Si Deus Pro Nobis Quis Contra Nos?

Thus wrote St Paul in his Epistle to the Romans; If God be for us, who is against us? I think that is a worthy title for a Catholic blog.

That, however, begs the question: "A Catholic blog about what, exactly?". A brief glance at the blogs listed in the sidebar will surely give some insight into my interests and perspectives. Suffice it to say, some of the themes that this weblog is likely to explore are:

• a return to Tradition as the key to the restoration of the Church,
• orthodox Catholicism as a powerful, dynamic and vibrant force within the Church today, and the key to the spiritual health of the Church of tomorrow and
• the abomination of desolation wreaked by those hetrodox persons who would call themselves "liberal", but in fact, refuse to sentire cum Ecclesia.

So don't expect to read laudatory reviews of anything written by ex-Father Paul Collins, or retired Bishop Geoffrey Robinson. You will probably not see any links to Catholica Australia, either.

When considering the third of the themes listed above, I was put in mind of something said by Archbishop Fulton Sheen:

"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and religious. It's up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops like bishops and your religious act like religious."

All too often, to my mind, right-thinking Catholic laymen forget what is written in the second part of Canon 212, namely that "§2. The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.". All too often, laymen are accused of being "uncharitable" when they point out some flagrant defiance of Church teaching, law, or discipline. Of course, to instruct and to admonish can also be, and often are, spiritual works of mercy, and thus acts of virtue. So please think before accusing me or anyone else who may comment here of lacking charity.

Finally a word on St John Fisher. Why dedicate this blog to him? Well like his better-known countryman St Thomas More, St John refused, with considerable dignity, to accept the so-called "Royal Supremacy".

There was a bishop who knew how to act like a bishop.