As Today's Gospel Says, Actions Speak Louder than Words!

"Observe all things whatsoever they tell
 you, but do not follow their example.
For they preach but do not practice."
Matt 23

Jesus advises his listeners in today's gospel to obey what the Pharisees say, but not to imitate their actions.
That's a good lesson for us as we face the crisis in the Church. Let's look at some recent actions of members of the hierarchy (and the pope) and reflect on the consequences of those actions for the faith of the little ones in the pew.

Jesus was always concerned about simple believers and the responsibility of the teachers not to scandalize them. Today we are exposed to scandal on a daily basis from within the Church herself by false shepherds. And it is a serious threat to the faith.

• Amoris Laetitia: It goes without saying at this point that the actions arising out of the document Amoris Laetitia undermine the indissolubility of marriage. The pope's affirmation of the Argentine bishops' determination to admit adulterers to Communion is an action that is the harbinger of Communion on demand. Everyone is assured that it will only be for exceptional situations. Don't believe it! Just as abortion on demand followed acceptance of the "hard cases", aborting marriage is inevitable as the "exceptions" become the rule, which they will. Recently Cardinal Cupich of Chicago sent a letter announcing what are essentially indoctrination sessions to be held at Boston College, Notre Dame, and Santa Clara University. According to CNA news, quoting the letter, the aim the seminars is "to gather fifteen to twenty Bishops to have a conversation with the aid of theologians on the related topics." The true aim of these meetings is clear from the "theologians" invited to participate. One, Kate Ward is a past national board member of the notorious dissent group, Call to Action that supports same-sex marriage and favors contraception (which may be the next hurdle these heretics try to jump). Another "theologian", a priest and canon lawyer (Msgr. Jack Alesandro) apparently believes in creeping indissolubility, claiming that AL "supports the idea that as time passes, sacramental marriages become more sacramental  and therefore more indissoluble." Canon lawyers, he says, must beware of being "overly legal" or they won't be able to "get their juridical mind around luv love." And then there is "theologian" Dr. Natalia Imperatori-Lee who believes that "any claim that there are only two kinds of humans, male and female, is simplistic." I suspect part of the goal of these "conversations" is to identify which bishops are willing to embrace heterodoxy so they can be supported versus the bishops who will be stumbling blocks to the liberal agenda. That's always been a tactic of the left. A good cultural Marxist always identifies his allies and makes plans to destroy his opponents. But first you need to identify them.

• wedding on the plane: Wasn't that sweet when on the plane from Santiago the pope married the two members of the flight crew. The couple were civilly married in 2010, but said they couldn't get married in the Church that day because of the earthquake. Well, one wonders why they couldn't have repaired the situation in the seven years since. Was every priest in Santiago killed in the earthquake? Does the couple's inaction indicate a serious lack of understanding and appreciation of the SACRAMENT of marriage? But, hey, the pope asked them if they were serious and they said yes, so, after his two minute- preparation (if that),  he performed the marriage rite. How seriously does that treat the sacrament of marriage? Isn't every priest preparing couples now under the gun to imitate the pope and offer instant marriage blessings and, hey, why require that six-month prep time for unmarried couples. This is one more action that trivializes the sacrament of marriage. But it was certainly sweet and the couple is really cute, and when it feeeeeeels so right it can't be wrong. Right?

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• Troubling appointments: Perhaps the most telling actions among Church leaders are their appointments, like the theologians invited to the conferences mentioned above. But this begins at the top. Pope Francis is becoming notorious for firing orthodox prelates and laity and replacing them with enemies of the faith. Firing all the members of the Pontifical Academy for Life and eliminating the oath they took to defend life from conception to natural death spoke volumes. So did appointing a defender of abortion and just a little bit of euthanasia, Oxford University professor Nigel Biggar who believes that some individuals are so damaged they can be excluded from being considered human. And then there's the new head of the Academy, Archbishop Paglia, who commissioned a homoerotic painting for his cathedral. 

• Pope Francis condemns sex abuse but defends sexual predators: Even the secular media, who generally rave about Pope,  reported that he lied about not knowing about what was going on in Chile. Cardinal O'Malley himself gave a victim's letter to the pope. 

Is this the icon for homosexual prelates?

• An extensive chronology on Pope Francis words and actions: The Wild Voice blog offers a pretty comprehensive list of Pope Francis' actions since becoming pope. Anyone with eyes in their heads should be concerned. The faith is under attack by churchmen in a way we haven't seen since the Arian heresy. Pray, hope and don't worry. If the Arians couldn't destroy the Church in the 4th century, the modern heretics don't have a chance either. Fight for the truth and have courage. And if you want to read a good book that sheds light on our current crisis read Saint Athanasius, The Father of Orthodoxy by Frances Alice Forbes. It's short, fascinating, and free on Gutenberg.