"Perhaps thou never yet hadst to deal with a BISHOP"

So said St. Basil the Great to a politician of his day. The Arian Emperor Valens had sent the Prefect Modestus to get Basil, by threats or promises, into communion with the heretics. When the smooth words and promises had no effect, Modestus changed his approach. Let us listen in on the conversation:

Modestus: Basil, what dost thou mean by opposing so great an emperor, whom all obey? Art thou under no apprehensions of feeling the effects of the power we are armed with?

Basil: If you can threaten me with anything worse than this, do so; for none of all these things give me the least uneasiness.

Basil: He that has nothing to lose is secure against confiscation. I am master of nothing except a few books and the rags I wear -- neither of which, I presume, you have any great occasion for. As to banishment, I know of no such thing in your power to inflict upon me, who account not the country I now inhabit my own. Heaven only is my country. I as little fear your torments, my emaciated body cannot hold out long under them. The first stroke will dispatch me, and put an end both to my life and pain. Much less do I dread death, which I regard as a favor; for it will bring me sooner to my Creator, for whom alone I live.

Modestus: Never did any man yet talk at this rate of freedom and unconcernedness to Modestus!

Basil: Perhaps thou never yet hadst to deal with a bishop. In all other occurrences we bishops are of all men living the meekest and most submissive, we do not carry ourselves haughtily towards the meanest plebeian, much less towards persons vested with such power. But where the cause of God and religion is at stake; we overlook all things else, regarding God alone. Your fire, daggers, beasts, and burning pincers in this cause are our option and delight, you may threaten and torment us, but can never overcome us.

Now compare, if you will, Basil, this holy exemplar of a bishop, with Archbishop Theodore McCarrick who said he “would not be comfortable” withholding Holy Communion from John Kerry or other pro-abort politicians.

Compare Saint Basil with our own Cardinal Edward Egan, who as you may know has delivered himself of the opinion that he’s “not sure when life begins” and the “trouble with the prolife movement is pro lifers.”

Do not look to him to take a moral stand against pro abort “catholic” politicians. He does not have the strength of character that a bishop should have in the face of evil. It seems he only gets tough with “the meanest plebeians,” those in the pews without any political clout. The only time he seems willing to take a stand is in the closing of churches!

Character and Duties Required of Bishops How does Holy Scripture describe Bishops?

A faithful saying: If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth good work. It behoveth therefore a bishop to be blameless, the husband of one wife, sober, prudent, of good behavior, chaste, given to hospitality, a teacher, not given to wine, no striker, but modest, not quarrelsome, not covetous, but one that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all chastity. But if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God? Not a neophyte: lest, being puffed up with pride, he fall into the judgment of the devil. Moreover, he must have a good testimony of them who are without: lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil. (2)

Impose not hands lightly upon any man, neither be partaker of other men's sins. Keep thyself chaste. (3)

For a bishop must be without crime, as the steward of God: not proud, not subject to anger, nor given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre: but given to hospitality, gentle, sober, just, holy, continent: embracing that faithful word which is according to doctrine, that he may be able to exhort in sound doctrine and to convince the gainsayers.

For there are also many disobedient, vain talkers and seducers: especially they who are of the circumcision. (4)

The ancients therefore that are among you, I beseech who am myself also an ancient and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as also a partaker of that glory which is to be revealed in time to come. Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking care of it, not by constraint but willingly, according to God: not for filthy lucre's sake but voluntarily. Neither as lording it over the clergy but being made a pattern of the flock from the heart. And when the prince of pastors shall appear, you shall receive a never fading crown of glory. (5)

Pop quiz: With the closing of these churches, Cardinal Egan can hope to gain for Christ:

“Finally, to cover many matters in a few words, it is fitting that you yourselves be the promoters, the leaders, and the teachers in every sacred and ecclesiastical function and in every exercise of divine worship and of piety. Thus, both the clergy and the whole flock may be enlightened, as if by the brightness of your holiness and may be warmed by the fire of your love. Therefore, be an example for your flock in the frequent celebration of the Mass, in devout offering, in solemn celebration of Masses, in administering the sacraments, in reciting the breviary, in respect for and in the splendor of the churches, in the discipline of your household and of your spiritual family, in love for the poor and in helping them, in looking after the sick and supporting them, in welcoming pilgrims with hospitality, and finally in every good work of Christian virtue. Thus, all may be imitators of you just as you are imitators of Christ as is fitting for bishops whom the Holy Spirit placed in charge of the Church of God which Jesus redeemed by His blood. Look back often on the apostles to whose place you have succeeded. Follow in their footsteps in works, in vigilance, in bearing hardship, in keeping the wolves away from your sheep, in removing the roots of vices, in teaching the evangelical law, and in leading back to salutary penance those who have strayed.”(6)

