. They are 'good' because they follow the precepts of the Church, are dedicated to their ministries and are faithfully celibate.  But they are disappointing. There are many readers who say that I have no right to write anything negative about the Church and her priests, but souls are on the line. They say that it does not do to tell stories that might scandalize a non-Catholic. But does it do any good to sweep sin under the rug? We believe that priests can help us, through the sacraments, find our way to God. When they fail in their vocation, it can have serious consequences for us simple lay people. I hope these stories will inspire any clergy reading that they can do better!

One priest got to know a distant family member who became sick with cancer. She was living at home with her parents, and this priest helped them through their frustrations over the 'liberal' parishes in the area. He gave them the Holy Eucharist to adore in their house and told them that he understood that they would be putting their souls in jeopardy if they attended a 'liberal' Mass. He wasn't there when she died of cancer. He wasn't there to bury her; luckily the local priests were liberal enough to anoint and bury a non-parishioner. 

The other priest is worse, in my opinion, because he has bound himself to the god of bureaucracy, not just exclusivity. One of my sisters has become very close to a mother and father of more than five children. They want to become Catholic. They already go to daily Mass frequently, wear scapulars and pray the family Rosary. They get media from EWTN and National Catholic Register. The parents are using the Catechism of the Catholic Church to teach the homeschooled little ones.

This family already knows their Bible; they were Bible-emphasizing, non-liturgical Protestants. Their denomination does not perform baptism of any kind, so even the parents are unbaptized. The parish priest in question did not allow them to take RCIA classes for this Easter's vigil because they missed the first meeting in August. The entire family will have to wait almost two years for any sacraments. The family will remain unbaptized (a sacrament that any person who conforms to the sacrament's form can perform) for another year because they did not realize that the god of bureaucracy sometimes trumps the God of mercy.

The parish priest is a 'solid' priest who has six altar boys bring in hanging lamps to guard the Gospel during its reading at a simple daily Mass. The parish is as traditional as a 'normal' Novus Ordo parish can be. It is a mega-parish with over eight well-attended masses on Sundays. Their weekly collection equals what we collect in a year. But all this is mammon when we refuse to help the least of these. And if we believe in what the sacraments do, the non-baptized are the least of these- even if they have rosaries in their hands.

I understand well that a priest cannot run himself ragged or he will have nothing left to give to his parishioners. But this priest is withholding sanctifying grace from over seven people. Is there no room for compromise with the god of bureaucracy? perhaps he could perform 'just' the baptisms now and wait until they jump through the hoops of classes for the rest of the sacraments next year. But he cannot give special treatment. Or can he? Won't he look to the example of Pope Francis, while Archbishop in Argentina, who baptized seven children of a poor widow? Is there no mercy?

and the 'holy tears portion' of my title? Those would be my husband's...tears of exhaustion and awe...
We went to Mass yesterday morning. It was Roman-rite, so the readings were not for the Annunciation. But it was still a day of obligation for us Byzantine Catholics. 

My husband got choked up when he elevated the Holy Eucharist and had to sniffle his tears back.  Occasionally he gets emotional at this time, thinking of the good God does in our lives and gift that the True Presence is. I just hope that the believers can respect that he loves the Lord in the Eucharist and excuse an infrequent retreat into a bit of emotion. He certainly does not want to be 'that priest' who disappoints the faithful for any reason. It is a difficult task he has set before himself.

So I didn't ask him about his emotion until hours later. He said he got teary for the 'usual' reasons. But he also was disappointed because the Feast of the Annunciation was moved until after Easter in the Roman-rite. If it fell on Holy Thursday or later, I could better understand the move. Yes, dates are arbitrary and God is timeless, but Christmas is December 25th on our calendar. Pray for him!