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).
Father,
ReplyDeleteI 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?
Thank you, Jacobi.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
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.
ReplyDeleteI 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.
Thank you Gentry.
DeleteThe 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.
Brave words Father thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Joseph.
DeleteTo 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.
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.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda.
Deleteit 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
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!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFE8ToVatI
Thank you, Lepanto.
DeleteYes, 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.