There's nothing like a strong cup of coffee and an equally strong shot of Catholic doctrine to wake you up in the morning. I just enjoyed both simultaneously.
Portal PCh24.pl released a video yesterday entitled Crisis: Where Will the Synod Lead Us? (Original: Kryzys: Dokąd zaprowadzi nas synod?) which contains strong words from three prominent prelates - Cardinal Raymond Burke, Archbishop Jan Lenga and Bishop Athanasius Schneider - on the issues surrounding the upcoming 2015 Synod. It's well worth your time, so pour yourself a cup and enjoy:
You might think - as do I, gentle reader - that the real coup d'état has already taken place in the recently released marriage annulment reform (can there remain any doubt as to why Cardinal Burke was removed from his post as Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura?), and that the Synod, while it will offer certain factions the opportunity to push for the approval of their perverted views on human sexuality, has been orchestrated to divert attention away from the structural and legal reforms currently being undertaken and to ultimately result in a widespread sigh of relief to the tune of "Crisis averted!" So, seeing as it speaks to eventualities which, in all likelihood, will never materialize, why draw your attention to this video?
To remind you to thank God for the holy priests and bishops who have demonstrated the courage and conviction to stand up for the teachings of Our Lord, Jesus Christ (miserere nobis), in the face of a pernicious heresy, the threat of schism and even apostasy. To remind you that the battle is not lost, and that the situation is not hopeless. To remind you that, come what may, Christ has not and will never abandon His Church.
Of course, you know these things. But it doesn't hurt to be reminded of them now and again.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Francis might have lost interest in the Synod of Bishops and is off to his next assignment w/r/t demolishing the Church.
It would appear that this annulment thing is just the next idea in the long line of "clever" ideas, which up to now included Catholic bashing, married priests, married religious, religious taking time off to raise children, homo-godparents,.... and dogs in heaven. Somehow he still hasn't gotten any bang for his buck. I see this annulment thing as just the next jalopy in the Francis demolition derby that Francis has set his sights on that he thinks will finally give him a result.
And a result right now would necessarily mean new pew sitters.
I'm puzzled. Is there a hue and cry by tens of thousands of Catholics for cheap, fast annulments? Are there tens of thousands of "re-married/divorced" Catholics who are desperate to receive Holy Communion?
ReplyDeleteOnly priests and bishops would know if the above hue and cry really is out there. From just my personal experience, most of those who are "re-married/divorced" Catholics have a) left the Church and are no longer interested, or b) already attend Mass when they feel like it, and receive Holy Communion.
In my opinion, this is just another "we create the crisis, then we bring in the solution" scam. I also think this is the softening up of Catholic minds for the acceptance of sexually perverted people as "normal" hence able to marry, adopt babies, and receive Holy Communion.
I've got a bad feeling….
Barbara
Barbara,
ReplyDeleteYou've hit on the true question here. No, there aren't vast crowds of civilly remarried Catholics who are longing to receive Holy Communion and are abstaining until the Church allows it. The German bishops could get everything they're insisting upon, and it wouldn't increase Kirchensteuer revenues by more than a small fraction, at best. I expect they know this as well as we do.
So what IS their motive? To my mind, the answer is far simpler and more troubling: they hate the Church and wish to destroy her moral authority by doing away with sin. If one objectively grave sin can be accepted, why not all others? If Confession with a firm purpose of amendment is no longer required to receive the sacraments, then the Church was wrong all this time about the sacramental life. If one of Jesus's clearest teachings (on the indissolubility of marriage) can be nullified, then there is no reason to accept anything else the Church teaches based on Scriptural authority: the Petrine Office, the power to bind and loose, the Real Presence, and so on. And if the Scriptural basis for her authority is rendered void, then Sacred Tradition is left without any foundation, and collapses.
On the other hand, there seems to be a genuine (if misplaced) anger among many Catholics at the supposed unfairness of the annulment process. This anger is fuelled by rumors of lengthy, expensive annulments, preferential treatment given to the wealthy and well-connected, and unsympathetic tribunals. Though I'm certain there's some truth to all of these stories (take the Kennedys, please!), I suspect these complaints are mostly just rationales for the modern desire to have exactly what I want, right now, no waiting. And with his motu proprios this week, the pope has catered to this crowd.
Perhaps the only thing to do now is get ready to make a difference at the parish level. After October when the evil we expect comes to pass…and priests continue to allow abuses to occur it will be up to US to stand up and fight.
ReplyDeleteHow? That's the question. It may mean open fights with priests and fellow pew sitters. Or marching in front of the bishop's palace. Or meetings of fellow travellers to plan organized resistance. Who knows - we have 2,000 years of history to look back on for ideas. How did the Church make it to this point? The good priests and zealous faithful fought for her and prevailed, not without the wounds to show for it.
Barbara