Open letter to unorthodox and possbily heretical Catholics

[Major_Minor]

*Think artificial contraception is a-okay.

I have one problem…

I am a Catholic convert of 6 years and was raised Protestant.
My thought on contraceptives years ago was that it was OK and it influenced our choice at that time. My wife chose to have a contraceptive surgery done decades ago.

While we do NOT think it is A-OK now… when we made the choice we weren’t both Catholic
and there isn’t anything we can do about it now. If we could turn back time we wouldn’t have done it… and it bothers me now but that’s how it played out.

There are a few things I’ve done in my past that I wish I could change, but at the very least
I am grateful to have been accepted by the Church and my thinking has changed since coming in… in many ways I feel I hadn’t really thought the issue through previously. I am rock solid in my Catholic faith now, but grew into many beliefs. There were a couple previous beliefs that I thought would possibly be a catching point or a problem in converting, things that I thought I would never accept, but now that I’ve allowed the Church to explain her stance, to speak for herself and I understand it… there is not one single belief of the Magisterium that I find difficult to accept. There is no belief that is a round peg/square hole kind of thing that I am forcing on myself to “be” Catholic.

Now that I’ve listened I accept everything I’ve been told in the Catechism as Truth.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

“…Nor does it have to do with love if heresy is allowed to spread and the faith twisted and chipped away, as if it were something that we ourselves had invented.”
—Pope Benedict XVI

This is Christ’s Church and we must PROTECT it as Church Militant. We can’t be silent and worry about being “nice” when souls are at stake. There are standards if you want to be called Catholic. If you throw out or ignore teachings of the Church…then you aren’t Catholic!

Militant yes,
but not belligerent!

See this article for the difference.
catholic.com/thisrock/2007/0705fea2.asp

 

[rben20]

Militant yes,
but not belligerent!]

I agree, but there is nothing belligerent about telling people their sins go against the Church when it is their SOUL you are trying to save. Sure we all are sinful and go against the Church in our own personal decisions from time to time, but the difference is we KNOW it is sinful and try to seek CONTRITION when we realize our faults. That is where proper love/charity should be. I speak of those who do what they wish, but say they are still Catholic in name…picking and choosing as a “cafeteria Catholic” does.

For example…how can you be Catholic and openly say that the Church should ordain women? (quoted from the list first posted by Pantaleon) You CAN’T because the Church has no authority to do such a thing as Christ instituted his Church by founding it on men. That’s the problem with some people in the Church…they are trying to change the Church to how THEY see fit, not keep it as Christ has established. People who go against the Church need correction and sometimes they do need to be KICKED OUT…it’s called EXCOMMUNICATION. This is not the first step that needs to be taken, but it is eventual and allowable by the Church as Matthew 18:15-17 shows.

‘Niceness’ would be sufficient if Hell wasn’t a possible destination for our souls. I don’t think the post-1955 Church is helping people by focusing on ‘Jesus Loves You’ to the exclusion of Death, Hell and Damnation.

I completely agree with you on this Layman. Reminds me to share this video on FALSE COMPASSION by Fulton Sheen.

False Compassion
youtube.com/watch?v=jXQP3UJnagM

 

[credo]

Along the lines of this thread, I had a pastor (not mine) tell me once that 95% of the people coming to Mass had no idea what the Mass was about. They have no idea what being Catholic is about and do not know their faith.

I asked him if he ever did a homily telling his flock they need to go to confession at least once a year. Answer: No

Did he ever let them know that if they miss a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation, they are required to go to confession before they receive communion. Answer: No.

I gently told him he was part of the problem.

Maybe we need to let our pastors know these problems and if they won’t do anything about it, find a parish that will. This was advice I heard from Fr. Benedict Groeschel and my wife and I did just that.

credo

 

[rwoehmke]

Pantaleon, besides complaining about these problems, what are you doing in your own back yard to solve these problems in our Church? Perhaps you are frustrated by being in a parish where the staff accepts these errors and doesn’t want to hear you teach correct beliefs. What can you do about it, other than complain?

 

[mulrooney]

It seems to that Pantaleon is actually performing a spiritual work of mercy. Admonishing the sinner.

 

[Qoheleth]

Here is a little “LOVE” from ST Peter towards people who should know better.

2 Peter 2 20:22

For if, after they have escaped the defilements of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overpowered, the last state has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them never to have known the way of righteousness than after knowing it to turn back from the holy commandment delivered to them. It has happened to them according to the true proverb, the dog returns to its own vomit and the sow is washed only to wallow in the mire.