Maybe you live in an area where life is a bit different. Here it is totally youth oriented. People will go to great lengths to appear youthful. Youth is nearly worshiped! Giving in to age is the unpardonable sin. No wonder most of the young people don’t go to church. They don’t need God They are God!
**Must be California or Florida, both of which I consider the “lands of fruit and nuts.”
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Amen I say to you. When we boldly proclaim the truth, as you are doing, we sanctify the church, Jesus’ mystical body, by bringing us back to the fullness of our faith. Then we begin to use the sacraments that Jesus gave to us to help us gain sanctifying grace.I was talking to someone who told me that she does not like the terms liberal or conservative when speaking about religion. She said that it is too divisive. However, I think that the division has little to do with the words used. It has much more to do with the attitude of the people. People choose to divide themselves from the Church when they go against some of Her teachings. They then, are causing the division. For example, if we decide that it is OK for us to take contraceptives knowing that the Pope says that it is wrong, we are splitting from the Church. Calling what we are doing a different name is not going to make it what it is not.
Quite a few years ago when political correcness became popular, we were told that we should change our way of speech to use more friendly terms. For example we were to call the elderly-senior citizens. The word ‘old’ lost favour with that group of people.
Does the word used make the difference or is it the attitude of the people using the word that makes the real difference? If we treat the elderly with little respect, will they care that we call them senior citizens? I think that the change that needs to happen is in everyone’s soul. We need to learn to love and respect each individual. Then the terms won’t matter anymore.
In the same way if we don’t want division in the Church we need to accept her teachings and promote them instead of advertising the opposite.
Peace of Christ,
Shiphrae
**liberal Catholic - one who thinks he or she can remain a good Catholic and reject one or more of the major tenets of the Faith or teachings of the Church.I was talking to someone who told me that she does not like the terms liberal or conservative when speaking about religion. She said that it is too divisive. However, I think that the division has little to do with the words used. It has much more to do with the attitude of the people. People choose to divide themselves from the Church when they go against some of Her teachings. They then, are causing the division. For example, if we decide that it is OK for us to take contraceptives knowing that the Pope says that it is wrong, we are splitting from the Church. Calling what we are doing a different name is not going to make it what it is not.
Quite a few years ago when political correcness became popular, we were told that we should change our way of speech to use more friendly terms. For example we were to call the elderly-senior citizens. The word ‘old’ lost favour with that group of people.
Does the word used make the difference or is it the attitude of the people using the word that makes the real difference? If we treat the elderly with little respect, will they care that we call them senior citizens? I think that the change that needs to happen is in everyone’s soul. We need to learn to love and respect each individual. Then the terms won’t matter anymore.
In the same way if we don’t want division in the Church we need to accept her teachings and promote them instead of advertising the opposite.
Peace of Christ,
Shiphrae
**
**No one has been more critical than me but at some point we do have to pray for all those who have gone astray. As we are all drawn to be part of Christ mystical body, we must pray for one another. May we always witness the truth and continue to evangelise. If we walk with Jesus we must share in His infinite ocean of mercy.**shiphrae **wrote:
Though we still have to put up with our Bishop Skylstads & Mahoneys, our Archbishop Niederauer…we have a Pope whose not going to give an inch on grave matters of morality, such as abortion & homosexual acts.
**You know the old saying - the road to Hell is paved with the souls of bishops and priests.
Yes, it’s true that there seems to be a renewal of true Catholicism in some parts. But in my area the liberalism is very wide spread. And the scary part is that it is so sneaky and most people don’t even realize how it is. It has been covered up very well for many years and most people won’t admit that there is a problem.
[SIGN]Yes, it’s true that there seems to be a renewal of true Catholicism in some parts. But in my area the liberalism is very wide spread. And the scary part is that it is so sneaky and most people don’t even realize how it is. It has been covered up very well for many years and most people won’t admit that there is a problem. [/SIGN]
I don’t really know how to answer that, except that I know that in certain parts of the country it’s worse than others. Still, considering the terrible sexual abuse crisis that we’ve suffered, it’s hard to understand why some will not admit that the liberalism & infidelity to Rome, within our Church has to be faced & addressed by all.
[SIGN]I agree with Alan that we have to pray very much for the whole Church. However, I think we also have to be on our guard and point it out to people when the liberalism rears its ugly head.
Thanks to you all for your encouragement and support. It is people like you who will bring the Church back to where it should be.
Yep. Prayer, Penance & Prodding…that’s the answer. And, if your Bishop receives enough letters, intelligently written with positive answers (Just complaining, “I don’t like this, I don’t like that” usually falls on deaf ears.) does work. You hang in there, you are just the kind of Catholic we need. God Bless
Unfortunately, the way most Catholics are facing and dealing with the sexual abuse in the Church is by blaming the clergy. They don’t want to admit that it is a wide spread problem and involves everyone. It only is leading to more separation from the Church. Even though most people are not physically leaving the Church, they are spiritually and emotionally separating themselves from Her.
Thank you for your kind words. But what happens if the Bishop ignores or refuses to admit to a problem?
We would be completely reliant on the Holy Spirit.Well, I care more about facing what really happened, so that it won’t happen again… than I care about blaming anyone. That said, a SMALL portion of our priesthood should not have engaged in Pederasty & it seems to me that a larger portion of our Bishops shouldn’t have ordained men whose sexual orientation includes a tendency to desire pubescent/postpubescent boys. They did so in direct disobedience to our Pope. In 1961, our LIBERAL Pope John XXIII signed a document forbidding it, which the Bishops just ignored. The document was strict, stipulating that entrance/I] ***“to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers.”
I hope you don’t mean the sexual abuse is widespread!
No, Flatlander I did not mean the sexual abuse when I said that it is wide spread. Sorry, I put it very badly.
I was referring to the liberalism.“to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers.”
Thank you and may God bless you!
Probably the same thing when a friends son was given a glowing resume and hired in another school district in the 1970’s. They asked him to resign did not prosecute and gave him references.And then the worse thing the Bishops could have done when a member of the clergy was found out, was to try to cover it up. That did SO MUCH HARM! Imagine sending a pedophile to a different area so that he could reoffend! As Doctor Phil would say, "what were they thinking?"
Thank you and may God bless you!
Peace of Christ,
Shiphrae
. This provides the protection of the system for any wrongdoing.Yes, I see your point. However, there is a big difference. What you describe is done by secular people. The former was done by a representative of Jesus Christ- a leader of His Church! It is hard to imagine doing something so horrible! I know the clergy is human as well and therefore prone to error. But a bishop should pray for guidance and then go with the Holy Spirit.Probably the same thing when a friends son was given a glowing resume and hired in another school district in the 1970’s. They asked him to resign did not prosecute and gave him references.
Probably the same thing when they put a window into a classroom that a tenured teacher from our district used till he then retired at public expense.
The list goes on and on. This is not so new or unusual. I do believe that the situation is much worse then we know in the public sector. They just have laws that protect them from being prosecuted. In some state as you are the public you can’t sue yourself
My post was really just to show that the situation is not unique. So many people will tell you that teachers are just as trusted as clergy. Yet they and their employers are not held responsible as they hold the Catholic Church.Yes, I see your point. However, there is a big difference. What you describe is done by secular people. The former was done by a representative of Jesus Christ- a leader of His Church! It is hard to imagine doing something so horrible! I know the clergy is human as well and therefore prone to error. But a bishop should pray for guidance and then go with the Holy Spirit.
Peace of Christ,
Shiphrae