A 21st Sunday after Pentecost Thought About Being a Catholic Now

This is for all those serious Catholics practicing their Holy Religion best they can, right now, in this present moment - and planning on doing so for as long as the Lord keeps them here in this Valley of Tears.

Yes, a rather long introductory sentence to be sure. But it was necessary after reading some snippets from a reliable source about what's going on in the Vatican these days. Yes, it's the so-called Synod. Of course, lots has been happening in our beloved Church that's led to this event. One might trace the roots to Vatican II. 

Like long trends, ups and downs mark the progress of the "bad" ideas that sprung out of that ecumenical council. Bad? Well, maybe you're not convinced we've been in a long down-trend since the 1960s. Debatable? Well, you can find those (and they are many) who see what one might consider bad to be absolutely wonderful. We won't jump down that rabbit hole. We will, however, ask how anyone in their right mind can consider the trend that led to the Synod to be something good when one considers the attendance at Mass. Just sayin'.

Now, normally I avoid getting entangled with the unfortunate doings in our Holy Church in recent years. As a result, we don't comment much on these in our regular posts. Our focus is and will remain all things related to Catholic men at work. It's enough to try to work for the greater glory of God each and every day, in every moment of every day. Such efforts face constant distractions and de-railings from the normal everyday occurrences of daily life,  

But it's not like we can totally ignore the crowd that seems to want to "reform" Holy Church in the manner that's led to this Synod. Sure, we could have relaxed when John Paul II and Benedict XVI were elected pope. Not that there weren't some who thought JP II didn't "like" the traditional (vetus ordo) liturgy enough (if at all), or that Benedict wasn't "conservative" enough (yes, some thought this). But when Bergoglio showed up on the balcony of the Vatican, I suspect the nit-pickers might have felt a wave or two of nostalgia.

Well, that's about as far as we'll dive into what led up to this Synod and to the so-called "Synodal church" that has been touted by the current powers that be in Rome. Those of you who spend a lot of time on Catholic websites and blogs that endlessly debate what's really going on may not need any refreshing or additional commentary about all this. But there must be some who sit in our camp: We avoid getting too steeped in the back-and-forth, important as it might seem. There are only so many hours in a day, and for those of us who know how important it is to seek to become a saint and have miles and miles to go, most time is better spent on that critical project. Care of our individual soul does have priority over much of what's offered up on the current crisis in the Church.

Nevertheless, given the remarks that will follow by a famous Catholic commentator about exactly what is meant by "synodality" did seem worth posting.

Oh, and before we get to those remarks, just a quick note that

October 4th was the anniversary the demonic idol worship in the Vatican Gardens in 2019. If you're so removed from what's going on in the Church that you're not sure why we brought this up, well, maybe you're a little too removed.

After reading these remarks, we may want to double up on our prayers and sacrifice on behalf of our beloved Church. God have mercy on us all!

The deepest question behind all these specific questions remains: What is Synodality? The philosopher Stefano Fontana, speaking at the same conference with Cardinal Burke and our Fr. Gerald Murray yesterday evening in Rome, put forward the thesis that the goal is a Church perpetually in Synodality. That nothing will remain solid; everything will be in constant process of revision to respond to the “times.”

“Synodality,” then, by its nature cannot be defined, not even in the sense of being ambiguous. It will turn the Church into an institution that does not defend and promote the teachings of its Founder, Jesus Christ. A “synodal” Church, which the current pope seeks, will not only be in motion this month and next year, but perpetually. No one today can say what it really means, because it will be in perpetual self-definition.

(Original article HERE.)

Despite the rather shocking and dire nature of this Synod stuff, it's still Sunday. And our faith tells us that the Catholic Church - the one founded by Jesus Christ - can never be totally extinguished before the end of the world. So we'll still sign off with...

Happy Sunday!