Dear Louie,
It would appear from the origin of the phrase, that the answer to that question, depends upon whether you are a sheep or the wolf:
___
“In the version of Aesop’s Fables that is best known to us today is George Fyler Townsend’s 1867 translation. Townsend gives the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing fable this way:
Once upon a time a Wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order to secure food more easily. Encased in the skin of a sheep, he pastured with the flock deceiving the shepherd by his costume. In the evening he was shut up by the shepherd in the fold; the gate was closed, and the entrance made thoroughly secure.
___
But the shepherd, returning to the fold during the night to obtain meat for the next day, mistakenly caught up the Wolf instead of a sheep, and killed him instantly. “
Indignus famulusAugust 4, 2014
What could be more dangerous in this case? The Good Shepherd, or course.
🙂
my2centsAugust 4, 2014
I could think of only one good thing about Bergoglio—-he doesn’t hide the fact that he is a wolf!!!
Indignus famulusAugust 4, 2014
Growing the Pack
Terrorist hugging- Bishop denouncing,-Liberation Theologian? or just a another “Dialoguer”?
____
The 81-year-old Rev. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, recently wrote to Francis asking to be allowed to celebrate Mass again before he died. The Vatican said Monday that Francis had agreed.. the Maryknolls, … noted that D’Escoto can now resume those (priestly)duties — preaching and hearing confessions.
___
According to Wickipedia..___
D’Escoto was ordained a Maryknoll, before engaging in politics. .. in 1970, and was an official with the World Council of Churches. As an adherent of liberation theology, he secretly joined the Sandinistas.
___
He was suspended by the Vatican in the 1980s, for participation in the SandInista Revolution, not resigning… against his vows.._Pope John Paul II denounced him.. -He was foreign minister after the Sandinista triumph in Daniel Ortega’s FSLN government 1979 to 1990 — he received the Lenin Peace Prize1985-6.
______
In 1999, then Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, … said (he).and the 2 other priests..never denounced the injustices that took place at that time.
___
1986 on Nicaraguan television d’Escoto gave a speech publicly..condemning Bishop Obando y Bravo for not siding with the Sandinista regime against the Contras: “There is no word uttered by human mouth, no adjective that we could use to truly describe the horror produced by this brother of ours.”
____
After the Sandinistas lost the 1990 election, he led the Communal Movement.
____
2008, elected by acclamation to preside over 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Brockmann stated during a press conference: “They elected a priest……. selfishness is what has gotten us into the terrible quagmire in which the world is sinking, almost irreversibly, unless something big happens.
_____
D’Escoto also stated .. priorities include hunger, poverty, climate change, terrorism, human rights, disarmament, nuclear control, cultural diversity, the rights of women and children and the protection of biodiversity.
____
-D’Escoto designated senior advisers included : Leonardo Boff (Brazil….
_____
As president he .. denounced what he called “acts of aggression, such as those occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan.” However, he expressed his “love” for “the United States as a country,” .
___
D’Escoto “hugged” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after Ahmedinedjad’s strongly anti-Israel and anti-Zionist speech to the UN General Assembly.
____ The Israeli ambassador criticised D’Escoto for attending a dinner marking the end of Ramadan with Middle Eastern leaders, including Ahmadinejad. D’Escoto’s spokesman responded “[D’Escoto] will join the dinner because he believes in dialogue.
___
Forgiveness is one thing, position of trust is another. Is this mercy for one and injustice for all?
LyndaAugust 4, 2014
Has this priest publicly retracted and repented of his decades of public action against the Faith and fundamental morals?? If not, it is extreme scandal and to allow sacrilege be committed by an unrepentant apostate.
salvemurAugust 5, 2014
Bergoglio is poison, and the Sacred Desposit of the Faith is the antidote.
–
“Christians who are still [those who adhere to everything contained in the Sacred Deposit of Faith] – this is harmful, because what is still, which doesn’t walk, is corrupted. Like still water, which is the first water to be corrupted.” quote from Bergoglio in his address to Pentecostals the other day, wherein he ‘apologized’ for the work of countless Catholic martyrs and saints who gave up their lives to winning back souls from Protestant sects and to stem the spread of their blasphemous [and brutally applied] heresies in Catholic lands.
– http://christorchaos.com/?q=content/accepting-apostasy-increments-part-four-0
–
“There can be nothing more dangerous than those heretics who admit nearly the whole cycle of doctrine, and yet by one word, as with a drop of poison, infect the real and simple faith taught by our Lord and handed down by Apostolic tradition” (de Fide Orthodoxa contra Arianos).
salvemurAugust 5, 2014
I wish more Catholics could see the big bad wolf in ‘grandma’s’ nightgown, however. Way too many Catholics I know think he is the bees knees and that anyone who points out the obvious [that he is bad ‘shepherd’ if ever there was one] is wicked.
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
Dear Lynda,
There is no mention of any repentance, but even if we assume so in charity, the issue of reinstatement is one of TRUST. Why put known wolves back in the fold, taking the chance they will relapse, or haven’t changed all their dissenting ideas, or simply haven’t developed enough virtue to override their known vices?
____
Innocent souls deserve better. Take these two irish cases for example:
–DUBLIN — The Vatican tried to stop Dublin church leaders from defrocking a particularly dangerous pedophile priest and relented only after he raped a boy in a pub restroom.
____
— Marist priest Fr Fagan, (“Catholic Truth” says: one of Ireland’s most notorious dissenters, a priest who doesn’t have a Catholic thought in his head.) is now “a priest in good standing”. The CDF’s change of stance towards Fr Fagan was because “he loves the Church in spite of all its weaknesses: that he accepted his censure and observed his restrictions; and to his advanced age.
____
We don’t give a hoot what he wants before he dies. We care about protecting the Faith. Does that sound uncaring? How about the unknown # of souls he’s led to Hell? Let’s show the world what matters is compassion for him?
____
The Irish Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) called him …apriest and theologian who has made such a huge contribution to Gospel and to Church over very many years.” Fr. Fagan, ..critical of rigid stances ..on issues to do with conscience and sexual morality– published the book Does Morality Change? in 2003, And in 2008 Whatever Happened to Sin? Remaining copies of his book were bought up by the Marists whose website statement (reads) “the writings of Fr. Sean Fagan in the book What Happened to Sin do not have the approval of or represent the views of the Society of Mary.
_____
.. the decision of the CDF, according to reports, was influenced by pressure brought to bear through the efforts of friends.” .Now they are hoping to pressure the Vatican to lift other censures on priests silenced by the Vatican, including Fr Tony Flannnery, Fr Gerard Moloney, Fr Brian D’Arcy, and Fr Owen O’Sullivan.
____
Catholic Truth writes: “It’s getting more and more difficult to express surprise, amazement, consternation, horror, you name it – the scandals are coming thick and fast in this pontificate.
______
We agree. Grass roots protests need to start, no matter how few in number we are. Letters to bishops, talks where possible…fasting and public calls for prayer.
S.ArmaticusAugust 5, 2014
One for the “If they can’t walk, drag them.” category.
________
One way to read all the neo Marxist priests being brought back into the Church structures shows the need for leftist bodies. Doesn’t really matter who these days.
______
FYI there was only one new NO priest ordained in the Rome dioceses and two in Paris (so I’ve heard).
______
The “big drip” is catching up with the flower children. 😉
That’s one reason why I think it is important to – at least from time to time – forget about Pope Francis and focus on talking about true doctrine. When people are confronted with the naked truth, they are generally smart enough to draw the conclusion that something is very wrong with the Vatican today. A great many faithful Catholics know – due to the grace of the sensus fidelium – that something is wrong, but they can’t quite put their finger on what it is. Hitting them with open and harsh criticism of the Pope is likely to drive them away, because they sense that it is wrong to criticize the Vicar of Christ. (And, under normal circumstances, it would be wrong.) So, I like to approach the issue from a different angle. Instead of saying “Look at Pope Francis praying with heretics!”, I say something like “Did you know that Pope St. Agatho said that ‘If anyone prays with heretics, he is a heretic’?” When I follow up with several quotes from councils and popes on the matter, only willful idiots and liberals fail to see that something is seriously wrong with the post-conciliar Church. That’s when I hit them with the Message of Fatima. I’ve woken up more lapsed Catholics in this manner than any direct criticism of John Paul II or Francis could ever have accomplished.
MatthewAugust 5, 2014
http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2013/03/Vatican-Pope_Horo-22.jpg
–
When I first saw this image, I thought it signified that Pope Francis wanted to show solidarity with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI by kneeling beside him to pray. I think that’s what most people took away from the image. It seemed pretty harmless. Brotherly, even. It took me until today, however, to notice another, equally powerful message contained in this image.
–
Just over Francis’ right shoulder, in front of that beautifully upholstered chair, we see the Papal prie-dieu. And it is empty.
–
I then went on a search for the video that was filmed during this event. In it, we see Pope Benedict’s failed attempt to prevent Pope Francis from kneeling beside him. He knew that the true place of the Pope was at that prie-dieu, leading his flock in prayer. We also see Pope Francis pull Pope Benedict vigorously by the hand, imploring him that they pray together, and leave the Papal prie-dieu standing empty. Later, we see both Popes, side by side, engaged in prayer: the one, silently smiling to himself, as though being kissed by an angel of light; the other, gazing beyond himself to the floor, as though struck dumb by the weight of the symbolism of what had just transpired.
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
Are you suggesting they will rule the synod together too?
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
Dear Matthew,
The conversations usually center around what Louie posts, and lately those have been about the Pope’s words and actions. But if you’re talking about reaching people who aren’t aware of these, we’ve found a lot depends on how they personally want to live. If they’re sold on the new-church because it helps them feel good about their “lifestyle” or about “tolerating” the way others live, it’s much harder to reach them with doctrine, than if they’re coming at it from a “what the heck is going on here” kind of bewilderment.
___
In the first case, you’re tasked with drawing them into convictions against sin; in the second, you have the more joyful job, of guiding them where they’re already headed, and hoping they continue to respond to truth.
MatthewAugust 5, 2014
Dear Indignus,
–
Louie’s latest post – on the Top 10 Secrets to Happiness – is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about. It already has nearly double the “likes” of even his most popular posts directly criticizing the Pope, and will be widely circulated among the faithful. Everyone with an ounce of awareness knows that it is juxtaposed to the Pope’s list, but Louie didn’t have to ridicule the Pope to get the point across. And this will draw even more people to Louie’s work and this blog. I’m not against pointing out the errors of the Pope – it needs to be done from time to time – but I think that taking this approach more often would have much more impact and open the work here to a wider audience.
MatthewAugust 5, 2014
Dear Indignus,
–
It just seemed to me that the image of the vacant papal kneeler was rather prophetic in regards to Francis’ papacy. Benedict was removing himself so that a younger, more active man could take the lead. Yet Francis demonstrated, in a simple yet profound gesture, that he is unconcerned with leading Catholics anywhere. What’s the Latin for “The Kneeler is Vacant?” Fulcra vacante? 🙂
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
Dear Matthew,
While we could envision an occasionally more mild form of the kind of thing Louie has been providing regularly-hitting the hottest issues related to the ongoing attacks on the Faith, maybe even that would end up with Louie not really being “Louie. We respectfully disagree that he needs to do a lot more of what appeared here today, in order to get more likes..
___
It is always wonderfully refreshing to see our Faith presented so beautifully as he just did in his Top 10 blog, proving his skills are definitely not limited to critical writing. And maybe there is some “battle fatigue” going on that helped double and triple that pleasure, so naturally he’ll get more likes.
