2002-05-07 10:43 a.m. So, hello. I'm 25 now. You know what's weird? Everyone always gets asked if they feel any older at some point on their birthday. It's like the ubiquitous "what are you doing after graduation" question that all seniors get. The thing is, I always say, "No. I don't feel any older." Everyone always says that. And we mean it. This time, I said the same thing. "Nope, not a day over 24." But I lied. I do feel older. I can't quite figure that one out. I don't get easily offended. Well, that's not entirely true. But, I like to think that I don't get easily offended. But I think I'm becoming pissed off. Maybe royally so. I'm tired and, yes, offended by the people who have decided to mock the Catholic Church. My church. Let me stop for a second and let y'all know that by no means am I a model Catholic. Nor am I a strict letter-of-the-law Catholic. I have my issues with my church that have existed and will continue to exist before and beyond the current difficulties. That being said, I still am. Catholic. And the thing is, my church has problems. Very serious problems. Problems that most people, both within and outside of the church, do not feel are being handled appropriately. None of that can be, or should be, disputed. Very bad things have been done to innocent people. The guilty should be punished and steps need to be taken to ensure that nothing similar happens again. My problem, I guess, is with the sheer energy and lack of logic behind most of what I would consider thinly veiled attacks on the church. The actions of the few do not represent the desire of the whole. Imagine if, instead of a church, we were talking about an ethnicity. Or a gender. "That man is a date rapist. All men are date rapists. You should watch out for men!" "That child molester is asian. I don't want you associating with asians." See what happens there? See the logic breakdown. And yet, somehow, because some Catholic priests have hurt children, not only is the entirety of the faith called into question, but regular Catholics, sure like me, are sneered at and looked down on for clinging to "that religion". I've got an idea, let's forget about the tens of thousands of hardworking decent men and women who give up so much of what the world deems to be important in the ff chance that somewhere they might make a difference. Let's forget the people who could never even raise their voice let alone hurt anyone. Let's forget Father Brown. A mentor of mine who, although fighting a horrible battle against cancer, still managed to say at least one Mass a week. Let's forget all the Father Browns out there because there are some who paint the church in a bad light. Let's make fun of the Euchairst and the Scaraments and the sacred vow that most priests cherish and never question. Yeah, let's do all that. Because right now it's cool to make fun of Catholocism. It always seemed a little quaint. Now it's evil. Let's make fun of it all and, in the process, walk right over the hearts of millions of people around the world. Hell, it gets ratings, it sells subscriptions, it's a good punchline. Why not? I'll tell you why. It's as if you have a disfunctional family. And you love them. But you're frustrated at the same time. But they're yours and you still do family things with them and love them and wish they would someday change. And then one day someone finds out about your disfunctional family. And takes out a front page ad. And, suddenly, wherever you go, you're laughed at. And told your family is wrong, and evil, and obsolete. And all you want to do is scream that it's *your* family and whatever problems to be solved are *yours*. And they laugh. And pity you. That's why. I love and hate and question and accept my faith all at the same time. If you're Catholic, odds are you know exactly what I mean. If you're of some other faith, do not insult mine. I would never do the same to yours ...in the days after the 11th, we were all so quick to point out (as we should have been) that not all Muslims are evil. How it is that we fail to apply that to Catholics is beyond me. downtown----uptown leave me a note, fool!

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