Beating Up On Mom

Something that bothers me is when people say something to the affect "Well, I'm Catholic so that gives me the right to belittle the Church, go against the Church, not listen to Bishops of the Church, and basically beat up the Church." This phrase bothers me because it is like saying, "I am my mother's child; therefore, I can punch her in the stomach." No one would dare say or do such a thing to their own mother. Yet, it seems acceptable to do it to one's own Holy Mother Church. Anyway, the former phrase and those similar can be heard on the day-time talk radio of New Orleans due to the soon to come parish closings. The attitude of the people who are standing against the Bishop have a real -me- centered attitude. One gentleman from St. H's parish said that he is willing to fight the bishop for 4 years and more to try to keep his parish from closing.

It makes me sad and gives me grief for a number of reason which I will not go into in this post. Maybe it is just me, but I know I would prefer to have a wound clean and covered for four years than to have it fester for four year and have it run the risk of infecting other parts of the body. Perhaps I am alone on that opinion, but I doubt. Still, something that bothers me more: as how can the church be one when its own members would prefer to squabble over the closing of a building than to ask, "What is the best way to build up the Church?" Everyone knows that building anything takes time and usually results in pain of some sort for those who are doing the building. Also, when considering building, one must have in mind the end product or else nothing comprehensible can be built. Yet, I suppose, part of being selfish results in the failure to see the larger picture. Than again, we can't all be saints:

“We should always be disposed to believe that that which appears white is really black, if the hierarchy of the Church so decides” ~Saint Ignatius of Loyola