None dare call it apostasy

LifeSiteNews ^ | Aprill 26, 2012 | Michael Hichborn

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

On the cross at Calvary, there were two men crucified next to Our Blessed Lord. To His right was St. Dismas, a good thief, who repented of his sins and begged forgiveness. To His left was Gestas, a rebel who mocked Our Lord, challenging Him to reject His cross and save the three of them from their physical sufferings and death. The example of these two men calls to mind the divisions Jesus spoke of when He said that He would separate the wheat from the chaff and the lambs from the goats. On one side is salvation; on the other is death and everlasting fire. Today, this division is becoming abundantly clear.

As the director of American Life League’s Defend the Faith project, I have seen the festering cancer of Modernism, immorality, and disobedience laying waste to communities within the Catholic Church. “Dissenters” put forth ideas suggesting that it is acceptable, and indeed “Catholic,” to disagree with fundamental Church teachings on moral and theological issues such as abortion, birth control, homosexuality, and women’s ordination.

[Engraved-on-His-hands]

I am not a supporter of large portions of Catholic theology or practice. (And, historically speaking, I do not believe in the reliability of the names given by the author to the two thieves.) However, this window into the anguish of Catholic conservatives is perhaps relevant on a wider basis. The travails and heartache of Catholic conservatives are shared by many in our day and time across many religious groups.

[Full disclosure: Although opposed to many Catholic doctrines, I occasionally donate to LifeSiteNews, a valuable organization.]