When I had been in Seminary a short while, I was in my official seminary duds and ended up after the official stuff dropping in on a couple who were friends at college. About ten minutes into the visit I noted that she (former Catholic of the Eyetalian persuasion) was "waiting on me", and brought it to her attention. Whereupon she laughed and was shocked at herself. The black shirt has some mojo, I guess, huh?
So there WAS one strand of RC culture that involved at least social deference to the clergy.
At my current, we all know that the three Friars work their fannies off, and they're the best of what it is to be Dominican: smart, studious, prayerful, good preachers and teachers, GREAT sense of humor, and working ALL the time. But what that means in practice is that they get a lot of joke presents and stuff and elaborate pranks -- or they tell jokes on each other.
And the two places where I see what might be taken as arrogance of "class" (and what IS in fact truly that arrogance, sometimes) is in the area (1) of being a sort of "custodian of the mysteries", and (2) of having an advisory role in how diocesan monies get allocated to poor churches.
But back in the "genial contempt" area I offer these two anecdotes: Fr. Ralph priest in my previous parish, whom I really like and who is the one guy I know who ever spent serious sermon time on the Epistle to Diognetus (so how bad can he be?), preaches sermons both terrible and wonderful. Terrible because he'll get lost in mid sentence and commune with his thoughts for 10 seconds (which is a LONG silence in a sermon!). Wonderful because, as far as I'm conerned, it's worth the wait. He's a pinko, socially/politically, but he doesn't let that leak into his sermons, and his sermons completely delight me.
So much so that I said to a fellow parishioner, "Ralph is an awesome preacher!" to which she gave a snort and said, "No he isn't, he's TERRIBLE!"
Anecdote #2: (Remember were out in the boonies here.) So Ralph wants a new utility shed on the grounds that the door blew off he old one and the door was pretty much the only think holding it up and if we don't do something soon, we're just going to have a pile of lumber where the utility shed was.
For some reason the Parish Council doesn't want to spend the money or effort on a new utility shed. One day a member tells me that they're just going to agree to everything Ralph says but not do anything about it.
As you can imagine, that's not really the way I do business, but I was in learning and beholding mode, so I just hung back and tried to learn from this.
Now both of these people love Ralph, and he's very lovable so it would be a blot on their characters if they didn't." But there is next to zero "Yes, sir; Oh, sir, Please, sir," going on.
And the priest they had before Ralph (and before I was Catholic ...) Wow. Zero respect there. None deserved either, as far as I can tell.
I don't know how, whether I can or should make your "beef" about the claims go away. It is the sort of "objective" nature of the indelible "character" of ordination that it is divorced from the personal qualities of the priest. He is more a custodian in that respect. And, well, I guess you have to stipulate and appreciate the "vibe" of a sacramental system ... When, as is usual, I confess to Fr. A, I do so for the continuity and because he usually has a helpful slant on the weakness and sin I am confessing, so his counsel is easy for me to make use of. When Fr A is out of town, I may go to Fr. B. His counsel is way more "pro forma", and I consider it as such. In neither case am I sort of awe struck by their persons.
Of course, I suppose some people never really emotionally get past the childish thing of confusing the pastor with God. I dunno.
My brotherly concern is over what the uneducated and untrained Catholic thinks about confession and salvation. Again, PURELY anecdotally, I have known many Catholics who show no sort of understanding of true Catholic doctrine
I would file this under "lilies that fester ..." I mean this: If the local parish (which is going to mean the laity, the priest can't do it all) is not going to provide good instruction, or if the parents neither bring their little ones to "Sunday School" nor instruct them themselves, how much can the inevitable misconceptions that result be laid at the Church's feet?
The notion of "subsidiarity", that responsibility should devolve "downward" to the person closest to the scene, is not only just and practical, but also frustrating. And the common risk in an ex opere operato world is that it has plenty of accommodation for people whose idea about God is that he's a malevolent and grouchy gate-keeper, a Cerberus who can be quited only with a frequently punched ticket.
A lot of horses come to the RC trough. Not all of them drink, despite our pleas, admonitions and blandishments. Can their being thirsty justly be laid to our charge then?
Okay, I see that I'm achieving Moby Dick length here. I'd better wrap this up.
YEAH I get what it looks like form the outside. Don't forget I WAS on the outside, I didn't grow up in here. I FEAR for people whose attitude about being Catholic is so mechanistic: 'I put a "hail Mary" in here, and a chunk o' grace comes out there! Cool!' It seems all one can do for them is pray that God yanks their chain at some point.
About the LOL (Little old lady, in this usage) who is all anxious about being hit by a truck before she confesses her minced oath: I think a kind of sinful need for distance is see by thinking of God as an exacting, anal-compulsive school master. I think in a funny way the proclamation of the unconditional love of God is frightening because it takes away all possible justification for trying to "defend" oneself from Him. I have no excuse for holding Him at arm's length. I am familiar with the dead and mechanistic world, where I pay for the gs, and then the car goes; and if I don't change the oil I have only myself to blame, etc. IN a certain sense I have the illusion of control in such a world.
A world in which God loves me completely and unreservedly and in which all HE wants from me in return is, uh, my entire self .... well, I'm back to my image of backing over the cliff and putting my money whee my mouf is about trusting the ropes and knots to keep me alive and safe.,P>My suspicion is the most ardent Sola Scriptura type is tempted to use his mastery of Scripture as a way to confine God to his own notions, and the most ardent sacramentalist is tempted to make God a divine vending machine -- and we should pray for both that book and sacrament come alive (or, rather, manifest the life they have and are) in their hands and preach the majesty of God to them and bring them to their senses, so that, like Job, they can rejoice to abase themselves in dust and ashes.
Blah blah blah. My cat doesn't want me to type any more. You can thank Him. Name of Clint Junior Lightning.
OK, you're saying that's not your experience and I don't doubt you for a minute. No problem. So, it sounds like I didn't convey where I was coming from very well. I do NOT think that priests are an especially "snooty" bunch who think they are better than everyone else. :) That's not what I meant. On this "class" thing, I have only been talking on a theological basis about theological claims. If I met someday the nicest, sweetest, kindest-to-his-mudderist priest who ever lived, a true Christian, closer to God than I, and I asked him if he could have my sins forgiven, in some form I would expect him to answer in the affirmative. I am sure he would also smile and ask if he could do anything for me.
Thanks for your anecdotes about Father Ralph. That really is the first time I have ever heard of anything like that. Almost all the Catholics I know are from middle-class burbville, like me.
I don't know how, whether I can or should make your "beef" about the claims go away. It is the sort of "objective" nature of the indelible "character" of ordination that it is divorced from the personal qualities of the priest. He is more a custodian in that respect.
OK, it looks like you WERE able to decipher where I was coming from, despite my clumsiness. :) I suppose I'm just stuck on the "power" and the "worthy man" thing that is in my head. It sounds like you are saying there is not necessarily ALWAYS the wedding there that I can't help but think of. I will give what you are saying more thought.
Tell Clint I said "hey". :)