History Repeats Itself! And so Does Heresy!

Cardinal Marx with his equivalent of Luther's rebellion.

I just started reading Hillaire Belloc's book, How the Reformation Happened. With the latest revolt coming out of Germany, that unfortunate country, I hope the book may cast some light on the synodal path to hell being led by the German bishops. (Hmmm...what a good hash tag! #TheSynodalPathToHell.) 

Belloc begins by dispelling the notion of there ever being a peaceful time in the Church. He goes through the first 300 years of blistering persecution and countless divisions, ending with Constantine's edict of 321 establishing religious toleration for Christians.

Anonymous, Nasty Spammers Unwelcome!

Lizzie is so polite to Mr. Darcy he never realizes her dislike
for him, proposes to her later, and is shocked by her refusal.

I've reached my limit on name-calling trolls hiding behind rocks and spewing their venom. So I've disabled anonymous comments. If you are a civil commenter and have been posting anonymously, join the blog to continue posting.

I also will not post any comments attacking Dr. Byrne. His career has been nothing but service to the sick and suffering. So if you want to attack a man I consider a living saint who could be enjoying a soft retirement, but instead fights for the helpless, go start your own blog.

Those Who Are Ignorant of History Are Often Anti-Religious Bigots!

Hillaire Belloc - early 20th c. historian

I was on a website recently reading the comments. Sadly the amount of X-rated name calling, not to mention ignorance, was staggering. If you want to read some of what passes for discussion today, check it out here.

Now I try (and often fail) to argue in the classical sense. You know -- define your terms, present your argument (i.e. your thesis backed up by facts), and ask cogent questions of your opponent in the debate. I try not to rant. What you'll notice if you bother to scroll through the comments is that ranting is exactly what is going on. "I'm an atheist.. and you are an f...... blockhead!" pretty much summarizes some of the "comments on the article.

Now if I were the moderator at Spero Forum I would not allow that obscenity to be posted. But I'm not. The reason, however, that I found the discussion so interesting was the obvious ignorance of so many of those commenting. One self-described atheist blames religion for all the evils of history. You can guess what he refers to as "proof"--

Good-bye, Bart, and Good Riddance!

Bart Stupak has announced his plans to resign from Congress and the turncoat's exit is no loss. Like other "pro-life" candidates before him, he proved that his love for unborn children wasn't even skin deep. He sold them out cheap. Did he really think he could get away with it? With the tea party activists raising hundreds of thousands to unseat him, he made their job easily by picking up his ball and going home. Perhaps his name is providential, the same as the nasty sniveling little cartoon juvenile with the integrity of a turnip. But I suppose one shouldn't insult turnips that way.

I hope anyone reading this will pray for Bart Stupak. Oftentimes, it is adversity that teaches us humility. Stupak wasn't fit for the halls of Congress where bribes and chicanery are the rule rather than the exception. Only those truly grounded in God's truth can survive such a poisonous environment. Which reminds me of Hilaire Belloc's famous quote when he was running for Parliament and attacked for being a devout Catholic:

This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell these beads every day. If you reject me for this I shall thank God that he has spared me the ignominy of representing you in Parliament.

Belloc only remained in Parliament for four years when he decided he could more effectively bring about reform by working as a journalist. His writing, like Chesterton's, survives and is as timely today as when he picked up his pen.

Politicians, as Belloc implies, need to spend significant time on their knees before they stand on their feet in the halls of government. Otherwise, their time in the halls of power is likely to be the prelude to a very hot hall in a very low place. Consider all the politicians that Dante met in The Inferno. God help these men and women if they betray the public trust or treat it lightly.

When you pray the intercessions at Mass for our political leaders, please really mean it.