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.
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.
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.
I certainly hate to agree with Cardinal Marx on anything but I can do no more than agree with him that Amoris Laetitia is very clear when it comes to the heretical position on Holy Communion for adulterers. Any lack of clarity has been cleared up with Bergoglio stating that "there are no other interpretations" when the question came to him from his native Argentina.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar