An idiom is a word or phrase that is not taken literally, like “bought the farm” has nothing to do with purchasing real estate, but refers to dying.
Idiom also refers to a jargon of a group of people, either in a certain region or a group with a common interest, like in science, music, or in the case of this article, the Catholic Faith.
Examples of some of the more common idioms include:
A chip on your shoulder - means you are holding a grudge.
High as a kite - means you are drunk or on drugs.
Sick as a dog - means you are very ill.
Examples of idioms referring to actions would be:
Rub someone the wrong way - meaning to annoy or bother;
Jump the gun - would mean to be doing something early;
Pay the piper - means you need to face the consequences of your actions.
Finally, there is the very familiar idiom: put up or shut up, meaning either act on what you are saying or stop talking about it and go away!
Yet again (ugh), Cardinal Raymond Burke said that the Pope is the highest authority in the Church, but because his power is derived from the divine law, the faithful are obligated to reject his teaching if it falls outside that Divine Law.
Cardinal Burke spoke at length (ugh!) outlining both what Papal power is and what its limits are. He also discussed what he believes to be the role of the Bishops and the faithful when the Pope is thought to have stepped outside these bounds.
Asking how we should correct the Pope if he does overstep the limits of his power, Burke pointed to two steps, which he called “a brief and preliminary answer, based on natural law, on the Gospels and on the canonical tradition.”
First, he said, “the correction of the presumed error or abandonment of his duty should be addressed directly to the Roman Pontiff; and then, if he continued to err or not answer, a public declaration should be made.”
And so, yet again, the Church has to endure these threats of a formal act of correction which Cardinal Burke urges but hasn’t had the courage to initiate.
It seems that His Eminence is more concerned with the publicity his threats of correction afford him personally than he is with following through with what he says he believes (and attempts to convince the vulnerable) are serious Papal violations against the Deposit of Faith.
In the end, His Eminence himself is the one who is causing confusion and division -- dare I say it -- and basking in the light of the attention it brings him.
To His Eminence I say (respectfully): Put up or shut up!
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