Commentary on the Gospel of
Cafeteria Catholics
I was scheduled to preach at a parish where I had never been before. I had prepared the homily based on insights emerging from all the three readings. Before the Mass began, while interacting with the lectors who were scheduled to read at the Mass, I was surprised to learn that they had changed the second reading (which was a passage from Paul). The reason? Because they did not agree with Paul’s ideas in that passage. They found his ideas there insulting. So, they dropped it and chose a more convenient reading! Come to think of it, this should not surprise us: Don’t we sometimes succumb to practicing such ‘cafeteria Catholicism’ where we pick and choose from our faith what is most convenient for us, sidestepping the difficult asks? Like some disciples who left Jesus, don’t we follow him in fits and starts?
