I love honest to goodness Catholic blogs. I love learning about my faith and seeing how other people are trying to lead their lives and live their Faith. It can be a great place for support for those of us who live either in a largely non-Catholic environment where we are not really allowed to be Catholic up front, or even where we face snideness and anti-Catholic comments.My blog is just a place where I can talk freely about my Faith and where I hope I can bare witness to it a bit.
I am sure, in this very quiet corner of blogdom that no one sees what I have to say very much, but even so it's fun to do and I love having the chance to mooch around other people's blogs.
Sometimes on my travels I come across other blogs and websites where there is a marked lack of kindness; where British MPs say things that are arrogant, silly and often untrue; where fellow Christians say anti-Catholic things that simply break the commandment against baring false witness. Fear, pride, dishonesty and spite rule in many of these places, so I leave them quickly and return to my friends in the Catholic end of things.
I visit Fr Ray and learn about the new tests on the Shroud, or have a chuckle with the forthright, but charitable GEM. I love to see the humour of the rocky horror liturgies over at Paulinus site and the erudite and heartfelt thoughts of the man who is On the Side of the Angels.
I read a whole lot of other blogs; too many to mention. I don't always get time to do so in depth -or even all that often, but I love it.
For me blogs are a wonderful way of grabbing information when I'm distracted by children, babies, homeschooling, life.
But we all speak publicly here, even the little people like me and I think we need to remember that. It saddens me and quite frankly angers me when I see bloggers claim to speak for Catholics and then behave in arrogant uncharitable and even less than factual ways. I hate to see spiteful anti-protestant remarks, lacking charity and hardly a good witness, or replies to those who are less intelligent that are rude and pompous.
Fortunately I think this is rare-and anyway I avoid those blogs. Many of you are wonderful witnesses to the Faith, humble and genuine in your approach and a great source of comfort and even motivation for a dilapidated old struggler like me.
Thank You.
Keep Bloggin' on.
16 comments:
I've only just come across your blog via your comment on The Side Of The Angels's blog.
I look forward to the new TV documentary about the Turin Shroud. I would recommend a visit to Turin, the museum of the Holy Shroud is excellent and you can pay a visit to the real shroud, albeit encased in a casket, covered in a cloth, behind bullet-proof glass! Turin has other wonderful museums and churches, of course, and gelati and pizza are a delight for the children.
From one ordinary Catholic to another, God's blessings!
Fenella.
Good topic! On a similar vein, I just posted about people who criticize priests.
Just came to say thank you for visiting today.
I enjoyed your post. Have you seen these blogs:
http://adriennescatholiccorner.blogspot.com/
http://michaelgabrielraphael.blogspot.com/
http://50daysafter.blogspot.com/
I've got more, but didn't want to overwhelm you!
I'm just like you, I love to flit about blogs, and it was reading some of the anti-Cathlolic nonsense that some bloggers put out that led me to start mine up. I try to keep mine fairly anonymous since I occasionally discuss private things, and we do have to remember how public blogs are, as you say.
It is a support to read other good Catholic blogs, it has really helped me, and especially when one finds other home-schoolers in the UK as we are fairly thin on the ground!
Keep up the good work, and God Bless!
Yes to that wonderful entry!
Your blog is one of the oases that keep me watered :)
Thank you ladies.
I love the fact that so many Catholic blogs areso supportive.
It saddens me when I see particularly Catholic bloggers treat another person uncharitably.
God bless
Your post draws attention to an aspect of Catholic blogging that I had not expected when I started blogging recently, and which I have appreciated. I can certainly understand the attraction of the blogosphere to homeschooling families ...
My number one dislike is priests that are uncharitable or use bad language. It makes me very sad.
Priests who are arrogant, rude and nasty on their blogs really make me cringe. I am grateful I haven't seen bad language.
Somehow it is worse when it is a priest.
I gave my own definition of Catholic Blogging before I had a year's break:
Catholic Blogging
- Catholic blogging is the practice of the affirmation of the Catholic Faith through the keeping of an internet diary ("weblog" or "blog") as a means of encouraging the Faith of others.
-The blog may take the form of apologetics, homiletics or observations on life, either sacred or secular, with the express intent of sacrilising earthly life, giving glory to Almighty God and defending and strengthening His Church on earth in order to extend the dominion of the Kingdom.
-Catholic blogging is done in conformity with, and in fidelity to, the Church's Magisterium and with filial affection towards the Holy See. Dissent from the Church's teaching does not constitute Catholic blogging.
-Catholic blogging is undertaken under the patronage of St Isidore of Seville, patron of electronic communication, St Gabriel messenger of the Lord and Our Blessed Lady, the Immaculate Mother of God.
-Catholic blogging should encourage the spiritual and temporal virtues and in all circumstances should be undertaken in love of God and neighbour.
Discuss
Since a blog is presumably an extenson of self, it's really not unsurprising that from time to time blogers let off steam on their blogs. Since we're all fallible human beings it isn't really that unusual. Having said that, we do have at least some level of responsibilty to not lead our readers into ill thought, about others, especially when they (our readers)do not know the one being criticised and they are unable to make up their own minds.
I appreciate your blog too, WSNS, and a couple of other priestly blogs I dip into. I have had bad experience of some Yahoo 'religious' blogs which claim to be ecumenical but are moderated by anti-Catholics. These days I keep it Catholic. That way we know where we stand. I like to keep it British too, but for different reasons. I feel that British blogs speak the same language, and American ones don't, always, because their culture is different. Keep blogging, WS!
Marcella
What always stays in my mind when writing on different aspects of our Faith and society is that we will be held accountable for what we say or write to God.
But, I love visiting those on my blog roll and those I find on other blog rolls. Humour is also appreciated and I love satire. So it's a case of simply choosing that which comforts and at times confronts us in a gentle manner:).
I love your blog:)
Peace to you:)
Marie xoxoox
Thank you.
Yes I think we will be accountable for what we write.
The occasional rant is to be expected-even a lot of rants if someone is having a rough time.
There are many excellent blogs with wonderful rants on them. LOL.
LOL WhiteStoneNameSeeker:)
I hope so because I tend to rant a lot in comments when I see nincompoop government policies;)especially in education.
Peace to you hon:)
Marie;)
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