Appropriate allowance is made for\u2026the understanding of human weakness.<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSuch a capitulation to human weakness seems to cast into doubt (so we\u2019re told) the declarations of the council of Trent that no one should say the laws of God are impossible to follow.<\/p>\n
The problem is that this is selective nonsense. The nod to weakness above that is supposedly so threatening to Trent came from Veritatis Splendor, not from Amoris Laetitia. Likewise, the warnings above about false freedoms and relativism were taken from Amoris Laetitia, not from Veritatis Splendor.<\/p>\n
The fact is that there are two dimensions in the moral life of human beings, the subjective dimension and the objective dimension. The objective dimension describes universal moral truths that constitute an immutable measure of human actions. The subjective dimension looks at the state of mind of an individual, and the quality of their moral acts in light of any limitations to their knowledge or their ability to act freely. The subjective dimension is necessary because we need more than a moral compass that always points north and gives us objectively true knowledge of where we stand. We also need to connect where we stand with where we need to arrive. We must be able to draw a map to see how we can realistically get to our destination. A compass shows us the objective coordinates, but the map shows us the terrain, where the obstacles and dangers are, and the areas where we might rest and regain our strength.<\/p>\n
Neither dimension is reducible to the other and neither one detracts from the other. Veritatis Splendor and Amoris Laetitia are not opposed, but complementary. Veritatis Splendor\u2019s primary focus is defending the objective dimension. Amoris Laetitia\u2019s primary purpose (particularly in Chapter 8) is to defend the subjective dimension. Both perspectives are legitimate. Both perspectives are necessary. Both dimensions are capable of being degraded and deformed into a unique set of theological errors. But if one looks holistically and honestly, one can find the perspective of each of these documents within each other.<\/p>\n
A concrete example: Amoris Laetitia gets a lot of flack for its emphasis on taking into account the \u201ccomplexities\u201d of an individual\u2019s life circumstances, as in Amoris Laetitia 79 which says:<\/p>\n
While clearly stating the Church\u2019s teaching, pastors are to avoid judgements that do not take into account the complexity of various situations, and they are to be attentive, by necessity, to how people experience and endure distress because of their condition.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\nIn Veritatis Splendor 119, after talking about Gospel simplicity in the face of moral complexities, Pope John Paul II adds the qualification that:<\/p>\n
Evangelical simplicity does not exempt one from *facing reality in its complexity*<\/b>; rather it can lead to a more genuine understanding of reality, inasmuch as following Christ will *gradually*<\/b><\/em>\u00a0bring out the distinctive character of authentic Christian morality, while providing the vital energy needed to carry it out.<\/em>\u00a0[emphasis added]<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThis doesn\u2019t merely confirm that the complexity of a person\u2019s life cannot be ignored, it relates it to the law of gradualism, and therefore actually\u00a0anticipates<\/i>\u00a0the exploration of the law of gradualism in Amoris Laetitia. Again in Veritatis Splendor 103 we hear words that sound a lot like criticisms leveled against Amoris Laetitia. Veritatis Splendor says:<\/p>\nIt would be a very serious error to conclude\u2026 that the Church\u2019s teaching is essentially only an \u201cideal\u201d which must then be adapted, proportioned, graduated to the so-called concrete possibilities of man.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
But a few sentences later, the Pope clarifies:<\/p>\n
God\u2019s command is of course proportioned to man\u2019s capabilities; but to the capabilities of the man to whom the Holy Spirit has been given; of the man who, though he has fallen into sin, can always obtain pardon and enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit\u201d.<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n
So Pope John Paul II is saying that yes, God\u2019s law\u00a0can be said<\/i>\u00a0to be adapted, proportioned, and graduated to the concrete possibilities of man, as long as the \u201cpossibilities of man\u201d is understood as the possibilities of man\u00a0redeemed by Christ<\/i>\u00a0and not man\u00a0dominated by sin<\/i>. For man \u201calways has before him the spiritual horizon of hope, thanks to the help of divine grace and with the cooperation of human freedom.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Do read the whole thing<\/a>.\u00a0 And bookmark the site.\u00a0 A refreshing antidote to the Francis-hating Lie Machine that is most of conservative Catholic media these days.\u00a0 WPI constantly demonstrate that \u201corthodox\u201d and \u201cfreak show Right\u201d are not synonymous and are, these days, nearly always opposites.\u00a0 Indeed, it is the mark of the Cult that they virtually never look to the Magisterium, but to folk heroes, nutty private revelations, Right wing media and even what they believe to be\u00a0literal demons<\/a> rather than to the actual teaching office of the Church to whom Jesus said, \u201cHe who listens to you listens to me.\u201d Only a fool would trust their judgment.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Over at Where Peter Is, Brian Killian has a nice piece dealing with the Right Wing Panic Machine lie pitting Francis against the Tradition: You often find the charge among critics of Pope Francis that his apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, is opposed to Pope John Paul\u2019s encyclical Veritatis Splendor. The differences between the two are […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[1098],"class_list":["post-113496","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-listen-to-the-magisterium"],"yoast_head":"\n
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