I've collected quite a bit of anonymous hate mail over the years since I've been publishing the Les Femmes newsletter. My latest issue brought a critical note from the west calling me "sarcastic, bitter, and nasty...without love for my enemies... (and) shrewish." Wow!
It also warned me that I'm in danger of losing my soul. Mind you - this is someone who has never met me (signed himself as "a friend of a friend") and doesn't know one thing about me except what he read in the newsletter. Not only that, but this person sent it anonymously. What courage! But one can presume a pious soul who is close to the Lord because there was a cross at the top with an M (for Mary?) underneath and the writer signed "God Bless." I could almost hear and see him with hands raised over me in blessing saying, "God bless, you sarcastic, bitter, nasty shrew."
The pity is that I might pay attention to a charitable critique. I take criticism seriously when delivered respectfully and I've exchanged mail with critics on many occasions. After two letter exchanges, one actually sent a $100 donation. He still thought I should change my tone, but was supportive of what I was trying to do.
Ironically, the same newsletter that brought the rotten tomato also instigated a signed message (and a donation) saying, "Please accept this small donation to Les Femmes as a humble thank you for the 'Email from Heaven' on fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It has provided (and is providing) marvelous spiritual food for my soul during this Lenten Season."
Which just goes to show that one man's food is another man's poison. But isn't it interesting that someone who sends an anonymous note filled with pejorative adjectives considers me uncharitable and on the brink of hell. It reminds me of the dozens calling me "judgmental" while engaging in a tirade of judgmental rhetoric. The old double standard at work I guess.
Well, I hope the latest writer is so worried about my soul that he prays for me. I'm happy for any I can get.
The newsletter in question will be on-line soon at the Les Femmes website.
Are you ready for this? Owing to my assistance in exposing the malfeasance of the USCCB, John Carr et al, I've been told that I'm "out of touch with the Pope and the Magisterium" and that I'm a Protestant. At least this wasn't anonymous! :-D
ReplyDelete"Remember that no servant is greater than his master. If they hated Me, they will hate you also."
ReplyDeleteLook at it this way Mary ... you have a long way to go to catch up with Ann Coulter who delighted me in one of her videos by saying "If you don't leave liberals in a sputtering rage, you're not doing it right."
ReplyDeleteJust hew to the truth. Jesus is "... the Way the Truth and the Life, no one can come to the Father except through Me." Even those what was it ... that are "sarcastic, bitter, and nasty...without love for my enemies... (and) shrewish." Gee I haven't been called anything like that neat, just "Nazi ..." or stuff like that. At least your critic as two + neurons firing.