exoflare:
I don’t think I should have said “separate”, probably “distinguish”. But anyway most of the parables have different layers of meaning, and it’s my fault that I’m not the best at putting things into words a lot of the time. You’re right that you shouldn’t impose judgement on people, since it’s only reserved for God. What I’m getting at basically is that “Catholics” are anyone who call themself such but actively disobey the Church/just don’t care. Different from Catholics who acknowledge the truth of what they claim to be following. In the secular way of thinking, they tend to have a different way of seeing it where being Catholic is nothing more than a label, regardless of one’s actions. To them, all the plants look similar enough, so to speak, and they can’t tell any difference. When you realize what being Catholic really means, though, you see it in a totally different light… as the way somebody lives (or, tries to live) their life. In this case, I guess I’m having the “weeds” (now visibly different from the wheat) representing those who are nominally “Catholic” but not by any resolution made on their part.
Anyhow I guess it’s just another angle I saw the parable from. I should have explained it more thorougly at first, but oh well.
It’s OK, we all find it’s difficult to put in the most appropriate words sometimes. And this is compounded by the virtual reality of internet communication. It can only teach us to be careful when expressing our thought next time. I understand what you were trying to say.
I guess by now this is just academic … I was cautioning our brother BrianH against typicalising (generalizing) us Catholics as it is impossible for Catholics to have the same thoughts and orientation even towards our own doctrine. One needs to understand it from the official church’s teaching, and as for the individual Catholics, there is no way we are able to know that one represents all.
It’s a fact that even among us Catholic communities in parishes and dioceses, labeling such as traditional Catholics, liberal Catholics, Marian Catholics or charismatic Catholics and then lapsed and unpractising Catholics do go around. We will do well without all these labels as we are all brothers and sisters in the Lord with our loyalty to the Pope.
Regarding the Matt 13 that you quoted. Granted if you want to use it in different layers of meaning, quoting your words, but it is generally understood as the Kingdom verses. The main point of the parable is that the Kingdom is a mixed body of saints and sinners on earth, until the final sifting by God’s agent. Therefore patience, tolerance, and forbearance are necessary. No one should usurp divine judgment. The mention of the separation of the weed from the wheat will only be done at harvest time by the harvester’s workers. In the context of my respond to BrianH, when I said that Catholics who come to this board are of all kinds, the last thing in my mind was to distinguish them as saints and sinners. Your seemingly assertion on labeling Catholics as such (bad catholics = the weed?) thus shocked me.
In secular reality, problems do arise when we start seeing fellow Catholics being in the “wrong”, that is, sinners. In many cases they are rightly so, but nevertheless problem sometimes arises from this. Good example – the pro life and pro choice with regards to abortion. There was an incident of an over-enthusiastic pro-life person killing people at an abortion clinic. That’s certainly not Catholic teaching (to kill) even though Catholicism is against abortion. More importantly, we are never to judge people, a point you agreed with me. And when we do, what does it say about ourselves?
**To our friend BrianH. ** As you can see, Catholics are from all works of life. We are very much people like you and I. For me personally, I also see that in my non-Catholic Christian and in Muslim brethrens. What make us different are our respective beliefs. Therefore it is likely that Catholics who come here are from across the board except perhaps with inclination towards internet communication.
Merry Christmas.
