The Catholic faith is a faith of all or none. You either accept the infallibility of the church and it's doctrines of you do not. If you do and you are like me you may have a feeling in some of our churches that something is missing. I you do not accept ALL the teachings of the church you are fooling yourself you are not a well grounded Catholic. That is not mentioned to offend anybody but to point out the church's viewpoint it is open and shut and until a different teaching is given through a council etc...that is the way it is. The upcoming missal changes next November is a step back (be it a small one) back to some of the earlier church traditions. The Latin Mass has more flexibility to be given and a return back to some parts of the Mass that had been considered obsolete is returning. But will it bring back some things that have been quietly under the rug.
I mean by this the divisions within the church as well as a return to the truths of the Bible. Let us face it when did you last hear about Purgatory or even Hell. These both are real places that some of us will face. The mercy of God is not a cure all you have got to do your part. Helping the poor,helping the sick and evangelizing are all areas that we through the power of the Holy Ghost. Remember you could not take your next breath unless God said it was to be. Everything we do,achieve or work at is done through the will of God and you have nothing to do with it. So the word "I" should never be used because there is nothing you can do without Christ.
Yet to hear this is so very rare just like Hell,Purgatory or even Scripture. Most Priests today during their messages play it safe so not to offend anybody. Jesus and his disciples were anything but politically correct individuals. Can you imagine today a Priest after his reading of the Gospel to start with "You brood of snakes and vipers inside you are dead". The older ladies would faint and the younger woman would cover their children's ears and the men would form a lynching mob. Yet these words are some of the same to point out those who were living a lie. The love of self was in them but they had NOT the love of God within them. So I would like at this time to pose a question. Do you have the love of God within you or are you just playing a part? Some would say yes because I feel it others would just stare and yet others would become irate at such a question.
As a church it is our duty to preach the word and instruct others in the faith not serve up some puff piece on what happened while he was in the seminary or how he met a gang in a gang infested area that rapped all day about Jesus. We have to tell the truth and instruct not tell cute stories. We must address sin and the dangers of Hell and even the redemption of Purgatory. We are fighting for our very souls and the church needs to be a ally in this fight and not stand on the sidelines. The church must instruct so that we eat,breathe and live the Catholic faith not show up one Sunday for a social hour. I do not mean to take our Priests to task nor do I point fingers at anybody but the Church must tell it like it is be it good or bad, weather we squirm in our seats or even walk out. We can afford to lose a few for the good of the church and we can minister to them so that their pride and ego can be pointed out to them and give them a chance to ask forgiveness and confess these faults. We all have faults just some of us hide theirs better that others. For instance my greatest fault is a feeling of lack of self worth to even serve God. I have the issue of the inability to see me as God sees me. Therefore I tend to be insecure in my abilities of being a effective servant of my God no matter how much I want to be. To serve God here on Earth is a privilege I view myself unworthy of.
I do pray we as a Church go back and remember the Scriptures and what they say as well as how to overcome a sin in your life that may be bringing a Brother or a Sister close to the pit of the darkness of sin. Their is no "itty bitty" sin that God overlooks no matter how cute we think the sin is. Sin is sin and all sin remove us from the presence of God. I pray my Brothers and Sisters that nobody ever hears the words "Begone for I never knew thee" on Judgement day. Political Correctness has been the rage since the the 1970's. It is time to pull the plug be honest and show us all the real truth about walking the path of Jesus and carrying your cross really means. Please remember your Rosary and pray for the consecration of Russia to the blessed moth as well as for the intentions of the Pope Benedict XVI. Until next posting God bless you and keep you.
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