Friday 9 January 2015

A Disturbing Lineamenta for the 2015 Synod

Am I alone in feeling uncomfortable with the Lineamenta for the forthcoming Synod? The suggestion that we look for pastoral practices without reference to doctrine is one with which I feel very uncomfortable: how do we prevent souls falling away from the Truth which sets them free and into the grasp of the father of lies, if we do not take Truth into consideration when planning the pastoral care of souls?

I pray that the participants in the Synod take seriously the fact that practice must always follow doctrine and make it concrete in people’s lives, just as physicians take anatomy, physiology and the pathology of disease into consideration when planning medical intervention, or as engineers take the laws of physics into consideration when building bridges and other structures. Practice must always follow the known truth.

The idea that we can have a pastoral approach divorced from Doctrine is cunning of diabolical origin, and it is the more emotion-driven person who is likely to fall prey to Satan’s cunning.  We need to be clear that only the devil can inspire us to say one thing and do another, because it is the devil who seeks to have Truth play no part in the formation of our soul and its concrete moral operations by our behaviours; only Satan could inspire us to play false to Truth by proclaiming it in word while living contrary to it in our deeds. Such duplicity is not of God, who is not a God of disorder (1 Cor.14v33). It cannot be anything other than traitorous to Truth to live contrary to Truth.

Many emotion-driven persons will want to take up the Lineamenta’s idea, simply because they see pastoral care as not hurting anyone’s feelings. They are dangerously wrong. Genuine Pastoral Care does not mean abandoning the Gospel to label as ‘families’ the socially-engineered/socially-constructed living arrangements of today, but helping people to experience their dignity and value by our support of them in the effort to overcome disordered desires and leave behind irregular lifestyles, much like a physician helps the patient to feel valued by assisting them in overcoming alcohol or tobacco addiction.

If the Synod chooses a pastoral path unrelated to doctrine doctrine it chooses the path of duplicity. To avoid this false concept of mercy must be exposed at the Synod by its members: it is no more merciful to the sinner to accept sinful acts than it is for the physician to affirm damaging behaviours. Indeed it is the opposite of mercy, designed only so the cleric can feel better about himself as one who does not judge others or see himself as imposing lifestyle changes -God forbid a physician should decide he will not prescribe difficult lifestyle changes for his or her patients who engage in damaging behaviours. 

12 comments:

  1. "uncomfortable", Fr. Dixon??? You must certainly be an Englishman, because that has to be the greatest understatement of 2015 so far!

    "Spitting blood" is the way I feel about it. When I received my copy of the Lineamenta and read that passage, I had to do a double take. What kind of know-nothing can write such garbage in an official Church document? They don't even specify which doctrine they don't want us to apply in formulating the responses - they just say they don't want responses "based on application of doctrine." How about "I believe in God the Father Almighty," - shall we set that doctrine aside while we think of our new strategy? Lets just pretend that we are not Catholic at all so that they can get the responses they want - not!

    What makes me particularly angry about this is that they are not even trying to hide the fact that they want a predetermined outcome. At least the document from the CBCEW tried to be subtle about manipulating the result. They have decided they want the Synod to endorse the Kasperites and now they are just fishing for support for their heresies from gullible clergy who won't think too hard about it.

    I have a mind to write to the secretariat of the synod and tell them where to put their ridiculous questionnaire.

    P.S. If you still have not received the "Reflection" document from the CBCEW, I can e-mail you a pdf of it if you want it.

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    1. Thank you.
      I could not think of a better word than uncomfortable without sounding alarmist; it is a disturbing document diabolically inspired when it seeks to divorce Faith from its concrete application to life (otherwise called 'Discipline'). The email would be welcome!
      God Bless.

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    2. Have sent it to your parish e-mail address listed on your diocesan website.

      God bless.

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  2. I think most devout Catholics are very worried about the upcoming Synod. There is a very real danger that the doctrine of the Faith will be undermined. We must pray that the Church re-affirms the traditional teaching on the indissolubility of marriage and homosexuality.

    Pope Francis needs to issue a clear statement condemning the so-called "Kasper doctrine" on marriage; he must protect the Sacred Deposit of Faith.

    If online news reports are correct, it appears that most of the Curia oppose any changes in doctrine. The African, American and Italian Bishops are strongly opposed to any compromise.

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    1. Thank you Philip.
      Devout Catholics alone will feel concerned; those who have lost their faith in a Divine Revelation and who lost the sense to see that logically, practice must be Doctrine applied or Doctrine means nothing, will not be concerned.
      I take your point that Francis needs to take all this in hand but he should not need to: the Catechism is clear enough, as are all the previous encyclicals on marriage and family life, and as is the Code of Canon Law on the attending discipline. ..
      God Bless.

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  3. Well written Fr Gary, by now you have realized that the crisis of leadership has led to a crisis of faith in the West. As the saying goes, a fish rots from its head. The word pastoral among the 'dishonest Protestant' leaders is a euphemism for accommodation and permissiveness. Once again you have exposed that chaotic Protestant mentality of the Church's leaders. Unfaithfulness to what has been divinely willed or ordained cannot attract young people to the faith and the Church, and neither can it lead to faithfulness. You abandon doctrine, you abandon the truth, you abandon the truth, you abandon God. Be aware of the domino effect when it comes to abandoning doctrine.

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  4. I feel more than uncomfortable ... I smell SCHISM in the church... This can not go like that! Bishops already are openly saying that church suppose to accept gay marriage!!! Look:
    (http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/12/bishop-of-antwerp-wants-ecclesiastical.html) and (http://www.tampabay.com/opinion/columns/column-church-needs-patience-humility-in-light-of-same-sex-marriage/2212639)

    Shame and betrayal of CHRIST JESUS...

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    1. Thank you.
      What you call schism has been called by others apostasy. Their is more than a loss of faith going on among the leadership here; there is a fear of being ridiculed by the world. They seek after the world speaking well of them. Well, woe unto them.
      God Bless.

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  5. when the Pharisees sent out a force to attack Me, using every conceivable ploy, they were, at the same time, preaching in the temples the prophecies about the coming of the Messiah. While they jeered Me and tried to spread untruths about My Morality, they quoted from Holy Scripture. As the Pharisees persecuted Me – calling Me every kind of name insulting to My Father – they continued to prepare God’s people for the coming of the Messiah. Though I was present amongst them, they refused to acknowledge Me although they could not ignore Me for I was filled with the Holy Spirit. When I arose from the dead, the Pharisees were given proof of My Resurrection but choose, instead, to spread lies so as to conceal the Truth. As a result of their actions they drew millions of souls away from their rightful inheritance – the Gift of Eternal Salvation.

    In the time that I now prepare the world for My Second Coming, sacred servants in My Church on earth will do the same. They will preach about the Great Day when I will come again but will assume that this day will take place in another century. They will not prepare souls in the way that I desire. They will not urge My people to seek reconciliation; to pray; to seek the Sacraments and to adhere, strictly, to the Written Word. Instead, they will fall into the trap of separating dogma from doctrine and will refuse to accept the messages given to God’s prophets.

    So blind are they when I speak to them now, through the Book of Truth. So ignorant are those who say they lead the Way to My Kingdom when they truly do not know the correct path, which leads to it. They must read the Holy Bible, study it and accept the contents contained within it first, for how, otherwise, can they know Me? Like a thief in the night will I come and they will not be ready to greet Me because they did not feel the need to prepare.

    Now, I stand before you My sacred servants and ask you to listen to Me. I ask that you believe in Who I Am, what I did to redeem man from sin and what it is that I must do now to complete My Father’s Covenant. As the time approaches, signs will be given to you that My Day will be soon. I will do this so that you will awaken from your slumber and hear My Voice. I urge you to speak the Truth about sin; the Truth of the Holy Word of God and how it can never be tampered with as well as the Truth about My Divinity.

    When these signs are given to you, I solemnly declare that the holy Spirit will be poured down upon you and those of you who love Me with simple obedience will know, instantly, that I speak to you at this time. I will then fill you with My Love and you will see things as they really are, with a clarity of mind and an insight into what it is that is required of you to help me to accomplish My Plan to salvage the world and every single child of God.

    Listen. Prepare. Pray for My Strength; My Courage and never forget your duty to Me.

    Go in peace to love and serve Me, now and forever.

    Your Jesus

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    1. Dear Annonymous, Thank you.
      I'm unable to include the link to this as the prophecies you take this from do not have Church approval, but I include your comment because it may give readers for for thought anyway.
      God Bless.

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  6. I think the late Archbishop Lefebrre springs to mind. He was fighting the pastoral approach of V2. When you look at those docs, they are doublespeak. I think C Burke is the new Lefebre and if he challenges the synod dirty doings, I will follow him as will many others

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    1. Thank you.
      The courage and sanctity of Archbishop Lefebvre does indeed appear to be shared by Cardinakl Burke, and many are follwoing his line of thought and witness. I do not think he will fall into the same situation that Archbsihop Lefebvre and the SSPX found/find themselves in. Thank God they trundle on holding onto the Faith for the day it can breathe freely again, which does not require the compete abandoning of Vatican II but its application in line with Tradition and the ending of its failed misapplications.
      God Bless.

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