Breaking - Maryland Governor Hogan Permitting Drive-In Religious Services

The directive can be found here.  Note for Catholics - this does not allow for reception of Holy Communion, as physical contact with clergy is not allowed.  Still, it's a step back in the right direction.

It remains to be seen how the Roman Catholic prelates will implement this.  It's 7:20 pm as I write this, and I just learned of it.  It's quite possible that chancery staff haven't learned it or are just doing so after the workday.  Thus their websites are not updated yet.  Let's see how they respond to this tomorrow.

If they don't respond, or persist in disallowing Mass, there just might be Eastern Rite churches (in union with the pope) who will happily resume.

Now if we can just get the rest of the First Amendment back in force...

UPDATE - As of 5pm today, there is no acknowledgement of the April 1st directive on either of the archdiocesan websites.  It appears that they wish to pretend this new directive wasn't issued.

One Reason For The Current Chastisement?

This sacrilegious debacle happened four months ago, I don't know where.  Because these priests and congregation treated their Mass like a cheap baudy show, it's no wonder that they think it can be so blithely scuttled because of a virus.  May God have mercy!

Too Good To Be True

My post from Tuesday, regarding the closing of Maryland abortuaries, was based on information that has now been shown to be faulty.  Of course we expected more violations than compliance, but I was rejoicing that Maryland might have banned abortions officially.   Such is not to be.  Maryland can shutter churches, close legitimate businesses, but still let the blood of innocent children flow.  It is for sins such as this that our world is undergoing the punishment from God that is now our common experience.

Several other states, though, have banned abortions as "non-essential procedures".  I hope more states are added to that list before this cornona curse is lifted.

Corona - Cover For Deconstruction Of The Faith

Let's be blunt, shall we?  This corona situation is making plain that some prelates hold the Faith and eternal salvation as cheap commodities, if they believe at all.

Let's examine the latest nonsense to come from Cardinal Blaise Cupich of Chicago.  Recently he stated that baptisms must be postponed and that emergency baptisms would require his approval to be done.  Ponder the idiocy of that statement.  The word "emergency" in the context of a baptism would mean that there is imminent danger of death, most likely that of an infant.  In that case, hours and even minutes count.  How much time would be wasted to secure his approval?  By that time, the one to be baptized would be dead, forever locked in orignal sin and thus not to be admitted to the Beatific Vision.

Do you consider my use of the word "idocy" to be harsh?  In reality, that is mild, for it could more accurately be called "cold-hearted indifference" or even "malice".  Of course I don't presume to know his current spiritual state so we'll just stick with the more objective term "idiocy". I might point out this is just the latest episode that demonstrates Cupich's cavalier treatment of the Faith.

Then there's the Sacrament of Confession.  I noted with happiness that some pastors, mindful of their sacerdotal responsibilities, have instituted "drive-through" confessions as a means to administer the sacrament while satifying the draconian secular directives.  But some bishops aren't satisfied.  Thinking more like lawyers and insurance agents, they are putting the kibosh on even that.  I speak of Cardinal Tobin of Newark.  At least he allows it in the case of "extreme emergency".  I've written quite a bit about Tobin in the past.

Now let's look at these two instances.  One involves Baptism, the other Confession.  These two sacraments are known as "sacraments of the dead".  That is, they are the only two sacraments that those not in a state of sanctifying grace may receive.  Reception of these is necessary not only to allow the recipient to receive the other sacraments, and more crucially, allow for entrance into heaven.  Without being in a state of sanctifying grace, in God's ordinary providence that isn't possible, unless an act of perfect contrition can occur.  Do we see how insidious this is?  Do we see how the devil is chuckling with glee over these derelictions?  Of course it's quite likely that the devil himself motivated these prelates to issue their unconscionable pronouncements.

Oh, but there's more.  Bishop James Checchio of the Diocese of Metuchen NJ pities us poor suffering Catholics!  He thinks we are already suffering so much that he is suggesting that Catholics slack off with their Lenten exercises.  He has said that Catholics may now eat meat in Lenten Fridays.  I think it's worth noting that the Diocese of Metuchen is a suffragan diocese of Newark.  In other words, the aforementioned Cardinal Tobin is Checchio's boss.  In times like these, don't we need more prayer, fasting and almsgiving?

So here we have it.  Progressive prelates are doing all they can to choke off God's graces to His Church and thus to the world.  Is it at all possible that this had been their dream all along, and that the covid-19 situation simply provided an excuse for them to plausibly do so?

