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The Ten Commandments lead to true freedom - not doom us to a life of frustrated desires

Here is a story about Pope Francis' recent reflection on the liberating reality of accepting and forming one's life in accordance with the Ten Commandments.


http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=18103

Comments

  1. Jason Gareau11 June, 2013

    And when was the last time any Priest dealt with all 10 commandments, whether at one talk, or in a series of talks from his Pulpit?
    Priests seem to avoid this, because they would then have to talk about sin. And that would be unpopular!
    It was just announced there is really a gay lobby in the Curia at the Vatican.
    Will this be dealt with in our Churches? Yah, right!

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    1. There's the story of the man who went to his priest before mass and complained that someone stole his hat. The priest agreed to preach his sermon on the 10 commandments, with special emphasis on Thou shall not steal. The guilty person would feel so bad that the person would return his hat. The next week the man arrived at church wearing his hat and the priest remarked "I see my sermon worked. Thou shall not steal". "That wasn't it", the man replied, "When you got to Thou shall not commit adultery, I remembered where I left my hat." :->

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  2. Jason: First off, I can say that I know of priests who preach the commandments... and you can count me among them. I also ensure that they are taught and explained as part of every confirmation class that I've taught in the past 25 years as a cleric. It's regretable if you don't hear the complete canon of Church teaching where you are, but your experience is far from universal... at least in this corner of God's kingdom.

    Fr. Tim

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    1. Jason Gareau11 June, 2013

      Father, how long is it between your talks about sin?
      That is, in my opinion, where the quagmire lies.
      We are forgetful, willingly or unwillingly, and many reminders are needed.
      It is in the Church, on Sunday, that a Priest has the opportunity, and the responsibility, to teach the Truth- all of it. Jason

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    2. Jason: Rare is the sermon I offer that doesn't deal with three essential elements: a) what it means as taught by the Magisterium; b)the obligations it demands of us (with sin - and its concomitant consequences - being understood as refusing to fulfill that obligation; c) the grace and aid that God grants us to faithfully respond to his teaching, and how we can use it to strengthen our brothers, sisters, and neighbor. Having a plan and structure to use in preparing a Sunday homily keeps me far from any quagmire, moral or otherwise as well as maximizing the chance of being both understood and faithful to Church teaching and doctrine.

      I have preached the same way since I was first ordained and continue to do so today. I do not believe that I am at all unique or particularly gifted, thus again I assert that your experience doesn't seem to be universal.

      You'll have more success in defending and promoting the Church if you concentrate more on trying to foster, nurture, and support on what works rather than fixating on what you believe is going wrong. Have you ever approached a priest to charitably discuss his homily? If you think that he may be mistaken in his understanding, gracefully offer yours. Follow it up with a note to the appropriate RCCC reference so he can read the teaching for himself. Offer encouragement with specifics when he offers a teaching you appreciate in a sermon as you leave church.

      It's cliche to say this but it's true nonetheless: It's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. If you think your (or any) priest has lost his way in the dark, light your candle to help him find his way back to the right path. I know that some won't appreciate the effort because they want their acts to remain in the dark... but some will be grateful for the helping hand and support in finding their way back to Christ and his Church.

      Fr. Tim

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  3. Jason Gareau11 June, 2013

    Father, sorry , but your pie-in-the-sky approach as to what is actually happening in the Church is hard to accept.
    You do not hear the homilies of other Priests except at the occasional Funeral. And there, you will often hear a Priest say ---We are sure---- is already in Heaven.
    If you wish to remain in the dark, you have plenty of company among several Priests.
    And to go so far as to suggest I consider correcting or challenging a Priest on what he said- well that proves how much you are disconnected from reality.
    I have done it more than once, and both times was reminded by the Priest that he had more education than I did so he was the one who the right way.
    One of those Priests died drunk.

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