Keep
your eyes open!...
February 28, 2019
(Joh
20:21-23) He said therefore to them again: Peace be to you. As the
Father hath sent me, I also send you. When he had said this, he
breathed on them; and he said to them: Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whose
sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you
shall retain, they are retained.
Pre Lent Audio Homily: Overcoming the Desire to Dominate
Summary
From the word Dominus (Latin for Lord) we get the word DOMINATE. The
desire to have dominion is the temptation of the creature…to desire to
be like the Creator… to be the Master and to Dominate others as well as
something of creation. Eve wanted this and reached out to take the
forbidden fruit under the spell of the devil’s words, “you shall be
gods.” Occultists are forever seeking hidden powers of the universe…
Children struggle often to submit to their parents or teachers and tend
to assert themselves… and talk back. It is an old problem! Primordial!
At the end of time, the Antichrist will rise up to finally become the
Lord of the World. All the saints, however, learned it like this:
conquer self on the inside and you will conquer the world on the
outside. Man is a microcosmos of the macro-cosmos. Man is the thumbnail
of creation. When man conquers himself on the inside, creation on the
outside falls under his dominion. He commands the beasts and elements
and they obey. This is how saints were able to work miracles with ease…
they were dominating creation with God, having first dominated the
world on the inside! Thus, in a word, he who conquers himself, conquers
the world. He who dominates himself, dominates the world. Lent is the
time to start renewing our efforts to dominate ourselves. Thus, St.
Paul in the lesson today said: “every one that striveth for the mastery
refraineth himself from all things… I chastise my body, and bring it
into subjection.”
EXCERPT SIGN.ORG: The Great Sacrament of Confession
Our lives are in need of continual
purification – this due not only to the weakness of our nature
corrupted by the effects of original sin but also due to the corrupting
influence of the world – and there are special purifying graces in
Sacramental Confession that not only forgive our sins but also
strengthen us to fight the good fight. We need these graces.
The Sacrament of Confession,
established by Jesus after his Resurrection (see John 20:22-23), is the
most assured means to root out sin and impurity from our lives. The
other day I was listening to a talk given by Father Michael Scanlan of
Franciscan University, and he mentioned in his talk that he had never
met a priest who hadn’t seen amazing things occur in the confessional.
When we walk out of the
confessional we are forgiven, renewed, empowered and protected from
evil. Confession is truly an awesome sacrament!
While Pope, Saint John Paul II drew attention to the healing power of Confession, saying:
“It [sacramental Confession] also
performs an authentic ‘spiritual resurrection,’ restores the dignity
and the good of the life of the children of God, the most precious of
which is friendship with God. It would be illusory to desire to reach
holiness, according to the vocation that each one has received from
God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and
sanctification,” that, together with the Eucharist, “accompanies the
path of the Christian towards perfection. Penance, by its nature, he
explained, involves purification, in both the acts of the penitent who
lays bare his conscience because of the deep need to be pardoned and
reborn, and in the effusion of sacramental grace that purifies and
renews.” (May 29, 2004 Catholic New Agency)
Consider it a great treasure –
indeed, an invaluable treasure – that you have such easy access to this
Sacrament. Treasure it. Desire it. Don’t fear it, for it is a dear
friend. Be so happy to confess your sins and faults. This Sacrament
will take you where you want to go, “upward, onward,” to Eternal Life!
CNA: Guide to Making a Great Confession
PADRE PIO ANECDOTES VIA "THE SHIELD OF FAITH"
One does not pray to God only at San Giovanni Rotondo!
The Artist and Padre Pio Part 1, Part 2
Padre Pio and the Angels
Padre Pio Appears in Bilocation to Pope Pius XI
Padre Pio Corrects a Mischievous Boy
AUDIO HOMILY: Padre Pio: A Walking Crucifix
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
65. I know another way in which those beasts slink
off; they depart after the soul has thoroughly acquired the habits of vice
and is its own betrayer and enemy. Infants are an example of what has been
said; for, when weaned from their mother's breasts, from longstanding habit
they suck their fingers.
February 27, 2019
(1Co
6:18-20) Fly fornication. Every sin that a man doth is without the
body: but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Or know you not that your members are the temple of the Holy Ghost, who
is in you, whom you have from God: and you are not your own? For you
are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body.
CS LEWIS:
Modern people are always saying, “Sex is nothing to be ashamed of.”
They may mean two things. They may mean “There is nothing to be ashamed
of in the fact that the human race reproduces itself in a certain way,
nor in the fact that it gives pleasure.” If they mean that, they are
right. Christianity says the same. It is not the thing, nor the
pleasure, that is the trouble. The old Christian teachers said that if
man had never fallen, sexual pleasure, instead of being less than it is
now, would actually have been greater. I know some muddle-headed
Christians have talked as if Christianity thought that sex, or the
body, or pleasure, were bad in themselves. But they were wrong.
Christianity is almost the only one of the great religions which
thoroughly approves of the body—which believes that matter is good,
that God Himself once took on a human body, that some kind of body is
going to be given to us even in Heaven and is going to be an essential
part of our happiness, our beauty, and our energy. Christianity has
glorified marriage more than any other religion: and nearly all the
greatest love poetry in the world has been produced by Christians. If
anyone says that sex, in itself, is bad, Christianity contradicts him
at once. But, of course, when people say, “Sex is nothing to be ashamed
of,” they may mean “the state into which the sexual instinct has now
got is nothing to be ashamed of.”
If they mean that, I think they are wrong. I think it is everything to be ashamed of.
EXCERPT ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: Safe Haven Sunday
On March 2-3, the Archdiocese will
mark its first “Safe Haven Sunday.” It’s an effort by our local Church,
in partnership with the organization Covenant Eyes, to help men and
women protect themselves, their marriages, and their children, against
the spread of pornography in their homes and relationships. To date, 55
of our parishes have signed up for Covenant Eyes resources. Key among
those resources is the book Equipped: Smart Catholic Parenting in a
Sexualized Culture.
Equipped includes instructions on
how to join a free, opt-in email series. The series’ emails contain
important video links to help parents strengthen their homes as safe
havens, explaining the latest apps, Google Safe Search, YouTube
Restricted mode, the risks of social media, and with tips on how to
address online pornography. Implementation materials for local parishes
and dioceses can be found at https://learn.covenanteyes.com/safe-haven-sunday/.
BISHOP STRICKLAND: Glorious Chastity – One Bishop’s Reflection
In the year 2019, we live in a
world that’s off kilter. One of the deepest roots of the present chaos
is the lack of willingness to embrace Glorious Chastity. I specifically
use the word “glorious” because I believe it is God’s plan that
obedience to His will with regard to this virtue is a key that will
unlock God’s wondrous plan for every individual person and for all of
humanity. Rather than Glorious Chastity, the prevailing reality in
today’s world is Devastating Sex. Once again, I specifically use a word
as strong as “devastating” because it describes what has happened to
this very human faculty which has been dehumanized in so many ways.
Rather than living Glorious Chastity according to God’s Divine Will for
His children, the vast majority of the human family is caught up in
Devastating Sex, which constantly wreaks havoc in the lives of the
children of God.
God’s plan is for Glorious Chastity
to always guide sexual desires along a path of accompaniment with His
Divine Plan and the wondrous gift of participating in His creation. He
has created us in His image. In His awesome love, He has opened the
door for a man and woman to channel their natural attractions through
His will to cooperate with Him in continuing His creative love in the
world. The glorious beauty of God’s plan allows a man and woman,
committed to each other in the marital bond, to be open to God’s
creativity and to the possibility of begetting children as they express
their love in profound intimacy. We need to step away from today’s
casual familiarity with what a sexual relationship involves and be in
awe of God’s grand design which allows us to truly live as His
children. Glorious Chastity means that every legitimate sexual act is
directed toward God’s creative plan. Even for the spousal love of a man
and woman committed in marriage, they must always seek to live
chastely. They are challenged to ensure that every natural urge and
desire is channeled toward their one true love and blessed before God.
Sadly, the prevailing tendencies in
our time veer much more toward Devastating Sex than Glorious Chastity.
Devastating Sex can be defined as any sexual expression, whether alone
or with another person, that does not follow the narrow path laid out
by God. Devastating Sex happens when a person focuses only on arousal
and sexual pleasure which is often accompanied by the plague of
pornography. Pornography not only promotes Devastating Sex, but it
erodes the dignity of the human person in varying degrees and multiple
ways. Devastating Sex happens when a married couple interferes with the
fertility of their love through contraception. Unfortunately, such a
couple approaches the threshold of Glorious Chastity and God’s will for
their sexual lives, but through contraception they close the door and
say no to God. Devastating Sex happens when a man and a woman engage in
sexual activity outside the bond of marriage. Moreover, it happens when
persons of the same sex engage in sexual activity. This type of
activity does not cooperate with God’s creative plan for life which is
only possible when a man and a woman share in loving, sexual intimacy.
All these aberrations go to the heart of why God has created us male
and female. He created us with real physical differences that
complement each other when they are lived in the commitment of
marriage. We may not like the reality, but when people enter into
sexual expression outside God’s plan it becomes Devastating. Let us
seek a world where sex no longer brings devastation, pain, and hurt,
but instead opens lives to God’s plan of Love.
NCR: Chastity, for Each and All, is Central to a Life of Holiness
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
64. Demons leave us of their own accord so as to
lead us to carelessness, and then suddenly carry off our wretched soul.
February 25, 2019
(Mat 19:11-12)
Who said to them: All men take not this word, but they to whom it is
given. For there are eunuchs, who were born so from their mothers womb:
and there are eunuchs, who were made so by men: and there are eunuchs,
who have made themselves eunuchs for the kingdom of heaven. He that can
take, let him take it.
ARCHBISHOP MARK COLERIDGE OF BRISBANE:
“We will do all in our power to make sure that the horrors of the past
are not repeated and that the Church is a safe place for all, a loving
mother especially for the young and the vulnerable.”
VATICAN.VA: ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS AT THE END OF THE EUCHARISTIC CONCELEBRATION
VATICAN NEWS: Protection of Minors- Concluding Press Briefing Summary
It fell to Fr.
Federico Lombardi SJ, as Moderator of the Meeting on the “Protection of
Minors in the Church”, to announce three such initiatives:
1. The imminent publication of a
Motu proprio by the Pope, providing rules and regulations to safeguard
minors and vulnerable adults within Vatican City State.
2. The distribution of a
“vademecum” (or rulebook) to Bishops around the world, explaining their
juridical and pastoral duties and responsibilities with regard to
protecting children.
3. The creation of an operative
“task force”, comprising competent experts, to assist those Bishops’
Conferences that may lack the necessary resources or expertise to
confront the issue of safeguarding minors, and deal with abuse.
There was a fourth response to the
“what now” question: the fact that the Organizing Committee will be
meeting with heads of Vatican Curia departments to discuss follow-up
and reflect on a related question: “What next?”
THE CATHOLIC THING: Celibacy is the Answer, Not the Problem by Fr. Carter Griffin
Many Catholics, even the most
faithful, seem to have given up on priestly celibacy. In our
post-sexual revolutionary age, many view celibacy as an unhealthy
repression of sexual drives, fostering the epidemic of clergy abuse
today. According to this line of thinking, if we want to get rid of
clerical abuse, we must get rid of celibacy.
It is a solution that, in the words
of one literary critic, is “neat, plausible, and wrong.” Celibacy is
not the problem. Clerical sexual abuse is no more caused by celibacy
than adultery is caused by marriage. Both are violations of sacred
promises, promises for which the Lord guarantees his help to live
faithfully. To put it differently, allowing priests to marry would not
prevent sexual transgressions. Marriage is regrettably no stranger to
scandal or sexual abuse.
The problem is not celibacy but
celibacy lived badly. It is caused by priests not living chastely. The
proper response is not eliminating celibacy but demanding that priests,
like married people, live up to their vocation.
In fact, celibacy itself is a
precious and irreplaceable gift to the Church. It is usually defined
negatively as “not getting married.” But it is a positive choice, a
powerful way of loving with a singleness of purpose and a unique
openness of heart. It enables a priest to live his spiritual fatherhood
with particular force and efficacy.
The spiritual benefits of priestly celibacy have for centuries enriched the Church and even the wider culture.
Were celibacy to be abolished in this moment of exasperation, we would
not only fail to solve the problem of sexual abuse but also deprive
future generations of innumerable graces of spiritual fatherhood that
come to us through priestly celibacy.
How, then, to explain the current storm of scandals? The story is not a pretty one, but there is good news in the end.
First of all, for decades there was
astonishingly little scrutiny for men entering priestly formation. A
demonstration of academic aptitude and a pastor’s recommendation were
usually enough. No thorough investigations into moral character and
spiritual maturity, no references, no psychological examination.
The Church repeatedly insisted that
men with persistent homosexual inclinations should not be admitted to
the seminary (the latest official document that addressed it, incidentally, was approved by Pope Francis in 2016). Nevertheless, such men were admitted in great numbers.
Most priests with same-sex attractions, of course, are not guilty of sexual abuse and live faithfully. Still, the great majority
of priest abuse cases involve the homosexual abuse of boys and young
men. However controversial, the wisdom of the Church’s resolve has
become crystal clear in hindsight. Disregarding it has had shattering consequences in the lives of thousands of young men over several decades.
Second, seminarians for years
received woefully inadequate formation for chaste celibacy. According
to the testimony of priests formed in those years of turmoil, primarily
the 1970s and 1980s, the interior life and ascetical practices needed
to sustain healthy chastity were not widely inculcated. Many men were
even ordained under the false impression, reinforced by their seminary
faculty, that the requirement for celibacy would soon be lifted.
In some seminaries, depraved
cultures of sexual license among seminarians and even faculty corrupted
vulnerable young men or drove away in disgust those who were seeking
virtue. To make matters still worse, in many seminaries theological
dissent and liturgical experimentation was rampant, leading to a
hypocritical double standard that men carried with them into the
priesthood.
Intellectual infidelity invariably
breeds moral infidelity. If I can bend the teaching of the Church to my
own opinions, preferences, and whims, why should that arrogance be
limited to dogmatic propositions and liturgical norms? Why not moral
precepts too? The dissent that festered for decades in theological
faculties has taken a devastating toll on the Church, not only in
doctrinal and liturgical confusion but also, I would argue, in sexual
abuse.
Finally, once ordained, some
priests who grew up in this climate of lax duplicity were,
unsurprisingly, unfaithful. And their superiors seldom censured them
for it in any meaningful way. Some were repeatedly transferred to new
assignments; almost none were dismissed from the priesthood. Many
bishops lost their nerve and their self-confidence. The sheer extent of
clerical corruption was a painful embarrassment to bishops and, as a
result, there arose a culture of deep secrecy that is now coming to
light.
That, thank God, is not the end of
the story. Many priests and bishops, against all odds, remained
faithful through those bleak decades, and today we honor their heroic
witness. Then came the 1992 landmark document Pastores Dabo Vobis in which St. John Paul II proposed a bracing portrait of priesthood and of seminary formation.
In the ensuing years, it was
implemented unevenly throughout the world, but the upward trend in the
quality of formation was unmistakable. Standards of admission in most
dioceses have risen and the quality of formation in most seminaries has
improved dramatically. Though many of our people do not realize it, the
reform of the clergy began well over two decades ago.
There is still work to be done.
Since priestly celibacy is a privileged way of living spiritual
fatherhood, we must continue to improve our selection and formation of
future priests in light of that paternity. They should have a confident
masculine identity and a normal, healthy desire for marriage and
fatherhood, the mature capacity to forego these great goods in order to
focus on supernatural fatherhood, and possess, or show aptitude for,
the human qualities and virtues of the best natural fathers.
Once ordained, priests should be
held to the highest standards of chastity. Violations should be
addressed consistently, promptly, and fairly, with the seriousness that
befits a severe breach of trust against one’s spiritual family.
Chastity – serene, deep, and joyful – at the service of priestly
fatherhood is without a doubt the path to genuine reform in the
priesthood.
Medieval doctors, with the best of
intentions, often treated diseases by draining the blood of their
patients, unwittingly depriving them of the very nutrients that they
needed to get well. Those looking to cure the disease of sexual abuse
in the Church by draining her of the grace of celibacy would do little
to cure the disease, and yet deprive the Body of Christ of spiritual
nutrients needed to return to health.
If we wish to address the problem
of clergy sexual abuse, we should begin by expecting the same fidelity
from our priests that we expect from everyone else, and call them to
embrace, through the gift of celibacy, the blessings of priestly
fatherhood that we need today more than ever.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
63. The material of the passions is destroyed when
consumed by Divine fire. And while this material is being uprooted and
the soul purified, the passions all retire; that is, if the man himself
does not attract them again by worldly habits and indolence.
