L.A. preaching
Father Kester's loosey-goosey Gospel
From a "homily" given at St. Bede the Venerable Church in the affluent community of La Cañada.
I'm gonna give you a little bit of a trade secret here that we don't often mention from the pulpit. And that's something about Church law itself which says that Church law is to be applied more strictly the more generally it's applied and it's to be applied more loosely the more particularly, specifically, it's applied.I can't imagine anyone wanting to do this, but ... if you'd like to listen to Father Kester's loosey-goosey Gospel, go HERE.
What that means is if I am standing up here and we have a discussion going, let's say, on birth control. As a Catholic priest I'm sort of obliged to uphold the teaching of the Church and say Humanae Vitae says you shouldn't practice birth control. I'm speaking very generally now to the whole congregation. If I get a couple in the office and they're explaining their medical problems, their financial problems, what's happening in their lives, specifically, then I should be very loose in how I interpret this rule and say, well, O.K. I understand your situation and your considerations and maybe we ought to set this rule aside in your instance.
If I am standing up here at the pulpit and we're talking about divorce and remarriage, I will say ... marriage is forever. You cannot get remarried unless you go through the annulment process. And then I have a couple come in and say, you know, Father, we have tried to get an annulment three or four times. We know that our first marriages were mistakes. We'd like to receive communion. Then I'd have to say O.K. I'm talking specifically. I'm not talking generally. Let's see does this rule really apply to you in your situation in life?
For more "homilies" by Father Kester, go to HELL.
posted by Quintero at 4:50 PM
20 Comments:
Praise be to God for the internet and midi files.
If only more loosey-goosey priests were open to posting their audio-homilies on the net. Then we would know what they were really doing in their 'pastoral' work.
I went over to the church page where the audio is an noticed they have the deacons wife "preaching" part of the homily everytime the deacon preaches. I suppose this can't be a liturgical abuse since we all know there are none in the good Cardinals archdiocese.
Imagine the uproar if he said this:
"If I am standing up here at the pulpit and we're talking about social justice, I will say that we must help the poor. The Church documents are very clear about this. And then I get a couple of rich folks in the office and I say to them, don't worry, I was only talking in a general sense, and I know you've worked hard for it, you deserve to do what you like, stuff the poor, and I tell them I understand your situation and views, and maybe we ought to set this rule aside in your instance."
I'm sure +Roger would run him out of town (and find a pliant lay ecclesial minister to fill his spot).
Venerable -
This could be a fun game:
When I'm up here at the pulpit, I have to say things like "Real Presence" and "Transubtantiation" because Church documents are clear very clear on these things. But if someone comes to me and says, he believes the Eucharist just a symbol, I tell him that's OK, I was just speaking in general terms.
I have attended Mass there at St. Bede's while Father Kester was "presiding." The picture Quintero posted is obviously quite dated because Father Kester is very obese. He has really ballooned since that website photo was taken. And his hair is obviously dyed (a strange shade of burnt blond).
Again, I posted this comment on the Irish Archbishop posting, what as lay people can we do about this? Is there a mechanism where we can report these wayward priests? Is there recourse in which these priests are accountable for their actions? This is frustrating because I have heard my own priest in Houston begin praying the Apostles Creed in a neutral gender!
Tito-
In your diocese the solution's easy: report those guys to your bishop and he will put a stop to it or those guys will simply leave. You have a good bishop there.
In L.A. and in other places the solution is not so easy. Take Fr Messenger who for years -- until he got in trouble -- taught all kinds of heretical stuff and even posted it on the website. He was never disciplined by the Cardinal. Mahony doesn't care about this stuff because evidently this is what he believes as well. If you report guys like Fr Kester, they'll just laugh at you like you're some fringe lunatic.
The Curt Jester had some great comments to say about this guy.
http://www.splendoroftruth.com/curtjester/archives/005812.php
A Catholic priest? Where's the Truth in Packaging law when you need it.
Someone tell me this whole things a spoof. Please!
Jill-
From what I understand, my Archbishop was present at a women priest ordination at a Methodist ceremony. He congratulated her after the ceremony. Archbishop Fiorenza attended a large young adult function and gave a speech. He took questions from the crowd and he was extremely uncomfortable with questions dealing with wayward priests.
He gave me the wrong vibe. Fortunately he is retiring and being replaced with Bishop DiNardo. Who is from the midwest and seems to be a bit more of a hardliner than a wuss like Fiorenza.
Tito-
I was thinking of DiNardo. I thought he was now your new Archbishop.
Bring back the Inquisition!!! I've got a nice pile of wood in my backyard. Anybody have matches?
Assuming canon law works the way the Father suggests, it would have to be limited to matters of discipline and adminstrative practice, not matters of faith and morals. This is a case of the latter. You'd think he would know that.
Actually, he probably does.
Jill-
Bishop DiNardo was elevated to some sort of Bishopric position. More like associate, but I'm lazy when it comes to titles. Nonetheless, he is in line to replace Fiorenza by this January. Unless Fiorenza rescinds his retirement plans (which I hope he doesn't).
Jill-
Bishop DiNardo was elevated to some sort of Bishopric position. More like associate, but I'm lazy when it comes to titles. Nonetheless, he is in line to replace Fiorenza by this January. Unless Fiorenza rescinds his retirement plans (which I hope he doesn't).
Coadjutor.
It is NOT love to seek to tell people what they might want to hear and leave their souls in mortal danger. These sorts of persons are murders--killing the souls because inside the souls can recognize the truth and just because Fr. Feelgood said it is ok on the sly will NOT release them from guilt. And the priests who do this have souls in mortal danger and will not be going to hell alone but that eternity for such a priest will be something that we cannot even fathom.
We must pray for these wayward sinful priests! Unless they repent, they damn themselves.
Sad, mad and just plain bad.
God Bless.
Someone needs to fire Kester's ass!
This is an outrage! May God have mercy on his poor soul.
Firstly, my deepest sympathy to you, Quintero, for having to live in Mahony's heterodox, New Age commune known as the LA Archdiocese. I look forward to the day when he and his lavender pals are gone. Secondly, I'll bet ten bucks that Kester is a homosexual. With that very chic blond tint job on his noggin, his condo in Palm Beach and his crude, eccentric homilies, he fits the profile to a "t".
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