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Many Catholics now-a-days seem to confuse piety with weirdness. It is common for people new to the faith, or for young people, to have problems with scruples and the like. I am thinking of those who have been Catholics their entire lives and should know better. They seem to think that being "holy" dispenses them from basic kindness and courtesy. They are so holy they can violate the rubrics prescribed by the Church for the worship of God. They do not need Church documents because they are so "holy." They can indulge in lies and calumny but because they go to Mass everyday, it's alright.
Yes, we all have our sins, faults, and eccentricities. Being devout, however, is not equivalent to being an unsocialized crank. Holy feelings do not make a saint; sanctity is won by taking up the Cross. We are commanded to love, and to show love even to those whom we despise or who despise us. We are commanded to forgive injuries. The saints give so many examples of this; the Savior, of course, is the greatest example of all.
Thursday, October 29, 2009
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3 comments:
Excellent.
When St. Paul speaks to the Corinthians about the 'Gifts of the Spirit' he does not list self-righteousness, slander, or being an unsocialized crank.
Basic stuff - be kind, love your neighbor, only second to the first commandment. It would be better for all of us if we learned this first in life. A Christian mother has a holy obligation to imbue this in little minds before moving on to any other tenets. We learn to be cruel and self protect with pride(and other ugliness) from the people in our lives when we are young.
Maybe it is laziness or shame? Or escapism - hiding behind the mask of religious piety because they perceive they don't fit in elsewhere.
It's easier not to take up one's cross or confront our "warts", but then we deny ourselves the closeness of God, and sanctifying grace. We miss out big time, and we suffer greatly for it. Self defeating, self destructive.
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