Careless Niceness

The (visiting) priest was on the pulpit, eloquently talking about how we will be judged when we die. Gesticulating like an Italian after the third glass of Chianti, he drove home to the audience the concept that Christ will reward us for what we have given to others, and consider against us what we have kept for ourselves. These were not his exact words, but you get the drift.

As always when I hear such statement, I was keenly waiting for references to Christ, that is: that this giving must be related to Christ. I tried hard to follow every word in the usual, appalling din caused by the usual, appalling kindergarten around the church (in case you don’t know, it’s now “free screaming time” in church. If you talk, you’re Putin’s evil cousin…), but I could not hear every word. Still, it seems to me such references were, if they were there, peripheral.

The impression that I have gained from the homily was, as you have already guessed, entirely secular.

“Be good, help and give of yourself to others” is entirely senseless in the modern society if it is not anchored and based in Christ.

Your average, badly instructed, fairly lukewarm, awfully “nice” pewsitter will easily understand the homily in the sense that inviting your professed homo neighbour to the garden party, and make him feel included, must be the height of Christian behaviour. The same goes for invitations to the mickey-mouse ceremonies these people stage for friends and relatives, etc. I am pretty sure the “preferred pronoun” easily fits into the category.

As always, if you take Christ out of the equation, you get the devil’s formula. “Goodness”, “giving”, even “being nice” are concept that, for a Christian, have no value in isolation and detached from Christ.

It is no “goodness” to encourage perversion or to imply it’s OK. The Christ-less “giving” – the kind that makes people who are on the wrong track think it’s fine to stay there – is merely a soft kind of evil.

Niceness, without Christ, means driving every day towards hell on a car with very soft suspensions.

Did the (visiting) priest realise it? Most likely, yes.

I think he just did not care.

Making Excuses

The pope and the bishops and many of the priests hate the faithful they exist to serve, and they hate the faith they exist to protect. And according to Catholic theology, God has placed them in authority over both. This is mystifying to me. The same God who, according to long-held belief, allowed the already-vanquished Satan into the garden to tempt his innocent new creatures is also allowing Satan to run amok in his Church, possessing its leadership and weaponizing their God-given power over those compelled by divine command to submit to them. As a father, I cannot fathom this. It would be like allowing rabid dogs into the enclosure of my yard as my children are playing, and just standing back to see how things play out.

I’m honestly surprised how hard the news has hit me. I haven’t been to Mass in over a year, and even so, my blood boiled when I read what they are doing. I hate them right back, these contemptuous, retributive, evil sons of bitches. I spent my life being made to be afraid of “ever speaking ill of a priest.” But these are stone-cold villains who hide their malice behind roman collars and episcopal miters.

Thus spoke Mr Skojec; who, a long time ago, used to be a Catholic and is now an Agnostic. He has, not very surprisingly, the support – or, at least, understanding – of another guy who is, now, not a Catholic anymore, and actually writes the article whence I got the quote.

Being one of the guys who is not stingy with church criticism myself, I think I might be allowed to say a word or two here.

The pope and the bishops and many of the priests hate the faithful they exist to serve, and they hate the faith they exist to protect. And according to Catholic theology, God has placed them in authority over both. This is mystifying to me.

I don’t find it mystifying. I find it strangely beautiful, just in the same way as the soldier hates the war he is in, but also knows he’s living the most brutally exciting time of his life. We are in the trenches. We are being tested. We are being steeled. Our challenge is also our privilege.

This is our Crispin’s Day.

It has happened several times in the history of the Church, that priests and bishops have turned against their own faithful. This has happened in all cases when the heresy has been promoted by Bishops (say: Pelagius, or Arius). I am sure Mr Skojec knows this. Nor can it be said that, in those circumstances, Rome was on the right side. Pope Liberius wasn’t on the right side, Pope Honorius neither (people make excuses for them now, as they will for Francis in future). Who lost his faith because of them? Those of little faith, is the simple answer; or, rather, those who found convenient to lose it, and thought the evil Pope was as good a reason as any other.

The Church isn’t run by angels. We all know that and must be ready to deal with the consequences of it. Plus, several well-known apparitions have dealt with the present crisis, exactly in order to give more strength to the faithful. Why would a believer not turn to them for comfort, instead of condemning Catholicism in rebellion?

I see it in this way: countless generations before me had to deal with famine, plague, or the Saracens, but had a solid Church behind them. We do not have to deal with famine, plague, or Saracens (for now at least), but it has been given to us to be born in times of a weak, stained, sloppy Church. Every age has its own challenges. It’s not for me to decide which challenges I should have, and I frankly still prefer Frankie to the famine, the Plague, or the Saracens. My job is to die in God’s grace, having faced the challenges God sent me. I don’t get to decide whether I consider the challenge appropriate or not.

As a father, I cannot fathom this. It would be like allowing rabid dogs into the enclosure of my yard as my children are playing, and just standing back to see how things play out.

God allowed countless times to have children slaughtered in front of their parents. He allowed entire communities to be simply erased. He allowed sufferings that are difficult to even fathom for us spoiled Westerners with mortgage, designer pet with medical insurance, and Tesla in the driveway. We all know this. We also know that *it is not for us to decide what rabid dogs our children should be confronted with*. Providence adjusts things wonderfully every time. But we will only see the way Providence has worked when we die.

I hate them right back, these contemptuous, retributive, evil sons of bitches.

That’s the excuse reasoning. Not all priests are contemptuous, retributive sons of bitches. I would say a minority are. Most are lukewarm, of little faith, unable to stand up to the PC culture their bishop is also afraid of. Some will be degenerates. Some will be outright bad. Nothing new under the sun. But taking the behaviour of some as the reason to lose the faith is, again, an excuse. We don’t lose faith without our fault. We may be challenged, but if we lose the faith, we have collaborated with Satan every step of the way.

By the way, I was never afraid of speaking ill of a priest. Where I come from, everybody did. Clericalism of the sort mentioned by Skojec must have been, even in Catholic time, the preserve of uber-85 old ladies. I wonder if Skojec was a convert (can’t remember now). They tend to be rigid like that.

I consider being born, baptised and confirmed in the Catholic Faith the greatest grace in my life. In this, the evil of Frankie and others like this have just no relevance. I will think the same no matter how evil any pope, bishop, cardinal or priest you may care to mention. I will think the same the day a degenerate priest persecutes me.

I also know that, by God’s grace, the Church will always continue to produce a number of decent priests, just so we can get some comfort when things get really bad. Yes, they might be scarce. But they will be there, just like faithful Catholics will always be there. It will always be good to think that there still those who keep the flame alive.

And now I will tell you how I might start to lose my faith: I will start losing my faith when my ego gets in the way, and I start to measure everything according to how I want it, and my own preferences, and desires, and even my own idea of what my religion should be (yes, there is Satan in all this) start to be coloured by my own grand, and oh so generous, ego; that, dear readers, will be the day I will start losing my faith.

On that day, perhaps, I will feel very good, and generous, and better than the God I must, at that point, not believe in anymore.

But if that day comes I will not be good, or generous, or better than God.

I will just be in trouble, and will have the Enemy much nearer to me than I even suspect.