News Item: : Bread and Circuses
(Category: Torch of The Faith News)
Posted by admin
Thursday 23 February 2017 - 18:17:18

cathedrapetri.jpg
From ancient times, the Catholic Church has celebrated a feast in honour of St. Peter's Chair of Primacy on the 22nd February. After the establishment of St. Peter's See in Rome came to be celebrated on 18th January, yesterday's date became associated with the celebration of the seven years during which St. Peter ruled over the Church as Bishop of Antioch.

I must admit that I was less than edified last night when I logged in and read reports that Pope Francis had skipped the traditional Solemn Liturgy of Cathedra Petri to watch an outdoor circus-style performance; featuring women unchastely cavorting about the place, whilst wearing skin-tight ''cat'' costumes...

Indeed, the images that flashed up on the screen presented a near occasion of sin to any man who was not dead from the neck down. That, by the way, is why I will not post up those images or the associated - and I'm told much worse - videos here at this site.

And yet, by sitting through this performance yesterday, Pope Francis, Bishop Georg Ganswein et al, seemed strangely unmoved; and even appeared to be oblivious of the Church's teachings on chastity of dress and comportment.

Indeed, Vatican Radio reports that Pope Francis went so far as to say: ''Beauty carries us to God. It is a path which arrives at God. Continue to make beautiful things! Continue to make good things for all of us! Thank you!''

Does beauty always lead us to God in a fallen world? Well, there is a sense in which all true beauty has the capacity to lead us to God, Who is the very source of Goodness, Beauty and Truth par excellence; but it is also true that, due to Original Sin and Concupiscence, it is never a good idea to have lasses dressed like that cavorting about the place the way they did yesterday. In any case, some of their poses and gestures were far from dignified or beautiful. Actually, this whole scene comes close to the kind of public Roman performances that were condemned by St. Augustine in his classic, The City of God Against the Pagans! Indeed, when the Church became fully established, such public spectacles were at last banished from the precincts of ancient Rome. 

Because of our fallen and wounded nature, we can tend to see and use good things in ways that are selfish and sinful. It has, therefore, always been the constant teaching of the Church to guard purity through chaste actions, clothing, speech and careful custody of the eyes.

I mean, come on, are these men so saintly that they are untroubled by such public spectacles?

But then again, if they were so holy, wouldn't they tell these ladies to cover up and act a bit more, you know, lady-like; as much for the sake of the womens' own souls, as well as for the sake of other weaker men who have not reached their levels of sanctity?

What then are we to make of such high-ranking clergy being so unmoved? Are they half-dead? Are they blind? Don't they believe the Church's teachings on chastity? Are they, erm, are they... No, surely not, perish the thought!

The whole debacle calls to mind Juvenal's criticisms of the ''bread and circuses'' that were given out to please the populace in the days of the collapsing Roman Empire.

Instead of reverently celebrating the primacy of St. Peter and preparing us all for the penitential season of Lent, Francis and his associates are sitting around watching performances that orthodox Catholic men, knowing that they are made of clay, try their very best to avoid, in order to remain in the peace and love of Christ. Then we end up seeing the images anyway, because they go out from Rome to every corner of the globe by nightfall.

Then, too, one cannot reflect on these things without also being troubled by the words of Our Lady of Fatima: ''More souls go to Hell because of the sins of the flesh than for any other reason... Certain fashions will be introduced that will offend Our Lord very much... Woe to women lacking in modesty.''

It is not nice or good to have temptation put in one's path by a spiritual father; much less by a reigning pontiff. Up to now, it seems that Francis has tempted: fornicators and adulterers to continue in their sins; cardinals, bishops and priests to go along with sacrilege and heresy; orthodox Catholics to become angry and/or despairing; nominal Catholics to become confused and/or indifferent; and Catholics who like to debate to be gradually altered by his sophistry. Now, it seems, that temptation is becoming less laterally in the realms of reason and more plainly just straight in-your-face.

It was St. Padre Pio who said that impurity and discouragement were the chief merchandise of the Devil.     

Does anyone still doubt that these men are trying to deliberately and systematically take down the Church by design?

We must pray a great deal for Pope Francis and the bishops and priests who condone this type of thing. As Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: ''But he that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea.''

Let's see how Generalissimo Arturo Sosa Abascal S.J. ''reinterprets'' that for the mores of a new generation!!!

St. Peter, the First Pope - Pray for us!

May Our Heavenly Father protect us from temptation and deliver us from evil. Amen!



This news item is from Torch of The Faith
( http://www.torchofthefaith.com/news.php?extend.1562 )