It is sad that there are what you might call professional Catholics who make a living on their Catholicism, but in whom the spring of faith flows only faintly, in a few scattered drops. We must really make an effort to change this.
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.
In the name of tolerance, tolerance is being abolished; this is a real threat we face.
One can readily admit that the Magisterium's manner of expression does not seem very easy to understand at times. It needs to be translated by preachers and catechists into a language which relates to people and to their respective cultural environments. The essential content of the Church's teaching, however, must be upheld in this process. It must not be watered down on allegedly pastoral grounds, because it communicates the revealed truth.
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.
Today is the Octave Day of Easter, Low Sunday as it is also know in the Tridentine rite, and also Divine Mercy Sunday, in accordance with the wishes of Pope John Paul II, who has today been raised to a saint, and is to be know as Saint John Paul II.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar