The Mission of My Life
God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.
A healthy Catholic has a balance of kindness, sensitivity, empathy, capableness, good aggression or energy, creativity, and a sense of self as being made good in and with and through God. A healthy person is honest about one's self and about others.
But, what has happened to many Catholics, especially trads, is that they have fallen into a passivity and a depression and even a passive-aggressiveness about the Church.
So, instead of working hard in the Church Militant and instead of working with grace in the purification of self, they leave all responsibility for their sin at the feet of priests. I wrote about this yesterday and before.
http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/05/judge-yourselves.html
http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-sins-of-fathers.html
Now, the root of this is narcissism, again. When one focuses on the sins of those in authority, one falls into the narcissistic awe state described in the previous post. But, one decides, in the false demonization of the authority, to become passive, or even passive-aggressive concerning one's own sins. Instead of facing one's imperfections, one either blames the authority figure or attacks the authority rather than looking in the mirror.
If one is angry enough, one becomes depressed, as depression can be a result of suppressed anger.
Such is the case of those who leave the Church either on the left or on the right.
Those on the left blame the Church for not being made in their image and likeness, demonizing the horrid Church for not accepting contraception, ssm, or marriage, divorce and remarriage without annulment.
Those on the right blame the Church for not being the idealized perfect parent and go off and create a new one. These people cannot accept sin or failure among members of the clergy and want only a perfect clergy.
Yes, we should pray for perfection in our clergy, but we should not get angry is some are not.
I have met many depressed trads. They concentrate on people rather than on Christ. They concentrate on the sins of the hierarchy rather than praying and doing penance for such men.
They choose to demonize some and idolize others. The real priests, who are men trying to become holy, will not even stand up to such scrutiny. And, when a priest is seen as not quite perfect, those involved in narcissistic awe begin to demonize him as well.
Anger and depression about the Church may result in actually leaving the Church and become schismatic, as one looks for perfection in other people rather than looking towards Christ.
The anger can turn husband against wife and wife against husband. It can lead people to accept false private revelations in search of a place of utopia on earth by constructing cults.
The Church is now, as a good priest told me yesterday, "two churches"--those who want to make the Church into something of their own idealization, either right or left in nature, and those who accept and love the real Church.
I suggest reading my identity series as well...here is the last one.
http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/04/loss-of-identity-part-10.html
What we see in society is, sadly, repeated in some members of the Church. Pray to God to be a mentally and emotionally healthy, mature human being, which are synonyms for "holy".