Sunday, January 14, 2007

A supercilious Deacon

Can it be? Can contempt exceed arrogance? Can arrogance exceed ignorance? Many years ago, I was contacted by a group of people in their early twenties. They were couples-engaged couples- attending Engaged Encounter. It was their weekend. Their time. They needed to get to know each other better as friends and as future spouses.

It was also time to learn the Truth. What was does the Church teach? What is expected of each spouse? Of husband? Of wife? Of friendship? Of sin? Of life? Of babies? Of families? How do couples honor each other and the Truth as well and live faithfully? This is a genuine place to learn, that is Engaged Encounter. At this particular session a particular Deacon was in charge. These couples told me this Deacon's modus was irreverant, his dress was sloppy, his words were rank, his attitude arrogant, and his modus permissive. He allowed engaged couples to be together in the same room at night at the Church retreat center in Boise. They were deeply scandalized. Deeply. They reported the scandal to the appropriate person at the Diocese.

In time, would such disdain for the Church, Her teaching, and such poor example change. It appears not? Most recently, particularly on Sunday, 14 January 2007, it repeated itself. No, this was not another Engaged Encounter. Far from that. The same attitude showed itself at Mass. The Deacon gave a homily. He said that Vatican II gave a a certain primacy of the laity over the heirarchy, in effect that there was no real difference between the ministerial priesthood and the priesthood of the believers.
The dear Deacon blasted "Rome" for stating that the laity could no longer purify the Communion vessels used at Mass--warning us that so many little things will add up to big things.

His message sent shards of pain into the minds, hearts, and souls of many of the faithful in attendance. Scandal wound its way. In the end, he genuflected to the congregation. stating they were made in the image of God. Yes, the lay people and myself included are made in His image. Genuflect? Not right. This is not a democracy. The lay people are integral to the Church. The heirarchy as well. We don't genuflect to each other or to the bishops, but to the Real Presence. His gesture was quite audacious.

He warned many to read the documents of Vatican II. That my dear Deacon, many, many people have done. The "spirit" of Vatican II and the silliness that followed in the 1960s and 1970s is dying away, and with this coming generation the ideas of dissent will wane as well. So, the new generation is coming where a new springtime in the Catholic Church will arise, the faith will spread, and the politics of dissent, divide, and dismantle will set aside.

So with the scandal behind us, with the hope of Heaven ahead of us, we move on to the next day, pray for the Faith of this supercilious Deacon, and pray that the Faithful will remain always so to Him.

In closing, if there be a new reformation, it will likely be based on this Deacon's obervations, that Rome just doesn't get it and because it just doesn't get it, and in accord with that conclusion, there will be a new church--a new reformation. Umpteen million have said this and done this--old story, new version. This justification for a new reformation will come from lesseer minds as there will be little intellect behind it and certainly no soul as well.
I pray that whatever happens, that that all souls may turn to God, seek repentence, and find the way of Truth in charity.

15 comments:

  1. Here is a silver lining in this cloud: if people like this supercilious deacon are feeling squeezed, then that's a sign the Church is heading back in the right direction.

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  2. Our deacon, our liturgical barometer.

    It's frustrating, though, hearing someone talk to us about informing ourselves and reading the documents of Vatican II while so completely misunderstanding them himself. I think a proper response needs to include plenty of conciliar references and maybe a few choice selections from the GIRM (not that he'd be familiar with THAT).

    A hundred beatings with the documents of Vatican II! That's the ticket!

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  3. I think a proper response needs to include plenty of conciliar references and maybe a few choice selections from the GIRM

    I'm working on it. Any help will be appreciated.

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  4. It's sad that people with such an imperfect grasp on Who is being worshipped are permitted to teach their heresy from the pulpit. I'm shocked at the words of your supercilious deacon, but not surprised by them. I'll let St. Jude know your deacon needs his help.

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  5. And by the way, he wouldn't the first Western Province Dominican I've heard that sort of HHH (happy hippy horse-s***) from...

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  6. Ah, please don't mistake our deacon for a Dominican. At least then we could expect his references to be accurate.

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  7. And by the way, he wouldn't the first Western Province Dominican I've heard that sort of HHH (happy hippy horse-s***) from...

    Excuse me, but this guy is NOT a Dominican.

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  8. This diocese has long used the LIMEX program from Loyola University, which, from what I could determine ten years ago, was at that time built heavily on the work of Fr. McBrien, a rather squishy-sand foundation. It also tended to filter out men of faith in favor of those who think women's ordination is the answer, and the rest of that nonsense.

    very sad.

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  9. From today's Divine Intimacy, quoting St. Teresa of Avila:

    "Give us light, Lord. Behold, we need it more than the man who was blind from his birth, for he willed to see the light but could not, whereas nowadays, Lord, no one wishes to see it."

    ...written during the onslaught of the Protestant deformation...

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  10. Michael wrote:

    It's sad that people with such an imperfect grasp on Who is being worshipped are permitted to teach their heresy from the pulpit.

    Maybe that is why they never enter the pulpit, but strut about instead...?

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  11. Yeah, I gathered that was the thrust of LIMEX, which is why I enrolled at Holy Apostles College & Seminary.

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  12. Take that Deacon & string him up from the Top of The Green Monster in Fenway Park for his notions of Church:

    He'd make a great Lutheran

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  13. Micheal, you echo my thoughts. Why doesn't he just join one of the 40,000 Protestant demnominations, and leave the souls of the Catholics alone?

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  14. Arrogance poured over un-intelligence, endowed with permissiveness, sprinkled with ignorance, raised in mediocrity, brings forth foolishness. And, what a fool this Deacon has become.

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  15. Heh. The Episcopalian cathedral is three blocks south; the Methodist cathedral is two blocks west; and a Lutheran church is one block east. He has plenty of options, and none of them would require to change his driving patterns by much.

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