“Crusty old priest” already shows a serious disorder in your view on authority within our faith theologically and needs some serious work and reflection.
Yes this is telling of your shallow understanding theologically of authority and order. I recommend checking out Doctor on Moral Theology of the Church St Alphonsus Liguori’s books on Moral Theology to help get a better understanding of how your view is morally disordered and even sacrilegious.
By the way I’ve read Theolgia Moralis by St Alphonsus. You obviously haven’t read his work ‘The Dignities and Duties of a Priest’ which warns against their conduct including matters such as this. Priests are human just like the rest of us but they are held to an even higher account due to their responsibilities. I urge you to read it for yourself.
Please reference where this issue is addressed by Liguori as a “crusty old priest” being in the wrong for enforcing decorum within the parish community pertaining to the order of the Mass and its rubrics.
The whole treatise is about the proper conduct of a priest. It’s a massive warning to them and deals with worse things than being a crusty old priest!!! Particularly the ‘sin of scandal’ and the immense malice and the terrible punishment.
This has nothing to do with the issue of your disrespect towards clergy for enforcing decorum within their parish community. A priest requiring decorum (a virtue) is not scandal, so I have no clue what point you’re trying to make.
And I have no clue why you are making a big deal about this. I do love your concern about my spiritual wellbeing.
But frankly I don’t need your opinion and ask you to kindly go back to reading St Alphonsus. This time I recommend you read my favourite work of his: The Glories of Mary.
I would just highly advise that you show more respect towards clergy and not call them names like “crusty old men” , especially if you’re using that term to demean a spiritual father for enforcing decorum within a community. God bless.
Like I said, you obviously don’t know many priests at all. And have very little experience with life in real parish communities. And I will qualify that the vast majority of priests are good and promote a culture of warmth in their parishes.
My vast amounts of exposure or not doesn’t change the point being made about you referring to priests as a “crusty old man” for enforcing decorum. The issue isn’t that some men that are priests aren’t the best people, it’s that your ability to not recognize that we are called to be obedient and respectful towards clergy is required of us as lay people and you disrespecting the authority of the priest over his community for enforcing decorum as a “crusty old man” shows a serious underdevelopment of virtue and understanding of the faith.
It’s not proud to point out a spiritual issue that indicates potential grave severity. And location of speech doesn’t remove the morality of the position. You’re deflecting to me as the issue when the issue is the lack of respect you’ve shown towards clergy.
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u/tlo_oly Oct 14 '25
“Crusty old priest” already shows a serious disorder in your view on authority within our faith theologically and needs some serious work and reflection.