Posted on 09/08/2009 12:17:05 PM PDT by Balt
2:32 PM 9/8/2009 — It’s been a week since the Dead Kennedy Show aired on TV; and, since Father Venditti has already dealt with the canonical and spiritual aspects of the whole thing, your PP would like to reflect a little on what it might mean in the whole spectrum of the development of Catholicism in the United States.
As distastefull and scandalous as we all know the Dead Kennedy Show was, it has, inadvertently, betrayed some rather encouraging signs. As little as thirty years ago, the outrage that exploded among ordinary Catholics in the wake of the Show would have been unthinkable. Fr. V. reports that he got several comments following his homily, all positive, all thanking him for addressing the issue. Not one complaint or expression of disagreement. And while web sites like Priestly Pugilist © can certainly be said to be “preaching to the choir,” the fact is that, thirty years ago, there wouldn’t have been a choir to preach to. Dr. Jeff Mirus, president of Trinity Communications, over at Catholic Culture, lists some recent pronouncements by American bishops:
The bishops of New Jersey opposing gay marriage;
the aging Archbishop of Santa Fe openly scolds his brother bishops who have criticized Obama’s appearance at Notre Dame;
the Bishop of Sioux City warns his flock that a government monopoly of health care would result in medical rationing;
the bishop of Providence reflects on the tenure of the retired out-of-the-closet” gay Archbishop Rembert Weakland of Seattle, accusing him of imposing “his vision of the Church upon his own fiefdom";
the Vatican approves a strengthening to the Catechism’s exposition of the mission to convert the Jews, at the request of the American bishops.
He then offers the following reflection:
What's still a little disconcerting is that only four of these statements and proposals represent comments that are supportive of Church teaching and edifying for the faithful. Still, a score as high as 80% would have been unthinkable thirty years ago.
And he’s right. There is no mistaking the fact that Bernadine-style “Catholicism-Lite”, identified by folk Masses, polyester vestments, prayers of the faithful taken right out of the platform of the Democratic National Committee, the reduction of Catholic dogma to the principles of social justice, priests in colored cardigans worn over tab shirts, and a deposit of faith indistinguishable from any mainline Protestant Church, is on the way out. The Dead Kennedy Show was Bernadine-style “Catholicism-Lite” on parade, of course; but it was it’s last hurrah; and the fact that it outraged “grunt Catholics” in pews across America was as significant as the spectacle of the show itself.
There is no need to mourn for it, and it’s flailing death-throws can easily be tolerated if we recognize the end of certain things its terminal illness represents: chief of which being its sad devotion to “Casablanca Moral Theory.” You’ve all seen the film, “Casablanca”, haven’t you? After Ilsa spends the night with Rick in order to coax from him the letters of transit she and her resistance-leader husband need to escape the Nazis and leave Casablanca, Rick explains to him what happened:
Humphrey Bogart: “Your wife and I knew each other in Paris, but that was over long ago. For your sake, she wanted to pretend it wasn’t, and I let her pretend.”
Paul Heinreid: “I understand. Welcome back to the fight.”
Translation: “Maybe you rogered by wife all night, but it was all for the cause, so it’s okay.” In other words, morality has nothing to do with keeping it zipped, but is reduced to “correct politics.” Does this not explain the moral system of Bernadine-style “Catholicism-Lite”, and does it not perfectly illustrate Ted Kennedy’s relationship to the Catholic Church?
Earlier this year, a dying Kennedy wrote a letter to Pope Benedict, in which he stated:
I know that I have been an imperfect human being, but with the help of my faith I have tried to right my path. I want you to know Your Holiness that in my nearly 50 years of elective office I have done my best to champion the rights of the poor and open doors of economic opportunity. I have worked to welcome the immigrant, to fight discrimination and expand access to health care and education. I have opposed the death penalty and fought to end war.
The Holy Father’s response said nothing, but simply promised prayers. That’s nice. But we should be grateful to Kennedy for having given us a clearly expressed exposition of the morality of Bernadine-style “Catholicism-Lite” for the archives: it has nothing to do with grace, with purity, with union with Christ, with concern for the final disposition of one's soul. The social doctrine of the Church isn’t simply a part of it: it’s all of it. In other words, slake whatever carnal desires you want, so long as you care about social justice. Fornicate, adulterate, contracept, abort, steal, cheat, lie, whatever; it’s all erased by an afternoon ladling out Campbell’s at the soap kitchen.
One final thought: Fr. V., in his homily, mentioned how those controlling the sole video feed for the Dead Kennedy Show had made a deliberate decision not to show the Communion line, and speculated that this was to avoid showing us all the pro-abortion Catholic politicians receiving Holy Communion in defiance of Pope Benedict’s clear directive. No doubt this is true. What’s disturbing is that, undoubtedly, the aging adherents to Beradine-style “Catholicism-lite” believe that, in doing so, they’ve dodged a bullet. One day, one hopes, it won’t be considered enough to dodge the bullet, but to actually take the gun away by refusing Holy Communion to them, courageously and publicly, and so fulfill our Lord’s command to “feed my sheep."
At least we have the Dead Kennedy show on tape so that, after “Catholicism-lite” is dead, we can show it to our children and let them wonder how the once and now faithful Church in the United States had sunk so low in its attempt to kill itself. We can only pray.
Wish I could say this were true, but New England and the mid-Atlantic are filled to the rafters with “Catholics” who are pro-abortion, pro-birth control, in Church twice a year (if that), and who vote Democrat.
bookmark
That is one excellent blog.
With all due respect, I’d suggest that the sacking of Bishop Martino indicates otherwise.
Orthodox parishes are growing and Liberal are waning.
True, but every parish that is closing is not being replaced on a one-to-one basis. It all depends on how much you folks can breed and whether or not you can bring “ethnic/ancestral Catholics” (a really annoying group of people) back into the fold.
Sacking? So says TIME magazine?
My understanding is that this had little to do with Martino's courageous stand against pro-death politicians. It had to do more with the style of leadership he excersized among his priests. I, too, had the experience of serving under a bishop who was very orthodox, but who made the life of every priest in his diocese a living hell, transfering them every couple of years, not listening to their concerns, micro-managing the administration of their parishes, and generally being a a--hole. There's more to being a good bishop than simply being conservative.
Shooting for numbers and certain groups is the wrong way to go. Preach the TRUTH, in and out of season, and people will flock to the Church.
Buzzbomb From Pasadena
Shoo, young punks, I love my car!!!
Thank you Neidermeyer - somebody had to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDehTfim014
TheAdmiral.
“Sacking? So says TIME magazine?”
No, other hierarchs and people at the Vatican and elsewhere. Did Time say something?
So true...and live the Truth. And Thanks to the Fighting Padre as always. You are a gift in this never ending struggle.
I thought you believed Bishop Martino was a heretic and in need of removal or at least correction. Or am I thinking of another Bishop? So many in need of replacement, correction it's hard to keep track!
“I thought you believed Bishop Martino was a heretic and in need of removal or at least correction.”
Indeed I, along with others, do think he is a heretic and the Church is better off without him. His sacking seems to establish an ecclesial bright line beyond which hierarchs and, one assumes, priests conflating right wing American politics with The Faith cross only at their peril. I suggest that Martino’s sacking spells the end of political and politicized Roman Catholicism in this country, at least at the clerical and hierarchial level. To some degree, the sacking is a triumph of the liberal Catholicism this author says is dead. Its far from dead.
Care to lay a wager that Cardinal O’Malley won’t be sacked over the Kennedy funeral?
The only DK worth listening to.
Nope! Sadly, I think you may be right,
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