Are You the Fourth Monkey? Are You Deaf, Dumb, Blind, and Lost Your Mind?

I get some silly comments on my blog but one of the silliest and most patently absurd is this:

"[T]he Pope, no matter how sinful he might personally be, can never mislead you spiritually."

How many shepherds have lost the faith?

 

What happens when the shepherds who are supposed to protect the flock and lead them in safety, abandon the field to the wolves? How safe are the sheep?

A New Buzz Phrase for the Lexicon of Catholic Liberals: The "Francis Magisterium"

Just tell those recalcitrant bishops in the U.S. it's the "Francis magisterium" and they better obey!

What's a liberal pope and his liberal "magisterium" to do?..

...When his critics question his authority over innovations he's introduced into Holy Mother Church including pagan idols like Pachamama.....

WHAT TO DO?

....When his critics express horror at the company he keeps and question his giving a Vatican voice and platform to those who promote abortion, contraception, homosexuality, population control, eugenics, etc.....

Pope Francis, Who Are You?

Close friend & advisor to Francis, Cardinal
Mariadaga, is notorious for his gay enabling! 

I'm working on the papal timeline for 2015 and was reading the text of the pope's press conference on his return flight following the trip to Sri Lanka and the Philippines in January 2015. I found some of the questions and answers particularly interesting. Below  is one where I was not only in agreement with Pope Francis, but wishing this was what we got all the time, not only in words, but in deeds as well:

Jan Cristoph Kitzler (German- speaking group): You have spoken of “ideological colonization”. Would you expand on the concept? You also mentioned Paul VI, speaking of the particular causes that are important to the pastoral care for families. Can you give an example of these particular cases and maybe say also if there is need to open the way, to have a corridor, for these particular cases? 

Paradigm Shift, Chapter Seven, "An Example of the Paradigm Shift: Holy Communion for 'Remarried' Divorcees"

There isn’t a woke Catholic alive, I would say, who isn’t conscience of the effect the document published by Pope Francis, titled, Amoris Laetitia has had on the Church as a whole.  Chapter Seven in Paradigm Shift ends with the acknowledgment that we are in fact in the middle of a schism and Francis himself has been alleged to have said by a reputable Italian journalist, “It is not to be excluded that I will enter history as the one who split the Catholic Church.”  This statement was reported in Der Spiegal in December, 2016 and was never denied or questioned by the Vatican. 

Paradigm Shift Chapter Six, "A New, Subjective Morality Without Absolute Imperatives"

“Philosophical relativism and the primacy of praxis” (accepted practice or custom) “inevitably lead to ethical relativism, according to which there are no moral absolutes.”  I agree completely with this opening statement by Jose Ureta in Chapter Six of Paradigm Shift.  Yet Pope Francis seems to say it’s not a real problem.  Responding to Eugenio Scalfari who asked, “Your Holiness, is there a single vision of the Good?  And who decides what it is?”  Francis responded,

“Each of us has a vision of good and of evil.  We have to encourage people to move toward what they think is Good….

…..everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them.” 

The Easy Road to Hell

In a comment on a previous post, our editor, Mary Ann said referring to past generations, “Life was harder but it was healthier. Hard work taught valuable lessons and kept kids out of trouble.”

WOW!  That statement says a LOT.

What made life healthier?  Life was not nearly so infected with vulgar temptations on a nonstop basis.  Our government had not deprived us of the “food for thought” we all need in our lives----symbols of faith such as stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on them at our court houses,

prayer in schools, songs in music classes that echoed what we heard in church, and elected leaders who were not afraid to give credit to the Creator for the blessings we have, knowing it is from the Almighty that all things come.  Mothers were doing what mothers do best and fathers were providing for and protecting them.  Kids were reared by their parents and not the state.  They belonged to and were the responsibility of their parents and not “the village.”  Those same parents had the best interest of the child in mind and not the needs of society at large, run by men that see in youth only a future work force or a passive electorate and not a little soul in need of salvation. 

When it comes to “hard work and valuable lessons” one wonders today if the word hard has lost most of its meaning.  The Church teaches us that we should fast, but that’s hard and most resist doing it, or engage in it very seldom, and only when nearly forced to do so.  We want everything to be easy and consequently we have very little self-mastery.  When you have trouble understanding or begin to believe that doing what is hard is not worth the effort, you eventually look for the very wide path of least resistance. 

Amoris Laettia: The Vehicle for the Latest Assault by the Dissenters

Charlie Curran's still in the dissent saddle
 chortlinging, We'll get Humanae Vitae yet!

Remember back in 1968 when the encyclical on marriage, Humanae Vitae, was released affirming the sanctity of marriage and the marital embrace?

Remember the lavish full color booklets dioceses developed to spread the message to the Catholic faithful to help them understand the teaching of the Church and why contraception violated God's plan of love for the family? Remember all those beautiful sermons and conferences with priests and married couples eloquently expressing their appreciation for the document?

No?

You don't remember that?

Not at all?

Right! I don't either. All we heard was the sound of silence.

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.

Chesterton, Dale Ahlquist, and the Civil War in the Church

I'm a great fan of G.K. Chesterton and the American Chesterton Society. Let me amend that statement. I am a great fan of Chesteron and was a great fan of the Society. Dale Ahlquist, its founder, has done a splendid job bringing Chesterton to a modern culture that knew little about him. If Chesterton isn't yet a household word, there are many in the last two decades who have come to know him through Dale's work and programming on EWTN. I congratulate him for that.

Unfortunately there's a "but." The first problem for me was the Society jumping on the hate-Trump bandwagon. Up to that time I belonged to the Society, had attended several of their annual conferences, and subscribed to Gilbert, the Society's magazine. I did not renew my subscription, however, after the Society's taking sides that would have, if successful, guaranteed Hillary Clinton's election. After several anti-Trump articles, the final straw was a suggestion from one of their main writers to enter Chesterton's name on the ballot as a write-in. What insanity! So I did not renew my subscription and have no plans to attend another conference.

Blessed Laura Vicuna, Intercede for Marriage and for the Pope Who is Undermining It

Adulterous couples may not approach the altar for Communion. Blessed Laura offered her life for her mother, a desperate widow who became mistress to a lust-filled man in order to provide for her children. This little one knew that ONE MAY NEVER DO EVIL THAT GOOD MAY COME FROM IT.

Does This Make Heresy Official? Pope Francis Raises Buenos Aires Affirmation of Adultery to Status of "Authentic Magisterium"

You too can be Henry VIII and
annul your own marriage!

Pope Francis has raised his letter to the Buenos Aires bishops affirming their interpretation of the Amoris Laetitia, along with their original letter, to the status of an Apostolic Letter. He also stated this is part of the "authentic Magisterium" of the Church. The pope did this in the form of a papal rescript. Rorate Caeli explained what that is and followed with a question:
troubling document

"Rescripts are responses of the pope or a Sacred Congregation, in writing, to queries or petitions of individuals. Some rescripts concern the granting of favours; others the administration of justice, e.g. the interpretation of a law, the appointment of a judge." Rescipts generally have the force of particular law, however, as in this case, only "when they interpret or promulgate a general law, are they of universal application." Since papal rescripts answer an inquiry - could this rescript be a direct reply to the dubia of the Four Cardinals?

Rorate goes on:

Your End-Times IQ Exam

I love James Finn Garner. Recently I got his Apocalypse Wow! A Memoir for the End of Time off the shelf. In it he has a six-page Doomsday Final Exam with 24 questions and his multiple choice answers. The book was published in 1997 - twenty years ago - so I thought a bit of updating to 2017 would be fun.

1) What are the names of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?
     a. War, Famine, Pestilence, and Death
     b. Jim, Ted, Blase, and Jorge 
     c. USCCB, LCRW, CCHD, and HRC
     d. Godfried, Christoph, Reinhard, and Walter 

The Gift of Pope Francis: Exposing the Anti-Church

We are witnessing St. John Paul II’s prophecy of an ‘anti-Church’: Catholic priest

Wow! This is one courageous priest. Read this to understand the times we are living in, but then take to heart Pope St. John Paul's words, "Be Not Afraid." We rest in the hands of our heavenly Father who will never abandon us even in times of trouble. 

Pray, hope, and don't worry.

The Ripples of Ecumenical Confusion Continue: Now It's about the Validity of Anglican Orders

Pope Leo XIII: Anglican Orders are "null
and utterly void." Apostolicae Curae

I recently watched a video that showed an under-ocean volcano that started with strange ripples and
then spewed up rock to make a new island. Fascinating creation in the physical world, eh? But what would such an event do in the spiritual world? And is that what we see happening today in the Church with the constant introduction of new theories about the Catholic faith and the headlong race to knock down all inconvenient obstacles to ecumenism? Are these ripples like an underground volcano that threatens to create a new Church...or turn the Church into one more Protestant sect?

The latest novelty on the ecumenical front (As if eulogizing Martin Luther weren't enough!) suggests that Anglican orders are valid. That's what Cdl. Francesco Coccopalmerio did recently when he made statements that appear to undermine Pope Leo XIII's 1896 papal bull, Apostolicae Curae, stating unequivocally that Anglican orders are “absolutely null and utterly void.”

Canon lawyer Ed Peters in his interesting and informative blog makes a strong case supporting Leo XIII's conclusion that Anglican orders are not valid, at the same time pointing out that they nevertheless can be a source of grace for the recipient.

Guest Post: In Response to "This Disastrous Papacy"

Take the key of repentance and
unlock the treasury of mercy

Editor's Note: I thought the insights and comments in this article were interesting enough to deserve a separate post. I hope my readers agree. Repentance is the key that unlocks the treasury of mercy. When was the last time you went to Confession?

by Catherine Donner

This article is in response to your post from Friday, May 5, 2017 entitled ‘This Disastrous Papacy and the Big Question!’ However, my comments will not address your Big Question.

My first comment is on your quotation from EWTN: ‘This religious submission of mind and will must be shown in a special way to the authentic Magisterium of the Roman Pontiff, even when he is not speaking ex cathedra…’ Surely the important word here is authentic. The current pope frequently makes statements contradicting the perennial teaching of the church. How can these be regarded as authentic?

Fr. Gerard Murray: Puts the Claim of a Two-Thirds Approval by the Synod Fathers to the Lie

"Go your way and sin no more." John 8:11

The Pope Francis idolaters are busy as bees promoting the falsehood that two-thirds of the Synod Fathers approved of giving Communion to the divorced and invalidly remarried. Is it true? NO! The disputed paragraphs now being treated like doctrine did NOT receive the necessary two-thirds vote of the Synod but were ordered to be included by Pope Francis himself. It appears we are now seeing exactly why that happened as the Synod is distorted by the modernists. (It's deja vu! The "Spirit of Vatican II" has reincarnated as the "Spirit of the Synod.") 

Is Logic Dead? Situation Ethics Seems More Alive than Ever!

Socrates was forced to drink Hemlock for asking
questions that disturbed people. Sound familiar?

I was browsing blogs today and am disheartened by the apparent inability to think on the part of seemingly intelligent people whom I believe love the faith. 

Two I read are totally on board with Francis mercy and both engaged in condemning "rigidity" as in, the cardinals who issued the Dubia are "rigid" for asking five simple yes and no questions about how to interpret Amoris Laetitia. 

The bishops of Argentina, on the other hand, who developed a creative and loose approach to doctrine that undermines the moral law are compassionate. 

Oh gosh! I recognize this. Been there, done that. It's Situation Ethics all over again. I think I'm back in Mr. Reilly's immoral moral theology class at Trinity!

Please, wake me up; I think I'm having a nightmare!

Happy St. Nicholas Day or Punch a Heretic Day

Coal and a switch for you, heretic!

Have you ever heard the story about St. Nicholas punching Arius during the council of Nicaea?

Archbishop Nicholas attended the first Ecumenical Council at Nicaea (325), where he allegedly assailed the heretic Arius. In the middle of his hearing, Arius stood up on his seat in order to be better heard. Enraged by Arius’ denial that Jesus Christ is true God and true man, Archbishop Nicholas strode quickly over to Arius, pulled him down by his beard, and punched him in the face.

Now there's a man of action! You better watch out....

Fr. Spadaro Must be a Democrat -- He's Got the Liar, Liar Part Down Pat!

Don't worry, Holy Father, I got your back.

According to OnePeter5, Fr. Anthony Spadaro, one of the pope's Amoris Laetitia cheerleaders, uses a dummy "sock-puppet" Twitter account to bolster the opinions he expresses in his newspaper, La Civiltà Catholica. I had to laugh at one quote of Spadaro's in the article:

I think that some people are exploiting the cardinals’ letter [the dubia] in order to ramp up the tension and create division within the Church. These groups feel sidelined, so they’re yelling, and attacking anyone perceived as being close to the pope. I’m not here referring to the case of the tweet, but more generally.