It seems to me that if all Catholics have the duty to follow Christ – “He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked” (7) – then it is certainly incumbent upon the bishops to preach Christ crucified. “But we preach Christ crucified: unto the Jews indeed a stumbling block, and unto the Gentiles foolishness. But unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ, the power of God and the wisdom of God.” (8) Listen to Pope Leo XIII:

The chief elements of this duty consist in professing openly and unflinchingly the Catholic doctrine, and in propagating it to the utmost of our power. For, as is often said, with the greatest truth, there is nothing so hurtful to Christian wisdom as that it should not be known, since it possesses, when loyally received, inherent power to drive away error. So soon as Catholic truth is apprehended by a simple and unprejudiced soul, reason yields assent. Now, faith, as a virtue, is a great boon of divine grace and goodness; nevertheless, the objects themselves to which faith is to be applied are scarcely known in any other way than through the hearing. “How shall they believe Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? Faith then cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Since, then, faith is necessary for salvation, it follows that the word of Christ must be preached. The office, indeed, of preaching, that is, of teaching, lies by divine right in the province of the pastors, namely, of the bishops whom “the Holy Spirit has placed to rule the Church of God.” (9)

After reading the above; one would be led to believe that the Prince of the Church in New York, in the wake of the greatest act of terrorism in this country’s history, would have been relentless in shouting from the rooftops the Holy Name of Jesus. Yet, at a “prayer service” in Yankee Stadium, shortly after 9/11, the Cardinal Archbishop of New York did not mention Our Lord’s name once! Did not Our Lord say

Every one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him before my Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. (10)

The present century has encountered memorable disasters, and it is not certain that some equally terrible are not impending. The very times in which we live are warning us to seek remedies there where alone they are to be found-namely, by re-establishing in the family circle and throughout the whole range of society the doctrines and practices of the Christian religion. In this lies the sole means of freeing us from the ills now weighing us down, of forestalling the dangers now threatening the world. For the accomplishment of this end, venerable brethren, We must bring to bear all the activity and diligence that lie within Our power. (11)

When once men recognize, both in private and in public life, that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace and harmony. (12)

You may be asking yourselves at this point what all this to do with the wholesale closing of churches in the Archdiocese of New York (and elsewhere). Quite simply, it has to do with the fundamental mission of the Church.

And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned. (13)

Our Lord left this mandate to His Apostles just before His glorious Ascension. For one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five years (give or take), the successors of the Apostles, the Bishops, did just that. It is the reason for the Church’s existence. It is Her divine Mission!

For the past forty years, this mission has been ignored and recently it has been denied. Ecumenism is at the heart of this denial. The belief by many in the hierarchy that all men will be ultimately be saved is implicit in the intentional mistranslation of the words of Consecration (the form) of the wine in the New Order Mass. It is simply a lie to pretend that Jesus said that His blood “will be shed for you and for all”. This is a complete contradiction of the Roman Catechism (the Catechism of the Council of Trent):

With regard to the consecration of the wine, which is the other element of this Sacrament, the priest, for the reason we have already assigned, ought of necessity to be well acquainted with, and well understand its form. We are then firmly to believe that it consists in the following words: This is the chalice of my blood, of the new and eternal testament, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you and for many, to the remission of sins. (14)

The additional words for you and for many, are taken, some from Matthew, some from Luke, but were joined together by the Catholic Church under the guidance of the Spirit of God. They serve to declare the fruit and advantage of His Passion. For if we look to its value, we must confess that the Redeemer shed His blood for the salvation of all; but if we look to the fruit which mankind have received from it, we shall easily find that it pertains not unto all, but to many of the human race. When therefore (Our Lord) said: For you, He meant either those who were present, or those chosen from among the Jewish people, such as were, with the exception of Judas, the disciples with whom He was speaking. When He added, And for many, He wished to be understood to mean the remainder of the elect from among the Jews or Gentiles.

With reason, therefore, were the words for all not used, as in this place the fruits of the Passion are alone spoken of, and to the elect only did His Passion bring the fruit of salvation. And this is the purport of the Apostle when he says: Christ was offered once to exhaust the sins of many; and also of the words of our Lord in John: “I pray for them; I pray not for the world, but for them whom thou hast given me, because they are thine. (15)

We shall not here discuss the omission of “the mystery of Faith” from the form of the consecration in the New Mass, as it is not germane to the topic.

The errors of ecumenism (human respect and universalism) cause an abhorrence to the idea of missionary activity, which as we have noted above is the fundamental mission of the Church. Why should anyone evangelize if all are saved where they are? If there be no need to convert, what use do we have for all these empty churches? (Empty because of this laissez faire attitude!)

