When Dorothy's house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East and killed her, the residents of Munchkinland had a question and asked Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, to pose it. "Are you a good witch or a bad witch?" she asked Dorothy. A variation of that same question came to mind as I read the opinions of American nuns on the health care bill. "Are you a good nun or a bad nun?" The answer isn't hard to find. If a group of nuns supports a bill that includes murdering unborn babies, you can be sure they are not only bad nuns, but bad Catholics as well. The murder of the innocent is a crime that cries to heaven for vengeance. And the bill funds abortion so supporting it clearly is bad. Now let's compare the nuns of NETWORK, who support the health care bill, and another group of nuns who oppose it.
The sisters of NETWORK, a liberal lobby group, favor the Senate bill despite the fact that it provides funding for abortion and provides no conscience protection for health care workers. Claiming to represent 59,000 nuns in the U.S., only a few dozen actually signed the statement, including the notorious Sr. Joan Chittister, who is herself pro-abortion. One nun signed twice claiming to represent two different groups. But do the nuns actually speak for all those other sisters?
Sr. Mary Ann Walsh who heads the Media Relations Office of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which has roundly condemned the legislation, said NETWORK "grossly overstated whom they represent." She described the way religious orders work saying, "Many of the endorsers signed on as individual teams - that's nunspeak for saying they represent only themselves, not their membership....It's a way of keeping all heck from breaking out in the convent where opposition to abortion is stronger than what NETWORK says (or doesn't say, since it won't take a position and avoids the issue)."
So the NETWORK letter deliberately lies to imply more support than it actually has. How many really stand with the bad nuns? You would have to poll them to get a decent estimate. But in view of the dearth of vocations in dissenting religious orders, the aging population, and presumably a number who have been silenced by their shrewish sisters (I know some of these), can it be that many?
On the other hand, the head of the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR) who represent orthodox orders that support the teachings of the Church has taken issue with the legislation calling for an "ethically sound" bill which the current one is not.
Which group of nuns supports the teachings of the Church? CMSWR. Which group opposes Church teaching? NETWORK. Which group is pro-life? CMSWR. Which claims to take no position on abortion, but works on every liberal social justice issue including far out environmentalism? NETWORK.
So how can NETWORK, which which claims it doesn't take a position on a central issue of the Catholic faith, presusme represent all the nuns in the orders listed on their letter when they favor a bill that allows federal funding of abortion? They can't. They would have to poll every nun in the orders they claim to represent because they are defying Church teaching. Do most nuns agree with their support of this pro-abortion bill? Probably not.
So the munchkins will have no trouble figuring out which nuns are good and which are bad. They may not even need Glinda's assistance. NETWORK, like the Wicked Witch of the East is clearly bad. They had best keep their eyes on the sky to see if a house is about to fall on them and end their wicked career.
Read more here and here.
What can you do about the nuns? It's one of hundred things that are screaming for urgent attention in the Church and the nation is even in worse shape. It sounds like your my age, do you really hope that by getting the right senators etc. or by kicking out heretical nuns we can save our culture? I'm tired of being mad all the time. I'm just hoping there'll be a place to go to that's as good as you think Texas is.
ReplyDeleteGosh, you sound like a kindred spirit. I know what you mean about being mad. I often say I'm tired of fighting, but what else can we do but pray and fight? Like the monks say, "Ora et labora." Our labor is to fight evil in the army of Christ. The devil's legions never stop so neither can we. But we need to do it with hope and humor.
ReplyDeleteSt. Paul says "rejoice in all things." And even in our desperate situation there is much cause for rejoicing. I'm rejoicing that the Lord is raising up so many young people like David Bereit, Lila Rose, Michael Voris, Tim Tebow, Gianna Jessen, Pam Stenzel, and so many others. There is much reason to hope.
As for Texas -- who knows. Maybe there will be no place to go. So we stand and hold our ground, wherever it is, until they kill us. The blood of martyrs is the seedbed of faith.
Good answer, Mary Ann. Kindred spirit, indeed--I'm sorry to be mad, it's verging on some kind of sin, for sure. I love your keeping trying and bringing this stuff out, and, yes, I try to keep the strong issues in prayer (and I sent your Virginia new delegate some money once) but it's hard to know what to look for. In this world (our only choice for now) we have tribulation and I just don't see how, if it's real tribulation it's also joy--maybe that's what makes me not a saint. I'll root for you and read the blog. May God bless you in your work.
ReplyDeleteDon't be sorry for your anger; it's a blessing. Righteous anger isn't sinful. In fact, not being angry about evil can be a sin according to St. Thomas Aquinas.
ReplyDelete"Chrysostom [Hom. xi in Matth. in the Opus Imperfectum, falsely ascribed to St. John Chrysostom] says: 'He who is not angry, whereas he has cause to be, sins. For unreasonable patience is the hotbed of many vices, it fosters negligence, and incites not only the wicked but even the good to do wrong.'" (Question 158 on Anger, article 8)
The anger and activism of the pro-life movement is absolutely essential or else many would never come to repentance. Never apologize for being angry about things that SHOULD AROUSE ANGER. How can one not be angry at babies being ripped limb from limb?
We need to channel our anger into useful activism, for example defending the innocent. Prayer, sacrifice, sidewalk counseling, performing the corporal and spiritual works of mercy, etc.
Anger and activism go together. When we become angry about injustice we are energized to work for their end. And that's a virtue!