February 22, 2019
(Mat 18:6-7) But he that shall
scandalize one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better
for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he
should be drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of
scandals. For it must needs be that scandals come: but nevertheless woe
to that man by whom the scandal cometh.
CATHOLIC FAMILY NEWS ARCHIVE: Sexual Abuse and the Third Secret – A Timely Reminder
NCR: Pope: Hear the cry of the little ones who ask for justice
ZENIT.ORG: Father Lombardi Summarizes the Meeting on the Protection of Minors in 12 Questions and Answers
VIA INSIDE THE VATICAN: Tomorrow
Tomorrow the long-awaited Vatican "summit" on the sexual abuse of children in the Church begins.
For four days, February 21, 22, 23
and 24, the heads of all the world's bishops' conferences will meet
with Pope Francis, many cardinals and many Vatican officials to discuss
this tragic corruption inside of the Church.
The Church and the world are watching to see how our Church, and Pope Francis, face this problem.
This meeting will be, in a sense,
the "final act" of the 6th year of Pope Francis' pontificate (the 7th
year of his papacy will begin in mid-March 2019 — Francis was elected
on March 13, 2013, and he inaugurated his papacy six days later, on
March 19, 2013).
====
These past few days have been filled with:
—preliminary decisions (the
exemplary "de-frocking" of former archbishop and cardinal Theodore
McCarrick, 88, now to be referred to simply as "Mr. McCarrick")
—preliminary scandalous books
(Sodom: In the Closet of the Vatican, by French self-described
homosexual activist Frederic Martel, a book that is in many ways a
peculiar "curtain-raiser" for this week's meeting)
—preliminary Vatican and other press conferences to "set the agenda" and "manage expectations"
—preliminary interviews of victims
about what they expect and hope for from the meeting —preliminary
denunciations from critics of Rome's decision to limit the discussion
to the abuse of children, and to leave out of the proceedings the
"other question" of an apparently very widespread acceptance, for
decades, of active homosexuality in the Catholic priesthood.
=========
Perhaps the most striking aspect of
these days has been a new willingness of Francis' critics to criticize
him directly, openly, almost defiantly.
Most striking in this regard has been the new tone from German Cardinal Gerhard Mueller.
Mueller, a tall, physically
imposing man — he seems to be the tallest of all of the cardinals — has
up until recently been "meek and mild"... the soul of "sweet reason."
But just in recent days, Mueller has begun to speak with a new voice.
There is a new toughness in his
talk, especially regarding the circle of advisors around Pope Francis.
(You will be able to see this toughness in the interview with Mueller
published below.)
This seems all the more significant
since Mueller is arguably the cardinal among all of the cardinals who
is intellectually closest to Emeritus Pope Benedict, 91 (Mueller is the
general editor of Benedict's collected works — this means Benedict has
put his entire life's work into Mueller's hands.)
Yet, Mueller is not alone.
Other critics of Pope Francis —
including the German cardinal Walter Brandmueller and the American
cardinal Raymond Burke — have begun to speak out with new vigor (Burke
has just established a new website).
Mueller, Brandmueller, Burke, and
others, have taken to criticizing "the circle around the Pope" for
"misleading" the pontiff, and to calling on Francis to take decisive
action to end the "confusion" they say is now widespread in the Church.
(See text at end below)
All of this culminated today in a
striking "silent protest" in Rome's Piazza San Silvestro (St. Silvester
was Pope at the time of Constantine, in the early 300s) with 100
Catholics from around the world simply standing in silence to “break
down the wall of silence created by the Church authorities.” (You can
see a picture of the protest in the link to an article about it
published below, Article #3)
So, here we are.
Three things seem important to keep in mind:
1) The abuse of children, an abomination, must be prevented, and, when not prevented, punished.
But the entire modern world, our
entire post-Christian culture, this entire "deranged age," as novelist
Walker Percy called it, is abusive toward the innocence of children,
with its confusing messages, its almost limitless internet pornography,
its flawed "sexual education" programs.
To help defend innocent children from abuse of all types requires a strong Christian presence and witness.
The weakening of the Church, the
dismantling of the Church under secular pressures, would leave millions
upon millions of children with less defense against such abuses.
The sins of men and women in the
Church do not mean the message and "Good News" of the Church — of
Christ — have failed or should be abandoned. On the contrary... the
message is more important than ever.
2) The "world" and the "Prince" of
this world have always sought to possess, control, condition or even to
eliminate the Church (the great persecutions); today's conflicts risk
breaking the unity of Catholics, diminishing the strength of the
Church. This is a danger.
We must strive to retain our unity, and reaffirm it.
3) Pope Francis has often spoke of
the modern danger of "ideological colonization"; that is, of the
pervasive, almost irresistible power of post-Christian and
anti-Christian "ideologies" which propagate an ambiguous,
de-sacralizing vision of man and are antagonistic to and derisive of
the traditional Christian teaching that men and women are made "in the
image and likeness of God." The deep source of our dignity...
So Pope Francis has encouraged us
to stand strong against such ideologies. He has been in this courageous
and in many ways exemplary.
Therefore, what seems to be needed
now is a clear, entirely unambiguous re-statement of these traditional
beliefs — what we believe is the nature and destiny of men and women
("what a man is and what he should do," to use Percy's language) — and
this by Francis himself, to overcome the doubts and divisions that
threaten his papacy, and the Church.
====
Below are four articles:
(1) A recent Cardinal Mueller interview, in which he speaks in his new "tough" tone
(2) A
February 16 Catholic News Agency article by American writer Ed Condon
wrapping up the McCarrick case — and noting several open questions that
need answering, including the question of... money
(3) An article by Italian Catholic Prof. Roberto de Mattei about the "silent protest" in Rome today
(4) An article about the 500-page book Sodom: In the Closet of the Vatican, written by Italian journalist Maria Antonietta Calabṛ
(5) The appeal to the attendees at this week's meeting released today by Cardinals Burke and Brandmueller
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
62. Some of the faithful, and even of the unfaithful,
have been deserted by all the passions except one; and that one has been
left as a paramount evil which fully takes the place of all the others,
for it is so harmful, it can even cast down from Heaven.
February 20, 2019
(Psa
37:4-6) Delight in the Lord, and he will give thee the requests of thy
heart. Commit thy way to the Lord, and trust in him, and he will do it.
And he will bring forth thy justice as the light, and thy judgment as
the noonday.
POPE FRANCIS:
“Everything stems from the inability to trust above all in God, to
place our safety in Him, to let Him give true depth to the desires of
our heart. Without God’s primacy one easily falls into idolatry and is
content with meager assurances.”
FR. JOSEPH M. ESPER: The Saints Teach Us How to Trust God
B.C. CATHOLIC: Trust God, even when you don’t understand
HOMILY FATHER ALTIER: Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the first reading today the
Prophet Jeremiah declares cursed those who trust in human beings while
turning their hearts from the Lord. Blessed, on the other hand, are
those who trust in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord. This cuts deeply
coming from the Prophet, but as we see at the beginning of the reading,
this is not the Prophet’s mere opinion. Instead, Jeremiah begins
with the formula “Thus says the Lord.” In other words, this is not from
Jeremiah; this is from God.
We need to be brutally honest with
ourselves and ask whether or not we really trust in the Lord. Most of
us would say we do trust Him, but if we look deeper we will find we
actually trust ourselves, other people, money, material possessions,
and any number of other things more than we trust in the Lord. Sadly,
we trust creatures more than we trust the Creator!
I think most of us trust God in a
vague, objective, or generic sense. This means our trust is more of an
intellectual acknowledgment of the truth that God is trustworthy.
However, on the subjective level, when we have to let go of something
and put it in God’s hands we often fail miserably. We take back what we
have entrusted to Him, we try to control the situation; we worry
ourselves sick because we do not trust.
It is only when we look at things
from this very practical and subjective perspective that we recognize
how little we actually trust God. According to the first reading, we
are cursed when we fail to trust in the Lord. We have to remind
ourselves of our Lord’s words when He taught if a person is trustworthy
in small matters, that person will be trustworthy in large matters as
well. Of course, this implies that if a person is not trustworthy in
small matters, that person will not be trustworthy in large matters
either.
This point becomes critical for us
because we have to trust our Lord in the largest of matters. In the
second reading St. Paul speaks about the resurrection from the dead; he
also tells us if Jesus is not resurrected, we are still in our sins. We
are talking about the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the
body, and eternal life. These truths are so important that we profess
them every time we pray the Creed!
Now, based on what we have already
said, if we do not trust God in our daily lives with the smallest of
things, then how can we trust Him with the largest of things? Why would
I believe my sins are actually removed from my soul when I go to
confession? Why would I believe my body will rise from the dead? Why
would I believe Jesus died for me and that I can go to Heaven when I
die? If God cannot be trusted to care for my needs in ordinary
circumstances, why would I think He can be trusted with the most
extraordinary circumstances?
Perhaps this is why Jesus, in the
Gospel reading today, pronounces blessed those who are poor, hungry,
weeping, or hated on His account. It is when we are in trouble that we
tend to turn to God. More importantly, it is in these times that we
learn to trust the Lord. Some might say they would trust God if He just
made things easy all the time. However, it is only in difficult times
that a person proves himself. On our part, we prove ourselves faithful
or unfaithful when things get difficult. On God’s part, we come to
understand His goodness only when we suffer.
This seems counterintuitive.
However, our Lord pronounces a woe on those who are rich, who are
filled, who laugh now, and who are spoken well of. Why? Because these
people often trust in their money, their material possessions, or their
good times. They can give lip service to God while not really trusting
Him at all.
When we experience suffering we
learn that God is faithful, we learn that He brings good out of our
suffering, we learn that the people we trusted often abandon us, but
God does not. When we see how the Lord provides for us in our
suffering, then we learn that He is truly trustworthy. We learn to
depend on Him; we make Him the center of our lives. We learn what His
love and fidelity really mean. We learn He is our hope.
If we do not trust God now, how
will we trust Him at the end of our lives? Truly blessed are those who
trust the Lord, whose hope is the Lord, they will share in the rewards
of their trust: union with God and eternal life.
FR. SCOTT LEWIS, S.J:
Our faith and spirituality must be more than talk. By drawing our
strength from within — the realm of God’s spirit — we will become a
rock or fortress in the face of the challenges that life can deal us.
One of the weaknesses of many modern people is a lack of staying power.
There is a tendency to cut and run and avoid the challenges and
obstacles that come our way. God will not be moved and God will never
let us down. In the uncertain world in which we live, it is those who
sink their roots deeply into God’s life-giving spirit that will weather
the storm and thrive.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
61. No one, I think, would doubt that the demons
and passions leave the soul either for a time or entirely; but few know
the reasons why they go away from us.
February 18, 2019
(1Jn
5:19-20) We know that we are of God and the whole world is seated in
wickedness. And we know that the Son of God is come. And he hath given
us understanding that we may know the true God and may be in his true
Son. This is the true God and life eternal.
ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: The more closely the Church identifies with any culture, the more its problems penetrate her work.
VATICAN NEWS: Pope invites prayers for Protection of Minors meeting
FR REGIS SCANLON: Our Lady Chooses the U.S. For a Final Plea
MARK MALLET BLOG: Momma's Business
FROM THE MAILBAG: Fr. Rutler's Weekly Column
Like the optimist who sees a glass of water half-full and the pessimist
who sees it half-empty, people assess the times in which they live by
their personality. Each age has had its crises, but the time in which
we live seems especially fit to the description with which Dickens
began A Tale of Two Cities: “It was the best of times, it was the worst
of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it
was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the
season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…”
While other generations have known philosophical and physical
conflicts, ours is conspicuous for an evaporation of moral certitudes
by which good and bad are judged. Our Lord warned against pessimism
(Luke 17:23), but he also cautioned against the deceits of false
optimists who would caricature Christ to promote evil (Matthew 24).
The Catechism is clear: “Before Christ’s second coming the Church must
pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers.
The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil
the ‘mystery of iniquity’ in the form of a religious deception offering
men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy
from the truth” (CCC 675).
No cogent veteran of the last century, with its mega-villains, could
deny the existence of Satan. But the Lord of Death and Prince of Lies
employs his agents to kill babies, shatter families, corrupt priests,
and mock the Church. Each modern economic, sexual, and artistic
“liberation” has masqueraded as an “angel of Light” (2 Corinthians
11:14).
In the fourteenth century Saint Bridget of Sweden predicted: “During
the first part of (the Antichrist’s) reign, he plays more the part of
sanctity; but when he gains complete control, he persecutes the Church
of God and reveals all his wickedness.”
During the bicentennial of our own nation, the future St. John Paul II
said in Philadelphia to a crowd not altogether paying attention: “We
are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation
humanity has ever experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of
the American Society, or the whole wide circle of the Christian
Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation
between the Church and the anti-Church, between the Gospel and the
anti-Gospel, between Christ and the antichrist. “
In dealing with “principalities and powers not of this world”
(Ephesians 6:12), human politics and social reforms to fight them are
as useless as a pea shooter. Spiritual combat begins and ends with
worship of the one true God in His one true Church. The prime
Antichrist hates that the most. Around the year 300, Abba Apollo said,
“The Devil has no knees, . . . he cannot worship, he cannot adore.”
CARDINAL GERHARD MULLER:
Rather than adaptation to the mainstream of a world without God, the
salvation of the world through the return to God in faith and obedience
is the way to the New Evangelization and renewal of priests, and
especially of bishops. It is not sophisticated managers who are needed,
but shepherds who give their lives — and who also have theological
formation and deep piety.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
60. All who ask and do not obtain their requests
from God, are denied for one of the following reasons: because they ask
at the wrong time, or because they ask unworthily and vaingloriously, or
because if they received they would become conceited, or finally because
they would become negligent after obtaining their request.
February 15, 2019
(1Jn 5:14-15) And this is the confidence which we have towards him:
That, whatsoever we shall ask according to his will, he heareth us. And
we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask: we know that we have the
petitions which we request of him.
CARDINAL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN:
Dear Jesus, help me to spread your fragrance everywhere I go; Flood my
soul with your spirit and life; Penetrate and possess my whole being so
completely That all my life may be only a radiance of yours; Shine
through me and be so in me That everyone with whom I come into contact
May feel your presence within me. Let them look up and see no longer
me—but only Jesus. Amen.
CARDINAL JOHN HENRY NEWMAN: Divine Call and Human Response
UMD NEWMAN: Angry with God? Tell Him How You Feel
CATHOLIC EXCHANGE: An Unanswered Prayer?
MEDITATION: Effective vs. "Ineffective" Prayer by Jim J. McCrea
I have had experiences in my life of unanswered prayers and bitterness towards God over certain serious situations.
But at other times, I have had the most wonderful answers to prayer and have seen God's power work in the most striking way.
What is the difference?
To know the difference between
prayer that does not work and prayer that does work, we have to
understand what prayer is. I have learned this from experience and
God's grace.
First of all, prayer is not a
formula to get God to do what you want - to say so many Hail Marys and
you will get such and such a result. Forget all those publications that
say that if you say this novena in such and such a way, and then
publish the success of your prayer, you will get an answer to what you
want infallibly.
Prayer is in essence an opening of
our hearts to God. The essence of prayer is heart to heart commune with
God. All our rituals and formal prayers are only a means to that end.
Real prayer is to become so united with God that we know what His will
is, so that we can so much more effectively pray.
Of course we ask that God grant us
our needs in prayers of petition. God has specifically instructed us to
do that. That type of prayer is not a "force" we apply to God to make
Him change His mind. People make this mistake in praying Rosary after
Rosary in an attitude of applying sufficient "prayer power" to get God
to do what they want. Such prayer is generally not answered. Such
prayer can actually lead to greater problems in life.
If that is not the prayer of petition, then what is?
The prayer of petition is an
opening of our hearts to God so that He can give us what He desires to
give us. That may involve prayer in our own words, or something more
formal like the Rosary. But the most important thing in such a prayer
is not the words we say or the rituals we act out (apart from our
duties as Catholics in obedience to the Church or other lawful
superiors), but the attitude of heart we adopt. We must adopt the
attitude: "I seem to need this Lord, but you know what is best, so
answer the prayer in the way you see fit." Such prayer is done quietly
and confident in the Lord's power and love, rather than rattling it off
quickly and fretfully as if the Lord is deaf and reluctant (arm
twisting prayer).
"Arm twisting" prayer can make
things worse in a person's life because it is but another way of
asserting one's own will over God's. Even thought it seems to be
prayer, it can actually shut God out. Correct words alone do not make
for real prayer. Prayer is a matter of the heart. If the lips are
saying "thy will be done" but the heart is saying "my will be done," it
is not real prayer and is not pleasing to God.
Even though the Lord can give us
anything without asking and He knows all of our needs, He still wants
us to ask Him for what we need. This is because doing that instills a
sense of dependence on His providence thus facilitating union with Him.
Union with God is the end of all prayer.
Of course, we can never get all
that we want in life and cannot be relieved of all suffering in this
life. The prayer of petition can never be directed to that end, but
only to the carrying out of God's will - a will that leads to peace in
this life, the supplying of all of our real needs, and perfect and
eternal happiness in heaven.
POPE FRANCIS:
At the root of the dialogue with God there is a silent dialogue, as the
crossing of looks between two persons who love one another: man and
God: our looks cross, and this is prayer. To look at God is to let
oneself be looked at by God: this is to pray. “But Father, I don’t say
words . . .” Look at God and let Him look at you: It’s a prayer, a
beautiful prayer!
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
59. We should not be distressed if, in asking the
Lord for something, we remain for a time unheard. It would have pleased
the Lord if all men in a single moment had become dispassionate; however,
His foreknowledge told Him that this would not be for their good.
February 13, 2019
(1Th 5:17) Pray without ceasing.
ST ALBERT THE GREAT: Clinging to God in Prayer
Since we can of ourselves offer nothing to the Lord God
(from whom all good things come) which is not his already, with this
one exception, as he has deigned to show us both by his own blessed
mouth as well as by his example, that we should turn to him in all
circumstances and occasions as guilty, wretched, poor, beggarly, weak,
helpless, subject servants and sons.
And that we should beseech him and lay before him with complete
confidence the dangers that are besetting us on all sides, completely
grief-stricken in ourselves, in humble prostration of mind, in fear and
love, and with recollected, composed, mature, true and naked,
shamefaced affection, with great yearning and determination, and in
groaning of heart and sincerity of mind.
Thus we commit and offer ourselves up to him freely, securely and
nakedly, fully and in everything that is ours, holding nothing back to
ourselves, in such a complete and final way, that the same is fulfilled
in us as in our blessed father Isaac, who speaks of this very type of
prayer, saying, “Then we shall be one in God, and the Lord God will be
all in all and alone in us when his own perfect love, with which he
first loved us, will have become the disposition of our own hearts
too.” This will come about when all our love, all our desire, all our
concern, all our efforts, in fact everything we think, everything we
see, speak and even hope will be God, and that unity which now is of
the Father with the Son, and of the Son with the Father, will be poured
into our own heart and mind as well, in such a way that just as he
loves us with sincere and indissoluble love we too will be joined to
him with eternal and inseparable affection.
In other words, we shall be united with him in such a way that whatever
we hope, and whatever we say or pray will be God. This therefore should
be the aim, this the concern and goal of a spiritual man, to be worthy
to possess the image of future bliss in this corruptible body, and in a
certain measure experience in advance how the foretaste of that
heavenly bliss, eternal life and glory begins in this world.
This, as I say, is the goal of all perfection that his purified mind
should be daily raised up from all bodily objects to spiritual things
until all his mental activity and all his heart's desire become one
unbroken prayer.
So the mind must abandon the dregs of earth and press on towards to
God, on whom alone should be fixed the desire of a spiritual man, for
whom the least separation from that "summum bonum" [highest good] is to
be considered a living death and dreadful loss.
Then, when the requisite peace has been established in his mind, when
it is free from attachment to any carnal passion, and clings firmly in
intention to that one supreme good, the Apostle's sayings are
fulfilled, “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17) , and, “Pray
in every place lifting up pure hands without anger or dispute” (1
Timothy 2:8).
For when the power of the mind is absorbed in this purity, so to speak,
and is transformed from an earthly nature into the spiritual or angelic
likeness, whatever it receives into itself, whatever it is occupied
with, whatever it is doing, it will be pure and sincere prayer.
In this way, if you continue all the time in the way we have described
from the beginning, it will become as easy and clear for you to remain
in contemplation in your inward and recollected state, as to live in
the natural state.
ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY ON PRAYER
The Jesus Prayer
Fasting: Practical Advice for Beginners
Let us Learn to Pray by St. Theophan the Recluse Part 1, Part 2, Part 3
INTERNET PRAYER REQUESTS
Cardinal Raymond Burke Prayer Requests
Click to Pray- Pope Francis
Lourdes Prayer Request
EXCERPT: The True Story of the Patton Prayer
“Chaplain, I am a strong believer in
Prayer. There are three ways that men get what they want; by planning,
by working, and by Praying. Any great military operation takes careful
planning, or thinking. Then you must have well-trained troops to carry
it out: that’s working. But between the plan and the operation there is
always an unknown. That unknown spells defeat or victory, success or
failure. It is the reaction of the actors to the ordeal when it
actually comes. Some people call that getting the breaks; I call it
God.”
“God has His part, or margin in
everything. That’s where prayer comes in. Up to now, in the Third Army,
God has been very good to us. We have never retreated; we have suffered
no defeats, no famine, no epidemics. This is because a lot of people
back home are praying for us. We were lucky in Africa, in Sicily, and
in Italy. Simply because people prayed. But we have to pray for
ourselves, too.”
“A good soldier is not made merely by
making him think and work. There is something in every soldier that
goes deeper than thinking or working–it’s his ‘guts.’ It is something
that he has built in there: it is a world of truth and power that is
higher than himself. Great living is not all output of thought and
work. A man has to have intake as well. I don’t know what you call it,
but I call it Religion, Prayer, or God.”
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
55. When our good and all-gracious Lord and Master
sees people too lazy in their exercises, He lays their flesh low with sickness,
an asceticism with less toil; and sometimes it also cleanses the soul from
evil thoughts or passions.
February 11, 2019
(1Pe 3:15)
But
sanctify the Lord Christ in your hearts, being ready always to satisfy
every one that asketh you a reason of that hope which is in you.
SERMON: In the Barque of Saint Peter Fortune Will Not Desert Us
In light of today’s Gospel about the ship in the storm, we might ask
His Majesty: “what were You doing in that boat?” He would say that it
is Peter’s Boat… the Barque of St. Peter, a symbol of the Church, His
very Mystical Body. “Were there other boats?” Yes! In fact, St. Mark’s
Gospel mentions other boats are present in the same scene: “and there
were other ships with Him” (4:36). But, leading by example, He entered
into St. Peter’s boat with ALL His disciples following Him. We too have
entered this boat at our baptism… and we vowed to stay the course to
the very end. We have entered the little boat of our marriage or the
religious life and promised to keep faithful to the end. Thus, they
take perpetual or final vows! Fidelity to these promises will overcome
any storm… if only we call upon Him Who always keeps His Promises.
REVIEW: Manifesto of Faith by Cardinal Gerhard Müller
“Let not your heart be troubled!” (John 14:1)
In the face of growing confusion
about the doctrine of the Faith, many bishops, priests, religious and
lay people of the Catholic Church have requested that I make a public
testimony about the truth of revelation. It is the shepherds' very own
task to guide those entrusted to them on the path of salvation. This
can only succeed if they know this way and follow it themselves. The
words of the Apostle here apply: “For above all I have delivered unto
you what I have received” (1 Cor. 15:3). Today, many Christians are no
longer even aware of the basic teachings of the Faith, so there is a
growing danger of missing the path to eternal life. However, it remains
the very purpose of the Church to lead humanity to Jesus Christ, the
light of the peoples (see LG 1). In this situation, the question of
orientation arises. According to John Paul II, the Catechism of the
Catholic Church is a “safe standard for the doctrine of the faith”
(Fidei Depositum IV). It was written with the aim of strengthening the
Faith of the brothers and sisters whose belief has been massively
questioned by the “dictatorship of relativism.”
