I think I just killed a meme...

I am out of the loop of what you kids these days are saying but twice in the last week I ran across the term "first world problems". The first was from some website where a guy was complaining about the lack of certain selections on Netflix streaming.
The other was from someone moaning about how the iphone 5 is coming out and he just bought an iphone 4.

First world problems.

The term puts things in a certain perspective. The cool thing about our Catholic faith is that we have so much entrenched into the first 3 centuries that most of what we have are OLD world problems. However, in some quarters of the church, the old world is done and so we are left with just first world problems.

I'm Old World in my faith. Devils. Sin. Hell. Retribution. Virgin Births. Valor. Blood oaths. All that stuff. Me. Me am like it much. So when someone approaches me about Baptism for their baby, I will say, "So, I don't know you. Do you attend Mass?" And if they say, "Haha..no I'm a bad Catholic" and then keep on about the Baptism, the conflict begins.

OLD WORLD: Baptism for the washing away of original sin and initiation in the Christian Faith. A dying to self and rising to new life.
OLD WORLD BAPTISMAL PROBLEM: "My child has died of the Black Death, m'lord. Is he in heaven? Is he in 'ell? Is he, maybe in limbo? Where, m'lord? WHERE??????"

NEW WORLD: Baptism to get the folks together and appease the last generation so they may deign to drop a couple bucks for that washer and dryer. Dress the kids up so you can get Christmas pictures in front of the stage at church with that pretty table in the back.
NEW WORLD BAPTISMAL PROBLEM: "The priesty man said we had to go to Mass but the caterer is coming at 8 and the pony rental begins at 9. I can't tell the pony guy to wait!"

See? I used a fading meme to push my grump of the day.

I am an old man.