"Those [sad] Christians don't do our Lord or Our Church any favors. Christians who set time for mourning, who are always complaining. They're constantly sad...This is not the attitude of a disciple. St. Augustine tells Christians: 'Go on, go on, walk and sing, sing. With joy.” [Official Vatican Network]
Unfortunately it seems that Holy Scripture disagrees with
our current Pope on the matter of “those who mourn” (though he is probably spot
on about complainers like myself).
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be
comforted.”
“Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but
the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.”
Or perhaps our Holy Father doesn’t understand how truly sad
many Catholics are with the current state of our beloved Holy Catholic Church
and the failure of SOME of the clergy in Her?
[This is not about all the truly wonderful Catholic clergy and religious we have in our Church, God bless you all! This is about the clergy and religious who are not about God’s work, but their own.]
Yes, Holy Father, we are sad Christians... but you understand WHY we are sad?
[This is not about all the truly wonderful Catholic clergy and religious we have in our Church, God bless you all! This is about the clergy and religious who are not about God’s work, but their own.]
Yes, Holy Father, we are sad Christians... but you understand WHY we are sad?
If Christians are feeling mournful it is because we see the
destruction of souls in the world and the Catholic Church’s failure to speak
the Truth boldly and bring people back to God’s Church.
What makes many of us ‘sad Christians’ is when the Church entrusted by Christ to PREACH the TRUTH to the world, instead ALLOWS ‘liberal’ priests and nuns to run amok teaching HERESY and LIES to deceive the masses – at Mass no less!
What makes many of us ‘sad Christians’ is when the Church entrusted by Christ to PREACH the TRUTH to the world, instead ALLOWS ‘liberal’ priests and nuns to run amok teaching HERESY and LIES to deceive the masses – at Mass no less!
That Holy Father, is what makes us “sad Christians”.
You want to see us joyful disciples again? Be the Church Christ entrusted you to be. A Church we can DEPEND ON to ALWAYS preach
the Truth. Be a Church were heresy among
the clergy and religious is NEVER tolerated.
Discipline the clergy and flock to correct errors the way Holy Scripture
demands you to.
Hebrews 12:8If you do not have that discipline in which all children share, then you are illegitimate and not his children.
Hebrews 12:11Now, discipline always seems painful rather than pleasant at the time, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.
We ‘sad Christians’ will always have our joy in Christ [regardless of failing clergy], but it
would be nice to have it again in our Church. Joy in BEING Catholic because we trust our clergy to teach the Truth from God. That would be nice...that would bring a great many of us joy.
I think of the words of Saint Paul (Romans 16)…
17 “I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. 18 For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. 19 For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil. 20 The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.”
The Catholic priests and nuns who support gay marriage,
birth control, women priests and other heresies MUST be avoided by
Christians. When our Church does NOTHING to remove these
heretics from our mist we are saddened.
We see these heretics leading ignorant people on the road to Hell and we
are often powerless to do anything about it because our Bishops will not listen
to our pleas and remove these serpents from among us- or worse yet, the Bishops
themselves are heretics and are purposely filling our parishes with these liars
to corrupt and deceive the ignorant.
When will our Church do something about this? How long will our own clergy and religious be
allowed to sadden us with their deceptions?
You want joyful Christians Holy Father? Discipline, teach and speak the truth to us
all. Stop tolerating heretics who
corrupt our Church and faith with their serpents forked tongues.
Start removing and excommunicating people who are in the
Church only to “serve their own appetites” as Saint Paul warned us about. Evil persists in the Church because evil is
ALLOWED to remain in the Church.
Christians hungry for the Truth will remain ‘sad Christians’
as long as we see the evil in our Church allowed to spread and corrupt.
Colossians 3:16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly; teach and admonish one another in all wisdom; and with gratitude in your hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to God.
We keep our joy in Christ and the Holy Sacraments always,
but we are daily saddened by the failures found in our beloved Catholic Church
when our Church leaders fail to lead, teach or correct those entrusted to them.
What child grows to respect a
parent who teaches them lies and fails to correct or discipline them? That child grows up to become a disrespectful
liar themselves… if the Church continues to fail as a parent to Her wayward
children, She too will produce nothing but rotten fruit.
