Keep
your eyes open!...
July 31, 2020
(1Co 2:9) But, as it is written: That
eye hath not seen, nor ear heard: neither hath it entered into the
heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.
THE TRIB TIMES WILL RETURN IN MID-AUGUST AFTER A SUMMER RECESS , GOD WILLING (James 4:15).
THE SHIELD OF FAITH: "Go thy way, thy faith has saved thee."
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Tamara Klapatch:
I hope all of you are doing well. First off, in case some of you do not
know me, my name is Tamara Klapatch and I am helping Sr. Petra-Maria
Steiner and with the blessing and approval, Padre Carmine Cucinelli in
the work of raising awareness for the Servant of God Padre Domenico da
Cese, Capuchin and the Volto Santo in the United States. If you are
receiving this email, your name and address were given to me by Sr.
Petra-Maria. During this difficult time in our world's history, even
now more than ever we need holy men and women to look up to as
examples. This world is in a state of crisis, however through much
prayer, it can also be healed. I am therefore asking for help, if
anyone is interested in promoting the Servant of God Padre Domenico da
Cese, whom not only was a spiritual son of St. Padre Pio, but also
shared in the same spiritual gifts such as reading souls, bilocation,
miraculous healings and the stigmata. I have begun a website: padredomenico.org
as well as a Facebook page: Padre Domenico da Cese - Volto Santo in
order to inform the public of any events regarding Padre Domenico and
the Volto Santo. Please let as many people know as possible, this is an
important task and I need the help of everyone to make this a success.
Just by informing people, you can make a huge difference.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this, and may our Lord
through the intercession of the Servant of God Padre Domenico da Cese
bless all of you!
BRIEF BIOGRAPHY: The life and holiness of Padre Domenico da Cese
ALETEIA: Was this bilocating priest caught on camera at Padre Pio’s funeral?
INSIDE THE VATICAN: The “Apostle of the Holy Face”
Padre Domenico da Cese, the
“Apostle of the Holy Face” of Manoppello, with the image of a bruised
man who is just opening his eyes When Padre Domenico first arrived in
Manoppello in 1966 and saw the Volto Santo, he immediately recognized
it as the face of the “stranger” who had pulled him from the rubble of
the church in Cese in 1915! But what was the exact nature of this relic
that he used to refer to as a “spider web” due to its sheerness? He
became utterly devoted to the Holy Face on the cloth, and his devotion
was such that he asked his superiors to allow him to remain permanently
assigned to the shrine in Manoppello, a request which was granted.
Padre Domenico realized that the
face of Jesus on the cloth is not that of a dead person, but of someone
alive. He began research, comparing the cloth, on which there were
absolutely no traces of either blood or paint, with pictures of the
Shroud of Turin, concluding that one (the Shroud) was the image of a
dead man, and the other (the Volto Santo) of a man who was alive — and
both of the same person. (Sophisticated scientific research carried out
by Italian scientists as recently as January 2019 has, in fact,
confirmed that the two images overlap very well.)
Padre Domenico eventually became
the first Apostle of the Volto Santo, and in this capacity he also led
pilgrimage tours of the Shrine in Manoppello. It was during one of
these tours, in 1968, that he reportedly bilocated: witnesses confirm
that he led the tour, but he was also seen by multiple witnesses, at
the very same time, attending the funeral of Padre Pio himself at San
Giovanni Rotondo, 2 1/2 hours away by car. Later, he organized a major
exhibition of the Holy Face in Pescara, Italy, for the 19th National
Eucharistic Congress in 1977.
As predicted by Padre Domenico
himself, he was struck by a speeding Fiat 500 in Turin, on the evening
of September 13, 1978, after spending time before the Shroud; he was
knocked to the ground and hit his head on a curb. (At the same time, a
16-year-old girl, Elisabetta Venditti of Pescara, rushed to her mother,
a spiritual daughter of Padre Domenico, saying she dreamt of Padre
Domenico falling to the ground covered in blood.) Padre Domenico
forgave the driver of the car, and around 10:30 p.m. on September 17,
he passed away peacefully.
In Sr. Petra-Maria’s research, she
discovered photos which show the wounds of the stigmata in his hands.
Is that also what Padre Pio meant when he told others to go to Padre
Domenico because “he is just like me?!”
The canonical process for the recognition of his holiness by the Church
was opened by the Holy See in 2013, and in 2015, Padre Domenico da Cese
was declared a “Servant of God.”
