In a conversation with another priest recently, he made a comment which struck right to the core. We were speaking about many of the current problems that the Church is having to undergo. We also spoke much about how people are responding in many different ways. He pointed out to me (since he knows my particular weaknesses) that all the problems are not doctrinal. Yes, there are doctrinal problems (and many of them are rampant--even among Catholics), but that is too simplistic an explanation of what we are dealing with.
The real heart of the problem is a spiritual issue, rather than a doctrinal one. My tendency is to examine things in a doctrinal way. It is certainly easier to consider things as doctrines: "either you believe in this doctrine or not". The spiritual corruption that is spreading like wildfire today, however, is much more slippery and harder to get hold of. To say that someone is wrong spiritually is not as easy to pinpoint, and it is much more difficult to remedy. You can tell when a person is spiritually damaged, but how they got there and how they can overcome it are not that easy.
It is precisely because people are spiritually damaged that we hear so many doctrinal errors and not the other way around. Yes, it is true that doctrinal errors will damage you spiritually, but that is not what the majority are experiencing today. Spiritual laziness has led to compromise in morals, lack of appreciation for things that are eternal, disrespect for God and His commands, and a general reorientation to worldliness. When people become spiritually corrupted, they become confused and will often fall for any foolish idea just because it sounds good (like global warming).
We are dealing with a spiritual and moral problem, and it has been increasing for a couple generations now at an astronomical rate. It was not as noticeable in the past as it is now, and that is what makes it hard to overcome. It has become so deep-seated in people that they often cannot even see their spiritual problems (and even think, sometimes, that their spiritual problems are actually a good thing). We can spend our time working to correct doctrinal issues (and some of that is necessary), but if we fail to work on the spiritual and moral problems that we have (which are much more difficult to diagnose) then we will just return to some other doctrinal errors in the end.
I was once asked, "how do I overcome this challenge in my life?" My answer was "increase your devotion to the Lord". The person I was speaking to stood there and stared at me for a bit with a look that made me wonder if I had just spoken in Chinese. It may seem overly simplistic, but our level of devotion always impacts our lives (in more ways that we usually expect). "Seek first His kingdom and all the rest will be added unto you" (but we do not like that, do we?). People want entertainment and a pat on the back, but not reverence for Christ and encouragement to repent.
This increased spiritual compromise has spread like a disease to the point of where there are more infected by it than not. It is like living in the days of the Black Plague, but instead of physical boils and fever, we have spiritual symptoms. The problem is, most are either ignoring the disease, or they are trying to solve it with the very same things that are causing the problem. Maybe, a few centuries from now, they will refer to this as the "Spiritual Black Plague". Whatever they call these days we live in, I suspect it will be remembered with sadness.
Numerous clergymen are compromised in their faith and practice (morally, liturgically, and doctrinally). Mass attendance is decreasing. Tithing is not what it used to be in most parishes. In general, Catholics do not know enough about their faith to distinguish it from Protestantism. We cannot blame it all on the abuse of Vatican II (we can blame quite a lot on that, but not all of it!). So then, where do we go from here? As a priest, I am going to buckle down, and work first on increasing my own holiness and that of those under my care. Every one of you should do the same in your sphere of influence and work to find a renewed spiritual vigor in your soul. There are no gimmicks or tricks to fix this. There is Christ and His grace, and to Him we must turn; will you go there with me?
