I have said it before that Catholicism IS the perfect blueprint (or rule book if you will) that can bring TRUE happiness to any & EVERY person. At the onset, when we are first learning our faith, it IS a bunch of "rules" we are asked to follow but once we get past the elementary understanding OF the rule aspect of the faith…and reach the “why” portion of our faith journey…it is HERE where we begin our true love affair with the faith. It is here when we realize that all the rules are actually in place to bring us complete peace and happiness in life and it is all there for the taking...
Today, sadly, we have so few reliable vehicles TO learn these aspects of our faith, many times, we are left with P.C., half truths which confuses us and at times leave us angry because the rules seem so "unfair" in these modern times.
I contend that if we all DID learn the rules (the basics) correctly by people who LOVE the faith, it would engage us and excite us to the point of wanting to pursue it to the next level…which are the “why’s.” So many more of us would fall in love & would never want to stop the pursuit of finding out more. In enters knowledge, understanding, acceptance and love for the faith. This is when the average person finds themselves literally ZEALOUS for the Catholic Church and me, personally…I have come to understand martyrs!! The quote I have here on this blog by Bl. Archbishop Sheen “Not 100 people in the United States hate the Roman Catholic Church, but millions hate what they mistakenly think the Roman Catholic Church is” couldn’t be more accurate.
Back in the day...Catholic schools were in every town & in just about every neighborhood. When there were Nuns running the schools, the tuition was affordable (because Nun's weren't pressured by secular lifestyles and weren't demanding competetive salaries. They saved only for their retirement/medical costs) to just about everyone and the traditional faith was being passed on by religious people (Nuns, who by choice married Jesus Christ, which meant many were on fire with the faith) and who taught the Baltimore Catechism. These devoted women were churning out disciplined, faithful Catholic young people (& many vocations because of the examples they set) who KNEW and understood their faith. Mothers and Fathers were in the home and attending Mass every Sunday, so young Catholics grew up NEVER questioning the truths and stability of Catholicism. I am making generalizations here of course but between the stable families, steadfast Nuns and strong, outspoken, priests from the pulpits this is how the Tradition of our Catholic faith was kept and passed on.
About the time of Vatican II, the Church, in particular in America, made a tremendous error in judgement when they assumed we needed to "dumb down" the teachings & traditions of our faith to become more attractive to young people. ONE idea as to why this was decided is, 'if we made Catholicism more FUN for children and easier, this would hold their interest & HOPEFULLY turn out CHARISMATIC, stewards of the faith.' But sadly the entire idea backfired. It resulted in generations of confused and uninterested Catholics who have little or no understanding of their faith. No vocations, families are in shambles, their is abysmal attendance of Mass, immoral or indifferent leaders in the Church... the result? People are leaving the faith in droves and a Church is left in chaos. This sorry approach to Catholic education has even spilled into our Seminaries quite obviously. This concept that their needs to be a “new & charismatic” approach to the Catholic faith so more will be attracted to it has failed due to its lack of substance nor does it have any sustainability.
The modernistic approach that children cannot handle more than coloring pages & folk songs to understand Catholicism has failed miserably. I am living proof! I attended FIFTEEN years of Catholic education throughout the 80's and 90's and emerged no more versed or enthused about my faith than someone who did not. The only thing that I can be thankful for is that due to the sheer amount of time spent and my family's ABUNDANT strength in our traditional faith made me realize as an adult the importance to return to the Church and pursue my understanding of it. It has taken me well into my adulthood to finally take my faith seriously and I thank God for filling me with the desire and excitement to want to learn about its TRUTHS. I call myself a product of the "Kumbaya Catholic" approach to Catholic education. I joke and say I was taught to "hold hands and sing about how much I loved Jesus" and if anyone thinks that THIS offers stability, understanding and strength enough to endure a life full of let’s say, financial strife & grave illness...you'd be sorely mistaken.
As our Holy Father coined them, the "Professional Catholics" of the Church…you know them, the uber liberal Religious Ed Director who hosts “scavenger hunts” in the Sanctuary of the Church so the CCD kids can learn about the different areas and symbols of the Church and who asks “JoJo the Clown” to the children’s Mass to hand out coloring pages and do magic tricks for them…you know…THAT Professional Catholic? And the lay teachers in our Catholic Schools who hand out Budda’s from their treasure boxes in hopes to promote TOLERANCE for other faiths among the students yet cannot accuartely convey their OWN faith…THESE professional Catholics? The pastor who doesn't speak the truth about the real sins of the secular world that put our souls in danger in fear of losing congregants due to offending their sensibilities. These aren’t EVIL people. They THINK they are doing the right thing. They THINK they are doing the right thing because they themselves are products of this failed attempt by the Church that began so many decades ago. They must be stopped BECAUSE true tolerance IS taught by Catholicism when taught properly, the Sanctuary & it’s sacred symbols and it's parts ARE TAUGHT IN THE CATECHISM and should be taught in the classroom and reenforced when the children attend Mass with their family, the pastors job is to TEACH us about saving our souls.
I argue, that our faith is so beautiful, so exciting, and so perfect in EVERY way that there is NO NEED to try & dress it up or HIDE it among childish games (Check out the Latin Mass...talk about dressed up & exciting!) YES, unfortunately to some, we MUST learn the rules FIRST…the nuts & the bolts of the faith & to some that may seem BORING but I suggest that if someone who LOVES the faith is teaching it…it would NEVER be boring & it would lead these kids to only ever want to know more…and want to know all the “WHY'S” behind the rules. Then, in discovering the answers to the “WHY'S”…their love story will begin to unfold and continue throughout the rest of their lives. Just ask any convert!
The Latin Mass is BEAUTIFUL and exciting! A MIRACLE TAKES PLACE EVERY SUNDAY!! Right before our EYES!!!! Gregorian Chant is BEAUTIFUL! Our Traditions are BEAUTIFUL! If we show them WHY it is so rich in history, art and beauty and share with them how THEY are part of something over 2000 years old that hasn’t changed since the time Jesus walked the Earth, that this gift we are given to help preserve and help grow to hand it down to the next generation…they’ll be smitten. They don’t need Rick with his guitar and beard strumming some catchy tune or worse yet…belting some Christian rock song from the alter to get them on fire for the faith…if this works at all, it is only temporary BUT if we instill in them the TRUTHS of the faith and explain how the ONE TRUE FAITH has been given to them as a gift and that is meant to be shared with everyone so we can one day all reside in the presence of God together… JoJo the Clown kinda seems scary in that we KNOW he isn’t assisting in bringing our children any closer to this truth but instead is just keeping them FARTHER from it. No? It is an injustice to not teach our children the TRUE harms of Satan who hides in this secular world. I’ve watch my 6 year old face a painful death straight in the eyes…I am here to tell you…HE is ready, willing and able to hear that his soul is forever in jeopardy and he’d BETTER always try and please God by his actions and words. Anyting else is doing wrong by him. To read a watered down versions of the BIBLE because learning about the realities of Hell is just too scary for kids is FOOLISH and sinful on our part. Keeping the true Word of God away from children’s ears? Really? If you are unaware that these things are taking place, attend your local "children's Mass"...get an update from your "Religious Ed Director" on what their accomplishments are for the year...you'll probably cringe or worse...
I belittle this issue in the Church. There are many reasons one can point to as to why our Church is struggling as it is today but I believe that we stand on the edge of a sunrise...the road will be difficult. We WILL have to battle the sins of indifference, greed, selfishness, sloth and so many more. But many of these sins can be easily deflected by the "Armor of God." Once you gain the desire to achieve it...the path is made clear for us.
When I hear about the growing desire and numbers of young people who want to restore the faith because the bill of goods they’ve been sold is just not performing as promised in their lives and they KNOW they've been duped and are now in search of "the real deal" is just thrilling! Hearing how more & more Latin Masses are being given because of how many people are requesting them, families having 5 & 6 kids again…makes me feel blessed to be a Catholic at this point in history to witness this.
I feel strongly called to be a part of this restoration process & my first step is learning the Traditional faith so I can be an asset to my community in evangelizing the truth of our faith ESPECIALLY to the children.
So many have felt abandon by the Catholic Church and with good reason. When one only knows enough about their faith for it to be harmful…a lot of hurt & resentment can emerge & that is EXACTLY what has happened to millions of good Catholic people over the past 30 - 40 years!!! There is a lot of work to do. We need to get to it. Our children’s souls are at stake & “being a good person” just ain’t gonna cut it folks.
God bless you in YOUR Catholic journey. Make sure to spread the truth when you find it, to anyone who will listen.
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