Still Running Off at the Keyboard

JEWISH TRIBAL REVIEW

A commenter in another thread has objected to my use of the Jewish Tribal Review website as a source. In an effort to investigate his objections, I've explored the website in further detail.

Jewish Tribal Review is the work of "Israel Shahak, Israel Shamir, Alfred Lilienthal, John Sack, Norman Finkelstein, and a few others of Jewish heritage" according to their website. It began as a book titled WHEN VICTIMS RULE. A CRITIQUE OF JEWISH PRE-EMINENCE IN AMERICA, but the authors quickly discovered they could not find a publisher for anything critical of Judaism. Thus the website was born. Their guiding theme is "Criticism of the powerful is not immoral. It is a necessary part of any truly open society" according to another webpage in their website.

They address anti-Semitism here and here. At the first link there are many quotes from Jewish sources that are critical of the jump to "anti-Semitism" whenever something negative is said about a Jew. The authors make this comment:

The notion that Jews, scattered throughout the world, are collectively victims at the hands of all others [i.e., today categorized as "anti-Semitism"), is a conceptual framework, originally religiously based, that actually precedes authentic history and is self-fulfilling. The foundation to understand the Jewish victim complex can be found in their Torah (the Old Testament), for example in Deuteronomy 28. What is today called anti-Semitism was originally conceived as God's punishment of the Jewish people:

"And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people from one end of
the earth unto the other ... And among these nations shalt thou find
no ease, neither shall the sole of they foot have rest: But the Lord
shall give thee there a trembling heart, and failing of eyes, and sorrow
of mind. And they life shall hang in doubt before thee; and thou shalt
fear day and night and have none assurance of thy life ... and thou
shalt be only oppressed and crushed always."

A quote given in the website makes an interesting point:

"Fighting anti-Semitism seems to be for some Jews more
important than any other expression of Jewishness ... The
danger appears when one becomes dependent upon them for
one's identity, so that one begins to need anti-Semitism."
Stanislaw Krajewski,
(Polish Jew)

It is a perspective guaranteed to surprise coming from Jewish sources as it is. It happens to be a perspective I think deserves a hearing, especially given the massive effort that has gone into this website.

Truth is not anti-Semitic. If anyone can show me that these authors are not telling the truth, please do so. If, on the other hand, your sensitivities are offended because I am interested in what is written at the website and am blogging on it, please save your efforts at making ad hominem comments because I will delete them. I expect to return to this website periodically.

FROM THE EMAILBOX

and Fr. Euteneuer's best so far from my perspective!

Spirit & Life

"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 01, Number 69 | Friday, May 25, 2007
...................................................................................

www.hli.org

The Advocate vs. The Accuser

In a few months I will publish a book on exorcism and deliverance by which I hope to educate the Church Militant on the reality of spiritual evil and the truth of the Church's power against it. On this weekend where our Church celebrates Pentecost, the great Feast of the Holy Spirit, I offer an excerpt from this upcoming book to highlight the influence of the Holy Spirit in defending our cause against the accusing spirit of the devil. If we are to fight for the salvation of souls, we must know our enemy and experience God's love as the protective shield against all his evil.

The following excerpt is taken from the chapter entitled, "The Devil, His Minions, and His Activities."

What do we call the principle of all evil and why?
There are three common names by which most people describe the font of all evil: the Devil, Satan and Lucifer; each of these names comes to English from a different language. The name "Devil" comes from the Greek word ¦Ä¦É¦Á¦Â¦Ï¦Ë¦Ï¦Î (di¨¢bolos), which literally means "one who throws things around" in the sense of creating the chaos for which he is so famous. The name "Satan" comes from the Hebrew verb "to accuse" and is variously translated as "the accuser," "the tempter," "the persecutor," "the calumniator" and "the adversary." Not ironically, the Church, taking her cue from the Gospel of John, calls the Holy Spirit, "The Advocate," (i.e., defense lawyer) in order to remind us that the depredations and accusations of our principle enemy are always met with one more powerful than he who takes our side in a fight.

"Lucifer" is a name that derives from the Latin meaning "light-bearer," commonly understood as his God-given name before he fell from grace. This name is cited in St. Jerome's Vulgate translation of the Bible in the Book of Isaiah 14:12-16. This potent creature has always been considered by the tradition of the Church as one of the most powerful angels that God created. It is speculated that his name was "Light-Bearer" because he was a Seraphim angel, the highest order of the angelic hierarchy, and the order of angels whose Hebrew name describes something that burns with the ardor of love. Lucifer's fall from grace did not deprive him of his natural powers but rather corrupted those powers for the perverse work of undermining God's plan of salvation for men.

Among all the many references to this wretched being in the Bible, the Book of Revelation is one of the best sources of knowledge about him and his plan to destroy God's children. He is described in Rev 12:9 as "a huge dragon, the ancient serpent, known as the devil or Satan, the seducer of the whole world." The devil's most serious indictment came from our Blessed Lord who called him, "a liar and the father of lies," and "a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44). The New Testament refers to this origin of all wickedness nearly three hundred times to warn us of his presence and work.

As we celebrate the feast of Pentecost with our Church, let us make a profound act of faith in the Holy Spirit, that, no matter how evil our times may be, God will never abandon to the power of evil those who call upon Him. Let us call upon the Holy Spirit to protect us and our loved ones and to renew the face of the earth!

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International

SUPREME MASTER TELEVISION

...bringing the world one step closer to a syncretistic one world religion.

On page 182 of the May 14, 2007 issue of TIME magazine I found a full-page Ad for Supreme Master Television with a web address of www.suprememastertv.com/ and so I took a look. It's quite a mixed bag and apparently broadcasts primarily in Europe via the web. I didn't find a hint of Catholicism in there.

Take a look.

IN THE CHURCH-BURNER'S HOUSE...

At TheHawkEye website is a story about what police found when they searched the premises of the man charged with starting a fire in a Burlington historic church:

Kevin Michael Ravelin is charged with starting a fire that burned one of Burlington's most historic downtown churches, and police have linked him with satanism based on satanic items found on a search of his living quarters.

Ravelin, 28, allegedly told his roommate that he didn't believe in a Christian God and disliked churches, and police said they were told in 1998 that Ravelin was dabbling in satanism.

So far, however, Ravelin has not been charged with a hate crime, although the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives remains involved in the case.

Ravelin is charged with two counts of second-degree arson and two counts of first-degree burglary in connection with fires started in the early morning hours of April 29 at First United Methodist Church and First Presbyterian Church. The fire at First Presbyterian did minimal damage.

In a search of Ravelin's rented room, police seized numerous items they describe as satanic, including a metal chain with an inverted cross, a satanic mirror, a black T-shirt with "When Satan Lives" on it, the box for a video game "Devil May Cry," a satanic torture doll and a red gown.

Satanism is difficult to define. A Web search finds a host of conspiracies, occult speculation and alternative religions.

The term satanic is a general term police use in describing occult-like items found during searches "for lack of a better terminology," said Acting Police Chief Dan Luttenegger.

In the wake of the fires, community speculation about the acts and the motivations of the perpetrator have run rampant.

Despite speculation about a local satanic cult, satanism has not been a problem for the Burlington Police Department in recent years, according to Luttenegger.

The last time police responded to a call involving alleged satanism was in 2001 when an intoxicated and mentally disturbed man claiming to be Satan put his fist through a glass window. Police took the man to Great River Medical Center for injuries and a mental evaluation. No charges were filed.

Luttenegger is quick to point out that worshiping Satan is not illegal, and that police get involved only when an actual crime has occurred.

"It may not be what you're used to seeing or something you believe in, but they're doing nothing wrong," Luttenegger said. "In the same reality, being a member of a gang is not against the law, it's the actions that they take that makes these things illegal."

Hopefully you will be able to read the entire story at the print-friendly page in the website, since the original webpage with an ad and pictures takes a coffee break to load.

FROM THE JEWISH TRIBAL REVIEW WEBSITE

a synopsis of an article by Joe Sobran:

The Jewish Establishment, by Joseph Sobran. [Also directly linked here]. Sobran is a syndicated newspaper columnist. This article doesn't appear at his own web site (it's linked to another site), and here he explains why. On this page one can also find links to other Sobran articles about Jews and Israel that syndicated news organizations don't want.

"It's permissible to discuss the power of every other group, from the Black Muslims to the Christian Right, but the much greater power of the Jewish Establishment is off-limits. That, in fact, is the chief measure of its power: its ability to impose its own taboos while tearing down the taboos of others - you might almost say its prerogative of offending. You can read articles in Jewish-controlled publications from the Times to Commentary blaming Christianity for the Holocaust or accusing Pope Pius XII of indifference to it, but don't look for articles in any major publication that wants to stay in business examining the Jewish role in Communism and liberalism, however temperately. Power openly acquired, openly exercised, and openly discussed is one thing. You may think organized labor or the Social Security lobby abuses its power, but you don't jeopardize your career by saying so. But a kind of power that forbids its own public mention, like the Holy Name in the Old Testament, is another matter entirely."

HOW DEEP ARE THE LAITY'S POCKETS ?

That would seem to me the question implied in this article, linked at Spirit Daily, about lawsuits in Los Angeles:

Citing an alleged misrepresentation by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, a judge ruled Wednesday that four people can seek punitive damages against the Los Angeles Archdiocese for failing to protect them from a priest they accused of sexual abuse.

The ruling, the first of its kind in the Los Angeles clergy sexual abuse scandal, could increase pressure on the archdiocese to reach a settlement with its accusers.

More than 500 people have alleged that they were abused by priests in the archdiocese, and many also have alleged that the church knew about the danger but failed to act.

If all of them are granted permission to seek punitive damages, Mahony could face a potentially enormous payout.

The first of the cases is set to begin trial June 11. The judge also ordered the archdiocese to submit to extensive interrogation and disclosure about its finances. "The risk is that 500 punitive damage awards could bankrupt the church," USC law professor Greg Keating said. "The church has a lot of valuable real estate, but not that much cash. It could force them to liquidate a lot of assets."

Church lawyers did not oppose the accusers' motion for punitive damages. Tod M. Tamberg, a spokesman for the archdiocese, downplayed the ruling's significance.

"The decision today neither decides nor influences the ultimate issue of whether such damages are appropriate in these cases," he said.

Punitive damages are awarded on top of compensatory damages, to punish or make an example of a wrongdoer for actions motivated by fraud or malice.

Read the rest...

CANCER JOURNAL - ALLERGIC REACTION TO MEDICATION

It's been a challenging week.

Last Friday my oncologist decided to add an estrogen suppressant to my treatment plan. I stopped at the pharmacy on the way home from her office and picked up the prescription. Took the first dose when I got home, together with a new type of calcium supplement which she recommended.

Four hours later I had at least half of the symptoms listed in the side effects for the prescription, the worst of which was a cough that signaled my asthma had been triggered by something--most likely one of the two new medications.

I coughed my way through the night and dealt with the other symptoms, all of which had somewhat subsided by morning. Determining which of the two medications had caused the problems would require taking each of them separately. I decided to try out the calcium on Saturday, and took it in the morning. I still had the cough, but it didn't get any worse.

On Sunday I skipped the calcium and took the estrogen blocker, which turned out to be a very bad idea. By evening my asthma was so bad I thought I might end up in the emergency room. To make matters worse, the syrup that goes into my nebulizer was out of date, so I had to tough it out with just the rescue inhaler, using it about every hour. It was clear by this time that the culprit was the estrogen suppressor, and that I had better not consider taking a third tablet if I wanted to see daylight on Tuesday morning.

Slowly I have recovered from this episode and am just coughing occasionally now, but the experience was scary since I have never had an allergic reaction to medication before. I'm not looking forward to the next new drug that I will surely have to take when I see my oncologist next time.

In any case, chemo dose No. 4 is scheduled for this morning, and chemobrain will check in on Monday or Tuesday, so posting may be a bit erratic next week.

DEACON LEVINE TO BE ORDAINED ????

Check out Matt Abbott's column where he has posted a letter addressed to Bishop Serratelli of the Paterson Diocese.

'April 14, 2007

'Most Reverend Arthur J. Serratelli
Bishop of Paterson
777 Valley Road
Clifton, NJ 07013

'Your Excellency,

'The purpose of this letter is to bring to your attention certain facts concerning Deacon Joseph Levine who, according to the web site of the Diocese of Paterson, is to be ordained a priest at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in Paterson, New Jersey, on May 26, 2007. It is to be hoped that, upon examination of these facts, you will become convinced that Deacon Levine must never be permitted to work in a parish or ever be ordained a priest.

Continue reading at the website...

THE VATICAN, EVP, AND EXORCISM

While some at the Vatican are apparently messing around with electronic voice phenomena, Father Francesco Bamonte would seem to be speaking directly to them in this interview which appeared in Zenit on Nov. 3, 2003, warning them of the dangers in what they are doing. Father Bamonte is an exorcist.

E.T.s AT THE VATICAN

On Wednesday May 23 at 11:00 pm DST Richard Syrett and Victor Viggiani will interview Italian journalist Luca Scantamburlo.

Scantamburlo has written extensively about an interview conducted between Cristoforo Barbato and an unnamed Vatican Jesuit priest who has confidentially disclosed inside information about a clandestine meeting in 1954 at California’s Muroc Air Force Base (later named Edwards AFB) involving President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Los Angeles Bishop James Francis McIntyre and an extraterrestrial delegation.

Continue reading...

Blogger credit to New Oxford Review for the link.
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UPDATE

Electronic Voice Phenomena, or EVP, is the process of recording voices from beyond death on devices such as a tape recorder.

This website claims that the Vatican has been involved for decades in this process. From the website:

The Catholic church has even actively encouraged research directed towards Electronic Voice Phenomena. Two of the earliest religious investigators were Father Ernetti and Father Gemelli who stumbled upon the Electronic Voice Phenomena while recording Gregorian chants in 1952. Father Gemelli apparently heard the voice of his own deceased father on the tape saying, “Zucchini, it is clear, don’t you know it is I”. “Zucchini” was the childhood name of Father Gemelli. Pope Pius, the cousin of the Rev. Professor Dr Gebhard Frei was co-founder of the Jung Institute and was an internationally recognised and respected parapsychologist who worked very closely with Dr Konstantin Raudive, a pioneer of EVP working in Germany. Rev Frei stated: “all that I have read and heard forces me to believe that the voices come from transcendental, individual entities. Whether it suits me or not, I have no right to doubt the reality of the voices”-- Rev. Professor Dr Gebhard Frei.

Rev. Professor Dr Gebhard Frei died October 27 1967. In November 1967 at numerous EVP tape recording sessions a voice claiming to be Gebhard Frei was recorded. The voice was positively confirmed and identified by Professor Peter Hohenwarter of the University of Vienna as unquestionably the voice belonging to Dr Frei.

The Catholic religion became increasingly supportive of EVP research with several Vatican approved researchers producing compelling evidence for EVP. Father Leo Schmid, a Swiss theologist, collected more than ten thousand recorded voices in his book “When the Dead Speak” in 1976, published shortly after his death.

In England, in 1972, four senior members of the Catholic church became involved in the famous Pye Recording Studio tests conducted by Peter Bander. Father Pistone, Superior of the Society of St. Paul in England, said after the tests:

“I do not see anything against the teaching of the Catholic church in the voices, they are something extra-ordinary, but there is no reason to fear them, nor can I see any danger”. --Father Pistone.

A series of high and respected officials of the Catholic church subsequently lent support to EVP in what has now become a firm Vatican position of acceptance for these “voices from beyond”. The following definitive statement was issued by Father Gino Concetti at the Vatican:

“According to the modern catechism, God allows our dear departed persons who live in an ultra-terrestrial dimension, to send messages to guide us in certain difficult moments of our lives. The Church has decided not to forbid any more the dialogue with the deceased with the condition that these contacts are carried out with a serious religious and scientific purpose”

Printed in the Vatican newspaper Osservatore Romano and cited in Sarah Estep's American Association Electronic Voice Phenomena, Inc Newsletter, Vol 16 No, 2 1997.

ORTHODOX VIEW OF THE PAPAL PROMOTION OF THE RELIGION OF JUDAISM

This article appears at The Orthodox Faith website



Go to the website to continue reading.

POLISH MESSIANISM

Interesting comment at the 30 Days website:

Today Polish romanticism is spoken of as a synonym for nationalism and anti-semitism. It was the opposite: the messianism of our poet Mickiewicz had Jewish roots. Marek Edelmann, the last leader of the revolt of the ghetto, followed Mickiewiciz himself, in the idea of death heroically sought and not merely undergone. The idea that Poland should sacrifice itself for Europe arose in Jewish circles». La Repubblica also printed the sermon which Pope Wojtyla gave in Victory Square in Warsaw, on 2 June 1979, during his first journey to Poland, in which he affirmed that in Warsaw «beneath the ruins there was Christ the Savior».

THE GOOD SAMARITAN GUILT TRIP

I've been thinking more about Bishop Skylstad's little funding request in the light of the discussion that has taken place in Dom's blog. Some questions seem to need answers.

1. The lawsuits have redefined "separation of Church and state", yet I'm not sure they have defined who "Church" is for legal purposes. So...Is "Church", according to the courts, the hierarchy and the material assets of the particular diocese being sued; or do the courts see "Church" as extending to the laity?

2. Will material contribution to the Good Samaritan Guilt Trip (GSGT) open up the possibility of a future court considering the personal assets of the laity to be available for raiding by a future victim with dollar signs in his eyes?

3. Or is the GSGT legally a charitable fund?

It was proposed at one point to consider the laity's personal assets to be available for raiding. That notion was rejected by the court. Could contributions to the GSGT redefine the laity's personal assets for purposes of sexual abuse lawsuits? In other words, now that separation of Church and state has been bridged, is the "Church" a corporation or a partnership under the law? If the latter, where does one sign the non-participation document for legal purposes?

If the GSGT is a charitable fund, moral rules about contributions to charity would apply. Thus, for instance, just as we would not contribute to Planned Parenthood because of the uses to which our dollars would be put, we cannot contribute to the GSGT because we do not know anything about the "victims" who would be "helped" by this fund. We cannot contribute to moral degeneration with our charitable dollars.

The practice of the courts of allowing the "victims" to remain anonymous and their lifestyle to remain hidden has perpetuated an unfair advantage to the "victims". We have been given a picture of a child or adolescent "victim" in every case. Yet today the "victim" is not a child or an adolescent, and may in fact be an adult aggressor who is using the courts to exact revenge.

We hear rumors that the victims' lives are a shambles. Is it reasonable to assume that a person who is hooked on drugs or practicing a homosexual lifestyle, for instance, and who may be extremely angry at the Church, would not take legal advantage of the goodwill of Catholics who pony up?

On the other hand, if the laity is going to assume the legal liability of the judgment against the Church by contributing to this fund, aren't they in essence saying "Sure, come attach my family's house and my family's bank account, since "we are Church"?

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

HERESY ON THE PSEUDO-RIGHT

An accused pedophile from San Antonio now serves as a spiritual advisor for a doomsday cult. News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Brian Collister traveled to Costa Rica to investigate and find if cult leader Juan Pablo Delgado is a visionary or a con artist.

His name is Juan Pablo Delgado and he says the Virgin Mary speaks to him. He claims he can see her while no one else can. Juan Pablo explains his visions, "She comes in human form. It's important to remember in heaven she is in body and soul. She's not transparent, she's not a ghost. She can be seen. I've been able to touch her just like I can touch anyone else."

Delgado leads what is described as a doomsday cult in Costa Rica. He has predicted the end of the world and that he will become Pope. His spiritual advisor is former San Antonio priest Father Alfredo Prado. Prado is accused of molesting young boys more than 30 years ago at St. Timothy's on the Westside. Now similar concerns are arising about the cult leader.

"Parents are leaving their kids there, depositing their kids there, because supposedly the virgin has supposed told the supposed visionary that they should leave their young boys there. There are a lot of questions about him. Again allegations that this is just a big rip off." That’s according to Bruce Harris of “Casa Alianza” a Costa Rican child welfare group.

The Trouble Shooters obtained pictures taken inside the sanctuary showing Delgado dressed like a priest. The pictures also show what Delgado supporters say is a true miracle. The cult leader’s hands and feet are stained with blood. Wounds he claims resemble those inflicted on Christ. Catholic Church officials in Costa Rica are outraged saying Delgado cuts himself to fool followers.

Continue reading...

A LETTER TO THOMAS MERTON

In a chapter devoted to "Thomas Merton, Chiliasm, and the "New Christianity" Eugene Rose writes a letter to Thomas Merton, a letter which was likely never sent. It adds a portion of insight into what is happening in our Church, at least from my perspective.

In his letter, Eugene told Merton that "we are witnessing the birth-pangs of...a 'new Christianity,' a Christianity that claims to be 'inward,' but is entirely too concerned with outward result; a Christianity, even, that cannot really believe in 'peace' and 'brotherhood' unless it sees them generalized and universally applied, not in some seemingly remote 'other world,' but 'here and now.'...

"Christianity become a 'crusade,' Christ become an 'idea,' both in the service of a world 'transformed' by scientific and social techniques and a man virtually 'deified' by the awakening of a 'new consciousness': this lies before us. Communism, it seems clear, is nearing a transformation itself, a "humanizing,' a 'spiritualizing,' and of this Boris Pasternak is a sign given in advance; he does not reject the Revolution, he only wants it 'humanized.' The 'democracies,' by a different path, are approaching the same goal....

"An age of 'peace' may come to weary--yet apocalyptically anxious--man; but what can the Christian say of such 'peace'? It will not be the peace of Christ."

At the end of his letter, Eugene encouraged Merton not to be ashamed of genuine, otherworldly Christianity, no matter how foolish it may appear in the eyes of worldly men. "Above all," he wrote, "the Christian in the contemporary world must show his brothers that all the 'problems of the age' are of no consequence beside the single central 'problem of man': death, and its answer, Christ. Despite what you have said about the 'staleness' of Christianity to contemporary men, I think that Christians who speak of this problem, and in their lives show that they actually believe all that 'superstition' about the 'other world'--I think they have something 'new' to say to contemporary man. It has been my own experience that serious young people are 'tired' of Christianity precisely because they think it is an 'idealism' that hypocritically doesn't live up to its 'ideals'; of course, they don't believe in the other world either--but for all they know, neither do Christians....

"The outward Gospel of social idealism is a symptom of this loss of faith. What is needed is not more busyness but a deeper penetration within. Not less fasting, but more; not more action, but prayer and penance... If Christians in their daily life were really on fire with love of God and zeal for His Kingdom not of this world--then everything else needful would follow of itself."

Eugene was one with Dostoyevsky in believing that any true improvement of society must come through the spiritual transformation of each person. As Elder Ambrose of Optina clearly expressed it: "Moral perfection on earth (which is imperfect) is not attained by mankind as a whole but rather by the individual believer according to the degree to which he fulfills God's commandments and the degree of his humility. Final and complete perfection is attained in heaven in the future eternal life for which the short terrestrial life serves only as a preparation."...

In 1966 Merton formally rejected the outlok he had held twenty-five years earlier, when he had entered the monastery and written THE SEVEN STOREY MOUNTAIN. He mocked what he felt to be his former delusion in renouncing the world, believing this to be part of the "negative," "world-denying" Christianity that had existed throughout the centuries but was now outmoded, ready to be replaced by the new vision of Pope John XXIII. In outlining his new way of thinking. Merton said that the true duty of the Christian was "to choose the world."

The tragedy of Thomas Merton--and such it was, no matter what the world may try to make of him--bore witness to Eugene's statement that "the outward Gospel of social idealism is a symptom of loss of faith." ...

By the time of his famous pilgrimage to Hindu and Buddhist centers of Asia, Merton viewed Christianity as but one path among many; he said he felt more rapport with Buddhists than with Roman Catholics, and expressed his desire to "find a Tibetan guru and go in for Nyingmapa Tantric initiation. (Hieromonk Damascene, FATHER SERAPHIM ROSE, pp 246-248)

"The outward Gospel of social idealism is a symptom of loss of faith."

Next time you are at Mass and the liturgy gets crazy, think about that statement. What is the objective of the priest who toys with rubrics? Most likely it isn't defiance so much as a heart for people and what he perceives to be that which will speak to their hearts. He calls into question what he believes in. Does he believe in Christ, God-man, Savior, or does he believe that the work of saving the world is really his own to do?

Think about the sexual abuse scandal. Did the bishops trust Christ and adhere to His laws, or did they think it was up to them to save the diocese by being dishonest if that's what was called for?

Think about the Good Samaritarian Guilt Trip being fostered in Spokane. Are Catholics in the pew being asked to contribute to a charitable cause that furthers the work of Christ, or are they being asked to contribute to a charitable cause that will save diocesan assets? And if they contribute to the cause, are they any better than the bishops who did the same thing in a different way?

We cannot save ourselves. And we certainly can't save the world. All we can do is cling to Christ and do what He has asked of us, and then let the chips fall where they may.

Our faith is in the heavenly kingdom, not an earthly paradise.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

DISSENT ON THE RIGHT

It is easy to believe the sexual abuse was an American phenomenon. The lack of inactivity on the part of the Pope has been written off to lack of knowledge. After all, as the apologists say, the Pope had more on his mind than what was going on in the United States.

Well, it wasn't just going on in the United States. In fact it was also going on a whole lot closer to the Papal palace if this article is accurate:

Fr Lelio Cantini, now in his eighties, became the parish priest of Regina della Pace in the mid-Seventies. A self-styled "charismatic", he was accompanied by a clairvoyant woman who had visions of Jesus and drew up lists of those parishioners whom she said were the "elect of God".

Don Lelio ruled the parish with an iron hand, banishing dissidents from Mass and forbidding them absolution. But, in private, he showed a different side: in the church's presbytery he induced girls as young as 10 to have sex with him, explaining that this was a way of attaining "total unity with God".

A woman of 45, married with two children, said she had suppressed all memory of the abuse the priest inflicted on her until a couple of years ago. It started, she explained, when she was aged 10. "The Prior [as Cantini insisted on being called] would call me into his office or his bedroom, get me to undress and explain that, by doing what he asked, I would realise the most complete eucharistic communion," she said.

"He told me to think of the Madonna, who bore Jesus when she was only 12. He said I was the Beloved of the Song of Songs and that what happened between us was the same as what happened in the Garden of Eden." She said the relationship continued for 15 years, and that remembering it even now caused her vomiting attacks. "I was absolutely incapable," she said, "of making a free and aware choice."

Another woman, identified by the initials D A, now in her forties, said her sexual liaison with Fr Cantini "began when I was 17 and continued until I got married. He said I was in need of affection and that he would give it to me. Then he embraced me in the name of Jesus."

The victims kept their memories to themselves until chance reunions prompted them to share their stories and take them to the curia of Florence, the governing body of the church in the city, in January 2004.

And what is the procedure over there in Italy for dealing with an abuser? According to the article:

They made written and oral submissions to the Archbishop of Florence and others - with the sole result that, in September 2005, Fr Cantini was transferred to another parish "for reasons of health".

Sound familiar?

Thanks to the blog Whispers in the Loggia for the link.

THE OUTRAGE GROWS

According to Dom's blog, the parishioners in the Diocese of Spokane are now being asked to pony up $105 per parishioner to pay for the sexual abuse settlements, and a Good Samaritan Guilt Trip is being employed to insure compliance. Count the members in your family and multiply by $105. Would you be willing to shell it out? And nary a hint as to who the victims are. Giving blindly is never a good idea. Even the Good Samaritan knew who he was helping. For all these Good Samitarians know they are contributing funds to those who will use the funds to further their life of sin.

Let the d... diocese fall into bankruptcy. Let the chancery close. Let Skylstad take up his beggar's bowl. Let the churches be sold. Let the whole house of cards come tumbling down. And when the diocese lies in ruins, then let some good and faithful priests evangelize the people of Spokane. America can become mission territory once again.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

THE INFLUENCE OF FELICITE DE LAMENNAIS (1782-1854)

From the Catholic Encyclopedia:

Having forthwith declared that out of deference to the pope he would not resume the publication of "L'Avenir" Lamennais suppressed the "General Agency", went back to La Chênaie, and there apparently kept silence. In his heart, however, he cherished deep resentment, the echoes of which reached the outer world through his correspondence. Rome was stirred by this behavior, and demanded frank and full adhesion to the Encyclical "Mirari vos". After seeming to yield, Lamennais ended by refusing to submit without reserve or qualification. Little by little, he began by renouncing his ecclesiastical functions (December, 1833) and ended by abandoning all outward profession of Christianity. The amelioration of humanity, devotion to the welfare of the people and of popular liberties, dominated him more and more. In May, 1834, he published the "Paroles d'un croyant", through the apocalyptic diction of which resounds a violent cry of rage against the established social order: in it he denounces what he calls the conspiracy of kings and priests against the people. In this way he loudly declared his rupture with the Church, and set up the symbol of his new faith. Gregory XVI hastened to condemn in the Encyclical "Singulari nos" (15 July, 1834) this book, "small in size, but immense in perversity", and at the same time censured the philosophical system of Lamennais.

From the book ADAM MICKIEWICZ: POET OF POLAND A symposium, edited by Manfred Kridl with a Foreword by Ernest J. Simmons, Columbia University Press, 1951:

Felicite De Lamennais (1782-1854), first apologist of Catholicism, afterwards revolutionary democrat, was in close touch with Mickiewicz in the years 1830-1834. The Catholic writings of Lamennais, especially ESSAI SUR L'INDIFFERENCE EN MAITERE DE RELIGION (Paris, 1817-1823), were studied by Mickiewicz during his stay in Rome and contributed to the formation of his Catholic faith and conception of life. The situation was reversed when Mickiewicz published his BOOKS OF THE POLISH PILGRIMS (1832) which in turn influenced Lamennais's PAROLES D'UN CROYANT (1834). Lamennais became acquainted with the BOOKS through a French translation edited with a preface by his friend Count Charles Montalembert. Lamennais's letters to the latter from January to May, 1833, are full of questions about the progress of the translation and demonstrate his eagerness to read it. (p. 194)

A letter to Countess Senftt of May 9, 1833, contains remarks about the "general evil" which affects everybody and at the time especially the Poles. "Their great poet Mickiewicz," writes Lamennais, "wrote for them an enchanting work...one of the most beautiful written in recent times." (p. 195)

Charles De Montalembert (1810-1870), French Catholic writer and politician, closely related to Lamennais, was one of the prominent representatives of liberal, progressive Catholicism. We give below his Preface to the French translation of Mickiewicz's BOOKS OF THE POLISH PILGRIMS... (p. 195)

Karol Wojtyla deepened his understanding of this singular way of reading history in his adolescent encounter with the great poet/dramatist of Polish Romanticism, including Adam Mickiewicz, Juliusz Slowacki, and Cyprian Kamil Norwid. (George Weigel, WITNESS TO HOPE, p. 34)

This particular night, November 28, 1942, the Rhapsodic Theater, an avant-garde troupe committed to a "theater of the living word" without props or elaborate costumes, was performing an adaptation of Adam Mickiewicz's epic poem PAN TADEUSZ, a classic of the Polish Romantic tradition.

The apartment blinds were drawn; the lights were lowered; a clandestine act of cultural resistance began. It did not go unchallenged. During the performance, Nazi megaphones outside began blaring the news of another victory by the invincible Wehrmacht. To some in the audience, that rasping, intrusive propaganda, interrupting a brief respite from the terrors of life in occupied Poland, seemed an apt metaphor for the hopelessness of their situation.'
The twenty-two-year-old actor then speaking, an underground seminary student named Karol Wojtyla, paid no attention whatsoever to the racket outside. Unfazed, he continued his recitation as if the harsh static of the principalities and powers of the age simply did not exist... (ibid, p. 1)

More than a million Poles had gathered on the grounds surrounding the shrine [shrine of the Black Madonna at Czestochowa] on June 4 when John Paul--speaking from the ramparts of the Pauline monastery where the Swedish invasion had been broken in 1655--began his sermon at an outdoor Mass by quoting an epic he had once performed in the Rhapsodic Theater, Adam Mickiewicz's PAN TADEUSZ... (ibid. p. 309)

Catholicism, modified and divested of certain objectionable features, will become the right wing and conservative portion of the Religion of the entire worlld, while the radical portion of that Church, and of all other churches, will secede, rear the standard of Free Thought, proclaim the Religion of Reason, espouse the Reformatory men and principles of the age, declare itself a Positive, Eclectic and Progressive Faith, abjuring the doctrines of Original Sin, the Adamic, Mosaic, Hebraic Atonement theories, and everything affirmative of Miracle, Final Judgment, and a Hell. This party will be in a minority, and the left wing of the grand Religious system of the world; it will constantly receive accessions of recruits from the other and barbaric element of society; but so rapid will be the human march that the right flank of the grand army will constantly crowd the left and occupy its ground, while the latter will as constantly move on toward new fields, as new ideas are developed and seen. (Paschal Beverly Randolph, RAVALETTE: THE ROSICRUCIAN'S STORY, p. 261)

The theology of Lamennais, condemned by Pope Gregory XVI in the encyclical "Mirari Vos", influenced the thinking of Adam Mickiewicz who in turn influenced John Paul II. This reflects the prophecy of Randolph that both right and left will march to the left, the right occupying the ground that the left has abandoned for increasingly more left-leaning beliefs. The prophecy was given during the Sleep of Siliam, a particularly deep trance state. During this same event a deamon spoke through Randolph, saying among other things "for you I have broken the power of ages--the Papacy..." (ibid, p. 258). Indeed, it would appear that the prophecy was accurate given the European Union's rejection of the Christian base of European civilization.

BREAD AND CIRCUSES

I spent an hour getting ready for Mass this morning, and 25 minutes driving to church. As we drove up to the church, I noticed the Knights of Columbus standing around and thought, "I wonder why?" But then, I always enjoy the pageantry the Knights bring to a Mass.

Parking the car we noticed that there were a lot more cars than usual in the parking deck, but then, it was the first time we had attended the 10 a.m. Mass at this church, and that could explain it.

We went inside and found a seat, taking note of the full church, and also taking note that a family from our former parish was attending...a liberal family, the father of which claimed that the Roman Catholic Church could keep on functioning without a problem even if we end up without priests. Bad sign.

Up front a group was gathering--not in the choir loft, but up front. Husband and I both took note of the guitar at the same time. Another bad sign. We sat back to await developments. More people joined the group up front. Another guitar. People without instruments. A bongo drum. I looked at him. He looked at me. The music began. It may have been many things, but one thing it was not was reverent. Catchy beat. The keyboard saw to that. I whispered, "Do you want to leave and come back for the noon Mass?" He responded, "Will it keep your blood pressure down?" "Yes." We left before the first bongo beat could accompany our leaving.

Walking to the car we debated what to do next. Drive 25 minutes to get home, only to turn around in an hour and drive 25 minutes back? It would change our plans for the day, but we could work around it. Neither of us said it, but gas is expensive.

I don't remember which of us proposed that our former parish had a Mass at 10:30, and it was on the way home. That is where we ended up.

"I no longer have a church where I can reliably attend Mass," I commented as we were driving.

"Reliably," he answered. "Yes, that is the relevant word."

"Maybe next Sunday I'll try Orthodoxy," I proposed tentatively.

"Well, you'll be doing it without me. The only other place I will consider is that church down the road where they say the Latin Mass," he responded. The church that is not in communion with Roman Catholicism I wanted to add, but bit my tongue.

It was not until after Mass that I finally figured out what the circus atmosphere had been about. It was the celebration Mass for the pastor's anniversary. Had I been designing a celebration Mass for such an occasion, it would have looked a lot more like Benedict's Christmas Eve 2005 Mass which I watched on television. Solemn. Classical. Reverent. The anniversary priest is a man apart. What religion does he belong to?

THE RELGION OF THE FUTURE ACCORDING TO FR. SERAPHIM ROSE

Many would-be prophets, observing the spiritual receptivity of modern man, have forseen a coming "Age of the Spirit." This age, being actually the time of the "New Christianity" and the reign of Antichrist, was to be discussed in Part Five, the last section of Eugene's [Eugene Rose, subsequently Fr. Seraphim Rose] book. Eugene noted how a new imminent unity was being sought to replace the unity of God and His creation in the "old view." This new unity, he said, appears in many guises, the world-state, ecumenism, the "transcendent unity of religions," etc.--all inheritors of the "universalism" of the Enlightenment. It is seen in evolutionism, including that of the Roman Catholic thinker Teilhard de Chardin, who predicted the absorption of highly "evolved" beings into one cosmic mind. Even more alarmingly, Eugene saw it in the contemporary Roman Church itself. He perceived the emerging "New Christianity" as a kind of "Religion of Humanity," which watered down the traditional Christian confession of absolute truth in order to unite mankind under the banner of earthly "brotherhood." (Hieromonk Damascene, FATHER SERAPHIM ROSE: HIS LIFE AND WORKS, p. 148)

Fr. Seraphim didn't complete the book referred to in this quote. Instead he developed various chapters of it into separate books. His story is a St. Augustine-style search for God who he ultimately finds in Russian Orthodoxy. I am particularly surprised to find Rene Guenon, Frithjof Schuon, and Ananda Coomaraswamy among those who fed his search. I think he was referring to the social gospel that has been preached from our pulpits for decades.

LUCIFER'S LODGE

Susanna has found a copy of William Kennedy's book online here.