I am perplexed. Some of my blogging confreres are a in such a tizzy over the latest missive from the baron of bombast, the kaiser of choleric, Michael Voris. (Apologies to Bill Donohue)
Voris, about whom I am conflicted, did his daily soliloquy on the topic of a letter by Global Warming Inc. requesting that pastors devote the Easter Sunday homily to the topic of Earth Day.
Voris pointed out that global warming is a scam (check) by the forces of population control (check) to encourage people to contracept and abort their way to a greener planet (check).
Voris noted that all of this is in direct contradiction to the teaching of the Church. Check again. He goes on to say that Catholics should abandon a Church that promotes such anti-Christian nonsense for the simple reason that this Church is not Catholic in any meaningful way.
He is, of course, right on all counts. But it is his suggested remedy that has unleashed the Catholic blogoshpere’s ever ready desire to scold.
Voris suggested that if one hears a homily about Earth Day on Easter, that you should forgo the collection plate and resign from the Parish on Monday.
Even the hyperbolic suggestion of such incivility has given some bloggers the vapors.
Voris makes the case that any local Church that embraces such anti-life and anti-Catholic tomfoolery, especially on Easter Sunday, has probably lost its Catholicity. His conclusion may be questionable, but I think he at least has a point.
I am particularly amused by bloggers who make frequent use of hyperbole as a rhetorical cattle-prod are now so overcome with the brazenness of it all. One even used the hyperbolic and very misleading title “Did Michael Voris Instruct Catholics to Leave the Church?” as a launching point to discuss Voris’ incivility. Apparently incivility is ok when deriding the uncivil. One day I will write the best-selling “Irony for Dummies”.
While I do not entirely embrace Mr. Voris’ remedy, I think he makes some really valid points. So what is all the hubbub about? Mark Shea accuses him of delusions that he is a Bishop. Mark makes a larger point about avoiding talking heads who think they are the arbiter of all things Catholic with which I generally agree, but I don’t really see how Voris is supposed to be delusionally usurping the role of Bishop. I don’t think he is.
Voris says that if your priest talks to you about global warming on the holiest day of the year instead of our resurrected Savior that your parish is likely so far gone that you should run, not walk, to an orthodox parish. What is so wrong about that?
When I ran into such craziness at my parish, the diocesan Director of Worship advised me to switch parishes, which I did. Was he playing bishop too?
Like I said, I am not sure that bypassing the collection plate and resigning from the parish is really the right remedy in this situation. I had tar and feathers in mind**.
**For those of you that have not yet read my soon to be published “Irony for Dummies”,please note that the “tar and feathers” comment is hyperbole which is usually defined as an extravagant statement or figure of speech not intended to be taken literally used to make a point. Get over it.
April 15, 2011 at 9:34 pm
For my part, after I gave up on the regular parish (after several bad masses and a 'dress up like a middle-eastern magi' mass which basically completely appalled me a couple of years ago), I arranged to go solely to the extraordinary form Parish precisely because it was defined to be the parish in my diocese for those who were adherents for that form of the mass, which I can definitely say I am.
I probably would have done something like that anyway, due to my informed conscience, but I thought it was an excellent option that my Bishop gave us to get around those canon law restrictions. I'm happy to be a member of the EF parish, and don't mind the 30 minute commute each way every Sunday. Small price to pay for fidelity to the Church teachings.
April 15, 2011 at 9:35 pm
I noticed that Mrs.Graas has closed her comments on this matter, yet feels free to come over here and hold forth. I would suggest that she keeps her own house in order.
And Mrs. Graas: you won't have many readers if you keep calling your public "insane." What seems suspicious to me in the way of sanity is using the argument of "Jesus in the tabernacle" to keep sensible Catholics nailed to their pews despite the utter heresy uttered before us and our innocent children. In this way, any yahoo with a collar and Jesus held hostage behind him can subject us to anything he wants.
Simple clericalism, magical thinking, and a dose of plain bossy-boots thrown in causes this particular syndrome among Catholics. It causes them to abandon common sense.
