Apparently there is yet more scandal mongering, backbiting and general uncharitable behavior making the rounds of the Catholic blogosphere. Since I seldom delve into the comboxes of other blogs you may wonder how I latched onto this juicy tidbit. Well, Diane Korzeniewski over at Te Deum Laudamus has seen fit to write an insightful article well worth some prayerful reflection. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about and who is flinging what at whom... she's not going to tell you. She does, however, offer some reflections worth meditating on.
I fail to understand all this worry and preoccupation about "uncharitable behaviour" etc. Ascribing needed debates as such is just a way of shutting down the debate. The wheat is now being separated from the chaff and things must play out. No "cease fire", I argue. Catholicism is also a fighting religion and there has been no real manly fighting for the last 5 decades.
ReplyDeleteNot saying the following applies to this blog, though it should be stated...
Here's a commenter from someone at the blog Priestly Orders:
"I grew up in New York, the Priests from my parish lived exactly 7 doors down from me and our interaction with them was daily and very personal. They were mostly Irish and Italian, most cussed like sailors (refraining only from taking the Lord's name), used acerbic wit to cut down many a sinner, and wouldn't back down from a fight if it came to it. Good Bye good men. Now we have anonymous posters who wring their hands over bruised feelings, and perceived slights. What you sow is what you reap. We have raised up milquetoast Catholics. Where is the Church Militant? Where are the Warriors? Islam is burying the world through birth rate and butchery, and us Catholics are afraid of some rough language."
Then a comment by another blogger:
"We live in times of such unmanliness that by every exchange of opinion that reaches the level of more than mild disapprobation someone...feels the need to intervene and say how 'disparaging' and insensitive other people are... This degeneration is everywhere: in the blog comments, in the Internet forum, in the office, at the pub, with the neighbours. An entire civilisation is being made effeminate by this flipping obsession with being “sensitive”. In turn, the word police uses this to avoid the ugly truths being said."
I know of a story of two priests in the Pembroke diocese who blogged while watching the Grey Cup game. Each time there was a commercial they took to their laptops and engaged in a continuing argument online with a third party which eventually got them banned for uncharitable behavior. Here at Witness we argue amongst ourselves incessantly but we also get together once a month to pray. It would do many a blogger a world of good to pray before hitting the keyboard.
ReplyDeleteI find it quite engaging and interesting when you and Barona argue.
ReplyDeleteI agree: pray before hitting the keyboard. That is my policy prior to every post I upload.
Thanks for the link and compliments. I have written my second post in the series here.
ReplyDeletecopy and paste this, if that link does not work
http://te-deum.blogspot.com/2013/09/catholic-virtual-wars-strident-catholics.html