The Great Restoration

Folks,

Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV once again speaks the unvarnished truth, much to the fury of the liberal left:

The Great Restoration

The one thing, however, that saddens me to no end is the in-fighting of Catholic apologetic bloggers against Mr. Voris. It is almost a jealousy and as long as it exists, the great restoration to which Michael Voris refers cannot occur. This is the same problem that the Church of Corinth had so long ago when followers of Apollos would fight against followers of Cephas or Paul, or vice versa. It's wrong. We do not follow Michael Voris or Dave Armstrong or Steve Ray or Mark Shea. But when we are divided like this, we hurt the Body of Christ and diminish our ability to defeat that godlessly wicked man of murderous iniquity and depravity in the Oval Office, strengthening his ability to once again divide the Catholic vote. It is time to unite if we want to see that great restoration.

Old Man's Rubble by Amy Grant

Old Man's Rubble by Amy Grant

Are you living in an old man's rubble,
Are you listening to the father of lies?

Are you walking with unnecessary burdens,
Are you trying to take them upon yourself?
If you are, then you're living in bondage,
And you know that's bad for your spiritual health.

And are you trying to live by your emotions,
Are you putting your faith in what you feel and see?
Then you're living just to satisfy your passions,
And you better be careful 'cause you're being deceived.

Are you living in an old man's rubble,
Are you listening to the father of lies?
If you are then you're headed for trouble;
If you listen too long you'll eventually die.

Are you living in an old man's rubble,
Are you listening to the father of lies?
If you are then you're headed for trouble;
If you listen too long you'll eventually die.

Are you puzzled by the way that you're behaving,
Do you wonder why you do the things you do?
And are you troubled by your lack of resistance,
Do you feel that something's got a hold on you?

Well deep within you, there's a spiritual battle;
There's a voice of the darkness and a voice of the light.
And just by listening, you have made a decision,
'Cause the voice you hear is gonna win the fight.

Are you living in an old man's rubble,
Are you listening to the father of lies?
If you are then you're headed for trouble;
If you listen too long you'll eventually die.

If you're living as a new creation,
If you're listening to the Father of Light,
Then you're living in a mighty fortress,
And you're gonna be clothed in power and might.

But are you living in an old man's rubble,
Are you listening to the father of lies?
If you are then you're headed for trouble;
If you listen too long you'll eventually die.

If you're living as a new creation,
If you're listening to the Father of Light,
Then you're living in a mighty fortress,
And you're gonna be clothed in power and might.

But are you living in an old man's rubble,
Are you listening to the father of lies?
If you are then you're headed for trouble;
If you listen too long you'll eventually die.

But if you're living as a new creation,
If you're listening to the Father of Light,
Then you're living in a mighty fortress,
And you're gonna be clothed in power and might.

Demons in the Church

Folks,

Today's Scripture Readings are most appropriate for what we currently face in the Church:

Tuesday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, 9-11
Psalm 27:1, 4, 13-14
Luke 4:31-37

The late Father Al Lauer of Presentation Ministries provides the following homily:

Demons in the Church

Such are what Pope Paul VI called "the smoke of Satan wafting into the Church." These are exactly what Jesus Himself faced in the synagogue at Capernaum so long ago. They are the essence of today's liberalism and moral relativism that give assent to baptized Catholics using contraception, wearing immoral apparel, neglecting attendance at Mass, etc. They are the modernism and progressivism of Catholic clergy who turn a blind eye to pseudo-Catholic politicians openly supporting homosexual filth and pro-abortion. They are the heresy and apostasy that deifies Caesar as the purveyor of social justice and peace at any price while abdicating the individual's Christian responsibility of love of God with all one's heart and love of neighbor as self.

Only Jesus can cast out these demons. And He will purify His bride. But let us be advised that the word "purify" comes from the Greek word "pura" which means "ignis" in Latin or "fire" in English. Indeed, there will be a purgation - by fire. It is better that it happen in this life than the next.

Let's Be Clear About The End - 22rd Week In Ordinary Time

Folks,

Today's Scripture Readings may be found by left clicking your mouse cursor on the hyperlinked text below:

The Memorial of the Martyrdom of Saint John the Baptist
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
Psalm 96:1, 3, 4-5, 11-12, 13
Mark 6:17-29

The late Father Al Lauer gives us a homily on what St. Paul said to the Church at Thessalonika. The audio recording for that homily may be accessed by left clicking your mouse cursor on the hyperlinked text below:

Let's Be Clear About The End - 22rd Week In Ordinary Time

John the Baptist, whose martydom we remember today, was unafraid of the powers and rulers of this present age. He confronted King Herod over his sexual immorality directly, forcefully and openly. Unless we do what he did, then when the voice of the archangel and that great trumpet of God sound, we are certain to be left behind. It's better to lose one's head than one's soul, and it's that simple. Indeed, the current difference between the murderous psychopathy of Herod and of Obama is not in kind but in degree, and that difference in degree is rapidly closing. The time of Jesus' Second Coming draws nigh.

We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,
about those who have fallen asleep,
so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose,
so too will God, through Jesus,
bring with him those who have fallen asleep.
Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord,
that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord,
will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep.
For the Lord himself, with a word of command,
with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God,
will come down from heaven,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left,
will be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air.
Thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore, console one another with these words.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – A

Folks,

Yesterday I attended Mass at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Charlotte, NC. I will have more to say about my visit to St. Ann's this evening - how impressed I was with the centrality of the Tabernacle, the use of the Altar Rail to recieve Holy Communion (no legions of Eucharistic Ministers and no standing and receiving in the hand), and the Scripture verse from Hebrews 12:1-2a printed in bold relief along the top of the wall as it interfaces the ceiling:

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.

I was so struck by seeing this quote from Scripture, for it is one of my favorites. Indeed, on entering this Church (which is the only one in all of Charlotte, NC that offers Mass in the Extraordinary Form, usually on Wednesday evenings) and looking about, there is no doubt that one is in the presence of the Lord God Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth, our Saviour, King and Final Judge. Its pastor, Father Timothy S. Reid (whose photograph appears here) preached a noteworthy and quite orthodox homily which is reproduced below. To find the Scriptures on which this homily was preached, please left click your mouse cursor on the hyperlinked title below:

