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Catholics

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This has to be one of Moore's best. I ached with grief for the old Abbot at the end of the book. And I am an atheist...

Catholics are coming from all over the world to celebrate the old Latin mass at an obscure spot in Ireland. Some see it as a religious revival. Some see it as a sign of the endurance of "hard core" Catholicism. However, the Pope, and other modern highly place ecumenical figures, see it as trouble. A rebellion against the new, populist church, and a flagrant disobedience.

A young, modern, American priest is sent to deal with these old-style upstarts. But can he help but share the genuine sincerity of the isolated monks - living in utmost modesty on the Island of Muck - who have innocently begun the furor? And it comes down to belief in miracles versus the mundane need for the common good. The brash young American priest comes hard up against the solid old Abbot of Muck. Dependable, honest within and without, the Abbot is the only one that knows that his faith is a tenuous thing.

The facts of the plot matter little. The excellent character portrayals, and the understanding of the internal workings of such different minds is uniquely Moore. As only he can, he makes the anguish of the Abbot your own, and brings you with him through the trials of his decision.

Outstanding.

Catholics is a slim, simply written novel that raises good questions on faith, Catholic-Christianity, obedience and all the things that are all the core tenets of the Catholic Church. Set in the future, the Fourth Vatican Council has gotten rid of private confession, clerical attire, the Latin Mass and all the primaries that one would associate with a Catholic identity. Yet, in the nether reaches off the Irish coast, there is a monastery-Muck Abbey-whose monks are not following the rules of law, as laid down by the pope and the curia at the Vatican. They are gentle rebels who are refusing to comply, because they believe in the traditional mysteries that have gone back aeons, laws and values laid down by God through Jesus Christ to His disciples. The monks are innocent practitioners of the beautiful, old ways of mystery, and because they refuse to cut the cord of the truth, as they believe it to be, they become, inadvertently (I believe) thorns in the you-know-what of the Vatican oligarchy. Because of that, they develop an international following, parishioners themselves who can't quite digest the lack of mystery, as established by the Fourth Vatican Council. The new rules seem too politically correct, extolling the ideology of secularization and relativism. The higher-ups are becoming more and more attracted to intense ecumenicalism as well, wanting to merge Buddhism with Catholicism, in effect, erasing its roots, the "Rock" that Jesus Christ told Peter the church would be built upon. For the nameless parishioners in this novel who are true readers of the Bible (God's Word willed to humanity), the radical changes are too extreme to be accepted, and thus, disobedience is a logical and intellectual act to embark upon. But because they are a flock-God's children-the Church has a role to see that they are not being led astray. And according to the Vatican, because the monks at Muck Abbey are not heeding the rabid new changes, they are hence, leading the flock astray. To rectify the issue, Fr. James Kinsella is dispatched to the abbey to reeducate the lot of them. Modern and free thinking, Fr. Kinsella is the embodiment of the "new" Catholic, a man who sees the mystery of prayer and sin as superstitious nonsense (he'd probably make a good Devil's Advocate) that is antiquated and best to be trounced upon when it is burgeoning. Though he is not a mean spirited man in any way, to me, he is a condescending intellectual who is a careerist who wants to climb the church ladder to something better. However, the best way to do that is to do the drudgery work that probably no one else wants to do. With that, he'll get promoted. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there is Tomas O'Malley, the abbot of Muck Abbey; he is gentle, fatherly, wizened and a man in a very difficult position. And his actions will have a wider impact that are too big to fully understand, for if he complies with the church hierarchy, it will look as if he's abandoning the mystery and superstition of life and the things that happen within its confines for political religiosity. If he defies the church, will he and his band of traditional monks be seen as martyrs to Catholic orthodoxy or minions of evil because they are not in tandem with a Church that God is passionate about? In dealing with this, Fr. O'Malley is also coping with his own doubts and privations; the religious passions are just not there. He is a robot going through the motions of things, and something needs to be triggered within himself. How appropriate that his name is Tomas, for he really comes off as the Doubting Thomas. One can not put off the battle between the two warring factions as the ultimate test from God, and that is how it must be seen; obedience is paramount, and for me that really is undigestible. I would probably tell Fr. Kinsella to go where the sun don't shine, but that is not a true manifestation of faith in this case, and that is why this book is so gloriously frustrating. It begs you to ask the question, What would you do? Christianity is hard! It asks for commitment through thick and thin (even if you don't agree). It challenges you to the core of what you think you really are versus what you truly are. I won't reveal the ending, but the truth is best spoken by Fr. O'Malley when he says, "Prayer is the only miracle. We pray. If our words become prayer, God will come." Page 132. Catholic or not, that is one truth that can never ever be altered.

