“If you believe what you like in the Gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself.”
In proclaiming the faith and in administering the sacraments every priest speaks on behalf of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ.
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.
In the name of tolerance, tolerance is being abolished; this is a real threat we face.
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.
Leicester City the new Premier League champions! It is scarcely believable. This is a team which barely survived in the league last season around, whose survival at the time was wondrous enough.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar