That's my advice to Cardinal Gregory regarding his lament over the divisions in the Church. If we remember, Cardinal Gregory was the one who received kudos from the media for blasting Trump for his appearance at the John Paul II shrine.
This would be the same cardinal who referenced the January 6 riots in his condemnation of the demon of divisions in our country while heaping praise on the BLM riots protests the previous year. Oh, and the same cardinal that invoked the classic 'people who criticize me remind me of the critics of the priets who supported Civil Rights Movement' shtick so common among liberalism. Critics you say? Just say they would have hated blacks back in the day, too. These examples speak to politically driven partisan divisiveness that is sweeping both our country and our church.
No, send a different messenger than him if we care about divisions in our church or country. That puts me in mind of the whole post-inauguration plea from democrats that conservatives stop being divisive and admit they're Nazis. They didn't say it that way of course. But it's the usual thinly veiled use of divisions and dividing people by giving them only one possible alternative to avoid being divisive.
By the way, an interesting question from my sons when thinking of the political narratives the good cardinal clearly endorses. Why is it so hard to believe that the political party that existed to defend slavery, that fostered the KKK, promoted Jim Crow, fought against desegregation, and opposed the Civil Rights movement, never really stopped its war against black Americans?
Why is it hard to think that it simply found a new way to exploit black America by sanctioning destructive and counterproductive attitudes and behaviors, lowering expectations and standards, and then seize upon the logical consequences by insisting if it is just given continual power, it promises to crush the real villains who are the real cause of black American suffering?
Why is it easy instead for so many, including Catholic leaders (ahem), to be offended at that possibility and instead embrace like the Gospel the idea that the fault is the whole of American history, every white American who ever lived, and the sum total of the heritage of the Christian West - oh, and white conservative Republicans?
I had no good answer, other than the people who run the culture want one thing to be true and what could likely be true not possible.
My impression of Wilton Gregory is that he's always been an institutional politician and beyond that there ain't much there there. (And the complaint about 'division' means he's receiving letters of complaint he does not care for and donations aren't on a growth trajectory).
ReplyDeleteYep. When I hear 'stop being divisive', it's almost always said by those on the left who seem to mean 'shut up and obey.'
DeleteSimilar to how cries in the media about "politicians aren't being bipartisan!" always mean "Republicans aren't conceding to democrat demands."
DeleteYep. As far back as the 90s, I came to realize when the Democrats said compromise, they meant give them what they want and watch your rear.
DeleteMr Griffey, you mean sort of like when Catholic liberals talk about 'dialogue'? It generally means a give and take. The Church gives and its enemies take.
DeleteYep. I notice the world has done a number on Christians over the years: we demand dialogue, so shut up; it's wrong to convert people, now convert to our beliefs; you can't tell someone their religion is wrong, because yours is stupid and evil. And on and on. Someday we might wake up.
Delete"Why is it so hard to believe that... Why is it hard to think that... Why is it easy instead for so many, including Catholic leaders (ahem), to be offended..."
ReplyDeleteWhen faith in God is weak or nonexistent then the lack of belief in the truth and the lack of gratitude for a county that God gave us follows close behind.
That's what I've been pondering. Just how many stopped believing long before the collapse we're witnessing. I find it hard to believe they were hardcore 'this is the Gospel truth of God and eternity' when they're so easily and quickly throwing it out the window to align with this think we call the Left.
Delete