Keep
your eyes open!...
September 30, 2021
(Exo 20:13) Thou shalt not kill.
VICTIMS OF ABORTION: Broken Branches Newsletter Issue 145, Oct/Nov 2021
CATHOLIC STAND: Promotion of Abortion By Act Or By Omission
DAILY COMPASS: Euthanasia for newborns is (already) the norm in Belgium
DENVER CATHOLIC: Catholic “beliefs” and the abortion debate
Do Catholics “believe that human life begins at conception” — a formulation that’s become ubiquitous in recent weeks?
Well, yes, in precisely the same sense that Catholics “believe” that
the Earth is spherical, not flat; that Venus is the second planet in
the solar system; that a water molecule is composed of two hydrogen
atoms and one oxygen atom; that blood circulates through the body; that
the human heart has four chambers; and so forth and so on.
Catholics, as they say, “believe the science.” Catholics do not
“believe” that human life begins at conception in the same sense in
which Catholics “believe” in the Incarnation of the second person of
the Trinity, or in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin
Mary, or in the remission of sins through the sacrament of Penance, or
in the Real Presence of Christ — body, blood, soul, and divinity — in
the Eucharist. To “believe” in these truths, is, for Catholics, a
matter of the assent of faith.
And that’s why it’s an unforced error for Catholics — including
bishops, priests, religious, and laity — to use the language of
“belief” in regard to the beginning of human life. The correct answer
to the question of when human life begins is not a matter of faith; it
is a matter of scientific fact. The product of human conception, an
embryo with a unique genetic character, is “a whole living member of
the species Homo sapiens in the earliest stage of his or her natural
development” (to quote Robert George and Christopher Tollefson). One
learns this, or used to, in high school biology. The human being who
begins at conception develops through various life-stages — embryo,
fetus, child, adolescent, adult — through its own internally directed
functioning, which begins immediately at conception. That is not, to
repeat, a matter of faith or “belief.” It’s an empirical fact: a human
life, and nothing other than a human life, begins at conception.
Big Abortion, its cultural allies, and its political water-carriers
have muddied these linguistic waters for decades, arguing that the
“Catholic belief” that life begins at conception is a sectarian claim
with no scientific foundation. That is objectively, demonstrably false,
and to make that argument is to traffic in a lie. Some tell this lie
deliberately. Others, including those in high public office, tell it
out of ignorance, stupidity, or convenience. Whatever the motivation or
cause, the argument is scientifically ignorant: the functional
equivalent of claiming that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin really
landed in the Arizona desert on the Apollo 11 mission.
And it should be called out as such.
The real question in the abortion debate is, was, and always will be
this: What does a just society owe the indisputably human life that
indisputably begins at conception? Properly catechized and coherent
Catholics answer that question by citing a first principle of justice
that anyone can grasp by reason: innocent human life deserves the
protection of the law in any just society. Properly catechized and
coherent Catholics will then go on to argue that a just society will
support women caught in the dilemma of unplanned and unwanted
pregnancy. And apostolically alert Catholics will help those women find
the help they need, which is readily available at crisis pregnancy
centers throughout the country.
What serious and coherent Catholics — presidents, governors,
legislators, members of Congress, clergy of all ranks, and engaged
citizens — will not do is ignore the science and claim that the matter
of when human life begins is a disputed question. Nor will serious and
coherent Catholics reinforce that spurious claim by speaking of the
Catholic “position” on when life begins as a matter of “belief.” To do
so is to play one of the duplicitous language games that have distorted
the American debate on the abortion issue for far too long.
The hysteria displayed by supporters of the abortion license as the
Supreme Court prepares to hear Dobbs vs. Jackson Women’s Health
Organization, a case that affords an opportunity to correct the grave
constitutional errors the Court made in Roe vs. Wade and Casey vs.
Planned Parenthood, will intensify in the months ahead: a sign, I
suspect, of how weak Big Abortion and its allies know their arguments
have always been. No serious or coherent Catholic will buttress those
crumbling arguments by speaking of a Catholic “belief” in when life
begins. Serious and coherent Catholics know when life begins.
Not because they’re Catholics, but because they know the science.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
26. Never forget Him Who died for love of you.
You will only love Him in so far as you know how to suffer in silence,
preferring Him to creatures and eternity to time.
September
29, 2021
(Rev 12:7-10)
And there was a great battle in heaven: Michael and his angels fought
with the dragon, and the dragon fought, and his angels. And they
prevailed not: neither was their place found any more in heaven. And
that great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, who is called the
devil and Satan, who seduceth the whole world. And he was cast unto the
earth: and his angels were thrown down with him. 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.
CATHOLIC CULTURE: The Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, “Michaelmas” for Short
EXCERPT CATHOLIC COMPANY: The Feast of the Holy Archangels: Their Identity & Mission
According to
Catholic tradition, the archangels are an order of angels within a
hierarchy of angelic hosts. In all, there are nine ranks, or choirs, of
angelic beings.
As derived in part from the
teaching of St. Paul the Apostle and later developed by Church
theologians, these nine choirs of angels are are broken into three
groups of three, but beyond this basic organization there is not much
more in Sacred Tradition about the specific duties and distinctions of
these mysterious creatures of God.
I.1. Seraphim (highest)
2. Cherubim
3. Thrones
II.
4. Dominions
5. Virtues
6. Powers
III.
7. Principalities
8. Archangels
9. Angels (lowest)
According to this chart, it may be
surprising that the archangels are one of the lowest ranks of angelic
creatures. Archangels are called such because their choir is above that
of the lowest angels (among these are our Guardian Angels), therefore
they are referred to as the "princes" of the angels that rank beneath
them.
We can discern from this ranking of
angels that the lower choirs have closer dealings with events on earth,
while the higher choirs attend the throne of God in heaven.
Both angels and archangels are the
angelic beings that have direct dealings with humans as recorded in the
Catholic Bible. The archangels are seen to be the highest of all God's
messenger angels and they are given the most important missions. Of the
seven, St. Michael is regarded as the highest ranking.
UNIVERSALIS: A sermon of Pope St Gregory the Great
The word "angel" denotes a function rather than a nature
You should be aware that the word “angel” denotes a function rather
than a nature. Those holy spirits of heaven have indeed always been
spirits. They can only be called angels when they deliver some message.
Moreover, those who deliver messages of lesser importance are called
angels; and those who proclaim messages of supreme importance are
called archangels. And so it was that not merely an angel but the
archangel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin Mary. It was only fitting that
the highest angel should come to announce the greatest of all messages.
Some angels are given proper names to denote the service they are
empowered to perform. In that holy city, where perfect knowledge flows
from the vision of almighty God, those who have no names may easily be
known. But personal names are assigned to some, not because they could
not be known without them, but rather to denote their ministry when
they came among us. Thus, Michael means “Who is like God”; Gabriel is
“The Strength of God”; and Raphael is “God’s Remedy.”
Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent,
so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do
what God does by his superior power. So also our ancient foe desired in
his pride to be like God, saying: I will ascend into heaven; I will
exalt my throne above the stars of heaven; I will be like the Most
High. He will be allowed to remain in power until the end of the world
when he will be destroyed in the final punishment. Then, he will fight
with the archangel Michael, as we are told by John: A battle was fought
with Michael the archangel.
So too Gabriel, who is called God’s strength, was sent to Mary. He came
to announce the One who appeared as a humble man to quell the cosmic
powers. Thus God’s strength announced the coming of the Lord of the
heavenly powers, mighty in battle. Raphael means, as I have said, God’s
remedy, for when he touched Tobit’s eyes in order to cure him, he
banished the darkness of his blindness. Thus, since he is to heal, he
is rightly called God’s remedy.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
25. One thing the adorable Heart of Jesus asks
of Its friends, viz: purity of intention, humility in action and singleness
of purpose.
September
27, 2021
(Psa 19:7) The law of the Lord is unspotted, converting souls: the testimony of the Lord is faithful, giving wisdom to little ones.
FATHER JEFFREY F. KIRBY: October beckons us to embrace Mary through the Rosary
SIGN.ORG: The Flame of Love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: An Abundance of Grace for Our Time
A MOMENT WITH MARY: John XXIII gave a rosary to Khrushchev's daughter
EXCERPT THE CATHOLIC THING: The Gospel, Untamed by Fr. Paul D. Scalia
Saint Mark tells us that those who followed Christ were amazed and
afraid. (Mk 10:32). Well, we want to be comfortable, not afraid. Not
comfortable as God desires to make us (with the peace beyond all
understanding), but comfortable on our own terms, according to our
earthbound understanding. We want the Gospel to make our lives better,
not to upend them. So, we try to tame His words and make them fit for
polite company.
Then comes along a Scripture passage such as today’s Gospel. (Mk
9:38-47) Our Lord’s discussion of fastening millstones around necks,
cutting off limbs, and plucking out eyes shocks us back to the reality
of the supernatural and the demands of the Gospel. There is no
smoothing out these words or giving them a worldly interpretation.
Either our Lord means that sin is punished, sometimes eternally, or He
is speaking complete nonsense. Either our choices here have eternal
significance, or they mean nothing. There is no in-between.
Our Lord draws us into this truth by using the example of a universally
agreed upon villain — the man who ensnares children, the one who
“causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin.” In recent
years the Church has had many painful reasons to reflect (perhaps not
enough) on these words. The abuse of children draws universal
condemnation, even from those (ironically) who have failed to protect
them.
People object to many of our Lord’s words. But I’ve never heard anyone
complain about the condemnation of the abuser: “It would be better for
him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown
into the sea.” Of course, the only reason that fate would be better for
such a man is because a worse punishment awaits him in eternity.
Temporal decisions have eternal consequences.
Given the current state of affairs, it’s worth lingering on this
example for a moment. Some have pointed out the hypocrisy of an
institution that strongly defends the rights of unborn children and yet
tolerates predatory pederasty in the priesthood. Their criticism is
just. Of course, by the same reasoning, the Church that rightly has
zero-tolerance for child sexual abuse should also not tolerate Catholic
politicians who defend, promote, and fund the daily murder of unborn
children. There should be an equitable distribution of millstones.
Returning to the Gospel, notice how our Lord, after his strong words
about the abuser, changes the conversation. It’s easy for us to see and
condemn the wickedness of such a man, to keep our focus on someone
else. So, our Lord turns His attention from the scandalizer to us: “If
your hand. . .and if your eye. . .and if your foot causes you to sin. .
.” Now we have to consider not someone else’s eternal fate but our own.
Our choices, no less than those of the man with a millstone around his
neck, have eternal consequences. They lead us either to life in the
Kingdom of God or to the unquenchable fire of Gehenna.
In these few verses, we get to the heart of Catholic morality.
Everything in this world is relativized. Every choice has meaning only
in relation to eternity, and value only in relation to heaven. Thus
eternal life — not money, fame, pleasure, or political office — is to
be the determining factor in our decisions. Whatever leads to the
Kingdom must be chosen. Whatever opposes it must be rejected — cut off.
Jesus’ words also clarify the price we must pay in choosing eternal
life: “cut it off. . .cut it off. . .pluck it out.” Here again, we
typically hasten to tame our Lord’s harsh words. We (unnecessarily)
point out that He doesn’t mean that we should literally cut off and
pluck out body parts. It’s hyperbole, you see.
Unfortunately, we get so caught up in explaining the hyperbole that we
pass over the very truth that it means to communicate. That it is
better to cut and gouge certain things out of your life than to go to
hell. Yes, it’s tough. It might feel like you’re severing a part of
your own body. But your eternal life might also depend on it. Our Lord
uses hyperbole for a reason: going to heaven incomplete is better than
going to hell whole.
Of course, nobody enters heaven maimed or incomplete, and nobody goes
to hell whole. That’s part of the hyperbole. If we enter hell, it’s as
broken, distorted persons. If we enter heaven, we do so whole and
entire. So, the painful paradox is that the lopping off of limbs and
plucking out of eyes may very well be necessary to preserve our
wholeness in eternity. This is the role of mortification in the
Christian life. In order to remain whole for heaven, we need
occasionally to cut off some of the things on earth — some food or
drink, some legitimate pleasure, some comfort and ease.
For starters, let’s cut out the domestication of our Lord’s words and allow them to pierce us to the heart.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
24. Jesus Christ is the true Friend of our hearts,
for they are made for Him alone; therefore they can find neither rest,
joy nor fullness of content save in Him- so let us love Him with all our
strength.
September
23, 2021
(1Th 5:19-21) Extinguish not the spirit. Despise not prophecies. But prove all things: hold fast that which is good.
VIDEO: St. Padre Pio vs Watered Down Catholicism - Fr. Mark Goring, CC
WORKERS OF OUR LADY: Padre Pio and Garabandal
GARABANDAL ONLY GOD KNOWS: Saint Pio of Pietrelcina and Garabandal
MORE: 'God is detaching us from the securities of this world'
TREATISE: The Continuation of Fatima at San Sebastian de Garabandal
UNIVERSALIS: From the letters of St Pius of Pietrelcina
Stones of the eternal dwelling
With unceasing blows of healing
chisel and careful stripping away, the divine Artificer seeks to
prepare stones to build an eternal dwelling – as our mother, the holy
Catholic Church, full of tenderness, sings in the hymn of the office
for the dedication of a church. And that is true.
Every soul destined for eternal
glory can be considered most aptly as a stone for building an eternal
edifice. The builder who seeks to put up a dwelling in the best way
should first polish the stones that will be used in the construction.
He does this with blows of hammer and chisel. In the same way, our
heavenly Father works on chosen souls who, from all eternity, by his
supreme wisdom and providence, have been destined for building up the
eternal dwelling.
