Does anyone else feel a bit like characters in a Chicken Little book?  Instead of the sky falling, I am constantly hearing "The Church is falling!  The Church is falling!" from a swelling underbelly of paranoid Catholics and a growing army of gleeful anarchists.  

If you take a look at the media, you'd think the Church was at death's door!

• Hispanics "Leaving the Church Behind"
• We're apparently a "Dying Church" (NCR, so hold your nose)
  
• Threads like this... so many flippin' threads like this.

Relax, folks.  I assure you, the Church isn't going anywhere.  Remember that whole business with Peter getting renamed in front of the giant cave that devoured infants?  

No?

Let me refresh your memory, then.  Since all four of the Gospels were pretty clear about this, it's obviously important enough for folks to understand.

Once upon a time, Simon (meaning "reed") was following a cool guy named Jesus.  Simon wasn't super smart, he certainly wasn't very rich, and he didn't hold major sway in the community.  That was okay.  He wasn't interested in being the smartest guy in the room. Money didn't hold any power over him, and he didn't aim to have folks do his bidding.  He was just a guy who loved Jesus and was willing to follow Him wherever He went - up to and including the Gates of Hell.

That's right, folks!  Simon followed Jesus to the Gates of Hell!  Believe it or not, this place actually existed in his time.  It was located in Caesarea Philippi, and today, it looks like this:

What you're looking at is a giant cave that was carved into a massive chunk of stone.  In fact, this giant stone mass housed several caves which, at the time of Jesus, would have been temples dedicated to various deities.  

This particular one, however, was dedicated to Pan, god of desolate places (being a lonely little farmer / herder dude isn't the best diety-gig to have).  Because his temple had a bit of water running through it, folks would come and sacrifice their infants over the cliff to him where they would either drown or die of blunt force trauma.  Thus, because of the grisly sacrificing of such innocence, it was likened to the gates of Hades (even by the Romans).  

*Yeesh*

So Simon followed Jesus all the way to Caesarea Philippi to stand before this giant stone structure that signified death and complete desolation.  It was here that Jesus asked a series of silly questions.  I'll let the Bible talk from here:

Good old Simon.  His birth name meant reed, something easily bent or even broken by the passing breeze.  

Now, however, Jesus blessed him with the name that translates to "large rock."  Jesus didn't change Simon's name because He was impressed with Simon's knowledge of Scripture.  He didn't change his name because He liked how sinless Simon was.  He didn't even change his name because of how faithfully Simon followed Jesus all around the known world.  

No.

Jesus changed Simon's name to Peter because name changes signify divine inspiration - a deep, spiritual change that dictates a person's destiny.  It's part of the reason we are given new names at Confirmation, too!

Jesus specifically changed Simon's name to Peter because He asked a question with an answer that only could've been arrived at through divine inspiration.  Simon was open to the movement of the Spirit, and this is why he was chosen as the cornerstone of the Church.  

On Peter's shoulders the Church would be built.  When Jesus goes on and explains that He will give him (after the Ascension) the "keys to the kingdom," He was referencing Isaiah 22:22-23.  

For those unfamiliar, the "key" wasn't just a symbol of power the king bestowed onto his most trusted servant.  The key was an actual key that could open or lock all the doors in the kingdom (grain storehouses, vaults for gold, even the very temple doors).  Whoever wielded the key was given the king's authority (with his approval, of course) while the king is absent.  The servant then went about doing the king's bidding by opening grain storehouses for the hungry, the vaults to pay for kingdom necessities, making pronouncements, etc.  

Jesus was telling Peter that his openness to divine inspiration announced him as this highly trusted servant.  And thus, on Peter's shoulders, the glory of his ancestors (the Jews) and his descendants / offspring (the Catholic Church / various sects of Christianity) will hang on his leadership.  PETER is the cornerstone on which Christ's Church is built.  

If you continue reading Isaiah (and I love this), the original servant spoken of is named Eliakim.  Verses 24-25 speak of Eliakim's eventual downfall and the institution of another servant.  This servant is Peter, and when the Lord speaks, it is Jesus who does the speaking.  How awesome is that?

Anywho, Peter is set as the everlasting servant.  The gates of the hell (Death) shall not prevail against the Church set forth under his guidance.  Jesus entrusts this destiny to Peter because he has proven his openness to divine inspiration.  Peter proves himself as the faithful, humble servant who does not put his own "wisdom" above that of God the Father.

THAT is the sign of a great servant.  

So why do I bring this up at all?  

Because for all the bellyaching folks are making about Pope Francis, they need to keep in mind that he is a servant.  He is a servant hand-selected by divine inspiration to "keep the keys" until Christ comes back for the 2nd Coming.  

You trust Jesus, right?  You trust that what he said 2 millenia ago still rings true today, yes? Then quit your bellyaching and trust that when He said He wouldn't let His Church crumble, He's not gonna let His Church crumble.

The Church is His eternal bride.  He's not going to forsake us.  We'll be persecuted and crucified, this is true.  We must, after all, follow faithfully in His Footsteps.  But we must remember that with a death fashioned after Christ's comes a resurrection as well.  

We have been told that the time is coming for this great persecution and crucifixion, but we're not there yet.  Even if we were, your job isn't to head for the hills or apostatize.  Your job is to keep your oil lamps filled and burning brightly.  Your job is to be a beacon of Christ to others.  Your job is to continue praying for and supporting the Church.  

I am deeply saddened for and shamed by those Catholics who are renouncing the faith simply because this pope doesn't do things the way they expect.  Our faith goes beyond a man in a white cassock.  Our faith is the Resurrected God-Man who consents to give Himself to us as food in the Eucharist... as mercy in the Confessional... as divine royalty in Heaven.

I'm also saddened for and shamed by those who are gleefully dancing over the tears of those Catholics who mourn the loss of faith in their communities and families.  Things may look bleak from where you're standing.  You might delight in the passing of laws that deride the Church and force Her members to face fierce punishment and humiliation, but we know better.

We've witnessed Our Lord upon the Cross.  We've seen His Divine Face, even as blood and spittle made Him almost unrecognizable.  We've recognized that through this torturous sacrifice, evil was conquered and hope for our eternal inheritance was restored.  Laugh now, but we are no strangers to persecution.

Know this.  We are the Church that Christ founded.  We are His Body, we are His Bride.  He will not allow us to be destroyed.

So to you Catholic Chicken Littles running around freaking out about the state of the Church, relax. Do your part by praying, sacrificing and being the person God meant for you to be.  Do not worry about the pope shirking his mantum or the local priest singing One Bread, One Body.  Unless you witness an actual sacrilege or liturgical abuse happening, try not to freak out and just turn to Christ in prayer.  Don't spread paranoia and upset by lamenting the terrible state the Church is in because Father So-and-So allows women to distribute Communion.  

You folks know I hate that.  It's one of my biggest pet peeves.  But ya know what?  I don't deny myself participation in the one, true and Catholic liturgy because of bone-headed mistakes.  Also, even if the priest in question did it PURPOSEFULLY KNOWING he was in the wrong, I'm not going to let his sin cut off my avenue to Christ, because even if he was stained with a thousand mortal sins, Father Pro-Women Eucharistic Ministers is still Christ's representative on Earth and is able to consecrate whereas I am not.

To you Christian Chicken Littles hoping beyond hope that the evil Catholic Church is finally crumbling, sorry.  You guys are our brothers and sisters in Christ.  We still pray for you at every.single.Mass.  You are our offspring.  Do not neglect your Mother.  

To those of you who are foaming at the mouth waiting to ravage the remnants of a Church on fire, don't hold your breath.  Seriously.  

Let's say my mother is driving a car.  We're about to take a curve too harshly.  Considering there's a canyon to the left of us, if she continues speeding, we're likely to tumble into the abyss.

Do I refrain from telling her to slow down because I'm afraid I might hurt her feelings for criticizing her driving?

No.  I like my life.

Instead, I'd say, "Hey Mom, you need to apply the brakes because if you don't, we're likely to take a tumble neither one of us will enjoy."

Would I be judging my mother to be a bad driver?  No.

Would I be judging her behavior to be bad?  Yes.

Might she feel as though I'd judged her to be a bad driver?  Yes, it's a possibility.

If she feels as though I've passed a negative judgement on her, does that mean I have?  No.

Even knowing that she might have her feelings hurt as a result of my criticism, should I refrain from suggesting she slow down?  NO.

As I've said in previous entries, I simply do not have the personality to sit on the sidelines while someone is acting in a way that is either harmful to self or others.  I can't.  I automatically put a familiar face on these folks and my decision is made - political correctness be damned. 

That is exactly what we are asked to do as Catholics.  The quote "Judge not, lest ye be judged" is often given as a means to stifle this responsibility.  However, if we read juuust a little bit further, we'll come to understand that this misrepresented quote (found on everything from billboards to memes to T-shirts) means something much different than the sound byte it's utilized as.

Here is the quote in its entirety (from the New American Bible, so the wording is slightly changed):

Jesus said to His disciples: “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”  Matt 7:1-5

In other words, use your God-given intellect to discern judgement.  It isn't necessarily meaning we should condemn, but it's certainly charging us with the responsibility of properly judging all things with equality.

In fact, there are quotes all over the Bible specifically commanding this of us.

In the gospels, Luke echoes Matthew in Chapter 6 with "Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven... For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you."

John (7:24) relays Jesus saying "Judge not according to appearance, but judge righteously."

In Proverbs (3:21), "Preserve sound judgement and discernment."

In the Letter of St. Paul to the Phillipians (1:9-11), "And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God."

And my favorite (also from Luke 6) stating, "A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit. For people do not pick figs from thorn bushes, nor do they gather grapes from brambles. A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good, but an evil person out of a store of evil produces evil; for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks."

Special thanks to Creative Minority Report for not only having the full ad, but the full text here.

Another special thanks to Nicole for dropping this off via FB.  I'd seen it being talked about on a few blogs, but I hadn't gotten the full text until now!

I'll deal with the Catholic vs. Muslim NTY Ad issue at another time.  Today I want to focus on the Catholic ad.

I'm all for free speech.  I honestly don't mind that they paid for an ad that voiced their opinions.  That being said, I'm unsurprised that they chose to exercise their freedom of speech by once again attacking Catholicism and seeking to muddy the real issues that surround US Catholics at present.

I'll take the text and respond - one at a time - to their ludicrous statements.  My comments are in red.


Dear ‘Liberal’ Catholic: 

It’s time to quit the Roman Catholic Church.

It’s your moment of truth. Will it be reproductive freedom, or back to the Dark Ages? Do you choose women and their rights, or Bishops and their wrongs? Whose side are you on, anyway? 

Common ploy to polarize!  You're attempting to juxtapose issues that don't actually exist.  For example, in attempting to contrast our Bishops and "their wrongs" with women and "their rights" it appears that the two are at odds.  In truth, Catholics are

attempting to continue
providing women with
the most comprehensive
healthcare possible. 

And these are only a few examples - a very tiny sampling of the almost unfathomable amount of resources we dedicate to providing reliable, charitable healthcare to ALL people all over the world.  But sure - this is simply a matter of us suddenly wanting to stop providing what is a vital part of our Catholic identity.  Of course.  That makes perfect sense.  <sarcasm>

It is time to make known your dissent from the Catholic Church, in light of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops’ ruthless campaign endangering the right to contraception. If you’re part of the Catholic Church, you’re part of the problem.

I didn't realize that practicing my faith somehow trampled on your rights.  In speaking out against this mandate, I'm not stopping you from purchasing condoms, pills or even abortions.  I'm simply attempting to keep myself from footing the bill for your lifestyle choices, especially when those lifestyle choices go directly against my faith.  Isn't this what you've always wanted?  This is the Church attempting to stay out of your bedroom.  Stay out of my wallet, k?

Why are you propping up the pillars of a tyrannical and autocratic, woman-hating, sex-perverting, antediluvian Old Boys Club?

Your proof for any of those completely fallacious statements is where?  And that whole sex-perversion comment makes me laugh.  We're upholding sexual intercourse to be a holy, beautiful and intimate bond between husband and wife.  You folks are the ones attempting to make it a free-for-all that is free from emotion, respect, and responsibility.

Why are you aiding and abetting a church that has repeatedly and publicly announced a crusade to ban contraception, abortion and sterilization, and to deny the right of all women everywhere, Catholic or not, to decide whether and when to become mothers?

Because the Church is correct in attempting to stamp out that which is morally bankrupt.  We're NOT attempting to refuse women the right to choose whether / when to become mothers.  They're perfectly capable of doing that on their own.  It's as simple as saying "No, honey, not tonight."  Or are you attempting to assert that women are ignorant and incapable of understanding their own bodies well enough to address this issue themselves without the aid of harmful chemicals /invasive procedures? 

When it comes to reproductive freedom, the Roman Catholic Church is Public Enemy Number One. Think of the acute misery, poverty, needless suffering, unwanted pregnancies, social evils and deaths that can be laid directly at the door of the Church’s antiquated doctrine that birth control is a sin and must be outlawed.

Oh really?  Reproductive freedom goes both ways, dear.  How about we call it Reproductive RESPONSIBILITY.  Folks don't want to accept responsibility anymore.  It has nothing to do with freedom.  It has to do with a refusal of responsibility.  Freedom is as simple as saying "No, I'm not ready for a child, thus I'm not ready for the act that goes into creating a child" or even "I'm not ready (or willing) to have a child, thus I need to be aware of my body's signals that I'm fertile."

In the eyes of the Church, birth control, abortion and sterilization are mortal sins.  Our doctrine on this is not something that can become "antiquated."  So regardless of how much public opinion is influenced by your liberal thrust, the Church will remain firmly rooted in the Truth of the Teachings of Christ.  Thus, call us outdated all you want.  Truth is timeless, and no matter how many times you try to say 1+1=7, the Catholic Church will always discern your folly and seek to correct that folly for the good of Her people.

A backer of the Roman Catholic presidential candidate says that if women want to avoid pregnancy we should put an aspirin between our knees?

Apparently we must take his word for gospel because he's a Catholic.  Good thing there haven't been any folks who parade themselves as Catholic and do / say some REALLY anti-Catholic things (Pelosi, anyone?  Cuomo?  I could go on). 

Catholic politicians are urging that the right to contraception should be left up to states?
Nearly 50 years after the Supreme Court upheld contraception as a privacy right, we’re going to have to defend this basic freedom all over again?

Back to that whole "Truth is timeless" point.  Just because the SC said something's A-OK doesn't mean we have to agree.  We'll keep plugging away until all life (even that within the womb) is viewed with the respect and dignity it deserves.

You’re better than your church.

Correction - we ARE the Church.

So why? Why continue to attend Mass? Tithe?

To worship God in a way He specified was holy and good.
To join together as a community to renew our covenant with God as His family.
To listen to the Word of God and participate in His Death and Resurrection.
To partake of the Blessed Sacrament - something no other religion has.
To bear our petitions before the Throne of the Lord on the wings of our angels.
To unite ourselves more fully to the Church Triumphant, Penitent and Militant.
To express thankfulness for the blessings we've received through Divine Providence.
Annnnd, this list could seriously go on forever.

Why dutifully sacrifice to send your children to parochial schools so they can be brainwashed into the next generation of myrmidons (and, potentially, become the next Church victims)?

Of course it's seen as brainwashing to you.  And that's fine - no one's asking you to send your kids to Catholic school.  However, I know I intend to send mine to a Catholic school so they gain a firm foundation for TRUE Catholic teachings - not the misinformation you spread as fact. 

I also appreciate the comfort of knowing Catholic education does a much better job of helping children succeed academically than its secular counterpart.  And for the record, that information was compiled using the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

For that matter, why have you put up with an institution that won’t put up with women priests, that excludes half of humanity?

This simply shows your ignorance of Catholicism.  ALL people are part of the royal priesthood (men and women alike).  However, only men can belong to the ministerial priesthood through Ordination, and that's because women are NATURALLY able to become vessels of life.  Men can only gain that gift through the vocation of priesthood (in bearing Christ to the people through Consecration).  But since folks like you can't seem to grasp that dignity is not something measured by things you can pat yourself on the back for, just read this and learn why we believe women cannot be priests.

No self-respecting feminist, civil libertarian or progressive should cling to the Catholic faith.

Again, you're attempting to polarize things that honestly have no reason being a part of this discussion.  You're attempting to shame folks into leaving the Church because you view it as anti-feminist, stifled and archaic.  The Church is none of these things.  We respect our women, we revere tradition, and we are able to grow in spirituality courtesy of the Holy Spirit.  Just because we aren't willing to fall into the muck you call "progress" doesn't mean we can't be progressive.  We just think your version of "progress" is highly suspect and can be likened more to humanity slipping BACKWARDS into slime and filth.

As a Cafeteria Catholic, you chuck out the stale doctrine and moldy decrees of your religion, but keep patronizing the establishment that menaces public health by serving rotten offerings.

You have completely misunderstood the concept of Cafeteria Catholic, haven't you?

Your continuing Catholic membership, as a “liberal,” casts a veneer of respectability upon an irrational sect determined to blow out the Enlightenment and threaten liberty for women worldwide. You are an enabler. And it’s got to stop.

I agree that Cafeteria Catholics have to stop, but I think we differ on the reasons why, as these folks do nothing to cast ANY sort of respectability upon those of us who are faithful Catholics.  And as for your talk of Enlightenment... well... that's obviously hogwash as Catholicism is a beacon of truth in your sea of folly.  As much as you want to claim we're threatening women's health / liberty, we're probably the last bastion they've got that is willing to provide them the compassion and dignity they desperately need.

If you imagine you can change the church from within — get it to lighten up on birth control, gay rights, marriage equality, embryonic stem-cell research — you are deluding yourself.

For any Catholic that thinks they can change that stuff, you're not understanding the concept of dogma, and I'd agree with the statement of "you are deluding yourself." 

If you remain a “good Catholic,” you are doing “bad” to women’s rights.

Not only is a non-Catholic attempting to tell me I'm being "bad" but an atheistic one who HATES Catholicism.  No conflict of interest there, right?  Excuse me, waiter... can I please have a heaping serving of salt to go with this garbage?

You’re kidding yourself if you think the Church is ever going to add a Doctrine of Immaculate ContraCeption.

I bet you thought you were hilarious with that one, didn't you?  *Shakes head*  That's pathetic.

It is disgraceful that U.S. health care reform is being held hostage to the Catholic Church’s bizarre opposition to medically prescribed contraception.

No, what's disgraceful is that the current administration is attempting to dismantle our 1st Amendment rights and a portion of the population is perfectly content to stand by because they don't understand / care what's going on.

No politician should jeopardize electability for failure to genuflect before the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Again, while I'm sure you thought your imagery was hilarious, you fail to make any sort of substantial point.  No one is expecting politicians to genuflect before a bishop.  We (meaning faithful Catholics) want politicians to uphold the office they were elected for.  We want them to hear our voice and protect our right to freedom of religion.  If they fail to uphold the dignity of their office, we'll be sure to give them a good old-fashioned boot come next election.

(Question to ask your Bishop: Does he hold up an umbrella against the rain? Isn’t that just as “unnatural” as using a condom or diaphragm?)

Again, this foolish question makes no sense, but it betrays your view of sex.  For Catholics, sexual relations are a renewal of wedding vows.  It is the total giving of self by husband to wife (and vice versa).  Exactly what sort of loving, self-giving exchange is occurring between a human being and rain?

Your Church hysterically claims that secular medical policy is “an assault against religious liberty.”

It's not a hysterical claim, but I know you're trying with increasing fervor to make others believe that's all it is.  This is a proclamation of TRUTH.

You are savvy enough to realize that the real assault is by the Church against women’s rights and health care.

I see what you attempted to do there.  I know you're attempting to stroke my ego and make me go "Yeah!  I AM smart enough to realize the Church is really anti-women!"

Unfortunately for you, I'm actually much more intelligent and knowledgable about my faith than you are.  So how about you back off with attempting to tell me what my religion stands for and you go about your business of trying to prove to yourself that there is no higher power awaiting you at death.

As Nation columnist Katha Pollitt asks: Is it an offense against Jehovah Witnesses that health care coverage will include blood transfusions? The Amish, as Pollitt points out, don’t label cars “an assault on religious liberty” and try to force everyone to drive buggies. The louder the Church cries “offense against religious liberty” the harder it works to take away women’s liberty.

Mark Shea answers this way better than I ever could, so just read this.

Obama has compromised,

No, no he didn't.  In fact, he outright lied.

but the Church never budges, instead launching a vengeful modern-day Inquisition.

Yup.  And I'm quite pleased that She's finally mobilizing the Church Militant in defense of Truth!

Look at its continuing directives to parish priests to use their pulpits every Sunday to lobby you against Obama’s policy, the Church’s announcement of a major anti-contraception media campaign — using your tithes, contributions and donations — to defeat Obama’s laudable health care policy.

Have you actually been to any churches on Sunday?  That's an obvious "no."

The Church has introduced into Congress the “Respect for Rights of Conscience Act, ” a bill to place the conscienceless Catholic Church’s “rights of conscience” above the rights of conscience of 53 percent of Americans. That the Church has “conscience rights” to deny women their rights is a kissing cousin to the claim that “corporations are people.” The Church that hasn’t persuaded you to oppose contraception now wants to use the force of secular law to deny contraceptive rights to non-Catholics.

Wow - to be quite honest, you lost me at "conscienceless Catholic Church."  Also, what is this "53 percent of Americans" you're referring to?

But is there any point in going on?

Plenty, as you've yet to give me any solid reasons to leave what I know to be the fulfillment of God's promise for salvation.  We have the Sacraments, we have true, moral guidance, we have a community of good, charitable people who seek to extend their hands to help Divine Providence along.  We have the Church Triumphant and the Church Penitent pulling for us, and we've got the guidance of the Holy Spirit to navigate us through your treachery. 

You've got what?  Pills and condoms?  Moral bankruptcy?  A hopeless future in which life amounts to nothing more than personal gratification and selfish ideas of how others can be utilized for your own ends?

Yeah... no thanks.

After all, your misplaced loyalty has lasted through two decades of public sex scandals involving preying priests, children you may have known as victims, and church complicity, collusion and coverup going all the way to the top.

Ah, there it is... I was waiting for this to rear its head.  Yes, we've had our share of fallen leaders, same as everyone else.  There really isn't much we can do to rectify all the hurt and pain we've caused, but good luck to the world in attempting to pay us back for all the good we've done.  We are a sinful people, but in the end, our track record is much more golden than tarnished.  Though this is an ugly scar we will bear forever (and rightly so), it doesn't diminish the humane, holy, and charitable good we've done all over the world.

Are you like the battered woman who, after being beaten down every Sunday, feels she has no place else to go?

Really?  You seriously went with THIS imagery?  I guess you're really trying to bring home your whole "the Church hates women" argument.  Again - very sad.

But we have a more welcoming home to offer,

Like all those wonderful things I mentioned above???  Again - no thanks!

free of incense-fogged ritual,

Also free from holiness, blessings and God

free of what freethinker Bertrand Russell called “ideas uttered long ago by ignorant men,”

Apparently free from common sense and knowledge of what Catholicism actually teaches, too.

free of blind obedience to an illusory religious authority.

And to top it off, free from absolutes, tradition and reality.  Again, no thanks!

Join those of us who put humanity above dogma.

You're confusing humanity for personal gratification and immaturity - a life free from responsibility, meaningful relationships, and most importantly, God.  Pardon me if I don't come rushing over to sign up.

As a member of the “flock” of an avowedly antidemocratic club, isn’t it time you vote with your feet? Please, exit en Mass.

Again, I realize you think you're hilarious, but wow.  It's like your puns get more cringe-worthy with each passing paragraph!  I'll continue voting with my feet straight up the Communion line where I can kneel before my Lord and my God to accept Him with love and joy, content to bear Him forth to others. 



Amen, dear Lord - never allow me to tear myself away from Your Heart.