Abbey-Roads2

Warning:  Some of the food may be tainted…

And the proprietor may be too busy trying to reinvent himself to care.  But hey, decide for yourself - his comment on the new-old Cafeteria here:  “Thankfully, my blog isn’t rated on the site you cite I consider my blog a personal rather than a Catholic blog with claim to orthodoxy (TM). Admittedly, ex post, the blog title was a bad idea. It was meant as a bon mot re: Ratzinger. Apparently, on the internet the accusation of ‘Cafeteria Catholic’ is ubiquitous. In my defense, I was a pup when I started. I hadn’t even known how far out some people are, Frequently, they have a lot in common, regardless of whether they’d be viewed as ‘left’ or ‘right’. Dislike for democracy and individual rights, for example.” - Vox Nova

His latest post here seems to confirm my earlier observations here.

I have to believe he really would like to change the name of his blog, but as he commented to me once:  “My blog’s really a personal opinion blog on many topics, not a ‘Catholic blog’ per se. With 2+ million visitors, it’s more popular than ever.”  And what assurance does he have all of those people would follow him to a new site?  Especially since it was the uber-Catholics who made him so popular (and contributed to his support) in the first place? 

“Tell me lies, tell me sweet little lies…”

One reason I usually refrain from silly posts on this blog is because I hope what is written here will have some credibility.  On my other blog, Abbey 1, I often post ridiculous and humorous things, along with real news items.  If I engage in jocuse lying, I label the post humor or something else to indicate it is not factual.  I never deliberately try to deceive the reader.  Lately I have been posting photos from spurious apparitions, and doing satirical posts on the same, in order to bring attention to the openess of even the devout as regards absurd lies and deceptions masquerading as heavenly messages.  In the Gospel, speaking of the last days, our Lord warns, “Even the elect will be led astray if that were possible.”

“Teach your children.”  

This week we have seen how Hillary Clinton  has been exposed in one her lies, this one regarding her visit to Bosnia  with her daughter.  I suppose she lied in order to make herself appear more macho, more capable of being the Commander in Chief.  She described the visit as extremely dangerous, landing amidst sniper fire and so on.  CBS blew the story out of the water with footage from the visit, proving Hillary and Chelsea were lying.  Hillary dismissed what she said by explaining that she misspoke, and Chelsea backed her up on that.  (Proving to me that Bill and Hillary taught Chelsea to lie like they do.)

“If there was a universal law that it was generally OK to tell lies then life would rapidly become very difficult as everyone would feel free to lie or tell the truth as they chose, it would be impossible to take any statement seriously without corroboration, and society would collapse.” - bbc.com.uk 

A week or so ago, I did a post about liars on the internet, implying that I knew of some bloggers who lie.  I wasn’t referring to anyone in my sidebar, rather other blogs I happen upon when I surf the net.  I particularly had in mind a couple of dissident Catholic blogs where the writers pretend to be faithful Catholics, although they are really schismatics and heretics.  They do not love the truth - in fact, they invent their own truth in opposition to the Church.  (They know who they are.)

“Stop lying to one another.”

I’m not here to single anyone out, I just want to bring attention to the fact that we are being lied to on a daily basis by media, big business, government, politicians, people pretending to be holy- the list goes on and on.  We know that, but can’t we do something about it?  Can’t we start saying, “She didn’t misspeak, she lied!”  “He isn’t telling the truth, he’s lying!”  “The president wasn’t misinformed, he was lied to.”  Call a spade a spade and stop lying to one another. 

(Photo:  Scene from “The Talented Mr. Ripley”) 

Yesterday I took a friend out antiquing, and as we were driving, I happened to pass by Planned Parenthood.  I glibly pointed the building out to him and said, “That is where they do abortions - they kill babies there.”

My friend, who is around 65 years old remarked, “I thought they just helped people with family planning and birth control there.”

“Really?  You didn’t know that?”  I answered.

Obviously he is amongst those who believe what they want him to believe by using such a benevolent sounding name as Planned Parenthood.  Others may call it denial. 

[Photo:  Margaret Sanger.]

Baptism and eternal salvation. 

