What would the world be like if all people who called themselves Catholic really knew the teachings and Believed them with all their heart? Quite a different one, I assure you.
I was talking to my Lit. teacher today after class. Besides her and my sister/classmate, my mother and my Lit. teacher's daughter Abby were also present. We talked on a great many of subjects, not the least of which was Catholic education. Being a couple of Home-schooled families, we had interesting views to bring to the table (though mentioned in great detail on many other occasions). Abby was talking about when she went to a "Engaged Encounter" with her fiance. We started talking about how many couples at this event were cohabiting which was about twenty-one out of twenty-three.
(cringe)
The priest, when asked about cohabiting before Catholic marriage, said "Living together and cohabiting are two different things. Living together is OK but cohabiting is not. As long as you go to Confession a few days before hand, you should be able to receive Communion at your wedding." No Comment. I'll leave that one alone for the sake of sanity. (Whether for yours or mine, I couldn't say.)
Different generations will be effected by how much we choose to tell our youth about the Faith. If you don't give us a chance to choose what is really true by giving us non answers, we can hardly be expected to respect you for your convictions or lack there of. We cannot sit on the fence anymore. If you tell us only half the truth, how can you expect us to be more than half Catholics? Young people all over are trying to choose the right thing but the right thing rarely asks little of us and we recognize that. The Muslim faith looks attractive for this reason. We are happiest when our consciences are at rest. If we feel we are doing all that we can, why should we feel guilty or unhappy in any way? Of course, I realize this goes both ways. Some people I know that will go unnamed feel that "Catholicism is all about guilt and meaningless work." "Why sacrifice for a god who condemns your friends who make honest mistakes?" I feel that this has got to be the hardest burden of a Catholic. Watching your friends and loved ones go down a painful path and refuse to be helped. There is a deep ache in my heart for each and every one of those people that I know and for the people that have been mentioned in prayer. If only I could gather all the information I knew they needed to know in a couple sentences... Their minds have a very short time of openness to the Holy Spirit.
For those of you who might be reading this that are anti Catholic, please don't think that I am a snob or 'know-it-all', the kind who only thinks they know what others need. It hurts to be scoffed at and resented for your sincere love and hope for others. While I do not know a minuscule percentage of what I should like to about the Faith, I know what it feels like to be lied to by all evil in your life. It never fails to make the truth sound detestable. You know when you go to a party or event that sounded like it'd be embarrassing or your just not feeling up to it? But then you go. And you have a great time that you wouldn't trade for anything you could have been doing just then. At least, that has been my experience. My mom and dad decided they wouldn't hold anything back from my education about Catholicism. They took me out of my Catholic Private school and home-schooled me. We have traveled to places that wouldn't have been an option before. My sister and I have had a wonderful and rich relationship with God that has led me to be happy and grateful for all that I have, and hopefully will have after I die. This joy and wonderful thing is precious to me. I have met so many people that I could not have otherwise and who made an impact on how I now live everyday. Those same people that said those things about the Catholic Church don't understand who I am because they don't believe. They can never understand me until they know who I know and live like I live.
If this is too much to ask, then forgive me my presumption.
