Celibacy is always, shall we say, an affront to what man normally thinks. It is something that can be done, and is only credible, if there is a God and if celibacy is my doorway into the kingdom of God.
One can readily admit that the Magisterium's manner of expression does not seem very easy to understand at times. It needs to be translated by preachers and catechists into a language which relates to people and to their respective cultural environments. The essential content of the Church's teaching, however, must be upheld in this process. It must not be watered down on allegedly pastoral grounds, because it communicates the revealed truth.
To live without faith, without a patrimony to defend, without a steady struggle for truth – that is not living, but existing.
In proclaiming the faith and in administering the sacraments every priest speaks on behalf of Jesus Christ, for Jesus Christ.
Evil too, will always be part of the mystery of the Church. And when we see what men, what the clergy have done in the Church, then that is nothing short of proof that he [Christ] founded and upholds the Church. If she were dependent on men, she would long since have perished.
As if the news from France - the murdering of a priest by Islamists - was not bad enough, I read this:
The mosque in Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray was inaugurated in 2000 on a plot of land donated by the Catholic parish of the city.
Leicester City the new Premier League champions! It is scarcely believable. This is a team which barely survived in the league last season around, whose survival at the time was wondrous enough.
Distinctions Matter
Distinctions Matter Forward
Missale Romanum
Pre-1951 Calendar