Sunday, July 10, 2011

Loving in the Truth at St. Cecilia's - What Would Jesus Do?


If you go to the Mass today, please, be wise and gentle.

All who come to an event that is pitched as an open invitation from the Church are bruised reeds. Above all else, our desire is to bring them to conversion.

It is true that some will come to make this some kind of territorial and cultural victory over the Deposit of Faith. But God can even use our stupid ideas to see if He can get us on the hook. He has the ability to soften the hardest of hearts.

I am living proof.

We don't want to engage in any battle in the cultural war waged by anyone, because souls rebelling are so far from a state of Grace, clonking them on the head on way into the door could cause them to rebel further - and perhaps they will never approach the Deposit of Faith.

The goal is to drive out the false teaching and bring in Courage. There is a time and place to continue with these goals. The people coming to Church today, they are not the parties that will help us achieve this goal. That battle is at 66 Brooks Drive and the Holy See.

Let's welcome, pray and see if Unni has been kicked onto the right trajectory. If he is not, we pick up that battle tomorrow.

These are my thoughts, for what they are worth.

As promised, here's the link to Fr. Landry's theological follow-up on the dung Fr. Unni is feeding the flock at St. Cecilia's. It is magnificent.

Last week we began a look at the controversy at St. Cecilia’s Church in Boston over the scheduling of a Mass originally advertised to celebrate “gay pride” and then after criticism postponed and relabeled to a “welcoming Mass,” which while perhaps no longer explicitly extolling gay pride still seems poised to give no-questions-asked hospitality to those who believe that gay pride should be glorified, including within the context of a Catholic Mass.

We noted that the controversy raises several concerns that extend beyond a particular parish or archdiocese with regard to the authentic pastoral care the Church owes those immersed in a gay lifestyle or in any lifestyle that exalts practices that are incompatible with the Gospel. The only adequate Christian response to anyone is love, but this love can never remain a shallow hospitality that fails to help the person recognize and respond to the rather conspicuous ways Christ is challenging him to turn away from sin and believe in the Gospel. Particularly with those ensconced in a gay lifestyle — which is a way of life built on regarding several basic truths of anthropology, sexual morality, marriage, Scriptural inspiration, and magisterial authority as antiquated and repressive “hang-ups” from which people need to be liberated — the Church’s charity must always be bound to the compassionate, clear and compelling presentation of the fullness of the truth that alone can set them free (Jn 8:32). The stakes of the Church’s failure to carry out this service to the truth are huge, not only for those presently involved in a gay lifestyle, but also for the conscience formation of all in the Church and society....

With that in mind, we will examine three common falsehoods that have come to the surface in the St. Cecilia’s controversy to which the Church must respond with the truth.



Read his brilliant examination and thesis.

It is a masterpiece on answering the question "What would Jesus do".

Not to undermine the theology, so lovingly and gracefully delivered, I wanted, especially for today, to point out the following:

The third falsehood relates to the common calumny that any opposition to the gay agenda, or any criticism of a “gay pride Mass,” comes exclusively from “homophobia” or “hatred” for those with same-sex attractions, as a few members of St. Cecilia’s alleged in interviews with the media. While there’s no dispute that, sadly, in some places real homophobia does exist, ministers to the gay community have a duty not only not to abet this confusion but to disabuse those entrusted to their care from thinking the Church’s teachings on same-sex activities are based on hatred rather than love grounded in truth; they also have the responsibility to remind them that judging others or mendaciously bullying others with epithets about their character are grave sins that those with same-sex attractions are not exempt from committing.
These false accusations, however, lead to a larger point about how much the tide has turned with regard to the direction of bullying between those with same-sex attractions and others in society. Whereas in the past, those with same sex attractions were often subject to ill-treatment and ridicule on account of their attractions, including sadly by those who claimed to be Christian, now it’s Christians who are often subjected to ridicule and, in a growing number of cases, discrimination. If anyone doubts this point, they should just ponder what Constance Cervone of Jamaica Plain said in a June 28 Boston Globe article on St. Cecilia’s: “It was harder for me … to come out as a Catholic than as a gay person.” This is an indication that, at least for her, “Christianophobia” is presently more menacing than “homophobia.” The Church as a whole, and those who minister to the gay community in particular, must have the courage to address this.

