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| For all those couples out there, this is for you.... "Love is a many-splendored thing." |
They walk into the church basement, take seats in their group circles and get out their notebooks. They're a bit late, though, and Fr. Jimmy and Sr. Joanie are just finishing their long opening prayer invoking the Spirit to come upon them as leaders to enlighten their students, guiding them to the fruits of Amoris Laetitia.
Tuptim, looking over at Topsy mouths..."Here we go!" Topsy gives a slight nod, and rolls her eyes in anticipation of not being able to do so in a few minutes when everyone is looking.
Fr. Jimmy: Well as we have so far discussed we have seen that Pope Francis demands clergy shift away from evaluating people's morality based on rigid doctrinal norms and calls us to see Grace at work in all life's complicated and complex forms which is a welcome departure from staunch allegiance to rigid orthodoxy. (Wipes his forehead with his kerchief. )
Tuptim, looking over at Topsy mouths..."Here we go!" Topsy gives a slight nod, and rolls her eyes in anticipation of not being able to do so in a few minutes when everyone is looking.
Fr. Jimmy: Well as we have so far discussed we have seen that Pope Francis demands clergy shift away from evaluating people's morality based on rigid doctrinal norms and calls us to see Grace at work in all life's complicated and complex forms which is a welcome departure from staunch allegiance to rigid orthodoxy. (Wipes his forehead with his kerchief. )
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| Was this saint wrong to cling to orthodoxy? |
Fr. Jimmy: (Raising an eyebrow)...I think we should move on, Topsy.
Topsy: (Ignoring him)..."With inner joy and deep comfort, the Church looks to the families who remain faithful to the teachings of the Gospel, encouraging them and thanking them for the testimony they offer. For they bear witness in a credible way, to the beauty of marriage as indissoluble and perpetually faithful." (Topsy looks up.)...Actually, Chapter three was rather beautiful in its description of love, marriage, and family based on Church documents.
Fr. Jimmy: (Sighs)...Topsy! Hierarchical leaders must go further in advancing the Gospel values Catholics today embody so well which are radical welcome and openness expansive and inclusive values equality and justice for all and unconditional love for the amazing diversity of God's people. Does that answer your question?
Topsy: Not really, Fr. Jimmy. Maybe a bit more explanation of what the Pope expects of the Church would help.
Meanwhile over in Sr. Joanie's group Tuptim raises her hand....
Tuptim: Sr. Joanie, I don't understand what you meant. Are we now supposed to believe that Pope Francis alone is right on the issue of Communion for the divorced and remarried and that all his predecessors, including the still living Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and the Catechism promulgated by St. John Paul II, have been wrong and "unmerciful" in allowing no exceptions in this area? If so, why should we believe that? Doesn't it seem more likely that just one pope is wrong, and that all the other hundreds of popes have been right?
Sr. Joanie: (Turning red in the face is barely able to contain her anger. She deliberately walks into Tuptim's "space" and leans over Tuptim. Trying to intimidate her she hisses...) Well, missy, where did you get your degree in Theology? Are you teaching this class now. Hmm? Are you!
Tuptim: (Willing herself to smile sweetly) Why, no, Sister. I was merely wanting to glean from your superior wisdom the knowledge we need in order to do what Pope Francis is asking. What must we now believe as Catholics? Is there sin anymore? What areas must our newfound creativity move toward? That's all.
Sr. Joanie: Yes, well, (She backs away calming down)... the pope was saying that here on earth the Family is the visible image and likeness of God. But families take all kinds of different forms.
Tuptim: But Sr. Joanie, if, in our bodies, not of one person alone, but of the FAMILY - man/woman/child - we see the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity of God, how can you say that same-sex "marriage" is equal to Holy Matrimony? Everyone knows that same-sex means exactly that - man/man or woman/woman - and that definitely is NOT the image and likeness of God. One would have to conclude that, as Pope Francis says in paragraph 14 where he quotes from Psalm 128, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain." Seems that the gays are laboring in vain since the Lord did not build same sex-marriage because it's a man-made entity.
Topsy: (Walks over to join Sr. Joanie's group since Fr. Jimmy had to end class because his blood pressure was rocketing skyward.) Sr. Joanie, On CRUX Fr. Edward Beck said that if all politics is local, so is all Church. What does he mean, Sister?
Sr Joanie: He means that the pope has situated the document (sliding papers toward her from across the table to illustrate her point) right here (pointing to the papers) within the context of subsidiarity and inculturation. The pope said, and I'm quoting, that "unity of teaching and practice is certainly necessary in the Church, but this does not preclude various ways of interpreting some aspects of that teaching or drawing certain consequences from it...Each country or region can seek solutions better suited to its culture and sensitive to its traditions and local needs." Hence - if all politics are local, so is all Church.
Fr. Jimmy: (Sighs)...Topsy! Hierarchical leaders must go further in advancing the Gospel values Catholics today embody so well which are radical welcome and openness expansive and inclusive values equality and justice for all and unconditional love for the amazing diversity of God's people. Does that answer your question?
Topsy: Not really, Fr. Jimmy. Maybe a bit more explanation of what the Pope expects of the Church would help.
Fr. Jimmy: (Raising his voice slightly.) It rests on everyday Catholics who love their Church and know it can be better to cultivate the Church we know is possible. It is our RIGHT and DUTY (Fr. Jimmy, getting overheated, wipes beads of sweat off his brow) as Francis himself IMPLORES in this exhortation to inform and operate out of our God-given conscience. (Takes a big breath) Guided by the Spirit we will continue our call and action for institutional and ecclesial reform and renewal!
Meanwhile over in Sr. Joanie's group Tuptim raises her hand....
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| Sr. Joanie gives Tumptim the evil eye. |
Sr. Joanie: (Turning red in the face is barely able to contain her anger. She deliberately walks into Tuptim's "space" and leans over Tuptim. Trying to intimidate her she hisses...) Well, missy, where did you get your degree in Theology? Are you teaching this class now. Hmm? Are you!
Tuptim: (Willing herself to smile sweetly) Why, no, Sister. I was merely wanting to glean from your superior wisdom the knowledge we need in order to do what Pope Francis is asking. What must we now believe as Catholics? Is there sin anymore? What areas must our newfound creativity move toward? That's all.
Sr. Joanie: Yes, well, (She backs away calming down)... the pope was saying that here on earth the Family is the visible image and likeness of God. But families take all kinds of different forms.
Tuptim: But Sr. Joanie, if, in our bodies, not of one person alone, but of the FAMILY - man/woman/child - we see the image and likeness of the Holy Trinity of God, how can you say that same-sex "marriage" is equal to Holy Matrimony? Everyone knows that same-sex means exactly that - man/man or woman/woman - and that definitely is NOT the image and likeness of God. One would have to conclude that, as Pope Francis says in paragraph 14 where he quotes from Psalm 128, "Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain." Seems that the gays are laboring in vain since the Lord did not build same sex-marriage because it's a man-made entity.
Topsy: (Walks over to join Sr. Joanie's group since Fr. Jimmy had to end class because his blood pressure was rocketing skyward.) Sr. Joanie, On CRUX Fr. Edward Beck said that if all politics is local, so is all Church. What does he mean, Sister?
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| Locals in Oz discuss solutions suited to the needs of the munchkins and flying monkeys |
To be continued......
Fr. Jimmy's lines are quoted from Ryan Hoffman's April 8, 2016 Call to Action website article.
Tuptim's line (if the pope is wrong and the hundreds of other popes right) is quoted from Donald R. McClarey's April 14, 2016 article on the American Catholic website.
Fr. Jimmy's lines are quoted from Ryan Hoffman's April 8, 2016 Call to Action website article.
Tuptim's line (if the pope is wrong and the hundreds of other popes right) is quoted from Donald R. McClarey's April 14, 2016 article on the American Catholic website.
AL is a DISASTER. Cardinal Burke is, I believe, correct when he says it is not MAGISTERIAL. But what is so very frustrating, is the persistent mantra of 'everything is fine, nothing is changed, nothing to worry about.' These canonists and theologians know darn well that this is an avalanche of destruction for the Church. This will TRULY...now... turn into 'Bishop against Bishop, and Cardinal against Cardinal', and the fallout will be something to behold. There is even confusion about whether AL is in fact 'magisterial or not' among clergy, and some are actually saying THAT IT IS. You talk about an earthquake inside the Church, there is no doubt about it, AL is an earthquake that registers 10 points in magnitude. WELCOME TO VATICAN lll.
ReplyDeleteRead it before EWTN chooses to scrub this too since it doesn't mesh with this Pope's new document.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.ewtn.com/library/HOMESCHL/SECATHSC.HTM
Every Catholic parent should go local right into the Heart of the Domestic Church with Our Lady as our Guide and Pray more Rosaries !
I am not thrilled with what Cardinal Burke said. History has proven him wrong. Communion in the hand was not "Magisterial" ,neither was removing the altar rails or kneeling for reception of Our Lord's Precious Body and Blood.
ReplyDeleteI could enumerate many more abuses I have seen become the norm over the past fifty years, but right now I am too exhausted to even focus on them with the latest atrocities being perpetrated out of the Vatican . Let's just watch a light show projected on the facade of the Holy Apostles of times gone by.
Two thumbs up for the "pray more rosaries" suggestions. She's our pillar of strength.
ReplyDeleteABSOLUTELY SHE IS Mary Ann!! Our wonderful, beautiful Blessed Mother will take us all under her Mantle to safety. Consecration to Our Lord thru her is a safe guard. And of course PRAY MORE ROSARIES!! 'Through the Rosary and the Scapular, I will save the world!' She is of course at the present time.....'gathering her children'.
ReplyDelete'Immaculate Heart of Mary, be our salvation!'
Anonymous@9:36am: Will go and read it, but I would also recommend you to watch the latest program, 'World Over' by Raymond Arroyo on EWTN. ( 4/14/16) In his first segment ( a long one) he interviewed 'The Papal Posse' (Robert Royal of The Catholic Thing, and Fr. Gerald Murray) I was really very pleasantly surprised at the bold (but always delicate and charitable) denouncement of AL. They all made no bones about it that AL is very 'dangerously problematic' to our faith. Among other good comments, Fr. Murray at the end of the segment, called for a group of clergy to request a meeting with the Pope to revise the problematic sections that go against the Gospel of Jesus in His own words. (not likely to happen, but Fr. Murray would like it to) Raymond also inferred that the Holy Father was changing doctrine not formally speaking but through the back door. Lots of good discussion that I didn't expect, as EWTN has been lax to absent in confronting any error in the Church since Mother Angelica resigned her post. To be fair though, Raymond has sort of 'pushed the envelope' as much as he's been able to, but especially with AL!!
ReplyDeleteI KNOW that Mother Angelica has been bending ears with her petitions, and if she was such a Lioness for Christ in His true Church on earth, why wouldn't she be the same in Heaven? Or even in Purgatory as I have said because the souls in Purgatory can and DO pray for us!! I myself have been praying that she PLEASE HELP US OUT HERE A LITTLE!! How can you not see Mother's fingerprints all over this latest program?? :) It was a site for sore Catholic eyes!
TLM, This is good to hear about EWTN. Recently I spoke to a woman who has a friend who works there. She asked posed a question that has been gnawing me since 2002 when I saw a rerun of the 12/12/2000 Mother Angelica Live Show wherein Mother appeared in the studio and gave a prophetic warning at the end of her prerecorded program.
ReplyDeleteMy friend was told, "... all apocalyptic predictions Mother made have been eliminated
from her shows."
Why? Would they taint her Cause should she be brought up for Canonization?
Her warning was dire, but much of it (concerning the economy) has come to pass.
I lost interest in the show once Mother was gone and Mr Arroyo became an apologist for his friend ( of ill repute ) Fr Robert Sirico. Sirico's past and present leaves much to be desired and I wrote to Mr Arroyo citing Sirico's conflict of opinion with
Harry Wu who was a Catholic political prisoner who gave testimony on EWTN to the forced labor being done in American and Canadian manufacturing companies used as prison labor facilities in China. Sirico at the time was pushing our government for more Free Trade with Communist China through his Acton Institute. My own husband's
friend saw it first hand at an American lighting corp in China. Barbed wire and armed guards surrounded the manufacturing prison where even children worked seventeen hours a day. To his credit Arroyo responded acknowledging the conflict of opinions between Sirico and Mr Wu. But this priest co host who frequented "World Over Live" left me with a bad taste for the program.google "Sirico Brief" by Mrs Randy Engel.
Very interesting. Wasn't aware of all that with Fr. Sirico and EWTN. There was a ton of shenanigans going on over at EWTN during and after Mother's departure from heading up the network, although I'm very scant (and confused as well) on the details. I do think that Raymond absolutely GETS IT in regard to the crisis we face. He absolutely loved Mother, and it is obvious wants to carry on her legacy for exposing the truth of Christ in His Church. If you get a chance, watch it.....it's now posted on lifesite news so word has gotten around that World Over absolutely exposed the dangers of Amoris Laetitia, boldly but charitably as well. Like I said before, I can see Mother's fingerprints all over this particular program!
ReplyDeleteTLM, Will do !
ReplyDeleteAfter Pope Francis was elected ,I had asked an Argentine immigrant friend, who is quite well educated and is someone I have quite a bit of personal respect for,
what he could tell me of his impression of Borgoglio while in his country.
"I can tell you this.." he replied, "..this man destroyed everything we knew as the Catholic Faith and Tradition in my country."..........I took that as a very bad omen.