Sunday, April 10, 2011

Boston Globe Coverage of Cardinal O'Malley's Circus in Ireland

The Boston Globe has a few articles today on the Catholic Church in Ireland and the fix-it circus Cardinal O'Malley has brought into town.

The first article is coverage of people who have wandered from the Divinity of Christ to trump 2000 years worth of the intellect of the Holy Spirit with their own so they can pursue their own agendas.

Here's how one woman, who calls herself a 'liturgist' (what the heck is that??)describes it:

“The sexual abuse crisis has been the catalyst for a much deeper question that was emerging anyway — it’s the whole question of faith, of what it means to be a Christian. Do we believe all of what we profess?’’ said Mary Connolly, a liturgist for the Archdiocese of Tuam, which includes Westport, and a parishioner at St. Mary’s Church. “It’s kind of an awakening of a post-modern society. . . . We all have a choice now.’’


There sure is a sucker born every minute, isn't there.

The story also features a gentleman who was living with his girlfriend and left the Church when the conditions to enter the Sacrament of Marriage were explained to him.

What makes people so obstinate about the rules about Sacraments?

People flock to information about how to keep their body healthy with exercise. They can't get enough on the topic of eating healthy. Some people even approach a conversation about the (pagan) power of a crystal or magnetic bracelet with an open mind.

I'm all for stretching the muscles of your body and doing things to feel fit. But did you ever notice that studios who sell 'yoga' offer it as more than a muscular tune up? When you talk to people who swear by it, the'll tell you that it's a journey to the center of yourself as a fix for your turbulent animus.

This one is a no brainer for me. If my animus is turbulent, I'm usually the person I'm trying to get away from so the last place I want to go is a journey to the center of me. :)

You can go to an exercise class as a skeptic and participate in what the class is doing without listening to the directions or putting any effort it. You can even show up at class and reject the instructions, do it your own way and hurt yourself.

I once met a woman who came to weight watcher meetings each week who would sit down and tell anyone nearby who would listen that it was balderdash. She said she had found the key to successful weight loss - eating anything you wanted whenever you wanted it.

Thanks for the tip lady, but anytime I march my fanny to Weight Watchers, eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted, it is how the weight went on, not off.

Seriously, I'm not making this up. The woman said when your mentality is depriving yourself of french fries and chocolate, you'll wind up feeling deprived and then overeating.

Sadly, the scale went up every week for her and she eventually stopped coming. I don't think it panned out because I saw her six months later and she looked like she gained 50 pounds.

My point is, people know that their animus is fed by a combination of of body, intellect/mind and spirit and all of these things hunger to be fed. A general rule of thumb to keep in mind - if you want something, you better have the tools for a discernment process in place before you go ahead and take it.

When you enter into a battle with your body, mind or spirit, it all depends on your objectives.

Are you there to learn how to recognize your impulsive unhealthy desires, how to not give in to them and learn new healthy habits?

If you're not going to resist sloth, avarice and gluttony, why bother putting any energy into signing up for a gym and going to weight watchers, right? Save your money for when you have conviction of the heart.


The Catholic Church is the institution Christ left us to provide the tools to keep our animus in tip top shape. The Sacraments draw upon the power of Sacramental Grace contained in Them. We enter those Sacraments with the intention to draw upon the power. It's food for our mind and spirit.

There's a moment in Christ's ministry that teaches about the power of Sacramental Grace in the Sacraments. Walking in a crowd, He suddenly asked 'who' was touching Him. The Apostles, astounded, asked what He was talking about because He had been surrounded by people who were touching Him all day. Christ explained that He felt the power drain from Him, knew that somebody believed, approached with that belief and the purpose of her reaching out and touching Him was to draw the power to heal. In fact, she hadn't even touched Him, she touched the fringe on His cloak. By her faith, she was healed but many who touched Him in that day drew no such benefit.


Approaching the Catholic Church and asking for the Sacrament of Marriage while making clear you intend to exclude Sacramental Grace, the Church can not go along with it. You are entering the Sacrament without understanding what it is, building the foundation of your marriage upon sand. No sound (or sane) priest would go along with it.

Sure, every diocese is filled to the rafters with priests who will do it. But those who do are in the priesthood for something other than the salvation of the souls. Going in and out of their parishes will poison your intellect and spirit and you - or the children you subject them to - will at some point wind up on the highway to hell. For some of us, thankfully, the parishes gone to the dogs just got too screwy to be a by-product of God's.

