Some Rad-Trads Are Lazy Curmudgeons

I've written in the past about some strange things I've noticed about those who identify themselves as Catholics faithful to the magisterium but who hold themselves aloof from other faithful Catholics.  For lack of a better term, I'll call them either "rad trads" or (probably more accurately) curmudgeons.  I've described some of their characteristics in earlier posts: disdain for democracy, poo-pooing any votes for anyone less than a saint, condescension towards those of us active within politics or speaking in the public arena, etc.

I've tried for some time to understand just what might be the driving force behind their beliefs and behavior and realize that the answer isn't really that complicated.  To wit:

Quite a few are lazy - and quite pompous about it.  They justify their laziness to themselves by imperiously  proclaiming that the actions that they eschew (voting, boycotts, prolife activism, etc) are at best a waste of their oh-so-precious time and at worst a compromise of the One True Faith.  In other words, pride comes into play as they mock us from their insular conclaves.

Yep!  Why else would they put down the efforts of other Catholics, pretending that those efforts aren't good enough?  Why else would they mock President Trump non-stop without uttering a peep about those Democrats who are openly against God, life, family, human freedom, etc?  They mock our efforts to justify their own unwillingness to get off their duffs and do something.

I've even heard one of them mock pro-life action as "prolifeism" as though our efforts constituted a form of idolatry against the One True Faith.  Their big beef is that many of us in the pro-life movement work alongside non-Catholics.  Well, so what?  When they get off their rears and join the effort, maybe they will have some room to talk - that is, if they don't learn to appreciate the contributions of non-Catholic people.  To paraphrase one pro-life leader, I like what some non-Catholics are doing better than what some "rad-trads" aren't doing.

I recently was involved in a facebook discussion with some of these individuals, with the topic revolving around the intentions of some Catholics to boycott Netflix because of their portrayal of Jesus as a homosexual pervert.  The boycott effort was - of course - belittled by these "rad-trads".  Here's an interesting snippet.

Two of them are conversing here. Now why on earth to they pretend that we hold boycotts to be sacraments, of all things?

Here's another, with them dismissing the right and responsibility to vote.  Again, they like to bandy the word "sacrament" around, using it as a perjorative.  The one guy is calling the act of voting "material cooperation in evil".  On the contrary, I've explained my belief in previous posts why I believe the disdain of voting to be its own evil.

As I write this, news comes to us that the House just voted to impeach President Trump on very specious pretenses.  It is reasonable to believe that the absent Catholic vote in 2018 is largely to blame for putting the Dems back in control of the House.  Shall we now pray that the GOP in the Senate has the wisdom and courage to do the right thing?

Moreover, in 2020 elections will be upon us.  We've already suffered through enough Democrat debates to know that whoever is the victor will usher in baby slaughter, gay agendas, transgenders, you name it.  We will have to get involved (if we aren't already).  When we hear our very confused rad-trads spout their non-voting crap, well, let's recall that "rebuke the sinner" is a Spiritual Work of Mercy.

Texas Conference Of Catholic Bishops Cooperates Formally With Murder

For reasons that I cannot fathom, Texas hospitals seem all too eager to murder their patients instead of helping them achieve healing.  The latest "case-in-point" revolves around Baby Tinslee Lewis, who was born prematurely and has spent her 10 months at Cook Children's Medical Center in Fort Worth.  She has had many operations to repair heart defects, lung disease, etc.  Now the hospital has determined that she is beyond "saving" and intend to take her off life support.  The child's family is opposing this intended de facto murder of their child.  Note that this controversy doesn't revolve around medical difficulties as much as it does some arbitrary determination of "quality of life".

As of this writing, this child is benefitting from a reprieve, but that will soon come to an end unless justice intervenes.  Many amicus briefs have been filed from both sides.  The hospital's intention to play God and destroy the child is receiving some surprising and troubling support.  The Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops has filed their brief in support of the murder of Tinslee Lewis.  Other faux "pro-life" organizations supporting the hospital's intent to murder are the Texas Alliance for Life and the Texans for Life Coalition.  On the other hand, standing by the beleagured family are Texas Right to Life, National Right to Life and Concerned Women for America.

The members of the Texas Catholic Conference of Bishops, at least those who are responsible for issuing that amicus brief, bear great moral culpability for the child's murder (if she isn't saved).  As bishops, they should be well aware of the dangers of cooperating with mortal sin.  That link I just posted deals with such cooperation from the standpoint of Catholic moral theology.  Towards the middle of that page, notice the nine ways listed by which a person (or organization) can commit with evil.  Notice the words "counsel" and "approval".  Both of them are clearly present in the action of filing that amicus.  Also notice that this cooperation is formal; one cannot get much more formal than a court document.  We also conclude that this cooperation is proximate and material, owing to the moral weight that the TCCB lends to this murderous enterprise.

Here is the website for the TCCB.  Contact them and remind them that as they laud the impending murder of this child, they increase their chances for eternal damnation.

Some Sobering Thoughts For Advent Meditation

Peter's Perks

Apparently that is what we can surmise, thanks to the Wall Street Journal and their piece "Vatican Uses Donations For The Poor To Plug Its Budget Deficit".  Only 10% of the funds collected in the annual "Peter's Pence" collection actually goes to "charities".  The great bulk is being used to cover the deficit in the Vatican's "administrative budget".  To be honest, I'm not too sure about the appropriate spending of that 10%.

Enterprise Dear to the Pontiff's Heart

The LifeSiteNews piece says that "the money is ostensibly used to support charitable enterprises dear to the pontiff's heart".  Given what has been going on, with all these "climate change" synods and meetings with Sachs, Moon and some of the other one-world leftists, we can look askance on just what is meant by "enterprises dear to the pontiff's heart".  But it gets worse.

Last week it was revealed that Peter Pence funds went to finance a biographical movie about Elton John, the openly gay performer who mocks marriage to boot.  The flick has an explicit gay sex scene in it.  Ladies and gentlemen, if you contributed to the Peter's Pence collection recently, you just helped to fund gay porn!  Isn't that just...special??

Fellow Catholics, we have the responsibility to be judicious about our charitable giving.  Gone are the days when we could just drop money in the collection basket and trust that it would be put to good use.  Most likely those days never really existed.  Please cease all those donations.  I'd suggest donating to a solid religious order, a local food bank, local pro-life pregnancy center, etc.

Catholic Standard Commits Ecumenicide

Again from the current issue of the Catholic (sub)Standard we see an account of the 40th annual concert of the Interfaith Council of  Metropolitan Washington.  Browse through the article and notice that not only were there performances by Catholics and some Protestant groups, but also of Muslims and Hindus.

Beholding ICMW idolary

This performance was held at the Washington Hebrew Congregation.  Several years ago this ho-down happened in the main nave of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.  That's right!  Idolatry occurred inside the National Shrine as Muslims and Hindus sang prayers to their false deities/demons.  I got wind of this just a few days before it was to occur (so no time to organize a protest) and I went to see how bad it could get.  It got pretty bad.  In fact, the Hindu dancing girls were even more scantily clad then than what you see in the Standard's photo.  I left in the middle of it as I could stomach no more.  Pachamama had nothing on the National Shrine..

Besides the flagrant idolatry, we see that the Interfaith Council of Washington is controlled by Democrats.  Case in point:  Rabbi Gerry Serotta, its current executive director, has contributed to something called Actblue, an online donor portal for Democrat candidates.  Looking at the Catholics on its Board of Directors, we see one Anthony Quainton, who contributed to Chris Van Hollen as he ran against the prolife Kathy Szeliga.

To sum up - in one issue the Standard trumpeted two very questionable organizations - The Interfaith Council of Washington and Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.  With just a little internet research I was able to learn just how inimical to the Faith they really are - and I'm not a professional journalist.  Does the Catholic Standard employ any real journalists, or are they just parrots for the DC chancery swamp?  Of course this question is purely rhetorical.

More Information And Insights Regarding The Sheen Debacle

In this piece I will post a number of youtube videos.  For considerations of space, I'll do so below the jump break.

More information has come out regarding the "mysterious" (ahem!) bishops who requested that the beatification of Venerable Fulton Sheen be put on hold.  Just pause a moment.  Why would these bishops wish to remain anonymous?  Obvious answer.  They know that they are acting out of pure spite for Sheen and his defense of the Faith; they, on the other hand, seek to reduce the Faith to a bunch of "social justice warrior" hogwash, and even that is a veneer for the establishment of a one-world government.  One of the four videos will show Archbishop Sheen railing against false compassion, especially that shown to criminals and homosexuals.  Yes, Sheen specified the latter.  For the high crime and misdemeanor of excoriating the coddling of homosexuals - many of whom are in the higher echelons of Church hierarchy - his memory must be besmirched for he stings their consciences.

I'll link to an article by George Neumayr.  I believe he is correct in opining that the Dolan-Cupich bunch really aren't interested in a delay for the sake of an AG report, but they want his cause abolished in its entirety.

The videos will follow after a brief synopsis and the jump break.

• The first video is of the World Over.  The relevant portion occurs near the beginning, while Raymond Arroyo interviews Phil Lawler.  Arroyo is the one who divulges names.
• The second one is an interview between Taylor Marshall and Chritine Niles.  The first 33 minutes are devoted to a biographical sketch of Niles.  The discussion of the Sheen situation starts at the 33:00 mark.
• The third and last video is of the Archbishop, where he rebukes the false compassion and the recipients of the same.

Catholic Standard Touts Dissident Order Of Sisters

The current Catholic Standard features some sisters telling their vocation story.  One such story is from Sister Aine O'Connor, one of the five leaders of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.  That name caught my eye for over ten years ago, I led a picket against them in Silver Spring.  They were hosting a Call to Action meeting to discuss some sort of dissidence.

