As a cradle catholic, I don’t trust tradcaths tbh. I don’t trust that they care about Catholicism and Jesus more than they care about being performative with the religion. Catholic aesthetic is awesome don’t get me wrong. But it feels like these people are all about the aesthetics and showing off how knowledgeable and “good” they are. Which is the exact opposite of Catholicism imo.
The way I grew up, real Catholic culture is keeping quiet and forever lowkey feeling guilty you’re not good and not doing enough, because it’s true. And we don’t judge other people because we’re aware we are not perfect either. So It is what it is and we’re all sinners anyway but we do what we can. We’re not concerned with what’s going on in the Vatican. We just show up to do good works in our community without fanfare because it’s what you’re supposed to be doing anyway. You can accept attention and compliments from others but never draw it to yourself.
Religious ephemera isn’t something you buy and show off as collectible trinkets to put on your aesthetic blog. They’re gifted, passed down, collected from life events like baptisms and funerals. They’re sacred yet ordinary. Kept in the privacy of your car or at the home altar. Not posted in public for people to praise.
I don’t doubt these tradcaths pray more regularly, act chaste, and know more about the Vatican rules and the Bible than me. But being Catholic isn’t all about these things. Following the church is only one part of it. It’s moreso the spirit by which you live. One of humility, service, grace, generosity. And above all, love. All these things lead back to love.
