"When religion itself gets comfortable with an unjust order..."
The parishioners of Holy Trinity, in the Palmerston North Diocese of New Zealand, often have the dubious pleasure of reading releases from a certain association of Catholic priests which are published in our weekly newsletter.
Today's offering speaks of prophets a la Jesus of Nazareth, tossed out of the synagogue for daring to speak God's truth. Jesus had the cheek to tell the Jews that divine grace wasn't limited to them, and is completely gratuitous.
These Irish priests call out "an unjust society ... silencing the suffering of those who mourn", a society where "the prophet dares to live reality from the perspective of God's compassion for the least, who criticizes injustice".
Hold it right there. Their own society, the people of Ireland, recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of silencing the unborn and their mothers and fathers who consciously or not, in so many physical, mental and spiritual ways, will sooner or later mourn their loss.
And before that vote on the Eighth Amendment, this Association of 'Catholic' Priests told their people to vote according to their 'conscience'. "As priests," they declared, "we are not best placed to be dogmatic on this issue". They did not wish to tell anyone how they should vote and that "a vote cast in accordance with each person's conscience, whatever the result, deserves the respect of all."
They even banned "Vote No" representatives from speaking before or after Mass: that, they said, would be "regarded by some as an abuse of the Eucharist".
Thus, in the Emerald Isle - "in accordance with each person's conscience" - abortion was legalized up to 12 weeks' gestation, for any reason whatsoever. It was pretty much only lay people, and lay funding, that fought against abortion in that 'Catholic' country, the first nation ever to sentence their unborn children to death.
Any Catholic who'd voted yes was, according to Bishop Kevin Doran of Elphin Diocese, guilty of mortal sin. But this Association of 'Catholic' Priests had refused to advise their people against that mortal sin.
.
What is their religion then, if not one that is "comfortable with an unjust order" which makes slaughter of the unborn legal, and whose interests obviously "no longer respond to God's interests"? In abandoning their people to a 'conscience' which if informed by the Association of Catholic Priests is certainly uninformed and misinformed, they accommodated a wicked law which accommodates an evil society.
These priests declare they are "sensitive, non-judgmental" with "a pastoral approach". (Remind you of anyone?) 'Hypocritical' is the word which comes more readily to mind.
And then, whoa! Their idea of a prophet also "criticizes the illusion of eternity and absolutes that threaten every religion". Excuse me, but isn't religion all about eternity and absolutes? Without eternity there would be no religion. Without God there are no absolutes, only alternatives.
When they move on to the "lack of priests" their agenda becomes clearer. Instead of praying for vocations to the priesthood, "why don't we pray that God raise up prophets?"
Get it? Prophets don't have to be priests. Prophets could be female deacons! They could be anyone. So who needs priests? The world church this crowd is after won't want priests, because that church won't want the Eucharist. These priests are apostates.
They get right to their neo-Marxist point however, when they warn of a Christianity "in danger of remaining controlled by order, tradition and 'the fear of God's newness". In other words, they want revolution - and the 'God of surprises' touted by Pope Francis. These priests have forgotten (or do they no longer believe?) that Jesus Christ is the same old Jesus Christ and He will be for ever: yesterday, today and tomorrow.
Lisa Hare of Human Life International Ireland says "this group is usually the first in line to attack the Catholic Church and her teachings". And when you consider that the Association of Catholic Priests isn't a 'crowd' at all, but represent only a tiny proportion of Irish priests, you have to ask yourselves, people, why do we have this outfit quoted at length, and top of the bill, in parish newsletters in New Zealand?
Are parish secretaries actively seeking out this pernicious doctrine to put in our newsletters? Not jolly likely. Interestingly, there's another Association of 'Catholic' Priests, in the US, and that one's described by respected commentator Peter Kwasniewski as "openly heretical". Neither the Irish or US versions are associations with which any Christ-respecting Catholic would want to be associated.
So why is our own NZ Conference of Bishops allowing apostate misinformation like this to mislead their faithful people? Does it emanate from that 'dreadful' diocesan gathering - to quote American priest Fr Brian Buenger, who's had enough and is heading back home - of priests in Christchurch last year? Is our episcopal agenda pretty much the same as these Irish and American priests'?
One thing is pretty clear: we must pray for priests. The devotion to priests of St Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face produced several prayers for priests, and the version distributed during the NZ tour of her relics has been prayed at Eucharistic Adoration in Holy Trinity Parish ever since. I'm sure that's why our little country parish still has a priest, a faithful priest who celebrates Holy Mass every day of the week.
Hold on tight: we Catholics are in for a rough ride. A 16th century visionary in South America, Mariana Francisca de Jesus Torres y Barriochia, received visions of Our Lady of Good Success since approved by the Church, in which Mary prophesied that:
"Injustice will even enter here (into the Church), my closed garden. Disguised under the name of false charity, it will wreak havoc in souls. The spiteful demon will try to sow discord, making use of putrid members, who, masked by the appearance of virtue, will be like decaying sepulchers emanating the pestilence of putrefaction, causing moral death in some and lukewarmness in others … How the Church will suffer on that occasion the dark night of a lack of a Prelate and Father to watch over them with paternal love, gentleness, strength and prudence!
But when (evil) seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power … their ruin will be near. They will fall and crash to the ground."
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