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Saturday, November 30, 2013

Unbelievable Mass Abuses

Today in my email box I received an email with a link to a Youtube video entitled "The Novus Ordo is not catholic"<--click the link to watch the video - the first few minutes is the narrator talking, after that it turns into videos of masses from around the world.

While I disagree with the title of the video, I figured I had a pretty good idea what the two and a half hour video would feature... mass abuse.  

So I gave it a try.

I was right- but I was NOT prepared for what I saw.  These images can only begin to relay what is going on...the music...the words said... its a horror show.

This needs to STOP!


The Clown Mass- complete with fuzzy ball tassel stole.

 The Yoga Mass

 The Hostage Mass (yes a woman is bound and gagged)

The Bobble Head Mass (complete with HUGE pita bread host)

The Circus Mass
This "procession" [next few images] is done to the Big Top Circus theme music
while a spinning carousal whips it's 3 riders around in circles.
The girl at the top is holding the Book of the Gospels.


See the swirling carousal riders wave to the laity

Woman holding the Book of the Gospels as she spins in circles

The Consecrated Red Guitar Mass
(Yes, that is a red electric guitar AND race flag on the altar during the Consecration)

Rock Star Priest SINGS a Rock Mass
(I am NOT kidding-watch the video)

The Flame Spewing Mass

The Sparkler Mass

The Hare Krishna Mass
(a Catholic Parish in Florida)

The Dancing With the Stars Mass

The Shot Glass Jesus Mass
(yes, they are drinking the Blood of Christ from shot glasses)

These are only a FEW of the abuses shown in the video, there are bouncing balloon priests, what I think is someone dressed as a giant piece of toast processing to the altar, lots of dancing and twirling, a man dancing and flinging incense in the air, a woman re-writing a reading to suit her liberal feminist 'you're not gonna hold us women down!' speech and several consecrated hosts that look like GIANT pancakes being ripped to shreds then fed to the people.

After watching with disgust the entire two and half hours of one mass abuse after another the only thing I could think about was Jesus clearing out the Temple with a whip.

Had *I* been at ANY of these "masses" I think I would have done my own Jesus impression of clearing out the Temple- only I wouldn't have been as easy on them as Jesus was.   

This sickens me.  The ignorance not only of the laity- but the CLERGY!  There is no excuse and while many will not like hearing me say this, I am saying it anyway.  I believe there will be a special place in Hell for the clergy who mock our Lord in this way and take the holiness of the Mass away from the faithful.  How could you?  Do you not KNOW who you disrespect?  I pray for your rotten souls, because they truly must be rotten to treat my Lord so shabbily when he's been tortured, beaten and died for YOU.  This is how you repay Him? You should be on your knees begging His forgiveness for what you've done and those you've led astray! SHAME ON YOU!

May God have mercy on them.

One last thing...in Pope Francis Exhortation, he mentioned getting rid of some "customs" [#43] - can we hope that the "customs" seen here will be the first to go?


43. “In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives. Saint Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the precepts which Christ and the apostles gave to the people of God “are very few”.[47] Citing Saint Augustine, he noted that the precepts subsequently enjoined by the Church should be insisted upon with moderation “so as not to burden the lives of the faithful” and make our religion a form of servitude, whereas “God’s mercy has willed that we should be free”.[48] This warning, issued many centuries ago, is most timely today. It ought to be one of the criteria to be taken into account in considering a the reform of the Church and her preaching which would enable it to reach everyone.


In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner


Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rr-Q6oYNQ_k

Friday, November 29, 2013

Catholic website Angelqueen.org has a plagiarism problem

I don't know how many people visit the Plagiarist-Run-Wild website "Angelqueen.org", but I suggest staying FAR, FAR away from them.

This "Angelqueen.org: For Purity and Tradition" (*snort*) uses an image of a statue of Mary to make it look Catholic.  What the website looks like is [in my opinion] nothing but stolen work from other bloggers and media writers.  I've looked around and see a lot of reprinted articles- I HOPE they have permission from other bloggers/writers, but they do NOT have MY permission- and they've never asked for it either.

For MONTHS now a person going by the name "Tom" has been STEALING my blog articles and placing them on Angelqueen.org saying "written by Tom"- sometimes he includes a link back to my blog, but does NOT tell anyone he is STEALING WORD FOR WORD my ENTIRE articles.  The Angelqueen.org website rules do NOT state re-printing other peoples work without permission. [see rules below]

Again, he has NEVER asked permission to re-print ANY of my writings, but that doesn't stop him.
pla·gia·rism[pley-juh-riz-uhm, -jee-uh-riz-] Show IPA noun1.an act or instance of using or closely imitating the language and thoughts of another author without authorization and the representation of that author's work as one's own, as by not crediting the original author: It is said that he plagiarized Thoreau's plagiarism of a line written by Montaigne. appropriation, infringement, piracy, counterfeiting; theft, borrowing, cribbing, passing off. 2.a piece of writing or other work reflecting such unauthorized use or imitation: “These two manuscripts are clearly plagiarisms,” the editor said, tossing them angrily on the floor.

I have tried numerous times to get in touch with Angelqueen.org but they have NO option for contacting them directly OR filing a complaint that I can [so far] find on their website.  So I am left with voicing my disgust here on my blog hoping that readers and other bloggers will speak out if anyone at Angelqueen.org has done this to them.  I can SEE numerous other articles on there that seem to be set up like my own STOLEN work so I can only assume they are stealing from others to.

Under the websites "RULES" it says:


Here we play by BBGR or “Big Boy and Girls Rules.”You won’t find any long, detailed user agreements or posting guidelines to be referred to chapter and verse.If you are capable of logging on to this site and putting a coherent sentence together, you understand that you must avoid doing anything illegal, actionable (“tort”) or immoral. Further, this is a Catholic site frequented by Catholic faithful and clergy. Avoid engaging in anything that could be perceived as un-Catholic, anti-Catholic, non-Catholic etc.If you’re new, as with being the new guy anywhere else in life, it is wise to take some quiet time to get to know the environment, the people and particular “culture” before drawing too much attention to yourself.Conduct yourself as you do in real life – i.e. a well-mannered big boy/girl who is visiting with others for a discussion at a house, church, park and you’ll have no problems here whatsoever.Blessings.
Apparently they pay NO ATTENTION to rule breakers because the person stealing from me does NOT put ANY "sentences together" he steals them from other people and slaps his name on it. I'd say that not only is stealing/plagiarism but also "immoral"- which the website claims is not allowed.

Tom and those in charge at Angelqueen.org this is the LAST TIME I am telling you STOP STEALING MY WORK!  You DO NOT have permission to re-print ANYTHING from my blog anymore.  You want to comment on something comment HERE or share a LINK to my blog ONLY.  You can NOT STEAL my entire writings and try to pass them off as your own because you've CHANGED MY TITLES!

He has done it with my article entitled "Did Pope Francis say anything new in his Exhortation" - changing the title to: "Objection and Reply" where he first steals the ENTIRE article written by Damian Thompson at the UK's The Telegraph, then beneath that he places my article.

He has done this before and after a few days of trying to get in touch with the website and having no luck registering (I tried several times and all attempts failed) so that I could at the very least leave a comment to Tom on one of his pages, I gave up trying that avenue.  Instead I moved my copyright from the bottom of my blog to the top and that stopped him for all of about a month. 

Now he is back to it taking my work without my permission and re-posting it. 

How it shows up is he writes "posted by Connecticut Catholic Corner" and "written by Tom" then he re-prints WITHOUT my permission my entire blog articles.



I certainly do NOT mind having a line or even a paragraph used with a link back to the entire original article, but Angelqueen.org does NOT do that- this website takes ENTIRE articles that other people write and slaps their own name on it making it look like they have written it. And they don't even send you an email asking to reprint your work!

This is wrong. 

If you've had issues with Angelqueen.org I'd like to hear about them.

 STOP INTERNET PLAGIARISM: http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stopping-internet-plagiarism/


UPDATE:
1)"Tom" over at Angelqueen.org has decided to mock and belittle me for not liking the fact that he is stealing from me.  No really, I am not kidding, see HERE.  He is attacking me for calling him out on his crimes.  Unbelievable, and remember folks this is titled as a "Catholic" website.

2) I found and contacted the Angelqueen.org website owner and filed a complaint with him.


In Christ and fed up with thieves,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Links: 
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plagiarism
http://angelqueen.org/2013/11/28/objection-and-reply/
http://angelqueen.org/author/tom/
http://angelqueen.org/
http://angelqueen.org/the-rules/
http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100247936/pope-francis-reveals-his-radical-message-and-it-will-startle-conservatives/
link: http://whois.net/whois/angelqueen.org
link: http://angelqueen.org/2013/11/29/catholic-website-angelqueen-org-has-a-plagiarism-problem/
link: http://www.plagiarismtoday.com/stopping-internet-plagiarism/your-copyrights-online/1-what-is-a-copyright/


Thursday, November 28, 2013

Did Pope Francis say anything new in his Exhortation?

