The Grinch Syndrome

Psalm 27:6
And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.

It could be that his head wasn't screwed on quite right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were to tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small. - Dr. Seuss

Allow me to be a bit pastoral during the first part of this article. Some mundane data is needed to make a larger point.

For those who may not know me or are reading this via another source (my copyright "rules" are intentionally very lax), I run a new traditional Catholic website. As any webmaster, from time to time I examine my traffic to get an idea of volume and where that traffic is coming from.

After examining the keywords internet users typed into various search engines causing them to arrive at angelqueen, I was surprised to find that nearly all of the searches referred in some way to traditional Catholicism or the Society of Saint Pius X.

Viewing our traffic volume was enlightening (and encouraging) as well.. I've run many websites in the past, but I've never seen one pick up this fast. Keep in mind angelqueen.org has only been up for about a month now and (leaving aside the fledgling but growing forum) the content is rather limited. If a new site with limited content is receiving this much outside interest, the traffic flowing to some of the other larger more established traditional sites must be through the roof.

God is good, as this is very good news. Christianity in general and traditional Catholicism in particular both seem to be getting a much needed shot in the arm along with renewed interest due to all of the buzz generated from "The Passion". Thank you Mel, you're doing His work.

Traditionalists also have the "Grinch syndrome" to thank for all of this renewed interest. Just as the Grinch tried to keep Christmas from coming but wound up making it even more joyous by his dastardly scheme, these grinches wound up foisted on their own petards.

It seems that this movie will raise awareness and breathe some energy into areas where awareness and energy are needed most. The Lord knows we need it given that the grinches have been trying their best to permanently stomp out this devotional form of worship for quite some time now.

That's because the grinches view traditional worship the same as they do the movie, the same as they do the Gospels and the same as they do Christianity... as a threat. What one fears they learn to hate, and what one hates they seek to destroy. Human nature 101.

Then he growled, with his grinch fingers nervously drumming,
"I MUST find a way to keep Christmas from coming!"

The grinches know that if traditionalists have their way, it means they won't be able to sell their modernist secular garbage agenda to the flock anymore. It means no women in the pulpit....ever, just as is stated plainly in scripture. It means limited "tolerance" for homosexual clergy and criminal molesters, 80% of whose victims within the Catholic church are male teens. It means the truth will be told and it is they who are nearly single handedly responsible for the faith destroying scandal we've been forced to endure.

If traditionalists start having influence, that means that the Latin rite may make a comeback and that those who choose to partake, can once again be united through Una Voce. Where all of us no matter what color, language or nationality are brothers and sisters who celebrate the same mass, as had been done throughout the ages, before the new age of the 1960s.

The grinches know as we do that the tridentine mass gives the church strength by enabling it to grow, despite seemingly insurmountable language and cultural barriers. This is not theory or hypothesis, it's empirically proven science that has been time-tested by history. The old rite also insures doctrinal integrity and protects against liturgical abuses. Such sacrilegious travesties as clown masses or Hawaiian liturgy would be unthinkable. I know it's hard to believe, but Clown masses and Hawaiian liturgy are not part of the formula that made Catholicism the great religion that civilized the world, assembled the bible and birthed all other forms of Christianity.

If the traditionalists have their way, the beautiful chants that were perfected over centuries may once again have a chance at echoing through our cathedrals and churches where it's feasible for a high mass. Oddly these chants have been the material of worldwide best selling CDs.

They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing!
They'd sing! And they'd sing!
AND they'd SING! SING! SING! SING!

If tradition is revived, the mass that inspired great music (Beethoven was completely deaf by the time he wrote Missa Solemnis), great artwork and now - to the horror of the inquisitors - great movies, will once again assume its vital role in the betterment of the human race.

What grinches fear most is that a more sacred and dedicated form of worship will be pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord's children adoring him and singing His praises is torturous to them.

But the sound wasn't sad!
Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so!
But it WAS merry! VERY!

Grinches with a worldly agenda do not care to see the Christ glorified. He gets in their way and is the antithesis of "means to an end". They tried to stop him 2000 years ago and continue to try to stop him now.

The good News is it won't work. For some reason when people try to silence or stifle Him, some kind of spiritual "judo" occurs, causing His detractor's own weight to work against them and somehow making Jesus more powerful and dignified than before. The last attempt to stifle Him occurred on Calvary 2000 years ago, yet His light and love wound up changing the course of human history from that point forward. They tried to stifle this movie, yet it's well on it's way to becoming a blockbuster of historic proportions.

He stared down at Who-ville!
The Grinch popped his eyes!
Then he shook!
What he saw was a shocking surprise!

They humiliated Him, beat him unrecognizable and executed Him, yet he rose and proceeded to reign, like some kind of blessed phoenix. At that moment the entire paradigm shifted permanently and forever. This world would never be the same, not even the way we count time. This miracle was not the result of spite, vengeance, hate or ill-will. It was the result of love.

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?

Look at their reaction to Mel's movie and you'll notice that the machinations, protestations, hysteria and lies are much the same as they were when He walked the earth. Not only has there been a concerted effort to keep this movie from ever seeing the light of day, but also a desperate attempt to scourge it now that it has. Their antics would be almost comical, but these are the same types that drop a crucifix into a jar of urine or cover the blessed mother with dung, so they're not very funny. In earlier times they fed us to animals for their entertainment so maybe there's hope for them after all.

In any case we should thank the grinches, they've been enormously helpful. We should also thank Mr. Gibson for his huge financial sacrifice and the risks he took to make this film. Most of all we should thank our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Although it's tempting to do otherwise, what we must do is pray for and love the grinches, as our Lord commands us. It may be difficult, but love itself - the real kind - is always difficult. Jesus set the great example when He asked His Father to forgive them while they were brutally nailing him to a piece of wood. Pray for them and love them.

After all the Grinch himself wound up with the guest of honor. Let's hope for the same happy ending.

I believe Mel was directed by God to make The Passion. We needed a renewal of faith here in the US, well the entire world, and this movie will reach hundreds of millions and change lives.

"I believe Mel was directed by God to make The Passion. We needed a renewal of faith here in the US, well the entire world, and this movie will reach hundreds of millions and change lives.

I'll go you one better. Given the sinfulness in and out of His Church, a heavenly inspired film is about to be distributed to every corner of the planet (Save France). One and all will have one last chance to recognize Jesus the Christ their the One True God.

Embrace the Son and you embrace the Father. To reject the Son is to reject the Father.

It's His 'last call' for all who know of His sacrifice to come to His He made to save the souls of the many.

There are a couple of theories. One is MM traveled in the mideast preaching the Gospel; another says she fled to the south of France where she lived as a hermit and mystic until her death.

It's how you live your life, day to day, that counts with Him...so if you're a Hottentot in Africa, and never had a chance to hear about Him, you're still saved if you've lived a decent, kind, and loving life. People in developing countries or at the farthest corners of the world may not get to see The Passion for years. He has to have a plan for them that makes sense. Besides, He forgives everything, so at the point of death or soon thereafter, you're probably confronted with an instant replay of your many mistakes. If you're sorry and you love God, that's all He requires. You have to forgive yourself, too, which is something you can work on while you're still in this world. That's harder than you'd think!

It's His 'last call' for all who know of His sacrifice ~~to come to His He made~~ to save the souls of the many.

I have a guess as to how this happened........

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