___
. But when you get down to it, is that the reason the majority of us are here,- to get recharged and inspired and feel good? Personally, we do that every day with our prayer time, and Scripture, and browsing other sites for quick inspirations.
____
We come here because the Church is fighting for her life right now, and this is a place where people are talking about that, led by someone who has the foresight, insight, verbal and writing skills and courage to lay out the toughest issues in a way that spotlights the core of the problem and lets us take off from there to gather more information, analyze and converse about it, and add more facts to bring the bigger picture into focus, while keeping them more accurate because of all who contribute to this effort to find truth. In a way we’re a free-flowing Church community, guided by the Holy Spirit, as long as we keep striving for personal holiness and truth.
____
If Louie were to do inspirational writing every day, he might be a lot more popular with people looking for a hide-away from the harsh realities and distresses of the current moment in history, (and there’s a need for sites like that), but he wouldn’t be in the thick of this fight the way he has been. And October is only two months away… .We can only speak for ourselves, but this experience has challenged us to think and act more, rather than less like faithful Catholics should.
___
Maybe what we all really need is for individual posters to follow the guidelines Roman watcher and a few others were discussing today, by sticking more closely to the Church’s teachings on charitable correction, attacking false ideas more, and guarding against bitterness and mockery towards the people who promote them. That might help accomplish what you propose here, without Louie being urged to completely change his focus and style.
____.
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
That’s interesting, and goes right along with his stated desire to emphasize collegiality, and de-emphasize the role of the Papacy–side by side with no visible head.
MikeAugust 5, 2014
Dear Matthew,
Initially I thought you might have meant “the one who kneels” for kneeler, until I saw “fulcra”.;-)
MatthewAugust 5, 2014
Dear Indignus,
–
You wrote: “Maybe what we all really need is for individual posters to follow the guidelines Roman watcher and a few others were discussing today, by sticking more closely to the Church’s teachings on charitable correction, attacking false ideas more, and guarding against bitterness and mockery towards the people who promote them. That might help accomplish what you propose here, without Louie being urged to completely change his focus and style.”
–
That’s all I meant to say. I don’t mean that Louie should change his focus. And I didn’t take his Top 10 post as a feel good pop-Catholic piece. I don’t come here to “feel good” about being Catholic. But I love it when I find concrete examples of things I can do to help strengthen my own faith and the faith of those around me.
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
Dear Matthew,
Sorry if we mistook your meaning, and went on about it.. We didn’t take the Top ten as just a feel good piece, either. We thought it was a fantastic labor of love, which, as you pointed out, did the job without any overt sarcasm.
____
We really only meant that this seems to us like a rare moment, when doing it that way worked best to counteract the other top 10, whereas the other things Louie has been challenged to deal with, usually require more commentary and background. Sounds like we basically agree.
Indignus famulusAugust 5, 2014
There is one clear advantage of adopting this novelty– which desk gets “the buck stop’s here” sign?.
salvemurAugust 6, 2014
While it certainly would be nice to be able to ignore the filthy heretic fly in the papal soup – we need to keep pointing out that there is a filthy heretic fly in the papal soup in order that, sooner rather than later, we have a papal soup that is no longer noxious to the Faith. As far as I can see the blanket acceptance of the clutch of faithless non-fathers of the faith is 50% of what is sending most ‘catholic’ souls into ’10 tips’ for a happy perdition. The other 50% is people who call themselves Catholic who think the faith is comprised of nothing more than fawning over the heretic the papal apartments, oh, St Martha’s Inn of Niquity.
SaintGiannaPrayForUsAugust 10, 2014
I have felt so heavy of heart since 3/13/13 & just want to say, “THANK YOU,” Mr. Verecchio, for having the courage to speak the Truth–in season & out of season. You are in my prayers. God Bless you.
Dear Louie,
It would appear from the origin of the phrase, that the answer to that question, depends upon whether you are a sheep or the wolf:
___
“In the version of Aesop’s Fables that is best known to us today is George Fyler Townsend’s 1867 translation. Townsend gives the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing fable this way:
Once upon a time a Wolf resolved to disguise his appearance in order to secure food more easily. Encased in the skin of a sheep, he pastured with the flock deceiving the shepherd by his costume. In the evening he was shut up by the shepherd in the fold; the gate was closed, and the entrance made thoroughly secure.
___
But the shepherd, returning to the fold during the night to obtain meat for the next day, mistakenly caught up the Wolf instead of a sheep, and killed him instantly. “
What could be more dangerous in this case? The Good Shepherd, or course.
🙂
I could think of only one good thing about Bergoglio—-he doesn’t hide the fact that he is a wolf!!!
Growing the Pack
Terrorist hugging- Bishop denouncing,-Liberation Theologian? or just a another “Dialoguer”?
____
The 81-year-old Rev. Miguel D’Escoto Brockmann, recently wrote to Francis asking to be allowed to celebrate Mass again before he died. The Vatican said Monday that Francis had agreed.. the Maryknolls, … noted that D’Escoto can now resume those (priestly)duties — preaching and hearing confessions.
___
According to Wickipedia..___
D’Escoto was ordained a Maryknoll, before engaging in politics. .. in 1970, and was an official with the World Council of Churches. As an adherent of liberation theology, he secretly joined the Sandinistas.
___
He was suspended by the Vatican in the 1980s, for participation in the SandInista Revolution, not resigning… against his vows.._Pope John Paul II denounced him.. -He was foreign minister after the Sandinista triumph in Daniel Ortega’s FSLN government 1979 to 1990 — he received the Lenin Peace Prize1985-6.
______
In 1999, then Archbishop of Managua, Cardinal Miguel Obando y Bravo, … said (he).and the 2 other priests..never denounced the injustices that took place at that time.
___
1986 on Nicaraguan television d’Escoto gave a speech publicly..condemning Bishop Obando y Bravo for not siding with the Sandinista regime against the Contras: “There is no word uttered by human mouth, no adjective that we could use to truly describe the horror produced by this brother of ours.”
____
After the Sandinistas lost the 1990 election, he led the Communal Movement.
____
2008, elected by acclamation to preside over 63rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly Brockmann stated during a press conference: “They elected a priest……. selfishness is what has gotten us into the terrible quagmire in which the world is sinking, almost irreversibly, unless something big happens.
_____
D’Escoto also stated .. priorities include hunger, poverty, climate change, terrorism, human rights, disarmament, nuclear control, cultural diversity, the rights of women and children and the protection of biodiversity.
____
-D’Escoto designated senior advisers included : Leonardo Boff (Brazil….
_____
As president he .. denounced what he called “acts of aggression, such as those occurring in Iraq and Afghanistan.” However, he expressed his “love” for “the United States as a country,” .
___
D’Escoto “hugged” Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad after Ahmedinedjad’s strongly anti-Israel and anti-Zionist speech to the UN General Assembly.
____ The Israeli ambassador criticised D’Escoto for attending a dinner marking the end of Ramadan with Middle Eastern leaders, including Ahmadinejad. D’Escoto’s spokesman responded “[D’Escoto] will join the dinner because he believes in dialogue.
___
Forgiveness is one thing, position of trust is another. Is this mercy for one and injustice for all?
Has this priest publicly retracted and repented of his decades of public action against the Faith and fundamental morals?? If not, it is extreme scandal and to allow sacrilege be committed by an unrepentant apostate.
Bergoglio is poison, and the Sacred Desposit of the Faith is the antidote.
–
“Christians who are still [those who adhere to everything contained in the Sacred Deposit of Faith] – this is harmful, because what is still, which doesn’t walk, is corrupted. Like still water, which is the first water to be corrupted.” quote from Bergoglio in his address to Pentecostals the other day, wherein he ‘apologized’ for the work of countless Catholic martyrs and saints who gave up their lives to winning back souls from Protestant sects and to stem the spread of their blasphemous [and brutally applied] heresies in Catholic lands.
–
http://christorchaos.com/?q=content/accepting-apostasy-increments-part-four-0
–
“There can be nothing more dangerous than those heretics who admit nearly the whole cycle of doctrine, and yet by one word, as with a drop of poison, infect the real and simple faith taught by our Lord and handed down by Apostolic tradition” (de Fide Orthodoxa contra Arianos).
I wish more Catholics could see the big bad wolf in ‘grandma’s’ nightgown, however. Way too many Catholics I know think he is the bees knees and that anyone who points out the obvious [that he is bad ‘shepherd’ if ever there was one] is wicked.
Dear Lynda,
There is no mention of any repentance, but even if we assume so in charity, the issue of reinstatement is one of TRUST. Why put known wolves back in the fold, taking the chance they will relapse, or haven’t changed all their dissenting ideas, or simply haven’t developed enough virtue to override their known vices?
____
Innocent souls deserve better. Take these two irish cases for example:
–DUBLIN — The Vatican tried to stop Dublin church leaders from defrocking a particularly dangerous pedophile priest and relented only after he raped a boy in a pub restroom.
____
— Marist priest Fr Fagan, (“Catholic Truth” says: one of Ireland’s most notorious dissenters, a priest who doesn’t have a Catholic thought in his head.) is now “a priest in good standing”. The CDF’s change of stance towards Fr Fagan was because “he loves the Church in spite of all its weaknesses: that he accepted his censure and observed his restrictions; and to his advanced age.
____
We don’t give a hoot what he wants before he dies. We care about protecting the Faith. Does that sound uncaring? How about the unknown # of souls he’s led to Hell? Let’s show the world what matters is compassion for him?
____
The Irish Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) called him …apriest and theologian who has made such a huge contribution to Gospel and to Church over very many years.” Fr. Fagan, ..critical of rigid stances ..on issues to do with conscience and sexual morality– published the book Does Morality Change? in 2003, And in 2008 Whatever Happened to Sin? Remaining copies of his book were bought up by the Marists whose website statement (reads) “the writings of Fr. Sean Fagan in the book What Happened to Sin do not have the approval of or represent the views of the Society of Mary.
_____
.. the decision of the CDF, according to reports, was influenced by pressure brought to bear through the efforts of friends.” .Now they are hoping to pressure the Vatican to lift other censures on priests silenced by the Vatican, including Fr Tony Flannnery, Fr Gerard Moloney, Fr Brian D’Arcy, and Fr Owen O’Sullivan.
____
Catholic Truth writes: “It’s getting more and more difficult to express surprise, amazement, consternation, horror, you name it – the scandals are coming thick and fast in this pontificate.
______
We agree. Grass roots protests need to start, no matter how few in number we are. Letters to bishops, talks where possible…fasting and public calls for prayer.
One for the “If they can’t walk, drag them.” category.
________
One way to read all the neo Marxist priests being brought back into the Church structures shows the need for leftist bodies. Doesn’t really matter who these days.
______
FYI there was only one new NO priest ordained in the Rome dioceses and two in Paris (so I’ve heard).
______
The “big drip” is catching up with the flower children. 😉
And more good news.
_____
Those Revanchist young cleargy are at it again. 🙂
_____
They want to “celebrate” the N.O. liturgical service facing Ad Orientem!
_____
Link here: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/08/celebrating-mass-ad-orientem-video.html
______
Next they will want to “put God back in the box.” 😉
The wolf has spoken!!!
http://newsbusters.org/blogs/kyle-drennen/2014/08/04/gma-hosts-thrilled-popes-fantastic-call-not-proselytize-ignore-context
That’s one reason why I think it is important to – at least from time to time – forget about Pope Francis and focus on talking about true doctrine. When people are confronted with the naked truth, they are generally smart enough to draw the conclusion that something is very wrong with the Vatican today. A great many faithful Catholics know – due to the grace of the sensus fidelium – that something is wrong, but they can’t quite put their finger on what it is. Hitting them with open and harsh criticism of the Pope is likely to drive them away, because they sense that it is wrong to criticize the Vicar of Christ. (And, under normal circumstances, it would be wrong.) So, I like to approach the issue from a different angle. Instead of saying “Look at Pope Francis praying with heretics!”, I say something like “Did you know that Pope St. Agatho said that ‘If anyone prays with heretics, he is a heretic’?” When I follow up with several quotes from councils and popes on the matter, only willful idiots and liberals fail to see that something is seriously wrong with the post-conciliar Church. That’s when I hit them with the Message of Fatima. I’ve woken up more lapsed Catholics in this manner than any direct criticism of John Paul II or Francis could ever have accomplished.
http://cdn.timesofisrael.com/uploads/2013/03/Vatican-Pope_Horo-22.jpg
–
When I first saw this image, I thought it signified that Pope Francis wanted to show solidarity with Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI by kneeling beside him to pray. I think that’s what most people took away from the image. It seemed pretty harmless. Brotherly, even. It took me until today, however, to notice another, equally powerful message contained in this image.
–
Just over Francis’ right shoulder, in front of that beautifully upholstered chair, we see the Papal prie-dieu. And it is empty.
–
I then went on a search for the video that was filmed during this event. In it, we see Pope Benedict’s failed attempt to prevent Pope Francis from kneeling beside him. He knew that the true place of the Pope was at that prie-dieu, leading his flock in prayer. We also see Pope Francis pull Pope Benedict vigorously by the hand, imploring him that they pray together, and leave the Papal prie-dieu standing empty. Later, we see both Popes, side by side, engaged in prayer: the one, silently smiling to himself, as though being kissed by an angel of light; the other, gazing beyond himself to the floor, as though struck dumb by the weight of the symbolism of what had just transpired.
Are you suggesting they will rule the synod together too?
Dear Matthew,
The conversations usually center around what Louie posts, and lately those have been about the Pope’s words and actions. But if you’re talking about reaching people who aren’t aware of these, we’ve found a lot depends on how they personally want to live. If they’re sold on the new-church because it helps them feel good about their “lifestyle” or about “tolerating” the way others live, it’s much harder to reach them with doctrine, than if they’re coming at it from a “what the heck is going on here” kind of bewilderment.
___
In the first case, you’re tasked with drawing them into convictions against sin; in the second, you have the more joyful job, of guiding them where they’re already headed, and hoping they continue to respond to truth.
Dear Indignus,
–
Louie’s latest post – on the Top 10 Secrets to Happiness – is exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about. It already has nearly double the “likes” of even his most popular posts directly criticizing the Pope, and will be widely circulated among the faithful. Everyone with an ounce of awareness knows that it is juxtaposed to the Pope’s list, but Louie didn’t have to ridicule the Pope to get the point across. And this will draw even more people to Louie’s work and this blog. I’m not against pointing out the errors of the Pope – it needs to be done from time to time – but I think that taking this approach more often would have much more impact and open the work here to a wider audience.
Dear Indignus,
–
It just seemed to me that the image of the vacant papal kneeler was rather prophetic in regards to Francis’ papacy. Benedict was removing himself so that a younger, more active man could take the lead. Yet Francis demonstrated, in a simple yet profound gesture, that he is unconcerned with leading Catholics anywhere. What’s the Latin for “The Kneeler is Vacant?” Fulcra vacante? 🙂
Dear Matthew,
While we could envision an occasionally more mild form of the kind of thing Louie has been providing regularly-hitting the hottest issues related to the ongoing attacks on the Faith, maybe even that would end up with Louie not really being “Louie. We respectfully disagree that he needs to do a lot more of what appeared here today, in order to get more likes..
