MSGR JIM LISANTE
Monsignor Jim Lisante and Fr Jonathan Morris were speaking on Fox News during the Pope's visit, and at one point, Msgr Lisante made a very telling remark about counseling couples in marital difficulties. He said that he will NO LONGER SEE only one of a couple. He will only see them together, because the other way does no good.
WAY TO GO, Monsignor!
He gets it. They are ONE. You cannot solve a problem between two people by talking and listening to only ONE of them!
Too often, ONE is seen; false compassion takes over, and 'permission' to divorce, and a near guarantee of an 'annulment' is given to one half of a couple. That leaves the OTHER HALF out in the dark. Since the priest has already 'sided' with the one who wants to force divorce, he sets himself up to being little or no help whatsoever to the other half of ONE FLESH.
It is something that I briefly alluded to in my open letter to Benedict XVI the other day....
This (seeing them together) is the only way that any marriage counseling should be done, because it is the ONLY way most times to open communication and begin to SOLVE THE PROBLEMS, and bring about reconciliation!!! When you only hear ONE SIDE of a story, it is EASY to get 'sympathetic' ..and not speak hard truths, or really help the couple. A very distorted, one-sided picture appears, and it 'looks' ok, but is only part of the story....
RECONCILIATION is the way of the Church, and is the clear direction given by God, and by St Paul in 1Cor 7.
God bless Msgr Jim Lisante!
posted by WI Catholic @ 4/21/2008 03:40:00 PM
4 Comments:
I would add to that...that when any two people go in for counseling.... or if only one goes in for counseling on ANY human situation.... married, unmarried, regardless of age or situation, that both or all parties should attend counseling together. Whoever sees the counseler can present a one-sided view and gain sympathy from the counselor. It would be very difficult to get both (all) people to that one counselor and finding a good one is not easy. Not all priests, for example, are excellent at counseling.
I am in agreement. Rarely is one person able to be helped (even in psychiatric situations) when only ONE person in a family is seen. No one can get a complete picture from one side of a story. A lot of behaviors can be projected or distorted to favor the one being seen and blame the other who is not seen.
Behaviors can also be minimized to make the one being seen look 'innocent' in conflict, and a 'victim' of the other.
When a family is involved, they are all affected (example, alcohol or drug abuse of one affects everyone).
But in a marriage, especially, no one should counsel only one of that couple.
I agree, not all priests are good at counseling. Not all counselors are good, even when not priests. The goal, in a marriage especially, should be reconcilation of the couple, NOT divorce/separation.
God bless, Linda!
Sorry to say that Lisante is a celebrity brown noser, a liberal apostate, a media monger and, according to one person at his church, he has decimated the parish. I have to agree.
See video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hncnt5p2acQ&feature=player_embedded
THH,
I debated posting your comment based on what I see as gossip. There is no way for me or most/all of my readers to prove the allegations in the video, which is, in my estimation, quite sarcastic. It is also full of innuendo.
I seldom reject a comment, and have decided to continue that practice. Hence, it has been published.
However, while I am very glad that you came to visit, I also need to note that this is not at all related to the subject of this post. I can only comment on the statement that he made about not counseling ONE half of a ONE FLESH relationship any longer. That statement of his is right on, and I wish that MORE would follow that practice.
God bless!!
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