Culture

 

We have this notion that a culture is always something good and 

justifies everything, it is morally accepted.

We travel to other countries, experience other cultures,

different to ours, and we are predisposed to accept it, whatever it 

is, because it is their culture,  and if we say anything negative about 

it, we are deemed judgemental and narrow minded.

But what if it is unhealthy and damaging, and  in opposition 

to the Catholic Faith?

 

In France, food; meals; eating; is a cultural central part of great 

importance to the people. 

As we know, eating is a necessary....., but in France, 

it is on another level. 

One come together, one socialize, one have meetings, almost 

always, around food. 

It seems to me that nothing can take place unless there is food 

on the table.

Even in the family, dinners are more than just satisfying hunger, 

and nourish the body, they are elevated to mini parties; events. 

The preparation of meals are often laborious, and the food 

produce must be of high quality, and taste good.

This focus often leads to gluttony; a deadly sin for a catholic. 

 

Then in Ireland, the culture of drink; "having a pint" is totally 

socially accepted as the norm. Although "having a pint" must 

not be taken in the literal sense as it normally means having 

more than one. Business meetings and important decisions are 

taken as alcohol is being consumed, and professional people 

returns to work after an alcohol consuming lunch.

 

We hear of people visiting pagan tribes, where killing and all 

sorts of barbarism is the norm; their culture.

 

Maybe we need to look a bit closer at the word culture, as

it obviously does not necessarily imply being cultured. 

In former Catholic strong-hold countries like France; the oldest 

daughter of the Church, the general culture demands, even in the 

Catholic Church; (Novus Ordo parishes), 

tolerance of foreign cultures and religions within their own country.

 

But it is often a twisted and simplistic understanding of tolerance, 

one that is self-destructive. Because tolerating means putting up 

with, accepting the differences, showing civil respect. 

It does not mean, as some seems to think, that in order to be tolerant 

we have to be like them. 

Look at the "work" of ecumenism; the work of unifying with the 

other Christian churches, which has at this stage extended to other 

religions as well. 

What has happened to those that has invested themselves in this 

work, is a loss of the true doctrine of the Catholic Church, 

all in order "to approach the other and to be nice". 

The Catholic doctrine has almost been totally erased in many 

Novus Ordo  parishes, what remains is vague, loose, imprecise, 

and there are even Catholic religious Sisters who attend protestant 

worship gatherings regularly....

The very concept of ecumenism is illogical, because the Catholic 

Church is not a political organization, or a worldly association. 

The only way there can be unity is when those that protested and 

left, who broke away from the tree, comes back and reunites, and 

this actually happens a lot on individual basis. 

But now it has gone as far as they are trying to lead Catholics to 

believe that muslims have the same God as us, that we should 

worship with them.

But, with the unlimited influx of immigrants from muslim countries, 

that we must accept in the name of tolerance, 

the French culture itself will unfortunately disappear.  

Is that not intolerant towards all the French who would like to 

conserve their culture?

 

There is also a cultural (mis)understanding of clericalism; when people 

say that someone is anti-clerical it means to them anti catholic church, 

anti catholic faith, but in reality being clerical is not a good thing, 

because it implies a faith in the person of the cleric, rather that in the 

Person of Jesus; true God and true Man, who, 

unlike the other person, is without fault, and can be trusted.

 

Apart from when he is carrying out the Sacraments, during which 

he has the full authority from God, and acts in the role of Jesus, 

His Only Son, the task of the priest is to transmit the truth about 

God and man, while he himself remains a sinner, a mere human. 

When the scandals committed by clergy was revealed, it also revealed

the huge numbers of Catholics who believed in the clergy rather than

in Christ, and so they left the Church. 

They threw the baby out with the bath water.

 

This lack of distinction and differentiation is also the case in the 

culture of confusing sin with the sinner. 

Those who think that Christians are judgemental people, are mixing 

up the two. 

We have to call out a sin, but we never  judge, 

as in condemn, the person who commits the sin. 

How can we? 

When we know full well our own weaknesses and sins? 

It would be impossible.

 

"So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto 

them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her."

John 8:7  

There is a culture and history of heresies within the Church too, it has, 

contrary to popular belief, always existed in more or less degree. 

These false beliefs serve as occasions for the Church Magisterium

to clarify, define, precisely what the correct teaching is, 

and to distinguish nuances.

All Catholics are called to evangelize.

 

Definition of a Catholic : 

1. A person that has been baptized in the Church

2. A person that has the Faith in what the Church teaches

3. A person that recognizes the authority of the Church to 

teach the Faith. 

 

In evangelizing we simply pass on the information, we do not try to 

convince (we are not car sales men).

With our own free (God-given) will, we are free to do what we will, 

free to receive or to reject. 

This free will will not be taken away, not for as long as we live in 

this dimension.