<< “When the Church is the Church, through her preaching and sacramental life, the culture is so much more alive with goodness, beauty, and truth.” >>
Amen to that. It is a lovely sentiment.
The unease among much of the flock, who are unsettled by the abandonment of the traditional Catholic Church is now palpable.
Broadly, in the Western Church, “Modernism” has so diminished Catholic identity that the Church is increasingly indistinguishable from most any other mainline protestant claimant to the faith, which is presumably the goal of the modernists and protestants within. These movements are made comfortable inside the Church!
Tickling ears by the wolves among the flock in high places, neglect the flock, even replacing their care and feeding away from devotions and piety to fund raising activities, preferring “inward” looking therapies, above “upright” ancient teaching.
The sources and resources for teaching are nearly all modern and has stupidified the flock. We barely know our faith, and individual interpretation from parish to parish is epidemic.
The flock is scattering.
Anathema.
When the shepherd is struck, the sheep scatter.