I must have missed. 


I am seeing assorted media articles about some “big changes” the Pope has reportedly mentioned in his exhortation, but I’m not seeing it.  We all know by now Pope Francis has his own personal style, so that is nothing new.


British Editor for the Telegraph Damian Thompson writes:
 “Pope Francis reveals his radical message and it will startle conservatives”!

Really?  A "radical message"??  Where?  What's "radical" about anything Pope Francis said???

This 'conservative' Catholic isn’t startled by the Pope’s Exhortation [Evangelii Gaudium] but I am certainly startled by Thompson's hysterical interpretation of it! 

Thompson writes:  “Now, at last, we have a clear idea of what sort of Pope has taken over the Catholic Church. His Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium – the Joy of the Gospel – challenges Catholics to reject a life of comfort and move into direct contact with the poor as a matter of great urgency. It tells them that the Church has become lazy, even without realising it. It says that traditional styles of worship are not necessarily suitable for newly evangelised non-Western people, or the modern world in general; and, in a passage that will truly trouble some conservatives, it raises the possibility that non-Christian religions are performing God's work, enriching souls albeit imperfectly.

I must have missed the part where Pope Francis said “traditional styles of worship are not necessarily suitable” any more. In all honesty I didn't see the Pope mention "styles of worship" anywhere in his exhortation- did I miss it?

What the Pope ACTUALLY said was…

43. “In her ongoing discernment, the Church can also come to see that certain customs not directly connected to the heart of the Gospel, even some which have deep historical roots, are no longer properly understood and appreciated. Some of these customs may be beautiful, but they no longer serve as means of communicating the Gospel. We should not be afraid to re-examine them. At the same time, the Church has rules or precepts which may have been quite effective in their time, but no longer have the same usefulness for directing and shaping people’s lives. Saint Thomas Aquinas pointed out that the precepts which Christ and the apostles gave to the people of God “are very few”.[47] Citing Saint Augustine, he noted that the precepts subsequently enjoined by the Church should be insisted upon with moderation “so as not to burden the lives of the faithful” and make our religion a form of servitude, whereas “God’s mercy has willed that we should be free”.[48] This warning, issued many centuries ago, is most timely today. It ought to be one of the criteria to be taken into account in considering a the reform of the Church and her preaching which would enable it to reach everyone.

Pope Francis knows there are a bunch of ignorant Catholics out there who have no idea why they keep the customs they do, so the point of the custom is useless.  Not at all what Damian Thompson would like his readers to believe.  There are ALL SORTS of customs throughout the world in Catholic parishes- these are CUSTOMS, not Tradition.  Since this Sunday is the beginning of Advent lets look at some of our customs in Advent.  Here in the United States we usually have Advent wreaths and Christmas trees IN our parishes for Advent.  This is a CUSTOM that we can keep or toss out the door.  If the CUSTOM fails to teach what it is supposed to teach, we don’t need it and it SHOULD be tossed out.  Admittedly that probably is not what the Pope was thinking about in his exhortation, but it shows what a "custom" is.  Again, this is NOT "worship", but a custom. Customs are NOT essential to worship, they come and they go.  Nothing new here.

He goes on to quote:

"254: Non-Christians, by God’s gracious initiative, when they are faithful to their own consciences, can live “justified by the grace of God”, and thus be “associated to the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ”. But due to the sacramental dimension of sanctifying grace, God’s working in them tends to produce signs and rites, sacred expressions which in turn bring others to a communitarian experience of journeying towards God. While these lack the meaning and efficacy of the sacraments instituted by Christ, they can be channels which the Holy Spirit raises up in order to liberate non-Christians from atheistic immanentism or from purely individual religious experiences. The same Spirit everywhere brings forth various forms of practical wisdom which help people to bear suffering and to live in greater peace and harmony. As Christians, we can also benefit from these treasures built up over many centuries, which can help us better to live our own beliefs."

Thompson excitedly rambles; “There is so much in this document to unsettle traditional Catholics, capitalists and – yes – liberals that I'm hard put to single out the most radical paragraph. But I think it's the one above. Catholic conservatives and Francis's friends in the Pentecostal churches will find it difficult to accept, even if it's possible to argue that every word in it has been said by the Church somewhere before. If this isn't a declaration that non-Christians go to heaven (something Rome has never denied but also never emphasised) then I don't know what is.”

What is there to "unsettle" anyone over?  I don't see it because I can't find anything actually "new" in the document.

He mentions the bit about non-Christians as if that were 'new' news, its not.

He even admits in his own statement that it's not 'new' thus contradicting his own article!!! 

As far as Capitalism… NOTHING new there either.  This stuff is ALL in our Catholic Catechism…

Capitalism:  #2425 The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism," individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor.207 Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning perverts the basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the marketplace fails social justice, for "there are many human needs which cannot be satisfied by the market."208 Reasonable regulation of the marketplace and economic initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of values and a view to the common good, is to be commended. 

Poverty & Focusing on the Poor:  #2439 Rich nations have a grave moral responsibility toward those which are unable to ensure the means of their development by themselves or have been prevented from doing so by tragic historical events. It is a duty in solidarity and charity; it is also an obligation in justice if the prosperity of the rich nations has come from resources that have not been paid for fairly.

Love and Care for the Poor:

2441 An increased sense of God and increased self-awareness are fundamental to any full development of human society. This development multiplies material goods and puts them at the service of the person and his freedom. It reduces dire poverty and economic exploitation. It makes for growth in respect for cultural identities and openness to the transcendent.230
2442 It is not the role of the Pastors of the Church to intervene directly in the political structuring and organization of social life. This task is part of the vocation of the lay faithful, acting on their own initiative with their fellow citizens. Social action can assume various concrete forms. It should always have the common good in view and be in conformity with the message of the Gospel and the teaching of the Church. It is the role of the laity "to animate temporal realities with Christian commitment, by which they show that they are witnesses and agents of peace and justice."231
2443 God blesses those who come to the aid of the poor and rebukes those who turn away from them: "Give to him who begs from you, do not refuse him who would borrow from you"; "you received without pay, give without pay."232 It is by what they have done for the poor that Jesus Christ will recognize his chosen ones.233 When "the poor have the good news preached to them," it is the sign of Christ's presence.234


Over at Fox6Now.com writer Cary Docter seems to think the Church has suddenly changed its theology on the Eucharist and who can receive it and when.

“The Pope hinted that he wants to see an end to the so-called “wafer wars,” in which Catholic politicians who support abortion rights are denied Holy Communion. His comments could also be taken as another sign that he plans to reform church rules that prevent divorced Catholics from receiving the Eucharist.

The fact is NO unrepentant sinner is allowed the Eucharist- the Pope didn’t change that. [see catechism quote below] 

We are ALL called to confess our sins BEFORE Holy Communion.  

And why wouldn’t we if we truly understood our Catholic faith?  The Eucharist IS the BODY, BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY of God Incarnate!  

Who would DARE want to receive God in the Eucharist without first repenting from sin?  Only the ignorant who 1) don't believe in the Eucharist or 2) don't believe they are sinners.  

For as Sacred Scripture says, if you eat the Body and Blood of the Lord in an unworthy state you bring damnation to your soul (1 Cor. 11:27-32).  When a priest refuses to give Communion to someone he KNOWS is in mortal sin, he is doing it FOR that person’s soul.  It is an incredible act of LOVE to deny a sinner Communion because to give it to them would be a bigger sin.

Again, all in our catechism and Canon Law #915 and #916 - nothing new here because Pope Francis did not re-write the catechism or Canon Law. 

1385 To respond to this invitation we must prepare ourselves for so great and so holy a moment. St. Paul urges us to examine our conscience: "Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For any one who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment upon himself."218 Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament of Reconciliation before coming to communion.
1389 The Church obliges the faithful to take part in the Divine Liturgy on Sundays and feast days and, prepared by the sacrament of Reconciliation, to receive the Eucharist at least once a year, if possible during the Easter season.224 But the Church strongly encourages the faithful to receive the holy Eucharist on Sundays and feast days, or more often still, even daily.

The Pope in his exhortation WONDERFULLY goes on to re-enforce no women priests and no abortion.  Hopefully shutting up the liberals for at least a time. 

Again, nothing new there it’s all in our catechism. Though this part might “startle” liberal “catholics” who ignorantly hold out hope that ANY pope has the authority to change these things, it does not startle educated Catholics who know better.

