In mothballs? My take..........

[BarbTherese]

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-has-a-message-for-the-laity-go-out-and-evangelize-or-buy-mothballs-37701

A sweeping generalisation if ever I read one.  When I queried our Aust Catholic Bishops Conference about only wanting good news stories for a publication relating to mental illness when there were so many really sad and tragic news stories from Catholic's suffering mental illness, the reply I got was that bad news tends to discourage people and parishes and so they only wanted good news stories and would only publish same.

I was quite taken aback when I read the above link and statements from Pope Francis - it was all embracing in the generalisation and most discouraging. It was bad news to laity from Pope Francis in that his attitude (to me) was not the best at all re the laity.

When much younger and going out into the local and city streets regularly to spread the good news, gossip went around my parish and I got the message to pull my head in or be excluded.  The problem, apparently, was that I was seen where a young Catholic woman should not be seen.  That really puzzled me for obvious reasons.   So I pulled my head in ........... but too late according to the parish time clock apparently and I was still excluded.  I have learnt my lesson because the proposal seemed to be "be active" or "be excluded".  I opted for "be active" hoping that somehow I would, with God's Grace, find a way to stay under the radar and not be excluded.  Big big mistake!  But The Good Lord has His Good Reasons.

I have been an active Catholic now over 72yrs more or less and I am very much aware there is a breakdown of communication between hierarchy and lay people; between parishes and lay people and between hierarchy and lay people.  It is not always, but rather often in my experience and thus limited experience.  Not so much the married lay people, but certainly single celibate Catholics.  Further, I do think that the problem is that though The Church (as hierarchy) states differently in a public sense, the thinking perseveres that if you are a dedicated, faithful and totally committed to Jesus and His Gospel type of Catholic, you would be married, in the clergy or in consecrated life.  If you are a single celibate, you have yourself "wrapped in mothballs" and can be dismissed as of no use really.

Your take?.............

 

[Guest]

What exactly do you think is expected of us as laity?