I spotted this and it made me think of the potential – perhaps more and more real – of the the burden of moral injury on the part of faithful, traditionally-minded priests.
On this day in 1885, George Smith Patton Jr was born in California.
Which makes it a good day to revisit one of his greatest quotes, on loyalty and greatness:
“There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom up. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary. One… pic.twitter.com/jmpaSDtscc
— The Chivalry Guild (@ChivalryGuild) November 11, 2023
Maybe they are cowards. Maybe they are ambitious. Maybe they are ideologues. Maybe they are entirely tuned-out.
It is a terrible thing to sense, and even worse to know, that those above you not only do not have your back, but they probably hate you.
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Yes. Probably do hate you. I’ve seen it with families as well as in the Church. They would rather see numbers implode and works self destruct than a simple acknowledgement of reality. I have been praying lately for Church leaders the words of Cardinal Newman, “from out of shadows and images and into truth”. From shadows and images, deliver us.
That was one of the best lessons my father taught me. You always have your men’s backs. Even when it harms you. May God help our bishops be the men the Church needs them to be.
For a layman trying to raise faithful kids, this is sobering. Thank you, Father.
Yes, they hate us, they loathe us, and they wish us caged or just gone, because we love Christ.
I’ve noticed the striking parallel to what’s happening in the Church to what’s happening in the US government. Here is a couple secular views of considering why they hate us. The blogger is a fallen away Catholic, he had the unfortunate luck to go to a Jesuit High School.
https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=25780
https://thezman.com/wordpress/?p=2960
But in the sense of the ultimate, they hate us because they hate God.
https://www.barnhardt.biz/2019/03/08/they-hate-god/
I cant’t help but think of what justice the Lord will deliver to so many bad shepherds. God help us.
I have been on the receiving end of disloyalty from the top down, twice, in my FSSP parish days. It hurts, it leaves tender scar tissue, it breeds bitterness, cynicism. If priests would at times open their eyes…But “I can do all things in Him Who strengthens me.”
How I’ve felt led as of late… I’ve taken a deep dive into reading stories of the lives of the early Church martyrs – wow, now that raises your mind and heart about 20 notches in a sitting. Then I’ve spent time reading about Saints like St. Louis de Montfort (just finished the one by Eddie Doherty) – absolute mind blow! what that Saint went through – the persecutions and hatred by “his own” that he experienced. Right now I’m studying the life of Saint Don Bosco – besides all the assassination attempts on his life, not everybody (within the Church) liked what this great priest was doing… So, here we are. Bathe your mind and heart with the truths and examples of their lives, and OF COURSE, OUR LORD JESUS HIMSELF, and all we are going through in the Church right now has a different perspective through that lens.
“There is a great deal of talk about loyalty from the bottom up. Loyalty from the top down is even more necessary. One of the most frequently noted characteristics of great men who have remained great is loyalty to their subordinates.”
Any good leader who has men under their command knows this. What a tragedy when leaders show disdain for the men under their care, and worry more about shining the boots of someone who can give them a promotion.