1. The one and triune God revealed in Jesus Christ
The epitome of the Faith of all
Christians is found in the confession of the Most Holy Trinity. We have
become disciples of Jesus, children and friends of God by being
baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit. The distinction of the three persons in the divine unity (CCC
254) marks a fundamental difference in the belief in God and the image
of man from that of other religions. Religions disagree precisely over
this belief in Jesus the Christ. He is true God and true Man, conceived
by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary. The Word made flesh,
the Son of God, is the only Savior of the world (CCC 679) and the only
Mediator between God and men (CCC 846). Therefore, the first letter of
John refers to one who denies His divinity as an antichrist (1 John
2:22), since Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is from eternity one in
being with God, His Father (CCC 663). We are to resist the relapse into
ancient heresies with clear resolve, which saw in Jesus Christ only a
good person, brother and friend, prophet and moralist. He is first and
foremost the Word that was with God and is God, the Son of the Father,
Who assumed our human nature to redeem us and Who will come to judge
the living and the dead. Him alone, we worship in unity with the Father
and the Holy Spirit as the Only and True God (CCC 691).
2. The Church Jesus
Christ founded the Church as a
visible sign and tool of salvation realized in the Catholic Church
(816). He gave His Church, which “emerged from the side of the Christ
who died on the Cross” (766), a sacramental constitution that will
remain until the Kingdom is fully achieved (CCC 765). Christ, the Head,
and the faithful as members of the body, are a mystical person (CCC
795), which is why the Church is sacred, for the one Mediator has
designed and sustained its visible structure (CCC 771). Through it the
redemptive work of Christ becomes present in time and space via the
celebration of the Holy Sacraments, especially in the Eucharistic
Sacrifice, the Holy Mass (CCC 1330). The Church conveys with the
authority of Christ the divine revelation, which extends to all the
elements of doctrine, “including the moral teaching, without which the
saving truths of the faith cannot be preserved, explained, and
observed” (CCC 2035).
3. Sacramental Order
The Church is the universal
sacrament of salvation in Jesus Christ (CCC 776). She does not reflect
herself, but the light of Christ, which shines on her face. But this
happens only when the truth revealed in Jesus Christ becomes the point
of reference, rather than the views of a majority or the spirit of the
times; for Christ Himself has entrusted the fullness of grace and truth
to the Catholic Church (CCC 819), and He Himself is present in the
sacraments of the Church.
The Church is not a man-made
association whose structure its members voted into being at their will.
It is of divine origin. "Christ himself is the author of ministry in
the Church. He set her up, gave her authority and mission, orientation
and goal (CCC 874). The admonition of the Apostle is still valid today,
that cursed is anyone who proclaims another gospel, “even if we
ourselves were to give it or an angel from heaven” (Gal 1:8). The
mediation of faith is inextricably bound up with the human credibility
of its messengers, who in some cases have abandoned the people
entrusted to them, unsettling them and severely damaging their faith.
Here the Word of Scripture describes those who do not listen to the
truth and who follow their own wishes, who flatter their ears because
they cannot endure sound doctrine (cf. 2 Tim 4:3-4).
The task of the Magisterium of the
Church is to “preserve God’s people from deviations and defections” in
order to “guarantee them the objective possibility of professing the
true faith without error” (890). This is especially true with regard to
all seven sacraments. The Holy Eucharist is “source and summit of the
Christian life” (CCC 1324). The Eucharistic Sacrifice, in which Christ
includes us in His Sacrifice of the Cross, is aimed at the most
intimate union with Him (CCC 1382). Therefore, the Holy Scripture
admonishes with regard to the reception of the Holy Communion: “Whoever
eats unworthily of the bread and drinks from the Lord's cup makes
himself guilty of profaning the body and of the blood of the Lord” (1
Cor 11:27). “Anyone conscious of a grave sin must receive the sacrament
of Reconciliation before coming to communion” (CCC 1385). From the
internal logic of the sacrament, it is understood that divorced and
civilly remarried persons, whose sacramental marriage exists before
God, as well as those Christians who are not in full communion with the
Catholic Faith and the Church, just as all those who are not disposed
to receive the Holy Eucharist fruitfully (CCC 1457), because it does
not bring them to salvation. To point this out corresponds to the
spiritual works of mercy.
The confession of sins in Holy
Confession at least once a year is one of the Church’s commandments
(CCC 2042). When the believers no longer confess their sins and no
longer experience the absolution of their sins, salvation becomes
impossible; after all, Jesus Christ became Man to redeem us from our
sins. The power of forgiveness that the Risen Lord has given to the
Apostles and their successors in the ministry of bishops and priests
applies also for mortal and venial sins which we commit after Baptism.
The current popular practice of confession makes it clear that the
conscience of the faithful is not sufficiently formed. God's mercy is
given to us, that we might fulfil His Commandments to become one with
His Holy Will, and not so as to avoid the call to repentance (CCC 1458).
“The priest continues the work of
redemption on earth” (CCC 1589). The ordination of the priest “gives
him a sacred power” (CCC 1592), which is irreplaceable, because through
it Jesus becomes sacramentally present in His saving action. Therefore,
priests voluntarily opt for celibacy as "a sign of new life" (CCC
1579). It is about the self-giving in the service of Christ and His
coming kingdom
4. Moral Law
Faith and life are inseparable, for
Faith apart from works is dead (CCC 1815). The moral law is the work of
divine wisdom and leads man to the promised blessedness (CCC 1950).
Consequently, the "knowledge of the divine and natural law is
necessary" to do good and reach this goal (CCC 1955). Accepting this
truth is essential for all people of good will. For he who dies in
mortal sin without repentance will be forever separated from God (CCC
1033). This leads to practical consequences in the lives of Christians,
which are often ignored today (cf 2270-2283; 2350-2381). The moral law
is not a burden, but part of that liberating truth (cf Jn 8:32) through
which the Christian walks on the path of salvation and which may not be
relativized.
5. Eternal Life
Many wonder today what purpose the
Church still has in its existence, when even bishops prefer to be
politicians rather than to proclaim the Gospel as teachers of the
Faith. The role of the Church must not be watered down by trivialities,
but its proper place must be addressed. Every human being has an
immortal soul, which in death is separated from the body, hoping for
the resurrection of the dead (CCC 366). Death makes man's decision for
or against God definite. Everyone has to face the particular judgement
immediately after death (CCC 1021). Either a purification is necessary,
or man goes directly into heavenly bliss and is allowed to see God face
to face. There is also the dreadful possibility that a person will
remain opposed to God to the very end, and by definitely refusing His
Love, "condemns himself immediately and forever" (CCC 1022). “God
created us without us, but He did not want to save us without us” (CCC
1847). The eternity of the punishment of hell is a terrible reality,
which - according to the testimony of Holy Scripture - attracts all who
“die in the state of mortal sin” (CCC 1035). The Christian goes through
the narrow gate, for “the gate is wide, and the way that leads to ruin
is wide, and many are upon it” (Mt 7:13).
To keep silent about these and the
other truths of the Faith and to teach people accordingly is the
greatest deception against which the Catechism vigorously warns. It
represents the last trial of the Church and leads man to a religious
delusion, “the price of their apostasy” (CCC 675); it is the fraud of
Antichrist. “He will deceive those who are lost by all means of
injustice; for they have closed themselves to the love of the truth by
which they should be saved” (2 Thess 2:10).
Call
As workers in the vineyard of the
Lord, we all have a responsibility to recall these fundamental truths
by clinging to what we ourselves have received. We want to give courage
to go the way of Jesus Christ with determination, in order to obtain
eternal life by following His commandments (CCC 2075).
Let us ask the Lord to let us know
how great the gift of the Catholic Faith is, through which opens the
door to eternal life. “For he that shall be ashamed of me, and of my
words, in this adulterous and sinful generation: The Son of Man also
will be ashamed of him, when He shall come in the glory of his Father
with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:38). Therefore, we are committed to
strengthening the Faith by confessing the truth which is Jesus Christ
Himself.
We too, and especially we bishops
and priests, are addressed when Paul, the Apostle of Jesus Christ,
gives this admonition to his companion and successor, Timothy: “I
charge thee, before God and Jesus Christ, Who shall judge the living
and the dead, by His coming, and His kingdom: Preach the word: be
instant in season, out of season: reprove, entreat, rebuke in all
patience and doctrine. For there shall be a time, when they will not
endure sound doctrine; but, according to their own desires, they will
heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears: And will indeed turn
away their hearing from the truth, but will be turned unto fables. But
be thou vigilant, labour in all things, do the work of an evangelist,
fulfil thy ministry. Be sober.” (2 Tim 4:1-5).
May Mary, the Mother of God,
implore for us the grace to remain faithful without wavering to the
confession of the truth about Jesus Christ.
