Philadelphia Archbishop Chaput welcomes ‘smaller church’ of holier Catholics

[patricius79]

I agree with this - I think there has always been and will always be a “smaller, holier” Church on earth - call it invisible if you will. It is thin ice indeed to start to identify the specific members of this elite group, yourself or anyone else. God does that.

But the ice is thinner under the feet of those who see their way around the truth of the Gospel to a less focused (‘rigid’ (?)), more inclusive Church. That is how you go to hell. We have the Word of God and doctrine of the Church for a reason. And I agree that, at some point, unpleasant though it may be, Christians have to engage and reflect *Christian *truth in and out of the Church walls. Acquiescence to secular cultural pressure in and out of the Church walls is not a work of mercy, and it benefits no-one, God or man. Your own soul and commitment to Christ are in play under this pressure. Distortion of the Gospel is light years from mercy to the suffering, the repentant, or the unrepentant for that matter - mercy being one of the most beautiful things we have in Christianity. To effectively mix up acquiescence and mercy to me is quite an offense. It should be such to any serious Christian.

I agree about the danger of false mercy. I think that whatever one approach one takes, there is the danger of pride. Laxity can involve pride, because one is saying one is good enough even though they are not confessing their grave sins or amending their lives. Or one can be prideful because one is working on amending their lives. I think the key is to pray to the Blessed Virgin, who is humility itself, for humility, and for the grace of assenting to the whole Word of God and living it out, despite all our weakness, and despite the fact that we are, of ourselves, deserving of nothing but hell.

 

[Peebo]

Well rather than tell those who are weak in their faith it would be better for them to leave…maybe it would be more Christlike if those who are strong in their faith showed more compassion and mercy with an evangelical like zeal to bring their wayward brothers and sisters back into the light of what Christs church teaches…Jesus taught us that heaven rejoices more over one sinner who repents than over ninety nine righteous who do not need to repent…having a church that is smaller and holier may also result in a church that might end up full of “holier than thous”…maybe if we were to be tested through fire like those Christians in Iraq who have been persecuted for their faith…killed…driven from their homes and their land rather than deny their faith…those who remain would to me represent what a smaller holier church would look like

 

[patricius79]

Well rather than tell those who are weak in their faith it would be better for them to leave…maybe it would be more Christlike if those who are strong in their faith showed more compassion and mercy with an evangelical like zeal to bring their wayward brothers and sisters back into the light of what Christs church teaches.

If we are more authentic in teaching the Church’s teachings, and the Church thus becomes holier, we will have the strength to reach out more to those who have strayed. Right now, with our laxity, there is little missionary activity to those in need.
I think that those who are weak in faith can receive Communion, because they still have faith, which means adhering to God and assenting to all that He teaches through the Church. I don’t think Chaput means to exclude those who are genuinely trying, in spite of their sins, and confessing, and keep trying, trusting, falling, repenting, etc.
With those that are attacking Church teaching in the parish or publicly in the world, I think we should be zealous to help them, while reminding them to refrain from receiving Communion until they can assent to all God teaches through the Church, and are striving to live it out.