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Post by AveMaria on Mar 9, 2024 4:01:06 GMT
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Post by iagosan on Mar 9, 2024 7:37:57 GMT
They concept of "Fewness of The Saved" used to be taught as given and most Catholics accepted it. Hearing it today shocks many untutored Catholics as they have been lured along false paths which inevitably will lead them to despair on hearing the news, despite Our Lord pointing it out on several occasions.
e.g.
“Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14)
I sadly think that a lot of Catholics today hopefully assume that they must be on the narrow path or they simply choose to turn a deaf ear to the message. I am as guilty as the next man of such wishful thinking on occasions, but always try to make my way to Confession ASAP when I finally see sense.
The sermon is not meant to be a cause for despair, but to lead us to repent of our sins and keep Christ at the forefront of our minds. It's not that those faithful to God are unlikely to be saved, but that very few people want to be faithful to God. Repentance and frequent recourse to the sacrament of Confession provide the means to reach and pass through that narrow gate and consequently this important sermon is perfect reading in Lent.
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Post by homeschooldad on Mar 9, 2024 17:43:31 GMT
The priest delivering this sermon is Father Gavin Bitzer, ordained by the SSPX (though no longer part of it), and he embraces the teachings of Fr Leonard Feeney. "Feeneyism" is an extreme position that says one must literally be an official, card-carrying (figure of speech) visible member of the Catholic Church to be saved. Feeneyism has a long and complicated history, but suffice it to say that Fr Feeney was fully reconciled to the Church without being required to repudiate his teachings. I always say "I'm not Feeneyite, I'm Feeney- Lite", and in the objective order, yes, you must be a member of the Catholic Church to be saved, but God's grace overflows its banks, and He is not confined to the sacraments. Too far above my pay grade, and while I've been known to talk about things where my knowledge was deficient (and probably will do so again), this isn't going to be one of those times. But neither do I censor content on this board unless it's beyond outrageous, so I'm going to leave this as-is, and leave it up to the reader as to whether to take it to heart or not. Policing thought isn't my thing. I will only say, and I don't know where I read the quote, that a safe opinion is that a faithful Catholic, who makes use of the sacraments and receives them frequently, is more likely to be saved, than not to be. Everything else is downhill from there. But as I always say, my dear aunt, non-denominational Christian who probably never set foot in a Catholic church in her life, was the holiest person I've ever known, I never knew of her committing any kind of formal sin, not even venially, and if she's not in heaven, nobody's in heaven. If she got to the Pearly Gates, and was told "you know, your nephew was right, Catholicism is the complete truth, are you willing to accept it now?", her answer would have been the most resounding "yes!" that anyone has ever said. I hope to see her again, if I can manage to make it there myself. That question's still an open one.
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Post by AveMaria on Mar 26, 2024 5:27:27 GMT
I thought I replied but obviously I didn't yet.
Fr Bitzer's chapel is about a two minute drive from home.
Anyhow, on another forum that chapel was mentioned and someone replied that it is a hardcore feenyite chapel. A member of the chapel chimed in and said he has known For Bitzer for decades and Fr had never gave the impression he was a feenyite from the pulpit or otherwise.
He went on to say that the congregation is a mix of feenyites, sedes, and others who have never indicated they were either.
Fr Bitzer told me he was ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre.
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Post by homeschooldad on Mar 26, 2024 6:42:43 GMT
I thought I replied but obviously I didn't yet. Fr Bitzer's chapel is about a two minute drive from home. Anyhow, on another forum that chapel was mentioned and someone replied that it is a hardcore feenyite chapel. A member of the chapel chimed in and said he has known For Bitzer for decades and Fr had never gave the impression he was a feenyite from the pulpit or otherwise. He went on to say that the congregation is a mix of feenyites, sedes, and others who have never indicated they were either. Fr Bitzer told me he was ordained by Archbishop Lefebvre. My research indicated to me that Fr Bitzer embraced the teachings of Father Feeney. If he in fact does not, or at least does not embrace them in their entirety, I regret the error of fact. It's worth noting that Fr Feeney was never required to recant his teachings. Anything short of formal membership in the Catholic Church, and being otherwise in the state of grace, is at best a crapshoot. As I say, I'm not Feeneyite, I'm "Feeney-Lite". Let's just say that, for my own part, I do not regard that my salvation, should I achieve it, would be worth a plugged nickel if I were to leave the Church. That's a big reason I stay within it.
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