Sorry Your Holiness, Diversity in Catholic Worship is Just Fine

'[E]ach of us must be willing to tolerate the path others are taking to holiness.' Obviously 'My Way or the Highway' Francis does not agree.

From Catholic Stand

By Genesius

The word diversity is used a lot these days.  In some ways, too much diversity (meaning variety) can be problematic, but more often than not, some diversity can be a good thing.

For instance, imagine a parking lot full of 100 cars. Each car is a different make and model, from 1922 to 2022.  Some of the cars are sporty, like the 1986 Toyota Celica.  Others are built for capacity, like the 1957 Chevy Station Wagon.  Some cars are electric, like the 1922 Electroca, the 1980 Comutra (one of my daughter’s favorite Classic cars), and the Tesla Model X.

Unusual designs fill many of the spaces such as the 1979 Volkswagen Thing.  Some of these cars were designed to save lives, like the 1953 Henney-Packard ambulance.  Others are grim, like the 1969 Lincoln hearse.

Such a collection of cars offers immense variety, and the cars serve many functions.  Some are for racing, some are for off-roading, some are for families, and one is for burying the dead.  Some are new and reliable, others not so much.

Every vehicle in this lot is a car, but each is unique.  This is a very diverse collection, suitable for a museum.  Yet each vehicle saw service at some time because each vehicle fit someone’s needs.

Diversity in Modern Society

Now imagine half of the cars are blue and half are red.  Is this diversity?  Of course not.  Diversity lies in the variety of the 100 vehicles themselves, not their color.

However, the loudest voices in modern society seem to claim that color, skin color to be more precise, is the primary form of diversity when it comes to people.  If one thinks this premise through, saying skin color makes a unique race is like saying a black 2020 Toyota Corolla is different car than a white 2020 Toyota Corolla.

Moreover, how does a blind person identify this form of diversity?

Ponder another question.  Does our Blessed Mother care?

Real Diversity

Returning to the parking lot full of cars, why is the lot diverse?  The diversity is in the ages of the cars, their functions, their features, their abilities, and many other factors as well.

All are cars, but none are equal in age, capability, function, and so forth.  Each car has its strengths and weaknesses.  A Dodge Viper may be great for racing, but it’s a poor choice for a family of six to take on a road trip.  Even if every car was a black (the color Henry Ford selected for the Model T because it dried the fastest to support production), the lot would still be extremely diverse.

Real diversity in humans is shown by our skills, talents, interests, experience, and age, just to name a few factors.  But all of us, regardless of our differences, are of the human race.  What’s more we are all made in the image and likeness of God.

Diversity in the Communion of Saints

When looking to the role models in the Church, the diversity is amazing.  Some saints were soldiers, like St. Ignatius of Loyola, while others reached out to children, like Mother Xavier Cabrini.  Some found their way to Christ in the simplest ways, like the Little Flower, and others were amazing Scholars like St. Thomas Aquinas.  Some lived in poverty, like Mother Theresa, yet others were kings like St. Edward the Confessor.  Some came from the Far East, like St. Joachim Sakachibara, and others from the Far West, like St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

Yet each saint is unique.  Each has a story and path to Christ.  And each Saint was made in the image and likeness of God.

Diversity in Paths to Christ

This same diversity applies to us.  Each of us is unique in many, many ways.  One way we are unique is in what inspires us.

Take retreats for example.  Some people are greatly inspired by retreats with loud music, vibrant speakers, and group prayer.  Others find such retreat ostentatious and nothing more than a quick hit for a spiritual high.

Some people are stirred with a quite retreat immersed in sacred silence muting the sounds of a deafening world to listen to the voice of Christ.  Others find silent retreats dull and mind-numbing.

Is one form of retreat better than another?  No, and that is okay.  Each of us is inspired in different ways and needs very different types of inspiration depending on the unique burdens and challenges each is facing.

Diversity of Worship in the Catholic Church

The same is true for our forms of Worship and the Mass in particular.

Throughout my career, I have been blessed to travel to many different places.  I have attended Mass on 5 continents and have heard Mass in several languages.  I’ve been to Mass in massive Cathedrals and in humble chapels, in secrecy in someone’s home, and even in an open field and on a canoe.  I have attended Mass in Roman, Coptic, and Byzantine parishes.

The Byzantine Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom dates back to the 5th century.  This mass includes “bells and smells” that may seem foreign to someone who has only experienced the Novus Ordo mass established in 1969.  One can still attend a Tridentine Mass, codified in 1570, which in the overall life the church, is still modern.

Each of these forms of Mass is unique, and each is equally Catholic.  Every Mass is focused on the Eucharist.

Tolerance of Other Catholics

Conflict has always riddled the Church.  This is evident when reading the Acts of the Apostles.  And conflicts continue.  Among the conflicts that can be observed in the Church today is the question of how we should worship.

I personally witnessed this conflict during my Parish Synod.  One woman at my table voiced scorn for another local parish because they said some prayers in Latin after Mass.  After listening to her, I realized she wanted our parish, all other parishes, and all of the Catholic Church to follow the path that inspired her and only that path.  She did not seem willing to tolerate any diversity in worship or tradition that others might find inspiring.

Is one form of worship better than another?  No, and that is okay.  Is one form of Mass better than another?  No, and that is okay.  Each form of the mass is Catholic, focusing on the Eucharist.

Each of us is unique needing different types of inspiration depending on the specific burdens and challenges each of us are facing.  Our paths, worship, and customs will be diverse, and that is okay.  Moreover, each of us must be willing to tolerate the path others are taking to holiness.