This book, made into a motion picture in the seventies, is a tale set in the near future when the Catholic Faith is hijacked by some sort of modern syncretistic hyper-social justice hierarchy. Indeed, from one who has lived through some of the most drastic changes in the Catholic Faith during the last forty years I can say the book is a well written modern prophecy. It's a great story of what happens when authority is used to destroy the most substantial truths of The Faith. It is a great narrative on how authority, which is highly regarded by Catholics, is used to destroy ultimate authority in the Church. In the end the struggle between the traditional truths and the new modern way, in a small monastery on a deserted island, is ended by an act of administrative authority. It's a sad commentary of what people in charge of things, especially the Church, can become when they lose their faith and become ecclesiastical mechanics. The story has everything in it which actually has happened - the liberation movement, ecumenical actions being end in themselves, a denial of the priesthood and finally a denial of the real presence in the Holy Eucharist. In many ways it is a prophecy of horrible things to come for the Catholic Church - the truth is that the future is now.

This is my favorite Brian Moore work. It's briefness doesn't detract from the hugeness of the story. This is a story which touches on faith and how fragile it can be and does it in a simple and elegant way. I love it.

Mr. Moore's "Cold Heaven" is also a wonderful book.

Brian Moore ,in this short book,actually just a novella,presents an interesting look at the Catholic Church.It was published in 1972 and is still an interesting read.In reading this book,one must keep in mind that it was writted shortly after Vatican 2 Council that took place between 1961 and 1965.the purpose of the Council was to review the "situation" of the Church at its present time, and to make changes in religious practices,traditions,liturgy and whatever else ,should become instilled it the practice of faith ,and ceremonies;to bring things more up to date and relevant with the present.It was not simply a new set of rules proposed by just the Pope;but a long series of thoughtful considerstions by many Cardinals, other theologians, etc.In other words,it was not in any way,any change to the basic beliefs and faith;but rather changes in the ways and rituals,etc in the manner in which the faith was to be practiced.As a lay Catholic,that's the way I saw it and as far as I am concerned ,the way most Catholics saw it.If one reads anything about the Catholic Church,things continually changed over the past 2000 years,and most of the changes reflected society during those times ,but there was never any changes in the beliefs of faith ,simply in its ritual and practice.
A couple of examples would be that of priests not marrying,eating meat on Fridays,what types of clothes religious leaders wear,the hymn and prayers that are said,etc.As a matter of fact these things seem to be more of an issue to non practioners of the faith than those within it,at least in my experience.
The issues that the author writes this novella around ,and the predictions he makes are more about personalities and how they react and adjust to changes;and are common when any changes are introduced within an organization.Some will want to take changes,even expand on them, and run wild;while others will cling to tradition and drag their feet and resist all changes.
The language in which the Mass is offered ,is a major change,but as a matter of faith,it is irrelevant.
To consider this book as one of substantial prophecy is a stretch of the imagination.While attendance at Mass has fallen off in some countries such as Ireland,and in parts of Canada,such as Quebec;those changes were little if any due to Vatican II or the imaginary Vatican IV as suggested.The practice of religion with different denominations of Christianity has changed many ways in the Western world and will continue in the future as it has in the past.
So ,in the end,this book is an interesting read in how people react to change,and while it shows the emotional side of the reaction to change;one shouldn't read any more into it than that.

==== SPOILER ALERT! ====

The irony in this short novel is that the views of the Abbot and of the visiting Fr. Kinsella are the same. We just don't know it at first. Kinsella is a product of the new age without a belief in the miracle of the Mass, while the Abbot represents the old tired world that lost its faith in the miraculous. It's almost as if the Abbot were relieved to have the orders from Kinsella as an excuse to stop the traditional Masses his monks have been saying.

Ultimately, the Abbot would have been obedient even without the visit, so the premise of the novel isn't very strong. (Though perhaps we can assume his superiors had doubts about his obedience.) However, the visit to the abbey allows all the characters to interact and bring out their various perspectives and fears. The height of the work is the thoughtful conversation between the Abbot and Kinsella in the evening after dinner. The talk has a tension created by the mystery of where each man actually stands, and what each will do in the end. But despite the tension, the two men are always cordial, even warm, with each other.

In the end, the only "presence" of God that the monks can be sure of is that which occurs while they pray. On first reading, this seems a frightening prospect, as indicated by the concerns of the traditionalist "triumvirate" of Fathers Manus, Walter, and Matthew. But then we must realize that if prayer doesn't work, then there is nothing to the sacraments; so prayer is the foundation of the sacraments and the first step toward the presence of God among us.

This book is a short but vivid sketch depicting a situation in the Catholic Church after the Second Vatican Council which so swiftly and profoundly altered liturgical, ritual and spiritual life of the faithful that many of them - both among a hierarchy and common priests, monks and laymen - were thrown into confusion. However, these changes were positively necessary in order not to clone the former mistakes of negation of the modern world reality that several centuries ago had led to appearance of 'that righteous prig nailing in Wittenberg his defiance to the church doors' who reformed the Church and the history of humankind. The novella does not pretend to a wide scope of theological problems, the characters of cynical church 'generals' are rather schematic and satirical, but the delineation of different kinds of catholics - new 'enlightened' libertarian generation, old generation who preserved their faith and also the hesitating type of believer who is loosing his/her faith - and their intricate interrelations in Time of Spiritual Troubles is really excellent.

A well written book. Very thought provoking, even if you are not a Catholic.

This book was purchased as a book club reading. I found the basic story line interesting but characters underdeveloped and the plot uneven. I would not read it again and would not recommend it.