How do we expect others to listen if we do not VOICE?

I attended a wedding recently. The groom had been a lifelong-raised Catholic. The bride (not knowing her whole story) was of the Lutheran persuasion. For the benefit of those who may not know, the Lutheranism among other faith questions refuse to accept the transubstantiation (the belief that the wine and bread used in the Eucharistic sacrifice is truly and physically changed into the Blood and flesh of Jesus Christ). It is one of the fundamental differences and reasons for their split from the Catholic Church.

My posting today isn't necessarily centered on this dilemma of difference but moreso on the less than adamant conviction in which today's Catholic's (myself included) defend their own beliefs in the face of our liberal society. Here I am standing in the presence of a large group, many of whom are by all accounts genuinely faith-filled and devoted witnessing the marriage of someone I know to be a professed and fully accepted member of the Catholic faith.

There are a number of problems with this. First - no Catholic Priest is present to concelebrate. So the sacrament of Marriage as defined by the groom's faith is not conferred. Is this a sin? - I'm not a theology expert in this area so I'll leave that up to those more learned than I.

Second. The Lutheran "minister" who performed the ceremony is ironically the Mother of the groom who (incidentally is a former Catholic nun, left the Church, is a self-proclaimed lesbian and has obviously long since abandoned her Catholic faith) assured the groom's family that no "Communion" would be present. Instead, and lacking any other plausible reason, placed the change in plans of having communion on the engaged couple.

The site of this woman going through the motions of the sacrifice of Eucharist made me ill. However what made me even sicker was the fact that I and the rest of those Catholics in attendance stood and watched without a word as some of the members of our Catholic community received this "Communion" as if it were the Eucharist that we proclaim to love and revere; the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"We knew him; we knew who he was; and still we did nothing!" - Saint Peter.

Receiving this "communion" is held as a sin to Catholics. Pope John Paul II in April of 2003 addressed this issue firmly. In an encyclical, he branded ``unthinkable'' the practice of substituting obligatory Sunday Mass with celebrations of prayer with other Christians or participation in their liturgical services. Catholics, ``while respecting the religious convictions of these separated brethren, shall not receive the communion distributed in their celebrations,'' he said. In June of 2003, a Roman Catholic priest was suspended for receiving communion at a Lutheran service held days later at Berlin's Gethsemane Church.

It is my humble position that the branding of people as insensitive and as exclusionists has led even our beliefs in the teachings of the creator to be silenced. I for one will be learning from this and asking for forgiveness.

"Am I my brother's keeper"?

The action of voicing our position on items of faith and politics does not, as some would put it, have us forcing our religion on others. It is true that God asks us to be teachers not judges. Let's hope that the beliefs we hold closest to our hearts begin to boil over and become our example. Regardless of how pompous or idealistic we appear to those who do not understand.