Re: the Happy Easter post.
Yes, as Lindsay guessed, it bothers me when people treat the Mass like something they own that they can do whatever they please with.
But I didn't write it with the idea in mind that I am the perfect part of the family and with a specific annoying part in mind (although I can't help thinking that it wouldn't be too hard to think of some nominees). It would only be fair to point out that my own sins are particularly bad because I know better. Also, because of my imperfections, there also may be a lot of people to whom I am very annoying without realizing it. Sorry.
All I mean is that this side of heaven, if you have a family, you know what I mean (unless you happen to have a perfect family). Even though you love each other, you will still exasperate each other. In a family, you don't get to pick your brothers and sisters or your mom and dad, or what kind you would like to have. And even though you love each other you may well manage to drive each other crazy.
Until we're perfected by grace, you'll have to accept that some of your family members will have habits that they may not be aware of, or may be but don't care, that bug you a lot. And because they're family, you can't get rid of them and probably can't reasonably avoid them. But when you get to heaven you will be glad that the Church is like a family and not like a social club or a meritocracy. Even in this life, the more you understand, I think, the more you will appreciate it.
I mention this specifically for converts because a lot of people "read themselves into" the Church; that is, they have come to their knowledge of the Faith from reading and being taught the highest and most perfect aspirations of the Church, what the heavenly Jerusalem is like that we should be if we were perfect. And then they go to a parish and find out that it's filled not with all the saints they've been reading of but with all-too-ordinary people like us. And you shouldn't get discouraged because of that. That's what I'm saying.
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