THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: We are living in a very historic time. We have been warned, and many people believe we are already in the Chastisement of God prophetically foretold by Catholic saints and mystics in previous centuries. If indeed we are already in this Chastisement, it likely began in 1938 with the beginning of World War II and could last until 2038. The children of Fatima warned us that Our Lady foretold if the people did not repent, a greater war than World War I would follow, under the reign of Pope Pius XI, after a strange light in the night sky over Europe. On January 25th 1938, during the reign of Pope Pius XI, a solar storm produced an Aurora Borealis that was seen all over Europe and North America -- as far south as California in the United States. These lights were seen by Hitler himself and he took it as a "sign" to begin his war plans. On February 4th 1938, less than two weeks after the aurora was seen by the world, Hitler promoted himself to military chief in Germany. A month later he marched his army into Austria. This was one of the early aggressions that started World War II. At that point the Fatima prophecies cease to be conditional.
Did the Chastisement of God, foretold by our Catholic saints and mystics, begin in 1938? Is this the 75 to 100 year war of Satan against Christ's Church foretold by Pope Leo XIII in 1884, exactly 33 years before the Fatima apparitions? If indeed 1938 was the starting point, than the end point would be anywhere between 2013 and 2038. It is the last portion of this Chastisement (particularly the last four and a half years) which is prophesied to be the most bloody and the most terrifying. If the prophecies are accurate, this period will conclude with a cleansing of the Church, the fall of a good pope, the rise of a great pope in his place, and the coronation of a great Christian monarch in Europe that will mark the end of multiculturalism and secular republics. France is prophesied to produce this monarch.
As we look at the world around us it appears that many of the events that seemed so impossible in generations past are now becoming more of a plausibility. The three secrets of Fatima underscored a theme of apostasy for Europe. That has already occurred, as Europeans turned away from Christianity in record numbers after World War II. The whole continent is now "post-Christian." As a result, Europe is now falling to Islam in a cultural sense. Europe had already been plagued by Marxists for the last century. A Muslim-Marxist nexus seems inevitable now. The riotous events and civil wars now unfolding in the Islamic nations of North Africa and the Middle East mark the beginning of a new popular Islamic era that is sure to become increasingly unfriendly to the Western world. The multiculturalism in France, and other European nations, combined with the lack of Christian faith that swept the continent since World War II, is spawning a new wave of conservative nationalism, forcing European leaders in France, Germany and Britain to admit that multiculturalism is a complete failure. While we must say that recognition of the problem is a step in the right direction, we must also acknowledge that it's too little too late, and the events unfolding have reached the irreversible state. All of Europe will soon be plunged into civil war, likely to occur anytime within the next two decades, and the outcome will change the course of world history.
As for North America, particularly the United States, Canada and Mexico, there is only one defense. The only thing standing between us an a fate similar to Europe is a healthy and robust Christianity. Our governments need to stop attacking the values of our Christian faith, and our people need to turn back to Christianity in large numbers. This is the U.S. Catholic Church's grand opportunity to seize the moment and reclaim the majority of America's secular population for Rome. Sadly we don't see much effort in this regard coming from the general Roman Rite. Hopefully, with the grace of God, the emerging Anglican ordinariates in North America will do their part to pick up the slack. If they don't, or if the general Roman Rite doesn't awaken from it's long slumber, the United States and Canada may soon be facing a similar fate as Europe.
St. John of God, Patron of Publishers Pray for us!
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: On January 21st, 2011 the Missouri Catholic Conference Messenger ran a number of articles outlining it's case against the Missouri Jobs Act, otherwise known as the "Missouri Fair Tax." This series of articles was very condemning of the measure, creating the illusion that the legislation harmed the poor and opposed the social teachings of the Catholic Church. Catholic Missourians reading the articles were likely to walk away with the notion that one cannot support the measure and still remain a Catholic in good standing with the Church. To make matters worse, the Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) cites as it's board of directors the Catholic bishops of the State of Missouri (Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, Bishop Edward Rice, Bishop John R. Gaydos, Bishop James V. Johnston and Bishop Robert W. Finn). The "Messenger" claims to write on behalf of the MCC and as a voice for Missouri's Catholic bishops.
There were two things I found particularly disturbing about this. The first was the way the articles were written. They left the reader with the impression that there was no redeeming quality to the Missouri Jobs Act, thus giving the reader the false impression that one cannot support it and remain a good Catholic. The second was that the lead article was written by a person who may not necessarily have the best interests in mind for Missouri's Catholic bishops or the Catholic Church's social teaching in general.
Amy Blouin
Amy Blouin is the Founder and Executive Director of the Missouri Budget Project which David Catanese of KY3 News in Springfield Missouri described as a "liberal leaning" organization. Ironically, she is the former Director of Advocacy for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2001 to 2003. While she doesn't appear to be working within the internal structures of the Catholic Church anymore, she apparently still has connections with the MCC and the "Messenger."
A snapshot of Rep. Oxford's blog taken on 3/8/2011 Click Image To Enlarge
While it is difficult to discern Blouin's personal political leanings with a brief search on the Internet, we can learn a lot about somebody from the things she says and the people she associates with. Blouin's father, who was a Democratic Congressman in Iowa and ran for Governor in 2006, was listed as having a significant influence on her life in an interview with the St. Louis Business Journal in 2008. Blouin also listed her husband, Joe Squillace who teaches as an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Social Work, as a significant influence who encouraged her to start the Missouri Budget Project. Background aside, what is revealing about Amy Blouin and Joe Squillace is their apparent connection to Democratic Missouri Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford - the first open lesbian elected to the Missouri Legislature. Representative Oxford is pro-abortion, and in 2010 received a "Pro-Choice" grade from NARAL. Oxford also appears to be a supporter of same-sex unions. The connection between Oxford and Blouin comes from a post on Oxford's own Internet blog dated July 14, 2006 in which she claimed a fundraising Party at Amy Blouin and Joe Squillace's home for her reelection would be held on Thursday, July 27, 2006 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and would be co-hosted by "Amy and Joe."
Assuming this information from the State Congresswoman is accurate, and we have no reason to believe it isn't, it would appear that Amy Blouin has no problem actively supporting (even hosting fundraisers) for political candidates who oppose the Church's most basic social teachings against abortion and gay-marriage. This gives us some background context for Mrs. Blouin's article in the "Messenger."
Before I dig into the article, and Mrs. Blouin's consistently left-wing bias on many issues she speaks to on behalf of the Missouri Budget Project, I would like to ask some questions. Why is this person writing articles for the Missouri Catholic Conference? Do the bishops on the MCC's Board of Directors approve of people writing opinion articles on their behalf, who think so little of the Church's teaching against gay-marriage and abortion, and doing so in a newspaper that reports to speak for them? If Amy Blouin demonstrated such egregious lack of judgment, as to support and fund raise for an open lesbian candidate who supports the murder of innocent unborn children, why would the bishops of the MCC trust her judgment on any lesser social issue? Let alone, why would they let her speak for them on it? Furthermore, what has become of the "Missouri Catholic Conference Messenger?" Is it nothing more than a soapbox for Left-wing activists promoting their agenda under the cloak of episcopal representation? Is this how Missouri's Catholic bishops want to be represented?
Now while The Catholic Knight does not personally know the minds of the bishops of the MCC, I have been able to ascertain from their writings, statements and homilies that they are not men who would likely condone this. I am left with the impression that the bishops of the MCC may not know (or may not have been fully informed) of the issue at hand, and the type of representation they got in Amy Blouin's article. I suspect they may actually be misinformed by those running the MCC "Messenger." I admit this is just an opinion on my part, but based on the evidence I've just presented above, I think it's a fair assumption. In light of this, the bishops of the MCC may want to revisit this issue and perhaps investigate the way things are being run by the administrative staff of the MCC with particular attention to the kind of message that is being printed in the "Messenger." Furthermore, to address the damage that may have been done to the conscience of Missouri's Catholics, the bishops might want to consider some form of statement, or press release, that addresses the matter directly. These are just my humble suggestions, for as it stands right now, thanks to the January 21st edition of the Messenger, it would be fair to assume that a large number of Missouri Catholics are under the impression that they can't be good Catholics and support the Missouri Jobs Act at the same time. This impression almost appears to bear the seal of Missouri's Catholic bishops, or at least that's the notion that was created by the Messenger.
