The Little Things Matter A Lot In The Spiritual And Cultural War

Today in Crisis Magazine appeared an article entitled "Can The Church Recover Its Fighting Spirit?" by William Kilpatrick.  In his piece, the author focuses on how Catholic leadership, beginning with the pope, are surrendering themselves and the Church to Islam.  He rightly points out that in past generations, Catholics fought against Islamic encroachment and prevailed.  The Catholic in the pew indeed is receiving little guidance from his/her leaders.  In fact, if such a Catholic displays any wariness regarding Muslims, his/her bishop will chide him/her for being "rigid" and "xenophobic" or other such slurs.

While I think everything that Kilpatrick says is true, I don't think he quite gets to the root of the problem.  Many Catholics don't know who they are, as the bride of Christ.  They don't know their faith, they don't know their doctrine, they don't know their God.  Without these, there can be no "fighting spirit".

Below is a video by Michael Matt of the Remnant.  He touches upon cultural issues.  He too understands that as late as 80 years ago, Catholics were firm in their faith.  Consequently they had the respect of the culture at large, even if that respect was given grudgingly.



Matt discusses the fact that this culture has infected all of us to varying degrees; none are unscathed although we may not be aware of the damage wrought upon us.  I certainly don't consider myself exempted.  I saw a rather telling example of that last week, particularly in reaction to this video that was posted to my facebook wall.  A number of us took exception to the mother's behavior (not the baby's) in: 1) not restraining her child from distracting others about to receive Holy Communion and 2) proceeding to post it and (it appears) license it out for some sort of gain.  We were taken aback by the commenters on the video and my post who excoriated us for being "heartless".  In a word, they were letting their feelings trump intellect and will.

Now why do I bring this up, one might ask.  "It's just a small aberration, quite harmless", they say.  Dear readers, it is precisely in these "small matters" that our awareness of God and our Catholic culture is whittled away, minuscule piece by minuscule piece.  Each time we capitulate in these little matters (and we've all done it) we make it easier to capitulate in more little - and no so little - matters.  This is one way we weaken our faith and the fighting spirit of which Kilpatrick writes.  Lex orandi, lex credendi lex vivendi.

DC Archdiocese Sues WMATA For Christmas Ad Refusal

The Archdiocese of Washington attempted to place advertisements in the city's transportation system (including the subway and buses) for its findtheperfectgift.org site.  The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority refused the paid ads because they are too (gasp!) "religious"!  Obviously WMATA has forgotten that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.  Of course it has "religious" significance, far beyond any commercial meaning.

The Archdiocese is filing suit against WMATA and I pray they prevail.  No one is asking WMATA to promote any religion as the advertisements will be paid by the Archdiocese.  It is unconstitutional to refuse speech because it is religious in nature.  Because WMATA is publicly subsidized, it is subject to constitutional scrutiny and constraints.

Again, let's pray that the Archdiocese prevails.

Another Reason To Ponder How We'll Resist The Progressive Encroachment

Lepanto Institute today released an expose of yet another progressive cabal known as Association of United States Catholic Priests.  Not being a quasi-official Church organization, they apparently feel little need to maintain any facade of orthodoxy - and they don't!

On the AUSCP home page, you'll see links to articles detailing their planning for "women deaconesses" and "priestless parishes".  Lepanto unpacks that mess nicely; it's part and parcel of disenfranchising Catholics of their access to valid Sacraments and distorting their understanding of the same.  On other pages, you'll see that these priests are concerned - very concerned, I tell you! - about such matters as immigration, gay rights, death penalty, climate change, gun control.  Need I tell you what's missing from that list - and their page?  How about the intrinsic evils of contraception, abortion, homosexual conduct, abuse of embryos, euthanasia?  Are you surprised that they aren't mentioned?  I didn't think so!

They do seem to have quite an assortment of clerics with unquestionable heterodoxy: Cardinal Cupich, Fr Richard Rohr, Sr Simone Campbell, and Bishop McElroy.  The latter is of great concern for me, for it is rumored that he will be the designated successor to Cardinal Wuerl once the latter retires.  It hits me at home - literally.

Going down Lepanto's page, you'll see a talk by Jack Jezreel, founder of Just Faith.  I've written about that horrid bunch before.  I didn't listen to the whole thing but Jezreel blathers on about "social justice", as one might expect.   Last week I put up a post explaining why I believe that the "SJW" phenomenon was inimical to authentic Christianity.  Jezreel's association with AUSCP is an illustration of that danger, for "sjw" Christianity often veers into rank heresy.

We need to be aware of these movements, so that if - or when - they come to our parishes, we may be prepared with plans to resist.

Remnant's Michael Matt Interviews Bishop Athanasius Schneider

I'll let this one speak for itself.  Please listen to the whole thing.

Immorality And Immaturity Often Go Hand In Hand

Earlier this week, from a naval base in the state of Washington, the air crew of an electronic warfare plane took their plane into the skies above Okanogan and with their plane contrails, drew a picture of male genitals.  It appears that naval officials handled it well.  They have grounded the crew and issued an apology, stating (among other things) "sophomoric and immature antics of a sexual nature have no place in naval aviation today".  I do hope that the crew does incur some significant discipline.

What I find disappointing, though, are the equally sophomoric reactions that I see among those who call themselves conservative and even Catholic.  One facebook page is owned by a woman who is a secular Carmelite.  She posted a joke about it.  I asked her what was the point of the vulgar jokes and was mocked as a prude by her and others.  I was not the only one to take objection to that post.  I decided to unfriend her.  But really!  What would impel a professed religious to joke about such obscenities?  What would impel other commenters (Catholics, I'd presume) to chortle right along with her?

One secular-conservative facebook page has quite a discussion going on; I got a glimpse into the page owner's mindset when I noticed that his page title contains vulgarities.  I'll share one very telling screen shot.

Notice how several of the commenters seem to revel in the idea of acting immature as opposed to embracing maturity.  They all seem to be suffering from "peter pan syndrome".  They seem to think they can put on their "adulthood" when emergencies occur, not accepting the fact that no virtue will come to play when vice has been allowed to dominate.  While the shot was taken from the secular page, but I think the same can be said for those on the Catholic page as well.

Now notice to the left, the second from bottom comment.  He states that when "we don't need to be mature (an obvious denial of reality)" he is engaged in a never-ending quest for "entertainment".

There are many facets to this idolatry of entertainment.  However, my focus will be on that implied by the title of this post.  Immorality and immaturity feed off one another.  How many progressive pro-aborts are now dependent upon the state for their sustenance?   How many do we see who cannot countenance being exposed to opinions other than their own, without rioting and/or scurrying for their "safe spaces"?

Just as in the final days of the Roman Empire, pagans sacrificed their souls and minds for the sake of "bread and circus".  As seen on the page of my former Facebook friend, many who call themselves Catholic are at least sympathetic to this pursuit.  They fail - or refuse - to see that "maturity" is simply the disciplined and constant practice of virtues.  To engage in "immaturity" is to cease virtue and to become enslaved to vice.  So now we have people pursuing the latest entertainment systems, plopping themselves in front of the tv, etc, and of course engaging in sexual immorality (and yes, that air-drawing stunt was sexual immorality) and abortions and generally acting like overgrown adolescents.  The commenter who seems to think that we can be mature "when we absolutely need to be" is simply deceiving himself; if he doesn't practice the virtues that come with maturity in his routine life, he'll have no spiritual and moral fortitude to be virtuous in times of crisis.

We of course understand that real maturity and virtue and grace will arise from our prayer, frequenting the sacraments and discipline in practicing virtue.

Comments?

"Social Justice Warrior Christianity" Is A Demonic Deception

Please listen closely to this talk by Venerable Fulton Sheen as he expounds upon the need for personal holiness and the sacraments.  Starting at 14:30 he said, "sometimes we can cover up our want of individual justice by a great love of social justice."  Then he expounded on Judas' conduct when the woman poured oil on Jesus' feet.  He was robbing the apostolic purse and that is how he covered up his sin.



The blogger who writes the Conservative Millennial Blog picked up on that with his/her article, "The Problem With SJW Christianity".  A key passage in that is, "In Jesus we see that the call for repentance and love are inextricably intertwined.  Somewhere along the way, Christians rejected that..".  In doing so, these Christians have lost touch with Jesus in their personal lives and have in fact fallen into sin while in the pursuit of their pet SJW projects, much like Judas.  Consider these examples.

Many of those sjw people who are focused on "environmentalism" are opposed to the Dakota Pipeline.  Recently it has been damaged.  We see today in the Des Moines Register that two women claimed responsibility for several episodes of damage to valves using blowtorches, etc..  They held a press conference admitting to that fact while in the process of vandalizing a sign, whereupon they were immediately taken into custody.  They are both involved in Iowa's Catholic Worker social justice movement.

Sister Carol Keehan of the Pen of Perfidy, without whom we might never have been cursed with Obamacare, is now shilling for euthanasia while using thinly-veiled language.  She decries "excessive treatment" without stating what constitutes "excessive" and more importantly, who determines that for patients.  Many of these Obamacare apologists carry on about how the US health system should emulate that of Canada.  Well, now that euthanasia has been legalized up there, parents are putting in requests to have their sick and/or disabled children euthanized: that is, put down like dogs.  Is that what Keehan had in mind?  I wouldn't be one bit surprised to hear that answered in the affirmative.

I also wrote a bit on how some progressives are trying to embroil pro-lifers into the "social justice warrior" errors.  The web pages of two of these outfits, Rehumanize International and New Pro-Live Movement, bear testimony to their serious errors.  I need not rehash that in this post.

Pursue holiness for your eternal salvation.  That means to frequent the sacraments, particularly Confession and Holy Communion.  Pray your rosaries.  Learn your Faith.  Real Catholic action can be undertaken by defense of innocent human life from direct aggressions such as abortion and euthanasia.  If you seek to engage in other social actions, by all means research whom you contemplate joining.  If they or any of their other associates espouse positions in divergence with Holy Mother Church, avoid them.

Dropping Its Mercy Veneer, The Vatican Gestapo Unsheathes Its Claws

It should be obvious by now that all the talk from the Vatican about "collegiality" and "dialogue" and "mercy" was just a smokescreen for the real Machiavellian ruthlessness that is being brought to bear on any who conduct themselves in fidelity to the teachings of Jesus Christ as communicated through Church Tradition.  Recall that several months ago I posted on the persecution of Don Minutella, an Italian priest who teaches the truth regarding marriage as opposed to the garbage that is contained in Amoralis Lamentia.  At that time, he had been suspended and was in the midst of a 9-month period of silence ordered from on high.  Now that the nine months is over, he is being ordered to publicly grovel before the pope or else he will face excommunication. In response, he has issued the video below.  After watching, please scroll down for another account of persecution from the Vatican.



Yesterday in Rome a truck billboard honoring the late Cardinal Caffarra was stopped by police and its drivers were detained and questioned for hours.  Why?  Because Cardinal Caffarra was one of the dubia signers.  The police let on that they were under orders to do so because the late Cardinal questioned Amoralis Lamentia.  This is an action right out of the gestapo/gulag playbook.  Who gave them the orders?  By what request?  These questions are rhetorical for we know the impetus for this obvious attempt at intimidation.

Here's a facet of what is happening.  More and more, faithful Catholics, both lay and clergy, are waking up to the real damage being wreaked by this papacy.  They are no longer being hoodwinked (although there still remain some truth-deniers) by the "mercy and accompaniment" facade.  The Vatican is all too aware of this and are in panic mode.  They are pulling out all stops in their attempts to intimidate us.  While praying for their conversion (and for our own hearts) we must remain steadfast and true to Jesus Christ.  As Don Minutella reminded us, Our Lady will assist us as we pray the Rosary.

Conferences For Immorality Within The Church

Imagine, if you will, a conference of progressive big-wigs brainstorming and scheming together on how to hoodwink people that climate-change junk-science is a fact.  One of those attendees is none other than California Governor Jerry "Moonbeam" Brown.  He says outright that in order for people to swallow the climate change yarn, and I quote, "we need a total, I might say, brainwashing".

Then another participant at that seedy gathering tells his accomplices that the world's population needs to be "culled" as a first step to addressing climate change.  One of the other attendees, Bishop Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo (we've seen his name before) agreed with him, going so far as to claim "the Catechism of the Catholic Church says that we have to regulate the population" as he advocated making contraceptives available to Africans.  Can anyone point to the citation in the Catechism that advocates that?  I didn't think so!

So there you have some of the sinister bile pouring forth from this hypothetical pit of snakes hissing together as they strategize how to ensconce the culture of death more firmly within this world.  It seems like it would have Soros' paw prints all over it, wouldn't it?  There is just one problem.  This scenario is not hypothetical.  What I just described is a Vatican conference entitled "Health Of People, Health Of Planet, And Our Responsibility: Climate Change, Air Pollution And Heath".  Now isn't that a mouthful?  It was sponsored by the Pontifical Academy Of (Junk) Sciences and took place November 2-4.  See here and here for the reports from which I quoted.

Not to be outdone by their counterparts, the Pontifical Academy for Life conducted its own pro-death apologetic session.  They called theirs' the "WMA European Region Meeting On End-Of-Life Questions".  Attendees and speakers included two proponents of "assisted suicide" and Dr. Yvonne Gilli, head of International Planned Parenthood's Switzerland affiliate.  While the pope stated that Church teaching on assisted suicide would not change (as though that were a valid possibility), one of the questions considered by this bunch was "is there a need to change policy?"  So a director of a Planned Parenthood affiliate was invited by this "academy for life".  I wonder when they'll extend an invitation to Leroy Carhart to deliver some of his remarks?

These two pow-wows, along with the USCCB meeting in Baltimore last week, make evident that not only has satan's smoke found its way through some cracks in the Vatican wall, but the smoke is billowing in, polluting all that is holy.  Please be praying for Holy Mother Church.  Study your Faith well and defend it.

Use Alinsky Bucks To Say #no2CCHD

For most dioceses across the nation, November is the time when the annual CCHD shakedown will occur during the second collections.  As one might expect, the CCHD continues to divert Catholic dollars to organizations that are part and parcel of the culture of death.  There is no reforming that monster.  The Catholic Campaign for Human Development, along with the even more monstrous United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, must be consigned to the dung heap of infamous history.

Please go to Lepanto Institute's site to read the latest on CCHD and to print out your supply of Alinsky Bucks.  Download them for future use.  If you'd prefer another note to put in your cchd envelope, here's a possible alternative.

Learn more about the CCHD and its nefarious origin.  I've done some research on it, as has Lepanto Institute, Catholic Media Coalition and others.  Learn why we must say #no2cchd and give that money to organizations that will further the Faith and the Culture of Life.

One Bright Spot In The USCCB Gabfest In Baltimore This Week

The USCCB held their annual Baltimore meeting this week.  What were the issues being considered by the shepherds of the Church in the US?  Here's a line from the Not-At-All Catholic Reporter: "The longest and most passionate discussion on the first day of the fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Nov. 13 focused on immigrants, on how to help them but also how to drive home the point that they, too, are our brothers and sisters and should not be demonized."

Got that?  The emphasis was not on the large-scale apostasy from the faith by so many Catholics, not the abysmal state of catechesis and priestly formation, not baby-murder and the encroachment of homosexuality in our culture - but immigrants.  Also notice the de facto demonization that occurred, that was directed at those of us who do not coddle the illegal border-crashers.  Cardinal Cupich slandered us by insinuating that we engage in "poisoning rhetoric".  Ladies and gentlemen, that was before he lost the Pro-Life Chair election to Archbishop Naumann.  One can only imagine how he might have been railing against our "rhetoric" with some choice rhetoric of his own!  More on that below.

We do know that the bishops are going to issue a "presidential statement", since they don't appreciate that President Trump is actually behaving as, well, a president.  Goodness!  With all this passion and angst expended to flout the nation's immigration laws, why, the bishops haven't had much time to devote to their other pet issues - like "climate change and "gun control".

But this event hasn't been a complete progressive jabber-jaw session.  The USCCB's Pro-Life Office will be headed by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Kansas City Archdiocese and not by the uber-progressive Cardinal Cupich.  I cannot think of two many other bishops who are more polar opposites than these two.  The former has chided pro-aborts, obeyed Canon 915 and expelled the Girl Scouts for their moral lapses whereas the latter has done his utmost to bog down the pro-life cause in seamless-garbage morass.  Cucpich, when Bishop of Spokane, went so far as to forbid his priests to participate in the 40 Days for Life campaign.

The vote is a curious one.  Cupich is clearly a darling of the progressive Vatican.  Yet he was defeated in his bid for this rather influential post.  Usually a cardinal occupies that position, but this time tradition has not been followed.  Yet the vote spread itself still remains a bit troubling; a 54% to 46% split cannot be called a landslide.

Let's go on to other matters, one of which is particularly nonsensical.  Bishop Richard Malone of Buffalo NY spoke as a representative of the Bishops' Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth.  He was asked by a member of the American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property whether or not Amoris Laetitia allows Catholics living in adultery to receive Holy Communion.  Malone refused to answer the question, saying (among other things), "it is not in my providence to respond to that question right now".  Remember - Malone is on a committee for marriage and family life, and he refuses to answer a question that the average Catholic of 50 years ago could answer in a flash.  The answer (of course) is that Church teaching has always forbade those living in mortal sin to receive Holy Communion.  Period.  This committee is tasked with coughing up a "pastoral plan" to implement Amoralis Lamentia, i.e., to devise some "wiggle room" to cajole Catholics to accepting sacrilegious Holy Communions.  The ones who would be the most imperiled are those adulterers who would be given false comfort while they commit sacrilege on top of their adultery, confirming the trajectory of their souls towards hell.

I believe this year's extravaganza is over.  If it wasn't financed by our donation dollars, it was by federal lucre (they receive quite a few bucks in government grants) which stems from our tax dollars.  Either way, we footed the bill for it.  What a waste!