Fr. Benedict Groeschel: Pressures on the Christian Family and How to Respond to Them - Part I
The following is taken from my notes on Father Benedict Groeschel's talk on August 4, 2007, at the Midwest Catholic Family Conference in Wichita, Kansas. Photos of that event can be viewed online here.
The 1940's in this country was known as "The Golden Age." It was a very idealistic time, when America was strong and the media defended and supported family life and virtuous living. There were wonderful films such as Mrs. Miniver and How Green was My Valley. The most popular people in the movies in those days were Catholic priests in such films as The Bells of St. Mary's, Going My Way, Keys to the Kingdom, Knute Rockne, All America, The Miracle of the Bells, etc. There were filmmakers like David O. Selznick and Louis B. Mayer, who created films that represented the values and the morals of the American people. America was strong and patriotism was valued then. People displayed flags in their windows and placed gold stars on the flags, representing a loved one who had been killed in World War II.
During the 1960's, the terrible injustice that had been done to African - American people came to the forefront. They were a people who had been downtrodden, pushed around, and belittled. They raised their voices in protest as they struggled for their civil rights. Fr. Groeschel said that this was "the most moving thing" that he has ever been involved in. He related how he and another priest raised the money for a vehicle driven by three civil rights workers who were later murdered by the Klu Klux Klan.
In the Church, there were changes taking place that "nobody was prepared for." Along came Vatican II and the Archbishop of Cologne denounced it in "a thunderous talk". There were so many differences of opinion that the church hierarchy scraped everything they did in the first session. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible for the second session. The outcome of Vatican II was unnerving to many people.
In the 70's a cultural revolution came about. The decrees of the Council were applied in an erroneous direction and some backed away when the spirit of Vatican II came along. The Catholic Church in the United States was totally unprepared for what was happening. The Catholic Church was vibrant at that time, but was terribly vulnerable. John Courtney Murray, a leading Jesuit priest, was "on the ball." During the Second Vatican Council, he played a fundamental role in persuading the Church to adopt the Council's ground-breaking Declaration on Religious Liberty, Dignitatis Humanae.
Nobody seemed to be thinking and "you were in trouble if you were thinking". Fr. Groeschel related that he was "a disciple of St. Augustine" in those days and a member of the clergy came to his ordination to stop it because of this. The teaching in catechesis, particularly in the seminaries during the 1970’s and 1980’s was "deplorable". Scripture scholarship of the 19th century returned, which was based on rationalism, and emphasized that reason can understand anything that the senses take in. The historical/ critical method was also used. “This stuff was all over the place”, as it was required by Pope Pius XII.
Even the Eucharist was under attack. There were also theologians coming out saying that "there was something wrong with Eucharistic Adoration." With all this going on, inside the Church there was a rising tide of confusion.
Another thing which began at this time and continues today is weakness or a watering down of the faith in Catholic colleges. Fr. Groeschel warned, "Watch out for phony Catholic colleges!" He mentioned that the Newman Center will be printing a directory of authentic Catholic colleges that is due to come out soon. Currently, there are only about 30 authentic Catholic colleges in the United States. "There is a tremendous unbelief in the United States."
Fr. Groeschel said that he has been coming to Wichita for a long time. "I get along with this place. I like it. It reminds me of America when I was a boy." He likes the “solid values” and “the commonsense” of people here. He is a "city boy" and Wichita is a city. New York is home and there are many decent people who live there in spite of what we hear about it. He added, "New York is not the craziest city in the world -- that's San Francisco!"
"I'm looking at this place and it is extremely vulnerable because of the media." Fr. Groeschel continued. "It is a reptile media". “It is deplorable that the religious leaders of the United States have nothing to say about it! The media is atrocious."
Father Groeschel, who, as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, lives and works with the poor of New York City, admits that he does not watch TV, access the Internet, nor does he have an I-Pod (like the Holy Father). However, he hears things about the degradation and filth that comes through loud and clear in the media. “What goes on there, no animal would be involved. This insanity penetrates the world and the Catholic Church.” He asked the audience if they knew that several Jesuits in Boston voted in favor of same sex marriages. He also gave another example of the secular media invading the Catholic Church by relating the story of a Sister of St. Joseph who became a justice of the peace so she could marry homosexuals. “The enemy is within the Church.”
When you as a Catholic notice this degrading filth that is presented on TV, it is very important that you email the sponsors of the programs and tell them that you will boycott their product and you will mobilize all of your friends to boycott their product if they continue to sponsor the program. You must speak up. It is wrong to remain silent about this kind of propaganda and filth from the media.
Today the safest place in the country to live is in the Deep South, where the evangelical Protestants are located, according to Fr. Groeschel. They refuse to put up with the degradation that is occurring and even sanctioned in other areas of the country.
More and more Protestants are developing devotion for the Blessed Mother as a result of the way Mel Gibson presented her in The Passion of the Christ. Dr. Timothy George defends the Blessed Mother using Scripture. Dr. George told him that Mary is “the treasurer of all grace.”
