Yes, but doing all these novena stuff isn’t for everyone. I have ambivalent feelings about this topic. Sure its great if we can all follow the rules, but that’s not easy. I’m not saying Catholic churches should perform gay marriages, but expecting all parishioners to act like saints would be nice, but not realistic.
I sympathize with your view. I attend both a Novus Ordo and a Tridentine Mass (work permitting—it’s farther away) and while we are all called to be saints it doesn’t make it easier when the homily from the pulpit is full of mamby-pamby, wishy-washy new age language, not to mention it totally obscures the purpose of the Mass. It’s bad enough a priest won’t mention these things to begin with. But to try to cover for it with a syrupy sermon that has no theological backbone to it is an affront to all good Christian people.
“Yes, but doing all these novena stuff isn’t for everyone. I have ambivalent feelings about this topic. Sure its great if we can all follow the rules, but that’s not easy. I’m not saying Catholic churches should perform gay marriages, but expecting all parishioners to act like saints would be nice, but not realistic.”
I am by no means a saint, but since attending a Tridentine Mass every Sunday starting just before Holy Week 2012, I can tell you that I have gotten closer to that goal.
Being Catholic should be difficult, and cleaving to the Church’s teachings is a constant struggle. But by setting the bar high, the Church raises our level of behavior.
We have a line of 10-20 adults and kids for confession before Mass every Sunday; the rest of the congregation prays the Rosary before Mass. Frequent confession and Marian devotions are a strong source of grace to make us better Catholics.
My 89 year old aunt says that back in the day there were only Catholics: not liberal Catholics or conservative Catholics but just Catholics. The cafeteria style came into vogue in the 1960’s.
Yes, but doing all these novena stuff isn’t for everyone. I have ambivalent feelings about this topic. Sure its great if we can all follow the rules, but that’s not easy. I’m not saying Catholic churches should perform gay marriages, but expecting all parishioners to act like saints would be nice, but not realistic.I think the answer to becoming more involved in the Catholic Faith (like reciting novenas) is (for one) to attend Mass more frequently than once a week. Michael Voris, for instance, is a daily-Mass attender. (That's why he's hopeful for saints, just like a marathon hopeful exercises almost every day, not just on Sunday.)