Keep
your eyes open!...
September 29, 2018
(Jud 1:9) When
Michael the archangel, disputing with the devil, contended about the
body of Moses, he durst not bring against him the judgment of railing
speech, but said: The Lord command thee.
LIFESITENEWS.COM: Fifth US bishop restores St. Michael prayer after Mass in response to abuse crisis
FIRST THINGS: St. Michael, Pray for Us
ALETEIA: Here are the sacred places you can pray to St. Michael, enemy of Satan
BLOG: Quis ut Deus?
The word, “Michael”, means, “Who is
like unto God?” It was the conquering cry of the Angel of Victory on
the day of the great triumph over Lucifer.
Ever since that glorious day, to
call upon, or to invoke St. Michael with confidence, is to either
shield oneself against defeat, or to personally triumph over Satan and
his legions —considering that the Prince of the celestial Millice need
only lead his invincible army towards the battlefields of men where
they struggle against the infernal spirits.
Oh! From the very first cry of our
soul, how he loves to come to our aid! This Adorer of the Holy Humanity
of Jesus and His Precious Blood, — this Faithful Servant of the Virgin
Mother, — this friend of man, who was redeemed by the very Blood that
preserved him from evil.
Adorers of the Precious Blood, the
weapons of St. Michael, his impenetrable shield, his ever-victorious
army, he himself is at our service. Let us call on him to aid us as
often as we are in need. And ask of him to protect within us the
interests of both Jesus and Mary, hastening towards us, that we may
more effectively hear his Quis ut Deus?
Young children, and all you
privileged souls who still resemble angels by the perfume of innocence
which you exude, place yourselves this very day under the protection of
St. Michael that he may clothe you as though with an impenetrable
armor, and say to him:
Saint
Michael the Archangel, protect me against the ruses and temptations of
Satan. I consecrate to you all the faculties of my soul, my soul itself
and all its potentials. Guard well the weaknesses of my poor nature,
that the many battles that I may undergo will become as many victories
and the eternal glory of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus
Christ. Amen.
Translated from
the book, “Saint Michel Archange et les Saints Anges” (St. Michael the
Archangel and the Holy Angels) published in 1931 by Editions
St-Raphael, Sherbrooke, Qc, Canada.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the pasions,
most sublime humility"
31. We who wish to understand must not cease to
examine ourselves; if in the perception of our heart we consider that our
neighbour excels us in all things, then Divine mercy is near us.
September 26, 2018
(Rev
3:7-11) And to the angel of the church of Philadelphia write: These
things saith the Holy One and the true one, he that hath the key of
David, he that openeth and no man shutteth, shutteth and no man
openeth: I know thy works. Behold, I have given before thee a door
opened, which no man can shut: because thou hast a little strength and
hast kept my word and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will bring of
the synagogue of Satan, who say they are Jews and are not, but do lie.
Behold, I will make them to come and adore before thy feet. And they
shall know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of
my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation, which
shall come upon the whole world to try them that dwell upon the earth.
Behold, I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no man
take thy crown.
BREAKING: MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO THE CATHOLICS OF CHINA AND TO THE UNIVERSAL CHURCH
FIRST THINGS EDITORIAL: Men of Lawlessness
ASIANEWS.IT: 'Impotent silence', a Chinese priest and censorship of Catholic sites
EXCERPT ASIANEWS.IT: China-Vatican agreement: some positive steps, but without forgetting the martyrs
A positive element of the agreement is its "pastoral" and
"non-political" character. And indeed the agreement was signed without
China demanding the breaking of diplomatic relations with Taiwan as a
precondition. For decades and even in the last years of dialogue at the
time of Pope Francis, China's refrain was that if the Vatican wanted to
improve relations with Beijing, it would first have to interrupt
relations with Taiwan and not meddle in China's internal affairs. With
the "pastoral" agreement these two conditions are skipped: the Vatican
is introduced into the bishops' appointments and there is no break with
Taiwan, with much appreciation of the island's foreign ministry and the
ambassador to the Holy See .
However, there is another element that is overwhelmingly negative:
neither in the news of the agreement nor in its explanations is there
even the slightest reference to the persecution that Catholics and all
Christians are sustaining in present times.
As our news agency has borne witness to many times on recent occasions,
in the name of "sinicization", crosses are burned and destroyed,
churches demolished, faithful arrested and young people under 18 years
banned from worship and religious education in China.
In addition there are bishops and priests who have disappeared in
police custody; bishops under house arrest; unofficial bishops
considered as criminals; checks of all kinds in community life. Added
to all of this is the persecutions to which other religious communities
are subject (Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, ...), which show the negative
view that China has of religions, and its plan to assimilate or destroy
them.
This makes the provisional agreement look like a strange result, a
little unexpected and temporary, without a future, because it casts a
shadow of suspicion on the interlocutor with whom the Holy See has
decided to dialogue. Comments from China express satisfaction with the
agreement, but also sadness because the Chinese do not trust their
political authorities.
In this regard, months ago in an interview, Pope Francis said that
"dialogue is a risk, but I prefer the uncertain risk to the defeat of
not talking". It is therefore better to start a dialogue with an
unreliable interlocutor, than to remain still. From this point of view,
the agreement, even if temporary, is certainly a new page.
The fact of silence on persecution remains. In all these years the Holy
See has been silent about any persecutions: the killing of priests; the
destroyed churches; the arrested bishops ... This gave many the
impression that the dialogue was more "political" than "pastoral". Just
yesterday Pope Francis, in Vilnius, recalling the victims of the Nazi
and communist genocide, expressed a prayer in which he asks the Lord
that we do not become "deaf to the cry of all those who today continue
to raise their voices in heaven". And that's exactly what Chinese
Catholics are asking for.
I wondered why the Holy See wanted to communicate the signing of the
agreement just as Pope Francis in Vilnius remembered the great witness
of Lithuanian Catholics under Communism, their resistance and faith
under torture, their being the seed of a freer and more welcoming
society. Even then the Catholics discussed and were divided between
denunciation and resistance and the Vatican Ostpolitik. If you look at
the agreement only as a bad thing, then the memory of the Lithuanian
martyrs could give rise to an interpretation of the "two weights and
two measures" that diplomacy often implements and the celebration of
the martyrs in Vilnius would be a mockery of the suffering of Chinese
Christians.
But if in the agreement, although provisional, we can see even a
glimmer of positivity, then the Lithuanian celebrations are a sign of
hope: communism, "the delirium of omnipotence of those who claimed to
control everything", did not win. And this also gives us hope for China.
REACTION TO VATICAN-CHINESE ACCORD
China’s state-sanctioned Catholic Church vows to remain ‘independent’ after Vatican deal
Leading Asian cardinal calls for Vatican foreign minister to resign over China dealings
Submission. The Phantom Accord Between the Holy See and China
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the pasions,
most sublime humility"
29. He who has come to know himself by discerning
each feeling of his soul has sown on earth; but those who have not thus
sown cannot expect humility to blossom forth.
September 23, 2018
(Eph 2:19-22)
Now therefore you are no more strangers and foreigners: but you are
fellow citizens with the saints and the domestics of God, Built upon
the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being
the chief corner stone: In whom all the building, being framed
together, groweth up into an holy temple in the Lord. In whom you also
are built together into an habitation of God in the Spirit.
CATHOLIC HERALD: How Padre Pio changed my life
VIA SHIELD OF FAITH:
The Cure that Should Not Be
When Photos of Padre Pio Came up Blank
VIDEO: St. Padre Pio HD
EXCERPT NATIONAL REVIEW: Padre Pio and Our Bloody Mess
ST. Padre Pio Quotes:
Jesus likes to
communicate with simple souls. Let us try to acquire this good virtue,
and let us hold it in great esteem. Jesus said, “Unless you turn and
become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven”
[Matthew 18:3]. Before teaching us this through His words, however, he
practiced it by his actions. He made himself a baby and gave us an
example of the simplicity that he later taught through his words. Let
us keep our hearts on the alert to stay far away from all worldly
wisdom. Let us strive at all times to have pure thoughts, righteous
ideas, and holy intentions in our minds.
Let us always keep our wills seeking nothing but God and his glory. If
we attempt to advance in this lovely virtue, the one who taught it to
us will always enrich us with new insights and greater heavenly favors.
Let us always keep before the eyes of our minds our status as priests,
until we can join St. Paul in sincerely saying to every kind of person,
“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” [Corinthians 11: 1]. Let us not
stop moving forward in this lovely virtue of simplicity.
However, we will not move one step forward in this virtue if we do not make every effort to live in holy and immutable peace.
Peace is
simplicity of spirit, serenity of mind, quietness of soul, and the bond
of love. Peace is the order, the harmony within us. It is the
continuous contentment that comes from the testimony of a clear
conscience. It is the holy joy of a heart in which God reigns. Peace is
the road to perfection—or rather, perfection is found in peace. The
devil, who knows all of this quite well, applies all his efforts to
make us lose our peace.
Let us be on high alert against the least sign of turmoil, and as soon
as we notice we have fallen into discouragement, let us have recourse
to God with filial confidence and complete abandonment of ourselves to
him.
Every instance of turmoil in us is very displeasing to Jesus, because
it is always connected to some imperfection in us that has its origin
in egotism or self-love.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the
pasions,
most sublime humility"
26. Humility is a
Divine shelter to prevent us
from seeing our achievements. Humility ia an abyss of self-abasement,
inaccessibile
to any thief. Humility is a tower of strength against the face of the
enemy.
No advantage shall his enemy have over him, nor shall the son, or
rather
the thought, of iniquity avail to hurt him any more, but he will hew
down
his enemies before his face, and them that hate him shall be put to
flight.
September 21, 2018
(Mat
25:21-23) 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. And he also that
had received the two talents came and said: Lord, thou deliveredst two
talents to me. Behold I have gained other two. 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.
RON SMITH REPORTS
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RON ROLHEISER, OMI: Obstacles to Prayer
The first problem we have with prayer is that we’re too-busy and too-
preoccupied to make time for it. There’s never, it seems, a good time
for prayer.
Always we’re too-busy, too-stressed, too-tired, or too- preoccupied to
sit or kneel down to pray. We rise early, groan as our alarm-clocks
startle us from sleep, rush through breakfast, ready things for the
day, fight crowds and traffic enroute to work, settle into a task
that’s demanding and draining, gulp-down a quick lunch, end the
work-day tired, commute back home, ready another meal, tend to the
needs of loved ones, share a meal with others who are just as tired and
restless as we are, then, often enough, have still another meeting or
event to attend in the evening. The day simply takes us, consumes us,
drains us, and leaves us, in its wake, sitting on the couch before a TV
set, tired, dissipated, needing still to prepare some things for
tomorrow, and wanting a mindless distraction rather than the discipline
of prayer. It’s hard to pray in our over-busy lives.
But we’re not just too busy to pray, we’re also too restless. There’s a
congenital disquiet inside us. Moreover this natural restlessness is
fanned to a high flame by the culture: Five hundred TV channels are
within our reach, the internet brings the whole world into our private
rooms, there are new movies that we haven’t seen, new songs we haven’t
heard, colourful magazines whose covers beckon, sporting events that
seem on everyone’s mind, and every kind of special event from the
Olympics, to the Academy awards, to World cups, to celebrity gossip
programs, to distract us. Beyond that, everyone around us seems to be
travelling to interesting places, doing interesting things, meeting
interesting people. We alone, it seems, are missing out on life, stuck,
outside the circle, with nothing interesting to do.
It’s hard to pray when we are restless and, mostly, we are. Henri
Nouwen puts this well: “I want to pray,” he says, “but I also don’t
want to miss out on anything – television, movies, socializing with
friends, drinking in the world.”
Our deepest greed is not for money, but for experience. We don’t want
to miss out on life. Thus, to pray is truly a discipline because when
we sit or kneel in prayer so many of our natural cravings feel starved
and begin to protest. Restlessness is a great impediment to prayer.
Finally, beyond the headaches and restlessness, there is the ambiguity
of prayer itself. Simply put, prayer isn’t easy because we don’t
understand it, don’t know how to do it, and don’t understand how the
experience should feel. Talking to God, hearing God’s voice, and
centring ourselves in God is not as easy as we sometimes make it out to
be. God’s reality, while massively real and the ground of the whole
universe, is not physical and tangible like the things of this world.
The world seems more real; family and friends can be hugged, touched,
and talked to, and physical sensation of all kinds doesn’t leave us
doubting its reality. But relating to God demands something else and
it’s easy to find ourselves bored, doubting, distracted, and anxious to
get on to something else when we try to pray.
What we experience in prayer is just as real as the physical world, but
we need to be at a certain depth of prayer to know this – and that’s
the paradox: Because prayer can seem unreal we often stop doing it, but
it will only seem real if we persevere in it long enough and do it
deeply enough. We often give up too soon. Prayer isn’t easy.
MEDITATION: Thoughts
by St Theophan (1815-1894)
[II Cor. 6:1-10; Matt. 25:14-30]
The parable about the
talents offers the thought that life is a time for trading. That means
that it is necessary to hasten to use this time as a person would hurry
to a market to bargain for what he can. Even if one has only brought
bast shoes, or only bast,[1] he does not sit with his arms folded, but
contrives to call over buyers to sell what he has and then buy for
himself what he needs.
No one who has received
life from the Lord can say that he does not have a single talent —
everyone has something, and not just one thing; everyone, therefore,
has something with which to trade and make a profit. Do not look around
and calculate what others have received, but take a good look at
yourself and determine more precisely what lies in you and what you can
gain for that which you have, and then act according to this plan
without laziness.
At the Judgment you will
not be asked why you did not gain ten talents if you had only one, and
you will not even be asked why you gained only one talent on your one,
but you will be told that you gained a talent, half a talent or a tenth
of its worth. And the reward will not be because you received the
talents, but because you gained. There will be nothing with which to
justify yourself — not with nobleness, nor poverty, nor lack of
education. When this is not given, there will be no question about it.
But you had hands and feet. You will be asked, what did you gain with
them? You had a tongue, what did you gain with it? In this way will the
inequalities of earthly states be levelled out at God's judgment.
[1] Very inexpensive, unsophisticated items.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the
pasions,
most sublime humility"
25. We cannot
describe the power and essence of
this sun, humility, but from its properties and effects we can explain
its intrinsic nature.
September 19, 2018
(1Jn
2:16-17) For all that is in the world is the concupiscence of the flesh
and the concupiscence of the eyes and the pride of life, which is not
of the Father but is of the world. And the world passeth away and the
concupiscence thereof: but he that doth the will of God abideth for
ever.
ARCHBISHOP CHAPUT: The Love That Moves the Sun
EXCERPT BLOG: The Tyrant State- A Sermon by Father Konrad zu Lowenstein, FSSP
What is driving the state? Nothing
else but power. They are seeking to break down society, by breaking
down the family which constitutes its atomic cell: The individuals that
will remain will be fewer in number and isolated, and thus easier to
control. The motivation is power: to possess and to revel in
possessing: in other words it is the concupiscence of the eyes and the
pride of life.
If these are the concupiscences
that are driving the State, what is driving the people is that of the
flesh. If there were no lust, there would be no unwanted children in
the first place. The root cause is, then, that they cannot or will not
control the movements of Fallen Nature. And they now feel entitled to
follow their desires wherever they may take them. Would that the
promoters of perversion had put in the effort to heal themselves,
rather than inflicting their disordered passions on entire nations!
Their lust has made them blind.
They do not see, they do not even understand, that human nature has a
given essence, a given identity, with given finalities. They do not
understand in other words that there is such a thing as the Natural
Law: the Will of God as expressed in our nature; and that by submitting
to it, one can realize that which is good for that nature, and thus
lead peaceful, happy lives, good lives. They do not see that the unborn
is child. For blindness is one of the Daughters of Lust, together with
the hatred of God.
But behind the people and the state
is another will: the will to destroy on the part of him who was a
murderer from the beginning: the will to destroy the family by
destroying each one of its finalities: procreation by contraception,
with abortion as a back-up solution; education by bad parental example,
by bad discipline and instruction, by negligence, by schooling designed
to pervert; the finality of self-sacrificing love by substituting it
with sensual love inside and outside of marriage, presenting this as
the ideal and indeed as a necessity for all. His intention is to
destroy the family, its individual members, and society itself:
particularly in their relationship to God: man as in the image of God,
marriage as in the image of God’s love for the Church, and society in
its orientation to become the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the
Church.
Such then is the cause of the evil
that surrounds us: I with my lust say the people, I with my power says
the State, I with my hatred of God, says the devil, born of envy, born
of pride: I - I echoing in the void to which it has reduced the world:
I who have made myself God, knowing Good and Evil, determining Good and
Evil, creating all things, including myself: a nobis sumus: we are from
ourselves: we have no need of another, even of a Creator. We rise up in
our insurrection, in our revolution: against God: against Eternity.
If this is the cause of our present
malaise, then where is it taking us? The triple concupiscence and the
devil, its inventor, are seducers: they draw man away from God. God
however is Objective Reality in the ultimate sense: Objective Reality,
Being Itself, Absolute Truth, the Perfect Good. In drawing man away
from God, then, they draw him away from Objective Reality to subjective
reality which is madness; from Being to nothingness; from Truth to
falsehood; from Good to evil.
What madness greater than imposing
atheism on entire nations? What madness like pretending that marriage
(the office of motherhood) can be between two males or two females,
bringing up as their own the children that they cannot bear? What
madness like welcoming new-born babies with joy in one hospital ward
and murdering them in another? or like keeping old people alive
lovingly in one place and slaughtering them in another - in the name of
Dignitas, a reality they depict as so venerable and sublime that only
the Latin tongue can do it justice. What nothingness like the
nothingness around us: individuals, families, and society destroyed:
the elimination of entire generations. No diffusion of goodness, no
fruit (or but little), only reductions, void and emptiness. What
falsehood, what lies, what evil! What a world created by man and the
devil when they play God!
The cry of the child is not heard
by the State, but it is heard by the world of the pure spirits. Wer,
wenn ich schriee, mich hoerte denn aus den Ordnungen der Engel? Who if
I should cry would hear me then from the choirs of the angels? asks the
poet (Duino Elegies1.1, R.M.Rilke). And the cry rises up, together with
the cry that cries to Heaven for vengeance, and comes to the ears of
the Lord of Hosts.
In Him is all Power; by Him, in His
Infinite Wisdom and Goodness, all in the world is either willed or
allowed. ‘Christ yesterday and to-day, the Beginning and then End,
Alpha and Omega. His are all times and all ages. To Him Glory and
Empire through the universal aeons of Eternity’. What good He will draw
even from these evils we do not know. For us it is to live the best
lives we can and trust in Him and His Blessed Mother.
‘And now, o ye Kings, understand:
receive instruction, you that judge the earth’. (Psalm 2). ‘Serve ye
the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto Him with trembling. Embrace
discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the
just way. When His wrath shall be kindled in a short time. Blessed are
they that trust in Him’. Amen.
LIFESITENEWS.COM: Abortion is an anti-sacrament, concocted by Satan to serve his counter-church
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the
pasions,
most sublime humility"
22. It is a sign of
the beginning of health when
our thought no longer prides itself on its natural gifts. But as long
as
it has that stench in its nose, it cannot detect the fragrance of myrrh.
September 17, 2018
(Php
4:6-7)
Be nothing solicitous: but in every thing, by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the
peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus.
WHERE WE FIND OURSELVES: Pope Francis, Cardinal Wuerl, Theodore McCarrick, and the crisis of a church divided
WHERE WE NEED TO BE: A Letter to Our Seminarians
Dear Seminarians, It is not an easy time right now to be a priest or one studying to be a priest.
Praise God.
The Church is being not only humbled but humiliated by the sins of Her own ministers.
Praise God.
Countless innocent priests are looked at with suspicion if not outright hatred because of the sins of their guilty brothers.
Praise God.
I praise God in this not to
downplay the depravity of my brothers’ crimes or ignore my own
frustration, anger, and sadness at every bit of this awful situation.
I praise God because the truth always sets us free and the Cross always conquers.
The fact is, I am a priest of Jesus
Christ. The natural habitat of a priest of Jesus Christ is the Cross –
condemned for someone else’s sins; cursed reviled, mocked, and scourged
– all willingly and for the sins of others.
I may think to myself, “I never
hurt a child in my life. I would never dream of sexually abusing
anyone. Why am I looked at with suspicion?”
Why? Because I am a priest of Jesus
Christ. Because the priesthood into which I was ordained means that the
monsters who committed these crimes or covered up for those who did are
my brothers. I benefit every day from the love people have for their
priests because of truly saintly ones who have gone before me; I must
also willingly suffer the distrust, suspicion, and hatred because of
the sinful ones who have gone before me as well.
At a deeper level, though, to
borrow a point from Fr. Mike Schmitz: I can say, I never did anything
to deserve this, but you know what, those kids didn’t do anything to
deserve what happened to them either. The victims - those members of
the Church hurt in unspeakable ways by those who were ordained to care
for them. They didn’t deserve
what happened to them, and the burden they carry and pain they
experience are incomparably worse than being judged for the sins of
another.
Why am I writing this to you? So that, in the midst of present chaos in the Church and the world, you may not lose hope.
There are snakes in the priesthood
you hope to enter. But there are also saints. For every Judas, there
are eleven other apostles who strive to be faithful.
On the darkest day the world has
ever seen, at the very beginning of the priesthood of Jesus Christ, one
betrayed, one denied, and nine fled. Only one remained.
It is now, at this moment of crisis
in the Church – uncertainty regarding every level of her leadership –
that we are all given the opportunity to choose what kind of man and
what kind of priest we want to be.
We’ve seen those who have betrayed,
and what they’ve done should make us sick to the stomach and furious to
the very depths of our souls.
We’ve all at one point or another
been those who deny the Lord or run away from our faith when times get
hard and we get scared. I thank God that, in His mercy, He accepts us
back and replaces our cowardice with courage, just as He did with His
original disciples.
At this crucial moment in the life of the Church, though, let’s be the one who remained.
Let’s be the ones who remain.
What does that mean? Just don’t leave the Church? No. So much more.
To remain as the Beloved Disciple
remained is to cling to Christ when He doesn’t seem all that powerful,
to be associated with Him when He is not all that popular, to suffer
alongside Him as His Body hangs, bleeding and battered, on the Cross.
To remain with Him means to be close to His mother who weeps for the
members of her Son’s Body so deeply wounded by those who were meant to
represent Him.
To remain at the Cross with our Crucified Lord and our Sorrowful Mother. What does that look like?
For one thing, it means being still when the world around you is chaos.
It means spending more time in the chapel than in the blogosphere.
It means being more filled with the
ancient wisdom of Scripture than the hot takes and hastily scribbled
opinions of this writer or that. (Might I suggest making your way
through the books of the prophets during this particularly turbulent
time? Doing so has been a great help to me in these weeks).
It means refraining from jumping to
conclusions prematurely, rather choosing to reflect long and hard
before coming out with confident statements regarding someone’s
innocence or guilt, recognizing that almost always, more facts must
come to light before a good judgment can be made.
Accusations this public and
far-reaching are far too serious matters to decide without a truly
thorough investigation. Thankfully, it is neither your job nor mine to
conduct the investigation.
So what is our job? Remain at the
uniquely uncomfortable place that is the foot of the Cross – a place
where we can say both that justice demands a thorough and transparent investigation of everyone implicated in the McCarrick scandal and that charity demands that we withhold condemnation until the full truth comes out.
So, at the foot of the Cross we remain.
And remember, who do we find there?
Our bleeding Lord and our weeping Mother. Company infinitely better
than either extreme of the Catholic blogosphere; consolers incomparably
more effective than the “comfort sins” we may be accustomed to turn to
when life gets overwhelming; a King and a Queen we can trust in totally
when our faith in our own leaders has been shaken.
While we don’t want to become
totally distrustful of those tasked with leading us, we have to be
honest about the fact that in this current climate of “his word or
mine”, we don’t know who or what to believe anymore.
Believe this: The King has nails in
His hands and the Queen a sword in her heart. You can trust them. You
can trust them because they are hurting as much as you are. Remain with
them. Suffer with them.
The Church Needs You to Remain
You have, I’m sure, been enjoined in these days to “defend the Church”.
I ask you to do the same. Defend
the Church. But what does that mean? Defend the institution and its
structures? Defend the hierarchy and its failures? Attack the media for
its chronic and seemingly willful misreporting on the issue? Point out
to the world that this is a sickness that reaches well beyond the
confines of the Catholic Church?
No. Those discussions all have their time and place, and it is not here and now.
How do we defend the Church here
and now? Defend the victims. Never forget that before the Church is an
institution, it is a believer. And thousands of believers have been
wounded.
The Church’s reputation has been
wounded. So have so many of Her children. Shed your tears for the
children rather than the reputation and, by the grace of God, both may
be healed.
It is now more than ever that the
Church needs you. But it needs you to be the saints God invites you to
become. We no longer have time for mediocrity, for settling, for
compromise.
We need men who are willing to give
over every part of themselves to the work of bringing Jesus into a sick
world, working within a Church that caught the world’s worst sickness.
We need men who – imperfect though
they be – are willing to remain firmly planted between the Crucified
Christ and His Sorrowful Mother and thus become the new generation of
priests God raises up to heal the wounded in His Church.
We need a generation of priests who
will restore the faith and trust in the people of God that the
priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus. We need a generation of
priests as tender in their love for the Lord and His beloved people as
they are uncompromising in their battle against sin – in themselves,
their brothers, and the Church at large.
We need a generation of priests to lead us to our only true hope for salvation: Jesus Christ.
And we need you to be that generation.
It’s not by chance but by
providence that God has called you into formation at this exact time
and not another. Because of this, you can trust that He will give you
the grace to do what we need you to do and be who we need you to be.
Rise up to the challenge. Work with
the One who is forming you into men capable of being the priest-saints
that will bring Christ into countless broken lives desperate for His
love. Pray with all you’ve got. Study with all that’s in you. Learn to
serve. Learn how to take care of yourself, physically and spiritually.
Build friendships that support and strengthen rather than enable and
cover up. Let God use the seminary to form you into the saints we need
for these troubled times.
And in the midst of it all, know
that we love you, that we’re praying for you, and that the God who
calls you to a great and noble vocation will carry you every step of
the way in living it out, if you let Him.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the
pasions,
most sublime humility"
21. A horse when
alone often imagines that it is
galloping, but when it is with others it finds out how slow it is.
September 13, 2018
(Jud 1:17-21)
But you, my dearly beloved, be mindful of the words which have been
spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who told you
that in the last time there should come mockers, walking according to
their own desires in ungodlinesses. These are they who separate
themselves, sensual men, having not the Spirit. But you, my beloved,
building yourselves upon your most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ, unto life everlasting.
NCR: Archbishop Gänswein: Current Crisis is Catholic Church’s Own 9/11
CATHOLIC JOURNAL: The Church: Always in Need of Reform
COMMENTARY: The Ugly Politics Of Orthodoxy
INSIDE THE VATICAN: Letter #46, 2018: Ukraine
NEWS REPORT: Constantinople's Actions in Ukraine Alarming for All Local Churches
All local Orthodox churches have
taken the recent actions of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of
Constantinople in Ukraine with concern, Archpriest Mykolay Danylevych,
deputy chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC DECR), said Tuesday.
"I know that in all the local
churches are concerned about this development of events, and I want to
say that, in fact, it will not benefit anyone, because the schism does
not legalize it," Danylevych said.
In his opinion, the actions of the
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on the establishment of
autocephaly in Ukraine can only lead to a break in relations and
Eucharistic communion between the churches.
"It will breed a schism, and everyone will lose from this," he said.
UOC spokesman explained that none of the local churches recognized any Ukrainian church organizations that are in schism today.
"Because no one wants to enter this conflict, that is, there will not be a real recognition," Danylevych said.
Patriarch Theophilos III of
Jerusalem has expressed his support to the believers of the Ukrainian
Orthodox Church, who, during a meeting with Ukrainian pilgrims led by
Metropolitan Luka of Zaporizhzhya and Melitopol, urged them to "hold on
to their leader."
In addition, Archbishop Joachim of
the Church of Czech Lands and Slovakia, wished Metropolitan Onufry and
all his flock of firmness "in all trials."
MORE: Efforts to make Ukrainian Orthodox Church autocephalous aimed at elevating Poroshenko's electoral ratings
EPISCOPAL CHURCH: Facing a schism: A bishop, gay marriage and the Episcopal diocese of Albany
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the
pasions,
most sublime humility"
20. He who has
humbled himself within will not
be cheated by his lips; for what is not in the treasury cannot be
brought
out through this door.
September 11, 2018
(Joh
16:33) These things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have
peace. In the world you shall have distress. But have confidence. I
have overcome the world.
ST. JOHN PAUL II
(09/12/2001): "Yesterday was a dark day in the history of humanity, a
terrible affront to human dignity. After receiving the news, I followed
with intense concern the developing situation, with heartfelt prayers
to the Lord. How is it possible to commit acts of such savage cruelty?
The human heart has depths from which schemes of unheard-of ferocity
sometimes emerge, capable of destroying in a moment the normal daily
life of a people. But faith comes to our aid at these times when words
seem to fail. Christ’s word is the only one that can give a response to
the questions which trouble our spirit. Even if the forces of darkness
appear to prevail, those who believe in God know that evil and death do
not have the final say. Christian hope is based on this truth; at this
time our prayerful trust draws strength from it".
VATICAN NEWS: Remembering 9/11 with the Popes
CRISIS MAGAZINE ARCHIVE: September, 1683: Victory in Vienna
A MOMENT WITH MARY: The image of the Virgin on all banners!
More than a century after their defeat at Lepanto (1571), the Turks
attempted to invade Western Europe by land in 1683. The Grand Vizier
had 150,000 to 300,000 men under his command. He pledged to take
Belgrade (Serbia), Buda (in today’s Hungary), Vienna (Austria), then
enter Italy and descend on Rome, "all the way to the altar of Saint
Peter."
In August 1683, an Italian Capuchin and great mystic, Fr. Marco
d'Aviano (beatified by Saint John Paul II) was appointed grand chaplain
of all the armies of Europe. He lifted the spirit of Vienna and managed
to convince the King of Poland, John III Sobieski, to come to the
rescue of the capital, with his small army of only 40,000 men.
The capital had been under siege since July 14th and was about to
surrender. The balance of power was not in favor of the European
troops. But Vienna asked the Virgin for her intercession and put her
image on all the banners.
On September 11, 1683, Father Marco celebrated Mass on Mount Kahlenberg
(a hill just outside Vienna which dominates the city) for the whole
army, served by the Polish king. He predicted an astonishing victory.
Troops led by John III Sobieski and Duke Charles of Lorraine attacked
the Ottomans at dawn on September 11th. The women and children prayed
in the churches, imploring the help of the Virgin Mary. That same
evening, the Grand Vizier's banner fell into the hands of Sobieski. The
danger of the march on Rome was averted.
OPINION: Why Bin Laden Picked the September 11 Date
There is no shortage of information about the September 11, 2001
terrorist attacks. Yet, I find that few people realize the apparent
reason bin Laden chose that particular date. Lawrence Wright’s terrific
2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning book “The Looming Tower,” implies the date
might have been symbolic.
“Why did these men turn against America, a highly religious country
that so recently been their ally in Afghanistan,” Wright asks
rhetorically, before explaining:
… To [al Qaeda],
the Crusades were a continual historical process that would never be
resolved until the final victory of Islam. They bitterly perceived the
contradiction embodied by Islam’s long, steady retreat from the gates
of Vienna, where on September 11–that now resonant date–in 1683, the
king of Poland began the battle that turned back the farthest advance
of Muslim armies. For the next three hundred years, Islam would be
overshadowed by the growth of Western Christian societies. Yet bin
Laden and his Arab Afghans believed that, in Afghanistan, they had
turned the tide and that Islam was again on the march.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
19. It is one thing to be humble, another to strive
for humilty, and another to praise the humble. The first belongs to the
perfect, the second to the truly obedient, and the third to all the faithful.
September 10, 2018
(Rom
13:12-14)
The night is passed And the day is at hand. Let us, therefore cast off
the works of darkness and put on the armour of light. Let us walk
honestly, as in the day: not in rioting and drunkenness, not in
chambering and impurities, not in contention and envy. But put ye on
the Lord Jesus Christ: and make not provision for the flesh in its
concupiscences.
NCR: How to Recognize Demonic Activity in the Church Scandals, According to an Exorcist
EXCERPT: Fr. Rutler's Weekly Column
Moving from May into September, it
may be said without understatement that this has not been an uneventful
summer. What we may make of events in the Church as they unfold remains
to be seen, but for the faithful, the consideration of corruption and
dishonesty in its many forms, can only move one to thankfulness that
the Lord who cleansed the Temple of thieves is now at work exposing and
wiping away what has sullied the holiness of the Church for which our
Lord died to give us. Like resetting a broken limb, the process is not
gentle but the result will be of inestimable good. As no on is born
without an assignment vouchsafed to God alone, it is a special honor to
be chosen by our Creator to live in days of salvation history which by
their critical nature require that those alive now be nothing less than
what Saint Paul described: “… servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God. Here, furthermore, it is sought in stewards that one
be found faithful” (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).
FR. ALTIER'S SUNDAY SERMONS: Sunday Sermon for September 9, 2018
There is an ancient Chinese curse
that has often been repeated: May you live to see interesting times.
Well, it appears this curse has befallen us. However, as Christian
people, we know that all things work together for good for those who
believe and we also know that God brings good out of evil.
The present situation in the Church
is horrible and distressing to many people, as one would expect.
However, we need to look beyond the filth, the lies, the cover-ups, the
malice, and so on and keep our focus on the Lord. As things unravel we
are going to find ourselves in the most blessed circumstances any
Christian person has ever been in. At the same time, we are going to be
sorely tempted against faith, hope, and charity. This is going to
produce some of the greatest Saints the world has ever seen.
What am I talking about? I am
talking about the crucifixion of the Church. The Church is the Mystical
Person of Jesus Christ and, therefore, like the historical Person of
Jesus Christ, She must be crucified and then rise from the dead. We
have an opportunity not only to be at Calvary near the Cross like our
Blessed Lady, St. John and St. Mary Magdalene; we have the opportunity
to be on the Cross with Jesus.
This might strike terror into the
hearts of some, but the Prophet Isaiah tells us in the first reading
today to say to those whose hearts are frightened: “Be strong, fear
not! Here is your God, He comes with vindication.” We are soon to
witness events no one ever would have dreamed of, some terrible and
some glorious. The enemies of the Church, who have infiltrated into the
priesthood in order to destroy the Church from within, are going to
take down everyone and everything they can. But remember our Lord’s
words to St. Paul: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.” Our
Lord has given this time over to His Mother, so we simply need to stay
close to Her. In order to assist Her, we need to pray and fast because
the kind of thing we are dealing with can only be removed in that
manner. We also need to help and support one another. We are already
seeing throngs of people walking away from the Church. One can
understand their plight: they have not been taught the Faith and now
they scandalized. The temptations the world provides will undermine the
little bit of faith they had. There are many whom the devil sees as
ripe for picking.
This will put us in the blessed
position St. James teaches us about in the second reading. He tells us
to show no partiality as we adhere to the faith in our glorious Lord
Jesus Christ. Today there are people from every social status and walk
of life who populate the Church. Sadly, we often show partiality and
discrimination, at least in our minds, when we deal with these people.
The days are coming when those who remain faithful will be in the
trenches together. Social status, profession, wealth, background, and
any other factor we might consider today will not matter to anyone. We
will all be in it together and we will all need to help and support one
another in the faith.
When all is said and done, the
Church is going to be filled with the very virtues that were being
purified during the troubled times: faith, hope, and charity. Indeed,
God is going to change everything. Can you imagine going to Mass with
people who are truly in love with the Lord? No longer will there be
going through the motions or coming to Mass only because we have to.
No, we will be at Mass because we want to be with the Lord.
At that point, having been
crucified with Christ, we will have deep insight into the mystery of
the Mass. Our Lord’s sacrifice continues at every Mass: His
crucifixion, death, resurrection, and glorification. At present many of
us are like the people who stood at a distance from the Cross and beat
their breasts. Then we will be united with our Lord on His Cross.
We have to prepare ourselves with
prayer and never trust in our own strength or ability. When our Lord
speaks the word we hear in today’s Gospel, Ephphatha, a Greek word
meaning “be opened,” He will open our hearts to receive a torrent of
grace that will allow us to know, love, and serve Him in a way we have
never experienced. This is reason for hope and no reason to run away.
The crucifixion is not an end in itself, it leads to the resurrection
and the glory. Remain faithful, be strong, fear not!
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
18. It is one thing to exalt oneself, another not
to exalt oneself, and another to humble oneself. One person may be judging
others all the day long; another does not judge others, but he does not
condemn himself; a third, although he is innocent, is always passing judgment
on himself.
September 7, 2018
(Mat 5:13) You
are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith
shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out,
and to be trodden on by men.
NEWS HEADLINE: All NY Catholic dioceses subpoenaed in sex abuse probe
New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood has subpoenaed all eight
Roman Catholic dioceses in the state as part of her office’s
investigation into the church’s handling of sex abuse allegations.
A law enforcement source familiar with the investigation but not
authorized to speak publicly told The Associated Press the subpoenas
went out Thursday.
The subpoenas seek documents relating to sexual abuse allegations,
financial payments to possible victims or the findings from internal
church investigations.
Underwood’s office is pursuing a civil investigation into how church leaders responded to reports of abuse.
MORE: Attorney General asks Nebraska dioceses for sex abuse records
CATHOLIC PHILLY: Church probe of Archbishop Nienstedt ‘doomed to fail,’ auxiliary bishop says
COMMENTARY: Bishops must do more to gain back the trust of the faithful
EXCERPT NCR: An Ominous Warning from the Lord in the Very Liturgy We Celebrate
There is a judgment on the Church today as there was in biblical times. Will we repent before it’s too late?
During this painful crisis of
clergy sexual abuse, vague leadership, and lack of accountability, the
call goes out with an urgency that rivals the greatest cries of
biblical times: the Church must repent. This cry is addressed to all,
from the laity and the lowliest of clergy to the Pope himself. Serious
sins must be acknowledged and repented of. The Church must accept a
deep purification that, though sure to be painful, is necessary.
For too long we have tolerated sin
and toyed with compromise and heresy. Too many Catholics, even
high-ranking bishops, have sought to excuse sin and have even tried to
alter the very words of Christ. Some have stayed silent or turned a
blind eye to sin and dissent. Still others have “majored in the
minors,” focusing on matters of lesser importance.
Reform in the Church does not
usually begin at the top. That is why it is so important for the
hierarchy to listen, as never before, to the cries of the lay faithful,
who plead with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
and the Vatican to take reform seriously, reassert the truth of the
Gospel with clarity, and rebuke dissent. While no one in the Church
lives the gospel perfectly, the outright denial of central truths of
our faith without any reproof from the Church hierarchy has been a
source of great scandal and confusion. Silence from shepherds, who
should be chasing the wolves away, is malpractice of the worst kind.
There is simply no acceptable excuse for the deafening silence that has
come from too many in the hierarchy in the face of dissent and even
outright heresy. It is being taught routinely, openly, and ever more
boldly by renegade theologians, wandering clerics, and even certain
conferences of bishops. The faithful are bewildered, saddened, and
justifiably angry.
Of especially destructive potential
are errors regarding the nature, sanctity, and indissolubility of
marriage; the worthy reception of Holy Communion; the nature and
purpose of human sexuality; and the dignity of human life from
conception to natural death. The faithful have long urged that bishops
lead fearlessly, teach with clarity, and reprove those who teach errors
in these matters. Instead of being listened to, they have seen their
pleas too often fall on deaf ears and have even been rebuffed as
intolerant, pharisaical, and overly narrow in focus.
All the while, the number of
practicing Catholics has plummeted. In the U.S. barely a quarter of
Catholics attend Mass. In Europe it’s closer to 10 percent. Every year
the numbers drop more and yet it is still “business as usual.” There is
a judgment on the Church today as there was in biblical times. Steady
erosion doesn’t seem to have awakened us, so God has “turned up the
volume” and shown us our sins. He has had us—especially the
clergy—experience a kind of last (?) warning call before a collapse of
biblical proportions comes upon the whole Church. Either we will be the
salt of the earth or we will be good for nothing except to be thrown
out and trampled underfoot (see Matthew 5:13).
ALETEIA: Ratzinger’s advice for keeping the faith amidst grave scandal
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
16. All visible things get their light from the
sun, and all that is done according to reason gets its force from humility.
Where there is no light, everthing is dark; where there is no humility,
all that we have is rotten.
September 4, 2018
(Eph 5:25-27) Husbands,
love your wives, as Christ also loved the church and delivered himself
up for it: That he might sanctify it, cleansing it by the laver of
water in the word of life: That he might present it to himself, a
glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that
it should be holy and without blemish.
POPE FRANCIS:
"With people lacking good will, with people who only seek scandal, who
seek only division, who seek only destruction, even within the family:
silence, prayer. May the Lord give us the grace to discern when we
should speak and when we should stay silent. This applies to every part
of life: to work, at home, in society…. Thus we will be closer
imitators of Jesus".
EXCERPT LETTER MOST REVEREND BENEDICT (ALEKSIYCHUK): The
question is: how do we deal with this scandal? My advice can be found
in the Gospel pages when St. Peter walked on the water towards Jesus,
he was safe as long as he kept his gaze on the Lord and trusted Him
completely. As soon as he turned his attention away from the Lord and
looked upon the threatening wind and waves, he began to sink in the
dark and turbulent waters. This is the answer for us in this time of
darkness. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, not on all of this evil
that threatens us and the Church at large.
MORE
What lay Catholics are doing in the face of the sex abuse scandal
Des Moines bishop calls for fasting after sex abuse scandal
Becoming the Solution: How Ordinary Catholics Can Help to Reform Their Church
EXCERPT BLOG: The Sermon That Cost A Brave Priest His Job
The evil has found in the Church a hold. And it is natural for people
to believe that there is nothing else to do in the Catholic Church.
Maybe many are thinking of leaving the Church. After the terrible
experience of 2002, with the abuses, many people left the Church. Now,
another opportunity, many people are going to leave. I hope they don’t
do, I tell them that they need to stay, that this is the Church of
Christ. But if they do, believe me, I understand. Because it is very
bad what we have allowed to take place in the Catholic Church in the
world. Because this is not only America. In the world! Everywhere!
Chile. Ireland. Australia. Everywhere.
If you are Catholic, and you love the Catholic Church, you cannot just
say, “Well, let’s pray, let’s offer a couple of rosaries, and we’ll see
what happens.” You cannot do that. You have to pray, but pray for
truth. You need to pray so God can act. He has begun to act. Who may
think that yesterday, that a former Vatican ambassador from the Holy
See to the United States was going to write 10, 11 pages letter saying
this — asking for the resignation of a pope?! Who may think that? If
you had told me that yesterday morning, I wouldn’t have believed you.
But that’s what happened.
So, what are we doing now? Where are we going from here? First of all,
we must understand one thing. This Church, the Catholic Church, is the
Church of Christ. It is the Bride of Christ. St. Paul is right when he
said in the letter to the Ephesians, “He has cleansed the Church with
His Cross, with His blood.” She is beautiful. We have betrayed her.
This is not an abusive church. This is a holy church that has fallen
into the hands of abusive, evil men, who are trying to destroy the
Church from within, since they couldn’t do it from the outside
throughout the centuries.
But you must be aware that Christ is in charge of the church. He is in
charge. Sometimes on days like this, we may not see him. We may not
feel him. And we may cry out like we did at the beginning of the mass,
“Please, Lord, help us! Have mercy on us!” But he’s in charge, and he
will bring justice. He’s already begun to do that. These things I have
told you are just the beginning. Just the beginning. Many bad things
are going to happen, and we need to be glad, because nothing is better
than the truth. To know what is happening, even though it may be ugly,
it may be painful, to know it is very good. So, Christ is in charge.
Second, pray. Do sacrifices. Pray the rosary. Come closer to the Lord.
Ask the Lord to be part of his flock. Because you will see many wearing
cassocks like this, or chasubles like this, many preaching from the
pulpits. They are traitors. So you need to have something that in the
Catholic Church is called discernment: the capacity to know where is
God and where is not. Regardless of it seems like God is here or it
seems like God is there. No, no — now you need real discernment,
because the Devil has clothed his children with shepherd’s clothing, to
make it more difficult to recognize him.
You need to pray for discernment, to pray for the Church, to pray for
you, for your children. To pray for your priests, especially for so
many bishops who are good, still, and priests who are good, faithful.
Who have suffered greatly all these decades, and all these years, being
moved from one parish to another because they were preaching the truth,
and the pastor or the bishop didn’t like that, so they moved to another
place, and another place, living a life of great suffering — they are
there. And it’s not fun. It is difficult. You cry a lot, because you
feel lonely. Forgotten. Despised. Only because you wanted to be
faithful to Christ, but your speech, and your homilies didn’t fit with
the ideas of these people who wanted to destroy the Church, and who
wanted you to say nice things to the people. Don’t make waves. Just go
along with everything. Don’t make people nervous. Just, you know, speak
about general things, so people are not aware of what’s going on.
So my dear brothers and sisters, then we must act, which is part of a
process of conversion. You must act. Bishop Fulton Sheen, one of the
greatest bishops that America has ever had … said that: “Do not look
for change in bishops and priests.” Do not. He was talking to you. The
change in the Church … will come through you laity. When you don’t give
up, and tell your pastor and your priest and your bishop: “Tell us the
truth! Stop being just nice, and smiling to us, and preach the Gospel
to us! We want to live a holy life, not the life that the world lives.
Tell us the truth, and we will help you to sustain the Church with our
money and other things. But you, you need to do your mission, you need
to do your job, which is helping us to get to heaven. To be saved. To
give us the Sacrament, to love Jesus, and not just to be politically
correct. That’s not the Gospel.
But that’s the temptation that you laity have fallen into. … Speak out!
Do you want the Gospel? Do you want Christ? Do you want heaven? Do you
want the truth? Or do you just want what we find everywhere in the
world, which is what we really want to hear, what is pleasing to our
ears. Demand change in the Church. It’s not going to be enough, just
adding a couple of policies to this taking care of the children. It’s
not going to be enough just to see three, four, or five cardinals
resigning, and ten bishops resigning — it’s not going to be enough. We
need to see real change. We need to go back to be faithful to Christ,
to Our Lord Christ, not the world. We are here to change the world, not
the world to change us. We are the light of the world; we are not equal
with the world. We have Christ. We have the truth. The world is
helpless. The prince of the world is the Evil One, and we are hear to
fight against him.
Now, what I’m saying might sound very hard for you, and I have to say
I’m sorry, but I had to say it. Because I’m sick and tired of seeing my
mother the Church being insulted and portrayed as an institution of
criminals. Because it’s not. It’s my mother, it’s your mother! The one
who gave you eternal life through baptism, who gave you the courage
through confirmation, who gives you the Eucharist every Sunday you
come. She’s our mother, and we need to help her in these dreadful
times. So my dear brothers and sisters again, I have to say this
because I am priest of Christ. Many people don’t say that, and I was
afraid to say something like that. There are more things I want to say,
but I don’t say it because I want to be here next week.
But I need to say this, and I ask the Lord’s pardon, because I’m a
coward too. Sometimes I don’t say what I should say, because sometimes
I’m more concerned about my position. Pray for me too so I may be a
saint. But suffering is hard, it’s tough, you don’t want to suffer.
Pray, my fellow Catholics, in these dreadful times. Demand from your
leaders the truth — only then everything will be fine. With Jesus! Not
with cardinals, not with popes. These are human beings. Some are
wonderful, some are bad. Only with Christ. Only by doing his will. Only
by staying next to him faithfully, everything will be fine. And I tell
you this: everything will be fine. The Church of Christ cannot be
destroyed through anybody, not for the Devil. They will not destroy the
Church, but they will take some members of the Church away — yes, that
he can do. And we pray that none of us will be one of them. So my dear
brothers and sisters, may the Lord help us in these dreadful times to
have courage. I have my hope in God, and in you, the laity. You will
save the Church.
PRAYER:
“Grant, we pray, almighty God, that your Church may always remain that
holy people, formed as one by the unity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
which manifests to the world the Sacrament of your holiness and unity
and leads it to the perfection of your charity. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the
Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen” (Mass for the Church,
Collect, Option C).
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
15. Repentance raises the fallen, mourning knocks
at the gate of Heaven, and holy humility opens it; but I affirm this and
I worship a Trinity in Unity, and a Unity in Trinity.
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