Aug 2009
From the Pastor
August/28/2009
It brightens my heart and it’s always so nice to see our parents and grandparents bringing the little children to weekday Mass, especially after dropping of the older children at school each morning. While we know of our serious Sunday obligation to attend Mass, weekday Masses provide us with additional opportunities to spend time with the Lord and to feel the power of His grace alive in our lives. It also presents us a means whereby the youngsters learn, by our good example, what we mean by “speaking to the Lord and listening to what He has to say.” The “little ones” learn so quickly from us that God’s House is a “House of Prayer.”
This coming Saturday, September 5th, is the 1st Saturday of the month, the day each month when faithful pro-life people come to the abortion center on Village Blvd. just above 45th St. to pray for the conversion of hearts – for those contemplating the crime of abortion and those assisting in procuring them. The Rosary begins at 9:00 a.m., and goes for a little over an hour. Some will also stay for the Divine Mercy devotions that follow. During this time, we sometimes are able to witness young, frightened women who receive our prayerful message and counseling and who then make a decision to keep their unborn baby. Some of them will even join us in prayer for their “sisters” to change their hearts, too. It is a safe environment, because police are always present, not to protect us, so much as to assist the cynical protagonists in their murderous work. Your presence is a great witness to respect life in all its stages: from the womb to the tomb. If you cannot travel that far to witness, then please pray for us in our mission there.
Please mark your calendars for our annual "LIFE CHAIN" in support of all human life. We will gather and pray for an hour at the corner of Linton Blvd. and Federal Hwy. in Delray Beach on Sunday, October 4th, from 2 to 3 p.m. We will gather about 15 minutes earlier on the N.E. corner of that intersection to distribute the necessary signs and give instructions on how to carry out a safe demonstration for LIFE. Please invite your family member, friends and neighbors to join us. Thank you for your support, and if you need more information, or have questions or suggestions, please call our Parish Respect Life Coordinator, Dan Holthouse, at 358-1016.
Soon, in the next few weeks, you will receive reports concerning the financial concerns and future plans for our parish, and the pains we have to work through in these hard economic times that affect so many of us, including the operation of our parish and its school. Recently, at the recommendation of our Parish Finance Council and with the “go-ahead” approval of our Parish Pastoral Council, we began implementing a multipronged program that’s already working to reduce expenses and increase revenue for the operation of our parish plant (church, school and other ministry buildings and grounds). So much of this is based on an appreciation of our role as stewards of God’s gifts to us, and how we can use and share these gifts with others. For instance, members of our St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference that works out of our parish expressed their own gratitude to many of our parishioners who have been helping to serve as members and volunteers in its charitable outreach programs, especially your donations last week to build up a basis for helping the increased numbers of parishioners who are really “down on their luck.” Likewise, the younger members of our family are being asked in a serious manner to show their love for God, His people and their surroundings, and to do what they can to show that support and love of their parish.
While it takes a lot of funding to build buildings, it is very easy to overlook the costs in maintaining them to quality standards. Fortunately, we’ve had an excellent team of workers in our maintenance crew. Unfortunately, the difficult part during these times of economic stress is cutting back in manpower, hours, or programs (or any combination of these), in order to save money for other vital operations. Like so many other organizations, we have begun to do so, evaluating the needs of the parish and, as well as we can, the needs of our employees. This isn’t an easy task! So, we commend a lot more in prayer to Our Lord, and ask Him to give the strength and wisdom we need to do our best in sorting out all factors on the playing field of life.
Our first Fish Fry of the season, brought to us in a partnership by our Knights of Columbus and our parish Youth Ministry, will be held this Friday. Both organizations benefit from any profits realized. With all due respect to our parishioners in the restaurant business, this may be the “best deal in town,” for that day. More information can be found elsewhere in this parish bulletin.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
This coming Saturday, September 5th, is the 1st Saturday of the month, the day each month when faithful pro-life people come to the abortion center on Village Blvd. just above 45th St. to pray for the conversion of hearts – for those contemplating the crime of abortion and those assisting in procuring them. The Rosary begins at 9:00 a.m., and goes for a little over an hour. Some will also stay for the Divine Mercy devotions that follow. During this time, we sometimes are able to witness young, frightened women who receive our prayerful message and counseling and who then make a decision to keep their unborn baby. Some of them will even join us in prayer for their “sisters” to change their hearts, too. It is a safe environment, because police are always present, not to protect us, so much as to assist the cynical protagonists in their murderous work. Your presence is a great witness to respect life in all its stages: from the womb to the tomb. If you cannot travel that far to witness, then please pray for us in our mission there.
