Courage is needed

 

I am not in a position to pass judgment and to criticize, 

I know what I am; a miserable sinner, and in a glass house 

one can't throw stones. 

We are all in this position, none of us can throw stones.

God alone can judge.

But I feel strongly about the One Holy Catholic Church; which is the guardian and treasurer of the full knowledge of God, and about us mere humans.

 

When I pray the Rosary and come to the Crucifixion of 

Our Lord, I am struck by the unfailing truth in Jesus's cry 

to the Father: 

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do".

 

Sin is knowing what is right and wrong and deciding to do the wrong, anyway. 

 

But first of all knowledge comes from having received information from a trusted source, in order to form an informed conscience. 

That then becomes the frame of reference for everything we think, say and do.

Because if nobody tells us, how do we know? 

 

I grew up in a post-christian former protestant country, 

and although baptized in the Norwegian Lutheran church, 

I received no instruction from anyone, not even from my 

mother, who was a believer, and very sparsely in connection 

with my conversion to the Catholic Faith.

 

Ignorance is a dangerous thing, one is unable to make good decisions.

And then, always, sooner or later, we suffer the consequences of those bad decisions.

 

Also, paradoxically, it can often be that very suffering that 

brings us close to Him who suffered for us, who even died 

a terrible death for us.

 

But Catechism is crucial, the passing on of dogma and truth 

of authentic Catholic teaching, not open to personal interpretation or subjective opinions. 

 

These days I am hugely encouraged to hear small children talk about the faith, it shows that it is alive and even coming back stronger than in recent decades, where liberalism (accepting everything) and a reticence to teaching morals, reigned.

 

Morals, personal behavior, is number one; "it starts with me". 

I have spent years learning about the faith, deepening it, 

learning more, and going more frequent to confession, getting 

feedback from the priest.

 

The priesthood is a miracle, a supernatural gift. 

I pray for priests, and I pray for more and more vocations to the priesthood.

I pray that the courage they need to go back to preaching morals will be revived in them, and not to be cowed down by those who say that priests have no authority to teach morals after all the scandals and cover- ups of same.

 

They DO have the authority, it comes from Jesus Himself. 

They must preach, they must not be afraid.

 

Stopping preaching sexual morality caused the legalization 

of abortion, and abortion is the cause of spiritual, psychological and mental collapse of societies.

We are called to love everybody, and a fundamental obligation of love is informing and warning those we love.

 

All parents knows that; we love our children, and for this very reason we teach them things that sometimes they do not want to hear, but we do it out of pure love.

 

And it is the same for priests, with the difference that they are spiritually responsible for a large number of souls.