The 'you can eat meat today' post.
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on First Friday and no one mentions you can eat meat today. A glaring neglect by the spiritual advisory committee... it didn't even warrant a footnote. The Catholic blogisterium can be biased, going so far as to ignore whomever and whatever they choose whenever they choose, in an effort to promote their own, or gain donations for 'nursing school' or trips abroad ...
THIS JUST IN:
Christopher Ferrara and The Remnant receive approval and praise from Bishop Athanasius Schneider. - source
I am impressed. Seriously. I admire Bishop Athanasius Schneider and respect his fidelity to the Church and traditional Catholic teaching.
Dear Mr. Christopher A. Ferrara:
On May 9, 2016 you published on “The Remnant” website an open letter to me regarding the question of the Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris laetitia”.
As a bishop, I am grateful and at the same time encouraged to receive from a Catholic layman such a clear and beautiful manifestation of the “sensus fidei” regarding the Divine truth on marriage and the moral law.
I am agreeing with your observations as to those expressions in AL (“Amoris laetitia”), and especially in its VIII’s chapter, which are highly ambiguous and misleading. In using our reason and in respecting the proper sense of the words, one can hardly interpret some expressions in AL according to the holy immutable Tradition of the Church. - Finish reading here.
I'm stirred and shaken at the same time.
I have learned the hard way that appearing pious -- saying the right words, proclaiming your love and devotion to God -- can be completely meaningless if there is no love for your fellow man. Far too many who think of themselves as model Catholics are mainly interested in the rules and are quick to condem anyone who doesn't strictly abide by those rules. These model Catholics seem to forget that Christ told us that the sign of his followers would be the love they give to others, not the strict obedience to rules. Unfortunately, even some priests and bishops have forgotten the true sign of Christ's followers.
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul has some good words to say to us who lack love towards our neighbor.
Delete"If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
An empty noise lacking the sound of joy? No thanks ... I'll continue to steer clear of those empty websites as I have enough to do in striving to forgive and to love my own family members.
Let's keep praying for each other and for our neighbor.
Thanks - I'm not persuaded by the show of support - I will gladly admit the discussion is over my head.
DeleteI am unconvinced that the exhortation to adhere to the Magisterium, by definition, demonstrates a lack of love for one's fellow man. There is evidence that there are people who are employing words in Amoris laetitia to both remain in sin and commit sacrilege. I think this notion that urging people to obey Church doctrine lacks love are the whisperings of The Liar. I think the assumptions of lovelessness being made against orthodox believers are, in fact, malevolent.
DeleteI'm not aware, as you wrote "There is evidence that there are people who are employing words in Amoris laetitia to both remain in sin and commit sacrilege." I'm not aware the exhortation was intended to encourage that either. It would surely be 'malevolent' if that were the case - which would infer that the pope intended to deceive and mislead the faithful. I do not believe that or accept that for a minute.
DeleteNo one here, myself included, is suggesting faithful Catholics are less than charitable for urging Catholics to remain faithful to Catholic doctrine.
That said, one needs to be cautious and on guard against those who suggest the Pope and the Magisterium is willfully, deliberately lying and or trying to infuse error and heresy into papal documents - pitting cardinal against cardinal, bishop against bishop, when the hierarchical structure remains in place precisely to preserve the dogma of faith.
The Liar foments suspicion and mistrust and self-opinion and self-promotion.