Cardinal Dolan Reaffirms: 'Church Is Not a Country Club for the Perfect', But 'Hospital for Sick'

[Eric_Hyom]

OraLabora;
If the Holy Father himself was prompted to say that the Eucharist is not a prize for the perfect but medicine for the ill, it would appear that it isn’t a straw man argument at all, but rather that some of our disciplinary practices are perhaps not having the desired effect of conversion.

The Catholic Church can seem like a hospital that says, everyone is welcome, you can all have fee advice from a doctor, but only the righteous can receive the medication of the Eucharist. Tragically, in the UK around forty percent of marriages end in divorce.

We all sin. We will only achieve salvation through the grace, mercy and forgiveness of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are not worthy of salvation through our own efforts.

Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan to explain the greatest commandments, it appears the priest and the Levite, who both adhere to the laws governing their faith, seem to be the bad guys.

 

[JimG]

Superstition and weak faith?

The bishop of Oklahoma City, whom I know to be a person of strong faith and no superstition, had strong objections to the performance of a Black Mass, because it was an objective sacrilege against the Eucharist.

But, if anyone is permitted to receive, it doesn’t really matter, does it? I don’t think anything in Catholic doctrine would accept sacrilege with equanimity.

 

[johnnyc176]

It seems that this synod addressed couples, who at least have each other, for better or for worse. But as Br JR pointed out in another forum how many people there are in hospitals who are alone and have no visitors. When my dad was dying at the VA hospital, he roomed with several of these. It is indeed sad. These people have no one and I think more focus should be to at least pray for these individuals, or, when many of those in hospices die, to obtain as many indulgences for them as possible.

Unfortunately the liberal element at the Synod seemed to have an agenda with the issue of homosexuality and communion for divorced/remarried. Thankfully the majority of bishops spoke out against them but because it dominated the Synod certain groups were ignored and as usual one of them were the elderly.

 

[GangGreen]

No one is perfect. I think we can all read about the lives of the Saints and see even their struggles even with the smallest of sins. Sin is sin. The Catholic Church is here to call all people to perfection. The Church isn’t here to enable or condone sin. If one sins it is their duty to REPENT and change their lives to live in accordance with what God has revealed to us through the Deposit of Faith.

No one ever claims to be perfect, they don’t claim the Church to be a club for the perfect. The Church is for the people who wish to become perfect, but are not. Here’s the thing, when we go to the hospital, we go because we are sick. We need a doctor to take care of us. The doctor when he treats us doesn’t tell us to keep doing what we were doing. No, instead he gives us medicine and tells us to stop doing what you were doing and do something that’s better for you instead. In the same way, Christ is the Doctor of Life. When we go to him sinful and sorrowful, he gives us the medicine through the Sacraments and tells us to stop doing what we were doing and to be holy instead. As holiness is the path which leads to eternal happiness. He heals our sickness and infirmities if we walk in His ways.

So when someone condones sin, they instead are injecting people with a long lasting poison. They say this will make you feel better, but in the long run it will only hurt them, it will only lead to their death.