Fr. Z's Blog

I suspect that before too long we will see violence in the streets and overt attacks on churches over this.

Boston Globe story about the vituperative blow-back that Bp. Thomas Tobin of Providence, RI is getting about a tweet he sent out concerning Catholics’ participation in “Pride” month…. the exaltation of a defective orientation that some people are afflicted with.   Properly, Bp. Tobin cautioned Catholics about these events.

A reminder that Catholics should not support or attend LGBTQ “Pride Month” events held in June. They promote a culture and encourage activities that are contrary to Catholic faith and morals. They are especially harmful for children.

— Bishop Thomas Tobin (@ThomasJTobin1) June 1, 2019

One Boston Globe – what a bastion of truth – headline read, fallaciously and mendaciously: “Providence bishop faces backlash for homophobic tweet”. This is, of course, a lie. The tweet was hardly homophobic. And just what does homophobic mean, now, anyway? It is flung around so hysterically that it now means practically nothing other than “Target this person for your hate!”

The Globe article I linked, above, describes the over the top reaction to Bp. Tobin on the part of supposed Catholics. I suspect that were you to sit and talk with them for awhile, you would discover massive gaps in their basic knowledge of the faith and also explicit denials of teachings of the Church on faith and morals.

So, what’s the card they play now again Bp. Tobin? We will see this played again and again when bishops and priests with a little courage remaining put their head up above the others to say something true. Like sullen teenagers they are threatening to leave the Church. You can, in reading the story, sense the not-yet-mature angst. “No,” dad says, “you can’t wear that to the party and you have to be home at 9:30. It’s a school night.” “I HATE YOU!”, daughter screams, “You never let me do anything! Everyone’s going to be there. I’m going and YOU CAN’T STOP ME!” That’s about the level of reason in their discourse.

Bp. Tobin did his job, just as unpopular dad did in the dialogue.

It is not hate for a father to snatch his two-year old away from sticking the fork in the electric outlet.

It is not hate for a father to ground his 10-year old for breaking a lamp in the living room with a baseball bat.

It is not hate for a father to tell his 15-year old daughter that she can’t go dressed that way to that party.

It is not hate for a bishop to tell people that the celebration of and promotion of sodomy – a sin that cries to heaven – is wrong.

In that Globe article we then see the reaction of a parish priest to his bishop’s remarks.

[T]he Rev. Edward L. Pieroni openly expressed his worry that the latest controversy would push gays and lesbians away from a church already riven with divisions over abortion, clergy sex abuse, and same-sex relationships. “My concern is that for people who are lesbian or gay — same-sex attraction — that they may leave the church. A lot of people have hung in there, but it’s like, ‘One more slap and we are done.’ I am here to beg you — and I will get on my hands and knees and beg you — not to leave,” Pieroni told the congregation.

On your hand and knees, huh? What an impressive display.

Friends, every situation has its own dynamics and, from a distance we can’t know them all. Heck, even the people involved don’t know them. But I strongly suspect that this prostrate pandering to people who have these afflictions, and to their well-meaning loved ones and to their duped abettors, garnered not a single shred of respect. In fact, it signals that that stretch of the front in Providence is weak. Homosexualist organizers would be smart to strike hard at that feeble emplacement. With Fr. Ephialtes’ help, it’ll cave without much resistance, thus leaving all of us more vulnerable to the invasion of society and the Church with falsehoods and agents of the Enemy of our souls.

Our Blessed Mother told Lucia (as communicated to the late Card. Caffarra) that the Devil’s last battlefront is the family. From the beginning the “father of lies” has deceived people into thinking that God hasn’t told the truth and that we can be the arbiters of our own “right” and our own “wrong”. This is why the growth of the homosexualist agenda is so deadly. It overturns the very order of creation and promotes a violation of God’s image manifest in each and every human being. Homosexual acts tear at the very fabric of society.

I’ve used this locus from Augustine’s preaching before.  Repetita iuvant.

St. Augustine was a great pastor of souls who truly loved his flock.  He was bishop in very difficult times.  He loved his people enough to rough up his congregations when they went wrong: because he wanted them to get to heaven. Whether they listened or not, he didn’t want to lose heaven for himself by neglecting to preach the hard stuff.  It was his vocation to preach whatever it took to get them to heaven.

Then Augustine, as priest/victim said, “Nolo salvus esse sine vobis… I don’t want to be saved without you.”

That is the work of the priest/victim.   He would do what it took to help them to heaven, even if that meant making them temporarily angry with him.   He put them before himself.

Buried within the message, however, is a stern reminder.   If you don’t correct your errant ways, there’s the door over there.  Beyond that door is Hell.  We’d rather you stay, but if you want, don’t let the door hit you in the backside on the way down.

And I’ll repeat for the umpteenth time.  Those people who have this same-sex attraction affliction have the opportunity through this cross they bear to attain real holiness and great glory in heaven.   But they have to be willing to stay on the cross and struggle, with grace, against it.

To the sullen dissidents: I remind you of what Vatican II taught in Lumen gentium:

14. This Sacred Council wishes to turn its attention firstly to the Catholic faithful. Basing itself upon Sacred Scripture and Tradition, it teaches that the Church, now sojourning on earth as an exile, is necessary for salvation. Christ, present to us in His Body, which is the Church, is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation. In explicit terms He Himself affirmed the necessity of faith and baptism(124) and thereby affirmed also the necessity of the Church, for through baptism as through a door men enter the Church. Whosoever, therefore, knowing that the Catholic Church was made necessary by Christ, would refuse to enter or to remain in it, could not be saved.

Finally, I suspect that most people who are activists in this homosexualist thing know, deep down, that what they are doing is wrong.  But they have been duped by others and they have caved into their own appetites and, now, don’t know how to get out.

A drowning man will often lash out at the person trying to save him.   In the time before modern medicine, doctors had to keep cutting even though the patient screamed for him to stop.   The shepherd has to beat sheep who are going the wrong way and even loose the dogs to stop them.

Bishops and priests, be good fathers and keep telling the truth.   Be good physicians of the thrashing wounded.  Pin those arms and drag those drowning people ashore.  Use that crooked staff and your solid collaborators to prevent the loss of more souls.