This is the kind of mushy thinking and terminology that gives practicing Catholics a bad name. We need better terms - how about "faithful Catholic"?
Better yet, those who have left the fold in truth just need to stop arrogating such terms to themselves. It may make for good copy, but it does nothing for the rest of us.
It's not like we need a litmus test or anything, but how about we start with the Creed and work our way up from there? There's no use dumping on the hierarchy, because we're all in this together (it's one body). The Kingdom of God is messy, boys and girls; God shines his sun on the good and the bad alike.
3 comments:
It's a difficulty practical question. How do you define who is and is not a "faithful Catholic". Who gets to decide? The obvious answer (the Church) is a little busy to make this distinction on an individual basis.
Jesus didn't have a quiz or an entrance exam for those who wanted to come hear him teach. At some point, we have to give people the benefit of the doubt. By the time you learn that their definition of "practicing" Catholic doesn't match yours, you know them well enough to treat them accordingly.
Maybe what we really need is a catechetical system for our youngsters that emphasizes concepts like "If you don't like what the Pope has to say on birth control...maybe you need to put off getting Confirmed for a while."...Instead of it being an assembly line.
And I would agree with you. There is no practical way of determining what constitutes "faithful". (Aren't we all "unfaithful" from time to time? Isn't that the point of confession?)
What I object to is certain high profile self-professed "ardent" or "practicing" Catholics who hold public positions that incur latae sententiae penalties, and those same being touted in the media as such.
Whups. Next time I'll use nouns.
Post a Comment