What's up with the Catholic Bishops lately? Whatever it is they're drinking maybe they could send the Republicans in the House and Senate a case or two.
What's up with the Catholic Bishops lately?
I dunno but I'm likin' it.
I suspect the prospect of an open proponent of abortion and gay rights who claims to be a practicing Catholic (even though it's not even clear that he got an annulment, or a timely annulment of his previous marriage before marrying Te-ray-zeh) woke them up to possibility of 4-8 years of daily battles with the White House that they would rather not engage in.
Let's face it, gays, pro-choice advocates, civil servants and elected officials who want to be true Catholics and want to assist in the very un-Catholic initiatives of abortion rights, same sex marriages, capital punishment and even nuclear proliferation had better smarten up. The Church has been silent for way too long on these matters and it is now finally awake. The Church has a moral obligation to oppose their actions and deny their active participation in The Church and its sacraments while they work to undermine the very tenants of Catholic teachings.
Real Catholics do not support, condone or vote for these initiatives. Politicians who do and call themselves Catholics are essentially liars (John Kerry take note). Real Catholics hear the word of Paul when he states, "Be in the world-not of the world". Real Catholics don't become Democrats who are pro-choice. They don't become Missile Launch officers. They don't live gay life styles and attend church. They don't pray on Sunday and put themselves in the position to undo their church's teachings on Monday. In fact, it is very hard to reconcile being a real Catholic and holding political office. A real Catholic would have a very hard time being president of the United States. (John Kennedy take note).
If these people had any moral spine at all, they would resign positions that allowed them to derive power and profit from undermining the Catholic Church's teachings. The problem common to all of these people: from city administrators to pro-choice advocates to that stupid list of congress-people who wrote that dumb letter last week-is that they want to have their cake and eat it, too. They want secular power and prestige and they want to be seen in the front row of the Cathedral on Sunday morning.
As a Catholic, you cannot have it both ways. Congressmen who write to Catholic bishops, asking them to tone down the moral rhetoric with a veiled threat of returning to unpopularity; only unmask their complete lack of understanding of their own faith. The bottom line is this: Practice your faith in all that you do or leave the church. Renounce your secular power if it conflicts with your faith. That is the only way to achieve the kingdom of heaven.
Why do you think Christ said, "It is easier for a camel to fit through the eye of the needle than a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven."? Why do you think Christ said, "What has a man gained if he should rule the world and lose his soul in the process."? Its not easy to be a real Catholic. Its about time all of these convenient Catholics wake up and confront the real issue: How important is your faith? What do your eally believe? And how willing are you to fight and sacrifice for it?
Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity.
The Spirit is moving. As for the Republicans...
New bunch of guys are coming in and speaking up. They have seen where the temporizing of Law and Eagan et al have caused the greatest scandal ever to hit the American Church. Most of the people who are protesting have never heard the teachings of the Universal Church.
The TOMS (Tired Old Men) are retiring and are being replaced by younger, more generally orthodox men. Take a look as which Bishops have been standing up publicly for Church teachings lately; they're almost all 'new hires'. This is driving the liberals who tend to populate most Chanceries, absolutely NUTS, but that's tough! I'm glad that these new Bishops are not backing down in the face of secular (and liberal Catholic) criticism!