PRAYER: For the intercession of Servant of God Padre Domenico da Cese
Oh God, you gave Padre Domenico the
capacity of recognizing in the poor and the suffering the very Holy
Face of your beloved Son, whose devotion he promoted with such zeal,
through his intercession obtain for me the humility of heart, and
simplicity of the little ones to whom you have revealed the secrets of
the Kingdom, and in my hour of trial give me the strength to overcome
the seductions of evil in order to put Satan to flight, and to merit,
at the end of my earthly pilgrimage, to be able to contemplate the Holy
Face of Jesus in the glory of paradise.
Though unworthy as I am of your Divine favors, I ask that you might
grant, through the intercession of your faithful servant Padre
Domenico, the grace I humbly ask of you… Amen.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
6. God is love. so he who wishes to define this
tries with bleary eyes to measure the sand in the ocean.
July 29, 2020
(Rev 11:19) And the temple of God was
opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his
testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and
an earthquake, and great hail.
(Rev 12:1) And there appeared a great
wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her
feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
5 MINUTE VIDEO: Eucharistic Miracles & Marian Apparitions: WE’VE BEEN WARNED! - Fr. Mark Goring, CC
CATHOLIC EXCHANGE: The Overlooked Marian Apparitions at Zeitoun, Egypt
CNA ARCHIVES (2015): A 'most powerful woman' – National Geographic's major hat tip to the Virgin Mary
Our Lady. Blessed Mother. Virgin Mary. Queen of Peace. Theotokos. Handmaid of the Lord. Mother Mary.
These are just some of the titles
used to describe the young woman to whom an angel appeared some 2,000
years ago with the message that she would conceive and bear the Savior
of the World.
Mary has very few recorded words in
the New Testament, but her worldwide devotion spans across time,
cultures and even religions.
In a Nov. 8 feature for National
Geographic, “How the Virgin Mary Became the World’s Most Powerful
Woman,” Maureen Orth explores the worldwide phenomenon of devotion to
the Mother of God in anticipation of the Dec. 13 National Geographic
Channel special, “The Cult of Mary.”
In her piece, Orth spoke with Marian scholars and experts and even
followed pilgrims to Marian apparition sites to learn more about this
“most powerful woman.” “
We see the relationship of Mary with us isn’t just any relationship –
it’s sacred,” María Enriqueta García, who did her sacred theology
dissertation at the International Marian Research Institute at the
University of Dayton, told Orth.
The idea of Mary as an intercessor
before God comes from scripture at the Wedding Feast of Cana, when
Jesus performs his first miracle after his mother’s prompting of, “They
have no wine” followed by her instruction to the servers to, “Do
whatever he tells you.”
“Since then no other woman has been as exalted as Mary,” Orth said. “As
a universal symbol of maternal love, as well as of suffering and
sacrifice, Mary is often the touchstone of our longing for meaning, a
more accessible link to the supernatural than formal church teachings.
Her mantle offers both security and protection.”
For her story, Orth accompanied pilgrims around the world to Marian
apparition sites including Lourdes, Kibeho, Mexico City, and even
Medjugorje – where apparitions are said to still be occurring and the
Vatican has not yet ruled on its authenticity.
RELATED: Visions of Mary
ON EUCHARISTIC MIRACLES
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4 Approved Eucharistic Miracles from the 21st Century
Parish priest says reported Eucharistic miracle has led to conversions
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
5. The angels know how to speak about love, and
even they can only do this according to the degree of their enlightenment.
July 27, 2020
(Mat 5:10-12) Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye when they
shall revile you, and persecute you, and speak all that is evil against
you, untruly, for my sake: Be glad and rejoice for your reward is very
great in heaven. For so they persecuted the prophets that were before
you.
PERSECUTION.ORG: Today, We Mourn Hagia Sophia
ACN: Statement by Catholic charity ACN International on Hagia Sophia Reconvert into Mosque
ACN views the
proposed reconversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque with grave concern.
Once again a religious issue is being exploited for the purpose of
consolidating internal political power. Turkish President Erdogan is
apparently attempting to improve his personal popularity ratings by
means of this measure, which has been widely criticized around the
world, while at the same time diverting attention from the internal
problems of his own country.
ACN fully comprehends the outrage
this measure has provoked among Christians living in Turkey and
throughout the Middle East. It can only intensify the constant
weakening and disadvantaging of Christians and other religious
minorities in this whole region. Despite the protestations to the
contrary, and likewise, despite the clear constitutional provisions,
these minority groups among the population are often treated as
second-class citizens and are increasingly undermined in their roots
and their identity.
At the same time, ACN views the
negative reaction among many nations and politicians in regard to this
decision with some skepticism. While there has been a high degree of
indignation in regard to the re-purposing of a religious building, the
constant and in some cases state-sponsored acts of violence and
discrimination against Christians and other religious minorities in
many countries around the world have often met with little or no
reaction.
ACN once again reiterates that the
human right to full freedom of religion is inseparably linked to the
unimpeachable dignity of the human person, and the foundation,
therefore, calls upon all national governments, and on international
organizations such as the United Nations, to actively defend this right.
ACN likewise condemns the
increasing forms of extreme nationalism in many countries of the world,
frequently motivated by particular religious ideologies. The result of
these is that the members of religious minorities in these countries
are often seen as aliens and enemies, even where their ancestors have
lived in these lands long before those who now constitute the majority
took possession of them.
ACN calls in particular on the
Western nations to draw lessons from the history of the Middle East in
the 20th century and no longer remain silent over the destruction of
the fundamental right to survival of minority groups, whether in
Turkey, Iraq, India, China, Pakistan or elsewhere. Compared with this
frequently bloody persecution, the proposed re-purposing of this
important religious building, the precise effects of which are still
unknown, is a relatively minor matter.
MORE: Turkey: nationalism, not religion, drives the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque
CATHOLICCULTURE.ORG: From the Archive: The Akathist Hymn
CNA: Cardinal Bo: Hagia Sophia’s conversion into a mosque will ‘reopen wounds’
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
4. He who wishes to speak about Divine love undertakes
to speak about God. But it is precarious to expatiate on God, and may even
be dangerous for the unwary.
July 24, 2020
(Psa 32:5-6) I have acknowledged my sin to thee, and my injustice I
have not concealed. I said I will confess against my self my injustice
to the Lord: and thou hast forgiven the wickedness of my sin. For this
shall every one that is holy pray to thee in a seasonable time. And yet
in a flood of many waters, they shall not come nigh unto him.
SIGN.ORG: Transfigured: A Time To Heal
Patricia Sandoval's Escape from Drugs, Homelessness, and the Back Doors of Planned Parenthood
FACEBOOK: Rachel's Vineyard Ministries
NEWSLETTER: Rachel’s Vineyard: A Path to Healing and Reconciliation
HLI: The Beauty of Statistics on Abortion
VICTIMS OF ABORTION NEWSLETTER: Broken Branches Issue 137
FROM THE MAILBAG
VIA Anne Lastman: Yes
I know of Rachels Vineyard. Many years ago just after I began Victims
of Abortion (Aust) I was asked by a pro-lifer to go to USA and learn
about RV and bring this charism back to Australia. Well I had only
begun Victims of Abortion only months before and it was moving along
slowly but nicely, so I declined.
I began VOA following the words of my priest after my own healing and
he then said to me memorable words “now you go and do for others what
the Lord has down for you” I at first felt overwhelmed as I didn’t know
what to do but then doors and individuals slowly opened.
Several years before the revealing of my own abortions in early life
(suppressed) I had gone to university and studied Batchelor in
psychology (counselling) with a second major in Red Studies. I didn’t
know why I did this course of study as I had never been interested in
psychology or counselling but I had thought I would’ve loved to lecture
in Old Testament history. Love this especially the first three chapters
of Genesis. However, I did the psychology and it was OK but just OK and
in due course began to enjoy it.
After my healing experience with my priest friend and his method and
his words to me I suddenly understood why I did the counselling course.
My priest friend also helped me in
the early days of speaking with girls/women who came to me for
counselling. I did (in my own words) replicate though added more to
Father’s programme for healing.
At the time in Australia there was
not much in the area of post abortion grief and recovery so I didn’t
really have much reference and America was so far away, so I set about
learning all I could about post abortion grief from both my own
experience when I began to understand why dreams of dead babies,
breasts throbbed at the sound of newborn cry, disassociation when the
word abortion was heard, leaving room when others spoke about abortion
and other triggers.
I was then given (By my Archbishop) a room to work from but no
financial support from anywhere. I began the newsletter which at first
brought no financial support. I began with 37 names and husband and I
paid for all expenses. Today I have now nearly 2000 recipients.
Donations eventually came and when I needed to leave the office because
the Archbishop (you know him as Cdl Pell) moved to Sydney Australia and
the new one wanted the room for other purposes there were sufficient
donations to pay for a tiny tiny office in the city where I lived and
for the ongoing expenses.
I have in nearly 25 years never
written an invoice to charge anyone. Not because I’m angelic but
because when I began I lost two young clients because they couldn’t
afford $10 per visit so I had a discussion with my BOSS (the Lord) and
the arrangement was/is that he supplies the funds needed and I will do
the work, and indeed He has been so generous that He has kept me going
all this time.
I studied further, Post grad.
Diploma Trauma Grief and loss, and over 130 hrs Trauma studies,
learning the meaning of grief and along the way learned/discovered the
very real link between multiple abortions and early childhood abuse and
proceeded to develop and beautiful programme for healing of sexual
abuse in home by so called loved one. I further studied and received 2
Masters degrees one Theology and one in Education. Batchelor of
Education. I enjoy studying.
I have written two books one on
abortion grief (Redeeming Grief) and another on sexual abuse in family
(Hidden Pain) and a small manual for counsellors which I give away to
them to help them in the area of abuse and abortion grief.
I have spoken at overseas
conferences and many groups here in Australia (no - never invited to
America) but mostly over Europe and Malaysia/Asia/Oceania.
Just over a year ago we moved from
Eastern Australia to Western Australia and have now set up office here
though I still maintain my Eastern states Melbourne office with ongoing
clients whom I see (when not CV19) every 6-8 weeks and who are happy to
wait for me. They don’t want to go to other therapists.
Today I have 5 university degrees.
Including 2 Masters in Theology/Educ and I haven’t ever drawn a salary
from the Victims account, just small amounts when I travel, though
Victims pays for my travel when those who invite me don’t pay the
expenses and my ongoing professional development. I don’t have a need
to denude the account as my husband is happy to keep our household
happily in dollars.
Anyway William, there’s lots more
and this is just the basics about how it all came about. I write
articles (apart from Newsletter which goes as far as Iceland, Russia,
Hungary India, Rome, Italy, Germany, New Guinea, Solomon Islands et al)
for publishing usually on my two topics and I am published and still
invited to speak publicly both here in Australia and overseas.
I absolutely still love theology
and use my knowledge when it is possible, as I am a registered with the
Australian counselling Association. Similar to APA (USA and Australia
restrictions)
I am not only qualified but a
specialist counsellor (Level 4-highest level) and deal only with
abortion and sexual abuse grief as these are still not well
represented. The sexual abuse counselling takes up much time but I can
say shyly with some success.
So William there you have it. I
think I will continue for another couple of years (if God permits of
course) then slowly withdraw and give my heart, emotions and head a
break.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
3. The first can make and create all things; the
Divine mercy surrounds the second and makes it immune to disappointment;
the third does not fall, does not stop in its course and allows no respite
to him who is wounded by its blessed madness.
July 22, 2020
(Psalm 91:5-6) You will not fear the
terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence
that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
VIDEO HOMILY: The Church Has Entered Her Passion
On July 12, 2020, Fr. Joseph
Kuhlman offered a reflection on the passion of the Church and our need
to take up our cross in the service of Christ.
NCR: Coronavirus Stalks in the Darkness, But Do Not Be Afraid
CNS: Survey of bishops reveals how pandemic has shaken diocesan, parish life
CNA: At least 9 Catholic bishops have died from the coronavirus
ASIANEWS.IT: Chaldean patriarch tells clergy that, COVID-19 aside, they must be with God and close to the people
In the "difficult circumstances"
caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, priests are called to find new ways to
show “closeness to people", morally support them, and help them remain
"united with God" and "supportive of others,” this according to Card
Louis Raphael Sako in a message to the Chaldean clergy.
For the Chaldean primate, priests
must seize the opportunity of the ongoing tragedy to rediscover "gifts
and what we possess". They can help "better serve the people" following
Christ and the men and women religious of the past.
In a message sent to AsiaNews for
wider circulation, the cardinal calls on the clergy to "show our
believers" the meaning "of fatherhood and human and spiritual care"
with sensitivity and tenderness rather than "roughness and criticism"
to benefit "those who are close to us”.
The present must be used, as Saint
Ephrem teaches, for spiritual growth through reading, meditation and
personal prayer. Recently, Card Sako had already noted that the novel
coronavirus pandemic could be an opportunity to deepen the faith and
build solidarity in society.
In many parts of the country,
especially the capital, the situation remains critical. This year, the
health emergency has forced the cancellation of annual retreats and
community celebrations, including sport and other convivial activities.
In Iraq, the battle against the
pandemic is still not over. Confinement, social distancing, and limits
on activities are still in place. Prayers, masses and other services
are still suspended.
However, "most of our priests
remain faithful," notes Card Sako, "engaged" in their mission. “We are
proud of this and thank them for the effort they have made” in serving
the Church and the community. The primate is less tender for the few
who have deserted their parish and diocese, as some have done in the
past.