United in faith and prayer
Gerhard Cardinal Müller, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 2012-2017
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
54. Sickness is sometimes for the cleansing of
sins, and sometime to humble our mind.
February 7, 2019
(Gen 1:27) And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
UPDATE: Supreme Court blocks Louisiana abortion clinic law
PRESIDENT TRUMP SOTU SPEECH:
"Let us work together to build a culture that cherishes innocent life.
And let us reaffirm a fundamental truth: all children — born and unborn
— are made in the holy image of God."
THE CATHOLIC THING: Two on Abortion
ALETEIA: What weapons are you using to fight abortion?
NATIONAL REVIEW: The New Supreme Court May Be on the Verge of Its First Important Abortion Ruling
A boring, low-stress Supreme Court
term just got substantially more interesting. Within two short days, we
may learn a great deal about Justice Kavanaugh’s approach to abortion
rights and about the willingness of the Court to roll back recent,
abortion-friendly jurisprudence.
Here’s what happened. Last fall, a three-judge panel of the Fifth Circuit unexpectedly upheld
Louisiana’s so-called “admitting privileges” law. The state requires
that doctors performing abortions “[h]ave active admitting privileges
at a hospital that is located not further than thirty miles from the
location at which the abortion is performed or induced and that
provides obstetrical or gynecological health care services.”
I say “unexpectedly” because abortion-rights advocates believed that the Louisiana law was clearly invalid under Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt,
a 5–3 2016 decision where Justice Kennedy joined with the court’s four
progressive justices (the decision came after Justice Scalia’s death)
to strike down a Texas statute that also required abortion doctors to
have admitting privileges at hospitals located within 30 miles of the
abortion clinic. The majority ruled that the admitting-privileges
requirement imposed an “undue burden on a woman’s right to choose.”
Under the facts of the case, the Court found that the law placed a
“substantial obstacle” in front of women seeking an abortion while
finding “no significant health-related problem for the new law to
cure.”
Louisiana argued that its facts were substantially different from Whole Women’s Health,
and while the Fifth Circuit panel agreed, noting — for example — that
the Texas law would have forced all but eight out of 40 abortion
clinics to close yet only one Louisiana abortion doctor was unable to
obtain admitting privileges, the smart money was betting that the Fifth
Circuit would grant en banc review and strike down the Louisiana law.
That didn’t happen. On January 18,
the Fifth Circuit denied en banc review. On Friday, January 25, a
single Fifth Circuit judge denied the plaintiff’s request for a stay of
enforcement pending their effort to seek Supreme Court review,
declaring that the law would go in effect in seven days — by February 1.
And with that, we were off to the
legal races. The plaintiffs — an abortion clinic and two doctors —
filed with the Supreme Court an application for an emergency stay to
block enforcement of the law. The state responded, and on Friday
Justice Alito wrote a brief order
granting the stay through this Thursday, February 7. The order gave no
hint of the Court’s ultimate ruling. It granted the stay merely because
“the filings regarding the application for a stay in this matter were
not completed until earlier today and the Justices need time to review
these filings.”
So, what gives? The case is important, but all sides should temper
expectations. It’s unlikely that the court would choose an order in
response to an application for an emergency stay to announce sweeping
changes in abortion jurisprudence. The state of Louisiana’s legal
argument is quite limited. It’s not asking the court to upset existing
precedent. It’s arguing that Louisiana’s statute complies with the
“undue burden” framework.
In other words, don’t look for Roe v. Wade or Planned Parenthood v. Casey
to fall on Thursday. But that doesn’t mean that the Court’s order won’t
be significant. Every Supreme Court order regarding abortion is worth
watching, and some potential rulings would be considerably more
significant than others. So let’s break down the possibilities.
First, the court could grant the
stay. If it does, that’s quite frankly ominous news for the pro-life
movement. After all, when the court grants an emergency stay (an
extraordinary remedy), it’s declaring that there’s a “reasonable
probability” that at least four members of the Court view the
underlying issue “sufficiently meritorious for the grant of certiorari
or the notation of probable jurisdiction,” and there exists a “significant possibility of reversal of the lower court’s decision.” (Emphasis added.)
To put this in plain English, if
the Court grants the stay, it’s sending a strong signal not only that
it’s likely to continue to apply abortion-friendly precedents like Whole Women’s Health, but that it will apply the more expansive reading of the case that the Louisiana plaintiffs urge.
If the Court grants the stay,
pro-life advocates should be gravely concerned. To paraphrase The Who’s
classic anthem, “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” we’d meet the new court, and
it would look a lot like the old court.
Second, the court could deny the stay and rely primarily on the factual distinctions between Louisiana’s case and Whole Women’s Health.
This would represent a modest pro-life win, but a win nonetheless. To
the extent that one would read any tea leaves from the court’s
decision, one could surmise that in the short term at least, the Court
is going to chip away at abortion jurisprudence by reading existing
abortion-protective case law more narrowly, confining cases to their
precise facts.
Third, the court could deny the stay and explicitly cast doubt on the viability of the Whole Women’s Health
precedent itself. After all, that case was decided without Scalia and
with Justice Kennedy casting the swing vote. It’s a recent decision,
and it would be fairly easy to begin to limit the reach of the “undue
burden” analysis by taking aim at a decision reached by a partial court.
Fourth, well, shall we even speak
of option four? Shall we even consider the possibility that the Court
would use a vehicle like a ruling on an emergency stay to raise
questions about Casey itself? Or Roe?
No. No, we shall not. A move that bold would be completely out of
character for the Roberts court. After all, Louisiana’s not reaching
for the moon. Louisiana’s only trying to keep its law alive.
The most realistic scenario for a
more pro-life court is option two. The Court will agree with
Louisiana’s limited arguments and go no farther. The Louisiana law will
stand, but so will Whole Women’s Health.
It’s a ruling that wouldn’t tell us much about the Court’s future
abortion jurisprudence, but it’s a ruling Justice Kennedy almost
certainly wouldn’t make. If the Court is to truly make a more
originalist turn on abortion, it may well take its first small step on
Thursday.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
53. When we see one of our athletes in Christ in
bodily suffering and infirmity, let us not maliciously seek to learn the
explanation of his illness, but rather with simple and genuine love, let
us try to heal him as though he were part of our own body, and as a fellow
warrior wounded in the fray.
February 5, 2019
(Mat 5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
POPE FRANCIS: "The Document on Human Fraternity,
which I signed today in Abu Dhabi with my brother the Grand Imam of
Al-Azhar, invites all persons who have faith in God and faith in human
fraternity to unite and work together".
ALETEIA: An overview of Pope Francis’ trip this week to the United Arab Emirates
LIVE UPDATES: Papal visit: Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi to mark a historic day for inter-faith relations
VATICAN NEWS: Francis to say first Mass by a pope on Arabian peninsula in Abu Dhabi
EXCERPT: Pope in UAE: Address to Fraternity Conference
'I have welcomed the opportunity to
come here as a believer thirsting for peace, as a brother seeking peace
with the brethren. We are here to desire peace, to promote peace, to be
instruments of peace.
The logo of this journey depicts a
dove with an olive branch. It is an image that recalls the story —
present in different religious traditions — of the primordial flood.
According to the biblical account, in order to preserve humanity from
destruction, God asked Noah to enter the ark along with his family.
Today, we too in the name of God,
in order to safeguard peace, need to enter together as one family into
an ark which can sail the stormy seas of the world: the ark of
fraternity.
The point of departure is the
recognition that God is at the origin of the one human family. He who
is the Creator of all things and of all persons wants us to live as
brothers and sisters, dwelling in the common home of creation which he
has given us. Fraternity is established here at the roots of our common
humanity, as "a vocation contained in God’s plan of creation."
This tells us that all persons have
equal dignity and that no one can be a master or slave of others. We
cannot honour the Creator without cherishing the sacredness of every
person and of every human life: each person is equally precious in the
eyes of God, who does not look upon the human family with a
preferential gaze that excludes, but with a benevolent gaze that
includes all.
Thus, to recognise the same rights for every human being is to glorify the name of God on earth.
In the name of God the Creator,
therefore, every form of violence must be condemned without hesitation,
because we gravely profane God’s name when we use it to justify hatred
and violence against a brother or sister. No violence can be justified
in the name of religion.
The enemy of fraternity is an
individualism which translates into the desire to affirm oneself and
one’s own group above others. This danger threatens all aspects of
life, even the highest innate prerogative of man, that is, the openness
to the transcendent and to religious piety. True religious piety
consists in loving God with all one’s heart and one’s neighbour as
oneself.
Religious behaviour, therefore,
needs continually to be purified from the recurrent temptation to judge
others as enemies and adversaries. Each belief system is called to
overcome the divide between friends and enemies, in order to take up
the perspective of heaven, which embraces persons without privilege or
discrimination.
I wish to express appreciation for
the commitment of this nation to tolerating and guaranteeing freedom of
worship, to confronting extremism and hatred. Even as the fundamental
freedom to profess one’s own beliefs is promoted - this freedom being
an intrinsic requirement for a human being’s self-realisation - we need
to be vigilant lest religion be instrumentalised and deny itself by
allowing violence and terrorism.
Fraternity certainly "also embraces
variety and differences between brothers and sisters, even though they
are linked by birth and are of the same nature and dignity." Religious
plurality is an expression of this; in such a context the right
attitude is neither a forced uniformity nor a conciliatory syncretism.
What we are called to do as
believers is to commit ourselves to the equal dignity of all, in the
name of the Merciful One who created us and in whose name the
reconciliation of conflicts and fraternity in diversity must be sought.
Here I want to reaffirm the conviction of the Catholic Church: "We
cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a
brotherly way any man, created as he is in the image of God"'.
NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER: Jesuit Scholar of Islam Assesses Papal Visit to UAE
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
52. The present generation is seriously corrupt
and all full of pride and hypocrisy. In bodily labours, it perhaps reaches
the level of our ancient Fathers, but it is not graced with their gifts,
though I think nature never had such need of spiritual gifts as now. And
we have received our due. For God is manifested not in labours, but in
simplicity and humilty. And if the power of the Lord is made perfect in
weakness, the Lord will certainly not reject a humble worker.
February 4, 2019
(Psa
106:37-39) And they sacrificed their sons, and their daughters to
devils. And they shed innocent blood: the blood of their sons and of
their daughters which they sacrificed to the idols of Chanaan. And the
land was polluted with blood, And was defiled with their works: and
they went aside after their own inventions.
BISHOP J STRICKLAND:
If a person is not allowed to be born all other human rights become
moot. Abortion of a child at any stage is MURDER & thus the
ultimate CHILD ABUSE...it is not Christian much less CATHOLIC to deny
this basic TRUTH.
CATHOLIC NEWS SERVICE: Archbishop urges 'renewed vigor' to protect life, stop 'evil' of abortion
FIRST THINGS: STATEMENT ON THE NEW YORK STATE ABORTION LAW OF 2019 by Evangelicals and Catholics Together
EXCERPT VATICAN NEWS: Pope to Pro-Life Movement: ‘Politicians should place defense of life first'
Pope Francis addressed the Movement’s Board of Directors on Saturday,
ahead of the 41st National Day for Life, which is celebrated on 3
February under the theme: “It’s life; it’s the future”.
“Ahead of tomorrow’s Day for Life, I take this opportunity to appeal to
all politicians, regardless of their faith convictions, to treat the
defense of the lives of those who are about to be born and enter into
society as the cornerstone of the common good”.
A newborn child, said the Pope, brings “newness, future, and life” to society.
“Voluntarily extinguishing life in its blossoming is, in every case, a
betrayal of our vocation, as well as of the pact that binds generations
together, which allows us to look forward with hope,” he said.
Pope Francis thanked Italy’s Pro-Life Movement for defending the lives
of the unborn. He said they bear witness through their work that “those
who have been conceived are children of the whole of society”.
“Their killing in huge numbers, with the endorsement of States, is a
serious problem that undermines the foundations of the construction of
justice, compromising the proper solution of any other human and social
issue,” he said.
Life, said the Holy Father, is a gift from God for which we cannot take sole credit.
“When life itself is violated at its emergence, what remains is no
longer the grateful and enchanted welcome of a gift, but a cold
calculation of what we have and what we can use. Then even life is
reduced to a one-time-use consumer good”.
But, Pope Francis said, Italy’s Pro-Life Movement draws on the Catholic
faith and Church teachings to contrast these tendencies. “May the Day
for Life bring a breath of fresh air and help all to work generously”
to promote life.
“Where there is life, there is hope!” the Pope declared.
RELATED COMMENTARY
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Catholic Church Leaders Are a Bunch of Cowards
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
51. As an example of the fear of the Lord, let
us take the fear that we feel in the presence of rulers and wild beasts;
and as an example of desire for God, let carnal love serve as a model for
you. There is nothing against taking examples of the virtues from what
is contrary.
February 1, 2019
(Exo 20:13) Thou shalt not kill.
UPDATE: Justice Alito blocks Louisiana abortion law, citing need for more time
THINKPROGRESS: The Supreme Court may kill Roe v. Wade as soon as this week
CNBC: Eyes on Kavanaugh and Gorsuch as Supreme Court weighs whether Louisiana abortion law can go into effect
DETAILS VIA SCOTUSBLOG: Justices asked to enter abortion fray
[UPDATE: On January 29, Justice Samuel Alito directed the state to file a response to the challengers’ request by 3 p.m. on Thursday, January 31. ]
The hot-button issue of abortion
returned to the Supreme Court today. Two doctors who perform abortions
and an abortion clinic asked the justices to block a lower-court ruling
that upheld a Louisiana law that, according to a federal trial court,
would leave “only one physician providing abortion in the entire
state.” The challengers want the Supreme Court to put the lower court’s
decision on hold – which would mean that the state could not enforce
the law – to give them time to file a petition for review; the
justices’ ruling on today’s request could tell us a lot more about how
the Roberts Court, more conservative since the retirement of Justice
Anthony Kennedy last year, might approach abortion cases going forward.
The case is a challenge to a
Louisiana law that requires physicians who perform abortions in the
state to have “active admitting privileges” – the ability not only to
admit patients, but also to provide diagnostic and surgical services –
at a hospital within 30 miles of the facility where the doctor provides
abortions. In 2016, a divided eight-member Supreme Court struck down a
similar law from Texas, which that state had argued was intended to
protect the health of pregnant women. Justice Anthony Kennedy, who
retired last year, joined the court’s four more liberal justices in
concluding that, although the state has a legitimate interest in
protecting women’s health, there was no evidence that the
admitting-privileges requirement promoted that interest. On the other
hand, the majority stressed, the admitting-privileges requirement made
it much harder for women to obtain abortions.
Louisiana itself had described the
admitting-privileges requirement as identical to the one struck down,
and a federal district court declared the law unconstitutional,
reasoning that the requirement does “little or nothing for women’s
health” but would “cripple women’s ability to have an abortion.” In
September 2018 the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit reversed,
and 10 days ago the full 5th Circuit rejected the challengers’ request
to rehear the case.
Today the challengers urged the
justices to intervene and bar the state from enforcing the
admitting-privileges requirement until the challengers can file (and
the Supreme Court can rule on) a petition for review. They argue that
the Supreme Court is likely to take up the case and reverse the 5th
Circuit’s decision – an important criterion for emergency relief –
because the law is virtually indistinguishable from the Texas one that
the Supreme Court has already deemed unconstitutional.
And if the law is allowed to go
into effect, the challengers say, the consequences will be serious:
There will not be a doctor in Louisiana to perform abortions for women
after 17 weeks of pregnancy, and only one doctor for the earlier stages
of pregnancy. Because “one doctor cannot possibly meet the demands of
all women who seek abortions in Louisiana,” they emphasize, “some women
could be completely denied the choice to terminate a pregnancy and
forced to carry the pregnancy to term.” Moreover, they add, if clinics
are forced to close temporarily while the law is being enforced, they
are “unlikely to ever reopen.” The challengers’ request will go first
to Justice Samuel Alito, who now handles emergency appeals from the
geographic area that includes Louisiana. Alito can act on the request
himself, although he is more likely to refer it to the full court. The
first step, however, will probably be to call for a response to the
challengers’ request from Louisiana.
PRO CHOICE LAMENTS: The Fifth Circuit Will Bend Over Backward to Restrict Abortion Rights
CATHOLIC COMMENTARY
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 26- "On discernment of thoughts, passions,
and virtues"
50. The mother of all the vices is pleasure and
guile. He who has them within him will not see the Lord; and abstinence
from the first will bring but little benefit without abstinence from the
second.
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