How come so many Catholics don't follow Church Teachings?

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‘I know of so many famous Catholics who support sinful things that go against Church teachings. Why do they do that?’

This is a fundamental question. In the West most Catholics have rejected Humanae Vitae and approve of contraception. If they disagree with one aspect of Church teaching they feel free to disagree with many.

Let us pray for each other that God will have mercy and save us all.
 
JoeShlabotnik said:
How do your sins have an effect on me? They don’t
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Our sins do effect each other. The Church is a family, a community of believers. When one hurts, we all hurt. When a believer sins he hurts the whole Church.
As St. Paul says we are all one body.

Then, when going to the Sacrament of penance, we are not just reconciling ourselves to God but to the whole Church.
 
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Ammi said:
No, it’s not.

I think many Catholics portray admonishment as judging, when it’s actually a spiritual work of mercy.

The Church needs fraternal correction desperately. Dont think that we need to be perfect to warn one another out of love and respect.
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Fraternal correction refers to the already faithful correcting each other. For example, I feel that reminding you of the Scripture prohibition on judging others is a very important work of mercy. You are trying hard to be a good Catholic but this aspect is so important that it is referenced in the strongest terms in the gospels.

On the other hand, people that are mired in sin or ignorance and clearly not gifted with understanding about the need for assent to the Church, are not going to appreciate ‘fraternal’ correction at all. It is God who gifts people faith through His grace. We don’t have that power through condemning them. What we can be though is a channel for Gods grace through our prayers and loving witness. It’s an awesome thing to know the power of love and mercy to witness to Christ to someone who is yet to receive the gift of grace. It’s on the other hand, distressing to know that people can actually be driven away from Gods grace by judgement and condemnation. That’s why the Church desperately needs to fraternally correct people who want to ignore the gospel prohibition on that behaviour.
 
To admonish the sinner is one of the spiritual works of mercy. It is not a matter of opinion. Look it up.
 
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Not so at all. Those who refuse admonishment condemn themselves. Its devilish to blame their rejection of mercy and brotherhood on the Church!
 
Limoncello4021 said:
To admonish the sinner is one of the spiritual works of mercy. It is not a matter of opinion. Look it up.
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This is true. But you will find certain types who despise admonishment, and are crafty at twisting things against those who try to bring a brother or sister away from sin.

They will portray it as mean, judgmental, condemning, egotistical, etc.

But Jesus instructed us to do so. Paul did also, in many places. And the Church recognizes it as a work of mercy, when done out of love.
 
Ammi said:
But Jesus instructed us to do so. Paul did also, in many places. And the Church recognizes it as a work of mercy, when done out of love.
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Yes Jesus demonstrated perfect balance of compassion and conversion,

To the prostitute he said “Does anyone here condemn you? No? Neither do I condemn you” (compassion)

But then he said “Go and sin no more” (conversion)

There was times in Church when it was all conversion, no compassion, but now we’re all compassion no conversion
 
Titus 3

As for a man who is factious (heretic), after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned.
 
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Ammi said:
Not so at all. Those who refuse admonishment condemn themselves. Its devilish to blame their rejection of mercy and brotherhood on the Church!
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The Pharisees called Jesus a devil in their proud judgement also, for preaching love and not judgement, so I’m in good company.
 
Emeraldlady said:
The Pharisees called Jesus a devil in their proud judgement also, for preaching love and not judgement, so I’m in good company.
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No one is saying we are to judge anyone, that is for God alone. We are called to discern right from wrong and if you truly love someone and you see them headed for a cliff, in a grave sin, you try your best to turn them away from harm, even if they are angry and say you are being judgmental.

True love doesn’t ignore someone in need of help.

Jesus’ word were many times harsh but always out of love.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
We are called to discern right from wrong and if you truly love someone and you see them headed for a cliff, in a grave sin, you try your best to turn them away from harm, even if they are angry and say you are being judgmental.
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Peter Kreeft had great language describing this

QUESITON: Isn’t it true that Jesus accepted everyone equally and loved everyone?

KREEFT: That’s a misunderstanding of love. Love cares. Love fights. Love discriminates. When you love a human being, you hate all the dehumanizing forces that are harmful to that human being as a doctor hates the cancer that’s killing his beloved patient. On the other hand if you don’t love a human being but merely tolerate a human being , then you will hate nothing. So love of a human being, no matter who he is and hate of a human being no matter who he is are direct opposites, they’re black and white. But love of all humans and hate of all sins go together. So the essence of the heresy is that there is no such thing as sin. And that’s Phariseeism, “we are perfect”. And it brings up the most terrifying passage in the Bible where Jesus tells the Pharisees “I didn’t come here for you. I’m not here to save you. I am irrelevant to you. I am here to save sick people. You’re not sick? Goodbye”
 
I’d venture to say most people despise admonishment. It takes a lot of humility to accept it.
 
MagdalenaRita said:
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Emeraldlady:
The Pharisees called Jesus a devil in their proud judgement also, for preaching love and not judgement, so I’m in good company.
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No one is saying we are to judge anyone, that is for God alone. We are called to discern right from wrong and if you truly love someone and you see them headed for a cliff, in a grave sin, you try your best to turn them away from harm, even if they are angry and say you are being judgmental.

True love doesn’t ignore someone in need of help.

Jesus’ word were many times harsh but always out of love.
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Which is why I’m compelled to remind people who are earnestly trying to be good Catholics, of the very dire attitude that caused the downfall of the Pharisee. Their attitude is the one that Jesus most condemned of all the sinners. They weren’t discerning at all in their treatment of other sinners. They felt entitled by their ‘superior’ faith, to look always to the sins of others, spending little or no time examining their own consciences.

To point that out to fellow Catholics is my work of mercy. If they flail and rail against that admonishment, that is up to them.
 
First, you have to find someone doing such a thing. No one here has given that impression. Many, including myself, have related the act of admonishment. No one has claimed superiority, or condemning others. No one is waging an inquisition. And no has wished to sit on the judgment seat.

It’s fine to share, in fellowship, your thoughts on how we should admonish one another. That’s cool. But painting an ugly characature of what admonishment looks like to you, then applying it to those who are simply expressing the need for brotherly admonishment in our Church, is manipulation.

I know that I have needed admonishment before, and probably will again. I dont mind it at all! I am thankful to those who have that boldness of faith. I have thanked people for that.
 
Ammi said:
But painting an ugly characature of what admonishment looks like to you, then applying it to those who are simply expressing the need for brotherly admonishment in our Church, is manipulation.
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This is generally how people who reject admonishment they don’t want or accept, feel.
 
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