If You Are So Proud then Why Didn't You Sign Your Name?

An Open Letter to "An Ex-Catholic (and proud of it)"

I got your letter today that you wrote in response to my letter last week in the TH about those Religious who signed the NETWORK letter.

1st of all, I have to ask a question. You claim to be proud to be an ex-Catholic, yet you don't have the courage to sign your name so I know who you are. Why? What are you afraid of?

Or is it just easier for you to be a coward & hide behind you anonimity while taking potshots at me for standing up & saying the truth.

You start out by addressing me as "Mr. Supreme Judge". That sounds awful judgemental to me. Then you go on to say that Sr. Patricia et al have as much right to call themselves Catholic as I do. No they don't. Calling yourself Catholic requires you to assent to certain beliefs, including the sanctity of life & that abortion & artificial contraception are morally wrong.

You claim that my statement is "self-righteous arrogance." Something I suspect you would say about Archbishop Burke as well given your hate-filled attack of the Catholic Church that makes up most of your letter. Maybe your hate blinds you to the fact that Jesus admonished sinners & called them to repentance out of love for their eternal souls. As followers of Christ we are called to follow that same example of love & mercy. In fact the Catholic Church calls us to "admonish the sinner" as 1 of the "spiritual works of mercy" we are expected to practice.

I am not sure if you are from Rockford, or nearby as the postmark is the only clue of where this was mailed from. But I do find it ironic that you label me as the Supreme Judge when the Supreme Judge (save the Pope) of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Burke, said the same thing as I did the day after my letter appeared. Archbishop Burke said that if they will not stand up for what the Catholic Church teaches that they must "cease identifying themselves as Catholics."

As for the rest of your letter, the fact that you remained anonymous means that you are unwilling to debate your support for ObamaCare or the other stands you took. Again hardly a courageous stand.

I do have to ask you 1 another question. You claim you take your cue from Jesus' teachings about caring for you neighbors, brothers & sisters. So do you not consider the unborn your brother or sister. & if you answer yes to that you are no different than those who said blacks were not human.

& to hide behind that claim to justify ObamaCare is again cowardice. You are implying I do not care for the poor or needy. You have no idea of which charities I support, how much time & money I give & what I do to ensure that people are cared for, including medically, clothed, fed & housed before or after birth. Again, maybe rather than calling me judgmental you might want to look in the mirror because it is you who are doing so.

I will answer your final question "why would anyone want to?" in reference to calling him or herself Catholic.

I call myself Catholic because I am a part of the Church that was founded by Jesus Christ 2000 yrs ago. I call myself Catholic because I believe what the Catholic Church teaches. I believe that what the Catholic Church teaches is the truth as revealed by jesus Christ. I believe it is true despite the flaws of leaders in the Catholic Church. I belive because the Catholic Church is a haven for sinners providing us a place to find forgiveness, healing & eternal life. I love the Catholic Church & want to see it be what God meant it to be. Do I have to go on?

I feel sorry for you & will pray for you. I do not know why you left the Catholic Church. It could have been because of the actions of someone in the Church that hurt you. If so, then I pray that you will learn to forgive which is 1 of the "moral cues" you claim that you are taking from Jesus.

If it is because of sinful rebellion, then I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict you of your sin & lead you to repentance & healing. Whatever the reason you left is, I pray that God would work in your life & lead you back into the fullness of the Catholic faith. To some extent., this is assuming you were & Catholic & truly did leave. Hiding behind anonimity means all this could very well just be a way of you attacking the Catholic Church, but given your vitreol, I suspect that you are an ex-Catholic.

Whatever the hurt, whatever the sin that is causing such anger, I pray that you will be healed by the power of the Holy Spirit as I said. & that He will lead you to a place where you can receive that healing & be reconcilled with the Catholic Church.

Sincerely,

Allen J. Troupe

A proud Catholic who is NOT ashamed to admit it, or to defend His Church

PS: I also found it a bit ironic that the same day that the mail brought me your anonymous attack that there was a package from the American Life League with the shirts I ordered for the 2010 National Pro-Life Tee Shirt Week. Your attack has just encouraged me to be all the more bolder in my speaking out & defending life as well as the Catholic Church. Grazie!!!!!