Pope Francis: many young people in the Church have fallen into the ‘temptation of rigidity’

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Exiled_Child said:
I, too, believe Francis is spot on. I’ve encountered many people expressing the attitude he describes. It’s viewed as a form of rebellion among certain young people drawn to Traditionalist thought. The sort of Catholics who ponder overly fondly on the Crusades, perhaps. 🤷 It’s certainly not an uncommon strand among us, and it’s not hard to understand the temptation, either, I think.
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As a Traditionalist, I’d ask the Pope, and you, who are you to judge?
 
Exiled_Child said:
I’m no one. I was merely trying to flesh out and describe who the Pope spoke of. 🤷
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And your fleshing out was rather judgmental, was it not?. Oh, those nasty rigid traditionalists, with their love of the Crusades and whatnot.
 
These comments made by Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio, President of the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts may give an insight into what “rigid” could mean:

But the cardinal, whose department is charged with interpreting and revising Church laws, argued the Church today has a “a very rigid understanding of validity and invalidity” which could be revised on the Anglican ordination question.

“The question of validity [regarding the non-recognition of Anglican orders, while the Pope would give pectoral crosses, rings or chalices to Anglican clergy], however, is not a matter of law but of doctrine,” he explains in a question and answer format. “We have had, and we still have a very rigid understanding of validity and invalidity: this is valid, and that is not valid. One should be able to say: ‘this is valid in a certain context, and that is valid another context’.”

thetablet.co.uk/news/7068/0/anglican-orders-not-invalid-says-cardinal-opening-way-for-revision-of-current-catholic-position-
 
LordHaveMercy said:
Because I love the Holy Father and want to understand his words so that I may apply them to my life, I would also be very interested in examples. What is specific way that the rigidity manifests itself and what would be the preferred, non-rigid (or not-too-rigid) approach look like? Which Saints best lived lives that exhibited the virtue of flexibility?
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LOL. I would love to see examples too! I attend the traditional mass from time to time and dont really see that many people there let alone young people! I really hope the Pope is more clearer, I am in the younger side and comments like these make me hesitate to go to the Traditional Mass so I wont be seen as being ‘rigid’ and hypocritical??? I guess back to jeans and t- shirts to be more in line with non-rigid young people? 😦
 
I could see “too rigid” as being interpreted as I have to pray the Rosary every day at 7am and the Divine Mercy at 3pm to only attending Latin Mass to wearing a veil in Mass or the Adoration chapel. I could be interpreted so many ways.

Is he saying being to rigid is like being scrupulous?
 
7_Sorrows said:
I could see “too rigid” as being interpreted as I have to pray the Rosary every day at 7am and the Divine Mercy at 3pm to only attending Latin Mass to wearing a veil in Mass or the Adoration chapel. I could be interpreted so many ways.

Is he saying being to rigid is like being scrupulous?
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I can’t help but, rightly or wrongly, view the use of the word “rigid” within the context of the ongoing debate around Amoris laetitia. The two contradictory interpretations can’t both be correct, as each represents a fundamentally different understanding of what the Church is and what it is here to do.

This just looks like another unofficial response to the Five Dubia.
 
Stat_Crux said:
I can’t help but, rightly or wrongly, view the use of the word “rigid” within the context of the ongoing debate around Amoris laetitia. The two contradictory interpretations can’t both be correct, as each represents a fundamentally different understanding of what the Church is and what it is here to do.

This just looks like another unofficial response to the Five Dubia.
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You could be correct. I have only been Catholic for 8 1/2 years so I am no theology
expert. Pope Francis does seem fond of the word rigid as a teaching example though.
 
7_Sorrows said:
I could see “too rigid” as being interpreted as I have to pray the Rosary every day at 7am and the Divine Mercy at 3pm to only attending Latin Mass to wearing a veil in Mass or the Adoration chapel. I could be interpreted so many ways.

Is he saying being to rigid is like being scrupulous?
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Rereading my post, I noticed an error. The last sentence of the paragraph should begin
with ‘It could be interpreted so many ways’. The “t” was left off.
 
Open your heart, do not take refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments

"…And instead of opening their heart to the gift, they hid, have sought refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments, which they had multiplied up to 500 or more … They did not know how to receive the gift – and the gift is only received with freedom – and these rigid characters were afraid of the freedom that God gives us: they were afraid of love.”

en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/06/pope_francis_at_mass_be_open,_receptive_to_gods_gifts/1290724
 
JPUSC said:
Open your heart, do not take refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments

"…And instead of opening their heart to the gift, they hid, have sought refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments, which they had multiplied up to 500 or more … They did not know how to receive the gift – and the gift is only received with freedom – and these rigid characters were afraid of the freedom that God gives us: they were afraid of love.”

en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/06/pope_francis_at_mass_be_open,_receptive_to_gods_gifts/1290724
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So he would say the Jewish people are rigid because they follow the law?
 
JPUSC said:
"…And instead of opening their heart to the gift, they hid, have sought refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments, which they had multiplied up to 500 or more … They did not know how to receive the gift – and the gift is only received with freedom – and these rigid characters were afraid of the freedom that God gives us: they were afraid of love.”

en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/06/pope_francis_at_mass_be_open,_receptive_to_gods_gifts/1290724
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‘These are the Commandments: but they are few, let’s make more. And instead of opening their heart to the gift, they hid, have sought refuge in the rigidity of the Commandments, which they had multiplied up to 500 or more … They did not know how to receive the gift – and the gift is only received with freedom – and these rigid characters were afraid of the freedom that God gives us: they were afraid of love.”
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en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/02/06/pope_francis_at_mass_be_open,_receptive_to_gods_gifts/1290724
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The theme is people failing to understand the merciful guiding hand of God and viewed rules as a means to Lord over people.