Please mark your calendars for our annual "LIFE CHAIN" in support of all human life. We will gather and pray for an hour at the corner of Linton Blvd. and Federal Hwy. in Delray Beach on Sunday, October 4th, from 2 to 3 p.m. We will gather about 15 minutes earlier on the N.E. corner of that intersection to distribute the necessary signs and give instructions on how to carry out a safe demonstration for LIFE. Please invite your family member, friends and neighbors to join us. Thank you for your support, and if you need more information, or have questions or suggestions, please call our Parish Respect Life Coordinator, Dan Holthouse, at 358-1016.
Soon, in the next few weeks, you will receive reports concerning the financial concerns and future plans for our parish, and the pains we have to work through in these hard economic times that affect so many of us, including the operation of our parish and its school. Recently, at the recommendation of our Parish Finance Council and with the “go-ahead” approval of our Parish Pastoral Council, we began implementing a multipronged program that’s already working to reduce expenses and increase revenue for the operation of our parish plant (church, school and other ministry buildings and grounds). So much of this is based on an appreciation of our role as stewards of God’s gifts to us, and how we can use and share these gifts with others. For instance, members of our St. Vincent de Paul Society Conference that works out of our parish expressed their own gratitude to many of our parishioners who have been helping to serve as members and volunteers in its charitable outreach programs, especially your donations last week to build up a basis for helping the increased numbers of parishioners who are really “down on their luck.” Likewise, the younger members of our family are being asked in a serious manner to show their love for God, His people and their surroundings, and to do what they can to show that support and love of their parish.
While it takes a lot of funding to build buildings, it is very easy to overlook the costs in maintaining them to quality standards. Fortunately, we’ve had an excellent team of workers in our maintenance crew. Unfortunately, the difficult part during these times of economic stress is cutting back in manpower, hours, or programs (or any combination of these), in order to save money for other vital operations. Like so many other organizations, we have begun to do so, evaluating the needs of the parish and, as well as we can, the needs of our employees. This isn’t an easy task! So, we commend a lot more in prayer to Our Lord, and ask Him to give the strength and wisdom we need to do our best in sorting out all factors on the playing field of life.
Our first Fish Fry of the season, brought to us in a partnership by our Knights of Columbus and our parish Youth Ministry, will be held this Friday. Both organizations benefit from any profits realized. With all due respect to our parishioners in the restaurant business, this may be the “best deal in town,” for that day. More information can be found elsewhere in this parish bulletin.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
From the Pastor
August/22/2009
Last Saturday afternoon, we were happy to host Bishop Barbarito (who celebrates his 15th anniversary as Bishop this Saturday, August 22nd). He came to celebrate Mass for us and then bless the renovations that have taken place in our church and on our campus in the past 3 years. He loved the new crucifix over the main altar, and he especially praised the beauty of the four stained-glass doors on the east and west entrances of the church. Then he proceeded to the Adoration Chapel, which he blessed, and called it a special place of love that Our Lord pours out upon those who spend time with Him there. His emphasis on the Eucharist in his homily and during the blessing spoke of the unity that draws us all together, as we celebrate our New Beginnings by
our living out the Comm--union of Christ.
Since the rain began to pour down fiercely as he tried to visit each building, he sent his blessings from the entrance to our chapel, and then, when the rain stopped, made his way to each of the renovated buildings to inspect what your generous support of our parish these past three and-ahalf years has made possible. He was particularly impressed with the Youth Center for our EDGE and LIFE TEEN programs, and learned of the good use that the former two-storied convent provides for the homeless program, “FAMILY PROMISE,” and the Catholic Charities Counseling Center in the same building. He met with most of the people who came, and spent hours with us until he had to leave, quite late into the evening. I join my thanks to his, to all of you who made that day such a special one in the history of our parish and help to bring about the renewal of our parish through Jesus Christ.
Our 40 Hours Eucharistic Adoration will take place in the Blessed Sacrament Perpetual Adoration
Chapel this upcoming Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It begins after the 8:30 A.M. Mass on Thursday and concludes on Saturday afternoon at 3:45 p.m., before the 4 p.m. Mass. You will have the opportunity to spend some precious time with Our Lord in the Eucharist, as the Host will be exposed in the special monstrance on the altar. Groups of adorers are welcome, such as school children, prayer groups and organizations of the parish, to pray aloud during this special time, or to spend it quietly in adoration, asking the Lord to hear your special needs. Even though our church building is closed after the last Mass of the morning to prevent vandalism and worse, our Adoration Chapel is always open for you to spend a few moments in prayer with God.