When I was little, probably in first grade, I was so impressed by the doctrine that baptism is necessary for salvation, that I used to carry a jar of water with me whenever my family went for a drive.  I knew that any baptized Catholic could baptize a person in danger of death if a priest was not available.  I found an old briefcase to carry the jar of water in, and I included a prayerbook with prayers for the dying as well.  I carried it everywhere, just in case we came across an accident or someone in danger of death.  Yes, I was roundly mocked.

As a small child, I had a vivid imagination concerning hell, limbo, purgatory, and eternal salvation.  I knew my parents were living outside the state of grace - primarily because my mom was a divorced remarried Catholic, neither parent ever attended church, and my mother sometimes told me she wasn’t in the state of grace.  Thus I prayed constantly for them - so great was my fear of eternal damnation - I hated the thought of anyone going to hell.  Of course the concept of hell frightened me, but what scared me much more, was the idea that hell was eternal - so I prayed ardently that no one would have to go there.  (In the end my parents died ‘happy deaths’.)

I mention all of this as background for my outrage at the fact some ministers of the Catholic Church have not taken this doctrine as seriously as it should have been taken.  The revelation that the feminist, gender-neutral formula of baptism is not only illicit, but also invalid, is rather distressing to anyone who takes their faith seriously.  I’ve posted about this before, it isn’t an issue of language or politics, it is an issue dealing with eternal salvation.  Something feminist Gnostics obviously do not take seriously.

Will diocesean officials begin to do something about it?

Pewsitter News  has a piece on how the Brisbane Archdiocese is now having to deal with the issue.  At one church hundreds of baptisms before 2004 were performed using the illicit/invalid formula.  However, the chancellor for the Archdiocese is claiming that such  baptisms are only illicit and not invalid.  Obviously he must be misinformed or making it up, because the original  Vatican announcement clearly stated  that all such baptisms were not only illicit, but invalid, and those baptised using the Gnostic formula would have to be re-baptized.

Does anyone else see this as a big deal?  Does anyone else think this is bigger than the sexual abuse scandal?  Isn’t the Catholic Church supposed to be about the salvation of souls?  Yet the Brisbane Archdiocesan chancellor, Fr. Jim Spence gave reporters this assuring news:

It doesn’t mean it’s invalid, it just means it’s illicit, he said.

“It doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen, it means that it shouldn’t have happened.

“I guess (those affected) would have all sorts of reactions. I would hope that anybody whos troubled by it would get in touch.”

Baptism, the first of seven sacraments in the church, is the rite of initiation into the church and is usually administered shortly after birth.

Fr Spence said the illicit baptisms did not invalidate subsequent sacraments, including confirmation, penance and marriage. - Couriermail.com.au 

BS!  Sounds like a cover to me.  I’d go ahead and have the baptism done over.  And yes - an illicit/invalid baptism does indeed invalidate subsequent sacraments.  Now, can’t you see how this could affect a soul’s eternal salvation?

Niederauer to LifeSite News:

“At Most Holy Redeemer Church Oct. 7, I noticed no protest, no demonstration, no disruption of the Sunday Eucharist,” said Archbishop Nierderauer.  “The congregation was devout and the liturgy was celebrated with reverence. Toward the end of the Communion line two strangely dressed persons came to receive Communion. I did not see any mock religious garb. As I recall, one of them wore a large flowered hat or garland.” - LifeSite News

He is on tape distributing Communion.  He knew where he was - he knows  about the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence.  See how religious decorum works when priests and religious pretend not to know?  PRETEND NOT TO KNOW!  (_x_) 

Business as usual in the American episcopate.  

“How long Lord will you look on?” - Ps. 34 

Gay agenda and propaganda. 

My friend Paula sent me the link to the video of Archbishop Niederauer giving Communion to the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence which took place last Sunday in San Francisco.  It appears he was set to deny Communion, but then one of the “Sisters” requested it, and the Archbishop obliged.  Ah!  “Reluctant compliance” again.

Anyway, I could not get the link to the video to work, but Cafeteria is Closed has it, along with a bit of commentary.  Off The Record  also has a very good post covering the event.  The entire debacle is extremely sad and a disgrace to the Archdiocese of San Francisco - expecially in light of the recent threats against the lives of high ranking members of the hierarchy for their opposition to the gay agenda.

Yet, even amongst staunch Catholic bloggers there is this odd concession to “Gay Catholics” dismissing the actions of a few radical queers as being non-representative of gay culture.  Bullshit!  If a sexually active gay Catholic, or anyone, sexually active or not, who applies the label “gay” to their Catholic identity, tells you they reject such behaviors, they are deluded.  In effect they are saying they reject all the GLBT rainbow crap they claim to support.  If you are pro GLBT you necessrily accept all the crap that goes with it.  When a gay person desires rights for themselves, they must respect the rights of others in the sub-culture - hence there is tacit approval.

“G” stands for Gay in GLBT.

Gerald writes:  ”To be sure, these nuts are not representative of gay Catholics. While being gay is not exactly a choice, running around like that is.”  I am not taking issue with Gerald in his statement, simply using it to demonstrate how many of us are taken in by gay propaganda on the road of tolerance and acceptance.

A Catholic man or woman may be same-sex attracted, experiencing their sexual orientation for persons of the same sex, but to call oneself “gay” and Catholic seems to me to be incompatable with Catholic teaching.  Gay is a poitical term, it is the “G” in GLBT.  To label oneself gay implies a person is either sexually active or accepts homosexual behavior as normative.  It implies an attachment to the homosexual sub-culture.  This goes for parents of homosexual children  who participate in organizations such as the Rainbow Sash movement.  (I’ve written about this before when I posted about “what homosexuals do“.)

Off The Record  author Diogenes makes the point so much clearer than I do:

A further point. If there existed in reality gays who were faithful Catholics — that is, if the expression “Gay Catholic” were not a contradiction in terms — it wouldn’t be the orthodox bloggers who were first and loudest to cry foul. Gays themselves — I mean the ostensibly responsible gays like James Alison and Sean Michael Winters — would pounce on Niederauer to demand he shut down MHR, banish its clergy, and toss out the twisted sisters with them. “Don’t you see,” they’d argue, “that this mock-jocular sacrilege and puerile exhibitionism plays right into the hands of our adversaries? That this is exactly the kind of sexually distorted rage that conservatives are always warning the Holy See about? That our claim to be mature, sober, and pious Catholics is blown out of the water by cross-dressing psychotics who can’t switch off their act long enough to take communion? Can’t you see that this harms our cause worse than anything the conservatives could say about us?” Well, the fact is that we haven’t heard such protests, and we won’t. And the reason is that the difference between the “presentable” gays and Sister Boom-Boom is one of tailoring rather than conviction. Skeptical? Find me a counter-example. - Diogenes 

A local “Gay Catholic” speaks out.

A rather prominent local gay activist who writes about the Catholic Church and gay issues, recently posted his thoughts on the Folsom Street Fair (see my post on that event)  and the denunciations by the Catholic League over the Miller Brewing Co.’s sponsorship of the event.  What is interesting in this man’s writings is that he often characterizes such events as aberrations in the gay sub-culture, as well as pointing to similar sexually deviant behavior amongst heterosexuals.  As if this makes it all okay.  Nevertheless, this is all part of the propaganda.  What follows is a snippet from his post, which I will not link to:

A diverse group of people - both straight and gay - participate in the Folsom Street Fair. What they share in common is a penchant for S&M. Regardless of what you may think of this type of sexual role play, the antics depicted by the Folsom Street Fair images are actually quite tame compared to what goes on at certain bars (gay and straight) every weekend around the country – not to mention other boozed-up and more public events like Spring Break on South Padre Island.

The bottom line is that gays don’t have a monopoly on certain types of behavior that objectify oneself and others. I mean, shows like Big Brother After Dark and Girls Gone Wild aren’t populated by gays. Yet what these forms of “entertainment” do have in common with events (such as the Folsom Street Fair) that do attract gays, is that they are sponsored by corporations. Is the Catholic League also going to go after these sponsors? Not likely. No, once again, it’s those “homosexuals” that are bringing about the decline of civilization as we know it. - Wild Reed

You see what I mean?  As sincere as this fellow may  be, there is a tendency to dismiss,  excuse or whitewash the aberrant behavior of some  homosexuals.  The “good ones” distance themselves from the “exaggerated” behaviors of the “few” in order to promote what is in effect  their common agenda.  As Diogenes stated, “it is a matter of tailoring, rather than conviction.”

“Must brother drag brother into court?”

Spero News has the run down on the recent lawsuit by the Legion of Christ against ReGAIN Network.  I posted about this before, and the comments forthcoming have been rather revealing that something is wrong with the popular image most people have of the Legion.  As I stated before, this surprises me because all of the Legionaries I have ever met, as well as those I’ve seen on EWTN, strike me as the finest of finest Roman Catholic priests.  As to the scandals associated with the Order, I know as much as anyone else, aside from what former members have told me, everything else is hear-say, except for the following.

When I worked at Leaflet Missal I became acquainted with Paul and Libbe Sellors, the original authors of a catechetical program called Familia, now taken over by the Legion and Regnum Christi.  Paul and Libbe went through some very trying times with the Legion who had taken over their program, and apparently wanted the Sellors out of the mix.  The Sellors have since republished their work under the title of Together! which is an excellent and comprehensive catechetical program for families.

The Sellors are a fine Catholic couple, very respectable, honest and sincere in their mission of evangelization for the Catholic Church.  Their work is nothing less than brilliant and extremely adaptable for adult/family catechesis, in perfect accord with the Magisterium and Catholic teaching. 

It was through the Sellors that I first became aware of the Legion’s mysterious business practices, especially in their regard.  I was stunned when Libbe gave me the details, reinforcing her story with Archbishop Flynn’s refusal to permit any activities of the Legion and Regnum Christi in the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis.  Rather than write a book here, I’ll direct you to the article on ReGain for the full story.  Here is an excerpt:

It is important to know that the Sellors created Familia independently of the Legion, writing the materials themselves. Joining the Movement early on, their apostolate seemed an excellent fit with the stated goals of Regnum Christi, and the Legion moved in quickly to lend a hand. As long as the Sellors were members of Regnum Christi and saw eye to eye with the Legionaries of Christ about catechizing the faithful, all was well. Familia quickly became the top recruiter for the Legion because of its comprehensive approach to the family. Thus, fathers and mothers joined Regnum Christi, their daughters considered vocations in the consecrated branch, their sons tested their call to the Legion, and everyone raised funds for seminarians and other projects of the Movement. Everything was golden – or was it?

What Was the Real End-game of Familia?

A rift opened quietly, behind closed doors as those who signed up for Familia quickly found themselves invited to Legion-sponsored retreats, other courses, and conventions, which each suggested that they join the Movement because of the urgent need to build the Kingdom. While joining was usually quite appealing, the Sellors were increasingly frustrated that the members who incorporated into Regnum Christi dropped out of Familia. Since the demands of the Movement (daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly) required significant commitments of time and money, one could not participate in both, and Regnum Christi prevailed. Knowing that all four years of formation were important, they begged that the recruiting of their participants be delayed until they had graduated from the complete course, but the Legion persisted.

Only in hindsight did Paul and Libbie realize that there had been a deliberate attempt to drive them out. - Gospel Charity Cuts Both Ways

Read the Sellor’s story and maybe this current lawsuit by the Legion will make more sense - that maybe the organization has to something to hide.  It sure seems to me something is very wrong in that organization. 

[Incidently, ReGAIN is in need of donations for their legal defense fund, to donate go to their website,  The Legionaries have a lot of money and powerful backers, so ReGAIN needs all the help they can get.  What did St. Paul write about public lawsuits?  "Why the very fact that you have lawsuits against one another is disastrous for you." - 1 Corinthians 6:7]  

Is Bush a war monger?

