Whatever Happened to Courage

'On him the spirit of the Lord rests...a spirit of counsel and fortitude' (Isaiah 11.2).

The Hebrew word translated as 'fortitude' in the Vulgate is elsewhere translated 'valor' or 'courage'. The Holy Spirit of God bestows the virtue of courage. Sadly, this gift is lacking among modern Christians- especially our leaders. We are now fed a milk toast, pantywaist, sissified 'gospel'. But it certainly isn't the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (see Galatians 1.8.).

Jesus called people snakes, vipers, hypocrites, and wolves. He repeatedly asked them how they thought they could "escape the damnation of hell". (Matthew 23.13-39). John the Baptist publicly rebuked Herod. St. Steven called the Jews "stiff-necked" and "murderers". (Acts 7.51-54). But no longer do we see public rebuke and denunciation of sin and wicked people. No, today we get 'sloppy agape' toleration and coexistence with evil and evil-doers in the name of 'love'.

Early Christians were slaughtered by the thousands and it wasn't because they just 'loved' everybody and went around 'dialoguing'? According to the most ancient Roman accounts the emperors accused the Christians of two "crimes": 1. Cannibalism. The Romans were repulsed by' the Christian's claim to consume literal flesh and blood; i.e. Christ in the Eucharist, and 2. "Hatred of mankind". This is what filled the emperors with rage.

The Christians asserted that the Romans were evil, that their 'gods' were demons, and their immorality was repugnant to a holy God. Because the Christians mocked the Roman 'gods' and rebuked their 'alternate lifestyles', the Romans accused them of "hatred". Sound familiar? In fact, the reason Christians have been persecuted throughout history is not because they 'loved' everyone, it was because they spoke the truth! The reason most American Christians are never persecuted is because they are not true Christians (if to be a Christian means to be 'like Christ'). Christ wasn't some effeminate coward tip-toeing through the tulips saying, "Can't we all just get along?".

And what of our Catholic bishops? Their denunciation of abortion while coddling it's advocates is a scandal to the faithful. Mother Theresa, filled with the spirit of counsel and fortitude, rebuked the antichrist reprobate Bill Clinton to his face. Meanwhile, sycophantic bishops not only refuse to confront Clinton, they endorse him politically! Why the late Cardinal Bernardin even received a special prize from Clinton for being such a nice guy!

Our bishops say abortion is murder and that partial birth abortion is infanticide, yet they refuse to publicly condemn the wicked who perpetrate and protect it. Our bishop (a vocal opponent of abortion), recently was on the cover of our local Catholic paper posing with his Methodist and Episcopal counterparts announcing their latest call for increased socialism A Future of Crisis or Hope for the Children of Mississippi.*

While filled mostly with the flowery language and platitudinous nonsense that characterizes most religious communication these days, this particular missive contains both inaccurate and strained parallels; Jesus was born "homeless" and was a "lost and forsaken child", as well as something more sinister. It appears that great pains were taken to specify that the bishops are only interested in helping those children lucky enough to escape the birth canal. "We call on all people to view every child born today as sent by God...". "We call all people to value every child born today as much as Jesus valued the children of His day." (Italics added)

Why not just "every child" or better yet "every child conceived today"? Why, in the entire document, is no mention made of the thousands of Mississippi innocents murdered in the womb each year? Answer: because both the Methodist and Episcopal bishops are pro-abortion! They support child slaughter!

What signal does it send to faithful Catholics when our bishop calls abortion murder and then poses with pro-aborts to "help the children". It's a slap in the face to pro-life Catholics who've worked tirelessly for 25 years to save the unborn. It is a bigger slap in the face to the 35 million dead babies. It's a stumbling block to unbelievers as well. These two apostates should have been soundly rebuked to their face! How can one say abortion is murder and then play golf, socialize, and enter into community projects with advocates and defenders of the killing? To overlook their support of child killing is like saying that Adolf was an okay guy except for that thing with the Jews.

What a disgrace! Apostates like these publicly rant and rave about Paul Hill, but have no public words of rebuke for Bill Clinton. Whose side are they on anyway? Where is fortitude? We used to have Thomas More. Now we have Teddy Kennedy. We used to have St. Ambrose. Now we have Rembert Weakland. We used to have John Wesley and C.H. Spurgeon. Now we have Bishop Spong and Tony Campolo.

The age of courage has been supplanted by the age of moral cowards and apostates. Abandoning their prophetic office our leaders have allowed a whole generation to slide into hell. This isn't love. It is a cowardly attempt to avoid confrontation and appease the enemies of Christ. I think many bishops should raise a white flag over their chanceries.

A Protestant minister in the Midwest was having great success bringing people out of homosexuality, adultery, and fornication. Many notorious sinners were converted. A fellow pastor asked him the secret of his 'counseling technique'. He replied, "I tell them, STOP IT!".

Similarly, one pro-lifer I know confronts acquaintances who claim to be pro-choice with pictures of the poor aborted babies and tells them that if they can look at this, and still be pro-choice, then they are not decent human beings, and are certainly no friend of his. And he refuses to interact with them! Guess what happens? Most of them abandon their pro-choice position, all because one person refuses to equivocate.

Where are our Catholic leaders today who are willing to say "STOP IT!"? Where are our leaders willing to say "I refuse to associate with you because your views are an offense to God and decent humanity"?

I am fed up with a Christianity devoid of courage and a clergy devoid of, dare I say it, manhood. No wonder the homosexuals have been able to infiltrate the Catholic Church. They fit right in with the other sissies. And while there are still some priests who haven't yet succumbed, anyone with eyes to see can tell that the American Church is quickly going the way of the already lost Canadian apostates.

May the Peace of our God the Lord Jesus Christ and the prayers of Our Dear Blessed Mother Mary be with you always,

/s/

Jack Keene

* Copy available upon request.

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Whatever Happened to Courage?

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Whatever Happened to Courage?

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