Scripture Readings for August 28, 2011

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – A

Last Sunday, after hearing the story of Jesus giving to St. Peter the keys of the kingdom, I spoke about the authority of the Church and the importance of being obedient to Her teachings because they are the teachings of Christ Himself.
Indeed, our very salvation hinges on our incorporation into the Church, and being fully incorporated into the loving embrace of Holy Mother Church requires that we be obedient to Her – even if we personally disagree with Her teachings.
From my own experience I know that being obedient to Holy Mother Church requires for most of us that we die to self. It requires that we set aside our own will so that we may submit ourselves to the will of God.
This is painful, because following God’s will rather than our own means we must put to death any selfish or sinful desires we might have. It means that we can’t always do what we want.
This Sunday we hear the follow up to last Sunday’s Gospel story. Today we see St. Peter chafing at the idea that Jesus must suffer and die, a very natural response because Peter obviously loves Jesus very deeply. None of us likes to see our loved ones suffer.
But more importantly, we hear Jesus say to St. Peter: “whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”
With these words Jesus confirms for us yet again the necessity of suffering in following Him – something we’ve heard many times in the past couple of months.
To be a Christian with integrity, we must be willing to die to ourselves and carry our crosses in this life, for there is no other way to Heaven.
And truly, being willing to sacrifice is the key to following God. God created us to be sacrificial creatures, for He created us in His image and likeness. God is love, and the living heart of love is sacrifice, which He showed us by dying on the cross.
As St. Paul says in our 2nd reading today, we must be willing to become living sacrifices – conforming ourselves not to this age, but allowing ourselves to be transformed by Christ. We must learn to think not as human beings do, but as God does.
Simply put, if we wish to live with Jesus His resurrection, we must be willing to live with Him His Passion and death now! We must be willing to live His earthly life of suffering and service.
But if we only focus on the necessity of suffering, we lose sight of the bigger picture: the fact that Jesus also tells St. Peter of the great reward we’ll receive for our self-denial: eternal life! And this hope for eternal life, my friends, is what we must always keep before us.
As Jesus Himself tells us, our suffering in this life is not for naught! It reaps for us an eternal reward that we cannot even fathom. And this must be our sure and certain hope, and what motivates us to live our lives for and with Christ Jesus.
While it is a good thing to live our lives for Christ because we fear the pains of hell, it is a much better thing to be live our lives for Christ because we love Him and hope for Heaven.
What is most wonderful about this promise of the joy of Heaven is that we don’t have to wait until we die to begin experiencing it! Indeed, the saints show us that when we submit ourselves to God’s will, we find peace and joy – even in the midst of suffering and hardship!
Even while carrying difficult and burdensome crosses, we can experience a heavenly joy and peace. Of course if we rebel against our crosses, complaining about them and resenting them, then they become all the heavier.
It is because it’s important that we keep the hope of Heaven before us that Holy Mother Church requires us under the pain of sin to attend Mass every Sunday and Holy Day of Obligation.
It is in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass that we experience a foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet! In the Mass Heaven and earth actually come together as we mystically experience anew Christ’s passion, death, and resurrection.
Holy Mother Church thereby very wisely obliges Her children to come to the Mass every week so that we do not forget what it is we are living for! She wants us to taste Heaven now so that we will be better able to set our hearts on Heaven as we live our lives on earth.
And so important is it that we get this regular dose of Heaven that the Church teaches that it is gravely sinful to willfully miss Mass on a Sunday or Holy Day of Obligation. If you have missed Mass willfully, please be sure to confess this sin before receiving Holy Communion.
It is also for this reason that every element of the Mass should be heavenly in nature. For example, the architecture of churches should by their beauty, symmetry, proportion, and symbolism lead us naturally to contemplate the heavenly realities we all hope to one-day share.
Churches should also possess artwork and statues of saints that call to mind the mysteries of our beautiful Catholic faith.
The music for Mass should also be otherworldly and ethereal, and not be in any way reminiscent of the music of popular culture, lest it induce us to be attached to the things of this world.
And the items used for the Mass: the chalices, patens, ciboria, even the vestments of the priest should be elegant and made of the best materials possible to underscore the importance of what it is we are doing at the Mass.
It is for all of these reasons that we, as a parish, have endeavored so hard to create the liturgical environment here at St. Ann’s that we now enjoy.
Choosing to build and adorn our church in the manner we have, and gradually moving to the use of the music we now employ have not been arbitrary decisions based upon whim or personal tastes.
The decisions we’ve made have been based on a loving obedience to the Church’s directives for the liturgy, art, and architecture, and out of a deep reverence for our very rich Catholic tradition.
Sensing over the years that the language we’ve been using at Mass in English-speaking countries is not as transcendent and heavenly as it should be, the Church has now made the decision to retranslate the English version of the Roman Missal.
As you hopefully all know, the Church in the English-speaking world will begin using this new translation this coming Advent. Foldout cards with the new translation are in the pew racks.
While change of this type is always difficult and will take some getting used to, over time this new translation will help us to better focus our minds and hearts on the heavenly realities.
The new translation is more theologically precise and a great deal richer and more poetic. It is also much more formal in nature, but this is because the way we speak with God should be different than the way we speak with one another!
By focusing us better on the heavenly realities, this new translation will help better prepare us for the joys of Heaven!
My brothers and sisters, a glorious and eternal future awaits us all in Heaven! This is what our Lord promises us in the Gospel today. Yet we will not be able to experience it unless we are willing to sacrifice and die to self now.
Let us each pray that our own personal love for God may be strengthened so that we will always be willing to sacrifice our own will in order to follow the will of God.
And let us all recommit ourselves to being faithful to attending Mass on all Sundays and Holy Days of Obligations so that we might be better prepared for the heavenly realities that await those who love and serve God.

This Morning's Humor - Obama's Postal Stamp

Folks,

I have received the following from a conservative Baptist friend. I fear, however, that such humor would be lost on the liberal USCCB.

The Postal Services created a stamp with a picture of President Obama on it. The Postal Service noticed that the stamp was not sticking to envelopes. This enraged the President, who demanded a full investigation. After a month of testing and $1.73 million in congressional spending, a special Presidential commission presented the following findings:

1. The stamp is in perfect order.
2. There is nothing wrong with the glue.
3. People are spitting on the wrong side

Tonight's Humor - for Liberals Only

To our liberal friends: do trust the cat!

"Are You Saved Just Because You Are 'Good'?" by Jim McCrea

Are You Saved Just Because You Are "Good"?
By Jim J. McCrea

Often it is heard that if a person does not believe in Jesus Christ, but is "good," it would be unjust for a good and just God to condemn him to hell.

That on the surface sounds reasonable. For it seems right that God should allow a person into heaven because he is kind, just, good to others, and civic minded, rather than because he accepted a point of doctrine from a particular religion.

However, to see the fallacy of that, we have to look at exactly what "good" is and its structure within the human soul.

We can use an analogy from the 2009 Star Trek movie. In that movie, the villain would destroy planets by drilling to their core with a giant ray machine and then dropping a miniature black hole in. That black hole, at the center of the planet, would within minutes consume the entire planet because the planet would collapse around the black hole into it.

Now lack of Jesus Christ and God's grace in a soul is like a black hole in the center of it.

The idea that God should reward a soul for simply "goodness" presumes that goodness proper to a soul is completely on the natural level and is that which can be empirically perceived.

However, our souls are structured so that they have a God shaped hole within them. At their depths, if they are what they should be, they have an infinite supernatural good dwelling there. That infinite supernatural good is Jesus Christ and His grace. All other levels of goodness in the soul depend upon that infinite good for their proper integrity.

Now to remove that infinite good in the soul, by knowingly and willingly rejecting Christ and His law, the rest of the goodness there does not have a proper foundation.

That is why Catholics who dissent against Church teaching or other Christians who live in a morally compromised way are in grave danger of losing their eternal salvation. If willfully and knowingly done, there is a black hole at the center of their soul, which is the absence of God's grace (for a Catholic to knowingly and willingly dissent against even one point of Church teaching is to reject Christ as untrustworthy and hence is to reject Him).

Without God's grace, the empirical goods that a person exercises may last most his life, because of the support of society, others around him, and his own psychology.

However, if rejection of God's grace continues, collapse is inevitable, like the planet collapsing into the black hole. The natural levels of goodness in the soul eventually disintegrate because there is no supernatural core of Jesus Christ to support them.

This can be seen when "good" people, with the onset of death, become vile and abusive (however, we cannot judge the individual case. Bad behavior with the onset of death may be caused by psychological factors due to a deteriorating brain rather than a deteriorating soul).

Once in hell, all natural goodness disappears, and a person is converted into pure evil.

However, the Good News is, Jesus came to earth to save us sinners (John 3:16).

Unlike the black hole at the center of a planet, where due to the laws of physics collapse in inevitable, we can always reverse course in our life - even at the last moment - to accept Christ and His mercy into our soul - avoiding ultimate collapse, and having that supernatural core of goodness which eventually brings the whole soul to eternal life in God.

Gov Perry and President Obama at Age 22

Folks,

Thanks go to the Catholic Caveman. This photograph says it all. Which man would the United States choose in 2012: a God-fearing, patriotic US Air Force pilot, or a Godless dope-smoking inner-city gangster?

Jesus Is Coming

Folks,

We don't talk about Jesus' Second Coming as imminent, but it is.

Scripture Readings for Thursday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 428
1st Thessalonians 3:7-13
Psalm 90:3-5a, 12-13, 14, 17
Matthew 24:42-51

Father Al Lauer: He IS Coming - Thu. Aug. 25

Article 7 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: From Thence He will Come Again to Judge the Living and the Dead.

Father Al referred to paragraphs 675 through 677 very briefly in his talk. Those paragraphs must be reprinted here. Buckle up, folks. Godless liberalism has only begun its assault, but Jesus IS coming and He will overthrow sin and death. Yes, liberalism will join Nazism and Communism in the depths of hell where it belongs, but NOT before that final trial.

The Church's ultimate trial

675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.

676 The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatalogical judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.

677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.

Don't Look Back: The Story of John Corapi (Preview)

Folks,

My friend Shadowlands in the United Kingdom posted the following video at her blog site:

Don't Look Back: The Story of John Corapi (Preview)

I am quite frankly speechless.

