Fr. Ian Ker, author of many books on St. John Henry Cardinal Newman, discusses Pope Francis and shares ideas on what the saint is likely to have thought about the Church today. We all need to read Newman to convert, he says… or at least to minimise the danger that we become utterly confused by this pope. A refreshingly honest appraisal of what Fr Linus Clovis terms “The Francis Effect“…
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Comments (14)
That definitely was a very refreshing appraisal of the Francis’ pontificate. I’ve actually got one of Fr Ker’s books on Newman, which I used to dip into now and then. I must take another look.
This Good Priest says a lot when He says ” Christian change to stay the Same ” that doesn’t apply to Bergoglio as He’s not a Catholic. Also Fr Kerr makes it clear that The Lavender Mafia is alive and well , and unless your a Part of that Mafia then its Nighty Night Baby.
As for Fr Clovis and the Francis Effect there is no surprises there also .
In otherwords this so called Popes a Write Off .
I believe Fr Ker used to lecture sometimes at the Maryvale Institute in Birmingham – I vaguely remember a friend telling me that he’d met the famous Fr Ker at a time when I was visiting there. Anyway, I thought I’d post a link to some of Cardinal Newman’s sermons, some of which date from his days as an Anglican vicar. https://newmanreader.org/works/parochial/volume1/index.html
It never ceases to amaze me when I compare the sermons of some of the saints, like St Alphonsus Liguouri and now St John Henry Cardinal Newman, to the bland chats served up today in churches, which pass as sermons or homilies.
Talking about preachers and preaching means I can’t pass up the opportunity for a joke – this one is especially appropriate for a Scottish audience…
A preacher was completing a temperance sermon: with great expression he said, “If I had all the beer in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”
With even greater emphasis, he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.”
And then, finally, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I’d take it and throw it into the river.” He sat down.
The choir leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a pleasant smile, “For our closing song, let us sing Hymn #365: ‘Shall We Gather At the River.'”
Hilarious!
I can’t resist posting this joke, as well (I didn’t intend to make this a joke thread, but it IS a while since we’ve had one 😀 )
An old preacher was dying. He sent a message for his banker and his lawyer, both church members, to come to his home.
When they arrived, they were ushered up to his bedroom. As they entered the room, the preacher held out his hands and motioned for them to sit on each side of the bed.
The preacher grasped their hands, sighed contentedly, smiled, and stared at the ceiling. For a time, no one said anything.
Both the banker and lawyer were touched and flattered that the preacher would ask them to be with him during his final moments.
They were also puzzled, the preacher had never given them any indication that he particularly liked either of them. They both remembered his many long, uncomfortable sermons about greed, covetousness, and avaricious behaviour that made them squirm in their seats.
Finally, the banker said: “Preacher, why did you ask us to come?”
The old preacher mustered up his strength and then weakly said: “Jesus died between two thieves, and that’s how I want to go.” 😀
No need to follow my bad example – you can get back on topic now (although, as always, jokes of the good clean fun type are always welcome 😀 )
Editor
If you want a good Christian sermon then listen to the Rev. I. M. Jolly. Right, enough of the jokes on this very interesting thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAiIkBS0ECk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYcnKkBOcmI
Athanasius,
I’m sure you’ve posted the Rev IM Jolly videos before – I love them! They’re really hilarious.
Aye no Bad . Thanks For the Laughs. That’s another thing that’s been lost in recent Years.
Good Humour. If you Laugh at a Moslem– You Have a Phobia–If You Laugh at a Homosexual then You Have a Phobia– In fact it’s getting to the Point that the only People with a Sense of Humour have Phobias.
FOOF
We could always upset the apple cart by laughing at people with phobias!
Well actually Athanasius I do have a Phobia, so if you verbally attack me that would make you a Phobiaaphobiac . I think. 🤔
Fr. Ker is a very interesting priest to listen to, though I would have prferred he had not begun his interview with sniping comparisons between Pope Francis and President Trump, which cast a certain doubt on his discernment. President Trump was/is not remotely in the mould of Pope Francis, a fact easily attested to by Trump’s very public defence of the unborn child.
Anyway, that aside, Fr. Ker is a very astute priest with a great insight into what’s happening in the Church, especially under the present hippie Pope. I was particularly interested in what he said about Cardinal Newman predicting a Council like Vatican II and how he would have been the first to denounce its revolutionary spirit. Also of interest was Fr. Ker’s revelation on how the liberals misquote Newman to fit with their rebellious narrative. Newman was certainly gifted both intellectually and spiritually. Thanks God he came back to the Faith of his fathers, was sanctified by it and became a great saint.
Athanasius,
I didn’t interpret his comparison of Francis and Trump negatively – I thought he was being a bit sarcastic, since the pro-Francis brigade would be, also, by default, anti-Trump. I may have got that wrong, but that’s what came to my (simple – say nothing) mind.
I was also delighted when he quoted the full context of Newman’s “change often” comment because that is a favourite of the liberals and it is trotted out at every turn. Gracing my own bookshelf is a copy of “Newman Against the Liberals” – a collection of 25 classic sermon by Newman which debunks the claims of the so-called liberals that he was one of them. No way!
Editor
You could be right – I may have misunderstood what Fr. Ker intended when he made the Francis/Trump comparison. I also appreciated Fr. Ker’s clarification on the oft-abused quote of Cardinal Newman. The liberals, or rather antichrists, to give them their proper name, are very clever at editing quotes to fit with their evil agenda.
I was very pleased to hear a well respected priest speaking out about the Francis debacle. I’d almost forgotten about Fr Linus Clovis – so it was good to see that video again, as well. When he broke ranks and spoke out years ago, that was a bombshell, I remember. I think, actually, he was the very first priest to publicly say something of a negative nature about Francis.
I agree about that “change often” comment. It is quoted (or misquoted, we now know) at every opportunity. I knew, instinctively, that Cardinal Newman would not have said that. Why would he leave his Anglican home if the same constant changes were lying in wait for him in the Catholic Church? Michael Davies RIP said the same thing about himself when the new Mass came in. Why would he have converted to something that was almost identical to what he was already attending in the C of E?
It’s a pity Francis can’t see that video interview with Fr Ian Ker. BTW, I always feel that his name is not spelt correctly, as if there is an “r” missed out. I’ve only known “Kerr” as a surname, not “Ker” !
I can’t say I’ve read lots of Cardinal Newman but I have read bits of some of his sermons.
I’m still a bit doubtful, just because he’s one of these modern canonisations. I don’t know what to make of that.
Comments are closed.