Catholics today

[Era Might]

I was making my rounds through a few blogs I visit, and I just can't take it anymore.

Catholics today are like lions ripping one another to shreds. We're all trying to outdo eachother in knowledge, in righteousness, in correctness; how many of us are trying to outdo one another in charity?

I'm just tired of it all.

[/rant]

[1337 k4th0l1x0r]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Feb 20 2006, 03:36 PM']I was making my rounds through a few blogs I visit, and I just can't take it anymore.

Catholics today are like lions ripping one another to shreds. We're all trying to outdo eachother in knowledge, in righteousness, in correctness; how many of us are trying to outdo one another in charity?

I'm just tired of it all.

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You're missing a space between 'each' and 'other.'

Take that :

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Feb 20 2006, 04:36 PM']I was making my rounds through a few blogs I visit, and I just can't take it anymore.

Catholics today are like lions ripping one another to shreds. We're all trying to outdo eachother in knowledge, in righteousness, in correctness; how many of us are trying to outdo one another in charity?

I'm just tired of it all.

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You jerk! I totally noticed this before you!




:

Yeah...many are guilty of being Pharisees...myself included. God forgive us.

Jesus is coming back...hopefully not too angrily...

[Amator Veritatis]

This is perhaps the most relevant point regulating the manners of Catholics today. Those who sacrifice charity in the search of truth do an injustice to truth and stray from the right path, [i]veritatem facientes in caritate[/i], secundum admonitionem Sancti Pauli. With that said, however, we must not forget the duty incumbent upon us to follow the will of God both in our actions through charity and our words and beliefs through a propagation of the truth, most especially the only true Faith.

[Paphnutius]

When the Son of Man returns, will He indeed find faith on earth?

[jezic]

i think you are right. There has been a lot of that in many places and indeed i think it is fueled by the vision that the world presents. We are told in many places that we have to be the best and the brightest constantly, that we can never be outdone.

How about we focus on outdoing each other in happiness and humility, in charity and kindness, and in prayer. (there are some very holy saints who were always trying to one up the other. The difference is that it lead them into the heart of Christ, not into fights with each other.)

The biggest question is how do we do that?

What are the actual steps to take?

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Paphnutius' date='Feb 20 2006, 04:43 PM']When the Son of Man returns, will He indeed find faith on earth?
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[Lil Red]

i think people need to pray the [url="http://www.rc.net/wcc/humility.htm"]litany of humility[/url] more

[Era Might]

[quote name='jezic' date='Feb 20 2006, 04:44 PM']How about we focus on outdoing each other in happiness and humility, in charity and kindness, and in prayer. (there are some very holy saints who were always trying to one up the other. The difference is that it lead them into the heart of Christ, not into fights with each other.)
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Exactly.

There was a Jew who said something like "I wake up to praise God, not to curse Hitler".

As Catholics, do we wake up to praise God or to curse our Bishops and eachother?

Like Raphael said, we're all guilty.

I think we need to take a deep breath and get a grip on reality.

Edited February 20, 2006 by Era Might

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='jezic' date='Feb 20 2006, 04:44 PM']i think you are right. There has been a lot of that in many places and indeed i think it is fueled by the vision that the world presents. We are told in many places that we have to be the best and the brightest constantly, that we can never be outdone.

How about we focus on outdoing each other in happiness and humility, in charity and kindness, and in prayer. (there are some very holy saints who were always trying to one up the other. The difference is that it lead them into the heart of Christ, not into fights with each other.)

The biggest question is how do we do that?

What are the actual steps to take?
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I am no spiritual leader of any kind, but it seems to me that the first step is to learn self-control and humility. This requires examination of conscience, recollection, and silent prayer, as well as diligence to a particular schedule. We must first learn to see ourselves as we truly are.

Then I believe we will begin more easily to let go of the things that bother us, that hurt us, etc. When we enter that stage, we have done well, but there is more work to do. We need then to continue recollection, but also to go outside of ourselves to be there for others, by admonition, by charity, by fellowship.

