O'Malley Martyred Himself By Attending the Funeral on the Feast Day of St. John the Baptist

No, this isn't satire.

O'Malley thinks he martyred himself on the Feast of St. John the Baptist by attending Ted Kennedy's Funeral, the 39th anniversary of his ordination:

Michael Paulson has the story here.

Saturday was the 39th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, at St. Augustine’s Church in Pittsburgh by Bishop John B. McDowell, who is still going strong today. In the Church’s calendar, the feast day for August 29 is the Beheading of John the Baptist. People usually take note when I tell them that I was professed to religious life on Bastille Day, July 14, and ordained on the feast of the Beheading. Not that I am superstitious.

On Saturday morning I attended the funeral Mass for Senator Edward M. Kennedy

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That's right. He's a regular Archbishop Romero.

Needless to say, the Senator’s wake and Catholic funeral were controversial because of the fact that he did not publically support Catholic teaching and advocacy on behalf of the unborn.

It was controversial because Kennedy didn't publicly support Catholic teaching and advocacy for the unborn?

No, actually, when you sit on the sidelines without publicly supporting something, that's another dynamic all together.

Legislating for slavery and promoting it as Catholic isn't the same thing as going about your business without taking a position of public support. In one instance, nobody really knows what you think about it or presumes your simply a coward.

Ted championed for abortion rights, publicly scandalized those killings with an in-your-face defiance, and led many others to follow suit.

It gets worse:

Given the profound effect of Catholic social teaching on so many of the programs and policies espoused by Senator Kennedy and the millions who benefitted from them, there is a tragic sense of lost opportunity in his lack of support for the unborn

We're talking about drafting, supporting and advancing legislation to kill people.

To me and many Catholics it was a great disappointment because, had he placed the issue of life at the centerpiece of the Social Gospel where it belongs, he could have multiplied the immensely valuable work he accomplished.

He did immensely valuable work and he could have done more immensely valuable work and he and the thousands of others paying tribute to Ted Kennedy were not paying tribute to his voting record on abortion:

The thousands of people who lined the roads as the late Senator’s motorcade travelled from Cape Cod to Boston and the throngs that crowded the Kennedy Library for two days during the lying in repose, I believe, were there to pay tribute to these many accomplishments rather than as an endorsement of the Senator’s voting record on abortion

Saints preserve us.

I'm sure many people will dissect the spiritual disorder of the statement relative to the situation - and I'll post those here as they go up.

Yes, Christ loves us when we are sinning and He loves us until the end. He loved Judas and loved Pilate. We're talking about the dynamics of salvation. Christ didn't say things about them, perform any celebrations about them or over them to confuse the people watching. There's nothing in their stories about any good works they did in their lives.

I agree with a few points he makes. I disagree that Kennedy was not a candidate for a Catholic Funeral for reasons I've already stated here on the blog. But, it should have been a quiet affair and the teachings about salvation in light of the public defiance not left for wild dogs to distort. Inviting the President and giving him a platform? Giving a stage to intercessions that promote the culture of death and dissent?

There is no need or incentive left for people to change their hearts. That's the lesson he's just taught them. No matter what carnage, killing and mayhem we do ourselves and lead others into doing -- we are saved - and the damage is catastrophic.

Ted was given a saintly send off without a word that he changed his mind and repented about abortion or was counseled to. What is it he thinks people will glean from that? Has he read today's Globe - because Richard McBrien is bringing in the climax.

When O'Malley was heading towards the casket, I was bracing myself for the final beautiful prayer that includes "May the angels lead you into paradise, may the martyrs receive you at your coming and lead you into the holy city, Jerusalem. May the choir of angels receive you, and with Lazarus, who once was poor, may you have everlasting rest."

The prayer O'Malley said instead was "..may God have Mercy on your soul".

It's all too subtle and subliminal. The people simply can't crack the code.

The audacity is breathtaking --- to accuse people of pointing out the errors and traps he's laying as the people breaking the unity of the Church? He's placed heretics and empowered theologians, including Austin Fleming, Bryan Hehir and a long list of people who are out there discrediting the teachings of the Church.

This is who he has trying to "change people's minds".