Nothing “startling” here.

So what DID the Pope say that was a “change” or something "new"?  As far as I can tell it’s a smaller Vatican by decentralizing it and how he himself governs as Pope, and finally shorter less boring homilies... [I hadn't heard that one before] 

135. Let us now look at preaching within the liturgy, which calls for serious consideration by pastors. I will dwell in particular, and even somewhat meticulously, on the homily and its preparation, since so many concerns have been expressed about this important ministry and we cannot simply ignore them. The homily is the touchstone for judging a pastor’s closeness and ability to communicate to his people. We know that the faithful attach great importance to it, and that both they and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies: the laity from having to listen to them and the clergy from having to preach them! It is sad that this is the case. The homily can actually be an intense and happy experience of the Spirit, a consoling encounter with God’s word, a constant source of renewal and growth.

I actually laughed out loud at that part.

In my opinion, decentralizing the Vatican won’t have ANY noticeable effect on the Catholic laity at all.  It will affect the clergy at the Vatican. I could be wrong on that, but we shall see.

Other than that, I honestly don’t see any ‘big change’ and find it interesting how the media is running around screaming “BIG CHANGES” and “TRADITIONALISTS AREN’T GOING TO LIKE IT” or “RADICAL CHANGES COMING FOR CONSERVATIVE CATHOLICS”. 

Pope Francis hasn't said anything 'new' really.  He has reinforced the catechism and his own actions and words focusing on the poor.  Nothing, in my opinion, "new" here.

So what exactly are we ‘conservative traditional leaning’ Catholics supposed to not like?  I must have missed it, anyone care to fill me in?



In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner



Tuesday, November 26, 2013

A Catholic Priest helps people go to Hell

Is it any wonder why we [the Church] have so many clueless ignorant self professing Catholics in [and out] of the pews who think mortal sin isn’t mortal or a sin when our own clergy are heretics?

The Chicago Tribune shared this letter from a CATHOLIC priest:

"I am a retired pastor of a Catholic church in Edgewater where there are many gay and lesbian couples, many of whom are doing their best to raise children as a family. I admire their constancy and care while they continue to belong to a church that “officially” seems wrongheaded and bizarre in its resistance to legalization of same-sex marriage. Lobbying and liturgical pyrotechnics are both costly and embarrassing. At times I have wondered why faithful Muslims do not distance themselves publicly from their fellow believers who perpetuate violence. I wish to distance myself publicly from the misguided efforts of Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield and his rite of exorcism. God bless Gov. Pat Quinn and all who are trying to live a life of faithful love.— Rev. Bill Kenneally, Pastor Emeritus, St. Gertrude Parish, Chicago

Kenneally's honorary avenue
This isn’t the first time this Catholic priest has disagreed with the Church or acting (in MY opinion) in a heretical way.  Back in 2004 the Archdiocese shut down Rev.Kenneally’s attempts to show a controversial play in the parish about abortion – complete with a mythical politician sadly being denied Holy Communion by the big bad mean Catholic Church because he politically supported the right to abortion.

When St. Gertrude’s bishop, Bishop Francis Kane came down on the parish with a resounding “NO!”, Rev. Kenneally decided if he couldn’t show the play in the parish, he would find another building where the Bishop couldn’t control him and show the play anyway.

No surprise really, as Rev. Kenneally had the previous spring hosted pro-abortionist Rev. Jesse Jackson to St. Gertrude’s parish in Chicago.
Rev. Kenneally is not alone –that’s the scary thing.  There are sadly, far, far too many Catholic priests who are helping people INTO Hell, rather than helping them avoid Hell.  When the Catholic clergy fail to teach AUTHENTIC OFFICIAL Catholic teaching, they are leading people INTO Hell.

Kenneally spoke to The Chicago Tribune in 2002 about his views of Catholic Bishops...
"The truth of the matter is that there's one Christian church, and we have a lot of different flavors. Nobody says that. It's because people in administrative positions, like the bishops, are concerned about their particular brand. Also, the bishops aren't capable of teaching. They have a kind of a rant, and then they continue to quote themselves about the stuff nobody cares about."
Nice eh?

He didn't stop there.  No, instead he FLAUNTED his ability to oppose the Church because "there is no one to stop him"...

"I don't have to be politically correct or religiously correct or anyway correct. I've got three more years [until he turns 70 and can retire]. I have total job security. There's no one to take my job. The barrel -- we're at the bottom. Now what's happening is that, when you turn 70, they say, "Can you stay longer?"
The ever liberal heretic Kenneally is also openly supportive of women priests:

"The Rev. Bill Kenneally, who lives in the Beverly neighborhood on the South Side, is among the protesters. Father Kenneally, the 75-year-old retired pastor of St. Gertrude’s Church and volunteer at St. Barnabas Church, said he “and a majority of priests, truthfully” do not agree with the church’s “vapid reasoning” for excluding women. Father Kenneally said he is unfazed by possible reprisals. “Since I’m retired,” he said, “it’s not like they can take a church away from me.”


Heresy in the Church is the most damning and devastating issue facing the Church.  Once the “devil and his lies” are in the Church, they MUST be exorcised OUT.  I applaud Bishop Paprocki in his efforts to exorcised evil- as should ALL Catholics- most especially our clergy.  Yet here we have a retired Catholic priest who is CONDEMNING a bishop who is fighting evil and trying to save souls.

Catholic Catechism: #2089 Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."11

Perhaps it is Kenneally [and those like him] who need to be exorcised- at the very least disciplined PUBLICLY because he wrote this PUBLIC letter which will (as always) have a devastating effect on the souls of others who are misled by this “Catholic” clergy.

May the Holy Spirit slap Kenneally with the Truth before it’s too late for his own redemption.


In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Link to Road post photo: http://honoraryave.com/page/5

Additional information on Rev. Kenneally:
                                 [Age]75, attended Maternity BVM elementary school and Quigley Preparatory Seminary. He graduated from the University of St. Mary of the Lake/Mundelein Seminary. Following ordination, he served as assistant pastor at St. Paul of the Cross, Park Ridge (1961-65); Little Flower (1965- 69); St. Edmund, Oak Park (1969-72); Immaculate Conception, North Park Avenue (1972-77); and St. Nicholas, Evanston (1977-84). He served as pastor of St. Gertrude, North Glenwood Avenue, from 1984-2006 and now serves at St. Barnabas.



Sunday, November 24, 2013

Saint Peter taught me to love Pope Francis

Anyone who has been following my blog [along with family and friends] know that I have had serious issues with Pope Francis since Holy Week.  I have talked about it on my blog HERE and HERE, and I have left comments on the National Catholic Register and the Crescat blog and other Patheos Catholic blogs all year.  Even NBC News took note of my issues with Pope Francis.

I have had two major problems with Pope Francis…1) his style and 2) my inability to love him.  

I like people who “play by the rules”, the rules I know.  I like my t’s crossed and my I’s dotted.  That is my comfort zone.  Pope Francis from the beginning took me out of my comfort zone by washing Muslim women’s feet during Holy Week and that made me unable to trust him and because I was unable to trust him, I couldn’t love him. He wasn't following the rules that *I* knew and loved and trusted.

My distrust of him grew with each interview and his “Who am I to judge?” comment because I felt my distrust was proven at those moments.  Pope Francis was a liberal and to me that was as good as the Pharissees in the Bible.  

I had accepted him as Pope, but I didn’t like, trust or love him.  I put him in the “bad pope” category and turned my eyes to whoever the next pope would be.

I was DONE with him.

Or so I thought.

Today I watched EWTN’s coverage of the close of the Year of Faith Papal Mass in St. Peter’s Square.  In all honesty I wasn’t expecting much because Pope Francis had never before impressed me and I had already chalked him off- as the saying goes.

Then I listened to his homily and he reached me with the words of the thief on the cross…


“Today’s solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, the crowning of the liturgical year, also marks the conclusion of the Year of Faith opened by Pope Benedict XVI, to whom our thoughts now turn with affection and gratitude. By this providential initiative, he gave us an opportunity to rediscover the beauty of the journey of faith begun on the day of our Baptism, which made us children of God and brothers and sisters in the Church. A journey which has as its ultimate end our full encounter with God, and throughout which the Holy Spirit purifies us, lifts us up and sanctifies us, so that we may enter into the happiness for which our hearts long.
I offer a cordial greeting to the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Catholic Churches present. The exchange of peace which I will share with them is above all a sign of the appreciation of the Bishop of Rome for these communities which have confessed the name of Christ with exemplary faithfulness, often at a high price. With this gesture, through them, I would like to reach all those Christians living in the Holy Land, in Syria and in the entire East, and obtain for them the gift of peace and concord.
The Scripture readings proclaimed to us have as their common theme the centrality of Christ. Christ as the centre of creation, the centre of his people and the centre of history. 1. The apostle Paul, in the second reading, taken from the letter to the Colossians, offers us a profound vision of the centrality of Jesus. He presents Christ to us as the first-born of all creation: in him, through him and for him all things were created. He is the centre of all things, he is the beginning. God has given him the fullness, the totality, so that in him all things might be reconciled (cf. Col 1:12-20).
This image enables to see that Jesus is the centre of creation; and so the attitude demanded of us as true believers is that of recognizing and accepting in our lives the centrality of Jesus Christ, in our thoughts, in our words and in our works. When this centre is lost, when it is replaced by something else, only harm can result for everything around us and for ourselves. 2. Besides being the centre of creation, Christ is the centre of the people of God. We see this in the first reading which describes the time when the tribes of Israel came to look for David and anointed him king of Israel before the Lord (cf. 2 Sam 5:1-3). In searching for an ideal king, the people were seeking God himself: a God who would be close to them, who would accompany them on their journey, who would be a brother to them.
Christ, the descendant of King David, is the “brother” around whom God’s people come together. It is he who cares for his people, for all of us, even at the price of his life. In him we are all one; united with him, we share a single journey, a single destiny. 3. Finally, Christ is the centre of the history of the human race and of every man and woman. To him we can bring the joys and the hopes, the sorrows and troubles which are part of our lives. When Jesus is the centre, light shines even amid the darkest times of our lives; he gives us hope, as he does to the good thief in today’s Gospel.
While all the others treat Jesus with disdain – “If you are the Christ, the Messiah King, save yourself by coming down from the cross!” – the thief who went astray in his life but now repents, clinging to the crucified Jesus, begs him: “Remember me, when you come into your kingdom” (Lk 23:42). And Jesus promises him: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (v. 43). Jesus speaks only a word of forgiveness, not of condemnation; whenever anyone finds the courage to ask for this forgiveness, the Lord does not let such a petition go unheard. Jesus’ promise to the good thief gives us great hope: it tells us that God’s grace is always greater than the prayer which sought it. The Lord always grants more than what he has been asked: you ask him to remember you, and he brings you into his Kingdom! Let us ask the Lord to remember us, in the certainty that by his mercy we will be able to share his glory in paradise. Amen!” 
Before the end of the homily I was in tears.  I loved the scriptures he discussed and the humility of a sinner asking Jesus to remember him.  That was me.  I always want forgiveness and to be remembered by my Lord.  What Catholic wants to be forgotten by Christ?  As if!

Here I was wanting Jesus to ‘remember ME’, when I was doing my best to ignore and forget my Pope because I hadn’t found a way to understand and love him.  MY faults, not his.  How could I ask to be remembered and forgiven when I was deliberately working to forget Pope Francis was my pope?

I was the guilty thief on the cross being punished for my sin and I knew it.

Then Pope Francis took Saint Peter’s bones into his hands and like the Grinch on Christmas morning my heart broke and began to grow in love.  In that instant I fell in love with my Pope.


Seeing Pope Francis holding the bones of our first Pope and praying recalled all the scriptures I knew of Saint Peter.  Jesus calling Simon son of John as a disciple, Jesus renaming Simon son of John to ‘Rock’/Peter (John 1:42), Peter being quick to act harshly lopping off a man’s ear (John 18:10) to defend his Lord, Peter being given the keys (Matt.16:18) when Jesus tells him that He will build His Church on Peter our first Pope and so many more verses flooded my mind.  Now here was our first Pope, Saint Peter being held in the hands of our current Pope Francis.

That struck me – profoundly.

Saint Peter was not perfect.  His ways were not always the Lord’s ways…as scripture shows us.  But in the end, Peter did all Christ called him to do.  He was a sinner who became a Saint.  He was a fisherman who became a fisher of men.  A simple man who was called to be pope.

Saint Peter taught me to love Pope Francis today.  

I may not always understand Pope Francis’ ways of doing things, any more than some in Saint Peter’s day would have understood his ways, but the one thing I do know is that just as Simon son of John, Saint Peter was chosen by Christ to be the first pope of Christ’s Holy Catholic Church, so was Pope Francis chosen to be our current Pope.  And for that, I love him.



In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner

Link: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/15/20886834-not-everyone-loves-pope-francis-conservative-catholics-voice-concern-over-revolutionary-message?lite


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