Follow-up

I wanted to follow up and say thank you for the comments, emails, calls about this post.

 By far, this email was the most thought-provoking:

Hi Carol,

 I've never written to you before but **** showed me your latest comments on your blog regarding the "greenheads"(what is that from?) surrounding the priest. Welcome to our world! We have eventually left churches and switched parishes because, they (the enchanted sisterhood) outnumbered us to a huge extent and we felt only anger after going to Mass. One parish we were in had a youth group that was run by a man and his wife that we saw at church every week.  In the summer the teens(girls) would come to church in short shorts, cut off jeans up the cheeks of their bottoms and spaggetti strap tiny t shirts and halter tops. **** and I talked and we decided that we should remind the leaders that this was not really the appropriate clothing for Mass and perhaps if the girls brought a wrap skirt and a cover up type t shirt they could put them on after their hikes and before they came into church. This seemed like a reasonable and non confrontational alternative  to me, silly woman that I am. This man went ballistic!Told **** he was looking at "his" girls with lust and that at least these kids were coming to church, blah blah blah. Much later that year we were near this church having not been there for quite some time and decided to go to Mass there on a Saturday evening. This youth leader confronted us inside the church and when we went outside to talk to him in the foyer before Mass started he told us we had to leave as he had the authority to throw us out and we couldn't stay for Mass. **** of course said he couldn't do that and this man called the police! When the poor policeman came he was a Catholic and was horrified. The policeman told us this man had gone to the police station when **** sent him a letter after the tshirt/short discussion telling him to, for one, get a brain (my words) and to look after his soul as he was in charge of these kids and their spiritual growth. He told the police **** was threatening him. The police apparently tossed his complaint after they told him he had nothing to press charges over. Anyway this Saturday evening it took the policeman to tell this man that he had no authority to make us leave and that we could stay for Mass. This is only a small incident in our journey, many other weird and wonderful things have happened. The sisterhood ( the enchanted one) are every where and rush to defend anyone as soon as you bring up anything that isn't "pleasant ". They get strident and nasty. Hope you realize how much we two admire your dedication and commitment to the faith. Keep it up girl! Love and prayers *** and ****

While this is as bad as it gets, with  a few exceptions, there is some level of this dynamic in almost every parish here in Massachusetts.    The same group of 20 or 30 people in the parish chase everyone and anyone off with this kind of thuggery who shows up to contribute a morsel. And, wouldn't you know it, nobody else ever volunteers and Father has to rely on them to operate everything!

Father can't offend  them or  they'll incite ill-will and chaos into every ministry.  These folks  then have a clear path to call the police and have you chased out of town for suggesting reverence in the Presence of the Eucharist, or whatever else strikes their fancy when you threaten their obsession with controlling Father.

What makes it all so fascinating (at least to me), is instead of seeing the encounter as guarding a reverent moment of anointing Christ's feet or concern about matters of the soul going awry, the vocation of a priest--they think your motives are all about ...YOU.

It's not about us.  Something's happening to the priest, something is happening to the soul of the spiritually abandoned, something is happening to the greenheads and most of all - and this is what inspires up to speak out - it is inflicting wounds into the Sacred Heart of Christ.   It's a call to be merciful to Him - not us.   You can't much see it if your spiritual field of vision doesn't reach beyond the end of your nose.

If you and your flock go forward respecting the opinions of politicians who work for the right to rip infants apart alive and blow kisses to them on their Sunday jog by the Church or encourage teenage girls to wear booty call clothes in the Sanctuary where raging hormones of teenage boys (who have absolutely little to no experience reigning in the raging hormones kicking into their pants) - knock yourselves out burdening souls with more sin.   Good luck with it because it is a foundation on sand and the earthquakes are just beginning.     We're simply trying to raise your awareness at the sword over your own head.   We have nothing to fear.   Christ promised us the Sacraments until the end of time. 

By the way,  greenheads are nasty little bugs that persistently land on you to bite your flesh and suck on your blood.    They travel in packs and they swarm at you until you roll up your People magazine and swat them until they drop dead into the sand.