Matthew 23:13-22
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves. “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it."
Dear Pope Francis and Associates,
Why does the above passage. from the Gospel of Matthew, resonate so heavily with me, but seemingly, by your actions and ambiguous speech, not you?
When I look in the mirror each morning, I want to see goodness. I want to see a person who, with nearly 2,000 years of Roman Catholic Church teaching behind me, understand what Jesus Christ is conveying in said passage. I hold myself to a very high degree, as a disciple of God. Granted, I am a simpleton in your eyes, but I maintain that I must do everything I can to help people get to heaven. I must lead by example. That means I must obey God and follow in His Son's footsteps... step by step. To do this, I must study Holy Scripture and comprehend His Words, His Truth. If Jesus said it, then that's exactly what I follow. This is what we are all called to do.
With you all, however, I don't see the same commitment. Are we reading the same canon? Are we following different Catechisms? How can we differ so much on doctrine? In some cases, how is it we contrast with Divinity of Christ?
I have tried to understand this SINod of Synodality, but I don't get it. What are you, exactly, trying to accomplish? I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt by not accusing you of wanting to destroy Mother Church from within. (You wouldn't be able to do it anyway. She is Christ's Church and you are no match for Him.)
You wish Holy Mother Church to be a welcoming church. We always have been! For example, you specifically want to focus on a group of people who don't feel welcomed... although there are many from that group who have already been welcomed and are seeking counseling from clergy. Jesus said in Mark's Gospel (chapter 14:24), He said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Further, in Mark 10:45, For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.” Many, not all!
Like you, I struggled with that for some time. Why not all? Then I realized that not all want to be saved. Not all want to follow the "rules". Jesus, in His infinite wisdom, understood this. Show me a club where someone will be accepted as a member but not required to follow the bylaws. Understand, fellas, people want acceptance to Mother Church... kind of. (Many are already here. How about the 70% who don't believe in the Real Presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist?)
Sodomy is just one aspect of your SINod. There are many others, like Holy Communion for adulterers and those who don't repent the, publicly stated, grave sins on their souls. They mock God and you do nothing. By doing nothing you are perpetuating their sins.
Speaking of that. Explain to me why Mother Church has so many sideline priests when you have pedophile clergy (including Bishops) actively shepherding? The Truth will never change, or else it was never the truth. Which is it? These wonderful priests that have been sidelined preached the Truth of God. How in the hell does that give you concern?
Ecumenism. You have completely confused many faithful. Holy Mother Church, the Bride of Christ, was established by God Himself, while other religions are the work of men. There is no comparison. If you believe that, why don't you proclaim it? If you no longer believe it, step down. There is no place for, supposedly, church leaders who don't believe in the One True Church.
Once again, who am I to write such a condemning letter? I am reminded of a quote by St. Thomas Aquinas, “One can exercise fraternal correction towards superiors when it is a matter of faith.” St. Paul also spoke similarly by warning us: “Even if an angel from heaven came to tell you anything other than what I have taught you, do not listen to him.”
You men are not angels from heaven. Although a lowly layperson, we are both fallible beings. The difference is, I saw the way of my woes and corrected myself. I may be laity, but I still have a responsibility to lead the faithful to the 'narrow path' while you seem to be directing to, what I refer the road to hell as, the 'wide freeway'.
Because you are busy planning the SINod, I will close. Understand that I am a man of charity. I have been praying for you all and will continue to pray. I love God with all my heart, soul, mind and with all my strength. I obey His commandments. My challenge to you is, evaluate your pride (the power you assume you have) and pray for humility. Recall how vainglory can destroy the spirit. Lastly, don't mislead satan into thinking he is winning. He can't and won't win. Why die in vain?
Yours in Christ,
A Student of Thomas Kempis