And now for the Deceit of the Modernists
I thought I would simply share this letter, written to
The Times by Dominican Fr Timothy Radcliffe.
Fr Timothy writes: Sir, Cristina Odone is disappointed that the Pope, in his recent document, has not been bolder and allowed the divorced and remarried to take communion. But he has done something far bolder than changing the rules. He invites us to go beyond understanding the moral life primarily as obedience to rules.
He quotes St Thomas Aquinas , who maintained that the more closely we look at the complexities of people's lives, the less we can rely just on abstract principles. We are to have a dynamic understand of holiness, "the pedagogy of grace", whereby every one of us, whatever our situation, may be more integrated into the life of the Church. None of us - the divorced and married or gay people - are excluded.
"No one can be condemned for ever, because that is not the logic of the gospel."
Father Timothy Radcliffe OP, Blackfriars, St Giles, Oxford.
As I said in a former post whatever the Pope says the Liberals will twist to their own advantage and here we have a prime example.
We all know what 'changing the rules' means. If not then I will explain . Liberals like Fr Radcliffe do not like the idea of sin. So Jesus was not proposing a way of life which Christians should live in order to herald in the Kingdom. He was only making rules which he knew that a better educated society could change And the more people refused to live these rules then a new society developed in which we could call the rules 'abstract principles' I do not know the context in which Thomas Aquinas mentioned 'abstract principles' what I do know is that ST Thomas would have been horrified at being used by Timothy Radcliffe. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" Jesus told his followers. Perhaps he should have added, "And do not teach rules and abstract ideas, I teach so that in hearing me you would have life in abundance. "Teach them to observe all I have commanded you" Matthew 28. Fr Timothy is correct of course in saying we are called to holiness, but holiness is found only in living the way Christ wanted us to live whether we are divorced married or gay, but holiness can only be found through Jesus Christ by following his teachings. Divorced, married or gay people who want to be Christian but remain in sin are not seeking holiness but trying to force acceptance. There is a great deal of teaching these days about how much God loves us. But many children, the children we do not want to talk about, the children who have suffered through the divorce and marriage of their father and mother do not feel that love in their every day life so nice though such sermons may be they do nothing to help. A Catholic girl of 11 was talking about the existence of God to her cousin. She remarked that she did not believe in God for if there was a God her family would not be in such a mess. Then there was the young girl who ran into Church one day and found me praying. She was upset. "She had just found out who her father was so she had phone to tell him she was her daughter. "He just swore at me and told me he wanted nothing to do with me". It was sad.
Do you know what I have found over the past week. Nobody in the Church seems to give a damn for these girls and there are thousands of children who can tell similar stories. In Britain 50% of children have now experienced divorce. Of course, it is all about self in the Church today, "I want communion and I will not listen to the Church I will just go Father does not preach all that "If you love me keep my Commandments stuff. God is Love and he accepts my sins, I do not need repentance.
'No one can be condemned forever for that is not the logic of the Gospel
What an idiot Jesus was with all that "Depart from me ye cursed...." "I saw Satan fall from heaven like a bolt of lightning? "He who believes will be saved, he who believes not will be condemned" If only he had had the guidance of Fr Timothy Radcliffe. But the phrase was used first by Pope Francis in the exhortation so what did he mean.
Here we have the reality that Francis is not very good at communicating. I think what he means is that we cannot just turn away from the sufferings of people and give no spiritual guidance because as some would put it 'they have committed something intrinsically evil' There comes a time when we have to look at their problems and seek a solution. That does not mean that we shrug our shoulders and say "It does not really matter dear" when what they are doing is affecting other people. All sin does affect others in some way for 'no man is an island' Those who persist in sin however do run the risk of being condemned forever and that is the real logic of the Gospel.
Fr Timothy writes: Sir, Cristina Odone is disappointed that the Pope, in his recent document, has not been bolder and allowed the divorced and remarried to take communion. But he has done something far bolder than changing the rules. He invites us to go beyond understanding the moral life primarily as obedience to rules.
He quotes St Thomas Aquinas , who maintained that the more closely we look at the complexities of people's lives, the less we can rely just on abstract principles. We are to have a dynamic understand of holiness, "the pedagogy of grace", whereby every one of us, whatever our situation, may be more integrated into the life of the Church. None of us - the divorced and married or gay people - are excluded.
"No one can be condemned for ever, because that is not the logic of the gospel."
Father Timothy Radcliffe OP, Blackfriars, St Giles, Oxford.
As I said in a former post whatever the Pope says the Liberals will twist to their own advantage and here we have a prime example.
We all know what 'changing the rules' means. If not then I will explain . Liberals like Fr Radcliffe do not like the idea of sin. So Jesus was not proposing a way of life which Christians should live in order to herald in the Kingdom. He was only making rules which he knew that a better educated society could change And the more people refused to live these rules then a new society developed in which we could call the rules 'abstract principles' I do not know the context in which Thomas Aquinas mentioned 'abstract principles' what I do know is that ST Thomas would have been horrified at being used by Timothy Radcliffe. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life" Jesus told his followers. Perhaps he should have added, "And do not teach rules and abstract ideas, I teach so that in hearing me you would have life in abundance. "Teach them to observe all I have commanded you" Matthew 28. Fr Timothy is correct of course in saying we are called to holiness, but holiness is found only in living the way Christ wanted us to live whether we are divorced married or gay, but holiness can only be found through Jesus Christ by following his teachings. Divorced, married or gay people who want to be Christian but remain in sin are not seeking holiness but trying to force acceptance. There is a great deal of teaching these days about how much God loves us. But many children, the children we do not want to talk about, the children who have suffered through the divorce and marriage of their father and mother do not feel that love in their every day life so nice though such sermons may be they do nothing to help. A Catholic girl of 11 was talking about the existence of God to her cousin. She remarked that she did not believe in God for if there was a God her family would not be in such a mess. Then there was the young girl who ran into Church one day and found me praying. She was upset. "She had just found out who her father was so she had phone to tell him she was her daughter. "He just swore at me and told me he wanted nothing to do with me". It was sad.
Do you know what I have found over the past week. Nobody in the Church seems to give a damn for these girls and there are thousands of children who can tell similar stories. In Britain 50% of children have now experienced divorce. Of course, it is all about self in the Church today, "I want communion and I will not listen to the Church I will just go Father does not preach all that "If you love me keep my Commandments stuff. God is Love and he accepts my sins, I do not need repentance.
'No one can be condemned forever for that is not the logic of the Gospel
What an idiot Jesus was with all that "Depart from me ye cursed...." "I saw Satan fall from heaven like a bolt of lightning? "He who believes will be saved, he who believes not will be condemned" If only he had had the guidance of Fr Timothy Radcliffe. But the phrase was used first by Pope Francis in the exhortation so what did he mean.
Here we have the reality that Francis is not very good at communicating. I think what he means is that we cannot just turn away from the sufferings of people and give no spiritual guidance because as some would put it 'they have committed something intrinsically evil' There comes a time when we have to look at their problems and seek a solution. That does not mean that we shrug our shoulders and say "It does not really matter dear" when what they are doing is affecting other people. All sin does affect others in some way for 'no man is an island' Those who persist in sin however do run the risk of being condemned forever and that is the real logic of the Gospel.
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