Celibacy is always, shall we say, an affront to what man normally thinks. It is something that can be done, and is only credible, if there is a God and if celibacy is my doorway into the kingdom of God.
Certainly, it is difficult to make the demands of the Gospel understandable to secularized people. But this pastoral difficulty must not lead to compromises with the truth.
Assuredly, the word of truth can be painful and uncomfortable. But it is the way to holiness, to peace, and to inner freedom. A pastoral approach which truly wants to help the people concerned must always be grounded in the truth. In the end, only the truth can be pastoral.
“What is perfection in love? Love your enemies in such a way that you would desire to make them your brothers … For so did He love, Who hanging on the Cross, said ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.’” (Luke 23:34)
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
A good son of the Church, and a champion of tradition, John Vennari, has died.
We should be happy with our lives if we exert even half of the effort he put into defending and promoting Holy Mother Church.
He will be missed, but I cannot help but feel that God is calling him to spare him of the chastisement that is surely coming.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar