"Baby It's Cold Outside" Reveals Reactionary Behaviors Of Some Catholics

While it may seem like I'm beating a dead horse with continued discussion about the 1940s song "Baby It's Cold Outside", I think this controversy has laid bare some problems in the thinking (or maybe more accurately non-thinking) in which some good people - even Catholics - are engaging.

Let me link to previous posts: here and here.  Now here's an article in which the author appears to take pride in his mindlessness.  Notice this sentence: "In fact, I never really cared for the song, Baby it’s Cold Outside, but now I do, and I’ll request it wherever I am and play it as often and as loudly as I can."

 He is defending the song, not on its own merits, but simply because some leftists oppose it. In other words, he is taking his cues from them as opposed to his own independent ideas about the song. He goes so far as to call it "the greatest Christmas song" when the the word "Christmas" is mentioned not once in it, let alone any mention of the birth of Jesus Christ. Is this the sort of brainlessness that Catholics should adopt?

Many leftists describe us conservatives as knuckle-dragging neanderthals who only know how to react and who have no cogent reasons or basis for their actions.  Sadly, the conduct of many conservatives in this matter serves only to justify such stereotypes.

More importantly, many Catholics are embracing this song simply because some leftists oppose it.  This is actually a rather serious problem, since the lyrics of "Baby It's Cold Outside" depict the back-and-forth between a man and a woman who are not married to each other.  These lyrics depict the man trying to seduce her into the mortal sin of fornication, with the woman wavering in her own convictions.  Some leftists complain of the implications of date rape in the song.  Regrettably, the line "say what's in this drink" shows their complaint to have some basis.  At the very least, the man and woman are teetering close to the mortal sin of fornication.

Appallingly enough, some Catholics are in denial of what the lyrics are saying.  They want to approve of the song simply out of a knee-jerk reaction to the leftists' claim of date-rape, so they are willing to deny the other sinful implications of the song.  If these are the mental contortions in which they'll engage with this song, will there be other scenarios in which they will jettison their sense of Catholic morality?

Does Father Spadaro Prefer Hell To Heaven?

This from Father Spadaro's twitter feed..

The welcoming of those young people who prefer to live together without getting married… https://t.co/fa7xr0TXZ4 pic.twitter.com/zYrsrfhvcl

— Antonio Spadaro (@antoniospadaro) February 26, 2017

That's tantamount to saying "the welcoming of those young people who prefer hell to heaven, and affirming their deadly decision".  To prefer the mortal sin of fornication over the Sacrament of Matrimony is the preference of damnation to salvation. We pray that all will repent, go to Confession and change their "preferences" before it is too late to do so.

One more question: after this scandalous tweet, will Father Spadaro be allowed to retain favor with Pope Francis?  The answer to that question will be very telling, and we'll see that answer in a very short time.

Gianna Jessen Rightly Rebukes The Pope - Father Z, Take Note!

My post from Friday stated quite clearly that there would be immense fall-out from the heresies regarding marriage and fornication that the pope recently uttered.  Father Zuhlsdorf also posted that day; while he seems to understand the nature of the errors, he takes a recklessly dismissive attitude regarding the harm that not only will but is in fact happening right now.  Behold his closing statement: "Don’t have a spittle-flecked nutty.  Just shake your head with a smile as you flip to another page and say, 'Bless him, he sure likes to gab with people, doesn’t he!'”

Bear that most irresponsible suggestion in your mind as you read this statement from Gianna Jessen from her twitter feed.  Many in the pro-life movement are familiar with Ms. Jessen,  In the late 1970s she survived her mother's attempt to abort her via saline abortion.  She has since gone on to be an advocate for the pre-born and for disability rights (she has cerebral palsy as a result of the abortion).

never thought a pope could make me cry. and PLEASE don't tell me i am really not reading what i am reading. pic.twitter.com/P48JZGvrZv

— Gianna Jessen (@giannajessen) June 17, 2016

Is that what Father Zuhlsdorf would call a "spittle-flecked nutty"??  I don't believe Ms. Jessen is Catholic but I can be fairly certain her sentiments are echoed by thousands who, attempting to live Christian lives (Catholic and Protestant), have once again found themselves mocked by the current occupant of the Chair of Peter.  We should be able to expect far better than that.  Recently, when Bishop Robert Lynch announced his retirement, Bobby Schindler issued his own statement saying, "in my family's experience, Bishop Lynch was like the man spitting in the hand of a person in need."  When the pope puked out the heresies regarding both marriage and fornication, he too spit into the hands of those looking to him for spiritual nourishment.  In Matthew 7:9-10, Our Lord spoke of those parents who give bread and fish as opposed to stones and serpents.  Last Thursday we were all handed a bunch of stones and serpents.

We also read in Matthew 18:6-7 Jesus' rebuke of those who cause scandals, saying that "it were better for him had a millstone be hanged about his neck and that he should be drowned.."  Was Our Lord simply having a "spittle-flecked nutty"?  He took scandals quite seriously.  It would behoove us to do the same.

Cohabitating Couples And The Sacrament of Confession

Earlier today Leon posted a comment to my post about the wedding of cohabitating couples.  Please note that he says that he, his wife and (I assume) other couples confessed right before their wedding ceremonies.  This raises a whole bevy of questions.   Let me preface these questions with some important clarifications.  As I ask questions and make remarks, I do not intend these to be construed as criticism of Leon and his friends.  I've no doubt that the actions they took were taken in good-faith compliance with their priests and marriage-prep instructors.  I suspect Leon and his friends were merely victims of poor catechesis resulting from the erroneous "spirit of Vatican II".  For that matter, their priests and marriage-prep instructors may well have been robbed of their proper Catholic formation by that same "spirit of Vatican II".  I know I was in my latter years of school.  Fortunately my sacramental preparation wasn't so corroded, as we used the Baltimore Catechism.  I'll be referring to that catechism later.  Now the questions arising from Leon's comment.

• Why "right before"?  Why were they not advised to take advantage of that sacrament at earlier times during their course?
• Were the cohabitating couples ever advised that they should separate (that is, cease fornication) during the course of their marriage preparation      
• If they were urged to confess, were they urged to confess the mortal sin of fornication?  Were they even taught why fornication is a mortal sin?

I suppose that list of questions could go into infinity, but I'll stop here.  As I said in the last post, no sacramental grace (including from matrimony) can accrue to those in a state of mortal sin unless one receives the Sacrament of Confession.  The fact that Confession in Leon's case seems to have been delayed until the eve of the wedding makes me wonder if that sacrament is being misunderstood, and to such an extent as to compromise the efficacy of that Sacrament.  As I said, I'll be trotting out the Baltimore Catechism (used to prepare me for my first confession).

Here is Question 384: What must we do to receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily?  To receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily we must:
       first, examine our conscience
       second, be sorry for our sins (contrition)
       third, have the firm purpose of not sinning again
       fourth, confess our sins to the priest
       fifth, be willing to perform the penance the priest gives us

If Confession really occurs on the eve of the wedding, how does that allow for a proper examination of conscience and, more telling, testing of the purpose of not committing fornication again?

Let's look at several other questions in succession, and I'll put comments in red.

Question 388: What is contrition? Contrition is sincere sorrow for having offended God, and hatred for the sins we have committed, with a firm purpose of sinning no more.  Under the scenario that Leon described, was a hatred for the mortal sin of fornication properly instilled in the marriage prep attendees?

Question 389: Will God forgive us any sin unless we have true contrition for it?  God will not forgive us any sin, whether mortal or venial, unless we have true contrition for it.  Unless that hatred of fornication has been instilled, there is no forgiveness of that mortal sin.  How can this be interpreted otherwise?

Question 390: When is sorrow for sin true contrition?  Sorrow for sin is true contrition when it is interior, supernatural, supreme and universal.

Question 391: When is our sorrow interior?  Our sorrow is interior when it comes from our heart and not merely from our lips.  So how are currently-cohabitating couples being taught to have interior sorrow?

Question 392: When is our sorrow supernatural?  Our sorrow is supernatural when, with the help of God's grace, it arises from motives which spring from faith and not merely from natural motives.  The natural motives in the case of marriage preparation might include "discharging the formality of confession" as though it was just another item on the "punch list" of things to do before the wedding.

