A civilization inspired by a consumerist, anti-birth mentality is not and cannot ever be a civilization of love.
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.
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.
“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.”
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar