Friday, November 7, 2014

THE MORAL MENSHEVIKS OF THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH


In case anyone isn't noticing, the Roman Catholic Church is suffering from a crisis probably unprecedented since Christ told Peter that he was the Rock.  Many of the causes of this are known, many unknown.  But our purpose here at The Eye Witness is to bring the realities to the fore, face them and then encourage the laity to pick up the pieces of the nearly-completely shattered Church, and also to encourage those clerics who are at last beginning to see through the haze and are beginning to speak out.

We got into the blogging adventure because we woke up one day and asked ourselves, "What are we doing about this horrendous mess, other than griping about it?"   So we began The Eye Witness, not to compete with other fine blogs, but to take a somewhat different approach to them yet all the time working toward the goal we all share, namely: the restoration of our badly bleeding wounded Church.

To that end, in addition to our own writing efforts, it is our pleasure to alert our readers to the writings of those whose understanding of the situation is many times greater than our own.  We trust our readers will go to the links we provide and be informed and edified.  Brother Andre Marie over at Saint Benedict Center is one of those people whose writings are always well considered and based upon a clear understanding of the Catholic Faith.  We therefore link to another excellent article of his which appeared on the Center website:

http://catholicism.org/the-deliquescent-hermeneutic-of-moral-mensheviks.html

A quote:

"Today’s neo-conservatives in the Church — also called “neo-Catholics” — are the doctrinal, moral, and theological equivalent of Russia’s revolutionary Mensheviks. As Solzhenitsyn often said, Mensheviks prepare the field for Bolsheviks (as did the Girondins for the Jacobins)."

I cannot recall if the problem of certain popular Catholics has ever been more succinctly stated.  The revolutionary metaphor used by the author is apt and perfectly describes the present situation in Catholicism. And a complete understanding of this phenomenon is required if we are to keep our wits about us as we continue our bailout efforts on the sinking Ship the ultimate goal of which is to reverse the revolution.

Brother Andre's article confronts facts that others have spoken of but with a perspective rarely heard anywhere else.  That is why I like to read him.  In the above article he finds the Mensheviks and names them.

And now today he offers us yet another incisive discussion:

http://catholicism.org/ad-rem-no-238.html

What is one of the most significant maladies infecting today's teachers of the Faith?  Brother Andre spells it out:

"One undeniable hallmark of Catholic dogma has always been its clarity. The Church, as a good teacher, does not guide her children in halting speech. She is not vague or ambiguous. Indeed, to teach infallibly and thus bind the faithful under pain of grievous sin would absolutely require clarity. Since it is manifestly contrary to reason for a teacher to demand assent of the intellect to something ambiguous or vague, how can Christ’s faithful be bound in conscience to believe something ephemeral or given to a multiplicity of contrary interpretations?"

This article, too, I cannot recommend highly enough.

The good God has given us a few more brave souls who are beginning to speak out.  Brother Andre's efforts I believe have started to bear fruit in this arena.  He and others will help us to be prepared and be well armed and will help the timid, clerical or lay, to begin putting on the battle armor.

"Save us, ere we perish", cried the terrified Apostles to Christ at the raging storm at sea.  A little clarity from the See of Peter would go a long way to keep us from perishing.

The difference between Christ at that moment and the current pontificate is that Our Lord woke up and calmed the storm.  We here will do our bit to wake up the Captain.

5 comments:

:) said...

I clicked the "Menshevik" link expecting to see Jeff Mirus and Mike Voris but all I saw was Leon Trotsky.

:)

Anonymous said...

While the website for "Brother Andre" is legitimate, his "church" is not. The St. Benedict Center in NH is NOT canonically recognized by the NH Diocese.
"The Rev. Edward Arsenault, who was formerly Moderator of the Curia in the New Hampshire Catholic Diocese, responded to a letter written to him from Richmond resident, Terri O'Rorke inquiring about the canonical status of SBC. In June 2007, Rev. Arsenault wrote: '...the Saint Benedict Center has no permission or authority to exercise any ministry on behalf of the Roman Catholic Church in New Hampshire. Bishop McCormack has and will continue to do all that he can to encourage people to refrain from participating in any of the spiritual exercises at the Saint Benedict Center. For my part, I will continue to do all that I can to make it clear that Saint Benedict Center has no affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church in any way.'"
That paragraph was taken from the book "Deliver Us...a religious cult vs Richmond, NH" page 28.
"Marie Knowlton, publisher of the town's newsletter, The Richmond Rooster, publicized the response to her from the Diocese in the May, 2004 issue. The response was from the Rev. Edward Arsenault, Chancellor, and stated in part: 'I can assure you that the St. Benedict Center has no relationship with the Diocese of Manchester and in this regard, is not approved by the Catholic Church in any way. Any representations to the contrary are simply not true.' The Diocese's own bi-monthly magazine, Parable, never once mentions SBC or their non-permitted school, the Immaculate Heart of Mary School, as recognized in the State of New Hampshire or the Catholic Diocese of New Hampshire." page 29
Want more? Go to amazon.com

Aged parent said...

Dear Anon:

Thank you for your comments.

I guess at this stage of the game, with the evidence looming all around us, that one has to continue to re-hash and re-hash again old calumnies and the spread of misinformation is one of the unfortunate facts of life. That the Saint Benedict Center has to be still dragged into the mud - at this late date - shows that bad ideas never go away. I am sure you mean well by your comment but I urge you to first dig a little deeper into the history of these people and second to apply good, old horse sense.

Brother Andre has time and again answered these calumnies. If you would like to read his replies, you might try the following links:

http://www.sentinelsource.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/our-beliefs-are-not-subject-to-change-by-brother-andre/article_9bc76d19-3e5c-5220-bd6e-b5d0e272e5b4.html

http://www.sentinelsource.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/book-letter-aren-t-telling-the-truth-by-brother-andre/article_5b33b237-a5c3-5bdf-b5ad-bdc277a17882.html

http://www.sentinelsource.com/opinion/letters_to_the_editor/priests-approved-to-offer-masses-in-richmond-by-brother-andre/article_6cf0e4a8-4fc1-5b9a-ad7f-01a0689d4026.html

As you glance over them perhaps you will see, as I have seen and others have seen, that these people are not enemies of the Faith.

Then, too, we must be careful in how much credence we give to those who are spreading misleading information about the Saint Benedict Center. You mention Msgr Arsenault, for example. This pitiful man (who needs our prayers) is perhaps not the most reliable source upon which to base our ideas.

http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140423/NEWS/140429545/0/FRONTPAGE

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/11701887-95/new-hampshire-ex-priest-gets-jail-time-for-thefts

I am assuming that you are basing this on that book which has all the earmarks of a libel. It is easy for all of us, myself included, to get all worked up over some scandalous sensational "tell all" book which, after one has dug a little deeper, find to be nothing but an exercise in hysteria. By all means read these books if you must but then read the other side of the story. In my little blog I often present opposing viewpoints which are found in some of the links I provide here. Getting both sides and looking at them in a calm and reasonable manner goes a long way in shaping a proper understanding.

I find nothing in the writings of those connected with the Center to cause me any fear or concern. I believe you would do yourself a favor by glancing at their site and come to your own conclusions.

Thank you again for your comment.

Anonymous said...

You blog sounds like Brother Andre Marie/the philosopher/Louis Villarrubia is the administrator to me. Straight out of Catholicism.org. No wonder you don't want to re-hash "Deliver us." Another excerpt from the book,
"Pay no attention to that man behind the curtain. With all the various articles, letters and postings made by Mr. Villarrubia through a computer, one could only compare him to the Wizard of Oz. While the Wizard could only wield his power by remaining hidden behind the curtain, Mr. Villarrubia remains hidden behind a computer. The great Oz has spoken." page 87
Amazon.com

Aged parent said...

Dear Anon:

Now that you have discovered my blog and feel compelled to comment on the same issue over and over again, kindly add to the discussion by well-reasoned and charitable arguments. You have made these same accustations and calumnies at least three times now in different posts here, and your objections were answered with the relevant links supplied.

If after reading the other side of the story you wish to engage in a meaningful discussion of the issues we will welcome your comments. If on the other hand you are not interested in a calm discussion between Catholic gentlemen then perhaps this is not the kind of blog you may wish to visit.

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