Posts Tagged ‘catholic’

Biden, Lieu and Remembering the 18

Posted: June 21, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
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Hell will be no more bearable and Heaven no less glorious if you find yourself there next to someone you hated in life

DaTechGuy

There was an article at the Daily Mail in England that talked about the Biden Eucharist business that had a headline that I thought missed the point completely:

Biden goes to Mass ignoring bishops’ move
that could BLOCK him and other Catholic
politicians from receiving Communion if
they support abortion

If you are a properly catechized Catholic your reaction to that headline would be: Of COURSE he went to Mass. he SHOULD go to mass. As a Catholic he is required to go to Mass weekly on pain of mortal sin and the solution to being in a state of mortal sin isn’t to add another one on top of what you have.

Now of course he like any other Catholic who is at Mass but not in a state of grace should not receive although he can go up to the priest at communion with his arms crossed to receive a priestly blessing but he should absolutely be going to mass.

The reaction of those thinking he should not illustrates the other half of this story, the other sin that the Devil is trying to foster in us: Spiritual Pride.

Pride is the deadliest of the deadly sins and Spiritual pride C.S. Lewis’ Screwtape calls it the: “strongest and most beautiful of the vices”

The danger of us looking at a Biden or a Lieu or anyone else who is committing public sin and boasting of it is that we look at such a person and grade ourselves on a curve based on their actions. The puffing of ourselves up is the temptation that is being played on us and we would be wise to remember this warning from Christ:

At that time some people who were present there told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. He said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!

Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them   – do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did

Luke 13:1-5

We can rightly call out this sin and hope to avoid it but let’s make sure that we don’t use it as a distraction from examining our own conscience.

That’s the trap, don’t fall into it

The Eucharistic as it Actually is

Posted: June 20, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, Church doctrine
Tags: , ,

With the left/media trying to turn the Eucharistic into an attendance prize it’s rather important to remember what it actually is and nothing illustrates it better than this image.

What happened is this. During the mass the priest when giving out the blood of Christ accidently spilled some on the carpet. When the mass was over he went to get the items necessary to clean up the precious blood he found that three nuns were kneeling before the spilled sacrament in adoration.

They know and they understand exactly what and more importantly WHO the Eucharist is and what a honor is it to be even in the presence of the blessed sacrament.

Would that not just Catholic pols but ALL Catholics and even all Christians had the same honor, reverence and understanding of the Eucharist that these three nuns have.

Here’s the video.

The Best Advice that anyone is going to ever give to Ted Lieu in his lifetime

Posted: June 19, 2021 by datechguy in abortion, catholic, Church doctrine, politics
Tags: , , ,

What is it that they want?

Communion with its holy effects? Or do they want to be seen receiving Communion?

Do they want the Eucharist or the “white thing” that symbolizes affirmation?

Father Z ASK FATHER: In what scenario would you give Holy Communion to the divorced and remarried?

There is the sin of Pride and then there is the Ted Lieu Sin of PRIDE:

This is an example of what I like to call: “Catholics for Mortal Sin”. There are plenty of us who struggle with various sins which is why we need the sacrament of confession but it takes a certain type of catholic who loudly boasts of his sins and defies the church to do something about it.

As Fr. Z once put it

If they really get the Eucharist, with the full implications of receiving as Paul describes in 1 Cor 11:27 (“Therefore whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord.”), and if they really get the Four Last Things, then … would they really want to put at risk their eternal salvation by sacrilegious reception?

If the priest at his parish really cares about Mr. Lieu’s soul (not to mention his own see EK 3: 17) he will talk to him about this and explain to him the danger he is putting himself in. Like a doctor who is caring for a patient he will give him the bad news rather than sugarcoat the risks.

But when it comes down to it, there is also good news in the form of the very best advice that he can get which comes from a fellow by the name of Joel and it repeated in every Catholic Church every year on Ash Wednesday:

Even now, says the LORD,
return to me with your whole heart,
with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;
Rend your hearts, not your garments,
and return to the LORD, your God.
For gracious and merciful is he,
slow to anger, rich in kindness,
and relenting in punishment.
Perhaps he will again relent
and leave behind him a blessing,
Offerings and libations
for the LORD, your God.

Blow the trumpet in Zion!
proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the people,
notify the congregation;
Assemble the elders,
gather the children
and the infants at the breast;
Let the bridegroom quit his room
and the bride her chamber.
Between the porch and the altar
let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep,
And say, “Spare, O LORD, your people,
and make not your heritage a reproach,
with the nations ruling over them!
Why should they say among the peoples,
‘Where is their God?’”

Then the LORD was stirred to concern for his land
and took pity on his people.

He has the rest of his life to take this advice, I’m sure that if he chooses not to he will be celebrated and feted and held up as an example of courage for the rest of his days…

…after that he’s on his own.

How Bad Are the “Biden is a Faithful Catholic” Optics? This Bad

Posted: June 16, 2021 by datechguy in catholic, News/opinion
Tags: , ,

This made me laugh out loud:

Joe Biden’s entourage requested permission for the president to attend Mass with Pope Francis during his European visit, which the Vatican “nixed,” according to a Wednesday report from Catholic News Agency (CNA).

The Vatican’s refusal stemmed from “the impact that Biden receiving Holy Communion from the pope would have on the discussions the USCCB [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] is planning to have during their meeting starting Wednesday, June 16,” the report stated, citing an unnamed Vatican source.

Tuesday’s report corrects a prior CNA story alleging that the president would meet with the pope on June 15, which will apparently not occur.

I’ve noted more than once that Francis while having some good points is a bit of a lemon as a Pope compared to the Saints but can you imagine his thinking that it’s not convenient to meet Joe Biden, the 2nd Catholic US president?

Ed Morrissey is a tad skeptical because of the single source and notes this:

This sounds a bit too good/bad to be true, but it’s certainly possible. Biden and his team would loooooove to get some political cover with a papal audience, as would most US presidents, and might even expect it with his own status as a practicing Catholic.

It’s not clear why the Vatican would refuse to even meet with Biden, however. Popes meet with world leaders all the time, even those whose agendas cut significantly against Catholic teachings. Except on abortion, there isn’t that much space between Biden and Francis, just as there wasn’t between Francis and Barack Obama, who had no trouble getting a papal audience when in office. And let’s not forget that Obama had an audience with Pope Benedict XVI in Obama’s first year in office, too. That gives some reason for skepticism about the veracity of this report.

It’s pretty clear why the Holy See wouldn’t want to provide Biden with the optic of Pope Francis offering him communion, however. They wouldn’t want to bigfoot the USCCB on this specific issue, assuming the White House requested this at all:

Francis being Francis and the Vatican being the Vatican Biden will eventually get a meeting but the irony here is palitable.

Why you might think the Vatican knows he’s not really in charge or something.

Personally I think he should meet him, after all admonishing sinners is a spiritual work of mercy.

Update: I think it would be much better if Biden asked if he could meet the Pope for Confession, in fact if I was in charge at the Vatican I’d arrange for the Pope to offer confession to any leader pol etc who met with him privately.

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