"Don't go changin' to try to please me..."
Remember that lyric from the Billy Joel song? I was actually given that song to 'meditate' as my penance in confession once - many years ago now. I'll bet penitents sometimes still get such penances from some priests who will also tell you: "Don't change your life to fit Church teaching; we've interpreted the teaching to fit your life." Or something like that - you get what I'm saying. If not, Larry pretty much nails it with his post: "Sex Sells, Even For a Bishop" (I might have said, "especially for a bishop"). Now I kinda sorta posted on this the other day - giving the "benefit of a doubt" to the retired Bishop, but Larry went ahead and exposed the man's work for what it is, Take a look:
... leave it to a retired bishop to champion the cause to completely turn upside down and inside out Church teaching regarding sexual acts, and in particular, homosexual acts. - Read more.It is nice to have some one else point out the errors these churchmen foist upon others these days. These priests are like shamans, preaching gnosticism and theosophical fantasies to people who want their sins affirmed and approved... I'm okay... you're okay. Christ speaks about them in today's Gospel:
"How can you believe, when you accept praise (affirmation and approval) from one another and do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?" - John 5: 31-47If they do not accept the teaching of Moses and the Scriptures, how can they accept the teaching of Christ and the Church? Priest and prophet really do 'forage in a land they know not'.
"2348 All the baptized are called to chastity. The Christian has "put on Christ,"135 the model for all chastity. All Christ's faithful are called to lead a chaste life in keeping with their particular states of life. At the moment of his Baptism, the Christian is pledged to lead his affective life in chastity."
ReplyDelete"2339 Chastity includes an apprenticeship in self-mastery which is a training in human freedom. The alternative is clear: either man governs his passions and finds peace, or he lets himself be dominated by them and becomes unhappy."
One of the saddest things, I think, about all of this push to redefine or simply deny Church teaching on these matters is that the happiness and real union with God that can be found in authentic chastity is not preached - I believe many people do not know the secret joy that lies in living a chaste life. There really is no limit to how deep real love can go, whether that be in chaste friendship, marital love or simply in another other interaction with other human beings.
The lack of peace that so many experience could be an invitation to proclaim to all of us who are ignorant the Good News of chastity and purity - that seems to me what bishops should be focused on, as well as lay faithful in their own way.
Thank you Terry. I was going to change the title to "...especially for a bishop", but it had published before I could.
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