Faking Catholicism to get a job
Roman Catholic parishioners at a Good Friday mass on Friday, April 2, 2010 at Toronto's St. Michael's Church. Courtesy of The Canadian Press.
In fact, I could see my Patron Saint, Pope Saint Linus, in heaven yelling at me. "You go through all that work to become Catholic, and now you wanna become Seventh-Day Adventist just for a lousy $14 an hour?!!"
NOT the kind of conversation I want to have with Saint Peter's first successor.
But here's a story out of Canada about teachers attending Mass and "practicing" the sacraments. Why? To get a job teaching at a Catholic school!
According to the story, "Non-practising Catholics and non-Catholics have been performing the sacraments and attending church, hoping to get a pastoral letter. One teacher says she even had to lie in confession about having pre-marital sex." Why go through all this trouble? The Toronto Catholic District School Board only hires Catholic teachers (which is within their legal rights).
Hmmmm.
One on hand, it burns me up inside. Pretending to be someone you aren't, and using the faith to selfishly benefit yourself is despicable. Think of the outcry that there might be if someone faked being a Muslim in order to get a job. But on the other hand, perhaps seeing the beauty of Catholicism might inspire one of these non-religious teachers to convert.
Sure there are problems, since someone who takes Holy Communion in an unworthy manner is bringing damnation upon themselves, in the words of Saint Paul. And for someone to disrespect the Eucharist like that is annoying beyond belief. Hopefully it's something they'll seek forgiveness for in the future.
This story also underscores just how tough the economy is on people. One must be pretty desperate to fake a religion just to get a job. It's a good reminder that we always need to keep those looking for a job in our prayers.
Then, perhaps, they'll turn to the faith with an open heart, instead of an open wallet.
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