Dear readers, as you sit down to that nice meal with your loved ones, or sip at the cup of delicious coffee that you so richly deserve please just stop for a moment.... and think.... of those less fortunate than yourselves, those who suffer from a peculiar form of mental illness. Think of having a compunction so consuming that you will do anything to satisfy it, bend reality to serve it and give up your heritage to collaborate with it. The worst of this malady is that those poor souls don't realise their plight and resent the label that has been given to their condition, they are the ecu-maniacs.
Ecumenism, what is there to say. Many Catholics believe it is a noble cause, indeed it is THE cause, but they come at it from a faulty understanding of what it truly is.
I'm reminded of that scene from the film "The Deerhunter." You know the story with Robert DeNiro, set against the back drop of lives torn apart by the Vietnam War. Anyway in the film the characters decide to go up into the mountains to hunt deer. Picture the scene, a mountain road and a car appears, it slows down and stops and one of the men gets out to relieve himself, he finishes and goes to get back into the car. Just as he reaches the door of the car the car speeds up and leaves him. He shouts at the driver and the car stops a short distance up the road, he walks towards it and just as he reaches it the car speeds off again, this happens several times, the driver is playing a joke on him. I'm sure that some of us played that joke as well in our younger days!!
My point is this it reminds me of the Catholic church and its relationship with some of the other christian communities. It is one big joke! Think about it, the Church strives to come to some sort of agreed frame work with the anglican communion, works at it for years and then the anglicans allow women priests and ordain practicing homosexuals. Others communities allow contraception and abortion under certain circumstances. Yet the Catholics have to keep running to catch up, moving farther and farther away from the core of their faith simply to appease fellow travellers who succumbed to the modern world years ago.
Ah but what about the dialogue? Yes lets look at that this interminable dialogue that seems to have no beginning , no middle and no end. The definition of dialogue is simple, it is a conversation between two or more, not much help there. Well what about conversation what does it mean? The definition of to converse simply means to talk. But what I find interesting is that there is another meaning of converse, namely the opposite, turned round, reverse. That seems to be more apt when we think about the conversation that Catholics engage in with other christians.
True ecumenism is the process by which all those who profess to believe in Christ Jesus are gathered together in the One True Church, that which was founded by Christ, that which is lead by Peter and his successors.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Reordering Liturgical Space!
Just thought I better give a quick update on the parish priest and his nefarious plan for my old home church. (post 23rd October 2010) The reverend father seems to be progressing with his scheme quietly and efficiently. He posted up the new look for the sanctuary of the church and then took a straw poll of the views of the parishioners. A few Sundays ago he announced the result of this democratic consultation. 65% opposed to the alterations with 35% agreeing. He then gave the best bit of spin I have ever heard, politicians should take notes, he stated that the views of the 35% would have to be accommodated!!! Brilliant, this piece of verbal sidestepping showed the new church of the people for the lie that it is, oh sure it is the church of the people as long as the people think the same way as their leaders. LONG LIVE THE SPIRIT OF VATICAN II!! VIVA LA REVOLUTION!! LOL.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Plus ca change ......
"O judgment, thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason!" - Julius Caesar. Act 3: II
The Irish media are intellectually and morally bankrupt! There I said it!
Gasp! "Servus," I hear you say, "What on earth could prompt you to make such a bold assertion?"
Well let me explain. With the election over, the press have called it a new dawn, a political seachange, the end of old Irish politics, a new national government. Little did I know that when I went to bed that night that when I rose the next day I would be in a new country!!! Have to buy a new sat nav LOL.
But to read and listen to the media that is apparently what has happened. Who are they trying to kid? This new government is going to continue with the same policies as the last. Which consists of doing whatever our European overlords tell us to do, and doff our caps to them (beggorah sir! to be sure at once and no mistake sir). These are the same politicos who forced us to vote for Lisbon again with lies about guarentees, for no other reason than to bind us to our fate with the French and German banks. Yes to jobs, yes to recovery!! LIES, more like yes to debt, yes to economic servitude.
This is the same media who peddled these falsehoods, who referred to any one who supported the no campaign as right wing reationaries with shadowy agendas. And note please that over the last few months that the bailout and the debt is now referred to as the IMF deal. This again is spin, it is an EU/IMF bailout and truth be told the IMF is only supplying a third of the money at a better interest rate than that of our EU "friends."
