Worries about Parish Synods

 I  have been looking through some approaches to the parish synods that Pope Francis has demanded as part of the new church.     I already have a 'deja vue' feeling about it all.    You see my faith is not 'sola scriptura'.  I have learned from several Catholic Catechisms, that the Catholic Church follows the bible, which the Catholic Church is responsible for putting together, but also tradition, that means what the Early Church Fathers believed.    My parish was changed with the anti-catholic revolution in the sixties and seventies.    The Synod is supposed to help us attract other people into the Church but what this previous revolution did, was to divide the Church into two groups and there were fierce attacks on the Catholic Faith and indeed on individual faithful Catholics.   I heard an 'expert' telling us that the Sacred Species was not meant to be adored, and this was followed by an attack on the Blessed Sacrament which was removed from the Main Altars or the Sacred Hosts put at the side of the altar, as though it was not meant to be the focus of attention.     My parish  kept it in the tabernacle on the altar because there was one priest, thank God, who listened.   The excuse for moving Jesus from the centre of attention was that 'the community was the Body of Christ'.  This was a most wishy washy excuse, but those who did not believe in the real presence of Jesus, saw sense in it or so they claimed, and gladly followed their wishy washy priests.   I was in too many places where I was not meant to be.  When my children were at school I attended as meeting where the parents were meant to glow ecstatically at a New Catechism that was being introduced.   I raised the point that nothing was said about the Blessed Sacrament and added that if this was not taught, the children would lose their Faith.   Of course my comments were dismissed.   About a week later I asked the woman who was the lead catechist in the First Holy Communion Programme if she taught the Real Presence.   "O they are much too young to understand".   This puzzled me because I had always thought we were not meant to understand , it was taught as a mystery and children accepted it just as adults did, a mystery.   I could go on and on about the things I heard but let me come to the point.    We have in our parish people who believe in the teachings of the Catholic Church and people who do not.    As I said I and many others follow the Bible and Tradition.   What do I mean?    One of the first 'heresies' in the Church came from a group called Docetists.  I am talking about the time of the Apostles.    They refused to eat the consecrated bread, yes, consecrated bread, because they did not believe that it had changed into the flesh of Christ.  They were condemned by St Ignatius of Antioch and this can be confirmed by seekers of the truth.  There are those in my community who follow that belief, that the host is not the flesh of Jesus, and because they wield power, they refuse to help those who do believe to receive the flesh of Jesus with a kneeler because they are in charge and they fight tooth and nail to stop the backward traditionalists.   From their own ranks they choose people to guide the new priests, in case they wants to restore the tabernacle or do too many Catholic things.

But enough, let us get to the heart of my objections.     The Church is the Church founded by Jesus Christ.   It is there to preach the Gospel and not to be popular    In fact Jesus told us it would never be popular.    "Wonder not that the world may hate you, for they hated me before you".   We can be assured that this Synod will result in more attacks on the people who are faithful to Christ. and there will be little for Traditional Catholics.    So there are my parish people who do not believe in the Real Presence and do not adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament.   They will ensure that devotion to Mary is kept in check.    They do not go to Confession, in fact they are not Catholics.

But one thing is sure, I will continue to fight for the truth that Jesus taught, and not the opinions of anyone else.