Guest post: Bill Perry explains why he still goes to Mass

Up until recently, I only knew Bill Perry in Facebook.

Because we both live in Greater Lansing and know some of the same people, we decided to meet a few weeks ago at a local coffee shop not too far from my house. I found out over mocha lattes that Bill’s a writer, a devout Catholic and quite a smart and likable fellow to boot. I suggested at one point that he put down on paper the reasons why he still heads to church every Sunday – I told him I struggle with religion myself and I’d love to post his insights here at “What’s the Diehl?” – and he surprised me by accepting my offer:

Why do I still go to Mass?

That’s a question I ask myself from time to time, and one I get from my more ‘left of center’ political friends, many who see my faith traditions aligned with Catholicism as inconsistent with someone who believes strongly in the principles of democracy and free speech. When I hear that I usually smile, knowing full well that those making the comments never heard the nuns who told my class, going back to grade school: “God gave us a Free Will and Free Mind.”

As an adult that term is expressed more as: “primacy of conscience” and ultimately we are all responsible to make a formation of conscience. That’s a very Catholic view; in contrast to predestination associated with Calvin. It basically concludes that God knows all, how your life will go, and nothing can change that. Your salvation is foreordained.

While Catholics believe in an all-knowing God, Free Will is essential and implies that we have a responsibility and, through faith, an opportunity to shape our lives. Redemption is at hand when we screw up. Ultimately we are on a journey and scripture provides us the opportunity to ask the right questions, more than it provides a “cookbook” explanation of how to be saved. We can change.

So when I go to Mass, which is generally weekly, I am there to gather with others who are on this journey. I am there to participate in a religious expression that is 2,000 years old, knowing full well that over the many centuries all of us who have professed this faith have failed from time to time.

In terms of Catholic Church failures, many would point to the Crusades and the Inquisition; and they would be right. More recently: the response of Catholic Church bishops in addressing the sexual abuse scandal, the governing Church’s response to Gay Catholics, and the role of women and ordination. At one time, Catholic priests were allowed to marry; that was stopped officially in the Western Church in the 12th Century. The Pope says changing this is not a point of discussion. But I can tell you the majority of Catholics sitting in the pews disagree with their bishops and have drawn different conclusions on these life issues through free will and formation of primacy of conscience.

That said, I am not going to leave. With all of the sins committed by my Church over the centuries, I have also found hope in the people in my Church who I have met over the years. Vatican II defined the word “Church” to be the people of God — not the clerics. When you see the Catholic Church in that manner, and when you realize that it is your personal relationship with God that is important, the pronouncements and directives of the bishops become secondary.

Can I explain or scientifically prove faith or the existence of God? No. What I do know is that faith and reason are not mutually exclusive. To have faith requires your ability to reason that the existence of God, when you look in the world, is real. God has ways of revealing to us and it is through creation. Matthew 25 in the New Testament is the best guide in understanding our role as believers to make a just world and take care of each other. Countless examples exist of members of my Church standing for social justice, from Cesar Chavez to Dorothy Day.

Put another way, the Catholic Church, like any church, is a human structure. It is not perfect and never will be. It has sinned and hurt many over the centuries. Yet, it has also passed down through the generations the message of hope through faith in God and the trinity.

Is this hard to accept? Sometimes it is difficult to accept a God or creator. But I do believe in a God of compassion, who is willing to accept us, and provide the grace to make us better. Believing in the end is your choice, a personal choice reached through free will and primacy of conscience.

Bill Perry grew up in Muskegon, Michigan, graduating from Muskegon High School in 1969. He earned Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Michigan State University and worked for the State of Michigan for 28 years before retiring in 2003 and becoming editor of Michigan Banker magazine.

Bill enjoys politics, running, biking, traveling and MSU sports. A fan of U2 and TV’s “The West Wing,” he lives near Lansing with Kris, his wife of 25 years. Bill and Kris are the proud parents of Marissa, a senior at Michigan State University’s James Madison College studying International Relations and German.