Jesus’ life and death shows the mercy of God is beyond human comprehension. That’s what the Pope is driving at. Jesus’ mercy made his command to sin no more one that was a gift.
 
Pope John Paul II also spoke many times on mercy and of the issue of fully understanding the meaning of the law. Which is a vital point to this discussion.

The fulfillment of the law fundamentally conditions this kingdom in the temporal dimension of human existence. However, it is a question of a fulfillment that fully corresponds to the meaning of the law, of the Decalogue, of the individual commandments. Only this fulfillment constructs that justice which God the legislator willed. Christ the Teacher urges us not to give such a human interpretation to the whole law and the individual commandments contained in it that it does not foster the justice willed by God the legislator: “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:20).​

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In addition to the commandment, “You shall not commit adultery,” the Decalogue has also, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife.”(2) In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ connects them with each other, in a way: “Everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” However, it is not so much a question of distinguishing the scope of those two commandments of the Decalogue as of pointing out the dimension of the interior action, referred to also in the words: “You shall not commit adultery.”
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This action finds its visible expression in the “act of the body,” an act in which the man and the woman participate against the law of matrimonial exclusiveness. The casuistry of the books of the Old Testament aimed at investigating what constituted this “act of the body” according to exterior criteria. At the same time, it was directed at combating adultery, and opened to the latter various legal “loopholes.”(3) In this way, on the basis of the multiple compromises “for hardness of heart” (Mt 19:8), the meaning of the commandment as willed by the legislator underwent a distortion. People kept to legalistic observance of the formula, which did not superabound in the interior justice of hearts.
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catholicnewsagency.com/document/24-christ-appeals-to-mans-heart-835/
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7_Sorrows said:
So he would say the Jewish people are rigid because they follow the law?
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Reading the responses to your question, I now get it!

Like Latin Mass people who will go to the TLM of a group separated from the Church before they will go to a reverent OF Mass, or those who jump on any little deviation and act like it’s a mortal sin instead of a mistake, that sort of thing.

The are like the Israelites who said, God commanded we not work on the Sabbath, and You (Christ) allowed your followers to pick something to eat on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees had all sorts of rules, like you could only travel a certain distance from home before violating the rule of no work on the Sabbath, and on Friday they would have their servants put their belongings that distance apart so that spot became part of their home and they could travel further that way. Also, poor people didn’t have time to waste doing that so they were left more restricted.
 
St_Francis said:
Reading the responses to your question, I now get it!

Like Latin Mass people who will go to the TLM of a group separated from the Church before they will go to a reverent OF Mass, or those who jump on any little deviation and act like it’s a mortal sin instead of a mistake, that sort of thing.

The are like the Israelites who said, God commanded we not work on the Sabbath, and You (Christ) allowed your followers to pick something to eat on the Sabbath.

The Pharisees had all sorts of rules, like you could only travel a certain distance from home before violating the rule of no work on the Sabbath, and on Friday they would have their servants put their belongings that distance apart so that spot became part of their home and they could travel further that way. Also, poor people didn’t have time to waste doing that so they were left more restricted.
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OK, I’m going to answer this as a “stupid American.”

I don’t see this happening much in America. It’s a very small number of people. The vast majority of young people don’t come to Mass. And of the young who do come to Mass here, the vast majority are very faithful to the Bible, Catechism, Theology of the Body, etc…

So, I don’t think this can really be it, UNLESS there are other parts of the world, like South America, Asia & Africa where many of the young faithful are like the Pharisees.

And now that I think about it, I guess that’s totally possible.
 
7_Sorrows said:
Rereading my post, I noticed an error. The last sentence of the paragraph should begin
with ‘It could be interpreted so many ways’. The “t” was left off.
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“I, could be interpreted in so many ways” is quite a clever answer had it been intended regarding the subject of rigidity. IOW, ‘the subject of ‘I’ could be interpreted in so many ways’…

‘Rigidity’ is all about the ‘i’ and not so much about the ‘you’ or even less about the ‘us’; in a robotic sort of way, clinging on to our preconceived ideas about ‘Him’.
 
friardchips said:
“I, could be interpreted in so many ways” is quite a clever answer had it been intended regarding the subject of rigidity. IOW, ‘the subject of ‘I’ could be interpreted in so many ways’…

‘Rigidity’ is all about the ‘i’ and not so much about the ‘you’ or even less about the ‘us’; in a robotic sort of way, clinging on to our preconceived ideas about ‘Him’.
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You can be rigidly devoted to your family and community.

Every parent who gets up at the crack of dawn each day to create wealth for their family and who spends their spare time taking their kids to social engagements and sporting events are rigidly devoted to their children.

Every priest who daily acts in such a way to visit, organise, collaborate with and teach parishioners is rigidly devoted to Christ and His flock.
 
abucs said:
You can be rigidly devoted to your family and community.

Every parent who gets up at the crack of dawn each day to create wealth for their family and who spends their spare time taking their kids to social engagements and sporting events are rigidly devoted to their children.

Every priest who daily acts in such a way to visit, organise, collaborate with and teach parishioners is rigidly devoted to Christ and His flock.
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Those appear as two good examples.
 
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