Nature Throws Temper Tantrums

A temper tantrum.  Yes, Pope Francis chalked up the covid-19 outbreak to a "temper tantrum" - his words - that nature is throwing so that we "will take care of her".  How in hades does he make up this crap?  Understand that in this gibberish, he is personifying nature by ascribing to it irascibility.

Let's remember what the Amazon Synod, and in fact most synods and all those meetings with Jeffrey Sachs et al were all about.  They were about establishing the de facto religion of earth-worship.  That was a big impetus in defiling Churches in Rome along with the open worship of the pachamama idols in the  Vatican gardens, with the pope in attendance. I and many others believe that this covid-19 pandemic is nothing less than a Divine chastisement for our many sins against Him - idolatreis, blasphemies, baby-slaughter, the elevation of homosexual perversions, etc.  Let's recall that the pachamama disaster happened in Italy, and the greatest number of casualties are in Italy.

However, instead of repenance, the world and the Church are doubling down on sinful conduct.  At a time when they should be multiplying Masses and allowing for greater access to the Sacraments, our bishops are restricting access to the sacraments and even eliminating them, going so far as to shutter the Churches.  In their claim to be acting out of concern for public safety, they cut off the prime source of God's grace, heaping more disrespect upon God.  I salute those dedicated priests who are having to work around various strictures laid upon them by their errant bishops (drive-through confessions, drive-up exposition of Blessed Sacrament, etc).  At any rate, pachamama isn't the only occasion for idolatry.  We now have "public safety", "compliance with authority" (even when that authority goes outside its own constitutional bounds), etc.  Yes, for too many - even for otherwise faithful Catholics - public safety, good in and of itself, has been made into an idol.

Listen now to the words of Archbishop Lenga of Poland.  Growing up in Poland, this prelate knows a thing or two about living under a tyranny and the perils of subjugating the One True Faith to the dictates of secular powers-that-be.

More CRS Dabbling In Abortion

Yesterday Michael Hichborn released another segment of his report that proves that Catholic Relief Services is promoting abortion in third-world countries.  Here it is.

Maryland Abortuaries Ordered Closed

Well, again the COVID-19 virus brought about some unexpected but welcome blessing.  Today we discovered that when Governor Hogan talked of shuttering "non-essential businesses", that meant abortion mills as well.  See the attached LifeNews article, with jpgs of the official correspondence.  Approximately 97 babies every day in Maryland would agree that baby-slaughter is non-essential.

Now the question is, will the mills comply?  As I browse some of the websites, I see that most don't even mention "corona" or "covid-19".  What?  Don't they care about women's health?  What would they do about "social distancing" in their waiting rooms?  Front-liners, let's be cautiously hopeful.  We need to verify compliance at the very least, and keep track of violations.  We will have more on this matter.  Whether or not there is compliance, this pronouncement is a big "first", for I don't recall ever, in my nearly 30 years of activism, abortion being officially kiboshed in Maryland.  Let us keep praying.

Surviving The Sanitary Dictatorship

The term "sanitary dictatorship" was coined by Bishop Athanasius Schneider as he wrote about the plight of Catholics who are being deprived world-wide of the Sacraments out of misguided fear.  The "sanitary dictorship" is comprised not only of overreaching civil authorities, but even of Catholic hierarchy who seem all too eager to "go along to get along".

When I say "misguided fear", I do not mean to dismiss the importance of proper precautions such as the washing of hands, maintaining distance between people and for the sick, staying away from others.  I mean that the fear of the virus is supplanting what should be a proper and Godly fear of the Lord.  This lack of fear is causing even otherwise good Catholics to downplay the absolute necessity of the sacraments, believing that we can do without sacraments more so than temporal (and temporary) safety.

Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler TX called upon priests worldwide to do whatever is necessary to administer the Sacrament of Confession to their congregations.  An important aside - while some apoologists have argued that Catholics in prior centuries went without receiving the Eucharist for several months, they always attended Mass.  Moreover, they always had recourse to Confession, for if they died in mortal sin, they stood a good chance of going to hell.  By and large, they acknowledged that fact and acted accordingly.

Cardinal Burke has likewise penned an article in which he plainly states that once again, the Church must prioritize spiritual needs over temporal.  I could spend an entire post on his piece but I will simply urge you to read it in its entirety.

