The Cafeteria Catholic and the Cafeteria Husband: Arnie and Maria Call it Quits

Betrayal -- that's what living a cafeteria lifestyle means, so it's hard to feel too sorry for proud, self-proclaimed "cafeteria Catholic" Maria Shriver who is experiencing the reality of betrayal from her cafeteria husband. In 2008, Shriver told the world, via the Washington Post's religion blog, that she chooses what she wants from Church teaching:

"Even though I consider myself a Catholic in good standing, I disagree with a lot of the teachings of the Church....I don’t believe that if someone’s divorced they shouldn’t get Communion; I don’t believe that people who are gay shouldn’t be accepted into the Church… I’m pro-choice, I believe women should have that right....women should have a larger role in the Catholic Church."

In other words, "I do it my way!" God's way be damned!

Shriver called herself a cafeteria Catholic at the time and, while claiming to pray every day and to love her parish priest, it's clear she wasn't praying for her conscience to conform to the teachings of Christ articulated through the Church He founded on "the rock" of Peter. Why has Shriver stayed in the Church? She likes the social justice teachings (and maybe the stained glass windows and the bingo). Among the Church teachings she was willing to throw out are the pesky ones about the indissolubility of marriage. After all, she wanted the divorced who attempt new marriages without a declaration of nullity to receive the Eucharist -- so much for respecting sacramental marriage!

So how can Shriver, the cafeteria Catholic, complain about Arnie, the cafeteria husband? Schwarzenegger  was also a cafeteria Catholic who promised his faith would never interfere with his decisions as governor. It's obvious he also didn't believe in those pesky vows he took on his wedding day -- or he changed his mind along the way when they interfered with his "right to choose" a little whoopy on the side.

Maria and Arnie both betrayed Christ and the Church as cafeteria Catholics by picking and choosing the doctrines they would follow and those they would reject. Arnie just took the betrayal a step farther by being a cafeteria husband who played fast and loose with the vows he made to Maria on their wedding day. But if you don't respect your obligations to Christ and His Church, why would you respect your obligations to another person?

The pain and damage Schwarzenegger has caused his family (His son Patrick changed his name to Shriver on his facebook page.) mirrors the pain sin causes to Jesus Christ. The reality is that the cafeteria lifestyle is a betrayal. Once you accept it, you have no grounds for complaining about the cafeteria choices made by others. Just as Maria felt she could be a Catholic "in good standing" while she cheated on the faith, Arnie may have felt he could be a husband "in good standing" while he cheated on Maria. Those who live the cafeteria lifestyle need to realize some of the choices available on the food bar are poison. The only healthy response is to close the cafeteria and return to the solid food offered at the banquet table of the Church. Let's pray that Maria and Arnie make that choice, for the sake of their own souls and the example they leave for their children.

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Kmiec Submits Resignation as Ambassador of Malta

Barack Obama rewarded Douglas Kmiec with the embassy of Malta for betraying the Catholic faith and supporting his radically pro-abortion candidacy. But that's not all Kmiec did. He signed the letter of support by Soros-funded Catholics United for Kathleen Sebelius, an advocate of late-term abortion who had a special relationship with George Tiller...and there are other betrayals as well. Kmiec, sadly, is a Judas. And now he's found out exactly how loyal pro-abortion liars are when the rubber hits the road.

The State Department has trashed Kmiec's reputation because he took Obama's rhetoric about faith-based initiatives seriously and devoted time to working on it. Hillary's minions are giving him the mailed fist and the studded boot treatment -- no doubt Bill could clue him on that.

So Kmiec is resigning -- on the feast of the Blessed Mother no less, August 15th. Perhaps that's his way of trying to atone for his past errors. I hope so, but I wouldn't bet on it. His actions have been absolute head-shakers that show little evidence of the man who used to have a solid pro-life reputation. Well, that's been in shreds since he joined the Obama campaign and now his reputaion as a hard working professional is in shreds as well.

I'm finding it hard to have any sympathy for the man. See my previous posts here and here. In his debate with Robert George at Catholic University, Kmiec came off like a lightweight thinker who was willing to sell the weak and helpless down the river and distort the truth to accomodate his politcal views. I hope he's learned that he was nothing but a patsy for the Democratic liars. I'll certainly pray for him. But when you've committed the kind of betrayal Kmiec has, you have a long way to go to earn back lost trust. And as far as I'm concerned that's impossible as long as he's still affiliated with faux Catholic groups who thrive on attacking fundamental doctrines.

If you want to let Kmiec speak for himself visit his blog. I'm afraid my gag reflex couldn't cope with some of it as I thought how he has aided and abeted the murder of the unborn. His speech at the Anne Frank exhibition was mind boggling when one considers that the holocaust against babies waiting to be born outstripped the Nazi atrocities in the first few years post Roe v. Wade. Here's what he said:

"Failure to love our neighbor is but a short distance from ignoring our neighbor. And that disregard of our neighbor is but a short distance from silently tolerating political, racial, gender, and other illicit forms of oppression and hate."

What about ripping bodies limb from limb? The closest parallel to what happens to the poor little ones in the womb are the photographs from the Rwanda genocide where people were cut down with machetes. And Kmiec has the gall to say "never again?" Actions speak louder than words, man!

As a mother and grandmother I am enraged at those who call themselves "pro-life" and say they are "devout Catholics" while they treat God's "least ones" as trash for the medical waste bin.

Pray for Doug Kmiec. Resigning on Our Lady's feast day will be just one more empty gesture unless he repents of betraying the little ones whom Jesus called to come to Him. If you want to be close to the Lord, defend the babies waiting to be born, Professor Kmiec. Jesus was one of them for nine months. Those who betray them, betray Him.