"It is a great sorrow to Catholics, that those appointed to lead us to Christ have failed us completely. They are betraying us."
The feast of St George, Martyr, was literally a heaven-sent opportunity for Father Michael Johnson SSPX in his sermon from St Anthony's Priory Whanganui this morning, and he exploited it to the full.
He kicked off by saying that St George, Patron of England, is "honoured also by heretics and schismatics". He reminded us (if we knew already, which I didn't) that St George's Cross is embedded in the middle of the Union Jack flag.
As a soldier, a military man, in the Roman army under the Emperor Diocletian, George was persecuted and pressured to give up his Catholic faith. Tradition (probably embroidering on the facts) says he was horribly tortured. And of course, he fought and slew the Dragon.
One of the casualties of the deformation of the liturgy, said Father Johnson, is traditional teaching on the virtues. He cited fidelity, loyalty, piety and courage in particular. I could see whither his sermon was tending - towards those virtues being very necessary for Catholics in "the fight against Covid".
Are we all totally fed up with the propaganda machine telling us that "Covid" is the reason why tourism operators and chemists and GPs are throwing in the towel? It's not "Covid" that's to blame, it's Aunty Ardern's pettifogging rules and regulations concerning Covid.
Today, at the farm, I was given a jar of apricot jam by friends who were driving up and down the country roads in our district at random, delivering jam, chutney and marmalade with labels saying "Take care, stay safe". I gave my jam to my son-in-law, who's been right-hand man to 'the young master" on our farm, who's understaffed and overworked, trying to find grazing for his starving stock in the drought.
The gift elicited the comment that son-in-law had been delivering eggs round their seaside neighbourhood yesterday. "Big trays of eggs!" And why? Because the local chicken farmer has had to kill all his chickens, because he doesn't sell to supermarkets. Is that somewhat heartbreaking, or not? But what's a chicken farmer to Jacinda?
The son-in-law - who always has a fund of anecdotes - also informed me that it was David Seymour (Act, Epsom)'s lobbying that got permission from Jacinda to go hunting again. The son-in-law and his Vizslas, Maggie, like all good keen men and their dogs, have fretted muchly over being locked up during the roar. "David Seymour hunts," he said.
"Shame he's not a Catholic," I said. "We could do with a lobbyist like him. Our bishops are a wash-out. A write-off.
The Second Vatican Council's Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World Gaudium et Spes in no. 43 invites the laity to make it a matter of conscience "that the divine law be impressed on the affairs of the earthly city". It's up to us to do the lobbying, then, people!
In Apostolicam Acuositatem (1965) we read: "The whole Church must work vigorously in order that men may become capable of rectifying the distortion of the temporal order and directing it to God through Christ. Pastors must clearly state the principles concerning the purpose of creation and the use of temporal things and must offer the moral and spiritual aids by which the temporal order may be renewed in Christ (no 7)."
Thank God for priests like Fr Johnson and Fr Laisney SSPX who do clearly state those principles. Thank God for priests with gumption. How hard it must be for them, because of the gummint and bishops' response to the 'pandemic', not to be able to offer those moral and spiritual aids of the Mass and Holy Communion.
And how "distorted" is the temporal order here and now in 'Godzone'! In fact, in the terms set by Dr Peter Kwasniewski, "an anti-Catholic state may be defined as one that denies the Catholic Church those rights that are due to her as a perfect society with a divine mandate, or, in a worst case scenario, actively persecutes and penalizes her members."
My friends, we are living in an anti-Catholic state. We are living with the 'Dragon' of St George.
Dr Kwasniewski again: "We are living in an era characterized by profound unrest" (and this was pre-Covid!): the increasing rationalism of science fueling technological barbarism" (mass vaccinations!), the increasing irrationalism of non-Christian religions feeding horrific violence" (but we mustn't say that in NZ, where our PM wears the hajib) the increasing secularisation" (not to say paganism) "of Western societies driving them to the brink of insanity as every perversion and aberration" (more Dragons) is not only permitted but celebrated" (The "Catholic State: Anachronism, Arch-enemy, or Archetype?" Dr Peter A Kwasniewski.
Which brings me back to Fr Johnson. He talked about how ideally, every child should grow up with a longing to give himself in loyalty and piety to a country motivated by love of God; that every country should be oriented to the love and service of God.
"Today those principles are not present. Too many young people feel no compulsion whatsoever to practise those virtues. They are completely without principles except for indulgence of their own pleasures.
"We are living as people with no virtues. "We must defend lives at all cost!" This is paralysing the country. This is not the spirit of St George, the spirit of our Confirmation. There is no leadership from anyone. There are only a few minor leaders, a few bishops and priests who are faithful.
"Jesus Christ said he would smite the shepherds, and the flock will be scattered" (Zech 13:7).
"St George was beheaded because he was faithful to Rome. Rome today is not faithful to Christ.
"St George's Dragon was the Devil. The legend says the Dragon had to be fed two sheep a day, and when they ran out of sheep they had to feed the Dragon with children.
"The Dragons today are feeding on their own children. The number killed by abortion is far exceeding those taken by the virus.
"Stand strong and do battle with the Dragon."
How is it that the government is now so concerned with the lives of the vulnerable? Last year we were fighting against their Euthanasia proposal, last month or so they offered up unborn babies to be butchered in the womb.. Kinda makes your head spin. Gormless people on tv being told the government suggests global vaccine - 'Well if the government says so, it's for the best', 'seems a bit extreme but.. I guess..' WAKE UP PEOPLE!!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone feel like the bloke running down the line waving a torch in the pitch black, at the train approaching a washed out bridge? You must often feel like that Julia, like the bloke at Tangiwai.. But the train didn't see him or couldn't stop, I can't remember.. That bridge feels like our Church assaulted by a lahar of lies.
Jacinda.. Our great leader.. Cripes. I wonder what the ordinary lemming, or indeed a lemming of any status thought of their own great leader when they were hurtling en masse sky born into the abyss..
I'm sorry I didn't disinter this comment until last night: had I seen it at the time I'd have posted it on facebook. Please don't be deterred from making further remarks in this vein!
DeleteHi Julia, Not for publication.
ReplyDeleteI am concerned about your vocal support for SSPX. You might influence others to support them. Those who love tradition and Christ and are forced to endure the most banal and irreverent conditions in the Catholic Church experience a great suffering. I am sure you know what I mean by that. But it is no solution to turn toward the SSPX as a safe harbour of Catholic refuge.
At the very least go to Church Militant and see what has been discovered with respect to sexual and spiritual abuse in the SSPX. Make your own mind up, but it is a huge problem with past, recent and current issues covered up at the very top.
Consider also, that the doctrinal issues remain and these are extremely important. I could never attend their Mass for the very reason that they absolutely reject as 'evil in itself' even though they attempt to align with the Church by saying the New Mass is valid. That is incoherent. Moreover the promulgation of the New Mass, however that came about, is the Church's right to do and its liceity and validity is assured. If it is 'evil in itself' it seriously calls into question the indefectibility of the Church tending toward sedevacantism. One can paper over all this in all manner of ways but the bottom line is, it is complex, and public support and commitment to the SSPX can be strongly argued to be an position taken against the Catholic Church itself. I don't know the answer but it is not worth the risk.
We just have to stay strong, suffer what we have and find what safe harbour we can within the body of the Church itself.
In charity
Lynda Stack