Bring your children or grandchildren, too, and teach them about the Real Presence of Jesus there.
Our children returned to school this past week for the start of a great year. An Open House for the Pre-K parents and children last Monday evening, and a “Welcome Back” breakfast on Wednesday morning helped us to inaugurate our new year. Thank you to the Home and School Association under the leadership of Irene Hey who put on an excellent presentation. Our parents were introduced to the SCRIP program that will enable us to earn money for ourselves and for our school.
Thanks to the information that Sister Maria gave us earlier this year, we will be able to purchase gift cards through the school office that can be used like cash for a wide variety of store purchases, such as at Publix, Winn-Dixie, Albertson’s Walgreen’s CVS, Sears, Target and many, many more merchants. The percentage that we receive by using these gift cards for our purchases will
come back to help us as individual families and our school. Even if you have no children in our school, your use of these will go a long way to help fund our programs.
At the recommendations of our Parish Finance Council and our School Advisory Board, and with the encouragement of our Parish Pastoral Council in an effort to build up our parish funding for church and school use, and to teach our younger generation how to responsibly share in supporting the Church and its vast work, we will be introducing the Sunday envelope system for Parish Stewardship to our youngsters, both in our parish school and our Parish Religious Education Program (PREP). This is an excellent teaching moment for them to be good stewards of the gifts given them, and to share in the upkeep of our parish.
Sometimes they don’t get the opportunity to really understand what stewardship of time, talent and treasure is all about. In this way, they can learn to budget and share their own resources for the good of others, and learn from Mom and Dad how to share in some of the other family responsibilities. Envelope packets will be distributed in school, or sent through the mail in the coming week. May the youngsters learn the best of traits from the good examples of their parents!
Very Rev. Canon Tom
our living out the Comm--union of Christ.
Since the rain began to pour down fiercely as he tried to visit each building, he sent his blessings from the entrance to our chapel, and then, when the rain stopped, made his way to each of the renovated buildings to inspect what your generous support of our parish these past three and-ahalf years has made possible. He was particularly impressed with the Youth Center for our EDGE and LIFE TEEN programs, and learned of the good use that the former two-storied convent provides for the homeless program, “FAMILY PROMISE,” and the Catholic Charities Counseling Center in the same building. He met with most of the people who came, and spent hours with us until he had to leave, quite late into the evening. I join my thanks to his, to all of you who made that day such a special one in the history of our parish and help to bring about the renewal of our parish through Jesus Christ.
Our 40 Hours Eucharistic Adoration will take place in the Blessed Sacrament Perpetual Adoration
Chapel this upcoming Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It begins after the 8:30 A.M. Mass on Thursday and concludes on Saturday afternoon at 3:45 p.m., before the 4 p.m. Mass. You will have the opportunity to spend some precious time with Our Lord in the Eucharist, as the Host will be exposed in the special monstrance on the altar. Groups of adorers are welcome, such as school children, prayer groups and organizations of the parish, to pray aloud during this special time, or to spend it quietly in adoration, asking the Lord to hear your special needs. Even though our church building is closed after the last Mass of the morning to prevent vandalism and worse, our Adoration Chapel is always open for you to spend a few moments in prayer with God.
Bring your children or grandchildren, too, and teach them about the Real Presence of Jesus there.
Our children returned to school this past week for the start of a great year. An Open House for the Pre-K parents and children last Monday evening, and a “Welcome Back” breakfast on Wednesday morning helped us to inaugurate our new year. Thank you to the Home and School Association under the leadership of Irene Hey who put on an excellent presentation. Our parents were introduced to the SCRIP program that will enable us to earn money for ourselves and for our school.
Thanks to the information that Sister Maria gave us earlier this year, we will be able to purchase gift cards through the school office that can be used like cash for a wide variety of store purchases, such as at Publix, Winn-Dixie, Albertson’s Walgreen’s CVS, Sears, Target and many, many more merchants. The percentage that we receive by using these gift cards for our purchases will
come back to help us as individual families and our school. Even if you have no children in our school, your use of these will go a long way to help fund our programs.
At the recommendations of our Parish Finance Council and our School Advisory Board, and with the encouragement of our Parish Pastoral Council in an effort to build up our parish funding for church and school use, and to teach our younger generation how to responsibly share in supporting the Church and its vast work, we will be introducing the Sunday envelope system for Parish Stewardship to our youngsters, both in our parish school and our Parish Religious Education Program (PREP). This is an excellent teaching moment for them to be good stewards of the gifts given them, and to share in the upkeep of our parish.
