12 October 2012

Your Year of Faith

Today marks the beginning of The Year of Faith!

Catholic Culture has a comprehensive list of web resources for your clicking pleasure.

Here are three suggestions from Yours Truly:

1).  Commit to making more and better use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  I hear confessions daily and can tell you that too many Catholics allow themselves to remain "stuck" outside God's loving mercy b/c they falsely believe that God cannot or will not forgive their sins.  Your sins are already forgiven!  Go to confession and receive the forgiveness God has freely given you.

2).  Make Sunday Mass a priority.  Not only is Sunday Mass attendance a precept of the Church, it is also the best way to start your week off right.  Don't allow football games, shopping, "family time," etc. prevent you and your family from spending (at most) an hour and a half of your Sunday at Mass.   While I'm here, let me rail against "parish shopping."  Go to your parish church for Mass.  I know, I know:  the choir at your parish is awful; the pastor is a heretic; they have chubby, middle-aged liturgical dancers. . .none of that will change if you aren't there to encourage change.  How do you think the Spirit of Vatican Two Peace Bong crowd managed to take over and ruin your parish in the first place?  Hint:  they didn't all run to St. Bozo's b/c they liked the hootenanny Mass better.  They stayed where they were and worked from the inside.  Follow their example.

3).  You knew this one was coming:  Demand better preaching!  I won't flog this.  Suffice it to say, preaching in the RCC will not improve until Catholics demand/expect/reward better preaching.  I'm heartened to read accounts from all over the world of good preaching.  Things are improving.  But we have a long way to go.  
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4 comments:

  1. I am so glad you made Reconciliation #1 on your list. But as you know one of the roadblocks to frequent Reconciliation is availability. I am able to go every two or three months only because I can sneak out of my office on Saturday afternoons and head over to St. Louis before the priest leaves. In fact, last time I checked, St. Peter's didn't even publish a regular time! I think more would go if availability improved, at least here in town. When are you coming back for a visit?

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    1. Availability depends on demand; demand depends on availability. We offered a total of 8 hrs of confession time in addition to our regular schedule during Lent. In the four hrs. I sat in the box, one person showed up.

      Probably right after Christmas. It's hard to get away when you are in parish ministry.

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  2. Anonymous7:24 AM

    LOL at "family time" between scare quotes...

    As for the suggestions, great points. The main problem being defining the verb "demand" in a way acceptable to the average parish priest...

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    Replies
    1. Demand with charity, of course. . .but demand.

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