Another notion created by the Messenger is the idea that matters of economics and taxation trump the Church's social message of abortion and same-sex marriage. This message was created by giving Amy Blouin such a prominent position in the newspaper. Her apparent support and fund raising for a pro-abortion lesbian candidate is scandalous to say the least, especially when she is placed in a position to speak for the bishops in their own newspaper. One can only wonder how many Missouri Catholics now think fiscal matters and taxation are more important than abortion and family. Again, this is another issue the bishops of the MCC may want to publicly address.
All that aside, let's get down to the nitty gritty of the topic at hand. The subject of the article written by Blouin was about the Missouri Jobs Act, sometimes referred to loosely as the "Missouri Fair Tax." Other articles written by different columnists followed - all of them negative. Now the MCC opposes the Missouri Jobs Act, and Amy Blouin's article was used to back their position. How much Blouin's article influenced the MCC is not clear, but it is certain the MCC is using articles written by this Left-leaning activist to bolster their position.
With all of the pressing social issues that surround us today, one would think Catholic newspapers would be preoccupied with addressing the big three - Life, Family and School Choice. Certainly the Wisconsin bishops have wisely decided to stay neutral in the ongoing dispute between labor unions and state budget cuts. To clarify the Wisconsin bishops' stand on the ongoing labor/budget dispute, Bishop Morlino of the Diocese of Madison issued the following statement...
...The teaching of the Church allows for persons of good will to disagree as to which horn of this dilemma should be chosen, because there would be reasonable justification available for either alternative. (This is unlike the case of abortion or euthanasia, for which reason can offer absolutely no justification in terms of the killing of an innocent victim.)...
This was a wise move indeed, as these bishops know full well that Catholics can hold to good-faith positions on both sides of the issue. Pope Benedict recently pointed out that the pressing issues facing modern civilization can be summarized as the...
"protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception to natural death; recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family -- as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage -- and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its de-stabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role, and the protection of the right of parents to educate their children."
- (Pope Benedict XVI, March 30, 2006).
In a society where literally none of these big three necessities are met, one would think Catholic newspapers would focus on them with the full intensity of a red-hot laser beam, shuffling the other issues (such as budgets, taxes, government spending, etc.) to a secondary status.
Not so with the Missouri Catholic Conference Messenger, which for 2011 seems to have decided to put the issue of state taxes at the top of the list. Now Missouri is not like the West Coast or New England states with crushing state income and property taxes that burden families. In fact, Missouri ranks about middle of the road in income and property taxes in comparison to the rest of the country. The Missouri legislature is not contemplating a tax hike that threatens families either. No, what the Missouri state legislature is contemplating is a complete change in THE WAY it collects taxes. The Missouri Jobs Act is Missouri's version of the increasingly popular nationwide Fair Tax proposal. The measure is designed to attract jobs to the state of Missouri, which in the end is the greatest form of social justice and option for the poor in a depressed economy facing a "jobless recovery." Across the nation, economists of all stripes have pointed out that legislation of this kind would indeed attract business and grow the economy.
Here's how it works. All current state income, capital gains and sales taxes are completely eliminated. In exchange, the state implements a low state-wide sales tax on all newretail goods and services, gradually phased in over five years. There is no tax on the sale of used goods, income, investments or savings. The plan assures the changes will be revenue neutral for the state and local communities in each year of transition and allows revenue to grow as the state and local economies grow. Now before we go on let's review...
All current state income, capital gains and sales taxes are completely eliminated.
These are replaced with a single state-wide retail sales tax, onnewretail goods and services that is phased in over five years.
No used goods, income, investments or savings are taxed.
Now of course, any good Catholic should ask the question "what about the poor?" Yes, that's a good question. How are we to insure that the poor do not pay the same sales tax rate as the rich on the basic necessities they need to survive and thrive in Missouri's economy? This issue is specifically addressed with a sales tax prebate that is paid out to all Missouri citizens, compensating them fully for all taxes paid on basic retail necessities based on the poverty line. That means nobody in extreme poverty pays retail sales taxes, reducing the retail sales tax rate for the average Missourian in extreme poverty to zero percent (0%). This is because people in extreme poverty obviously can't buy as much retail goods to begin with. The prebate insures that when they do buy retail goods (or have to buy retail goods) they will pay no state sales tax on those goods. Those who buy more retail goods will obviously pay a slightly higher average percentage (1%, 2%, 3%, etc.) when averaged out with the prebate, depending on how much they spend. It is an established fact that people who make more money tend to spend more money. Those who make the most money, will obviously spend the most money, and those people will in turn pay the highest average percentage of retail sales tax. No income tracking mechanism is needed because the percentages average out on their own based on the prebate and how much you spend. If you spend below the poverty line you pay 0%. If you only spend a little above that, your average sales tax might be around 1% or less. If you spend a little more, it may go up to 2%, all by itself, based on averages, because everyone is reimbursed with a prebate based on the poverty line. What makes this system unique is that it requires considerably less money to operate, as the collection system is already in place at every cash register in the state. It's no different than collecting the state sales tax already collected at Missouri's cash registers....
So now the most commonly asked questions follow...
Is this system perfect? The answer is no. That's because no system is perfect.
Is this system impossible to cheat? Again, the answer is no. There are ways to cheat the system, but then there are even more ways to cheat the current income and sales tax system already in place in Missouri. Besides, this new system will eliminate far more cheating than that, in the sense that people who currently don't pay Missouri taxes (criminals, illegal aliens, people who are paid "under the table") will now pay Missouri taxes every time they buy something at the cash register.
Is the system absolutely and perfectly fair? No. That's because no system of taxation is absolutely and perfectly fair, but in many ways it's a lot more fair and reasonable than the current system.
Is this system better than the current system? Now that's up for debate. A lot of it depends on how you look at at. The truth is nobody really knows the answer, because nothing like this has ever been implemented anywhere in the world before. It is truly a unique and different idea that has yet to be tried. Now this idea is growing in popularity, and in time somebody will try it. It may be another U.S. state, or it may be a completely different country, but somebody somewhere is going to try this eventually. When they do there is a very strong likelihood that state or country is going to experience some economic growth and an increase in jobs. So the question is should Missouri be the first to try it? That is the question before the Missouri state legislature now. It's a question that should get a fair hearing and does not deserve to be crushed prematurely by rogue episcopal newspapers leaving Missouri Catholics with the false impression that no good Catholic can support this.
The Catholic Knight holds to the position that issues of taxes and economics are secondary compared to the far more pressing social issues of abortion and gay-marriage. I think I'm in good company, as the pope holds to a similar point of view. That being said, I am certain that good Catholics can hold good-faith positions on both sides of the Missouri Jobs Act. This is an issue that should be up for healthy debate in which Catholics are free to support or oppose without feeling bullied by rogue newspapers claiming episcopal representation.
Now there are a few issues that are of direct concern to Catholics, which I will attempt to address fairly here. The first has to do with the accusation that Catholic parents would be forced to pay sales tax on the tuition for Catholic schools. This accusation is completely false according to Carl Bearden, the Executive Director of United For Missouri, who points out that under the current legislation proposed no charitable organization will be made to collect the sales tax and no taxes will be collected on any level of education. Meanwhile, the Messenger painted a completely different picture, leading readers to believe churches and religious schools would be taxed. This is misleading.
The Messenger also leads readers to believe that the poor would be taxed disproportionately. As pointed out above, this is simply not the case, as the extremely poor would pay no tax at all, and those who spend at levels just above that would pay an extremely low average sales tax, compared to people with higher incomes and spending, once the prebate is factored in. Also as pointed out above, the legislation rewards thrift. So people who shop at second hand stores, garage sales, swap meets, flea markets, and so on will not pay any state sales tax whatsoever. The legislation encourages the poor to save their money by buying second hand items whenever possible. Once again, the Messenger gets it wrong and misleads readers into false information about the bill.
As I pointed out above, churches and private charities will pay no taxes under the current form of the bill. In Tennessee, which has no state income tax, charitable giving is much higher than Missouri, even though Missouri has a specific income tax deduction for charitable giving. In other words, Tennessee Catholic parishes are collecting more tithes per family than Missouri parishes. Yet the Messenger would have you believe churches will lose money under the Missouri Jobs Act. Once again we have misleading information from the Messenger.
Finally, the Messenger paints the picture that Missouri's public services will suffer under the proposed legislation, that revenue will be cut, and there simply won't be enough money to go around anymore. Well, that's a pretty bold assumption when you consider that not even the State Auditor Tom Schweich could make such a claim. Schweich admitted that the cost or savings to the state could not be determined at this time. However, we can look at other nearby states that have eliminated their income tax in favor of a sales tax, and what we see is that indeed these states do have the necessary revenue to keep their public services operational and sufficiently funded. Proponents of the Missouri Jobs Act never claimed it was a panacea to solve all of Missouri's financial woes. What they claim is that the legislation will simplify the tax code, eliminate the need for Missourians to report their income to the state, attract more jobs to the state, and be just as fair to the poor as the current system if not more so.
Yes, Missouri Catholics CAN support the Fair Tax. They can also choose not to support it. It's a matter for an informed conscience and open debate. Catholics can hold good-faith positions on both sides of the issue, and still be good Catholics in good standing with the Church, and I dare say remain in good standing with the Catholic bishops of Missouri. Again, it would be helpful if Missouri's bishops would publicly address this issue themselves, since the MCC has already seen fit to address it for them in such a troubling and confusing way. Until then I want to encourage my fellow Catholic Missourians to get both sides of the story, look into this matter carefully, and not be bullied by rogue Catholic newspaper columnists who claim to be speaking for the bishops of Missouri. But you don't need to take my word for it. If you want to know what your bishop really thinks, write him a letter and just ask. "Dear Bishop, Is it possible for a Catholic to hold a good faith position on either side of the debate surrounding the Missouri Jobs Act?" The Catholic Knight says "yes," while the Messenger seems to say "no." Maybe it's time for Missouri's Catholic bishops to research both sides of the debate and speak for themselves on the matter.
(WND) - The real U.S. unemployment rate may be 22.1 percent for February 2011, not the 8.9 percent reported by the government, according to economist John Williams, author of the "Shadow Government Statistics" website, who has argued for years that the federal government manipulates the reporting of economic data for political purposes.
The government announced today the unemployment rate was reported to have fallen 0.1 percent to 8.9 percent in February 2011, although that is the "seasonally adjusted number."
According to Bureau of Labor Statistics Table A15, the "not seasonally adjusted" unemployment number for February 2011 was 9.5 percent...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I had nothing better to do today so I spent the greater part of the morning watching the financial channels on cable. I also pulled down some more information from the Internet, and of course my suspicions were confirmed. We, the American people, are being LIED to yet again. (No surprise there eh?) It would seem the U.S. government is trying to talk its way out of recession again, by giving us artificial unemployment numbers. Of course the stock market reacted immediately with a 200 point jump on the Dow Jones. However that was short lived with a 150 point drop today. All over the financial channels the cover story is: "recovery, Recovery, RECOVERY!" but when you listen carefully there is a subtle admission in all of the prognosticators' optimism, and that is fear that this "recovery" may be immediately stunted by rising oil prices and austerity measures among broke state governments that will likely result in massive layoffs of state employees.
All the while, the real unemployment numbers remain hidden to those simply surfing the financial channels, but for those with nothing better to do today (like yours truly), sitting through the long stories reveals another subtle admission that real unemployment is actually a lot higher than what the government is reporting.
Here's the deal. The government has been fudging the unemployment numbers ever since this recession started. They do this by not counting those unemployed individuals who are discouraged and no longer looking for work. So to put it bluntly, once you go onto the welfare list the government takes you off the unemployment list. (Nice little trick eh?) So the actual unemployment rate is significantly higher than the reported unemployment rate. Okay, so what is the actual unemployment rate? At the moment, it's right around 22%. That doesn't sound like an economic recovery to me.
(Catholic Herald) - A weakening of faith in God, a rise in selfishness and a drop in the number of people going to Mass can be traced to liturgical abuse or Masses that are not reverent, two Vatican cardinals and a consultant have said.
US Cardinal Raymond Burke, head of the Vatican’s supreme court, said: “If we err by thinking we are the centre of the liturgy, the Mass will lead to a loss of faith.”
Cardinal Burke and Spanish Cardinal Antonio Cañizares Llovera, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, spoke yesterday at a book launch in Rome.
The book, published only in Italian, was written by Fr Nicola Bux, who serves as a consultant to the congregations for the doctrine of the faith and for saints’ causes and to the office in charge of papal liturgies.
The English translation of Fr Bux’s book title would be, How to Go to Mass and Not Lose Your Faith...
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Hate to say I told ya so, (well actually I love to say it), but I told ya so!!!Lex Orandi Lex Credendi, or "The Law of Prayer is the Law of Faith." A watered-down banal liturgy produces a watered-down boring faith which in the end results in a lack of faith entirely. Liturgical innovations (i.e. "abuses") only exacerbate the problem. If local Catholic parishes want to energize youth and revitalize parishioners than there is only one way to do it, and that is to bring back the old customs and start celebrating the liturgy with cheerful reverence. Seriously! Pastors listen up. I'm as serious as a heart attack here. If you want to breathe new life into your parish, this is how you do it...
Arrange the altar and liturgical furniture in the most reverent way possible, bringing attention to the altar as the center of attention, with the tabernacle in a central location (if physically possible).
Place a crucifix at the center of the altar so that the priest is always facing Christ, and arrange the altar candles symmetrically on either side of the crucifix, so that the crucifix on the altar becomes the symmetrical center of attention in the chapel. (Again, having the tabernacle centrally located aids in this process as well.)
Once the furniture is arranged properly, make provision for the people to kneel for communion using movable kneeler benches if no altar rail is available. (Prepare your congregation for this in the homilies leading up to the transition.)
Consider the logistics of celebrating the mass ad orientem in your chapel. Is it possible? Is it practical? If so, how could you make it happen? It's not always necessary, but it certainly does help in adding a feeling of reverence to the mass. The symbolism of the ad orientem posture is magnificent as well. (If you decide to use it, be sure to prepare your congregation for this in the homilies leading up to the transition.)
The last preparation that is needed is for your altar servers. First, change the rules in your parish to reflect the following. Your altar servers are going to get a whole lot more involved, so make it a new rule that your altar servers must be males over the age of 16. Younger children (male or female) may only serve as torch bearers and collectors for the offering. All persons assisting should be coordinated with the same type and color of vestment. If girls are assisting the vestment should be a white (or off white) alb. If girls are not assisting the vestment may be a cassock (usually black) with a white surplice. There is considerable controversy over the use of girls assisting in the mass. Ideally, all person assisting should be male. However, in those cases where it is too difficult to eliminate girls assisting because of a long standing parish tradition, changing the rules to only allow males over the age of 16 to directly assist at the altar should be a sufficient compromise for the time being. These changes are absolutely necessary in order to make the necessary liturgical adjustments to follow.
Make your new altar servers study the rubrics of the old Latin mass for altar servers. This will serve as a foundation for the changes to be made in your celebration of the new vernacular mass. In everywhere permissible by the GIRM, implement these traditional elements into the altar servers' duties. These will be done by the men over 16 years of age only.
Instruct your choir to learn traditional Catholic music from Gregorian chant to traditional hymns. These will be integrated into the liturgy and most especially all psalms will be chanted during the liturgy. Plainchant may be used for the responsorial psalm so that the congregation can more easily participate.
In all things careful attention must be paid to the GIRM, and as a general rule, where the GIRM is silent, ancient tradition (rather than modern innovation) should prevail.
Use incense -- FREQUENTLY -- especially on Sundays. If members of your congregation complain, it's because they're not used to it. Smelling incense is part of being Catholic. If it bothers their allergies, tell them to sit away from the altar and center isle. (As a person with severe asthma and allergies, I can personally testify that incense is NOT a threat to my health. I find that when taken in through the nose, as opposed to the mouth, it is not irritating to my airways at all. In contrast, cigarette smoke puts me into a full blown bronchospasm that can be life threatening if not treated. My point here is that I'm at far greater risk entering a common restaurant than a Catholic mass using incense.) Be Catholic already, and help your parishioners experience the fullness of their Catholic faith.
When the time for communion comes, stand behind the mobile kneeler, or altar rail, and let your parishioners make the first move, keeping your altar server with paten ready. Those that want to kneel will kneel, and you can administer on the tongue. Those that want to stand will stand and will reach out with their hand. Should they choose to stand, make sure they bow beforehand. Of course you could simply require (as a parish rule) that all parishioners receive on the tongue while kneeling (if able) but that is your prerogative. If you have sufficiently explained things ahead of time, and stand strategically behind the kneeler (or altar rail) you will find that most parishioners will voluntarily kneel and open their mouths.
Now I'm going to make a bet with you pastors out there. I'm willing to bet that within one year after making these above recommended changes, and celebrating this way with both cheer and reverence, you will see in increase in mass attendance. To make good on my bet, I'm giving the comments section over to you. If you are a priest, and you have implemented these changes above, tell us about your experience. Did they increase your mass attendance over time (within a year)? Do your parishioners show a greater level of reverence and devotion now? Has the spiritual life of the parish improved? If so, how?
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: A reader recently emailed an idea to me that I just had to share with the rest of my readers. Now this is sure to be a controversial concept, especially to readers of this blog, but before giving in to a visceral gut reaction, read the whole article and hear me out.
We are all familiar with the Leftist fear of Muslims and Jews. We know Leftist Liberals in the West will not dare attack Muslims or Orthodox Jews for their views on abortion, gay-marriage and religious rights. We know Leftists fear that Jews will sue them and Muslims will (well let's just say they might not take kindly to such attacks on their religion). So Leftists instead pick on Christians, particularly Catholics, because they know whatever fight they get from Christians will be muted if they even get a fight at all. This is because for the last forty years Christianity, including the Catholic Church, has taken a defensive posture in society, and Christians are more apt to complain about wrongs committed against them than do anything about it. In fact, the martyrdom tendency within Christian circles almost assures the Left that they can get away with any attack on Christianity with virtually no consequences.
Well, enough is enough. The Catholic Knight is proposing an alliance that will surly be unsettling to any Leftist reading this blog. Western Muslims frequently claim that they are misunderstood and do not share the radical beliefs of Islamists. In fact, the separation of the words "Muslim" and "Islamist" is evidence that there are large Muslim groups who want nothing to do with the extremism popularized on the news. Simultaneously, Orthodox Jews are almost always on the defensive against anti-Semitism. Both groups claim they would gladly work with Christians to overcome harmful stereotypes if only Christians would work with them. That being said, allow me to propose an unexpected alliance that is sure to scare the pee out of every Leftist in the Western world.
The Catholic Knight proposes the "Children Of Abraham Alliance" or COAA.
Now before you get all bend out of shape, don't think for one second The Catholic Knight is proposing some kind of ecumenical syncretistsociety. You should know me better than that. No, the nature of this proposed alliance is 100% secular, having no doctrinal or religious dialogue other than how our respective faith morals should relate to the secular world. The idea is to create a kind of NATO umbrella organization, in which an attack on one is an attack on all, kind of system. When the moral values of one religious system are attacked by the Left, the other two spring into action, defending the moral values each holds dear. Of course, any type of a COAA would have to agree in advance what sort of moral values all three major religions have in common, and it would be these values alone the COAA would act upon.
Here is how it would work. Suppose an offensive city ordinance, like the anti-Catholic resolution in San Francisco for example, is passed by a city council. The ordinance is a direct attack on the Catholic Church's teaching against homosexuality. The local bishop puts a word out to his lawyers, the Catholic League and the COAA. Within hours a press release is issued from the local chief rabbi and the head imam in the city, announcing that such an attack on one Abrahamic religion is an attack on all Abrahamic religions and each groups lawyers will rally to the side of the religion that has been attacked. Then a few days later the protests begin, consisting of Catholics, Muslims and Jews protesting the assault on one which is an assault on all.
The concept behind this is there is strength in numbers but it's more than that. Leftists are cowards at heart. They will not dare attack the religious moral values of Jews and Muslims for fear of legal blow back and enraged public demonstrations. Catholics on the other hand, have a good record on defending the rights of others, but a very poor record on defending our own rights. The creation of the COAA would give Catholics the opportunity to do what we do best, which is defend the rights of others in need. Simultaneously, it would also give us some much needed legal and demonstration assistance in defending our own rights. This is not to mention that it would probably scare the hell out of every liberal Leftist from coast to coast. That alone is enough to make it all worth while. I ask you to consider this proposal and think it over carefully before posting your response below.
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The problem with so-called "Liberalism" or "Progressivism" is that at it's heart there is nothing really "liberal" or "progressive" about it. What it really amounts to is a bunch of Leftist ideas that if given free reign will result in the oppression and downright persecution of literally ANYONE who dares to speak out against it. In the above video Michael Voris has gone to Manilla to assist the Catholic Church in opposing a pro-contraception law that once implemented would effectively jail anyone who publicly opposes it. So you say, "Sir Knight, this is another country, what does that have to do with us in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe?" Actually, it has a lot to do with us, because you see one of the main organizations that is sponsoring the anti-free-speech contraception bill is none other than "Planned Parenthood."
As a child growing up in the public schools of Southern California, I remember getting "the talk" in our sixth grade classroom. First our principle came in and explained the mechanics of sexual relations, then another person was introduced to us, a female representing Planned Parenthood. At this point we got another "talk" about how to prevent babies and other problems using so-called "safe sex" contraception devices. The point of this anecdotal story is to point out just how deeply organizations like Planned Parenthood are wrapped up into our public educational system like an octopus. For children in public schools, there is literally no escape. Indoctrination comes at a very early stage in the United States, and based on Planned Parenthood's support of this contraception bill in the Philippines, it would appear that if they could have their way, they would crush all written or verbal opposition to such things (including this blog) using the full force of the government.
We shouldn't be surprised really. That is, after all, the nature of Leftists. Their greatest enemy is free speech. Their greatest opposition to imposing their ideological agenda is free speech. So long as people are allowed to protest their intentions, their agenda will be hampered, and in the Leftist mindset the ends always justify the means.
That's why we shouldn't be surprised when Leftist organizations, such as Planned Parenthood for example, would have no problem supporting a bill that would effectively jail every member of the Catholic clergy in an entire nation. That's why we shouldn't be surprised when they would support a bill that would (if enacted) effectively shut down every newspaper, blog and magazine that opposes the bill within that same country. That's why we shouldn't be surprised when they use whatever legal means available to them to try to prosecute anyone and everyone who dares to expose this evil organization for what it truly is. It isn't just about Planned Parenthood though. There are plenty of other Leftist organizations, many of them stationed right here in the United States, that are just as radical and would gladly do whatever they can to shut down free speech in as many nations as possible.
That is the nature of "Liberalism" or "Progressivism" That is what it's all about when you really get down to it. "The ends justify the means, and do whatever it takes to get the agenda enacted." There is really nothing "liberal" or "progressive" about it at all, but then, that shouldn't be a surprise either. Leftists willingly embrace those labels because they effectively mask who and what they really are, giving them the cover they need to go about their business virtually undetected.
