Let's be real about the shortage of priests

[Gorgias]

Even if they have no obligation are these people likely to stay Catholic? I mean even families who attend mass struggle to keep their children in the faith, families left with nothing will surely have worse results.

Perhaps. But that’s our failure of effective catechesis at work. If we can’t explain to our children why it’s important to gather each week for Mass (and do a better job than “because we’re told that we’re supposed to”), then we’ll never hold on to them. And… we shouldn’t expect that we’d be able to.

The thought of the Catholic faith only being accessible to those who live centrally or who can afford cars and are healthy enough to drive makes me rather sad.

The lack of priests should make us sad!

So, the question becomes “how do we address the scarcity of priests?”

Do we address it by holding communion services and thereby making priests superfluous?

Or, do we address it by realizing the impact of not encouraging our young men to discern priestly vocations?

Picking and choosing.

We don’t “pick and choose” doctrines… but we can discern disciplines and whether they’re appropriate.

Priestly celibacy is a discipline. The Latin Rite Church has decided it’s an appropriate approach.

Jesus wasn’t married either, so why ok to have married priests, then? Jesus didn’t speak English, so why ok to say the mass in English. So arbitrary.

Actually, the early Mass was in the lingua franca of the day (Greek). As the Church expanded, it added other languages that were widespread (i.e., Latin).

“Arbitrary”? Nah. That would imply that there’s no reason behind it. (There is. )

 

[ConfusedLucy]

I think all we can do as individuals is try to teach others about our faith. Without access to a parish you can’t invite others to mass though.

 

[Gorgias]

When you think about it critically like not in a religious way but just scholarly… Jesus was a walking contradiction. Okay he followed the law of Moses for that. Did he care about the Sabbath law? No. Did he care about the divorce law? No. It’s almost like some laws of Moses were legit but others were not. It’s always confused me.

When you were a little child, your parents might’ve put a “Mr Yuk” sticker on any bottles of alcohol they had in the house. When you became a teen, they might’ve told you that alcohol consumption was strictly forbidden. When you turned 21, they might have warned you not to drink heavily. Later, they might’ve bought you a nice bottle of wine on your birthday.

Would you claim, then, that your parents are “walking contradictions”? Of course not. They were merely addressing the same question in an appropriate way, in different periods of time?

Same thing with Jesus: the Mosaic law was appropriate in Moses’ day, and Jesus’ new covenant was appropriate for us. No worries.

 

[Jas31784]

Yah exactly.
Catechesis in America is a joke. I know firsthand as someone who was taught by it and fell away for almost ten years.
All they teach is ridiculous stuff that seems more like a fine tale. Testimonies and facts should be taught opposed to movies about Fatima and stuff which isn’t even a deposit of the faith to begin with.
I feel like it does no one justice to tell people to go to church just because you are supposed too. Not to mention the way it is taught is a way which makes children think it really doesn’t matter what church you go too.

It’s bad. I luckily was called back by the Holy Spirit. Others who aren’t I can’t blame at all for falling away.