I'm tired of people assigning labels.
Why are so-called traditional Catholics always aligned with conservative politics, while ordinary Catholics are often designated as liberals? On Facebook and elsewhere it seems everyone is aligning themselves with this or that movement, cult, political interest, and so on. Everyone seems to be joining a group, or identifying themselves with an ideological cause.
I'm just a Catholic man.
I guess every once in awhile I have to make that known.
I believe in God.
O my God, I firmly believe that you are one God in three divine Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I believe that your divine Son became man and died for our sins, and that he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe these and all the truths which the holy Catholic Church teaches, because you have revealed them, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. Amen.I'm not liberal or conservative. I'm not a leftist or a right-wing conspiracy theorist. I'm not a Fatimist or a Medjugore follower. I'm not traditionalist or progressive. I'm not any letter in the LGBTQ movement.
I'm a Catholic man.
I came across a story last week by the fellow who leads New Ways Ministry, complaining he was more or less snubbed by Cardinal Marx when he questioned him about including LGBTQ in the Synod documents. Evidently Marx dismissed that idea as an ideological concern which didn't fit into the scheme of things. I was so impressed with what Marx said - dispelling earlier suspicions that the German hierarchy are 'pro-gay' if you will. Where did I get that notion? Where did New Ways get that idea? From goofballs online who distort every story to suit their agenda.
Catholics buy into that and are easily deluded by the polarizing effects of deeply biased stories and commentary online news aggregates --- actually all media: the good, the bad, the ugly. And you get labeled according to who or what you read, and even more so who you quote. People need to return to the faith, they - we - I need to stop following the world and its vanities.
I'm a sinful man.
They wear their pride like a necklace,
they clothe themselves with violence.
Their hearts overflow with malice,
their minds seethe with plots.
They scoff; they speak with malice;
from on high they plan oppression.
They have set their mouths in the heavens
and their tongues dictate to the earth.
So the people turn to follow them
and drink in all their words...
Then I said: "If I should speak like that,
I should abandon the faith of your people." - Ps. 73
"Then I said: "If I should speak like that,
ReplyDeleteI should abandon the faith of your people." - Ps. 73"
I many times have wondered if this is where the many of us are in the Church. Clamor reigns, confusion ensues, all while trying to give the impression that we are faithful all.
We are empty, clanging bells because in the midst of our self-important pride, we have left the One who matters most,
the One who gives life,
the One who is truth itself.
Your article helps me to understand (once again) that without Christ being the center of who I am called to be ... I am nothing let alone a label.
I am conservative on some issues and liberal on others. Traditional on some things, modern on others. I agree labels are meaningless.
ReplyDeleteTypical of New Ways Ministry. I expect you know they have been condemned by the Church, from Popes to local bishops, for the last 30+ years. Yet they keep trying to change Church doctrine to suit themselves, instead of pleasing God.
ReplyDeleteI am with you. The only label I care to have for myself is "faithful Catholic". God bless all here - Susan, OFS
Be careful what you say about transitional Catholics. What?
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like labels....I suggest that you get rid of democracy...
ReplyDeleteLets go back to calling people heretics etc....