Keep
your eyes open!...
August 31, 2018
(1Co 1:9-10) God is faithful: by whom you are
called unto the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Now I
beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you
all speak the same thing and that there be no schisms among you: but
that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgment.
OUR LADY OF AKITA:
"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a
way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against
bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by
their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full
of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests
and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.
AVE MARIA UNIVERSITY: Statement by President Jim Towey Regarding The Rift Within The Church
CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT: Why we stay, and the Vigano Testimony
EXCERPT BLOG: J. R. R. Tolkien's Lost Prophetic Message on Abuse in the Church
J. R. R. Tolkien was not only the
author of the best-selling novel ever written, but a fierce Catholic.
Nearly 55 years ago in a letter penned to his son, Tolkien offered a
prophetic message on having unwavering Faith despite grave scandal in
the clergy.
“Besides the Sun
there may be moonlight but if the Sun were removed there would be no
Moon to see. What would Christianity now be if the Roman Church has in
fact been destroyed?” – Letter 250, The Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien
It’s no secret the Holy Mother Church is
experiencing a time of turbulence and unrest following a string of
abuse scandals, along with allegations of cover-ups that reach the
highest echelons of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. To Tolkien, scandal
is no cause for sagging faith, eloquently illustrating that even in the
most dire of times Faith finds its inspiration in love.
“Our love may be
chilled and our will eroded by the spectacle of the shortcomings,
folly, and even sins of the Church and its ministers, but I do not
think that one who has once had faith goes back over the line for these
reasons.”
For those that find the revelations so disheartening they see no other
option but to leave the Church, Tolkien says scandal is an occasion of
temptation – temptation to falter in our Faith because “scandal tends
to turn our eyes away from ourselves and our own faults to find a
scape-goat.” To have unwavering Faith in the face of tribulation is not
a single decision, but instead a permanently repeated act of will in
praying for our final perseverance.
Tolkien offers the cure for sagging
faith: participating in the “perfect, complete, and inviolate” Blessed
Sacrament. Just like Faith is a repeated act of will, so too must
Communion be continuous. Tolkien believed that frequency was of the
highest effect, and Communion seven times a week was very nourishing.
“We must
therefore either believe in Him and in what he said and take the
consequences; or reject him and take the consequences.”
Tolkien said that he suffered from “stupid, tired, dimmed, and even bad
priests,” but these are not reasons to leave the Church, because to
leave the Church would be abandoning Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.
Instead, we should grieve for and with Christ, “associating ourselves
with the scandalizers not with the saints.”
FATHER LONGENECKER: Discouraged Catholics- Man Up!
EXCERPT MARK MALLET: Pray More....Speak Less
A war of words is beginning to
erupt. The ugly political underbelly of the Church is being exposed as
“collegiality” begins to disintegrate. Sides are being taken. Moral
“high ground” is being staked out. Laymen are casting stones.
Words are powerful. So powerful, that Jesus is identified as “the Word
made flesh.” I’m going to speak more in the days ahead about the power
of judgments, which are tearing at the very seams of peace today. Watch
out, brothers and sisters! Satan is setting the traps of division as we
speak to destroy your marriages, families, and nations.
We need to pray more, speak less. For we have entered the vigil of the
Day of the Lord. It is time to watch and pray. Speak less. But what of
the controversy engulfing the Church?
The last thing we should do is panic, become depressed, or cave into
despair. Remember what Jesus said to the Apostles as the waves crashed
over their barque: “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”
(Mark 4:37-40) The Church is not finished, even though she will come to
resemble Christ in the tomb. As Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict) said
at the turn of the new millennium, we…
…must surrender to
the mystery of the grain of mustard seed and not be so pretentious as
to believe to immediately produce a large tree. We either live too much
in the security of the already existing large tree or in the impatience
of having a greater, more vital tree—instead, we must accept the
mystery that the Church is at the same time a large tree and a very
small grain. In the history of salvation it is always Good Friday and
Easter Sunday at the same time…. —The New Evangelization, Building the
Civilization of Love.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
10. He who has been united with humility as his
bride is above all gentle, kind, easily moved to compunction, sympathetic,
calm, bright, compliant, inoffensive, vigilant, not indolent and free from
passion; for the Lord remembered us in our humility, and redeemed us from
our enemies (Ps 135: 23-24), and our passions and impurities.
August 28, 2018
(Rev 12:9-12) 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. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word
of the testimony: and they loved not their lives unto death. Therefore,
rejoice, O heavens, and you that dwell therein. Woe to the earth and to
the sea, because the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath,
knowing that he hath but a short time.
USCCB: President
of U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops Renews Commitment for Greater
Effectiveness and Transparency in Disciplining Bishops
CNA: Former nunciature official: 'Vigano said the truth'
LIFESITENEWS.COM: Reflection about the “Testimony” of Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigaṇ from August 22, 2018
COURAGEOUS PRIEST: The Accusations by Archbishop Vigaṇ are Legit by Fr. Carlos Martins:
I just spent the last two hours on
the phone with a friend in the Vatican Curia. He said that the news of
Archbishop Vigaṇ has hit the Curia like an atomic bomb. Two things are
universally noted regarding Vigaṇ: 1) He is highly respected as a
professional, and 2) His Curial positions gave him clear access to the
damning information he reported. In other words, he is not a hack, and
he is not relying on rumor. This makes his report absolutely worthy of
belief.
Vigaṇ always had a reputation for
being a combatant of internal Vatican corruption. In fact, during the
Vatican leaks scandal, whistle-blowing reports that he authored were
among the main documents that were leaked. This was an attempt by the
persons he outed to pre-empt the report’s impact and suck the energy
out of the attempt to investigate their claims. Naturally, the
subsequent energy went into investigating the Vatileaks situation in
general, and Vigaṇ was exiled as Nuncio to the United States for being
a trouble maker who produced “erroneous assessments” (words from a
joint statement issued by Cardinal-President Emeritus Giovanni Lajolo,
President Giuseppe Bertello, Secretary-General Giuseppe Sciacca and
former Vice Secretary-General Giorgio Corbellini on behalf of the
Governatorate of the Vatican). To put this kind of demotion in
perspective, as Delegate for Pontifical Representations—a position from
which he was THEN PROMOTED to Secretary General of the Governatorate—
Vigaṇ was in charge of all the Apostolic Nunciatures in the world.
Thus, when garbage was reported to the Holy See on a bishop or
Cardinal—like it was with McCarrick of Washington, DC—Vigaṇ was the
first to know about it, because his desk is where the information
landed. For him to be demoted as the Nuncio to the USA, from having
been promoted to as the Vatican’s number 3 administrator behind the
pope, was severe, to say the least. In other words, Vigaṇ is not a
hack, but a highly respected individual who had been regularly promoted
for doing his job well.
In the words of the Curial official
I spoke with this afternoon, what Vigaṇ has reported “makes the Borgia
popes look like saints.” The feeling in the Curia right now is that the
response of Vigaṇ’s enemies will to try to discredit him personally,
both because of the impeccability of Vigaṇ’s character and the
impossibility of his having interpreted the facts incorrectly. Their
only hope will be to try to take energy away from the perversion and
corruption that he uncovered. They will likely state that he is a
bitter man who is seeking personal aggrandizement after having been
exiled from Rome. When this occurs, don’t buy into it. Vigaṇ is
retired. He has nothing personally to gain from this.
Friends, my advice to you is to
write your bishop and demand that he request a COMPLETE AND FULL
INVESTIGATION into the allegations brought forward by Archbishop
Vigaṇ. We are at a watershed moment in the life of the Church. If we
don’t protect her from the wolves that have crawled into her and dwell
inside her, we then have only ourselves to blame when more sheep are
eaten alive, and the Church loses even more credibility in the eyes of
the world. Archbishop Vigaṇ’s report is a call to all the sons and
daughters of the Church to personally intervene for her own health and
safety.
Cardinal Raymond Burke and Bishop
Joseph Strickland (Bishop of Tyler, Texas) have already issued
statements today calling for the same. Add your authority to theirs.
Write your bishop today. Then write to Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, Chair
of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, and request the
same, and copy the letter you sent to your bishop. Letters to Cardinal
DiNardo can mailed to:
Daniel Cardinal DiNardo
President of the USCCB
Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston
1700 San Jacinto St.
Houston, Texas 77002
Then, also write the Apostolic Nuncio and copy everything you sent to the bishops:
His Excellency, Archbishop Christophe Pierre
Apostolic Nuncio to the United States
3339 Massachusetts Ave NW
Washington, DC 20008-3610
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
9. In union with humility, it is impossible that
there should be any appearance of hatred, or any kind of dispute, or even
a sniff of disobedience, unless perhaps the Faith is called in question.
August 26, 2018
(2Ti 3:1-5) Know
also this, that in the last days shall come dangerous times. Men shall
be lovers of themselves, covetous, haughty, proud, blasphemers,
disobedient to parents, ungrateful, wicked, Without affection, without
peace, slanderers, incontinent, unmerciful, without kindness, Traitors,
stubborn, puffed up, and lovers of pleasure more than of God: Having an
appearance indeed of godliness but denying the power thereof. Now these
avoid.
CATHOLIC FAMILY NEWS: The Church's Ultimate Trial
IRISH TIMES: Former top Vatican official calls on Pope to resign over abuse crisis
A former top Vatican official
accused Pope Francis of having known of allegations of sex abuse by a
prominent US cardinal for five years before accepting his resignation
last month and he called on the pontiff to resign.
In an 11-page letter given to
conservative Roman Catholic media outlets during the Pope’s visit to
Ireland, Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano said he had told Francis in 2013
that Cardinal Theodore McCarrick had faced extensive accusations of
sexually abusing lower-ranking seminarians and priests.
Vatican officials declined immediate comment on the letter on Sunday.
Mr McCarrick became the first
Cardinal in living memory to resign his position in the Church
leadership after a review concluded that claims he had sexually abused
a 16-year-old boy were credible.
He was one of the highest-ranking
church officials accused of sex abuse in a scandal that has rocked the
1.2 billion-member faith since reports of priests abusing children and
bishops covering up for them were first reported by the Boston Globe in
2002.
Since then, patterns of widespread
abuse of children have been reported across the United States and
Europe, in Chile and Australia, undercutting the Church’s moral
authority and taking a toll on its membership and coffers.
TEXT OF TESTIMONY: https://assets.documentcloud.org/documents/4784141/TESTIMONYXCMVX-XENGLISH-CORRECTED-FINAL-VERSION.pdf
VIA LIFESITENEWS.COM:
In comments to LifeSiteNews on August 25, Archbishop Vigaṇ said: “The
main reason why I am revealing this news now is because of the tragic
situation of the Church, which can be repaired only by the full truth,
just as she has been gravely injured by the abuses and coverups. I do
this to stop the suffering of the victims and to prevent new victims,
and to protect the Church: only the truth can make her free.”
Vigaṇ said the second reason he
chose to write his testimony is “to discharge my conscience before God
of my responsibilities as bishop of the universal Church. I am an old
man and I want to present myself to God with clean conscience.”
Asked if he is concerned about
critics who might suggest he is breaking the pontifical secret — a code
of confidentiality applying to matters that require greater than
ordinary confidentiality — he said: “The secrets in the Church, also
the pontifical ones, are not taboos. They are instruments for
protecting her and her children from her enemies. The secrets are not
to be used for conspiracies.”
