Friday, September 9, 2016

NOTHING HAPPENS IN A VACUUM

(posted by Frenchie)


CENTURIES OF ATTACK ON THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.



From almost as soon as Jesus sent his Apostles out to spread the word, our Church has been under constant attack, both from within and without.

The first arguments and fights came between the Apostles and the Jewish converts, specially as to the treatment of gentile converts.

This was followed by a long list of Heresies.


From the Circumcisers, the Gnostics, the Montanists, the Sabellianists, the Arianists, all the way to  the appearance of the Protestants, Heresies span the first 1600 years of the Catholic Church.

Of course there were also very dangerous outside threat. The early Roman Emperors saw this strange and new Religion as a threat to their political power, and a challenge to the established Greco-Roman Gods.  The persecutions, executions, crucifixions and other harassment were the daily challenges faced by our ancestors.

Then out of the 7th century, after most of the physical threats had disappeared for over 200years, appeared the Muslims, and their military invasion and subjugation of about two third of Christian territories. In a matter of a few decades, they overwhelmed the entire Middle East, and all of Northern Africa,  which had been the most vibrant lands of Christianity, and the centers of some of our greatest philosophers.

By the end of the 8th Century, the Muslims had taken over most of the Christian world, except for Bysantium, and a few small tribal kingdoms in Northern Europe.


Muslims had conquered all of Spain, the southern part of Gaul, from Bordeaux  to Provence, as well as Malta, Sicily, and large swath of southern Italy. Indeed in the early part of the 9th Century Muslim raiders sacked St Peter and St Paul Basilica extra-muros  in Rome and desecrated the Tombs of St Peter and St Paul. Later the Pope will fortified the Vatican to avoid a repetition of this sad event.

The Catholic Church was under siege from all sides, and barely hanging by a thread. Only the Bysantium empire was stopping Europe from being totally overruned.

Europe and the Catholic Church will have to endure another 300 years of  unrelenting assaults, kidnapings, enslavement, and persecutions from Muslim forces before Pope Urban II came up with the brilliant idea of the first Crusade, which would unite all the people of Northern  Europe to pull together for the first time as one. 

Finally Catholic Princes would be united by one goal, after centuries of divisions, resisting the expansion of Islam into Europe. Bysantium would not have to carry the weight of the fight by themselves, as they did for five hundred years. It was during that period that the Popes saved what was left of the Church and redeveloped a Church which had almost collapsed.


Our Church was now on the move, willing to fight for its survival. It would take another 400 years, before  Spain was fully reconquered, and the Muslims defeated at Lepanto, by a coalition of Catholic princes, free cities, Emperors and Kings.

Yet it is also when the Turks took over Bysantium, and started threatening central Europe, which until then had remained safe.

Now that the outside danger had been pushed back to a safe distance,  a new threat appeared from within. With weak and corrupted Popes and Cardinals, a movement of reform blew over our Church which almost imploded it . 

Luther and Calvin would forever transform our struggles. The inquisition which was created at the end of the 15th century would expend with the appearance of reformation in the 16th century. Years of bitter religious wars would ensue. Yet our Church survived.

I shall not go into details about this complex period, but to say that instead of coming out weakened, we got out of it strengthened. Yet, another memorable event would shake Europe and the Western world to its core. The French Revolution. At its peak during the reign of Terror, the Church was targeted for destruction by the Free Masons who had become the leaders of the Revolution, a Genocide of Catholics took place in the French regions of Vendee and Britanny. Our Church was outlawed and priests were targeted for excecution. ( An estimated 15000 priests were murdered)

While Napoleon who overthrew the revolutionaries, was not a very religious person, he understood the positive social impact the Church had, and he signed the first concordat with the Pope, which would bring peace and stability to his country.


The Concordat was adopted in several countries Napoleon controlled at the time, including Italy and Germany.

Unfortunately, after the Napoleonic era, several movements in the Church started to appear, which would lead us to the current crisis we are experiencing since Vatican II.

That movement amplified after Leon XIII  advised for the adoption of the modernist movement who wanted to espouse their century. The movement gained a lot of traction in France and in Italy.
Soon the neo-thomism was disqualified and replace by blondelism and the theology of Fr  de Lubac.
(This is where Carmen found most of her inspiration.)

The confusion between Natural and Super Natural became rampant, with all the consequences it entails.

Vatican II would make this theology its own, and start a huge revolution in our Church.
Sadly we have only seen the early consequences of these ill advised theories, one of which being the Neocatecumenals.

Over the last 50 years  we have experienced the ups and downs of these decisions. My personal feeling being that we probably are only at the beginning of this.


Ironically, our little island has become a testing ground for this epic battle. It appears, we have been projected, against our will at the center of this battle for the soul of our Church.

Since most of us have little to no knowledge about the History of our own Church, I thought it was essential to at least give you, a small window of understanding on that long and complex History.

We need to better understand, that this is not coming to us in a vacuum. While Apuron, Pius and others have been the immediate catalyst to this local catastrophe. This is also part of a much larger struggle for the soul of our Church. It is why we must also take some distance at time to understand where this is going and why we must cast a wide net, if we want to win the battle for the souls of our brethren.

Again we are at a crossroad. The path we choose, and the manner in which we will fight this fight, could very well be, what we shall be judge on, in the after life.

14 comments:

  1. Wow, no idea the Muslim sacked Rome before

    ReplyDelete
  2. A much needed inoculation of context. Thank you.

    Tim has repeatedly implored us to look beyond our own noses and see this "infection" (the ncw on island) for how it exists, in kind, not just in another's worship, not just in our own pews by well intentioned but illicit worship, rather, how it's existed in history. More so, we should be resolved to fight, yet remain optimistic, for as the Church has indeed been attacked through the years, she has also remained in existence . . . mostly, if not thoroughly, due to the efforts of the laity.

    This spiritual battle we are involved in on Guam is not just a struggle for our island, but a campaign for our Church worldwide. For me, engaging in this battle also means retaining my efforts to live a life of Christ;while I recognize I must turn the other cheek, I also will engage in upturning the tables.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Frenchie for the History which is oft twisted by Hollywood and history textbooks.
    Guam is at the HEART of this BATTLE for the Church and our clergy are in a quagmire! Obedience to the Bishop or to Rome or to God or to self preservation. Unfortunately they SHOULD be center on God.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are welcome Bruce. We expect Hollywood to do its part of misinformation and destruction about our Church, there is nothing new here.
      What is at hand is the misinformation and destructive decisions that some in the higher levels of our Church are embarked in. Actually there is nothing new here as well. There is a cyclical battle going on, which usually ends up waking up the faithful, from time to time.
      As for our local clergy, do not underestimate the consequences of more than thirty years of an abusive and perverted tenure by our former Archbishop. As we have pointed out, about the sexual abuse victims, it can take years to get over the shame and trauma. I don't think I am going too far on a limb by saying the same, regarding the bullying consequences of Apuron on the local clergy. While we need to demand what is expected of them, we should also make sure to give support when appropriate. Lets not throw the baby out with the bathwater.
      Finally, we must also consider, that some of the "presbyters" that have endured the lack of education of RMS and the Institute of Theology, which are incardinated here, will remain in our parishes, and it will be our duty, to make sure they are able to receive a continuing education, which will allow them, to move forward if they want to, in a positive way

      Delete
    2. Thanks again Frenchie for the wonderful history lesson. All presbyters minus Edi "Juicer" should be welcomed back and supported with continuing education. Too many were hurt by his endless web of lies. I and many others will never respect a man like that.

      Delete
  4. Thanks, Frenchie. We should have a course at UOG on Church History. As we know more about Her, the more we are embolden to defend Her! Just like the soldiers of our Nation fighting to protect our way of life, we must protect our Church and the way to heaven for our souls.

    ReplyDelete
  5. CCOG, LFM and SNM groups have a good heritage--the Crusaders! Semper Procedemdum Sine Timore!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I personally prefer: " In Hoc signo vinces" . Loosely translated: in this you will conquer.

      Delete
  6. Frenchie – I thank you for your very scholarly and erudite synopsis of the history of the Church throughout the ages. In a few paragraphs, you have capsulised C.W. Crocker III’s book (“Triumph”) that differences, dissensions, rebellions, heresies, schisms are breakaways are nothing new in Church history, and that Guam is certainly not immune to the sufferings, frustrations and heartaches that go with them – as had become so evident during this decades-long debacle we are going through right now. Kudos.

    At the expense of being labeled a wimp for saying it, let me just say that as we continue to vehemently oppose the errors of our times in the defense of the Truth, I can only encourage we do so not only with tenacity but also in the spirit of charity and chivalry. Let’s include the power of prayer with the power of the pen, as we stay strong in the Faith. "Fortes in Fide".

    I am honored to be a personal friend of yours. (jrsa: 9/9/16)

    PS: I’m seeing that you are also getting your share of criticism, but I’m sure you are taking everything with a grain of salt. Part of the “charity” I was referring to.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I hope the continuation of my response entered, if not I will start also this one again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Daniel. I will review what you have written.

      Delete
    2. Dear saint Tim Torquemada,
      review with calm, send for an other review to saint Kiko Arguello, or to heaven, where she is already, to the latest doctor of the Church, Carmen Hernandez, then to the stinking monk and finally, if they all agree, ask even Apuron and last but not least Giuseppe Gennarini and publish, but integrally my heretic doctrine.

      Greetings and Shalom from the hell,

      Daniel Satanow.

      Delete
    3. Dear Daniel. Giving you this last opportunity to say stupid shit. Bye.

      Delete