Not in my House

"And when he had made, as it were, a scourge of little cords, he drove them all out of the temple, the sheep also and the oxen, and the money of the changers he poured out, and the tables he overthrew." (John 2:15)

Now, let's fast forward approximately two thousand years:

"No USCCB document is relevant in this diocese. The USCCB doesn't speak for me." These are the words attributed to Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton. Can it be?

After decades of attempting to substitute its voice for the canonically lawful authority of a bishop in his own diocese, after decades of play-acting as the de jure representative of the Church Militant, after decades of mouthing watered down modernist claptrap and presenting it as the voice of the American church (as if some such entity existed!), after decades of failing to speak with the conviction and confidence of the Church founded by Christ on Calvary, can it be that an American bishop finally has the sand to publicly call "Bullshit"? (my words, not his...)

Let's hope so, especially at this time in our country's history.

It about time that a bishop stood up and stated what was obvious for generations and centuries...in a diocese, a bishop is only subordinate to his ordinary: the Bishop of Rome. No one speaks on behalf of the Roman Church in a diocese except for a bishop or his appointed representative.

Translation for the emotionally impaired: No collection of accountants, claims adjusters, musically untalented choir directors, poorly formed musicians, pseudo liturgists, hand-holding-and-ring-forming-group pray-ers, none ignorant and/or contemptuous of Holy Mother Church and it's traditions, no let's-just-all-get-along-we're-really-not-so-different-none-of-this-is-real-anyway-it's-just-a-"custom"-forced-on-us-by-dead-European-men-so-why-bother? heretics speak for Her.

Imperfect as Her children and representatives may have been, are or will be, She is the spotless Bride of Christ. Those members who consider Her to be otherwise, who see Her as no more than a social club, a place to "belong" or an agent for "social justice", are rejecting -- willfully or through their own ignorance -- the salvific nature granted to Her by Christ Jesus.

At least Luther had the courtesy to not let the door hit him on the way out. Let's hope these squatters wake up and move on.

Lastly, if they don't have the courtesy to do so, may our bishops have the grace to do their best Aretha Franklin impersonation to get the word to the street.

p.s. Ihr Seid Nicht Kirche...