My Way.... or the Highway

I am Catholic. I was born Catholic, baptised and confirmed Catholic.

I've never thought of myself as anything else.

After my last heart attack, I eagerly accepted Last Rites, now referred to as the Sacrament of the Sick.

But I don't go to mass. That's a mortal sin.

There are a lot of other areas where I disagree with church doctrine. That's mighty cheeky of me, and the new guy has indicated that I shouldn't expect doctrine to change, since it's pretty closely tied to the basic dogma.

There seems to be no room for cafeteria Catholics.

I'd like to think that I'm clean-living, reverent, and intelligent. I don't expect the church to change because of me and a billion other Catholics.

But I do wish that some of the common-sense, staring-in-your-face issues like women in the priesthood, gay marriage, and contraception would be given more serious consideration by the elders of the church.

And the Pope has gotta be real careful when he's using that ultimate trump card calle Papal Infallibility. In my humble opinion, the case law that governs all of these life-shaking edicts, are based on the opinion of MEN.

They can tell me that the message comes straight from the Almighty himself. I still don't understand how humans can be sure of the source of the message.

If I'm committing all these sins for which the punishment is excommunication, why haven't they kicked me out? Or have they?

I think I deserve an email to that effect, at least.

You can kick me out, but you can't make me go.

I'm gonna die Catholic whether you want me to or not.

Live with it.

Bedtime

more later