Shouldn't we grieve for the soul of a nation and the souls that comprise a nation when they defy God. Isn't the consequence of this type of death dealing sin, mortal sin, the eternal fires of hell for those who gloat over sin and love sin more than they love God?
Isn't the only medicine or cure for eternal damnation the medicine of the Sacrament of Penance combined with repentance and a firm purpose of amendment?
This vote is more than politics and secularism's mighty win, it is about the loss of souls to the fires of hell. Pray for these sinners, don't mock them!
From Catholic News Service (CNS):
Catholic Cardinal: Ireland's Vote for Gay Marriage 'In Defiance of God,' Worse Than 'Pagans'
Cardinal Raymond Leo Burke, former head of the highest court at the Vatican, said that the Irish people's vote to legalize homosexual marriage was in "defiance of God" and an action more depraved than that practiced by "pagans.""I mean, this is a defiance of God, it's just incredible," said Cardinal Burke, speaking at the Newman Society at Oxford University's Catholic Society on May 27.
"Pagans may have tolerated homosexual behaviors, [but] they never dared to say this was marriage," said the cardinal, as reported in The Tablet.
Cardinal Burke, who is now patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, made his remarks in response to a question at the Newman Society after he had delivered a speech on the intellectual legacy of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
In Ireland last week, the people there voted to legalize homosexual marriage, 62.1% to 37.9%. Commenting on the vote, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said it was a "defeat for humanity."
The Catholic Church defines marriage as the sacramental union between one man and one woman for life. "By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and it is in them that it finds its crowning glory," reads the Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraph 1652.
"Children are the supreme gift of marriage and contribute greatly to the good of the parents themselves," reads the Catechism. "God himself said: 'It is not good that man should be alone,' and 'from the beginning [He] made them male and female'; wishing to associate them in a special way in his own creative work, God blessed man and woman with the words: 'Be fruitful and multiply.' Hence, true married love and the whole structure of family life which results from it, without diminishment of the other ends of marriage, are directed to disposing the spouses to cooperate valiantly with the love of the Creator and Savior, who through them will increase and enrich his family from day to day."
In a 2013 interview, Cardinal Burke said that homosexual marriage "is a work of deceit, a lie about the most fundamental aspect of our human nature, our human sexuality, which, after life itself, defines us."
"There is only one place these types of lies come from, namely Satan," said the cardinal. "It is a diabolical situation which is aimed at destroying individuals, families, and eventually our nation.”
47 comments:
God bless Cardinal Burke and give him many years!
You have an excellent point here, Father, that I personally forget very often. When people, both lay and clerics, defect from the Church or fall into these public sins, their offense is primarily against God and not us personally. This recognition should help us to keep the proper perspective and be sure our motives for presenting the Church's truth are pure, motivated by a love for God, his Church, and the souls of all our fellow people.
In these tumultuous times in the Church and in the world, I constantly look for Cardinal Burke as a source of comfort and south Catholic teaching. Sad that I cannot look to our pontiff for such things, instead he talks about preaching heresy...
I hope God is grooming Cardinal Burke for the papacy
I was just talking with one of my deacons about the USA and Catholic politicians who spout off the secular meme about everything sexual including same sex "marriage."
Bishops treating them with kid gloves has not helped as Ireland attests and it hasn't helped here in the USA. These Catholic politicians exploit the fact they are Catholic but in fact do not uphold the Church's teaching even publicly.
I think they should be personally warned by their bishops and if that fails a public excommunication or at least a censure not to receive Holy Communion which is made public.
Will that help? I don't know, but what the bishops are doing now is a miserable failure.
We need to pray for politicians who are willing to compromise their souls for political gain. We need to pray for the Church's hierarchy, that they be open to the light of truth, and that they be given the strength to proclaim the truth, especially if it is unpopular. We need to pray for all souls to resist the sin of Eve, and obey God and not give ear to Satan and his deceit. We need to pray for our guardian angels and for the guardian angels of nations, continents, and the world- they are clearly being bombarded by demons and need our prayerful support. Maybe these demons are of the kind that can only be fought through "prayer and fasting," that our Lord spoke of.
This is not just a worldly fight, this is a full on spiritual battle. We need to recognize this and act accordingly if we want to see an end to the atrocities which are currently taking place.
Cardinal Burke shouldn't wear such a gay outfit.
Homophobic?
Wearing the clothing that is suitable to ones station exhibits the virtues of modesty and decorum. Instead of mocking the virtues, we should all pray to attain them for ourselves so as to gain heaven for ourselves and those around us.
No. I am totally in favor of gender equality...
I am not "mocking the virtues", I am simply commenting on the outfit.
You said, "Cardinal Burke shouldn't wear such a gay outfit." That is a plain statement that he should not wear the clothing of his station, the wearing of which is a virtue. In your opinion, the clothing of his station is "gay." To call something "gay" is to mock it since the term has a negative connotation in modern usage.
If you're going to be snide, just own it. For example, if I were to say, "Anonymous is a trollish imbecile," I wouldn't run from that statement when challenged. I would back it up with gusto since, if I were to make such a statement, I would be sure I really meant it.
Lef...whatever....My thing is being "trollish"...it's what I do...but I'm no imbecile...I'm smarter than you are....by far... Your being an Lef...whatever, assures me of that.
Cardinal Burke is giving great leadership to the Church and is not afraid to tell it like it is that homosexuality is a grave sin. As he has said, we must love the sinner but hate the sin.
Those who don't like what Cardinal Burke has to say about the teaching of the Church take great delight in chucking off about what Cardinal Burke wears, without even knowing the meaning of the liturgical vestments. Take the cappa magna for instance, which has been worn by St John Paul II The Great, Cardinal Pell, Bishop Slattery amongst others in recent time, the long red train represents the flow of the blood of martyrs and with what we have seen with the recent beheading of Christians it is more appropriate to wear it now than ever before. As Fr Ray Blake explains:
"Blood red silk flowing from his shoulders, is supposed to be a statement signifying ‘that you are ready to act with fortitude, even to the point of spilling your blood for the increase of the Christian faith, for peace and harmony among the people of God, for freedom and the spread of the Holy Roman Catholic Church.’ which is what Pope says at the imposition of the red hat"
Cardinal Burke has shown that he is willing to act with fortitude and stand up for the increase of the faith.
On the other hand, I notice that Pope Francis has stated quite recently that he is afraid of martyrdom - perhaps that is the clearest reason why he does not wear the red that we saw with St John Paul The Great and Benedict XVI, both who suffered for the Church - St John Paul the Great physically.
Is Pope Francis afraid to don the red in case he is called to shed his blood? South Americans are notoroiously superstitious.
Deo gratias for Cardinal Burke and for Bishop Athanasius Schneider who gave a wonderful sermon on the Chartres Pilgrimaage this week upholding marriage between one man and one woman and urging people not so succumb to the pressures of the world. Both men are not afraid to speak out for truth in these difficult times for the Church.
Jan
The genders are not equal. One (or a billion's) desire does not make it so.
"Gender equality" is a feel-good catch-all term for somebody trying to get something they do not have and they'll take it by force, if allowed.
"South Americans are notoriously superstitious." REALLY?
Cimaruta and Cornicello - Italian
The English bury a dried cat in the walls to ward off evil. "Rabbit, rabbit, rabbit" said on the first day of the month brings luck.
Kiss a Blarney Stone lately?
Scandinavians have kitchen witches, Japanese omamori, many Malaysian buildings have no 4th floor since "4" is bad luck, Russians buy baby clothes only after the baby is born, Koreans don't write their names in red ink, the French don't put a hat on a bed.
But, of course, the South Americans are notoriously superstitious.
Paul...are you nuts?
Well, Little Greentooth - perhaps you haven't visited South America lately? The following InfromArgentina is only one site that will tell you that Argentinians are notoriously superstitious:
http://toargentina.jimdo.com/argentinian-culture-more/superstitions/
And I agree with Paul as regards gender men and women are definitely not equal. For one with the rare exception women do not have the physical strength of a man.
This whole gender issue is becoming even more ridiculous. Schools have been told here by the Education Department that schools should bring in gender neutral clothing - as one local designer asked should the girls wear pants and the boys wear skirts. Gender neutral toilets leave women open to assault and sexual abuse as well. Soon we won't even be able to call a man a man or a woman a woman in case it offends someone who claims to be gender neutral. The whole issue of forcing gender neutrality is a sin against God-made human sexuality, procreation and the Divine Will.
Jan
Anonymous... Equally. Unless you embrace "sanity inequality".
I didn't know homosexuality constituted a separate biological sex. When did this happen?
Paul...are you nuts?
And Richard continues the farce.
Anonymous-the-troll admits to making puerile remarks since it is 'his thing'. I would put his age at about 14. Teenagers typically think they are 'smarter' than they actually are. In fact his contributions exhibit neither wit nor erudition. However, it's amusing to watch a nincompoop make a fool of himself so I would encourage him to keep on posting in the interests of comic relief.
Hey, I like the "dried cat in the wall" idea…that and a dead chicken thrown on the roof should provide protection from kitchen witches. In Alabama, they say "possum, possum, possum" to bring good luck. There is no Blarney Stone in Alabama, but they kiss Bear Bryant's headstone instead...
I have lived in England all my life and have NEVER heard of anyone burying a dead cat in a wall. Also, the mantra on the first day of the month is 'white rabbits'. 'Rabbit rabbit rabbit' is a Chas and Dave song from the 1980s which lampoons women's incessant garrulity.
As for Argentinians, they are usually described as Italians who speak Spanish and think they are English. However, they did in 1982 achieve two 'firsts' in the annals of naval warfare; when the General Belgrano was sunk on 2 May it was the most southerly of any naval engagement in history and the first ship ever to be sunk by a nuclear submarine. Rule, Britannia!
John Knowland, I am actually only 13 years old....however, I am very intellectually advanced for my age.
In the past few days I have performed three of the Corporal Works of Mercy....visited a friend in the hospital, attended a funeral and accomplished the little-known Work (known only by advanced Catholic scholars). Visit the sick, bury the dead, P.O. the pompous.
Perhaps "P. O. the pompous" would fit better as a Spiritual Work of Mercy....the liberal side of the coin that has "Admonish the Sinner" on the flip side.
Intelligence without wisdom is a pawn.
Actually, Anonymous/Gob is useful as an analogy for the Church today. He never says anything of value or substance, hates the Catholic tradition, whines a lot, and is an admitted troll...yet, Fr. will not ban him or suspend him…is this not a perfect parallel to the way in which the Church deals with her apostate Priests, Bishops and Cardinals and others within in who scorn the Church and her dogma?
Paul likes to speak in mysterious riddles...likes to sound deep and profound...
John:
The notion that the English bury a dead cat in the walls originates in the practice alluded to in the expression “There’s not enough room to swing a cat.” It is what happens when there isn’t or they let go of the cat.
Some people think that the origin of this expression is nautical but this is of course false.
Maybe we could gather a group of jolly jansenists and start a movement to impeach Francis and Barack, and to root out and kill all of the liberal trolls....
How long has it been since Ireland turned it's back on God and is endorsing practices which are objectively evil. The souls of countless generations is a stake and still silence from the pope. It is a scandal of unparalleled proportion. Francis knows that if he dared oppose gay marriage that his world wide popularity would end. So he has been silent and it it defeating. There is no way to rationalize his behavior. He has time to speak out on every silly things that comes down the pike but on this he is silent. I want to know if he really believes in the Catholic Faith. And I'm sick and tired of the loyal son of the Church crap and that's what it is. He is a modernist bent on changing the Church, he needs to go. It's long over due. He isn't fit to teach catechism to 1st graders and everybody knows it. The time for keeping up the presence that we have to be respectful because he still bears the title of pope is crap also. Is he the pope? If he secretly held heresy in his heart at the time of election then his election was invalid. There needs to be a canonical trial held by the cardinals to put an end to this nonsense.
"Father forgive us for what we must do. You forgive us. We'll forgive you. We'll forgive each other 'till we both turn blue. Then we'll whistle and go fishin' in heaven...."
Isn't the troll like 80-something years old?
One can only imagine what might be taught in some seminaries these days that has led to the denial of Catholic teaching on moral issues. What was taught last centuray was very clear and no doubt why we have good men like Cardinal Burke speaking out:
" Sins that Tend to the Destruction of the Human Race
A striking passage from a manual of theology of the last century, once widely used in seminaries:
The sins that cry to heaven for vengeance are: Wilful murder, sodomy, oppression of the poor, defrauding labourers of their wages. This category of four grievous sins is not a class of the worst possible sins, for none of them are opposed directly to God, but of sins that must provoke God's anger in a way that we do not attribute to His Divine anger against many other sins, and because Holy Scripture speaks of them as a class apart and as crying to God for vengeance.
In the four sins mentioned above, the offence is directly opposed to nature and natural instincts, and therefore to the order in this world which God has taken supreme care to establish. Thus, wilful murder is directly opposed to God's sovereignty, Who alone is master of life; sodomy is a perversion of the true natural sexual instinct, which is designed to perpetuate the race; oppression of the poor extinguishes the ingrained sense of pity in the human heart; defrauding labourers of their wages is opposed to the social instinct that safeguards the property of the members of the body politic. It is obvious that these sins tend to the destruction of the human race.There is good warranty in Holy Scripture for putting these four sins in a class apart and considering them very heinous crimes. Thus : “The voice of thy brother crieth to Me from the earth;” “The cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is multiplied, and their sin is become exceedingly grievous;” “I have seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, and I have heard their cry because of the rigour of them that are over the works;” “Behold the hire of the labourers, who have reaped down your fields, which by fraud has been kept back by you, crieth; and the cry of them hath entered into the ears of the Lord of Sabbaoth” (Gen. 4, 10 : 18, 20 : 19, 13; Exod. 3, 7 ; Deut. 24, 14 ; Jas. 5, 4). [Rev. Henry Davis, S.J., Moral and Pastoral Theology, 4th ed. (New York: Sheed and Ward, 1943), pp. 214-15]."
Jan
Anonymous Jan:
Thank you for sharing that illuminating passage. There is extensive discussion on the Blog regarding the sins of willful murder and sodomy centered on the politically controversial subjects of abortion and same sex marriage. I am now looking forward to similar extensive discussion regarding oppression of the poor and defrauding laborers of their wages centered on politically controversial subjects related to these two sins.
Anon2....I don't think we should hold our breath....
Anonymous 2 and Gob,
I would love to discuss the topic of the oppression of the poor. I have spent my entire career working with the poor for the specific purpose of protecting them from would-be oppression. So this is of particular interest to me.
Do you have some specific aspect of this topic in mind to discuss?
Thanks for responding, Lefebvrian.
My thought was that it might be appropriate to have discussions on the Blog about politically controversial subjects related to the two sins of oppressing the poor and defrauding laborers of their wages just as we do about abortion and same sex marriage, especially as readers seek to form their consciences for the 2016 voting season and given the fact that issues related to growing wealth disparity and minimum wage, for example, promise to become quite prominent as we get closer to the elections. The further thought was that perhaps Father McDonald could provide a lead on these subjects in his postings. I suppose one problem is that the issues of abortion and same sex marriage might seem to be much more clear-cut and less complex than these other matters.
However, I am happy to have conversation with you about it now. Perhaps one way to begin the conversation is to ask you about the sort of work you have been doing. We can then go on from there.
Perhaps wealth disparity has to do with the fact that certain factions of the population take risks, are creative in their enterprises, invest wisely, are thrifty, responsible, and plan ahead. Oh, wait, that must be "white privilege"…you know, hard work, abiding by the laws of the country, being responsible, studying and getting an education, yeah, that ol' white privilege.
Now, just how oppressed are the poor in this country? I hear liberals whine and throw fits about it all the time, but they never mention other countries where the poor are far worse off. In fact, if you want to talk oppression, just check out almost any Third World or Iron Curtain country. Comparatively, the poor in this country have far more resources and a government that actually supports them (nominally) because they want to keep them poor too get their votes. Well, there are those in Appalachia who are truly poor, but they are white and generally conservative and religious so they get no press….also the American Indians have it pretty bad and were treated far worse than Blacks, but all the libs read "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," cried a bit, started wearing American Indian clothes some, so that took care of it. It's all fixed now.
JJ:
So, is it your position that everyone who is poor (or “relatively poor”) in this country is poor due to their own fault? I have heard that this is the belief among some so-called conservatives. But how does one explain the poverty in white Appalachia then? What about working hard, acting responsibly, getting an education, etc.? Are we to assume that they didn’t? And that it is their fault? If it isn’t their fault, why assume it of everyone else?
I agree completely about the need to focus also on global poverty and the tragic history and treatment of American Indians.
I did not say that their condition was necessarily their own fault, but it is possible to rise above it and escape it.
I think it is still the same question – If they don’t rise above it and remain in the same condition is that due to their own fault?
Anonymous2
" I suppose one problem is that the issues of abortion and same sex marriage might seem to be much more clear-cut and less complex than these other matters."
Well, yes they are more clear-cut. It can't be denied that the poor are being oppressed in many countries of the world. There are in some areas where workers are being defrauded of wages. In fact, even worse, in some areas of the world there exists slave labor, even child labor. People that are illegally crossing our border to come into this country by the tens of thousands each year do so to escape these kind of conditions. What is an effective way to fight against these things is the problem. It could be said that the U.S. is doing its part by letting all these people in so they can earn a decent living (much better than from where they come from). Many things that we own, such as TV's, and smart phones are either assembled or the components manufactured under conditions most workers in the U.S. would find intolerable and unacceptable. What is the solution to that?
There is no equivalence between abortion, which is always the taking of life of an innocent child, and these other other injustices you brought up. Are you saying there is? As far as marriage, it is God ordained to be between a man and a woman. That is Catholic teaching. Pretty simple and straight forward.
Anon 2, I think in many instances it is their own fault, especially in this country with all the support programs and free education/training that is available, not to mention the military (if you don't have a record). Many, many "poor" have escaped their situation in these ways. Unfortunately, our government (both Dem and Republican) has continued to create a welfare state that discourages initiative, destroys families, and offers only welfare or jail to many poor. More government programs is not the answer. I am not knowledgeable about economics, but it does seem to me that, with all the talk of a crumbling infrastructure, the need for environmental programs, re-building inner cities, etc. that this nation could employ these vast poor in ways that would save the gov't. money on entitlement programs and give job opportunities to millions. This would give people direction, teach them skills and responsibility, and provide them with some dignity and self-esteem which, in turn, would rebuild the families in the long run. No politician since Reagan has even talked about such a thing. As much as I don't like Democrats and socialism, it does make me wonder what would happen if a man like FDR were actually in office today. For all the problems I have with the long term effects of the New Deal, he was one of few Presidents in modern history with true vision, like him or not. I guess I should duck and run from the other conservatives on the blog now.
George:
“There is no equivalence between abortion, which is always the taking of life of an innocent child, and these other injustices you brought up. Are you saying there is?”
I am not saying anything, just responding to Anonymous Jan’s post of May 31 at 4:24 a.m. quoting approvingly from a 1943 manual on theology widely used in seminaries. Thus: “The sins that cry to heaven for vengeance are: Wilful murder, sodomy, oppression of the poor, defrauding labourers of their wages.”
JJ:
I am cautious about your explanation of the ailment’s causes but I like your proposed treatment plan.
Indeed, Janesenist. Were I seeking to create a nigh omnipotent government, I'd create an all-encompassing and crushing welfare system which would essentially silence any dissent, lest the hand that feeds the people disappear. Any aspect, whether healthcare, food, housing, etc. would become the 'reward' for not dissenting from the official government line. (Granted, I'd do it from the aspect of an absolutist Tsar who, legally, would own all property in his domains, not some USSR wannabe system).
I cannot speak for urban areas, but in rural areas, there's an almost hereditary nature to the 'poor' mindset. For example, my grandfather, a farmer, was content to have a roof over his head (even if leaky), *some* food (even if a small amount, although it was never an issue since they grew and hunted for their food), and his faimly around him. My dad's the same way. I, on the hand, am reguarly mocked for wanting more from life than just that. My dad's response is 'What more is there to want?'. Unless you're doing back-breaking labour, you're a 'pencil pusher' not worth their time--which, given the near non-existence of America's manufacturing industry, means you're not going to find anything remotely well-paying that's considered worthy of their recognition.
Anywhere else in the US and this wouldn't matter, but the rural South has an almost Confucian obsession with maintaining familial norms, so those who venture outside the set boundaries will, likely, have a hard time adjusting to being shunned by their families, whilst also struggling to succeed in whatever form of path they've chosen for themselves. Do I think it's worth it? Hell yes, but to many others from similar situations, losing the respect of their families is simply too hard. Sure, their families will continue to love them, but there will always be an air of disrespect towards them.
Can it be fixed? I don't know. We are talking about towns that still prohibit Sunday alcohol sales, after all.
Jolly Jansenist:
At least Roosevelt and his administration did something to improve people lives. Something needs to be done today because too many of our young people are living useless lives without much hope, while subsisting on what the government provides them without it requiring anything in return.
Anonymous2
OK. Alright. I know that Catholics and any persons of good will should certainly be concerned about the last two on the list. "Oppression of the poor, defrauding labourers of their wages” are bad, very bad indeed, but the first two on the list are more of the problem in our country. That's not to say we shouldn't be concerned about these things, whether they are happening here or in other parts of the world.
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