Sunday, December 30, 2012

Let's forget niceness, let's be Catholic!



I am glad that our Archbishops at least are speaking out loud and clear about the redefinition of marriage, I find it depressing that all they can suggest is dropping a letter to your MP.
There are alternatives.
One of the big problems we have in England is Bishops who are just too nice, when what we need are radically orthodox ones. Niceness means being all things to all men, being willing to burn incense before a pagan god, gathering into the big Catholic tent people whose lifestyle choices and whose theology in any other age would exclude them.
Radical orthodoxy would suggest that we proclaim teaching loud and clear wherever we can. That has not happened since the Warlock/Hume remodelling of the Church into something particularly English, more comfortable with the CofE than Rome. They had a particularly local interpretation of VII.

Let's risk making ourselves unpopular! Let's forget niceness, let's be Catholic!

These are some rough notes for a Catholic Pro-family Manifesto

Rather than being embarrassed by it we should dare to talk about what the Church understands by being "human", which involves human sexuality. It is radical, we should accept that it is counter-cultural, it overthrows the politics of left and right by simply saying the family is the most important element in society not wealth creation or even self determination and self-fulfilment.


We could start by trying to get people to discuss marriage, how about large banners on every Catholic building saying something like "Marriage = Man + Woman: discuss"?
We could spend money on a poster campaign.
We should have done it ages ago but what about every diocese in the country producing study material on Humanae Vitae and Evangelium Vitae?
Is it too late to organise symposia in amongst orthodox Christian academics on Marriage?
In the capital at the very least we should be organising public meetings to talk about marriage, and demonstrations to show what we mean by marriage.


In the institutions we still control, our schools most especially, we should be promoting the family. The state, for the last century or two, has been promoting the view that we are here primarily to serve the economy, and that we have value and status in our production of wealth but as Catholic we should be educating people to understand we have value in our relationships with one another, ultimately in our family relationships. Just as the state promotes Sports or Performing Arts Academies we Catholics should be making every school or  college an Academy for the Family. With epidemic marital breakdown we need to teach people how to be married, especially boys, for too long Catholics have done so very little to really educate our young for either eternal or marital life.

We should recognise most women have abortions because of economic reasons, that controlling the size of families through contraception for most people is an economic decision.
We need to promote an authentic feminism (and masculinism) that is based on relationships, we need to promote the real rights of women to be parents, simply to be able to have children without the constant anxiety to find childcare and to be able to afford it.
We need to promote affordable family housing.
We need promote Sunday, the Lord's Day, a day of re-creation, as a day for building family.

Every Catholic social justice organisation should be deeply involved in promoting an economic model that sees the family, rather than the creation of personal wealth, as priority.



26 comments:

Richard Collins said...

Excellent Father. Let's be Catholic is my slogan from now on.

Anonymous said...

Well said,Father, imho.

his morning in North Wales I preached on the family and tha attacks made on it from the time of Thatcher, when she deprived poor families of milk when Education Secretary through to her breaking up of families through to the Poll tax when she was PM. Of course there was the wimp Wilson and the introduction of the w2orst attack on families through Abortion, and now another attack on families by by Cameron with his plans for same sex marriage which is another attack on families and society.
Thelatest stats show that the UK is fourth highest in Western Europe for family breakdown.
Last week other stats showed the the tenth most reuested presesnt from "Santa Claus" was for a dad

I challenged people to be like Christ in the Gospel and remember that if the claims of God take precedence over bonds/ties of family then the political party affiliations should not take precedence over God's plans for Marriage and socity. I urged the people to stop being "nice" and to fight the attacks being made by politicians on family, society and Christianity.
I also urged them to resist the financial bribes that will be offered a penny or tuppence reduction in tax by politicians just before the next election!
People need to fight back if they care about children, grandchildren, and society and Church. Nearly 50 years of attacks on Christianity by Conservatives, Labour, and Liberal Democrats, and silence or whimpering by Bishops is unacceptable. Wui tacet consentire.

Happy New Year! Bring on the fight!

Jeremiah Methuselah said...

Another excellent article Father Blake.

Many thanks and a very Happy New Year to you also.

Annie said...

Fr. Michel-Marie is pastor of St. Vincent de Paul in Marseilles, France. A recent article describes him thus:

"A priest whose Masses are crowded with people. Who hears confessions every evening until late at night. Who has baptized many converts. Who always wears the cassock so that everyone may recognize him as a priest even from far away."

The priest often walks the streets of Marseilles meeting people, talking to them, answering their questions - even if it's how to get to the nearest post office - offering to baptize their children. When asked where he gets the energy, he speaks of his deep relationship with Mary and of an absolute confidence with her.

It's a beautiful testament to what a priest can achieve if he just gets out there and sows the seed to the people assigned to his care:

http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350378?eng=y

If the link doesn't work, just google: "Fr. Michel-Marie, a cassock in deep Marseille".

ServusMariaeN said...

"Because my people have forgotten me, they have burned incense to worthless idols, and they have caused them to stumble in their ways from the ancient paths, to walk in pathways, and not on a highway;" JEREMIAH 18:15

Pablo the Mexican said...

Bad news, folks.

After the inculcation of Vatican II 'spirituality', most will not like what Catholicism really is.

Courtship supervised by a Priest before marriage; Catholic style, not Novus Ordo.

No birth control.

No Divorce.

No divorce and remarriage.

Women have to be submissive to their husbands in all things.

Communion while kneeling.

Priests are in charge.

Frequent confession and reception of Holy Communion.

You know, the stuff Modernists hate.

Oh, and no homosexuality and lesbianism, or supporting of those sins.

Are you sure you really want to be Catholic?

*

On the side of the angels said...

Sorry Father but where's the evidence that most women have abortions for financial reasons?

Everyone seems to cite this as blatantly obvious to the point of being axiomatic but there is a logical jump.

Women don't want to be pregnant for financial reasons might just as easily be women don't want to be pregnant because they don't want to be pregnant...and no women these days - irrespective of their financial circumstances - needs to remain pregnant any longer than they wish to [and girls under 16 or in the social services system or under the auspices of the mental capacity act don't even have the choice - that's made for them]

I get a little bit sickened by the continual modern revisionism that no women actually want to go through with an abortion but are coerced or forced into it through socio-economic or relational circumstances...

..the statistics reveal it's simply not true. Half the women in this country will undergo an abortion and over a sixth will have multiple ones; and in the majority of cases the reasons cited is due to failure in contraception. Yes we are all aware of many anecdotal accounts of those forced by circumstances and boyfriends/husbands/families/even employers to abort...but 200,000+ unborn are slaughtered nationally and to suggest that these all 'regrettably' fall victim to a mother being torn apart in an angst-filled moral dilemma insults their memory and our intelligence. As if it's some fault of society rather than old fashioned evil...

I'm the first to condemn the fallacy of immediately jumping to conclusions via Ockham's razor; but the simple statement 'women who abort don't want to be pregnant' doesn't need to have a 'because' to be a complete sentence within itself

Patrick Sheridan said...

Does niceness also entail saying one thing in the parish club over tea after Mass and saying another from the pulpit?

nickbris said...

Not sure what side of the Angles is on about but until these women get it into their heads that ABORTION IS MURDER we are all doomed. The whole planet is getting top-heavy with old people and the only answer to that will be compulsory euthanasia.

If we are destroying the Planet by putting carrier bags into landfill,what are we doing by destroying the best part of future generations?

Highland Cathedral said...

Here’s Michael Voris (Church Militant TV) giving his views on nice people in the Church,. In the course of this video he quotes Archbishop Fulton Sheen on nice people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgJzL5JhIaY

Long-Skirts said...

Fr. Blake said:

"Rather than being embarrassed by it we should dare to talk about what the Church understands by being "human", which involves human sexuality. It is radical, we should accept that it is counter-cultural, it overthrows the politics of left and right by simply saying the family is the most important element in society not wealth creation or even self determination and self-fulfilment."

A-PARTY-OF-TWO

There are some couples
O so nice
As nice as nice
Can be.

They have their weddings
Roses and rice
And plan forever
Just "we".

Everyday
A-party-of-two
A-party-of-two
No more.

They know the latest
Things to do
That pleasure their skins
And each pore.

"What need for seeds
And eggs take space
We desire to be
In lust -

Our lives are erotic
And our blood does race
In cholesterol-free
We trust."

Some of these couples
Are Bob and Rick
Some are Michael
And Sue

No matter their genders
Each has his trick
Of blending secretions
Like stew.

Much money they'll save
On themselves these few
From their vows 'til their graves
They'll live well...

But because their intent
Was a-party-of-two...
Alone they'll be seated
In Hell!

Deacon Augustine said...

Bishop Egan has issued a Pastoral Letter for the Feast of the Holy Family, in which he speaks of some of the things you mention, Fr. It is the first time that I am aware of an English Bishop positively promoting Humanae Vitae.

I have uploaded it here:

http://quovadispetre.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/an-english-bishop-teaches-on-humanae.html

Our Lady of Good Success-pray for us. said...

'let's be catholic'

I wish the priest in my parish would stop quoting buddha and an array of non-christians as examples of 'christ'. In short it might be great if more bishops and priests simply wanted to be Catholic and not priests of belial.

While Christian tradition is viewed with suspician, belial will contintue to be offering a bread - frey/lord - to the congregation and paganisim and its 'generosity' will keep chopping away at the Church.

Caritas without veritas is just another road to hell.

St Paul: Bear not the yoke with unbelievers. For what participation hath justice with injustice? Or what fellowship hath light with darkness?    And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath the faithful with the unbeliever? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God...

Colonel Mustard said...

Women are not necessarily coerced into abortion for socio-economic reasons, or, as you say, are filled with angst at their action. Indeed, many women seem reasonably confortable with their abortions. I would posit, however, that all women are coerced into abortion, by social indoctrination or by some angry motive, such as hate-filled revenged, or a deep-seated fear of the unknown, and a change in the status quo. Most women who have had their babies terminates are coerced into abortion, either consciously or subconsciously

Lazarus said...

We've been kidding ourselves for too long that wider society's view of the family and Catholicism's were broadly in the same area. Same sex 'marriage' is the final piece of evidence that much of society has now abandoned anything that has a recognizable connection with a true understanding of the family and its role in a good human life. If Catholics don't teach the value of the family, no one else is going to. As you say, Father, we need to start articulating our understanding much more clearly and much much forcibly.

Nicolas Bellord said...

On the side of the Angels: You wrote: Half the women in this country will undergo an abortion and over a sixth will have multiple ones; and in the majority of cases the reasons cited is due to failure in contraception.

But can one not ask the question why they were practising contraception? Was it not for socio-economic reasons?

Of course the abortion industry promotes contraception in the knowledge that it will fail and a remunerative abortion will thus come their way even if the failure rate is quite small.

vetusta ecclesia said...


It would be interesting if every Catholic in the country stopped work for an agreed half day in protest at the gov.'s attitude to the family. Sadly, it won't happen (because we don't agree any more) but it would alert the country to the size and strength of the Catholic population

Catholic Coffee said...

Thank you for this post, Fr.

Damask Rose said...

This is an excellent post Father.

You've had some really good threads lately. Keep up the good work and Happy New Year. I look forward to reading your blog in 2013!

Genty said...

Two catastrophic world wars have done their work. The resulting vacuum allowed revolutionaries to push their agendas to break asunder exhausted and depleted societies under the guise of peace and tolerance.

Anonymous said...

At Pablo the Mexican:
'Oh, and no homosexuality and lesbianism, or supporting of those sins,'... The Church recognises and accepts that homosexuality exists and offers pastoral care to those with SSA.
Love this post Fr. Ray: I have another slogan which I came across just a few minutes ago:
Super-slogan: The age of casual Catholicism is over; the age of HEROIC Catholicism has begun.
It's time to step up to the plate and be counted. Thanks for your courage Father!

Anonymous said...

This is a post to share and share over and over again. Father, I'm right next to you! BRAVO!!!!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Father! You are a real hero as you continue to serve and guide despite little support from your brethren. Know that many of us appreciate and pray for you!

Roxanne

Unknown said...

Thank you Jesus for giving us support by means of your beloved priests. I am a catholic wife and mom and I believe 100% CHURCH TEACHING and like me there are thousands. We need to unite and fight the good fight. The rosary of our Mother Mary and Eucharistic adoration will lead and protect us in the battle. I will pray for you father.

epsilon said...

Just to let you know Father!
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Fri 4th January 2013:

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Frederick Jones said...

Is it particularly Catholic? I believe that Aristotle said it. The Church is merely repeating the wisdom of the ages.

The Lord’s descent into the underworld

At Matins/the Office of Readings on Holy Saturday the Church gives us this 'ancient homily', I find it incredibly moving, it is abou...