In reading Saint Augustine’s The City of God, we get the sensation that he was writing for our days; not what he wrote on the city of God itself, but rather, the city of the evil one as he describes it.
Today, the laws and comportments referring to matrimony and the family constitute a deformation – a veritable departure from, and offense to what was by established God. The institution of the family is sadly destroyed and degraded by the enemies of the Holy Church. Woe to those who valiantly and heroically defend and give testimony of family values according to Jesus Christ! They can hope for nothing but complete indifference from many, and even attempts to impede their continuous testimony of matrimonial indissolubility. All are quite aware that these affirmations are no exaggeration. The pressure to ‘adapt’ to the times is the cruelest of battles that a Christian has to face today.
Formerly, the few who resisted in this fight found strength and support in Catholic Doctrine. When they felt they were about to give in, they could consult a priest who would remind them of their obligations, and God’s love for them; this kept them faithful amid the storm.
And today? What kind of support is available for the young girl who practices purity, or the upright youth, or parents under attack? Not even in the innovative magisterium of he who sits n St. Peter’s throne will they find clear doctrine that teaches them to follow the sacred laws of God. In place of the support they seek, they will come to face with justifications regarding the formation of ‘analogous families’ which, though opposed to the teachings of God and his the Church, are more favorably looked upon and understood than the Christian family itself.
Yes, this is the sad situation in which Francis – who so professes his love for the marginalized – has left properly constituted families. They are the only marginalized group Francis absolutely fails to support.
But the truth is one and unchanging, and all unions outside of marriage continue being an offense toward the Creator and unacceptable in the eyes of the Church. The infallible Magisterium defines them with this unchanging precision. Let us love clarity and truth, and leave confusion and lies to the children of darkness. Here’s more….
Can you imagine how difficult it is for me to promote chastity between My children raised in this world and esp my daughter & her fiancée, which under good instruction, they have been struggling to abide by for some time now, when someone comes out & says basically it’s ok to live together? And also says some of those unions are more like marriages anyway and have lots of charitable good in them? And not just someone unimportant but the apparent Head of Our Lord Jesus Christ’s Catholic Church himself?!
Well, if they listened and died in mortal sin, what then? Or became accustomed to and lazy towards the ideal, as many do, what then? And the public state of sin which causes scandal to little ones and sets the example to all around them, including my other children, what of that??! This is pure evil.
How can Pope Francis ignore so many faithful Catholic couples fighting hard to defend their Marriage and sacrificing themselves daily so as to not let their mutual differences take a toll over the Sacrament of Matrimony they have professed before God!
How can he indeed? It makes me feel bitter and outraged. I know how much people endure for the sake of their Holy Marriage Covenant. But then I think too that I should feel sorry for him in some way because bitterness does not bear good fruit. I feel sorry that his life must have been so bereft of love, of chastity and of self discipline maybe, and of good example, that he started to think this way. Who has pulled him up and challenged him, a man of his age, that he might see? I guess I cannot say that many many people aren’t praying for him. God can never be accused of not being Merciful! He has the whole Catholic world praying for him and doing penance, making sacrifices! What then if he refuses all Grace? I shudder to think because God is also perfect Justice. The man has not all that many days left on this earth- even if years, he cannot live forever.