“The people of God have the right
to know the full truth, also regarding their shepherds,” he said. “They
have the right to be guided by good shepherds. In order to be able to
trust them and love them, they have to know them openly in transparency
and truth as they really are. A priest should be a light on a
candlestick always and everywhere and for all.”
OPINION: Cardinal Wuerl needs to resign
SANDRO MAGISTER: Homosexual Priests and Bishops. Neither "Healthy" Nor "Faithful"
BISHOP OF TYLER TEXAS: Bishop Strickland’s Public Statement to the Diocese
Dear Priests, Deacons, Religious and all Holy Faithful of the Diocese of Tyler,
A letter
by Archbishop Vigano, former Nuncio to the United States, raises grave
allegations and calls for the resignation of numerous high ranking
prelates including Pope Francis.
Let us be clear that they are still
allegations but as your shepherd I find them to be credible. Using this
standard the response must be a thorough investigation similar to those
conducted any time allegations are deemed to be credible. I do not have
the authority to launch such an investigation but I will lend my voice
in whatever way necessary to call for this investigation and urge that
it’s findings demand accountability of all found to be culpable even at
the highest levels of the Church.
As this unfolds I urge all in the
Diocese of Tyler to pray fervently for Holy Mother Church and beg the
Intercession of Our Blessed Mother. We are the flock of Jesus Christ.
He is Lord of His Church and His Holy Spirit will guide us through this
darkness.
Almighty God Father, Son and Spirit have mercy on your Church and cleanse her in the fires of your Love.
Blessed Virgin Mary, Pray for us
All Sainted Popes & Bishops in Heaven, Pray for us All Holy Men and
Women, Pray for us
I direct all priests to include this notice in the
masses on August 26, and post it on their websites and other social
media immediately.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 25- "On the destroyer of the passions,
most sublime humility"
2. This subject sets before us as a touchstone,
a treasure preserved in earthen vessels, that is to say in our bodies,
and it is of a quality that baffles all description. This treasure has
an inscription, which is incomprehensible because it comes from above,
and those who try to explain it with words give themselves great and endless
trouble. And the inscription runs thus: Holy Humility.
August 24, 2018
(Mat 9:35-38) And
Jesus went about all the cities and towns, teaching in their
synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every
disease, and every infirmity. And seeing the multitudes, he had
compassion on them: because they were distressed, and lying like sheep
that have no shepherd. Then he saith to his disciples, The harvest
indeed is great, but the labourers are few. Pray ye therefore the Lord
of the harvest, that he send forth labourers into his harvest.
ALETEIA: Africa overtakes Latin America for the highest Christian population
CATHOLIC HERALD: Africa’s priests are ‘disappearing’ in Europe
When Fr Joseph Longo arrived in
France from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2003, he
planned to stay just a few months to complete a philosophy doctorate.
Today, having run large parish clusters in different dioceses, he has
become one of many resident African priests helping to sustain the
French Church.
It was hardly surprising that Fr
Longo was prevailed upon to stay. Over the last half century the number
of priests in France has been reduced by three quarters. Within six
months of studying at Toulouse University’s Catholic faculty, Fr Longo
had been asked to take over the medieval St Barthelemy’s Church at
nearby Lauzerte, which also involved looking after 18 other parishes.
He is one of 1,800 foreign priests
officially ministering in France, mostly from former colonies in
Africa. The figure is nearly a fifth of the total number of diocesan
clergy – 11,500. An unknown number of priests are also here without
authorisation. And recently there have been signs of discontent at what
some African bishops see as a new “ecclesiastical migration”.
In May, the Ivory Coast’s bishops’
conference complained that more and more priests were going missing in
Europe and ignoring instructions to return after completing study and
pastoral assignments. (It’s not just France: in Italy, for instance, up
to 40 per cent of parishes are run by foreign-born clergy.)
“The situation is worsening and we
have to speak out and take a common stand, so the dioceses hosting our
priests will understand our position,” Bishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo of
Katiola, the bishops’ conference president, told the Catholic La Croix
daily.
