"The family, like the Church, ought to be a place where the Gospel is transmitted and from which the Gospel radiates"
Pope Paul VI
Most of us are tragically aware - or should be - that the vast majority of "Catholics" dissent on serious matters pertaining to Christian morality. The reasons are various, but the end result is abandonment of the Faith. Along with ignorance, spiritual laziness, material heresy and lack of catechesis, families' minds are being warped and twisted "above all from the mass media" (Pope John Paul II, Familiaris consortio). Parents are thus the nexus point of this spiritual combat.
The ministry of evangelization carried out by Christian parents is original and irreplaceable. It assumes the characteristics typical of family life itself, which should be interwoven with love, simplicity, practicality and daily witness.
But this presupposes parents themselves catechized, solidly evangelized; living the Faith. As the Pope wrote "it assumes", amongst other things "daily witness". And, as we know, this is not the case. Modern "Catholicism" is just another feel-good social club; mushy, silly and devoid of the Cross. A caricature, a blasphemy.
What we are witnessing - unless there is some near miraculous reversal - is a near total collapse of the Catholic Church in Europe and the English-speaking world.
We are looking at a massive paradigm shift; the Catholic Church in these lands returning to a small - probably very small - local church - yet intense, evangelical. This tiny, future, local church will be viciously persecuted. Churchmen - naturally - are in denial. Things are good; the local church (yes, she has a few troubles) is solid and making progress. Nonsense! Rubbish!! Lies!! The local church is imploding: look around.
The local churches in Europe and North America (and not only) have been betrayed by cowardly and ravenous churchmen; wolves in sheep's clothing who have abandoned the flock and handed them over to satan to be sifted like wheat. What can we say of our young people who have been so easily, so swiftly, sucked into the pan-sexualist whirlpool of sybaritic immorality? I have predicted before, and I repeat here again: in 30 years we are looking at an implosion of unprecedented magnitude. Look for a collapse somewhere in the 80 % plus range.
And yet, was it not 33 years ago that Pope John Paul II warned the Church and bishops in particular about the dangers facing the family; and, by extension the Church and the whole of human society? He was certainly not the first Pope to ring the alarm bell. Pius XI rang a huge bell with Casti connubii. Catholics failed to listen to the Pope, but instead more and more to their protestant and lapsed neighbours. They spent far too much time succumbing to secular influences, and indulged in 50s Catholicism which ultimately led to the near collective dive off the cliff following the Council into the sea of secularism. They have been drowning since.
To return to John Paul's warnings and admonitions:
Not infrequently ideas and solutions which are very appealing but which obscure in varying degrees the truth and the dignity of the human person, are offered to the men and women of today, in their sincere and deep search for a response to the important daily problems that affect their married and family life. These views are often supported by the powerful and pervasive organization of the means of social communication, which subtly endanger freedom and the capacity for objective judgment.
He was ignored. He was betrayed. More accurately: Christ was ignored, Christ was betrayed. And the result of betraying our Blessed Lord is the wrath of His Father. Following the betrayal of our Lord with the rejection of Humanae Vitae, is it any wonder that local churches in rebellion began to collapse? For a few years it was not so much evident: a cut off branch still might have a few green leaves. But, give it time, and it withers, dies. So it is with the various de facto schismatic in spirit local churches: they have been cut off from Grace by the Father for the betrayal of His Son by vile, evil churchmen.
To return to the Pope again:
In the context of a culture which seriously distorts or entirely misinterprets the true meaning of human sexuality, because it separates it from its essential reference to the person, the Church more urgently feels how irreplaceable is her mission of presenting sexuality as a value and task of the whole person, created male and female in the image of God.
Are you seeing any urgency in your diocese?
The person principally responsible in the diocese for the pastoral care of the family is the Bishop. As father and pastor, he must exercise particular solicitude in this clearly priority sector of pastoral care. He must devote to it personal interest, care, time, personnel and resources, but above all personal support for the families...
Is your bishop actively supporting families and teaching the truth about human sexuality in the face of false "teaching" given daily by the media?
...Priests and deacons, when they have received timely and serious preparation for this apostolate, must unceasingly act towards families as fathers, brothers, pastors and teachers, assisting them with the means of grace and enlightening them with the light of truth.
And your priests and deacons?
Is your bishop actively supporting families and teaching the truth about human sexuality in the face of false "teaching" given daily by the media?
...Priests and deacons, when they have received timely and serious preparation for this apostolate, must unceasingly act towards families as fathers, brothers, pastors and teachers, assisting them with the means of grace and enlightening them with the light of truth.
And your priests and deacons?
EXCELLENT QUESTION. Wonderful piece. Thank you for hammering home the truth. The Church must wake up and begin the New Evangelization. The person in the pew is the target not pagan babies in a foreign country. God bless you. Susan Fox
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