The Extraordinary Synod on the Family -- some observations

 

I came across this tonight and I thought is very appropriate at this time:

"Again, family change and religious change go hand in hand."

That's from 

How the West Really Lost God: An Interview with Mary Eberstadt

- Crisis Magazine

  We really need to pray for our bishops.  The report, blasted by Cardinal Burke, has many non-Catholic errors in it.  

Cardinal Burke: Synod's mid-term report "lacks a solid foundation in the Sacred Scriptures and the Magisterium"

 From the above:

" Cardinal Raymond Burke, prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura   ...   has expressed concern over several aspects of the Synod, including the push for changes in the handling of Communion for divorced and remarried Catholics and the waky that information about the Synod is being, in his words, "manipulated." 

Cardinal Burke responded late yesterday to questions from Carl E. Olson, editor of Catholic World Report, about his concerns, his view of the mid-term report, and why he thinks a statement from Pope Francis is "long overdue." "

 From what I'm hearing there is (little or) no talk of salvation and what we are being saved from.  Sinners need to be called to repentance, not have there sins blessed.  To receive Our Lord in Holy Communion without turning from our sin brings us further to perdition.  Do many of these bishops even believe in sin and hell anymore?

Here's a commentary.  Skip ahead to the 35 second mark. (At times the style can be off-putting to some, but it is worth watching for information.)

Satin is hard at work here, just as he was when Our Lord walked this earth ... even causing one of the original bishops to betray Jesus.

 Rev. Dwight Longenecker  has this to say:

" The Holy Father has been very good in lecturing priests and telling us what to do. We are to go out into the world and “make a mess.” We are to “smell like the sheep.” We are to welcome all with compassion, forgiveness and mercy. We are to be good and kind pastors who administer the sacraments with care and concern. We are to seek out the poor, castigate the rich, side with the unfortunate, heal the sick, support the immigrants and reach out to the lowly. We are to welcome the divorced and remarried, not judge those with same sex attraction and open the doors of the church to all with a warm hearted and affirming form of evangelization by attraction.

This is a message I endorse and embrace. I want to be that kind of priest. I want to be Jesus to the world. I long to care for the poor and hungry, minister to their needs, welcome all to the church as the father welcomes the prodigal. I wish to have the open heart Pope Francis has. I want to show the attractiveness of Christ, the radiant truth of the gospel and the joy of the abundant life that Jesus brings to the world. I long to celebrate the sacraments with love, care, hope, joy and compassion. I want to be the persona Christi, the image of God and the face of the Father not only to my flock, but to all who I meet.

I have heard the words of my Holy Father and taken them to heart. I sincerely want to be that kind of priest.

However, I can only do this if the timeless truths of the Catholic faith are firmly defined and defended. The dogmas, doctrines and disciplines of the Catholic faith are the tools of my trade. They provide the rules for engagement, the playbook for the game, the map for the journey and the content for the mercy and compassion I wish to display. The historic teachings of the Catholic faith, founded on the teachings of Christ the Lord, revealed by divine inspiration and developed through the magisterium of the Catholic Church provide the method for my mercy, the content for my compassion and the only saving truths I have to share. "

  [ Image from http://www.abouttherosary.com]

Glorious St. Michael,
guardian and defender of the Church of Jesus Christ,
come to the assistance of His followers,
against whom the powers of hell are Unchained.
Guard with special care our Holy Father, the Pope, and our bishops, priests,
all our religious and lay people, and especially the children.
St. Michael, watch over us during life,
defend us against the assaults of the demon,
and assist us especially at the hour of death.
Help us achieve the happiness of beholding God face to face for all eternity. 
Amen.