10-26-18 Getting Through the Crisis
Getting Through the Crisis
News: Commentary
Fr. Robideau offers some pastoral guidance on The Download
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Father Jeff Robideau is saying that Catholic leaders are failing to teach the Faith so people must take the initiative to learn it on their own.
As a panelist on The Download Thursday, Fr. Robideau corrected those who say that Catholics can simply follow their own conscience and get to Heaven.
"Follow your conscience," says Robideau, "is the same as telling people 'follow your passions, do what you want, do what feels good.'" That does not save souls, says the priest.
"In fact, it damns souls," he emphasized.
The problem, said the priest, is that people aren't taught that they must first inform their conscience with Catholic teaching before they can safely follow it.
"The teaching is you must follow your informed conscience," he said.
"Because these priests and bishops are not doing their job of helping you inform your conscience, to inform your faith, to inform your intellect, on the teaching of the Church, which then guides your conscience," said Robideau, "it's hard to do."
The well-informed priest came on The Download with several books that he suggests Catholics use to inform their faith with authentic Catholic teaching that never changes. The list includes classics on spirituality, tried and true catechisms, theology and a literal translation of the Bible called the Douay-Rheims.
The crisis in the Church today is unprecedented, said Robideau, and is multifaceted, whereas in the past it was usually sparked by a single heresy.
"Today, we have a very different problem," he said. "And that is the entirety of the Faith and the role of the Church in the world is called into question. It's not just one issue, it's everything. Everything is up for grabs, believe what you want to believe. And that's very dangerous."
Watch the panel discuss Catholics taking responsibility for their faith in The Download—Getting Through the Crisis.
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