EWTN: Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray on #AmorisLaetitia

Posted on 15 April 2016 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Great commentary about Amoris laetitia from Robert Royal and Fr. Gerald Murray on EWTN.

At about 20:00 Fr. Murray has gives a fantastic response to Arroyo’s toungue-in-check challenge after reading out a portion of AL 304.

Arroyo from 304-305: “It is reductive simply to consider whether or not an individual’s actions correspond to a general law or rule, because that is not enough to discern and ensure full fidelity to God in the concrete life of a human being….  For this reason, a pastor cannot feel that it is enough simply to apply moral laws to those living in “irregular” situations, as if they were stones to throw at people’s lives. This would bespeak the closed heart of one used to hiding behind the Church’s teachings…. [THEN]  Is that what you are doing Fr. Murray?  Are you hiding behind the Church’s teaching?”

Tune in for Father’s brilliant response.

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9 Comments

  1. kekeak2008 says:
    15 April 2016 at 10:38 PM

    Thank you for sharing this interview. God bless Fr. Murray and his clear explanations. In a world that is seemingly on fire, it’s great to hear precise and simple explanations from those two.

  2. Victoria says:
    15 April 2016 at 11:06 PM

    Thank you…thank you…thank you for posting this Father and directing us to listen to Fr. Murray. There needs to be so many more commentaries like this on a national, and international level to diminish the damage.

  3. DanielG says:
    15 April 2016 at 11:23 PM

    Father Murray and Mr. Royal are so, so solid and you can see the distress in their faces as they discuss AL. Their superb commentaries give us a lot to think about and maybe even some … hope?

  4. Nicolas Bellord says:
    16 April 2016 at 6:17 AM

    Many thanks Father for this reference to a brilliant discussion. I have started reading AL seriously and have got as far as paragraph 3 which talks about inculturation and it puzzled me. It was interesting that Fr Murray and Mr Royle picked up the same point. The idea of inculturation seems to have taken a completely different meaning from what was originally meant. Whereas previously one thought of say statues in a church being influenced by local culture it now seems that inculturation can mean that basic doctrine can be re-interpreted to conform to local culture. Cardinal Napier made the point at the time of the 2014 session of the Synod that if in certain parts of Europe serial polygamy, ie. divorce and remarriage, was to be allowed because it was so common in the local culture why should not simultaneous polygamy be allowed in Africa where it was already common in the local culture.

    Further footnote 351 talks about the ‘sacraments’. Hitherto this seems to some to be a reference to confession and communion. But why not the sacrament of marriage? Goodbye to indissolubility.

  5. Grumpy Beggar says:
    16 April 2016 at 6:51 AM

    Fr Murray always has good , clear- thinking commentary. I started to transcribe what he said beginning at 20:00 and was hoping to do more but I had to leave for Mass. Anyhow. . . a snippet of his words:

    Fr Murray :
    “You know , in one sense yes and in another sense no : I hide behind the teaching of the Lord because I want to be protected from evil influences of the devil and erroneous teachings. I want to know what the Church expects (of) me. So in that that sense you can say the expression ‘I find my nest or my home in the teaching of the Church.’

    On the other hand, I’m not using the teaching of the Church as an excuse to get back at people who are sinning – I’m offering them the greatest charity in the world which is the knowledge of what God wants them to do in life. I really have to say the Holy Father’s language is colorful and very blunt but I don’t know that it’s really to the point because when the Lord said to the woman caught in adultery ‘Go and sin no more’ , was that presumptuous on his part to instruct her what to do ? – No , it’s not – He knows everything. . . “

  6. tcreek says:
    16 April 2016 at 8:33 AM

    If Flannery had been on the program, I suppose she would say something like –
    “It seems to be a fact that you have to suffer as much from the Church as for it but if you believe in the divinity of Christ, you have to cherish the world at the same time that you struggle to endure it. ” – The Habit of Being: Letters of Flannery O’Connor.

  7. DisturbedMary says:
    16 April 2016 at 10:57 AM

    Royal does a careful theological tango with LA. Father Murray is the inimitable Fred Astaire taking us through the difficult parts of LA.

    Starts around 1:40 http://www.bestmoviesbyfarr.com/articles/fred-astaires/2014/05

  9. Pingback: Amoris lætitia II | Ora Te canentium

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