Heresy

"So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth." - Revelations 3:16

Heretics. That is what we used to call them: people who identify as Catholics but preach a creed that is radically different than the truth. Arianism, Donatism, Manichaeism, and Cathars, the enemies of the truth used to be so easily identifiable. Nowadays, it is not so easy. The modern heretic is a double agent. Not having courage enough to even openly admit their dissidence, they hide within the walls of the holy Church. That is the danger of this modern heresy, it does not have a concrete existence. It is an insurgency of sorts, an infection. There is no clear schism that can be pinpointed, and yet that rift still exists.

Lukewarm Catholics. Non-practicing Catholics. These are the heretics of today. Let me hit you with some numbers. According to CARA, less than 20% of Catholics attend Mass weekly itself a mortal sin. Only a measly 22% of Catholics go to Confession at least once a year. Now either we have  very saintly parishioners (the 20% weekly attendance already disproves this) or there are a great number of people who decide to identify as Catholic but don't even do the bare minimum.

While the behavior of these lukewarm Catholics is disturbing, their opinions are even more so. NCR reports that non-practicing Catholics do not simply diverge in opinion from their faithful counterparts in matters such as abortion or the sanctity of marriage, but they are even more progressive than the American public as a whole! 59% of Catholics are pro-life (even this is not nearly enough.) 44% of Americans are pro-life. But only 35% of non-practicing Catholics recognize the murderous truth about abortion. 46% of non-practicing Catholics support gay "marriage" compared to 30% of all Americans and 25% of real Catholics.

Yes, I said REAL Catholics. Someone who does not participate in the Holy Sacraments, agree with the Church on vital moral issues, or even attend Mass with any semblance of regularity does not deserve to be called a Catholic. They have chosen of their own free will that they do not want to be Catholic.

Now, we do not want to be exclusionary by any means. The Church is Catholic but it is also catholic, meaning universal. Jesus did not come to make a country club composed of the elite. We don't have to scrutinize everyone who walks through the doors of our parish church and make sure that they have a membership card or can pass a Catholic trivia test. We should welcome all, even the sinners, just as the father of the Prodigal son.

But the deleterious influence of these non-practicing Catholics cannot be ignored. They are blatantly misrepresenting the dogma of the Church on issues that are essential in the reality of today. While avoiding a militant attitude of exclusion, we need to take a stronger attitude against these lukewarm believers. Their lack of passion is dulling that of the Church as a whole. Their lack of faith is muddying the waters. We cannot allow them to be the world's example of what a Catholic really is.

This problem has no easy solution. Few do. We are still a Church of love and mercy. There is no need to go around giving anyone who can't recite the Hail Mary the boot. What the Church needs are teachers. We need faithful Catholics to counter the dead weight of these passionless souls. They will teach, not just the world as a whole, but specifically the non-practicing Catholics what it means to be a true Catholic. We need strong men and women to act as witnesses of the truths of the Church.

You aren't Catholic because of a shirt you wear or the words you say. You are a Catholic because of the way you live your life and the faith in your heart.

 

Deus Volt!  

The Legalization of Sin

The Church has lost more than a few legal battles in recent history, the most prominent of which is the notorious Supreme Court ruling in Roe v. Wade that legalized the murder of unborn infants in the United States. This Friday, the Supreme Court made another ruling that will be remembered with infamy for its role in the moral degeneration of America. With a 5-4 majority, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that what the federal government considers to be "marriage" should be extended to homosexuals. 

This is obviously not the first time that the government has legalized sin. It won't be the last. But what worries me the most is the popular reaction to this ruling. People view this as some sort of progress. Just look at any variety of social media, and you will see a plethora of rainbow colored flags and blatant rejoicing. Homosexuals are the one group that defines themselves by their sin. They are proud of it. 

Even more disturbing are the apologetics for sodomy. There are a good number of God-fearing Christians who try to expose this travesty for what it is. But they are time and time again shut down by others claiming to be better informed in the ways of God. They write about the tolerance of God, saying that we should accept the practitioners of sodomy for who they choose to define themselves as being. These are heretics. They ignore the professed truths of the Church in favor of the weak creed that C. S. Lewis called "Christianity-and-water." These lukewarm beings think that since God is love, he would not pass judgment on people because of their lifestyles and therefore the Church has no authority to do so. They are WRONG. They are picking and choosing passages from the Bible that suit their own ends and leaving out those that do not. Remember, Satan has a doctorate in biblical studies.

Yes, Jesus did eat with prostitutes and tax collectors. What He did not do, however, is tolerate their sin. He did not say "While I disprove of what you're doing, I'm really not going to judge you for who you think you are." Jesus did not die for the sake of tolerance.  He died for the salvation of sinners. Salvation is predicated upon the rejection of sin, not its tolerance. Therefore, when the Church speaks out against the sin of sodomy, she is not doing so out of any "bigotry," but rather out of love. One of the spiritual works of mercy is informing the ignorant. By showing the world the simple truth that marriage exists solely between man and woman, the Church is trying to save those who try to identify themselves as homosexuals by identifying their lifestyle as being sinful.

What I cannot understand is the great outcry against this judgment. Few people defend the greedy businessman, the adulterer, or the thief and then call it intolerance to judge them. This is what is so dangerous about the legalization of homosexual unions. The world has gone beyond ignoring the Church. Now it is attacking her. It used to be that you were a quaint or misguided "religious person" if you believed in the Church's teaching on the Eucharist or the infallibility of the Papacy. Now, if you profess the truth of the inviolate institution of Holy Matrimony, you instantly become a dangerous, bigoted, insensitive, homophobe. This is a trend that we cannot ignore.

In closing, it is important to remember that the old saying "vox populi vox dei" (the voice of the people is the voice of God) does not have a shred of truth. In its decision on the nature of marriage, the Supreme Court is drastically exceeded its bounds. I was not under the impression that the Supreme Court had the power to change or define an institution that God Himself created. This decision is a little like the Tower of Babylon for all its mortal pretensions. Eventually God will cast it down.

 

Deus Volt!  

Martyrdom

The idea of martyrdom has been distorted today by a group comprising of the few and the anomalous. Islamic terrorists have somehow been granted the power to redefine the concept of dying for one's faith. The classic example is a suicide bomber, one who wants to die whilst causing the most innocent casualties possible at the same time. Unfortunately, we have had far too many examples of this kind of perverted "martyrdom."

But as I said, this is a distorted view. All we have to do is look to the Christian tradition to see the true examples of martyrdom. Saint Stephen was the first martyr for the Christian faith. Stephen was one of the first followers of the original Twelve after Christ's Ascension. He is described as being "a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost," (Acts 6:5) He spoke before the Jewish authorities "and they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit that spoke." (Acts 6:10) For witnessing the truth of the Gospel, Stephen was stoned to death. Stephen did not die with words of hate on his lips. He did not resist the authorities that put him to death. He went willingly to his martyrdom in imitation of Christ's meekness before His Crucifixion.

Stephen was only the first of many Christian martyrs. Save for St. John, all of the Twelve (Judas being discounted from their ranks) were martyred. So was St. Paul. The list extends into the thousands, even without venturing beyond the first millennium. Christians faced some of their most persistent persecution at the hands of the Roman emperors, particularly Nero. Tacitus wrote that an "immense multitude" of Christians was put to death by order of Nero. Tertullian wrote that "The blood [of martyrs] is the seed of Christians"  I am seriously unconvinced that any of these blessed martyrs died with a sword in their hands. Not one sought to promote their faith by blowing themselves up and killing innocents.

Christian martyrdom is not a historical phenomenon. It happened in the last century and it is still happening today. Even now, Christians die for their faith in Syria and China, in Iraq and Iran. One of the greatest of these modern martyrs is St. Maximillian Kolbe. He was a Polish priest caught up in the events of the Nazi occupation of Poland. His reward for refusing to be silent about the truths of his faith was a cell in a concentration camp. Long story short, St. Maximillian Kolbe offered to die in the place of another man. He did not lead a rebellion against his Nazi captors, he did not fight back. Maximillian Kolbe gave his life so that another might live. Though broken in body, the spirit and the faith of St. Maximillian Kolbe was never broken. That is the essence of martyrdom.

I propose a new attitude towards martyrdom. It is not a militant act of senseless violence. It is a sacrifice.

Even if you don't live in a place where Christian blood is daily shed, it is still possible to live a life of martyrdom. Sometimes, it takes more courage to live for your faith than to die for it. For we can now die innumerable deaths through the scorn of our peers, through the mocking of the media. Living for Christ involves dying to this world. We die not in body, but to the conventional "morality" of relativism, to the accepted sexual mores, to the judgment of our friends, our family, and our teachers.

Die to the World, but live in Christ.

Deus Volt!  

Mad Max or Tomorrowland?

There is a lot of dystopia in today's culture. Perhaps the most poignant example of this is the recently released Mad Max: Fury Road. In an offshoot of the classic post-apocalyptic series, Fury Road features all of the characteristics of a dystopia, a broken world. There are raging bands of desperate bandits roaming the burnt fields. They kill indiscriminately and without cause. Even the hero is forced to engage in brutal combat just to survive. Resources are virtually nonexistent. A life means next to nothing. This is not the picture of a bright future.

The world dystopia evolved out of the word "cacotopia" as a counterpoint to utopia. George Orwell's 1984 is a classic example of a dystopian world. Even though this form of science fiction was popular in the late twentieth century, it has become incredibly popular amongst today's audiences. Hunger Games, Divergent, Zombieland, The Walking Dead, and The Maze Runner are examples of movies and TV shows involving dystopian futures that are wildly popular.

Dystopias evoke a sense of despair. Often, humanity is on the brink of collapse or extinction. More often than not, there's the looming possibility of global destruction. This is not the vision of the Gospel. We as Christians do not fail to recognize that this world is not perfect. There is evil in this world, a fair amount, actually. But that does not mean that we have given up on this world. God has already won the ultimate war against evil. And because we were created in the image of God, we must always have in mind the essential good that is in the human race. We should have a strong hope in the outlook for the future.

Dystopias can become dangerous when we are inundated with them like we are today. They foster and feed an environment of hopelessness for the future. Sure, we might not actually think that the world will be destroyed by zombies, but watching dozens of hours of media where just that occurs inclines our o so impressionable minds towards an attitude of despair. The eyes are windows to the soul. Just as we need to watch what we eat, we need to watch what we see. Dystopian media is not intrinsically evil. In fact, many examples of dystopian books and movies are thought-provoking. They force us to turn a mirror on our own society. We become more socially aware of the potential dangers that lie in the future by examining the worlds that those dangers have already destroyed. We simply must make sure that our viewing diet is not restricted solely to dystopias. That makes for a very lean and malnourished mind in deed.

What we need more of today is a relic of the last century. We need science fiction with a side of optimism. We need more books, movies, and shows that follow in the tradition of Flash Gordon, Lost in Space, and Star Trek. We need media that looks to the future with a sense of hope. Where the forces of science work towards the betterment of humanity, not its destruction.

The recently released film, Tomorrowland, is a good example of a more optimistic outlook. Without ruining the plot for those of you who haven't seen it yet, Tomorrowland reveals a world where technology and science have bettered the lives of man. There are space ships routinely carrying men and women into space, there are hovering monorails, jetpacks, and robots. While peril is not absent from this film, the world of Tomorrowland is exactly what dystopias like Mad Max are not, hopeful. Tomorrowland gives audiences a bright view for the future. It shows us that, no bad how our world gets, we can still fix it. We need more Tomorrowland's and less Mad Max's today.

Deus Volt!