Lazarus Vs Rich Man = Catholics In Pews Vs Progressives In Chanceries

Today's Gospel was the parable of the rich man and Lazarus.  I'd be willing to bet that many parishes heard "social gospel" pabulum from the pulpits and even invocations to "end poverty".  Leaving alone the fact that the cry to "end poverty" actually lies in contradiction to Jesus' own words, let's look at some groups of people who might fall into the "rich man" or "Lazarus" categories: folks who fall off the radars in too many pulpits across the country.

We also remembered the victims of recent shootings.  The Baltimore shootings happened within 60 miles of me so that's relatively close to home.  However, I'd bet that yesterday in any five abortuaries in Maryland, at least an equal number of babies were wantonly slaughtered in their mothers' wombs.  I submit that they are a group who would most definitely fit into the Lazarus group.  How about their mothers?  Into which group might they belong?  It depends.  I see too many cases where the mother is being dragged (often literally) into the mill by her parents, male companion, etc.  In that case she too is Lazarus and these others are the rich man.  The abortionists clearly fit into the "rich man" category, quite literally.  I've been to their houses before to pray Stations of the Cross in front of them.  They all live in the Potomac area, where every dwelling is a veritable mansion. Theirs' however, are more like impregnable fortresses.

But let's look at poverty for a moment.  What's the biggest indicator that a child will find him/herself in poverty as they attain adulthood?  If they grow up in a broken home, their chances of ending up poor are greatly increased, no matter the social strata in which they grew up.  What influence leads to most broken homes?  Contraception.  When Paul VI wrote Humanae Vitae back in 1968, he predicted that if contraception became widely accepted, a whole host of social evils would ensue as a consequence.  Every single one of his predictions is coming to pass as we draw our breaths!

Now how much do we hear of these diabolical attacks on marriage, family life, abortion, contraception etc do we hear from the pulpit?  In the Archdiocese of Washington, way too little, particularly contraception.  Homosexuality is another topic that is particularly taboo in the ADW.  I know of at least two priests who preached on these topics over the years; both were punished.  Here we have a clear case of the rich man (some "powers that be" in the chancery) denying truth to the Lazarus-people in their pews.

Below the jump break I'll post two videos - one by Venerable Fulton Sheen - telling the truth about contraceptives and their immense sinfulness.  Only when our priests speak this forth from the pulpits will there be revival in the Church and in our Western civilization.

Pope Francis Wanted A Poor Church - Regrettably He's Attaining That

Last Wednesday I wrote a piece on the satanic pig slop that oozed from the Vatican entitled "The Meeting Point".  It is immoral and a slap in the face to parents everywhere.

A few days ago, two of my colleagues at the Catholic Media Coalition, Alice Grayson and Stephanie Block, wrote their own critique of this program.  It appears on the Spero Forum site and is entitled "The Poverty That Is The Vatican's New Sexual Education Program".   I encourage its study.  It points out (among other things) that with this program the Vatican just spit in the eye several of the previous pontiffs who upheld the role of the parents and decried sex ed in classroom settings.

The article calls this "Meeting Point" thing a poverty.  The authors are spot-on correct, and I believe they've discovered a word that is very descriptive of both this pontificate and the "social justice" crowd in general.

Just recall some of Pope Francis' comments during his pontificate so far.

• He said that the biggest problem young people face today is unemployment - not lack of teaching about Jesus and the Church, not unbridled and perverted sexuality, not a solid family life - but poverty.
• He has characterized many terrorist acts as stemming from economic pressures, refusing to acknowledge that Islam is a murderous and barbaric ideology.
• In the most recent "pope video", he didn't once mention the Name of Jesus, but engaged in glorification, if not idolization of sports.
• I'm sure there are others, but these are what come immediately to mind.

Today's Gospel reading was from Luke 12:32-48.  One line in that is "where your treasure is, there also will your heart be".  Take a look at the bullet points above in light of that passage.  Does  anyone think that our Church hierarchy is focused upon saving souls from hell and helping them toward heaven?

Now consider the "social justice" crowd and their mindsets as displayed by the programs they emphasize.  Two of the biggest such culprits organizations in the US Church are Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Campaign for Human Development.  For more background information on them, you need only put their names in the search box at the top left on this blog to read many accounts (I do suggest that you look at the linked material as well).   The Lepanto Institute has done a lot of research as well; please look at their site.

Both these organizations (CRS and CCHD), under the direct control of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, disregard the central mission of the Church for ancillary matters.  Jesus Christ founded the Church to save souls from hell and to give them the means to obtain eternal salvation.  That's it.  Any other concerns such as meeting physical needs, good though they may be in and of themselves, must be subordinate to that main God-given mission - not vice versa!.  Else they inflict upon the Church a deadly spiritual poverty in their mistaken pursuit of eliminating temporal poverty.  When Judas complained to Jesus about the woman's "waste" when she anointed His feet with oil, Jesus reminded him that "the poor you'll have with you always" as He upheld the woman and her worship of Jesus.  As an aside, the Servant of God Archbishop Fulton Sheen once quipped that Judas was the "patron saint of social justice".

Judas' example is being emulated.  When CRS officials are caught with facebook pages stating "I stand with Planned Parenthood", Judas is being emulated.  When Ralph McCloud, who worked for Wendy "Abortion Barbie" Davis' reelection campaign, is still retained as CCHD's director, Judas is being emulated.  I could go on and on but don't want this post to get too long.  The point is that these outfits, while ostensibly existing to eliminate temporal poverty, are depriving souls of what they need for eternal salvation and are actually impeding their access to these graces.  In other words, they are deliberately foisting upon Catholics spiritual poverty - the kind that can starve souls to damnation.  Pope Francis said in the beginning of his pontificate, "I want a poor church".  Well, he got it alright: with his dopey plane interviews, his decimation of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate, with his mockery of Catholics offering him spiritual bouquets, etc, he has helped cripple the Church's mission of saving souls.

At any rate, these beasts (CRS and CCHD) need to be starved of Catholic cash.  Many parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington had their second collections today taken on behalf of what they call "Communications and Human Development".  That's simply a disguise for the CCHD.  At least one parish, St. John Neumann in Gaithersburg, will have theirs' next weekend.  I urge them to boycott this collection.  See yesterday's post for more details.

Most dioceses will have their CCHD collections in November.  I'll be putting out boycott reminders until then.

Msgr Pope Excoriates "Social Justice" Charity

Several days ago Msgr Charles Pope posted on his blog page (hosted by the Archdiocese of Washington) an article entitled "Eradicating Poverty Is Not A Gospel Value: A Reflection On A Teaching By Cardinal Sarah".  While I link to it now, I will copy and paste it below for it wouldn't surprise me if archdiocesan progressive wonks had this post removed.  It would not be the first time that they did this to Msgr Pope.  I'll post some commentary first.

The Catholic charitable organization to which Cardinal Sarah referred could well be the Catholic Relief Services.  With their endless kvetching about "poverty" and "global warming", they have engaged in serious conflicts with Catholic moral teaching including the distribution of abortifacients, harboring of gay activists in their midst, partnering with pro-abortion organizations, etc.  A whole litany of malfeasances can be found here.  These misdeeds can only be expected of Catholic organizations when they forget that the prime mission of the Catholic Church is to help souls attain heaven.

It's noteworthy that Msgr cites the abysmal failure of Johnson's "war on poverty".  Through the expansion of welfare and its devastating impact on poor families, it could well be called "war on families".  While the "war on poverty" flopped, the "war on families" has been all too successful.

Far too many Catholics - especially those in high positions of the USCCB - have made a false idol out of "social justice".  It's no coincidence that many of these dissent from Catholic teaching regarding faith and morals - especially morals regarding marriage, sexuality, life and family.  Perhaps they think that by undue focus on "social justice" they might compensate for deviance from Catholic moral teaching.  If that's the case they play "Russion roulette" with their eternal destinies.  Pray that they repent.

And now, Msgr's article..

The eradication of poverty is an oft-stated goal of the modern, liberal West. President Lyndon Baines Johnson’s pronouncement of a “war on poverty” so imprinted this notion in the Western mind that it has become almost axiomatic. It is now a fundamental pillar in the thinking of almost every person (and organization) in the Western world, from the religious pew-sitter concerned for the poor to the most secular humanist bent on a utopian vision. Poverty is a great enemy that must be stamped out!

The only problem is that this is contrary to the Gospel! It is no surprise, therefore, that even after decades of Western “do-goodism,” barely a dent has been made in the percentage of people living in poverty. In fact, some statistics show that the percentage in poverty has increased. But why should we expect great fruitfulness in something that opposes God?

I can see the look of shock on your face right now; you may even be embarrassed that I have written this. I’d like to share a quote with you from Robert Cardinal Sarah, which makes an important distinction that we need to recover. While what he says may also shock you, I encourage you to read it carefully and thoughtfully; the distinction he makes is critical. Not only does the Gospel depend on it, but cultures and individual lives do as well. For indeed, in the name of eradicating poverty some of the worst of Western arrogance has been displayed. It is an arrogance that does not even recognize that it can become willing to the destroy the poor themselves as well as what and whom they love all in the name of this “noble” goal.

Cardinal Robert Sarah is no neophyte in this discussion. He grew up in an impoverished region of Africa and later headed the Roman dicastery, Cor unum, a charitable arm of the Holy See. The extensive passage below is an abbreviated version of the Cardinal’s response to the following questions posed by his interviewer, Nicholas Diat:

How would you describe the nature of Cor unum, the dicastery to which you devoted several years of your life, in its fight against all sorts of poverty? Furthermore, why do you speak so often about the close relation between God and the poor?

In his reply, the Cardinal is reacting somewhat to Mr. Diat’s description of Cor unum’s work as “fight[ing] against all sorts of poverty.” The Cardinal’s response is nothing short of stunning. Please read it carefully and consider obtaining the book so as to able to read the unabridged remarks as well.

The Gospel is not a slogan. The same goes for our activity to relieve people’s suffering … [it is a matter] of working humbly and having a deep respect for the poor. For example, I remember being disgusted when I heard the advertising slogan of a Catholic charitable organization, which was almost insulting to the poor: “Let us fight for zero poverty” … Not one saint … ever dared to speak that way about poverty and poor people.

Jesus himself had no pretention of this sort. This slogan respects neither the Gospel nor Christ. Ever since the Old Testament, God has been with the poor; and Sacred Scripture unceasingly acclaims “the poor of Yahweh.” …

Poverty is a biblical value confirmed by Christ, who emphatically exclaims, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). … The poor person is someone who knows that, by himself, he cannot live. He needs God and other people in order to be, flourish and grow. On the contrary, rich people expect nothing of anyone. They can provide for their needs without calling either on their neighbors or on God. In this sense wealth can lead to great sadness and true human loneliness or to terrible spiritual poverty. If in order to eat and care for himself, a man must turn to someone else, this necessarily results in a great enlargement of his heart. This is why the poor are closest to God and live in great solidarity with one another; they draw from this divine source the ability to be attentive to others.

The Church must not fight against poverty but, rather, wage a battle against destitution, especially material and spiritual destitution. … [so that all] might have the minimum they require in order to live. …

But we do not have the right to confuse destitution and poverty, because in so doing we would seriously be going against the Gospel. Recall what Christ told us: “The poor you will have always with you …” (Jn 12:8). Those who want to eradicate poverty make the Son of God a liar. …

[In his yearly Lenten message in 2014, Pope Francis] espoused what St. Francis [of Assisi] called “Lady Poverty.” … St. Francis of Assisi wanted to be poor because Christ chose poverty. If he calls poverty a royal virtue, it is because it shone brilliantly in the life of Jesus … and in the life of his mother, Mary of Nazareth. …

Similarly, I often think about the vow of poverty taken by religious … [they] do so in order to be as close as possible to Christ. The Son [of God] wanted us to be poor in order to show us the best path by which we can return to God. …

The Son of God loves the poor; others intend to eradicate them. What a lying, unrealistic, almost tyrannical utopia! I always marvel when Gaudium et Spes declares, “The spirit of poverty and charity is the glory and witness of the Church of Christ” (GS 88).

We must be precise in our choice of words. The language of the UN and its agencies, who want to suppress poverty, which they confuse with destitution, is not that of the Church of Christ. The Son of God did not come to speak to the poor in ideological slogans! The Church must banish these slogans from her language. For they have stupefied and destroyed peoples who were trying to remain free in conscience(Cardinal Sarah, God or Nothing: A Conversation in Faith with Nicholas Diat, pp. 140-142).

Perhaps stunned himself, Mr. Diat follows up with the following question: “Are you not afraid of being misunderstood in employing this sort of distinction?”

The Cardinal replies,

It is a lack of charity to shut one’s eyes. It is a lack of charity to remain silent in the face of confusing words and slogans! … If you read the Latin text of Gaudium et Spes carefully you will immediately notice this distinction (Ibid, p. 143).

This is a powerful insight and it reveals the deep flaw in Western “anti-poverty” programs. Christ asks us to love the poor and imitate the best of what they are, not eliminate them and disregard the simplicity and trust that they can often exemplify. But we in the West, imbued with our materialistic notions and mesmerized by the comfort and control that wealth can temporarily buy, denigrate what the Gospels praises and seek to eradicate it.

So unreflective are we in this matter that some will even justify the most awful things in the name of eradicating poverty. Many programs (U.S.-sponsored and U.N.-sponsored) with this goal advocate for contraception, abortion, and/or euthanasia. Some have even sought to compel these sorts of things as a precondition for receiving aid. Some seek to impose certain aspects of Western thinking, something that has been labeled an attempt at “ideological colonization.” Many of us in the “First World” often speak of the “Third World” in a way that at best is patronizing and at worst exhibits a thinly veiled contempt.

While it is true that certain economic and political systems best support Western lifestyles, there is more to life than material abundance. With our own culture, families, and common sense collapsing around us, it seems odd that we so easily consider our way of life superior; that we see our relationship to the poor and to poorer countries as one in which we have all the answers and they should just listen to us.

The word “arrogance” comes to mind. We too easily assume, without even asking, that we know what is best; we presume that poor people in every part of the world want what we have (materially) and that they don’t perceive the awful price we have paid in order to get it.

