Church and Culture in Conflict

If the teachings of the Church are obscure or ambiguous and in many parishes today this is precisely the situation, then how can the concerned Catholic form a correct and unconfused conscience in response to Church authority and teaching?

The Church is Under Attack

The history of our Church has witnessed many challenges and has always vanquished destructive opposition. Today the Church is again under attack, this time by the scourge of atheism under the guise of secular humanism. During this difficult time, it is not easy for a Catholic to discern exactly what the Church does teach. Pluralistic and erroneous schools of thought were found not only in intellectual circles, but also at the pulpit (ambo) and in the classrooms as well (Catholic Universities, seminaries, and Catholic schools).  The entrance of secular humanism is found through the portal of education, especially religious education, or more precisely the lack of it. And it has indeed caused bewilderment of conscience and havoc in the faith of millions of Catholics today.

Crisis

The years following the Second Vatican Council have been years of Church crisis. I don’t believe that the Second Vatican Council is responsible in any way. I prefer to conclude that the impending “darkness” was developing about the same time as the Second Vatican Council and that the Council helped to lessen this impending darkness.

Today the battle is between the Spirit of the Church and spirit of the world (Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen, “The Church Today,” Renewal and Reconciliation, Ministr-o-Media).

The manifestation of the world’s spirit is secularism, a rationale of anthropocentrism and a form of atheism espousing values and a way of life contrary to Christianity.

Secularism

The difficulty for practicing Catholics is that secularism has entered the Church. Today some Bishops, especially in Europe and America, are not one hundred percent in communion with the Pope. They do not carry out their Apostolic responsibility of ensuring that orthodox and complete instruction is taught in Catholic institutions within their diocese. Instead, they either promote or passively permit heterodox and unorthodox teachings to permeate Catholic institutions and Catholic minds.

When Bishops are negligent, error is rampant, not only in areas of Catholic education but throughout all of Church life:

No one who knows what is happening in the Catholic Church has any doubt that the faith of millions of believers is on trial today.  Nor is this any ordinary trial that some would lightly dismiss as the usual situation that follows a general council. Nor can we say merely say there is a cultural revolution, and the Church was bound to be affected by the spirit of the times ( Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Spiritual Life I the Modern World).

A survey conducted in 2019 by the Pew Research Center reflects the results of “watered down” catechesis prevalent throughout our nation:

Transubstantiation – the idea that during Mass, the bread and wine used for Communion become the body and blood of Jesus Christ – is central to the Catholic faith. Indeed, the Catholic Church teaches that “the Eucharist is ‘the source and summit of the Christian life. But a new Pew Research Center survey finds that most self-described Catholics don’t believe this core teaching. In fact, nearly seven-in-ten Catholics (69%) say they personally believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine used in Communion ‘are symbols of the body and blood of Jesus Christ.’ Just one-third of U.S. Catholics (31%) say they believe that during Catholic Mass, the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Jesus (Pew Research Center, Feb. 4-19, 2019).

I believe that the majority of Catholics leaving the Church today do so from the ranks of those who do not accept the miracle at every Mass-the bread and wine changing into the Body and Blood of Christ.

Given the present crisis of faith—challenged by secularism—in the Church today, what can the concerned Catholic do to ensure proper formation of conscience and strength in faith? First and foremost, the practicing Catholic must realize that there is a crisis in the Church and that “only strong faith can remain alive today”(Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Spiritual Life I the Modern World).  

Secondly, he should take appropriate measures to defend his faith. He must fortify himself spiritually through frequent reception of the sacraments (confession and communion), diligent prayer, and careful study. In matters of confusion in faith or morals, the Catholic living the sacramental life and wishing to do so without the confusion of conscience should look directly to papal authority and teaching. Parents should carefully select Catholic schools for their children and be mindful that the best religious education is what children learn at home, through example, family, study, prayer, and way of life.

Lastly, the concerned Catholic should realize that:

no ordinary faith will survive in today’s treacherous climate of unbelief. Either a Catholic develops a strong, very strong faith, or he will become another casualty in the struggle between Christ and antichrist for the mastery of the human mind ([Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J. Spiritual Life I the Modern World]).

Thus, the only recourse the practicing Catholic has is to strive for holiness if he wishes to continue practicing his faith.

Holiness

Sanctity is a call to holiness, a call to be like Christ.

The Lord Jesus, the divine teacher, and model of all perfection, preached holiness of life (of which he is the author and maker) to each one of his disciples without distinction: ‘You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect’ (Mt 5:48) [The Second Vatican Council, Lumen Gentium, Chapter 5, Article 40].

The starting point for holiness is sanctifying grace, and thereafter the closer we are in our imitation of Christ, the greater our degree of sanctity.

Sanctity is the necessary armor of the Faithful; without it, in these times of spiritual turmoil, we cannot defeat the enemy in the world or in ourselves. The faithful Christian today must make a deliberate effort to achieve holiness in order to remain Christian! There is no middle ground, no standing still in this contest for souls. The faithful can achieve victory only through sanctity and constantly striving to become more like Jesus