Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Eric Sammons
Copyright © 2016 Eric Sammons
ISBN: 0-692-81876-6
ISBN-13: 978-0-692-81876-3
Introduction ............................................................................. 1
The Church’s Essential Mission:
Conversion, Not Welcome .............................................. 5
Making Mass “Relevant” is
Irrelevant to Evangelization ........................................... 13
How Great We Aren’t:
The Catholic Church in America Today ...................... 19
The New Pharisees: Who Today is
Putting Up Obstacles to Evangelization? .................... 27
Correcting Jesus: The Gospel According to Abner......... 33
A Church That Repels Instead of Attracts ....................... 41
How to Be One Hell of a Catholic Evangelist ................. 47
The Benedict Option: Not for the Faint of Heart ........... 55
The Tyranny of “Dialogue” ................................................ 61
The Missing Ingredient in
Today’s Catholic Evangelization ................................... 69
No More Scraps: Regaining Rightful Catholic Pride ....... 75
New Coke: If Today’s Catholics Were in Charge ............ 81
The Holy Spirit is Not a Control Freak ............................. 89
St. Francis, Pope Francis, and Me ...................................... 95
Meet Amy, the Average Catholic ...................................... 109
Normalcy Bias and Papal Positivism ............................... 115
The Silence of God ............................................................. 121
Accompany the Sinner, or Accommodate the Sin? ....... 127
INTRODUCTION
1
BE WATCHFUL
2
INTRODUCTION
These articles were written over the last two years for
OnePeterFive (onepeterfive.com), a website dedicated to
“rebuilding Catholic culture and restoring Catholic
tradition.” OnePeterFive, in fact, takes its name from the
passage I mentioned above. I’ve appreciated
OnePeterFive’s willingness to “be watchful” and be
honest about the state of the Church today. This has
come with some controversy, but I’d rather have free,
open discussion than have some topics considered “off-
limits.” I believe there is a need for an apostolate like this
today, and I hope that my own articles, originally found at
OnePeterFive and now found within this book, help us
all to “be watchful” and to rebuild Catholic culture and
restore Catholic tradition.
3
THE CHURCH’S ESSENTIAL
MISSION:
CONVERSION, NOT WELCOME
Originally published October 28, 2014
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Precision Needed
6
THE CHURCH’S ESSENTIAL MISSION:
CONVERSION, NOT WELCOME
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Acceptable to Men
8
THE CHURCH’S ESSENTIAL MISSION:
CONVERSION, NOT WELCOME
Message of Conversion
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10
THE CHURCH’S ESSENTIAL MISSION:
CONVERSION, NOT WELCOME
11
MAKING MASS “RELEVANT” IS
IRRELEVANT TO EVANGELIZATION
Originally published November 20, 2014
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MAKING MASS “RELEVANT” IS IRRELEVANT TO
EVANGELIZATION
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MAKING MASS “RELEVANT” IS IRRELEVANT TO
EVANGELIZATION
17
HOW GREAT WE AREN’T:
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN
AMERICA TODAY
Originally published January 5, 2015
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his faith, and strive to live its teachings, even the hard
ones. Yet so few Catholics are doing this.
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24
HOW GREAT WE AREN’T:
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN AMERICA TODAY
Grievance-PUBLIC-FINAL-sep-11-2014.pdf
25
THE NEW PHARISEES:
WHO TODAY IS PUTTING UP
OBSTACLES TO EVANGELIZATION?
Originally published March 5, 2015
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THE NEW PHARISEES:
WHO TODAY IS PUTTING UP OBSTACLES TO
EVANGELIZATION?
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30
THE NEW PHARISEES:
WHO TODAY IS PUTTING UP OBSTACLES TO
EVANGELIZATION?
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32
CORRECTING JESUS:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO
ABNER
Originally published April 14, 2015
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34
CORRECTING JESUS:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ABNER
Both the scribe and the other man left, but as they walked
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away, Abner ran to them and said, “Guys, guys, don’t take
Jesus so literally – of course he wants you to follow him!
He was just speaking metaphorically. Take care of your
business, and whenever you have some free time, just pop
on by and see what Jesus is doing. If you like it, feel free
to join – but no obligations. If you don’t want to follow
him, that’s fine too. There is no sense of judgement here
among Jesus’ followers. We understand not everyone will
live exactly like Jesus teaches and we are fine with that.”
Even with Abner’s best efforts, however, they turned
away and went home.
36
CORRECTING JESUS:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ABNER
Later Jesus had only his closest disciples with him. Abner
was honored to be included. Peter had just declared Jesus
to be the Christ, and Jesus had put Peter in charge of his
followers. Now things were going to get moving! But
then Jesus started talking about his suffering and death,
and Abner again became distressed. Fortunately, Peter,
much to Abner’s approval, reproved Jesus, saying, “God
forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” But Jesus
rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a
hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but
of men” (Matthew 16:23).
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Finally came the straw that broke the camel’s back. Some
Pharisees approached Jesus and tested him by asking, “Is
it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” Abner
immediately perked his ears up. He was a divorcé himself,
and he was getting serious with another woman he had
38
CORRECTING JESUS:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ABNER
39
A CHURCH THAT REPELS
INSTEAD OF ATTRACTS
Originally published May 12, 2015
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Source: http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-
landscape/pr_15-05-12_rls-03/
42
A CHURCH THAT REPELS
INSTEAD OF ATTRACTS
Or, to put it another way: for every 1 person who left the
ranks of the “unaffiliateds,” another 4.2 people joined.
However, for every 1 person who joined the Catholic
Church, 6.5 people left. It doesn’t take a mathematical
genius to see where those numbers are trending and what
the end result will be.
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I would argue that they take their faith seriously. There are no
felt banners, content-free catechesis, or silly songs to
endure. More importantly, there are no apologies given
for what they believe: they are robust in their practice of
the faith, or to use the politically-incorrect term, manly.
Such cannot be said of the typical mainline Protestant
congregation or Catholic parish.
44
A CHURCH THAT REPELS
INSTEAD OF ATTRACTS
waste their time with people who, for all intents and
purposes, appear to be just going through the motions.
This applies across the board: liturgically, doctrinally, and
socially. Once Catholics decide that the Faith of Sts. Peter
and Paul, St. Athanasius, St. Francis of Assisi, St. Ignatius
of Loyola, St. Therese of Avila and Mother Teresa of
Calcutta is a Faith worth living – and a Faith worth dying
for – then perhaps it will again become the attractive
force it has been for centuries.
1
http://www.pewforum.org/2015/05/12/americas-changing-religious-landscape/
45
HOW TO BE ONE HELL OF A
CATHOLIC EVANGELIST
Originally published May 19, 2015
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HOW TO BE ONE HELL OF A CATHOLIC EVANGELIST
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HOW TO BE ONE HELL OF A CATHOLIC EVANGELIST
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HOW TO BE ONE HELL OF A CATHOLIC EVANGELIST
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THE BENEDICT OPTION:
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
Originally published June 15, 2015
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Flabby Catholicism
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THE BENEDICT OPTION:
NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART
The First Letter of St. Peter, our first Papal encyclical, can
help us to prepare for a possibly dark future. Written by
the chief apostle to Christians facing increasing
persecution, 1 Peter oscillates between soberness in the
face of suffering, and the “unutterable and exalted joy” (1
Peter 1:8) found in being a disciple of Christ. The whole
letter is marvelous; here are a few excerpts to whet your
appetite:
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http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/frame_game/2014/04/brendan_ei
ch_quits_mozilla_let_s_purge_all_the_antigay_donors_to_prop_8.html
2 http://www.lifenews.com/2014/09/09/obama-admin-renews-attempt-to-force-
little-sisters-of-the-poor-to-obey-hhs-mandate/
60
THE TYRANNY OF “DIALOGUE”
Originally published September 16, 2015
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THE TYRANNY OF “DIALOGUE”
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THE TYRANNY OF “DIALOGUE”
Tyranny of Dialogue
Proper Response
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THE TYRANNY OF “DIALOGUE”
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THE MISSING INGREDIENT
IN TODAY’S CATHOLIC
EVANGELIZATION
Originally published November 11, 2015
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What is Missing?
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THE MISSING INGREDIENT
IN TODAY’S CATHOLIC EVANGELIZATION
Voluntary mortification.
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Prayer…and Fasting
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THE MISSING INGREDIENT
IN TODAY’S CATHOLIC EVANGELIZATION
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74
NO MORE SCRAPS:
REGAINING RIGHTFUL CATHOLIC
PRIDE
Originally published November 24, 2015
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NO MORE SCRAPS:
REGAINING RIGHTFUL CATHOLIC PRIDE
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NO MORE SCRAPS:
REGAINING RIGHTFUL CATHOLIC PRIDE
79
NEW COKE:
IF TODAY’S CATHOLICS WERE IN
CHARGE
Originally published December 9, 2015
July 1985
Meeting of top Coke executives
CEO: So, it’s been three months since New Coke was
introduced – how’s it going?