Sometimes they don’t get the opportunity to really understand what stewardship of time, talent and treasure is all about. In this way, they can learn to budget and share their own resources for the good of others, and learn from Mom and Dad how to share in some of the other family responsibilities. Envelope packets will be distributed in school, or sent through the mail in the coming week. May the youngsters learn the best of traits from the good examples of their parents!
Very Rev. Canon Tom
From the Pastor
August/13/2009
The Catholic Church does not generally favor any particular form of government of itself. While some forms have been more consistent with the Church’s teachings concerning the common good of society, and others have even defended moral values in the face of fierce opposition, there are still those forms that run contrary to Christ’s view of His Father’s Creation, and, hence, contrary to the Church’s point of view. But the ultimate aim of the Church is always what is best for the human person in order to achieve salvation. Therefore, it’s important to remember that what the Catholic Church puts forth as “social encyclicals,” are those that should address the state of human society. This is often done by attempting to rediscover for us the courage to plan the future of all humanity, not with the illusions of worn-out ideologies, but with the synthesis of all the elements that a dynamic, living organism --the Church-- can offer society itself.
In this “Year For Priests,” I continue to reflect more deeply on the writings of our High Priests on earth, Benedict XVI, and his predecessor, John Paul II, for they are filled with the witness of Jesus Christ the High Priest, whom they serve(d) as Chief Vicar. On July 7th, shortly after I arrived home from Rome, Pope Benedict XVI published his latest encyclical letter, “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth). As we know, the Church always seeks to apply eternal truths, which do not change, to the realities of modern life, which do change. Each time we read the homilies or addresses of the current pope, we notice that he possesses a very remarkable awareness of the realities of the modern world, with all of their strengths and weaknesses. Today, some people attribute the extremely large number of pilgrims recently going to Rome, including many non-Catholics, to the fact that they want to see and hear Pope Benedict XVI, most especially because of the ability of the average person to listen to and understand his exhortations and challenges. John Paul II was also a great teacher, but some of his writing style had been hard to follow because his deep philosophical, theological and practical reflections have been lost in the translation of his works.
One of the observations Pope Benedict makes in his encyclical in “Charity in Truth” concerns the dangers of sentimentalism. He clearly points out that if charity is not understood in the light of truth and with a proper understanding of the human person, it can easily lead to an arbitrary sentimentality, with a very weak foundation. It can also be manipulated for various purposes by appealing to the emotions alone. So the Pope tries to make this clear when he writes: “Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the economy of charity, but charity, in turn, needs to be understood, confirmed and practiced in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its power to persuade and authenticate in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it, and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence.”
The Pope is saying that we do have a solution and we have to begin with love that expresses itself in truth. He rightly observes that without a firm foundation in truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality and love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. He also points out the tendency of our modern society to think that it can accomplish things on its own. Therefore, it can plan and control success or failure based upon its own programs and ideas, often seen without the light of objective truth. This real temptation is summed up at the end of the encyclical with the Pope’s heartfelt exhortation to view charity in truth and not apart from it.
Too many people have fallen prey to this fallacy and need to re-examine their fallacious notions and humbly come back to their wise and loving God, the author of all creation. May we always be vigilant- constantly aware that we are subject to the temptations all around us and be careful to listen to God speaking to us in our heart of hearts, “He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
For your information, there is a Catholic-oriented radio program each weekday morning from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. broadcast over the Family Values Radio station WLVJ (1040 AM). It’s titled “Religion, Politics and the Culture.” The host is Dennis O’Donovan. It’s repeated on the weekday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Often they will advertise news concerning our parish activities or those of other parishes in the Metro area. You might find its format very interesting.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
In this “Year For Priests,” I continue to reflect more deeply on the writings of our High Priests on earth, Benedict XVI, and his predecessor, John Paul II, for they are filled with the witness of Jesus Christ the High Priest, whom they serve(d) as Chief Vicar. On July 7th, shortly after I arrived home from Rome, Pope Benedict XVI published his latest encyclical letter, “Caritas in Veritate” (Charity in Truth). As we know, the Church always seeks to apply eternal truths, which do not change, to the realities of modern life, which do change. Each time we read the homilies or addresses of the current pope, we notice that he possesses a very remarkable awareness of the realities of the modern world, with all of their strengths and weaknesses. Today, some people attribute the extremely large number of pilgrims recently going to Rome, including many non-Catholics, to the fact that they want to see and hear Pope Benedict XVI, most especially because of the ability of the average person to listen to and understand his exhortations and challenges. John Paul II was also a great teacher, but some of his writing style had been hard to follow because his deep philosophical, theological and practical reflections have been lost in the translation of his works.
