Passing Off Lies as the Truth

That's what the LA Times is doing with this article:

Faithful, Yet Not Traditional Catholics
Doctrinal differences, social issues, scandals lead congregations away from church hierarchy.

Now, let that sink in a bit..."FAITHFUL, Yet Not Traditional CATHOLICS"

As you read the article, observe to whom these people are FAITHFUL:

Like Catholic priests everywhere, Bishop Peter Hickman dons a white tunic each Sunday to celebrate Mass in a sanctuary laden with incense and crosses.

"Marriage promotes growth," says Hickman, 50, who has fathered five children, been married three times and divorced twice. "People who've never been married have a hard time knowing themselves."

If marriage promotes growth, then multiple marriages must promote a superabundance of growth...

Here we have a man, unable to be FAITHFUL to his wife, (the first woman he married), who has taken up adulterous relationships twice (objectively speaking) and who pretends to be a Catholic priest. And we are to infer that he "knows" himself, while others do not. Probably from the growth of knowledge of multiple marriages.

An then, what are we to make of Jesus, who never married, or of those who followed Him, living a consecrated life of celibacy and virginity. We all know that Jesus was quite confused, having a "hard time knowing {Himself]"...And the Saints who lived lives of heroic virtue, in consecrated celibacy or virginity, lives of total self giving to God - did they, too, have a "hard time knowing themselves"?

The church he has pastored for more than 20 years, St. Matthew in Orange, operates much like any other Catholic church, and offers what appear to be the same sacraments. Yet it ordains female, married and openly gay priests, recognizes divorce, accepts birth control and premarital sex, blesses same-sex unions and, most important, rejects the authority of the pope.

It's a bit of a stretch - in fact, beyond belief - to claim that his church "operates much like any other Catholic church" - in actuality, it operates more like any other lost protestant denomination which engages in similar practices. It has no valid sacraments, save perhaps Baptism, and this is, no doubt, questionable.

"We dream of a Catholic Church that's open to everyone," Hickman said in a recent Sunday sermon. The Roman Catholic hierarchy, he said, "betrays the Gospel they are called to preach. We pray they will be delivered from the demonic hold they have been caught up in."

It's as if the poor man really doesn't understand - the Church IS open to everyone - everyone who wishes to follow Christ.

He may as well demand from God Almighty that He open heaven to all while He does away with hell. But then, maybe Hickman and company believe they are all gods. They have, after all, rejected Christ by rejecting the Church He founded and keeps alive, animated and protected by the Holy Spirit.

While he may have a point in that some in the Church hierarchy "betray the Gospel", one must wonder why he does not number himself among the betrayers? The Gospels are quite clear to some, but these who have exalted themselves as self-appointed arbitors of truth and authentic "Catholicism", have deceived themselves or have been deceived by the same demonic forces from which they claim to pray from deliverance.

"Our Catholic identity is very important to us," Hickman says, "but the Catholic Church no longer has a monopoly on sacraments." Speaking to his congregation, Hickman goes even further, saying the Roman church hierarchy has betrayed the Gospel.

Twice in the article we read about this betrayal. The LA Times must be trying to get that point across to the readers. But I digress.

If "Catholic identity" was as important as he claims it to be, then he would not be rejecting the Catholic Church. The only thing which is truly important to such people is the ability to abuse one's freedom, intellect and conscience. When one imbibes daily of the tasty poisons of schism. heresy, and apostacy, one cannot help but be affected and infected.

"Faithfulness"...what we read about in the article...This "faithfulness" is not a fidelity toward our Lord or to His Church, but is a sick and perverted love of self - a narcissism posing as something virtuous, a self-love which excludes truth and the grace of God.

St Louis is the home of one of the ECC communities. Recently, Marek Bozek (the exommunicated priest hired to "pastor" St Stanislaus Church) commented that what this group was doing was "very Catholic"...By their fruits you will know them, eh?