Dear readers,
It’s been years. So long that I write this article wondering if I’ll readily remember how to publish on my own blog site once completed. It’s not that I’ve lacked thoughts over the last 3+ years. I’ve lacked time. However, I thought today’s article would be pretty quick to write.
It’s “Good Shepherd Sunday.” I’ve recently been corresponding with my “shepherd”, my bishop, because of the ridiculous hoops imposed upon parents and prospective godparents in order to have a child baptized. It’s kind of an “are you Catholic enough” litmus test. Things like, “bring a note from your pastor if you are a prospective godparent, averring that your derriere regularly dusts a church pew”…and not just any church pew, the church pew of your parish.
I believe the motivation is tied to some convoluted logic that the mass exodus from the Catholic Church is occurring because parents and godparents suffer from a lack of Catholic-ness. It reminds me a bit of the Deuteronomists of ancient days who thought that rather than treat people well, the world was a mess because people weren’t dutifully pious. Just dip that genuflection 6 inches lower and miracles will happen.
I think part of this convoluted logic involves delusion that the shepherds have such gosh-darned insightful utterances shared only during their homilies that if one isn’t consistently absorbing them, the world falls apart.
In fact, the answer to why people flee the Catholic Church was spoken by every ordained clergy today who read the gospel reading. “Jesus said: ‘My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me’.” (John 10:27) TA DAAAAA! You don’t know your sheep, so they don’t follow you. Or in some instances, you don’t know your sheep but your sheep know you and flee in the opposite direction because you are so very, very lost.
Let’s examine this inane “are you Catholic enough” litmus test. Due to his regular mass attendance, JD Vance, the U.S. Vice President who repeatedly exposes himself as a self-righteous, pontificating jackass who brays like a donkey belying his poor grasp of Catholic social justice teachings is “Catholic enough” whilst he vehemently espouses Dickensian legislation to punish and deprive children of food, education, Elmo and due process but a person who attends mass at different parishes is not. Pause for effect. Someone dutifully in the pews but then screwing over the most vulnerable for his own political gain is “Catholic enough.”
My dear shepherds, you are lost. I repeat. You are very, very lost. If being Catholic is defined by you as “butt in pew, anti-abortion, anti-gay, anti-women leadership, anti-birth control, and blind obedience to afore-mentioned anthology of anti stances,” you are lost. Not only are you lost. You serve spiritual poison not spiritual nourishment. Sheep run away.
Why do people flee the church? Do you know your sheep????? ....Is the pope Italian?
