USING THE TOOLS WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN

We have now arrived at the perfect time of the Liturgical Year when the demons who plague the Church from both the outside and the inside can best be fought.  Lent is here, the time of fasting, penance and spending time on the knees.  It is the perfect time to use these tools, for there is much treachery that is even now being planned which would be inordinately foolish for us to ignore.  Prayer and fasting can overcome those forces which, like vultures, are circling the Vatican to try their best to get one of their own into the Chair of Peter.  If that sounds overly dramatic, it is not meant to be: these people are serious, they are extremely well organized and well connected and they are calm about what they are trying to do.  They are not in a panic.  And they are quite determined.

But not even hellishness as that can withstand the tools we have now, at this very time of Lent, at our disposal...if only we would use them.  My poor efforts this Lent will be directed toward begging Heaven to send us not the Pope we deserve, but the Pope we need.

Many on the Catholic blogosphere, at least in their public writings, are conveying a rather giddy attitude to the historic events of the past week.  To some of these folks it assumes the aura of a presidential election.  There is excitement and hope, coupled with laudatory comments directed at the Holy Father.  There are smiles of excitement on their faces; one can sense that from the tone of their writing.  But on many other faces smiles are not to be found.  Though not giving in to despair these smile-less faces are facing the tragic realities, one of which is that the Vatican is now and has been for a very long time in disarray. 

We at The Eye-Witness must, alas, splash the cold water of reality into the faces of our dear complacent fellow-bloggers.  We have no inside scoops that are unknown to others.  We offer no "official" interpretations of events as some of the more popular blogs are wont to do, nor do we pretend to be an infallible oracle that professes to give the Authentic Catholic Viewpoint on these matters.  But we do reflect on the wisdom of others, and with that in mind we offer a link to that excellent publication Christian Order, edited by the very perceptive Rod Pead.  Mr Pead pulls no punches because Mr Pead is a realist.  While I urge everyone to subscribe to the print edition of this invaluable publication Mr Pead does put on his website from time to time a sampling of what is found in his magazine.

While we all await with hope (and with shudders) the coming Conclave, let us take a cold, hard look at an issue in the Church that - unless the Holy Ghost overcomes it - will, horribly, play a part in the election of the next Pope.  In Part Three of Christian Order's masterful "Chronic Convergence" series, Mr Pead exposes this deadly Achille's Heel.  A sample:

"Last March, during an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York made the following candid observations about the state of the Church and the hierarchy:

     'We have gotten gun-shy, in speaking wit any amount of cogency on chastity and sexual
     morality.'

     'Catholics in general got the impression that what the Second Vatican Council taught, first and
     foremost, is that we should be chums with the world, and that the best thing the Church can do
     is become more and more like everybody else.'

     '[Humanae Vitae] brought such a tsunami of dissent, departure, disapproval of the Church, that
     I think most of us - and I'm using the first-person plural intentionally, including myself - kind of
     substantially said, "Whoa.  We'd better never talk about that, because its just too hot to
     handle".'

Having effectively summarised and confirmed our damning analysis of the ecclesiastical status quo, the Cardinal then evoked the very cowardice and worldly convergence he had just bemoaned.  Addressing the episcopate's protest over Obamacare, he insisted: 'We've grown hoarse saying this is not about contraception, this is about religious freedom.'  He might just as well have said:  Look, we're gun-shy on this difficult issue because it's simply too hot to handle.  And we're uncomfortable being seen as out of step and on the fringe.  So we prefer to talk about 'religious freedom' instead.

Only a team of New York psychiatrists could untie that Gordian knot of duplicity and delusion!  On the one hand, His Eminence clearly sees and laments the problems besetting the Church, even admitting personal culpability.  On the other, he is paralysed:  unable to stop the self-contradiction and inversion of Catholic priorities."

Here you can read the rest of this essential article (and can find the links to Parts One and Two):  http://www.christianorder.com/editorials/editorials_2012/editorials_nov12.html

Even more damning in Mr Pead's assessment is the extent of the influence of the Homoseuxal Mafia within the Church herself as exemplified by such men as Rembert Weakland.  This "mafia" can no longer be said not to exist; the evidence is there and it is terrible.  There is no question they have had an enormous influence thus far and there is little reason to believe they wont have influence in the coming Conclave.  Hence the need for fasting and prayer (especially those precious beads), the stuff of which can cast out demons.

There is nothing amusing in the dramatic events of this past week or of the events to immediately follow.  There is also little to be gained by merely parroting the "party line" that Benedict's shocking move was "humble", "saintly" or "the right thing to do".  Those who don't get caught up in the avalanche of speculations as to who will be the next Pope and instead keep their heads bowed in heartfelt and honest prayer will be the ones who will be doing the most good.

I do not know for sure what happened on February 11th last, but I do know that excitement is about the last reaction I would have about it.  I have seen the famous photo of the lightning strike.  I will not interpret it because I cannot.  But if nothing else it gives one pause.  Or goosebumps.

Our Lenten mortifications have just been deemed by God to be of the first moment.  Wasting the opportunity thus given would be a very big mistake.