Saturday, 22 September 2012
End of Perfection Series for Now
The perfection series was quite popular with readers and you can click on the tag below for the entire set. I am leaving that theme until December.
We are all called to perfection. One of the great lies of the post-Vatican II Church, not in official teaching, but in pastoral mediocrity from the pulpit, has been the Protestantizing of spirituality.
What do I mean?
Protestants, always looking to appease and compromise, lowered the bar for holiness at the Revolt.
Celibacy was not longer valued. The Calvinists changed the view of the Beatitudes in to a prosperity message of those who are saved are blessed with goods in this world.
Feasts and celebrations were ended, and the work-ethic eventually destroyed the day of rest.
The sacraments were declared as unnecessary, especially Confession, which led to the dying of daily examination of conscience.
The Protestants saw man as he was and accepted his imperfections as simply part of life on earth. Salvation was enough, as man was basically evil and God could not expect holiness.
As Christ was no longer present as True God in the Body and Blood of Christ, worship became solely the sermon and scripture with a few hymns, destroying meditation and contemplation.
The Catholic Church was infected by these faults and heresies to the point where the laity have been discouraged from personal holiness and do not even know what that term means.
Some of the reasons I wrote the perfection series form this list.
Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect.
The Catholic Church has kept the ideals of Christ. Matthew 5:48 DR.
The Catholic Church holds up an ideal and we are to attempt to cooperate with the sacramental life of the Church and grace to attain that ideal.
The bar is high.
We, like St. Paul, are the spiritual athletes, who must strive for the prize.
There is no other way to see God. His mercy and the guidance of the Church help us on our way.
There is only one true religion, the Catholic Faith. There is only one True God, the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. There is only one way to get to heaven, in and through Christ the Son of God, who became Incarnate to show us the Father and give us the Holy Ghost.
All the truths you need are in the Teaching Magisterium of the Church, the Church instituted by Christ while He was on earth. Therein lies your perfection.