8.115. I like how the Catholic Church just asks for basics—1 confession/year. I’m not into being too religious. Latin Mass feels too serious. I’ll just stick to the minimum.
This objection exposes the deep spiritual damage caused by the Novus Ordo Vatican II religion: a mindset of minimum effort, maximum self-focus, and the false belief that mediocrity is sufficient for salvation. But the Catholic Church has never taught a “bare minimum” path to Heaven. Rather, Our Lord calls us to holiness, sacrifice, and total fidelity—not minimalist checkbox Catholicism.
This is the mindset of lukewarmness, which Christ condemned. He said:
“I would thou wert cold or hot. But because thou art lukewarm… I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth.”
The idea that we can just “do the minimum” and be safe is a lie fostered by the false pastoralism of Vatican II, which has reduced Catholicism to a checklist, stripped of sacrifice, reverence, and spiritual ambition. The minimum requirements (such as annual confession) were never meant to encourage minimalism—they were absolute lowest thresholds under serious danger of mortal sin.
Christ gave us everything—not so we could give back the least, but so we could take up our cross daily and follow Him seriously.
| Category | Traditional Catholic View | Novus Ordo / Minimalist Mentality | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Confession | Frequent (monthly or more); essential for growth in holiness | Annual, if at all—only to meet a rule | Confession is a **source of grace**, not a burden |
| Mass Attendance | Every Sunday, Holy Day, and more if possible | Sunday obligation only—sometimes skipped without guilt | The Latin Mass forms saints; the Novus Ordo breeds apathy |
| Prayer Life | Daily Rosary, morning and evening prayers, spiritual reading | Occasional prayer “if I feel like it” | We cannot love Christ if we never speak to Him |
| View of the Faith | A total way of life—serious, joyful, sacrificial | A personal belief system—moderate, private, comfortable | Christ demands **total fidelity**, not part-time religion |
| View of the Latin Mass | Highest act of worship—solemn, reverent, God-centered | Seen as “too intense” or “too serious” | The Mass is **Calvary made present**—it should be serious |
| Spiritual Goal | Sanctity, salvation, union with God | Feeling okay, avoiding guilt, “getting by” | The wide path leads to destruction (Matt. 7:13) |
| Fruits | Holiness, sacrifice, vocations, reverence | Lukewarmness, irreverence, spiritual decay | “By their fruits you shall know them” (Matt. 7:16) |
Summary:
Christ did not come to make you “comfortable.” He came to make you holy—to save your soul from Hell. The attitude that says, “I’ll do the minimum and avoid being too religious” is the very definition of lukewarmness, and it offends God deeply.
The Latin Mass is not too serious—it is properly serious, because it is the re-presentation of Christ’s Sacrifice on Calvary. To treat that lightly is blasphemous. And to view Catholicism as a set of minimal rules is to turn a life-giving Faith into a dead habit.
As Pope St. Pius X taught:
“The Catholic Church is not an institution one can take lightly or abandon with impunity. She is the guardian of dogma and virtue, and she speaks with the authority of Christ Himself.”
If you truly love God, you will not ask, “What’s the least I can do?”
You will ask, “What more can I give?”
Further reading:
A Comprehensive Examination of Conscience By Rev. Donald F. Miller, C.SS.R. (1959)
An Examination of Conscience for Adults in Preparation for Confession