“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees!"

Monday, April 30, 2012

“Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees!”

Tumblr Catholics do have a problem when someone presents as a Catholic priest who is not one. I realize this blogger changed his website to clear some of that up (and am glad for it) but when he walks into a Catholic church wearing a collar and allows himself to be called “father” without making a correction, he is still misrepresenting. That’s dishonest.

The problem is that it isn’t up to you to decide how valid I am anymore than it was up to the Pharisees to decide how valid Jesus was. You can’t say, “Oh, well God didn’t really call you. You’re not a priest.” How do you know? Did you ask him? Did you sit down and say, “You know, God, I really don’t like that InnerChrist guy. You didn’t really call him to do this, did you?” If you did, did he say anything? I’m betting he didn’t. I am a priest because God made me one, not because people on Tumblr believe it or not.

Further, I have explained to many a Roman Catholic that I am not Roman Catholic, and I am sorry, but they just don’t care. You might. Your little band of conservative Tumblr Catholics might. But most of the Roman Catholics I have personally met don’t care. They know I am from God. They know I know his Word. They know I teach his truth. And they appreciate it. As I’ve said before, many of my followers are Roman Catholics. What’s the difference? They learned how to think for themselves, outside of the catechism.

So no, there is nothing dishonest in what I do. The only way I would become dishonest in my vocation is if I betrayed my calling and pleased you.

Nobody is questioning your vocation. Nobody is calling you out and saying “God did not call you to be a priest.” Or if they are, they should not be.

But by calling yourself a “Catholic priest” you are allowing one to believe that you have been ordained and regularly celebrate Mass, and do all of the other things that come along with being a Catholic priest.

Just like I am a sister in the spiritual sense, but if someone asked me, “Do you have brothers and sisters?” while my earthly mother only produced me, it would be a lie for me to say “Yes.” I would allowing them to believe something that is not true, because they would be meaning “Did your earthly mother produce more than just you as her offspring?” It is as much of a lie to spread a false truth as it is to knowingly allow someone to believe something that is not true.

I truly don’t understand why you cannot get through commenting on things that we say without insulting us. It is disheartening. Even if others insult you, you are supposed to be better than that and not insult them back.

Also, in response to your saying that your followers think outside of the catechism… it saddens me that you would use that as a slam to traditional Catholics. I recently went to Adoration where this wonderful Dominican Sister spoke about her former doubts with the Catholic Church. She asked one of her teachers, while she was in high school, “Why is it that Catholics never think for themselves?”

Her teacher responded by saying that traditional (or, as you would say “conservative”) Catholics believe that the Church is run and led by the Holy Spirit. Official statements, such as those in the catechism, are led by the Holy Spirit, and if that is true, why would you want to think for yourself? We all desire our minds and hearts to be one with the Lord, so why would we try to think beyond his own thoughts?

If you don’t believe that the Church is led by the Holy Spirit, I completely understand and find no insult in it. That being said, we conservative Tumblr Catholics do. Please do not think it to be so ridiculous that this is our way of trying to unite with the mind of the Lord.

Generally speaking, Pentecostals believe that one must have the gift of speaking in tongues in order to go to Heaven. I personally do not believe this, but I do not insult them or lose respect for them because our beliefs differ. You yourself constantly preach that we should respect the differences in our beliefs. This is a very important instance where our differences show through.

I hope what I’m saying makes sense. For us, who truly and entirely believe that the catechism and Church teachings are from the Holy Spirit, to “think for ourselves” and go outside of that would be to think against the Holy Spirit. I wish instead of thinking of us as mindless, you would think of us as obedient, and respect us for that, regardless of if you think we are being improperly obedient. You do not have to agree with someone in order to respect their decisions, and you do not have to be treated properly in order to treat others properly.