I want to take up
something I said in response to David’s comment on the previous post; that is,
that the Synod participants must defend the natural law and not merely the
terminology we use to give it expression.
During the run-up to
the Government introducing same-sex “marriage” there were prelates who,
probably to avoid being seen as judgemental and homophobic, and in order to present
as giving compassion and legal protection to all, seemed happy to subscribe to the
legal recognition of same-sex pairings as long as the Government did not call
them marriage. Yet same-sex pairings,
sexual acts closed to life by artificial contraception, cohabitation and serial
‘marriage’ are all contrary to the natural law, and our prelates must be
clear in defending this.
It seems to me that
if the Synod is going to be successful and bring the Gospel to bear on today’s
subjective, relativistic world, then it must, as well as showing understanding
of human difficulties, unreservedly teach that any sexual activity outside of marriage
(marriage being the exclusive, life-long union of one man and one woman wherein
sexual activity is open to new life) is contrary to the law of God and to the
good of society. It is too easy to be hoodwinked by the social gurus of today
and malformed by the non-judgemental culture to the point where one without
meaning to, betrays the Gospel.
The Synod must find
ways of helping Bishops around the world to proclaim the Truth and to operate
according to it within their Diocese. Certainly we must find a language that
the world is able to understand, and provide for those in improper situations
to recognise God’s love for them and respond to that love so that these
situations be left behind. The Synod thus has a very tough task. It’s
participants are under huge psychological and social pressure from the ideologies
of the world to adapt (discard) the teaching of the Gospel in the name of
inclusion and human rights; as such the participants desperately need our
prayers and sacrifices so that they may work with the wisdom that sits by God’s
throne (Wis.9v4) and confound the ideologies of the world, remaining faithful
to the Gospel and compassionate in its proclamation.
Let us pray that the Synod
finds the right words to defend and promote the natural law, and avoid the trap
of simply defending the terminology we use to give expression to the natural
law. The terminology and the reality
must be defended and promoted. With our prayers and the assistance of the Holy
Ghost, the Synod can be successful; it can bring the Church to turn an
important corner back to orthodoxy and orthopraxis where it has been lost to
relativism, and show understanding and support of those whose lives have not
panned out as they planed.
PRAYER
TO THE HOLY TRINITY FOR THE SYNOD ON THE FAMILY
Most
Holy Trinity, from whom our families take their origin and meaning,
bless
and guide the up-coming synod on the family.
Open
minds and hearts to the place of marriage and family
in
Your plan for our salvation.
Help
Your holy Church and the world in which She lives
to
rediscover the unique place, the profound wonder
and the great sanctity of
marriage,
and
to find grace-filled solutions to the breakdown of marriages and family life.
May
Your Truth and the wonder of marriage, upheld by the holy synod,
provide
a map of life for us in the Apostolic Exhortation it generates.
Seeking
the intercession and Our Blessed Lady and of St Joseph,
of St Peter and St
Paul,
of
St Michael the Archangel and of all the angels and saints,
we
make this prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Why don't you defect back to the schismatic SSPX? The synod is not being called to sign off old formulations of teachings. It has been called to discuss modern difficulties and consider how church teaching and pastoral practice can respond to them. The synod allows for the whole church to speak freely about these matters without the sensibilities of the corrupt curial elite dominating discussions. Good bless Pope Francis.
ReplyDeleteRichard Griffiths
Thank you for taking time to comment, Richard.
DeleteYou have overlooked the fact that while formulations of doctrine can change, the doctrine itself cannot. Whatever was given to us by the Lord is preserved in scripture and Tradition, which the Magisterium has the authority only to defend and develop; it is not for the Church to distort what the Lord has given us.
The whole Church may indeed speak, but whatever is spoken that contradicts previous teachings is not in fact the Church speaking but the father of lies. I am sure Francis is aware that the Church's authority is thus limited, and I doubt he wants to change it: no pope wants to imply let alone determine that we have had to wait 2000+ years for him to get right what our Lord, His Apostles and their successor, got wrong. Francis may have made some wild off-the-cuff comments, but I would not like to ascribe to him the arrogance that would need to be present in him if he were set on changing established doctrine.
There are indeed modern difficulties for humanity in that we have left behind the Gospel in favour of same-sex pairings, contraception, divorce etc., but the synod must find a way of addressing these with understanding, compassion, and the Truth of the Gospel, not find ways of subjugating the Gospel to contemporary psychological, sociological and political theories.
God bless you and yours.
thank you for the post and the prayer, Father.
ReplyDelete'It’s participants are under huge psychological and social pressure from the ideologies of the world to adapt (discard) the teaching of the Gospel in the name of inclusion and human rights.'
where there's no Truth, how can there be true charity?
Thank you.
DeleteIndeed, my hope is that the Synod "does the truth in charity", as directed by St Paul.
God bless