[/QUOTE] My point is that Fr. Heilman and other priests with a platform didn't hesitate to speak out on issues like taking the knee to disrespect the US flag - a oiece of cloth irrespective of what it's meant to represent - but there's silence on their own country's participation in genocide. Why? Are Palestinians less human in their eyes? What's happening in Palestine is full-on genocide and Fr. Heilman's own country is absolutely guilty of ongoing participation in that genocide. Are those Palestinian lives less important than a piece of cloth? And don't get me started on what the Israeli population supports their security services doing to Palestinian prisoners, all enabled by the US. Yet there's silence from the Church in the US. Assenting to genocide by silence is most certainly a sign of spiritual attack but precious little evidence of resistance to it. And yes, if the US is also committing genocide in Africa and Ukraine, the Church in the US should be shouting against it from the rooftops.. But they don't and won't. And they wonder why they are being regarded as irrelevant.
[/QUOTE] Exactly, and fortunately, they don't seem to be providing spiritual support for any war, as the Orthodox Patriarch Kirill is shamefully doing in Russia. In fact, I believe that everything that happens in global geopolitics is a reflection of the spiritual state of the Church. After the Synod, we may have a very concrete reason for Islamic radicals to believe that the entire West represents the 'Great Satan,' although this does not give them any right to label us in the same way. Benedict XVI, who feared the omission of truth more than Islamic radicalism, commented in 2006 that Muhammad brought only evil and inhumane things. But I imagine that, like Russia, Islamic radicalism seems to be part of the plan that will lead to the conversion of Europe.
By the way, the crisis in the Church has become so serious that a Muslim political leader, a supporter of the terrorist group Hamas, had to pressure Pope Francis to speak out about the ceremony blaspheming the Last Supper at the Olympic opening.
There needs to be a complete renewal of the atmosphere in our lives, those of our families, the church and the world. Since 2012 it seems like everything has greatly degenerated, the atmosphere greatly changed that year and declined every year since. I don't know that screaming the atrocities from the rooftops will help anything, because many are currently doing this and people are merely entrenching themselves in their partisan positions. The church in some ways has always been political, but it seems like the Gospels have been overshadowed by conventional politics. Until we get that change of atmosphere I believe we will only get more of the same. Because men's hearts have grown cold, seeking only profit and pleasure. This always comes at the expense of the other. However we need to spend ourselves on the other. This is what we are made for.
I should also mention that I don't say this to preach or lecture, but rather as motivation and hope. I believe the fruit of our times is that people are realizing that the laity needs to have a personal relationship with Jesus, striving to live in the spirit. We cannot count on politicans, church authorities and so on to fix our issues.
Taking the knee was political. Many traditionalist or conservative (insert they adjective of your choice) priests had no problem bemoaning that, rightly in my opinion. What's happening in Palestine is the kind of evil engendered by hubris and should be condemned by everyone with a conscience, certainly by every Catholic. Yet, the representatives of Christ's Church in a guilty country (probably the most guilty) are silent as very many representatives of heretical sects in the same country actively support it in the name of Christianity. That silence won't save a single baby from being aborted but speaking out could help sppark the conscience of many Americans. It's not an either/or between abortion and genocide. Non believers use that argument when they oppose murdering Palestinian children while supporting murdering unborn babies in the US. For Catholics it should always be both/and. Anything else is to follow the example of the faithless. Nothing happens in a vacuum. If what Fr. Heilman fears does come to pass in the US, all the silent Catholics might well look back on these times and ask themselves "Were we the bad guys?" and be faced with the awful truth of the answer being in the affirmative. God permits us to bring trouble on ourselves. I shudder to think of the consequences of supporting by silence what's happening in Palestine.
I agree with everything. But these things won't change by force of will, politics or anything else from the hand of man alone. Repeatedly in the Bible and in Christian history we see that we need to cry out to God, because victory cannot come otherwise. When the battles are won, it is only because God delivered. I don't know if spiritual warfare is a good term to describe what is needed, I don't know what a better term or proper term would be. Perhaps spiritual fervor. I remember Fr. Ripperger saying once that because everyone was criticizing church authorities, we would wind up with bad church authorities. So it is like the chicken and the egg, which comes first? My experience has been that God gives gifts typically after prayer and supplication. However the better I practice building my house on the rock, the more grace makes itself available.
And I agree with everything you say. My problem with priests like Fr. Ripperger and Fr. Heilman is that they either don't believe that silent complicity is a sin of omission or they don't believe that sins of omission are as grave as sinful deeds. I'm sorry if this looks like I'm picking on those two priests. I do believe that both are good and faithful servants of God and His Church. Maybe it's because I'm not American, but the failure of the Church in the US to speak out loud and clear against such evil is a huge disappointment for me. Maybe I'm misjudging them because a higher authority has bound them to silence but I think that to be most unlikely. I'm reminded of the criticism of Church authorities for not doing enough to oppose Hitler's attempted genocide of the Jews. Much of that criticism was unfair. I can envisage a similar situation in the future. Sure, the Church is helping Palestinians on the ground. Sure, Catholics are among the victims. But the voice is silent in the country where speaking out could make a difference. At least you're praying for them. I wonder how many others are praying for the victims of their country as they fret over Muslims or an invasion of what is probably the safest country on the planet. Best for me to shut up for a while.
I guess part of me no longer expects anything from church authorities. I pray for them, I care about them, I am grateful for the service they provide, but I don't expect anything of them. It leads too often to disappointment. So I put my attention on God, and His good news.
I understand your frustration. I live in the United States and trust me the Priests in my parish address these concerns regularly. You just don’t hear it on the mainstream media. We watch in horror at what is going on in Gaza and Israel. And all over the world. And in our own country. We are hoping Pres Trump will be re elected because he would not tolerate these wars snd the destruction. There is much Not to like about him too. But can we find a perfect person? The left is trying their best to shut him up and kill him off. Another interesting thing going on over here is Project 2025. I had never heard of it before until a friend of mine private messaged me in FB and told me if this project was adopted we would lose all our freedoms and have a national church. I thought, what???? So I read it and really liked it. Then I noticed Trump came out a few days later and said no project was going to tell him what to do. I am wondering if it is some kind of set up. We don’t get real news over here. Bits and pieces. Our news media is total propaganda. I get upset at world affairs and how things transpire. We have large movements no one hears about. We have Missionary Priests come from Africa, South America etc and we have fundraisers. We send missionaries. We have college missionaries on campus’. We support our crisis pregnancy centers. The firemen all over have a “drop off your baby no questions asked”. We are tired of giving our tax money to other countries while our own military are homeless. So the undercurrent over here is not all liberal. Things have gotten nasty with elections being stolen,we know it. We will see how bad things can get. I asked one of our Priests who came here from Nicaragua if our country was really that awful. He said he kissed the ground when he got here because we still have freedom. At least for now. The thought police haven’t started over here yet. We have a special mission in our country called Seven Sisters where we pick a special Priest and do a Holy Hour every week. What will stop the holocausts ? Prayer and lots of it. QUOTE="Whatever, post: 456927, member: 7989"]And I agree with everything you say. My problem with priests like Fr. Ripperger and Fr. Heilman is that they either don't believe that silent complicity is a sin of omission or they don't believe that sins of omission are as grave as sinful deeds. I'm sorry if this looks like I'm picking on those two priests. I do believe that both are good and faithful servants of God and His Church. Maybe it's because I'm not American, but the failure of the Church in the US to speak out loud and clear against such evil is a huge disappointment for me. Maybe I'm misjudging them because a higher authority has bound them to silence but I think that to be most unlikely. I'm reminded of the criticism of Church authorities for not doing enough to oppose Hitler's attempted genocide of the Jews. Much of that criticism was unfair. I can envisage a similar situation in the future. Sure, the Church is helping Palestinians on the ground. Sure, Catholics are among the victims. But the voice is silent in the country where speaking out could make a difference. At least you're praying for them. I wonder how many others are praying for the victims of their country as they fret over Muslims or an invasion of what is probably the safest country on the planet. Best for me to shut up for a while.[/QUOTE]
The ladies who run the Seven Sisters Apostolate are wonderful.......I believe it's worldwide now. https://sevensistersapostolate.org/
Oh another thing. In the US a Priest is not allowed to “talk politics” or tell people how to vote or they could lose their 501C3 tax exempt status. While the Protestant churches blatantly get away with it don’t let a Catholic try it. I believe in Wisconsin ? There are some Catholic Charities they are trying to take away tax exempt status right now. So the Bishops are very strict about this, they don’t want to lose any $$$.
https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-p...-intervention-by-501c3-organizations-overview QUOTE="HeavenlyHosts, post: 456945, member: 5309"]I didn’t realize this until you posted it.[/QUOTE]
I have hope in God but no it I going to get so bad. Bed doesn't quite describe it. Also their lives could be in danger, believe me, they already are. People judged Pope Benedict also yet in my mind he was a mystic. God asks silence from some. I understand how you feel, but God has a plan and His is better than ours.
