A Lifeless President

Long ago, in another parish far, far away, I was asked by my pastor to teach a mini-course on the major heresies that have plagued the Church over the past 2,000 years. It was one of those parish adult faith-formation evening programs -- you know the kind: too much information packed into a half-dozen one-hour sessions. When I told the pastor I was by no means an expert on heresies, and he might want to choose someone else, he just said, "Well, I guess you'll be an expert soon enough. We'll schedule it to begin late next month. That'll give you six weeks to get ready." The course actually attracted more parishioners than expected, and nobody threw soft fruit at me, so I guess it went well enough.

As I prepared the course, I probably learned far more than I wanted to about heresies and heretics. But one of the most revealing things that stuck with me was a basic attitude apparent among those who developed and propagated their heretical ideas. They seemed driven by a self-focused attitude, in effect declaring: "I am smarter and holier than the Church; listen to me." Most of these heretics were very smart people (I can't speak to their holiness. We'll leave that to God.) But none were smarter than the Holy Spirit whose inspiration guides the Church and its teachings. They were, then, destined to be heretical and not orthodox. 

Another thing worth noting: because heresies, by their very nature, originate within the Church, most of the Church's serious problems and attacks are internal. The Church's ecumenical councils -- at least the first 20 of them -- were dogmatic councils addressing heresies and other dogmatic issues, internal problems faced by the Church. 

All of this came to mind recently while reading a couple of news stories about our president. Both stories focus on his public comments and actions related to abortion and seem to reflect deeply held beliefs that ignore the magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church. This is especially troubling since President Biden often refers to himself as a "devout Catholic" even while undermining, or actually attacking, the Church and its teachings.

I suppose I’ve always expected him to experience a true metanoia, an inspired moment leading to repentance and true conversion, a moment when he publicly turns back to his Catholic faith. But so far, nothing. When it comes to virtually all moral issues, Joe Biden just takes on the role of heretic, apparently assuming he, too, is smarter and holier than the Church. In his case, however, I think we can dismiss any thought of his being smarter, and as for his holiness, I can judge only by the fruits of his words and actions. I will keep those judgments to myself.

You may have seen these stories, but each is truly cringeworthy when you realize they represent the policies of a self-declared "devout Catholic" president.

Official Guest at State of the Union Address. President and Mrs. Biden have invited Kate Cox to be one of their official guests at the next State of the Union Address. Ms. Cox recently aborted her disabled, unborn child. She was the key figure in the recent abortion case that centered on a Texas law preventing the abortion of a 20-week-old unborn child. The state Supreme Court upheld the law, so Ms. Cox went to another state for the abortion. The White House Press Secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, stated that the president and his wife have "thanked her for her courage and sharing her story and speaking out about the extreme abortion ban in Texas. The First Lady invited her to join her as a guest at the State of the Union and Kate accepted." Here's a link to the story: State of the Union.

How sad that our Catholic president and his wife have publicly praised this woman who actually took the life of her disabled, unborn child. No doubt President Biden will honor her during his State of the Union Address. It would seem the nation's first family is openly taunting the Church's bishops: "We, not you, are the new arbiters of morality. From now on we will decide what is good and what is evil. The people will listen to us, not you." Yes, indeed, it gives new meaning to the words of Satan in the Garden:

"God knows well that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, who know good and evil" [Gen 3:15].

Pray for our president, for his family, and for Kate Cox, asking God to lead them to the conversion he desires for them. 

President Biden: Christian Doctors Must Perform Abortions. Our president just can't endure anyone who's opposed to abortion. He has taken on the prime directive of the radical left: We cannot tolerate those who disagree with our beliefs and our policies. Yep, those who disagree with us must be forced into agreement, or simply cancelled. 

A case in point involves President Biden's Department of Health and Human Services. In July 2022, shortly after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, HHS issued guidance claiming that the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTLA) required hospital emergency staff to provide abortions. This rule change by Biden's HHS altered the previous policy protecting doctors and nurses from having to take part in medical procedures that conflict with their moral or religious beliefs. The new policy removes these protections which were actually strengthened by the Trump administration. Fortunately, a U.S. Appeals Court ruled that the "Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act does not require hospitals to provide abortions" thus blocking the administration from enforcing this new rule.

But this is just a temporary victory. The Biden administration is not letting this go and is fighting for so-called "abortion rights" at every level. I expect this will, at some point, end up before the U. S. Supreme Court.

The President recently stated that he will make abortion the key issue in the upcoming presidential campaign. I suppose this means he will focus on the goodness of abortion and on the evil of all pro-lifers, as personified by former President Trump. I'll admit, I voted for Donald Trump twice, in 2016 and 2020 (but not in the primaries), simply because I always vote pro-life. I've long been a policy voter who sometimes must overlook annoying traits and personal weaknesses. After all, I have quite a collection of these myself. But abortion will always be a major determinant because it is among the greatest of sins, the willful murder of the most innocent human lives. At Mass every Sunday and Solemnity we pray together the Nicene Creed, affirming our belief in the "Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life." If we believe this, to take a living, human life before it even has a chance to breathe the air of Creation must be the most horrendous of sins.

Pray for our world, our nation, and our people.

The Eucharist, Abortion, and Politics

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned this book before -- The Habit of Being, a collection of letters by Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964). If I haven't mentioned it, I certainly should have, because it's among my favorites, one of those books I return to occasionally, just to sample the wisdom of this remarkable woman who left us far too early.

Anyway, included among the letters are many O'Connor wrote to a friend, Betty Hester. (As the letters were being compiled for publication in 1979, Hester asked the editor not to reveal her name. Referred to as "A" in the book, her identity has since been revealed.) In one of these letters, written on 16 December 1955, O'Connor described a dinner she attended at the New York home of the novelist, Mary McCarthy. The guests included Robert Lowell and other literary luminaries. O'Connor, only about 25 at the time, had just been published and was considered a new, up-and-coming writer and storyteller with a future. Of course, this girl from Georgia felt more like a fish out of water in the presence of these big-city notables. But as the conversation continued into the early morning hours, it got serious, at least for this faithful, young Catholic. Here's an excerpt from the letter, written perhaps five or six years after the events described:

"Having me there was like having a dog present who had been trained to say a few words but overcome with inadequacy had forgotten them. Well, toward morning the conversation turned on the Eucharist, which I, being the Catholic, was obviously supposed to defend. Mrs. Broadwater [i.e., Mary McCarthy] said when she was a child and received the Host, she thought of it as the Holy Ghost, He being the 'most portable' person of the Trinity, now she thought of it as a symbol and implied that it was a pretty good one. I then said, in a very shaky voice, 'Well, it it's a symbol, then to hell with it.' That was all the defense I was capable of but I realize now this is all I will ever be able to say about it, outside of a story, except that it is the center of existence for me, all the rest of life is expendable." [The Habit of Being, p. 125]

Yes, indeed, if the Eucharist is just a symbol, why bother? And yet, how many Catholics today believe what Mary McCarthy believed, that the Eucharist is no more than a symbol, although "a pretty good one?" I can't say for certain, but I suspect those 60 pro-abortion, Catholic, Democrat representatives who accused the U. S. Bishops of "weaponizing" the Eucharist consider the Sacrament little more than a symbol. Like Flannery O'Connor, do they accept the Eucharist as "the center of existence," and like the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council, do they understand the Eucharist "the source and summit of the Christian life?" If so, they are sending the rest of us a very confusing message, since they certainly don't worry about approaching the Sacrament unworthily. How did St. Paul put it?

"Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself" [1 Cor 11:27-29].

To deny the explicit teachings of the Church -- and believe me the Church has been consistently explicit in declaring abortion an "inherent evil" that must be rejected by all Catholics -- and to then receive the Eucharist is to do so "unworthily."

The U. S. Bishops have stated that when it comes to permitting or promoting abortion or euthanasia, Catholic politicians may not "promote such laws or vote for them." One can only hope their upcoming document on the reception of the Eucharist will clear up this issue for Catholics who are confused by the statements of politicians and by the resulting silence of too many bishops, priests, and deacons. In 2003 Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the future Pope Benedict XVI, was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. In that capacity he issued a very clear teaching on this subject. You can access it here: Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion. It's certainly worth a read by anyone confused about recent statements made by some of our Catholic politicians.

For example, Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the U. S. House of Representations, when asked for her reaction to the U. S. Bishops' condemnation of abortion, simply stated, "I think I can use my own judgment on that." By these words, Pelosi, a self-declared "devout Catholic," confirms that she considers her judgment superior to that of God's Church. This, of course, simply echoes her denial of a number of truths proclaimed by the Church, including the inherent evil of abortion and that Sacramental marriage exists solely between a man and a woman. Such denials are really nothing less than heresy, which the Catechism of the Catholic Church describes as "the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith" [CCC #2089].

For more on this, read Deacon Keith Fournier's article on the subject of Ms. Pelosi's heresy: Nancy Pelosi, Heretic. Sadly, President Biden is really no different.

And just now, I discovered I'm not the only one who thought of Flannery O'Connor's statement on the Eucharist in the midst of today's political chaos. Ken Craycraft, writing for the UK's Catholic Herald, also referred to O'Connor in a recent article: If the Eucharist Isn't Political, To Hell with It.  Read it (although you might need a subscription to the Catholic Herald to access this particular article), since Craycroft is certainly a far better writer than yours truly.