___
It is always wonderfully refreshing to see our Faith presented so beautifully as he just did in his Top 10 blog, proving his skills are definitely not limited to critical writing. And maybe there is some “battle fatigue” going on that helped double and triple that pleasure, so naturally he’ll get more likes.
___
. But when you get down to it, is that the reason the majority of us are here,- to get recharged and inspired and feel good? Personally, we do that every day with our prayer time, and Scripture, and browsing other sites for quick inspirations.
____
We come here because the Church is fighting for her life right now, and this is a place where people are talking about that, led by someone who has the foresight, insight, verbal and writing skills and courage to lay out the toughest issues in a way that spotlights the core of the problem and lets us take off from there to gather more information, analyze and converse about it, and add more facts to bring the bigger picture into focus, while keeping them more accurate because of all who contribute to this effort to find truth. In a way we’re a free-flowing Church community, guided by the Holy Spirit, as long as we keep striving for personal holiness and truth.
____
If Louie were to do inspirational writing every day, he might be a lot more popular with people looking for a hide-away from the harsh realities and distresses of the current moment in history, (and there’s a need for sites like that), but he wouldn’t be in the thick of this fight the way he has been. And October is only two months away… .We can only speak for ourselves, but this experience has challenged us to think and act more, rather than less like faithful Catholics should.
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Maybe what we all really need is for individual posters to follow the guidelines Roman watcher and a few others were discussing today, by sticking more closely to the Church’s teachings on charitable correction, attacking false ideas more, and guarding against bitterness and mockery towards the people who promote them. That might help accomplish what you propose here, without Louie being urged to completely change his focus and style.
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That’s interesting, and goes right along with his stated desire to emphasize collegiality, and de-emphasize the role of the Papacy–side by side with no visible head.
Dear Matthew,
Initially I thought you might have meant “the one who kneels” for kneeler, until I saw “fulcra”.;-)
Dear Indignus,
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You wrote: “Maybe what we all really need is for individual posters to follow the guidelines Roman watcher and a few others were discussing today, by sticking more closely to the Church’s teachings on charitable correction, attacking false ideas more, and guarding against bitterness and mockery towards the people who promote them. That might help accomplish what you propose here, without Louie being urged to completely change his focus and style.”
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That’s all I meant to say. I don’t mean that Louie should change his focus. And I didn’t take his Top 10 post as a feel good pop-Catholic piece. I don’t come here to “feel good” about being Catholic. But I love it when I find concrete examples of things I can do to help strengthen my own faith and the faith of those around me.
Dear Matthew,
Sorry if we mistook your meaning, and went on about it.. We didn’t take the Top ten as just a feel good piece, either. We thought it was a fantastic labor of love, which, as you pointed out, did the job without any overt sarcasm.
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We really only meant that this seems to us like a rare moment, when doing it that way worked best to counteract the other top 10, whereas the other things Louie has been challenged to deal with, usually require more commentary and background. Sounds like we basically agree.
There is one clear advantage of adopting this novelty– which desk gets “the buck stop’s here” sign?.
While it certainly would be nice to be able to ignore the filthy heretic fly in the papal soup – we need to keep pointing out that there is a filthy heretic fly in the papal soup in order that, sooner rather than later, we have a papal soup that is no longer noxious to the Faith. As far as I can see the blanket acceptance of the clutch of faithless non-fathers of the faith is 50% of what is sending most ‘catholic’ souls into ’10 tips’ for a happy perdition. The other 50% is people who call themselves Catholic who think the faith is comprised of nothing more than fawning over the heretic the papal apartments, oh, St Martha’s Inn of Niquity.
I have felt so heavy of heart since 3/13/13 & just want to say, “THANK YOU,” Mr. Verecchio, for having the courage to speak the Truth–in season & out of season. You are in my prayers. God Bless you.