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.
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.
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
In the name of tolerance, tolerance is being abolished; this is a real threat we face.
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.
In the piece "Three Years In Front Of The Mainstream", Mundabor points out that many people are saying now what he was already writing in 2014, and it feels him with no small satisfaction that he has been proved right.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar