“Gird Your Loins!”

Back when I was just a kid, our family Bible was a Douay-Rheims translation filled with prints of those wonderful biblical engravings by Gustave Doré. (You can view them all here.) As a young child I would sit on the living room couch turning the pages of that Bible and examining Doré‘s remarkably detailed scenes. My approach to Bible Study at that age was rather random, a hit-or-miss approach in which I would look at one of the pictures, then read the opening passages of the book I thought was associated with the picture. Often enough I didn’t understand much of what I’d read and found myself wondering just what those words were telling me. Many of the words were not yet part of my vocabulary, so I’d occasionally ask my mom what they meant. Once, while reading the opening verses of Jeremiah, I came across the following in which God commanded the young prophet:

“Thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak to them all that I command thee…” [Jer 1:17]

So I asked Mom, “What does gird up thy loins mean?” As I recall, she didn’t provide a full explanation, but simply replied, “It means to prepare for battle.” At the time that was enough for the nine-year-old me. I’m guessing it was a few more years before I even knew what loins were. Truthfully, I’m still a bit foggy about it today since loins rarely, if ever, find their way into everyday conversation. 

Anyway, the phrase was not restricted to the Old Testament. St. Paul, for example, used it when writing to the Ephesians:

“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil…Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” [Eph 6:11,’14-17].

Here the Apostle, using a variety of military images, instructed those early Christians to prepare themselves for spiritual battle, armed defensively with truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, and faith. St. Peter, addressing new Christians who were undergoing persecution and hardship, used similar language to encourage them in their faith:

“Therefore gird up your minds, be sober, set your hope upon the grace that is coming to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct; since it is written, ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” [1 Pet 1:13-16].

Peter used only part of the “girding” metaphor, telling these Christians, “gird up your minds” and calling them to the holiness God wills for them. 

Until the other day, the last time I heard anyone use the phrase publicly was on April 17, 1970, when the Commanding Officer of our Navy helicopter squadron rose up from his ready room chair and gave some final instructions to the crews who would recover the Apollo 13 astronauts. Chuck Smiley looked out at us all and with a smile on his face said, “You’re all professionals, so I know you’ll do an outstanding job today, so let’s just gird our loins and do what the nation expects of us.” And we did. 

Why my current interest in all this loin-girding?  Because of something I read a few days ago in a news article. As you might have heard, the Los Angeles Dodgers invited a radical anti-Catholic hate group to the team’s June 16 Pride Night game. During the game the group will receive the team’s “Community Heroes” award. The group, calling themselves “The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” openly mocks the Catholic faith. The Dodgers invited this extremist trans group, but responding to strong criticism and complaints from Christian groups, the team dis-invited them. But then the leftist hate attacks began so the team re-invited them. 

Drag Trans "Sister of Perpetual Indulgence"

While the Archdiocese of Los Angeles issued a statement condemning this hateful decision by the Dodgers, perhaps the best response came from one of the more courageous of American bishops, Salvatore Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco. Archbishop Cordileone accused the Dodgers organization of worshiping “alternative gods” and then added:

“Our Catholic sisters devote themselves to serving others selflessly. Decent people would not mock and blaspheme them. So we now know what gods the Dodger admin worships. Open desecration and anti-Catholicism is not disqualifying. Disappointing, but not surprising. Gird your loins.”

Archbishop Cordileone

Don’t you just love it? “Gird your loins,” the archbishop tells his flock. Like St. Paul and St. Peter, he calls us to prepare for spiritual warfare; indeed, we are already in the midst of the war’s ongoing battles. Satan is pulling out all the stops in what will ultimately be his failing effort to destroy God’s Church. I expect this warfare to go on for quite some time, so it would be best to equip ourselves with that same defensive armor recommended by St. Paul: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, and faith. And to these let’s add our most effective offensive weapon: prayer.

Oh, and for all you Dodger's fans out there, I'd suggest switching allegiance to another team or just doing what I decided to do and just avoid Major League Baseball altogether. Or as we New Yorkers say: "Fugeddaboutit!"

Oh, Yes, It’s Still All About Abortion

You might think that the key issue of our time centers on COVID, or Afghanistan, or China, or Russia, or immigration, or inflation, or taxation, or any of a dozen other issues…and you’d be wrong. There is really only one issue that definitively separates people politically, morally, and, yes, religiously: abortion. 

Not too many years ago, party politics was not divided on abortion. Many Democrats were openly pro-life, and consistently voted against legislation supporting abortion. And, yes, one also encountered Republicans who were openly “pro-choice” and voted accordingly. Things have certainly changed. Today’s Democrat Party universally supports abortion. To be a pro-life Democrat, an extremely rare breed of politician, is to be condemned by the party’s state and national leadership, to receive no party funding — really, to be cancelled by the party, to be purged. 

Last week the state of Texas banned abortion once a fetal heartbeat is detected, and the Supreme Court of the United States let it stand. The response from the left has been both predictable and horrendous. AOC was, of course, among the most predictable, as were the nation’s most prominent Catholic politicians, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. 

AOC — or as she’s sometimes called, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) -- was furious with those she labeled "Christian extremists." Her exact words: "Christian extremists are passing forced birth laws to intimidate and cut off abortion services – including for victims of rape, incest, and child abuse. While we fight back, know you still have options. Pills can be mailed to your home discreetly.” 

I guess “Christian extremists” is the new code word for faithful Catholics and pro-life Evangelicals, who actually represent a significant hunk of the nation’s population. In fact, I suspect they far outnumber the dwindling number of Americans who favor abortion under all circumstances. But for AOC everything is political; she has no moral foundation and seemingly is unable to discern either good or evil. 

Then we have the “devout Catholics” in powerful political positions. For example, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was almost apoplectic in her anger at both Texas and the Supreme Court. Check out her tweets:

“SCOTUS’s failure to block SB8 [the Texas law] has delivered catastrophe to women in Texas. This radical law is an all out effort to erase the rights and protections of Roe v Wade.”

She then added: "every woman, everywhere has the constitutional and moral right to basic reproductive hearth care. We will fight SB8 and all immoral and dangerous attacks on women's health and freedoms with all our strength."

Note her description of abortion as a "moral right" and her claim that any attacks on abortion are "immoral and dangerous." How despicable a charge from someone who just loves to describe herself as a "devout Catholic." She clearly demonstrates a complete lack of moral understanding. Sadly, Pelosi isn't alone here, but is joined by every other Catholic Democrat politician in Washington, including our president. (If anyone knows of a pro-life Catholic Democrat in either house of Congress, please let me know.)

What did President Biden have to say on the subject? His comments are also as predictable and despicable as the others. For a man who just a few years ago openly proclaimed that human life begins at conception, Joe Biden has certainly changed his mind. He called the Texas law "an unprecedented assault on a woman's constitutional rights under Roe v. Wade, which has been the law of the land for almost fifty years." He went on to say, "The most pernicious thing about the Texas law, it sort of creates a vigilante system," and then added, "It just seems -- I know this sounds ridiculous -- it's almost un-American, what we're talking about." Yes, Mr. President, it does sound ridiculous, as does so much of what you say.

The president, the speaker, AOC, and all the rest have been joined, perhaps not surprisingly, by the Satanic Temple in the fight against the Texas Law. On September 5th the Temple spokesman, Lucien Greaves (photo below) released the following statement on the Temple's letter to the FDA asking for support of their "abortion rituals."

“I am sure Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton — who famously spends a good deal of his time composing press releases about Religious Liberty issues in other states — will be proud to see that Texas’s robust Religious Liberty laws, which he so vociferously champions, will prevent future Abortion Rituals from being interrupted by superfluous government restrictions meant only to shame and harass those seeking an abortion.

“The battle for abortion rights is largely a battle of competing religious viewpoints, and our viewpoint that the nonviable fetus is part of the impregnated host is fortunately protected under Religious Liberty laws.”

Isn’t it interesting how the Satanists call a woman, who is the mother of an unborn child, an “impregnated host.” In truth, it sounds like one of the latest euphemisms that have rolled out of the CDC. Personally, I have always believed abortion is Satan’s work, that which he devotes most of the limited time that remains for him and his legions of demons. He apparently has plenty of helpers to further his nefarious work.

Others on the left describe the horrors that will surely afflict us because of the Texas law. In a Newsweek Twitter thread, one pro-abortion reader feared the consequences of the likely survival of so many disabled babies: "You can't screen for Down syndrome before about 10 weeks, and something like 80% of Down syndrome fetuses are aborted. If red states ban abortion, we could see a world where they have five times as many children with Down syndrome, and similar numbers for other disabilities." He went on to fret the reaction of the world's progressive nations if we don't kill these unwanted children in the womb. Can you just imagine how embarrassing that will be?

Beautiful Down Syndrome Twins

Of course, this man might have been influenced by those who blazed that horrendous trail decades ago. As Princeton Professor Robert P. George reminds us, "Sometimes it's worth remembering that what became known as the Holocaust did not begin with the murder of Jews, or Slavs, or Romani. It began with the killing of the disabled and cognitively impaired. They were regarded as 'useless eaters' and declared 'Lebensunwertes Leben' [lives unworthy of life]." Of course, millions of Jews came later.

And they call us pro-lifers, “fascists.” Remarkable isn’t? But the left always accuses its enemies of its own greatest sins.

In addition to the Texas legislature and governor, an archbishop has also stepped out in courage. In an Washington Post op-ed, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone supported the Texas law and publicly chastised President Biden and Nancy Pelosi by declaring that Catholics cannot support abortion. In Archbishop  Cordileone's words: "You cannot be a good Catholic and support expanding a government-approved right to kill innocent human beings...This is hardly inappropriate for a pastor to say. If anything, Catholic political leaders' response to the situation in Texas highlights the need for us to say it all the louder." He went on to suggest that excommunication of Catholic leaders who publicly support abortion must be considered.

Brothers and sisters, pray for our country. We need the saving, merciful power of God.

President Biden: Devout Catholic?

Let’s get one thing straight right from the start: President Joe Biden is NOT a devout Catholic, even though he obviously wants White House press secretary Jen Psaki to describe him as one whenever his faith is questioned. Yes, the man who likes to show us the Rosary beads in his pocket quite obviously wants us to believe this lie. Wouldn’t you love to hear a reporter ask the president to name the five sorrowful (or glorious, or joyful, or luminous) mysteries of the Rosary? Are we really supposed to believe he prays the Rosary daily? I think it especially telling that back in 2005, when he was testing the waters for a 2008 presidential run, Joe Biden stated, “If I’m the nominee, Republicans will be sorry. The next Republican that tells me I’m not religious I’m going to shove my rosary beads down their throat.” 

How does the Church put it? “Lex orandi, lex credendi.” To paraphrase: the law of prayer determines the law of belief. Joe Biden’s prayer life should, then, lead him to an acceptance of the deposit of faith. One need only observe his actions and listen to his words and it becomes obvious he considers the magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church, the manifestation in today’s world of the deposit of faith, as meaningless. He rejects Church teaching on abortion, on homosexuality, on sexual identity, on marriage, on First Amendment rights, and a slew of other issues. And what is most concerning, at least to some of our bishops, is his willingness to exclaim that his positions are perfectly OK for a practicing, “devout” Catholic.  

The U.S. bishops, who join together as the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB.org), intend to examine the president’s anti-Catholic stance on these and so many other issues during their June meeting. Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco is particularly concerned. In his words, “There’s a growing sense of urgency. Abortion is not just one among many important issues...It is a direct attack on human life.” Indeed it is. The Archbishop wants Catholics like President Biden to “understand the scandal that is caused when they say they are faithfully Catholic and yet oppose the Church on such a basic concept.” Three cheers for the Archbishop. In the same way, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City said that “we bishops have the responsibility to correct him” for calling himself a “devout Catholic” while he opposes the Church on virtually all life and marriage issues. He added that Biden, because of his prominent prominent position, “is usurping the role of the bishops and confusing people.”

Let us pray that the all the bishops have the courage to do what is right and take the president to task, along with all those other nominally Catholic politicians who arrogantly flaunt the Church’s and the Holy Spirit’s teaching. They need to be reminded that they not only endanger their own salvation, but also that of those whom they influence. Unfortunately, the two bishops who have jurisdiction in Wilmington, Delaware and Washington, D.C., the dioceses where the president usually worships, have both indicated they have no problem with the president receiving the Eucharist in their churches. Perhaps it would be helpful for the faithful in those dioceses to send a respectful letter to Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington and Cardinal Wilton Gregory of Washington and urge them to follow the lead of Pope Benedict XVI who, when he was prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith wrote:

“Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist. When these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible, and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it. This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgment on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.”

 That says it all...