Winning A Battle Does Not Win Us the War

It seems there is some relief in Rome that the Synod is over. What really happened in the Synod Hall was that by Faithful Bishops rejecting the progressive direction the Synod was taking, division among the Bishops was revealed. Not only that, but if the report given to Rorate Caeli is correct, we know some Bishops are unhappy even with Pope Francis –the President of one Episcopal Conference apparently calling him “an agent of disruption”.

Had the Synod decided for a change to allow for those in irregular situations to receive Holy Communion -and this would have to include all irregularities: cohabitation, non-sacramental unions, active homosexual relationships, surrogacy etc- the Church would be sending a message to those engaged in such acts that there is no need to return to a life consonant with Christ’s Gospel in order to benefit from the Gospel. Not only would this endanger souls, it would also constitute a huge smack in the face for those who have fought for the natural family and the Church over the last 50 years against an increasingly hostile, secular world. The sadness is that their adversaries have been shown to be living and thriving within the Catholic Clergy at the highest of levels.

Unfortunately, though a battle may have been won at the 2014 Synod, the war continues: this Synod does not really conclude until the topic is concluded at the 2015 Synod. And who knows who will be invited to take part in that Synod?

It is imperative that we continue to pray and make some sacrifices for a grace-filled outcome to the 2015 Synod. It is my hope that Francis’s ‘Pastoral Modernisers’ will realise that they are a minority; that the majority of the Faithful from laity to Bishops are not as liberal as they thought; not as willing to turn their back on the Gospel for the sake of ‘not offending against people’s feelings’ or challenging the secular world.

The Problem with Pastoral Modernisers (PM’s) is several-fold. One problem is that they think they can divide the life of faith from The Faith itself, which is utter nonsense. If a Health-Care Professional told a patient, “O yes, I know you have chronic renal failure, but if you are thirsty drink as you need, and if you fancy a banana or two don’t worry that they are potassium-rich foods” that professional would be at least incompetent and certainly dangerous. The danger from PM’s arises because they seek to allow all kinds of behaviour so as not to hurt folks’ feelings. For them, good pastoral care means no more than affirming that God loves the sinner, essentially saying that conversion of life is not necessary for salvation.

A second problem is that they remain leaders of the Church when in fact they have lost their faith in the Church and the Gospel. They retain a vague belief in some kind of ‘god’, but not the God of the Scriptures. They may refer to the Scriptures to note the compassion of God; but it is selective quoting they engage in; they do not value the whole of Scripture and Tradition where today’s ‘morality’ is rebuked as harmful to souls.

A final problem is that they are hard to defeat in the public domain simply because they are loved by those whose lives run counter to the Gospel (and by the families of such folk, whose emotions do not allow them to consider that their loved one is living contrary to the ways of God and salvation). Thus PM’s are seen as heroes. They are seen as good-hearted men, with faithful Catholics made to look hard-hearted. The truth is that while PM’s appear compassionate and Christ-like, they are really wolves in sheep’s clothing -though they are blissfully unaware of this because they feel they are ‘kind’ and ‘compassionate’.

Getting folk in irregular situations (and those who support them) to put their feelings aside so that they can embrace the Truth is not easy; only God can do it, hence the need for prayer and sacrifice –especially the saying of the Rosary so as to access the help of the very Mother of the Holy Family.