Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Questionable Statements From A Cardinal-Designate

As most have heard by now, Pope Francis appointed several new cardinals, mostly from the southern hemisphere.  For the most part, I haven't heard too much about them and am now starting to gather some information.  It is disconcerting.

One cardinal-designate is Archbishop John Dew of Wellington, New Zealand.  Catholic Phlly reports on his wish for a "pastoral approach on the Eucharist".  These days, anytime I come across that word "pastoral", red flags fly in my brain and usually for good reason.  He seems to think that if Catholics who are now excluded on account of their adulterous situations were permitted to receive Holy Communion - without the necessary repentance and sacramental Confession - the Church would be "enriched".  How???  Does he mean "enriched" as in receiving financial contributions from them?  There certainly would be no "enrichment" for those mortally-sinning Catholics who would incur the guilt of sacrilegious Holy Communion.

I gather from the article that Dew was at last October's sin-nod, and he helped the event live up to (or down to, more accurately) the nickname with which I dubbed it.  He stated after hearing from 25% of Catholics responding to questionnaires  "'It’s impossible when we’re told that because we’re using contraceptives we’re intrinsically evil or that we’re living in an irregular situation — the language is so negative that it doesn’t help us.’  My intervention was: Let’s not be concentrating on rules, but looking for language that helps people and encourages people in their journey toward God.”

Let's unpack this piece by piece, shall we?
  • First of all, no one is saying that these disobedient Catholics are "intrinsically evil" as persons.  HOWEVER - they are disobedient for they are committing intrinsic evils when they use contraception or live in adultery.  
  • "The language is so negative that it doesn't help us".  Help them in what way?  To have nice warm-fuzzy feelings about their sinful conduct?  That kind of "help" only greases the skids as they slide rapidly towards eternal perdition.
  • Let me state this now, for the umpteenth time.  We need to recognize this "positive versus negative" paradigm as the satanic lie from hell that it is.  Whether a statement is regarded as "positive or negative" has more to do with the subjective emotional reactions of the recipient of that statement to the same as opposed to objective truth or error of said statement.  The "positive versus negative" paradigm is, at best, useless in evaluating statements or courses of actions.  It often is a tool of the devil to inhibit the promulgation of objective truth.
  • "Looking for language"?  Try the language of the Church and the great preachers of Catholicism that has been used for the better part of 2,000 years.  I refer the archbishop to the Gospel of Mark.  In it is recorded the first word that Our Lord uttered as He started His public ministry.  REPENT.  If repentance is not the first step, there is no more "journey towards God."

If anyone has information about the other soon-to-be cardinals, I'd appreciate hearing of it.  Until then, let's be faithful to the Sacraments, the Rosary and the authentic traditions of Holy Mother Church.

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