As we gather more to ourselves, we will hopefully begin to learn to live in common, selflessly.

We must have faith that we may hope, hope that we may love, love that we may do the work of God.

[Lil Red]

i also think that everyone should be reading a book about a saint all the time (i just finished St. Rose of Lima's biography). that way people would learn more from the saints and imitate them.

i think too that more people should practice mortifications and penances for the sake of the Church today.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

I think phatmass should collectively join together in the Total Consecration together. A new cycle starts today.

[Lil Red]

i just finished my consecration earlier this month.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

Also, I think we should have rosary rings in our pockets and pray a decade (instead of the traditional count to ten) when we get angry or frustrated...this is an adaptation I made to something a priest said in a homily here the other day.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Lil Red' date='Feb 20 2006, 04:51 PM']i just finished my consecration earlier this month.
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[Thy Geekdom Come]

Oh, and there's a beautiful line in the litany Lil Red posted:

That others may become holier than I, provided I become as holy as I ought.

That's wonderful...I was thinking about StColette the other day, whom I believe to be holier than I, and I realized that I didn't mind that and that I was, in fact, glad that she was (yet let me become as holy as I should!)...which of course showed me that I get jealous of others who are holier than I am (which happens a lot).

[Era Might]

Also, I think we need to realize that the ability to give our opinion is a privelege, not a right.

Everyone and their mother can post their opinion online for thousands of people to read. I think we're drunk with power, in some sense. We think our opinion just HAS to be heard.

I think I know now why St. James warned us about our tongues.

[quote]Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, for you realize that we will be judged more strictly,

for we all fall short in many respects. If anyone does not fall short in speech, he is a perfect man, able to bridle his whole body also.

If we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we also guide their whole bodies.

It is the same with ships: even though they are so large and driven by fierce winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot's inclination wishes.

In the same way the tongue is a small member and yet has great pretensions. Consider how small a fire can set a huge forest ablaze.

The tongue is also a fire. It exists among our members as a world of malice, defiling the whole body and setting the entire course of our lives on fire, itself set on fire by Gehenna. [/quote]

Edited February 20, 2006 by Era Might

[Lil Red]

yes, raph, that we help others to become holy, but do not neglect our own duty in making ourselves holy as well (with prayer, study, etc.)

[Lil Red]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Feb 20 2006, 02:56 PM']Also, I think we need to realize that the ability to give our opinion is a privelege, not a right.

Everyone and their mother can post their opinion online for thousands of people to read. I think we're drunk with power, in some sense. We think our opinion just HAS to be heard.

I think I know now why St. James warned us about our tongues. 
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so often i will type out a reply to someone on a thread, then read it as if my mother was standing there reading it. so often i will delete replies because of the lack of charity.

[Thy Geekdom Come]

[quote name='Era Might' date='Feb 20 2006, 04:56 PM']Also, I think we need to realize that the ability to give our opinion is a privelege, not a right.

Everyone and their mother can post their opinion online for thousands of people to read. I think we're drunk with power, in some sense. We think our opinion just HAS to be heard.

I think I know now why St. James warned us about our tongues. 
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Indeed. I was going to post to something the other day to refute something and then I thought, "wait...I will add nothing new to the debate...everyone's already brought up the points I would bring up...why do I want to post?" Then I realized that it was the pride of wanting to be heard. Of course, I often check back to see if people validate my posts. I think that's part of the addiction...we want to say something and know that someone out there cares and replies. We place so much joy in the replies we get on the internet.

"They have mouths, but they cannot speak;
They have eyes, but they cannot see;
They have ears, but they cannot hear;
They have nostrils, but they cannot smell.
With their hands they cannot feel;
With their feet they cannot walk.
No sound comes from their throats.
Their makers will come to be like them
and so will all who trust in them."