Avē Marīa, grātiā plēna,
Dominus tēcum.
Benedicta tū in mulieribus,
et benedictus frūctus ventris tuī, Iēsus.
Sāncta Marīa, Māter Deī,
ōrā prō nōbīs peccātōribus,
nunc et in hōrā mortis nostrae.
Āmēn.

English Martyrs

Folks,

About a week or so ago I had received several regular e-mails from the Reformation Bookstore decrying the ascension of Catholic Mary Tudor to the English throne from 1553 to 1558 as an attempt to restore the divine right of kings, placing the government of man ahead of and in place of the government of God. I had to laugh as I read this because it was her predecessor, Henry VIII, who rebelled against the Holy see to place the monarchy in authority above Christ's Church. It was he who established himself as the head of the Church in England, assuming a divine right for himself that is reserved solely for the Son of God. He deliberately rebelled against the Christ-appointed successor of Peter. And Mary's successor, Elizabeth I, was equal to Mary's predecessor in the pride that elevates individual desire above obedience to the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

To tell the story of English rebellion in the 16th century when the disobedience of Martin Luther and John Calvin swept across the western part of the European continent would take too long to here tell. Suffice it to say that because of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, because of Martin Luther and John Calvin, thousands upon thosands of people were butchered for no other reason than their loyalty to the Rock upon which Christ Himself founded His Church. Today we see the full fruit of that rebellion and disobedience in England and America: the Anglican and Episcopal Church with Elizabeth II as its current head and Archbishop Rowan Williams as its Primate is in full decline. There are women clergy, homosexual clergy, open sanctification of homosexual union, complete acceptance of abortion and full-scale departure from tyhe teachings of Sacred Scripture. Pews are empty and church buildings are being closed as those who remain orthodox join the Catholic Church under Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Constitution, Anglicorum Coetibus, or set up their own orthodox Anglican communion separate from Cantebury.

But in the 16th century those loyal to the Gospel had no alternative but to face the Protestant English monarch's butchers, and let us remember who and what exactly these Protestants were: protestors against the faith once delivered unto the Saints and proponets of the idea that the individual has a right to private interpretation of Sacred Scripture to determine for himself what is right and what is wrong. This is exactly and precisely the sin of the Garden of Eden where the serpent's lie first took hold: "No, you shall not die the death. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil." That was the very power which Martin Luther and John Calvin promised to provide, and which Henry VIII and Elizabeth I sought to seize. When English Catholics like Thomas More pointed this out in no uncertain terms, the response of the Protestant monarch (by virtue of that false sense of the divine right of kings which the Reformation Bookstore erroneously ascribed to Catholic Mary Tudor) was to behead the man loyal to Christ and His Church. This is what Michael Voris discusses in today's video from Real Catholic TV:

English Martyrs

Now today, instead of facing monarchs filled with earthly power and delight, we face a liberal Democrat President and his demonic henchmen of progressive equality who not yet have embarked on a campaign of mayhem and slaughter. But is history is any indicator, earthly power separated from and un-beholden to Christian morality and virtue cannot abide Christian men and women simply because the serpent hates holiness. The full circle of protesting against Holy Mother Church is by definition the state of being liberal - the idea that the serpent planted in Eve's mind within the Garden of Eden: the individual gets to determine right and wrong. To give the individual such authority is always and everywhere the first step in the murder of that individual. That's ironic and seems oxymoronic, but one cursory look at England in the 16th century shows this is what almost always happens.

Of course, since it is Michael Voris pointing this out, we will soon hear how that can't possibly be the case, or if it is the case, then Mr. Voris isn't being kind and nice enough to temper his discussion with all due charity. One wonders what response these self-appointing pontificators of the etiquette of apologetics would have, had they beheld the blade falling across the neck of St. Thomas More, knowing they might be next. But perhaps they wouldn't be next, for their tactic is always and everywhere to ingratiate themselves with whoever appears to have authority at the moment. After all, they are the spiritual descendents of Henry VIII.

In a Glass House Casting Stones - Again

Update:

I regret devoting a post to criticizing someone in Catholic apologetics circles. However, I have made an exception this time solely in defense of Michael Voris. We should recall how St. Paul reprimanded the Church at Corinth for giving credence to one apostle (Paul, Apollos or Cephas) over another. Consistent with this, not once have I found Michael Voris criticizing even his most vehement critics in the Catholic blogosphere. These people should thus feel ashamed of themselves and apologize accordingly.

Folks,

A man unable to even mortify his own corpulent flesh is continuing to embark on a tirade of jealousy and hatred against Michael Voris who has a better media outlet than he, better verbal skills at explaining the Faith once delivered unto the Saints, a better understanding of how the cancer of liberalism is infecting the Church, and greater fortitude in facing down the heresy and apostasy of clerics and laity alike who have abandoned the true Gospel of conversion and repentance for the false gospel of social justice, the common good and peace at any price. This upset and unbalanced man's disinformation may be found by left clicking your mouse cursor at the following hyperlinked text.

In Criticism of Michael Voris

Reading this and the other refuse (the Greek word St. Paul uses is "perikatharma") he has continuously issued against Michael Voris, one is surely led to think that his obsessive pursuit of this man is too much like a stalker's. People like that really need psychological help. So rather than spend hours of frustration doing a line-by-line dissection of calumny better reserved for the trash bin, let us have what the late Tom Roeser wrote about Michael Voris on October 18, 2010 (which is still applicable today almost a year later):

Michael Voris is the Name for Refreshing Authentic Catholic TV Commentaries—No Namby Pamby Stuff Allowed.

Have you ever heard the name Michael Voris?

You should because as our Church slowly recovers from the liberal grossly-misnamed “spirit of Vatican II” which has nothing whatsoever to do with the authentic teachings of the conclave, increasingly people like me are turning to a middle-aged, splendidly educated layman with a degree in Sacred Theology who propels an almost daily TV commentary on Church matters on the Internet which you can subscribe to and receive via email free by first going to RealCatholicTV.com.

The Church’s Courageous TV Defender.

Voris is, in my estimation, the best thing that has happened to Catholic TV communications since the end of the era of Fulton Sheen. In fact for today’s problems he’s better than Sheen. Why? Because brilliant as he was Sheen was a bishop and couldn’t strike at the soft and hard-shell heresies coming from some current bishops and priests. It’s not good for bishops to criticize others although to be sure, Sheen had his innings with some of them including his Ordinary in New York, Francis Cardinal Spellman.

DIGRESSION: At the height of his fame when he was raising millions for the Society for the Propagation of the Faith which he directed, Sheen was challenged by Spellman who wanted to control the money and funnel much of it into the archdiocese of New York. Reason: Because Spellman ran the archdiocese and the Society was headquartered there, Spellman carried the title of Chairman. The battle ended up before the Pope who sided with Sheen. Vexed because he lost the battle, Spellman pronounced that henceforth and for so long as Sheen were to live, Sheen could not deliver a homily in the archdiocese and had to remain silent about the order. As a clergymen under Spellman’s control Sheen had to be silent about this order throughout his life. END OF DIGRESSION.

As a layman, Mike Voris cannot be shut up as was Sheen—which makes him the perfect militant fighter for Catholic authenticism given the problems the Church has with weak, liberal, vacillating prelates today.

Who is this guy who’s not just courageously fofrthright…in fact downright gutsy in defending the Church from enemies inside and without, primarily ecclesiastics and erring theologians who sway with the wafting of every liberal breeze? I interviewed Voris, 49, when he was at O’Hare between planes and came away convinced that this ex-TV anchorman-producer-investigative reporter and theological scholar who earned his spikes at CBS and Fox News is just the ticket for us—especially in Chicago—who have endured decades of error, ecclesial winking as liberal politicians espousing abortion and gay marriage—trot up to receive Communion in obvious mortal sin but who are received...sometimes even honored...without question or criticism.

Here in Illinois the list includes the most prominent Catholics in the state including the U. S. Senate’s majority whip, the governor, the attorney general, the controller, the Chicago mayor, the president of the Cook county board—all Democrats….and the sure-to-be-elected female Republican candidate for controller, who prides herself on her Czech nationality, is a former state treasurer, state GOP chairman and 2006 Republican gubernatorial nominee a one-time pro-lifer, who served in the state House and Senate, switched when she perceived her popularity would benefit as result, has since then voted and exhorted pro-abort and rides conspicuously in gay pride parades along with the Democrats.