The soul, if it wants to reign with
Christ in eternal glory, must be polished with hammer and chisel
strokes, which the divine Artificer uses to prepare the stones, that
is, the chosen souls. What are these hammer and chisel strokes?
Darkness, my sister, fears, temptations, sadness of spirit and
spiritual fears, which reek like a sickness, and bodily discomfort.
Give thanks to the infinite piety
of the eternal Father who, in this way, leads your soul to salvation.
Why not glory in these benevolent conditions from the best of all
fathers? Open your heart to the celestial doctor of souls and, full of
confidence, surrender yourselves into his most holy arms: as a chosen
one, he leads you to follow Jesus closely on Mount Calvary. With joy
and emotion in my soul I ponder how grace is working in you.
Do not forget that the Lord has
arranged everything your souls experience. Do not fear causing God harm
or injury. It’s enough that you know that in your whole life you have
never offended the Lord who, on the contrary, has been honoured more
and more.
If this benevolent Spouse of your
soul hides from you, he does so not, as you think, because he wants to
take revenge on your wickedness, but because it tests your fidelity and
constancy even more, and, besides, heals you of some diseases not
considered as such by carnal eyes, that is to say, those diseases and
faults to which not even the just person is immune. Indeed, Scripture
says in the book of Proverbs: “Seven times a righteous man falls”.
Believe me, if I did not see you so
afflicted, I would not be as happy, because I would think that the Lord
wanted to give you fewer gems. Get rid of, as temptations, the doubts
that assail you. Also expel the doubts with regards to the purpose of
your life: to do that is not to listen to the divine summons, and to
resist the sweet invitations of the Bridegroom. All these things do not
come from a good spirit but from a bad one. These are diabolical ploys
that try to separate you from perfection or, at least, hinder the
journey towards it. Do not lose heart!
Whenever Jesus shows himself, give
him thanks. If he hides, give him thanks: all are touches of his love.
I wish you to give up your spirit with Jesus on the cross, when he
says: “It is accomplished”.
NCR: Padre Pio’s Spiritual Daughter Remembers His Sanctity
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
20. Do not cling to spiritual consolation, for
it is not lasting; on the contrary, seek God by faith, and remember that
He has a right to our love no less when He tries us than when He consoles
us.
September
21, 2021
(Eph 4:4-7) One
body and one Spirit: as you are called in one hope of your calling. One
Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in us all. But to every one of us is given
grace, according to the measure of the giving of Christ.
INTEGRATED CATHOLIC LIFE: Celebrate your Baptism
SAINT POPE JOHN PAUL II: Celebrate your Baptism!
Angelus message given on January 12, 1997.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
1. Today, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, I had the joy of
baptizing 19 newborn babies in the Sistine Chapel. I extend an
affectionate greeting and embrace to each of these children, as well as
to their parents and relatives.
Today's feast stresses how Jesus,
at the beginning of his public life, wanted to receive the "baptism of
conversion" (Lk 3:3), administered by John in the Jordan. This act, by
which he, though innocent, showed his solidarity with sinners, became a
moment of revelation. In fact, as he came out of the water,
"immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon
him like a dove" (Mk 1:10). By this singular experience, Jesus is
accredited as the Messiah awaited for centuries.
2. In the Jordan the voice of the
Father resounds: "You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased"
(Mk 1:11). These words shed light on the mystery of Jesus Christ: he is
not only a "man of God", like the prophets and saints, but the Son, the
Only-Begotten One (Jn 1:18).
As the eternal Son, Jesus is
consubstantial with the Father and the Holy Spirit and lives
eternally-in the Trinitarian communion of the one God. In the
Incarnation, the Spirit of God completely fills his humanity. At his
Baptism in the Jordan, the Spirit rests upon him to initiate him into
the messianic ministry and to inaugurate that great "hour" of grace
which will be completed by his Death and Resurrection. Indeed, Jesus
Christ is the inexhaustible source of God's Spirit for every man and
woman who is open to his offer of salvation.
3. Dear brothers and sisters,
today's feast sheds light on one of the spiritual priorities of our
journey towards the Holy Year: the need to have an ever deeper
awareness of Baptism as "the basis of Christian living" (Tertio
millennio adveniente, n. 41). Those who receive this sacrament are
baptized in the Spirit of God, to become members of Christ and with him
and with our brothers and sisters, to form "one body" (1 Cor 12:13). An
immense gift! We should celebrate the day of our Baptism as we do our
birthday! But how many of the baptized are fully aware of what they
have received? We must give a new impetus to catechesis, to rediscover
this gift which also means taking on a great responsibility. May the
Mother of God, the Mother of Jesus, accompany us on this demanding
journey of reinvigorating our faith.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Feel free to celebrate with me!
Please consider whispering a prayer for the priest who baptized me, Rev
James E Sullivan, as he is listed on the following document from the
Diocese of Brooklyn:
LIST OF DIOCESAN CLERGY FOR WHOM THE DIOCESE RECEIVED ALLEGATIONS OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT WITH A MINOR
An excerpt from a book he wrote, "Journey to Freedom", appears to reveal a tormented soul: https://www.jamesmartinsandbrook.com/Articles/RevJESullivan.html
May his kind act of officiating at my Baptism have spurred his final repentance and joyous reunion with the Lord.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
19. If you find yourself overwhelmed by distractions,
collect your thoughts in the tranquil depths of the Sacred Heart. Our Lord
will infallibly give you the victory over these distractions provided you
fight vigorously against them.
September 19, 2021
(Rev 12:5-6) And
she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with an iron
rod. And her son was taken up to God and to his throne. And the woman
fled into the wilderness, where she had a place prepared by God, that
there they should feed her, a thousand two hundred sixty days.
ALETEIA: How Our Lady of La Salette can give us hope in darkness
FLORIDA CATHOLIC: La Salette celebrates 175 years since apparition
A MOMENT WITH MARY: Our Lady of La Salette and "Sabbath the Bride"
The Virgin Mary appeared at La
Salette (French Alps) on September 19, 1946, on a Saturday late
afternoon. American Jewish author Roy Schoeman (born 1951), who
converted to the Catholic faith, comments:
The author offers as an explanation
a free translation of "Lekha Dodi" (i.e., the Shabbat bride), which is
a traditional Jewish song on Shabbat evening, where God invites Israel,
the beloved (Dodi), to welcome the Shabbat personified in the feminine
(the Shabbat queen) :
As a Jew I was struck and deeply
moved when I read that Mary's words at La Salette were: "Six days I
have given you to labor, the seventh I have kept for myself." For from
a Jewish perspective it is very natural, almost inevitable to associate
Mary in a special way with the Sabbath.
In Jewish tradition the Sabbath is
seen as a bride, and is referred to as the "Sabbath Queen." And it is
understood to be the forecourt of the Messianic Kingdom, a sort of
taste of what is to come. The author offers as an explanation a free
translation of "Lekha Dodi," a traditional Jewish song for the Shabbat
dinner:
"Come, my Beloved.
Let us welcome Sabbath the Bride, Queen of our days.
Come, let us all greet Sabbath, Queen sublime, Fountain of blessings in every clime.
Annointed and regal since earliest time, In thought she preceded Creation's six days.
Come, my Beloved.
Let us welcome Sabbath the Bride,
Queen of our days.Arise and shake off the dust of the earth.Wear
glorious garments reflecting your worth.Messiah will lead us all soon
to rebirth.My soul now senses redemption's warm rays.
Come, my Beloved.
Let us welcome Sabbath the Bride, Queen of our days.
Almost every one of these words
could be sung ever so appropriately to the Queen of Heaven, the Queen
of La Salette, the Blessed Virgin Mary!
Roy Schoeman
Adapted from http://www.salvationisfromthejews.com/justarticles.html
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
18. You must take no
notice of these thoughts of
vanity, but say to Satan, when he suggests them to you in any of your
actions:
Begone, Satan, I not only renounce thee, but also thy evil suggestions.
I did not begin for thee, and I will not end for thee.
September
17, 2021
(2Ch 7:14) And
my people, upon whom my name is called, being converted, shall make
supplication to me, and seek out my face, and do penance for their most
wicked ways: then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins
and will heal their land.
YOUTUBE: Full Powerful Sermon: Catholics Wake-Up: The Warnings of Fatima Are Now Being Fulfilled! Turn to Her
SIGN.ORG: Conquer the devil—pray the Rosary!
A MOMENT WITH MARY: Mary helps us make sense of our times
EXCERPT ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY: On Absent-Mindedness During Prayer
Many times in the past, and even
now, people have asked me how they can learn to pray, how to rid
themselves of absent-mindedness during prayer. They say that when
they’re praying, everything distracts them and scatters their thoughts,
even a ray of light falling on an icon. The pomp of the hierarchical
Liturgy also distracts them from prayer. They say, “We can’t
concentrate, we can’t pray properly.” And they ask me to teach them.
Is it simple? Oh no, it’s not easy
at all. For, what are they asking me to teach them? The greatest, the
most difficult of all human deeds. For what is prayer, true prayer?
Direct communication of the human spirit with God.
If this is how you understand
prayer, I’ll give you the most important answer to the question of how
to rid yourself of absent-mindedness. I’ll tell you that if prayer is
communication with God, then we must be worthy of this communication,
we must be capable of it. But if a person’s constantly wrapped up in
the vanity of the world, if he rarely, if ever, remembers God, if he’s
mired in passions, lusts and sins, how can such a person’s entry into
communication with God be easy or simple?
Communication with God requires great podvig.
It requires that all your thoughts and aspirations should be directed
upward, toward what is holy, toward God. Those who learn to pray deeply
and sincerely are those who constantly direct their thoughts and
aspirations to God, who try with all their might to rid themselves of
earthly vanity, from everyday worries; they devote a lot of time to
reading the Holy Scriptures, the works of the Holy Fathers, they pray
often and fervently, and most importantly, they diligently fulfill the
commandments of Christ. For the Lord calls His friend only the one who
keeps His commandments and becomes close to Christ. This is the main
answer: We must strive for holiness, we must strive as far as it is in
our power, to turn all our thoughts, our spirit toward God.
Deep philosophers, deep scientists,
whose thoughts are always focused on the most important questions of
existence, on difficult scientific questions, are always focused. Their
thoughts are chained to these questions, and aren’t scattered, their
thoughts don’t wander here and there. They keep their thoughts on that
one important topic they’ve dedicated their life to. They are always
focused, and we ought to imitate them. Just as they focus all their
thoughts and aspirations on very high questions of philosophy and
science, so we must live in God, our thoughts must always be turned
upward if we want to be in communication with God. This was what those
who were strong in spirit and full of love for God did—they went out
into the wild forests and deserts because they wanted to (and did)
learn to pray, because they replaced earthly thoughts with thoughts
about God, and focused their lives on achieving spiritual perfection.
And people who are traveling an
entirely different path, living in the constant bustle of the world,
complain, “No matter how hard I try, prayer doesn’t come. No matter how
hard I try, I’m constantly distracted.” Mentally they conclude that if
nothing works out, that means it isn’t worth trying—I guess it’s just
my nature that I can’t be free from absent-mindedness and wandering
thoughts.
Many people refer to the
imperfection of our nature. This is the same as a person who doesn’t
know how to swim throwing himself into the water and, being unable to
float, saying to himself, “My body is heavier than water, I can’t
float. What can I do if the nature of my body is such that it’s
impossible to swim? It isn’t even woth trying.” Isn’t that ridiculous?
Aren’t there lots of people who can swim and float just fine? The thing
is that they don’t want to learn to swim, so there’s no reason to blame
nature when they’re distracted during prayer. It’s not nature that’s to
blame, but their unwillingness to focus their spirit on prayer.
The holy Prophet David said:
Blessed is the man whose help is of thee, O Lord; in his heart he has
purposed to go up (Ps. 83:6). Blessed is the man who has help in God.
Why does he have help? Because he has purposed to go up in his heart:
because he made it the intention of his heart to ascend higher and
higher to God. This is a blessing for such a person—he will receive
help from God, he will also receive the power of prayer. Woe to the man
who doesn’t ascend with his heart, who isn’t afraid of the fact that
his heart is sinking lower and lower, is filled more and more with
base, bad passions. Such a person won’t have help from God, and such a
person won’t be able to pray.
The holy Prophet Jeremiah says: How
long will thy grievous thoughts be within thee? (Jer. 4:14). This is
the most important thing that’s needed: We need to expel all our evil
thoughts from our heart. How many wicked thoughts we have, and how slow
we are to expel these thoughts from our hearts! And if our heart is
full of wicked thoughts, how will we be able to pray?
You see: Distraction in prayer
stems from the fact that the heart isn’t always ascending, from morning
to evening, toward God, that people haven’t made it the goal of their
life to ascend to God and don’t notice that they’re not ascending
toward God, but are descending lower and lower.
That’s why they have no prayer.
There’s a great prayer, considered
the most important and basic prayer for monks, which they do with
prostrations or bows: “Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on
me, a sinner.” This prayer has great power, and whoever gets used to
it, who constantly repeats it, invariably receives grace from God and
learns to pray. But when I advise people to start with this prayer,
they try and then soon give up and say, “We repeat the prayer
mechanically, but we don’t see any benefit.” They want it right away,
they want to get benefits quickly, they don’t understand that it’s only
through long spiritual and physical work that you can acquire a great
ability to pray, and that this isn’t granted to anyone right away.
Only the constant wandering of your thoughts hinders you, because
you’re in the constant bustle of the world. You rarely focus your
spirit on that which is most important, the greatest and the most holy.
Understand how difficult it is to learn to pray; understand that
prayer, free from absent-mindedness, free from wandering thoughts, is
achieved only by saints. Allow yourself to be imbued with the humble
awareness that your prayer is weak because you’re far from holiness.
Pray as best as you can, sincerely, like small children. Christ hears
your prayer, for no matter how weak it is, it rises very high to God,
and the Lord accepts all prayers. Don’t be discouraged, don’t be idle,
don’t expect your prayer to be freed from distraction quickly and
easily.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
17. Do not distress
yourself on account of any
distaste or dryness you experience in God's service. He wills that you
should serve Him fervently and constantly it is true, but without any
other
help than simple faith, and thus your love will be more disinterested,
and your service the more pleasing to Him.
September
14, 2021
(Joh 3:14-16) And
as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of man be
lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may have
life everlasting. For God so loved the world, as to give his only
begotten Son: that whosoever believeth in him may not perish, but may
have life everlasting.
THE CATHOLIC WEEKLY: Suffering for Christ’s Cross is a responsibility – and
a privilege too
THE CATHOLIC SPIRIT: The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
HOMILY: The Cross is the Kiss of Jesus, A Call to Serve One
Another
As we celebrate the feast of the
exultation of the cross,let us have the historical background of this
feast. We celebrate this important feast for two reasons:
1. To recall an historical event that proved to be extremely important
in the life of Christian Church
2. To underline the importance of the symbol and reality of the cross
in the daily life of every Christian.
The important event we celebrate today dates back to year 326 of the
relics of the cross on which Jesus was crucified. According to St. John
Crysostom, St, Helena, Mother of Emperor Constatine longed to find the
cross of Jesus Christ, for this reason she travelled to Jerusalem when
she organized a dig at the hill of Calvary, thus after a dig had been
done three crosses were found. Crosses being found at the hill of
Calvary , yet it was not easy to identify the cross that belonged to
Jesus among the three crosses , thus to identify the cross of Jesus a
sick man and dead man being taken for burial were brought. The three
crosses were to touch the sick man and the dead person. By doing that
it was realized that among the three crosses one of them when brought
into contact with the sick person, the sick person recovered from his
sickness and the dead person in contact with the same cross, came back
to life. With this in mind of the miracles happened testified that the
third cross was the cross where Jesus Christ was crucified.
News of the finding the true cross quickly spread and believers
gathered to see the true cross and to venerate it. The Patriach of
Jerusalem, Makarios standing on raised plattform lifted high the cross
exalting it for all people to see. St. Helena then commissioned a
church to built over the site. The church of the Holy Sepulchre was
consecrated was consecrated on September 13, 335. The feast of finding
and exultation of the cross was appointed to be celebrated annually on
the following day. The Basilica of the holy sepulchre is today regarded
as the holiest spot on earth by Christians of all denominations.
To day the sign of the cross is both Christian symbol and Christian
Identity. The cross is not just a piece of wood, it is the symbolic
summary of the suffering, death and resurrection of Christ by which we
have been redeemed. It is a symbol of our faith in the crucified and
risen one our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ taught us that the cross
should be a constant feature in the lives of us Christians. " if any
one want to become my follower he must deny himself and take up his
daily cross and follow me"( Lk 9:23). Self denial and sacrifice should
be part and parcel of our lives. Sacrifice means to give that which we
count valuable in our lives before God and for the sake of our
neighbors. Our daily crosses in life are our daily sacrifices we offer
to our brothers and sisters, in fact this is testified in the life of
Jesus'ministry, in the lives of saints, thus this is what we are called
to be.
When we celebrate the feast of the
exultation of the cross we see from the scripture that when Moses
raised the serpent (the seraph) on a pole to save the people from their
sins, thus this was a foreshadow of Christ who would be lifted high on
the cross to save us from our sins.
By virtue of your baptism you are
part of common priesthood. By virtue of my ordination I am part of the
ministerial priesthood. Thus we both offer on the alter sacrifice
whenever we gather together to celebrate mass on weekdays and on
sunday, for you that means all the sufferings, trials and tribulations
you experience during the week should be brought here on Sunday and
laid on the altar. When the gifts of bread and wine are presented and
put on the altar, then you spiritually lay your sufferings on the altar
and pour them into the chalice. Then I call upon the Holy spirit(
Consecration), and they are transformed into the Eucharist. What was
our sufferings become our means of salvation and that of all the World.
This is how our suffering becomes meaningful when we empty ourselves
and offer it on behalf of others.
The feast of the exultation of the
cross is all about service. It is in service that we are glorified and
exulted, not in show of power/wealth/ influence. From the letter of st.
Paul we learn that " God became a servant , a slave- he humbled himself
yet through that act he was glorified. We are called to be servants of
our communities and of our brothers and sisters in our vocation to be
truly christians.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
13. My sweet Jesus,
I unite my soul to Thy soul,
and my heart, my mind, my life, and my intentions to Thine; and thus
united,
I present myself to Thy Father. Receive me, O Eternal Father, through
the
merits of Thy beloved Son.
September
12, 2021
(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.
FATHER ERIC BANECKER:“We
are a demoralized society: Public morality is held up as a negative,
and the idea that there is a common moral code either does not exist or
exists in a warped way. People are just sick and tired of being sick
and tired. They are beaten down by the Twitter wars and the real wars
and the disintegration of our society. We see this in the deaths of
despair, the rising suicide rate, people struggling with addiction, and
the lack of trust in institutions, including the Church. All this
prevents people from moving forward to experience the abundance that
God has offered us.”
VIDEO: The
Reason the World is GOING BONKERS - Fr. Mark Goring, CC
A MOMENT WITH MARY: Let us invoke Mary, especially during dangers of
historical proportion
ALETEIA: Why is the Holy Name of Mary celebrated on
September 12?
BLOG: The Most Holy Name of Mary
Whosoever thou art that knowest thyself to be here not so much walking
upon firm ground, as battered to and fro by the gales and storms of
this life’s ocean, if thou wouldst not be overwhelmed by the tempest,
keep thine eyes fixed upon this star’s clear shining. If the winds of
temptation rise against thee, or thou run upon the rocks of trouble,
look to the star, call on Mary. If thou art tossed by the waves of
pride, or ambition, or slander, or envy, look to the star, call on
Mary. If anger or avarice or the enticements of the flesh beat against
thy soul’s barque, look to Mary. If the enormity of thy sins trouble
thee, if the foulness of thy conscience confound thee, if the dread of
judgment appall thee, if thou begin to slip into the deep of
despondency, into the pit of despair, think of Mary.
In dangers, in difficulties, in doubts, think of Mary, call upon Mary.
Let Her not be away from thy mouth or from thine heart, and that thou
may obtain the succour of Her prayers, turn not aside from the example
of Her conversation. If thou follow Her, thou wilt never go astray; if
thou pray to Her, thou wilt never despair; if thou keep Her in mind,
thou wilt never wander. If She hold thee, thou wilt never fall; if She
lead thee, thou wilt never be weary; if She help thee, thou wilt reach
home safe, and so prove in thyself how rightly it was said, “And the
Virgin’s name was Mary.” (From the sermon of St Bernard of Clairvaux in
the Office of the Most Holy Name of Mary.)
EXCERPT CATHOLIC INSIGHTS:
The Most Holy Name of Mary
While honouring the Name of the
Tota Pulchra, the Beautiful One, let us now pray the subsequent prayer
which greatly honours the Name of Mary, accompanied by St Alphonsus de
Liguori:
O great Mother of God and my Mother
Mary, it is true that I am unworthy to name thee; but thou, who lovest
me and desirest my salvation, must, notwithstanding the impurity of my
tongue, grant that I may always invoke thy most holy and powerful name
in my aid, for thy name is the succor of the living, and the salvation
of the dying. Ah, most pure Mary, most sweet Mary, grant that
henceforth thy name may be the breath of my life. O Lady, delay not to
help me when I invoke thee, for in all the temptations which assail me,
and in all my wants, I will never cease calling upon thee, and
repeating again and again, Mary, Mary. Thus it is that I hope to act
during my life, and more particularly at death, that after that last
struggle I may eternally praise thy beloved name in heaven, O clement,
O pious, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Ah, Mary, most amiable Mary, with
what consolation, what sweetness, what confidence, what tenderness, is
my soul penetrated in only naming, in only thinking of thee! I thank my
Lord and God, who, for my good, has given thee a name so sweet and
deserving of love, and at the same time so powerful. But, my sovereign
Lady, I am not satisfied with only naming thee, I wish to name thee
with love: I desire that my love may every hour remind me to call on
thee, so that I may be able to exclaim with St. Bonaventure, “O name of
the Mother of God, thou art my love.” My own dear Mary, O my beloved
Jesus, may your most sweet names reign in my heart, and in all hearts.
Grant that I may forget all others to remember, and always invoke, your
adorable names alone. Ah! Jesus my Redeemer, and my Mother Mary, when
the moment of death comes when I must breathe forth my soul and leave
this worid, deign, through your merits, to grant that I may then
pronounce my last words, and that they may be, “I love thee, O Jesus; I
love thee, O Mary; to you do I give my heart and my soul.” Amen.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
12. We must keep
control over all our senses by
holy interior recollection, banishing all useless reflection and
introspection;
these only serve to disturb us and deprive our soul of that peace
without
which it will never be the sanctuary of God.
September
10, 2021
(Rom 15:13) Now
the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing: that you
may abound in hope and in the power of the Holy Ghost.
REVIEW: How
To Live A Simple Life
DESMOND
BIRCH: On Hope
EXCERPT HOMILY: Joy in The Battle
So, how children, do we restore our
joy?
First, we must know who we are up
against, the devil himself. Being an angelic being he is smarter,
stronger, and more has more perseverance than us. So, we can’t rely on
our own power. We must fight with the power of God, and the
intercession of the saints, especially our Lady.
We do this by using all the weapons
we have. The weapons we have are many beginning with the seven
sacraments. Confession to purify us from the sin we have committed in
the blood of Jesus. Often people ask me how often they should go to
confession, well, given the times, and the constant temptations around
us, I’d say every other week is reasonable. If you are a big sinner
like me, every week. This brings the obvious joy of being set free.
With the freedom from sin comes the ability to never be slaves of Satan
again.
Holy Communion, which gives us the
strength to continue to fight against evil. If possible, go to daily
Mass. Holy Mass, especially daily Mass, gives us the daily shot in the
arm we need to fight the world, the, flesh, and the devil. It is what
we need to become the Special Forces in the battle against Satan. This
brings the joy of receiving Jesus, something the angels long for but do
not receive.
Then there are my three favorite
sacramentals. Which are like sacraments, but rely more upon our faith,
than the power of the Sacraments, which work on their own, as long as
there is a valid priest and the proper matter and form.
Now, don’t get me wrong,
sacramentals, when used with faith, are very powerful indeed.
So, first, the holy rosary, which
we should be saying every day, as our Lady of Fatima requested of us,
specifically for world peace, and we surely need that now with so many
hot spots around the world. This brings the joy of being devoted to the
perfect of mothers, the very mother of God. I fear that without an army
of people praying the Rosary every single day, we are headed for war.
I’m no prophet, but we can all see the signs of the times, and see what
is coming. Of course, have no fear, our Lord Jesus is in control, and
whatever happens is only for our good, and so we MUST put our trust in
him.
Second, the brown scapular of our
Lady of Mount Carmel. This is a sacramental that needs to be worn,
because it is a miniature religious habit that a monk or nun would
wear. It’s kind of like our lady’s garment of grace that she has
lovingly knit for us to be a protection against the cold of sin and the
evil temptations of the devil. It’s simple to wear, and the promise
associated with it is big. Our Lady said to saint Simon stock when she
gave it to him, whosoever dies wearing this scapular will not suffer
the fires of hell. What a promise that is. It’s a wonder every Catholic
doesn’t wear one. This brings us the joy of being clothed in the
garment of salvation. It is a little-known fact that during the miracle
of the sun at Fatima that our Lady appeared as our Lady of Mt. Carmel,
inextricably connecting the message of our Lady of Fatima with the
brown scapular of our Lady of Mt. Carmel. As St. Dominic said, through
the Holy rosary, and the scapular the Lord will save the world.
Third, is the saint Benedict medal.
This medal has the distinctive privilege of being the only medal that
is exorcised before it is blessed. Many priests don’t know of this
blessing, so when I post this on my blog I will provide a link, as well
as a link to get good quality scapulars, medals, and rosaries. The
saint Benedict medal, because of its special blessing, and the ancient
symbols and prayers inscribed on it, it is especially effective against
the devil. This gives us the joy of having power, as did my holy
Father, Saint Benedict, have power over the enemy of our soul.
So, in addition to the Holy
Sacrifice of the Mass, confession, and these three sacramentals, we are
loaded to the holy hilt to do battle against our foe. Which brings the
ultimate joy, that of heaven.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
11. One of the ways
most pleasing to God of keeping
ourselves in His holy presence, is to enter into the Sacred Heart of
Jesus
and to commit to Him all the care of ourselves. We must abide therein
as
in an abyss of love, and lose in it that which is of ourselves, so that
He may substitute that which is of Himself.
September
8, 2021
(Luk
1:46-48) And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. Because he hath regarded the humility
of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call
me blessed.
THE VIRGIN MARY'S BIRTHDAY:
The nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary was well planned by God from
the very beginning. In the Garden of Eden, God promised Adam and Eve to
send them a Savior through the providential Woman, whose “seed will
crush the head of the serpent” (Genesis 3:5). In other words, the
Savior of the human race was to come as the offspring of a Woman.
REVIEW: Why do Catholics celebrate the Virgin Mary’s birthday
on September 8?
A MOMENT WITH MARY ARCHIVES: The daughter of infertile parents, she became the
fertile virgin
CNA ARCHIVES: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Catholic Church celebrates today the birth of the Blessed Virgin
Mary on its traditional fixed date of September 8, nine months after
the December 8 celebration of her Immaculate Conception as the child of
Saints Joachim and Anne.
The circumstances of the Virgin
Mary's infancy and early life are not directly recorded in the Bible,
but other documents and traditions describing the circumstances of her
birth are cited by some of the earliest Christian writers from the
first centuries of the Church.
These accounts, although not
considered authoritative in the same manner as the Bible, outline some
of the Church's traditional beliefs about the birth of Mary.
The “Protoevangelium of James,”
which was probably put into its final written form in the early second
century, describes Mary's father Joachim as a wealthy member of one of
the Twelve Tribes of Israel. Joachim was deeply grieved, along with his
wife Anne, by their childlessness. “He called to mind Abraham,” the
early Christian writing says, “that in the last day God gave him a son
Isaac.”
Joachim and Anne began to devote themselves extensively and rigorously
to prayer and fasting, initially wondering whether their inability to
conceive a child might signify God's displeasure with them.
As it turned out, however, the
couple were to be blessed even more abundantly than Abraham and Sarah,
as an angel revealed to Anne when he appeared to her and prophesied
that all generations would honor their future child: “The Lord has
heard your prayer, and you shall conceive, and shall bring forth, and
your seed shall be spoken of in all the world.”
After Mary's birth, according to the Protoevangelium of James, Anne
“made a sanctuary” in the infant girl's room, and “allowed nothing
common or unclean” on account of the special holiness of the child. The
same writing records that when she was one year old, her father “made a
great feast, and invited the priests, and the scribes, and the elders,
and all the people of Israel.”
“And Joachim brought the child to the priests,” the account continues,
“and they blessed her, saying: 'O God of our fathers, bless this child,
and give her an everlasting name to be named in all generations' . . .
And he brought her to the chief priests, and they blessed her, saying:
'O God most high, look upon this child, and bless her with the utmost
blessing, which shall be for ever.'”
The protoevangelium goes on to describe how Mary's parents, along with
the temple priests, subsequently decided that she would be offered to
God as a consecrated Virgin for the rest of her life, and enter a
chaste marriage with the carpenter Joseph.
Saint Augustine described the birth
of the Blessed Virgin Mary as an event of cosmic and historic
significance, and an appropriate prelude to the birth of Jesus Christ.
“She is the flower of the field from whom bloomed the precious lily of
the valley,” he said.
The fourth-century bishop, whose
theology profoundly shaped the Western Church's understanding of sin
and human nature, affirmed that “through her birth, the nature
inherited from our first parents is changed."
SAINT
ANDREW OF CRETE:
Let all creation sing and dance and unite to make worthy contribution
to the celebration of this day. Let there be one common festival for
saints in heaven and men on earth. Let everything, mundane things and
those above, join in festive celebration. Today this created world is
raised to the dignity of a holy place for him who made all things. The
creature is newly prepared to be a divine dwelling place for the
Creator.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
10. Let us adore and
love God through the adorable
Heart of Jesus: let us do all our actions in Him; let us beg Him to do
all in us and for us, and to restore us to grace by uniting us again to
His Father, when sin has separated us from Him.
September
7, 2021
(Mat 19:14-15) But
Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to
come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such. And when he had
imposed hands upon them, he departed from thence.
NCR: Texas Abortion Ban: Not All Choices Are Equal Before
God
NEWSMAX: Opponents of Texas Abortion Law Find Ally in Satanic
Temple
THE FEDERALIST: Archbishop Cordileone: It’s Not Political, Catholics
Must Fight Abortion Like They Fought Segregation
Pastors who “speak softly” about
the brutal murder of more than 60 million children should instead mimic
Catholic leaders who boldly challenged racial segregation in the 1950s,
said the Archbishop of San Francisco Salvatore J. Cordileone.
In a Washington Post op-ed,
Cordileone condemned Catholic politicians who use their platforms and
power to bolster abortion and anti-life sentiments. Some of the
highest-ranking American politicians — including President Joe Biden
and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi — proclaim their Catholic “faith”
while pushing for abortion laws that go against the church they claim
to be a part of.
After the Supreme Court ruled to at
least temporarily allow a Texas law that protects babies with a
detectable heartbeat from abortion, self-described Catholic politicians
openly opposed the ruling.
“I find it especially disturbing
that so many of the politicians on the wrong side of the preeminent
human rights issue of our time are self-professed Catholics. This is a
perennial challenge for bishops in the United States: This summer, we
provoked an uproar by discussing whether public officials who support
abortion should receive the sacrament of the Eucharist,” Cordileone
said. “We were accused of inappropriately injecting religion into
politics, of butting in where we didn’t belong.” This summer, the
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops met to advance a document
about “Eucharistic coherence,” revitalizing the sacrality and
importance of the Eucharist to the Catholic Church. Many ignorant
politicians accused the church of politicizing the Eucharist and using
the document as a ploy to deny communion to public officials like Biden
and Pelosi who constantly oppose church teachings. The church did
neither.
Rather, Cordileone wrote, Catholic
bishops have a responsibility to respond — strongly — to prominent
officials who openly oppose church teachings on abortion. Bishops must
only look to the example of New Orleans Archbishop Joseph Rummel, “who
courageously confronted the evils of racism,” and employed a “long,
patient campaign of moral suasion to change the opinions of
pro-segregation White Catholics.” “Rummel did not ‘stay in his lane.’
Unlike several other bishops throughout this country’s history, he did
not prioritize keeping parishioners and the public happy above
advancing racial justice,” Cordileone said.
Rummel admitted two black students
to New Orleans’s Notre Dame Seminary in 1948 and in 1951 ordered the
removal of “white” and “colored” signs from Catholic churches in his
archdiocese. He ardently opposed segregation and in 1953, told white
Catholics that there could be “no further discrimination or segregation
in the pews.” He also closed a church for refusing to accept a black
priest and championed the end of segregation in New Orleans Catholic
schools.
Rummel knew what the church taught
and was willing to back up his faith with action.
“Was that wrong?” Cordileone asked.
“Was that weaponizing the Eucharist? No. Rummel recognized that
prominent, high-profile public advocacy for racism was scandalous: It
violated core Catholic teachings and basic principles of justice, and
also led others to sin.” The modern parallel is abortion.
“Abortion kills a unique,
irreplaceable human being growing in his or her mother’s womb. Everyone
who advocates for abortion, in public or private life, who funds it or
who presents it as a legitimate choice participates in a great moral
evil,” he said.
When the “blood of 60 million
innocent American children cries out for justice,” pastors cannot speak
quietly, reducing the murder of babies to a “culture of choice,”
Cordileone said. To do so would be going against the church and human
dignity.
“You cannot be a good Catholic and
support expanding a government-approved right to kill innocent human
beings. The answer to crisis pregnancies is not violence but love, for
both mother and child,” he said. “This is hardly inappropriate for a
pastor to say. If anything, Catholic political leaders’ response to the
situation in Texas highlights the need for us to say it all the louder.”
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
6. Now is the time
to humble myself and show God
that I love Him.
September
3, 2021
(2Th 2:1-3) And
we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and of
our gathering together unto him: That you be not easily moved from your
sense nor be terrified, neither by spirit nor by word nor by epistle.
as sent from us, as if the day of the Lord were at hand. Let no man
deceive you by any means: for unless there come a revolt first, and the
man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition
VIDEO: Eternity
is Moments Away - Fr. Mark Goring, CC
SPIRITDAILY: Call chastisement what it is
LIFESITENEWS.COM: Vigaṇ: considerations on the Great Reset and the New
World Order
EXCERPT INTERVIEW ARCHBISHOP LENGA:
Are we living in the end times?
All those signs that are widespread all over the word today show that
the time is approaching the end time. That doesn’t mean saying that
tomorrow will be the end of the world and everything will be finished.
This world will end to every one of us with our death and the other
world will start, where God will speak to us and judge us according to
our love for Him. But it can came to a massive upheaval, as this world
is so much possessed by the Devil, and we are already so much saturated
with the rot , and all this indifference, and it’s so hard to change
the despicable men.
(Abp. Lenga gives here the example when God spoke to Moses, as God was
unhappy with the stubborn and defiant nation, and told Moses that He
would make the new nation originating from Moses himself. But Moses was
asking God to spare the nation hoping that it could still convert to
God).
And I already had said that all should be lost! Strong, isn’t it? But I
also said, including myself. Because I can feel inside myself that my
own primary devotion (when I used to have a different perception of
clerical matters) used to be better years ago from the today’s one. I
am also infected by all that modernism, not because I want it, but
because I can smell it’s mal-odour every day. Whether I want it or not,
I inhale it. Whether I want it or not, I touch it by saying that it is
stinky, that it is bad. I have to combat it, but during that fight I’m
polluted by it, it stains me. You cannot hide yourself in some place in
the desert today, to avoid this cesspit of sin where we are. And this
all reveals great trepidation that can bring about God’s tribunal as
there is no more earthly authority that would say: the world has to
change. Politicians of all the levels say that something bad is going
on but they do nothing to change it. All the more when they damaged the
Catholic Church which is the only one that can and should still
proclaim the will of the Christ. And the Catholic Church is also
damaged by what goes on (and behind the scenes) at the Vatican, when
Bergoglio meets with Rothschild’s and effectively hands them the power
to rule even the Vatican, and he tells to listen to the UN rather than
Christ. This, then is the catastrophe.
God’s commandment calls us to remember to keep holy the Sabbath day.
Everyone, from young to old, should be in the Church. This is the time
for God. And to rest, no work on Sunday. Bishops don’t teach that. They
sit quietly, remain tight-lipped. And they will criticize when you come
to rebuke them for breaking God’s law. They do not want to listen, but
only look for the allies everywhere instead.
It was the same with Christ whom they crucified. Jews were saying that:
it was “better for The One to die in place of the whole nation”. And
they had gone wrong. Christ was resurrected but they are scattered
throughout the whole world. And today’s Catholics at the highest levels
of hierarchy have gone mad, and instead of reminding of Christ’s Truth
at the particular time, they are damaging the Church.
When Christ comes there will be a bigger scourge than it was at the
beginning when Jews crucified Him. We are more guilty in what we
perpetrated. And not just the world but the people who the Church, the
wolves in sheep’s clothing. I blame cardinals, bishops, Bergoglio, all
post-council bishops that have lived according to the Masonic agenda. I
don’t blame every of them personally as I can’t get into their
conscience, but I do judge the outcome of their activity, and that is
clearly visible without a magnifying glass. Until they awaken and
convert they are shortening the time to Christ’s coming, in order to
put everything in the right order. And then it may follow a very, very
strong scourging, of them first, and then of the other sinners. As
maybe they didn’t fully understand what they did, but they still will
be accountable because the conscience stands in a clear position, it is
transparent, and it wants the Truth.
But everything has been infected, and people live in this manure and
think that this is how it should be. No, this should not be like this!
God and conscience has to be listened to instead of various others who
tell us the wrong things. Do not fear. Go forward. Convert. Everyone in
their own place.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
5. You have only to
unite yourself in all that
you do to the Sacred Heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the beginning
of
your actions, make His dispositions your own, and at the end offer His
merits as satisfaction.
September
1, 2021
(Pro 6:16-19) Six
things there are, which the Lord hateth, and the seventh his soul
detesteth: Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent
blood, A heart that deviseth wicked plots, feet that are swift to run
into mischief, A deceitful witness that uttereth lies, and him that
soweth discord among brethren.
VICTIMS OF ABORTION: Broken Branches Newsletter Issue 144, Aug/Sept 2021
NCR: Our Lady of Czestochowa, Patroness of women scarred by
abortion
SCOTUSBLOG: Abortion providers ask Supreme Court to block Texas
ban on abortions beginning at six weeks of pregnancy
NEWS REPORT: What’s ahead for the U.S. Supreme Court this year for
reproductive health
EXCERPT DENVER CATHOLIC:
Mass celebrated in front of Denver’s Planned
Parenthood starts new phase of pro-life ministry
Catholics gathered across the street from Denver’s Planned Parenthood
abortion facility, the largest in Colorado, Aug. 14 for the launch of a
new pro-life initiative: 40 Days for Life 365.
In doing so, Denver joined a growing list of cities in the US hosting a
year-round prayer vigil rather than a fall and spring campaign of 40
Days.
“God has shown us through tens of thousands of saved babies (i.e.
miracles) that prayer is our most powerful weapon against this evil,”
said Brad Maddock, one of the organizers of the Aug. 14 event and Denver Prays
for Life.
“If fifteen elementary children were murdered today our community and
news media would be outraged. Instead, we have become numb to this
killing.”
During the bilingual event, Mass was said, and speakers presented
between recitation of the rosary and the Divine Mercy chaplet.
The goal of 40 Days for Life 365 is peacefully to witness to the
dignity of life and pray outside a designated abortion facility every
day it is open. The number 365 signifies a new movement to make 40 Days
prayer vigils year-round, rather than fall and spring campaigns of 40
days.
“The fight of our lives is the fight for the millions of unborn
children that deserve their lives,” said Catherine Worachek, a student
at Our Lady of Victory High School, who attended the event with her
mother and several classmates. “Our heroes aren’t gearing up for a
single fight that will culminate in a decisive victory or defeat.
Instead, we are pushing for a consistent, daily effort.”
Testimony at the event included the story of a woman who found healing
through the post-abortion ministry Rachel’s Vineyard, and Colorado
Students for Life member David Nguyen urged those present to apply the
doctrine of human dignity to their everyday life.
Thoughts
and Sayings of Saint Margaret Mary: Union with God
4. Everything
depends on prayer well made; but
in order to pray well, one must be very recollected and mortified.
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