Lunacy Rules: "Conservatives" Mainstream Sodomy-Promoter Fr. James Martin, S.J.

We truly do live in the era of diabolical disorientation and, daily, there's plenty of evidence illustrating it. What should we think when a supposedly conservative host at a supposedly conservative Catholic website, sits down in a friendly interview, an almost fawning interview, with the man who is arguably the lead proponent for legitimizing sodomy in the Church! That's what happened a week ago when J.D. Flynn of The Pillar sat down with Fr. James Martin, S.J. 

Awake Fr. James and Woke Fr. James: Who Defends the Truth and Who Champions the Lie?

Fr. James Altman continues to be in the crosshairs of Bishop William Callahan who asked for his resignation last month as pastor of St. James the Less parish in LaCrosse, WI. 

Two Banned Bishops "Sent to Coventry!" Not Nearly Enough!

Archbishop William Lori, Administrator of the Wheeling-Charleston Diocese released a letter yesterday permanently banning two bishops from ministry there and in his home diocese of Baltimore. Bishop Michael Bransfield, former bishop of the West Virginia diocese and Bishop Gordon Bennett, S. J., former auxiliary bishop of Baltimore are accused of sexually harassing adults. Bransfield also stands accused of financial improprieties. (No surprise! He spent buckets of money in Wheeling on his own personal comforts with expensive renovations to his residence, a personal chef, wining and dining at fine restaurants, etc.)

Hmm...and what should we make of this? More "gay" affirmation from Pope Francis.

A book of pro-gay homilies? Can't wait to use it!

Dutch priest jubilant after giving Pope Francis book of pro-gay homilies.

Here's what the article tells us about the priest, Fr. Jan van Kilsdank, S.J. who wrote the homilies which were compiled into a book by Fr. Pierre Valkering who presented it to the pope:

[Fr. van Kilsdank] became well-known on the gay night scene in Amsterdam and personally accompanied some 200 young AIDS sufferers to their deaths, with a great deal of warmth and pastoral care. There is nothing wrong with that; on the contrary. But Van Kilsdonk went a great deal beyond that, justifying their lifestyle and berating the Church for its lack of openness to their tendencies. 

Bill Donohue's "Charity" is Mostly Himself

Yesterday I blogged about Bill Donohue's attack on those raising the alarm about Cardinal Wuerl's lavish digs on Embassy Row. Out of curiosity I checked Donohue's "charity," the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Right. Charity Navigator has a breakdown that is most enlightening. One hundred percent of the league's income is derived from contributions. Less than half of that goes to advance their agenda. Over 50% goes to administration and fundraising including a hunky chunk for Donohue's $417,000 salary.

Remembering Fr. Hardon, S.J. and the Four Types of People

I had breakfast with a good friend this morning, a sister of the heart. How blessed we are if we have a few of those outside our biological family. We were talking about relationships and my friend reminded me of something Father said about the people in our lives. (I think this comes from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius). There are four types of relationships:

Dissenters Thrust the Spear into Jesus' Heart

Today is the feast of the Sacred Heart when we think of how much Jesus was wounded by our sins. When I think of His suffering, I imagine that the worst came from betrayal by those who were his closest friends. Think of the pain to the Sacred Heart of Jesus from those who promise to follow Him, his priests. Instead, some link arms with the world, the flesh, and the devil and thrust the spear into Christ's side saying, "I will not serve." But often they masquerade as faithful sons of the Church.

I recently blogged about one, Fr. James Martin, S.J., for his sickening video promoting the dissenting nuns. Fr. Martin apparently wasn't satisfied with canonizing the unfaithful nuns. He's moved on to supporting a Christian Brother,  Louis DeThomasis, FSC, who is calling for female ordination in direct conflict with Church teaching. Fr. Z wrote about it on his blog. And you can see Fr. Martin's article here. When I think of a good priest like Fr. James Haley thrown out of the priesthood for exposing the homosexual scandals in the rectory and Fr. Martin slyly undercutting the authority of the Church by praising the enemies of Christ, I just shake my head. May God save us from wolves in sheep's clothing.

Bertie and Jeeves: The Madcap Duo

I love P.G. Wodehouse and his madcap stories of Bertie Wooster and his "man" Jeeves! It amazes me when people tell me they just can't read his stuff. Well, I can't either -- in public that is -- because it is laugh-out-loud looney. Bertie is the three stooges rolled into one, only with class and style (Thanks to Jeeves!) and a sense of loyalty and friendship that lands him in the most ridiculous scrapes and adventures. Jeeves is the perfect foil, educated, brilliant, and always ready to get Bertie and his buddies out of the soup.