“Once a priest is on mission, the
host bishop needs to ensure he was genuinely sent by his own diocese
and didn’t get there by some other means … If we’re to work together
for the evangelisation of our respective countries, we must also
respect each other’s rights.” Bishop Dogbo said he was not sure how
many of Ivory Coast’s clergy had absconded. But some dioceses, he said,
were missing up to a third of their priests who had “made excuses” not
to come home.
VATICAN: INSTRUCTION ON THE SENDING ABROAD AND SOJOURN OF DIOCESAN PRIESTS FROM MISSION TERRITORIES
RELATED COMMENTARY:
In the summer of 2001 his Vatican office issued an “instruction on the
sending abroad and sojourn of diocesan priests from mission
territories.”It was intended to “counteract the prevalent trend of a
certain number of diocesan priests” from mission territories who “want
to leave their own country and reside in Europe or North America, often
with the intention of further studies or for other reasons that are not
actually missionary.”The instruction noted that one of the
non-missionary motives for these migrating priests was the allure of
“higher living conditions,” justified by “the need for young priests in
some of the established Churches.”The document lamented that “these
priests are then convinced by such reasoning not to return to their own
country, sometimes with the tacit permission of their own bishop, or at
other times in opposition to his request that they return home.”It’s
quite a different and legitimate reason, the congregation continued,
for bishops to send priests abroad in order to provide pastoral care to
people from “their own country who have emigrated overseas.”
MORE: African priests strengthen U.S. church
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 24- "On meekness, simplicity and guilelessness"
18. Honesty is unmeddling thought, sincere character,
frank and unpremeditated speech.
August 21, 2018
(Mat 12:48-50) But
he answering him that told him, said: Who is my mother, and who are my
brethren? And stretching forth his hand towards his disciples, he said:
Behold my mother and my brethren. For whosoever shall do the will of my
Father, that is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.
ALETEIA OVERVIEW: Who is Our Lady of Knock? The silent apparition
A MOMENT WITH MARY: The Apparitions of Our Lady at Knock
On Thursday, August 21, 1879, at
about 8 pm, at Knock in Co. Mayo, Ireland, Mary McLoughlin, 45, and
Mary Byrne, 29, saw "luminous figures" on the gable wall of the parish
church. Surprised, the two women took a closer look—it was an
apparition of Our Lady.
There were fifteen official
witnesses to the apparition, all of whom saw the Virgin for nearly two
hours. The driving rain prevented some of them from staying until the
end. Others left and then came back, witnessing the same scene: the
Blessed Virgin appeared life-size in the attitude of prayer, with her
eyes turned up towards heaven, a crown on her head and wearing a large
white cloak fastened to the neck. Next to her were Saint Joseph and
Saint John the Evangelist. The onlookers also saw the body of a lamb
above and resting on an altar.
No vocal message was communicated
during this silent apparition, but miraculous healings were reported.
In 1879, the diocesan archbishop instituted a commission of inquiry,
which issued a positive report the following year. In 1936, Bishop
Gilmartin, Archbishop of Tuam, opened a Medical Findings Office to
scientifically study the alleged cures, and he created a new commission
of inquiry that reiterated the positive conclusions of 1880.
Knock, the "Irish Lourdes," has
continued to attract crowds. In 1979, Saint John Paul II came to Knock
on one of his first trips. (1)
___________________________
(1) More recently, Pope Francis
will visit Knock on August 26, 2018, during his stay in Ireland for the
World Meeting of Families in Dublin
VIDEO: The Story of Knock
PADRE PIO CONNECTION: The
people of Ireland have traditionally had a great devotion to Padre Pio.
Every year at the shrine of Knock in County Mayo, Ireland, a Padre Pio
commemoration day is observed. Between fifteen and twenty thousand
people attend the celebration.
SAINT PIO OF PIETRELCINA: "The Mother of Sorrows is my confidante, my teacher, my counsellor, and my powerful advocate".
