Blessed Be the Annoying Catholics - New Evangelizers

Have you ever met an annoying Catholic?  Are you one?  Good.  Pope Francis thinks you should be.

Recently, while reading through Catholic New World, the newspaper for the Archdiocese of Chicago, I came across a story from the Catholic News Service.  In it, they shared details from the Holy Father’s homily on May 16:

“The church doesn’t need couch-potato Catholics, it needs believers with ‘apostolic zeal,’ willing to preach the uncomfortable words of Christ, Pope Francis said.

‘And if we annoy people’ with this zeal for Christ, then ‘blessed be the Lord,’ he said in his daily morning Mass homily May 16.”  (Source: Catholic New World and Catholic News Service)

First, I love the term couch-potato Catholics.  It is a humorous but sadly true way of describing the state of the Church today.  Christ has not changed, but our effort to share His message surely has.

I wonder if the term pew-potato would be more fitting, though.  We sit back and watch Mass happening in a zombie-like state – failing to realize that Mass requires participation for it to be effective.  Our only movement comes from the occasional kneeling and standing.

When Mass is over, we go from pew potatoes back to couch potatoes.  Our faith will go back to the furthest recesses of our brain until Sunday rolls around again.

Pope Francis wants us to do more than that, though.  He wants us to live a vibrant, outspoken Catholic life, where we are not afraid to share and live out our faith on a daily basis.

In modern society, people may not like your “apostolic zeal” for the Catholic faith.  They’ll probably just label you an annoying Catholic.  But that’s okay.  Annoying Catholics have kept the Church alive for the past 2,000 years, and we need more annoying Catholics to keep it going.

Stop worrying about bothering people with your faith.  Would you be Catholic if someone didn’t bother you with it first?

Copyright © 2013, Chad R. Torgerson

Chad R. Torgerson

Chad R. Torgerson works as an IT Analyst for a Catholic publishing group. In his spare time, he enjoys writing and sharing his faith on his website, Waking Up Catholic, a guide to the Catholic RCIA process. and is also the Co-Founder of Assisi Media, a new Catholic publishing company focused on using new media to reach everyday Catholics. His new book, Waking Up Catholic, is available in eBook and paperback formats.