There was a time to stay in a parish like that to be a witness for the authentic Church but the internal schism has far too much momentum now. The time for that has passed.



"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever experienced. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the antichurch, between the Gospel and the anti-gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. This confrontation lies within the plans of Divine Providence. It is, therefore, in God's Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take up, and face courageously." - Venerable Pope John Paul II


The second article focuses on Cardinal O'Malley's mission to retrieve the estranged.

Ironically, Cardinal O'Malley believes the way to retrieve the estranged is to build the foundation with people who reject the teachings of the Church. He has never hired nor appointed anyone whose credentials were faithful to the teachings of the Church. All of his hires and appointees either overtly rejected Church teaching in the public square, have spent decades in a role that opposes Church teaching or have spent their careers silent on the teachings of the Church. (There are employees whom he inherited that are faithful, but I'm speaking about Cardinal O'Malley's appointees).


The results of this model Cardinal O'Malley selected to guide his flock in Boston has Mass attendance under his regime plummeting from 376,383 in 2000 to 286,951, according to last year's count.

This model of church bars the attendees from Sacramental Grace. Non believers do not impart knowledge about the fringe of Christ's cloak because they are not in possession of the faith. They do not have, and therefore do not teach, the tools that lead the faithful to approach the Sacraments with belief to draw upon the power of Sacramental Grace and the Divinity of the Body and Blood of Christ. The deprivation of Grace ultimately leaves the flock open to being lured into some hell hole. The pews thin out accordingly.

I am moved to tears that my Ireland has this circus to look forward to as their future. I'm none too happy we'll be treated to puff pieces from the Boston Globe about it. I guess all we can do is make sure the truth is available and public and pray that people will find their way to it, as we did.

This week, Fr. Rutler's homily is the light in the darkness. God Bless Fr. Rutler and those like him who are serving Christ's Church faithfully and courageously.



FROM THE PASTOR
April 10, 2011
by Fr. George W. Rutler

The raising of Lazarus was the last straw for those who refused to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah. When Christ healed the man born blind, attempts to pretend it had not happened failed, and the last recourse was to claim it was a sinful act, violating the Sabbath laws. At first, the refusal to rejoice in these great signs seems as remarkable as the signs themselves, but it is typical of a cramped view of the world, by which close-minded people deny reality. When Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, “many believed in Him,” but others rushed to the Pharisees, who feared that the Romans would react violently. The miracle was evident, but the desire for social and political control took precedence. This miracle was the efficient cause for the start of the Passion.

Thus, we see the flaw in the adage that “seeing is believing.” It is possible for human pride to refuse to believe what it sees. Of course, one must guard against illusions that trick human vision, but there is a willfulness in obtuse people that rejects palpable evidence. Having received the report about Lazarus, the Pharisees reacted like Sergeant Frank Drebin, the character in the “Naked Gun” film series: “Nothing to see here! Please disperse.”

That kind of vaunting of ideology over truth would focus on the sins and failings of Christians to be Christians, rather than acknowledge the saints and miracles of Christ in history. Recently, after much investigation by medical experts, Bishop Emmanuel Delmas of Angers, France confirmed the extraordinary healing of Serge François in 2002. This 56-year-old man with a paralyzed leg was instantly cured at Lourdes and walked 975 miles to the shrine of Santiago de Compostela in thanksgiving. This received little publicity because it was outside the secular media’s ability to account for such a sign.

It is easier to distract people by calling attention to ecclesiastical gossip and controversies than to admit the spiritual combat that engages the world. Consider the recent massacre of 1,000 people by Muslims in the Ivory Coast town of Duékoué. Few press agencies mentioned that the victims were Catholics seeking sanctuary in the Salesian mission of Saint Teresa of the Child Jesus. William Blake wrote: “This life’s dim windows of the soul / Distorts the heavens from pole to pole / And leads you to believe a lie / When you see with, not through, the eye.”

Humility is truth, and opens the eyes to what human pride would keep in darkness. Moral vision interprets the signs of the times, and man is accountable for how he understands. As He headed for the cross, Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say ‘We see,’ your guilt remains” (John 9:41).

10 comments:

Jerry said...