One of the observations Pope Benedict makes in his encyclical in “Charity in Truth” concerns the dangers of sentimentalism. He clearly points out that if charity is not understood in the light of truth and with a proper understanding of the human person, it can easily lead to an arbitrary sentimentality, with a very weak foundation. It can also be manipulated for various purposes by appealing to the emotions alone. So the Pope tries to make this clear when he writes: “Truth needs to be sought, found and expressed within the economy of charity, but charity, in turn, needs to be understood, confirmed and practiced in the light of truth. In this way, not only do we do a service to charity enlightened by truth, but also help give credibility to truth, demonstrating its power to persuade and authenticate in the practical setting of social living. This is a matter of no small account today, in a social and cultural context which relativizes truth, often paying little heed to it, and showing increasing reluctance to acknowledge its existence.”
The Pope is saying that we do have a solution and we have to begin with love that expresses itself in truth. He rightly observes that without a firm foundation in truth, charity degenerates into sentimentality and love becomes an empty shell, to be filled in an arbitrary way. He also points out the tendency of our modern society to think that it can accomplish things on its own. Therefore, it can plan and control success or failure based upon its own programs and ideas, often seen without the light of objective truth. This real temptation is summed up at the end of the encyclical with the Pope’s heartfelt exhortation to view charity in truth and not apart from it.
Too many people have fallen prey to this fallacy and need to re-examine their fallacious notions and humbly come back to their wise and loving God, the author of all creation. May we always be vigilant- constantly aware that we are subject to the temptations all around us and be careful to listen to God speaking to us in our heart of hearts, “He who exalts himself shall be humbled, and he who humbles himself shall be exalted.”
For your information, there is a Catholic-oriented radio program each weekday morning from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. broadcast over the Family Values Radio station WLVJ (1040 AM). It’s titled “Religion, Politics and the Culture.” The host is Dennis O’Donovan. It’s repeated on the weekday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. Often they will advertise news concerning our parish activities or those of other parishes in the Metro area. You might find its format very interesting.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
From the Pastor
August/07/2009
In recent conversations and in the confessional, I’ve come across quite a number of people who say they “follow their consciences” in making moral decisions regarding their actions and that puts them at odds with traditional moral teachings of the Church, whether it’s concerning the use of artificial means of birth control, or abortion, or another major moral problem. Though it may seem “politically incorrect,” I’d like to set the record straight regarding the Church’s teachings on these matters.
Those who embrace the idea of “supremacy of the human conscience,” by definition discard objective truth, because the incorrectly formed human “conscience” is notoriously flexible, compromising and rationalizing when temptation strikes. Just as important, since a person whose conscience reigns supreme will inevitably fall into sin and then accept that sin, he will also be more tolerant of sin in others.
People who dissent from the teachings of the Church are very fond of quoting the Vatican II document on the “Declaration on Religious Freedom” (Dignitatis Humanae), in support of their contention that we should be able to do anything our “conscience” does not object to. However, the late Jesuit theologian, Father John Courtney Murray, principal architect of that document, anticipated this kind of dishonesty. In a footnote to the text, Father Murray stated: “The Declaration does not base the right to the free exercise of religion on “freedom of conscience.” Nowhere does this phrase occur. And the declaration nowhere lends its authority to the theory for which the phrase frequently stands, namely, “that I have the right to do what my conscience tells me to do, simply because my conscience tells me to do it.” This is a perilous theory. Its particular peril is subjectivism – the notion that, in the end, it is my conscience, and not the objective truth, which determines what is right and wrong, true or false.”
Dissenters also conveniently neglect to mention paragraph #8 of the Declaration, which notes that “…not a few can be found who seem to be inclined to use the name of “freedom” as the pretext for refusing to submit to authority and for making light of the duty of obedience.” The correct connection between freedom and truth as it should be perceived by the conscience, and the role of the Magisterium (Teaching authority of the Church), is outlined in the encyclical “Veritatis Splendor” (“The Splendor of Truth”) by Pope John Paul II (paragraphs #61-64):
[“Consequently “in the practical judgment of conscience,” which imposes on the person the obligation to perform a given act, ‘the link between freedom and truth is made manifest.’ Precisely for this reason, conscience expresses itself in acts of ‘judgment,’ which reflect the truth about the good, and not in arbitrary ‘decisions.’ The maturity and responsibility of these judgments (and, when all is said and done, of the individual who is their subject) are not measured by the liberation of the conscience from objective truth, in favor of the alleged autonomy in personal decisions, but on the contrary, by an insistent search for truth and by allowing oneself to be guided by that truth in one’s actions.
