So I just typed you a really long reply, and went to edit a word of it, and it came up gibberish, and I could not recover what I had written.

Interesting.

Among other things I said (and worth the pain in my skull) is basically this:

• It seems like either we must learn the Faith, or else be in danger of loosing it. Many fall away because of ignorance, and because of the same, many never come into the truth. Do people want the TRUE Christ? Or just a prestigious social club where they can feel good and look good, and be in good standing with society? If they want the truth, they have to follow where it leads, not where they would like to go. Even if their fellows shame them by bad behavior.

• Why be Catholic right now, in spite of all the scandals?

Because religion is a question of REALITY, not preference. Truth is still truth, God is still God, His teachings are still His true teachings, His law still IS law, and His Church is still HIS Church, even if everyone became a hypocrite. (Reality doesn't changed based on how much human beings misbehave.)

• It also seems the Catholics are being asked how far they're willing to cling to what they know to be the truth from God.

Who followed Christ ALL THE WAY, even to Calvary, even when they threw filth at Him, even when they crucified Him, thus associating Him with criminals who were thought to be worthy of death? (Sound familiar right now?) It was His Holy Mother, and St. John. "The disciple whom Jesus loved," was the apostle that followed Him ALL THE WAY. The Lord said, those who persevered to the end would be saved. Persevere implies hardship... That it is going to be difficult to hold onto what He gave us.

How many times have you heard it now? "I WAS Catholic, but then THIS stuff happened! Ugh! SO glad I'm outta there, now!" Yeah. Out like Judas. Glad to follow the Lord in GLORY, when He was famous, and well thought of by the world, respected and loved, and when crowds came to see Him and hear Him speak, and when being one of His companions was seen as a really, really good thing. But not for the humiliation and the accusations and abandonment, the cross and the nails, or when being one of His meant getting fed to the lions and such. But the Lord said, those who do not take up their cross and follow Him, are not worthy of Him. They had to follow Him to death, back then. We just have to put up with looking bad, mostly.

Will Catholics follow the Lord and His law, no matter how far the humiliation and scandal go among the people involved? Or will they go away like Judas, in our case just to save face?

"After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him. Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away? And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life."

It profits a man nothing to gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his soul. But to give up the true Christ and His Church and His commands, just to be well thought of...?

The martyrs gave their blood to follow Him. If the worst He asks US to endure is to be ill thought of for clinging to His Church and Faith, I'd say we have it very, very easy!