Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Why Are Catholics Confused?

In 1986 French Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre wrote a splendid little book entitled An Open Letter To Confused Catholics in which he wrote about the disintegration of the Church since the Second Vatican Council. He was very outspoken about his disagreements over the decrees and changes that came out of that Council, and how they harmed Catholicism.

Keep in mind as you read his thoughts, that when he speaks of Catholics in the 80's who did not know their rights and obligations within the faith, that the changes in the Church were still just occurring. Imagine , if it was that bad then, with our diluted Catholicism, how much worse it must be today?

Who can deny that Catholics in the latter part of the twentieth century are confused? A glance at what has happened in the Church over the past twenty years is enough to convince anyone that this is a relatively recent phenomenon. Only a short time ago the path was clearly marked: either one followed it or one did not. One had the Faith--or perhaps had lost it--or had never had it. But he who had it--who had entered the Church through baptism, who had renewed his baptismal promises around the age of twelve and had received the Holy Ghost on the day of his confirmation--such a person knew what he had to believe and what he had to do.

Many today no longer know. They hear all sorts of astonishing statements in the churches, they read things contrary to what was always taught, and doubt has crept into their minds.

On June 30, 1968, at the close of the Year of Faith, His Holiness Pope Paul VI made a profession of the Catholic Faith, in the presence of all the bishops in Rome and hundreds of thousands of the faithful. In his introductory remarks, he put us on guard against attacks on Catholic doctrine which, he said, “give rise, as we regretfully see today, to trouble and confusion in many faithful souls.”

The same words crop up in an allocution of His Holiness Pope John Paul II on February 6, 1981: “Christians today, in large part, feel lost, perplexed, confused, and even deceived.” The Holy Father summarized the underlying causes of the trouble as follows:

“We see spread abroad ideas contrary to the truth which God has revealed and which the Church has always taught. Real heresies have appeared in dogma and moral theology, stirring doubt, confusion, rebellion. Even the liturgy has been harmed. Christians have been plunged into an intellectual and moral illuminism, a sociological Christianity, without clear dogma or objective morality.”

This confusion is seen everywhere--in conversations, in books, in newspapers, in radio and television broadcasts, in the behavior of Catholics, which shows up as a sharp decline in the practice of the faith as statistics reveal, a dissatisfaction with the Mass and the sacraments, a general relaxation of morals.

We naturally ask, therefore, what brought on this state of things? For every effect there is a cause. Has faith been weakened by a disappearance of generosity of soul, by a taste for enjoyment, an attraction to the pleasures of life and the manifold distractions which the modern world offers? These cannot be the real reasons, because they have always been with us in one way or another. The rapid decline in religious practice comes rather from the new spirit which has been introduced into the Church and which has cast suspicion over all past teachings and life of the Church. All this was based on the unchangeable faith of the Church, handed down by catechisms which were recognized by all bishops.

The faith was based on certitudes. The certitudes have been overturned and confusion has resulted. Let us take one example: the Church taught--and the faithful believed--that the Catholic religion was the one true religion. It was, in fact, established by God Himself, while other religions are the work of men. Consequently, the Christian must avoid all contact with false religions and, furthermore, do all he can to bring adherents of false religions to the religion of Christ.

Is this still true? Indeed it is! Truth cannot change--else it never was the truth. No new fact, no theological or scientific discovery--if there can be such a thing as a theological discovery--can ever make the Catholic religion any less the only means of salvation.

But now we have the Pope himself attending religious ceremonies in false religions, praying and preaching in the churches of heretical sects. Television conveys to the whole world pictures of these astonishing events. The faithful no longer understand.

Martin Luther--and I shall return to him later in these pages--cut entire nations off from the Church, pitched Europe into a spiritual and political turmoil which destroyed the Catholic hierarchy over wide areas, invented a false doctrine of salvation and a false doctrine of the sacraments. His revolt against the Church became the model for all revolutionaries after him who would throw Europe and the whole world into disorder. It is impossible to make Luther, as they want to do now after five hundred years, into a prophet or doctor of the Church, since he is not a saint.

If I read La Documentation Catholique1 or the diocesan papers, I find there, from the Joint Catholic-Lutheran Commission, officially recognized by the Vatican, statements like this:

“Among the ideas of the Second Vatican Council, we can see gathered together much of what Luther asked for, such as the following: description of the Church as ‘the people of God’ (a main idea of the new Canon Law--democratic, no longer hierarchic, idea); accent on the priesthood of all baptized; the right of the individual to freedom of religion. Other demands of Luther in his time can be considered as being met in the theology and practice of the Church today: use of the common language in the liturgy, possibility of Communion under two species, a renewal of the theology and celebration of the Eucharist.”

Quite a statement! Meeting the demands of Luther, who declared himself the resolute and mortal enemy of the Mass and of the pope! To gather together things requested by a blasphemer who said: “I declare that all brothels, murders, thefts, adulteries, are less evil than this abominable Mass!” From such an extravagant summary, we can draw only one conclusion: either we must condemn the Second Vatican Council which authorized it, or we must condemn the Council of Trent and all the popes who, since the sixteenth century, have declared Protestantism heretical and schismatic.

It is understandable that Catholics are confused by such a turn of events. But there are so many others! In a few years they have seen a transformation in the heart and substance of religious practices which adults have known from early childhood. In the churches, the altars have been demolished or replaced by tables, which are often portable and disappear when not in use. The tabernacle no longer occupies the place of honor: most of the time it is hidden, perhaps perched on a post, to one side. When it remains in the center, the priest turns his back to it during the Mass. Celebrant and faithful face each other and dialogue. Anyone may touch the sacred vessels, which are often replaced by breadbaskets, platters, ceramic bowls. Laity, including women, distribute Communion, which is received in the hand. The Body of Christ is treated with a lack of reverence which casts doubt on the truth of transubstantiation.

The Sacraments are administered in a manner which varies from place to place; I will cite as examples the age for baptism and confirmation, variations in the nuptial blessing, introduction of chants and readings which have nothing to do with the liturgy--but are borrowed from other religions or a purely secular literature, sometimes simply to express political ideas.

Latin, the universal language of the Church, and Gregorian Chant have generally disappeared. All the hymns have been replaced by modern songs in which it is not uncommon to find the same rhythms as in places of entertainment.

Catholics have been surprised also by the sudden disappearance of religious garb, as if priests and religious were ashamed of looking like what they are.

Parents who send their children to catechism discover that the truths of the Faith are no longer taught, even the most basic: the Holy Trinity, the mystery of the Incarnation, Original Sin, the Immaculate Conception. Hence the feeling of profound disorientation: is all of this no longer true, out-of-date, passé? Christian virtues are no longer even mentioned. Where can you find a catechism speaking of humility, chastity, mortification? The Faith has become a fluid concept, charity a kind of universal solidarity, and hope is, above all, hope for a better world.

Novelties like these are not the kind which, in the human situation, appear at a certain moment in time, so that we get accustomed to them and assimilate them after an initial period of surprise and uncertainty. In the course of a human life, ways of doing things change. If I were still a missionary in Africa, I would go there by plane and no longer by boat--if, indeed, you could find a steamship company still in operation. In this sense, we can say that one should live in one's own time; one is really forced to do so.

But those Catholics on whom they tried to impose novelties in the spiritual and supernatural order, on the same principle, realized it was not possible. You do not change the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Sacraments founded by Jesus Christ; you do not change the truth revealed once and for all; you do not replace one dogma with another. The pages which follow try to answer the questions you are asking yourselves, you who have known another face of the Church. I shall try also to enlighten the young people born after the Council and to whom the Catholic community does not offer what they have a right to expect from it. I would like to address myself, finally, to the unconcerned and the agnostics, whom the grace of God will touch some day or another, but who by then may find the churches without priests, and a teaching which does not correspond to the needs of their souls.

Then there is a question which, by all evidence, interests everyone, if I can judge by the attention it gets in the general press, especially in France. (The journalists are also showing some confusion.) A few headlines: “Is Christianity Dying?” “Will Time Work Against the Religion of Jesus Christ?” “Will There Still Be Priests in the Year 2000?” These questions I hope also to answer, not with any new theory of my own, but relying on unbroken Catholic Tradition--unbroken, yet so neglected in recent years that to many readers it will seem no doubt like something entirely new.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

No Altar Girls!

I got this excellent news from over at the excellent Rorate Caeli

For a while now, a German Canonical Commentary on Summorum Pontificum by the German latinist and canon lawyer Fr. Gero P. Weishaupt has been available online. This commentary has now been published as a book, and the preface to this book was written by H.E. Archbishop Raimond L. Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. The full text of the preface is available at the German website Summorum Pontificum. Here is an NLM translation of a passage of the preface which doubtlessly will raise great interest:

In the second chapter of his commentary, Weishaupt answers a number of practical issues that arise regarding the implementation of Summorum Pontificum and result from recent changes to the discipline of the celebration of the sacraments, such as e.g. those regarding female altar servers or lay people who perform the ministry of lectors or extraordinary ministers of Holy Communion. To answer these questions , the commentary correctly applies two general canonical principles.

The first principle requires that liturgical norms, which were in force in 1962, are to be diligently observed for the celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, for these norms protect the integrity of the Roman rite as contained in the Missal of Blessed John XXIII. The second principle states that the subsequent liturgical discipline is only to be introduced in the Extraordinary Form, if this discipline affects a right of the faithful, which follows directly from the sacrament of baptism and serves the eternal salvation of their souls.

The application of these two principles to the cases mentioned leads to the conclusion that neither the service at the altar by persons of the female sex nor the exercise of the lay ministries of lector or extraordinary minister of Holy Communion belong to the basic rights of the baptized. Therefore, these recent developments, out of respect for the integrity of the liturgical discipline as contained in the Missale Romanum of 1962, are not to be introduced into the Extraordinary Form of the Roman rite. The commentary presents here in an impressive manner that the mutual enrichment of both forms of the Roman rite is only possible if discipline peculiar to each of the two forms is accordingly carefully observed.
That means no altar girls, no chyx with pyx, and no lectors need apply at celebrations of the Old Mass.

I betcha someone's pantsuits are gonna be in a bunch about this one...

It is a blessing to see some parts of the Church acknowledging our traditions.

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Working Class Hero?

I always thought it was John Lennon.

But anyway, did you see the news stories about that male Jetblue stewardess? Steve Slater? Is that his name?

So now this guy is an "internet sensation" because he acted like a child and stormed off the plane? I suppose we are now to celebrate poor customer service and problem solving abilities?

This guy knows what he's dealing with, he gets paid to deal with it. It's his job.

How often have you gone into a store and complained about the lack of exceptional customer service? You walk into a store or restaurant today and what do you get? You find lethargic, unresponsive $6 an hour employees who don't care about you, your concerns, or the product or services they offer. Now this guy is going to turn into the hero to rally around for these lackluster service employees.

Brilliant. What do you think?

Pedoislamists

As Islam continues to spread its evil throughout the world and even here in the United States, new details are emerging about their practices, including the marriages of baby girls to fully grown men.

But not to worry, they use the Prophet Mohammad (may he burn in Hell) as their model. They don't usually have sex with them until they are nine years old.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Chicken In Every Pot

And the Latin Mass in every parish!

Pope wants traditional Masses in every parish, says Vatican cardinal
Anna Arco
20 June 2008

The Pope wants the traditional Latin Mass offered in every Catholic parish in the world, a Vatican cardinal has said.

Cardinal Dario Castrillon Hoyos also told journalists in London that seminarians everywhere should be trained to say Mass in the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite, also called the Tridentine rite.

Cardinal Castrillon made the comments last Saturday, shortly before he became the first cardinal to celebrate the older High Mass in Westminster Cathedral for 39 years.

When asked by The Catholic Herald if the Pope wanted to see many ordinary parishes making provision for the traditional form, the cardinal said: "All the parishes. Not many - all the parishes, because this is a gift of God. He [the Pope] offers these riches, and it is very important for new generations to know the past of the Church. This kind of worship is so noble, so beautiful - the deepest theologians' way to express our faith.

more...
So it is over two years now since the Popes wishes have been made public. How about it Bishop Bambera? You want to be the first to take the bold step and fulfill Pope Benedict's wishes?

Maybe you can start by increasing the availability of the Mass throughout the Diocese.

Not everyone can get to Scranton. Or Hazleton. Or Shohola.

We are truly blessed in this Diocese to have the Old Mass at all, and those in attendance know that. We thank God everyday. But now it is not enough for us to simply have access to it. Now is the time that the Mass be made available to EVERYONE. Not just the Traditionalists in the pews. Summorum Pontificum was not just an attempt to sway trads away from the SSPX or to shut them up, it was attempt to revitalize the Church.

Pray for Bishop Bambera that God will open his eyes, that he will see the beauty of this Mass of all times. This is the Mass that Saint Pio prayed everyday. This is the Mass Saint Therese attended everyday. This is the Mass responsible for a large portion of the Saints we honor today.

Pray that Bishop Bambera will provide for his flock as he is ordered to by Almighty God. The Old Mass is coming back throughout the church, and this Pope is at the head of the Renaissance within Her. Don't be a hindrance, your Excellence.

Open the door and welcome the Pope and the Old Mass.

Don't be a dissenter and slam the door in his and God's face.

Happy Tuesday!



The Spanish Inquisition is the best Monty Python sketch ever. And the Dead Parrot.

I meant the best TWO! The Spanish Inquisition and the Dead Parrot and the Cheese Shop are the best Monty Python skecthes in all Christendom. I mean the THREE best Monty Python sketches ever. And the Hungarian -English Phrasebook.

FOUR! The Four best Monty Python sketches ever were the Spanish Inquisition, The Dead Parrot, the Cheese Shop, and the Hungarian - English Phrasebook...

Ah, no. Let me come in again!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Weapons Of MASS Destruction

I Love This Truck


Are You An Infidel?

"The mission of infidels is not to build up anything, but to pull down churches, civil laws, governments, morals, the characters of men and women, peace, happiness, protection of home, property, and life. They come with a mission of denials of the truths contained in the Bible-a mission of war upon the Bible, religion, and the friends of purity and mercy. They come not with a mission of peace and good will to man, but a mission of hatred towards the Bible and all it enjoins- a mission to pull down and destroy- to spread desolation among other mens labors and lay their work in ruins, leaving nothing but wrecks and devastation. The mission of infidels is not to enlighten, civilize and ennoble nations. They have never enlightened, civilized or elevated a nation or a people since the world was made. They have established no civil institutions, no system of morals, no code of laws... "

Benjamin Franklin - The Mission Of Infidels.

Sound familiar Progressives? They knew what you were then, and we know what you are now.

More on Prop 8

During another reading of Judge Walker's decision, I see where the Judge wrote this:“California’s obligation is to treat its citizens equally, not to mandate its own moral code.”

That is quite a presumption by Walker. Is it not ironic that the very “moral code” that gave us the idea of equality in the first place (as laid out in the Declaration of Independence) is the same moral code that the judge throws out in order to justify same sex “marriage?”

If California is mandating its own moral code by saying marriage is by definition heterosexual, then isn't the judge mandating his own moral code by saying it isn’t? The line provided above by the judge clearly shows us the judge’s critical thinking ability, but it does nothing to clear up how proposition 8 violates the constitution.

Do not forget that the government derives it's just powers from the consent of the governed. The people of California have made clear in many ways that they do not consent to the redefinition of marriage. After months of vigorous debate and campaign the matter was decided by the people - as our Constitution allows - and then their decision and their rights were trampled.

State after state - 45 in all - have decided to reaffirm the meaning of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

None of that matters to progressives who continue to legislate from the bench to force the majority into following the will of the minority.

Shame.

Can't we get along even if we disagree?

It would seem I have touched a nerve.

It would seem that there are those who vehemently disagree with my position on gay, unnatural sex acts.

I’m not going to waste my time or anyone else’s quoting what the Bible says regarding homosexuality. It has been done time and again by better people than I to no avail. There will always be those who have been so blinded by the great deceiver that they take any attempt at showing them the truth and turn it into “hate”, as I’ve already seen in recent comments that I am debating posting.

Christian thought will always (and always should) be permitted to influence a country founded on Christian principles. Likewise, it should influence us as we think and live our personal lives, lest we fall into sin ourselves. The Catechism of the Catholic Church clearly teaches that although “…sin is a personal act, we have a responsibility for the sins committed by others when we cooperate in them”. (CCC #1868)

How do we cooperate in sin? Let's use some of the progressive's favorite sins to illustrate:

1. By counsel. i.e., "I think you should have an abortion; go ahead and have the abortion. It will help preserve your lifestyle."

2. By command. i.e., Telling your child, your friend, or your co-worker, "Have an abortion, you may lose your job if you don't."

3. By consent. i.e., "If you and your partner feel it's the best thing, go ahead and have a sexual relationship, get married. Even if you're both of the same sex. It's nobody's business."

4. By provocation. i.e., "Live together! Aren't you in charge of your own life? The Pope is old and out of touch, who cares what he says!”

5. By praise or flattery. i.e., "Oh, Senator, you are so courageous and kind in defending a woman's `right' to an abortion."

6. By concealment. i.e., The pastor allows the senator, judge, president, etc. who has voted for, or otherwise promoted, abortion, euthanasia, human cloning, same-sex marriage, etc. to appear to be in good standing, when, in fact, they have caused grave public scandal by their actions. When the sin is public, the redress must be public. Although, I don't disagree with the courageous bishops who would deny such persons Communion, I do believe that the "confrontation" should take place, without question, long before they arrive at the altar rail.

7. By participation. i.e., "I'll drive you to the clinic. You need that abortion to be able to continue your lifestyle."

8. By silence. i.e., You refuse to speak out against what is a clear violation of human rights, an incredible persecution and prejudice against a class of human beings (the unborn). You hide behind the Supreme Court's unjust and inherently illicit decision on abortion, saying it's the law of the land, when in fact it is the subversion and perversion of authentic law. The Nazi SS officers tried for war crimes used a similar defense, saying they were only following orders. They hung them, guilty as charged!

9. By defense of the evil. i.e., "It prevents child abuse by eliminating unwanted children; Women are more in charge of their lives, more liberated; it's so much more sophisticated and educated a thing to do., "etc. etc.

America has gone from a wholesome, rational, and moral country to one that is decadent, irrational and immoral. And there are those who call it progress.

I call it evil.

Evil is progressing.

Whether it is the scourge of abortion, the depravity of the gay lifestyle or the anti-religion of Islam, I will stand against it.

I will not defend it.

If you’re looking for a gay buddy to hold your hand and tell you how great your perverted lifestyle is go somewhere else.

You must have my blog confused with the National Catholic Reporter.


Thursday, August 5, 2010

Are You Surprised?

I'm not.

A gay activist judge has struck down the California gay marriage ban.

Pervfest should be even more jubilant than usual this Sunday.

Why is it that when a question is put to the people, and they overwhelmingly go one way or another, does it always end up being legislated in the court system?

Apparently the votes of Californians don't matter in their own state of California.

Just wait til this ends up in the Supreme Court. This'll be one for the history books.

Just think on this: Obama has had two appointments in roughly two years in office. Pray to God no conservatives leave the court before we can throw der Fuhrer out on his ass in 2012.

That would be a catastrophe.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Pervfest

This Sunday will not be a normal Sunday at Kirby Park, a place where your children can go and swing on the swings and slide down the slides. I was just informed that this Sunday August 8, the NEPA PRIDEFEST will be had at Kirby Park from 12 noon to 6pm. Keep your families at home, true believers.

Last year I blogged on the indulgent, sex-themed fest from last year.

Alas, my family and I will be far away on a lovely beach this weekend. I'll have to pass.

Hopefully the gays will not typographically assault any Christians, as recently happened in the Twin Cities when Brian Johnson roamed through the depraved "Pridefest" going on there, handing out free Bibles. He has handed a note which read,

"You're a lying, hateful bigot, your religion is a disgusting lie, your non-existent deity is a sad fantasy for frightened cavemen and you're a parasite on society. Someday perhaps you'll wake up and discover what gay pride, and what freedom really are."
Read the story here.

I know Christians will be out there at our local Pervfest, doing God's work as well, and God bless you for it.

Photos from this years PERVFEST will be especially coveted from my dear readers. If you are brave enough to venture to Kirby Park, please take photos and pass them on to me for publication here.

Sunday, August 1, 2010

What Happened To Booker1441?

And while we're on the subject of pervert priests, whatever happened with Robert Timchak?

He's been on leave for quite a while now.

He was charged with 16 counts of sexual abuse of a minor, 1 count sexual abuse of a minor, 1 count criminal use of communication facility, and with 1 count tampering with/or fabricating physical evidence.

Where is he?

Where's the rest of the story?

We're waiting Bishop Bambera.

Interesting....

Did y'all see this from the Diocese web-site?

The Diocese of Scranton has received a report from an individual that the late Father James M. McAuliffe was sexually abusive to young people.

In late June, a classified advertisement published in a local newspaper asked altar boys and students from Holy Saviour Parish, Wilkes-Barre, to call a telephone number if they wanted to talk about Father McAuliffe, who served as assistant pastor in the parish between September 18, 1954 and April 3, 1963. Diocesan personnel contacted the individual who placed the classified ad. This person reported that Father McAuliffe was sexually abusive to young people. Father McAuliffe died on August 7, 1989, so it is not possible to question him about his behavior with the individual making the claim or with any other child.

Nevertheless, the Diocese of Scranton is eager to assist any person who has been the victim of sexual abuse by a member of the clergy. If there is anyone claiming to have been abused by Father McAuliffe or any priest, he or she should come forward and make it known. Such abuse should be reported to the Diocese by calling the Victim Assistance Coordinator, Joan L. Holmes, (570-344-5216), or the Chancellor, James B. Earley, (570-207-2216) or the Vicar for Clergy, Father Thomas M. Muldowney, (570-207-2269).

The Diocese has requested that a bulletin announcement be printed and circulated in the parishes where Father McAuliffe served: St. Ann, Tobyhanna, 1942 and 1954; St. Thomas, Archbald, 1942-1945; Our Lady of the Snows, Clarks Summit, 1945; St. Mary, Help of Christians, Pittston, 1945-1947; St. Paul, Scranton, 1947-1953; St. Therese, Shavertown, 1953; Holy Saviour, Wilkes-Barre, 1954-1963; Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Dickson City (St. Thomas, Dickson City), 1966-1969; St. Joseph, Forest City (St. James, Pleasant Mount), 1969-1973; St. Patrick, Scranton (St. David, Scranton), 1973-1989.

The Diocese has notified law enforcement officials in the counties where Father McAuliffe served about the classified ad, the claim made against Father McAuliffe and the Diocese’s efforts to locate victims.

The Catholic Church is eager to assist those who have been hurt by sexual abuse.
I wonder if the Diocese is so pro-active if the priest in question were still alive?