US Catholic Nuns upset at Vatican

Very recently I was involved in a ongoing discussion regarding the recent decision by the Vatican to clean up serious issues regarding disenting Catholic Nuns in the United States (full story here). The majority of the discussion revolved around the fact that some, and possibly many of these Nun’s felt hurt by the Vatican’s decision to reform them on the correct teachings of Abortion, End of Life Issues, and other issues stemming for legimate authority and morality. There was one woman in paticular who was confused and seemingly upset (not overly) that many in this dicussion was praising the Vatican’s decision.  She felt that each is entitled to their own opinion, and that she struggled with some of the Church’s teachings herself.  She believed that one could openly dissent on Church teachings and still be in communion with Christ.  There were many good responses to this which I won’t rehash, but I have included my own contribution to this discussion.

“You may or may not be watching this thread still, but i just wanted to say, everyone struggles with something, and I think someone else said this already. It is one thing to struggle, and to question Church teachings which is between you, your confessor and God. It is certainly another to stop struggling, and to openly preach and lead others away from that teaching. Christ had the same problem.

“The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said to them: Amen, amen I say unto you: Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you. 54 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath everlasting life: and I will raise him up in the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed: and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, abideth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father; so he that eateth me, the same also shall live by me. 58 This is the bread that came down from heaven. Not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead. He that eateth this bread, shall live for ever.59 These things he said, teaching in the synagogue, in Capharnaum.60 Many therefore of his disciples, hearing it, said: This saying is hard, and who can hear it? 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself, that his disciples murmured at this, said to them: Doth this scandalize you? 62 If then you shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? 63 It is the spirit that quickeneth: the flesh profiteth nothing. The words that I have spoken to you, are spirit and life. 64 But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning, who they were that did not believe, and who he was, that would betray him. 65 And he said: Therefore did I say to you, that no man can come to me, unless it be given him by my Father.66 After this many of his disciples went back; and walked no more with him. 67 Then Jesus said to the twelve: Will you also go away? 68 And Simon Peter answered him: Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.”

These Nuns will either struggle with this and accept the correction and the teaching, or they will walk away as illustrated above. Christ never chased after them.

We also see in the story of Abel and Cain the following:

“5But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect: and Cain was exceedingly angry, and his countenance fell. 6And the Lord said to him: Why art thou angry? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? but if ill, shall not sin forthwith be present at the door? but the lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it.”

The disenting Nun’s here have a great opportunity to be blessed provided they be the masters of their emotions, and swallow their pride.  Or they can let their emotional state control them, and suffer an exile of a different sort.

I believe as history plays out we will understand why morality is so low.  I think what we have been going through for the past 100 years has been God’s doing.   Not because he wanted this but because we needed correction.

Modernism can be traced back before WW1 and likely earlier.  When Mary came to Fatima, she said, we need to correct our ways or there would be a 2nd War even worse than the first. We didn’t and the prophecy came to be.  After WW2 we still didn’t correct our ways, and the prophecy was that modernism from Russia (specifically communism/socialism) would spread it’s errors.  And that came to be.  Things got worse, we still didn’t listen.  Mary came to other visionaries (approved), and said why haven’t you corrected your errors (there was also a message for the world) that wasn’t released per her instructions (as far as I am concerned Russia is still not consecrated it seemed more like lip service from JP2 to me).  We still didn’t listen.  At our lady of Akita, we have a dire warning that the chastisement of human kind can no longer be averted (because we refused to listen and repent, per her instructions), only tempered by the sacrifice and prayer of holy Men and Women.  Here we are 40 years later, the church is splintered, holiness has all been thrown out the window by most people, sin is the norm, legitimate authority is ignored, and on and on and on. Could this be the chastisment? We see many times in history where God gave people up to their desires and lusts because they would not listen. I do realize a more literal interpretation of the chastisement propechies would be fire coming down on us, sparing neither Holy or Unholy, which is to be worse than the deluge, but perhaps it is possible that the sacrifice and prayer of current and recent Saints have spared us the worst of it? Or perhaps the worst has yet to come.

It is entirely possible that the recent attempts to correct what is going on in the Church by the Ecclesastical authority is the above correction to our ways.  Is it too little too late? I don’t know, but we will find out before long.