The Al Smith Dinner: With friends like these...

For quite some time now, there has been a big brouhaha over the fact that Cardinal Dolan had invited Barack Obama to the Al Smith dinner. The big issue here was very simple: how could a Cardinal invite a man who not only is for same-sex marriage and abortion but, his very own administration is currently in a lawsuit with over 40 Catholic institutions due to the HHS contraceptive mandate? This controversy came to a head last night when both presidential candidates were seen roasting and poking fun at themselves and one another at this white-tie Catholic charity event.

It's all fun and games until the government forces you marry homosexuals!

I managed to catch some of live feed from the event and what I noticed, threw me aback. Right there on my T.V., sitting with a Cardinal was pro-death advocate and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. Oh, and look! There’s pro gay marriage “c”atholic and governor of New York, Andrew Cuomo! And there’s Obama-lovin’ “c”atholic Chris Matthews as well! The more I looked, the more I noticed that a lot of the people within camera view – never really saw all of the other audience members – were all mostly well known CINO’s , that is Catholics In Name Only.

But, it wasn’t until I saw the list of last night's attendees and CINO celebs, that I realized something; why was there even ever any controversy about inviting Obama to begin with, if all of these wannabe Catholics were going to be there? But then it hit me, if Cardinal Dolan knew that these people where going to be there, WHY WAS HE THERE??? Why would a Cardinal, whose very job is to shed his blood for the Church, sit down and laugh and guffaw and be caught up with the very same people who not only undermine the Church and her teachings but, flagrantly and publically demonstrate the exact opposite of what the Church believes?

Here are just some of the people that the good Cardinal sat down and ate with yesterday:

Tom Moran, writer for NJ.com, lapsed former catholic who supports same-sex marriage and who recently wrote an article lambasting Newark Archbishop John Myers for having the audacity to tell Catholics to vote against same-sex marriage as well as abortion and that Catholics should refrain from Holy Communion if they don’t agree with the Church’s teachings. Imagine that, getting mad at an archbishop for upholding Catholic teaching!

Christine Quinn, candidate for NYC mayor and staunch pro-gay and pro-abortion supporter. A “married” lesbian herself, she urged NYU to evict Chick-fil-A off campus earlier this year over the company’s stance on traditional marriage earlier this year.

Thomas P. DiNapoli, NY State Comptroller, is a huge proponent of same-sex marriage.

Ed Koch, former mayor of NY, is a huge supporter of Planned Parenthood.

David Dinkins, former mayor of NY, is also a supporter of gay marriage. 

Chris Matthews, the left-leaning host of MSNBC’s Hardball, stated earlier this year that the Catholic Church is a ”haven for conservative bigots” and a few days later, scrutinized the bishops with dissident nun, Simone Campbell, by inferring that all the bishops might be republicans because they oppose the HHS contraceptive mandate! He even went as far as saying that if one wants to really be anti-gay, they should become Catholic right away. 

Charles Schumer, U.S. Senator, is a dedicated vote in favor of abortion, embryonic stem cell research and he’s pro-contraceptive. 

Andrew Cuomo, NY Governor, this “c”atholic lives with his mistress, is pro-gay marriage and pro abortion.

Michael Bloomberg, NYC mayor, recently donated $250,000 to help same-sex marriage in Maryland and he is a long time supporter of Planned Parenthood.

Mary Kay Henry, head of the SEIU, is a lesbian who also considers herself to be Catholic and has been with her partner for 20 years; she is an adamant supporter of gay rights and gay marriage as well as the founding member of the SEIU’s gay and lesbian Lavender Caucus. She first caught national attention late in 2009 when the USCCB learned that she was a member of their Subcommittee on Catholic Health Care.

Like I said, this is not taking into consideration the rest of the people sitting on the stage nor those in the audience. Indeed, if a full roster were ever to be posted, I would bet that there would be more than a fair share of attendees who are not only against the Catholic Church but ardent anti-Catholics as well. I didn't think I'd ever really ever want to say this but, it is time for the Catholic Church in the U.S. to exercise Canon 915, which states:

"Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion."

If these so-called Catholics cannot abide by the simple, basic and fundamentals of the Church then they have deliberately placed themselves out of communion with the Church and therefore out of communion with Christ. I really do hope that the USCCB grows a pair and starts imposing this upon lukewarm, cafeteria "c"atholic celebs and politicos, it's time that the Church flexed her authoritative muscle and trumpeted the Christian truths found only in Christ's one, true Church!

Why the German Bishops are correct in asking for the "Church Tax."

You may of already of heard of this one, if not, listen up. The Catholic Church in Germany is requiring it's faithful parishoners to pay a "Church Tax" not only by official members of the Catholic Church but, in order to receive ANY Sacrament...including the Holy Eucharist. Sounds medieval, doesn't it? It almost behooves us to beckon back to the days of Martin Luther when some Churches were selling indulgences and all of the bad things that those mean, greedy, old men of the Church did during the [Spanish] Inquisition! How dare those German Bishops stop anyone from partaking in the Sacraments!

Well, I'm here to tell you that if that's the mentality that you currently have, then I would suggest looking at it the perspective of the Catholic Church's teachings - not from the view point of a certain heretic group who is calling the so-called Church Tax "pay and pray."

