With respect, that doesn’t fit the context of what I said in post. Don’t know where that thought came from. Have a good Holy Week, Brian!
I didn't express my self clearly and I apologise for that. I should have said "singled out" rather than "set up". I don't know why Taylor Marshall has been singled out but it seems to date back to his calling into question something said by Bishop Barron - possibly what the Bishop said about having a reasonable hope that all are saved or it could have been the time he told a well known person whose name I can't recall that Catholicism (or Christianity?) is the privileged route to Heaven. It seems to me that there's too much focus on Taylor Marshall by well connected apologists for it not to be orchestrated. I recall a guest on one of their videos revealing that he had inside knowledge that Marshall will never again be employed by the Church. I don't recall his exact word but that was the message. Marshall is a whipping boy for these apologists who tend to gloss over far greater dangers to Catholic souls than Taylor Marshall. Ralph Martin, to his credit, put the main focus on the greatest danger - Bishops who openly oppose Church teaching and the Pope's support for them - but, even in his interview with Matt Fradd, Marshall and Coffin are denounced. Coffin and Fradd are laymen who aren't opposing settled Church teaching. They have a problem with the Pope and, in my opinion, both are mistaken but not nearly as mistaken as Cardinal Marx, Fr. James Martin et al. Marshall and Coffin aren't in the same league as successors of the Apostles saying that Church teaching should be changed to accommodate homosexual practice. In my lifetime, more souls have been led or driven away from the Church by bad shepherds than by laymen calling on the Shepherds to shape up and tend to the flock. Rather than facing up to that reality, Catholic apologists choose to spend far too much time bashing Taylor Marshall. Their obsession with Taylor Marshall is childish and, frankly, there are times they come across as playground snitches rather than learned apologists.
Here's a nice video from Matt Fradd that should cheer everyone up. Scott Hahn is a real gentleman. Pure class:
Thanks for your clarification. I don’t watch the videos for the most part. I tend to follow where I am led. Kind of like osmosis. I appreciate your answer.
What I find strange is that sometimes the scapegoats are "rad trads", sometimes it's just Taylor Marshal, and sometimes it's both Marshall and the trads. I have yet to figure out what makes someone a "rad trad". I don't know any traditionalists, rad or otherwise, but the term seems to be flexible depending on whatever line the accuser is pushing and depending on how faithful or obedient he considers himself to be.
It has no definition. It’s similar to how “You’re a racist!” is thrown by a liberal at anyone to whom the liberal is currently losing a debate.
I was just making a general observation. It was not aimed at you. Have a truly penitential Holy Week and a Blessed and Joyous Easter!
It's a good thing to be denounced and even ridiculed by others. It's good to be opposed and humiliated. And I think there's plenty of that happening all around, no matter what "side" you're on in anything. It's certainly NOT good to be the one over-criticizing or wrongly accusing others, but it's good if you're on the receiving end. We need it for spiritual growth and a check on our pride, Taylor Marshall and trads included. No one is above needing this. Personally, I believe there's far too much talking and critiquing going on, no matter who's doing it. All these big names in the blogging, YouTube, and apologist world are filling up a terribly needed prayerful silence.
It’s the void formed by the silence of our bishops and priests and their refusal to take up their proper role of fatherly orthodox leadership that has created the need for lay apologists and commentators. If our Church leadership had been fulfilling their proper role for the last half century, none of this would be happening because there would have been no need for laity to take up the slack.
Doesn't God give people the leaders they deserve? We're very good at complaining and pointing fingers, but it's not healing the spiritual wounds of the world. When lay people focus on lovingly and humbly teaching Truth when God calls them to do so, then that is a good thing. It's entirely another thing to make a name for yourself through constant criticism and blame, and sharing bad news after bad news that feeds people's drive to watch and shake heads over train wrecks. We are in a terrible time right now, it's true; but we deserve it. Maybe those of us who are saints deserve it less than I do, but the fact of the matter, when you look at things purely spiritually, is that we deserve everything God lets happen to us and more. We have offended God, over and over. Even one time of offending God earns for us a lifetime of whatever suffering comes our way. Feeling betrayed by our own Church leaders, enduring the confusion and disgust that arises from watching our own bishops and cardinals promote vice and heresy, is one of the worst sufferings. But we deserve it, for we have neglected to pray and sacrifice enough as Christians to atone for the growing sin in ourselves and others. We have neglected to pray and sacrifice enough for our clergy. Of course I can only truly speak for myself, and I know I could have done so much more. I know how much time I've wasted throughout my life on selfish or useless pastimes. The devil has been out there preying on our clergy harder than on us, because they are a bigger prize...and we could have done more to surround them with our prayers and sacrifices. Yes, our clergy have failed us in so many ways, but what good does it do our souls or theirs to point our fingers at them? I would argue it does very little to help them and does considerable damage to ourselves. Let's not forget that one of the major objectives of the undercover communists infiltrating the western world was to get both liberal and conservative Catholics to find fault with everything the pope did. They did this by infiltrating the media and influencing journalists, reporters, and opinion writers. Now, we are right where they always wanted us. That should give us pause.
Ok, this is why I love all of you here. HH I laughed so hard with your question about “whipping boy!” I didn’t have the foggiest either.
Great post Purple Flower. But I understand Brian and Whatever’s concern over many of the things Pope Francis has said and done. I don’t think the media had anything to do with that. This isn’t a Trump case. We must pray for Pope Francis to repent, but we can’t just trust his opinions with our eyes closed. It’s affecting our children. I don’t know what to say anymore, when my own kids think homosexuality is acceptable because our own Pope has stayed silent with those priests and bishops who feel it’s ok. When will he just clearly say NO MORE of this nonsense?
We are undergoing a spiritual chastisement. But there is a coming restoration. I do not know if I will be alive to see this restoration. May God's will be done. Jeremiah 23 v1-4 'Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil deeds, declares the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, declares the Lord'.
I think we have a natural inclination when we look for the cause of the coming Chastisement on the sins and fault of the World. But it is clear from the History of the Chosen People that the cause of Chastisement in our present day is because of what is going on in the Church herself. Jesus said it best, Matthew 5:13 Salt and Light 12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. 13You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. 14You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.… Notice the end part where Jesus said, 'To be trampled by men'. We are at that point now. The Great Persecution , described in the Book of the Apocalypse. Which is why we as Catholics do well as Jesus said to read the Signs of the Times. The first of these Signs being events in Our Holy Mother the Church. If all were well in the Church there simply would not be a Chastisement. There would be no Great Persecution. Fist thing in the morning I always when I wake up listen to BBC Radio 4. There is usually a little homily from a Minister, usually a Woman Minister or some other religious Leader, a Rabbi, and Iman or whatever. These talks are nearly always topical taken from current events to stir our interest. But one thing they nearly all have in common is how nice they all are. None of them are in the least way controversial. You can just imagine everyone nodding their heads and thinking how nice and wise they all are. I think that too is the problem with the Church at the moment. It has adapted itself so much to the Spirit of the World that it has become one with the Spirit of the World.... We saw this for instance during the Lock Downs when our Priests and Bishops agreed with Government that our Churches were non essential whereas places like liquor stores and stock markets stayed open as essential. The most curious thing happened to me yesterday after Mass in my local Catholic Church. I have to go there the last few days because my car is broken down. I don't like going there because it is hard line mask wearing. I don't of course do masks in Church. Anyway I thought I was attracting unwelcome attention and after Mass I heard one gentleman loudly complaining about me to the priest, 'Claiming that , 'He is a local drug dealer and should not be allowed into the Church!'. This came as considerable news and a surprise to me. If true I may be the only 66 years old drug dealer on the planet. I felt for a few seconds like Don Corleone. But it does show what way things are drifting.