President Bush has been building up the rhetoric and stoking the fears that Iran is getting nuke ready, and something has to be done to stop them.  Is he preparing us for another war?  Some Born-Agains and Evangelicals think an Armageddon in the Mid-East will hasten the Second Coming of Christ.  (I don’t think it is good idea to tempt God.)  Western Confucian has a brief post on the subject of Bush’s paranoia, with excellent links.  I think you should read it.  (The post is titled, “Stop the next war, end the current one.”  )

“It’s time we put the flame torch to their keep

Burn down the mission
If were gonna stay alive
Watch the black smoke fly to heaven
See the red flame light the sky” - Lyrics; Bernie Taupin, “Tumbleweed Connection”

Not giving what is holy to dogs.

The recent news of the Legion of Christ’s lawsuit against ReGain network made me aware of how we as Catholics need to be more discerning when it comes to spiritual matters.  “Wise as serpents, guiless as doves.”  While reading about Mother Teresa’s ‘pure’ spirit of prayer - its nothingness - I felt somewhat convicted as regards my own spiritual gluttony and attachment to spiritual delights, insights, as well as personal devotions and satisfactions.  Considering my imperfection, my reflections led me to consider various aspects of the spiritual life; that is, the ease by which one may be deceived, along with the great need one has for discernment, as well as good catechetical and spiritual instruction.

Just as our Lord cautions us not to cast our ‘pearls before swine’, or to ‘give what is holy to dogs’,  sometimes we ourselves in our desire to advance in the spiritual life, act like dogs who lick up every scrap of  food that falls in our path.  In other words, as in the case of those people who tune in to every would-be mystic and charismatic-holy-man or visionary; in their fervor, these people sometimes indiscriminately ‘eat up’ every spiritual morsel they receive.

Direct line to God.

For years now, especially since the events at Medjugorje began, there have been increasing numbers of locutionists throughout the world relating messages from heaven.  Sometimes it seems as if every neighborhood parish has one.  Many of the followers of these people claim the veracity of these messages lies in the similarities to what other visionaries claim to have received and announced.  Oftentimes the revelations are vague encouragements to deeper prayer and fasting.  At other times they are comprised of generalizations concerning the crises of faith and the breakdown of morals, warning of the just punishments the world deserves.  However, most of this stuff can usually be discerned through natural knowledge - if one is so inclined.  In some cases, locutions can simply be unconscious restatements of things learned through mystical writings one either read or heard about in one’s past.

For instance, in the approved apparitions of Akita, the message sounds strangely similar to the spurious “secret” of LaSalette, foretelling a grave disruption within the Church, “bishop against bishop, cardinal against cardinal” and so on.  I’m not saying that proves or disproves anything, but I am suggesting that natural knowledge can influence and enter into supposed supernatural locutions.  (Since the apparitions of Akita are approved, a person may piously believe the events to be authentic.  Having said that, the Church does not require the faithful to believe in private revelations or visions.)

Listen to the Church.

A famous locutionist Fr. Gobbi, claimed to have experienced numerous communications from the Virgin, and a whole movement of followers was almost immediately created.  I believe the Vatican said (officially or not officially, I’m not sure) that the locutions were derived from his own personal meditations.  That is not to say they were not necessarily inspired however.  When the intellect is recollected, guided  and united with the truth, the Holy Spirit who is truth, corresponds with these discursive thoughts and lights.  St John tells us, “This is one of the Holy Spirit’s methods of teaching.”    (John of the Cross covers this subject in the Ascent, Book II, Chapter 29.)

Locally. 

Not a few so-called mystics hold weekly prayer meetings and relate what the Blessed Virgin or some saint has told them, similar to the repetitive apparitions at Medjugorje.  For instance, as regards a case in my area, the local Bishop has forbidden these meetings to take place on Church property.  Elsewhere, local Bishops have declared that various seers’  messages in their diocese are not supernatural.  This ought to be a sign for all to be cautious in attributing great importance to these people, places and events.

Oftentimes devotees of these revelations claim that they experience an increase in fervor and devotion, and some renewal of faith, therefore, as they insist, the deception of the evil spirit cannot be at work.  I believe in some sense they have already been deceived, since they fail in the first measure through a lack of humility, and the obedience they owe to their Bishop.  It seems to me that in this they subtly open themselves to the original sin of Lucifer, who refused to obey God.  (Even a local Ordinary, albeit in good faith, can be mistaken in declaring an apparition to be false; nevertheless, the faithful are bound to obey his directives.)

