let it never be said that I joined the Catholic Church for Her followers…

… There isn’t a day that doesn’t go by where I am not absolutely grateful for my Catholic faith. I love being a Catholic, yet there are days when being a Catholic is an extreme exercise in patience. Especially when dealing with other Catholics. We are a contentious lot.

I believe with all my heart the tenets of the Catholic Church and faithfully practice them to the best of my ability – my flawed human ability. If I falter the sacrament of reconciliation is sought. I am not a perfect Catholic. No one is. Which is why I always find it amusing that some Catholics feel they’re in a position to condemn others for their short comings.

My favorite of favorite insults is the one levied against another as not being a real Catholic. “I thought this was supposed to a Catholic blog”, “I can’t believe a supposedly pious Catholic as you claim to be thinks those things”, “Anathema Sit!” loudly declared with some invisible, self ordained, and made-up authority.

Being nasty to a fellow Catholic simply because they do not share your same opinions is not part of our baptismal vows or Profession of Faith. Neither is the spiritual work of mercy to admonish the sinner an open invitation to verbally flog, mentally harass and publicly humiliate another human being with viscous internet screeds. Doing so does not make you a champion for the faith and a True Catholic Warrior. It makes you a mean spirited and petty bully.

There is nothing humorous or entertaining about a soul in grievous error, guilty of heresy and/or causing scandal. This is precisely why I don’t waste a whole lot of time writing about the scandal du jour that is usually regurgitated elsewhere online. Prayers should be our main source of action, not a mad dash to the internet with a clucking of tongues and wagging of fingers.

There is also nothing brave about being purposefully combative and argumentative. It does not make your writing fierce and edgy to be nasty and sarcastic all the time. Your popularity is not in direct correlation with how many people you’ve managed to offend on any given day or by how well you can articulate a litany of insults. I don’t give credence to the belief that if you are pissing people off you must be doing something right. The only thing your proving is an insecure need to always be right. This can only be cured with highly concentrated doses of humility administered daily. I suppose this is why the Church has Doctors, because we are all a bit ill.