Fortunately, some priests are indeed "thinking outside the box" in order to make that vitally important Sacrament available to their congregations.  That article tells of a number of pastors who are offering "drive-through" confessions, including the pastor of St Edward the Confessor in nearby Bowie MD.  I heard from a friend that St Martin's of Gaithersbug will do the same on Saturdays from 4-5:30.

The Vatican has introduced indulgences in the wake of the deprivation of sacraments that we now endure.  These indulgences, though, persume that the seeker of the indulgence is in a state of grace.  Today, owing in part to terrible catechesis, many Catholics are in mortal sin.  For those Catholics there remains a lifeline known as an Act of Perfect Contrition; even then there is the condition that they must receive the Sacrament of Confession.

We simply must hammer home to our prelates the need to place the salvation of souls as first priority, even above public safety.  I will link to the blog of my friend and colleague at Les Femmes.  She and her fellow columnists have written a good deal on this matter, and it is worth study.  The churches must be opened and the Sacraments once again opened to the congregations.  In the meantime...

No Bishop Can Abrogate Our Canonical Right To The Sacraments

I continue to be aghast at otherwise faithful Catholics who are falling lock-step behind  the government's unconstitutional ban on large gatherings.  The First Amendment guarantees, among other things, Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Assembly.   I won't rehash last week's piece on this; read it here.

I commend the priests who are "working around" the draconian actions of their bishops, with many of those actions surpassing those of civil authority in jack-booted tyranny and in utter disregard of their sacerdotal mandates.  Several pastors are conducting "drive-through" confessions in their parking lots.  Others are exposing the Blessed Sacrament in the churches so that He can be seen and adored from the outside.  Other non-Roman rites are still conducting Mass, or Divine Liturgy to use their terminology.

But again, the mental contortions that some Catholics use to justify their "go along to get along" attitudes is a sight to behold.  More than a few are claiming that Catholics in a state of grace do not have the right to receive the Sacraments.  To which I will now reply, "AT CANON LAW, THEY CERTAINLY DO HAVE SUCH RIGHTS".  Canon 213 expressly states that truth.

Many times we have cited Canon 915, detailing that Catholics "persevering in manifest, grave sin" are not to be admitted to Communion.  However, examine Canons 912 - 923.  I foresee one attempt at silliness now and will quash it immediately.  Canon 912 states that "any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to Holy Communion."  "Law" in this context means church law, not civil; else we would have to conclude that Chinese Catholics cannot receive Holy Communion.

Now are the bishops actually barring us from Mass?  Well, they are actually quite clever about that.  At Canon Law, they cannot do that.  They are closing Churches and exhorting us to remain at home and maybe watch a live-stream of Mass.  In some discussions where I've broached the idea of going outside my diocese for Mass, I am told that I am "being disobedient".  No I am not.  I have the canonical right to go to Mass.  Moreover, the bishops never ordered us outright not to go to Mass.  They cannot, and they know it.  They simply put out some sly suggestions and hope that Catholics will believe that they are forbidden to attend.  Indeed, some naively take the suggestion and run with it, probably not stopping to actually think about the matter.

Let's look at Confession through the prism of Canon Law, beginning with Canon 960.  That canon states that grave sin can only be remitted via the Sacrament of Confession, excepted only by "physical or moral impossibility".  NEWS FLASH!  The equivocating cowardice of bishops, by which they so cavalierly close their confessionals, does NOT constitute those kinds of impossibilities.  God bless the priests mentioned above who have devised ways to work around their prelates' irresponsible directives.  Canon 986 is quite explicit about the duty of priests to make themselves available for confession, particularly when the penitent is in danger of death.

So my fellow Catholics, hold your bishops' feet to the fire.  Go outside your diocese to receive the Sacraments, if you must.  Remember that your first duty before God is your own and your families' salvation.  Physical health, good as it is, takes lesser priority to salvation.

No Mass Means No Second Collection

In the midst of the calamity of the United States being without one public Mass, even then there is just the tiniest silver lining to the cloud.  Without Mass, there can be no second collections.  This weekend, for most dioceses, the second collection would have been taken for the Catholic Relief Services.  That will not happen.  That means that CRS will have fewer dollars with which to undermine the Faith.

Michael Hichborn of the Lepanto Institute unearthed some truly squalid enterprises in which CRS has participated and even led.  Below I publish the second and third of the videos comprising his entire report.