Get yourselves ready

A horde of opposition will now align itself in real fury against Archbishop Burke.

If I were you, I would really get familiar, if you weren’t before, with the issues and the arguments.

 

 

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21 Comments

  1. Mark says:

    What is the part that would bring about a horde of opposition aligned against him?? Unless it is just that people under the influence of satan are enraged by the truth? Or is it because those who promote evil are afraid that some mass political action will take place against their agendas because of his words?

  2. Opposition, yes. I’ve seen the mobs here in Lourdes. So, a word of support:

    I spent an hour in private conversation with Archbishop Burke and Monsignor Schmitz the other week when they were here in Lourdes with the Institute of Christ the King.

    Many of the chaplains here asked what my impression of him was. I give this answer:

    Archbishop Burke is a simple Catholic priest who lives his priesthood with truth in charity, who knows how to govern like the father he is in the fullness of the priesthood that he has, but without being distracted in the least by any honors. Down to earth, but unafraid of being lifted up on the Cross. Intensely interested and intrenched in the pastoral life of the Church, out of love.

    Long live Pope Benedict. But, afterward, Archbishop Burke for Pope!

  3. Mark says:

    Is there any way we can show our support and let him know about it?

  4. Sid says:

    One confronts mass opposition with mass counter-opposition. The American Kulturkampf now accelerates; we can learn from how Catholics responded to the German Kulturkampf.

    If I may repeat myself: Now more than ever we need a political party similar to the old Zentrum, a political party that would work to advance Catholic Social Teaching and would be a part of the Centrist Democratic International, or at least, the the spirit of Windthorst, a party that would work to protect Catholic interests in an anti-Catholic country. Anyone know of and effort to establish such a party in the USA?

  5. Fr. Vincent Fitzpatrick says:

    Are you referring to the issue of the bishops’ mass disobedience with respect to Canon 915?

  6. Girgadis says:

    The attacks will be the same as they always are, because they’ve already
    started, and they’re predictable. Every time someone of
    Archbishop Burke’s stature speaks up about abortion, it’s an excuse for the
    church’s enemies to remind people of the sex abuse scandal. It’s a useful
    tool of distraction for people who are blinded by hatred for the church and
    it’s the kind of trick politicians in this country use all the time. If your
    opponent demonstrates that your belief has no validity, then you attack him or
    her personally. I choose to ignore that type and work on the ones who are
    misguided and unenlightened. When you argue with a fool, in a few minutes, the
    fool will be doing the same.

  7. EDG says:

    Girgadis – The bishops’ words, mild and reasonable though they generally are, have already stirred up the anti-Catholic lunatics. My local paper published a letter by a hate-filled individual who swore his devotion to Obama and hatred of the bishops and then went through the usual laundry list of charges against the church, starting with the sex abuse stuff. He ended by urging the county and any other authority to revoke any tax exemption Church properties may enjoy here and then to seize them. I was a little surprised that our paper published it. This in the town that has the oldest parish in the Nation (founded 1565) and in fact is a city that was essentially founded at the same time as the parish, with a mass celebrated on September 8, 1565.

    Several Catholics wrote back, and I think it’s important to do that. Once upon a time, I might have ignored it, but I feel that the anti-Catholic factions are trying to whip up their forces and now that they have someone in the WH and a majority in Congress that agrees with them, we can’t afford to shrug off their attacks. Charity and a reasoned response are always important, but we do have to be vigilant.

  8. Matt says:

    Archbishop Burke is to the ‘left’ as folks like Richard McBrien are to the ‘right’….why waste time and energy on either? There is nothing surprising about Archbishop Burke’s comments….so why would anyone start spending time fortifying their arguments against him.

    Bottom line…the guy is in the minority with his view…but give him credit, he is the one who started this conversation about canon 915 in this country…

  9. Girgadis says:

    EDG you are quite right, but I was thinking more along the lines of the live
    verbal spats I manage to get myself into with people who vehemently hate the
    church. I pray for such people because I’ve concluded they must really hate
    themselves. The best thing I can do in those instances is lead by quiet
    example. It is important to counter venom on blogs and in newspapers with the
    truth and I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.

  10. michigancatholic says:

    It’s important, Matt, because people on the street need to know just how many of us there are. Burke is not some guy standing alone, as Pope Benedict XVI is not one lone voice (which the media also tries to claim). No. There are millions of us and people need to know that.

  11. Matt says:

    I think ‘millions’ is an overstatement at best….it’s a pretty big church….I think Archbishop Burke does stand alone in his approach…I don’t think he stands alone in most of his beliefs.

  12. michigancatholic says:

    I don’t think so, Matt.

  13. michigancatholic says:

    The culture is heading for a standoff over life and natural law, and one of these statements is going to stand as the ultimate statement, a prescient call to arms, so to speak. If not this one, then it will be something very similar. We will have our own “Lion of Munster.”

    Have you never studied history? As Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself but it does rhyme.” {He was right and with a vengeance.}

  14. michigancatholic says:

    Also consider that although many people compartmentalize issues, reality doesn’t really work that way. *Reality is concerted.* And nature hates a vacuum. For example, if birth control is practiced in a culture, there are a number of ways for natural law to resolve that:
    a) culture war & civil unrest, poverty, injustice, manipulation of power
    b) military loss due to lack of people
    c) over-running of borders by outsiders because of lack of people & productivity in the offending culture
    d) defection of other features of natural law linked to this one, such that everything goes awry (homosexuality, euthanasia, child welfare, offspring killing, race to the bottom because there are no reasons anymore for why things should work)
    e) and finally, political disaster and exploitation leading to a grisly downfall

    Over & over humanity apparently has to do this. Read your history books, damn it.

    Fight with natural law and you can’t possibly win. Natural law is reality on a physical basis. Every scientist knows this.

  15. O.K. So this short video about the Rosary isn’t about the Archbishop, but you can see the analogy about how one doesn’t stand alone even if it seems that way. Well worth the watch.

    The reason why people don’t like the approach of the Archbishop is the same reason why people didn’t like the approach of Christ Jesus, which is to love unto death instead of playing politics to go forward with a consensus of the lowest common denominator.

    There are many more like Archbishop Burke than some think.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsQeyDZJ_HQ

  16. little gal says:

    Fr. George:

    I loved the video! Someone should market T-shirts/sweatshirts with “I pray the Rosary” on one side and something like, ‘Ask me why I’m Catholic or ‘I am Catholic, I am countercultural’ on the other. Both statements would be great for evangelizing.

  17. John Morrell says:

    Matt,
    There is no equivalency between Richard McBrien and Archbishop Burke, as though their views cancel each other out. McBrien is a dissident Catholic who pretends to speak for the Church, while Archbishop Burke has consistently spoken the truth in charity, always upholding the orthodox position, and is truly admirable. Many people have apparently forgotten that the condemnation of error is itself a work of mercy. The fact that much of the world rejects his views (i.e. Catholic teaching) means nothing. This is a common ploy which seeks to discern the truth through polls.

    Furthermore, michigancaltholic does not overstate when speaking of millions of us. If there are roughly 60 million Catholics in the U.S., then 5% (and I think there are more than 5%) would be 3 million Catholic Americans. And 5% of Catholics in the world (~1 billion) would be 50 million (again, I think there are more). What is important here is the position, visibility and courage of the Archbishop.

    Fr. George,
    I am glad to hear of your interaction with the Archbishop. I have never met him personally, but have tried to follow him closely the past couple years. I support and follow the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest and am always encouraged to hear of Burke’s patronage.

  18. Ricky Vines says:

    Girgadis: The sex abuse scandal does not affect good clerics like Arch. Burke because, the lesson from that tragedy is to oppose not faithful bishops but unfaithful ones.

    michigancatholic & Matt: Great idea. Perhaps, those with blogs can have widget that tallys a spiritual bouquet for Arch. Burke. Somehow, it will get to him because, it’s a small blogosphere after all.

    And the opposition to Arch. Burke, IMHO, is the opposition against Catholics who are striving to make the community faithful, to maintain integrity between faith and life, to defend the moral standards from contamination and pollution. It is not just about canon 915 or ND, but about the vision of St. Francis when he saw a frail man desperately trying to hold up a crumbling building – brick by brick. (Didn’t mean to get on a soap box, but I really see a bigger struggle here – ultimately between the powers of evil and good.)

  19. Thomas Burk says:

    Fr. George – I sent this and also part I to everyone I could think of.

    Thank you for posting the link!

    Tom

  20. Brendan says:

    So, any tips on how to get ready? Perhaps a “survival guide” would be useful.

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