Still haven't found yourself, Carol? Your parish doesn't have enneagram sessions? I'm sure the Sisters of Diocletian at that nearby high school do.

Maybe you need to get wider so you catch yourself in the mirror! Atkins, Carol, Atkins. Don't waste your money on Weight Watchers. Or go to westonaprice.org BTW, you can eat all you want of some things, like meat, cheese, fish, butter and more. Just cut carbs and vegetable oils.

Fr. Rutler was doing great until the crack about "Naked Gun." Now I have to clear a bunch of dung out of my head. It's OK -- it reminds me why I quit going to popular movies. (But I did love Neilsen's line "And don't call me Shirley" - right up there with "Take my wife ... please!")

Oh yeah, your article was about Cardinal Sean. How's he doing? Doesn't he have to be back soon to light the menorah and sup a seder?

Maria said...

I read the article on Ireland. When priests decide to preach the Gospel people will come back. Until then, it is business as usual, with the exception of people like Fr. Rutler. He is one of our treasures. God Bless Fr. Rutler. I could listen to him for hours...

Anonymous said...

So could I, Maria!

Veronica

TTC said...

Jerry, I guess we are too busy chasing Jesus to rest in the Divine to on some wacky journey inside of ourselves?

Cheese, meat and butter are my downfall! When it comes to dieting, nothing can beat portion control and exercise and cutting out junk.

Ladies, I am with you on Fr. Rutler!

Jerry said...

"Cheese, meat and butter are my downfall!"

That's a myth. It's the refined carbs. For most folks, it the latte (sugar) and any Dunkin Donut product except black coffee, power ades, soda, sweet teas, juice drinks (except fresh-squeezed juice), cookies, pastries, granola bars, cereal, bagels, ice cream, desserts, ketchup, biscuits, gravy (starch), chips, pasta, potatoes, ... should I go on?

Maria said...

I am mighty hungry about now. I have had a meat free, fish free, fowl free, sugar free Lent. I am always amused by people who think there is nothing to fasting. You know, they are going to do something really meaningful. OK, but you know what, fasting is a lot harder that people think, right?

TTC said...

Maria,

whooh! Thank you for the inspiration--wow. The power of prayers with fasting is way up there on the scale. Say a few for me while you're there. :)

Jerry,

I agree with you 100% about keeping the focus on protein and staying away from carbs. When I want a carb, any carb, I picture it taped to my backside and then discern, because that is exactly where it's going to wind up. Additionally, about an hour after I eat a carb, my sugar (for me it's chocolate) cravings kick in - so it is a double whammy for me.


The problem with meat (excluding turkey and chicken breast), cheese and butter - is cholesterol. I definitely don't avoid these things -- or replace them with make believe stuff filled with chemicals (like margarine or can't believe it's not butter - etc.)--but I do have to watch them.

btw -- weight watchers is great for teaching people food values and good habits, recipes for variety, tricks. You can do it online now for 10 dollar a month when they run specials.

I also agree that something as little as the cream in your coffee can destroy your whole day of dieting.

Have thoughts on splenda?

I used to replace the sugar in my tea/coffee with splenda but I find myself drifting away from it and making that be the exception. You can make do with a quarter of a teaspon of sugar in your tea-- at a couple of times a day -- I am not sure its worth whatever the heck splenda is. I'm not a fan of processed food and chemicals. I stay as far away as possible from them.

I'll check out westonaprice.org though -- thanks for the tip and for sharing your thoughts about healthy eating.

Jerry said...

Carol,

Splenda is "invert sugar". I don't know if it's bad, like NutraSweet.

Cholesterol is a myth. See Weston Price and
http://www.ravnskov.nu/cholesterol.htm

Maria said...

Hey Carol: Remember when you were wondering what a "liturgust" was.I was too. I have been investigating "AmChurch". Here is the definition of "Liturgist":

LITURGIST
An “expert” on how to change the Mass. Usually carries an impressive-sounding degree from a University that once taught the Catholic faith.

lol. Thought you would appreciate this...

Maria said...

Here is one:

RECONCILIATION
An outdated sacrament that no one wants to go to and no priest wants to hear. The name has been changed from “Confession” and it is offered in many parishes for 15 minutes on Saturday afternoon to satisfy the “dogmatic kooks” who insist that they still need to go.

lol...