1. A state of testing.
We are all here on earth undergoing a test. Are we for God or against God? And the outcome of this test will decide if we shall merit eternal life with God in heaven or lose our souls for all eternity in hell.
Like all games there are rules in this test…God – given rules, violation of which is tantamount to failing the test. The test is meant to find out if we are ashamed of God or not. Christ said; ‘whoever shall be ashamed of me and my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed.’ Clearly, Christ states that if we are ashamed of Him, He, on His part, will disown us in the judgement seat of God.
How do we show we are ashamed of Christ? Well, to go against Christ and His commands is not just being ashamed; it is rebellion. To be ashamed is when we keep silent when someone teaches something in favour or against Christ and His words. Ordinarily silence is a virtuous act. But this time silence in front of the Words of God or on something that is against His Words is disastrous to our souls.
2. We must make a visible stand.
Confronted with the person of Christ or His Words, we are obliged to make a stand in being for Him. Otherwise, we are against Him.
In the presence of the Person or Word of Christ, any sign of confessing that you believe in Him is more than sufficient. But a more elaborate response, like expounding more on the Person and on the Words of God will be very beneficial to our souls.
In the presence of the Person or Word of Christ, any sign of disbelief or disobedience to His Words, is being ashamed of Him. Or worse, a more elaborate objection or show of contempt at Christ or His Words is not only being ashamed of Him but outright insulting Him.
To be ashamed of Christ is a serious sins seeing the punishment attached to it……..which is condemnation. Many bishops do not know that their complacent and silent non-reaction to many things happening today is actually being ashamed to show their stand in favour of Christ.
3. Take the example of the issue on the remarried receiving Holy Communion.
Pope Francis had been hinting on this before the 2013 Synod using Cardinals Kasper and Tagle. Some Synod bishops bravely and unashamedly made their stand and voted against the Pope’s proposal, though most of the officers of the Synod, picked men of the Pope were running the show,
We had Cardinal Burke leading the majority to stand up unashamedly in favour of the Word of God prohibiting those in mortal sin from receiving Holy Communion. On the other side we have Pope Francis, Cardinal Kasper, etc. totally ashamed and embarrassed at the teachings of Christ on adultery. They would not even mention the word ‘adultery’. They use the word ‘marginal.’ Two very clear stands.
Everyday, Pope Francis and his bureau had been showing great embarrassment at the teachings of Christ, the apostles and the Fathers. They describe the Church as sickly, old, decrepit that should be euthanised. They are so ashamed of Christ’s teachings that they keep on changing them to make them acceptable to all sinners. In fact, they are so ashamed of Christ’s teachings that they won’t even mention or quote them. Christ and His teaching are untouchable leprosy to them. It smells, it stinks. They would not touch those teachings with a ten foot pole.
But the worse perverted sins they find acceptable and such are the most favoured guests at the Vatican.
4. The bishops’ different reactions.
Let us take a concrete example of those who are ashamed of Christ and those who are not ashamed.
Obviously, Pope Francis is ashamed of Christ and His teachings shown by the fact that he would not touch either with a ten foot pole. If he quotes Christ in his Casa Martha homilies, he immediately misinterpret Christ as if ashamed of what Christ really meant by His teachings. Pope Francis is ashamed of the entire Catholic Church which he considered to be an old man better destined to be euthanised.
Now, Bishop Villegas, President of the Philippines Bishop’s Synod believes this, too, as he expressed in his opening addressed to the Conference of Bishops in Pius XII centre.
So far, none of the other bishops had reacted to that statement. As if they were ashamed of that old, decrepit man called Catholic Church. This is being ashamed of the Mystical Body of Christ; it is being ashamed of Christ, Himself.
Maybe, most bishops did not hear what Bishop Villegas said, which is a great possibility. But then, it was widely published and criticised in international circles. OK. It is still possible that they have not read it. So it can still be invincible ignorance.
But when Pope Francis issued the Apostolic Exhortation ‘Amoris Laetitia,’ on ‘Amoris laetitia’ Sunday, it was very clear that Pope Fracis’ idea of the Joy of Love is contradictory to the Gospel’s notion of the Joy of Love. Now, everybody who said or attended Mass should notice this contradiction and should have made a stand; not to be ashamed of what the Gospel explained and to be ashamed of what Pope Francis wrote.
But the spirit of the world understood both very well; and the world was ashamed of what the Gospel taught and rejoiced at what Pope Francis wrote.
The exhortation is available for all to read. Countless commentaries both pro and critical of the exhortation filled up the international press. To be unable to make a stand is inexcusable. This time Bishop Villegas, President of the CBCP announced that the Philippine bishops will immediately implement the exhortation.
Wait now. There is a provision in the document that goes against the Word of God. Will no one stand up and make a stand on it? Though most of the Bishops said that they cannot implement that provision of allowing remarried to receive Communion because they have not yet discussed it; though the news gave the impression that the entire CBCP had approved it for immediate implementation.
5. The issue is this. The fact that an issue for Christ or against Christ had been presented publicly (and the bishops should have read it by now) and many are already discussing it around the world, had put each bishop in a situation to make a stand; to be ashamed of Christ’s teachings on adultery or to be brave to be counted as one against the provision and, therefore, against Pope Francis, as those against the provision will turn out to be.
Cardinal Muller of the CDF had described the idea in ‘amores laetitia’ as heretical. This should give everyone a hint what stand we must take.
Yet most bishops had stood silent. This is to be ashamed of the Word of God and to implicitly connive with those who are rebelling against Christ.
6. Most bishops in the world are in this situation. A situation that could spell the salvation or damnation of their souls, according to the Words of Christ; ‘I will be ashamed of you before My Father.’
‘You are either ashamed of Me and My Words… or you are not.’ It is like saying; ‘you are either for Me or against Me.’ We can see that salvation and damnation is the consequence one’s choice.
Fortunately, it is the laymen who are making all the noise clamouring ‘SHAME ON YOU’ that Pope Francis finds irritating. He should be ashamed that he is spending more time pleasing transgenders, adulterers, migrants, atheist, protestants, Jews, Pentecostals rather than Christ in His Mystical Body which he is not only neglecting but is thoroughly destroying by encouraging them to sin.
Imagine how Pope Francis discouraged his friend Tony Palmer, an Anglican, from being a Catholic because of his wrong belief that Palmer could convert more by remaining an Anglican. Where did he get that idea? Now that Palmer is dead, where is his soul, since there is no salvation outside the Church. He should be ashamed of the advice he gave. No, instead, he was ashamed to preach the truth that ‘outside the Church there is no salvation.’