That Christianity gives joy and breadth is also a thread that runs through my whole life. Ultimately someone who is always only in opposition could not endure life at all.
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.
In proclaiming the faith and in administering the sacraments every priest speaks on behalf of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ.
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.
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
As if the news from France - the murdering of a priest by Islamists - was not bad enough, I read this:
The mosque in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray was inaugurated in 2000 on a plot of land donated by the Catholic parish of the city.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar