I’ve been seeing here and there on the Innerwebz how being Catholic, or Catholic things or individuals, as being described as “cool”. I have something to say about that, even if it makes me sound curmudgeon-y.
Just.stop.now.
It isn’t cool to be Catholic. It’s not hip, rad, trendy, peachy, crackerjack, groovy, far-out or nifty. It’s anything but. Now, sure, there are other meanings of the word “cool” – so how about using those words instead?
There’s a site that sells “Cool 2B Catholic” clothing and accessories. I’ve seen tweets such as “5 New Cool Catholic Apps!” and “Check out these cool new Catholic books!”. I’ve read on blogs “Check out the eminently cool Father so-and-so’s new video!” and “Being Catholic is the new coolness” and “40 reasons why it’s cool to be Catholic”. And the tendency to Capitalize Every Word To Describe Behaviors Or Groups, in order to appear…cooler? Just stop that too. (I’m guilty of that, I admit. No more.) Trying to sound like the rest of the unrefined culture in order to be attractive or relevant makes no sense to me.
So can we please stop with the teeny-bopperism of the faith, and start displaying a bit more maturity? Or at least refrain from sounding like a gaggle of giddy geeks talking about the Rover landing on Mars, or the special effects of the latest Hollywood film? Those things are cool. Typhoon Lagoon at Disney World is cool. The Batmobile is cool (at least the one from Nolan’s franchise). But come on – stay away from vocabulary’s least common denominator and keep in mind what we’re talking about: the faith of the Church, handed down from the apostles, preserved from error and necessary for salvation. Along with everything else associated with the Church.
I assure you, Copts in Egypt didn’t think it was all that cool when their social services building was destroyed by a mob of angry Muslims wielding hammers and pipes.
Nigerians don’t think it’s all that cool to have their churches bombed.
Catholic business owners in America facing the contraception mandate and how it will affect them don’t think it’s all that cool.
Being joyful and experiencing consolations isn’t the same as being cool. St Paul tells us to pursue the good, the beautiful and the true. But not the cool. “Cool” has a worldliness connotation – being part of the “in crowd”. Who wants to be part of the “in crowd”? They’re usually on the wrong side of all things moral and virtuous, right? So what’s the attraction?
Bottom line – being Catholic is hard work, and an incredible responsibility, and every morning when we wake up, we have to decide whether or not we will remain Catholic. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been tempted to ditch the whole thing, because then certain things in my life would be cooler. I could stay in bed on Sundays. I could resume the use of contraception. I wouldn’t have to care for my neighbor if I didn’t feel like it. I could hate my enemies like so many of the cool people do. But I deny myself those things, not just because they’re bad for me – but because they would separate me from God.
Cool and Catholicism really don’t mix. Coolness speaks of pride and boastfulness, and being Catholic isn’t something we should be boasting about. It’s tough to swagger when you have a cross to carry. And to me, throwing around the word cool is verbal swagger. So stop it.
When I think of cool, I think of the time a number of years ago I went to a day-long seminar held at my brother-in-law’s non-denominational community. It was one of those rock n’ roll Bible schools, and I attended three breakout sessions, and at each one, each led by a different guy, I probably heard the phrase “How cool is that?” three or four times.
So stop it. Now. You know who you are. We’re not called to be cool, we’re called to be holy.
In My Imitation of Christ, in Bk 3, Chapter 30, Christ says “‘As my Father hath loved Me, I also have loved you,’ said I to My beloved disciples, whom I certainly did not send to temporal joys, but to great conflicts; not to honors, but to contempt; not to idleness, but to labors; not to rest, but to ‘bring forth much fruit in patience.’ Remember these words, O my son.”
Nothing cool about that, but it’s what we’re called to. So let’s start writing like it.
And get the heck off my lawn!!!
You really are a grouchy old fart, aren’t you?
Watch it, or I’m calling the cops.
I remember about 40 years ago in the London school where I taught, the headmaster in assembly described a football result as “cool” and “fabulous”.
The whole school booed him. They had good taste.
“Cool” is to reasoned speech as pajama bottoms in public are to what once were called “Sunday clothes.”
In a few minutes I’m leaving for Mass, where I’ll witness a miracle. How cool is that?
I think that using “pop-speech” is a desperate attempt of well-meaning individuals to reach those whom they think the Church is losing. It’s a misplaced attempt at being “relevant.” I do not think that being Catholic, as just that, a state of being can be called cool. That being said, I do believe there are a lot of cool things having to do with being Catholic… I just learned about the nearly microscopic pictures portrayed in the eyes of Our Lady in St. Juan Diego’s tilma… That was cool!
That’s cool. I can dig it. I’m down with that.
Who are we kidding, being Catholic’s never been “cool” and quite frankly, I don’t want it to be.
Well, I happen to be in the Trinity of uncool – scientist, geek and Catholic.
Should I just give up and become a priest? ^_^
Wait, can I still be cool if I read AoftheA? All these new rules to follow. So not cool. Harumph. S’ok, I haven’t been cool up to now, no reason to change.
I think you’re reading too much into the expression. The expression “cool” replaces the older expression “awesome” and “awesome” literally means, awe-inspiring which is the correct biblical response to the presense of God.
Yes, Catholicism is full of sufferings and fasts, but it is also full of joys and feasts. Note, there’s actually a feast day on nearly every day of the year (see http://www.catholic.org/saints/f_day/jan.php ). To pit one side of the Catholic tradition over the other is to do damage to the faith.
Let me use a non-religious example. War is hell. There’s no denying it. We should avoid it whenever possible. But we also celebrate inspirational heroism in war and we honor heroic valor in soldiers. Both are necessary. If you only look at the horrors of war, you’ll let Stalin and Hitler take over the world. If you only look at the heroism, you’ll end up a jingoistic war-monger imperialist that has the potential of being just as bad as those tyrrants.
Well put, Larry is it? ¨It’s tough to swagger when you have a cross to carry¨ too true,
yet… learning to put up with things, to endure other things is what we must do…and to do it joyfully for our love of God is what we must aspire to. Having said that, I agree whole heartedly with your denunciation of the sad ¨cool brigade¨. ( I am reminded of the song Man in Black, by Mr. Johnny Cash. ¨I’d love to wear a rainbow everyday….¨)
The ‘coolifaction’ of the faith isn’t cool, just puerile.
I direct my grandson to drop the idioms of his age when talking to me. I believes it helps for him to use language on a more mature level. I’m just not cool.
Is it cool to try and be funny?
It would be easier to fight this “coolification” of expression if priests would stop the “coolification” of the liturgy.
Loved this whole post. As one of those “young people” I get sick of people acting like its “hip” and we’re the new cool people because we’re young and Catholic. Its not cool, its difficult. I don’t care for being identified as cool, especially since I’ve wanted to toss the whole thing several times, and I have a lot of years ahead of making the same hard choice. Its worth it, its the only way to live fully, its everything I believe and will not give up on. Its not bloody well cool!
But Laaaarrrryy . . . glow in the dark crucifixes. They’re cool.
And anyway, some of us get a dispensation to use the word “cool” because we aren’t trying to impress or relate to anybody, we just really are that special combination of geeky and flighty.
Amen. Our priest says sometimes that we shouldn’t be “fans” of Jesus, but disciples… which, of course, involves taking up your cross.