The following comes from a survey published by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on April 7.
Prayer Practices
Seven in ten responding ordinands (70 percent) regularly prayed the rosary and participated in Eucharistic Adoration before entering the seminary.
Did you participate in any of these prayer practices or groups on a regular basis before entering the seminary?
Rosary 70%
Eucharistic Adoration 70
Prayer group/Bible study 47
High School Retreats 39
Lectio Divina 33
College Retreats 30
Parish ministries
Most ordinands participated in one or more liturgical ministries in the parish before entering the seminary. Eight in ten were altar servers.
Altar server 78%
Lector 51
Extraordinary minister of Holy Communion 46
Catechist 37
Campus ministry/Youth ministry 32
Confirmation sponsor/godfather 32
Cantor or music minister 22
RCIA team member/sponsor 14
Usher/minister of hospitality 13
Liturgy committee member 10
Parish pastoral council member 8
Full-time parish/diocesan employee 6
Siblings
Almost all ordinands in the Class of 2015 (96 percent) have at least one sibling.
5 or more siblings 22%
4 siblings 8
3 siblings 24
2 siblings 21
1 sibling 22
No siblings 4
We definitely need good and faithful men to heed the Lord’s call to the priesthood. And may those who are called to the priesthood seek to say the Mass in the Ancient Rite, in Latin and Ad Orientem.
Being devoted to Our Lady, by praying the Rosary daily, and by wearing her scapular are very important means of fostering a priestly vocation. Daily visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and other Eucharistic devotions also are significant ways of strengthening a vocation. The love of the Mass is most important, because celebrating Mass daily is one of the most fundamental tasks that a priest does. By attending Mass daily, a young man who has a vocation, can picture himself offering Mass, and that in itself is extremely important. Without devotion to Our Lord in the Mass and in the Blessed Sacrament, and without devotion to Our Lady, it is nearly impossible to have a priestly vocation. By exhibiting pious practices like saying ‘God bless you’ when someone sneezes, or by saying ‘God be with you’ when leaving a friend, are also signs of holiness. Reading the lives of the saints, and other pious books written by the saints or by traditional and orthodox authors are very helpful means of growing in grace. Naturally a young man who is serious about his vocation should avoid occasions of sin. These are examples of what I believe are necessary to discern a priestly vocation.
Fr. Karl, your comments are very poignant and right on. We adults may not be as enthusiastic about teaching these practices as we should be. How can you go to daily Mass when Mass is at 9am and school starts at 8:15? How do you have time to say the rosary when soccer practice and three hours of homework take up the evening? :) Perhaps we need to be better trained about what is appropriate family life. I know about families who haven’t sat down to a meal in weeks. Everything on the run, etc. How do you foster family if you don’t family? Nice comments! Thanks
Bob One, perhaps they can drop the soccer practice….
I agree Father Karl and I would add the bible and the CCC as the main readings. Even priests in the old days they memorized their psalms and where well versed in the word of God. Like saint Jerome said “ignorance of scriptures is ignorance of Christ”
Bob, car time is great rosary time…we like to say our kids’ school is one rosary away (a 25 minute drive), the airport is two rosaries away, etc…
Goodbye is a contraction of God be with you. I wonder if it will ever become banned speech.
If a survey were conducted, it more than likely would be evident that every parish where there is Eucharistic Adoration, you would find a large number of vocations.
EA and the rosary are key factors in promoting vocations to the priesthood.
“Goodbye is a contraction of God be with you. I wonder if it will ever become banned speech.” Carolyn
So too with Adios (Spanish) which is a contraction of Via Con Dios – Go with God.
Very few of the ‘Spanish Speaking’ students I have encountered over the years are aware of this – and it is seldom explained either.
Let’s not forget that Catholic parents, Catholic Schools, and
all Seminaries are required to teach accurately and fully according to Sacred Scripture, and the Doctrine of the Faith (Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition).
Far too many Priests and some Bishops teach error.
If you go through the survey it is possible to come up with several descriptors of a good candidate for the priesthood. A diocesan recruiter might want to consider a profile such as: college graduate, worked as teacher of sales person, age 30+, experience as an altar server, lector or Eucharistic minister, and attendance at a Catholic elementary or high school. They might also consider teaching local pastors how to identify people with this profile and how to counsel them to attend seminary and consider priesthood. They might consider finding new ways to fund seminaries so that, when ordained, a priest is not shouldered with student loan debt. The data in the survey should be a clarion call to help alter the way priests are recruited.
Long before the Second Vatican Council, almost every little Catholic boy thought of becoming a priest, someday! Catholic schools were truly Catholic, and the nuns taught the children. The Church was very strong, holy, and impressive! The beautiful old Latin Mass and Sacraments, and Baltimore Catechism– were just outstanding! Our Blessed Mother was much loved, the Rosary was a HUGE devotion, and the virtues of Our Lady were much admired and sought! The Church had a lot to look up to, and live up to! With lots of good role models, to form a Catholic boy’s good character, and help him to cultivate both manhood and holiness– and perhaps make a priest out of him someday! It is true– there was too much criticism and negativity– children needed to be taught God’s unconditional LOVE and MERCY!! Put that teaching in the picture, dump Vatican II— and that is all you need! Lots of religious vocations, tons of priests and nuns, lots of saints, someday– and the Kingdom of Heaven, for Christ, built slowly-and-surely, on Earth!! WONDERFUL!!
Linda Maria, what I remembered was that no young boy wanted to be the oldest son because they were the ones who were sacrificed to go to the minor seminary after eighth grade and then locked in the walls for 9-12 years. When they came out they had no idea what it meant to live in the real world. You are correct that the Mass and the Sacraments were a mystery, but people were revolting away from it, especially after Humane Vite cam out. That may have been the most consequential event in modern day church, not VII. That is when whole families left the church, because they no longer believed the teachings of the Pope. You may be a victim of thinking that the good old days really were the good old days. Just like in our country, the good old days were great if you were white northern European.
Good reflection Bob One. What Linda Maria describes was not how everyone saw it. My father in law grew up in those “good ole days” he only remembers the bad and he is no longer Catholic. He was not blessed with a grandma like mine, who actually lived her faith. Some of the elders I know tell a different story about those good ole days. So its not about V2, its about what really went on before and how modernism crept in way before V2 and tried to abuse the real mission of the church today. Our church is not perfect because it is due to humans running it but Jesus knows this, He expects us, that do listen, to do our part and since we have free will, personally we need to be open to our Lord’s graces and participate with His will. The good ole days didnt have much of the challenges we have today, the internet, videos, comforts, distractions etc. Things that have nothing to do with V2.
….letting the windows open in V2 wasn’t such a great idea as it coincided with the removal of the Hollywood censor board, Abeca. The censor board is what kept the filth out of movies – the filth that was very much “in” movies prior to the creation of the censor board. (And Hollywood and TV is what evangelizes the masses now.) So the challenges you think we have now, we had before, but something was done to stop the bad influence. People were realists about what they could and should do.
Some of the elders you know may not understand that there was an active participation of Catholics and others of faith to monitor what was regularly fed on the big screen to the world’s population. That said, having the Church lighten up precisely when Hollywood was letting loose was a really bad idea. Nobody was left to watch the store as they say. And that which had always been taught was somehow left to interpretation or the ‘psychologists’s’ pov. Not the truth of the faith.
So while Bob One promotes the big, baddie stereotype of being sacrificed on the altar of priesthood and not “knowing” what “real life” was like, I’d posit that the Catholic Church prior to VII very much knew what real life was like complete with all the filth that we are contending with today. We’ve been fighting corruption since Adam and Eve.
Yet believe it or not, we still do have good Catholics who actually continue to live their faith despite all the struggles this life throws at us, people still love their faith and I think that V2 has actually helped more people not take for granted the word of God, I am a witness to that, I am a V2 child, I grew up encouraged to read my bible and pray the rosary., of course with the modern day crap that we have today like Facebook, internet issues that have many more temptations easily available, video games that are violent etc….movies that are very much inappropriate, that its huge and its hard for any good Christian faith to keep up and combat but the faithful who did not abuse the real mission of V2 are keeping alive the faith but in a way that actually helps us use modern day technology to combat the evil. EWTN, Catholic Answers, Immaculate heart radio etc etc…are all living the mission of V2 and not changing anything that we hold dear to our hearts because they understand that V2 is not for changing the church but its to meet the needs of the faithful that live in these modern days, we need the help, we need it. Its just an unfortunate that bad willed folks used it for evil and since news travels fast and people continue to choose to sin, it takes a lot more work to combat the harm already done.
BobOne, many Bishops and many Priests have had bad formation in Seminaries over the past 45 years.
They have not studied BOTH Sacred Scripture and the “Catechism of the Catholic Church, second edition” (1997), and therefore were at the mercy of their instructors including errors.
Instead they studied German heretics like Karl Rahner regarding the Trinity, and Swiss heretics like Hans Urs von Balthasar – most will get to Heaven.
Catechesis for all the literate today is rotten. People do not know the Faith – the gift they have been given.
When was the last time you heard encouragement from the Pulpit, from Church bulletins, Parish and Diocese web sites – to read the Bible and CCC at home ?
Reading BOTH is the instruction from Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis.
For quotes from the Pope re the CCC, go to:
“What Catholics REALLY Believe SOURCE”
https://whatcatholicsreallybelieve.com/
CCC: ” 2653 The Church forcefully and specially exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn ‘the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ’ (Phil 3:8) by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. . . .
Let them remember, however, that prayer should accompany the reading of Sacred Scripture, so that a dialogue takes place between God and man. For we speak to him when we pray; we listen to him when we read the divine oracles. “
Leith, we really have to stop the fantasy that our Priest and Bishops don’t/haven’t studied the Bible and the Catechism. That is what they do in seminary. Check out the curriculum for seminaries. They study every known kind of theology known to man. They learn the faith. We need to stop saying they do not encourage reading the Bible. Nearly every parish bulletin I have ever seen has a listing of the readings for the week. Many parishes offer lectio divina type booklets for the parishioners to use at home. I think the issues, more often than not is that what has been taught and what is being passed on is not our personal view of what constitutes the “faith”. It is, or may be, for some that the emphasis in the last fifty years seems to have been on living the faith, rather than the old days when the emphasis was on knowing the faith.. We don’t get to heaven by knowing the rules. God has already justified us. He died for our sins so that we may have eternal life with Him. Because of that, we must do good works and become even better through the way we live and treat others. I can assure you that that our Priests and Bishops are well educated in the Bible and the Catechism.
What leads to a priestly vocation? = A holy vocation director who is not a homosexual or compromised in any way for blackmail or part of the worldwide homo-heresy clique. Otherwise it is the perpetuation of the rot and filth still being fostered and protected from within. You cannot be effective in transmitting the fullness of Truth or be taken seriously if you have not seriously taken your own sacred vows to always uphold what the Church has “always” taught. You’re compromised choices and influences will always show through the ever-widening cracks of you’re lack of what was intended as a solid priestly foundation. This is why Pope Benedict XVI said that homosexuality is “incompatible” with the priesthood.
Well said, Catherine, and straight to the point as usual!
Thank you, Ann Malley. God bless you!
Bob One– you are talking absolute NONSENSE!! What in the world is this crazy BALONEY, about the oldest boy, in a Catholic family?? Not true!! Nonsense!!
Linda Maria I respect what you are saying from your perspective. From the good ole movies, we can see that we had goodness back in those days. Common decency and more people feared the Lord. its sad that today we don’t have much of that. But there was also people who took their faith for granted too like we see today. You had the mob, who were mostly Catholic, how often did they commit crimes, went to confession yet still they went back on the streets to continue with their mafia work. They didn’t know their scriptures, they just lived the word “Catholic: and Catholic traditions minus a personal relationship with Christ.
To reply to the post of Abeca Christian– I agree with you, before the more modern era, our society had more respect, common decency, and fear of the Lord! Today, almost all of that is gone! So sad! Even for people who are not practicing their religious faith- at least, we have a much better world, with more true, everyday justice– when everyone is required to live and abide by a society based on a good, traditional, Judeo-Christian framework! People before the modern era, were closer to Nature, and had more hardships. They had to deal with life in a more true and natural sense, without the “soft cushions” supplied by modern inventions of science! They had to work so hard, for everything! They often had to experience immediate and direct consequences, when they goofed! (Ouch!) Yet, they were also sometimes much stronger, more mature, and more capable of patiently enduring what they must, to achieve their goals in life! We owe them all so much!
I will add one more thing, to my reply to Abeca Christian. It is so sad, that I am pointing out all the hardships, of following Christ, and of leading a good life, and having a good society! People suffer so much! Life can be so hard, for all people! In the era of my grandparents– it was common, to hope a child would make it to about age seven, as so many children died of childhood illnesses, before modern medicine had its miracles to offer us! If a child could make it to about age seven, it was commonly thought that the child would have a reasonably good chance, for a life! Just for a life, to live! How hard those times must have been, before our relatively short modern era, with all its scientific wonders! I think we all need lots of love and nurturing and encouragement, and to always remember, no matter what– that our Loving God truly loves us, is always there for us, and always extends His Divine Mercy and Healing to us, no matter what, through all things in life!
Amen to that Linda Maria. Such heartfelt words of yours here, just come of out cyber space and touch hearts. =) Linda Maria yes our Lord loves us so much. His love heals. Im glad that we do not take for granted His love and mercy. The church today still conveys His truths and.meets up with modern day challanges we face today without compromising any of His truths. Our Lord is with us till the end and after if we choose Him. Thank you Linda Maria for your reply. God bless you. ❤
Back in the old days, Abeca, there was also a censor board in Hollywood that, by the insistence and boycotting of solid Catholic movie goers, took great measures to portray evil as evil and deserving of punishment and also took great pains to remove the overt scandal of early motion picture productions. (Society as a whole was united against the subversion of youth. And there was a clear understanding of the power of motion picture propaganda. Used very effectively in pre-WWII Germany.)
That is to say the “evil” was there, yes, but there were those Catholics (and others of faith) who used their votes and influence to not allow Hollywood via movies etc to influence the young/society on a grand scale. That oversight is gone now and movies glorify evil, sin, and error is often rewarded and admired. “Tolerance” is elevated as being more Catholic than prudence and the objective good in doing one’s duty to prevent the scandalizing of young minds. (Today Catholics who speak clearly are labeled as judgmental, small minded, and/or not reaching out to those in need.)
Check out “Movies before the Code”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBqIDTRg_XI
So yes, times were different then as parents, teachers, and those in authority did not shy away from correcting that which leads to the spread of evil.
As human beings, the potential for evil is always present, but if good Catholics stand by and do nothing and/or give over to the idea that we must be respectful and tolerant of overt evil
…then overt evil will be tolerated. And the result is that the young will be evangelized via scandal and compromise. That’s one reason why there are “Catholic” school children picketing against that which is Catholic being taught at Catholic schools and opting to redefine mercy, charity, etc, etc, etc.
I would like to reply to something that the poster, Ann Malley, mentioned. I think it would be wonderful, if we could again have the Church’s agency, the Legion of Decency, to rate all movies, and for the Church to strongly enforce censorship, and correct Catholic doctrine, with the use of “Imprimatur” and “Nihil Obstat,” in all Catholic books. Plus, I think the Church should strongly enforce Catholic teaching and morals, and close the doors to wayward, false Catholic teachers and leaders, and experimentation!! I recall, as a teen-ager, being horrified, when a couple of Catholic boys told of their mortal sins, going to movies with a “C” rating (“Condemned”). These boys admitted, that they were deeply ashamed of the sexual material they had seen, and regretted it!They ended up going to Confession, and after that– abided by the Church’s movie ratings, put out by the Legion of Decency!!
I will continue, with my reply to the posts of Ann Malley. She is 100% correct, in stating our responsibility, for censorship of sinful material! And the effect it has on a society, especially for impressionable kids– is a HORROR!! Hollywood has no morals, and loves to make lots of money, as do rock “music” record promoters, by producing and selling total filth, to vulnerable kids, and ruining them!! Hollywood loves to twist concepts of good and evil, and to lie about it! God has already told us, thousands of years ago– what is right and virtuous, and what is wrong, and sinful! The consequences of sin, are vast and horrible, to an individual, and to society! The Catholic Church in particular, has a big responsibility for teaching and inculcating Christian Morality, as a major world religious leader! All children need to grow up and develop good character, and a good moral conscience! A Nation that rejects this– is evil, and doomed!
Sadly, the Church, in attempting to be up with the times, gave way to the notion that “trusting” everyone to do the right thing would somehow bring about the good. But this is a complete negation of the reality of man’s fallen human nature and our NEED for a Redeemer.
Censorship is politicized to be the worst of evils when, in reality, parents NEED to be parents, the Church NEEDS to be a teacher (One who sets standards and explains realities and gives warnings and rules where such are necessary. For being good for good’s sake is a gift…..not a progression of nature.)
Liberal to a fault is a saying for good reason, too. And mercy is often had at the very beginning of life by raising children and guiding the faithful in the Truth from the start – beginning as one plans to continue. Not just a pick-up-on-isle-7 mentality that negates instruction and any attempt at enforcement in lieu of clean-up mode after huge messes are allowed to happen under the guise of a new springtime.
Well said, Ann Malley! EXCELLENT!! And no, the Vatican is CRAZY, when it says that we are now living in the so-called “springtime of Vatican II!” Also– Pope Francis’ goofed-up “Year of Mercy,” is a BIG JOKE, without correct teaching and guidance for the Catholic Faithful– and announcing a return to regular reception, on schedule (maybe weekly or monthly, but tell everyone!) to the Sacrament of Penance!! No Holy Communion on Sunday mornings, without a regular schedule of the Sacrament of Confession!! And anyone who commits a Mortal Sin, CANNOT go to Communion!! All Catholics had better run fast to the priest, get help, and confess immediately, if they have committed a Mortal Sin!! The Holy Father had better lead the way, in this important matter! He, himself, needs a big lesson, in “first-grade Catechism,” and how to be a good, practicing Catholic!!
https://www.catholicnews.com/movies.htm
On several occasions when I have heard confessions at various parishes, the sin of missing Mass comes up. The excuse is either soccer practice, little league or football practice—ON SUNDAY! The first day of the week is dedicated to GOD, and everything else (except emergencies, taking care of the sick, etc.) comes second. This is the third commandment given to us by Almighty God. Sure sports is good because it teaches team work, but GOD is supposed to come first. All He asks for is one or two hours a week on Sunday to go to Mass. In the good old days, Sundays were set aside for God and family, but now God is on the back burner. The family that prayers together, stays together is what Father Patrick Peyton preached. Sports has become ‘ god ball’, and everything spiritual and supernatural is ignored if not forgotten. When you see many automobiles in the parking lot of secular junior and senior high schools, you know where the values of the teachers lie. They are not there for a prayer meeting! Without prayer, and at least Sunday attendance at Mass, there is no intimacy with the divine. And without that precious intimacy, there is no religious vocation to the priesthood or the religious life.
Fr. Karl, you are correct in so many ways, on this subject. Soccer is a sport that is available for almost all kids. The more kids that want to play the more teams they set up, unlike school teams that have a limited number of players. But, soccer, in many parts of the country has become an overwhelming burden to parents and kids. Often unrealized. There is always a game on Saturday morning and many Sunday mornings. There is practice on Tuesday evening. For competitive teams there may be two or three practices during the week and two day trips on weekends. Even little league baseball doesn’t have this rigorous time requirement except at the top level. And then, you have to add in the piano and violin lessons, appointments with the orthodontist, two to three hours of homework starting in elementary school and becoming overwhelming with AP courses. All of these things have become more important than Mass. How many parents simply drop off their kids for faith formation, but don’t go themselves, or drop off the kids for Mass but don’t go themselves. I know one parish that required parents to attend adult faith formation while their kids were in their classes. Seemed to work for a while, but…. What I see around us is that soccer has been made to be more important that God or family.
Bob One– there is a BIG DIFFERENCE– between those sincere practicing Catholics, who truly seek to learn and practice their Faith– and those who just go to Mass, because they were brought up in the Catholic Faith, but have a very poor understanding of it, and no true interest in it! These people, are NOT really “Catholic”- nor “Christian!!” The true, sincere, deeply prayerful PRACTICING CATHOLIC– is NOT a “worldly” person, living and seeing things in a secular, worldly way! They see things, in terms of Christ, and of their Faith! Big difference, Bob One!! Let’s say, for example– you have a deep love of sports, and that is your passion– so, you study it, from every angle, and you lead your whole life by it! Are you sort of “married” to it?? Now, take a good look– at Christ’s true calling!! What does He really say?? Did you listen?? And do you believe Him– or not?? “Leave all and follow Me!” “My kingdom is not of this world!” And Christ predicted all His disciples would have a terrible end– murdered, martyred, for their Faith in Him!! Well– what do you think, now??
Thanks Linda Maria for your comments which I assume represent your thinking that I don’t know already. I am going to suggest that you could, if you wanted to, think of people on their faith journey. I know hundreds, maybe thousands, of true, sincere, deeply prayerful practicing Catholics who seed every day to learn more about their faith and try to practice their faith in the public marketplace. Yet, your comment would not accept them as “real” Catholics or even Christian. Who are we to judge? People come to Christ from every level of belief, from every level of understanding and from every degree of broken heart. They come because they want to know Christ better. Have we helped them do that by our behavior and actions? They come because they want to mend their heart with prayer and good counsel. Do we have time to help them on the journey? They come because they want to learn what to believe and understand why. Do we help them on that road to enlightenment? Being Catholic is so much more than reading a book of rules (Catechism) or reading the Bible without understanding or contemplation. How many of us have taken the time to attend Bible Study on a regular basis so that we learn what the Bible teaches, how it teaches, and how it helps us in our daily life and the life or our families? I admit to not doing it nearly enough, but when I do I learn so much about the grace of God, how he speaks to us, and encourages us. Being a good Catholic is not about just reading the law, it is about practicing our Catholic faith and helping others on their journey. Don’t you agree?
To reply to the post of Bob One– The practice of religion is a very specific thing! Just like the study and practice of any subject! The question is– we are all very capable, of correct religious learning and practice! Christ knew this! Because human nature is weak, and because we are so far from God– we all want to make excuses, for being unable to CORRECTLY do as Christ tells us– and we “baby ourselves!” We moan and groan, like big babies, accusing the Bible of being “legalistic,” and accusing Christ of being “judgmental!” But what is the result– when we do things all wrong, and “baby ourselves,” thinking Christ is “too hard” as a Teacher?? How old do you have to be– to begin the study and practice, of your religious faith and morals?? HOW OLD?? Won’t you be PROUD, to be a GOOD FOLLOWER of Christ— instead of a lazy, crummy, mediocre, babyish, immature, BAD follower?? Get up on your feet, and GO WITH HIM!! You are an ADULT– and certainly, NOT A CRIPPLE!! He will show you how!! HAVE FAITH!!
I will say one more thing, to reply to Bob One’s response to me. We modern Americans forget– that the Jews of the Bible, were a completely different kind of people than us! They were not over-protected and babied, “American-style,” in a rich, fat, lazy, dumb, easy, scientifically-developed culture! They lived in a wild, dangerous, realistic environment, which made it hard for survival! They had to learn to stand strong and true, with God, against terrible events, and follow the path of righteousness– or else perish!! They endured, through many terrible events– and God still stood with them, as their eventual Spouse! He sent His Son, Jesus, for our Salvation! The day Jesus was born, King Herod was getting ready to kill Him, as a threat to his evil power! He was born, lived, and died– in TERRIBLE circumstances!! You have to learn to be very strong, very clear, and realistic about yourself, and Life– and God!– to be a good Christian— with a true dedication to Him! You will endure a great deal!
I will say one more thing, in reply to the post of Bob One. The Catholic Church, and sincere, practicing Catholics– along with a multitude of very great , holy saints– existed for two thousand years, before the modern Vatican II Council!! That Council is trivial, by comparison of all that came before it! One needs a good perspective! Do you think St. Thomas More was crazy– to be honest with King Henry VIII, and die a martyr’s death, for Christ? He could have lied, you know, and saved himself! What does it take– to follow Christ, and thumb your nose– at the ignorant, sick, weak, immoral, corrupt secular world?? “Leave the world, and follow Me.” Is that as hard, for a man, let’s say — as obeying the football coach, when he tells you, “do this, do that”– even if you get injured?? What is Jesus Christ asking of you, Bob One?? See for yourself! Will you accept, and obey, the great Son of God?? Is He your Savior?? Yes– or no??
I will say one last thing, to Bob One. I don’t mean to sound so cruel– but it is true– the true practice of the Catholic Faith, can be very challenging, and hard to understand! Yet, down through the ages, many of Christ’s faithful followers, have “taken up the Cross,” and followed Him, step-by-step, as obedient pilgrims, following their Master—- all the way to Heaven’s door!! Shining, saintly, holy and Christ-like, purified, arriving at long last, at Heaven’s door!! It does take a lot of faith, obedience, trust, and love, as well as God’s abundant graces, and correct teaching, to understand and follow Our Lord!! It is no easy thing! We cannot even physically see Him, or talk to Him, or ask Him questions! I wonder if many of the great saints thought they must be crazy, to be so honest with Christ– and “foolishly” allow themselves to endure great, painful suffering, humiliations, and death, all for believing, and following, what Christ taught!! I can see why you might question Him, and I can understand why you might think Christianity is so “against the common sense of the world,” so I don’t mean to sound so cruel!
Linda Maria, I simply agreed with Fr. Karl. Why are you in such a twist over something I never said or brought to this thread? Really?
She is twisted because she seems to need to feel that he alone is the one true Catholic and that ll else are cast aside. This is the sin of pride.
Affirming clarity in communication and promoting a clear understanding of the Catholic Faith and what it means – complete with doctrine – by way of supporting other posters is not twisted, YFC. But since you affiliate yourself with PRIDE perhaps that is why you attempt to paint others with your own brush.
For while you seem to believe it is pride to cleave to and not attempt to change Church teachings, others hold that it is prideful for man to attempt to change that which is given to us from God.
As usual, Ann Malley has to change a person’s words in order to create a straw man to oppose. I never ever said that pride is “to cleave to and not attempt to change Church teachings”. You had to totally put those words into my mouth so that you could disagree with me. The sin of pride is to believe that you are better than the flawed individuals around you. But intentionally putting words into people’s mouths is another kind of sin, a form of the sin of bearing false witness against your neighbor. But you had to go there, because you don’t actually believe in truth, you believe in making things up and claiming that you represent the truth. How is anyone supposed to believe anything you say if you have to lie so frequently in order to create a disagreement?
Bless you, Ann Malley! Your Fellow “Catholic” talks nonsense!
To Bob One– The over-2,000-year-old Catholic Church did NOT begin, in 1965– at the close of the problematic Vatican II Council!! One born after the Council, should investigate for oneself, and find the treasures of our Faith, and all that it has to offer! The modern era is NOT a religious nor philosophical– ( nor truly intellectual!) era, and lacks understanding and perspective, on Christ, and His true teachings!! What do babyish, heretical Church leaders want?? A big, scholarly argument, and rejection, Martin Luther-style– of key religious doctrines, such as those stated in the Nicene Creed?? NO!! They ALL want— IMMORALITY!! IMMORALITY GALORE!! AND NO INTELLIGENT, SCHOLARLY, FAITH-BASED, INTELLECTUAL REASONS FOR IT!! Our age is truly EVIL, and materialistic, selfish, immature, immoral, and atheistic!! Our modern age rejects God!! A Christian is NOT a person who lives like a non-Christian, in the Death Culture!! Either you are, or you are not– Christ’s follower!!
Our faith is a beautiful faith and its also a gift that in turn helpe us cooperate with God’s graces. One thing we must acknowledge is our sinfulness, that we are sinners and that we need Jesus. His word and His church contain all the truth even if sinners from within betray God and try to distort His truths and ways. We noticed that throughout the years as some Catholics may take their faith for granted, we noticed that some protestants have not and they are well versed in Holy scriptures and have learned from our Catholicism and taken it and share it as their own. I noticed that V2 is getting us to not take His holy Word for granted and is getting more Catholics to read His Word. That and the CCC together help us deal with modern day challanges.
Knew it had to be the Rosary!