“A Catholic Writer?”

~ Elizabeth

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Here I am seriously self reflecting on what it means to be a Catholic writer. Well probably not at that age! But in this post I wanted to put down my thoughts on the matter. A common misconception about Catholic(or Jewish or Hindu or Islamic) writers is that all of their output is religiously centered and aimed at converting the reader. This prevents some writers from even mentioning religious subjects for fear that they will be seen as coercive or close minded.

Many religious writers do in fact write about purely religious subjects and do want to convert their readers. However, I am not one of them. On the other hand, I do think of myself as a Catholic writer. Why? It’s simple really; I am a Catholic and I write. I am also a woman writer, a white writer, an old writer, a New England writer, a married writer, a grandmother writer, and a dog owning writer. I am not trying to change anyone’s gender, race, geographical location, marital status or pet ownership, but all of those aspects of me are important and inform what I think about, write about, and how I respond to things I read.

Lately anti-intellectual, right wing Christians have received a lot of news coverage for their views on the Presidency and the climate. My faith bears little resemblance to theirs, though we say we worship the same God. But behind all of my writing, my reflections, my joys and my sorrows, is my faith. I would be doing it a disservice if I allowed only the others to speak for me. They don’t. I follow a Gospel that stresses that the last shall be first, that we are commanded(not suggested) to love one another, that Jesus was a refugee, and that when we do to the least we are following Christ. Just thought it was time I said that again.

 

32 thoughts on ““A Catholic Writer?””

  2. For some reason I read “deep” books when I come to Greece. Last time I read a history of the Palaponesian Wars. This time I am reading The Theology of John Calvin. The introduction points out that, like you, all readers and students reflect their own views and times. My author calls it “looking down a well and seeing their own reflection”.

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  5. I believe that ones writing will reflect the values we have. I will look for Thomas Aquinas in your writing.

    Look for John Calvin in mine. You will need to use heavy equipment to mine any deep thoughts in my writing.

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  6. You are right to state your own aims and background, Elizabeth. I have never felt that your beliefs affected the enjoyment I get from reading your work, and I am not remotely religious. Fortunately, those ‘evangelical bloggers’ are all too obvious, and easily ignored.
    Best wishes, Pete.

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  7. Hi Elizabeth, I found you again while searching my bookmarks for a recipe–how’s that for a blessing!! (I’ve followed you from previous blogs, but never mind, this is a new one…). I wanted to comment on what you said about being a “Catholic writer”…and not all of us who write from our personal faith (I’m Protestant, non-denominational) are purposely trying to “convert” readers. Though I would be soundly criticized by many mainstream Christians, I don’t feel I’m good at evangelism…I think of myself as an “Encourager”, who writes from my experience of my faith-walk, or relationship with God/the Lord. By just saying: this is who I am, what I believe, what I’ve found–and though faith is not a magic wand, it’s my anchor through good days and bad–maybe people gain hope from my honesty, authenticity, humor. It’s like, if I were talking about my beloved husband or best friend–I certainly wouldn’t be trying to get people to fall in love with them too; I’m just writing about my favorite subject.

    Well, I’m rambling, taking up too much space in your comment box…it’s late, and I just wanted to connect with you again 🙂 God bless you abundantly–I hope you had a wonderful Holy Week/Easter, as did I ❤

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    1. I loved your answer. There is no one way to spread the Good News. I go for let your life show who you are and let God sort things out for everyone else whatever they do or don’t believe.

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      1. Letting God be God, to sort things out–that sure takes the burden off our shoulders. We just need to focus on walking in His grace. Have a blessed weekend coming up 🙂

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  12. Amen! Love this post. While the subject of my blog is my spiritual journey, I haven’t written it with the idea of converting anyone so much as connecting with others on similar journeys and hearing their stories. This has been a great experience so far! I especially like your last paragraph. It’s time we hear from more Christians who understand “love your neighbor as yourself.”

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  13. I’m a protestant artist, and I’ve felt similar feeling these past few years. It hard to articulate who you are while also assuring people that you value them and affirm their humanity. Hopefully, one day, we won’t need to clarify so much.

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  14. I am a catholic writer and I take a very similar approach to what you write in this blog post. My inspiration and passion for writing is strongly rooted in my catholic faith, but my writings are not to impose my beliefs onto others. I think you would really find them interesting. I write how science can actually complement faith in one of my posts, and how the science of positive psychology can help people live a more meaningful and fulfilling life. It shows how faith, positivity, and science can actually all be related! Feel free to check it out sometime, and I would definitely welcome any contributions that you have to the content. Great post on what you feel it means to be a catholic writer! I feel like you said it better than I would have myself.

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  15. I too am a catholic writer and agree in full with your comments here. If you are active in your faith then it cannot help but influence every aspect of your life. In fact, my blog is about exactly that. It is not a place to preach the gospel, but to illuminate the joy that the catholic faith brings to even the smallest parts of our lives. Once you understand the love of God, it is impossible for that not to affect your perspective on everything, and as a writer, perspective is all we have!

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