Deception

As for the recipients of some of these private revelations, they can easily be decieved, either through their own natural intellect, or the suggestions of the devil.  In turn, their spiritual director can unintentionally be deceived by the seer as well.  (I know of a couple of cases wherein the spiritual director was convinced the person in their charge was possessed, and it turned out not to be the case.  This can happen in the reverse as well.)  Simply because a well known priest happens to be a seer’s confessor or director, I do not think this is an infallible guarantee the messages are supernatural, especially if the priest is already predisposed to accept such experiences as authentic.

Hearing voices.

The trouble with locutions, just as with visions, consolations and other spiritual favors, is that one can easily be deceived in them.  The devil can easily stick in his two cents, as it were, and the end result is confusion at best, while in some instances of a public nature, a cult or parallel church may begin to form.  (Which is why yesterday I was so edified by the spiritual life of Bl. Mother Teresa.  Just as St. Therese, her spiritual life was a life of pure faith, exercised in charity.  Therese of Lisieux used to say, “I prefer not to see.”  And she may have well said “or hear”.  Her greatest spiritual  insights often came when she was engaged in manual labor and the exercises of charity, which in community are often monotonous and tediously annoying.  But I digress.)

The other thing we often forget is that our natural intellect plays a major role in our prayer life as well - depending upon our education, formal or informal, it can play too great a part at times.   We all carry on an interior conversation with ourselves in the way we process our thoughts.  Likewise, natural deduction and intuition  plays a role in our ability to assess situations, and process information.  Again, the Holy Spirit teaches and influences us in through these means.  Just as He does in our imagination.  When Joan of Arc was told her visions were her imagination, she said ”Of course!”  Meaning that this was the faculty God used to transmit His messages to her.

Vanity and spiritual pride.

However, sometimes certain persons can get to be ”too spiritual” - to use a John of the Cross phrase.  They read a lot, pray a lot - virtually eat and sleep religion - and can become convinced that everything they imagine or think about is inspired by God, when in fact it may simply be the exercise of one’s natural faculties actively engaged in discursive prayer.  (Which again, does not preclude the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.)  Nevertheless, in some individuals who may have an inordinate desire for mystical gifts, signs, or wonders, which includes a desire for a direct line to God - that is, to hear messages and the like, this disposition can bring about a sort of morbid attachment or fascination to the supernatural.  Which opens a person to deception and spiritual pride. 

Frequently, these seers or mystics are called upon for spiritual counsel, or to pray over individuals, as if  just because they are supposed to be the recipients of supernatural locutions or visions, they are somehow holier because of it.  In the case of those mystics who have been recognized as saints after death, it must be understood the Church never canonizes anyone for the mystical gifts they experienced in life.  Holiness is always judged upon the practice of heroic virtue and the person’s conformity to God’s will in charity.  Mystical gifts and graces are not guarantees of holiness.

What is important?

This whole chapter in The Ascent of Mt. Carmel (Bk II: 29) is a helpful  one to read, but I’ll highlight a couple passages I think are significant to my point.  St. John writes:

“I greatly fear what is happening in these times of ours:  If any soul whatever after a bit of meditation has in its recollection one of these locutions, it will immediately baptize all as coming from God and with such a supposition say, “God told me,” “God answered me.”  Yet this is not so, but, as we pointed out, these persons themselves are more often the origin of their locution.” - S. John, Bk II; 29, 4

“People should learn to give importance to nothing other than sincere effort, the establishment of their wills in humble love, and suffering in imitation of the life and mortifications of the Son of God…” - 29, 9

Directing our will toward God; “we should carry out His law and holy counsels perfectly - for such is the wisdom of the saints - content with knowing the mysteries and truths in simplicity and verity with which the Church proposes them.  An attitude of this kind is sufficient for a vigorous enkindling of the will; hence we do not have to pry into profundities and curiosities in which danger is seldom lacking.  St. Paul in regard to this conduct states: ‘One ought not to have more knowledge than befits him’. [Rom. 12:3]“ - 29, 12.

So, be wise as serpents and simple as doves.  Blessed Mother Teresa excelled in this too.