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Wednesday 13 April 2016

"Give him the benefit of the doubt, if ANYONE deserves that, it is Cardinal Burke!"

Not just a few blogging colleagues have issued harsh criticism of Raymond Cardinal Burke's response to the Apostolic Exhortation in the National Catholic Register. Following that column of His Eminence, I wrote it up on a few posts below and contrasted it with the heretical remarks of Blase Cupich on the reception of Holy Communion. 

I wrote then:

"It is important to read all of what Cardinal Burke wrote and to read it slowly and carefully. He is not condemning the exhortation, but he is certainly not praising it either. His approach is clearly one of a Canonist. It is reasoned and rational. He makes it clear, it is the "opinion" of Francis, it is not infallible, it is not magisterial. Reading between the lines, one can surmise, he is disgusted."

It is my view, that we have not heard the last on this from Cardinal Burke, nor have we heard what he really thinks. If he is anything, he is a faithful and true Bishop, that has been proven again and again. He is also wise and a Canonist and sees the long view. I have no doubt, that in time, the right time, we will hear more from this man. 

I present here, a letter which I have received from someone who has suffered at the hands of certain priests and prelates in ways unimaginable and who received only kindness and mercy from the one pictured above.


The Few, the Faithful, the Traumatised
The Sheepdog
The so called fight-or-flight response originates in the autonomic nervous system – that part of everyone which acts unconsciously, responding to a deeply ingrained biological urge to protect oneself from imminent harm. This system is present in both humans and animals, the difference being that humans have the gift of reason, and are largely able to moderate through their conscious mind the autonomic urges to protect oneself. When a person is traumatized, ostracized, and emotionally or physically beaten down, the PTSD that results inhibits the ability of the rational mind to intervene in these processes.
 In the years since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has been attacked by dark forces, the most insidious of which, “the Spirit of Vatican II”, (which is in complete opposition to the actual Council)  “has entered the church through some crack or fissure”.  These dark forces have inspired legions of evil and wicked bishops and careerist priests to join forces to batter down by whatever means necessary those who have tried to hold back the advancement of the forces of Baal into the Holy of Holies.
 Looking back along the road the church has travelled since the Council, one may observe the battered and bloody spiritual corpses that are strewn along its length. These were those faithful, priests and lay alike, who tried to resist those forces, but were vanquished by the darkness. And so having our rational mind unable to fully function because of trauma, we revert to our instincts – we fight ferociously and indiscriminately or we flee the battle in an attempt to circle the wagons and isolate our families in an extreme way, from what is happening. Those of us who are still around, still faithful, have been traumatized by having to witness such evil by the hands that have been anointed to offer the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. A truly Satanic perversion of grace indeed. How can we not be traumatized? How can we not be fearful? How can we not be angry, suspicious, and even paranoid? We have most, if not all, the features of PTSD.
 Our rational mind and soul is so beaten up that it is often not strong enough to overpower the instinctual urge to attack that which we perceive is the source of our trauma. We began to act like animals, relying on pure instinct, without the aid of reason. This is what happens when the faithful Catholics are cornered, isolated, and poked with the stick of heresy by the very men who should be their shepherds and pastors: they scratch and bite at everyone who may approach to offer to help, even their friends. They become paranoid and see in everyone who might not fully agree with their approach to what is a common problem as an adversary.  I have PTSD, and I am doing well. I have my fight-or-flight response under control, but many of my friends do not, and some of them have started turning on me in the post A-L frenzy. How do we combat this? PRAY PRAY PRAY before you have conversations. Fast from things you are entitled to. Mortify your senses, and most importantly, as often as you can, get on your knees before Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament and hurl your hurt, your agonies, your betrayal, and your doubts at the foot of the altar. If you ask Him to bear this burden with you He will. Our trials, sufferings, and agonies have NO VALUE except to the extent that we conform them to the Passion of Our Lord. That ability, given by God Himself when He created us, is what makes us different from animals. And this advice from a saintly Bishop from LaCrosse, Wisconsin is what saved my soul from turning in on itself in anger. Cardinal Burke has been the subject of attack these days. Having recovered from my PTSD to a point where my rational soul is back in control, I must say, having known him personally for many years, that he deserves the benefit of the doubt:  because he knows things we don't, and he’s playing the long game. I'd bet my life on that.  What he certainly isn’t doing is caving or compromising, although those of us who are traumatized and have not sufficiently recovered our rationality can’t see that, and it’s not their fault. It’s the fault of the men who caused the trauma in the first place.
 I may find the first two paragraphs of his piece in the NCR difficult to swallow as well, and I find it hard to accept his proposition that A-L is somehow a non-magisterial document. I would certainly like to hear him expound on those particular areas because there is certainly more than meets the eye. I may ask him privately, as my “Ghostly Father”. He has an infinitely greater chance of being correct than I simply because he is so much holier than I.
 But if my choice is to publicly attack him and not give him the benefit of the doubt (if ANYONE deserves that, it is Burke), then the problem lies with my sinful pride, my own rash judgement, and not Burke's character or faithfulness to tradition. So I’m NOT going to start attacking the only bishop who ever cared about my immortal soul. I'm not willing to do to him what they accuse him of doing to us.

23 comments:

Tancred said...

I agree. Some of the response is nothing short of hysterical.

Mark Thomas said...

Amazing. Vox, just seconds ago I had planned, using a previous thread, to post a comment about Cardinal Burke. Now, you have created a post to discuss the attacks against Cardinal Burke. Perfect!

The attacks the past few days against Cardinal Burke have sadden me. Certain traditionalists launched vicious comments at Cardinal Burke. Some folks even suggested that Cardinal Burke belonged to the Homosexual Network. How hateful!

I ask the following to those traditionalists in question: What purpose was served via your foul comments about Cardinal Burke? What did you gain by having smeared a man who, in holy fashion, had come forward to defend and promote the Church's ancient teachings in regard to marriage and the Holy Sacraments?

Cardinal Burke stood the other day with God and the True Church? He is surrounded by men within the Church who have proclaimed with glee that the Church's holy teachings on marriage and the Sacraments have been overthrown. Cardinal Burke, in his way, confronted those men. Cardinal Burke had stood with God.

For some of you, that wasn't good enough. You resorted to selfishness in that you wanted Cardinal Burke to respond in your way. In effect, you made the situation about yourselves.

Everybody has to play by your rules or else! Everybody must march to your tune. That includes Cardinal Burke. He must react to the Exhortation as you wish or...well, then he, in your mind, is gutless...a fraudulent Novus Ordo yes-man...he's even a sodomite.

What an unfortunate time for Holy Mother Church. The situation regarding the Exhortation is bad enough without certain traditionalists making things worse via nasty attacks against Cardinal Burke.

Please...let's not attack Cardinal Burke. Instead, let us rally around Cardinal Burke.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

ELA said...

Fully agree! Thanks for posting.

Barona said...

In total agreement. The devil is laughing at all of this. Christ is still in control of His Church. Do we have so little Faith left?

Mark Thomas said...

I noticed a few minutes ago that Rorate Caeli, as compared to yesterday, has softened its approach in regard to Cardinal Burke and his statements about Amoris laetitia. I believe that the folks at Rorate even altered the headline of their post that countered Cardinal Burke's comments about the Exhortation.

Many Traditionalists look to Rorate Caeli as THE face/voice of Traditional Catholicism. I don't. However, many people do. Therefore, perhaps they will take their cue from Rorate Caeli in regard to Cardinal Burke's understanding of the Exhortation.

We need to stand with Cardinal Burke as he, in turn, stands with God.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Vox Cantoris said...

We like to eat our own, eh Mark?

Ana Milan said...

To the un-catechised pew sitter anything that PF says is OK with them, especially if it relieves their souls of guilt. The truth is that things HAVE changed, at least until we get an orthodox pope who will rescind the parts of Vatican II that need to be and start restoring the CC to the sanctity, wisdom & TRUTH it has stood for since the time of the First Apostles.

As Fr. Amorth has stated that the Vatican reeks of Satan, that ISIS is Satan & that Biblically speaking we are in the last days. In a reported interview he also said there were those in the Vatican who didn't believe in Jesus and others who were Satanists. So you see we don't have the time to canonically debate line by line Amoris Laetitia. For the most part the important pieces are in the footnotes which Cardinal Burke seems to ignore for the present. As time is of the essence we must demand that Russia be at once consecrated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, as is her Son's wish, and that our Liturgy of Ages be fully restored. These are the two most important actions that must be taken promptly and postponing the next Synod on Ordination would also be appropriate.

Elizmary said...

In total agreement God bless Cardinal Burke

Elizmary said...

God bless Cardinal Burke let's pray for him

ellen said...

Thank you for this. We have been shocked so many times during this pontificate that we have been left reeling. I think people have been hoping to hear a voice of Authority strong enough to counteract the loud voices claiming that AL is a "game-changer". We are grateful that Cardinal Burke has confirmed that AL has limited authority, but the words "Apostolic" and "Exhortation" are not insignificant. This is not an "off the cuff" comment and we fear how it will be used against those of us who are trying to cling to the faith. We are also very sad that people we love could be confirmed in error, that souls in jeopardy will not see their peril. But we need to exercise patience even as we do our best to do our duty. We must trust Jesus that He will protect His Church and that He will bring good out of evil. We must pray unceasingly for the powerful intercession of the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, patron of the Universal Church.

Ana Milan said...

I have just read an excellent take on Amoris Laetitia by Fr.Ignotus at Rorate Caeli. Those who don't think this is an authentic magisterium document to which we are bound to give assent to should take a look.

