Cri de Coeur: “What next?” After which, Fr. Z rants.

Holy Church is indefectible. That doesn’t mean that everything we do in it or all the people who guide it are doing God’s will.

From a reader in reaction to the dialogue between Francis and Jesuits in Bratislava.  HERE

I had closed the combox on that post.  My correspondent, a long-time… loooongitime reader and very knowledgeable about the state of the Church in these USA said, “Better to keep the combox closed” and added this…

See if it doesn’t strike a chord.  Edited for anonymity.

I am starting to feel like Jonah, who complained that God took away the shade tree that grew over him. So now the Pope is going after EWTN– which, while solidly orthodox, is hardly the fringe right that some might like to portray it as being. What next? A condemnation of one of the four Gospels? I’m getting to the point where I can’t even stomach Catholic news any more much less secular news. I get the sense that the Pope is engaged in a nasty game of baiting the orthodox in an attempt to trap them into doing something stupid– and many will eagerly jump into the trap.

What a tightrope we walk these days. Perhaps the example of Jesus before Pilate is the best to follow for now for most of us.

Yes, “they win” to some extent, but we have to believe that Jesus has a plan– a grander plan than anything that Satan can concoct and certainly grander than anything you or I could develop.

[…]

I really feel bad for good orthodox priests these days. I’m not under nearly the pressure that many of you must be and I find myself muttering to myself all day and wondering how long before the stress does me in. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t work for a tiny company that mostly flies under the radar where I can escape the worst of the nonsense that is going on these days.

Try to hang in there. You and I may yet live long enough to see the beginnings of a reversal.

When I was young, I thought that GM would always be around, but that “old” GM stock is worthless today. The Soviet Union seemed as if it was indestructible, but today it is but a memory and Eastern Europe is free of Soviet domination.

There will be a day when people talk about the collapse of China and the liberation of those subjugated by China. God may yet have a miracle in store to prevent Islamic fundamentalists from overrunning the West, though I’m not sure that we deserve such a miracle.

There are any number of things and any amount of sufferings that seemed as if they would never end or go away, but only God can make the claim of being all-powerful and ever-living.

Others can but pretend for a while, like Ozymandias.

No matter how badly those who oppose a whole, integrated understanding of Tradition will drive and harass us, we have to strive not to hate them (as many of them do hate us) and pray for their conversion by whatever means God’s knows will work.   We want as many people as possible to have the happiness of Heaven, even those who treat us badly.  This earthly life is brief, and so whatever it is that they might need for their benefit would be short compared to the unending bliss of the Beatific Vision.  The same applies to us.

We have to examine ourselves carefully and purify our loves.

O God, lover of and guardian of peace and charity: to all our enemies grant peace and true charity; and give to them the remission of all their sins, and mightily snatch us away from their plots.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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21 Comments

  1. WVC says:

    In the mean time I’m considering an early morning paper route as the deadline for me to get fired for not being vaccinated looms large on the horizon. Nothing like trying to feed 7 kids with soaring food costs.

  2. Midwest St. Michael says:

    “So now the Pope is going after EWTN–”

    A commenter at another Catholic blog posited the pope could have been referring to GloriaTV. They said that GTV is highly critical of the pope at times and it could be he was speaking of them.

    Interesting thought.

  3. doghouse says:

    In fairness – which really pains me at the moment – was the Holy Father referring to the station in Alabama or Michigan? To be clear, my faith is in the Church. Neither of the aforementioned three are on my highly-trusted list.

  4. TRW says:

    These are difficult times. It can be very disheartening. We recently were appointed a new pastor for our “family of parishes”. It appears that our parish is undergoing a “Great Reset” of its own. One of the first changes was the removal of Christ from the “resurrectifix”. Granted, what we had wasn’t a crucifix, but it was tasteful. What we now have is a bare wooden cross. Lots of other changes, but I won’t go into all the minutiae. Suffice it to say, things are changing, and not for the better(in my opinion). Actually removing Christ from cross. Sheesh. All summer I had been attending the TLM in a nearby town. It was a real source of solace. I can’t wait to return to the TLM this Sunday. It’s hard to not be pessimistic or just become numb and apathetic these days. As far as praying for those that we are tempted to disdain and hold in contempt, I once heard it said that one should pray that they might be happy in this life and the next. Of course, that may require some conversion on their part. Nonetheless, that sentiment sometimes helps keep me in line. Sadly, I rarely am virtuous enough to actually pray for them. That may require some conversion on my part. Perhaps tonight I will try.

  5. TonyO says:

    It is wrong to wish evil on those who do us harm, even those who do us harm by intention and malevolence, as well as those who do us harm through ignorance or mistakes.

    While I hope and pray for Francis’s salvation, may I also hope and pray that his specific aims will be blocked and his strategems will be overturned? That his strange teachings will be reversed and his pontificate will be a (literal) textbook example of what NOT to do as pope, for future generations of popes?

  6. Ms. M-S says:

    We know we’re not the early Christians. Beyond that we can’t know whether we’re living in one of the bad periods in Church history or in the End Times. If the former, things will get better eventually at least for a time. If the latter, however bad things get we know Christ will appear to call the faithful. Either way we keep the Faith, live quietly, gather with other believers where possible, and pray long and hard, especially for whoever needs it most and those who hate us the most. Sometimes I wonder if it isn’t actually harder for ordinary people to keep the Faith in those glorious ages when everyone agrees on everything and may get lost in the details of the celebrations and feasts.

  7. Benedictus says:

    Why can’t we pray what St. Paul said, ‘mat he be rewarded according to his deeds’?

    If it is good enough for St. Paul, it is good enough for me.

  8. Marine Mom says:

    At Faustina’s Way of the Cross
    First Station: Jesus Is Condemned to Die
    Jesus: Do not be surprised that you are sometimes unjustly accused. I Myself first drank this cup of undeserved suffering for love of of you(289)
    When I was before Herod, I obtained a grace for you; namely, that you would be able to rise above human scorn and follow faithfully in My footsteps (1164)
    St Faustina: We are sensitive to words and want to answer back, without taking any regard as to whether it is God’s will that we should speak. A silent soul is strong; no adversities will harm it if it preserves in silence. The silent soul is capable of attaining the closest union with God (477)
    All: Merciful Jesus, help me to know how to accept every human judgment and do not allow me to render a condemnatory judgment on You in my neighbors.

  9. “I get the sense that the Pope is engaged in a nasty game of baiting the orthodox in an attempt to trap them into doing something stupid– and many will eagerly jump into the trap.”

    Too late.

    Go to any social media venue devoted to the Traditional Mass, and find a host of comments calling Vatican II a “false council,” or the Novus Ordo “heretical,” or worse. Even certain podcast personalities are pushing the envelope in this direction. It’s all about the clickbait.

    It can certainly be argued that the recent papal decree was both capricious and arbitrary, but if you surf the internet long enough, its catalyst may come as no surprise.

  10. Sandy says:

    An obvious attack on EWTN was, I can’t say unbelievable, but what next?! Many of your readers, Father, must be aware of Dr. Moynihan and his close tie to Abp. Vigano. Dr. M has been publishing, and sending emails to those signed up, about his correspondence with the Abp. and now has a number of taped interviews. As expected, he was given a “strike” by youtube because of some remarks in the latest Vigano tape. At any rate, what the great Abp. has said over these many months shows him to be one of the most prophetic and sane voices in the Church, along with you of course, Father Z. Only with God’s grace and strength that He gives us, can we get through this; and we pray for the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary!

  11. WVC says:

    @David L Alexander – are you new to the internet? If you surf the Internet for a reasonably short period of time, you can find foul, angry, disgusting comments on any single topic under the sun. That’s sort of the internet’s thing. That and pornography.

    Anyone, including to the Pope, who allows social media to serve as a significant influence on his opinion of anything is playing the fool.

  12. donato2 says:

    I thought it was the undisclosed result of a suvery of the bishops, not Internet blather, that was supposed to be the justification for TC. Perhaps the Internet needs now to be cited becaues an undisclosed survey result is such a manifestly ludicrous basis for suppressing a rite that has roots in apostolic times. Are we supposed to believe the Masses suppressed so far are sites of problems whereas the TLMs that have not been suppressed are places where the alleged problems do not exist? Odd isn’t it that the problems are only found in dioceses that have anti-traditionalist bishops….

  13. summorumpontificum777 says:

    It’s absolutely amazing to me when I read commentary along the lines of “I see a lot of negative commentary about Vatican II and Pope Francis from trads, so, sadly, I totally see PF’s point in putting the hammer down on the TLM.” How is that different than saying, “I just saw some asinine theological opinions about free will and abortion-on-demand from prominent Novus Ordo attendee Nancy Pelosi, ergo, regrettably, I must support the suppression of the new Mass”?

  14. jaykay says:

    summorumpontificum777: “…How is that different than saying,… “

    It’s no different at all, of course, but don’t ever expect actual logic to have any influence on these peoples’ behaviour! As another commenter, WVC, remarked on a different post:

    “This isn’t about science [or logic in this context – jaykay]. We left that behind a long time ago. Just like abortion isn’t actually about medicine or health or science or even choice. The left (i.e. the demonic) like to cloak their efforts in sheepskins, but it’s all just window dressing. It’s about power and it’s about crushing their enemies”.

  15. Grant M says:

    @Midwest St Michael: when I first read that the Holy Father had complained about a certain international TV network, I immediately thought, ‘Well, some of those cartoons from GloriaTV are pretty blunt.” Then I read that the Pope was probably referring to EWTN, and thought, ‘Well, if he thinks EWTN are hard-core rad-trads…’.

  16. summorumpontificum777 says:

    Folks, Pope Francis wasn’t talking about GloriaTV or ChurchMilitant. He’s talking about EWTN. He mentioned that he’s spoken to people from the network about the “badmouthing.” Gerald O’Connell of America Mag was on the plane with PF to Iraq when the Holy Father went up to EWTN staff and told them twice to “stop talking bad” about him. It’s an incredible thing. In the history of the papacy, I’m unaware of a single other example of a pope publicly complaining about being picked on by a media entity. It’s ironic because it seems to me that Pope Francis’ media coverage in general is considerably more favorable than any of his immediate predecessors, excluding the very brief John Paul I era. And yet he’s thin-skinned enough to be infuriated when the likes of the Papal Posse question, in a respectful way, some of his choices? Apparently so.

  17. GregB says:

    EWTN is doing journalism. Like any large institution, the Church hierarchy needs to be held to account by an independent free press. The Church hierarchy have a poor track record of holding themselves to account. The Pope has a track record of making vague, ambiguous statements lacking in clarity. The Pope also has a track record of insulting people (See “The Pope Francis Little/Bumper Book of Insults”):
    *
    https://popefrancisbookofinsults.blogspot.com/
    *
    In the Bible there are many times when God had to send prophets to hold people to account for defective faith practices. For starters you can look at Christ’s woes in Matthew 23 and St. Stephen’s discourse in Acts 7. The Church is in dire need of prophetic correction.
    *
    St. Faustina also wrote Diary 445 about the malice of ungrateful souls, Diary 446 about crucified souls, and Diary 741 about her vision of hell.

  18. Semper Gumby says:

    WVC: God bless you and yours.

    GregB wrote: “The Church hierarchy have a poor track record of holding themselves to account.”

    Good point.

    summorumpontificum777 wrote: “Gerald O’Connell of America Mag was on the plane with PF to Iraq when [Bergoglio] went up to EWTN staff and told them twice to “stop talking bad” about him…[his] media coverage in general is considerably more favorable than any of his immediate predecessors…he’s thin-skinned enough to be infuriated…”

    Caudillismo. Here in these United States we have the First Amendment, Bergoglio and the Princesses of the Church should mind their own business- that business being the Gospel and not demanding that faithful Christians be “sheep” to wolves or a brood of vipers. As the Good Book says, “As for me and my house, we will follow the Lord.”

    The anonymous long-time correspondent above wrote: “What next? A condemnation of one of the four Gospels?”

    That’s possible, Bergoglio recently said that St. Paul was “rigid.”

    Bergoglio whines and pounds the table about EWTN and “the work of the devil.” Meanwhile, there is a TV station that actually does the work of the devil: The Satanic Temple TV. The Satanic Temple, always eager to kill more infants, is currently suing Texas. At least one of the TST hierarchy has a connection to the governor of New Mexico Michelle Lujan Grisham.

    Meanwhile, Julia Meloni’s book on the St. Gallen Mafia (which appears to have done the “work of the devil” by forcibly installing the Jesuit Bergoglio on St. Peter’s Chair which then led to Pachamama rituals in the Vatican) is out October 26.

    “He that perseveres to the end shall be saved.”

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