Keep
your eyes open!...
April 26, 2024
(2Th 2:9-12) The
coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power
and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those
who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be
saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may
believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not
believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
OVERVIEW: Generative AI Defined: How it Works, Benefits and Dangers
REVIEW: These Are the Top Generative AI Dangers to Watch For in 2024
CATHOLIC EXCHANGE: Morality in Artificial Intelligence (AI generated)
CNA: Cisco CEO meets Pope Francis, signs AI ethics pledge at Vatican
The CEO of Cisco Systems signed the Vatican’s artificial intelligence
ethics pledge on Wednesday, becoming the latest technology giant to
join the Church’s call for ethical and responsible use of AI.
Chuck Robbins, the chief executive
of the multinational digital communications conglomerate, met privately
with Pope Francis on April 24 before signing the Rome Call for AI
Ethics, a document by the Pontifical Academy for Life. The document,
first published by the pontifical academy in February 2020, has
previously been signed by Microsoft President Brad Smith and IBM
Executive John Kelly III.
The Rome Call underlines the need
for “algor-ethics,” which, according to the text, is the ethical use of
artificial intelligence according to the principles of transparency,
inclusion, accountability, impartiality, reliability, security, and
privacy.
The text quotes the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights in pointing to the equal dignity and rights
of all humans, which AI must protect and guarantee, it says, while
calling equally for the “benefit of humanity and the environment.” It
states there are three requirements for “technological advancement to
align with true progress for the human race and respect for the planet”
— it must be inclusive, have the good of humankind at its core, and
care for the planet with a highly sustainable approach.
Robbins said that “the Rome Call
principles align with Cisco’s core belief that technology must be built
on a foundation of trust at the highest levels in order to power an
inclusive future for all.”
FRANSISCAN MEDIA: Catholic Social Teaching Has a Lot to Say About AI, Experts Say
NCR: Pope Francis pinpoints moral dangers of 'amazing and powerful' AI
IN THE NEWS
AI ‘priest’ sparks more backlash than belief
Catholic Answers Pulls Plug on ‘Father Justin’ AI Priest
Should We Have AI Doing Catholic Apologetics?
THE PILLAR: The Story of “Father Justin”
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
109. Another of the hermits said,
'If our inner self behaves soberly, it can control the outer self: but
if the inner self does not do this, what other means is there of
controlling the tongue?'
April 22, 2024
(Luk 1:38) And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord: be it done to me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
VATICAN NEWS: Pope prays for dialogue over conflict in the Middle East
UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON: What is the story of the "Bombed" Mary, a Marian Statue in Urakami, Japan?
The Marian statue of Urakami is in fact the head of a Madonna statue
that survived the Nagasaki atomic bomb. Located in the Urakami Catholic
chapel, the statue was destroyed during the bombing and buried in the
rubble. The blackened head was found by a recently discharged Japanese
soldier who happened to be also a Trappist monk. Below is information
taken from a pamphlet published in Japanese at the Urakami Cathedral.
The image of the Immaculate Conception used to lie on top of the altar,
at the front of the old Urakami Cathedral that was destroyed in the
atomic bombing of Nagasaki in World War II.
We have been told that the image came to Urakami Cathedral in the 1930s
from Italy, being a carved wood carving. This image is based on the
painting by the Spanish painter, Bartoleme Esteban Murillo (1618-1682)
of the Immaculate Conception motif. It was painted and it stood two
meters tall. At the time, a lot of people felt affection towards the
image of Mary.
During the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, two priests and about thirty
Roman Catholics were in the old Urakami Chapel for confession. The bomb
killed these people and destroyed many holy tools, stone images and the
image of the Immaculate Mary--all at the same time. That evening, a
fire resulted because of the bomb which destroyed the Church, turning
it into a pile of rubbish.
Father Kaemon Noguchi, a member of the Trappist Order, originally came
from the Urakami area and he returned there after World War II, in
October 1945. He visited the ruins of the cathedral and was shocked by
what he saw, before he went back to the Trappist Monastery in Hokkaido
(in the north of Japan). While he was looking around through the
debris, by a miracle, he found the head of the image of Mary. He
testified that crystal eyes were in the face of the "bombed" Mary when
he found it.
Since then, Father Noguchi kept the "bombed" Mary in his own room in
the Trappist Monastery where he prayed. He thought that the remains of
the statue should go back to Urakami. So in 1975, the year of the
thirtieth anniversary of the Bombing of Nagasaki, it was returned.
First of all, it was kept at Nagasaki Immaculate Heart Junior College.
Then it went to Urakami Cathedral Hall of the Believers in 1990. It was
displayed in the entrance of the lobby. Finally, since the autumn of
2000, it was laid down in a small chapel, in the right side of the
cathedral where it has been revered by the people ever since.
YOUTUBE: Hiroshima Survivor praises Pope Francis and condemns use of nuclear weapons
VIA A MOMENT WITH MARY: The Mother of God is our Mother
"God is the Father of created things; Mary is the Mother of re-created
things... God is the Father of the Constitution of all beings; Mary is
the Mother of the Restitution of all beings.
For God begat him by whom all things were created; and Mary bore him by whom all things were saved
.... O blessed trust! O sure refuge! The Mother of God is our Mother."
Saint Anselm, Doctor of the Church (d. 1109)
PRAYER OF ST. GERTRUDE TO THE SACRED HEART OF MARY:
O Immaculate Heart of Mary, I have nothing in myself to offer thee that
is worthy of thee; but what thanks ought I not to pay thee, for all the
favors which thou has obtained for me, from the heart of Jesus! What
reparation ought I not to make thee for all my tepidity in thy service!
I desire to return thee love for love; the only good that I possess is
the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which thou thyself hast given me. I offer
thee this treasure of infinite price; I cannot do more, and thou dost
not deserve less at my hands; but, receiving from me this gift most
precious in thy sight, be pleased, I beseech thee, to accept my heart,
which I here offer to thee, and I shall be forever blessed. Amen.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
108. One of the hermits said, 'When first we used to meet each other in
the assembly and talk of what was helpful to our souls, we were always
withdrawn more from the things of senses and we ascended to the
heavenly places. But now when we meet we spend our time in gossip, and
so we drag each other down.'
April 19, 2024
(1Pe 3:8-11) And
in fine, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, being
lovers of the brotherhood, merciful, modest, humble: Not rendering evil
for evil, nor railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing: for unto
this are you called, that you may inherit a blessing. For he that will
love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and
his lips that they speak no guile. Let him decline from evil and do
good: Let him seek after peace and pursue it:
FRANK REGA: Here is my newest blog post, St. Alphonsus de Liguori on the Lord's Prayer, taken from his book on the Holy Mass.
ANTONIO CARDINAL BACCI: Putting Christianity into Practice
1. Imagine what
the world would be like if the Gospel of Christ were practised in its
entirety everywhere and by everybody. It would not, of course, become
another earthly Paradise, because suffering and death are the legacy of
sin and Our Lord did not remove these when He redeemed us but made them
a necessary element in our purification and spiritual elevation.
Nevertheless, the full practice of Christianity would transform the
world. A little reflection will convince us of this. Men would love God
above all things and their neighbour as themselves. The sincere and
ardent love of God would cause wickedness, brutality and every kind of
immorality to disappear. Love of their neighbour would make men
brothers in reality, so that there would be no more wars nor threats of
conflict. The enormous wealth which is squandered on weapons of
destruction could then be diverted to good works. There would be no
more poverty, because if men loved one another those who had more than
enough would give to those in want. There would be no more prisons,
because there would be no more criminals. There would be no need for a
police force because everyone would do his duty of his own accord. The
reign of love, which is the reign of Jesus Christ, would triumph upon
earth. Excessive wealth and the selfish love of ease and pleasure would
disappear on one hand, while on the other the extreme need of those who
can never be sure of a meal, nor of a roof over their heads, would be
palliated until they had been raised to a standard of living consistent
with the laws of God and with the dignity of men. The love of our
neighbour as ourselves would solve every individual and social problem
in this life. Men would grow into a vast community of brothers devoid
of all barriers of hate, selfishness, and greed. This is not a Utopian
dream, because it is the clear teaching of the Gospel. Jesus did not
preach the impossible. He taught us the standards of the perfect life
which we are all obliged to try and lead.
2. It was something like this which took place in the early years of
the Church, when the love of God and of their neighbour was a
transforming leaven in the lives of the faithful. “Give that which
remains as alms,” Christ has said, “and behold, all things are clean to
you.” (Luke 11:41) This precept was not, at this time, a dead letter,
nor was it interpreted in a selfish and quibbling manner. It was a
lofty reality. “Now the multitude of the believers were of one heart
and one soul,” the Acts of the Apostles relates, “and not one of them
said that anything he possessed was his own, but they had all things in
common... Nor was there anyone among them in want. For those who owned
lands or houses would sell them and bring the price of what they sold
and lay it at the feet of the apostles, and distribution was made to
each, according as any one had need.” (Acts 4:32-35) This is what it
really means to love one's neighbour. It could not be called Communism,
for that is a system of oppression which violates the laws of nature
and the most sacred rights of humanity, such as the liberty, dignity
and faith of the individual. No, this is Christian charity, the charity
which complements and ennobles justice. Nobody was under any obligation
to sell all he had and give it to the poor (Cf. Acts 5:4), for to do so
was not a command but an evangelical counsel of perfection. (Cf Mt.
19:21) Everybody believed, however, that he had an obligation to love
his neighbour as if he were himself.
Do you love your neighbour as yourself? Take a look around you. How
many people have no food, whereas you may have too much? How many have
no home, while you have far more possessions than you need? How many
live in squalor, while you may be surrounded by luxuries? Remember that
you are not a sincere Christian, but only a fraud, if you do not love
your neighbour as yourself. It may be true that this is only a matter
of charity, not of strict justice. But, as St. Alphonsus said, it is
much the same thing if a man is damned for lack of charity as for lack
of justice. Meditate on this with a view to forming generous
resolutions.
3. Only the universal practice of Christianity could change the world.
Even after a period of twenty centuries it is true to say that for many
Christians the Gospel is an unexplored book, the principles of which
have yet to be fully realised in their ordinary lives. None of us can
change the world on his own, but each of us can accomplish that part of
the task which depends on himself. Do we really love God
whole-heartedly and above all things? Do we really love our neighbour
as ourselves? Let us examine ourselves earnestly and find out how far
we have still to go. Our love of God may be too feeble and this may be
the reason why we have not achieved spiritual perfection. Our love of
our neighbour may not be as generous as it should be. If this is so, we
shall have to answer for it to God when He pronounces that terrible
sentence on those who have been rejected: “Depart from me, accursed
ones, into the everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and
his angels. For I was hungry, and you did not give me to eat; I was
thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not take
me in, naked and you did not clothe me; sick and in prison, and you did
not visit me.” (Mt. 26:41-43) Let us resolve to be charitable and
generous to the poor.
SAINT JOHN HENRY NEWMAN:
"God has created me to do Him some definite service; He has committed
some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my
mission—I never may know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the
next. Somehow I am necessary for His purposes, as necessary in my place
as an Archangel in his—if, indeed, I fail, He can raise another, as He
could make the stones children of Abraham. Yet I have a part in this
great work; I am a link in a chain, a bond of connexion between
persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good, I shall do
His work; I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own
place, while not intending it, if I do but keep His commandments and
serve Him in my calling".
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
107. A hermit said, 'Sometimes a brother thinks of something when he is
sitting in his cell, and meditating in his heart about it, he cannot
understand its meaning and is not given true understanding by God. Then
the demons come to his help, and they show him whatever meaning suits
them.'
April 17, 2024
(Rev 12:10-13) And
I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying: Now is come salvation and
strength and the kingdom of our God and the power of his Christ:
because the accuser of our brethren is cast forth, who accused them
before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of the testimony: and they loved not their lives
unto death. Therefore, rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein.
Woe to the earth and to the sea, because the devil is come down unto
you, having great wrath, knowing that he hath but a short time. And
when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the
woman who brought forth the man child.
SKY NEWS: Bishop among several people stabbed in attack during church service
YOUTUBE: "PERSECUTED FOR JESUS CHRIST"| Mar Mari Emmanuel
FOX NEWS: Christians in Africa face worrying rise in killings, persecution and displacement
Christianity is in deadly crisis in more than half of Africa’s 54
countries, sources say. Christian groups contacted by Fox News Digital
say the faithful are being persecuted, killed and displaced in 28
countries on the continent.
The situation is the worst in Nigeria. Mission group Open Doors US told
Fox News Digital its research reports that "nine out of 10 Christians
killed for their faith in 2023 were in Nigeria. However, this number is
likely higher, as many deaths go unreported."
"Nigeria is one of the deadliest places on earth to be a Christian,"
Ryan Brown, Open Doors US CEO, told Fox News Digital. "Of the nearly
5,000 Christians killed for their faith in 2023 worldwide, a staggering
82% of them were in Nigeria."
The Nigerian research group Intersociety, the International Society for
Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law, calls the killing of Nigeria’s
Christians genocide and puts the death toll higher, claiming over 8,000
Nigerian Christians were killed or abducted from January 2023 to the
end of January 2024. Most of them were reportedly savagely hacked to
death with knives. Intersociety says over 18,500 places of Christian
worship were destroyed across Nigeria from 2009-2023.
And this slaughter is continuing, Intersociety’s Emeka Umeagbalasi told Fox News Digital.
"(An) estimated 500-600 Christians are believed to have been hacked to
death for professing to be Christians in Nigeria, covering January to
the first week of April 2024," Umeagbalasi said. "They are being
killed, raped and displaced, and their homes and, sometimes, churches
burnt. In some occasions, they are forced, under pain of death, to
publicly change their religion to Islam."
"With the rise of radical Islam in Africa, there is a definite increase
in the targeting and persecution of Christians," Todd Nettleton, host
of the Voice of the Martyrs Radio Network told Fox News Digital. He
added that these attacks come in a wide range, from "well-known groups
like Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Shabaab in Somalia, to
less-well-known but equally violent groups in northern Mozambique,
Democratic Republic of Congo and other nations.
"Currently, there are 28 countries on the African continent listed on
the Open Doors’ US 2024 World Watch List, nations where Christians
routinely face oppression, harassment and violence because of their
faith in Christ."
Despite an estimated 46% of the population being Christian, Nigerian
Christians are often ripped from their homes too, with Brown of Open
Doors US reporting that "of the 34.5 million displaced people across
sub-Saharan Africa due to political instability, conflict and
extremism, an estimated 16.2 million are Christians."
AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED: A kidnapped priest’s Way of the Cross in Nigeria
CNA: Sudan civil war leaves no seminarians and almost no Catholic Church
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
106. A hermit said, 'Do not be pleased at everything that is said, and
do not agree with everything that is said. Be slow to believe, and
quick to say what is true.'
April 15, 2024
(Mat 24:6-8) And
you shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not
troubled. For these things must come to pass: but the end is not yet.
For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And
there shall be pestilences and famines and earthquakes in places. Now
all these are the beginnings of sorrows.
ASIANEWS.IT: Pope speaks at the Angelus about Mideast crisis: ‘No-one should threaten the existence of others’
Pope Francis this morning made a "heartfelt appeal" to cease any action
that can fuel a "spiral of violence" that might drag the Middle East
into “an even greater military conflict.”
The pontiff spoke after the recitation of the Regina Caeli, following a
night of anxiety caused by Iran's attack on Israel. Coming after days
of threats, Iran’s operation saw the launch of about 300 missiles and
drones, 99 per cent of which were intercepted.
In his address, the Holy Father noted that he was following “in prayer,
and with concern, even pain" the news of worsening tensions in the
region. “No-one should threaten the existence of others," he said from
the window of his study in the Vatican Apostolic Palace.
Instead, “all the nations” should “take the side of peace,” a
suggestion that comes as Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni held a
video meeting with other G7 leaders this afternoon.
The world should help “Israelis and Palestinians live in two states,
side by side, in safety”, a solution the Church has reiterated on
numerous occasions in recent months. “It is their deep and legitimate
desire, and it is their right. Two neighbouring states," Pope Francis
said before urging the parties to accept a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
The path to follow at this tense moment is dialogue. “Let us pursue the
paths of negotiation," Francis said. "Negotiation," he repeated a
second time.
Turning his thoughts to the suffering Palestinian people, he said: “Let
us help that population, plunged into a humanitarian catastrophe; let
the hostages kidnapped months ago be released! So much suffering!” “Let
us pray for peace. No more war, no more attacks, no more violence! Yes
to dialogue and yes to peace!” he added, sparking a long applause rose
from a sun-drenched St Peter's Square.
NEWSMAX: Gulf States Fear Full Iran-Israel War
Gulf states are pushing to stop a
full-blown regional war after Iran's unprecedented retaliatory strikes
on Israel, sources in the region said, fearing new escalation could put
them on front lines of a conflagration and ruin plans to reshape the
region.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in particular may be well
placed to triangulate between Iran, Israel and the United States after
diplomatic advances in recent years that benefited all those countries.
Allies of Washington, Gulf monarchies have sought to stabilize ties
with Iran and Israel to resolve longstanding security concerns and
allow them to focus on national projects.
The UAE and Bahrain signed a normalization deal with Israel in 2020 and
Saudi Arabia was considering a similar agreement also involving a U.S.
defense pact until the Gaza war torpedoed diplomacy. Riyadh also buried
the hatchet with Iran last year after years of feuding.
However, the policy of detente now faces its greatest ever threat as
the risk to wider regional peace raised by Israel's conflict with
Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza since Oct. 7 comes to a head.
A direct war between Israel and Iran could swiftly expand to Gulf
states whose air space lies between the pair, and which host several
military bases of the United States, which has vowed to defend its ally
Israel.
"Nobody wants an escalation. Everybody wants to contain the situation,"
said a Gulf source close to government circles, adding that there was
probably wide telephone diplomacy under way.
"The pressure is not on Iran alone. The pressure is now on Israel not
to retaliate," said the source, adding that the fallout of an Israeli
attack on key Iranian sites "will affect all the region."
LIVE UPDATES: Israel weighs response after Iran fires missile barrage
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
105. A hermit said, 'A monk ought not to listen to disparagement; he
ought not to be disparaging, and he ought not to be scornful.'
April 12, 2024
(Heb
10:36-39)
For patience is necessary for you: that, doing the will of God, you may
receive the promise. For yet a little and a very little while, and he
that is to come will come and will not delay. But my just man liveth by
faith: but if he withdraw himself, he shall not please my soul. But we
are not the children of withdrawing unto perdition, but of faith to the
saving of the soul.
MARK MALLET BLOG: The Choice Has Been Made
TUCKER CARLSON VLOG LINK: Ep.
87 Gerhard Müller is one the few Catholic Cardinals who’s happy to
remind the world that the Church doesn’t actually belong to the Pope.
ZENIT.ORG: Cardinal Müller discusses the situation in the West and the importance of Christianity in an interview with Tucker Carlson
Cardinal Gerhard
Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith, was interviewed about the current situation in the West and the
relevance of Christianity by renowned American journalist Tucker
Carlson.
On the Tucker Carlson “Uncensored” program, titled “The West is
Falling. Cardinal Müller Has a Solution,” Müller addressed various
topics, including the de-Christianization of Europe and the United
States and the importance of keeping Christian values alive in
contemporary society.
Cardinal Müller highlighted the contrast between the growth of
Christianity in Africa and the de-Christianization observed in Europe
and the United States. He pointed out that in these latter places,
political and ideological elites have adopted a vision of humanity that
is disconnected from its spiritual and transcendent dimension.
He emphasized the importance of the Christian faith in people’s lives,
noting that Christians believe in their vocation to be children of God
and in the hope of eternal life. Additionally, he stressed the need to
promote a culture of life and defend the dignity of all people,
especially the unborn and the elderly.
Cardinal Müller expressed concern about the influence of political
ideologies on the Church, stating that the Pope and the ecclesiastical
hierarchy must stand firm in defense of Gospel values and not allow the
political agenda to dictate their actions.
In response to a question about the future of the West, Cardinal Müller
emphasized that Christianity is fundamental to Western identity and
culture. Without Christianity, he asserted, the West would lack a solid
spiritual and cultural foundation.
The interview provided insightful perspective on the importance of
Christianity in the contemporary world and the need to preserve and
promote its values in today’s society.
ALETEIA: Catholics show lowest attendance of any US faith in survey
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
104. A brother asked a hermit, 'My sister is poor. If I give her alms,
am I giving alms to the poor?' He said, 'No.' The brother said, 'Why is
that, abba?' He replied, 'Because your relationship draws you to prefer
her.'
April 11, 2024
(Mat 25:21)
His lord said to him: Well done, good and faithful servant, because
thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will place thee over many
things. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.
THE CATHOLIC THING: The Consistency of the Consistent Ethic of Life
NATIONAL CATHOLIC REGISTER: Jessica Hanna, Catholic Mother Who Chose Life Over Treatment, Dies After Cancer Battle
THE AMERICAN CATHOLIC: Requiescat In Pace: Jessica Hanna
Jessica Hanna, a saintly Catholic mother of four small kids, passed
away on Saturday after her long battle with cancer, which she faced
with love and hope in the Lord, inspiring thousands on her journey to
eternity. Her Instagram page (@blessed_by_cancer)
has been filled with messages of joy even amid suffering, which I
believe would be used by the Catholic Church for her canonization
process and will be a guiding light for people who are suffering in
their lives. Remember her family in your valuable prayers.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer while pregnant with her fourth
child in 2020. Despite some doctors suggesting termination of the
pregnancy, she adamantly refused, determined to bring her child into
the world. Following her son’s birth who was named Thomas Solanus after
Blessed Solanus Casey, her scanning report indicated she was free from
cancer, but unfortunately, it returned after a few months, as stated on
her GoFundMe page. During one of her chemo, she wrote on Instagram,
“Offering to God: Shaving my head for chemo- The Lord gives, the Lord
takes away, Blessed be the name of the Lord!” In another post she says
that people with terminal illness are often asked what their dream last
meal would be, adding that. “For me, it was a no-brainer, my last meal
would be the Supper of the Lamb- the Eucharist.”
I urge prayers for her soul. I assume that there will be fund raisers
for her family and I will note those on the blog when I learn of them.
May God send her husband and her four kids grace and peace to bear
their terrible loss.
In my private devotions I will begin to seek the aid of Saint Jessica
for pro-life causes. I believe she is one of the torches that God in
His mercy send us to light our way in this frequently dark Vale of
Tears.
VIA CHURCHPOP: Here's what some Instagram users said:
"Jessica you are a saint," Katie from Sweet Catholic Life wrote.
"I’m so sorry for your loss. We will certainly keep you and your family in our prayers," Keith from Grassroots Catholic also said. "If there ever was a prime example of a saint in today's world, it’s Jessica."
"A most beautiful soul. Thanks be to God for Jessica," Brittany from A Catholic Convert added. "She has touched so many hearts, including my own. A beautiful and joyful saint now in heaven."
"I’m deeply sorry for your loss," Annie from "Catholic Wife, Catholic Life"
posted. "Her constant encouragements to keep the faith and pray in the
face of uncertainty and suffering are something I will not soon forget.
I will pray for you and all her loved ones."
"Divine Mercy Sunday...It is clear Jesus reached for her hand, and personally walked her into eternal Glory," Instagram user Maricruz Saucedo
also said. "Soon to be Blessed Jessica - I saw Jesus through you. I saw
Mercy, I saw grace, I saw purification, and was amazed."
"Rest in peace, dear Jessica. Will continue to pray for your soul just like you asked us to when this time came," Maggie from Saintly Heart also wrote. "Though you lived your life of suffering with joy and strength–that only a Saint can do. So pray for us too!"
Eternal rest grant unto Jessica, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine
upon her. May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed,
through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
103. A hermit said,"If some distracting dispute arises between you and
another, and the other denies it and says, "I said no such thing," do
not argue with him or say, "You did say it." For he will be exaperated,
and will say, "Very well, and I meant it."'
April 9, 2024
(Joh 20:11-17) But
Mary stood at the sepulchre without, weeping. Now as she was weeping,
she stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, And she saw two angels
in white, sitting, one at the head, and one at the feet, where the body
of Jesus had been laid. They say to her: Woman, why weepest thou? She
saith to them: Because they have taken away my Lord: and I know not
where they have laid him. When she had thus said, she turned herself
back and saw Jesus standing: and she knew not that it was Jesus. Jesus
saith to her: Woman, why weepest thou? Whom seekest thou? She, thinking
that it was the gardener, saith to him: Sir, if thou hast taken him
hence, tell me where thou hast laid him: and I will take him away.
Jesus saith to her: Mary. She turning, saith to him: Rabboni (which is
to say, Master). Jesus saith to her: Do not touch me: for I am not yet
ascended to my Father. But go to my brethren and say to them: I ascend
to my Father and to your Father, to my God and to your God.
ALETEIA: What does the Vatican’s new declaration on human dignity say?
LINK: Declaration “Dignitas Infinita” on Human Dignity
WORDS ON THE WORD BLOG: Perfect Freedom
O God, who
have bestowed on us Paschal remedies, endow your people with heavenly
gifts, so that, possessed of perfect freedom, they may join in heaven
over what gladdens them now on earth.
Today’s collect presents the Christian condition in a nutshell. It
tells us that God has provided his people with Paschal remedies in view
of a celestial gift; this gift spurs his people, you and me, on to the
pursuit of ‘perfect freedom’; and this freedom is in the setting of
this present life a foretaste of eternal beatitude.
We must take this imperative of freedom seriously.
All want to be free, naturally.
Freedom may seem to us elusive. We’ve an understanding of freedom that is
limited. Freedom is normally a matter of the absence of constraints. We
think that a given circumstance, a given person, a given wound prevents
us from being free. We spend our time moaning about that circumstance,
that person, that wound.
The approach is false. What is more, it is boring, both for ourselves and for others.
Remember that God never asks the
impossible of us. If he invites us to seek perfect freedom, such
freedom is accessible to us. It does not depend on outward conditions.
It flows from within.
Monastic life is a school of
freedom. Fortunately you don’t have to be a monk or nun to follow its
lessons; they’re open to everyone.
We can briefly sum up the monastic pedagogy of freedom in three stages.
First we must make a preferred
option for the real. I have to accept my life the way it is, my history
the way it is, myself the way I am — this is the famous Benedictine
humility. It works. It makes me discover that, often enough, what
limits my freedom is not, in fact, the real, but my feverish dreams of
what the real should have been like. These illusions impress me in
myself (a gloomy prison) where embracing the real opens me up to the
action of God, the Creator of heaven and earth, and so sovereign Lord
of everything that is. This is stage one.
Stage two leads me to trust that
God can do something wonderful with this particular reality. His
providence is infallible. It can work marvels with anything, even with
suffering and illness, even with sin, if only we give God freedom to
act. This is that attitude of self-abandonment the monk or nun wishes
to practice: the concrete application of the Suscipei they
sang on the day of their profession. Self-abandonment is basically my
affirmation of faith in divine omnipotence in the setting of my own
life.
God may perfectly well work
miracles and intervene extraordinarily in our lives. But this is not
his preferred method. Normally he acts like the gardener or farmer in
the Gospel parables. He sows, waters, and weeds. He applies good manure
in abundant quantities. This method requires us to readiness to wait.
This attitude is not spontaneous for most of us, let’s just admit it.
Our craving for immediate change can be despotic. So the third stage of
our maturing into freedom is patience, that splendid virtue which, says
Saint Benedict, will let us discover from within the Paschal mystery
and verify the efficacy of Pascal remedies.
If we submit to this pedagogy we
shall know ever more intimately Jesus Christ, the Truth who sets us
free. He is risen and glorified. We must seek him where he is and not
reduce him to our own puny dimensions. This is the message transmitted
in today’s Gospel. The words addressed to Mary Magdalene in the garden,
‘Do not cling to me!’, warn us against our tendency to circumscribe
salvific action and the very reality of God.
Let us then aspire to obtain, not a
facile, artificial freedom but one that is perfect and true. And let us
grant God his freedom to act, a freedom that necessarily transcends our
limited notions.
We have everything we need to
process seriously. Our search for perfect freedom is matched by the
perfect grace we received when we were incorporated into the Body of
Christ by our baptism. Note carefully the correspondence between the
aspiration of today’s collect and the affirmation of the prayer after
communion:
Hear us,
Almighty God, and, as you have bestowed on your family the perfect
grace of Baptism, so prepare their hearts for the reward of eternal
happiness.
SUSCIPE:
Take, O Lord, and receive my entire liberty, my memory, my
understanding and my whole will. All that I am and all that I possess,
Thou hast given me: I surrender it all to Thee to be disposed of
according to Thy will. Give me only Thy love and Thy grace; with these
I will be rich enough and will desire nothing more. Amen.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Discretion
93. A hermit said, 'Anyone who wants to live in the desert ought to be
a teacher and not a learner. If he still needs teaching, he will come
to harm.'
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