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.
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.
The Eucharist is "the source and summit of the Christian life."
For many people today, practical atheism is the normal rule of life...If this attitude becomes a general existential position, then freedom no longer has any standards, then everyting is possible and permissible.
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.
Honestly, I'll bake you a cake if you can make sense of what Bergoglio is trying to say in his speech on decommissioning churches, i.e., closing them because NOChurch has chased people away from the faith.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar