I post this only to demonstrate to the masses here that groups such as this one do exist and are, in fact, quite (in)famous for being the way they are. These folks are known as Call to Action and have already been excommed by at least one good bishop (Bishop Fabian Bruskiewitz of Lincoln, NE).
Christ said that by their fruits we would know them. I suggest that we may know heretics by their sacrilege and open degradation of Catholic teaching. I must admit that at least these people are being honest about it, rather than scheming behind closed doors on how to deform the Church.
My colleague Nitschke from the NDNation board linked to the side believes these individuals are in good faith (edit: the precise comment was "good conscience." I don't think they have that either). I must disagree. You can't go this far off the reservation without wanting to. I cannot fathom how these people could come up with so many offensive and heretical items in the space of a single "liturgy" unless it was their intent to break as many rules as possible.
If any of these individuals should come across this post, I say the following in all charity. You are endangering your souls by participating in this madness. Repent and return to the bosom of the Church. If you are unwilling to do so, please abandon this fantasy that you are Catholic. You are clearly outside the Church as evidenced by your prayer to "create" your own church. Embrace your Protestant identity. This will at least keep you from committing the sin of scandalizing fellow Catholics.
I wouldn't call them people of good faith. Anyhow...
ReplyDeleteI think many of these people may have jumped ship but at that very moment of contemplation the Second Vatican council happened. They felt that the damn that held the church back had been opened. The church would now be an open and democratic place, much like the United States. Vatican II was a shift rather than a continuing movement. These people stuck it out because they that the church was going to continue to change. But then, John Paul II happened. And even worse, Benedict XVI happened. The church will never change to their liking. These are good people of conscience. But they don't have a strong belief in the authority of the church. Their children, for the most part, have fallen away from the church. As they age what thought was a seismic shift in the church will only be a detour. A long time from now Catholics will look back at some point, and what has happened will be seen as only a trend. Kind of like polyester leisure suits.
For this particular event though, I have a feeling they event was followed by the early bird special. Maybe each participant got a free tube of denture cream
These are not horrible people. I'm sure they are all law abiding citizens. They are just horribly misguided. They are what one might call honest pagans or secular humanists. They are guilty of the sins of wrath, envy and pride, though.
ReplyDeleteI'll agree that some of these people probably aren't horrible. The leaders of this group, especially the priest, are horrible people. I can't see it otherwise. They clearly know what they are doing, and they know the extremes to which they are going in doing it. So they go about committing sacrilege and leading other folks astray.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I do concede that some of these people probably don't understand the difference between what's happening here and activity time at the rest home. I am more willing to bet that some of this crowd probably don't even claim Catholicism as their religious affiliation.