The introduction to the guidelines explains that the Year of Faith is “intended to contribute to a renewed conversion to the Lord Jesus and to the rediscovery of faith, so that the members of the Church will be credible and joy-filled witnesses to the Risen Lord, capable of leading those many people who are seeking it to the door of faith.”
A few questions.
How can one "renew" conversion, a one time event that already happened? One can renew one's fervor, but one is converted or one is not.
How can one "convert" to a person, Jesus Christ? One converts to a belief system, a Faith, we don't convert into God.
How can one "rediscover" Faith? If one found Faith and rejected it they can accept it once again, but they can't discover the same Faith twice.
Who are the "members of the Church"? What Church? The Catholic Church? Or the "Church of Christ in which the Catholic Church "subsists." If you read the rest of the article you'll see they mean all the baptized, heretic, schismatic, and Catholic alike.
In what way are they "witnesses" to the Risen Lord? Did they see the Lord rise? What makes them credible? What makes them joy-filled? Knowing there might not be anyone in Hell, per JPII?
Also notice the "Risen Lord." Traditional Catholics are witnesses to the Crucifîed Lord as He is crucified every day by these types. The Vatican constantly focuses on the Risen Lord as if the battle were already over on earth. Also BXVI has said Our Lord didn't resurrect His physical body, so what Risen Lord are we talking about?
We are leading people seeking "it". What is "it"? To the door of Faith? What the heck is the "door of faith"? How about leading people seeking Truth to the Catholic Faith where it is found? No. Too unecuмenical.
I agree with everything else but why the rant about "conversion to Jesus Christ"?. Saint Augustine once said "Conversi Ad Dominum" (turn to the Lord), and conversion refers to just that: a turning or returning to; so it is not at all inaccurate to use those terms, nor is it inconsistent with Tradition nor Scripture (Joel 2,12 comes to mind).
I get that this whole new "we're not giving Doctrine but the person of Jesus Christ" language is, given the modernist twist, irritating and ambiguous to the eleventh degree, but we should not despise many good Traditional manners of speaking just because they are abused.
Topic: "The Year of the Faith" 2012-2013 (Read 2488 times)