April 15, 2011 at 10:25 pm
Really, I think people would have a better understanding of this short video if they would watch the Catholic Investigative Agency video on Global Warming. It is long… 2 hours… but if you want to attack or defend Voris, you should view the whole argument. I watched it with our home-schooled son. He doesn't bash bishops or priests in general, only a few who have made scathing remarks and expensive errors. http://www.realcatholictv.com/cia/04GlobalWarming/
April 16, 2011 at 2:05 am
Yes unfortunately I don't read Mr Shea anymore. Sadly he can't seem to realize that Bishops are only human and that historically there have been many who were hetrodox. Just because a person criticizes a bishop doesn't mean he is attacking the Church- its about time some realized that. However, most Catholic bloggers who have attacked Mr Voris defend almost everything the bishops do and attack Catholics who defend Catholic tradition.
April 16, 2011 at 2:09 am
I have no idea what Voris says bc the times I've tried to watch his vids I can't understand what he's saying due to the fact that his behavior is screaming so loudly. If Trads would attempt to speak the Truth IN LOVE maybe their message would be more audible.
April 16, 2011 at 2:23 am
Therese,
In Love, accept him for who he is, someone who speaks perhaps harshly, but speaks the truth. It should not matter, for he is who he is, but if what he says is true then listen…..Jesus said “He that is not with Me is against Me,” (Matt 12:30) and “….my brethren are they who hear the Word of God and do it.” (Lk 8:21), and he also said that those who refuse his Truth are doomed to fiery Gehenna. While one may take issue with Voris’ specific phrases or demeanor at times his intent is one of Truth and serving God.
April 16, 2011 at 2:23 am
the truth hurts… doesn't mean it isn't true.
April 16, 2011 at 2:55 am
I actually like my regular sessions of adult Catholic faith formation and the instructor, Michael Voris.
I happen to think that this time, he hit a nerve with people that might harbor a bit of "politically correct paganism" in addition to their Catholic faith.
April 16, 2011 at 4:54 am
Well said Patrick, per usual.
I've read the comments around blogosphere and I think it's important to make a clarification.
The idea that it's ok to sit around in a parish being led into ignorance or heresy – or both – where everyone around you has been robbed of the tools to receive the Blessed Sacrament in a state of Grace is some kind of service to the Divinity of Christ, or the Eucharist, is delusional. There are spiritual consequences to receiving the Eucharist unworthily which is creating a tornado of spiritual insanity. A generation has been lost and we are drowning in the toxic waste.
The schism is full blown and our complacency has permitted it to flourish. We have been sitting in parishes run by schismatics. We have been even giving them money to operate it. It has become nothing but a fundraising operation. They are persecuting our priests who want to teach the authentic faith.
Enough is enough. Take your family and flee to a parish headed by a parish in union with Rome. By their fruits you shall know them.
April 16, 2011 at 6:45 am
Michael Voris is terrific! Why is this guy Shea ripping him up? Very uncharitable. I've been watching Vortex videos for quite a while and they have strengthened and informed my faith. I NEVER got the impression that Voris was impressed with himself or seeking celebrity. A Catholic 'star'? What is that? A bit of an oxymoron- no? He is standing up big and strong for the Catholic Faith. And 'entertaining delusions that he is a bishop'…….REALLY! A meanspirited, ad hominen attack, if I've ever seen one! (and I have) We should be closing ranks against the puppet 'Mass', not Michael Voris. Shame on you Mark Shea!.
April 16, 2011 at 7:00 am
BTW- I do believe Pope Benedict XVI used the term- 'personal parish' in his Motu Proprio. He was referring to those who attend the Latin Mass and travel some distance to do so. It is an unfortunate result of the post-conciliar church that the Mass looks completely different going from one parish to the next, even unrecognizable. When I pray the Latin Mass, it is the same, whether I am in NYC, London, Venice, or elsewhere. It helps me love and worship my God as best I can.
April 16, 2011 at 7:51 am
Last year, on Corpus Christi, I ended up at Mass with one the more liberal priests in town (he named his parish hall after Cardinal Bernardin), as I often did because he had the only 5:30 Sunday Mass. Anyway, he gave what I called a fantastic homily-for almost any other Sunday of the year. When he should have been preaching on transubstantiation, he preached instead on giving food to the poor.
I did not leave church in protest.
However, I did leave church in protest the previous year, when he gave his Corpus Christi homily on how "Jesus never intended all of this," that Mass should be taking place in people's homes, and that Mass is "just a community meal," and the Church has gotten out of hand with all this Eucharistic worship.
April 16, 2011 at 7:53 am
I should add that I have a very weak cardiovascular system, and whatever the merits of demerits of leaving Mass, when I encounter a homily like that, I need to leave Mass out of medical necessity because it raises my blood pressure and causes me to have severe chest pain.
April 16, 2011 at 2:40 pm
a lot of this confusion could be avoided if bloggers used words pertaining to matters of faith and doctrine in a way to avoid confusion. The phrase "Local Church" with a capital C on Church means Diocese. We might say "St Michael's Church" but we will say "are you a member of that church?" to mean a parish. If I wrote "are you a member of the Church?" I would clearly mean "The Catholic Church".
ps Anonymous at April 15 11:54 am, do you have other knowledge about Simon? Because simply saying someone "presents himself as an obnoxious, self-righteous prig" does not make Simon one.
April 16, 2011 at 3:25 pm
I agree that there are priests out there that are new age, politically correct promoters of everything but the gospel….so leaving that kind of parish solves the individual's personal crisis, but does nothing for the good of the Church. The bigger problem is the saturation of everything by socialist doctrine and political correctness…. too many people are now catholics in name only, and either don't know or don't care what Church doctrine is, and comply only if it falls within their personal belief systems. The Good News is a stumbling block, just as predicted.
April 16, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Powerful punditry! My opinion is made.
April 16, 2011 at 10:38 pm
"but Protestants leaving the Church did force the Church to clean up abuses and more clearly state Its case, as has always been true throughout the Church's history".
Protestants were heretics. They left the Church (with the capital C) because they did not want to follow her teaching.
Voris' case is exactly the opposite. In this case, faithful are invited to desert an heretical or pagan priest (means: leaving the local parish, not the Church) because they want.
I have put my two cents on the matter here: http://mundabor.wordpress.com/2011/04/16/michael-voris-is-spot-on-about-pagan-easter/
There's nothing there that has not been said here already, but frankly how the message could be misunderstood is beyond me.
It would be sometimes better to listen twice before writing once.
Mundabor
April 16, 2011 at 10:46 pm
"leaving that kind of parish solves the individual's personal crisis, but does nothing for the good of the Church".
It does, actually, a lot.
It gives a clear signal that heresy or neopaganism is not well accepted by the faithful in the pews. It shows the chap in question that his sheep are able to recognise a bad shepherd, and look for a good one. It makes clear to everyone that no one has the right to ask the faithful to play with their own salvation by willingly expose themselves (and their children) to – perhaps – decades of heretical bullshit.
For heaven's sake, if I enter a church and discover that I am listening to the homily of an Anglican I recognise that I am in the wrong church and go to the right one.
What's wrong with that.
And no, Voris hasn't said that the heretical priest does not effect a valid consecration.
Mundabor
April 17, 2011 at 1:30 am
I found the following on Renew America Site by Matt Abbot. He says he got this e-mail from a source inside Detroit's Archdiocese. That is where Michael Voris is, and may explain some of the hatred toward Michael Voris; http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/abbott/110408.
If even one of the things in the e-mail are true, Satan has truly infiltrated.
April 17, 2011 at 3:02 am
I very much appreciate Michael Voris and his work. I thank God he has the courage to go against the current and speak the truth. He has never said anything that is against faith, morals or church doctrine. He has upset the many in power who have protestantized Jesus' church with their own protests against Catholic teaching and liturgy.