These things should be pondered today - and every day going forward when dealing with Fr. Unni and the souls being led by his chaotic spiritual leadership.

The third in Fr. Landry's series comes next week.

Prayers today for all.

12 comments:

Lynne said...

I hope Father Landry becomes a bishop/cardinal someday. What happened to Cardinal O'Malley? Was he always weak or has he just grown weaker since he's been in Boston?

TTC said...

Lynne, Fr. Landry would make a great Bishop. It would be worth sending his writings on this to the Prefect for the Congregation of Bishops as they do consider these things.

I don't think Boston jaded Cardinal O'Malley as he seems to be attracted to theologians who dissent from Church teaching and persecutes theologians who faithfully teach. Given his predilection for writing op-eds in the Pilot to prove his orthodoxy - but that which contradicts what he is actually doing on the ground, this does not comport with the virtues of an honest man.

We seem to be seeing an awful lot of that 'round these parts lately.

As Christ said, test everything.

Anonymous said...

Over at Cardinal Sean's blog the anoncement of the "Office of Outreach and Cultural Diversity"... this is make sure those racist church goers don't exclude minorities. If you have time go read it.

This strikes me as kind of silly, our parish has always been very welcoming of everybody, at our sister church we have masses in Spanish and Veitamese.

when are they going to start teaching the cathecism?

Jasper

Maria said...

God bless Fr. Landry! I agree w/ you Lynne. We need Bishops who will preach the truth!

Here is my take...

"That We May Be a Place of Welcome
Pray that we may continue to learn how to be a safe and welcoming spiritual home to all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, legal status, age, social or economic status, or sexual orientation. Pray also that, as members of Christ’s body, we will treat each other with dignity and respect".

So says St. Cecelia’s in the bulletin for July 10, 2011. The implication, you see, is that the Catholic Church is not only “unwelcoming” but it is also “unsafe”. Wow. Who knew? What dangers lurk? Hmmm, dragons be here? See the Catholic church is “welcoming” of only certain races, certain sexes, we check your legal status at the fountain of holy water, we also card you to make certain you are within an acceptable age range, we ascertain you pedigree and income at the door to determine whether you should be allowed inside the church, and, oh, we grille you on how, and in what particular way, concupiscence has dogged you in your life. Who do these people think they are kidding?

It seems that Tom Merino will be there to “welcome’ everyone. Do you ever wonder how all of the heretical nonsense at St. Cecelia’s came to be? Did you know that Catholic Charities, yes, CATHOLIC CHARITIES, gave Mayor Merino an award in 2005? It seems that The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts was not pleased. They issued a statement:

“It would be difficult to identify another nominally Catholic political figure in the United States who, on such a broad range of issues, has, in both his rhetoric and public policy decisions, engaged in such relentless opposition to the moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church,” wrote the group’s Executive Director, C. Joseph Doyle.

Read the memo from Catholic Action League of Massachusetts:
http://www.excommunication.net/News_home_page/CC&Menino_Dec05.htm

And, yet, Fr. Unni welcomes Mayor Merino in public, in today’s bulletin:

Welcome, Mayor Menino!
We are HONORED to have Mayor Thomas M. Menino worshipping with us at this morning’s eleven o’clock liturgy.

So, Catholic Charities honored Merino. St. Cecelia’s lauds him in public thereby giving scandal and the Cardinal remains mum. And we wonder why all of this is happening. In what moral universe does such action, and inaction, on the part of these men, consecrated to God, reflect the constant truths of the Catholic faith? Truths, about which, Chesterton claimed, "we are more certain than the fixed stars?" Anybody is more certain of these truths than the priest, the Bishop and the Cardinal of the diocese of Boston. Can someone explain to me why our clerics reserve their unfettered praise and honor for pro-abort and pro-homosexuality politicians? See, I just don’t get it. There are no honors, it seems, for those who remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Oh, and, does anyone have some alka seltzer and an aspirin? I now have indigestion and a headache.

Maria said...

God bless Fr. Landry! I agree w/ you Lynne. We need Bishops who will preach the truth!

Here is my take...

"That We May Be a Place of Welcome
Pray that we may continue to learn how to be a safe and welcoming spiritual home to all people regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, legal status, age, social or economic status, or sexual orientation. Pray also that, as members of Christ’s body, we will treat each other with dignity and respect".

So says St. Cecelia’s in the bulletin for July 10, 2011. The implication, you see, is that the Catholic Church is not only “unwelcoming” but it is also “unsafe”. Wow. Who knew? What dangers lurk? Hmmm, dragons be here? See the Catholic church is “welcoming” of only certain races, certain sexes, we check your legal status at the fountain of holy water, we also card you to make certain you are within an acceptable age range, we ascertain you pedigree and income at the door to determine whether you should be allowed inside the church, and, oh, we grille you on how, and in what particular way, concupiscence has dogged you in your life. Who do these people think they are kidding?

It seems that Tom Merino will be there to “welcome’ everyone. Do you ever wonder how all of the heretical nonsense at St. Cecelia’s came to be? Did you know that Catholic Charities, yes, CATHOLIC CHARITIES, gave Mayor Merino an award in 2005? It seems that The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts was not pleased. They issued a statement:

“It would be difficult to identify another nominally Catholic political figure in the United States who, on such a broad range of issues, has, in both his rhetoric and public policy decisions, engaged in such relentless opposition to the moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church,” wrote the group’s Executive Director, C. Joseph Doyle.

Read the memo from Catholic Action League of Massachusetts:
http://www.excommunication.net/News_home_page/CC&Menino_Dec05.htm

And, yet, Fr. Unni welcomes Mayor Merino in public, in today’s bulletin:

Welcome, Mayor Menino!
We are HONORED to have Mayor Thomas M. Menino worshipping with us at this morning’s eleven o’clock liturgy.

So, Catholic Charities honored Merino. St. Cecelia’s lauds him in public thereby giving scandal and the Cardinal remains mum. And we wonder why all of this is happening. In what moral universe does such action, and inaction, on the part of these men, consecrated to God, reflect the constant truths of the Catholic faith? Truths, about which, Chesterton claimed, "we are more certain than the fixed stars?" Anybody is more certain of these truths than the priest, the Bishop and the Cardinal of the diocese of Boston. Can someone explain to me why our clerics reserve their unfettered praise and honor for pro-abort and pro-homosexuality politicians? See, I just don’t get it. There are no honors, it seems, for those who remain faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Oh, and, does anyone have some alka seltzer and an aspirin? I now have indigestion and a headache.

Jerry said...

Here's a report from Joe Doyle. Fr. Unni left them in their sins, "urging them to shed the burden of shame."

Maria said...

You can read statement by the Catholic Action League @

www.catholicactionleague.org/

It reads, in part:

"The salvation of souls demands that Catholic priests and prelates demonstrate the courage to tell homosexuals that their participation in the sin of impurity against nature deprives them of sanctifying grace and imperils their immortal souls. At Saint Cecilia's, however, today's message was the spiritual equivalent of 'Don't worry, be happy.' The Archdiocese of Boston has, once again, failed to protect the moral and spiritual welfare of its members."

Jerry said...

Hi Maria,

You and I are busy today. We duplicated each other at BHE! You post wasn't there when I started, but was there when I hit send. Funny.

Catholic Charities is a Bryan Hehir project: homo adoption, honoring Menino, etc. See the chronology at BHE.

Maria said...

Jerry: Look what else I found. The St. Cecelia Bulletin dated 10/24/2010 printed an article by MICHAEL GELENFIELD. Google him and see what comes up. He has repeatedly been accused of sexual abuse. So, why did St. Cecelia's published an article by him in their Sunday bulletin? See link:

www.stceciliaboston.org/bulletins/2010/bulletin10242010.pdf

Jerry said...

Maria,

Good detective work. It's good you posted it on BHE. I'm glad that you and others are willing to dig. I haven't the time, but even more, I'm wholly sickened by this homo stuff. Years ago when researching classroom sex-ed, I'd often "hit the wall" and need to take a bath break, so to speak.

Anonymous said...

like to hear from Cardinal Sean

http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-york-archbishop-believers-will-soon-be-hauled-into-court-for-questionin

Maria said...

Jerry: I know. It is exhausting, but, as Fr. Hardon said: " there is a war on and we are all conscripted!"