Remember, Alligator, That Thou Art Dust...

Really!? A Q-tip?

Topsy and Tuptim have escaped snow and ice in the north to enjoy a Winter holiday at a Florida wildlife preserve. Neither of them sleeps very well in a hotel and are bemoaning the bad dreams they had last night.

Topsy: I had such bad dreams last night and got so little sleep and had a terrible nightmare. I kept waking up screaming, "No God! No!! No-o-o. Pleeeease!" ...Didn't you hear me?

Tuptim: That was you? I thought it was me. I had nightmares too. What was your dream?

Topsy: I was following an alligator into his underwater den. Then everything got really crazy. It looked like an ugly modernist chapel.

Tuptim: Oh my gosh! That was my dream too except I was being chased by the alligator!

Topsy: Did you end up in a chapel? 

Tuptim: Yes!

Topsy: What did it look like?

Tuptim: I couldn't figure out whether I was in Orlando or LA. It reminded me of the West Coast Religious Ed Conference with a table and dancing girls and everything was purple! It was Ash Wednesday and it was so weird.

Topsy: And Cardinal Cupich was the celebrant? (Tuptim nods vigorously.)

Tuptim: And Father James Martin was the Master of Ceremonies. He was wearing a purple chasuble... 

Make the Bishops Choose: Would they Rather Fight with the Harpies or the Mother Bears?

If the shepherds won't defend the flock,
the laity must! Mamma bears rising!

How can you tell a good priest/bishop from a bad one? It's not really too complicated. Do they followJesus, His teachings and the teachings of the Church Jesus founded? Or are their beliefs more in line with the prince of this world, the father of lies?

Do they like to express their creativity by embracing every "progressive" and popular perversity inflicted on souls by the world, the flesh, and the devil? There are certainly many among the ranks of the clergy who do, sad to say.

Well, today I'm going to give you a heads up on how to recognize bad clerics.

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.