It is not a national government, it is merely a coalition of political expediency. Of course using the term national conjures images of crisis, Churchill led a national government during the war. This is no coming together of all political hues in an effort to save the country, far from it. Switch the party symbols around and you will find no difference in policies bewteen any of them. Of course no one in the media would even contemplate raising this issue. After all these are the same parasites who a few years back would have said "oh you have to get this, house, car, furniture, oh you have to go here for your holidays!!!" long gone are the days when news was informed by public opinion, now people are treated like sheep to be programmed to accept whatever the intelligentsia (term used loosely) think is best for them.
So what is new? Answer nothing, more of the same. New faces but not new ideas. Yet to read a paper all would appear to be change. Like I said intellectually and morally bankrupt.
Plus ca change plus c'est le meme chose.
And men have lost their reason!" - Julius Caesar. Act 3: II
The Irish media are intellectually and morally bankrupt! There I said it!
Gasp! "Servus," I hear you say, "What on earth could prompt you to make such a bold assertion?"
Well let me explain. With the election over, the press have called it a new dawn, a political seachange, the end of old Irish politics, a new national government. Little did I know that when I went to bed that night that when I rose the next day I would be in a new country!!! Have to buy a new sat nav LOL.
But to read and listen to the media that is apparently what has happened. Who are they trying to kid? This new government is going to continue with the same policies as the last. Which consists of doing whatever our European overlords tell us to do, and doff our caps to them (beggorah sir! to be sure at once and no mistake sir). These are the same politicos who forced us to vote for Lisbon again with lies about guarentees, for no other reason than to bind us to our fate with the French and German banks. Yes to jobs, yes to recovery!! LIES, more like yes to debt, yes to economic servitude.
This is the same media who peddled these falsehoods, who referred to any one who supported the no campaign as right wing reationaries with shadowy agendas. And note please that over the last few months that the bailout and the debt is now referred to as the IMF deal. This again is spin, it is an EU/IMF bailout and truth be told the IMF is only supplying a third of the money at a better interest rate than that of our EU "friends."
It is not a national government, it is merely a coalition of political expediency. Of course using the term national conjures images of crisis, Churchill led a national government during the war. This is no coming together of all political hues in an effort to save the country, far from it. Switch the party symbols around and you will find no difference in policies bewteen any of them. Of course no one in the media would even contemplate raising this issue. After all these are the same parasites who a few years back would have said "oh you have to get this, house, car, furniture, oh you have to go here for your holidays!!!" long gone are the days when news was informed by public opinion, now people are treated like sheep to be programmed to accept whatever the intelligentsia (term used loosely) think is best for them.
So what is new? Answer nothing, more of the same. New faces but not new ideas. Yet to read a paper all would appear to be change. Like I said intellectually and morally bankrupt.
Plus ca change plus c'est le meme chose.
Brass Tacks (rant#4 the revenge)
Without religious instruction, and proper religious instruction then all the efforts of the present will dissolve in the future. Fewer pro-lifers, those that do take up the cause will be unsure as to the actual church teaching, they will get bogged down in the secularist double-speak that is the quality of life, human rights etc.
Fewer young Catholics who think that waiting until they are married is the prudent and ultimately wisest decision, why? Because they have not been taught otherwise.
Recently released amidst much fanfare the new national directory for catechesis was launched, the blueprint for future religious education. Interestingly we have a section on the challenges that the Irish church faces in the new century. So concern for the environment, for immigrants, those who are socially marginalised etc. yes all noble and good causes. BUT not one mention of prolife issues, attack on the family or the hedonistic lifestyle that is being encouraged. So trees, eastern europeans, beggars all deserve our christian witness and charity and this is how it should be, but to shirk away from abortion or pre-marital sex in case it offends someone is downright reprehensible. Yet it is not surprising, during the election the labour party made it clear that if elected they would legislate for abortion (this is driven by the youth wing of the party who of course were educated in "catholic" schools), the response of the bishops?? Well the episcopal conference ( the herd) released a communique criticising the capitalist culture that got us into this mess, but of the labour election promise, not a word, no direction given to their flock, no censure , no condemnation and reassertion of catholic teaching. Truly the flock has been scattered and the shepherds have gone astray!!!!
