On Swallowing Camels

A few days ago, The Remnant published a letter they received from a priest - who has chosen to remain anonymous - in which he relates his misgivings about the intentions of Pope Francis in regards to the 2015 Synod. While the whole letter is worth reading, the following selection is enough to give you, gentle reader, an impression of the depth of the priest's concern:

All over the world we're seeing cardinals, archbishops and bishops affirming behaviors which are unequivocally condemned by Popes and Councils in previous centuries. As I listen and watch these events, in my mind, over and over, I hear the phrase, "the smoke of Satan has entered the sanctuary." Could it be that all that is happening is truly the work of Satan? I'm not ready to affirm that it is, but in my heart I fear that it may be true. If it is, then it may also be true that many members of our hierarchy do not belong to Christ.

While the priest is to be commended for possessing the integrity to follow his thoughts through to their logical conclusion, I have to ask the following:

What gave it away?

Was it the intentional corrupting of the Mass of Ages? Was it the elimination of Latin, the setting up of a table in the holy sanctuary, the tearing out of altars, the removal of tabernacles, or the smashing of statues? Was it perhaps the profaning of the Blessed Sacrament through communion in the hand, the replacement of Gregorian chant with vapid Folk-Pop, liturgical dance, or the positively abominable architecture? Was it the preaching of heretical homilies from the pulpit, the tacit acceptance of universal salvation and the equality of all religions, the gradual rehabilitation of Martin Luther, or the total abandonment of canon 915? Or perhaps the pandering to apostate nuns, the utter corruption of Catholic higher education, or the bankrupting of entire dioceses to pay for the hideous crimes perpetrated by generations of homosexual pedophile clergymen?

No?

Lest the title of this post be misunderstood, I am in no way downplaying the gravity of the matter of allowing public adulterers to receive Holy Communions. But this is the thing that finally wakes a person up to the reality of the situation? Seriously? If this were a Shakespearean drama, we'd be deep in the third act with Lord Polonius gasping his last breath at the end of Hamlet's sword. And somebody is just now beginning to suspect that "this Hamlet fellow seems rather upset"? Really?

Be that as it may, I am willing to overlook that a priest of 25 years has apparently taken all of those years to recognize that something is rotten indeed in the state of Denmark. But then the letter takes a turn which I cannot so easily overlook. He writes:

One of my priest friends asked me during a conversation what I would do if the Church does formally approve what it previously formally condemned. I had to confess in all honesty that I’d probably have to leave priestly ministry. He admitted that he’d probably have no choice but to do the same.

What? This from a dear friend of the Bridegroom? Men have come to ravish the bride on the night before her wedding, and he wishes to abandon her, fleeing for his safety? Has he lost his mind? Being the most beautiful of brides, it is quite natural that she has attracted countless perverts and degenerates over the years. But never has a true priest considered abandoning her in her hour of need.

What if they attempt to promulgate heresy? What of it? Does that mean that the gates of hell have prevailed? Perish the thought! The Church is indefectible. She cannot teach error; those who try to foist error upon her soon find themselves dashed against the Rock that is her true foundation.

Non praevalebunt!

Saints are in the making as I write, gentle reader. Pray for the grace to stand firm beside them.