Father, that was one of the best sermons I have heard for many years. No wonder your flock are sorry to see you depart. The point you make that it can be hard to keep seeking forgiveness for sins that we habitually commit particularly resounded - especially if those sins are of a more venial kind because in so many ways can be the hardest to root out. What you say is true and a real encouragement to keep going back and back to confession because God continually forgives and in doing so we will obtain grace to finally overcome such sins.
A beautiful church and vestment too - I don't think any of the photos have done the church justice but this video shows how beautiful it really is and so would be a wrench to leave behind, but Our Lord resides in each Catholic church and His presence enriches every Catholic church no matter how plain - I have even had non-Catholic friends say they sense a real presence in a Catholic church. God bless you and strengthen you on the next stage of your priesthood ...
This post is headed "Last Discourse" and so maybe it can be on topic to refer to not the last but the latest discourse of Francis. [I will add here, to save Mark Thomas and other defenders of this papacy saying so, that obviously Francis' words must have been taken out of context.] His latest off the cuff comments comments that most Catholic marriages are not valid but some cohabiting have caused even more consternation among Catholics. I have to agree with the following opinion on Fox News:
"Francis’ words put the devil’s doubt into the hearts and minds of good Catholic couples who may be going through a rough time, and who instead of saying “We’re Catholic, we’re married, this is until death parts us,” may now say, “Well, the pope says most marriages aren’t valid anyway...maybe ours isn’t either” and give up.
Francis’ statement demonstrates a lack of faith in the Church and its ability to vet couples seeking marriage, to teach them about what marriage is, and to administer the sacraments effectively. If most marriages are invalid because couples don’t understand a life-long commitment, does that mean most priestly ordinations are invalid too? If so, are most masses invalid? Most confessions?"
Even Ed Peters is not taking these comments lying down:
"The great majority of Christian marriages are valid
Last time a ranking prelate (Cdl. Kasper) opined that half of all marriages were null his attribution of such a reckless assertion to Pope Francis himself could be dismissed as hearsay, deflected as referring to marriage in general and not Christian marriage in particular, or at least minimized as describing merely ‘many’ or even ‘half’ of all marriages. But none of those qualifications can be applied to blunt the impact of the pope’s startling claim “the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null”.
If last time was bad, this time is very bad.
...
Finally—and I make this point mostly to preserve it for future discussion—the pope, toward the end of these remarks, made some comments about cohabiting and/or civilly married Catholics being in “a real marriage [and having] the grace of a real marriage”. Canonically (if I may be forgiven for mentioning canon law) such a claim is incoherent. Whatever good might be going on in the life of cohabiting and/or civilly married Catholic couples, it is not the good of marriage and it is not the grace of matrimony, but this—and here is my point—largely because of the Church’s requirement of canonical form for marriage. I would be glad to see the requirement of canonical form eliminated, but unless and until it is, cohabitation and civil-only marriage is not marriage in the Catholic Church."
6 comments:
Beautiful. Thank You Father, for all that you are. Always in my prayers.
Thank you for everything Father! We will miss you and will keep you in our prayers! :)
Father, that was one of the best sermons I have heard for many years. No wonder your flock are sorry to see you depart. The point you make that it can be hard to keep seeking forgiveness for sins that we habitually commit particularly resounded - especially if those sins are of a more venial kind because in so many ways can be the hardest to root out. What you say is true and a real encouragement to keep going back and back to confession because God continually forgives and in doing so we will obtain grace to finally overcome such sins.
A beautiful church and vestment too - I don't think any of the photos have done the church justice but this video shows how beautiful it really is and so would be a wrench to leave behind, but Our Lord resides in each Catholic church and His presence enriches every Catholic church no matter how plain - I have even had non-Catholic friends say they sense a real presence in a Catholic church. God bless you and strengthen you on the next stage of your priesthood ...
This post is headed "Last Discourse" and so maybe it can be on topic to refer to not the last but the latest discourse of Francis. [I will add here, to save Mark Thomas and other defenders of this papacy saying so, that obviously Francis' words must have been taken out of context.] His latest off the cuff comments comments that most Catholic marriages are not valid but some cohabiting have caused even more consternation among Catholics. I have to agree with the following opinion on Fox News:
"Francis’ words put the devil’s doubt into the hearts and minds of good Catholic couples who may be going through a rough time, and who instead of saying “We’re Catholic, we’re married, this is until death parts us,” may now say, “Well, the pope says most marriages aren’t valid anyway...maybe ours isn’t either” and give up.
Francis’ statement demonstrates a lack of faith in the Church and its ability to vet couples seeking marriage, to teach them about what marriage is, and to administer the sacraments effectively. If most marriages are invalid because couples don’t understand a life-long commitment, does that mean most priestly ordinations are invalid too? If so, are most masses invalid? Most confessions?"
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2016/06/17/enough-is-enough-pope-francis-should-resign.html
I think the commentator makes very valid points.
Even Ed Peters is not taking these comments lying down:
"The great majority of Christian marriages are valid
Last time a ranking prelate (Cdl. Kasper) opined that half of all marriages were null his attribution of such a reckless assertion to Pope Francis himself could be dismissed as hearsay, deflected as referring to marriage in general and not Christian marriage in particular, or at least minimized as describing merely ‘many’ or even ‘half’ of all marriages. But none of those qualifications can be applied to blunt the impact of the pope’s startling claim “the great majority of our sacramental marriages are null”.
If last time was bad, this time is very bad.
...
Finally—and I make this point mostly to preserve it for future discussion—the pope, toward the end of these remarks, made some comments about cohabiting and/or civilly married Catholics being in “a real marriage [and having] the grace of a real marriage”. Canonically (if I may be forgiven for mentioning canon law) such a claim is incoherent. Whatever good might be going on in the life of cohabiting and/or civilly married Catholic couples, it is not the good of marriage and it is not the grace of matrimony, but this—and here is my point—largely because of the Church’s requirement of canonical form for marriage. I would be glad to see the requirement of canonical form eliminated, but unless and until it is, cohabitation and civil-only marriage is not marriage in the Catholic Church."
Jan,
He didn't say that, or
He was mistranslated, or
He didn't mean what he said, or
He was taken out of context, or
He's right -- how profound!
Off topic, but have you seen this? http://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/altar-rails-facilitate-holy-communion
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