I didn’t say “instead of” being nice to the Jews and other Christians. I meant, in “addition to”. But I think the Church was against mixed marriages for very Biblical reasons. Even David wasn’t able to uphold his faith well married to Jezebel. She may have been the equivalent of a Satan (directly) worshipper or occultist, but are not Protestant religions’ fruit for most people, egotism?
Many will join another church if they don’t like the pastor’s sermons or the music, etc. (of course, it’s good if the one they join is the Catholic Church because its fundamental teachings don’t tickle their ears, but the opposite). In a way, ultratraditionalist Catholics are doing that and, like the early high church Anglicans, believe they are a reformed branch of the Catholic Church (sometimes the only remnant of the true Church left). Thanks to the last Pope, we have a consolation with the indult Mass so it is like a Methodist going from a more liberal version to a more conservative one except that, in that church, and other mainstream ones, critical teachings on sexuality etc. may change drastically.
I know most won’t go Latin Mass so I wish for this suffering Church to be healed by brave actions of those who can do it. I was very disheartened when, because a leaked minor revision of the Mass that would actually bring the Mass closer to its 1970 original got a negative response from those who saw it, the Vatican didn’t take the steps necessary to implement the Mass they wanted. These are the shepherds. If they had no trouble saying this is the 1970 Missal and we’re not doing the Latin Mass anymore then why can’t they enforce their own Missal?
I think that they opened Pandora’s box in the '60s and the world seeped into the church. I read that Pope Paul 6th mentioned the “smoke of Satan” after he saw things going out of control. Maybe they can’t do the hard thing because too many in control have a power trip and like the false freedoms they got from the spirit of Vatican 2 now whether or not, when Vatican 2 closed, they misunderstood what Vatican 2 said. Maybe that was Pope John Paul 2nd’s outreach to the youth–to replace those that have made a mess of things on purpose or not and even repopulate the parishes with worshippers that would like the true teaching of Vatican 2. Still, most Catholics I run across didn’t seem to get the memo. Maybe I’m wrong and the good young Catholics will have lots of children.
I have hope. We should pray for the priests but I write these things, I think, because I’m tired of so many thinking nothing is wrong here. Even bishops, God bless them, who allow the Latin Mass and speak against the culture of death, still consecrate unchurchlike church buildings and OK the “rennovations (i.e. guttings, in most cases)” of our beautiful churches built by people who were not blinded by the thinking of the prosperous and secure. We may not be able to stop Christ’s passion, but we can pray and weep for our children and for the bishops and priests to see that Catholic culture is not plastic and even the liberal media knows what is Catholic culture. I will stay with the Vatican’s Church even if things don’t get better because God, I believe, will reward me if, for nothing else, for suffering with His Church in this crisis of faith amongst the churchgoers–if I go to heaven.
If things don’t get fixed (even if many obstinate far-leftists leave the chanceries or even priesthood, thus resulting in closing or undermanaged parishes, on account of difficult measures), those who didn’t get the memo or who put it in the shredder because gays or women aren’t being made priests or because of liberal misbehavings of certain clergy, will be sucked up by those on the far-left and far-right who offer alternatives that sound good to them. Yes, Satan will tell them they can know good and evil (at least theologically, in that we are all given basic knowledge of that like not killing out of malice, at least, or not losing control of one’s senses–things which an evil culture inspired by that snake, gradually blinds most to who live in it).
