"Anti-Vatican?"

We received a note from a student parishioners here at St. Thomas. One line just made me angry. In Part, it read, "I was often troubled by homilies I heard at your church, mostly from Fr. Miller, hearing anti-traditional Catholic sentiments and even ANTI-VATICAN sentiments at times..." I publish my homilies on this website and on our parish website and this is the first time anyone has ever alleged that I'm anti-Vatican. Now, admittedly, the man admits that he has a myopic vision of church since he is from the diocese of Peoria. Would you believe that he requests a "return to a more traditional Catholic service and a focus on the entire faith, not a selected version of it?" So, we are supposed to celebrate the holy mass (a MUCH more catholic term than "service, by the way. Protestants have services. We have mass/liturgy/eucharist.) like he wants it to be done in the diocese of Peoria so that we can focus on the entire faith, not a selected version of it.

But, aside from the proof that what the current generation of students needs is a class in logic, I came to a stark realization while reading this. I'm offended that someone thinks I'm not squarely on the side of the Vatican. And, I think that the bias of this kid is easily shown by the fact that he thinks my pastor is more traditional/conservative than I am. I'm not sure what his measuring stick is but he needs a new one.

But, is it a bad thing that I want to be identified with the (so called) conservatives? Is it bad that, of all the things I've been called in three years of priesthood, the two terms that have been most hurtful were "anti-traditional" and "anti-vatican"?