The Holy Father quoted Saint Augustine...perhaps our Holy Father will quote another great in our Church...G.K. Chesterton who clearly understood what we need our Church to do...
If our Holy Father wants to see us sad Christians become joyful again, he could do us all a favor by spending his efforts weeding out rotten clergy and putting Saint Paul's words to work throughout our Church, in every parish and convent around the world.
The Holy Father quoted Saint Augustine...perhaps our Holy Father will quote another great in our Church...G.K. Chesterton who clearly understood what we need our Church to do...
If our Holy Father wants to see us sad Christians become joyful again, he could do us all a favor by spending his efforts weeding out rotten clergy and putting Saint Paul's words to work throughout our Church, in every parish and convent around the world.
1 Timothy 520 “As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest also may stand in fear. 21 In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels, I warn you to keep these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. 22 Do not ordain anyone hastily, and do not participate in the sins of others; keep yourself pure.”
2 Timothy 4
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE)
4 “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I solemnly urge you: 2 proclaim the message; be persistent whether the time is favorable or unfavorable; convince, rebuke, and encourage, with the utmost patience in teaching. 3 For the time is coming when people will not put up with sound doctrine, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own desires, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander away to myths. 5 As for you, always be sober, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, carry out your ministry fully.6 As for me, I am already being poured out as a libation, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 From now on there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
I can’t say it any better than Saint Paul did in Sacred
Scripture.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
Ummm...you do realize that if Catholics who practice birth control were to leave the Church you would have very little left, right?
ReplyDeleteHello CatholicDem,
ReplyDeletePerhaps you didn't understand what I said.
I said remove CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND NUNS for teaching heresy - that is what we are SUPPOSED to do with heretics (remember Martin Luther?). Why in the world would we want priests and nuns who were teaching nonCatholic beliefs to Catholics?? Makes no sense at all!
We then excommunicate (NOT kick out or ask to leave) the people who support heresies taught to them by the religious.
If they are excommunicated they are STILL required to attend Mass and work to repent of their heretical beliefs, but while they hold these heretical beliefs they can NOT have the Sacraments- with the exception of Confession of course.
We don't want anyone to LEAVE, we want them to REPENT and come back into full communion with the Church.
Hope I cleared that up.
God bless!
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
I don't think Pope Francis is trying to oppose the Beatitudes, Julie. You might find that a different approach to this man serves your soul better. At least consider it.
ReplyDeletePrayerfully yours,
In Christ, through Mary,
Daniel
Hello Daniel!
ReplyDeleteDo you truly think my soul might be in jeopardy for wishing a pope and the Vatican to more strongly discipline its members who spread heresy?
You might be right, but I suppose neither of us will know that for sure until we face God on Judgement Day.
Until then, I am most hopeful that
Saint Thomas Aquinas was spot on when he said...
"If the faith is in imminent peril, prelates ought to be accused by their subjects, even in public." -St. Thomas Aquinas
God bless you and thank you for sharing your point of view, you have given me something to think about and pray on.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
Hmmm...I guess I don't understand the fixation on the sexual issues. Gluttony is a mortal sin but I don't see anything on your site about it. Maybe I'm wrong.
ReplyDeleteI don't think your soul is in peril, I just think you might find more grace in an approach along the lines of "well, I may be more of a fan of Benedict's tone, but I am going to trust that Christ is watching over His Vicar and that the Holy Spirit is at work. The Creed won't change, nor will the Catechism, and I can take joy in that knowledge."
ReplyDeleteIn Christ, through Mary,
Daniel
CatholicDem since when is gluttony a "mortal sin"??
ReplyDeleteAccording to the Church it is a VENIAL sin: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06590a.htm
Gluttony is a VICE - a sin of the flesh that can LEAD to a mortal sin, but it is not a mortal sin in its self.
You are thinking of the term "deadly sin" - a "deadly sin" is a vice (venial sin) that can LEAD to mortal sin.
