Phillip. 19. Catholic.
I'm trying to follow God's will and striving to live a life of holiness. I live and blog with the conviction that we are all called to be saints.
My appearance on Catholic Answers Live yesterday.
My question: In 1 Corinthians 6:9, the words arsenokoitai and malakos appear and are often translated as effiminate and homosexuals or boy prostitutes and sodomites. Proponents of gay marriage often wave this verse away, saying that it does not apply to a long-term, loving gay relationship or that it is not meant to be a blanket condemnation of all homosexual behavior, only that which is greedy or aggressive. How would a Catholic respond?
Jimmy Akin has the answer.
I expect to see this soon…
Ha…ha….got to love Father Shane! (patron saint of the blogosphere!)
PLEASE?! :D :D :D :D :D
I like that Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury is present.
Apparently Fr. Shane’s cause for canonization will also bring about strong unity talks between the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of England.
I lost my ability to can.
St. Maximilian Kolbe’s beard
Being Catholic vs. Being in Communion with the Catholic Church
There’s a lot of talk about this issue on Tumblr today, so I thought I’d post Fr. Shane’s commentary on the issue:
What makes us Christians is Baptism. It’s the only way that we can draw a clear black/white line between who is or who isn’t Christian.
But things get blurrier after that. Vatican II’s Lumen Gentium talks in terms of communion: You’re in “communion” with the Church in differing degrees. If you read #14-15 of that document, you’ll see how the different intensities of communion are described for Catholics living in grace, Catholics in a state of grave sin, catechumens who desire to be united to the Church, Orthodox, Protestants, and even those who aren’t yet Christian.
Let’s look at the “Catholic” part:
The bonds which bind men to the Church in a visible way are profession of faith, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical government and communion.
So if any of us choose to disagree about an element of our profession of faith, our communion with Christ’s Church is imperfect; it’s not what it should be, and it’s not what God desires for us. Ultimately, of course, it’s not really about our “opinions,” but about God’s will for us. Our attitude with our Heavenly Father has to be one of desiring ever more to fulfill his will, and seeking that our desires be aligned with his more than the other way around.
So the question about becoming a nun is a complicated one for you right now. If you don’t feel that you’re ready for that full communion yet, it’s probably better to take some time to reflect on it. Don’t assume that your views are immutable; we’re never that “calcified.” I’ve found, for example, that a lot of my views have changed during my own faith journey, hopefully for the best.
God bless you!
- Father Shane
My Dashboard is FILLED with monstrances this morning.
doubleplusgoodful asked: Will you please tell me about the Pro-Sanctity Movement?
Absolutely!
The Pro Sanctity Movement was founded by a young Italian priest who was absolutely convinced that all people, no matter their situation, are called to live a life of holiness and thereby become a saint. He wanted to create a utopia of saints, a society where holiness was an everyday word.
His spirituality was confirmed by the Second Vatican Council. Chapter 5 of the dogmatic constitution on the church, Lumen Gentium, is focused on this universal call to holiness.
Most notably, Bishop Guglielmo Giaquinta founded two secular institutes: the Institute of Apostolic Oblates for consecrated laywomen and the Institute of Apostolic Sodales for diocesan priests. These men and women consecrate their entire lives to spreading the universal call to holiness and providing means for people to respond to that call.
My Tumblr URL - beholybehappy - was inspired by the Pro Sanctity Movement, of which I am a member.
More information can be found here.
The biggest attacks on Catholicism…
…appear to be coming from Catholics with no clue.
It is really so disappointing and scary. Those of other religions appear to be somewhat respectful overall. Sadly, the feelings of people who received poor catechesis or who are acting out like immature children when they realize that others don’t approve of them doing whatever they want - even though it is damaging to them and a sign of love - just seem to overwhelm them and cloud their judgement.
These are mostly people I know and it just saddens me.