In this country, the profoundly corrupt media is led by a relatively small number of people. Culture keeps people on the right path. If they have sexual tendencies that are not good, the people of their culture will guide them along on the right path. The corrupt media today pushes people in the wrong direction. Fr. Groeschel gave examples from Canada, relating that it was a crime in Canada at one time to watch EWTN, while at the same time, they had a TV station that was geared toward homosexuals. A college student from Canada was taught in one of his classes that there were five different genders. Fr. Groeschel stated that he could guess what the first four were, but was afraid to inquire about the fifth. [To be continued: End of Part I]
Related Post:
A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE MIDWEST CATHOLIC FAMILY CONFERENCE
The 1940's in this country was known as "The Golden Age." It was a very idealistic time, when America was strong and the media defended and supported family life and virtuous living. There were wonderful films such as Mrs. Miniver and How Green was My Valley. The most popular people in the movies in those days were Catholic priests in such films as The Bells of St. Mary's, Going My Way, Keys to the Kingdom, Knute Rockne, All America, The Miracle of the Bells, etc. There were filmmakers like David O. Selznick and Louis B. Mayer, who created films that represented the values and the morals of the American people. America was strong and patriotism was valued then. People displayed flags in their windows and placed gold stars on the flags, representing a loved one who had been killed in World War II.
During the 1960's, the terrible injustice that had been done to African - American people came to the forefront. They were a people who had been downtrodden, pushed around, and belittled. They raised their voices in protest as they struggled for their civil rights. Fr. Groeschel said that this was "the most moving thing" that he has ever been involved in. He related how he and another priest raised the money for a vehicle driven by three civil rights workers who were later murdered by the Klu Klux Klan.
In the Church, there were changes taking place that "nobody was prepared for." Along came Vatican II and the Archbishop of Cologne denounced it in "a thunderous talk". There were so many differences of opinion that the church hierarchy scraped everything they did in the first session. Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible for the second session. The outcome of Vatican II was unnerving to many people.
In the 70's a cultural revolution came about. The decrees of the Council were applied in an erroneous direction and some backed away when the spirit of Vatican II came along. The Catholic Church in the United States was totally unprepared for what was happening. The Catholic Church was vibrant at that time, but was terribly vulnerable. John Courtney Murray, a leading Jesuit priest, was "on the ball." During the Second Vatican Council, he played a fundamental role in persuading the Church to adopt the Council's ground-breaking Declaration on Religious Liberty, Dignitatis Humanae.
Nobody seemed to be thinking and "you were in trouble if you were thinking". Fr. Groeschel related that he was "a disciple of St. Augustine" in those days and a member of the clergy came to his ordination to stop it because of this. The teaching in catechesis, particularly in the seminaries during the 1970’s and 1980’s was "deplorable". Scripture scholarship of the 19th century returned, which was based on rationalism, and emphasized that reason can understand anything that the senses take in. The historical/ critical method was also used. “This stuff was all over the place”, as it was required by Pope Pius XII.
Even the Eucharist was under attack. There were also theologians coming out saying that "there was something wrong with Eucharistic Adoration." With all this going on, inside the Church there was a rising tide of confusion.
Another thing which began at this time and continues today is weakness or a watering down of the faith in Catholic colleges. Fr. Groeschel warned, "Watch out for phony Catholic colleges!" He mentioned that the Newman Center will be printing a directory of authentic Catholic colleges that is due to come out soon. Currently, there are only about 30 authentic Catholic colleges in the United States. "There is a tremendous unbelief in the United States."
Fr. Groeschel said that he has been coming to Wichita for a long time. "I get along with this place. I like it. It reminds me of America when I was a boy." He likes the “solid values” and “the commonsense” of people here. He is a "city boy" and Wichita is a city. New York is home and there are many decent people who live there in spite of what we hear about it. He added, "New York is not the craziest city in the world -- that's San Francisco!"
"I'm looking at this place and it is extremely vulnerable because of the media." Fr. Groeschel continued. "It is a reptile media". “It is deplorable that the religious leaders of the United States have nothing to say about it! The media is atrocious."
Father Groeschel, who, as a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal, lives and works with the poor of New York City, admits that he does not watch TV, access the Internet, nor does he have an I-Pod (like the Holy Father). However, he hears things about the degradation and filth that comes through loud and clear in the media. “What goes on there, no animal would be involved. This insanity penetrates the world and the Catholic Church.” He asked the audience if they knew that several Jesuits in Boston voted in favor of same sex marriages. He also gave another example of the secular media invading the Catholic Church by relating the story of a Sister of St. Joseph who became a justice of the peace so she could marry homosexuals. “The enemy is within the Church.”
When you as a Catholic notice this degrading filth that is presented on TV, it is very important that you email the sponsors of the programs and tell them that you will boycott their product and you will mobilize all of your friends to boycott their product if they continue to sponsor the program. You must speak up. It is wrong to remain silent about this kind of propaganda and filth from the media.
Today the safest place in the country to live is in the Deep South, where the evangelical Protestants are located, according to Fr. Groeschel. They refuse to put up with the degradation that is occurring and even sanctioned in other areas of the country.
More and more Protestants are developing devotion for the Blessed Mother as a result of the way Mel Gibson presented her in The Passion of the Christ. Dr. Timothy George defends the Blessed Mother using Scripture. Dr. George told him that Mary is “the treasurer of all grace.”
In this country, the profoundly corrupt media is led by a relatively small number of people. Culture keeps people on the right path. If they have sexual tendencies that are not good, the people of their culture will guide them along on the right path. The corrupt media today pushes people in the wrong direction. Fr. Groeschel gave examples from Canada, relating that it was a crime in Canada at one time to watch EWTN, while at the same time, they had a TV station that was geared toward homosexuals. A college student from Canada was taught in one of his classes that there were five different genders. Fr. Groeschel stated that he could guess what the first four were, but was afraid to inquire about the fifth. [To be continued: End of Part I]
Related Post:
A FEW PHOTOS FROM THE MIDWEST CATHOLIC FAMILY CONFERENCE
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