A True Priest, a Sinner, and a Funeral

So the last couple days have been a flurry of media activity regarding Barbara Johnson and her incredibly presumptuous attempt to partake of the Eucharist at her mother's funeral.

Unsurprisingly, almost every single news outlet paints Father Guarnizo as a heartless bigot who sniffed a gay and decided to make a political statement.

*Shakes head*

This woman then went on to whine about how she and her neice couldn't both eulogize her mother and how mean Father Guarnizo was by leaving the Church before she could finish waxing philosophical for her audience.

Pathetic - on so many, many levels - pathetic.

1 - You had just met this priest (for the FIRST TIME according to all accounts), and introduced him to your "partner."  In two private accounts, supposed witnesses claim you used the word "lover."  Considering you're self-proclaimed "Catholic upbringing" you know full-well living in an active homosexual relationship is a mortal sin.  Don't be surprised when he bars you from Communion.

2 - The fact that you'd just met this man for the first time surprises me in and of itself.  For being such a "devout" Catholic, how exactly did the funeral get put together without seeing him at least once?  Sure, mom could've put arrangements together before her death, and sure, the funeral home may have gotten in touch with Fr. Guarnizo in order to ensure he was scheduled for the Mass, but really?  You didn't attempt to meet with him beforehand to go over things like readings, share memories of your mother (for homily purposes) or express your desire for more than one eulogy (since eulogies aren't even a part of Catholic Funeral Masses except in cases where the pastor feels generous enough to allow one)? 

3 - You attempt playing the martyr who really loves the Church but was just cruelly treated by one of her members in stating "I have gotten email upon email saying, ‘I’m not going back,’ and I say, ‘Please go back, because that man does not represent the Catholic Church.’"

Let me go ahead and stop you right there.  This priest is more representative of the Catholic Church than you will ever be.  He is not only representative of the Church, he is a hand-selected representative of Christ!  He upholds the dogma of our Church and does not attempt bending the rules to suit his lifestyle choices, opinions or feelings.  You'd do well to follow HIS example and not that of your own selfish, arrogant and misguided brain.

I wouldn't be nearly as angry with this if she was a non-Catholic.  Non-Catholics wouldn't know any better and may very well assume that being in the Eucharistic line is just "what you do."

This woman KNOWS better but arrogantly defies Church teaching because she simply doesn't believe that her lifestyle is mortally sinful.

Fine - don't believe it.  No one is forcing you to.  But no one is forcing you to be in the Communion line, either.  Find a church that opens its doors to perversions, untruths and errors.  Don't expect the Church to bend Her teachings to give you warm fuzzies just because you don't agree with Her 2,000 + year old dogma.

THAT is what drives me up a wall.  And the fact that this wonderful priest is now being thrown under the bus by his own superiors (because God forbid we hurt the feelings of the homosexual population!) also drives me up a wall.  This is NOT a pastorally insensitive thing to do.  Nor is it misguided.  His duty is to protect the sanctity of the Eucharist and that's exactly what he did.  God forbid he gave her the Eucharist (which would be a sacrilege according to our faith).  That would be three-fold sin.  First, the woman would commit an even graver sin by sullying the Sacrament.  Next, the priest would commit the grave sin of comission by being a party to this sacrilege.  Worst of all, the priest would then be sinning by leading those who saw this exchange into moral confusion (because they might think this sacrilege to be perfectly acceptable).

Oh, for shame that folks don't realize that the priest protected not only this woman, but himself and all present at the expense of his own person.  Shameful, shameful, shameful!

Instead, this ungracious woman lashes out at him to anyone who will listen.  Why?  Because her over-inflated ego was bruised.  Better her ego than her soul and the souls of those would have witnessed it.

Honestly, I hope that anyone who stands in solidarity with her DOES stop considering themselves Catholic.  These types of folks do more harm than the atheists or agnostics who rally against us openly.  These "Cafeteria Catholics" are the WORST because they spread fallacy and scandal from the inside. 

Our beloved Church is heading for a schism.  The more that superiors bend to trash like this, the more we hurt ourselves.  Pretty soon, there's going to be a reckoning in which true Catholics stand up and say "NO MORE."  We need to clean house and rid ourselves of these cancerous members (laity and clergy included).  I wish such a step weren't necessary, but there is no doubt in my mind that this will come to a head within 10-15 years. 

We also need to do a better job teaching our members the TRUTH of our faith and punishing those who wish to bend that truth to fit their own warped agendas. 

---