Day of Infamy

Okay.

I have for quite awhile been refraining from making political comments on this blog, difficult as that has been. This is for a number of reasons-- I am a seminarian and should not be getting too partisan; this is a spiritual blog, not a political one; I want to wean myself from excessive immersion in political debate (though I've not been having too much luck with that last one).

Today, however, is a different matter. First, the issue at hand is primarily spiritual, although it has a huge political side. Secondly, we are facing legislation that will change America as we know it, and not at all for the better. Today is history-making, and I don't want to let it pass without comment.

For the past year President Obama has been pushing a health care reform bill that supposedly addresses horrible injustices in our system that have caused a "crisis" of apparently biblical proportions. An integral part of that plan, from the very start, has been the use of taxpayer money to fund abortions, for the first time in American history. Over and over again the President has denied that this is the case, brazenly lying through his teeth without so much as a blush. He is positively shameless, and yet his behavior pales in comparison to that of the various "Catholic" members of his Administration who have enthusiastically, gleefully championed this murderous legislation : Pelosi, Biden, Sebelius, ad nauseum. There were many "pro-life Democrats" who fought valiantly to keep the abortion funding out, but they have this morning caved in to the pagans by accepting a supposed Executive Order which purports to prevent the funding. It is a farce, and everyone knows it. In fact, very early this morning the USCCB released a statement to that effect :

From: XXXXXXXX
Sent: Sunday, March 21, 2010 11:15 AM
Subject: xxxxxxx Note From the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on “Fixing” Abortion Funding Problems in the Senate Bill Through Executive Order—Not Possible.

Please find below a note from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops on “fixing” abortion funding problems in the Senate bill through executive order—not possible.

To: Congressional Aides

We’ve consulted with legal experts on the specific idea of resolving the abortion funding problems in the Senate bill through executive order. We know Members have been looking into this in good faith, in the hope of limiting the damage done by abortion provisions in the bill. We believe, however, that it would not be fair to withhold what our conclusion was, as it may help members in assessing the options before them:

“One proposal to address the serious problem in the Senate health care bill on abortion funding, specifically the direct appropriating of new funds that bypass the Hyde amendment, is to have the President issue an executive order against using these funds for abortion. Unfortunately, this proposal does not begin to address the problem, which arises from decades of federal appellate rulings that apply the principles of Roe v. Wade to federal health legislation. According to these rulings, such health legislation creates a statutory requirement for abortion funding, unless Congress clearly forbids such funding. That is why the Hyde amendment was needed in 1976, to stop Medicaid from funding 300,000 abortions a year. The statutory mandate construed by the courts would override any executive order or regulation. This is the unanimous view of our legal advisors and of the experts we have consulted on abortion jurisprudence. Only a change in the law enacted by Congress, not an executive order, can begin to address this very serious problem in the legislation.”

Richard Doerflinger
U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops

XXXXXXX

http://RepublicanWhip.House.Gov

(Thanks to the inimitable Pater Z-meister.)

For a very long time I have maintained that Barak Obama has a plan. That plan is very cunning, and very savvy. From the beginning of his campaign for the presidency he has actively courted the support of liberal, dissenting "Catholics" who can give him the semblance of moral cover for his leftist policies. I don't have the time to flesh this out with names, but it is easy enough to research. The most egregious example of this was when the dissident nun group LCWR threw their support to the healthcare bill one day after the USCCB came out strongly against it. The bishops in unison have made it very clear that this bill is unacceptable from a moral point of view, and yet there are many who simply disregard that in favor of their own private opinions and agendas. I have been ranting over this for a very long time, and was gratified that LifeSiteNews printed an article on this very phenomenon. Obama's plan is to ally himself with radical elements that insist on calling themselves "Catholic"; this gives him a facade of spiritual justification, and allows the dissidents to support left-wing causes with smug certitude.

When Senator Kennedy died, and Sean Cardinal O'Malley (whom I like very much but disagree with completely) attended his funeral, I said that the time had come (was long overdue, in fact) for the Church leadership in America to start holding so-called Catholic politicians accountable for their heretical voting patterns; in fact, to steal a line from the left, they should do so "by any means necessary." With these recent examples of outright revolt, I hold on to the hope that the bishops will see the handwriting on the wall and understand that these people have separated themselves from the Church and have no intention of reconciling their behavior with Magisterial teaching. If they are forced to choose between the Church and their politics, I am sure that many will not choose the Church. That is sad, but it is ultimately of no consequence to the question at hand. The Church is not called to preach whatever will keep people in the pews; we are called to preach the Truth (which is not a thing but a Person) even if that goes against the culture, trendy "morality", and human "wisdom". Oftentimes our good bishops do exactly that; in this current debate they have been loud and steadfast. But looking the other way when the Magisterium is ignored or purposely distorted is not an act of pastoral charity. When the Church chooses not to preach Christ crucified -- either in word, action, or lack of action-- she cheapens the Gospel, scandalizes the Body of Christ, and weakens our witness in the world.

In about an hour the House will vote to pass a bill which I am certain will fund abortions with taxpayer money, by hook or by crook. I am going on record to predict that this Executive Order will not be in existence one year from today. The prince of this world has sneeringly thrown down the gauntlet at the feet of our Holy Mother the Church in the United States. We can only pray that she will respond with courage, fortitude, and holiness.

Kyrie eleison. Christe eleison. Kyrie eleison.

Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium.