The Catholic Church Listens to the Holy Spirit, Not False Spirits of Those Who Dissent

"Listening church" is a new 1 to me as well. "Sensus fidelium" works only when the faithful are seriously seeking God's will, not when they are seeking to find a way to disobey it. & if it truly is a valid "sensus fidelium" then it would be willing to submit itself to the discernment of those God has placed in charge to discern, not demand that the leaders do what they say blindly.

& 1 of those ways to discern is the fruit it bears. As Larry points out, the fruit of the dissent from Humanae Vitae has definitely NOT been good fruit. Therefore this dissent is not true "sensus fidelium". Those who dissented were NOT faithful, but unfaithful. They refused to accept the authentic teaching authority of the Catholic Church.

When the Pope teaches, esp in the form of an encyclical, he is exercising the "Petrine" charism that the Holy Spirit bestowed on him when he was elected Pope. Even when it isn't "ex cathedra" we still have to heed what is said. To fail to do so is to reject the work of the Holy Spirit but shutting our ears to what the Holy Spirit is saying. We shuts our senses off from the voice of God & anything we say is NOT " sensus fidelium " as a result.

Those people who want to chnage 2000 yrs of Church teaching are saying 1 of 2 things. Either God changes His mind, an impossibility, or for 2000 yrs God hasn't been able to get His message accross in any way shape or form, another impossibility.

Is The Church A "Listening Church"?

by Larry D

@ Acts of the Apostasy

I came across this statement at a progressive Catholic blog Sunday evening:

"Vatican II famously promised to be a listening church, and proclaimed the importance of paying heed to the voice of the faithful – the sensus fidelii- but failed to create any structures for that voice to be heard. Instead, that was a task left for the church to complete afterwards. Nothing has been done. What the Vatican bureaucracy has failed to do, we must find ways to do ourselves."

"Listening church" is new to me, but even though I'm unfamiliar with the description, there's something Inigo Montoya-ish about it - I do not think it means what they think it means. Especially when "church" is spelled with a "c", rather than a "C".

And the misdirection comes from an intentional misuse of sensus fidelium - the sense (or voice) of the faithful. If they're not faithful to Church teaching, then what we're dealing with is sensus haereticum - the sense of the heretics. The Catechism does talk of sensus fidei (sense of the faith) in paragraph 904 and following - in the context of participating in Christ's prophetic office. By virtue of baptism, the laity is called to preach and teach within the bounds of our vocations. We have an obligation to profess the truth at all times - even to our priests and bishops when necessary - but it does not mean, IMO, that we can ever deny objective truths, or demand that matters of faith and morals be changed to accommodate our personal tastes and failings.

I believe this gained momentum after the publication of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae. There was direct opposition to the encyclical, spearheaded by priests and bishops, who misled Catholics into believing they could, in "good" faith and with unsullied conscience, disobey the Church on the issue of artificial contraception. Whether this sprung from an incorrect idea of what the Second Vatican Council was all about, or an outgrowth of the spirit of the age in America, I can't really say. Regardless of the reason, a majority of Catholics have since ignored the encyclical, and it has been argued by numerous theologians and supported by countless priests that since the sensus fidelium is opposed to the teaching, then the teaching is flawed and obedience is not required.

Not so - and the evidence is all about us. The failure to follow the encyclical has resulted in a near collapse of Western civilization: the callous disregard for the respect for life, expressed in such diverse and diabolical ways like abortion, ESCR, in-vitro fertilization, and euthanasia; the weakening of families through the dissolution of marriage; the abuse of children; the destructive forces of feminism; the rabid push for so-called same sex marriage; the ill-begotten desire of some for women priests. The effects have contributed mightily to the division and strife in the Church and in the world, and have reached deep into the very life of the Church herself. If the sensus fidelium were true, then such terrible consequences would never have occurred.

Despite this headlong dash towards the cliffs of oblivion, the heretics and progressives have the temerity to accuse the Catholic Church of not being a "listening Church". Well, the Church does listen - She just doesn't pay the sensus haereticum any heed, once She has heard what they have to say, except rather to correct them and chastise them if necessary. No, the Church does indeed listen, and then judges on what She has heard. And at every turn, the progressives wail and moan that the Church doesn't listen - but what they're really saying is that the Church won't do what they want Her to do. All the while, the Church recognizes the damage and destruction such people are heading towards, and out of charity and correction, seeks to dissuade them from their tragic trajectories.

The Catholic Church is not a listening church, in the sense these people desire Her to be. The Church is primarily a teaching Church - even though there are many who reject the teachings. Christ commanded the apostles to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you..." (Mt 28:19-20). Christ was given the authority to do this by God, and he passed that authority on to the apostles - and after Pentecost, they embarked on fulfilling that command, when 3,000 Jews became Christians upon hearing Peter's message. To this day, She continues to teach, because Her other mission is to save souls.

The Church listens to the Holy Spirit, first and foremost. She listens to Jesus Christ, Her bridegroom. She is not required to listen to Her children, and yet She does and has done so - throughout history, men and women have contributed to the development of Church doctrine, and helped to usher in renewal and reform - but always guided by the Holy Spirit. And always within the confines of revealed Truth.

And thus the error of the progressives - they believe they have discovered a more enlightened truth, one that transcends Middle-Age philosophies and moral standards. They proclaim that their goal is to bring the Church into the modern age, but in reality, they'd be hurling it back into the Dark Ages. Ordaining women priests does not encourage enlightenment - it would only bring about confusion. Permitting artificial contraception does not bring freedom and life - it would only ignore the slavery and death wrought upon our world. Redefining homosexuality and marriage would not bring equality - it would only bring about oppression.

To strip away the fortifications of truth would leave the soul undefended against the lies of the world. The Church has listened to the world, and has stood firm against its fictions. The Church is built upon solid ground, a refuge for those seeking permanence and protection. And those of us who, by God's grace, comprise the sensus fidelium, are assured this protection by the promises of Christ. The sensus haereticum are assured of it as well...if they would but listen.