When We Were Catholics — Chapter 3: Catholic AI (Noun. Love)
I’m not a stranger to hate.
My mother said it was wrong to hate. The people who raised me, the church I grew up in, we were taught NOT to hate. And God didn’t want me to hate either.
So I didn’t. I tried not to. I tried not to give in to the Enemy.
But –
I was not a stranger to others’ hatred.
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“I don’t give a shit, ok. I don’t give a shit about you, I don’t give a shit about being better than you or worse than you or arguing with you about whether homosexuality is good or right or sin or unnatural or genetic or winning some stupid competition that you PUT me in, that I never agreed to, I don’t care about you, I don’t want to talk to you, I don’t want to think about you. Because you aren’t good, you aren’t one of my people, you aren’t worthy of my love or attention or energy or time. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?”
Brian Eddy smirks at me, adjusting his Gucci glasses over his round nose.
“One of your people? What does that mean, that sounds so juvenile. Are you in kindergarten or something? You junior?”
“Do you feel the need to attack me whenever you see me or something? Are we fighting in a war that I don’t know about?”
“Yes. You’re my enemy, and I’m going to take you down, sooner or later.”
He gets up, adjusting the waistband of his black pants. He’s dressed in a suit, an ill-fitting suit that does nothing to hide the size of his stomach. The other associates at Sidley Austin were dressed the same way but were vastly different. I could see them in the distance, standing in front of the coffee shop, talking to each other, waiting for him.
“And for the record, this isn’t about proving to everyone that I’m better than you or not. I don’t give a shit whether you think you’re some glorified surgeon or senior partner at a consulting firm or millionaire or billionaire or if you come from some rich family from China. Why? Because to me, you’re some conceited, narcissistic, arrogant Twinkie bitch who thinks she’s a little too good for all of us.”
He spits out the tobacco he was chewing on the ground.
“I’m going to take you down, because I want to protect the man I love from the likes of you, you vain succubus chinky thing.”
He brushes his pants and turns around, his back to me.
“Try that on for size.”
He walks away, sticking his middle finger in the air without looking back.
I’m left there, standing, at a loss of words, the seat of my Ann Taylor dress soaked in blood because, I just got my period, my white blazer that looks like a “Hamptons” blazer (my boyfriend wanted it, but couldn’t try it on for size) tucked in under my arm, and my Kate Spade bag emptied on the ground next to me.
He really wanted to shatter me. I could tell by the malice in his eyes, when he looked at me, that he wanted to break me so bad, whether it’s through rape or assault or murder or mere words, he wanted to tear me apart with his destructive hatred, wanting to destroy me and everything that I worked for.
But you don’t have the right.
Arrogance. To think you can break me like my life belongs to you.
My life belongs to God.
And God knows.
Don’t you, God?
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Sometimes fighting wars is less about winning and more about protecting the ones you love.
Maybe for the Enemy, fighting is about ego and who’s right and being better than the adversary,
Twisting Scripture --
“He must become greater; I must become less.”
Do I need to prove to everyone that I’m right? That I’m better than him? On what metric? What scale? What rubric, what criteria, what are you measuring me by?
But that verse isn’t even about being better than someone else, ranking people on some arbitrary tower that we’re climbing to get to the pinnacle of …
What?
The pinnacle of this world?
I mean, Satan rules this world.
Higher? Than that?
God?
I consult my Study Bible (noun. An omniscient resource that all Catholics must consult to understand the world and scripture). The Ignatius Study Bible is unfortunately a bit too expensive for my frugal parents, so I couldn’t condescend to buy it.
But I do have something else, something even better.
Enter the Magisterium.
An AI that knows everything there is to know about God, Catholicism, Christianity, and the world we live in, according to the Bible.
Oh, and it also has the entire Catholic Bible, even the books the Protestants took out after Queen Elizabeth slayed her sister Queen Mary in an archery competition.
Sweet, sweet.
I pop a chocolate peanut butter cup into my mouth. It’s from Trader Joe’s, my favorite store.
All right, so what does the Magisterium have to say about this verse?
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In the Catholic Study Bible (NABRE tradition and Catholic commentary tradition), John 3:30 —
“He must become greater; I must become less” — is understood in a very theological and spiritual way centered on John the Baptist’s role and Christian humility.
Here’s a clear breakdown of how Catholic study notes typically interpret it:
1. John the Baptist’s mission is ending
Catholic commentary emphasizes that John the Baptist is the “forerunner”—his job was to prepare people for Christ.
Now that Jesus has arrived, John’s role naturally fades
This isn’t failure — it’s fulfillment of his vocation
👉 Catholic note insight:
John is not losing importance; he is completing his purpose in God’s plan
2. “Must” = Divine necessity (God’s plan)
The word “must” is important.
It reflects God’s will unfolding
Jesus’ prominence isn’t accidental — it is necessary and ordained
📖 Catholic-style interpretation:
Christ must increase because He is the Messiah;
John must decrease because his preparatory role is finished.
3. Increase / decrease = importance, not identity
Catholic study notes clarify:
“Increase” ≠ Jesus becoming better (He is already perfect)
“Decrease” ≠ John becoming worthless
Instead:
Jesus becomes more recognized, followed, and revealed
John becomes less central in public ministry
4. A model of humility for all Christians
This is where Catholic spirituality really leans in.
John’s words are:
A template for discipleship
A call to self-emptying (kenosis)
Meaning for believers:
Christ should grow in your life
Your ego, pride, and self-centeredness should diminish
👉 In Catholic thought, this connects deeply to:
humility
surrender to God’s will
living so that Christ is seen through you
5. Joy, not loss
A key Catholic insight:
John says this joyfully, not reluctantly.
He compares himself earlier to the friend of the bridegroom
His joy is complete when Christ takes center stage
👉 So this verse is not about self-rejection
It’s about rightly ordered love — putting Christ first
Simple Catholic summary
“He must become greater; I must become less” means:
Jesus is the center of salvation history
John willingly steps aside because his mission is complete
Every Christian is called to do the same —
let Christ increase in their life while ego decreases