As I pointed out in the previous post, if couples have been committing the mortal sin of fornication, they need to receive the Sacrament of Penance worthily before they can properly receive the Sacrament of Matrimony.  I recited and commented on the Baltimore Catechism questions to illustrate why I think it's highly unlikely that Leon and his friends were properly prepared to receive either Penance or Matrimony.  I have good reason to believe this scenario is repeated in parishes throughout the world.  Are the twenty couples being married tomorrow also victims of ill-considered marriage preparation?

The divorce rate for Catholics is roughly on a par with that of non-Catholic couples; that's indicative that God's laws about marriage and sexuality are not being taken seriously, assuming they are known at all.  I realize a good deal of Catholic education is below par, but in this day of the internet, there is no excuse for not filling in the gaps of our own education.

If the couples whom the Pope will marry tomorrow have indeed been properly instructed, I ask why the new article (particularly from Catholic sources) did not make that clear.  The lack of such mention leaves too much room for ambiguity and even scandal.

Pope To Marry Cohabitating Couples? Really??

I know of a pastor who places in his bulletin a requirement for engaged couples going through his marriage prep program.  He requires that if they are cohabiting, that they live separately until their wedding day.  Why?  In his words, "it is sinful, causes scandal, and leads to greater likelihood of divorce".  Of course he's spot-on correct.

Here's another consideration.  Since fornication is objectively a mortal sin, would that not mean that at least some of these cohabitating people have mortally sinned?  Some, out of ignorance of Church teaching, may not be fully culpable, I realize.  But for those in the state of mortal sin, it is my understanding that no grace from any other sacrament will be of benefit to them until their mortal sin is absolved in the Sacrament of Confession.  Would that not include grace from the Sacrament of Matrimony?

The internet is now carrying the news that Pope Francis will marry twenty couples this coming Sunday including "those who are already cohabitating".  That is troubling.  It doesn't say "those who had been cohabitating".  The Telegraph speaks in present tense, not in past tense.

I suppose by now these couples have already been selected.  Have they been required to cease their mortal sin?  Have they been required to confess their mortal sins of fornication and receive absolution from a priest?  If not, they'll most likely not receive the sacramental grace that otherwise they might anticipate from Matrimony.  Moreover, they'll most likely receive Holy Communion at these weddings while in mortal sin, right?  That sounds like two sets of sacrilege right there!

As I read this article, I see no sign of these couples righting their relationships with God and the Church.  I hope I'm wrong in this, but if not, we're looking at scandal of breath-taking proportions with the potential of poor souls careening to hell due to bad example and poor teaching.

Kudus to Our Lady of Lourdes Parish!

It is no secret that most couples undergoing marriage preparation in Catholic parishes these days are living together.  That is to say, they are committing the mortal sin of fornication - quite openly - while ostensibly preparing for a Catholic marriage.  Yet those who conduct these sessions, by and large, say nothing of the proverbial "elephants in the living room" that sit before them.

Studies show that cohabitation before marriage is prejudicial to the success of that marriage.  "But wait a minute!", one might say.  "They're seeking God's grace!"  Are they?  By continuing in disobedience to His Commandments?  Let's speak of grace in general.  We know that when one is in mortal sin, he or she can receive no sacramental grace from reception of any of the sacraments - with the obvious exception of the Sacrament of Penance.  Thus, a fornicating couple receiving the sacrament of matrimony can expect no grace or the attendant benefits until they end the sinful situation and go to Confession.

Yet by and large, those conducting the marriage prep courses turn a blind eye, failing miserably to do what would arguably be the most important work in helping truly Catholic marriages to come about and to succeed.

That's why I was pleasantly surprised to read this announcement in a recent weekly bulletin from Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Bethesda MD.  It reads: (begin announcement)
Sacrament of Matrimony In accord with the regulations of the Arcdiocese of Washington, couples must contact a priest and begin preparation at least six months prior to a wedding.  Parish registration and active participation for a minimum of three months is required before preparation may begin.  Living together before marriage is sinful and harmful to the future marriage.  Couples who are living together will be asked to live separately during the preparation time.  (end announcement)

While I might have added that couples living together should go to Confession, this is indeed much more than I've seen in any other bulletin.  God bless those of Our Lady of Lourdes who are conducting this course.