Anonymous said...

The exhortation must be condemned, because its wrong. Cardinal Burke is a good man and a real pastor, but in my opinion he fall short this time. God gives him the strenght to speak rightfully.

Mark Thomas said...

Vox, I appreciate your post about Cardinal Burke. Thank for having shared the letter about him. We need to stand with Cardinal Burke.

However, I don't believe that Cardinal Burke will stem the strategy of liberals/modernists to portray Amoris Laetitia as a game-changing document. Only His Holiness Pope Francis can do that. Pope Francis has to address the controversy that has surrounded his Exhortation.

Should he remain silent in that regard, then the only hope, speaking humanly, is that blocs of bishops, such as Africa, and Poland, would reject the narrative that Amoris Laetitia has opened the door for Catholics to remain in sin as they receive Holy Communion. If a great amount of bishops band as such, then Pope Francis would be compelled to address the issue in question. But a Cardinal Burke here, a Bishop Schneider there, won't prevent modernists from undermining Church teaching.

But the interventions of holy Churchmen on the side of orthodoxy are never to be disregarded. The seeds of orthodoxy that they sow may not sprout immediately...but someday...yes, the seeds will sprout.

Pax.

Mark Thomas

Osusanna said...

AMEN. God bless Cardinal Burke.

TLM said...

Yes, Vox, we do like to 'eat our own' when we are traumatized! It does take a while to settle down after the gutter punch we have been on the receiving end of. Because there are many of us so very angry with this latest gut wrenching betrayal, I think a lot of us expected Cdl. Burke to come out 'guns blazing.' When he didn't it seemed like salt to the wound! But after settling down a tad, people I think are realizing that Cdl. Burke is a soft spoken gentleman that after all is an expert in Canon Law. I'm not sure he would ever come out 'guns blazing', that's just not who he is. But, that said he did not denounce AL, AND more importantly, he didn't give it much credit either!

TLM said...

Wunderbar,

I think he will come out with more before long.

Barona said...

The head of the Traditionalist movement is Our Lord Jesus Christ. Do NOT turn to blogs... put not your trust in Princes. All of this is to be expected. Religion has been far too much "party politics" and not enough prayer. Do not follow Rorate, or Lifesitenews (heavens knows why a grass roots organization has deemed to turn itself into a "news agency" and indulge in Burke bashing is beyond me), or for that matter, Toronto Catholic Witness. I repeat, submit only to Our Lord.

But Our Lord also speaks to us through holy churchmen: Cardinal Burke, long suffering is a light in the darkness. Do NOT join with the Modernists to extinguish it.

I predict a similar fate to befall Bishop Schneider, when he too, will not succumb to schism, when he too will refuse to become a cult leader for those hankering for thew 1950s.

Anonymous said...

Burke has not stood with those of us whose marriages have been snuffed via "Catholic Pastoral practices". He is a coward. The sooner he disappears, the better.

Karl

Unknown said...

Totally agree with you. I pray for Cardinal Burke and others every day. He is a holy man. God bless him and strengthen him

Eirene said...

Ana Milan at 1.06 pm referred us to an article in Rorate Caeli about the Exhortation written by a priest. I read it and copy here the second to last sentence.

"So, whatever other thorny issues the Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia may raise, one thing at least is clear: It was indeed intended as at least authentic papal magisterium, to which Catholics normally would be bound to give assent of the intellect."

Whilst some commenters might not be fans of Rorate Caeli, I have always found their pieces to be orthodox and especially so this particular one.

Thanks Ana Milan for the heads up.
No thanks to Cardinal Burke for confusing me and others big time.

Mick Jagger Gathers No Mosque said...

Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke publicly stated (last year) that any change in discipline vis a vis Communion for Adulterers means a change in Doctrine.

This year, he has abandoned that truthful position and he deserves no praise of having done so for Our Pope and Our Cross has changed doctrine via discipline.

Far too often, we Christian Catholics plight our spiritual troth to persons rathe than to Jesus and His Commandments and His truth.

Franciscus is an AntiChrist and for a prelate to pretend that this apostolic exhortation is no biggie is what ABS expected all along.

Invisibilium within the Hierarchy is this man whose puissant possession of Tradition is such that it could be applied as a force against our inertia into indifferentism.

Those who have a duty to act (Cardinal Burke included) but will not act have signaled they are in agreement (silence is agreement) with the spiritual sapper, Franciscus, who is undermine the entirety of the Faith.


Catholic Mission said...


What if Cardinal Burke and Fr. Zuhlsdorf said that there are no known exceptions to Catholic moral and salvation theology ?.Would they lose their religious faculties in Rome?
http://eucharistandmission.blogspot.it/2016/04/what-if-cardinal-burke-and-fr-zuhlsdorf.html

Anonymous said...

Cardinal Burke is the ecclesiastical equivalent of Comical Ali.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfAeMtcURg0