Most marriages today are invalid, Pope Francis suggests

In addition, so many college students dorm now and well enough said. Just look at the Olympics they have already stocked up the largest number of condoms in Olympics history. How the heck does the Pope combat this? What is that expression, speaking to the choir? Yeah, not working.
http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/sp...will-top-london-games-in-condom-distribution/

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...ded-athletes-London-Games--thats-15-EACH.html

 

There is a certain truth in all this. Jesus in talking about divorce mentions that Moses allowed divorce, 'Because you were so unteachable'. But then Jesus does do away with divorce because, I suppose, He reckoned that indeed at least a few people would understand and be compliant.

Teachings like this are the hard saying of Jesus. The makers and breakers if you like, The Institution of the Eucharist for instance is another deal breaker, either you accept it of you don't. Catholics do , Protestants don't.

What then are we to do when , confrnted with deal reaker like say the Church's Teaching on Artificial Contraception or Divorce? Well we have a choce. We can cater to the vast majority as was the case with Artificial Birth Control and shrug and give the Liberal come back and say, 'What can you do?'

That is what effectively happened in the Church with Birth Control. The Popes held the line , the Bishops and priest (and Cardinals) did not. They shrugged and gave in.

But the only trouble with not holding the line is that the line shifts to something else more basic. Once you start to shift the goal posts you have to keep on shifting them. Once you start giving in, you have to keep giving in. Once you start running down hill you have to keep onrunning down hill, the brakes don't wrok anymore.

Once you start to feed the monster , the monster starts to grow more hungry and comes back for more. The sexual peversion lobby is a typical example of this, they keep coming back for more, their demands becoming more and more strident.

Pope Francis , in the matter of divorce has decided to feed the moster rather than drawing the line. In that way he hopes to draw a new line in the sand, feed the monster and hope this will stop the waves of depravity drawing more closely in. That the monster , well fed, will go away satisfied. In this matter he has drawn a line even more Liberal than the most Liberal of media commentators. He has drawn a line so far back in the sand that one can scarcely see the sea from the beach anymore.

But the mosnter will not rest there, it will be back for more , more hungry than ever.

jesus knew that the onyl way to defeat the moster was to simply refuse to feed it. Great saints and COnfessors like St Padre Pio and Sy John Vianney also knew this They drew firm lines.

Not to draw firm lines is to find yourself in a land of moral insanity. Bizarroland in fact.

http://catholicexchange.com/the-hardest-sayings-of-jesus

 

But enough!

People by this stage of the game know what they believe or do not believe. either they choose the narrow road to heaven or the wide and straight road to hell. It's you choice. No good trying to drive a square peg into a round hole.

I'll leave you to it. If you feel confortable in Bizarro Land fair enough . Stay there.

 

This seems to be the real issue and the reality of our fallen world and our own nature. Who is going to listen to a Pope now, when most clergy bought into the contraceptive mentality nearly 50 years ago. Very few church going Catholics even consider it a grave evil thanks to bad bishops and priest for a half century not teaching the morals of the faith.

What if Pope Francis came out with a document reiterating Humane Vitae? Anyone think you would change the minds within and outside the church at this point? Not a chance, so we need to be honest with where we have come and realize only God can educate the soul in this matter and he is about to do so in the Warning soon coming. Even then, most will not repent and change. It is all foretold and all that is left is to keep the faith ouselves and pray like you have never prayed for Gods Will to be done.

 

Carol55, I kinda believe it is not God's plan; but God is standing back and letting us reap the rewards of ignoring His Plan for the last 50 or 60 years.

It is almost like a bit of an illumination on how badly we have understood the Holy mission of completing our little task of procreation in co-operation with the service of God.

I wonder if "Go forth and multiply" has been confused with multiple partners instead of multiple children.

Without a shadow of a doubt. When the Holy Father says the great majority he can be rightly referring to the well known fact that about 80% Catholics are using contraceptives, and not NFP which is permitted by the Church. He is bang on target there.

 

I agree with you padraig.

We know that the Church is not a democracy. The lines in the sand for Church Teaching do not shift because the Magisterium is the authority when it comes to the Teaching, not the will of the people.

Yet the church is supposed to be loving and forgiving. Jesus said your sins are forgiven, now sin no more. So hold to the church doctrine, and forgive those who break it. It is that simple.

If people are not aware of the church teaching, and live in a world that ever increasingly attacks the sacrament of marriage and the family. What can you expect to happen to this sacrament? Nulling marriages is not the answer, but most marriages are hardly sacramental marriages to begin with. Priests go for many years of education prior to the Priesthood. Marriages only require a person to be baptized, and two half day pre-canna classes. If the priesthood is a vocation that requires years of education, then so should the vocation of marriage.

Once people realize the mistakes they have made... what do you do? This is not a zero sum game.

 

I don't think any of us are comfortable with the current state of affairs in the world or much more importantly, the Catholic Church. Everything that we have known and loved is being shaken, thrashed, examined, questioned, pulverized, ridiculed, and on and on.

So we ponder, pray, and speak with those who love the faith as much as we do and know that we are not alone in this awful confusion. Even in my sleep I find myself praying "come Lord Jesus".

 

People take more classes to become a confirmed catholic than they do to become sacramentally married and bring life into the world.

 

Julia, I believe that we are given free will but God knows what we will choose in advance of us choosing it and he does have a plan. Would he have preferred that Adam not take a bite of that apple, absolutely.
I see everyone's point but there is no quick fix for any of this, it can be frustrating. I think that is why Padre Pio told us Pray and don't worry. (I'm terrible at quotes, hopefully I got it correct.) In a nutshell that is what I am trying to do, pray and not worry, easier said then done.

 

I don't think it is fair to say the Church does not do enough to instruct us on the commitment of marriage.

After all most of us oldies anyway have been brought up by parents who '''were''' (if deceased) or still are married.

I have to admit, my parents gave me example of what it meant to be married. This means for most of us who have parents who stuck it out and remained faithful to their vows; we should have had plenty of time to see what marriage meant. So why are we talking as if we are the first generation to marry.

There was an old saying for young people getting married I heard from my parents. "Remember when you make your bed, you have to lie in it." Maybe that would be a good start. Then there was another old saying. "Marry in haste and repent at your leisure."

It must be true, 'you can't teach your granny how to suck eggs.' They had it all worked out before radio and TV ever got into our heads.

 

I'll just leave this here. In case anyone doubted Padraig's prophetic abilities.
View attachment 5040

 

I was just speaking of this issue with a friend of mine, he has six children (well, 5 one passed away at 18yrs old - autistic and seizured in the middle of the night). While I was having this conversation with him my 20yr old son was there, and his 24yr old married daughter and along with his 20 year old son. I married my husband when I was 24 going on 25 and my friend married his wife (my best friend) when they were only 20 & 21 years old. I spoke about feeling that vocation to be a wife and parent, I knew that was what I always wanted and the same for my best friend but this current generation is different. I can blame it on a dozen different things but I don't have the answer.

 

The idea of sacrifice has been abandoned by most Christians. The sacrifice involved in living out a marriage commitment in the face of financial, relationship, child rearing difficulties. This is a real problem we do not accept carrying our cross. I haven't heard a sermon on this theme in donkeys years. Consequently it all comes down to my happiness and my life.
God Help us all especially the young. They are unprepared for all the demands of marriage.

 

I feel a lot better now!

 

If he were any kind of strict legalist he would have said that the marriages all "legally" took place....which is implied since he acknowledges the marriages having taken place, at least formally. And that's probably what can be assumed with all of the legalists here as well.....only they would have to then negate the truth of the situation (which the Pope did not)....which has to take into consideration the minds, hearts, and real intentions of those participating in those "legal" but not always valid marriages. And that's just whom the Pope is speaking about and not hiding such a greater inconvenient truth.

But do you know if the woman caught in adultery actually did sin this sin again? No....one can only hope. Obviously the Pope teaches the same about what the Church asks. What then do you do with those who don't understand or are not prepared to change everything at that exact moment? Never approach them again....after at least you've given them something to think about? That's where the pastoral necessity comes in.....and I would think that Christ would also do the same if there were continuing sin after the challenge....at least that's what He did for Judas and Peter! Instead He acknowledged that He had to pray for Peter....and hoped that he would learn more about himself and what was continuing to be asked of him for his formal role.

 

When the Vatican is forced for the umpteenth time to correct a wayward pope's latest boneheaded off the cuff comment because of the firestorm it ignites, I'm afraid the last thing I feel is relief.

 

Aye, but the horse has bolted.

 

All 4 of them.

 

Yes, that is true but at least it was done and it was done quickly. I do feel a lot better, but it is not as if it never happened. There are still some other comments on this subject that don't sit just right but for me that was the big one.

 

Call right, right and call wrong , wrong.

How difficult can that be? Six words. I can understand them . You can understand them . We don't need a Doctorate in Philosophy to comprehend them . I don't have to write whole pages of text to explain them. I don't need a Press Office to explain 0r reinterpret them .

But of course the modern world does not do simple or uncomplicated, Everything blurred, gray , uncertain.