Shall we use our words to heal or to hurt?

There are days, many days, when I read fellow Catholic bloggers- whether of the more traditional or less so variety- and I am disgusted and embarrassed by the amount of bile and hatred and snark they publish. I am not going to print names or cite examples. There are too many.

I know most of them are unaware of the existence of this blog, and almost none of them would read these words. On the occasions I have tried to speak to them, I have been dismissed and deleted. I have all but given up on trying to speak to them. But if I were to try again, I would say this: Many of you were not Catholic originally but converted to the faith. Many of you were lapsed Catholics who came back. Did you convert or return to the Church because someone called you an idiot, or mocked you, or called you a heretic or a pharisee? Did you come back because they posted your errors for all to see? Was it their talent for snark that convinced you this faith was the true one? If it wasn't, then ask yourself if you would be convinced by such tactics. If, as I suspect, the answer is no, then ask yourself why you would try to persuade people using tactics which at best you yourself would not find persuasive, and at worst, would drive you further away?

Who is served by all this snark, by dismissing the opinions of those who disagree with you in a way that denigrates them and elevates you? Is it done for the glory of God, or for your greater glory? Have you served the new evangelism by bringing people closer to the Truth, or have you betrayed its goals, and driven them away?

I, for one, would never be convinced of the existence of Christian Charity from reading the bloggers. Our actions towards each other are scandalous and a stumbling block for others. It is time, it is past time we set them aside, and acted like we believed our faith to be true.