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October 1985
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NEW COKE:
IF TODAY’S CATHOLICS WERE IN CHARGE
Mr. Eldridge: Didn’t you hear me? Our sales are down
dramatically – it’s clear the people don’t like New Coke!
April 1986
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August 1986
CEO: The new drinks have been on the market for a few
weeks – what’s the response?
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NEW COKE:
IF TODAY’S CATHOLICS WERE IN CHARGE
December 1986
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September 1987
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NEW COKE:
IF TODAY’S CATHOLICS WERE IN CHARGE
May 1988
Mr. Newmann: Yes, sir, they don’t look that great, and I
know the reason why.
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88
THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT A
CONTROL FREAK
Originally published January 27, 2016
So, are you saying a) that the Holy Spirit is like a tone-
deaf CEO who doesn’t know what He is doing, b)
that the Holy Spirit was completely absent from VII,
or c) that the Holy Spirit is like the totally right but
ignored subordinate employee, begging and pleading
with pope after pope to erase everything that has
happened in the Church since about 1950 or so but
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THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT A CONTROL FREAK
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ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
Originally published March 31, 2016 on ericsammons.com
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Reserving Judgement
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ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
Sinking Feeling
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ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
Evidence Mounts
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ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
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ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
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says so, but the pope says so because the Church believes
it.
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ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
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times. Let the future judge how “bad” he was when it can
see all the consequences from a distance. Third, I don’t
spend my every waking hour consumed with thinking of
this pope. I pray for him daily, but I mostly go about
living my faith without too much reference to him (as
Catholics have always done until recently). Finally, I do
not think every action of Francis is bad. On a whole I
believe he has hurt the cause of the Church more than
helped it, but that doesn’t mean he is some anti-Christ
trying to destroy the Faith at every opportunity.
106
ST. FRANCIS, POPE FRANCIS,
AND ME
107
MEET AMY,
THE AVERAGE CATHOLIC
Originally published June 7, 2016
Adventures in Catholicland
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MEET AMY,
THE AVERAGE CATHOLIC
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MEET AMY,
THE AVERAGE CATHOLIC
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her mind has been filled with the priorities and mores of
this world.
114
NORMALCY BIAS AND
PAPAL POSITIVISM
Originally published June 29, 2016
Over the past few years, we’ve all seen articles advising
people what to do in an active shooter situation. The
advice usually goes, “run, hide, fight.” But many articles
point out that the biggest challenge for responding to a
crisis isn’t necessarily knowing what to do, but
overcoming “normalcy bias.” What is normalcy bias? It is
the mental state people tend to enter when faced with a
rare and disastrous situation. It is the tendency to deny
the possibility that something disastrous is occurring.
Even though the evidence points to something very, very
bad happening, because we’ve never experienced it
before, we assume it can’t really be happening. Thus,
many people upon hearing a gunshot will first want to
believe it is just a car backfiring. They can’t accept that
they are in the midst of a crisis and need to react
accordingly.
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NORMALCY BIAS AND
PAPAL POSITIVISM
Occam’s Razor
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NORMALCY BIAS AND
PAPAL POSITIVISM
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THE SILENCE OF GOD
Originally published August 11, 2016
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THE SILENCE OF GOD
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to be, I will rescue those faithful to me and bring them into the
everlasting kingdom prepared for me from the foundation of the
world. My silence on Holy Saturday is but a pause before the final
act of your salvation.
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THE SILENCE OF GOD
‘For you, I your God became your son; for you, I the
Master took on your form; that of slave; for you, I
who am above the heavens came on earth and under
the earth; for you, man, I became as a man without
help, free among the dead; for you, who left a garden,
I was handed over to Jews from a garden and
crucified in a garden.
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126
ACCOMPANY THE SINNER,
OR ACCOMMODATE THE SIN?
Originally published October 19, 2016
Ecclesiastical Buzzwords
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ACCOMPANY THE SINNER,
OR ACCOMMODATE THE SIN?
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ACCOMPANY THE SINNER,
OR ACCOMMODATE THE SIN?
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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