But this year we have another option. My friend and colleague Janet put up a great idea on her blog suggesting we send our contribution to a diocese with a bishop who really acts like a bishop! I like that! And so, along with our other donations, we'll be sending a check to Bishop Paprocki and the Diocese of Springfield. Bishop Paprocki recently banned Senator Dick Durbin from receiving communion in the Diocese of Springfield for his grievous and relentless attacks on little ones in the womb. (It's about time a bishop acted like murdering babies is serious instead of just one more seamless garment issue along with ladling soup at the local shelter!)
However, since Illinois has a Bishops' Conference similar to the Virginia Catholic Conference, we will earmark our donation for seminary support. We need new priests who love and teach the faith, not lobbyists who stump for prudential issues that belong to the role of the laity.
Which leads me to a few questions: Am I a bad Catholic if I don't support DACA? Am I a bad Catholic if I'm in favor of building the wall and deporting illegals? What if I oppose making the meningitis vaccine mandatory for students in Virginia schools?
Mixing up intrinsically evil issues with issues of prudential judgment and telling believers that's the "Catholic legislative agenda" creates confused Catholics.
Stop it!
How will you practice almsgiving this Lent?
Personally, I give to targeted groups that I know do things worthy of support. I don't give anything but sometimes token amounts to collective charities that fund a smorgasbord of things that I have no way of being fully aware of. I don't have an obligation to support every cause. I am really fed up with organizations that send me gifts or stamps or pretend checks or actual money and I was really outraged by some religious organization that sent me a relic (well they said it was a relic) as their come on. I have a rule --- you send me stuff, I keep it or throw it away, but I don't send you anything. If you have enough money to be sending me money to try to trigger a donation, then you already have too much money. I don't know if that's right and given the volume of appeals I sometimes feel guilty for not giving more, but I refuse to be played.
ReplyDelete