Expert: Fr. Michael - 11/3/2008

Question
Hello Fr. Jerome,

I am so happy that I found you in allexperts.
I am very troubled by a recent letter which I rec'd from my niece a few days ago. My niece, Karen, belongs to the Society of St. Pius X.  I was raised in the pre-Vatican II Catholic Church so I know where her turmoil is coming from first hand.  She loves God and wants to be good enough to go to heaven but unfortunately she is not good enough and therefore cannot be secure that she will get there.  I know the Catholic Church now encourages Bible study but I can't remember a time when I was growing up that it was ever encouraged.  Since she probably does not read the Bible, and it would not be allowed in her home,she does not know of God's word and promises.  She is just guilty, guilty, guilty and is very upset with the state of the world knowing time is short but most of all she has no assurance that she will get to heaven.  Please,Father,give me some insight as to how to help her.  Thank you.

Answer
Since that is not what Catholicism traditionally teaches, she shouldn't be getting this from the SSPX.  I suspect that her problems are much deeper and antedate her current association.  You can be thankful at least that she is not in the New Order Church with its Modernistic psycho-babble.

Nor is it a question of the Bible.  People can get into a lot of trouble trying to interpret the Bible on their own without understanding its context.  With so many people now ignorant of the Biblical languages and cultures, almost everyone has to rely on faulty "translations," into which personal biases are injected by the "translators."

It sounds as if this girl needs to find a very balanced, very rational spiritual advisor.  Often there are several alternatives in an area, such as those listed in the National Registry of Traditional Latin Masses at http://www.traditio.com/nat.htm

The Catholic Church has traditionally had many approaches to spirituality:  Dominican, Franciscan, Jesuit, Augustinian, etc.  She has to find that one that speaks particularly to her in practice while she maintains the traditional doctrines and practice of the true Faith.