No one is forced to be a Christian. But no one should be forced to live according to the "new religion" as though it alone were definitive and obligatory for all mankind.
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."
A civilization inspired by a consumerist, anti-birth mentality is not and cannot ever be a civilization of love.
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.
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.
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.
Let us remember that cynicism is a sin. When we see someone who seems virtuous we had better give them the benefit of the doubt until or unless we find out more about them, and we are not obliged to seek dirt on them without good cause.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar