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Saturday, May 19, 2018

THESE ARE POWERFUL WORDS FROM THE MOTHER COUNTRY OF THE USA AND I WHOLEHEARTEDLY ENDORSE THEM BECAUSE THEY ARE SO CATHOLIC AND THUS TRUE!


From Father John Hunwicke's blog:

19 May 2018


Apostasy

I have deleted a submitted comment in which the writer assured me that, if X were to happen, "That is the day I walk out of the Church never to return".

I had better be frank about this.

Such a contingent threat of Apostasy, if seriously meant, suggests to me that the writer is in a most dangerous spiritual state.

It is true that PF treats the Church Militant (happily, there is no way he can get his hands on the Church Expectant and it is not within his mercifully limited power to "make a mess" in the Church Triumphant) as if it were some sort of private playground in which he can get up to whatever games he finds personally satisfying and heap up any number of his boasted "messes". But the Church is the Body of Christ. Not PF's playground; not mine; not yours.

There have been appallingly bad popes in the past and, depending on how long it is until the Eschaton, there very probably will be more of them in the future. None of that makes a nanogram of difference to the fact that the Catholic Church is the Ark of Salvation; the only and the essential Ark of Salvation.

And it is not a human and worldly 'membership organisation' which one can walk out of in a huff. You and I were incorporated into it by our Baptism. It is rooted in eternity; splendid as an army with banners; a terror to the fallen spirits; a wonder to the Angels.

If anything I have ever written has, however unintentionally, given any encouragement to the sort of unCatholic attitude which horrified me in that comment as I sat down to deal with it this morning, then, here and now, I repent of it.

If PF, or I, by our misconduct, drive one soul to "walk out of the Church", then he (or I) will have to answer for that in the day of Judgement. But the person who has "walked out never to return" will have the gravest charge of all to answer.

Apostasy.

10 comments:

Dan said...

Thanks, I needed this. My upset over PF and others often makes me want to "vote with my feet" as well.

Marc said...

Being disturbed by Francis is a good sign that one's sensus Catholicus is functioning properly. In a sense, it is a sign of faith since, if one had not the faith, one wouldn’t care that Francis is spreading error and insult constantly.

But the advent of Francis does raise serious questions about the hierarchy of the apparent Catholic Church and whether the explanation for this crisis in the Church has been properly identified. That is, one cannot help but confront and examine the various positions amongst traditionalists, e.g. “recognize and resist,” sedevacantism, sedeprivationism, etc. It is a time of great confusion, but such has been the case since the 1960’s. As far as I’m concerned, whatever Francis does, it pales in comparison with the change of every sacramental rite, especially the mass.

rcg said...

I can’t imagine excommunicating myself because some Pope is an idiot. And I like the idea of holding on to my ground. I have an ancestor who was in a group who were told by a British officer that rebels would not be tolerated and that he (the officer) could not be moved off that mountain by God himself until the locals submitted to his orders. The compromise was struct by the locals continuing as they had been and burying the officer on the mountain. Some day we can retire the table altars and retrieve the altar rails; but only if we stay where we are.

JBB said...

I’ve been tempted to apostasize, but not from your site. I am most put off by clerics who try to minimize the problems in the church, telling me to believe them and not my lying eyes which tell me something different when I see the functional apostasy around me. If I ever do become convinced that the church has compromised the faith given to the saints and protected by the apostles I would have to conclude that Jesus did not keep his word and his message is fake and that I had been deluded to believe it. Where I’d go from there I don’t know. So don’t stop pointing out what is wrong. For me anyway it is a sign the church is still there and Jesus’ promises are still being kept

Gene said...

I have been tempted to flee to Calvin and TULIP theology again. The current Catholic Church is proving Calvin to be correct every step she takes.

TJM said...

Gene,

This too shall pass

Deus Vult!

Anonymous said...

Well, the Eastern Orthodox Church also claims it is the ark of salvation...which probably explains why talks between the two haven't really gotten anywhere over the last 50 or so years, in terms of a likely reunion.

TJM said...

Well maybe our goal should be to reunite Catholics first - physician health thyself

Mark Thomas said...

From Father John Hunwicke's blog: "It is true that PF treats the Church Militant...as if it were some sort of private playground..."

We know that that is true?

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Dan said...

Mark Thomas, I think you mistakenly put a question mark at the end of the sentence "We know that that is true."