Bishop Varden’s reflections are regularly thought-provoking. His post on this past Sunday’s Gospel, for example:

Do I think of myself as a citizen or as a client of society? A citizen has duties; a client makes claims. It is easier to be a client. The model can be transferred onto our sense of Church membership. When it makes inroads here, it can be fatal. 

My two thoughts:

1) The model applies to the current immigration debate in the US, doesn’t it? There’s a world of difference between a (legal) immigrant who wants to become a citizen and an (illegal) immigrant who want benefits.

2) In the Catholic Church today, what are the duties of someone who comes to church on Sunday? The answers may be found in the Catechism, but (since most don’t read the Catechism) as a practical matter, what does a typical parish demand of parishioners? Anything?