Tag Archives: church

Truth

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It was in the middle of the day and both sides of the street were jammed with pedestrians, each person making his or her way back to work with a hurried gait. Then most of them suddenly stopped and gazed at the street as a loud screeching emanated from a car as its driver was attempting to stop the speeding vehicle before…..BANG. It slammed into another vehicle and came to a rest only after plunging into a building.

After the injured were cared for, the police began to ask the numerous witnesses what they had seen. Not surprisingly, depending on each witness’s vantage point, there were several different versions of what had actually occurred. The authorities were left with the task of discovering the truth….the actual elements of the accident. The quest was to discover the truth about the event; it was not something that was created in the mind of each individual witness. There existed an objective truth regarding the crash that required discovery.

As with the automobile incident, so also for many of the life’s questions and mysteries, the truth of each question, each mystery is there to be discovered. For many people the pursuit of truth is the greatest of virtues. It is not something one creates in one’s mind. Truth is objective; it is real. It must be man’s first priority, for without truth he is doomed to an endless series of falsehoods, from which no meaningful action can be taken. Truth has a priority over consensus or an accommodation to the group; it is not subjective, it does not yield to a misguided sense of social convenience or order. Truth is then radical, as it will not accept a false subjectivism or capitulate to political, economic, or social customs that are false. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger noted in his speech “On Conscience” that a truthful man is one “who never acquires tolerance, well being, success, public standing, and approval on the part of prevailing opinion at the expense of truth.” The discovery of truth is paramount among all the virtues.

Catholicism places a priority on truth, objective reality. Each catholic must accede to the truth of the church’s teachings rather than submit to personal preferences. While it may be easier to “go along’ with sentimentalities regarding abortion, a false definition of marriage, and other secular themes, the catholic must take the road that leads to truth, regardless of the consequences.  Truth leads to the reality that is God! Truth is there to be discovered.

When asked, “isn’t Truth just one man’s conception of things?”, G.K. Chesterton commented, “That is a big blunder. All thought is an attempt to discover if one’s own conception is true or not.” The search for truth is an adventure of discovery.

Next – Faith

 

Radical Catholicism – Back to to the Basics

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Radical Catholicism – Back to the Basics seems to be an unusual name for a Catholic website. Are there many who really consider Catholicism to be radical; that is, a challenging, meaningful religion, founded by Jesus Christ and concerned with the salvation of  individual souls. For some in the Church, the term radical would appear to be unseemly, for others Catholicism is anything but radical; it is depicted as boring, old fashion, and out of tune with the times . However, radical is a very appropriate term.  While there are many who do consider Catholicism to be radical, though in a negative way, others consider the Church to be the sole way to salvation and therefore it is indeed meaningful, certainly challenging, and very relevant to their lives. Radical it is. G.K. Chesterton, the brilliant English 20th century author and convert to Catholicism noted in his classic work, “Orthodoxy”, that  “People have fallen into a foolish habit of speaking of orthodoxy as something heavy, and safe. There was never anything so perilous or so exciting , as orthodoxy.” Chesterton, along with many others, have indeed found Catholicism to be very radical, very challenging, and very motivating.

Many people have come to detest Catholicism, often without really knowing its actual beliefs. Bishop Fulton J. Sheen commented that, ” There are not more than 100 people in the world who truly hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they perceive to be the Catholic Church.”  Part of the purpose of this site is to discuss the radical nature of Catholicism; its motivating and supernatural nature. And what it actually teaches! (Thus those who would still hate the church can know specifically why they hate it.)

The second objective is to invite people to discover or, in some instances, rediscover the basic beliefs of the Catholicism. Many people, both Catholics and non Catholics, do not know or understand the elementary beliefs of the church. Thus they reject what they mistakenly believe the church teaches. Consequently it is vital to review the basic tenets of the Church….without changing or moderating them so they can be acceptable to the current cultural norms.

Finally, quotations from significant members of the Church will be inserted for your contemplation.

Please feel free to comment or add  to the discussion in the Blog section .