For example, if you are a glutton for food but you still feed the poor and live a functioning life you have committed a venial sin. If you are such a glutton that you refuse food to a starving person you have made gluttony a mortal sin. Or if you stop functioning in life and simply eat yourself to death, you've committed a mortal sin. Over eating and being fat in themselves are not mortal sins, but it can lead to mortal sin.
Catechism #1866
1866 Vices can be classified according to the virtues they oppose, or also be linked to the capital sins which Christian experience has distinguished, following St. John Cassian and St. Gregory the Great. They are called “capital” because they engender other sins, other vices.138 They are pride, avarice, envy, wrath, lust, gluttony, and sloth or acedia. (2539)
As to the reason you haven't seen an article on gluttony on this blog is because as far as I know no one is protesting the Church or trying to change Church teaching on this sin like some in the Church are doing with women priests, birth control, gay marriage, abortion etc.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
Hmmm...St. Thomas Aquinas clearly lists it as a mortal sin and condemns the proposition that it only a venial sin
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stpeterslist.com/7321/aquinas-9-thoughts-on-whether-gluttony-is-a-mortal-sin/
Over a third of Americans are obese and many more are overweight so it is clear to me that the sin of gluttony is certainly widespread.
As far as nobody is trying to change the teaching on gluttony, do you think that would be the case if people knew how many souls go to Hell because of it? If you asked the average Catholic should gluttony be a mortal sin you would likely get the same answer as you would about birth control.
I think think the Holy Father is trying to bring balance after years of the culture wars. He wants us to know that we all sin and whether that sin is birth control or gluttony, Jesus is waiting to forgive.
Catholic Dem -
ReplyDeleteI've heard about as many homilies in mainstream Catholic circles condemning gluttony as I have heard condemning contraception - zero.
How about you worry about the sins you feel called to combat, and let Julie worry about the sins she feels called to combat?
In Christ, through Mary,
Daniel
I would like to make a small defense of Daniel. Last Sundays sermon in our Latin Mass parish was about how we need to stop only dwelling on the 'sins' of the Church and more on the 'gifts' of the Church. Yes, we all have seen many problems in the last 50 years and sadly a lack of leadership by many of our bishops. Yet at the same time, we need to remember that we have so much more than any other Christian denomination, any other religion.
ReplyDeleteYes, I am very sad for the loss of so many souls that I see wondering away from the Church, whether to protestant churches or to the secular world.
We have made great strides in convincing priests and bishops to stand up for truth. I know that in my diocese which was so protestantized that they were removing all signs of Catholicism, yet in the last decade it has made many advances toward holiness.
God will protect his Church, yet Satan appears to be allowed to do much damage. I know that the vision of Pope Leo shows God allowing Satan to have his way with the Church for a long period of time. It has been a hard blow, yet there were things in the Church that needed cleansing. Most Catholic in the last century considered evangelizing a job for priests, yet Jesus commanded us all to do it.
We all must pray for a return to more holiness in the Church, for strong leaders that will bring back many lapsed Catholics.
We also must thank God for his great mercy that has given us so many graces and gifts through his Catholic Church.
Hello Gary and welcome!
ReplyDeleteI agree we Catholics have a great many things to be happy about and to celebrate. If you are new here perhaps you missed my posts that I share my joy of Catholic things.
I try to share the good and the bad respectively. Just seems the bad stuff is more often in the news and that is what I get emails about asking my thoughts or opinion on this or that and I do try my best to answer as best I can.
God bless and thank you again for stopping by and reminding us all there is great joy in being Catholic - especially in our Sacraments.
In Christ,
Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner
Frank the Hippie Pope strikes again! (Thanks to our Lutheran brethren for that one!)
ReplyDeleteI am one of the sad Christians too. I used to be proud to be Catholic, now I don't know what that means anymore. Does Catholic mean someone who lives and believes in the fullness of truth, or does it mean someone who wants to adjust the Church to fit in with the values of the world (All with a big joyful smile on their face, because they are SO loving!)?
ReplyDeleteIck!
I don't think anyone should be calling the Holy Father. FRANK THE HIPPIE POPE. Why so? Because it shows a great lack of respect for the Vicar of Christ on earth. I am not completely happy with Francis and his style and even his close advisors, but he still needs to be prayed for and spoken of with respect.
ReplyDelete