Posted on 02/12/2017 11:04:21 AM PST by ebb tide
The Pope has confided to the world that he is worried. We faithful Catholics agree that there are indeed many pressing concerns:
*the persecution of Christians increasing throughout the world
*the numbers of Catholics practicing their faith decreasing and churches shuttering
*Christian marriage and family life being discarded for the hook-up culture the whole-scale murders of millions of babies
That list could go on and on - but none of these amounts to a hill of beans in comparison with this matter that weighs heavily on Pope Francis' mind. What might be this pressing concern? In his own words, "When they tell me that there is a congregation that draws so many vocations, I must confess that I worry." He shared this heavy burden at a meeting with 140 superiors general of various religious orders. He went on by saying that young people in traditional orders are "soldiers who seem ready to do anything for the defense of faith and morality, and then some scandal emerges involving the founder". Frankly that seems rather cynical, doesn't it?
No one can help but notice that "modern" progressive orders are literally dying of old age. They've stripped themselves so much of any real remembrance of their original charisms that they aren't attracting any young people to their ranks anymore. The orders who do embrace the Faith of Our Fathers, that is, who wear the traditional habits, who devote themselves to the Divine Office and prayer, who practice penance and the evangelical counsels and have eschewed new-age modernism/progressivism are the ones who are attracting young people. Why? Because in devotion to prayer, sacraments, teachings, etc, they open themselves to God's grace and that is what young people find attractive. They find meaning in this life by working to secure their eternal salvation and that of the world.
That kind of devotion flies in the face of the modernistic bile that the pope seems intent on cramming down our throats. Hence the charge of "pelagianism", etc. It seems that the pope has animosity towards these orders. "Scandal involving the founder"? Well, if one can't be found regarding a particular founder, sometimes they can be contrived out of thin air. Look at the abuse that Father Manelli, founder of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate is still undergoing as the friars are now scattered hither and yon. There was an order chock full of young men who love Jesus and Holy Mother Church. But they didn't embrace modernism with all its attendant nonsense. For that, the pope continues to grind his axe at Father Manelli. But I don't think any fear of "scandals" is what is driving the Vatican's animosity towards young people who love the Church.
Recall that last month, the pope, at a meeting for the World Day of Communications told those in attendance that "reality in and of itself has no one clear meaning". Is that not, in and of itself, a ridiculous (and even self-contradicting) statement? He is the Vicar of Christ, the same Christ who declared that "I am the way, the truth and the life". Reality and truth are essentially the same, are they not? Now, if we take the pope's statement to be accurate, does it logically follow that Jesus Himself has no meaning? The pope's error leads to that conclusion.
These young people, of whom the pope takes a condescending view, understand that reality stands on its own, for it originates from God and certainly from the Second Person of the Trinity. In addition to holding these faithful Catholic youth in disdain, he also sounded his alarm about "rigid thinking" to a group of Jesuit editors. The two of these considerations make sense. Truth by definition cannot change. Therefore, to adhere to immutable truth would amount to consistent thinking - or as the pope puts it, "rigid thinking". His rationale? As he put it, "Rigid thinking is not divine because Jesus assumed our flesh, which is not rigid except at the time of death." I really don't know how to make sense out of that gobblygoop.
So there we have it. We have a pope who thinks that truth and reality changes with the wind. Now we can see how he justifies his attempts to warp the timeless teachings of Jesus Christ as He communicated them to the Church with the most recent manifestation of the mischief being seen in the mess called Amoris Laetitia - or Amoralis Lamentia as I've dubbed it. When faithful Catholic youth flock to traditional orders and faithful Catholic cardinals seek clarification (or rigidity as he might call it) when they issue dubia, he sees it as a threat to his wish to have truth devoid of real meaning. Now we see why the young people are derided, why other faithful Catholics are slandered with the epithet "pelagian" or when faithful prelates such as Cardinals Burke or Muller are maltreated.
This is a Catholic Caucus thread. There’s no reason to bring other faiths into it.
We need lots of prayer and sacrifices for our church and country. Tomorrow starts the Nineveh 90 which is a program of prayer and sacrifice. It ends on May 13, the 100 year anniversary of Fatima. Check it out and spread the word.
Congratulations, you just broke the caucus.
You may not reference anything but Catholicism within a Catholic caucus thread. Protestants are now entitled to respond as a result of your having brought them into the discussion.
All of Steelfish’s post have been deleted. The Caucus still stands.
Very well, feel free to request deletion of mine also.
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