Here is the website of Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.  Right there you can see that they are "social justice warriors" and there is not one of them in habit.  Here is the list of their social concerns; notice how the E in "earth" is capitalized, like it's a proper noun/name?  It's just a list of all the progressive talking points.  Go to the "resources" menu, then to "social justice advocacy", then click on "earth community and mercy consciousness".  You'll be gobsmacked with talk of "new catholicity", "unmaking and remaking of the western mind", and a smattering of gobblygoop by Teilhard de Chardin.  Then there's "widening our circle of mercy".  In this so-called "prayer service", six page of it, the word "God" is mentioned twice in this entire idolatrous groveling before "mother earth".

Take a look at their version of the Spiritual and Corporal Works of Mercy.  Church tradition recognizes seven of each.  They've appended an extra one to each.  Their additions are at the bottom of their lists.  I think it rather telling that they didn't deuvlge their edition of Sacred Tradition. 

As with most progressive katholyc organizations, these women have forged some troubling alliances as you can see here.  Women's Alliance for Theology Ethics,and Religion can be shortened to "Water".  Scroll on down their main page.  They advertize for an "Advent liturgy for Catholic Lesbian/queer women". Charming.  Going further down we see that they work with Dignity and Women's Ordination Conference.  They are headquartered in Silver Spring MD, just blocks from the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas.  Isn't that convenient?

Then there's Amnesty International.  Here we see that they champion both baby-slaughter and the "gay-lifestyle" perversions.

If the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas has no problems with these positions espoused by their partners, then we can safely say that they embrace those dissident positions themselves.  So why are they touted in the Catholic Standard?

On This Feast Of St Nicolas, This Must Be Repeated

Sadly, some are calling this day "punch a heretic" day.  I don't have time just now to explain all the ways this is wrong.  Suffice it to say that this flippancy is a slap in the face to the memory of St Nicolas.

Guilty US Bishops Sabotage Sheen's Beatification

Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen famously said that if anyone was to save the Church, it would be laity as opposed to clerics and religious.  The conduct of certain prelates, as they try to derail his beatification, only prove his point.  I'm a little late in reporting on this so I won't reinvent the wheel that others have made. I'll post now a vortex that summarizes the situation.



Now just in case you wonder what about Sheen's preaching that might rankle the USCCB, that is, Underhanded Syndicate of Corrupt Cowardly Bishops, this clip of one of the Archbishop's talks might provide a clue.  Pay particular attention around the 16:22 mark and following.  He likens the "social justice" thrust of the hierarchy to one of the three temptations that Satan posed to Jesus.



Or how about this one regarding "nice" people, such as the "Church of nice"?


You get the picture.

Open Letter To Judge Sara Smolenski

Please recall that she is the lesbian judge in Michigan who was denied Holy Communion by Father Scott Nolan for publicly living in sin with another woman.  Since that incident, she has been on a rampage to have Father ousted from his parish.  Fortunately Bishop David Walkowiak is supporting his priest.

Many have rightly suggested that both Father and His Excellency should be congratulated and thanked.  I concur and have done so.  I also applied the Spiritual Work of Mercy known as "rebuking the sinner" to the errant judge.  I got the fax number from the contact information for the courthouse in which she works.  To that number I sent the letter below.

Begin letter:

Ms. Smolenski, I read of your situation with Father Nolan.  As a Catholic who strives to live by the moral precepts of the Church, I concur with Father.  Perhaps we can look at the situation from another vantage point.  I presume that as a lawyer, you are a member of the Michigan State Bar.  That association undoubtedly has standards and ideals to which you and other lawyers are expected to adhere.  The rights and privileges of that association were not automatically granted to you; you had to qualify to be admitted and must conduct yourself in a manner deemed worthy by your association to retain membership with all its attendant advantages.

Parallels con be derived when it comes to the Church.  The reception of Holy Communion entails allegiance to the Church's moral standards, including those of marriage and the use of procreative powers.  Deliberate and obstinate flouting of those prescriptions is grounds for denial of Holy Communion.  That denial is actually for your benefit, as reception of Holy Communion while you pretend to be married to another woman would only cause you to incur the guilt of receiving Our Lord in a sacrilegious manner, its own mortal sin.

Ms. Smolenski, neither you nor I can dictate to the Church who has a "right" to receive Holy Communion.  Yes, we are all sinners.  Jesus Christ welcomes all sinners - to repent and turn from their sins, not to wallow in them and expect to be celebrated for them.  We are called to repent via the Sacrament of Confession and then to amend our lives.  As your fellow Catholic I strongly urge you cease this lifestyle and return to Jesus Christ and His Church - on His terms, not yours.
You may ask what business do I have in saying these things to you.  Well, it is you who chose to publicize this matter, not I.  Apparently neither did Father choose to publicize this; he approached you via a private phone call - per your recollection.  Father Nolan, as an ordained priest of Jesus Christ, cannot and will not acquiese to your demands that your sinful lifestyle be accepted as being in conformity with Church teaching.  The words of Jesus will not change.  I for one am grateful to Father for upholding the teachings of the Church.

Ms. Smolenski, please be advised that this letter is an open letter, to be publicized on the internet.  Any replies will likewise be publicized; that includes replies from anyone else as well.  Thank you for your time.

End Letter