Dear Mr. Shea,
I debated long and hard about writing in answer to your article in today's edition titled, “Letters, Oh We Get Letters!. I thought I would go ahead for 2 reasons.
First, I do understand the need to “let off steam” re: all those well-intentioned people who try so hard — and so pathetically — to “enlighten” us. As both a convert and a “re-vert” to Catholicism, I've certainly endured my share of them. However, may I say (with the utmost charity) that I think making fun of them is counterproductive in several ways. For one thing, they are not stupid (mostly): they understand sarcasm, and it only makes their attitude more concrete. For another, I believe it is detrimental to our own relationship with God. He loves them and wants us to treat them with the dignity they do not use toward us.
Secondly, I wanted to give you a quick story that you're welcome to use at your convenience. When I came back to the Church, I took an RCIA class to try to “catch up” with the changes during my 20-yr absence. Shortly after, I was encouraged to assist the deacon in charge of our RCIA, and worked with him for 16 years. The first year, I found some things he was teaching that I didn't agree with, but kept my thoughts to myself. One of those things I disagreed with was the baptism of babies (my “theology” was firmly Protestant). The second year, I was given more responsibility in teaching, and I learned more than I taught. In one class, in particular, I was trying to explain something fairly simple, and some of the candidates “got it”, and others didn't.
An idea occured to me (had to have been from God — I wouldn't have thought of the connection), and I stopped and asked for a show of hands: which of them were catechumens and which were candidates? I hope you see the answer coming ; I didn't, and was completely floored! The candidates were the ones who “got it”, and the catechumens didn't. And, I learned a valuable lesson about baptism and the power of God.
Thanks for letting me share. And thanks for the work you do. I look forward to Catholic Exchange every day, and miss it on Sundays.
Yours in Christ,
(Mrs.) Carol Luscomb
Flint, MI
Carol:
Thanks for your thoughts. I appreciate your criticism and see the merit of it. It's true that people generally don't like being made fun of and it's equally true that the person to whom I responded didn't much enjoy it. My defense is simply that the person to whom I responded was in no way disposed to listen to a word I said, me being an ignorant and evil Papist and all. So I borrowed a page from Flannery O'Connor and figured “When people are deaf, you shout.” I hoped my little tactic might jar her into thinking a thought
which seems never to have occurred to her: “Am I really that arrogant?”
Given that it's sometimes worked with me when I've been arrogant to have my high-handedness pricked, I thought it might work with her.
But I recognize nonetheless the danger you speak of. It's easy to be haughty and flippant. Thanks for keeping me
honest.
Mark Shea
Senior Content Editor
Catholic Exchange
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