A short time back I posted about a 'friend' of mine who had taken, I believe, an unprincipled action. I did not know this person except through email and FB exchanges. He ran for city council, lost and seemed to become quite angry and bitter about the experience, though it was not his first attempt to become an elected official. He became particularly angry at two other bloggers at The Hive.
The horrible name calling and nastiness escalated. It got really sick to watch. It was really difficult for me because I felt a friendship towards both of the men involved ( the woman can be a little over-the-top in assessing her own importance and a little shrill when arguing so I have chosen not to have any kind of interaction with her) and quite frankly I felt like I was watching them both degenerate into screaming little mudthowing baby-men. It was just disgusting.
Both call themselves Christians. Makes it even sicker to watch.
Anyway, I disagreed with a tactic one took to try and hurt and humiliate the other and the guy flipped OUT on me. He went from "oh I want you" to "I will have my lawyer contact you if you do not take down your post". When I told him I would be happy to speak with his lawyer (I know the guy, it's no big deal) and to please have him contact me the threat was withdrawn. Instead he told me never to contact him again.
Fine. The guy was talking about how he 'wanted me' the entire time he was listing himself as married on his campaign literature.
Look. I know I am not some femme fatale - I am a pudgy middle aged woman who still gets a thrill out of watching an interview with Mick Jagger and prays the Rosary every day...not exactly a woman without complications, you know? I won't miss Mass, long for Christ in the Eucharist and I still have fond memories of the three days I slept in line at the Cow Palace in 1974 to be up front at the Stones concert.
I also know that, as a Catholic, I get to take unpopular stances. That means I will be a target. After I dared to disagree with the ModPol, the stalking increased. The horrible attacks on me personally escalated. The poor, sick LOM was encouraged to go for the throat, so to speak, and he went so far that he got spanked. Ok. It's over. I know who was behind a lot of it and I forgive both of the men involved.
Well, ModPol had a heart attack. I posted my wishes for his recovery and that I was keeping him in prayer. Then, the other guy (they never did stop sparing though it has calmed down a LOT) posted something very snarky about buying ModPol bacon to help with the next heart attack or something like that - not very kind, not very nice...and I told him so.
So what happens? LOM posts something HORRIBLE back - taking a crack at the Sacrament of Confession and generally revealing himself as someone still too caught up in hatred to be sane.
*sigh*
So what do we learn from this?
St Francis of Assisi once wrote that he would be very happy to show up at a monastery and be greeted with hatred and rejection, to be thrown into the snow and left for dead..why? Because at that moment of rejection he would be in close communion with Our Lord.
I have got to remember that - because I don't like to be rejected. I want to be the great peace maker, the one people like the best because I am so darn soothing and diplomatic. Yet, St Francis is right. Jesus does not want to be rejected and yet He is - over and over and over again. Why would I not want to have happen to me what happened to my Lord? Why would I not want to be just like Him?
Well the obvious answer is "Because it HURTS to be rejected, beaten, crucified.".
Yet even Jesus asked that the cup pass from Him - so maybe having a human nature is not so bad. Maybe being afraid of the pain also unites me with Him.
Here is what I would like to have happen on The Hive: I would like there to be civil discourse, I would like people to not get such pleasure out of trying to actually inflict pain on each other. I would like to be able to ask a question without having someone jump on one word and decide that means I am a commie-loving, Glen-Beck supporting, Socialist Tea Party Member with a need for a One World Government holding a Don't Tread on Me sign while shooting an abortionist and hiding pedophile=priests from the law.
Yes, I have been called all of the above at least once...after awhile I just moosh them all together. It would make for one heckuva tee shirt, would it not?
Our Lady of Hope, pray for us.
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