What is there to write about in terms of Catholicism?

[recessive redundancy]

I recently turned 30. I have been feeling disappointed with the direction my life has taken over the past decade. In particular, I feel disappointed that despite being something of a child prodigy (I read at a college level in 2nd grade), I have never had a career as a writer. And have never even published anything - partly due to a fear of writing anything controversial. I do have a pseudo-anonymous blog though, and I'm going to try to write on it. I don't want to write about politics. And I definitely don't want to write about ecclesial politics.

What is there that one can write about Catholicism? What needs to be written? What should be written more of?

[Bruce]

I think that there is a sore lack of what Bishop Barron is doing: discussing current events from a Catholic perspective, and exploring Catholic doctrine in terms of current events.

You don't need to be controversial, at least you don't have to be if you can manage to apply a body of teaching to a particular problem, rather than giving an opinion on a particular problem backed up by cherry-picked bits of a body of teaching.

For example, I don't think that it is controversial to look at a death penalty case and then do my best to look at it from all angles, indicating where Catholic teaching would lead in that particular case. That's different from, "I think that this is horrible, now here is why the Church agrees with my point of view," which is controversial.

The other secret (at least my secret when I have to write homilies on such topics) is to "back up" a couple of steps into the fundamentals. For example, if I have to address transgenderism, I don't just quote Church teaching on transgenderism. I talk about the Church's view of what a human person is, "What are people?" Then I often don't even talk about transgenderism... I just allude to it and a reasonably intelligent listener can bridge the tiny gap I left between what I just taught and the real-world situation to which it applies. This works well, because most of my listeners need a re-exposition of the basics because they haven't been well catechized.

I guess the last ingredient I would suggest is love. Love for people. The firm belief that people who don't follow Catholic teaching aren't bad people, and they're not stupid, either. There are real-world forces and circumstances that cause intelligent people to choose certain options that are hard against Catholic doctrine. It's easy to take pot shots at such people, to act superior. It's difficult to understand their plight, understand why they made a particular decision, and then explain Catholic teaching in a way that doesn't make them out to be foolish or selfish. It takes a deft hand, and I think that it's one thing that Bishop Barron does well.

Think abortion here: The people who work in the abortion industry think that they're doing something good. It's easy to dump on them and paint them as monsters. (For example, LifeSiteNews is good at that.) What's hard is to acknowledge that they think that they're doing good, congratulate them for trying to do good, and then gently and carefully explain why what they're doing isn't good. I'm not talking about avoiding upsetting people... rather, I'm talking about not setting them up as straw men, but instead assuming that they are well-meaning and intelligent, and showing them another point of view. You don't have to write about abortion... I'm just using that as an example of the technique.

Anyway... just a couple of ideas. The world is full of stories and most of the discussion about those stories is vacuous and reactionary. It would be so helpful to have someone doing their best to apply—in a neutral way—Catholic teachings to those stories.

[CCF_Denise]

What's your prayer life like? And when I ask that, I'm coming at it from the perspective of how much time do you spend in study and contemplation?

One of the mottos of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) is Contemplare et contemplata aliis tradere, which translates roughly to "To contemplate, and to give to others the fruits of our contemplation." I think if you spend time in study, prayer, and contemplation, the Lord will guide you with how best to use the talents you have been clearly given. He will put it on your heart where He wants to lead you to go. As Bruce rightly noted - there are many opportunities in the realm of applying our faith to everyday life. The problem, though, can be knowing where to start. That's where that prayer, contemplation and study will come into play for you. And one beauty of Catholicism is that no matter how much you know, there is always more to learn.

I will pray for you as you seek your way down this path.

[recessive redundancy]

Thank you. Both of your posts are very helpful.

[CCF_Denise]

Thank you. Both of your posts are very helpful.

You’re welcome

[CCF_Carol]

I recently turned 30. I have been feeling disappointed with the direction my life has taken over the past decade. In particular, I feel disappointed that despite being something of a child prodigy (I read at a college level in 2nd grade), I have never had a career as a writer. And have never even published anything - partly due to a fear of writing anything controversial. I do have a pseudo-anonymous blog though, and I'm going to try to write on it. I don't want to write about politics. And I definitely don't want to write about ecclesial politics.

What is there that one can write about Catholicism? What needs to be written? What should be written more of?

First, I can identify with your situation as a highly prodigious early reader who felt like a failure for not ever publishing anything of "real" merit.

One of the things I would love to see is something complementary to "pastor's pen" or "deacon's bench" -- specifically, "the view from the pew". What I mean is a commentary by lay Catholics on how to actually live the faith in this rather faithless world. What are the difficulties, how do we surmount them? How to get the message across without sounding "loveless"? And perhaps even more foundational, how to create or enlarge the "community relationship" among believers. But the question is, what do YOU see that needs discussion?

As Denise suggested, offer something you think could be meaningful up in contemplative prayer, and allow the Holy Spirit to "flesh out" your thoughts based on the gifts with which you've been blessed.

[recessive redundancy]

First, I can identify with your situation as a highly prodigious early reader who felt like a failure for not ever publishing anything of "real" merit.

That, and that I have been told that I am an excellent writer and in school was accused of plagiarism more than once because my work was so good. I have academic talents, it seems. I recall one college professor who said, “your voice is colorful, and your vocabulary is breathtaking.” And I remember a history professor who, twice, mentioned things that I wrote and complimented them in front of class as “intelligent” and “something I never noticed before”.

I think that what really bothers me is the lack of recognition and renown by the world. I’ve never had a career as a writer, and I am not a known quantity. I don’t have a reputation attached to my name.

That’s a very worldly desire, and I feel somewhat guilty about having it, but I think that it is strong in me nonetheless. However, lately I have been getting a lot of positive response to my Catholicism related comments on Reddit. People have told me that what I have written is helpful. Articulate. I’ve even had people reach out to me to tell me that what I wrote is what they needed to hear. In the past, I’ve had people tell me that I helped them decide to stay Catholic instead of jumping ship to Orthodoxy. I wonder if this is a sign that this sort of anonymous short-form internet comments are the kind of writing God wants me to do.

It would be nice to not have a regular job though. Just reading, thinking, writing.

[LethalMouse]

What about Catholicism are you most "into"? What are you trying to get into? Etc.

Do you have a family? Have you tried to incorporate the faith into family life? Are you still searching? You can write about things you learn, learned, and use the research to enhance your situation.

Are you into any works in the church? Charity? Parish management? Landscaping of Church grounds?

All things can can be written about and give value to those searching them.

Are you a fan of Chruch history?

Most things that can be said have been said, but need said again. Further, some things that have been said, haven't been said in a way that someone somewhere needed to hear it.

If simply saying something once, once it was recorded, was all that we needed, all Catholic media could basically just play re runs of Bishop Fulton Sheen and hand out the catechism and it's footnoted documents and we'd all just do that. But that's not how the world works.

Find a mix of something you're into, or, something you need. And delve into that. Even if it's just "Catholic writing", research successful Catholic books, publishing processes etc. And write about how to write about Catholicism.

[Sottovoce]

I think that there is a sore lack of what Bishop Barron is doing: discussing current events from a Catholic perspective, and exploring Catholic doctrine in terms of current events.

Ditto