Consolation
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Affliges
****It is fitting for my wonderful gift of an antique holy card from France, from one of my dear blogger friends, to be the newest thing to grace my desk. It is ensconced in its new frame placed right next to my monitor as a constant reminder that those who grieve will be consoled by Our Holy Mother.
****Am I grieving the election of Barack Obama? No, not at all. What I am grieving for is the souls of Catholics who have strayed so far from the flock that the intentional murder of children, and the encouragement of old or sick people to kill themselves, seems not to have made a ripple in their lives.
****I am thankful for the 114 or so bishops who have bravely done their duty, but I grieve for the bishops who have led their flocks so far afield that the souls of these people are in danger of spending eternity in hell.
****We need to pray those bishops will continue to support the teachings of the church in a vocal and public manner. They can start by excommunicating the politicians who have unashamedly supported this "culture of death", thereby sending a strong message to the laity that this will not stand. They can get back to their jobs of teaching and leading the people in the pews who have not heard much truth in the past 40 years. And most of all, they can start to follow the examples and teachings of our Holy Father.
****Those of us in the laity who care enough to read the documents coming from Rome, know the Canadian and American bishops have overwhelmingly thumbed their collective noses at the Holy See since the early days of "wink, wink, nudge" when a woman parishioner asked about contraception. They covered up for their own who commited vile crimes against young people and they have subverted our liturgy into something that is unrecognizable as being Catholic. The laity have seen the disobedience of the bishops, and in turn disobey with no thought to their eternal life.
****I am proud of my generation, those over the age of 62, who overwhelmingly voted for McCain; not because McCain was the perfect pro-life candidate but because we remember a different world.
****We remember a world of personal responsibility where immigrant Italians, such as my grandfather and grandmother, could come to this country without expecting a handout. These people worked hard and started their own businesses , raised large Catholic families, supported and even built the beautiful Churches that we have often destroyed in the name of modernization.
****We remember a world where we supported our troops and our President. We now have a President, George W. Bush, who embodies grace under pressure, and has upheld the sanctity of life and we, meaning the public media that speaks for us, have ridiculed him, insulted him, and hurled unimaginable invectives at this man who has kept us safe. Our world has become boorish and crude.
****My world and the people in it was not perfect. That is an impossibility due to our humanness. But I have watched with horror as events in this world have spiraled so far out of control that there is nothing that could surprise me anymore.
****The time for sitting back and waiting for "the other guy to take care of this" is over. We are entering a period where the world and the Church will be sorely tested. Our first line of defense is always prayer; for ourselves, our leaders, and most of all for our episcopal leaders. If your bishop was one that forcefully spoke out, thank him with a letter or an email and ask him how you can help.
****Stop supporting those that wish your soul harm. Don't go to their movies, watch their TV shows, eat in their restaurants, buy their products, and most importantly, don't vote for them; and tell them why! Start changing your own life to reflect authentic Catholic teaching. Pray the rosary with your family, take your children to Adoration, start receiving communion on the tongue, and promote good sacred music at your parish. Read and study about your Catholic faith so that you can evangelize.
****And after you have started making those changes, know that God is in charge. Real hope is in our Lord and Savior - not in some politician who promises you a free ride.
****As for me, I will continue to become even more involved in the political process - something I have not done in the past. It is our right and duty to bring Catholic teaching and culture into public life.
May God bless all my readers and our newly elected leaders.
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6 comments:
Great post. We need the new evangelization more than ever.
A good post, but in addition to evangelization and personal renewal, we need to fight in the public square, both as a Church and as individual citizens. The result of this election is due, in part, to the incredibly bad formation that most Catholics have when it comes to the social teaching of the Church. That is the responsibility of the bishops and priests and deacons and catechists who serve the Body of Christ. Our shepherds and teachers need to guide and to teach. And they need to do something about Catholic institutions, including the universities and religious orders, which are cranking out so much bad educational product and theological distortion.
Pray for Obama's conversion, but we also have to fight the Democrats in the public square, inch by inch, to stop their barbaric policies regarding human life and their socialist economic policies.
Even though I'm younger I can see what you mean about the different world some Americans remember. Simply reading old books or hanging out with decent people will make one realize how boorish and crude most of the world has become.
I really identify with what you say in the second paragraph. The fact that Barack Obama will be President is not as sad as the fact that so many Americans were soul-sick enough to vote for him.
Dear Adrienne, that was a wonderful and gracious post. I agree wholeheartedly with you. I also agree with Mark's addition.
The Church Militant needs to shake itself up and get cracking!
I am going to link this post on my own little blog!
Catholics and the election were disappointing if not surprising. I hope that when it comes to the actual issue of being pro-life, they show more resolve...
I agree about George Bush, Adrienne. In Britain he has always been portrayed as a bit of a buffoon, but I watched him interviewed by Raymond Arroyo on EWTN, and I thought he came across as a man of faith and integrity, who would do what he thought was right, regardless of what others thought about him.
I was severely impressed!!
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