Is the Catholic Blog World Joyless?
As I surf various Catholic Blogs, I notice that many of them are dedicated to demonstrating all that is wrong with the world (or at least what they perceive to be wrong with the world). Oh, if only it were so simple as Fr. Sibley so blithely instructed some fourth graders, according to a recent blog entry: L-I-B-E-R-A-L-S. But it's not. Indeed, both L-I-B-E-R-A-L-S and C-O-N-S-E-R-V-A-T-I-V-E-S, and whatever we choose to label those who don't fit these all too facile categories, all have important things to contribute to our C-A-T-H-O-L-I-C community. We ought to take some time celebrating those things instead of arrogantly tearing apart people we know nothing of and trying to show how much more authentic our Catholicism is compared to their less perfect attempts at it. I admit that I am not immune to this, but I do try to offer criticism, when I do, in charity and humility. For I am all too aware that I am still struggling to work out my salvation, in fear and trembling. The Church, the people of God, is whether we like it or not a Church of liberals, conservatives, extroverts, introverts, "plastics," and nerds. And, there is one thing we all share in common--we're all sinners. That should at least give us pause before we decide that we are right and that other people of good faith are most definitely wrong.
Jesus came to bring the "good news." Help me! Where are the blogs with good news for all of us Catholic sinners?
Jesus came to bring the "good news." Help me! Where are the blogs with good news for all of us Catholic sinners?
posted by Mark Mossa, SJ at 12:50 AM
3 Comments:
Where are the blogs with good news for all of us Catholic sinners?
Why not post some good news items for the rest of us to read.
My understand of the term liberal is one who is not obedient to the Magisterium. My understanding of the term conservative is one who is obedient to the Magisterium. I prefer the term Faithful to conservative.
What is your understanding of the terms liberal and conservative?
Sharon,
I think that to define a "liberal" as one who is not obedient to the Magisterium would not be accurate. Surely, there are some "liberals" who would fit into that category, but there are also some "conservatives" who would fit into those categories also (I'm for abandoning these terms altogether!).
Consider those who belong to schismatic movements like the Lefebvrist movement. Such a movement would be considered "conservative," but you couldn't claim that they are obedient to the Magisterium. Bishops like Bishop Bruskiewicz in Nebraska have identified both "liberal" and "conservative" groups that they believe are not faithful to the Magisterium. Your term "faithful" is perhaps a better one, and would include, I think, those who could be indentified as both "liberal" and "conservative." Many of my Jesuit brothers--as am I depending on who you talk to--are identified as "liberal," yet they are also faithful to the Magisterium. I think these terms speak to differences in approach and priorities more than they do to whether or not one is obedient to the Church's teaching. "Liberals," for example, often emphasize "social justice" issues, while conservatives emphasize "pro-life" issues, yet I would argue that both are part of the same fabric within the Magisterium, it's just a matter of emphasis.
I think we need to move beyond such limiting descriptors, and focus on the more primary ones like Catholic and Christian, recognizing that these are not going to mean the same thing for everybody--there are, and there are meant to be, differences. Isn't that evidenced by the fact that there is not just one religious order in the Church, but many?
The Catholic Church is too rich a reality to be limited by terms such as these which place people into categories and cause people to make conclusions about their levels of obedience or disobedience. It breeds suspicion, not communion.
I think many people on Catholic blogs need to assess their motivations in an honest way. If you take a site like "Catholic World Report" or something similar, what you end up with is almost nothing that has to do with Catholicism and a great deal of defensive, vituperative attacks on anyone who is not of exactly the same ideological stripe as the ten to fifteen obsessive posters to the site (and, of course, the sad specter of Diogenes himself). I think this became most clear during the recent controversy over Spitzer and Gonzaga. At Bettnet, the second the slightest hint of controversy at a Jesuit school came to light, the blogger went on the attack. Without any evidence, any knowledge of the situation, any Christian goodwill. When it came to light that Spitzer was actually a lifelong public proponent of pro-life causes, was an apology issued?
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