Who is Michael Voris?

Mike Voris is a former seminarian, single, who packed it in to become a CBS journalist in New York where he worked alongside Dan Rather (with whom Voris was not impressed) and as a muck-raking TV investigative reporter and anchor in several smaller cities. The pay was much better than regular workaday scribes and he freely acknowledged to me that in those years he “lived a horrible life in an immoral cesspool.” Throughout those years, his mother, like Augustine’s Monica, scolded, remonstrated with him and prayed mightily for her son—to no avail. But his life turned around after a shock when his favorite brother, in the seeming bloom of health, dropped dead in his mid-40s.

So shaken out of his hedonist past, Michael packed it in once again and resolved to use his finely-honed communications skills in eloquent support of God and His Church. Mike scooped up $700,000 of his savings and started a TV business with himself as an unabashedly militant but thoroughly responsible Catholic commentator…writing, researching, producing and performing in short erudite yet punchy TV commentaries for the Internet that would be sent out free to everyone who wishes to subscribe. The theory is you subscribe and if you have a few bucks you chip in to keep the apostolate going. So far financially it’s tough going but Mike has the firm belief that God will see it through.

His commentaries are from 2 to 5 minutes or so in length and he begins each one with the same words: "Welcome to the Vortex where lies and falsehoods are trapped and exposed...", winding up each commentary with the crisp signature: "This is Michael Voris."

Excerpts from Voris’ Commentaries: Straight—No Chaser.

What are his topics? His commentaries are sometimes pegged closely to the news involving Catholicism. Here is a segment that touched on two very different priests, two very different bishops.

August 24. “Well, now, here’s one that’s kind of strange…very indicative of the state of the Church today. Two bishops…two priests…two very different cases. Case No. 1…In Nashville, Tennessee a local priest garnered headlines when a video posted on the Internet of him saying that the Pope should apologize for Church teaching on contraception. The priest’s name is Joseph Patrick Breen. He has a reputation for being an outspoken liberal and his comments didn’t really come as a shock to anyone.

"But they did prompt a quick reaction from Bishop David Choby who told Fr. Breen—retract what you have said publicly or face punishment. Good for the bishop! Fr. Breen retracted.

"Now let’s move a little farther south….the diocese of El Paso where another priest went public about Church teaching also. The case is the exact opposite of the Nashville case. Fr. Michael Rodriguez wrote a column for the local secular paper where he forthrightly defended and promoted Church teaching as regards homosexuality. The case also prompted a rebuke from the local bishop—Armando Ochoa….who upbraided the priest indirectly saying Fr.Rodriguez’s `opinion’ didn’t reflect the necessary elements of being compassionate, tolerant, pastoral, inclusive, dignity, respect—in short every buzzword used by the liberal crowd to gloss over the real charitable need to say: Continuing in mortal sin leads to misery in this life and damnation in the next which is what Fr. Rodriguez was saying.

"And please, skip the predictable line about well, we can’t say if they are in a state of mortal sin. No we can’t—but we can and should say Stop doing what you’re doing because it’s evil and there’s a very good chance you may very well be in the state of mortal sin. Why gamble like that with your eternal destiny?

"What we see here in these two cases which happened in the past week is the very real dichotomy that exists in the Church today—renegade liberal priests shooting off their mouths in public and bishops using the `charity’ argument as a skirt to hide behind when it comes to clearly and unambiguously proclaiming the teachings of the Church...

"...When liberals speak about Church teaching you scratch your head. When non-liberals speak, it’s perfectly clear. Such is the state of affairs in the Church today. Be careful when you listen to a priest or bishop. If you find yourself scratching your head, go somewhere else. I’m Michael Voris."

Decadent Culture Could Hasten Nation’s Demise.

Another captures with poignant realism about the likely future if this nation doesn’t come to its senses and scrap the hedonism that passes for contemporary culture.

August 8. “Sometimes we Catholics can get a little myopic in our vision...Does anyone who is a faithful Catholic really think that things are going to continue as they are indefinitely? I don’t mean the end of the world I mean the end of this current world—the culture. How long do any of us think that God will simply allow the current state of affairs to continue? Millions upon millions of surgical abortions. Sex having been debased for so long it’s now an acceptable industry. Families destroyed over sex—but not always. Children left fatherless—and on and on.

"Almighty God can address any situation any way He sees fit. Sometimes, as in the days of Noah, He intervenes directly and decidedly. Other times He allows nature to simply take its course. If a society elevates pleasure and self-centeredness to the level of a god, then that society will ultimately fall apart. That’s a law of the Universe. When cultures diminish themselves by killing off large portions of the next generation, economies begin to stagnate. When political leaders turn their thoughts to themselves at the expense of the governed, the establishment begins to break down.

"The only guarantee to prevent this sort of thing is a good moral order. And a good moral order is only guaranteed by following Christ….We like many others see a culture committing suicide---and too many in the Church remaining quiet about it."

The “Faith Only” Weakness of Protestantism.

June 6. “...If you want to completely waste your time, try talking about faith with a committed Protestant…Let’s remember one very important fact. Protestantism is a heresy. That does not mean that individual Protestants are heretics but the system of beliefs they subscribe to is a heretical system...

“A friend invited me to accompany him last night to the home of a dyed-in-the-wool Lutheran who he had been having some theological discussions with over at Facebook…In short here are some of his [the Lutheran’s] conclusions: As long as you believe in Jesus your works don’t affect your salvation. You can kill, hire prostitutes, rob banks and destroy property, die of a heart attack seconds later and you go to heaven. What you do doesn’t matter. Those examples, by the way, were his.

“Another point of his: All believers are equally righteous. When I asked him if that made him equal to, say, John the Baptist in heaven this very moment, he refused to answer the question. He simply kept saying we’re all the same. When we got into Scripture discussions, he kept insisting that the Bible interprets itself. To which I replied: Well, if it’s self-interpreting why are we arguing about it? Again, no reply.

“…One of the last things I said to him was: `If Protestants, specifically Lutherans (since he was a Lutheran) are so right and if Catholics are so wrong, why can’t Lutherans agree even among themselves? After all, there are three major Lutheran churches. One says the Bible is inerrant. The other supports abortion and homosexuality and women ministers. The other is a strange hybrid of the other two. His brilliant reply: “Those Lutheran churches are wrong!” To which I said: “You’re half right. All Lutheran churches are wrong.”

Modern Judaism.

Most commentators on religious topics are skittish of offending Jews—although to be sure, none other than the observant Norman Podhoretz in his recent book Why Are Jews Liberals? says forthrightly that traditionalist Orthodox believers aside, most modern adherents have scrapped the original Torah for what Podhoretz calls Torah II which is nothing more than the entirety of the liberal precepts of the modern Democratic party. He goes so far as to recall when Moses came down from the mountaintop with the Commandments and he found the Israelites worshiping the Golden Calf. God said “what a stiff-necked people!” Podhoretz concludes that the Golden Calf for most of today’s Jews is the liberal Democratic party. That conclusion stunned me.

Voris pointed out that recently a very liberal Rabbi had said that a Jew can be an atheist and still be a Jew which, Voris said, that confirms that Jews are not just members of a religion but are recognized as an ethnic group. That surprised me. Here is Michael Voris on Judaism.

August 16. “Now when we start looking at the Jewish faith some things pop out right away. After the destruction of the Temple in 70AD by the Roman general Titus, the Jewish faith ceased being what it had been up to that point. The major hallmarks of Judaism (the religion, remember we’re talking about) had been that they had a Temple and offered sacrifice. The entire religion was focused on this one singular point. They also had a King and land which helped form them into a religious nation. Once, however, the Romans had done their work the Jews as the religionists of the Covenant, no longer existed.

“Gone was the Temple, Temple sacrifice and the Jewish priesthood. These were the hallmarks, the essential non-debatable aspects, of being a religious Jew. No Temple, no sacrifice, no priesthood, no Judaism. What replaced it and what has come down to us today—Rabbinical Judaism. This is not the Judaism of the Covenant. It is a man-made religion.”

