Saturday, July 10, 2010

Travelling & Bad Catholics

Today I'm going to my first Catholic wedding. It's over 3 hours away and so it will be a LONG drive (the farthest I've ever driven... or is it furthest?).

I haven't been able to get to confession for a month, but reading Graham Greene has been helpful in reminding me that the Church bears sinners within her midst.

I was thinking the other day that while I reverence people like St. Francis, and Papa JP II and Benny 16, I'm more likely to be one of the other type of Catholics.

Oscar Wilde was a deathbed convert to Catholicism, and he wrote that 'the Catholic Church is only for saints and sinners, for respectable people the Established Church (CofE) will do'.

I think of Oscar Wilde, the Stuart Monarchs (James II and Bonnie Prince Charlie/Charles James Stuart), celebrity Catholics, and others. I will probably end up with these folks, the notorious Catholics.

It's funny though because once time passes enough the sinful Catholics - like Augustine of Hippo- become saints. I guess that's what we call the miracle of Purgatory.

In any case, I'm free on Monday so I should be able to get to reconciliation then. I have to leave for the long journey now.

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