Forget Beer Pong! Let’s Go with the Sisters of Mercy!

I haven’t had much interaction with the Sisters of Mercy but, after this week I got curious. I figured if I looked into them it was likely to get uglier. I was right.

(https://www.commonwealmagazine.org/blog/sr-mary-scullion-writes-firing-margie-winters)

Listen! I could make a drinking game out of this that would totally rival beer pong.   How about take a shot when you hear a supposed atrocity of the Church mentioned. Or, down a beer when you hear a liberal “compassionate” buzz word.   Let’s see if we can make this work.

<Snipping the totally irrelevant name dropping but you can see it at the above link.  Also, bold interjections are all mine!>

From Sr. Mary Scullion and club:

From the column, which appeared yesterday on Philly.com:

The recent controversy at Waldron Mercy Academy brings to light that we are at a critical moment for the Catholic Church, and for all persons of faith and conscience in this country. It is a moment rife with pain and struggle (That’s, like, 3 beers!), but also hope. …

[W]e believe that the Church’s truest integrity is at risk when it emphasizes orthodoxy and doctrine without meaningful engagement with human and historic realities. We love the Church: We draw deeply from its rich traditions of spirituality, compassion, service, and justice. But we also recognize (and need to take responsibility for) our many historic blind spots—persecution of heretics, oppression of indigenous peoples in the name of “mission,” and second-class status for women.” (That’s three shots right there!)

Come on guys! You totally forgot to throw in “The Inquisition” and Galileo! (We could have added in 2 more shots!) Any good rebuking of the Church must include them. Off your game? As usual, let’s use some smoke, mirrors, and throw in a poor history lesson for those that are none the wiser.

Since you’re all probably a bit tipsy, I’ll dispense with the game and show you some “Sisters of Mercy” (that was for those punny people)  so you don’t have to deal with a hangover.

In that last paragraph, you’ll also notice that they are suggesting that we must ditch doctrine for “meaningful engagement with human and historic realities.” Yes, I say ditch because they are putting them at odds with one another. We’re, apparently, supposed to overlook any Doctrine or orthodoxy that doesn’t jive with the “meaningful engagements.” Two words: Moral Relativism.

While it is painful for us to have to publicly dissent, we are convinced that this is a moment when insistence on doctrinal adherence is clashing with what we believe the Spirit is unfolding in our history—just as it has in the past, with issues like slavery, the rights of women, and the environment. Many Christian denominations have listened to the movement of the Spirit and moved toward both full inclusion and full embrace of the gifts of our gay and lesbian sisters and brothers.

Slavery! I knew I was forgetting something!

Thanks so much for admitting that you are publicly dissenting. Please, oh please, someone silence Sr. Mary Scullion! You heard it. Doctrinal adherence is clashing with what they believe. Anyone want to tell them that they actually aren’t the final arbiter of “the Spirit” in regards to the Doctrine of the Catholic Church? I think they might not have heard of Pastor Aeternus. How about you? (I think they might be just a tad bit jealous of those that get to wear the mitres.) I guess, for Sr. Mary, being one of TIME’s 2009 “100 Most Influential People in the World” right up there with another stellar Catholic, Oprah Winfrey (oh…wait…) wasn’t quite good enough. She’s wants to rule the Church too.

The Church is at its best when it listens to the Spirit speaking in our times and through human experiences. As we listen, we hear the Spirit speaking through the testimony of hundreds of parents and former students, who affirm that Margie has been a marvelous teacher and influence. She has been a gift to the Church, nurturing the faith and morals of countless young people, fostering a spirit of mercy, compassion, and justice. We believe the controversy surrounding Margie Winters is the Spirit inviting us to reflect on Church doctrine that upholds the dignity of every person. …

I’m not sure I can even figure out how to respond to this rubbish (for all the readers in England)! Let me try. One is not nurturing faith and morals when one is urging those countless young people to dissent against Church teachings on faith and morals! You are not nurturing them nor is Margie Winters. Nurturing them would be to teach them to know and love Christ’s Church and all her teachings, not to reject it when YOU see fit. The Church’s teachings are not deficient in the least. Your teachings are.

As we work through the pain and conflict, as we listen to each other, as we struggle to make sense of the power of tradition and the challenge of newness, we believe this can be a moment of hope and grace.

Let’s talk about pain. It really pains me that, despite all of Sr. Mary Scullion’s philanthropic work, she seems to fail to realize that leading people AWAY from the Doctrine of the Catholic Church is just haughty.   She’s now responsible for trying to spiritually starve her fellow Catholics. Mother Teresa she ain’t.