humor

I have a new defense for all those self-proclaimed orthodox bloggers who might criticize Saint Anthony Shrine for being welcoming of gay and lesbian Catholics:

At least we don’t have a Buddha.

It seems that down in Australia, a bishop there has issued a warning to a “renegade” parish “where women can preach, homosexual couples can be blessed and social justice is championed.” It seems the church is “operating outside practices and policies acceptable to the Roman Catholic Church.” (God forbid the Church should champion social justice.) The bishop concluded that whatever good the parish might be doing, it is decidedly not Catholic. (The crisis was, of course, precipitated by a person not a member of the parish who came in and took surreptitious photographs – yet another Catholic snitch on a self-appointed crusade to purify the Church. If you’re worried about impurities, my friends, try Lysol.)

“It’s a matter of faith.” “According to my faith,….” “My faith is wavering.” “I’ve lost my faith.”

The word of the day is “faith.” It’s not a word that is used consistently. We might talk about losing faith in the government, having faith in humanity, or to identify one’s religious faith. It’s a good word. But it is also grossly misunderstood, especially when in reference to religion and spirituality.