A Repeat (dis)Honor I Would Be Ashamed of If I Were Fr. McBrien

But I can guarentee you he won't be. He will just blow it off as beneath his dignity to even acknowledge. Or see it as an honor because it would show him he is right on, not the dissident he really is.

So what am I talking about? If you remember, in September I did my version of a scene from a A Christmas Carol where he played Fr. Ebenezer McBrien. It was inspired in part by his winning Human Life International's 1st Millstone Award. I had commented on how he had worked on making it larger since he 1st wa given the award. Well it turns out I am not the only 1 who saw his recent actions as being Millstone worthy. HLI decided to make him the 1st 2 time winner of their Millstone Award.

As HLI explains "Fr. Richard McBrien's dissent is so prominent in its breadth, depth and duration that he received HLI's very first Millstone Award. Sadly, his dissent shows no signs of relenting, so he will break ground once again as the first two-time "winner" of the award."

HLI goes on to point out he is always a "reliable spokesman for the pro-abortion 'Catholic' crowd" doing "everything he possible can to blunt and dilute the authentic Catholic pro-life message." That includes finding "hypocisy in every corner of pro-life thinking" while exempting pro-aborts. A prime example given was how McBrien defended Obama's Notre Dame speech. Yet he alledged Predient Bush's presiding over 152 executions while Texas' governor was the moral equivelent to Obama's presiding over millions of abortions world-wide. (Memo the Fr. McBrien, you might want to read the Catechism where it makes clear abortion is an intrinsic evil while the death penalty is allowable under certain circumstances that the Church leaves up to the prudent judgement of the governor, even if the Pope asks for clemency.)

Then there is his call for pro-lifers to be tollerant of pro-abortion Catholics. But does he practice what he preach? NO! As HLI points out that "In one short blog he called critics of Cardinal Sean O'Malley presidint at the Edward Kennedy funeral 'harsh,' 'extreme,''venomous,' 'nasty' and 'fanatical.'"

Then there is the damage McBrien does because of "his bizarre notions regarding conscience and the liturgy." There is no difference between the priests & laity.* For McBrien it is all about power. For McBrien "Traditional criteria of infallibility includes reception by the church at large." Hmm, is McBrien saying that since the Church at large, including a majority of bishops & an emperor or 2, accepted Arianism in the 3rd Century that that made it an infallible doctrine rather than the heresy it was? Or, as HLI points out, McBrien "advocates dogma and theology by vote" which has been the "cause of the sad fate of so many churches that are now dying out."

Then HLI goes on to point out what is 1 of his most hurtful stand, his criticism of Eucharistic adoration. HLI points out that Eucharistic adoration "is the most intimate way a Catholic can approach our Lord and, in fact is the closest we can come to Him on earth other than through Holy Communion." McBrien calls this revival of Eucharistic adoration "a doctrinal, theological and spiritual step backwards, not forward." he says there is "little or no need" for it because "most Catholics are literate and even well educated." When I 1st read that statement back when I could help but remember where St. Paul talked about those prefessing to be wise making fools of them selves. Gee, I never knew he met McBrien. However McBrien is calling those of us, including people like Archbishop Sheen & me who are college educated, that see the need for Eucharistic adoration in our lives ignorant. Well, if being intelligent means being like McBrien, I'll take the side of the angels & saints instead.

HLI points out that "One of the most distinguishing marks of truth is its simplicity." "However, we can now determine who is trying to conceal the truth when we see reams of dense verbiage designed to confuse people, not enlighten them." In other words, McBrien J'accuse.

HLI ends by saying "As always, we must not only resist the depredations of the dissenters, but pray for their souls as well. Human Life International awards Father McBrien a second Millstone, hoping fervantly that he will come to realize his errors repent, and rejoin the faithful in adoration of our Lord in the True Presence." To which I add AMEN!!!!! As I said in Fr. Ebenezar McBrein, it was a ponderous millstone back then & he has labered much on it since. But, like Scrooge, it is still not to late for him to change.

FYI Fr. McBrien is the Crowley-O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame. So we need to also pray for protection for those students who have him for a class. I do not know what the whole status of Notre Dame & their theology professors having the mandate from thEir local Bishop is. I pray that 1 of the 1st things the new Bishop of South Bend does is to look into that whole rat's nest at ND. It is also interesting that McBrien's Wikipedia entry describes him as "a dissident priest of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Hartford."

___________________
*Interestingly, I was just talking to a friend of mine Sunday night. He will be ordained a transitory deacon next April. He was asking for my prayers as he clearly understands the awesome responsiblility this will entail. We were talking about what all it meant & that included discussing the ontological change that will occur in him as a result of receiving the sacrament. My friend knows his Philosophy 101, & believes the Catholic doctrine it undergirds. This is more than I can say about McBrien. Either Mc Brien slept through the class that day or he is intentionally ignoring that fact because it is an "inconvinient truth" that will undermine what he is trying to do. (I suspect the latter.)