First let's establish one thing. The tax in question IS NOT a tax that is being levied by the Catholic Church; I repeat, the Church Tax IS NOT an instrument of the Church in Germany. The "Church Tax" is, however, AN INSTRUMENT OF THE GERMAN STATE, Germany has had this tax on all government approved religions since the 18th century. What this tax does is very simple: it taxes 8-9% of every church-goers income and then the state funnels/redistributes the monies back into the church-goers religious community for such things as church improvement projects, building new churches, new outreach ministries, etc.

So, if I'm a Catholic in Germany, when I go and do my taxes, I will be charged an 8-9% tax simply because I'm an official member of the Catholic Church, as stated in my tax documents as submitted by my employer to the state. Once again, this tax IS NOT charged by the Catholic Church, IT IS charged by the state per state law and it applies to all major Protestant denominations as well as Jews whom live in Germany. In other words, pretty much every member of every major religious group in Germany gets charged the "Church Tax" on their income taxes at the end of the year.

Now, we come to the brunt of the argument: "Why then is the Catholic Church barring faithful Catholics from the Sacraments and from official Church functions if they don't pay the tax?" 

The answer is a very simple one, indeed it is so simple that to miss it, totally invalidates the German Bishop's position. You see, there is only one way in which a faithful Catholic, Protestant, or Jew can escape the German "Church Tax," and that is to OFFICIALLY RENOUNCE their religious affiliation to the state via their income tax form. Any member of a church can save 8-9% of their income simply by doing this - by stating that they are no longer a member of any religion, a citizen can receive a larger tax rebate! This is where the Catholic Church in Germany has drawn the line and, as I will demonstrate, with good cause.

Let's look at the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2088-2089 which states (with my emphasis):

...There are various ways of sinning against faith: Voluntary doubt about the faith disregards or refuses to hold as true what God has revealed and the Church proposes for belief...Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. "Heresy is the obstinate post-baptismal denial of some truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or it is likewise an obstinate doubt concerning the same; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him."

This is where the German Bishops have to take issue with the laity whom have WILLFULLY and DELIBERATELY renounced their membership within the Body of Christ in order to save less then 10% of their income. Let's think about this rationally: a member of the One True Church of Christ has formally denounced their membership, that is, they have repudiated not only the Catholic Church but her teachings as well. Now this former member of the Church can enjoy more of his or her income but, since they have FORMALLY DENIED their membership within the Catholic Church, they have WILLFULLY and DELIBERATELY placed themselves outside of the Church and hence, not eligible for any Sacrament nor participation in the Church. 

What is the difference from someone who has renounced the Catholic faith and an anti-Catholic Protestant? None! Both have chosen not to abide by the Divinely revealed truths as well as the authority invested in the Catholic Church, therefore, denying "c"atholics who have denounced the faith in order to save more income is no different than denying these clowns the Holy Eucharist. Why? Because both have placed themselves outside of the Church. 

In accordance to CCC #2088-89, these former members have incredulously and willfully refused to accept the truth found in the Church. They have also fallen into heresy by denying the Bride of Christ, they have become apostates by repudiating the Catholic faith and have, therefore - through their own actions and refusal to not be in communion with the members of the Church (including the Pope) - become schismatics.

Make no mistake, the German bishops are correct in what they have done, any Catholic or Protestant knows that as a Christian we must take up our cross each and every day and try our hardest to follow Christ. Not wanting to pay 8-9% of your income to the state barely qualifies as a huge burden to any faithful Christian in Germany, as Jesus said in Mark 12:17:

"Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."

Indeed, all Christians are bound by these words but, as Catholics, we must also acknowledge one Church teaching that should settle any doubts about ever formally renouncing our faith. It was stated in the mid 3rd century by St. Cyprian of Carthage in his epistle on The Unity of the Catholic Church (6,1):

"...whoever is separated from the Church and is joined to an adulteress, is separated from the promises of the Church, nor will he that forsakes the Church of Christ attain the rewards of Christ. He is a stranger, he is a profane, he is an enemy."

St. Jerome writing in the 4th century in his Commentary on Titus 3:10-11 states from Scripture the following:

"Heretics bring sentence upon themselves since they by their own choice withdraw from the Church, a withdrawal which, since they are aware of it, constitutes damnation."

This teaching is also seen in 1215 when, during the Fourth Lateran Council, Pope Innocent III declared:

"There is but one universal Church of the faithful, outside which no one at all is saved."

The same statement is reiterated 1442 at the Council of Florence and again one hundred years later at the Council of Trent and by the Second Vatican Council in the 1960's and, it is also found in the Catechism! CCC #846 states in certain terms the following:

How are we to understand this affirmation, often repeated by the Church Fathers? Re-formulated positively, it means that all salvation comes from Christ the Head through the Church which is his Body: 

          Basing itself on Scripture and Tradition, the Council teaches that the Church, a pilgrim now on earth, is necessary for salvation: the one Christ is the mediator and the way of salvation; he is present to us in his body which is the Church. He himself explicitly asserted the necessity of faith and Baptism, and thereby affirmed at the same time the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door. Hence they could not be saved who, knowing that the Catholic Church was founded as necessary by God through Christ, would refuse either to enter it or to remain in it.

Don't get it twisted: the Church has always proclaimed and will continue to proclaim that she is the way to Christ and therefore to salvation, the church is the upholder and protector of all truths; only she is endowed with the authority properly given to her to proclaim the truth. So now the question comes down to a very simple proposition: do you want the truth or do you want to pay less taxes?

Answer carefully. Your eternal soul depends on it.