OF FURTHER INTEREST
Padre Pio's Masterpiece: Giacomo Gaglione, the spiritual child of Padre Pio that most resembled him.
The "Shroud of Padre Pio":
The saint wiped his face with a handkerchief, and later a mysterious
image appeared on it. World-renowned Shroud of Turin expert says the
image is acheropita – not made by human hands.
Padre Pio's First Public Miracle: The story of Padre Pio's first publicized miracle.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 24- "On meekness, simplicity and guilelessness"
17. Guilelessness is a joyous state of soul far
removed from all ulterior motive.
August 19, 2018
(1Co 6:9-10) Know
you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not
err: Neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers: Nor the
effeminate nor liers with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor
drunkards nor railers nor extortioners shall possess the kingdom of God.
L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO: The Pope is on the victims’ side
VATICAN NEWS: Pope Francis on clerical sexual abuse: Always seek the truth
BLOG: No Matter How Bad You Think the Corruption Is, It’s Worse
EXCERPT CATHOLIC FAMILY NEWS: Sexual Abuse and the Third Secret – A Timely Reminder
You may well be wondering: How do these cases of clergy sexual
abuse/pastoral negligence have anything to do with Fatima? Well, do you
recall what Benedict XVI stated back in 2010? “One would be deceiving
himself to think that Fatima’s prophetic mission is complete.” He
uttered those words on May 13; two days prior, while en route to
Fatima, he uttered even more explosive words in response to an equally
controversial question, one directly related to clergy sexual abuse.
On May 11, 2010, during the flight to Portugal, Benedict fielded a
small number of pre-selected questions from the media that were
presented to him by Fr. Federico Lombardi, S.J., then-Director of the
Holy See Press Office. The third and final series of questions reads as
follows:
“… Your Holiness, what meaning do the Fatima apparitions have for us
today? In June 2000, when you presented the text of the third secret in
the Vatican Press Office, a number of us and our former colleagues were
present. You were asked if the message could be extended, beyond the
attack on John Paul II, to other sufferings on the part of the Popes.
Is it possible, to your mind, to include in that vision the sufferings
of the Church today for the sins involving the sexual abuse of minors?”
[emphasis added] Here, in part, was Benedict’s explosive answer:
“… In 2000, in my presentation, I said that an apparition – a
supernatural impulse which does not come purely from a person’s
imagination but really from the Virgin Mary, from the supernatural –
that such an impulse enters into a subject and is expressed according
to the capacities of that subject. … Consequently, I would say that,
here too, beyond this great vision of the suffering of the Pope, which
we can in the first place refer to Pope John Paul II, an indication is
given of realities involving the future of the Church, which are
gradually taking shape and becoming evident. So it is true that, in
addition to moment indicated in the vision, there is mention of, there
is seen, the need for a passion of the Church, which naturally is
reflected in the person of the Pope, yet the Pope stands for the Church
and thus it is sufferings of the Church that are announced. The Lord
told us that the Church would constantly be suffering, in different
ways, until the end of the world. … As for the new things which we can
find in this message today, there is also the fact that attacks on the
Pope and the Church come not only from without, but the sufferings of
the Church come precisely from within the Church, from the sin existing
within the Church. This too is something that we have always known, but
today we are seeing it in a really terrifying way: that the greatest
persecution of the Church comes not from her enemies without, but
arises from sin within the Church, and that the Church thus has a deep
need to relearn penance, to accept purification, to learn forgiveness
on the one hand, but also the need for justice. Forgiveness does not
replace justice.” [emphasis added]
CATHOLIC RESPONSE
Where is Jesus in the midst of the Church's sex abuse crisis?
After Abuse Reports, 4 Ways to Harness Your Holy Anger
Chastity, for Each and All, is Central to a Life of Holiness
EXCERPT: Letter to the Archdiocese of Denver on the abuse crisis by Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila, S.T.L.
