"Some of the sourest people I have ever met are on the traditional side of the fence. Sadly, the traditional thing attracts people who are only happy when they are unhappy."
Why on earth? that doesn't make sense...and yet, I have found it seems too often true in my own life with those I have met!
from http://wdtprs.com/blog/2008/12/catholic-herald-bp-conry-arundel-brighton-speaks-out/
6 comments:
Because nothing is EVER enough for those people. Unless things are done to their exact tastes and no differently, it's an affront to the Faith.
I keep saying that I'd rather work at a church with liberals who just whine about wanting "On Eagle's Wings" than one with traddies who will throw you from the loft for playing Bach.
"Some of the sourest people I have ever met are on the _____ side of the fence. Sadly, the _____ thing attracts people who are only happy when they are unhappy." I could fill in the blanks with just about any area from technology to politics to... yes, religion.
This is certainly the impression one gets on the internet. I have posted, for instance, on Angelqueen.com for 3 1/2 years now. I've gotten to see the better side of the better posters; but I still wonder sometimes why I ever started posting in the first place.
I wonder, however, how much of this phenomena is just the internet.
I am going to defend my fellow traditionalists now. I have never had a conversation with a self-described traditionalist who was not kind, seemingly happy, intelligent, who has not impressed me. Perhaps this experience is unique to me, but I never find internet unhappy in real life. I wonder if it is not somewhat because the internet just begs to be used to express arrogant sounding opinions. On the other hand, maybe these people are just as bad in real life, and for whatever reason I never run into them. I'll give you one other option: perhaps the communities I have participated in (Detroit LMS, iCKsp, St. John Cantius, Buffalo LMS, Pittsburgh LMS, etc) have been exceptionally good communities.
At any rate, I know about the trad funk, what the iCKsp calls "le esprit mauvais," the bad spirit that only criticizes and has no joy; but I mostly only know about it from seeing it on-line, witnessing it in myself from time to time, and hearing people talk about it. I have yet to meet a person that personified it.
hmmm...we must not be meeting the same people. I'm thinking about people (yes, at St. P.,) who complain at the slightest imperfection in the liturgy, who give Fr. G such a hard time when he isn't able to do everything *perfectly,* those who glared up at the choir loft when my cantor and I did a rather upbeat POST-recessional, etc.
Maybe I am exaggerating a little bit, as I am very grateful for the regular encouraging comments I receive about the music and the liturgy, but I think there is still a fair share of grouches...
(I asked Fr. G this, and he thinks the ratio of negative traddies is not exceptional. However, I think I've noticed it, and I just find it interesting that even Fr. Z pointed it out!)
It's likely that we aren't meeting the same people. After all, I only meet those people whom I approach or who approach me, but you meet the meet who approach you or Fr. And if people approach me, it usually isn't to criticize me. If I actually had any ministry, I would probably have a very different perspective.
Also, it isn't that I haven't run across the bad spirit. Like I said, I've seen in myself and in others. Even otherwise good people can become Pharisaical when it comes to rubrics and music. There was even a time in my spiritual development when I thought rubricism was next to Godliness.
Oh, one more thing: just judging from the bumper stickers I see at the TLM and from how wacko certain leaders are (e.g. Bishop Williamson), I think it's very true, all other things put aside, that a lot of conspiracy theorists are attracted to traditionalism.
Then again, a lot of really strange apparitionists (I mean devotees and followers of various apparitions) attach themselves to conservative non-traditional Catholicism. I guess there's a strange portion of every small society.
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