Remember when We Believed in Subsidiarity?

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Today marks exactly one month since I last went to Mass or confession. It seems like forever ago. I remember how tense everything was. We showed up knowing it was going to be our last Mass. The writing was on the wall. It was a Wednesday night, but I figured there might be a good crowd at the Mass. It would be one last Mass before who knows what. Nope. I guess there were other things to do that night. I was just my family and three other people.

Yesterday was also a sad marker. It was supposed to be our eldest child’s first Holy Communion and confirmation. Again, nope. We have no idea when this will happen. I am getting more and more tempted to find a Mass on the “underground railroad” and simply have him receive his first Holy Communion.

We like to trumpet the 1992 Catechism whenever convenient. I will do likewise. From CCC 1883:

“The teaching of the Church has elaborated the principle of subsidiarity, according to which ‘a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need and help to co- ordinate its activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good.’”

There is no subsidiarity to be found. We have a very small parish. Why not schedule daily Mass and have a sign-up sheet? I doubt we’d even get to the maximum 10 members allowed. But we don’t think such things. It’s just not to be done. Maybe it’s a bad idea to have Masses at a large city parish. I don’t know. But I do know what could easily work in my small town. I think of the many ways it could work… as I drive by the marijuana shop on main street and note four people walking out of the tiny store. Priorities.

As for subsidiarity? Only when convenient.

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