Like Jesus weeping over Jerusalem, so have I wept for the Church and
for the innocent victims. I remember when I visited Auschwitz for the
first time in 1988. As I walked with horror in my heart over the
palpable evil present, pondering how could human beings do this to
other human beings, I heard in prayer, only Jesus Christ and he alone
can redeem this evil. The same is true with the sexual abuse crisis of
today, as well as with the emptying of our pews, and the abandonment of
God by the world. So, what must we do?
We must recognize that complacency about evil and sin is present both
in the Church and the world and has led us to where we are today. This
culture of complacency among clergy and laity must come to an end!
We have also failed to recognize that the spiritual battle is real.
Some say the Lord has forsaken the Church, but this is not true.
Rather, there are some within the Church who have forsaken Jesus and
the Gospel. Pope Francis speaks often in his homilies of the devil and
his workings. The devil is real and pulls us away from the ways of
Jesus and the love of the Father. The devil uses confusion, chaos,
discouragement, and negative thinking to draw us away from Jesus. When
one looks at salvation history one sees, beginning with Adam and Eve,
moving through the Old and New Testaments, and down through the
centuries to now, that it is human beings who abandon the ways of God.
When the ways of God are abandoned, God lets human beings go their own
way and there are always dire consequences.
Jesus tells his disciples in John 15 that “apart from me you can do
nothing” and he further tells us that if we separate ourselves from the
vine, Jesus, we will wither. Perhaps the reason for our empty pews, the
sharp decline of the faith in Europe and the west, the decimation of
many religious orders, and the sexual abuse crisis is that we are not
attached to Jesus, the true vine. At the heart of this crisis today is
a spiritual crisis that depends more on the solutions of men than on
the Gospel and Jesus. The cost of discipleship is real and it includes
dying to ourselves, a complete surrender to Jesus, who loves us and
desires only our good and joy (Lk 9: 23-26; Lk 14: 25-35; Mt 16: 24; Jn
15:11).
Thus, our response to this complacency must be a return to the ways of
God, which lays out the path of grace that preserves us from the real
dangers of sin and the attacks of the evil one. The Father has given us
his son Jesus, the Beatitudes, the Gospels, the truth, and his
commandments out of love for us to keep us on the narrow way of love.
He is merciful in all that he has given to us. Charity and truth must
always go together. A disciple should never lead someone into sin or
condone sin. Jesus never condoned sin! But rather taught that for the
unrepentant, the consequence for doing so is hell (Mk 9:42, Lk 17:
1-4). Just as a parent provides boundaries for their children for their
own good and protection, so has the Lord provided for us.
All of us within the Church, including the Holy Father, cardinals,
bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated and laypersons need to examine
our consciences and ask ourselves: Do I truly know, love and serve the
Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit? And do I follow the ways of Jesus
or the ways of the world? In the formation of my conscience do I listen
to the voice of God, the voice of the world, or my own voice, and do I
test the voice I hear to make sure that it is in accord with the
Gospel? Have I personally put my faith in Jesus Christ, and in this
time of tribulation do I keep my eyes fixed on “Jesus the leader and
perfecter of faith” (Heb 12: 2)? Do I know where I have come from; that
God loves me and knew me before I was born (Ps 139)? Do I know where I
am going, that I am created for eternal life and to know the Father, as
Jesus knows him (Jn 8:14)? Do I truly believe that intimacy with Jesus
can heal the wounds of my sins, weakness, or brokenness? And finally,
as Jesus so frequently reminds his disciples in John 14 and 15, those
who love him keep the commandments, just as he kept the Father’s
commandments. Do I do that?
COMMENTARY: The bishops will have to sacrifice power and privilege to resolve the abuse crisis
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 24- "On meekness, simplicity and guilelessness"
16. Hypocrisy is a contrary state of body and soul
interwoven with every kind of subterfuge.
