Do you even care about blasphemy?
Are you even Catholic?
Fr. Andrew McCormick of Philadelphia, reminds us of St. Catherine of Sienna’s quote: “We had enough exhortations to be silent. Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues! I see that the world is rotten because of silence.”
He also reminds us that Pope Felix III said that not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend truth is to suppress it, and, indeed, not to confront evil men, when we are able, is no less a sin than to encourage them.
“Whosoever shall confess Me before men, I will also confess before My Father, Who is in Heaven.” Matthew 10:28.
St. Jerome said that even dogs come to the defense of their masters and that he would rather die than remain silent as God is blasphemed. If brute animals defend their masters, how can we fail to stand up for our Creator and Redeemer?
Just as the Rosary is a battering ram for Catholics in fighting evil, the devil has one too…blasphemy. He uses it to break down men’s faith by constantly attacking the sacred persons of Jesus and Mary, whom we love. When the sacred is mocked time and time again, many grow tired of defending it and the sacred then diminishes in their minds. So, besides defending the honor of Jesus, Mary, and our Catholic faith, we have the obligation to fight blasphemy to boost people’s faith.
To rally protests against blasphemy shows other Catholics, who are tempted to think they are alone, that they are not alone.
Some say that protesting draws more people to see the blasphemy. This is not true. For example, the blasphemous sculpture of Our Lady of Guadalupe that was exhibited in Santa Fe, NM has not been heard from since the public protest that took place there.
Did Veronica worry about the publicity issue when she wiped Our Lord’s face during the Passion? She was concerned about the offense being made against Him and did everything in her power to alleviate His suffering. She wasn’t concerned about what people thought. She saw the object of her love, Our Lord, offended, attacked and suffering. She didn’t ask herself if she would be giving more publicity to the outrage being committed against Jesus Christ.
If to keep silent is the correct procedure, how Our Lord Jesus Christ must have erred in denouncing and chastising the blasphemers and scandalizers! How Holy Mother Church must have erred in following His divine steps during twenty centuries of glorious fight against all kind of errors and evils.
There is evidence suggesting film critics are swayed by the public’s perception of a play or film. When blasphemous films or plays are not met with a cry of public outrage, critics tend to write favorable or neutral reviews. On the other hand, when people speak out against blasphemous plays and films, critics follow suit.
St. Bernard teaches that all other sins are caused by human frailty or ignorance, but that sins of blasphemy come from the malice of the human heart.
See the link in post #6.