SUNT MALA QUAE LIBAS; IPSE VENENA BIBAS

If I had my druthers, I'd be living in a place like Front Royal where Christ's priests are feeding His flock with a chalice they protect and preserve from impurity. What a gift it was to rest in apostolic succession for a few days.

A Catholic legend from the life of St. John the Evangelist tells the story that he was once given a cup of poisoned wine to drink in Ephesus, but when he blessed the cup before drinking it the poison departed in the form of a serpent.

Wasn't it Archbishop Sheen who would ask someone defiling truth "What's your sin?"?

Whatever your sins here in Boston, there is a local priest serving up the chalice with your poison. Belly up to their bar and their chalice will get you over the hump of resisting your temptations.

A few weeks back, I was out of town and wanted to hit up a Catholic Church for the Sacrament of Confession. If you're in unfamiliar territory up here in Commonwealth, you sometimes have to park your car, get out and try to gain access to the building to ask somebody if it's Catholic. There's absolutely no indications from the outside. The words "Roman Catholic" (or even "Catholic") have been replaced with 'faith community' or 'parish'. Some buildings don't look any different than town hall. No Crucifixes inside and it takes some diligence to find Christ in some obscure corner.

Readers will sometimes ask what woke me up from my slumber, how and why I became a witness.

At the time of my rude awakening, the parish I was in was run by a group of sea hags who would torture and torment, ridicule and slander Catholicism. Most living in the town desiring to be pleasing to Our Lord were afraid to speak up, but they would drop a dime to me. I had lost favor in the parish when the vicar offered me a chalice which I hesitated to drink. I didn't quite have the discernment because I was living on the edge, hanging on to my dissent on contraception. But whatever it was in his presentation, it was sneaky enough to sense something wrong. The fact that I wouldn't drink his offering really made him (and others) mad.

I was sure he was just mistaken, misled. So, I called the Cardinal's office and explained what I had been told about Church teaching and asked for clarification, thinking he would be grateful to learn the truth. Of course, instead, he went viral, telling me I was 'never to go over his head again'.

As he was standing in front of me foaming at the mouth, all I could think of was 'Crap...These priests know they're lying and trying to stop the flock from learning truth....How long have I been stupid?!'.

By the time the louse finished his diatribe, a warrior was born to warn the others.

While I was away this week, in came a few reminders of the work we have ahead of us in Boston.

For instance, here's a keeper: This priest brought in this "religious ethics expert" for adult faith formation:

“Life’s Hard Questions:” CONSCIENCE – How do I cultivate an informed conscience? Our first speaker, Michael Hartwig, received his PhD in religious ethics from Southern Methodist University. He now serves as in-house scholar at Illumeorganization and as adjunct professor of religious ethics and world religions at both Northeastern University and Emmanuel College. In his presentation, Dr. Hartwig will challenge us – as committed Christians – to think critically and creatively. He will also stress our need to honor and respect the collective wisdom of our tradition – a wisdom we all contribute to by our experience of living out our faith. All are welcome to join us on Wed, Oct 5 – in the Parish Center from 7 to 9 pm.

All sounds rather innocuous. But what is dangerous in Boston isn't so much what they say out loud. It's what they don't say.

"Dr. Hartwig" took a 'leave of absence' from the priesthood to shack up with his gay lover and then sued a Catholic school that fired him for misleading their Catholic students into the ideas that got him into his predicament.


Here's more detailed info on Hartwig

Don't even get me started on how we ever let it get to the point where we allow every crackpot in town to believe they are entitled under the Constitution to preach immorality at institutions designed to prepare Catholic evangelists.

Would someone enlighten me as to how a Catholic priest, whose vocation it is to help us preserve the virginity and chastity of Christ's flock, could offer them this chalice filled with snakes and still see himself as an ambassador of Christ?

Here's another gem at this 'parish'.

Book Club

“Started as a way to include parishioners (or non- or ex-) who feel in the margins of “traditional” church or have been alienated from mainstream Catholicism. The group meets monthly to discuss books chosen by its members about any kind of spirituality (fiction, biography, poetry…anything). It has evolved into a group that focuses on a book topic as a springboard for faith sharing. Drop-ins welcome."

Permit me to translate:

For those of you who feel Church teaching and a guilty conscience is getting in the way of enjoying your sins, grab your Woody Allen movies, Dan Brown novels and come share it with other souls hanging onto resisting temptation by a thread. If Christ and His Church doesn't do it, maybe Deepak Chopra will.

Could it be this priest is so removed from what is happening in his parish that he doesn't know?

Maybe, but it's not an acceptable excuse. He is responsible.


What souls need in this state need is a priest who will guide them in love and truth to the Sacraments and Sanctifying Grace. What they are getting is Shirley McLaine.

The cup you offer is evil. Drink the poison yourself.