God of Surprises

An unfortunate salute

“And since it is a journey of human beings, with the consolations there were also moments of desolation, of tensions and temptations, of which a few possibilities could be mentioned: 

One, a temptation to hostile inflexibility, that is, wanting to close oneself within the written word, (the letter) and not allowing oneself to be surprised by God, by the God of surprises, (the spirit); within the law, within the certitude of what we know and not of what we still need to learn and to achieve.  

From the time of Christ, it is the temptation of the zealous, of the scrupulous, of the solicitous and of the so-called – today – “traditionalists” and also of the intellectuals.”

In his speech at the close of the Synod it is true that Francis talked of other temptations, but it is noteworthy that 'traditionalists' were first in the line of fire. So I guess that before the 'liberals and progressives' (Cardinals Kasper, Madriaga, Schoenborn etc) are punished, we can assume Cardinals Mueller and Napier as well as the already demoted Burke will be first for the chop.

The various temptations put forward by Pope Francis aside from one set, have always been temptations for the Church. It is only in the reign of Francis that to hold fast to the Magisterium of Holy Mother Church, to defend with one's speech the Church's teaching, as Cardinal Burke has done, on the Sacrament of Marriage and the institution of the family, that it has been posited, by the Pope himself, that to do so is a 'temptation'. The Church, in her teachings and her law has never been 'flexible' with sin. It has always shown leniency to repentant sinners.

In his condemnation of the 'temptation' to uphold marriage, the moral law, and the sanctity of marriage, presumably Pope Francis is also rather annoyed with Jesus Christ Who said, "Anyone who puts away his wife and marries another commits adultery" and Who said to the woman caught in adultery, "Go and sin no more." O Lord Jesus Christ! Such a rigorist! I don't know how You cope in Francis's Church, Lord! I really don't!

If you read the Gospels. you will notice the Pharisees didn't 

like Our Lord's message on marriage either.

Presumably, once Francis has purged the episcopate and Roman Curia of liberals, progressives and traditionalists, and the other tempted persons, he will be there, all alone, because he alone can embody the Holy Faith of Christ! Nobody else gets it but him! Yet from the current occupant of the Chair of Peter has been not one word - no, not one - defending the Church's discipline, law and total silence on preserving the Blessed Sacrament from sacrilege.

That said, even His Holiness would have been shocked by the 'God of Surprises', Who inspired a revolt against his 'cunning plan' to dismantle the teaching and discipline of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church in one season. Watch out, Your Holiness, for while this is no threat from me, there are more surprises in store for anyone who thinks he knows better than Jesus Christ our Lord and God and certainly for anyone who thinks the Church's teaching can be destroyed by human hands!

I do apologise in advance for what will seem offensive words against the Vicar of Christ on Earth, but where, exactly where, is the apology that is owed to Catholic priests, bishops, cardinals, laity, families who feel betrayed that Pope Francis so obviously sided with and endeavoured to orchestrate the success of, those 'tempted' to dump Christ's teaching in the nearest refuse bin in Vatican City? What astonishing 'cleircalism'! How on Earth can someone who constantly complains about the vice of 'clericalism' issue diatribes against bishops and priests concerning this vice, against those who saw or at least perceived that he, the Pope, believed himself fit to impose his subjective will, contrary to the law of Christ, upon the entire Church around the entire globe? Exactly what kind of shrewd, manipulative and bullying clericalism is it that attempts to withhold from ordinary Catholics in the pews those exchanges which took place in the Synod?