Matthew Kelly Poison In DC Parishes Again

After Christmas Mass we all received a Christmas present.  It was a book by Matthew Kelly called "Rediscover Jesus".  I've written about Kelly in the past as I have found his stuff to be, quite frankly, less than Catholic.  Because it was free (meaning I did not have to pony my cash to Kelly's wallet) I took one and glanced through it.  That one glance told me that Kelly's theology had not improved one iota.  I copied the page and post it below.

The problem is the last sentence of the third paragraph.  I tried to highlight it, but it is faint.  At any rate, that last sentence is enough to cause a sane Catholic to junk this book.  Ladies and gentlemen, note the phrase "half-brother of Jesus".  Jesus had no "half-siblings".  The Perpetual Virginity of Mary is defined Catholic dogma!  Please let no one delude themselves into thinking that this point is "just a technicality".  If Holy Mother Church thought it important enough to make the perpetual virginity of Mary a dogma, then it deserves all due consideration.

Whether or not Kelly intended it, he wrote heresy.  Perhaps this lapse can be chalked up to faulty formation that he may have received as a child.  We all know how far Catholic education has declined in the past 50 years or so.  But isn't that all the more reason for our parishes and chanceries to carefully vet these books before they're released to the Catholics in the pew?

There are other issues with this book (and his previous books).  While this book does state that sin hinders our relationship with God, it is quite selective about the kinds of sins with which it deals.  I see talk of "greed" and "losing one's temper", but nowhere did I detect any mention of mortal sins such as the support of abortion, contraception, gay #mowwidge.  But anyone with two functioning eyeballs can see that it's rampant in the pews - not only the support but the participation in these mortal sins.  That means we have Catholics in the pews who may well be hell-bound, and there's no mention of these real dangers.  Speaking of hell, I see no mention of that important reality whatsoever in that book (or his other books).  Why not?  Our Lord mentioned it often as a solemn warning.  In all fairness to Kelly, it can be argued that he's merely following the lead of the American clergy in not specifying mortal sins and the reality of hell.  In their misguided and dare I say feckless desire not to upset people, they are doing the Catholic congregation a gross disservice.

Another related issue is the overemphasis on "experience".  As I read the Gospels, I see no mention of Jesus calling people to "experience" Him.  Rather, there is the call for repentance and obedience, with the graces communicated through the Sacraments as administered by the Church.  Indeed, in the Gospel of Mark, Jesus's first recorded word is "repent".  The soon-to-be-canonized Mother Teresa of Calcutta is said to have gone most of her life with no experience of God's presence.  She did count that as a cross, but still it goes to show that "experience" is not a necessary component of the Catholic's spiritual life.  One could call Kelly's approach "putting the cart before the horse", but without specific mention of the serious sins for which one should repent and obtain absolution, I'd have to say in this instance that "there's a cart but no horse".

Some might think my characterization of Kelly's materials as being "poison" to be a bit harsh.  They might say that the great majority (while somewhat vapid for its "peaches and ice cream tone") is decent enough.  But no one can gainsay the heresy that is there in plain sight.  For reasons that I stated in an earlier post, I don't think anything that contains heresy can be used as a spiritual guide regardless of other material contained within.

Is this book showing up in other parishes?

UPDATE - The answer to that last question is "yes".  Someone from St. Andrew the Apostle told me they have it.  That suggests impetus from the DC chancery.

UPDATE #2 - Per Jeff's comment below, the phrase I wrote above, "he wrote heresy" should be rendered "he published heresy".  Kelly says it's from another source but in his own book offered no correction nor clarification regarding the Church dogma.

Matthew Kelly Is Speaking In Maryland - Caveat Emptor!

Two and a half years ago, a book by Matthew Kelly (Rediscover Catholicism) appeared in our parish lobby for sale.  In fact, it appeared in many local church lobbies.  I bought a copy, read the prologue and immediately recognized the spiritual poison contained therein.  I blogged about it then and will not rehash what I wrote; read it here.  What I will do is link to the problematic pages in the prologue, since many friends thought "it's not that bad" (making me wonder just how "bad" it has to be for them to recognize real problems).  Note: my use of these pages for commentary is fully permissible under the "fair use" doctrine.  For those of you who are wondering, I did pose my questions and objections to Mr. Kelly on his website comment area; I never received a reply.

Here are bulletin announcements as they appear in St John Neumann's and St Paul's.  Notice in the St John Neumann bulletin the purpose is to "help us become the best version of ourselves".  That's new age psycho-babble.  Any Catholic speaker worthy of that title will give us food for thought to become holy.  There IS a difference!

I googled Kelly.  Here's a wikipedia piece.  According to that, he's a motivational speaker and management consultant.  I can see how these things would dovetail with his "best version of self" talks.  I cannot tell if there's a deliberate connection, but the possibility exists.  He also had "apparitions" in the 1990s, ones that did not pass the muster of his bishop.  To his credit he complied with the bishop's direction not to promulgate the rather odd content of these "apparitions".  See #180 in this website.  That webmaster says he/she wouldn't trust Kelly's talks or books.  I concur.  The same mind that produced wacky "messages from God" is the same mind that produced the heresy in the prologue to Rediscover Catholicism.  That mind will be the source of words spoken at St Peter's on April 17th.

As you might have noticed in the parish bulletins, Kelly will be appearing with musician Eliot Morris.  I googled Morris and found his website.  Please notice that there is no mention of "God", "faith", "Jesus Christ", etc.  For any "run-of-the-mill" musician or entertainer, that lack wouldn't be so remarkable.  However, he allegedly "prepared a unique message inspired by God".  So just what are his qualifications for imparting this message?  For that matter, what are Kelly's?

For the awesome (?) privilege of having these two fellows help you to "discover God's voice" in two weeks, you will have to cough up $39.00. In the Neumann bulletin we're urged to do so quickly because "the show is expected to be a sellout".  "Show"???  Freudian slip, much?  I would expect an authentic Catholic talk to be called a "talk" or "address" or "event" - but "show"?  That smacks of a performance of entertainment, to me.  I hope I'm wrong, but I smell a racket.

I learned of this through an announcement in the parish bulletin.  It makes me wonder how - or if - the parish offices take any care to vet these announcement requests before they actually publish them.  Moreover, I wonder how the parishes discern what books are allowed to be peddled in their church lobbies.  "Rediscover Catholicism" should have been rejected by the parishes.

Before folks waste $39 of their hard-earned money, I'm providing some "food for thought"; and I'm not charging one red penny for it!

Rediscover Catholicism By Matthew Kelly

Years ago I became convinced that the evil one is quite clever in deceiving good Catholics into error and sin.  I think he knows better than to present us with gross sin such as wild orgies or inebriated debauchery.  No, he'll cloak his temptations to us in holy trappings.  Please note that I'm not putting those last two words in quotes because often enough, the trappings are very good in and of themselves and can lead to real benefit.

For instance, I mentioned a few days ago the Medjugorje apparitions (that I initially believed).  Now at that site many good people are praying.  They're going to Confession (some folks for the first time in many years), receiving Holy Communion at Mass, praying the Rosary, etc.  For the most part, the proceedings from the apparition are sweet if somewhat trite.  However, it's those zingers of indifferentism that are the problem.  Because the devotees are predisposed to accept whatever the apparition says, they're less likely to subject it to needed scrutiny and thus they incorporate the indifferentism into their own thinking.  Therein lies the danger.

Such seems to be the case with the book Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly.  Last year it was sold at my church and was announced from the pulpit.  It only cost $2.00.  I bought one and started to read it.  This book's main "zinger" (and it is a big one) occurs right in the prologue.  I suppose Kelly was trying to illustrate the magnitude of the Crucifixion of Our Lord and what it cost both Son and Father.  He wound up committing what I believe is blasphemy with his attempt.

He devised a hypothetical situation in which a father of a small boy hears that there is a fatal epidemic.  A vaccine has been developed but will require blood from someone who hasn't been infected.  All are called upon to volunteer blood samples.  The father trots his family to be tested.  Lo and behold, the small boy is not infected and his blood can be used.  However, a lot of blood is required and to draw the required amount of blood from the boy will kill him.  The doctors break the news to the father and let him know that if he doesn't give permission for this blood-letting, all mankind may well die.  The parents give their "consent" for this procedure.  Of course the little boy is bewildered - but it's such a great cause!

So here you have a man's murder of his own little boy being compared with the Crucifixion of Our Lord.  Murder is the deliberate taking of innocent human life; nothing justifies that for as any decent Catholic knows, the end of a sinful act, be it ever so noble, never justifies the sin.

I could spend several posts unpacking the moral mess encompassed in these few paragraphs.  There is the comparison of Jesus' voluntary act with the horror inflicted on a helpless child.  There is the aspect of the boy being utterly betrayed by his parents whose first charge was to protect, not sacrifice him.  And of course we have here a thinly-disguised apologetics for both abortion and embryonic stem cell research.

Some might argue that the rest of the book was okay and even very good.  Be that as it very well may, it matters not one damned bit.  If you knew that the most nutritious meal in the world contained just a little bit of arsenic, would you take one bit of that most nutritious meal?  I didn't think so!

After I read this prologue, I immediately alerted the pastor.  As I was talking, he completed my sentence for me.  That indicated to me that mine was not the first complaint about this heresy.  However, the boxes of books remained in the lobby for several more weeks; I don't know why.

I forgot about it until I went to Mass today at Blessed Sacrament in Chevy Chase - and saw three or four boxes of these books in that church's lobby, just as I saw in St John Neumann last year.  I thought to myself, "well, maybe they've removed the offending prologue in these copies."  It was still there.  In googling the book, I learned that it was popping up in parishes all over the country.  I don't know who is making book-buying decisions or what kind of marketing effort is underway here.

I am urging all to be on the lookout for this in your own parishes and to be prepared to sound the alarm at your church.  Do NOT use Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly.

With Friends Like This, Who Needs Enemies?

Fret not.  I'm not speaking of myself.  Rather, I ponder the kinds of fans whom Matthew Kelly is attracting these days, judging from a comment that today appeared on a post I wrote last March.  Here is the post, and I direct your attention to the comment that was written today, May 4th.  This individual claims that my "ignorance is manifold".  Yet if you have the stomach to click on the name (and what person claiming to be a "better Christian" assumes a handle like that?), you will be directed to his/her quite pornographic site.  I warn you again, it is pornographic.

So this is one sort of person whom Matthew Kelly attracts.  I'm not saying that all his fans are moral reprobates, but clearly those types seem not to be hearing a message of repentance.  They seem not to be learning about real faith and morals from Kelly.  It would appear that this "feel good, be better" type of preaching is not at all efficacious for eternal salvation.

Stick with the One True Church and her sacraments and her traditional teachings.  The failings of her clergy notwithstanding, she is the Barque of Peter and there is no salvation outside of her.  Any other ancillary teachings and fads are, at best, superfluous.

Matthew Kelly Is At It Again

Matthew Kelly, who runs an outfit called "Dynamic Catholics", has apparently come up with another gimmick to sucker Catholics into buying his wares.  He has dubbed this one as the "Best Lent Ever".

Long time readers of this blog will recall that I've sounded alarms about previous stunts of his.  He has written books that contain serious errors regarding faith and morality; I've detailed these problems.  FYI, I've sent emails to him regarding these errors, hoping to gets some sort of clarification or even correction of these problems.  I've yet to receive the courtesy of a reply.

I'm seeing signs like the one to the right in parishes in the DC area.  Now think about the arrogance that is all over the language in this poster.  Kelly has the chutzpah to say that his program will give to its users their "best lent ever"?  Moreover, he dares to make jokes about the time-honored tradition of mortification and self-denial, holding them to be inferior to his dubious programs?

The attitude communicated in this poster is at best flippant and smart-alecky: two attitudes unbecoming the Catholic who purports to offer spiritual benefits.  Please don't reward this snarky behavior.  Pass up this dubious offer and stick to the Church's time-honored prescriptions for Lenten penance and reform.  They are the three activities described in yesterday's Ash Wednesday Gospel: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  Of course be certain to make a good Confession this Lent season.

When Catholics Eschew Adulthood, All Hell Breaks Loose

Consider these phenomena that we have been witnessing with varying degrees of regularity over these past 10 years:

• Priests singing secular songs from the altar during Mass
• Priests and/or religious performing line dances in public venues, in clerics and habits
• Priests and religious giving rock music concerts
• The attire of Mass attendees becoming ever more sloppy and even obscene
• Poor deportment while before the Blessed Sacrament:
• Chatting in the nave of the Church
• Failure to genuflect
• Consuming food/drink, chewing gum - not babies, but adults
• Stand-up-comedy jokes being told from the pulpit and even the altar
• A once-prominent Catholic blogger, in his heyday, published pictures of Pope Benedict experiencing problems with his vestments and then asking his readers to provide captions for his pictures
• The popularity of Matthew Kelly and his ilk peddling "be a better you" seminars instead of the the need to turn from sin.
• The vaunting of the World Youth Day spectacles, despite the rife abuses conducted therein

I've written before about these matters but have not been able to put my finger on a common denominator.  But maybe I'm homing in on it.  Many adults today are eschewing the responsibilities and even identities associate with being adults.  Those of a liberal bent are particularly afflicted with it.  Wanting government to assume control of their lives while they embrace hedonism, they find the progressive programs particularly appealing.  Many recoil at the thought of having to assume responsibility for their lives, to commit to spouses and children, to think and live for something beyond themselves and their own entertainments and creature comforts.

