Practicing Catholicism is "Old Fashioned"

This has been rattling around in my head since the middle of last week.  A new mother was a bit frazzled because she was planning a baptism for her daughter.  In the course of the planning, she tried to solidify paperwork for the baby's godparents.  The godfather wasn't Catholic, but the godmother was.  She just couldn't get a letter from her pastor because she no longer practiced.

...

Now before any of you start rolling your eyes and stamping your feet with irritation, take a deep breath and let it go.  She's a good mom and wonderful person, but like many Catholics anymore, regular practice isn't "normal."

We can't punish the child by refusing baptism because the adults in her life are negligent in their Catholic responsibilities.  Baptism is still an avenue of grace for her, so every effort should be made to ensure she is able to obtain a proper Sacrament.

So again - no coming down on this woman.  It's not her fault our current pool of potential godparents is miserable. 

Anyway, as I was talking to the new mother about this, she and I agreed that it was darn near impossible anymore to find practicing Catholics our age to trust as godparents.  She said something, however, that made me kind of stop.  She said, "Who goes to Mass anymore?  I know I don't.  Do you?  It's just so old-fashioned."

I responded, "Yes, actually, I do go to Mass every Sunday.  All those days of obligation, too."  I then added with a laugh, "I guess that sorta makes me old-fashioned, huh?"

Now mind you, there was no animosity at all during this conversation.  She made a valid point that I hadn't given much thought to before.  It really is considered "old fashioned" to be a practicing ANYTHING anymore (when it comes to religion, anyway).  Religion has become antiquated in the minds of youth... a relic of a past era where science had not yet 'made sense of the world.' 

I dunno.  When you see novenas, pilgrimages and even your own weekly Mass being attended by mostly elderly parishioners, it's hard not to think you're the odd man out.  However, things like World Youth Day and the upswing in Pro-Life activism from people my own age are remarkable.  They're strong signs that the youth of Catholicism aren't to be discounted just yet.  I also have to admit that through blogging, I've come to meet other like-minded Catholics (my age, even!) which has done wonders for my own feelings of loneliness regarding the practice of my faith.  Though we aren't members of the same parish, we're members of the same Church.  We may be young, we may even be "old-fashioned," but last time I checked, Truth and Morality never go out of style.  Loving and praising the Father who created me can never really be considered outdated. 

:)

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