This will provoke some Jews as his words earlier provoke Protestants and some Catholics….no doubt about it. The organization Catholic Answers has declined to continue to distribute his tapes because he has criticized some bishops. But you know where I stand after a serious encounter with a prelate last April who called me a hate monger while at the same time he had the archdiocese honor none other than Fr. Michael Pfleger as a crusader for social justice, the priest who stood before the store of a legally constituted and registered gun dealer and bellowed through a megaphone “Come out or we’ll snuff you out! Come out of there or we’ll drag you out like the rat you are!” After he received the award he gave a contrite sounding speech only to say the next day that the archdiocese had made him say those placating words. So much for the archdiocese’s conception of social justice.

RealCatholicTV.com’s Financial Support.

I asked Michael at the conclusion of our interview if he has a Sugar Daddy.

He said “a what?” I said again: “A Sugar Daddy! A Daddy Warbucks!”

This prompted from him hearty laughter. He said: Simply put there is no Sugar Daddy or Daddy Warbucks. Supporters who appreciate his work send in donations. But there is no regular money-flow. He himself supplies much of the capital needed from his own pocket which is rapidly diminishing. He is his own technological guru. A tech guy works for such peanuts as is embarrassing—works there because he believes Michael’s work is invaluable. He has two highly skilled women who are almost volunteers they are paid so little and with great infrequency.

Tell you what. Whether you’re Catholic or Protestant or Jew go to his website and watch Michael and tell me what you think. I think he’s terrific and just what the Church needs.

Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities

Folks,

My friend Catawissa Gazetteer has brought to my attention that Glen Beck has issued a Declaration of Rights and Responsibilities. It is first necessary to remember that civil rights are created by government for government, and do NOT constitute NOR are equivalent to human rights which are always and everywhere endowed by God. It is second necessary to categorize what is NOT a right:

1. ABORTION: Murdering your unborn baby is NOT a human right. If you don't want a baby, then keep your legs closed and your pants zipped up. You're not a mindless baboon. God gave you a brain. Use it. You won't die if you don't have sex.
2. HOMOSEXUALITY: Putting your male organs in another man's orifices, or rubbing your female organs with another female is NOT a human right. It's sexual perversion. If you have to do it, then do it in the closet where you belong. The rest of us don't want to see your disgusting perversion that spreads disease and destroys families.
3. PORNOGRAPHY: Pornography is NOT a human right. Freedom of speech is NOT license to perversion. You have NO right to objectify and demean women (or men) by making pictures of sexual activity public. Have respect for the dignity of the human body, for man is created in the image and likeness of God Himself.
4. PROMISCUITY: Adultery and fornication are NOT human rights. You do NOT get to sleep around with whomsoever you wish, destroying marriages and making children fatherless or motherless. Sexual intercourse is restricted to one man and one woman in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. Again, you're not a mindless baboon. God gave you a brain. Use it. You won't die if you don't have sex.

Glenn Beck's formulation of Rights and Responsibilities are as follows:

1. Because I have the right to choose, I recognize that I am accountable to God, and have the responsibility to keep the 10 commandments in my own life.
2. Because I have the right to worship as I choose, I have the responsibility to honor the right of others to worship as they see fit.
3. Because I have freedom of speech, I have the responsibility to defend the speech of others, even if I strongly disagree with what they’re saying.
4. Because I have the right to pursue happiness, I have the responsibility to show humility and express gratitude for all the blessings I enjoy and the rights I’ve been given.
5. Because I have the right to honest and good government, I will seek out honest and just representatives when possible. If I cannot find one then I accept the responsibility to take that place.
6. Because I have the God given right to liberty, I have the personal responsibility to have the courage to defend others to be secure in their persons, lives and property.
7. Because I have the right to equal justice, I will stand for those who are wrongly accused or unjustly blamed.
8. Because I have the right to knowledge, I will be accountable for myself and my children’s education…to live our lives in such a way that insures the continuation of truth.
9. Because I have the right to pursue my dreams and keep the fruits of my labor, I have the responsibility to feed, protect and shelter my family, the less fortunate, the fatherless, the old and infirm.
10. Because I have a right to the truth, I will not bear false witness nor will not stand idly by as others do.

The rules are very simple and apply to everyone everywhere without distinction or regard to race, cultural origin, national origin, gender, religious denomination, age, etc. They are recorded (in case these have been forgotten) in Deuteronomy 5:6-21:

1. I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt not have strange gods in my sight. Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven thing, nor the likeness of any things, that are in heaven above, or that are in the earth beneath, or that abide in the waters under the earth. Thou shalt not adore them, and thou shalt not serve them. For I am the Lord thy God, a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon their children unto the third and fourth generation, to them that hate me, And shewing mercy unto many thousands, to them that love me, and keep my commandments.
2. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: for he shall not be unpunished that taketh his name upon a vain thing.
3. Observe the day of the sabbath, to sanctify it, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee. Six days shalt thou labour, and shalt do all thy works. The seventh is the day of the sabbath, that is, the rest of the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not do any work therein, thou nor thy son nor thy daughter, nor thy manservant nor thy maidservant, nor thy ox, nor thy ass, nor any of thy beasts, nor the stranger that is within thy gates: that thy manservant and thy maidservant may rest, even as thyself. Remember that thou also didst serve in Egypt, and the Lord thy God brought thee out from thence with a strong hand, and a stretched out arm. Therefore hath he commanded thee that thou shouldst observe the sabbath day.
4. Honour thy father and mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee, that thou mayst live a long time, and it may be well with thee in the land, which the Lord thy God will give thee.
5. Thou shalt not kill.
6. Neither shalt thou commit adultery.
7. And thou shalt not steal.
8. Neither shalt thou bear false witness against thy neighbour.
9. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife:
10. Nor his house, nor his field, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is his.

Ugly Americanism

Folks,

What Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV is saying in the following video is NOT a criticism of the United States or a denigration of patriotism:

Ugly Americanism

Rather, it is a criticism of the infiltration of American democracy into the Church in America and other Western nations. It is so ironic that the liberals continue to shout for separation of Church and State when dealing with matters of public policy, yet they would (and do) make the Church into the very image that they have for the State: democracy - two wolves and one sheep voting on what's for dinner. This problem can be laid at the doorstep of none other than the American Bishopry which has coddled and ingratiated itself with godless liberalism.

Because Michael Voris has consistently pointed that out in all his many videos, he has received the scorn and criticism of these so-called kindler, gentler bloggers of pseudo-Christian charity who express such outrage that anyone would criticize an apostate renegade cleric who hands out heroin needles and glorifies an abortionist governor. I for one won't stand for their hypocrisy and egos inflated even more than their waist lines.

As Michael Voris points out, such Americanized Catholics stand out like sore thumbs not because the United States is bad (though liberalism has succeeded in making that the case), but because our clerics have allowed this idea of democracy to infect the Body of Christ. We don't take Holy Communion on the tongue because we want the choice of taking it in the hand; the real reason is we don't have the humility of accepting the fact that we cannot feed ourselves, but must instead be fed. We don't kneel for our Blessed Lord because to kneel before a Monarch is after all so un-democratic. We gossip in the Sanctuary because we must have free speech and be allowed to express ourselves withersoever we wish. We dress immodestly - even promiscuously - at Mass because no one has a right to tell us how to dress; after all, this is America. We do these things because we think we have a right to do this and we propose that democracy, NOT the right to life, is inalienable. Horse manure!

Yet when Michael Voris points this out, he receives all kinds of vile invective and accusation. I for one am sick and tired of democracy. Jesus Christ did NOT come to establish a democracy. He came to establish a Monarchy ruled by a rod of iron - that's exactly what Sacred Scripture states. Your feelings and mine about this matter don't mean anything. We can submit to His rule willingly, or we can rebel in godless democracy. But one day we shall all submit, for Scripture says, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that He is Lord."

One other thing is of great importance here which may not seem directly relevant to Michael Voris' video, but is nevertheless relevant to these United States. Our Founding Fathers established a Christian Constitutional Republic with laws based on Biblical priciples that cannot be overturned by simply majority vote. For all the faults of their Protestant theology, they did NOT establish a secular atheist democracy. But the ascent of liberalism from Woodrow Wilson onward has so transformed these United States that now the Church in America is being remade not in God's image, but in man's image. And that is the very thing which Michael Voris is decrying, while certain bloggers of inflamed self-importance continue to revile and condemn him, though when the same invective is turned upon them, they howl with such indignation. May they and the effeminate clerics with them not howl even more when their just desserts come.

