How indulgent
It’s easy to prey upon cultural ignorance of traditional spiritual truths.
Like….the New York Times did here with the Church’s teaching of indulgences.
Here’s the first catch phrase….that caught my attention:
In recent months, dioceses around the world have been offering Catholics a spiritual benefit that fell out of favor decades ago — the indulgence, a sort of amnesty from punishment in the afterlife — and reminding them of the church’s clout in mitigating the wages of sin.
The church’s clout?
That’s so……culturally solicitous.
The fact that many Catholics under 50 have never sought one, and never heard of indulgences except in high school European history (Martin Luther denounced the selling of them in 1517 while igniting the Protestant Reformation), simply makes their reintroduction more urgent among church leaders bent on restoring fading traditions of penance in what they see as a self-satisfied world.
High school European history? Whoa. Hope that doesn’t include Catholic schools. “Reintroduction”? Indulgences never went away. Except in school curriculam.
Church leaders bent on restoring fading traditions….?! In what they see as a self-satisfied world?
This is ridiculous.
“Why are we bringing it back?†asked Bishop Nicholas A. DiMarzio of Brooklyn, who has embraced the move. “Because there is sin in the world.â€
With all due respect…..the Church isn’t “bringing it back”. Indulgences never went away.
Like the Latin Mass and meatless Fridays, the indulgence was one of the traditions decoupled from mainstream Catholic practice in the 1960s by the Second Vatican Council, the gathering of bishops that set a new tone of simplicity and informality for the church.
Again, respectully……indulgences never went away.
After celebrating the 40 year anniversary of the closing of the Second Vatican Council, after the entire Pontificate of Pope John Paul II, which was dedicated to the authentic application of Vatican II…..it’s time to face the truth.
For many people, this will come as news. Let’s start there.