My view may be quite extreme, because I believe that Jesus does not require a person to step out of victim consciousness in order to be saved. His love is simply unconditional — this is the transcendence of Jesus’ love.
I once attended a class taught by a nun who is also an experienced psychologist and very influential in our parish. She taught people to step out of victim consciousness and not to be bound by the past. Many people were encouraged and helped by her course. However, she also revealed a flaw in this approach: she only helps those who are “capable of self-growth.” As for those who remain trapped in their pain and unable to pull themselves out, she refuses to help them — because if they cannot grow on their own, they cannot give her positive feedback. She simply does not want to help such people.
Once, in her class, she used the Scripture passage about Jesus healing the man who had been lame for 38 years. She said: “That man who had been lying there for 38 years without moving was unable to take responsibility for his own life. He was always waiting for others to help him, and always shifting his problems onto others — until Jesus came and saved him.” Then the nun said: “If I were Jesus, I would not have saved such a person. Such a person is not worth saving.” She even blamed that lame man for Jesus later being arrested and judged by the Jews, because in the text, the man told the Jews about Jesus’ whereabouts. Many people in the classroom supported what she said, and they applauded. I, on the other hand, felt a chill down my spine.
I felt sad. From that moment on, my understanding of the Gospel spirit became deeper. Because Jesus’ love is truly beyond human imagination. No matter what situation you are in, what environment, what time — He will never say to you: “Please stop seeing yourself as a victim, and then I will save you.” He is completely unconditional. But human beings simply cannot do this. Deep inside, we always have conditions: Is this person elite? What resources does he have that I can exchange? Will interacting with him benefit me? Even some clergy think this way. Clearly, our Church is moving toward secularization — and it appears as an angel of light. It sounds very reasonable, it caters to human nature — but it distorts the Gospel.
---- Replied Message ----
From | Cade_Onenotifications@catholic365.discoursemail.com |
- | - |
Date | 04/21/2026 01:23 |
To | 13737878117@163.com |
Cc | |
Subject | [Catholic Talk | Catholic Forum & Discussion] [General] Already moving further away from faith, or was ordinary people’s faith always like this? |
Someone replied to your post.
| Cade_One
April 20 |
Vincent:
…those who are asked to forgive are often the real victims, and these victims are usually the vulnerable ones in society.
Sometimes victims can become enslaved by their unwillingness to forgive and the advice for them to forgive is not to downplay nor excuse what had been done to them, but to free them from their bitterness and anger, which eats at their soul.
God participates in the just redistribution of this unequal relationship — therefore God lifts up the lowly and humble, and pushes down the powerful. But in the church I have experienced, most of the time the vulnerable party is not only asked to forgive the other person and sort out their own emotions and issues, but also faces the reality of their life being destroyed.
I see what you are saying here. And yes, this does happen.
This is why Jesus said to Pray for those who persecute you. Love your enemies. He also said to brush off the dust from your shoes and move on. There will be some who do not accept you. You can point out their faults every hour of every day, but it isn’t going to do much good. The way you hold up a mirror to these individuals is by loving them, in spite of their faults. Or by ignoring them and living a holy life and when they criticize you, they will speak judgement on themselves.
Every reality game-show on television today has to have a sob story. Everyone is a victim. And if you do not have a sob story, then you are therefore seen as privileged and are therefore unworthy of winning the game. But, I also think people are tired of this! When they start in on their sob story, I usually roll my eyes or fast-forward.
Yes, some have had very rough lives. Yes, some have had bad things happen to them. But, I also see how they are being used for ratings and it does not make them a better person, because they have had something happen in their life. Some have become better individuals, because of what has happened to them, but not because something has happened to them, but rather by their response to it or by their overcoming, or rising above it.
Individuals who perpetually see themselves as a victim think of themselves as being special and deserving, whereas those who see what happened to them as sucky, but does not let what happened to them define who they are, are inspiring. Do you see the slight difference?
Jesus lifts up the lowly and humble, indeed, but those who live in perpetual victimhood consciousness are actually the opposite of humble.
I haven’t posted here for a long time. In the past three months, I feel like I am moving further and further away from my faith. I pray much less than before. In the past, I was very active in going to church, reading stories of saints, taking various spiritual classes, reading the Bible, praying, and firmly believing in the teachings. But now I have reduced a lot of that, and I have started to doubt the nature of the Church and its teachings.