[a post from August 6 that I translate today]
A few hours before the official conclusion of the World Youth Day in Lisbon, the festive atmosphere experienced during these days begins to give way to reflection on what was heard not only in the central acts of Francis, but also in the dozens of catecheses given by priests and bishops.
In the case of the Bishop of Orihuela Alicante, José Ignacio Munilla, there were three catecheses that he gave, full of challenging messages to mobilize and give arguments to a youth that, when they return "to real life" this Sunday, will have to face many challenges regarding their faith.
1st Catechesis: the true "integral ecology".
The first of these was dedicated to integral Ecology. A concept that, in the face of "false ecological visions that fail to recognize the specific dignity of man - risking life to save whales and then promoting abortion - proposes the care of Creation in its "invisible" dimension - the soul or the angels - and "visible" - respecting "nature itself, the body or sexual identity".
A catechesis that was especially controversial for affirming such rational and scientific aspects as that "no one is born in the wrong body" or questioning that animals are personalized while people are animalized, which the bishop exemplified "in the phenomenon of puppies that are carried in baby carriages".
These are some of his most outstanding phrases from this first catechesis:
-Ecologist movements risk their lives to save whales and then promote abortion.
-Ideological environmentalism occupies the place that God occupies in religions. It becomes an ultimate and supreme value
-Integral ecology must integrate the care of the soul. What is the use of someone being obsessively concerned about the care of the body, taking care of the dietetics, etc... if then it turns out that he lives in mortal sin?
-Let us be attentive to the contradictions that exist in false ecologisms, such as denouncing transgenic food, while proclaiming the right to transgenderism. No to transgenic and yes to transgenderism?
-A correct ecologism lives in balance with nature itself, including with its fertility. And the same goes for the identification with our sexual identity: God has created us well; He does not make mistakes; no one is born in a wrong body!
-There is an "anthropological crisis that is spreading against all logic and common sense", born of a "multitude of affective wounds that we carry within us, and that characterize this generation".
-The wounds must be recognized, identified, accompanied, healed as far as possible, etc... But what does not make sense is that we call our wounds 'rights'.
-Man is "the culmination of creation, and God is in love with his creation... We are called to grow in awareness of the beauty and dignity of creation".
2nd Catechesis: Social Friendship and the Common Good
Under the generic title of "Social Friendship", his second catechesis concealed a profound refutation of myths and black legends, as well as a forceful reminder of the obligations of Catholics in public life and their contribution to the common good.
Thus, against the "very fashionable accusation" that religions "are to blame for world conflicts" because they "believe themselves to be in possession of the truth," the bishop employed a historical counterargument showing that "when we remove God from the center of our worldview, it is idolatries that take his place."
"It is not possible to sufficiently ground universal brotherhood, without recognizing a common father" and that "there is a natural law that is common to all human beings, which is inscribed in our conscience," he stressed.
He then called to seek in that natural law the main moral imperatives "that will make it possible to build among all a just world" and which Benedict XVI summarized in the "non-negotiable principles," which Munilla reiterated:
-The dignity of life, from conception to natural death; the family as the cell of society and founded on marriage, which is the union of man and woman open to life; the parental authority of parents and their primary right to the education of their children and the search for the common good, in which the State is at the service of society and not the other way around.
-Immigration: "While it is true that states have the duty and the right to regulate migratory flows and to guard their borders, this does not cancel out our duty to attend to the voice of the suffering".
-Does the Church have to get involved in politics: "The Church should not get involved in politics as far as partisan issues are concerned. But another thing is that the Church can and must illuminate the social reality from the Catholic Social Doctrine, insofar as the values of the Kingdom of God are at stake".
3rd Catechesis: mercy, much more than emotivism or relativism
In his third catechesis, Munilla dedicated himself to overcoming "the deformation that the concept of mercy is having in our days", reducing it to mere "relativism" or "pure emotivism".
Thus, Munilla began by referring to the words of Pope Francis - "God loves you as you are, not as you would like to be"-, explaining that "God is not waiting for you to be good to start loving you", but that "he loves you from now on, despite the fact that you are deeply sinful".
For a better understanding, he completed that first sentence of the Pope's with the addition that "he loves you as you are...and calls you to holiness."
"In reality, a proof that God loves us, is that he calls us to holiness; for when you love someone, you necessarily wish them the best, that is, holiness. God cannot sit idly by and watch us destroy ourselves... he wants our holiness", he explained.
He also quoted the Pope to explain one of his messages for this WYD - "In the Church we all fit, all, all..."-. "Everyone, but not everything. That is to say, not everything fits, not everything is equal. Sin does not fit in God," he added.
He explained it this way:
-God loves the sinner and repudiates sin. Today, paradoxically, the opposite is true: this world loves sin and repudiates the sinner. For example, while it says that abortion is a right and a social advance, it then ignores women who have had abortions."
- "Mercy is often confused with relativism: 'Relax, it's okay, do whatever you want, God is merciful!'"
-In practice, the word mercy is misused to the point of denying the existence of sin. It is completely forgotten that Christ urges us in the Gospel to conversion.
-There is also the malformation of the word mercy, to reduce it to a feeling of pure emotivism. The exercise of mercy is reduced to consolation".
-God's true mercy is a love that transforms us and makes us new. The word mercy of God is linked to the image of the bowels of God, who with his forgiveness allows me to be born again to the life of grace. It allows us to be born again.
Before concluding, he reviewed and reflected on the five requirements to live a good confession:
Examination of conscience: To ask the Holy Spirit for light, to know ourselves through the eyes of God... It is not a mere introspection, with pen and paper. "To know myself as Jesus knows me". Maybe there are things to which I do not give importance... To help in the examination of conscience... subsidies... (commandments, beatitudes, list of virtues, any biblical passage), a priest who helps...
2.- Sorrow for sins: It is the essential... act of contrition..., Parable of the merciful father... at least, to arouse the sorrow of attrition, [in the section: "more catechesis", in my blog, with the title "Confession", I translated a chapter of the old good catechesis] (the forgiveness of sins takes place at that moment...).
3.- Purpose of amendment: We do not have full security... but we are fully disposed to put all the meat on the grill... if your hand makes you fall, "cut it off" Do not put yourself in the temptation unduly...
Confess your sins to the priest: What the Pope says in the book "The name of God is mercy"... Another reason: "Whose sins you forgive, whose sins you withhold..." confession is essential for the priest to fulfill his mission...
5.- To fulfill the penance: Before absolution has been given to us... absolution absolves the offense, the guilt; but it is true that the sin has caused a disorder... that we must take seriously the work of penance to purify ourselves... the way of penance to go...
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