Excuse me if this picture seems "extreme" or too bold for some people's taste. It's just that I am fed up with half-truths, obfuscations, pretense and hypocrisy in the Catholic Church and in other Christian bodies. This picture is not just about spiritual warfare, though it certainly signals that; it is also about being loyal to the Truth. I have always believed that Catholics should be people of Truth and that means, above all, seeking the Will of God and rightly honouring the revelation given to us in Jesus Christ. At the heart of our faith is the astounding mystery of the Incarnation. We are Christ-people and that means that we have to walk with Him, speak Him and live Him. It means having a faith that is "firm and immovable as a rock". It means STANDING on the rock of Christ, Faith AND Peter. It means speaking the truth in love, but not with a wishy-washy false "compassion" or with a fear of offending (when that is necessary or unavoidable). Love does not mean patting people on the back and pretending that what is manifestly sin is nothing of the sort. Love does not mean license. Love can mean, sometimes, direct, confrontational, challenge. But then, always there is the magnificent MERCY of God shown in the Five Wounds and the revelation of the Sacred Heart.
I pray that in the Year of Faith we will see real Catholics walking our streets, singing in our churches, unafraid to be what they are and "delighting in the Truth"
But then, is this too much to hope?
Hear Hear Father; sad though as we all seem to be sleepwalking towards oblivion.
ReplyDeleteWe need a dose of the truth and we need our priests to declare this TRUTH without fear or favour.
I always reflect on that short book of the prophet Malachi which seems to confirm our 'half-heartedness' of our faith practice.
All we have is HOPE, not in ourselves but only in Christ.
Thank you for this Father. Heard a talk by Fr Jim McManus last week in which he pointed out that being made in the image and likeness of God, nothing created is more like God than we are. It occurred to me when reading your piece, that nothing but the truth suffices, for those aiming to be a revelation of God's love for others. Truth has a beautiful clarity, not present in its compromises. Anything less than the truth is an insult to our dignity as children of God.
ReplyDeleteThere is still a chance for the truth. All Catholics are called to evangelise (CCC 2105).
ReplyDeleteAs we know, most Catholics do not know there Faith well enough or not well enough to be confident to share it with others.
Pope Benedict took care of that if you read "PORTA FIDEI" directly rather than a paraphrase from the news media.
Starting with paragraphs #11, he urged us all to read the "Catechism of the Catholic Church".
For documented links to the CCC, Porta Fidei, a short video from Dr. Scott Hahn, info on the associated Plenary Indulgence, go to: http://whatcatholicsreallybelieve.com
or search: What Catholics REALLY Believe SOURCE ".
Don't depend on diocesan staffers. Use the links provided for the truth without the potential for second hand errors.