Fr. James Schall, S.J., who teaches at Georgetown, wrote a delightful article (See here.) about a 1951 Wodehouse collection called Weekend Wodehouse. It brought a smile to my face and an eagerness to pull a sample from my Wodehouse shelf and reread. Here's an excerpt from from Father's article, but really, you must read it in its entirety:

In my early years, after discovering him – a notable event in the life of any man – I used to say that Wodehouse is to be read with a dictionary. But on finishing Weekend Wodehouse, I think I was wrong. Wodehouse does stretch one’s vocabulary. But it is not the meaning of the words that is novel or unknown. It is their placement.



For instance, I did not count the number of times the word “looney” came up. It is a marvelous word. It appears in the first story – “even with an uncle within a short jump of the looney bin….” Looney uncles, looney friends populate Wodehouse. The word comes either from a wobbly bird or from the moon, a kind of pleasant madness. No one would want to live in a world in which no looney characters were encountered.

We live in times that are so serious and downright depressing that you need a good bellylaugh now and then to maintain your balance. And that's the gift of Wodehouse - pure unadulterated fun. Whether Bertie is trying to cop a constable's helmet, save a maiden in distress, lift a silver cow pitcher, get out of an unfortunate engagement, etc. his adventures tickle your funnybone. But Wodehouse isn't exclusively about Bertie and Jeeves. I recently read a collection of his golf stories that feature the "Oldest Member" of a country club telling hilarious golf stories. They are vintage Wodehouse. What a great gift for the golfer in your life, especially one who takes the game too seriously!

If you've never read Wodehouse, or if you've tried and don't like the stories, give the BBC TV series with Hugh Laurie as Bertie a try. I think the second season is the best. I laughed out loud watching it, especially when Bertie gets the "Alex look" which reminds me of one of my grandchildren. But do read the books. As Hillaire Belloc wrote in the introduction to Weekend Wodehouse:

“For the English people, more than any other, have created in their literature living men and women rather than types and Mr. Wodehouse has created Jeeves. He has created others, but in his creation of Jeeves he has done something which may respectfully be compared to the work of the Almighty in Michelangelo’s painting. He has formed a man filled with the breath of life.”

Wodehouse's characters inhabit a past that has disappeared from England, but it lives on in the imaginations of those who love and read Wodehouse. May they be many.

Did you ever wonder....?

I've used the expression "in the clink" often but never gave its origin much thought -- until last night when I came across "The Clink" while reading Clare Asquith's book on Shakespeare's coded language, Shadowplay. She mentioned The Clink, a notorious prison in Southwark, England not far from the Globe Theatre. Shakespeare apparently visited a friend there. And, in fact, some famous Catholic recusants were imprisoned in The Clink including Fr. John Gerard, S.J. He was one of the few Catholic priests who escaped the "hanging tree" at Tyburn during Elizabeth I's draconian persecution. Many English priests were hanged, drawn, and quartered as a gruesome reminder to others. And why? because they refused to give up the Mass. Would that we loved the Mass as much today!

Fr. Gerard was imprisoned temporarily in The Clink (Summer 1594 to Spring 1597) before being moved to the Tower of London from which he made an amazing escape. After fleeing to the continent, Fr. Gerard's superiors instructed him to write down his story, and he did in a fascinating book called The Autobiography of a Hunted Priest.

The chapter on The Clink relates the blessing of being in a prison filled with Catholic prisoners. A friendly guard was bribed and coaxed "not to pry too closely into our doings" and Fr. Gerard was able to hear confessions and engage in apostolic work during his time there. In the same chapter he describes the capture and death of Ann Line, one of the English martyrs who harboured priests and frequently held illegal Masses in her home. She had a "priest hole" where clergy hid when Mass was invaded by the queen's agents.

Fr. Gerard describes his work in prison saying, "During this period God used me as His instrument to turn many hearts from worldly ambitions to the love of God and the following of Christ's counsels....I was able to send many young men and boys to the seminaries. Some of them are now Jesuits and are working in England, others remain in the seminaries training more labourers for the mission."

Next time you hear that someone's "in the clink," especially a group of pro-lifers like the dear ones arrested at Notre Dame who face serious persecution, remember where the term comes from. Defenders of the faith, imprisoned and persecuted for the good they do, walk in the footsteps of Fr. Gerard and his martyred brothers and sisters imprisoned in the infamous English prison.