The Catholic Spectator

  1. Liberal hysteria

    July 24, 2007 by Eugene Michael

    Liberal Hysteria

    The coming liberation of the Latin Mass by Pope Benedict has been praised by some and condemned by others. Now comes word that some Jewish leaders are upset because of the Good Friday prayers that are associated with that Mass. In particular, the Good Friday prayers ask God to “remove the veil from their(the Jews) hearts; that they also may acknowledge Our Lord Jesus Christ”. In other words, the Church is petitioning God to save the Jews from eternal damnation. The Church is performing an act of perfect charity. The Old Covenant has been revoked. The New Covenant is now operative.

    The Good Friday prayers also petition God for the rescuing of heretics and schismatics from their errors. The prayer goes so far as to say that these heretics and schismatics have been led astray by the decit of the devil. These prayers also petition God for the conversion of pagans, atheits, and non-Christians in general. In other words, the Church is praying for all who are not Catholic. Again, a perfect act of charity. What could be more important than a soul’s eternal destiny? A few hurt feelings is a small price to pay.

    This minor spectacle of supposed Jewish outrage provides a good illustration of how issues are framed in this media driven age. Is the average Jewish person really upset about these Good Friday prayers? Does the average Jewish person even know that the Church is praying for their salvation on Good Friday? Are there any pagans, schismatics, or heretics holding news conferences and issuing press releases?

    As with so many other “issues” these days, this one has been blown way out of proportion by the media and a small group of “spokesman”. Knowing that the media in general has no love for the Church, one must question the motive of those who are framing this issue. Is it perhaps just another opportunity to attack the Church? Is the real agenda just another attempt to make the Church modify its teachings in order to accommodate the worldly concerns of its adversaries? Let us hope that Rome will not back down from these media driven oversensitivities. The purpose of the Church is the salvation of souls. It should not abide any interference with this God given mission.

  2. No exceptions please

    July 15, 2007 by Eugene Michael

    No Exceptions Please

    Robach said that “Roe vs. Wade is a federal issue and that he doesn’t support abortions except in cases of rape, incest, or if the physical wellbeing of the mother is in jeopardy”. State Senator Joe Robach, Catholic legislator, in this morning’s Democrat and Chronicle.

    Regarding abortion, the Church does not allow for any exceptions. A baby is a baby no matter how it is conceived. Would the baby really want to be killed because it was conceived as a result of rape or incest? Wouldn’t the Senator be called to task if he were to say “I don’t support racism except in cases of…”? Of course he would because there is no logic in that statement. There is also no logic in the statement that he made regarding abortion.

  3. A dying breed

    July 13, 2007 by Eugene Michael

    A Dying Breed

    Lately I have been thinking about the demise of liberal Catholicism. Liberal Catholicism has actually been dying for about 40 years now. The Second Vatican Council was the beginning of the end for a movement that St. Pius X described as Modernism. I say this because in the years immediately following the council the Church lost millions and millions of Catholic clergy, religious, and lay people. As an institution we have been seriously hemorrhaging for about 40 years. Now, after these 40 years in the desert, we are beginning to see the signs of a revival.

    Liberal Catholicism has been dying because it really has nothing unique to offer. Once people began drinking from the trough of liberal waters they, by and large, stopped going to Church. After all, if everything can be relegated to private conscience then there really is no such thing as sin. If every religion is equally valid then why bother getting out of bed on Sunday morning to go to Mass. If everyone is saved just so long as they are “tolerant” then there is little incentive to meet the demands of Catholicism.

    Now the funny thing is, liberal Catholics don’t realize that they are part of a dying movement. They have had their way for so long that they don’t recognize the signs of the times. Traditional Catholicism is once again beginning to take hold. It is only a matter of time. Liberal Catholicism will be nothing more than a painful memory in the not too distant future. In the meantime we await the change, prayerfully and patiently.

  4. Hilkert’s Heroe

    July 5, 2007 by Eugene Michael

    Hilkert’s Heroe

    ” In this memoir, the reader discovers the intellect of a scholar, the clarity of a teacher, and the heart of a pastor. With the realistic sense of history, saving sense of humor, acute intelligence, and love of the Church for which he is known, Charles Curran gives witness to the meaning and cost of being called to a stance of ‘faithful dissent.’ His commitment to Christian discipleship and to his vocation as a Catholic theologian and priest remains an inspiration for the Church in the 21st century.” Mary Catherine Hilkert, Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame (Sister Hilkert will be speaking at St. Bernard’s on July 16).

  5. Buyer beware

    July 4, 2007 by Eugene Michael

    Buyer Beware

    On Monday, July 16, St. Bernard’s School of Theology will present “The Summer Preaching Event”. One of the speakers will be Sister Mary Catherine Hilkert, OP. Sister Hilkert is the past president and a current member of the Catholic Theological Society of America(CTSA).

    The CTSA has generated much controversy in the past because of its critical statements against the Church’s teachings. One particularly notorious statement was the 1977 report titled “Human Sexuality”. Msgr. John McCarthy of The Theological Forum had this to say about that report:

    “The CTSA report proclaimed to Catholic educators a long series of morally irresponsible, shocking, and pastorally devastating “conclusions,” such as the following: a) that Sacred Scripture does not necessarily forbid any form of genital behavior whatsoever (p. 31); b) that adultery can be morally acceptable (p. 15); c) that contraception can be wholesome and moral (p. 122); d) that premarital intercourse can be a morally good experience (pp. 155-158); e) that evaluations of premarital intercourse that are “sin-centered” should be avoided (pp. 173-174); f) that obscene words are now part of the common vocabulary and may be used in polite conversation (p. 235); g) that pornographic material is not immoral (p. 236); h) that masturbation is not sinful (p. 220); i) that homosexual intercourse is not wrong in itself (p. 198); j) that deviant sexual practices are not evil (p. 77); k) that prostitution is not sinful in itself (pp. 16, 30-31, 96); l) that, until Church and State change their laws to accommodate to the conclusions of this report, people should just “proceed discreetly with their own sexual project” (p. 56); m) that sex-education in keeping with the views expressed in this report should be made to permeate all areas of educational development (p. 237).” (From Living Tradition, 1996)

    More recently Avery Cardinal Dulles criticized the society in a Commonweal article titled “How Catholic is the CTSA?”. A further sampling of CTSA evaluations can be found at the following links: Catholic Culture, Catholic World News, CNS, and Catholic. net.

    Anyone who is planning on attending Sister Hilkert’s lecture should be forewarned about her affiliation with CTSA. This is not meant as an indictment of her theology but only as a word of caution to those who may be unfamiliar with the magisterial teaching of the Church.

  6. Sanger KKK

    July 3, 2007 by Eugene Michael

    Sanger Guest of KKK

    “All the world over, in Penang and Skagway, in El Paso and Helsingfors, I have found women’s psychology in the matter of childbearing essentially the same, no matter what the class, religion, or economic status. Always to me any aroused group was a good group, and therefore I accepted an invitation to talk to the women’s branch of the Ku Klux Klan at Silver Lake, New Jersey, one of the weirdest experiences I had in lecturing.” From “Margaret Sanger An Autobiography”, page 366.