I’m going to be on the Lino Rulli’s the Catholic Guy Show on the Catholic Channel on the Sirius Satellite Network at 5 pm Eastern today. If you’re not a subscriber, I gather you can sign up for a trial 48-hour subscription to their Internet streaming feed if you’re interested.
Update: That went well, I think. We talked about the “over-praised generation” and Archbishop Chaput’s speech on “religion and the common good.”
I should clear up one thing: Isabella’s name was Melanie’s idea although I agreed. I don’t want to take credit for coming up with a great Italian name like Isabella Bettinelli on my own, when I didn’t.
On the “over-praised generation”, we talked about how that appears in the life of the Church and I made the point that we often do it in youth ministry. In fact, the “over-praising” is not the fault of those being praised, but the insecurity of the generation preceding them in doing the praising. Thus my generation is so afraid of losing the Catholic youth that we sometimes set low standards. As I said, if they darken the door of the church, we praise them up and down, when in fact that’s simply one of the commandments! It’s the minimum.
On the other hand, I believe in setting high standards and calling them on to reach beyond their comfort and achieve something. Don’t just come to Mass and expect to be catered to with music that appeals to your secularized senses, but come and be blown away by the experience of something that’s both ancient and new at the same time. Oh, and if you could wear some nice modest and reverent clothes, that would be good too.
Anyway, I had fun again—not the least because Lino gets such a kick out of my name and because he mentioned my daughter—and I look forward to being on again.
Lino’s old show “Generation Cross” was great. They should sell it on DVD.
Good work on the overpraised generation Dom,
I have a slightly different take on it. Since the “greatest generation” is going to bankrupt posterity with their Social Security, Pension and Medicare benefits, perhaps praise is the only thing left to deliver to those funding their retirement.
JBP
I listen to Lino’s show every day on the drive home and enjoyed your conversation. You guys covered some interesting topics and you’re right, he gets such a kick out of your name! Funny!
Keep up the good work.