OK, Here goes a whimsical series about what I love about the Catholic Church. Some posts will be one liners. Others long winded. Some serious, others not so. They’re in no particular order, either logically or of priority of importance. I hope you enjoy them. Why not tell others to tune in? I’m trying to boost my readership…
I love the Catholic Church because it is for brainy, sophisticated, cultured, artistic people and it is also for those who are not. It is a church for haute couture and hoi polloi. You can enjoy a Raphael Madonna or a plastic bottle of holy water shaped like the Blessed Virgin with a crown for a cap that unscrews. You can appreciate a picture of the Last Supper painted by Leonardo on the wall of a refectory in Florence or one painted by number on black velvet and hanging in a trailer. You can study the philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas or be an imbecile and still be a good Catholic. Nobody’s excluded, in fact to really stand everything on its head, a good Catholic has to consider the peasant, the holy fool, the child, the tasteless ignoramus and the devout ditz to actually perhaps and possibly being closer to heaven than the smart, the rich, the tasteful, the privileged, the powerful and the educated ones. Indeed, to enter the kingdom of heaven one has to become like a little child.
Is there any other expression of Christianity where both extremes are so valued? I think not.In most every society Protestantism divides along social lines, and each despises the other–some with snobbery, the others with reverse snobbery. In the Catholic Church you get a duchess and a dustman kneeling together in prayer, and the same Mass that is celebrated in Chartres Cathedral is also said in a drab American church that looks like a huge ice cream cone that has fallen upside down. All of this is a wonder, and echos to me that, “Here is reality. Here is the true Church.”
PS: The nun in shades is just for fun, and is shamelessly nicked from The Crescat
Well said, Father. And it suggests that we all be on the lookout for the sin of pride, from either direction.
Ah, yes. And long before the democratic view judged everyone, our saints already included every nation and race, men and women, old people and children, peasants and kings.
Ummm, what about the Orthodox?
Of course the Orthodox are included…
I just have a problem with Denominationalism ( is there even such a word), I find it raises a barrier between man and God, not a channel?
On an completely unrelated note, I’m stealing your image of Fight FOCA to post on my blog. I hope it’s O.K.
Tom, if you follow the FOCA link it takes you to the site of Americans United for Life. There you can get the same image which will link your readers to AUL so they can sign the petition.
Ya, das ist sehr richtig! (forgive, the Lutheran Church had a Germen Fest yesterday and I was in my element). The Church is truly universal and anyone who doubts this should look at the Catholic Church. We are poor and rich, educated and not very educated, liberal and conservative, and yet all come together at Mass for the same purpose. I think in this respect the Catholic Church is as close to Heaven as we will get on earth. It is a benefit we all overlook. You won’t find that a lot in Protestantism.
“The Catholic Church is for Saints and Sinners, for Respectable people the Anglican Church will do.” Oscar Wilde. I joined the Church nearly a year ago after my RCIA classes, best thing I ever did, along with marrying my dear wife. Its nice to be among normal people, respectable my …..
Well said, Father. Last weekend, while marching in the Walk for Life in San Francisco, I looked around me and found great comfort at the diversity of the folks, and thought, “Ah, truly a physical demonstration of the definition of ‘catholic!'”
what an interesting way to put it…we should all reflect on reasons why we love being Catholic
I think that is one of the reasons for being a Catholic, as a Catholic convert,the complete acceptance of everyone; you don’t have to be anybody, just be your self – be Catholic – a universal acceptance in the real sense of the word. Think I probably fall into the Devout Ditz category though!
Not to nitpick, Father, but the famous Last Supper, that got so much play in the Da Vinci Code, is at the Dominican priory of Santa Maria della Grazia in Milano, not Firenze.Other than that, very well said, as usual! I’ll look forward to reading more.
Maybe I’m spending too much time at Tridentine lits, but the crowd there seems to be – at least among the younger set – overly cerebral and academic. What worries me is that the Church seems to be losing it’s Joe Sixpack/middle-middle class set whose immigrant ancestors built the American Church.Now who/what is to blame for this:1. the democratic party2. the republican party3. a satanic/masonic conspiracy4. a satanic/jesuitical conspiracy5. high-fructose corn syrup6. Bratz dolls7. heavy metal rock8. Tom Cruise movies9. the Novus Ordo10.LongIsland Visionaries……..yeah, yeah, we could go on and on with a silly ‘who/what-to-blame’ list…but I just don’t think that the Roman Catholic Church is quite as (small’c’)catholic as it was when I was growing up in the fifties and sixties.Yet still, Father D., you’re so right; compared to so many other gangs, our Church is very ‘catholic’.
Brilliant!!! I just witnessed two young people come into the Church today in Seattle! Please welcome, brothers and sisters, Melissa Giana Molla and Daniel St. John of the Cross!I love our CHURCH!!!
georgenz,we too find that denominalationalism to be a scandal, something that leads people to sin. Christ calls, over and over, for us to be one, and the only place for us to all be one is in the Universal Church, under the leadership of the successor of Peter.
Yeow. Sure must be nice being so much better than we icky Protestants.Talk about the “sin of pride.” The parading priests fashion show gots nuthin’ on you.
+JMJ+Is it the “sin of pride” to publicly declare one’s love for one’s Mother on a ‘blog?(Answer: No.)