I absolutely love your opening paragraphs on freedom, courage, and Catholicism. I was shocked and disheartened in 2020 when my Catholic homeschooling friends took a step back instead of stepping forward to protect our freedoms, especially since I ran out of breath telling them that this nonsense was ultimately designed to erase Christians from the public square. When the FBI showed up at my friend's door in 2022 for specious reasons related to her husband's pro-life witness, I was appalled but sadly not surprised. I'm still reeling from the faithful's response (or lack thereof) and also the response (and complicity) of most priests and the Church. All my Protestant friends just found a new "church home" where the congregation wasn't afraid to place their trust in Jesus. That's obviously not an option for me, but I've lost all sense of community. It turns out that most Catholics and I have nothing in common. I keep telling myself to keep my eyes on Jesus...but aren't we made for community? I'm having a hard time reconciling all this. But thank you for being a light in the darkness.
Jeannie, thank you for sharing your insight so honestly. I know that you aren't alone in these thoughts and feelings. Many simply don't speak them out of fear of being considered a "bad" Catholic. Eyes on Jesus, yes. And also yes, we are made for community. Made for love which is expressed within community/family. The isolation is indeed a trial.
Oh gosh! 100% agree on woman needs to be free to make decisions during courtship. This submission during courtship could lead to all kinds of controlling, abusive behavior.
I'm in Northern VA and we've been overtaken by the haze from Canada as well, for a good portion of our June. I look forward to soaking up the sunny, warm days of summer so much; the consistently grey skies and terrible air quality have been a complete bummer!
I absolutely love your opening paragraphs on freedom, courage, and Catholicism. I was shocked and disheartened in 2020 when my Catholic homeschooling friends took a step back instead of stepping forward to protect our freedoms, especially since I ran out of breath telling them that this nonsense was ultimately designed to erase Christians from the public square. When the FBI showed up at my friend's door in 2022 for specious reasons related to her husband's pro-life witness, I was appalled but sadly not surprised. I'm still reeling from the faithful's response (or lack thereof) and also the response (and complicity) of most priests and the Church. All my Protestant friends just found a new "church home" where the congregation wasn't afraid to place their trust in Jesus. That's obviously not an option for me, but I've lost all sense of community. It turns out that most Catholics and I have nothing in common. I keep telling myself to keep my eyes on Jesus...but aren't we made for community? I'm having a hard time reconciling all this. But thank you for being a light in the darkness.
Jeannie, thank you for sharing your insight so honestly. I know that you aren't alone in these thoughts and feelings. Many simply don't speak them out of fear of being considered a "bad" Catholic. Eyes on Jesus, yes. And also yes, we are made for community. Made for love which is expressed within community/family. The isolation is indeed a trial.
Oh gosh! 100% agree on woman needs to be free to make decisions during courtship. This submission during courtship could lead to all kinds of controlling, abusive behavior.
I'm in Northern VA and we've been overtaken by the haze from Canada as well, for a good portion of our June. I look forward to soaking up the sunny, warm days of summer so much; the consistently grey skies and terrible air quality have been a complete bummer!