Flowers for the Immaculate Conception (Still a papist?! edition)

Yesterday Sassy the Subaru saw well over 400 miles as Mass with the Bishop and fellow priests at the Cathedral in Charlotte. It was the Jubilee Mass for a number of priests this year, one at 60 years of Masses, two at 55 years of Masses, one at 50 years of Masses, and one – a predecessor of mine here in Andrews – at 25 years.

With one priest I had a fast moving discussion about the horrific state of affairs in Nigeria, where mayhem has escalated in the past couple of months and weeks, what with now continuous terrorism and slaughtering of Christians by Islamicists, an “ethnic cleansing” – let’s call it what it is, a genocide, village by village, region by region. There is a confiscation of gun permits of Christians and a confiscation of guns, even while the Islamicists are allowed by the Islamicist president to continue their murdering. That’s what gun confiscation is all about.

With some others a discussion was to be had about how to deal with the homosexualist bullying within the Church, what amounts here and there to an ethnic cleansing of believers, particularly and pointedly as wrought by some individuals in the Vatican. We were all of the same judgement, that we have to stick together, and stay always with Jesus, as He is the One, the only One.

I mentioned, as is my want, prayers for Pope Francis, complaining that some people interpret my appeals as absolutely agreeing with absolutely everything Pope Francis says and does. “Pfft!” exclaimed one priests, incredulous that I should ever get any trouble for praying for anyone: “I pray for Pope Francis all the time!” he said, again and again. “How is that a problem?” That’s my question as well. Such an attitude of not praying for the very person who would obviously be the most attacked by Satan in the Church contravenes Jesus’ desire to pray for all and sundry, regardless. Jesus prayed for the very one who would deny Him three times, the very first Pontiff, Peter himself. So, like, yeah, what is the problem? Who are these people who insist that one absolutely cannot ever pray for anyone unless you absolutely agree with everything they say and do? I mean, how stupid and, it seems to me, how malicious is that?

Perhaps they forget that they themselves were on their way to hell except for Jesus laying down His life for them, you know, because they were just that evil.

Let’s recall this scene from the Passion of the Christ, the denial of Jesus by Peter and then Jesus’ good mom being so willing to forgive:

A rose for you, Mary.