Fr. Damen's "The One True Church"

[arkenbergcn]

I recently asked our parish priest if he would mind if I bought some Catholic literature and placed it at the back of our Church for people to take. We have and never had any literature, prayer books, etc. in our Church and I thought this would be a good idea. My priest said that I could do this as long as he approved of my material beforehand. One of the booklets I was hoping to put in the back are copies of Fr. Damens’s classic sermon "The One True Church ". To my surprise my priest told me that he could not approve the booklet for distribution. When I asked why he stated that it’s “language” is outdated and could be offensive to some people. He specifically said that the sermon states that “salvation is not possible out of the Catholic Church” and that the Church now uses different language to say this. I understand what he is saying and I respect his opinion and I will not go against his wishes, but I feel he is being a little too picky. After all, when I first read this booklet I got my copy from a Catholic Church. I thought the sermon was wonderful and I learned a lot from it. Does this sound weird to anyone that my priest would not want anyone to read this booklet? I can find nothing in the booklet that is offensive myself.

 

[distracted]

I recently asked our parish priest if he would mind if I bought some Catholic literature and placed it at the back of our Church for people to take. We have and never had any literature, prayer books, etc. in our Church and I thought this would be a good idea. My priest said that I could do this as long as he approved of my material beforehand. One of the booklets I was hoping to put in the back are copies of Fr. Damens’s classic sermon "The One True Church "

.Does this sound weird to anyone that my priest would not want anyone to read this booklet? I can find nothing in the booklet that is offensive myself.

doesn’t surprise me a bit. Priests these days are all into pleasing people, rather than speaking the truth… So it seems… I am not saying he doesn’t have a point about how the Church doesn’t word things like that anymore… but the Church’s position concerning salvation and the Church has NOT changed…

i think priests and many other catholics are just… too into people-pleasing instead of trying to please God…

I understand it because sometimes i focus more on the people thing myself… but i try to change this defect of character of mine… instead of validating it…

 

[arkenbergcn]

doesn’t surprise me a bit. Priests these days are all into pleasing people, rather than speaking the truth…

My thoughts exactly, I just hope he approves of the other booklets that I gave him so at least we can have some free literature in our Church. I guess I am just venting, but I get tired of the luke warmness and political correctness that is found in most churches today.

 

[distracted]

My thoughts exactly, I just hope he approves of the other booklets that I gave him so at least we can have some free literature in our Church. I guess I am just venting, but I get tired of the luke warmness and political correctness that is found in most churches today.

me too…

Nice to meet you, Mr. or Ms On Fire for the Church - always good to meet those kind…

yeah, that political correctness… Yikes! The Church is supposed to be above that kind of thing…

its kind of sad…

and it points again-- (to me anyway) to that passage in the Bible about how the road to eternal life is narrow and there are few who find it… and the one about how many will try to enter heaven but 'won’t be able"…

everyone thinks its easy getting into Heaven… It is not… because it is human nature to believe what one wants to believe, to rationalize… to choose the easy way… etc… etc… I think most people make it to Purgatory… but then have to be there for a very long time… and even with that, many, many also end up in Hell…

maybe you think i digress… but the point is that one reason people don’t get directly into Heaven is because they don’t make the tough decisions to … “offend” people rather than offend God…

Anyway… you are doing a good thing… except for one th ing:

You ought to be putting that literature into Protestant churches…

 

[arkenbergcn]

It seems like most priests I have meet are more concerned about not offending the cafeteria Catholics than they are about teaching the truth. I always say teach the truth, have faith and God will fill his Churches. Unfortunately I don’t see many priests doing this and the ones that do teach the faith are usually put aside by their Bishops so they can’t make any waves. I pray that our priest whom my wife and I have come to care a great deal about will someday stop worrying about offending people and just say and do what needs to be done. Like you said souls depend on it and the path to heaven is not an easy one. The more truth we hear along the way the better. My wife and I will keep trying to do our part no matter how much resistance we get. I guess I can take our unwanted booklets and drop them off at the local protestant churches. Maybe they can use them!!

