are we apathetic?

At all the Sunday Masses this weekend, a letter from our bishop is being read from the pulpits regarding religious liberty and the Fortnight for Freedom.  The bishops of the United States have called for a period of prayer, catechesis, and action from June 21 (the vigil of the feast of Sts. Thomas More and John Fisher) to July 4.   I will be blogging during that time about the saints whose feasts we celebrate during those two weeks- heroes for true liberty.

As the letter was being read aloud, I wondered what the people around me thought.  Were they listening?  Was this the first they had heard about the fortnight?  Are they tired of hearing about religious liberty?  Do they understand the urgency?  Are they grateful that we have such a strong leader in our bishop?  Do they agree?  Disagree?  Or are they apathetic?  Do they wonder why it should matter to them?

It made me think about times throughout history when letters were read out loud from pulpits, such as when the Dutch bishops condemned the actions of Hitler.   The bishops distributed a pastoral letter that was read from the pulpit of every Catholic Church in the Netherlands.  Sadly, this heroic action had deadly repercussions, as the Nazis rounded up even more Jews, including St. Edith Stein and her sister.

It’s easy for us to read about these events in history and, in hindsight, see them as turning points.   But what did the Catholics think in the pews at that time?  Did they think the bishops were overreacting?  Did they agree?  Or disagree?  Or were they apathetic?  Did they wonder why it should matter to them?

Can you leave if you’re not here?

So while I was out of town and busy at meetings, I guess the big news among the Catholic blogs was the ad that ran in the New York Times urging “liberal and nominal Catholics” to leave the Catholic Church.

The ad was out of line, made ridiculous claims about us, and would never fly if it was speaking of any other religious group, of course.  (A caricature of Cardinal Dolan, really?  Burning bibles, caricatures of our leaders… you should be glad we Catholics are Christ-like.  Other religions wouldn’t be so tolerant.)

But it made me think– if “liberal and nominal Catholics” really did leave the Catholic Church … well, first, what does “leave” mean?  If you’re a “nominal” Catholic, you’re probably not going to Sunday Mass or obeying half of the precepts of the Church.

So haven’t you already left?

But let’s assume they decide to “leave.”   What does that do to our statistic keeping?

When you have surveys that say things like “98% of Catholics do this” and “the majority of Catholics do that” … and then you see that most of the people they survey don’t even attend Mass on a weekly basis, it leaves me wondering.  Why do those people get to screw up our statistics?

They don’t want to listen to the Pope, they don’t know what the Church actually teaches, and they don’t come to Mass.  … But when it comes time to fill out a survey, they mark the “Catholic” box.  Why?

Not to mention the fact that they give scandal to the world.  Yes, I’m talking about you, Ms. Pelosi and Ms. Sebelius and Mr. Biden.

It got me thinking… what other group could you claim to belong to when you don’t really do the things they do or believe the things they believe?

What about “liberal and nominal vegetarians”?

Confused person: Why are you eating that hamburger?  I thought you were a vegetarian.

Nominal Vegetarian:  Well, I’m a vegetarian, but I’m very open-minded.  No one is going to impose their beliefs on my stomach.

Confused person:  So you’re not a vegetarian.

Nominal Vegetarian:  I was raised in a vegetarian household, and I thought it was important to have vegetarian options at our wedding reception… but I’m not really a practicing vegetarian.

? for mothers of small children

Feedback please!

Whenever I see a small child have a meltdown in the grocery store, Target, etc, I wonder what I should do. (especially when the mother is gently trying to get him or her to calm down, when she’s not yelling or losing it, when she seems embarrassed, etc)  Is it best to ignore the whole situation?

I know she’s probably getting mean looks from people around her who don’t understand that little kids just lose it sometimes and it’s perfectly natural and not a huge deal … so should I smile at her?  Or does that risk me looking like I’m laughing or pity her?   I want to encourage her, make her feel better, help her to know the whole world doesn’t hate screaming children… But is it best just to say a prayer for her, thank God that she’s doing her best, and move on?

Advice?  Ideas?

question in my head

I was just speaking to a co-worker about the churches who have moved the tabernacle to the back of the church, somewhere in a closet.

We had also been discussing Mass ad orientem, when the priest faces the same direction as the people and leads them in worship of the Father.

Which caused me to pose the question (aloud, actually, not in my head), “Why do the same people who have a problem with the priest having his back to the people not have a problem having their backs to Jesus!?”

question in my head

Why did I save candy from Rome, thinking it would taste the same in America 29 months later?

It doesn’t.

question in my head

To the girl in the red Mustang with the stereo blaring: Are you trying to prove something with your bass up that high?  Because with your Twilight bumper sticker, you can’t look cool.  Sorry.

questions in my head

I was watching the TLC show “Sister Wives” last night…  I know, I hate to admit that I was actually watching it, but it intrigued me, it was available to watch On Demand, and there was nothing else on while I waited for Jeopardy.

Anyway, I was prepared for the show to irk me because I figured it would portray the polygamist lifestyle as hunky-dory and the families as perfect and happy and everything.  I was surprised, then, when one of the wives (the one that had been married the longest) was telling her husband that she was having jealousy issues because he was courting another woman and was now engaged to her (this will make the fourth “wife” for this guy).  She basically wanted him to admit that these feelings of jealousy were normal (helloooo!  It’s one of the few things normal on this show!) and asked him how he would feel if she was dating someone else.

His response really surprised me… because it was obviously insane.  He said something like he wouldn’t even imagine the “vulgarity” of the idea of her with two husbands or a lover (he said that word- vulgarity) and it seemed wrong to God and nature.

*Joannie stares at the television screen.*

He soon admitted that he probably sounded hypocritical.

REALLY?

Is this guy insane?  Or is he that full of himself?  Or brainwashed?

What is this woman thinking?  Can we help her?

Okay, so the questions in my head are numerous.

And I wasn’t surprised to hear that there may be criminal charges against them.  I mean, they’re kind of asking for that since they’re going on TV and flaunting the fact that they’re living the polygamist lifestyle.

But here comes my next question: how can our government enforce polygamy laws when they allow divorce and cohabitation?  I mean, he’s not legally married to anyone but his first wife.  So how is that different than a husband and wife who are living an “open marriage” and fool around with other people?

I don’t believe in polygamy, obviously, but I do think it’s an interesting predicament.

questions in my head

What do the stars talk about during post-Emmy parties?  When “normal” people get together, they gossip about the stars. Do stars gossip about each other?  It seems that they would be so sick of work and the gossip that they would want to talk about anything else.  But what?  Do they talk about us?  Ha!

And do any of them just wander around with a drink in their hand trying not to look awkward because they have no one to talk to?

Just wondering.

Questions in my head

Does anyone use the yellow pages anymore?  I had two delivered to my door the other day, and it prompted a few questions in my head:

• Who uses the yellow pages?
• Who pays for the printing of the yellow pages?
• How many yellow pages phone books are just thrown away immediately?
• Couldn’t we be “green” and stop printing these things?  They could still print some, and if someone really wanted one, they could request one.
• Could I have the money that would be saved by this?