Still-picture from the good Frank Walker's Canon 212, depicting the No to Rigid Hypocrisy video.
Those Pesky Kids...
A slick propaganda video has been released onto the internet, which features Francis returning again to criticisms of one of his favourite groups of, some might say, straw men; those ''rigid youths'' who are supposedly blighting the Church in our day.
And so, in a week during which God has been given grave offence, real Catholics the world over have been utterly scandalized and non-Catholics bemused and even shocked, by the heaping up of sacrilegious and impure travesties at the heathenish Met Gala, Francis suggests that the most pressing need of the hour is to again target the remnant of young people who still take the Faith so seriously as to appear ''rigid'' in his - might we say? - jaundiced view.
To be perfectly honest, I sometimes think that Francis' repeated returns to this theme leave him looking a bit like those cartoon villains who, when captured at the end of each episode of Scooby Doo!, used to bemoan the fact that they would have got away with their dastardly plans if it had not been for those pesky kids!
The Rigid Label
I've mentioned before how my own experiences at Ushaw seminary, coupled to conversations with priests, seminarians and ex-seminarians from places as diverse as America, England, Germany, Holland and Ireland, as well as reading Michael S. Rose's classic book, Good Bye, Good Men - How Liberals Brought Corruption into the Catholic Church, enabled me to discern that the application of the ''rigid'' moniker was part of a sophisticated, supranational and concerted effort, made by un-Catholic subversives within the Church, to label, persecute, sideline and ultimately destroy orthodox religious vocations.
I've also discussed how Francis has used the ''rigid'' appellation a number of times in order to further frame traditional Catholic youths as not only being rigidly uptight, but as even suffering from insecurity, neuroses, psychological instability, hypocrisy and, perhaps more ominously, ''even something else''.
It seems that, in his paradigm of thought, the remnant of upright Catholic youths in the Church today appear as so many strait-jacketed Jansenists; or else as having all the harshness of a Mr. Brocklehurst or the uptightness of a Sinjin Rivers, like those two throwbacks in Charlotte Bronte's, Jane Eyre.
I must say that, out here at the peripheries, I'm not finding these ''rigid'' types at all in young Catholic circles.
In the whole Novus-Ordo culture, so far as one finds any young people these days, one more typically encounters youths who, though often sincere, have been denied decent catechetical formation, liturgical experience or solid moral teaching. In their social justice t-shirts and colourful WWJD friendship-bands, one could not justly accuse them of ridigity, but more readily would feel sadness that they have been denied better fare than they are so often given.
On the other hand, in more traditionalist areas, one frequently meets pockets of young adults whose search for beauty, goodness, truth, reverence and commitment, has led them on a journey into the lush-green and life-giving pastures of traditional Catholic orthodoxy.
With some exceptions, the majority of these young people do not strike me as ''rigid'' either.
Reverent, yes; but not rigid.
Actually, they are often just mighty glad to have discovered the wonder of truth. And there is a certain joy and humility in all of that; a certain peace, even.
We have also met young people whose growth into Catholic orthodoxy has moved them to offer themselves in active service; through things like altar-serving, singing in a Gregorian chant choir, training as care-workers for the sick, feeding the homeless and taking part in pro-life activism.
None of this comes across as particularly ''rigid''.
Neither does any of it appear in Francis' latest hit-piece... excuse me... video.
Perhaps the kids in his neck of the woods just aren't so cool?
His little film begins with the title, No to Rigid Hypocrisy. It features, amongst clips of actors portraying ''rigid'' young types - to be honest they don't even look that young, some of them, but I digress..., - programmatic music and footage of Francis preaching expressively against the, ''rigid'' Christians, who live a double life. They present themselves as good and honest, but when no-one is looking they do terrible things... I think when I say this about many young persons who have fallen into the temptation to be rigid in the Church today. Some are honest and good; but we must pray that the Lord help them to grow in meekness.''
Even if, by a stretch of charitable thinking, one allows this as being somehow a well-meant pastoral warning, after all spiritual pride is a sin to which traditional Catholics are often prone, his next comment remains particularly jarring to the Catholic mind.
He says, ''Let us ask Saul in a special way to help the rigid youth in the Church, since he was once rigid and honest, full of zeal, and yet mistaken. Let us also pray for rigid hypocrites who live a double life. Those to whom Jesus said, do what they say, but not what they do.''
Leaving aside the fact that today most Catholics would need to avoid both what Francis and his key modernistic prelates say and do in order to follow Christ truly, one finds one's jaw simply hanging open at this request to ask Saul to intervene with the ''rigid youth''.
Saul, mind you!
As the video fades to a clip of a field of daisies - look, I'm saying nothing! - this line about Saul hangs in the air like a thundery rain cloud on a summer's day.
From Saul to Paul - A Real Journey in Faith
Look, Saul was not just an honest but rigid man, full of zeal and yet mistaken.
He was a Jew, who persecuted the Church.
On the road to Damascus, and in the dramatic grace-filled events which followed, Saul was knocked from his horse by God and became Paul, St. Paul to you and me: a Catholic; an Apostle in fact; a foundational pillar of the Church; no less zealous for the Kingdom; but this time his zeal was made peaceful because it was for Christ; Paul was zealous for and by grace; and he had zeal to spread the offer of salvation to all souls who would respond.
When one thinks of all of these things discussed here today, and then reads of Cardinal Timothy Dolan sending out from the sacrilegious, $30,000 per head Met Gala for sneaked-in Hot Dogs, later topped off with peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, one can only reflect with sorrow on Our Lord's words in Acts 9:4: ''Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?''
Dear young people, and all who kindly come on here to read this blog. Please, do not become discouraged by these events or painful words emanating from Rome and the highest levels of the Church.
Whilst being aware of it, do not look for too long, or too deeply into the void. It is an absence of the good, of charity, of peace, of Jesus Christ.
Remain instead in the peace of Christ through silent prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, Rosary, Confession and Holy Mass.
Do not be discouraged either by your own weakness or sinfulness. God loves you and, provided you remain repentant and humble, devotedly receiving grace in the sacraments, with eyes always fixed on Him, you will be alright.
He has the message of eternal life. These difficult times are passing.
Keep close to Our Lady and Keep the Faith!