I'm a grown woman with a master's in theology, and *I* don't understand the Eucharist, and why God would want to enter into an intimate relationship that invites me to share in His life and heal me of my many ills - much less how it's possible for Him to do it. For heaven's sake - it may just be my Eastern Catholic bias, but are all the …
I'm a grown woman with a master's in theology, and *I* don't understand the Eucharist, and why God would want to enter into an intimate relationship that invites me to share in His life and heal me of my many ills - much less how it's possible for Him to do it. For heaven's sake - it may just be my Eastern Catholic bias, but are all the hoops (couched as "proper preparation") really doing more good for the kids being baptized than actually allowing them to be transformed by receiving the other two Holy Mysteries of Initiation??? Yoy, Hospodi pomiluj!
But what we need is more preparation, to prepare for beginning to start out (note sarcasm in my typed voice). In order to get there, we first have to go half way, but then half again, etc. This is the Zeno's paradox of catechetical formation when the Institutional Church no longer demands that parents are in charge of this via a relationship with their fellow parishioners, priest, DRE, Deacon, somebody who can help and, through actual training, has acquired some judgment. It's very odd; a subsidiarist church has adopted way too many written norms rather than prudence, and it makes for a weaker church. I await a Canonist's response to this with some 'how dare you's, but I suspect the one who moderates this substack might at least partially agree.
Wasn't there an interview with Metropolitan Hilarion where he mentioned that he appreciated Ben XVI for not just be Scholastic about everything? Regardless, the idea that everything needs explaining is a fault of us dealing with the enlightenment as far as I'm concerned. The mystical element has been minimized and we (myself included) would benefit from more of it
I’m born and raised Latin rite over here and I’ve been SCREAMING this from the rooftops since college when I read enough (after 12 yrs of catholic school which taught me very little) to understand. Alas I am me and thus no one worth listening to but I always feel the need to affirm likeminded sensible folk so you feel less like you’re the crazy person in the room 🤣
Do sacraments DO anything or do they not. For heavens sake! Literally! I do so very much love the western emphasis on apostolic connection in reserving confirmation to the bishop - we literally will never see him otherwise, which is a separate thing we could talk about - but I have a charitable envy of all those eastern babies safely sacramented all at once and as close to our Good Shepherd as their little hearts will ever be this side of heaven 💜💜
In my former diocese the bishop regularly visits all the schools, so he is still seen even when he is not there to give the sacraments. And while he's there he encourages vocations.
Artificially lengthening the process puts the cart before the horse. The whole point of a two year formation process is to give people time to develop a deeper relationship with Christ, habits of going to Mass etc, and learning the kerygma and other basics. If they demonstrate the ability to get there in less time, let them.
I'm a grown woman with a master's in theology, and *I* don't understand the Eucharist, and why God would want to enter into an intimate relationship that invites me to share in His life and heal me of my many ills - much less how it's possible for Him to do it. For heaven's sake - it may just be my Eastern Catholic bias, but are all the hoops (couched as "proper preparation") really doing more good for the kids being baptized than actually allowing them to be transformed by receiving the other two Holy Mysteries of Initiation??? Yoy, Hospodi pomiluj!
But what we need is more preparation, to prepare for beginning to start out (note sarcasm in my typed voice). In order to get there, we first have to go half way, but then half again, etc. This is the Zeno's paradox of catechetical formation when the Institutional Church no longer demands that parents are in charge of this via a relationship with their fellow parishioners, priest, DRE, Deacon, somebody who can help and, through actual training, has acquired some judgment. It's very odd; a subsidiarist church has adopted way too many written norms rather than prudence, and it makes for a weaker church. I await a Canonist's response to this with some 'how dare you's, but I suspect the one who moderates this substack might at least partially agree.
I don't know any canonists who would disagree in principle with your views here.
// a subsidiarist church has adopted way too many written norms rather than prudence, and it makes for a weaker church //
Keeping things simple is anathema to the modern relativist mind.
Wasn't there an interview with Metropolitan Hilarion where he mentioned that he appreciated Ben XVI for not just be Scholastic about everything? Regardless, the idea that everything needs explaining is a fault of us dealing with the enlightenment as far as I'm concerned. The mystical element has been minimized and we (myself included) would benefit from more of it
I’m born and raised Latin rite over here and I’ve been SCREAMING this from the rooftops since college when I read enough (after 12 yrs of catholic school which taught me very little) to understand. Alas I am me and thus no one worth listening to but I always feel the need to affirm likeminded sensible folk so you feel less like you’re the crazy person in the room 🤣
Do sacraments DO anything or do they not. For heavens sake! Literally! I do so very much love the western emphasis on apostolic connection in reserving confirmation to the bishop - we literally will never see him otherwise, which is a separate thing we could talk about - but I have a charitable envy of all those eastern babies safely sacramented all at once and as close to our Good Shepherd as their little hearts will ever be this side of heaven 💜💜
In my former diocese the bishop regularly visits all the schools, so he is still seen even when he is not there to give the sacraments. And while he's there he encourages vocations.
While that is lovely and I commend him many children don’t go to catholic school and all ages should see him as well
In Indiana most children qualify for financial help to attend the school of their choice.
Artificially lengthening the process puts the cart before the horse. The whole point of a two year formation process is to give people time to develop a deeper relationship with Christ, habits of going to Mass etc, and learning the kerygma and other basics. If they demonstrate the ability to get there in less time, let them.