If in this most basic and one might say simplest expression of Catholic teaching , on the sanctity of life, there is no guidance, what hope is there for any aspect of our faith. True Catholic teaching will be replaced by fuzzy quasi-Christian social consciousness, emotive, deviod of reason and at the whim of whatever fad is current in general society. Those who attempt to stand up for the faith, will increasingly be labelled, conservative, reactionary, denying lived christian experience, and dare we use the word !!! Traditional!!!
Fewer young Catholics who think that waiting until they are married is the prudent and ultimately wisest decision, why? Because they have not been taught otherwise.
Recently released amidst much fanfare the new national directory for catechesis was launched, the blueprint for future religious education. Interestingly we have a section on the challenges that the Irish church faces in the new century. So concern for the environment, for immigrants, those who are socially marginalised etc. yes all noble and good causes. BUT not one mention of prolife issues, attack on the family or the hedonistic lifestyle that is being encouraged. So trees, eastern europeans, beggars all deserve our christian witness and charity and this is how it should be, but to shirk away from abortion or pre-marital sex in case it offends someone is downright reprehensible. Yet it is not surprising, during the election the labour party made it clear that if elected they would legislate for abortion (this is driven by the youth wing of the party who of course were educated in "catholic" schools), the response of the bishops?? Well the episcopal conference ( the herd) released a communique criticising the capitalist culture that got us into this mess, but of the labour election promise, not a word, no direction given to their flock, no censure , no condemnation and reassertion of catholic teaching. Truly the flock has been scattered and the shepherds have gone astray!!!!
If in this most basic and one might say simplest expression of Catholic teaching , on the sanctity of life, there is no guidance, what hope is there for any aspect of our faith. True Catholic teaching will be replaced by fuzzy quasi-Christian social consciousness, emotive, deviod of reason and at the whim of whatever fad is current in general society. Those who attempt to stand up for the faith, will increasingly be labelled, conservative, reactionary, denying lived christian experience, and dare we use the word !!! Traditional!!!
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Brass Tacks ( rant#3: the return.)
Recently in the Catholic Herald we have a prolifer of 40 years campaining experience complaining that the movement is losing ground. One of his many issues is the fact that he can not see any young blood taking up the challenge and becoming leaders of the movement.
Some time back the rag that is the Irish Times ran a poll and 65% of 21-35 year olds thought that abortion should be legislated for in Ireland. This is the generation that went through our schools with the "Children of God" series as their basis for catechesis.
My point is that the prolife movement is perhaps the most visible expression of Catholicism in modern society, it intrudes into the mainstream media (always portrayed negatively). So why are 65% in opposition to the Church and its teachings?
Catechism, or lack thereof. If school children in Catholic schools were properly catechised then we would not have 2 in every 3 young Irish people happy with murder. They would have been properly instructed as to the intrinsically evil nature of this act and how it can not be justified by appealing to some emotive story. Morality, its dimensions, its divine origins would have been explained to them. So if any of the Irish bishops complain about a society that does not promote life then they should look no further than themselves for the cause. They (the bishops) promoted the catechetical revolution that began in the 1970's, "Children of God" and "Alive-O" were approved by the bishops (but not sent to Rome for approval), they hired catechtical "experts" who wrote these manuals for religious instruction, the results are there to be seen. The attendance at Mass, fallen; the number of cohabiting young Catholics, risen; the list goes on and on.
I am one of the lost generation who was catechised in the modern method, I can not tell you even one, not one solitary memory of religion class in primary school, secondary school I have one memory, a passage of scripture read out loud in the class and then discussed, but with no outcome, just dialogued about!!
But then that is what the so called religious educators want, dialogue. Talked about, nice words, warm feelings , no substance. I remember attending one conference where one of the leading lights of religious education in Ireland addressed the gathering. This eminent cleric stated that his vision of "catholic" education was to have the children exposed to all the worlds' religions for years and then they would be truly "catholic" when they came out on the other side!!!!
This guy is still employed by the bishops, him and his ilk, write the books, work on the commitees, speak at the conferences and most importantly have positions in the teacher training colleges where generations of teachers who will teach in Catholic schools are indoctrinated into this new age/secular/humanist hodge podge that passes for religious instruction these days.
Some time back the rag that is the Irish Times ran a poll and 65% of 21-35 year olds thought that abortion should be legislated for in Ireland. This is the generation that went through our schools with the "Children of God" series as their basis for catechesis.
My point is that the prolife movement is perhaps the most visible expression of Catholicism in modern society, it intrudes into the mainstream media (always portrayed negatively). So why are 65% in opposition to the Church and its teachings?
Catechism, or lack thereof. If school children in Catholic schools were properly catechised then we would not have 2 in every 3 young Irish people happy with murder. They would have been properly instructed as to the intrinsically evil nature of this act and how it can not be justified by appealing to some emotive story. Morality, its dimensions, its divine origins would have been explained to them. So if any of the Irish bishops complain about a society that does not promote life then they should look no further than themselves for the cause. They (the bishops) promoted the catechetical revolution that began in the 1970's, "Children of God" and "Alive-O" were approved by the bishops (but not sent to Rome for approval), they hired catechtical "experts" who wrote these manuals for religious instruction, the results are there to be seen. The attendance at Mass, fallen; the number of cohabiting young Catholics, risen; the list goes on and on.
I am one of the lost generation who was catechised in the modern method, I can not tell you even one, not one solitary memory of religion class in primary school, secondary school I have one memory, a passage of scripture read out loud in the class and then discussed, but with no outcome, just dialogued about!!
But then that is what the so called religious educators want, dialogue. Talked about, nice words, warm feelings , no substance. I remember attending one conference where one of the leading lights of religious education in Ireland addressed the gathering. This eminent cleric stated that his vision of "catholic" education was to have the children exposed to all the worlds' religions for years and then they would be truly "catholic" when they came out on the other side!!!!
This guy is still employed by the bishops, him and his ilk, write the books, work on the commitees, speak at the conferences and most importantly have positions in the teacher training colleges where generations of teachers who will teach in Catholic schools are indoctrinated into this new age/secular/humanist hodge podge that passes for religious instruction these days.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Brass Tacks (rant #2)
So let's recap; where were we? Oh yes! Wizard of Oz, New Springtime, alien shaking its' three heads, struck match.
Now read on!
I can recall a discussion where an acquantaince was telling me of his past involvement with a parish youth group. He attended every week, sang songs (accompanied by obligatory guitar), listened to and reflected upon passages of scripture, discussed with his peer group his experience of God and how it impacted on his life. A priest "facilitated" this youth group, the recollections of this person did not seem to allude to the reverend father actually saying much or guiding the young people in their exploration of the Faith. To cut a long story short this lad then went to work in London and when he saw the multitude of people, of different cultures and different faiths, he lost his. He reasoned thus; how could he be so sure of his faith when everyone else seemed so sure about their beliefs?
Perhaps the most telling comment was that his initial enthusiasm stemmed from the fact that this was the first time he had encountered his Faith. In other words he had gone through 14 years of "Catholic Education" and only when he had finished this, only when he stumbled across this youth group did he encounter a semblance of the Catholic religion. Too little, too late.
This is not an isolated example, this same story is repeated over and over ad infinitum. In every parish you will find maybe a handful of young people who will live their faith, "here , look here, new springtime" is the cry as the priest and the parish council gesture towards them. Yes but never a mention of the hundreds of others wandering in the desolation. The Church is accused of a lot of things, but perhaps the greatest crime perpetrated is the apparent willingness to condemn so many souls to damnation.
The betrayal starts on the first day of school.
Now read on!
I can recall a discussion where an acquantaince was telling me of his past involvement with a parish youth group. He attended every week, sang songs (accompanied by obligatory guitar), listened to and reflected upon passages of scripture, discussed with his peer group his experience of God and how it impacted on his life. A priest "facilitated" this youth group, the recollections of this person did not seem to allude to the reverend father actually saying much or guiding the young people in their exploration of the Faith. To cut a long story short this lad then went to work in London and when he saw the multitude of people, of different cultures and different faiths, he lost his. He reasoned thus; how could he be so sure of his faith when everyone else seemed so sure about their beliefs?
Perhaps the most telling comment was that his initial enthusiasm stemmed from the fact that this was the first time he had encountered his Faith. In other words he had gone through 14 years of "Catholic Education" and only when he had finished this, only when he stumbled across this youth group did he encounter a semblance of the Catholic religion. Too little, too late.
This is not an isolated example, this same story is repeated over and over ad infinitum. In every parish you will find maybe a handful of young people who will live their faith, "here , look here, new springtime" is the cry as the priest and the parish council gesture towards them. Yes but never a mention of the hundreds of others wandering in the desolation. The Church is accused of a lot of things, but perhaps the greatest crime perpetrated is the apparent willingness to condemn so many souls to damnation.
The betrayal starts on the first day of school.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Brass Tacks (rant #1)
"Close your eyes and tap your heels together three times. Think to yourself, there's no place like home, there's no place like home...." - Wizard of Oz.
The New Springtime. I've been hearing that tedious mantra from the neo-con/charismatic wing of the Church for years, but it is always tinged with a smidgen of optimistic desperation. If you say it enough times it must come true!! New Springtime, beautiful thought, nice notion, cut adrift from reality.
The argument goes that the first buds are appearing after the nuclear winter that followed Vatican II, young people strong in faith are taking up the gauntlet thrown down by JPII hence more lay faith groups, more vocations to new orthodox religious groups, eg the Legion of Christ (ahem! let's not go there) etc etc etc .
It seems as though any meeting of young people under a canopy in a field (with obligatory guitar and clapping) is a sure sign of the New Springtime. Yet if some visitor from a far distant galaxy landed in this field and watched the proceedings and then went to another field close by where there was an evangelical protestant revival , apart from the Blessed Sacrament, it would be hard pressed to find the difference (in fact it would probably teleport away shaking it's three heads at the expense of two tents rather than one, wasteful bipedal carbon lifeforms!!!). It seems that the New Springtime consists of any public display of religious feeling,as long as it is vaguely Christian and doesn't necessarily have to be Catholic.
The phrases used by these serious people are along the lines of "How I came to know God" ,"God changed my life" ," I feel a happiness that I never knew before" (for this see the evangelical utterance "I invited Jesus into my heart and now I'm saved"). The common theme is the feel-good factor, experiential, individual and subjective, and mostly based on FEELING!!. The problem with this is that our feelings and emotions are fickle, we are human therefore we are subject to change. What was it that Our Lord said about the seeds scattered among the rocks? (Matt 13:5-6) So it is with some of these enthusiastic adherents, life gets in the way, concerns, responsibilites etc. and their faith wanes. It is similar to a match being struck, flares brightly, then steadies to a small flame and eventually splutters into darkenss. But why does this happen? What is going on?
Find out in the next exciting installment of Brass Tacks!!!
The New Springtime. I've been hearing that tedious mantra from the neo-con/charismatic wing of the Church for years, but it is always tinged with a smidgen of optimistic desperation. If you say it enough times it must come true!! New Springtime, beautiful thought, nice notion, cut adrift from reality.
The argument goes that the first buds are appearing after the nuclear winter that followed Vatican II, young people strong in faith are taking up the gauntlet thrown down by JPII hence more lay faith groups, more vocations to new orthodox religious groups, eg the Legion of Christ (ahem! let's not go there) etc etc etc .
It seems as though any meeting of young people under a canopy in a field (with obligatory guitar and clapping) is a sure sign of the New Springtime. Yet if some visitor from a far distant galaxy landed in this field and watched the proceedings and then went to another field close by where there was an evangelical protestant revival , apart from the Blessed Sacrament, it would be hard pressed to find the difference (in fact it would probably teleport away shaking it's three heads at the expense of two tents rather than one, wasteful bipedal carbon lifeforms!!!). It seems that the New Springtime consists of any public display of religious feeling,as long as it is vaguely Christian and doesn't necessarily have to be Catholic.
The phrases used by these serious people are along the lines of "How I came to know God" ,"God changed my life" ," I feel a happiness that I never knew before" (for this see the evangelical utterance "I invited Jesus into my heart and now I'm saved"). The common theme is the feel-good factor, experiential, individual and subjective, and mostly based on FEELING!!. The problem with this is that our feelings and emotions are fickle, we are human therefore we are subject to change. What was it that Our Lord said about the seeds scattered among the rocks? (Matt 13:5-6) So it is with some of these enthusiastic adherents, life gets in the way, concerns, responsibilites etc. and their faith wanes. It is similar to a match being struck, flares brightly, then steadies to a small flame and eventually splutters into darkenss. But why does this happen? What is going on?
Find out in the next exciting installment of Brass Tacks!!!
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