Pope retires, turn up the hate.

Way back in time, when I first started putting thoughts to paper if that is what this can be called , I spoke of my father's dictate of tolerance, tolerance, tolerance. That was back on April 12, 2010, almost 3 years ago.  For me the message is still vital.


 Above all be kind and tolerant.  He perhaps saw that he was very much unkind  at times.  He was in fact harsh and demanding.  I think his harsh and demanding demeanor was a result of his having 9 children , 9 mouths to feed, to clothe , to raise.  He could broach no breakdown in control or precision, for if there was a failure it would rapidly spin out of control and would result in disaster.  He was also raised Catholic  , which demands a lot from its adherants. 

Catholicism demands that each and every person aspire to be the best that one can be.  Catholicism also demands that each and every person be treated fairly and kindly with charity and understanding.
So you have this dichotomy that says you must be the best you can be and at the same time you must understand that other humans will fail and will have problems and will need to be forgiven for falling into the realm of the human condition.  Demand great things of yourself  and be completely forgiving of others.  It is a stern task master and critics have pointed out that it has lead to the so called Catholic Guilt complex for many.  It neglects the very important directive that one must be kind to oneself and understanding of one's own failings. 

I as a Catholic understand that concept. So when I saw that the Pope has retired, I was not overly concerned.  But what did concern me was that in my reading of the CNN and the HuffPo Blogs on the subject there was a lot of misinformation and the comments were unbelievably vitriolic.

I had no sense in my life that Catholics were so hated by so many people in society.  I do not know if that is really the case, but the reading of the comments would certainly lead one to believe that to be the case.  Absolutely repulsive comments abounded, I find it hard to believe that anyone would give authorship to some of the most foul amongst these.  Bile and offal spewed in written form under cloak of internet anonymity.  A foul cloud spread out  causing me to ask, are we Catholics as bad as some would have us believe.  I realize that the abuse scandal is a justifieably raw nerve , but the hate is not just centered on that aspect of Catholicism.  As can well be imagined, I have known many Catholics throughout my life and as surprising as it may seem to some of these haters, many that I have known have been good and decent people, just as others non Catholics I have met have been good and decent people.

For one who idnetifies himself in part as being Catholic, it was an eyeopener.  Wow, I suddenly got a sense , even if in small measure, of what GAYS , Black People, Jewish People,   feel when confronted by the idea that people hate them just because they are what they are. I am amazed that it has taken me this long to make this realization.   I am hateable because of what I am, not for what I have done, said or thought, just because I am.  Now if that isn't the stupidest thing I don't know what is.  But boy what a great lesson for me, it makes me desire to remove all prejudicial hate from my person.

So for me it is refreshing in that I get to see some things that I had never really seen before and I also get to work on the old concept of being tolerant of others .  Removing hate is the goal.  Have a super sparkly day...........yeah right.