Modern Catholicism

I've been leading a book study for the past several months "The Kingdom of Happiness: Living the Beatitudes in Everyday Life".  Those who've participated have found it a remarkable look at how to put Biblical concepts into practice.

It's a self-selected group - they weren't forced to sign up - they chose to be a part of the group. Unlike those who merely attend Mass, they look to receive instruction on how the Church applies the Bible's teachings.

That's a far cry from the attitude of these parishioners who are irked and annoyed to hear classic, noncontroversial teaching from the pulpit.

I'm a lifetime Catholic. Both born to a Catholic mother, and married, in the Church, to a Catholic husband.

One of my children is a Catholic sister - although, like many sisters, skeptical of the Church hierarchy, and on the fence about the Future of the Church.

The others, to my regret, have fallen away from the Church. Both of them are perhaps Believers, but not actively attending ANY church, and not actively teaching their children about Catholic doctrine.

Why is this important?

Because Christ's message is not just an emotional message, that will depend on how one FEELS about Christ at any given moment. It is an eternal message that is give to us to spread to the rest of the world.

In which action, I have been woefully deficient.

I've been reading Contagious - a book about WHY certain messages spread, and others do not. I was compelled to read it today, as I was wondering how to spread the Christian message to an unbelieving world.

It turns out that AWE is one of the most contagious ways to spread a meme. And, FWIW, that's the thing that Christ, and Christianity, do well.

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