Rethink Archbishop Sheen

 You know, I really don't think Archbishop Sheen should ever be canonized. He was a great showman before Vatican II but in his old age he either really lost the plot or maybe he was just a company man all along and he moved with whatever the company said at any given time. His canonization process was probably disrupted due to spite and other bad reasons but we may have dodged a bullet here. Saint Fulton might have  been as embarrassing as Saint John Paul II, Saint Paul VI and Saint John Newman may turn out to be. Let's wait a few more decades and let a future pope and committee who aren't star struck, coolly examine the evidence for or against a canonization. 

an apology

 Years ago there was a blogger whom I thought of as the prophet of doom and overly dramatic on top of that.  I made it a point to avoid reading her because I found her to be so depressing. Well, 2020, happened and you know what? Everything that blogger predicted has come horribly true. Our courts, our governors, our universities, media and public intellectuals-- everything about them that Etherelda said would come to pass; has. Rest in peace, ma'am. You were right. 

The McCarrick Report has been released. Does anybody smell sulfur?

 I thought making JPII a saint was a mistake. I thought it was too soon and that it, like the canonization of Cardinal John Newman would come back to bite us all one day. Well, now I think the canonization was sabotage and the bite has officially started. The McCarrick Report is out today. People who have read it say that it  blames JPII and his right hand man, Cardinal Dziwisz.

The report is said to be somewhere between 400 to 600 pages which will be grim reading I'm sure.  Blaming the dead rock star pope and an 81 year old man, who let's face it, is closer to the grave than the cradle, is a masterstroke. 

You see, if Saint John Paul II, who apparently never listened to anybody who tried to tell him that Bishop So-and-So was bad news, gave McCarrick his power then it calls into question JPII's sanctity or at least, his wisdom. A seed of doubt has been sowed. Since JPII was wrong about McCarrick, what else was he wrong about? Many people see JPII as their linchpin. Catholics of my generation looked up to him as the holiest pope since Pope St. Pius X.  Discredit JPII and those people are going to be shaken. If you've ever been exasperated after reading Hilary White's rage against JPII and Benedict XVI for not satisfying her father hunger then get ready for more of the same but from all kinds of people including some of your friends and family members. 

The McCarrick Report allows Francis to say, "Hey it wasn't me. My holy predecessor trusted McCarrick so why shouldn't I have? I was misled." I think most people are going to react to the McCarrick Report the same way their parents and grandparents did when the Novus Ordo was forced on them in 1968-1970. They will sit in the pews for an hour on Sunday and that's it or they'll stop coming to Mass or they will conclude that we've all been misled and they will apostatize. 

Salve Regina

 

Random thoughts--warning I'm grouchy today

•  Well, the kidney stone has passed...… I feel humble, sore and tired. 
  
  
  
  
• So, is our republic mortally wounded? If it is, how long before most people notice?  
  
  
  
  
  
• Everyday I'm seeing a LOT of Catholics talking about going Orthodox. For various and erroneous  reasons people are saying that if Francis is a valid pope then the whole Catholic Faith must be wrong. They can't bring themselves to go full on Protestant and don't see any point in going to the Episcopalian play house so the Orthodox seem like a lifeboat. The Orthodox have beautiful churches that look like a peek into Heaven. They have priests who consistently look like men in public. They do not mock the pious. It all looks good from a distance.  Well, I can only say that you can go to an Orthodox church but you will never be Greek, Russian, Armenian, etc. To most of the parishioners you will  always that Catholic who showed up late and Heaven help you if you open your mouth to make a suggestion about parish life.  Check out Orthodox Twitter or forums or blogs and see what the folks in the pews really think about you. It's not sweetness and light. 
  
  
  
  
• Louie Verrechio at AKA Catholic is on fire lately. If you've ever distrusted Taylor Marshall because the man's positions have changed so many times or you suspect that he's Opus Dei or if you have not forgotten the Fisher Moore episode then you should read this new series.

Fear Nothing

 

Go to Confession

You might want to make that General Confession as soon as possible. 

The grocery situation and other random thoughts

•  The pope said nary a word on camera about the three people being murdered in the basilica in Nice, France. We not only have a bad pope, we have one who doesn't care one jot or tittle about his flock. I expected no better from him but it would have been a nice surprise if he could have managed to say something about that or if he refuses to comment on Europe he could have a least sent a polite, diplomatic word of condolence to the Catholics in Chile who have seen their churches desecrated. 
  
  
  
  
  
• Costco is not  allowing delivery in my area today because they're just overwhelmed with shoppers right now. I know it's the first of the month but this is not even the normal crush of people. All the folks who didn't stock up in the last few months have just realized that there will probably be riots after the Election and trying to pick up some eggs downtown might be more of an adventure that most folks are prepared for. At my mother's Costco the toilet paper and  paper towels are sold out. I wanted to get her some shelf stable milk but her brand is running low. I'll try tomorrow but I think I'll  also zip by the Spanish grocery and see if I can find some Nido Fortificado milk or cans of Media Crema.