We must recover a respect for the world’s poor, who have much to teach us. Even if they are not materially without troubles, they often possess many things we have lost: simplicity, family and tribal (communal) life, reciprocity, proper interdependence (as opposed to radical individualism), trust, a slower life, and a less-stressful life.

Further, we must not forget that the Lord counseled poverty (Lk 18:22), declared the poor blessed (Lk 6:20), lived simply Himself having “nowhere to lay his head” (Mt 8:20), lived among the working poor, and warned of the pernicious quality of wealth (Lk 16:13). God hears the cry of the poor and Mother Mary taught us of a great reversal that is coming, when the mighty and powerful will be cast down and poor and lowly raised up (Lk 1:52). Jesus taught us that many who are now last will be first in the kingdom of Heaven (Mat 19:30). In this life, the poor will sometimes need us. In the next life, on Judgment Day, we are going to need them to welcome us into eternal dwellings (Luke 16:9).

I really cannot say it better than did the good Cardinal, so I will not attempt to do so.We must surely work to alleviate the destitution that often comes in times of famine, war, or natural disaster. But destitution and poverty are not the same thing. Overlooking this distinction can be deadly for the poor we claim to serve and for their cultures, and can result in the worst forms of ideological colonization and secular utopianism.

The Timidity Of Clergy - A Thin Disguise For Progressive Leanings?

On Tuesday 5/12/15, Obama spoke at a "Catholic-Evangelical Leadership Summit On Overcoming Poverty".  This hot-air exchange occurred at Georgetown University.  I'd opine that Georgetown is once again frittering away its credibility as a Catholic institution, but after years of such nonsense, Georgetown has no Catholic credibility left to squander - but I digress!

The Messiah Most Miserable took the opportunity to take swipes at Christianity.  The main theme of his nonsense is that we Christians should care less about abortion and more about poverty.  Well, I have to hand it to him - he's fulfilling the role as Planned Parenthood lapdog perfectly.  He also took jibes at families who send their children to private schools (Note!  We wait with bated breath for the announcement that he'll soon withdraw his children from Sidwell!)  Why?  Well as you see in the link and its embedded video, these children start to develop (gasp!) an "anti-government ideology"!  The horror!  He continues, "and that, in part, contributes to the fact that there's less opportunity for our kids.."  Our poor Dear Leader!  He can't seem to make up his little mind!  In another excerpt from the same gathering, he blames Fox News for the failed "war on poverty".

Now listen closely to this clip.  Notice how he says that regarding poverty, "we'll have to change how the media reports on this issue.."  Beg pardon!  Leaving aside for the moment that most of the mainstream media is firmly ensconced in the progressive camp, just who is going to do this changing?  Since most of the mainstream crowd is the de facto press office for the Dems, who are the others who will be targeted for such "change"?  Would those targets include bloggers such as Yours Truly?  The First Amendment has become, in the eyes of the Messiah Most Miserable, an inconvenience to be trashed.  Political correctness stifles free speech everywhere, small Christian businesses are being ruined for not licking the boots of gay-rights tyrants, so why shouldn't "freedom of the press" be the next facet of the First Amendment to be jettisoned by these thugs?

Now onto another seemingly unrelated matter.  There's a reason I put "seemingly" in italics; we'll get to that later.  The Daily Caller reports that yesterday some bishops met behind closed doors with some US Senators to discuss the anticipated roll-out of the pope's environmental encyclical.  That's odd, don't you think?  Why, oh why, would Catholic bishops find it necessary to meet with elected officials to discuss the roll-out of any papal encyclical?  Will there be some attempt to utilize the encyclical for envirowhacko legislation?  My goodness!  The timing of this meeting and the Georgetown gab-fest is so coincidental, don't you think?  It's almost as if the bishops scurried to show the Messiah Most Miserable that they are willing to forget baby-murder for a while to and to embrace pet causes of the progressives.

I've noted that in other incidents, it appears that progressives within the Church seem emboldened in their efforts to turn the Church into a religous front for socialism.  As you read the report from the envirowhacko meeting two weeks ago, you cannot help but notice the open call for population control, i.e., abortion, contraception and sterilization.  I am one of a number of pro-life activists who have been fighting for an end to those aforementioned evils.  Many of us have been baffled by the weak and often non-existent support from our Catholic clergy.  To be fair, many good priests and bishops have stood with us and led the way; sadly they are the exception and not the rule.  Many of us thought these clergy were just timid; and yet we've seen these same clergy pounce on their traditional-minded comrades with all the viciousness and efficiency that would have been the envy of Hitler and Stalin.  Therefore I pose this question: Might the lack of clerical assistance and support with which we met over the years have been deliberate attempts to stymie our pro-life efforts?  That's a question deserving of an honest answer.