Did Vatican II really say to stop...
Did you see the L.A. Times story (sorry, I don't have the link) yesterday on Catholics not going to Confession anymore?
Why is it that in the past 40 years so many Catholics have stopped doing so many Catholic things? Obviously, many Catholics till do these Catholic things, but it's indisputable that many do not. Such as:
Going to Mass, revering the Blessed Sacrament, going to Confession, making the Sign of the Cross, availing yourself of the many sacramentals, having holy water in your home, having a Crucifix in your living room and wearing the Scapular.
Many Catholics who do not do these things say it is because we've "had" to "update" the Faith and the Church has "had" to "keep up" with "the times."
What gave them those ideas? WHY would we HAVE to "update?" Why is today's brand of "the times" any different from "the times" of any other century?
The liberals' false interpretation of Vatican II is the father of all these lies, and is the reason so many Catholics have stopped acting Catholic.
What else Catholic have we stopped doing that we should still be doing?
Why is it that in the past 40 years so many Catholics have stopped doing so many Catholic things? Obviously, many Catholics till do these Catholic things, but it's indisputable that many do not. Such as:
Going to Mass, revering the Blessed Sacrament, going to Confession, making the Sign of the Cross, availing yourself of the many sacramentals, having holy water in your home, having a Crucifix in your living room and wearing the Scapular.
Many Catholics who do not do these things say it is because we've "had" to "update" the Faith and the Church has "had" to "keep up" with "the times."
What gave them those ideas? WHY would we HAVE to "update?" Why is today's brand of "the times" any different from "the times" of any other century?
The liberals' false interpretation of Vatican II is the father of all these lies, and is the reason so many Catholics have stopped acting Catholic.
What else Catholic have we stopped doing that we should still be doing?
posted by Quintero at 3:49 PM
15 Comments:
"Ole Q" is right on the money again.
My dear friend, how timely you hit me right between the eyes! I have confessed my sin to another Catholic woman, as well as some very dear friends - but to take it into the confessional?! It has been eight months I have been sitting on this and I know I have to go. Thank you for being another channel of reminder! God Bless You!
The liberals' false interpretation of Vatican II is the father of all these lies, and is the reason so many Catholics have stopped acting Catholic.
But remember: liberal domination of the commissions at Vatican II (liberals in the 60s were not as extreme as they are today) fostered ambiguity in the texts which they can easily manipulate later. Vatican I and Trent are not as easily to misinterpret as Vatican II is;
Father Ratzinger, the personal theologian of Cardinal Frings, while dining one day with a group, mentioned that the liberals had thought they would have a free hand at the council after obtaining the majority in the Council commissions. But in the speeches and voting in the Council hall, he said, they began to notice some resistance to their proposals, and consequently commission had to take this into consideration when revising the schemas.
Rev. R.M. Wiltgen, The Rhine Flows into the Tiber (TAN, 1985), p. 150
Jeannee,
I will say a prayer to Padre Pio for your good confession. Take him (and the Blessed Mother) in there with you and you can't go wrong.
Q,
So many things!
Acknowledging the sanctity of life and the dominion of God is one thing we've stopped doing.
Some observations that may account for fewrer confessions:
—almost all Catholics now know that you do not have to go to confession before receiving Holy Communion. In the sixties, when I was a kid, almost all Catholics who went to Communion went to confession first
—Catholics have a better understanding that only mortal or grave sin should keep one from receiving Holy Communion and that it is not that easy to be culpable of grave or mortal sin when you take into consideration the three conditions the Church says are necessary (objectively grave matter; knowledge of the gravity of the matter; and sufficient reflection with full and complete assent of the will to some grave evil)
—since most Catholics know that their venial sins do not prohibit them from receiving the Eucharist and that the Eucharist itself is the primary sacrament of reconciliation, people avail themselves of the sacrament of penance less frequently.
We should hope and pray that people "rediscover" this sacramnet of healing even if grave sin is not the issue. Who can put a price on the graces that flow from this sacramental encounter with self and God?
The problem is that we are hardly less sinful people than we were 40 years ago.
We rationalize our sins as "venial", but the fact is that most of us can't go a week without committing a mortal sin. (Or is it just me??) ;)
I get angry in traffic.
I don't pray enough.
I have lustful thoughts.
I curse. I gossip. I'm lazy. These are ALL mortal sins I struggle with.
It's not just that we see people going to Communion without having been in the Confession line - that's not my business. For all I know, you went last night or are exceptionally holy.
It's that confessionals are SILENT in most parishes. Hardly ANY Catholics EVER go to confession.
You know it, I know it, and ALL priests know it, which is why many only offer confession from 3:30 - 3:35 on Tuesdays.
Dear Ma,
Sounds like you need a good confessor/spiritual director who will help you with your struggles. Sounds like you could be scrupulous.
Liam,
I have an awesome confessor and I'm not scrupulous - just weak and honest.
It's not scrupulous to say, "I just got really angry when that guy cut me off in traffic" or, "Man, I shouldn't have engaged in talking about that coworker like I did." It's the truth.
I'm not saying I do these these every five minutes, but I know and am not ashamed to admit that I do at least one of them every week.
Which meeeeeans:
I NEED to be in confession EVERY Sunday.
Dear Ma,
I'm glad you have a good confessor and do not consider yourself scrupulous. Usually, people who accuse themselves of mortal sin when there is not objectively grave matter are.
Dear Gibbons,
Thank you for your kind words!
Dear Jeannee,
Thank you for telling us your good news! It is so good to hear that you will be going to Confession.
God bless you very, very much!
Dear Ma Beck,
You are so right about praying for a good Confession. We all need to ask Jesus and Padre Pio and all the saints, including Our Lady, Refuge of Sinners, for that grace.
And you are so right about our need to start acknowledging the sanctity of human life and God's dominion again.
Dear Liam,
The reason most Catholics went to Confession regularly before Vatican II and "the new theology" was they knew they needed to -- they wanted to present themselves as spotless as possible to Jesus.
They did not think they "had" to go to Confession before every Communion. But they knew from Scripture, not to mention human nature and common sense, that "the just man falls seven times a day."
They also knew from Scripture that "he who says he is without sin is a liar."
They were not like so many today who, as the recent Popes have told us, have lost the sense of sin.
A huge reason people do not go to Confession today is that most of our clergy never tell them to in their sermons and never tell them of Confession's graces and power.
Ma Beck and you are both right that we need to meet Jesus often in Confession and receive all the forgiveness and graces He offers.
I think that another reason for the scarcity of confessions today might be that the sacrament isn't as readily available as it used to be. In my youth, Saturday afternoon was confession time. Where I live now, confessions are advertised in the parish bulletin as "15 minutes before each Mass". Trouble is, the pastor is usually strolling up and down the aisles, chatting with parishioners at that time. Our parish only has one priest, with an assistant deacon on weekends. There used to be an assistant priest (retired), but I haven't seen him for a while. In the meantime, Father says at the end of each Sunday Mass, "Remember, God loves you." Thank the Lord that He does love us, but I think sometimes He weeps at what we do. BTW, would everyone please pray for my husband? We've been married for 29 years, and unless I missed it, he has not gone to confession in all that time. I hope he did before our wedding, but there again, I'm not sure. Thanks, and God bless. Oh, and pray for me too, so that I can find a way to get to the sacrament ASAP.
Dear Anonymous 4 p.m.,
You and your husband will be in my prayers and no doubt in the prayers of everyone who stops by here and sees your good comment.
You are so right that we need opportunities for Confession. But did you know that you can call your parish office to make an appointment for Confession? Priests are happy to comply.
Thank you for your kind words, and God bless you, too!
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