|
Thomas,
Again, that would be proportionalism, another errant moral system. Sadly, our seminaries have been teaching bogus moral theology for so long, we are seeing the fruits of it played out before our eyes on the world stage.
- Is it any wonder there are so many scandals when our supposed leaders can't get basic right and wrong straight?
I don't know how to fix what has gone wrong in the Church other than to pray, seek personal holiness and virtue, and speak up when something requires it. It is a long game against us, diabolically directed, that seeks to undermine everything about our faith and Church.
Your best path in seeking moral counsel is to consult the Catechism, Councils of the Church, anyone steeped in Thomism, and in reading the New Testament. In other words, go old school.
We live in perilous times morally, and confusion is being sown even from the highest offices of the Church. I personally find the Blessed Virgin (especially through Fatima and her many appearances) is a sure compass — especially in these days. With a strong devotion to her, and praying daily Rosary, we can find great clarity, much more than reading a lot of high theology tomes.
Prayer and pious devotion does wonders, and it doesn't hurt to know a few trustworthy solid scholars that have tangled with the beast a bit. Case in point: There were parts of my Masters program in theology that literally would have had my head spinning if it had not been for the likes of Peter Kreeft and Scott Hahn to help me sort it through. There were so many professors that were off the mark, I went through the list with Kreeft in advance to sort out who was worth studying with, and what I could expect. Unfortunately, that kind of help isn't available to most seminarians/priests and they just get shuffled through the system and are filled with so much intellectual noise, they lose grounding in objective truth. (This is one of the reasons Pope St. John Paul II wrote Veritatis Splendor). We must pray for our priests, the pope, bishops and all our leaders to once again start teaching with charity and clarity, rooted in the faith handed on to us from Christ himself, who never left anyone to speculate.
Sorry this turned into a bit of a rant, but it really presses my buttons when I hear of another priest who has been dis-serviced in his formation.
Nonetheless, your instincts are good and true, so just reinforce them with some good sources to draw from — and then you will be able to sift through all the dicey issues that are being thrown at us from the world on virtually a daily basis.
Peace,
Bob Kirby
|