August 1, 2018
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN IN MID-AUGUST AFTER A BRIEF SUMMER RECESS
(Psa 139:13-15) For
thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother's
womb. I will praise thee, for thou art fearfully magnified: wonderful
are thy works, and my soul knoweth right well. My bone is not hidden
from thee, which thou hast made in secret: and my substance in the
lower parts of the earth.
POPE FRANCIS ON ABORTION:
"The murder of children. To have an easy life, they get rid of an
innocent. Last century, the whole world was scandalised by what the
Nazis did to purify the race. Today, we do the same thing but with
white gloves."
VICTIMS OF ABORTION NEWSLETTER: Broken Branches Issue 125 – Aug/Sept 2018
LIFE SITE NEWS: Amazing new video illustrates humanity of preborn baby in womb
EXCERPT IRISH TIMES: Faithful Catholics will make no compromise on abortion issue
The Church faithfully upholds an exacting standard towards which God
calls human beings to aspire. The same God is loving, patient and
merciful with human beings when they sin and when they fail.
The standards of God’s Law being exacting and challenging does not
negate them. Their being unpopular and “unfashionable” does not in the
least detract from their truthfulness. We must aspire towards them,
even if we fail, again and again: “for though the upright fall seven
times daily, they get up again; but the wicked stumble in adversity”
(Proverbs 24:16).
Faithful Catholics will make no compromise on the issue of abortion
with the spirit of this evil age. Abortion is a matter of life or
death. To intentionally terminate the most defenceless among us, is
indicative of what is at the heart of human society, which must be
rejected and opposed at every turn.
The hostility and mockery of the world holds no surprises for those who
strive to be faithful to Jesus Christ and His Church. We will not draw
back in any way from maintaining the standards of His Gospel.
THE CATHOLIC THING: Time to Preach to the Non-Converted on Abortion
JANEROE.COM: Learn why all of these former abortion advocates are now pro-life leaders
MEDITATION: Thoughts
by St Theophan (1815-1894)
[I Cor. 15:29-38; Matt. 21:23-27]
When the Lord asked the question about John the Baptist, the chief
priests and the elders thought, “If we answer this way or that, either
way is disadvantageous for us,” and that is why they decided it would
be better to use ignorance as a cover. Their self-interest tied their
tongue and did not enable them to witness to the truth. If they loved
truth more than themselves, there would be different words, and
different deeds. Their interest covered up the truth and would not let
it reach the heart, interfered with forming a sincere conviction, and
made their heart indifferent to it. And it is always this way:
egotistical strivings are the original enemies of truth. All other
enemies follow them and act due to them.
If one investigates how all delusions and heresies arose, it turns out
that the source of all of them is precisely this. In words we want
nothing but the truth; but in fact the truth is a hindrance which must
be eliminated, and a lie set in its place which is more favourable for
us. Why, for example, are there materialist-nihilists? Because the idea
of God the Creator, Provider and Judge, together with the idea of the
spirituality of the soul, hinders those people from living more broadly
according to their inclinations, so they push the idea aside. It is
clear from the worthlessness of their premises that the nihilists are
not guided by the truth — it is desirable for them that everything be
just as they think, and every phantom that reflects their thoughts they
put out for show as witness to the truth. If they would sober up but a
little, they would immediately see their lie. But they pity themselves,
and therefore they remain as they are.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 24- "On meekness, simplicity and guilelessness"
15. Guile is a science, or rather, a diabolical
deformity, bereft of truth and thinking it can escape the notice of the
many.
Links 
E-mail
Dr. Zambrano 
Home
Jubilee
2000: Bringing the World to Jesus
The
Tribulation Times Archives:
FAIR
USE NOTICE: This site contains copyrighted material the
use of which
has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We
are making such material available in our efforts to advance
understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic,
democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this
constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted
material
as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance
with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is
distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest
in receiving the included information for research and educational
purposes. For more detailed information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of
your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain
permission from the copyright owner.