Christians have a great help for the formation of conscience ‘in the Church and her Magisterium.’ As the (Second Vatican) Council affirms: ‘In forming their consciences, the Christian faithful must give faithful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is, by the will of Christ, the teacher of truth. Her charge is to announce and teach authentically that truth which is Christ, and, at the same time with her authority, to declare and confirm the principles of the moral order which derive from human nature itself.’ It follows that the authority of the Church, when she pronounces on moral questions, in no way undermines the freedom of conscience of Christians.”]
It can be said with good authority that dissenters don’t really believe that “all Catholics have the right to follow their informed consciences in all matters,” because, when loyal Catholics “follow their consciences” and oppose abortion, homosexual marriage and contraception, their opponents will stridently condemn them and ridicule their views. For dissenters, the “glorification of conscience” is a mere smoke screen that they use to further their goals, much like their twist on the concepts of “non-judgementalism” and “tolerance.”
Very Rev. Canon Tom
Those who embrace the idea of “supremacy of the human conscience,” by definition discard objective truth, because the incorrectly formed human “conscience” is notoriously flexible, compromising and rationalizing when temptation strikes. Just as important, since a person whose conscience reigns supreme will inevitably fall into sin and then accept that sin, he will also be more tolerant of sin in others.
People who dissent from the teachings of the Church are very fond of quoting the Vatican II document on the “Declaration on Religious Freedom” (Dignitatis Humanae), in support of their contention that we should be able to do anything our “conscience” does not object to. However, the late Jesuit theologian, Father John Courtney Murray, principal architect of that document, anticipated this kind of dishonesty. In a footnote to the text, Father Murray stated: “The Declaration does not base the right to the free exercise of religion on “freedom of conscience.” Nowhere does this phrase occur. And the declaration nowhere lends its authority to the theory for which the phrase frequently stands, namely, “that I have the right to do what my conscience tells me to do, simply because my conscience tells me to do it.” This is a perilous theory. Its particular peril is subjectivism – the notion that, in the end, it is my conscience, and not the objective truth, which determines what is right and wrong, true or false.”
Dissenters also conveniently neglect to mention paragraph #8 of the Declaration, which notes that “…not a few can be found who seem to be inclined to use the name of “freedom” as the pretext for refusing to submit to authority and for making light of the duty of obedience.” The correct connection between freedom and truth as it should be perceived by the conscience, and the role of the Magisterium (Teaching authority of the Church), is outlined in the encyclical “Veritatis Splendor” (“The Splendor of Truth”) by Pope John Paul II (paragraphs #61-64):
[“Consequently “in the practical judgment of conscience,” which imposes on the person the obligation to perform a given act, ‘the link between freedom and truth is made manifest.’ Precisely for this reason, conscience expresses itself in acts of ‘judgment,’ which reflect the truth about the good, and not in arbitrary ‘decisions.’ The maturity and responsibility of these judgments (and, when all is said and done, of the individual who is their subject) are not measured by the liberation of the conscience from objective truth, in favor of the alleged autonomy in personal decisions, but on the contrary, by an insistent search for truth and by allowing oneself to be guided by that truth in one’s actions.
Christians have a great help for the formation of conscience ‘in the Church and her Magisterium.’ As the (Second Vatican) Council affirms: ‘In forming their consciences, the Christian faithful must give faithful attention to the sacred and certain teaching of the Church. For the Catholic Church is, by the will of Christ, the teacher of truth. Her charge is to announce and teach authentically that truth which is Christ, and, at the same time with her authority, to declare and confirm the principles of the moral order which derive from human nature itself.’ It follows that the authority of the Church, when she pronounces on moral questions, in no way undermines the freedom of conscience of Christians.”]
It can be said with good authority that dissenters don’t really believe that “all Catholics have the right to follow their informed consciences in all matters,” because, when loyal Catholics “follow their consciences” and oppose abortion, homosexual marriage and contraception, their opponents will stridently condemn them and ridicule their views. For dissenters, the “glorification of conscience” is a mere smoke screen that they use to further their goals, much like their twist on the concepts of “non-judgementalism” and “tolerance.”
Very Rev. Canon Tom