EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF

A ship of fools is oblivious to danger... There are people who are satisfied with something that sounds good or familiar or simply because they hear a Christian vocabulary used. Taking words from our religion and changing their meanings can have the outward appearance of being Catholic, when in fact we are dealing with an entirely different religion. This makes the slip into apostasy gentle and painless. (Rick Kephart)

When a ship is in trouble ---> "Every Man for Himself!"

This is the last page of a secular website, where 4327 banned publications are listed on 433 pages. Valtorta was not even included in their data base. Yet Valtorta’s book, “The Poem of the Man God” was banned 6 times by the Vatican. This is an indication of just how many books were actually banned by the Holy See since the invention of the printing press.

The task of banning heretical books would have mushroomed into an impossible task during the last century. It is no wonder the Holy See abandoned issuing them. Imprimatur poses similar difficulties, since imprimatur can be obtained illegally, as was the case with the Valtorta books, besides not all bishops are trustworthy. The Fr Gobbi books have several imprimaturs.

In other words, proceed at your own risk whether it’s going to mass or to retreats or to reading a book.


Because there is a bishop in this picture,


Because the St. Benedict Sisters in Grand Terrace, CA offer workshops in the “Labyrinth of Contemplation” to put you in control of your life,


And because Father Gobbi’s false locutions are promoted without restraint.

Charismatics often accuse me for being "more Catholic than the Pope" or being my own Magisterium and all that for condemning a movement they fallaciously believe have been backed by three popes. When links to my blog get posted on Catholic community forums, the fundamentalist obedience crowd quickly dispatches its ever ready representatives to defend the Charismatic Movement. As one obedience warrior summed it up “My warning signs go up whenever someone takes it on themselves, in place of the local bishop or holy see, to condemn a belief as heretical”. But I wonder... where were his warning signs when the bishops allowed to demolish the sanctuaries, denied the faithful the Classic Rite, wracked the Novus Ordo with novelties, disregarded every attempt by the Popes to restrain the proliferation of liturgical abuse, promoted reckless ecumenism, and failed to defend the innocent from sexual predators? Most bishops are no longer shepherds of their flock; they no longer guard the faith or the faithful; they have become CEOs of their diocese. But charismatics like that, they tend to reject discerning bishops, like the late Bishop Zanic and Bishop Petric of Medjugorje. Instead they favor the "bad boys", the type of bishop who promotes disorder and immorality. They look to the Browns' and the Mahonys' and the Niederauers! And why not? These guys don't talk about hell, they have been vaccinated with political correctness; they mistreat orthodox Catholics and placate heretic dissenters.

The president of Les Femmes asks “Must Catholics blindly obey a bishop’s every decree if they want to be obedient to God’s will? Some critics say yes. They tell me one may NEVER criticize a bishop or priest, that loving your bishop requires obeying him in all things. Since I take all criticism seriously, I always do my best to weigh a person’s judgment in the light of the Holy Spirit. Here’s how I see it.

First of all, every Catholic has an absolute obligation to honor and obey God – not in a grudging or fatalistic way – “Darn! I hate God’s laws. They spoil my fun, but I better obey or else.” No, no, no! Our obedience should be eager like a drowning man gasping for air! “I gasp with open mouth in my yearning for your commands.… My eyes shed streams of tears because your law has not been kept.” (Psalm 119) If I have the psalmist’s attitude, truly God’s decrees will be “my delight.” It’s what God wants and what Mary’s fiat teaches us.

God transmits his law through the sacred Deposit of the Faith protected by Holy Mother Church. He never hides his will. It is clearly outlined in Scripture, the catechism, the writings of the Church Fathers, the councils (note the plural, there were councils before Vatican II), the encyclicals, etc. Obedience to God is easy if you love Him and love the Church.

But things get sticky when those with the authority to “teach, govern, and sanctify” can’t be trusted. Trust is closely linked to obedience. To trust someone you need to know he desires your good, tells the truth, is consistent and reliable, and never betrays your confidence. Unfortunately, many bishops don’t qualify. They allow heresy in our churches and schools, rewrite the past if it suits them, are inconsistent in their treatment of the faithful (and priests), vilify the orthodox while pampering dissenters, and betray us in too many ways (emphasis mine) to list in a short column. You would have to be a fool to trust them. The rising list of abuse victims testifies to the cost of blind trust.

So if you can’t trust your bishop what do you do? Pray for him, of course! Every Catholic should make praying for the bishop and his staff a top priority. Every Mass, every rosary, every holy hour should include prayers for the bishop. No child is ever justified in cutting himself off from a relationship with his earthly father and the same holds true for our spiritual fathers.

Second, prayerfully discern how God wants you to respond to problems in your diocese. When you feel righteous anger, a good first strategy is to take a deep breath (“Come, Holy Spirit”) and say a Hail Mary. Then put on the armor of God along with a big smile and a soft voice. Justified anger is too easy to blow off when it’s expressed with hostility or yelling. Besides, St. Paul tells us, “Love is patient; love is kind…love is never rude.” He doesn’t, however, say love is blindly obedient.” @