Maybe it’s just me, but I seem to hear an increasing amount of grumbling from about the state of the church.

Ten Things to Remember When You’re Fed Up With Other Catholics

by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Some folks complain about the new generation of priests, “All these guys seem to care about is lace and china tea cups! Are they all pansies? What’s going on? Why do they have to return to all this fancy folderol? Why the obsession with ornate liturgy? I thought we were over that.” Other Catholics grumble because they think members of the hierarchy aren’t doing enough to stand up against the gays or immigrants. Another Catholic complains about the wild eyed conspiracy theory anti-semitism of radical traditionalists while other folks grumble about Catholic journalists who endorse same sex marriage, women priests and co-habitation. Maybe they’re grumbling about the liturgy being too happy clappy or perhaps they’re fed up because it’s too fancy.

Do you fall into the trap of grumbling about the state of the church? Do you get worked up over clericalism or the laxity of the clergy, the apostasy of the theologians, the fanaticism of the Pharisees and the immorality of the masses?

So what’s an ordinary Catholic to do?

Here are ten things to remember when you’re fed up.

1. Remember History

2. Remember that Catholic means “Universal”

3. Remember that we’re family

4. Don’t Forget the Church’s Teachings

5. Allow People to Mess Up

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