For Catholics: What shall we do...

23 March A.D. 2002 | father_elijah

[father_elijah]

SHALL WE GATHER AT THE RIVER?

We Catholic Americans are at a crossroads. Our Lord Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World is exposing all those who wound his sacred Body by abusing children and youth. Our Lord is also exposing rot and disease within the structures and leadership of the Church from within provinces of religious orders, Catholic universities, and diocesan chanceries.

It is time to clean house. Not only do the pederasts, sex abusers, and homosexuals need to be removed from leadership and the ranks of the ordained, but also the Church needs to excommunicate all Catholic politicians in the United States of America whose votes continue the holocaust of abortion.

PREPARATION
In order to serve Christ and his poor Church in this time of crisis, each of us are called to avail ourselves of the sacraments that we may trample the devil under our feet. Let each of us 1) make a good confession; 2) receive the Eucharist on the Feast of Divine Mercy and receive Christ’s promises to St. Faustina of mercy and pardon; 3) engage in works of mercy; and, 4) encourage others to do the same.

We lead by prayer, and we are made strong by Christ’s self-offering of his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We have a great weapon for fighting evil in the rosary. We do not turn to prayer as a last resort, but we turn to prayer as the beginning, center, and end of all that we strive to do for Our Lord Jesus Christ. We engage in prayer for the Church knowing that when we pray we are not alone in prayer or in action. Our Lord, Our Lady, St. Joseph, and the whole communion of saints join with us in interceding for the Church.

We who long for the cleansing of the Church from these grave evils have the means of prayer through which we can grow in holiness even as we pray for the Church to be cleansed of evil and made holy as Christ is holy. Let us avail ourseves of these gifts of prayer:

The Daily Mass or a daily Act of Spiritual Communion
Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration
Benediction and Adoration
The Holy Rosary
The Chaplet of Divine Mercy
The Litanies
The Liturgy of the Hours
Other Chaplets and Devotions

Let every action we undertake be covered in prayer and overshadowed by the Holy Spirit so that only God’s will is desired and achieved through our efforts.

ACTION
For love of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are called to action against evil. Let each faithful Catholic offer themselves at Mass or at home to be the beginning point of the Church’s cleansing and renewal. Ask the Lord’s blessing that we may each speak the truth in love and walk in the Holy Spirit.

There are a variety of actions that one can undertake to be part of the solution. The following are suggestions that have been made on various internet discussion lists.

*Show up at your parish and pray at 3pm every day
*Show up at your diocesan Chancery and pray
*Show up at the nearest Chancery on the Monday after Easter
at 12 noon and pray the Rosary for the Cleansing of the Priesthood
*Write, telephone, and e-mail your bishops and priests and express your horror over the sexual scandals and tell them you expect full disclosure and immediate action.
*Write to the Holy Father -- write in Polish if you can -- and beg him to intervene and clean up the Church in the United States. Be sure to copy your bishop and pastor.

The following are some actions you may consider asking of the Holy Father(and recommending to your bishop):

1. Ask the Holy Father to lead the Church in a worldwide Day of Penance for the sexual sins of the Church’s leadership;
2. Ask the Holy Father to declare that homosexuals may not receive Holy Orders;
3. Ask the Holy Father to remove Cardinals, bishops, priests, and deacons who have covered up cases of sexual abuse.
4. Ask the Holy Father to give the Church in the USA new Cardinals especially elevating Archbishop Chaput of Denver
5. Ask the Holy Father to shut down religious orders or provinces of religious orders (like the California province of the Society of Jesus) that are a scandal in themselves.
6. Ask the Holy Father to give Cardinal Law, Cardinal Egan, and Cardinal Mahony new jobs at the Vatican.
7. Ask the Holy Father to suspend the US National Conference of Catholic Bishops and to appoint either a triumvirate to clean house or an Inquisitor General to root out evil and liberate the Church in the USA from error and crime.
8. Ask the Holy Father to restore the prayer “St. Michael the Archangel” to the close of every Mass.
9. Ask the Holy Father to extend the faculty to every priest in the Church to celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Missal.
10. Ask the Holy Father to excommunicate Catholic politicians who support the holocaust of abortion.
11. Ask the Holy Father to give the Cardinal’s red hat to Archbishop Chaput, Bishop Bruskewitz, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J.
12. Ask the Holy Father to disassociate the Church from those once Catholic universitiies and colleges that no longer affirm the magisterium of the Church or loyalty to the Pope.
13. Ask the Holy Father to make Fr. Benedict Groeschel the next Archbishop of New York.

Some will find these ideas too presumptuous, but it is clear that the Holy Father and the leadership of the Church in the USA need to hear from the rank and file faithful.

Finally, be sure to pray for the Pope, and write to the Holy Father a letter of encouragement. Assure him of your prayers for his intentions and for him personally. Also, write letters of encouragement to any deacon, priest, or bishop whom you know to be defenders of the faith and devoted to Our Lord Jesus Christ. Our good and faithful priests need to know that they are loved and cherished.

Jesus, King of the nations, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
Good Saint Joseph, pray for us.
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, pray for us.

[father_elijah]

Thanks for the good ideas on being active and involved in the local parish.

[ventana]

Prayerful, thankful, bump. V's wife.

[father_elijah]

Nothing is impossible with God.

[chit*chat]

Bill O'Reilly has been discussing this all week. He said that the pedophiles in the church make up about 6%, the same percent found in the general population.

When I heard that stat, it made me wonder why it is being blown out of proportion to seem like it constitutes the majority of Catholic priests.

[B Knotts]

7. Ask the Holy Father to suspend the US National Conference of Catholic Bishops and to appoint either a triumvirate to clean house or an Inquisitor General to root out evil and liberate the Church in the USA from error and crime.

I agree, but I shudder to think of the field day the media would have with the appointment of an "Inquisitor."

[father_elijah]

I agree, but I shudder to think of the field day the media would have with the appointment of an "Inquisitor."

Okay. How about "Facilitator General"?

[father_elijah]

Your point is well taken. Thank you.

[choirboy]

the church of seven hills

The Catholic Church is NOT the church of the seven hills. The seven hills of Rome are on the East side of the Tiber River. The Vatican is on the West side of the Tiber River and itself sits on a hill. So, now we're talking about eight hills. I see geography is not you're strong point.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

Thank you for this reasoned post. I think, as the tawdry flood of news has broken I have been forced to come face to face with a terrible realization--that I have actually lost my faith in the existence of God and in the possibilities of Western Civilization. The idea of the Church--that is, the remembrance of the Church as passed down by my ancestors, was the last hiding place for me. It was the last cultural refuge.

I really don't think the "Vatican II People" understand how devastating the act of stripping our rituals of their aesthetic heritage has been for us "post-Vatican II People" who are struggling with our faith. (Or maybe they understand all too well!!) The idea of "god" as fashioned by the Catholic Church down through the ages, and adorned with unmatchable musical, artistic, intellectual and architectural expression, was the best IDEA for a god ever imagined. I can't begin to express how the smashing of this tradition has hastened the loss of faith for many people. When the struggle came there was no ancient ritual to fall back upon for support.

The Mass, as it is currently "presented" in many parishes out in the "sticks" is an unbearable aesthetic affront. It amuses me (grimly) when I see pasty-faced old nuns being interviewed on TV asserting that Catholics don't attend Mass because they want to see women as Priests.

And don't get me started on the "music". To anyone with any muscial taste the thing that passes for music in most Churches it is an abomination. It is so bad that it makes me mad. It literally drives a person--whose faith is already in tatters--out the back door.

Also, don't get me started on the sheer insipidity of many priests in the pulpit. I know the crisis right now is about their abusive homosexuality. But the insipidity is also a terrible thing to behold. In most pulpits the priests could put on black face and do a fine imitation of Oprah.

Well, it's pointless to keep whining. And, I believe hopeless. The Church heirarchy has adopted the same suicidal cultural position as the Western Elite in general. For the political and economic Elite I can shrug my shoulders and survive on bitter wise-cracks from the sidelines. But, for some reason, my rage against the Church heirarchy knows no bounds. I think it has something to do with the fact that my parents died last year. And the memory of my grandparents and all of my great aunts and uncles and the way they practiced and lived their faith. The University heads (oh god, don't get me started on THAT subject) Bishops, Cardinals, yes, and the Pope have all spat upon their graves and made a mockery of their intelligent faithfulness.

As I said I appreciate your reasoned words. But I can't help fantasizing about using an old bull whip we've preserved from the family's first cattle ranch in this country on one of the "enabling" Bishops or Cardinals. Driving them out into the streets bloody and screaming while I utter some medieval incantation. ( But they'd probably enjoy it too much.)

Anyway, if there is a god, I'm glad he allowed my parents to pass away before the full force of this corruption hit the news. That's the first time all year I've been able to think that. It's one hell of a way to find comfort......

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"What about women? Should we keep them in the closet?"

Not necessarily. Only if they're excessively ugly and stupid--which unfortunately describes many of the most visible "churchwomen" today.

Women like my great-grandmother, grandmothers, great aunts, aunts and mom--all of whom I have seen in action--were smart, tough, good-looking and loved the Church.

Unfortunately they're all dead.

[ward_of_the_state]

While I agree with several things that you say, I think we have to be careful about doing things that would keep others who want to join the Church from coming in. Six years ago this Easter, I answered God's call and became a Catholic Christian. I had hesitated before because I had thought the Catholic faith too intimidating and austere. When I went through RCIA, I found out what a welcoming and faith-filled place it is. The Church has always been plagued by scandal (just look back at Henry VIII). It's survived for centuries because of the faith, charity, and love of people such as you and I answering Christ's call. Every year, at the Rite of Election, I see the numbers of people coming in, and I am reassured that despite all of the Devil's attempts, God's church will carry on.

But, let me also add that the problems of the Church do need to be exposed and justice needs to be done. That is the way to healing.

[LaBelleDameSansMerci]

"...but I shudder to think of the field day the media would have with the appointment of an "Inquisitor."..."

***** * ******!!! Was there some section of Vatican II that outlawed testicles?? Screw the news media!! Instead of teenage boys.

Get in their face. Can't we learn anything from our black brothers and sisters? Embrace the stereotypes and prejudices. Become their worst nightmare. And smash their bigotry right into their quvering little blubbery faces.

Inquisiton now!!! Is there, by any chance, a priest named Torquemada on the roles? Put him in charge.....

[ward_of_the_state]

Hee, hee! I have do have to admit, LaBelle, I like your style! It's time that we stop holding supermodels up as the standard of beauty and turn to women such as The Blessed Virgin Mother and Mother Teresa as our role models. Now, those are beautiful women!

[DreamWeaver]

Bump

For later reading

[ventana]

Lemonhead, FR IS! a terrible backlash against the media. As is Drudge. We grow, they shrink. See the long view of how this portends. V's wife.

[Judith Anne]

My heart goes out to you...Fortunately, my tiny rural parish has my husband playing the musical liturgy, and he is a classicly trained keyboard musician, who loves the best that music has to offer...we also attend mass occasionally at a nearby Trappist monastery, where Gregorian chant is alive

My dear, I know how you feel...