PING
ping
“In the next 20 years, this sort of Catholic will become extinct.”
I hope so! If it happens, it will be in large part because this sort of bishop becomes extinct (retires), to be replaced by bishops who teach and uphold the True Faith.
The Holy Father, IMHO, is missing an opportunity at this moment. It seems the hand of God is pointing to a perfect candidate to fill that vacant seat in the Charleston Diocese. I mean, of course, raise Fr. Newman to the post.
Awesome! Praise God and Bless you Father!
“Chamelion Catholics” — I love it.
Thank you, Fr. Longenecker! Awesome letter.
Catholic Ping; SC Ping.
I wrote:
Good article; the author divided emails received into 4 categories:
1. Loyal 2. Lame 3. Defiant 4. Demonic
These last paragraphs seem of import.
But the "defiant" category makes up the largest number of our respondents, and is the saddest category of all. Statistics show us that these are the Catholics who sealed Obama's victory. They are people who were poorly catechized over the last 40 years in America. They have been nurtured in the Protest Generation and told that it is fine, even noble, to disagree with the Church. They have been taught to act according to their conscience without taking the trouble or time to inform it.
Caught up in the trendy agendas of the day, they have jumped on the bandwagons of feminism, environmentalism, homosexualism, socialism, and sentimentalism -- mistaking their favorite cause for the Catholic Faith. When they are confronted with clear, concise, and consistent Catholicism they are shocked and angry, and their response is (if they haven't done so already) to leave the Church, preferring their own wisdom to the wisdom of God.
In the next 20 years, this sort of Catholic will become extinct. As America descends further into decadence and decline, the lines will be drawn between the forces of darkness and the forces of light. People will have to choose whether to serve God and His Church or the dark side. Catholics will have to choose to be fully committed or not. If they choose to be Catholic, let them be informed and involved and integrated. If they choose to leave the Church, then they should be honest and stop referring to themselves as Catholic.
Yes, we need the "red blooded Catholicism". This is what it should be. The Holy See stays with rightful thought but it breaks down as it is filtered down.
Personally, I think on a local level, there is an "avoidance" to offend the "defiant." Funds and the likes are worried about. I do respect they walk a fine line. I'm not okaying those worries, I just understand it to an extent. As has been said in these forums, it seems they enjoy having churches that are full. I do see this dilemma.
The AP continues their proud tradition of writing misleading headlines and spreading lies through their articles.
I believe defiant is the perfect term for those pseudo Catholics who voted for Barack Obama. During the Kennedy campaign, Kennedy claimed that being Catholic would not interfere with being president. That he would not defer to the authority of the pope when in office. But, we have now gone one step further. American Catholics are rejecting guidance from the church in forming their conscience.
I know several, unfortunately too many, Catholics who voted for Barack, though they were well aware of his abortion advocacy. When reminded of our church’s teaching on this issue, the response was usually “neither the Church nor the pope can tell me who to vote for.”
I think another category of Catholics should be the ones who go to Mass and receive communion because they have always done so and it never occurred to them to go anywhere else. These regular attendees don’t think beyond the Sunday obligation. It’s just what they have always done, a habit.
This is nothing more than a problem of stupidity and the unwillingness to learn,research and allow other opinions. Most Americans have chosen sides and do not know what that side represents.America is a lost nation from the spiritual and moral stand point and we shall answer for it.