David Ancell's Virtual Home

It seems to be a slow news day . . . . at least I can’t find much that perks my interest.

Therefore, I’m going to rant once more about the extreme illogic used by some who insist on changing the Church’s teachings. It works on two of their propositions. One is that we are all the Church. The second is the idea that the Church needs reform. Therefore, the completed statement is:

We are the Church.
The Church needs reform.
Therefore, we (personally) need to reform.

I only wish those “progressives” would realize that it is they, not the Magisterial teachings, who need reform.

No matter what the sin, let us remember that there is more joy in Heaven over a repentance sinner than over thousands who have no need of repentance. I came across this story of repentance just a little while ago. This priest has sought early retirement and now leads a life of prayer and penance. Let us hope that more priests who have done these things will follow suit.

I’m aware that some people may react with statements such as “Don’t you know what he did?” or “How can you talk about God forgiving him?” The problem is that we minimize the horrible nature of sin because we know that God forgives sin. It’s as though God just shrugs his shoulders and says “Well, that’s okay.” every time we sin. Well, it’s not okay!! Jesus died on the cross because of sin. This type of thinking can cause real problems when we or someone else does something that we cannot deny the sinfulness of. At this point, we may also deny God’s forgiveness because of how bad we messed up. God’s forgiveness is not given to us because our sin is no big deal but because of the greatness of his love for us. Even child abusers can be forgiven by God. This doesn’t mean that they are suited to return to ministry, but it does mean that they can still reach Heaven.

Here we go with another article about lay people wanting to mobilize. In reading this, one could be forgiven for thinking that the entire body of laity in the Church is at the door of the bishops’ office demanding a voice in determining the Church’s teaching. Even such tactics as witholding donations are being discussed, as though are tithes are meant to be a reward for church leaders’ performance rather than an act of gratitude to God for his many gifts.

Look at this sentence from the article “. . . . fed-up parishioners are insisting that all issues regarding the priesthood — celibacy, homosexuality, marriage, female priests — be put on the table.” These people either misunderstand the Church, or they wish to remake her according to their own preferences. It’s as though they think that our bishops get together and think “I wonder what weird doctrine we can impose on the people.” The Pope and the bishops are not rulers but mere guarantors of the truth. They must submit themselves to that which God has revealed. If there is a God, and if he is greater than we are, then it is what he wants that counts, not what we want.

Check out this article. Last Sunday, I went to a holy hour with benediction for an end to abortion. I hope that at least one woman received grace from our Lord and decided to keep her child. I hope that at least one person who has been involved in the abortion industry was converted by God’s grace. Further, I hope that someone out there who has already had an abortion will realize the sin and receive God’s love and forgiveness.

There cannot possibly be any greater evil in our society than the slaughter of the unborn. I find it hard to presume good will on the part of the pro-“choice” movement when I continue to see them oppose anything that would allow for any choice other than abortion. Let us pray for their conversion.

Yet another excellent article on Catholic Exchange. It seems funny to me that no one has ever asked me what I thought about these scandals. Almost everyone who knows me knows that I am Catholic. I know that what has happened is a very serious evil. Let me say that if every priest, bishop, and even the Pope were a dolt, liar, thief, adulterer, and child abuser, I would not leave the Church. This is far from the case despite what the media would have you think. The Church belongs to Jesus Christ, and she will belong to him regardless of whether the men to whom she is entrusted live according to her teachings.

With that being said, I await having the Final Communique of the meeting with the American cardinals in Rome realized. I don’t agree with the Bishops’ proposal, and I really hope that the Vatican bouces it back like a basketball. However, rather than engage in bishop-bashing, I will pray for bold leadership on their part that will enable them to bring about that reform which the Church most needs. And, by the way, that reform doesn’t include married priests, ordination of women, nor the change of any moral or doctrinal teaching of the Church. I am aware of some groups like “We are Church” or “Call to Action” who want the aforementioned type of reform. I agree that we are the Church, and that reform is needed. However, if I were not to accept any teaching of the Magisterium, I would know that I am the part of the Church who needs to reform.

Ok, I’m through now.

I have finally posted my new web page (http://www.cdavidancell.com/). True, it’s mostly plain text, but I will work on this. I just wanted to have the content ready. I’ll work on it more tonight, so I don’t know if I’ll blog any more.

By the way, the “c” at the beginning of the address stands for “Charles”. This is my first name. If you forget it, you’ll still get to the page since I also own davidancell.com and have a redirect in place. However, e-mail won’t reach me if the “c” is left out.

I’ve just added a comments area to my Blog Spot, courtesy of Enetation. Now, anyone who wishes to praise (or blast) me can do so.

I read a lot of Catholic books, and from time to time I’ll post what I’m reading. Last week, I finished an excellent book called The Everyday Apostle by Fr. Edward Garesch‚. I read this book because of my interest in everyday evangelization. My reading of the book can be summed up as follows: We need to know and live our faith, let it truly be the main part of our lives, and then speak of it as such to others. If you want learn to evangelize, I recommend reading this book along with Patrick Madrid’s Search and Rescue.

For some reason, it appears that some Memphians have resorted to parking their for-sale vehicles on the side of a busy suburban six-lane. Judging from the big green stickers with pictures of tow trucks on them, the police do not appear to be impressed. Featured in this road-side dealership was (I kid you not!) a hearse!!!

Hmmmm . . . . I wonder how much they want for it . . . . I’ll bet if I drove that to work every day, I’d be known throughout the company. If I used that to pick up a date, I’ll bet she’d never forget me (or go out with me again, for that matter). What could someone possibly have been thinking?

Anyone have a copy of Michael Rose’s GoodBye, Good Men? I have, but I’ve only read about two chapters. It’s interesting reading, but I’m a little suspicious of the sensational nature of the book. Here is a review from Culture Wars Magazine that seems to casts reasonable doubts on some aspects of the book. There is a selection of reviews that can be browsed from Catholic Exchange that seem to be more supportive of the book. Really, I don’t know what to think. I’m trying to get as many viewpoints as possible.

Don’t get me wrong, I strongly believe that the vast majority of problems in the Catholic Church in the United States today can be traced back to either a rejection of Church teachings (especially moral teachings) or a toleration of such rejection by people in leadership positions in the Church. It’s now part of my daily prayers that our bishops will exhibit bold leadership. However, I do not think that there is a need to sensationalize the problem to make a case. Let’s concede that there are bright spots when we see them.