https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTDTlGIIAEA&t=93s
Yep, I am posting this one too even though it is filled with way too many generalizations and observations based on her lived experiences. She talks about all the cool things present in her old church and not present in Catholicism. She makes many good points and many suggestions are not without merit. However some of her personal wish list just ain't going to happen while other parts of her wish list are very much present in Catholicism.
Catholicism is a big, big faith, so big it exists all across the world and touches every country, every continent and every time zone. It has been active in the first days after Christ died, resurrected and ascended, in the very next century, and every century since. Some of that which she misses was not present either, until human tradition made it so, and just a few hundred years back, or less.
Couple of observations: bring your Bible to Mass, why not? While Mass focuses on the actual liturgical celebration of worshipping God in the making present Calvary in an un-bloody manner, sure, bring your Bible, make plenty of notes about the massive amount of Scripture offered in every Mass, including multiple readings from Old and New Testament and always from one of the four Gospels. Homilies are not sermons, sure they are shorter, but they break open, that is exegete, the readings of the day. By the way, go to Mass, if you so desire, every day for 3 years and experience about 80% of all Scripture. Note-take away!
No one teaches our children the Bible; well then shame on that parish and that family. My experience in a small town north of New Orleans is solid CCD education, encouragement of Bible lessons in the home, a robust Bible Study program on Tuesday nights for adults that I am happy to facilitate and so many more opportunities.
Finally, fellowship and pot luck. No problem in my experience either. Pot luck, coffee and donut Sundays, fish fry Fridays in Lent, parish picnics, join the Knights or Ladies Sodality, or dare I say the dozens of other groups and clubs that, among many things, build fellowship.
As you watch the video, linked above, watch though what Lizzie says at the end and understand that she comes from an experience that is hers. Look, she made the long journey home, as a college student and young adult, from Churches of Christ to Catholicism and has a great YouTube platform from which she is now bringing hundreds into the faith.
And yes, let's kick the 2,000 pound elephant in the room while we are at; all that the Church is, all that she has ever been, all that she will ever be is despite our human failures, sins and weaknesses. Yes, Lizzie is right, things might be great and robust here and then there, but not so great down the road or across the way. Yet she is Catholic, universal, and the spotless Bride of Christ established by Him to be now and forever. Lizzie has been a big ++ to the faith and will continue to grow into her Catholicism and hopefully we too will remain strong, despite the horrific problems of a few, even though a few is a few too many.
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