Arrogance Signifies

Our arrogance signifies handsomely just how ardently we reject the Holy Spirit.

In “Acts,” the wonder at Pentecost signified indeed “c” catholic unity. Well, our present-day “C” Catholic disunity and arrogance likewise signifies much to the world, fellow Catholics. We are broken up like a vivisected corpse from “The Walking Dead” show. Therefore we present an unbelievable, unconvincing Christ to the world.

A stinking, rotting, maggot-infested pile of body parts cannot be the Risen Lord. The world isn’t stupid. But apparently, we “C” Catholics must be. So the pews empty, and we don’t know why—because we are willfully ignorant of apparent reasons. Our arrogance screams to the world, “stay away!” What we call Christ and Gospel the world rightly sees as toxic. They see clearly through our BS.

How can a split Church come back together? Watch the video to see what is needed—

Arrogance In An Imperfect Church

The Church is “c” catholic—and is becoming “c” catholic. Don’t kid yourself. It isn’t close to being fully “c” catholic—universal and diverse, open to all expressions in the Dance of God. Two thousand years after Jesus’ birth, the Church may look ancient. But what if it goes on for another twenty or so millennia? Then, in that case, we would just be living in the infancy of the Church, right? Don’t allow arrogance to blind you to this.

Whether the Church exists one more day or a million more years, it will never be the end goal of creation, the place where everything is going toward, the destiny of everyone and everything. At best, the Church is a sacramental means to something else, that being the final kingdom of God. That’s the only reason for the Church to exist. If it exists and operates for any other reason, it might as well not exist. 

So fellow Catholics, stop making that big a deal about it. Chill out, okay? Arrogance and Church are an ugly mix.

Wild Arrogance Among Seminarians

Arrogance is rampant among our Catholic young men these days. Take the waves of fundamentalists populating our seminaries deluding fat, greedy millionaire bishops into thinking the Church is thriving. Never forget U.S. bishops: fundamentalists are scratch-off atheists. Don’t rely on too much help from scratch-off atheists! All those faithful Christian soldiers you have hating on Vatican II? They are a quick step from silly Richard Dawkins.  

Some years ago, a friend came to hear a formation talk I gave to parish leaders on who Jesus Christ is. He brought a transitional deacon along for the ride, one of these Stormtroopers of orthodoxy types. The presentation lasted two hours, including an interactive talk with a discussion. It was a vibrant exchange, and about 40 participants took part, about a third being between 18-35 years old.

The Deacon fumed throughout the presentation but remained silent. During my talk, I dared to cite the great Karl Rahner. This youngster deacon never read Rahner. But somehow he knew Rahner was a heretic. I also upset the deacon by drawing heavily from his own seminary professor, a close friend of mine and a veteran lay teacher for almost 40 years only just retired. His final students, drunk on Scott Hahn and Taylor Marshall, repeatedly orchestrated efforts to destroy this seminary professor, someone they labeled “a heretic.”  

As the presentation went on, Deacon sat in the back of the parish hall and fumed. 

Over Wings

Afterward, the young adults in our group went with me to a local eatery to grab some wings and beers. My friend and the Deacon tagged along.

We got to talking, Deacon and I, and we discussed many things. Among these, reunification between the “C” Catholic and “O” Orthodox Churches was brought up.

His assessment of our Eastern brethren? Primitives at best, impious at worst. According to the learned Deacon, reconciliation basically consists of the “O” Orthodox becoming Latin Catholics. Like that will happen! And to hell with the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions (Nostra aetate), its Declaration on Religious Freedom (Dignitatis humanae), and its Decree on Ecumenism (Unitatis redintegratio).

Deacon, Arrogant & Uninformed

The appalling arrogance of this Deacon stunk the evening up with an unforgettable reminder of the diseased state that our Catholic hierarchy is in. No sacramentality. No openness to see God out there. Just a self-congratulating echo chamber where clericalism is considered virtuous.

When Eastern Christians don’t relate devotionally as we Western “C” Catholics do, as mentioned, Deacon scoffed. “Their theology is not as developed as ours is,” he said. “If reconciliation is to happen, they must come up to us.” He said something to that effect.

When I mentioned that Eastern “C” Catholics, specifically, don’t share our Eucharistic devotions, I triggered something ugly in this Deacon. So he retorted, “They are like children compared to us.” This he said about fellow “C” Catholics!

This kind of arrogance is sickening. It isn’t the first time I encountered it among seminarians of South Florida. It was actually just one example of many sad occasions.

Movie Night Arrogance

Once, at the end of a Faith&Film night, I was told by a visiting seminarian “to shut up” in a discussion I was moderating. I had to correct him publicly for this outrage, which I did promptly and with significant constraint.

The film we saw that night depicted a seventeen-year-old female protagonist survivor. She had been raped since she was 12 years old by her “perfect” Americana father. This character, Laura, had spent years medicating herself dubiously through drugs and acquired those drugs by prostituting herself. No one listened to her, and almost every other character in her small Northwestern town used her. By the end of the film, her demonic abuser murdered when she sacrificed her own life to save her friend.

The seminarian who told me to shut up assessed the murdered woman like this—

“She’s a whore.”

Chastised By An Ass

This obnoxious Catholic prince called the survivor a whore in front of various people he had only just met, including the young adult leaders who worked hard to put the event together. It was sheer arrogance, typical of what festers in our seminaries. He said to me, “I wish you were more Catholic. Why would you show this movie?”

I have shown this film at different venues, and it has remarkable positive outcomes. On more than one occasion, participants at showings have taken me into their confidence, explaining that they were molested by relatives. They expressed relief at the viewing. The particular film we showed has a track record for healing people who suffered sexual assault from relatives.

But thank you, seminarian, for calling the hero a whore. Thank you for taking an arrogant dump on the safe space and window for healing. We are so grateful for you coming to inform us stupid little nothing-people how things really are. Sorry for not bending down to kiss your derriere in a Communion line of clericalism.

Arrogance & Spirit of Unity

Reconciliation cannot happen in this idolatry and arrogance. Who the hell wants to come into this toxic joke of a Catholic Church? Who would enter a club run by these abusive little “supercreatures”? Co-dependent masochists into spiritual S&M, perhaps.

We need Fire to change (see our delusions and drop them). More later this Pentecost weekend…