From time to time I hear criticisms of Catholic priests and bishops: Well meaning Catholics want us to speak out more against the wickedness in our society. Sometimes the critics are conflating their political opinions with the gospel and when they want us to speak out they mean they want us to bolster their political opinions. And this happens from the “right” and the “left”. Conservative folks want us to speak out against sexual immorality and decadence. Progressives want us to speak out against deportation, pollution and violation of equal rights.

There are a couple of reasons why I don’t “speak out” on such issues. Firstly, the people I might be “speaking out” to don’t usually come to church. They’re not there to hear my message. Secondly, I fear the people who want me to “speak out” really want to be made to feel righteous as I speak out against “all those wicked, unsaved terrible decadent people” By speaking out against them the folks in the pews feel better about themselves. Therefore “speaking out” is really only giving a booster shot to their self righteousness.

However, the main reason I don’t speak out on particular issues is because I am called to preach the gospel. The primary message of the gospel is the need for sinful people to repent and turn to the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of their souls. The biggest problem in the church today is that we have distorted priorities. We think role of the church and the job or priests and bishops is to make the world a better place–to be more concerned with politics, social problems, ecological problems, war and peace and justice and equal rights than the gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Yes, of course it is necessary to preach about sin–otherwise how would anyone know they needed to repent? But the preaching on sin must arise from the Word of the Lord in Scripture, and that is the fourth reason why I don’t speak out on issues very much. When the Scriptures reveal a particular issue then I preach on it. When the Scriptures bring up a particular sin then I preach on it. I am bound by the Word of God. Once I get on to particular issues I start going down the rabbit hole of preaching my opinions rather than the Word of God.

This is where most of the division and strife in our church comes from. A priest of bishop gets on to an issue (like Fr James Martin SJ on the LGBTQ+ issue) and focusses on that instead of the simple gospel and thus controversy arises and division results.

“Whoa!” I hear you protest…”Surely human rights and sexual morality and ecology and peace and justice and abortion are all part of preaching the gospel. Confronting these issues is what it means to be a Christian right?”

This is precisely my point. These things may be important, but they are not the core of the gospel. Maybe they are things Christians should be involved in, but they are not the central, core of the faith.

Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these other things will be added to you.