Pray for a Miracle?

Is the “Church” irrelevant?

The Church? You know the one The Church,

My coffee buyer “Bob” has written to me. He was not impressed by Vatican smoke of any color.

They’ve elected a new Poop! Poop Leo of the Roman Numerals! Hooray!

And he’s from Chicago — my birthplace!

Now why the fuck would you choose a Poop from the US at the very time that the US empire is flailing about in its death throes?

Well, if you have long been an accessory to the empire’s worst crimes (including the Holocaust), I guess you’re pretty much shitting bricks at the thought of its demise. Could the fucking piper be putting together an invoice? Ack!

And the bettors were all wrong. He wasn’t even on the list! He’s come out of nowhere.

Fascinating, and utterly irrelevant. What the Vatican has done has simply exposed its utter fecklessness. I had to laugh.

Who, really, pays any attention to the Poop anymore? No one of consequence.

Is Bob right ?

Now, I was raised as a Catholic until my parents moved. They needed a Sunday School near our new home since they wanted to sleep in on Sunday, but my mother, who had gone to convent schools, hated the local Catholic church for reasons I don’t know about – so I went to a variety of protestant churches - until, the priest, minister, or whatever-- came around to collect donations. Then my parents switched. So, my religious education was...well….ecumenical.

If there had been a mosque or synagogue around, they probably would have sent us there to get rid of us on Saturday.

That said, I like Catholic churches. All that stained glass and candles. And a great smell. Sorta like dope.

As for doctrine….”Julian the Apostate”? Was I named after him?

OK…I am religiously confused.

Bob’s Point

I think that “Bob” has a point. The Church has been mostly a faithful servant of the status quo, which means a servant of power. And its abuses balance whatever good it has done. I had friends who went through the residential schools – and I know the results.

In Canada, the Church has yet to honor its promises of recompense to the First Nations people for its own version of genocide. “Forgive the Church for its sins?” A few Hail Marys doesn’t get you off the hook.

Unmarked graves

Pope Francis is said to have agonized over Gaza – contacting Christians in Gaza daily—but he did not take action, which as the Vicar of Christ you would think was a commandment-- excommunicate Joe Biden— and every Catholic who supported the genocide.

Nor was he as active in rooting out sexual abuse in the Church as he should have been, could have been.

He talked the talk. But he didn’t walk it. Which is sad. He seemed like a nice man.

LEO

Now we have an American Pope.

Make America great again?

He’s one of Frank’s guys but a centrist.

What does that tell you? It’s like voting for the Democratic Party, You want somebody in the middle with a good media image. But same / old; same /old. And the children keep on dying.

The alternative might have been Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa. the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who once offered himself in exchange for the Israeli hostages. Not that the offer was taken up. It would never have gotten all those kids being raped in Israeli prisons released. It was a gesture but no one took it seriously.

Pizzaballa was arguably more popular with Israelis than with Gazans! For one thing he spoke fluent Hebrew but only broken Arabic. A good guy maybe. But you need more than that!

The Gazans are in need. They are dying. They do not want platitudes. They are wounded and need help. What do the Zionists need? Just more ammunition.

So, what is the relevance of the Church if it does not take a moral position — and enforce it on its followers. Leo and the Pizza guy are no doubt nice. That is not enough.

Once upon there was Jewish man. He was not a Christian. His name was Jesus.

What would Jesus do?

25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”

27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ ; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[

28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead.

31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side.

32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.

33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.

34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’

36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise”.

Talk the talk and walk the walk

The Church talks and shakes its head but keeps on walking— walking past the issues. . “How sad”, it say the men of God with their soft voices and softer hands.

And the children die.

But there are Good Samaritans. Christians, yes. But also Jews and Muslims. Ansar Allah. And lots of atheists. They are angry. And raise their voices.

Call it “God’s Law” or just “humanity”. We are born with empathy and altruism. So we know what to do when faced with inhumanity.

Maybe, Leo will uphold God’s Law, which Jesus talked about, above political correctness and withhold the sacraments from all those who sin-- not just Biden, but JD Vance and RFK and Rubio among others. Maybe he will raise his voice.

Now that would be a Miracle.

Pray for that.

Special Article 4

Article 4 of the Putin series and I have gotten started writing messages to everyone who bought me coffee - which I really enjoy. When I read YOUR messages to me - they encourage me so much. Do I deserve it?

I think I have been very lucky in my life. Lucky to have survived when others I knew did not. I made every mistake known to man, I think - and still made it through. Lucky in so many ways. I got by often with the kinds of strangers, a lot of Good Samaritans. I am not religious - but I believe in the spirit.

So now I need to give back if I can.

As ever, please keep the coffee flowing. Chappy and Ichi and I need to eat. Click HERE!