The history of the Church is that it doesn't act until it is smacked in the face by something, this is no exception.
I was shocked at how poorly so very many Catholics had been catechized. It was everywhere I looked, Nuns, Priests, DREs, Catechists, lay ministers, KofC, parents, kids, former, lapsed and failed Catholics, everywhere. It was only when I studied the heresy of modernism that it struck me; Vatican II had opened the door to modernism and it has literally taken control of much of the US Catholic Church.
You see, the Church and the Clergy is comprised of what I call "Huggers", "Shruggers", and "Sluggers". I, like Jesus' choice to establish His Church, am a slugger. I made it my mission to do what I could do to turn things around, to re-Evangelize the Church every way I could. I teach adults in Faith Formation, with special emphasis on parents of children in "late start" catechism. I am in Diaconate Formation and have unequivocally established my role as the head of my domestic Church. I will not fail my Church when she needs me most. I encourage everyone to do the same.
Peace be with you.
First, it isn’t my belief that the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council “opened the door” to heresy. My parents, may God grant them eternal rest, were material heretics, plain and simple. Why? They grew up in the 1920s and 1930s - some distance yet away from Vatican II. Their catechesis was atrocious. They were the children of poor Italian immigrants and the damned Irish who controlled their parishes didn’t think enough of them to instruct them in the faith properly. I guess the damned Irish thought they were too stupid to handle it.
When the 1950s (we’re STILL not to VII), they began to hear the itchy ears nonsense of all the new theologians. They began to hear about the Pill and how it would make life better, and how the Church would finally accommodate itself to modernity. But they didn't have the knowledge, the formation, to tell the wheat from the chaff, the possible from the impossible. To her dying day, my mother never understood the difference between dogma, doctrine and discipline. "If the Church can make it so we can eat meat on Fridays, she can change her view on birth control," she used to say. By the time VII rolled around, they were already poorly-formed, but quite well-formed in their poor formation.
By the time of VII, my parents were already approaching middle age. The seeds of heresy and dissent had been planted long before VII, and VII didn’t cause the sprouting of same. It was used, illicitly, by some to further their dirty work, but blaming it on VII is incorrect and slanderous.
Second, it’s great that you’re so involved. That doesn’t mean that we can go without the leadership of the bishops. We need good bishops. The laity can’t take the place of good bishops. Regrettably, we have few good bishops. We suffer as a result.
As for entering the diaconate, I wish you well with that. I’ve given it a little thought myself over the years. Some folks have even suggested that I pursue such a path. But I realized that to become a deacon, I would have to vow personal obedience to my local bishop. In that I have little respect for most of these men, save for their basic humanity and the majesty of their offices, I’d be loathe to make such a vow. I know that with someone like me, who can be a little outspoken, nearly any bishop would abuse that vow to silence me.
In terms of my own domestic church, I take my role seriously and have tried my best. We homeschooled our two sons through eighth grade, and took some care for their religious formation. The older guy is off at college this year, the younger guy is a junior at a local Catholic high school. So far, so good. Got my fingers crossed, sayin’ my rosaries. They know and love God and do their best to be disciples of Jesus. That’s all I could ask for. I’ve received far more - they are obedient, intelligent, diligent, extremely hardworking, academically highly successful, courteous, well-mannered, articulate, and just a whole lotta fun.
My wife and I personally believe that our first and primary vocations in life have been as husband and wife, father and mother. Into this we have poured our hearts and souls as our way of giving due worship and adoration to God. If we have succeeded to any degree, it is solely by the grace of God, and it is the best thing that we could have done for the Church and for the world.
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