 

[Thais]

When I asked why he stated that it’s “language” is outdated and could be offensive to some people. He specifically said that the sermon states that “salvation is not possible out of the Catholic Church” and that the Church now uses different language to say this.

When I read this, I remembered that Pope Benedict XVI reiterated this not too long ago, and, thank God, I found the news articles. I would take copies to your priest and say “here, the Pope says so, can I bring the books now?” but in a nice way, of course:

A few blurps:

“Christ ‘established here on earth’ only one church,” the document said. The other communities “cannot be called ‘churches’ in the proper sense” because they do not have apostolic succession — the ability to trace their bishops back to Christ’s original apostles.

It restates key sections of a 2000 document the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, “Dominus Iesus,” which set off a firestorm of criticism among Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the “means of salvation.”

msnbc.msn.com/id/19692094/
cbsnews.com/stories/2007/07/10/world/main3037922.shtml?source=RSSattr=HOME_3037922
catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=24660

I agree, it’s very sad to see all the political correctness and distortion of the meaning of Ecumenism among our priests, lay people and sometimes even bishops.
But thank God for Pope Benedict XVI, I have never gotten political correctness from him!!

 

[Verbum_Caro]

Does this sound weird to anyone that my priest would not want anyone to read this booklet?

It doesn’t sound weird to me. The pastor is charged by God with the task of caring for the souls in his parish. God gives the pastor grace to do so. Perhaps the pastor is exercising prudence vivified by grace in choosing not to display a certain text at this point in time. Presumably the pastor knows his own parishioners, and what might be edifying for them, or what might be confusing for them.

It’s a grave thing to be responsible for all those souls. I thank God I am not.

Just my take on it, and why I wouldn’t think it strange, barring some other indicator that a pastor had some sort of subversive agenda.

VC

 

[distracted]

My wife and I will keep trying to do our part no matter how much resistance we get. I guess I can take our unwanted booklets and drop them off at the local protestant churches. Maybe they can use them!!

what unwanted books??

I always get this funny feeling when leaving Catholic materials where protestants may find them… but then i ask myself Why do i feel this way?? Facing the truth reveals to me that i am afraid of people seeing me passing the stuff out and getting angry with me… But why fear human being’s anger??? Psychology tells me i have always feared anger because 1 of my parents was always angry… (almost always…)… but… well… we are to overcome…

and i remind myself that i got to know Jesus intimately through the C. church… so i need to get over my irratinal fears and just do waht is right… and let God do the rest… When i think of what a weak Christian i was before the Church and what i am like after… I get more enthused and more bold… i start wanting (all over again) for the whole world to be Catholic… (that would almost be heaven on Earth… )
God bless…

 

[Thais]

and i remind myself that i got to know Jesus intimately through the C. church… so i need to get over my irratinal fears and just do waht is right… and let God do the rest… When i think of what a weak Christian i was before the Church and what i am like after… I get more enthused and more bold… i start wanting (all over again) for the whole world to be Catholic… (that would almost be heaven on Earth… )
God bless…

This is exactly how I feel. It’s good to see somebody else say it.
I love Jesus and His Church so much that I can’t contain it inside of me, I have this great desire that everybody comes to experience the inexplicable joy of being a true Catholic.
I guess it’s kind of like when you listen to a great song, you want to show it to everybody, and it’s infinitely more so with the Church.

 

[distracted]

This is exactly how I feel. It’s good to see somebody else say it.
I love Jesus and His Church so much that I can’t contain it inside of me, I have this great desire that everybody comes to experience the inexplicable joy of being a true Catholic.
I guess it’s kind of like when you listen to a great song, you want to show it to everybody, and it’s infinitely more so with the Church.

i was thanking Godthe other day that things didn’t go the way i wanted in my past… If you knew my past, you would definitely think i had lost what little sanity i may have ever thought of having… but i know that if i hadn’t gone through all that… i would not now appreicate Jesus (Real Presence…) and his Church (Mass, confession… ) as much as i do… I would not know what the Church can save a person from… !!!

Its like tht parable Jesus told… about the woman who was washing Jesus’ feet with her hair and her tears… and Jesus asked those around him: Who loves more? - the one who is forgiven a little or the one who is forgiven much??

:console:
(Me and Jesus )