RCTV's Official Response to the CNA Article

Folk's,

RCTV's video report containing the Official Response to the CNA Article may be found by left clicking the aforementioned hyper-linked title or reading the following:

Script for RCTV's Official Response to the CNA Article

It seems confirmed that liberal clerics and their allies enamoured with the false gospel of social justice, the common good and peace at any price have engineered the latest generation of scandal against RCTV. Their tactics didn't work this time, and even certain bloggers normally critical of RCTV have recognized the sham for what it was (however back-handed their defense of RCTV might have been).

I think the attacks are going to get worse, especially as November of 2012 draws nearer. The godless liberal pseudo-Catholics will do anything to stifle the voice of orthodoxy and keep their anti-christ in ascendency within the Oval Office.

Thank God for RCTV, doing what most priests and bishops are afraid to do.

Trying to Buy God's Victory Will Cost You Too Much

Folks,

Today's Scripture Readings for Friday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time include the following:

First: Judges 11:29-39
Responsorial: Psalm 40:5,7-10
Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14

In the first reading Jephthah makes a hasty oath to God to offer up in a sacrificial burnt offering whatever first comes out of the door of his house if God gives him victory over the Ammonites. The oath was unnecessary because the Spirit of God was already upon Jephthah. But the oath was made nevertheless, and who came out to meet him after the battle was victoriously concluded than his only daughter dancing to tambourines. Jesus would later tell His disciples, "Let your yeses be yes and noes be no; anything more is from the evil one." Let us read the story of Jephthah and his daughter, and remember that God desires a humble and contrite heart, not extravagant promises of what we'll do if we get the victory:

29-31 God's Spirit came upon Jephthah. He went across Gilead and Manasseh, went through Mizpah of Gilead, and from there approached the Ammonites. Jephthah made a vow before God: "If you give me a clear victory over the Ammonites, then I'll give to God whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in one piece from among the Ammonites—I'll offer it up in a sacrificial burnt offering."

32-33 Then Jephthah was off to fight the Ammonites. And God gave them to him. He beat them soundly, all the way from Aroer to the area around Minnith as far as Abel Keramim—twenty cities! A massacre! Ammonites brought to their knees by the People of Israel.

34-35 Jephthah came home to Mizpah. His daughter ran from the house to welcome him home—dancing to tambourines! She was his only child. He had no son or daughter except her. When he realized who it was, he ripped his clothes, saying, "Ah, dearest daughter—I'm dirt. I'm despicable. My heart is torn to shreds. I made a vow to God and I can't take it back!"

36 She said, "Dear father, if you made a vow to God, do to me what you vowed; God did his part and saved you from your Ammonite enemies."

37 And then she said to her father, "But let this one thing be done for me. Give me two months to wander through the hills and lament my virginity since I will never marry, I and my dear friends."

38-39 "Oh yes, go," he said. He sent her off for two months. She and her dear girlfriends went among the hills, lamenting that she would never marry. At the end of the two months, she came back to her father. He fulfilled the vow with her that he had made. She had never slept with a man.

39-40 It became a custom in Israel that for four days every year the young women of Israel went out to mourn for the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite.

Goodnight, folks. God bless!

Choose Empire

Folks,

Mencius Moldbug has written an interesting poem at the Unqualified Reservations blog site. For those unfamiliar with Roman history, here are the main characters:

Antonine Age: The accession of Antonius Pius in 138 marked the beginning of the Antonine age, a period regarded as the golden age of the history of the Roman Empire. He reigned for 23 years and succeeded by Marcus Aurelius. This was the age of Church persecution that had begun under Nero in the 1st century AD.
Augustus: Octavian.
Caesar: Julius Caesar, the first to rule, the one whom Brutus stabbed for the Republic.
Cicero: philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist.
Gildas: 6th century British cleric favoring the monastic ideal.
Numa's Hill: Numa was a pious Etruscan king who built Janus's temple at the base of the Aventine hill - Janus being god of beginnings and transitions, and Aventine Hill being one of the seven hills on which ancient Rome was built.
Octavian: Augustus Caesar (Julius Caesar's de facto successor and Mark Anthony's rival), into whose reign Jesus Christ was born.
Quadi: the barbarians on the Roman frontier border, worse than any Islamic fascist.
Sibyl: the pagan prophetess.
Sidonius: poet, diplomat and Bishop from 5th century AD Gaul (now modern France).
Vandals: a Germanic people belonging to the family of East Germans.

Now let us have that poem "Choose Empire" and consider what difference if any there be between Pax Romana and Pax Americana. The Antonine Age and its persecution of the Church requires only a "yes" to the Sibyl's command, a "yes" our current Caesar is only too willing to give.

For Caesar the Sibyl had two words.
"Choose empire," she said. And explained:
"The republic has failed." No, really?
Why golly, what whatsoever would ever
Make anyone say that? Or, what's worse,
Abstract so seditious a converse?
Caesar was a man of few words,
Not in any way a dimwit. What,
Was he wrong? And Cicero right?
Octavian lived and Cicero died;
Octavian might die, Cicero live,
Him and time restore a real Senate,
Rome republican as snow, that cast
Out kings and never whined them back,
Abhorring to its last scheduled meeting
The seducing sins of monarchy -
To the Antonine age, and beyond? Ha!
As any fool once knew, that second Rome
(Bigger, if not greater, than Numa's hill),
Died not by murder but of cancer.
Brick? Marble? Euphemisms here.
Augustus found Rome graffiti, sumac,
Bandits, drones, and professional liars.
A Rome of zombies! A zombie republic,
That the Caesars burned, and in whose ash
Was found: Rome. What Augustus did:
He slew the zombies. He saved the world.
Time indeed might well have preserved
A zombie Senate. The Quadi would not.
What has time to say to the Quadi?
The Quadi, men, not zombies like us,
Wield metal bars, ugly but effective.
A zombie has no chance with the Quadi.
They take our heads. They cart off
Our women. They must have some
Special or Quadi time of their own.
Surely our story is not their own,
Terrible and now just beginning.
Indeed the real mystery of the fall
Is that as Rome fell soft, all around
Her enemies weakened too - the Vandals
Being mere pussies, next to the Quadi.
And weakness is blood, terror, death:
The boy to be Gildas is already born.
Did "Rome die laughing"? Absolutely -
Though by then, others laughed too.
Choose empire! We can say one thing
For our old republic: where Cicero
Chose wrong, Sidonius had not the
Choice. The Sibyl grants it just once.

Simon Rafe's Apology and Explanation

Update:

Colleen e-mailed me a reference to a blog post by the Anchoress which puts this latest tittle-tattle in its proper perspective:

The Voris Brouhaha

One quote suffices: "I believe him. I think the guy is in Madrid, trying to do his thing, and he was sideswiped with this news, and is stunned to learn it. And I take exception to the 'gotcha'-breathlessness of the article. Papers weren’t filed? Oh noes! Human imagination created a gay character in outer-space? We’re all gonna die!"

This is why the more I look into this, the more I think CNA was goaded into setting Michael Voris up. Again, the only ones who benefit from this are effeminate, passive-aggressive, liberal Democrat clerics whom Michael caught with their pants down, so to speak. (Yeah, I know, bad visualization given the subject of the scandal, but true nevertheless.)

Folks,

Colleen Hammond pointed out that Simon Rafe has offered an apology and explanation for the sexually explicit material in his writings for a secular web site:

Apology and Explanation

The part she quotes bears repeating here:

I write this as a private individual expressing contrition for things I did which were wrong to have done.

I write this blog post as a private individual speaking about actions I took as a private individual. I do NOT speak for any organization or as part of any organization, nor do I speak about anything which involves any organization. I speak – personally (these words are my own) – about things I did personally. I do not direct these words at anyone specifically – I offer an apology and acceptance of responsibility, and in the second half of this post I address and explain some issues raised by the CNA article.

As detailed in this article, I wrote fictional stories which contained elements which were inappropriate and likely to be a near occasion of sin for those reading them.

To write such things was wrong and shows a lapse of judgment and was a grave error. I regret writing the things in question and I have sought forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. I humbly ask forgiveness from anyone who might have read the materials and been led to sin and those who are or were scandalized by reading them or hearing that I wrote them.

Although it is clearly the case writing material which is a near occasion of sin is wrong for any person, the matter of scandal is a serious one and I realize this. I apologize for having scandalized the faithful in any regard.

I do not, under any circumstances, seek to justify what I did or avoid responsibility. I did things which were wrong. I have done all in my power to rectify them (seeking forgiveness in confession, removing the material in question so it is not available for people to read and be tempted by). I did something which was wrong, and I am solely responsible for it.

Let us forgive Simon Rafe. That is the Christian thing to do.

Given the bias and lack of background information in the CNA article, I am more convinced than ever that this is an attack designed to bring Michael Voris' Real Catholic TV endeavor down in the shambles of scandal, and it benefits only one group of people: the liberal Democrat Bishops who are revolted by any idea of transparency.

Who Is Trying to Discredit Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV

Folks,

As some of you by now are aware, the Catholic News Agency reported yesterday that Real Catholic TV's Voris Had 'No Idea' About Internal Problems concerning a two year lapse in the tax exempt status of Real Catholic TV with the State of Michigan, and concerning the sexually explicit writings of an employee for a secular web site.

Now Colleen Hammond reported at her web site how the organizers of World Youth Day and the American Bishopry declared that Real Catholic TV has no official standing in the World Youth day activities in Madrid, Spain. She included Michael Voris' response:

Voris' Official Response to WYD "Unapproval"

So the following comment was posted at her blog entry:

Colleen,

I find it fascinating that as Michael Voris begins his “No Bull in Madrid” campaign during WYD in Spain, a major scandal breaks out regarding his St. Michael’s Media outlet for Real Catholic TV:

Real Catholic TV's Michael Voris Had No 'Idea' About Internal Problems

I wonder from where the Catholic News Agency got its information about the sexually explicit writings of Real Catholic TV’s apologist Simon Rafe, and what led it to investigate the lapse in Real Catholic TV’s tax exempt status with the State of Michigan. Who tipped them off? Why did they investigate? And why concurrently with WYD right after the American Bishopry said Real Catholic TV has no standing in WYD? I think Michael made an example of one too many renegade liberal Democrat Bishop and the Bishopry had CNA go on the attack. Bishop Hubbard of Albany, NY, Archbishop Sean O’Malley of Boston, MA and others have been targeted in Real Catholic TV videos. This scandal only serves to discredit anything Michael pointed out about them and their scandals. But maybe I am too much of a conspiracy theorist.

First Father John Corapi, himself a critic of the heresy and apostasy among the American Bishopry, goes down under. And now nefarious forces are trying the same with Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV. St. Athanasius illustrated the great damage done by heretical and apostate bishops when he said, "The floor of hell is paved with the skulls of bishops." He was, of course, referring to those bishops - the vast majority - who had been lured away from the True Church in following the false teachings of Arius. Today they follow the crowd of social justice, the common good and peace at any price who extoll the virtues of gay-rights and right-to-choose-murder. It's still heresy and apostasy, and because both Father Corapi and Michael Voris pointed that out, they must be punished. Now I am not excusing any wrongs these individuals may have done. I just don't think the American Bishopry likes transparency at all.

PS, I love Colleen Hammond's blog site. Not only is she "drop-dead gorgeous", she is also an articulate and devout Roman Catholic who can and does explain the Faith once delivered unto the Saints with straightforwardness and common sense. In her spare time she is a wife and a mother of four in Texas. God knows we need more Texans, more Americans and more Catholics like her.

More Scandal - This Time with Michael Voris's Real Catholic TV

Folks,

The recent uptake in scandal will never cease to amaze and dismay me. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus, not on fallible man.

Real Catholic TV's Voris had 'no idea' about internal problems

"Michael Voris, the founder and host of RealCatholicTV, says he was completely unaware of recently discovered troubles within his organization, involving a staff apologist's sexually explicit writings, and his nonprofit corporation's loss of legal status two years ago."

The reader can go to the CNA web site and read the rest. I for one am disgusted. However, there is NO evidence to suggest that Michael Voris did ANYTHING wrong, so please do NOT defile his good name.

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Folks,

Consistent with yesterday's post, "Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?", my friend, Catholic apologist and philosopher Jim McCrea from Canada, brought to my attention the following essay at the Socon or Bust blog site:

Why Does God Allow Suffering?

Please left click your mouse cursor on the aforementioned hyperlinked title to read the text of this essay. I did an electronic search on the word "suffer" in the NKJV to find how many times the Bible discusses this topic (of course, the entire Book of Job is devoted to it). [Sadly, there aren't any really good Catholic Bible databases that provide such word searching capability; unfortunately, the USCCB is too interesting in copy right protection of the NABRE than evangelization, and it just finished a web site overhaul that makes its Bible database even more user-unfriendly than it had been before; but I digress.] So nevertheless, here are the results that include only a sampling of the many Bible verses on suffering that relate to this important topic:

Acts 5:14 - So they [the Apostles] departed from the presence of the [Jewish] council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His [Jesus'] name.

Acts 9:16 - For I [Jesus] will show him [Paul] how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.

Romans 8:16-18 - The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together.

2nd Corinthians 1:6-8 - Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.

Philippians 1:29-30 - For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, having the same conflict which you saw in me and now hear is in me.

Philippians 3:7-12 - But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Colosians 1:24-26 - I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you, to fulfill the word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints.

1st Thessalonians 3:4 - For, in fact, we told you before when we were with you that we would suffer tribulation, just as it happened, and you know.

1st Timothy 4:10 - For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.

2nd Timothy 1:8-12 - Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles. For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep what I have committed to Him until that Day.

2nd Timothy 3:12 - Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Hebrews 2:9-10 - But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

Hebrews 11:24-26 - By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.

James 5:10 - My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience.

1st Peter 2:19-21 - For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully. For what credit is it if, when you are beaten for your faults, you take it patiently? But when you do good and suffer, if you take it patiently, this is commendable before God. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.

1st Peter 4:12-14 - Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.

Revelation 2:10 - Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

The Consequences of Bad Politics

Folks,

Today's Scripture Readings for Wednesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time include the following:

Judges 9:6-15
Psalm 21:2-3, 4-5, 6-7
Matthew 20:1-16

Its is important, however, to read the entirety of chapter 9 in the Book of Judges to thoroughly understand the Scriptural consequences of bad politics, and not just verses 6 through 15. Abimelech learned these consequences the hard way (quite literally, a millstone having been dropped on his head), and apparently that is way Barack Hussein Obama has choosen to learn. The results are inexorable and inevitable. Though I don't normally like paraphrases I've used the paraphrase translation known as the Message in providing a copy of chapter 9 below to facilitate immediate understanding without trying to dissect a more stilted word-for-word translation.

1-2 Abimelech son of Jerub-Baal went to Shechem to his uncles and all his mother's relatives and said to them, "Ask all the leading men of Shechem, 'What do you think is best, that seventy men rule you—all those sons of Jerub-Baal—or that one man rule? You'll remember that I am your own flesh and blood.'"

3 His mother's relatives reported the proposal to the leaders of Shechem. They were inclined to take Abimelech. "Because," they said, "he is, after all, one of us."

4-5 They gave him seventy silver pieces from the shrine of Baal-of-theCovenant. With the money he hired some reckless riffraff soldiers and they followed along after him. He went to his father's house in Ophrah and killed his half brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal—seventy men! And on one stone! The youngest, Jotham son of Jerub-Baal, managed to hide, the only survivor.

6 Then all the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo gathered at the Oak by the Standing Stone at Shechem and crowned Abimelech king.

7-9 When this was all told to Jotham, he climbed to the top of Mount Gerizim, raised his voice, and shouted:

Listen to me, leaders of Shechem.
And let God listen to you!
The trees set out one day
to anoint a king for themselves.
They said to Olive Tree,
"Rule over us."
But Olive Tree told them,
"Am I no longer good for making oil
That gives glory to gods and men,
and to be demoted to waving over trees?"

10-11 The trees then said to Fig Tree,
"You come and rule over us."
But Fig Tree said to them,
"Am I no longer good for making sweets,
My mouthwatering sweet fruits,
and to be demoted to waving over trees?"

12-13 The trees then said to Vine,
"You come and rule over us."
But Vine said to them,
"Am I no longer good for making wine,
Wine that cheers gods and men,
and to be demoted to waving over trees?"

14-15 All the trees then said to Tumbleweed,
"You come and reign over us."
But Tumbleweed said to the trees:
"If you're serious about making me your king,
Come and find shelter in my shade.
But if not, let fire shoot from Tumbleweed
and burn down the cedars of Lebanon!"

16-20 "Now listen: Do you think you did a right and honorable thing when you made Abimelech king? Do you think you treated Jerub-Baal and his family well, did for him what he deserved? My father fought for you, risked his own life, and rescued you from Midian's tyranny, and you have, just now, betrayed him. You massacred his sons—seventy men on a single stone! You made Abimelech, the son by his maidservant, king over Shechem's leaders because he's your relative. If you think that this is an honest day's work, this way you have treated Jerub-Baal today, then enjoy Abimelech and let him enjoy you. But if not, let fire break from Abimelech and burn up the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo. And let fire break from the leaders of Shechem and Beth Millo and burn up Abimelech."

21 And Jotham fled. He ran for his life. He went to Beer and settled down there, because he was afraid of his brother Abimelech.

22-24 Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. Then God brought bad blood between Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who now worked treacherously behind his back. Violence boomeranged: The murderous violence that killed the seventy brothers, the sons of Jerub-Baal, was now loose among Abimelech and Shechem's leaders, who had supported the violence.

25 To undermine Abimelech, Shechem's leaders put men in ambush on the mountain passes who robbed travelers on those roads. And Abimelech was told.

26-27 At that time Gaal son of Ebed arrived with his relatives and moved into Shechem. The leaders of Shechem trusted him. One day they went out into the fields, gathered grapes in the vineyards, and trod them in the winepress. Then they held a celebration in their god's temple, a feast, eating and drinking. And then they started putting down Abimelech.

28-29 Gaal son of Ebed said, "Who is this Abimelech? And who are we Shechemites to take orders from him? Isn't he the son of Jerub-Baal, and isn't this his henchman Zebul? We belong to the race of Hamor and bear the noble name of Shechem. Why should we be toadies of Abimelech? If I were in charge of this people, the first thing I'd do is get rid of Abimelech! I'd say, 'Show me your stuff, Abimelech—let's see who's boss here!'"

30-33 Zebul, governor of the city, heard what Gaal son of Ebed was saying and got angry. Secretly he sent messengers to Abimelech with the message, "Gaal son of Ebed and his relatives have come to Shechem and are stirring up trouble against you. Here's what you do: Tonight bring your troops and wait in ambush in the field. In the morning, as soon as the sun breaks, get moving and charge the city. Gaal and his troops will come out to you, and you'll know what to do next."

34-36 Abimelech and his troops, four companies of them, went up that night and waited in ambush approaching Shechem. Gaal son of Ebed had gotten up and was standing in the city gate. Abimelech and his troops left their cover. When Gaal saw them he said to Zebul, "Look at that, people coming down from the tops of the mountains!"

Zebul said, "That's nothing but mountain shadows; they just look like men." Gaal kept chattering away.

37 Then he said again, "Look at the troops coming down off Tabbur-erez (the Navel of the World)—and one company coming straight from the Oracle Oak."

38 Zebul said, "Where is that big mouth of yours now? You who said, 'And who is Abimelech that we should take orders from him?' Well, there he is with the troops you ridiculed. Here's your chance. Fight away!"

39-40 Gaal went out, backed by the leaders of Shechem, and did battle with Abimelech. Abimelech chased him, and Gaal turned tail and ran. Many fell wounded, right up to the city gate.

41 Abimelech set up his field headquarters at Arumah while Zebul kept Gaal and his relatives out of Shechem.

42-45 The next day the people went out to the fields. This was reported to Abimelech. He took his troops, divided them into three companies, and placed them in ambush in the fields. When he saw that the people were well out in the open, he sprang up and attacked them. Abimelech and the company with him charged ahead and took control of the entrance to the city gate; the other two companies chased down those who were in the open fields and killed them. Abimelech fought at the city all that day. He captured the city and massacred everyone in it. He leveled the city to the ground, then sowed it with salt.

46-49 When the leaders connected with Shechem's Tower heard this, they went into the fortified God-of-the-Covenant temple. This was reported to Abimelech that the Shechem's Tower bunch were gathered together. He and his troops climbed Mount Zalmon (Dark Mountain). Abimelech took his ax and chopped a bundle of firewood, picked it up, and put it on his shoulder. He said to his troops, "Do what you've seen me do, and quickly." So each of his men cut his own bundle. They followed Abimelech, piled their bundles against the Tower fortifications, and set the whole structure on fire. Everyone in Shechem's Tower died, about a thousand men and women.

50-54 Abimelech went on to Thebez. He camped at Thebez and captured it. The Tower-of-Strength stood in the middle of the city; all the men and women of the city along with the city's leaders had fled there and locked themselves in. They were up on the tower roof. Abimelech got as far as the tower and assaulted it. He came up to the tower door to set it on fire. Just then some woman dropped an upper millstone on his head and crushed his skull. He called urgently to his young armor bearer and said, "Draw your sword and kill me so they can't say of me, 'A woman killed him.'" His armor bearer drove in his sword, and Abimelech died.

55 When the Israelites saw that Abimelech was dead, they went home.

56-57 God avenged the evil Abimelech had done to his father, murdering his seventy brothers. And God brought down on the heads of the men of Shechem all the evil that they had done, the curse of Jotham son of Jerub-Baal.

Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?

Folks,

Today's Scripture Readings for Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time include:

Judges 6:11-24a
Psalm 68:9, 11-12, 13-14
Matthew 19:23-30

The late Father Al Lauer of Presentation Ministries gives a 14 minute homily on what Gideon faced with the Midianites overrunning the children of Israel:

Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?

Gideon asked the Lord, "My Lord, if the LORD is with us, why has all this happened to us?" How like us was Gideon. Yet the Lord promised victory in spite of the adversity. Note, however, that before God gave Gideon the victory, Gideon slaughtered a kid (likely a goat), and offered God a sacrifice of the meat from the kid and unleavened cakes. Given that the Midianites were starving the Israelites, this was an act of faith. Maybe sometimes bad things happen in order to motivate us to step out in faith - no faith, no victory.

The angel of the LORD came and sat under the terebinth in Ophrah
that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite.
While his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the wine press
to save it from the Midianites,
the angel of the LORD appeared to him and said,
"The LORD is with you, O champion!"
Gideon said to him, "My Lord, if the LORD is with us,
why has all this happened to us"
Where are his wondrous deeds of which our fathers
told us when they said, "Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?"
For now the LORD has abandoned us
and has delivered us into the power of Midian."
The LORD turned to him and said, "Go with the strength you have
and save Israel from the power of Midian.
It is I who send you."
But Gideon answered him, "Please, my lord, how can I save Israel?
My family is the lowliest in Manasseh,
and I am the most insignificant in my father's house."
"I shall be with you," the LORD said to him,
"and you will cut down Midian to the last man."
Gideon answered him, "If I find favor with you,
give me a sign that you are speaking with me.
Do not depart from here, I pray you, until I come back to you
and bring out my offering and set it before you."
He answered, "I will await your return."

So Gideon went off and prepared a kid and a measure of flour
in the form of unleavened cakes.
Putting the meat in a basket and the broth in a pot,
he brought them out to him under the terebinth
and presented them.
The angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and unleavened cakes
and lay them on this rock; then pour out the broth."
When he had done so,
the angel of the LORD stretched out the tip of the staff he held,
and touched the meat and unleavened cakes.
Thereupon a fire came up from the rock
that consumed the meat and unleavened cakes,
and the angel of the LORD disappeared from sight.
Gideon, now aware that it had been the angel of the LORD,
said, "Alas, Lord GOD,
that I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!"
The LORD answered him,
"Be calm, do not fear. You shall not die."
So Gideon built there an altar to the LORD
and called it Yahweh-shalom.