For a number of years, Catholics have been engaging in the spirit of rebellion, engaging in de facto a schismatic spirit, some even flirting in their hearts with the sprit of sedevacantism. I have spoken out against this danger several times over the past year or so. I have warned Catholics, indeed myself first, that we must stay united to the Church and the Pope. That means Pope Francis.
Some of you are already beginning to feel uneasy as you read this, some perhaps even a rage in your heart. Why? Please consider this: (though you may deny it) do YOU hate the Pope? If so, you DO HAVE the spirit of rebellion in you. Rebellion is of Satan. But there are other indicators of rebellion and sin.
Perhaps you do not yet see your contradiction. For years many of you have encouraged this spirit of rebellion, even partook, perhaps are continuing to partake. But I want you to know that rebellion has consequences. Despising authority has consequences. Some of you have inflamed the passions of the gullible, the ignorant, the confused. If you have done so, you are guilty of sin. You have been endangering souls, perhaps setting the match that may help send someone to Hell. Do you believe? Do you REALLY believe? Think about the consequences of inducing someone into sin and sending them to Hell because they broke with the visible, hierarchical Church.
Rebellion is Contagious
We now see the consequences of this rebellious spirit against legitimate Authority in what I shall call the "Gnostic Catholics" rejecting the authority of the State, and, as a consequence clashing with former allies in rebellion, now known as "Corona Catholics".
Perhaps this crisis will awaken "Corona Catholics" to their errors, and they shall amend their lives. Perhaps illness will awaken "Gnostic Catholics" to their senses? Perhaps both sides can learn humility, submit to legitimate Authority, and become Catholics again, amending their social media presence (much of it riddled with sin). Time will tell. It is question of confronting and admitting pride. The prideful will not concede they are in error and continue on their sinful way, going from bad to worse.
The Cesspool that is Social Media feeds the Flames of Rebellion
I DO know what is going on on social media, I DO know what is happening on Twitter. I keep my counsel, but believe me, I know much, much more than you could ever realize. Friends, it is NOT good. I have seen "Catholics" bandy about blasphemy, profanity, rage and hate on Twitter. What kind of example do these rebellious, sinful Catholics set for the man of goodwill who is searching for the truth, which is Jesus Christ?
I want you to ask yourself this question: if a nonbeliever was searching for the one, true religion, would he or she find on your social media a place of edification and godliness? Or would our visitor find anger, hate, rage, bitterness. Perhaps even worse? Could you show your blog, Facebook page, or Twitter feed to the Blessed Virgin? If you answer "no" to any of these questions, get to Confession, erase those tweets and posts, and amend your life.
The Rise of the Corona and Gnostic Catholic
Over the past week, what I have seen emerging is a "schism" between rebels. Once only against the Spiritual Authority, these rebels have split into two camps over the issue of how to deal with the coronavirus, vis-a-vis the State Authority. The "Corona Catholics" have finally come to their senses and understand that there is such a thing as a "legitimate authority": The State.
The Sinful Enabler of Rebellion
Have you, "Corona Catholic" been enabling rebels? Have you been engaging in the spirit of schism? Have you (with NO authority) been going around telling people that the Pope is not the Pope, yet YOU expect people to believe and follow you in your submission to State Authority? If you can rebel against the legitimate Church authorities, despising Jesus Christ in the process (your protestations to the contrary notwithstanding), why cannot "Gnostic Catholics" do the same regarding coronavirus? Of course they can! Those of you who have been engaging in rebellion are material accessories to "Gnostic Catholics" rebellion against State Authority. They were given an audience, praised, flattered, encouraged. And now? You reap what you sow.
How tragic it is to have to remind readers that St. Paul in his epistle to the Romans warned the faithful about sinning (Rm 13; 1-7) if they did not obey the legitimate orders from the State? In other words, the Roman Empire (evil as it was) did receive authority from God. This applies under our masonic governments (evil as they are). Even under a Nazi or Communist government it applied or applies. Get that in your head. If the Communist State authority orders that all cars are to be right hand drive, and the speed limit such and such - they HAVE the authority from God to do so. If the communist (or Nazi) authorities after careful examination of the scientific facts of a disease order citizens to take certain precautionary actions, citizens must obey, under penalty of sin. I know many of you do not like reading this, but this is Catholic teaching.
What the State does NOT have is the authority to command us to violate God's natural and moral Law.
The Plague of Naturalism has infected Minds
Now people living in a society imbued with protestantism and naturalism have a great difficulty understanding obedience to legitimate Authority. Catholics in American need to be reminded that the United States was founded on masonic principles, and rebellion. It is NOT the hope of mankind: Jesus Christ is, stop blaspheming! Sometimes it can be difficult to be patriot and yet disentangle from the naturalistic principles that are the foundations of America, but it must be done by those who follow Jesus Christ. My country right or wrong, is absolutely NOT Catholic.
Since those fateful years of 1776 and 1789, nation after nation have fallen into naturalism. The Americans, inheriting British common sense, attempted a "conservative" version of masonic rebellion, but after 200 years, with the cultural breakdown of the United States, British common sense is in short supply, not to mention Christianity is all but dead. Let's be realistic, and not fools in denial.
The "Corona Catholic" then, when faced with the REALITY (and of course modern man loves science, engineering, ah yes! we can believe that!) of coronavirus, reverses his or her inclination to rebellion against legitimate Authority and obeys the State. Because the "Corona Catholic" is inconsistent and illogical, he or she can become confused when the "Gnostic Catholic" refuses to obey the State and carries the spirit of rebellion against the Spiritual Authority over against the State Authority.
Corona and Gnostic Catholics are BOTH Modernists Rebels
The "Corona Catholic" is the modern man, he takes science seriously, but religion is more a matter of emotion. He claims to be orthodox, perhaps even traditional. For him 2 plus 2 is four, he no longer claims to be the expert in all things, and submits to science. But in spiritual matters, he decides. He is a doctor of theology and philosophy, but draws the line at epidemiology and virology. He is the man who "feels" the Pope is not the Pope; and so he emotes, rejecting the legitimate authority of the Church. Modern men are walking contradictions (they may believe and justify spiritual rebellion, but not civil rebellion, based on "science"). The "Corona Catholic" is the doctrinal modernist, a type of high church protestant, where religion is reduced to a materialistic form of party politics.
The "Gnostic Catholic" on the other hand is the superstitious man, who dabbles in spiritualism and civil anarchy. For him 2 plus 2 is four, or five, or 27. He rejects science, or, goes to opposite extreme and proclaims himself an epidemiologist and virologist. He attacks the "Corona Catholic", who was his ally not a few weeks ago when both as experts in theology and philosophy, were deciding who was and who was not Catholic, including the Pope. Having branched off into other areas of expertise, naturally, he is perturbed that the "Corona Catholic" is inconsistent and no longer wishes to play the epidemiologist. The "Gnostic Catholic" is the social modernist, a type of low church puritan and fideist, where religion is for the elite, the initiated into secret knowledge.
Are YOU a "Corona Catholic" or "Gnostic Catholic"?
You know deep inside of you if you are infected with either of these diseases. Some of you - thank God - are not infected, or, if you have been, you have sought treatment for your disease from Jesus Christ.
Unlike coronavirus, these two spiritual diseases are fatal.
Some of you are gravely ill with one of these two horrible spiritual infections. You need immediate help. Without Confession, repentance, and change of life they will possibly lead you to Hell, daily Mass and rattling off the Rosary etc. notwithstanding.
Don't be fooled by your pride, nor anyone telling you lies to say that you are not sick. You are: get help.
Get help now from Jesus Christ the Divine Physician.
OUR ACTION PLAN as FAITHFUL CATHOLICS
The Spiritual Consequences of Rebellion
We must love the Church, love the Pope, pray for the Pope, especially for any Pope who may have gone out of his Catholic mind! The words of Our Lord to St. Peter: "Simon, Simon do you love me", also apply to us. Do we love Him? Do we really love Him? Do we love Him enough to trust Him and remain in His One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church? When churchmen like Cardinal Burke, Archbishop Lenga and others speak, they do so out of love for the Pope, that he affirm the Faithful in Christ's unchangeable Teachings. It is to follow St. Paul when he challenged St. Peter regarding the very first "ecumenical" error of the Judaizers. Interestingly this grave evil has returned in the form of the diabolical Darbyite heresy amongst the so-called American "evangelicals" (whom it has virtually corrupted into a non-Christian cult) and now incredibly afflicts more and more "Catholics". It is incredible, but understandable, how easily heresy spreads - even faster than coronvavirus.
The Activity of Satan in causing Confusion
Satan is also very active in the world. He loves dissension, confusion and hatred. There is a diabolical temptation to anger, rage, quarreling, private judgment etc. St. Paul warned us, all these come from the Evil One. None of this will reform the Church, but on the contrary, only add to the destruction, and loss of souls. If the Pope does or says something crazy, turn to prayer, to penance. Do not follow him into error, but also do not rage, do not lead others into confusion. Christ is in control of His Church! It is His Church, and not the Pope's. But it is also not my Church or yours. It is His. Let us NOT forget that. Too many of us have. A year or so ago I too, was beginning to forget that, but not anymore!
Christ is the Head of the Church
It is de fide, that Christ is the Head of the Church. One of the greatest temptations is to abandon the Church because of our revulsion that She has been betrayed into the hands of sinful men. But that would be a catastrophic error. We can choose: will we be like the daughters of Jerusalem, the women at the Cross, or will we run and hide like the Apostles? Or, far worse, will we betray Our Lord and join with Judas to sell out the Church to Caiaphas and other evil men who proclaim daily, "he will not reign over us"?
To leave the Catholic Church (and if you reject the Pope, you have in your heart left the Church) because bad men control the Hierarchy is pathetic. Did the holy women walk away from the foot of the Cross?
Our Weapon is Prayer
Have you visited the Blessed Sacrament? Have you made a good examination of conscience? Have you prayed the Rosary? Have you forgiven your "enemies", those who may have mocked you for staying faithful to Christ's Church? Do you love the Pope? You may not like him but you are commanded by the Law of Christ to love him.
If you have hate in your heart, you have Satan there.
The first step in ending the madness in the Church and the world is that each one of us, in humility recognize our sins, make a good confession, a firm purpose of amendment, and strive to lead holy lives. It means seeking out a priest to whom we regularly make a good confession.
The Absolute Need for a Spiritual Director
We need to have a spiritual director, who can act as a guide in these tumultuous times. A spiritual director can provide the necessary brake on our natural inclination to pride. The refusal to have a spiritual director, someone whom we obey, is a sure sign of spiritual pride which will only have sad consequences. Critically, the spiritual director can provide essential guidance on how to act and react to the crisis in the Church, so that if and when scandals and heresies arise, we will be guided through the minefield and not be scattered to the winds, with the very heretics we wish to avoid. The Catholic Church functions on Authority (there is that word again!), thus we expose ourselves to the grave danger of private judgment without spiritual direction.
We may also need to make practical reforms in our lives which are leading us, and others into sin. For example, we may have to give up, change the direction, and/or greatly reduce our social media activity, if our confessor sees it as an impediment to growing in holiness.
If we cannot reform ourselves, we can hardly reform the Church, even less can we call for reform without being convicted of hypocrisy.
Let us do penance, let us pray, let us serve others in our lives, and let us leave the rest to the Holy Spirit. For it is the Holy Spirit who is the True Reformer. May the words of St. Paul be our guide:
"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith"
2 Timothy 4:7
3 comments:
The state does not have the right to command us to violate the moral and natural law, agreed.
But *moral* can be extended to include economic since political economy touches on morality.
So if the state is grinding the poor, as in banana republics run by oligarchies, can Christians resist, to the point of engaging in civil disobedience?
Can we refuse to go along with the lies propagated by communist and fascist states?
Bonhoeffer said using force against the Third Reich was legitimate for the Christian, just as one would use force to impede a runaway vehicle that will mow down children in its path.
Your distinction between Corona Catholics and Gnostic Catholics deserves further development, since you must have written it quickly, given the time scale of the viral development.
It would be worthwhile developing your thesis with the involvement of like-minded Catholics, a Catholic brain's trust.
Thanks John. My point is that even illegitimate regimes, in as much as they are the State authority, do receive a certain power. A similar analogy might be a sinful, evil Bishop. He still retains sacramental power, even though in spirit he is spiritually dead. Or I can take my local example. The major of Toronto is an evil man. But he is recognized as such and if he issues a law that does not go against natural law or God’s Positive moral Law I am bound to obey. You are correct that natural law and God’s law also encompasses economics, taxes etc.
Regarding openly tyrannical regimes my point was to drive home to these two extremists camps that a law such as traffic ordinances must be obeyed even if issued by evil men. For example the Church can tolerate but not approve an evil to avoid a greater evil. Thus tolerating a communist regime that cannot be replaced without even greater evil Eg. A bloody revolution. My point was that objectively evil regimes still retain a certain civil power, but this power only for the common good and never opposed to God’s Law. Once the State crosses that line we are obligated to disobey even resist. Eg. So-called laws promoting abortion, homosexuality, the legalization of pornography or contraception and so forth.
Yes, I understand you now, Barona.
Karol Wojtyla had the immense responsibility of defending the Church in a totalitarian regime. The state ran civil law, schools, hospitals, and factories etc. Schools and hospitals are a good thing even under communism.
Karol accepted the God-given power of the godless state, and learned how to adapt to the state's demands. We know he did this with immense aplomb and discretion, saving the Church from near extinction. His strategy worked.
I remember a devout Catholic friend (born in 1917) who sided with The Tablet, arguing that Pope John Paul did not really understand the way the Church did things in the democratic West. He was *authoritarian*.
My old friend said John Paul wanted to centralise the Church too much. He said John Paul wanted no changes, the kind of mentality that got him through his years in Poland, but didn't work in western Europe or the United States.
My late friend was wrong, of course, but then he supported women priests, contraception, questioned the virgin birth of Jesus, and turned against the model of traditional Catholicism with which he had grown up in Manchester. He gently mocked me for reading Chesterton. He hardened with the years.
The point I am making is the point you make much more effectively. We are living through an evil and decadent period in Western history and the Church and her bishops are all too weak. Laws may be enacted against the Church.
We must be law abiding. Pope John Paul left us with the best approach for dealing with a sick society; it IS sick *for there is no fear of God before their eyes.* John Paul was a strategist and he lived to see communism die.
Zipporah and Moses had a son born in Egypt, also a sinful society.
*And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershon: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.*
Exodus 2: 27
Christians are strangers in a strange land whether they are living in beautiful Canada or bonny Scotland.
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