If This Is The Springtime Of The Church...
Then why are so many of our most beautiful flowers dying?
Seriously, I've been hearing this Springtime of The Church crap for decades now. And this ( from USA Today) is what we have to show for it?
Downsizing and the Catholic Church
In and around our nation's big cities, hundreds of Catholic parishes, schools and hospitals are consolidating and closing. Many of these institutions have long provided the foundation — as well as provided for the faith — of urban neighborhoods and immigrant communities.
Why is this happening? Certainly demographic changes, the movement of Catholics to growing suburbs, and changing attitudes of Catholics — clergy and lay people alike — about the importance of Catholic education are part of the story. So are declining numbers of priests and religious sisters (although the number of Catholics in America continues to grow), development pressures and increasing costs, the financial challenges associated with the aftermath of the clergy-sex-abuse scandal, and old-fashioned mismanagement.
Oh, and don't forget a watered-down Catholicism. A theology of moral absolutes that's been replaced by a philosophy of moral ambiguity, A Church that once strove towards the salvation of souls, is now more interested in the salvation of society instead.
And no, it isn't that way everywhere... but it is in most places.
In this day and age of hyphenated Catholics, I say it's time we all stopped being Ostrich-Catholics. For the love of God, am I the only one who sees The Church imploding?
Well, maybe not. Our Lady of Akita knows all about it.
Then why are so many of our most beautiful flowers dying?
Seriously, I've been hearing this Springtime of The Church crap for decades now. And this ( from USA Today) is what we have to show for it?
Downsizing and the Catholic Church
In and around our nation's big cities, hundreds of Catholic parishes, schools and hospitals are consolidating and closing. Many of these institutions have long provided the foundation — as well as provided for the faith — of urban neighborhoods and immigrant communities.
Why is this happening? Certainly demographic changes, the movement of Catholics to growing suburbs, and changing attitudes of Catholics — clergy and lay people alike — about the importance of Catholic education are part of the story. So are declining numbers of priests and religious sisters (although the number of Catholics in America continues to grow), development pressures and increasing costs, the financial challenges associated with the aftermath of the clergy-sex-abuse scandal, and old-fashioned mismanagement.
Oh, and don't forget a watered-down Catholicism. A theology of moral absolutes that's been replaced by a philosophy of moral ambiguity, A Church that once strove towards the salvation of souls, is now more interested in the salvation of society instead.
And no, it isn't that way everywhere... but it is in most places.
In this day and age of hyphenated Catholics, I say it's time we all stopped being Ostrich-Catholics. For the love of God, am I the only one who sees The Church imploding?
Well, maybe not. Our Lady of Akita knows all about it.
posted by Kevin Whiteman at
4:30 PM
6 Comments:
Of course you're not the only one who sees this. But we must have faith. You and I didn't found the Church, and it's given to us to hear the authentic voice of the Church, and obey that voice.
We're promised that the Church will never teach error, and it never it has.
We are not promised that there will never be dark times; quite the opposite. But it's not for us to fix the Church, Christ will present to himself an unspotted bride. We just need to do our best to get ourselves ready.
There is much wrong, and you and I are right to point it out.
But don't lose faith that we'll win in the end.
I agree with almost everything you said, except for But it's not for us to fix the Church, Christ will present to himself an unspotted bride.
I believe that we most certainly should "fix" The Church.
Much like the examples of St. Athanasius and Pope St. Pius V... whenever certain clerics go nuts, we're honor bound to step into the fray.
Thanks for posting, Paul!
I agree with Vir, we have to work to fix the Church. Remember the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. As for me, I don't want a line of people pointing to me at the throne saying that I knew what needed to be done and wouldn't do it because I was afraid or lazy or just shrugged it off as someone else's job. Thank God St. Catherine of Sienna didn't think that way, or St Francis, or St Dominic, or St Ignacious, or the Crusaders, or ..... etc. I don't mean you think that you are passive, Paul, but just that activism in the Church is an act of love, when carried out of the fullness of God's love in our hearts for Him and our neighbor.
"Now, we must all fear evil men. But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."
--The Monsignor, _The Boondock Saints_
I think it's clear that the Springtime talk was just crap. I do see some good young priests coming out of a few seminaries but they are young and few and they aren't in charge. It will be another 20 years before they can make any major change. In the mean time millions of souls will be lost. I'm hoping that the church is actually in deep mid winter right now because I do not want to see anything worse than this.
"For the love of God, am I the only one who sees The Church imploding?"
VSC,
You are not alone. To put the matter in perspective, I ask you to consider the following quote:
“Even if Catholics faithful to Tradition are reduced to a handful, they are the ones who are the true Church of Jesus Christ.”
--St. Athanasius
This, from the great Catholic theologian who prevailed during the era of the Arian heresy, which engulfed the vast majority of the Church.
Do not worry: the Church will prevail. Stick with the traditional Faith and the traditional Sacraments. Ignore anyone who tells you otherwise. They are lying.
Remember the old Japanese Catholics who had to make do with just two Sacraments -- Matrimony and Baptism -- while they were closed off from the Western, Catholic world. They kept the Faith for about 400 years (until they were "rediscovered") despite the fact that they had no priests or bishops!
We have about 2,000 years of Divine Tradition on our side. The Modernists have the nonsense which has occurred in the 40 or so years since Vatican II.
Keep the Faith and pray for the Pope. This too shall pass.
God be with you,
Gaufridus
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