Friday 29 August 2014

Voices In The Wilderness of Dissent & Disorder

I was in a conversation with a couple recently and we observed what a different crowd we in the West are to those Christians in Iraq, Nigeria, et al, who are willing to imitate St John the Baptist literally and lose their head rather than The Faith. If The Faith is saved in the West, it may well be by the graces won by these modern-day martyrs. How much we owe them.

Indeed it is very discouraging to hear some of the rubbish spoken in the West today, and so hard to get the Truths of the faith heard today. I have become aware that speaking to lapsed Catholics can be particularly difficult. Many in second, cohabiting or homosexual relationships have developed such an antagonism to the Church because of her moral beliefs that they are, in my experience, not simply lapsed from the Church but hostile towards her. Even some among our Mass attendees show obstinate rejection of the Church’s moral teachings when family members are in relationships the Church cannot countenance or are married to non-Catholics whose communities the Church considers lacking (those she refers to as ecclesial communities rather than Churches).  Some of the clergy appear to have similar ideas, justifying sinful situations for ‘pastoral reasons’. I was told by one fellow cleric that it is probably fine for folk to receive Holy Communion after missing a Holy Day or Sunday Mass because “it harms no one and after all, it’s actually hard to commit a mortal sin”, and by another that he believed those in long-term cohabitation should be able to receive Holy Communion too. These are dangerous ideas, likely to lead to sacrilegious communions. Truly, would today’s Church be recognised by the Church of the Apostolic Fathers; the Medieval Fathers or the Church of the 1950’s?

Recently I was challenged by a layman for saying that since we have fullness of truth and the full means of sanctification we should want everyone to become Catholic. The rejoinder was “You know Father, we’re all the same now; we all worship the same God.  You need to read Vatican II”. Then there was a young lady who told me that “same-sex [pairings] are legal now, so they’re OK. Cardinal Nichols said civil unions can be good and even the Pope said ‘who am I to judge?’ So it’s you who has to change your ideas Father”. Add to this Bishops who say there are ‘unconventional couples’ that we should welcome and it is clear that even the great and the good are hoodwinked by the ‘non-judgmental’ rallying cry of the world -or simply seeking acceptance from the world rather than Christ by following the world’s  ‘morals’ rather than His. Leadership is woefully lacking for souls these days, unless it is leadership into doctrinal error and sacrilegious communions, but not entirely absent. Almost all clergy however, seem afraid to challenge today’s ‘morality’ and say “we judge that to be wrong and dangerous to souls and to human society”. It is, after all, possible to correct sin with gentleness and compassion while exhorting the sinner to respond God who loves us. We simply must move beyond the optimism of the 1960’s which sought only to “exhort souls to the good and the true without resorting to the condemnation of error”. That is no longer is not helpful today –if it ever was. Proclamation of the Truth without correction of errors like telling a patient what will contribute to her health without also reminding her to cease what is damaging her health.

We need to be clear here: on-judgmentalism is not a Christian attitude. Our Lord told us “When you judge, judge with right judgement” (Jn.7:24). Thus St James tells us to call the sinner back (Jas.5:19); while St Paul reminds us to rebuke the sinner (Gal.6:1; 1.Thess.5:14; 1.Tim.5:20; Titus 1:13). Our Lord’s injunction “Do not Judge that you shall not be judged” (Matt.7:1) is but a warning not to judge the state of a soul; it does not allow us to refrain from judging the acts in which that soul engages. To do so would be to turn away from the work of mercy by which we admonish the sinner.  

As a parishioner who understands the difficulty recently noted, “we desperately need a syllabus of errors as proposed by Bishop Schneider. A brief synopsis of right and wrong which we could get with our Bulletin one weekend would go a long way in setting the record straight. Until then our faithful priests and laity will remain labelled hard-hearted, insensitive or bigots for upholding the Faith”. Her point is sound: until there is a reaffirmation of moral and doctrinal beliefs, priests and laity who hold to the Church’s teaching will be voices crying in the wilderness –a very isolating place to be. It is a place of additional struggle for us when we have the important war against our faults and failings to overcome that we may gain holiness of heart. Which of us is without such failings? I certainly know myself to be a soul much in need of the healing that comes with the Divine Mercy. Indeed, I strive daily to be more prayerful, industrious and self-effacing; to be less lazy, impatient, selfish etc. Can any of us claim to be without such faults or to have gained the holiness of heart necessary to enter the Lord’s abode? 

At the end of the day one is left asking what is to be done when some Cardinals, Bishops and Priests give the impression that the Church’s teaching is changeable or relative to the person’s intention; that mortal sin is ‘hard to commit’, and a Pope allows himself to be quoted as saying “Who am I to judge?” (granted this was statement was somewhat 'explained' by Fr Lombardi). Still, when you consider the state of the Church today in the sheer numbers of lapsed youth and elders; the commonplace disregard for the faith among clergy, in Catholic periodicals and everyday 'Catholics', can we not help but recall those disturbing words of the Lord: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find any Faith on earth?” (Lk.18:8).

10 comments:

  1. Father,

    I am going to stick my neck out a little bit, if I may, but in no sense critical of you.
    Yes, I agree with effectively everything you have said here. But are we blog readers, commentators and indeed bloggers, not just grumbling away amongst ourselves?

    Priest bloggers, however, are in a somewhat different situation. You priests can get up into the pulpit and say, during Mass and before Communion that, for example, only those who are in a state of Grace, have fasted, and are properly disposed may, not should, but may receive Holy Communion, under pain of Mortal Sin.

    I as a layman can express that opinion in conversation, since I am simply repeating the teaching of the Church. You can say it with authority!

    Is it not time that like minded priests banded together, because you need mutual support in such matters, to give such sermons regardless of what your silent bishops think.

    After all such is the shortage of priests, that you are unlikely to get the sack?

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  2. Thank you, Jacobi.

    I have to laugh -yes! we may get the sack since lay leadership is the buzz idea today!
    And we do hear it preached..by voices in the wilderness.
    God Bless.

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  3. Father, I hear far too many homilies assuring us we are all redeemed because Christ loved us enough to die for us; the only injunction being to love one another. It doesn't take a great leap for people to assume it's fine to carry on as they are with their place booked in Heaven - as long as they are not nasty enough to judge anyone's "lifestyle". How I mourn the ditching of the straight-from-the-shoulder Penny Catechism.
    I am sure that many bishops would love to empower the laity; so much more malleable than uppity priests. But the same hierarchy mightn't be quite so enthusiastic were they sharp enough to draw the logical conclusion: their own extinction.

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    1. Thank you Gentry.
      The truth is that we are redeemed, but we are not yet saved; we may still lose our salvation by imitating Adam in turning from God's rule to self-rule. It is clerics who fail to point this out who lead the Lord's flock astray; from God to self. God forbid that should be the final state for any soul.
      God Bless.

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  4. Brave words Father thank you.

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    1. Thank you, Joseph.
      To be honest, I don't see these words as brave but common sense: if we aren't upholding what was taught by the Apostolic Fathers right through to the the Church of the 1950's we have gone astray. The Church was not wrong for 2000 years, surely?
      God Bless.

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  5. Thank you Father, for doing and speaking as a priest is ordained to do and speak! How few of us get the truth from our pastors - the truth that enables us to become holy, with the graces of God through sacraments, prayer, penance.

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    1. Thank you, Linda.
      it remains surprising to hear the kind of things that are said today, and to see the reaction to simple Catholic teaching. While I pray to be holy, I at least know the flock who hear me don't get harmful foods or liturgy which leads them to praise God for who they are rather than who He is, all the while petitioning for graces to advance in likeness to Him.
      God Bless

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  6. I don't know if you know of Fr. Steven Scheier, Father but his is a story that priests should know about (well the 'laid back' ones anyway). Fr Steven 'died' following a road accident in the US and found himself being condemned to hell for wasting his priesthood but Our Lady intervened asking for 'another season' so that he might 'bear fruit'. He says that popularity with people and fellow priests, and full collection plates were his priorities, the truth took a second place but no longer, he now proclaims the hard truths of religion and tries to persuade other priests to do so. It's a pity Our Lord doesn't do this a bit more often and include a few Cardinals!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFE8ToVatI

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    1. Thank you, Lepanto.
      Yes, I have seen the clip of Fr Scheier. It is a rather terrifying experience to watch never mind undergo.
      Thank God for our Holy Mother.
      God bless.

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