Laity! It's Way Past Time To Resist!

Today the Vortex published an interview with His Excellency Bishop Rene Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi.  The main theme of this interview is the need for the laity (meaning most of us) to rise up to save our Church.  As an historical example, he mentions the ancient Christians shouting down Arius as he uttered heresy from the pulpit (stating Jesus isn't divine).

What caught my ear immediately at the 5:28 mark was the bishop's declaration that it is "out and out heresy" to state that God's essential attribute is mercy, stating that this heresy was on a par with that of Arius.  Bishop Gracida outright condemns the Kasperite's claim, stating that God's main attribute is love.  His explanation was brilliant; while the Three Persons love on another, they don't have mercy on each other for mercy implies sinfulness of the recipient.

With that in mind, we must bear in mind Pope Francis' excessive focus on mercy to the expense of God's other characteristics (such as justice).  In fact, he wrote a book called "The Name of God is Mercy".  Consider all that is entailed in that whopper of a title.  To name someone or something is to exercise an authority over them; that's apparent throughout Scripture.  Adam names the animals.  A parent names a child.  So now Pope Francis names God??  Really???  I've written copiously about how the Pope seems to think that the Church has been deficient with true mercy; please read here for a review for I don't want to rehash all that in this post.

Getting back to the interview, the bishop says we need to stop "suffering in silence" (at 10:20).  We need to object - loudly.  Of course we'll create an uproar.  So what?  The late Mother Angelica stated that "if you're not a thorn in somebody's side, you aren't doing Christianity right".  I'll post the video beneath the jump break but I have more to say below that.

When Bishop Gracida Thwarted Then-Bishop Wuerl

As one might imagine, the information relayed by this Vortex is particularly heart-warming to me.  I live in the Archdiocese of Washington, and in the parish from where Father Guarnizo was expelled after he defended the Blessed Sacrament from profanation.

Cardinal Wuerl has now reached the age of retirement.  Has he submitted his resignation, as per canon law?  Since he disregards Canon law in matters of Holy Communion distribution and washing women's feet on Holy Thursday, I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't.  But maybe he did anyway, believing (understandably so) that the pope won't let a close ally be unseated.  Anyway, here's the video.  God bless Bishop Gracida and all the faithful prelates and clergy.

More USCCB Pandering To Illegal Immigrants

There is an excellent Catholic blog called, very simply, A Blog For Dallas Area Catholics.  Today I saw a post of their's that analyzed a most miserable statement put out by some hispanic bishops and posted on a USCCB blog.  They shamelessly released this statement yesterday in a disgusting attempt to exploit the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Dallas blog does an excellent job of highlighting the logical and yes, moral flaws of the statement of those bishops.  Rather than reinvent the wheel, I invite you to read it for yourselves at his/her site.

You will notice that my blogging colleague laments that the bishops have in this statement a determination that they lack when it comes to speaking of matters of non-negotiable morality.  Indeed, one of the signers, Bishop Ochoa, has gone so far as to discipline one of his priests, Father Michael Rodriguez, precisely because the latter clearly proclaimed the Church's teachings regarding the gay lifestyle.  You can read my prior postings on Bishop Ochoa's misbehaviors here.

I join my colleague in thanking and congratulating His Excellency, Rene Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi, for not lending his name to that, uhhh, bovine manure.  Bishop Gracida has always been a voice for the truth, even when it seemed that he was the only bishop who spoke out.