Santa Marta Surprises: Poor Judas Was Victim of the Judges of the "Letter of the Law"

It would have been better had he never been born.

Edit: according to Denziger-Bergoglio, there was some astonishment at Santa Marta over the suicide of Judas, that he his repentance led to the despair of suicide. It's an astonishing exegesis which even rises to challenge Jesus' own words.  Denziger-Bergoglio sarcastically suggests:

 It is a just an act of reparation for the murder of "poor Judas". For Denzinger-Bergoglio, after reading the homily today at Casa Santa Marta, published by L'Osservatore Romano, we propose to the Congregation for Divine Worship to declare Judas patron and protector of the Post-Synodal Exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (for whoever wants to: cultidiv@ccdds.va and vpr-sacramenti@ccdds.va), towards a new concept of repentance and purpose of amendment that overcomes the outdated ideas, clinging to the ossified letter that the Catholic Church has supported for two millennia. And also ... let yourself be surprised by God!

Francis in Santa Marta: 'the teachers of the letter' and the closed heart - they use the word of God against the word of God. For them it is not for the people but for their prefabricated pattern.

By Armin Schwibach

Rome (kath.net/as) The first reading from Acts (Acts 6:8 to 15) was the focus of the sermon by Pope Francis at Mass in the chapel of the Vatican guest house "Domus Sanctae Marthae" on Monday for the third week of the Easter cycle. The teachers of the law charge Stephanus with slander, because "they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke" (v.10). They "incited men with the statement: We have heard how he railed against Moses and God. They stirred up the people, the elders and the scribes, pressed upon him, grabbed him and dragged him to the council."(v 11-12).

Their hearts, said the Pope, were closed to the truth of God. It clinging solely to the truth of the law, more than that in the truth of the letter. So these people could find no other way than the lie, false witnesses and death.

Jesus gave them just criticized this attitude, because "their fathers had killed the prophets", and now they erected monuments just for those prophets. The answer of "teacher of the letter" was more cynical than hypocritical: "If we had lived at the time of our fathers, we would not have acted this way." And so they would now wash your hands and keep themselves clean. But "your heart is closed to the Word of God, it is closed to the truth, it is closed to the messenger of God who delivers the prophecy to bring it to the people of God":

"It hurts me when I read that portion from the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 27:3 to 10), as the Judas repents of his act, he goes to the chief priests to return the coins, and says, 'I have sinned'. They reply, 'What is that to us? That is your thing!' A heart locked before this poor, repentant man who did not know what he should do. 'That's your thing,' and he went away and hanged himself. And what did they do, as Judas goes away to hang himself? Do they talk and say, 'Well, that's a poor man'? No! Immediately it comes down to money: 'You must not put the money in the treasury; because there is blood on it'.... This rule, and this, and this, and this ... - The teacher of the letter!"

"For them a person's life is indifferent," said Francis continuing, "for them the repentance of Judas is indifferent: the Gospel says that he repented his act and he was then rejected. For them, only the prefabricated pattern of laws are important, and many words and many things that they have built themselves. And that is the hardness of their hearts. And that is the hardness of the heart, the folly of the heart of this people who, seeking evidence in light of the fact that they can not resist the truth of Stephen, condemn him with false witnesses." Stephan's end, like all prophets, he ends like Jesus.

And this repeats itself in the history of the Church:

"The story tells of many people who killed who have been convicted, even though they were innocent: condemned with the word of God, against the word of God. Think. There are the witch hunts or to the trial of Saint Joan of Arc, so many others who were burned, who were sentenced because they did not not meet with the word of God according to their judges. [Schwabach here omits that Holy Father said, "Even Judas".] This is the example of Jesus, who died on the Cross - because of his loyalty and obedience to the Word of the Father. But with how much tenderness did Jesus say to the disciples of Emmaus: You foolish men! How slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken."(Lk 24,25) Today we want to pray to the Lord that he looks with the same tenderness in the small or large follies of our heart, that he caresses us that he says to us, you foolish men? How difficult is it for you yet!' and then begins to explain these things."

Bergolio-Effect: Secretary of the Italian Bishop's Conference Betrays Pro-Lifers for Secular Approval

(Rome) The appointed  new Secretary Generaly of the Italian Episcopal Conference hand picked by Pope Francis, Bishop Nunzio Galatino of Cassano  all'Jonio flattered the abortion lobby and distanced himself from Pro-Lifers in an interview on Monday. "I do not identify myself with the motionless faces of those who pray the rosary in front of the clinics that perform abortions."  We waited for a denial for 24 hours, says the editor of the Catholic website Nuova Bussola Quotidiana . But this denial did not come. "We have to accept it. This statement, which discloses a lack of humanity, one would expect only from the worst secularists, but it really comes from Monsignor Galantino."

The  secretary hand picked by Pope Francis  and since then practically the most powerful man in the Italian Episcopal Conference  is revealing a  "clerical arrogance"  which speaks of  "compassion" (for the women)   and contempt  for ( neighbors) life," said Riccardo Cascioli.

Pope Francis with Bishop Galantino

The governor of the Pope in Italy distances himself not only from the prayerful Pro-Lifers in front of the abortion clinics that already save hundreds of children from certain death and as many women, who they were able to keep  from making the biggest mistake of their lives. In the interview he kept a  distance from the fundamental right to life. "We have concentrated solely on a no to abortion and euthanasia in the past," said Galantino, but forget that "it comes into  existence, develops."  Therefore, an end to the resistance on behalf of  innocents, an end to the resistance against euthanasia and especially an end to the Rosary before clinics. Instead, "better quality of life for the people in their right to health and work," said the secretary of the Bishops' Conference.

"Besides the fact that it already if is no 'right to health' but possibly a right to medical treatment, Galantino  constructs an opposition that goes in deadly manner to the detriment of the child," said Cascioli. But this would in any case be something almost all  could support and propagate. The Church is the only really serious hotbed of resistance to the brutality of "progress". Only an "abstract ideological point of view" can dilute the right to life and dissolve it into a "right to health" and in a "right to work". "The truth is that you no longer want to talk about a thing that has become as  politically troublesome  a thing as abortion," said Cascioli. Not coincidentally, "Msgr Galantino even seems to be afraid, because  he instead speaks of the 'termination of pregnancy'. and  'this pratice', when he means abortion."

Galantino thus is ultimately only following Pope Francis, who distanced himself in Civiltà Cattolica interview in September by commitment to the protection of life and the Pro-Lifers, whom he accused of "obsession."   No abortion lobbyist,  could have said it "better". How now then are the statements for the protection of life  by the Pope? He also avoids meticulously  calling  things by their name and with the distancing from the "non-negotiable values", he gave them to understand that the protection of life was good and right, but ultimately has no priority.

"In addition, I would like to know who  all the bishops and priests who have spoken in these years constantly on abortion and euthanasia have been. I must have been distracted, but I know of so few in the sense that I can list them.  When John Paul II and Benedict XVI. talked about it - but certainly not exclusively - it is because they had to oppose a Church that has completely lost the sense of the "Gospel of Life", as the statement of Galantino confirmed in a startling way," said Cascioli.

"It would be nice if the Secretary of the Bishops 'Conference would at least try to think about the words said by  Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta: 'The greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a direct war, a direct killing, it which is the direct murder by the hand of the mother herself. Because if a mother can kill her own child, then there is nothing that would prevent me from killing you, and keep you  from killing me."

The pressure to conform seems to dominate the bishops. The urge to conform, to belong to  the mainstream society  seems overwhelming. Today, no one wants someone who "judges", so there are also no standards, at least not universal Christian standards any more because the standards that the world presents  as authentic, contradict the teachings of Christ. "And who would even dare to pray in front of clinics where innocent children are killed, who will not only be left by their own bishops  in the lurch, that has been happening in Europe for years, but even insulted and offended. They are the same bishops, who call heathens to the pulpit, so that they can teach Christians. Because the only ones evaluated in this new, 'non-judgmental' view who are so condemned, are Catholics.

Text: Giuseppe Nardi
images: NBQ

Pope's Angelus Address: Comparing Judas to LCWR?

Edit: who could he be referring to in this passage?  He describes the Bread of Life narrative as many of His disciples follow him no more because they did not understand what he said accept in a "material sense",  few remain behind, for, as St. Peter affirms, "thou hast the words of eternal life".   There was another, easily comparable to certain parties within the Church today, who were less sincere than those who didn't believe and left and those who believed and stayed.  

There was one who stayed and did not believe, like the LCWR nuns.  It's difficult not to see in their refusal to be sincere "the mark of the devil":

Finally, Jesus knew that even among the twelve apostles there was one that did not believe: Judas. Judas could have left, as many of the disciples did; indeed, he would have left if he were honest. Instead he remained with Jesus. He did not remain because of faith, or because of love, but with the secret intention of taking vengeance on the Master. Why? Because Judas felt betrayed by Jesus, and decided that he in turn would betray Him. Judas was a Zealot, and wanted a triumphant Messiah, who would lead a revolt against the Romans. But Jesus had disappointed those expectations. The problem is that Judas did not go away, and his most serious fault was falsehood, which is the mark of the devil. This is why Jesus said to the Twelve: “One of you is a devil” (John 6.70). We pray to the Virgin Mary, help us to believe in Jesus, as St. Peter did, and to always be sincere with Him and with all people.

Link to the Angelus Address.... 

Detroit Archbishop Lauds Priest Trampling the Faith

 The Late Cardinal Bernardin to Windy City Gay Men's Chorus

Edit: In case it was thought +Vigneron was an improvement over his hapless predecessor,  perhaps it was a bit naive to have entertained the thought that at last, after many years, the dry desert of Detroit, which truly is a post-modern wasteland by the way, was passing by.  Not so.

One of his priests is campaigning for a local Pro-Abort Democrat. He's ok with that.

Archbishop Vigneron is also an exponent of the "seamless garment" like his spiritual masters, like the late Cardinals Bernardin and  Cushing.

If you want to trample on the Church's teachings, that's ok, but just don't try and put on a priest hat and try and do-it-yourself like Micheal Voris did, or there'll be trouble.   As reported from the American Dream Talkshow:

Detroit archbishop OK with priest’s radio endorsement of liberal candidate

By Jay Mcnally on July 31, 2012

For long-time Detroit Catholics it is barely news that Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron is permitting a prominent left-leaning pastor, Fr. Norman Thomas, to publicly endorse a liberal candidate for Congress in advertisements on a major radio station. 

The new page in the continuing saga of the archdiocese’s participation in the Culture of Death — even as it simultaneously panders to the pro-life movement – is the public endorsement of pro-abortion candidate for Congress, Hansen Clarke. He is running in Michigan’s 13th District, which covers a large swath of the city of Detroit. Fr. Thomas is pastor of Sacred Heart Church, which is located in Detroit. 

I discussed this scandal on my radio talk show last Saturday, on WAAM 1600.While I normally broadcast live from the plush WAAM studios in Ann Arbor, I called in to my radio sidekick and fill-in, attorney Chip Kleinbrook. To hear my commentary, click here on these links. The commentary is in two parts, the first two minutes of the first link are about the swelting Kansas heat, then Chip and I discuss the scandal of the political endorsements.