Kat with a K: Why I Am No Longer Giving Up Coffee for Lent

January 2011

Sun

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

February 24, 2010

Why I Am No Longer Giving Up Coffee for Lent

God stuff

The short version: The Church and I are on a break.

The slightly longer version:
I probably wouldn't even bring this up, except that I seemed to have told a lot of people about giving up coffee, and now I'm afraid of someone yelling at me or something if they see me drinking it. Basically, I realized that i now disagree with so many teachings and policies of the Catholic Church that I'm not sure I want to affiliate myself with it anymore. It's a lot of things - women's rights, gay rights, etc. This was probably the last straw.

So . . . I don't know. I'm still thinking about things. There's a lot about the Church I really love. But sitting there and being quiet about it isn't working for me anymore. So we're on a break. And I'm drinking coffee.

Posted by Kat at February 24, 2010 05:00 PM

Comments

There would be no way possible that I could give up coffee unless maybe someone said I would die and still I would take pause before I made my decision. For Lent I gave up politics, so no newspapers, no news and I have to surf the radio. I can say honestly I am not as stressed out anymore, lol.

Tiffany
http://liferequiresmorechocolate.blogspot.com/

Posted by: Tiffany at February 24, 2010 06:40 PM

Thinking of you on this journey, Katherine!

I wish the author of the article you linked would do a little fact-checking on Church teaching, however. :-) Divorce and remarriage is universally condemned. Remarriage after an annulment is perfectly acceptable. IIRC, without getting out my catechism, civil divorce is also not problematic if the divorce/divorcee is living a celibate lifestyle.

The author does raise a good point about the Church potentially employing people who do not meet those parameters, however. It is scandal and a near occasion of sin.

In addition, it is troubling on several levels to see the Church end its foster care program in Washington.

Posted by: Courtney at February 24, 2010 07:39 PM

Remember Lent isn't just about 'giving up'. It can also be about taking on board something you find hard eg spending time with an elderly relative or reading the Bible daily...or soemthing...

Catholicism is a personal journey. If we tried to follow it to the letter of the law we'd a) be a fundamentalist and b) never do anything...

Posted by: Kathy at February 24, 2010 08:05 PM