Regrettably, Catholics have demonstrated that they are not always immune to this psychological and societal sickness.  The degrees of impairment vary widely.  The list at the top of the post is particularly at play in more liberal enclaves - particularly the deportment and dress at Mass (assuming they attend Mass).  Conversely, when I've attended Traditional Latin Masses, both dress and deportment are vastly improved.  Maybe that is why the pope railed upon the traditionally-minded so viciously; perhaps in his attempt to shame them from their "rigidity" he wants them more amenable to the wiles of the progressives.

But more conservative parishes (that aren't Latin Mass) aren't totally immune.  Moreover, when I've voiced concerns to some of my fellow faithful Catholics about it, I often receive responses that can only be described as rancorous.  Invariably the "lighten up" mantra is snarled into my face.

Concurrent with the rejection of adulthood is the overemphasis on emotions and sentiments, a feature of postnodernism.  We see that in their defense of the childish clergy dancing as "expressing joy in the Lord".  Well, I can remember when clergy upheld the dignity of their sacerdotal orders.  Dignity and modesty would never have allowed them to follow foolish worldly fads.  Are we to believe that those priests of yesteryear were utterly bereft of true Godly joy?

Related to the above is some notion that in order to evangelize young people, we must engage them on what we perceive to be "their own terms".  That's the excuse some offer for the "rock concerts" and the public dancing displays.  Such an attitude is wrong in several ways:

• It betrays an incredible condescension towards young people.  Those holding such beliefs seem to contend that if we wave "entertainment doggy bones" in front of them, then they will slavishly follow after them in the fashion of Pavlov's dogs.  The young people see through that.  I think many of them not only don't fall for such cheap ploys, but actually resent those who employ them.  Who can blame them?  They don't want to be treated as mice who will mindlessly follow a rock-star pied piper.  They seek real, serious answers to the challenges that they face in their lives.  They need us to address them as rational adults.
• I now link to a post that contains a Vortex video.  Please watch that, particularly the last half.  Voris explains well the utter futility of emotion-based evangelism.
• If we're really looking for an effective way to evangelize, forget this "new evangelism" tripe.  Go back to the way the Apostles evangelized.  They preached the gospel that commanded people to repent from their sins and to believe Christ and His teachings.  They taught the truth, not some "positive" pabulum.  For an example of that, go to today's first reading from Mass: Acts 2:14,36-41.

In 1 Corinthians 13:11, Paul says, "when I was a child, I spoke like a child, talked like a child.  When I became a man I put aside the ways of the child."  It's high time we did the same thing.  Let's dispense with the silly and trite.  Let's dispense with the postmodern obsession with "feelings" and "positivity" and focus on the objective truths of Jesus and His Church in their entirety.  Let's grow up; stop indulging our "inner child" complexes and be the adults that are needed so desperately by our silly, stupified, sin-sick world.

Jesus Begged For What??!!?!

HT to Pewsitter, by the way.

I would not believe this otherwise, but since it's on the Vatican's own website the evidence is irrefutable.  This is the Pope's homily for this past Sunday, the Feast of the Holy Family.  Here is the line in question:  "Instead of returning home with his family, he stayed in Jerusalem, in the Temple, causing great distress to Mary and Joseph who were unable to find him. For this little “escapade”, Jesus probably had to beg forgiveness of his parents. The Gospel doesn’t say this, but I believe that we can presume it."

From the very first moment of the Incarnation, Jesus was and is God, the Second Person of the Trinity.  God does not beg for forgiveness for God does not sin; to insinuate otherwise is to commit heresy.  This gaffe that is embedded in the Pope's homily is not a harmless little "slip of the tongue" for this runs counter to the Divine Personhood of Jesus.  We're seeing way too many of these little "zingers and snippets".  (I'm thinking of the Matthew Kelly "half-brother" gaffe, too)  They occur so quickly that they can escape notice, but still the words and yes, heresies, are introduced into our minds - and all the more readily since we're often not on guard and vigilant against these.  Therefore, I will do my best to continue to call these out.