Sometimes I’m happy and other sometimes I’m irritable and quick with the quip.  What a wonderful word for those in-between times of life.  By “in-between” I mean we faithful  Church folk have a stern doctrine and beliefs to follow with no questions asked when I could also end this end after “follow” with “to the best of our abilities.”

If you want to make mainline Christian leaders wince at you just try beginning a sentence with, “Sometimes…”  They’re eyes will look down in their totally-academic-training-of-why-is-she-doing-this-to-me-before-I-even-have-lunch-and-make-an-appointment-like-everyone-else-does-who-wishes-to-see-me…in my office.  (Smoke emitting from their eyes is reserved for the real fundamentalists.)

The Church says “always” and we believe that to be important, prayed about and reflected upon but sometimes in life “sometimes” creeps in and needs a “sometime” response against an “always” Church belief or policy.

Is “sometimes” sinful?  If a selfish end is the end then its pretty clear.  Does “always” always means “always?”

This reflection on this beautiful word of “sometimes”  resides within our consciences.  The Catholic Church, if not all mainline Christian churches hold dearly to the personal conscience which can be (“sometimes”) in contradiction to the objective truths of a Church.  Even our last two legalistic popes (J2P2 & Benedict) have held the “indissolubility” of the conscience although their behavior hid it.

I contend that, at least, the Catholic Church still doesn’t trust the “keys to the kingdom” in the hands of those not ordained, let’s call them – what do we call them – how about “laity,” a word that I never cared for.  The definition states, “as ordinary people distinct from experts and professionals.”  (This is where I enter the room as the expert.)

Besides honoring the word “sometimes” we need a new word for those who faithfully sit in the pews who have far more experience in parenting, friendships, life’s ups and downs and the “sometimes” of life that happen and give them a more fitting name for their baptismal place in the Catholic Church.

A quick example of “sometimes.”  A family of four children, all in Catholic schools with a stay-at-home-mom uses contraception.  “Sin?”  Easy when you sit in the sanctuary’s prominent chair and stare at issues you know nothing about.  “Sometimes?”  Well, sometimes, it is the time to weigh the sums and decide that the some of the time is not now.

Funny because sometimes I’m not happy and shouldn’t I always be happy?