The future of the Church, humanly speaking, does not bode well. However, we must not forget who is the Head of the Church. It is Our Lord Jesus, who, if He so wills, can change the horizon in a heartbeat! We must pray for that day. We must pray, fast, and sacrifice. Give all we have for Holy Mother Church.

In closing, I would ask Cardinal Egan to ingest what has been said above, and before regurgitating it out, to taste and see if it rings true to him. If it does, then he should resign. If he has abandoned the Church’s divine mission, if he has quit trying to win souls for Christ, then he has no business calling himself a Bishop.

But, as we have already said, the Apostolic mission was not destined to die with the Apostles themselves, or to come to an end in the course of time, since it was intended for the people at large and instituted for the salvation of the human race. For Christ commanded His Apostles to preach the “Gospel to every creature, to carry His name to nations and kings, and to be witnesses to him to the ends of the earth.” He further promised to assist them in the fulfillment of their high mission, and that, not for a few years or centuries only, but for all time – “even to the consummation of the world.” Upon which St. Jerome says: “He who promises to remain with His Disciples to the end of the world declares that they will be for ever victorious, and that He will never depart from those who believe in Him” (In Matt., lib. iv., cap. 28, v. 20).

But how could all this be realized in the Apostles alone, placed as they were under the universal law of dissolution by death? God consequently provided that the Magisterium instituted by Jesus Christ should not end with the life of the Apostles, but rather be perpetuated. We see it in truth propagated, and, as it were, delivered from hand to hand. For the Apostles consecrated bishops, and each one appointed those who were to succeed them immediately “in the ministry of the word.” Nay more: they likewise required their successors to choose fitting men, to endow them with like authority, and to confide to them the office and mission of teaching.”(16)

Woe to the pastors, that destroy and tear the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord the God of Israel to the pastors that feed my people: You have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold I will visit upon you for the evil of your doings, saith the Lord.(16)

Dear Lord, please have mercy on us and raise up bishops for us like St. Basil!

"The Bishops should heed well The Prophesy of Jeremias:

Woe to the pastors, that destroy and tear the sheep of my pasture, saith the Lord. Therefore thus saith the Lord the God of Israel to the pastors that feed my people: You have scattered my flock, and driven them away, and have not visited them: behold I will visit upon you for the evil of your doings, saith the Lord. (17. Jeremias 23: 1-2)"

Amen!

"Go ye into the whole world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall he condemned. (13)

Our Lord left this mandate to His Apostles just before His glorious Ascension. For one thousand nine hundred and sixty-five years (give or take), the successors of the Apostles, the Bishops, did just that. It is the reason for the Church’s existence. It is Her divine Mission!

For the past forty years, this mission has been ignored and recently it has been denied. Ecumenism is at the heart of this denial. The belief by many in the hierarchy that all men will be ultimately be saved is implicit in the intentional mistranslation of the words of Consecration (the form) of the wine in the New Order Mass. It is simply a lie to pretend that Jesus said that His blood “will be shed for you and for all”. This is a complete contradiction of the Roman Catechism (the Catechism of the Council of Trent):

With regard to the consecration of the wine, which is the other element of this Sacrament, the priest, for the reason we have already assigned, ought of necessity to be well acquainted with, and well understand its form. We are then firmly to believe that it consists in the following words: This is the chalice of my blood, of the new and eternal testament, the mystery of faith, which shall be shed for you and for many, to the remission of sins. (14)"

Whether all men will avail themselves of the saving grace is the question.

There's no question about that.

Thirdly, perseverance is called the abiding in good to the end of life. And in order to have this perseverance man does not, indeed, need another habitual grace, but he needs the Divine assistance guiding and guarding him against the attacks of the passions, as appears from the preceding article. And hence after anyone has been justified by grace, he still needs to beseech God for the aforesaid gift of perseverance, that he may be kept from evil till the end of his life. For to many grace is given to whom perseverance in grace is not given. (St. Thomas, ST II-I q. 109 a. 10)

But, though He died for all, yet all do not receive the benefit of His death ... (Council of Trent, Decree on Justification, cap. iii.)

For many are called but few chosen. (St. Matthew 20:16)

Many are called, but few are predestinated to glory.

A good way of dealing with bishops is to write and let them know that instead of supporting their dissident dioceses, you'll henceforth be donating to the "Fighting Fund"...
http://www.christianorder.com/editorials.html
Of course, if you're still waiting to hear about a more "wide and generous application of the Roman Missal of 1962", you still won't get any response.

"Of course, if you're still waiting to hear about a more "wide and generous application of the Roman Missal of 1962", you still won't get any response."

Actually, we have been doing well in getting a more "wide and generous application of the indult" in our diocese by working through the diocesan structure and finding supportive priests in the chancery.

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