Lastly, the patriarch stresses the
importance of priests working and living together as an "opportunity"
for growth and as a "blessing".
“I lived most of my priestly years
with priests and I learnt a lot from them", said Card Sako. The
exchange with others remains alive in his memory.
He urges fellow clergymen to solve
problems and meet difficulties "with hope, patience and courage", using
a language based on “calm and responsible dialogue".
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
2. And (as far as I can make out) I see the one
as a ray, the second as a light, the third as an orb; and in all, one radiance
and one splendour.
July 20, 2020
(Heb 10:22-23) Let us draw near with
a true heart, in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an
evil conscience and our bodies washed with clean water. Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering (for he is faithful
that hath promised):
CS LEWIS: Hope
is one of the Theological virtues. This means that a continual looking
forward to the eternal world is not (as some modern people think) a
form of escapism or wishful thinking, but one of the things a Christian
is meant to do. It does not mean that we are to leave the present world
as it is. If you read history you will find that the Christians who did
most for the present world were just those who thought most of the next.
PETER KREEFT: Hope
We creatures of time are constantly moving into the future, and our eyes are usually facing forward. Hope is like headlights.
FR STEPHEN OJAPAH: Don’t lose hope
Hope in Catholic
Theology is described as one of the three theological virtues. St
Thomas Aquinas defines it as “a future good, difficult but possible to
attain…by means of the Divine Assistance…on whose help it leans”.
Hope is often oriented towards some
future good. Like the other two theological virtues of faith and
charity, hope finds its “origin, motive, and object” in God (Catechism
of the Catholic Church, §1812).
Hope as a theological virtue, is an
infused virtue. Unlike any good habit that is the outcome of a repeated
action or the product of our own industry, hope is a divine gift,
bestowed by God Himself.
In Christian tradition, hope in
Christ and faith in Christ are closely linked. Hope connotes a firm
assurance that is anchored on faith.
It does mean that even in the face
of trials, tragedies and difficulties, hope is able to sustain the
faith and endurance of the Christian faithful. It is the “anchor of the
soul”.
FATHER JEFFREY F. KIRBY: Facing the choice between false and holistic hope
The current state of affairs of our world is daunting. It’s
overwhelming people and pushing spirits to imaginable limits. People
are uncertain about what’s true, anxious about pandemics, peace, and
politics, and restless about what the future will hold. In these trying
times, many things are being eclipsed and forgotten, but the greatest
casualty right now is hope.
Hope has become a rarity. It is a longed-for oasis in the midst of a desert of bewilderment, desolation, and confusion.
But what is hope?
As believers, we have a very different understanding of this powerful
virtue. Perhaps it’s better to start with what hope is not. As
Christians, we acknowledge that hope is not a trust in our own powers
or abilities to change things or make them into what we want them to
be. Such a view oftentimes leads us to failure or disappointment since
our nature is fallen, our resources are limited, and our capabilities
are finite.
As the Book of Psalms teaches us: “Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord guards the city, the
guard keeps watch in vain.” The bankruptcy of such a self-focused hope
is epitomized in the Greek myth about Prometheus and Pandora’s Box. In
the fable, Prometheus stole fire from the heavens and Zeus sought to
punish him. He presented Pandora to Prometheus’ brother. While in his
care, she opened a box that was given by the gods. As she opened the
box, death, suffering, sickness, and all the evils of the world poured
out and were unleashed upon the world. After such an onslaught, the
only thing left in the box was “hope.” In reading the myth today,
Westerners – influenced by the Christian faith – perceive this as a
moment of encouragement, but that’s not how the Greek mind saw it.
According to the myth, hope was the worst curse of all, which is why it
sat below all other horrors. Hope was hubris, pride, and arrogance. It
taught humanity that it had the sole power to change things, when in
reality humanity held no such power by itself. Hope was a bloated sense
of self, a universal deception that misled humanity at every step. Hope
was a self-curse. It was the final touch of Zeus’ hatred for humanity.
And yet, this same sense of hope is perpetuated in our world today. We
are falsely told that we have the strength and wherewithal to change
the world by ourselves.
In contrast, the Christian tradition shows us a loving Father, whose
permissive will allows for suffering and pandemics while also giving us
a promise of redemption. This saving promise gives us hope, and it is a
hope in God himself, who alone can change the world.
In looking at the sorrows and sufferings of the world, hope is the
virtue that helps us to realize our limitations, restrictions,
weaknesses, and brokenness. It shows us the marks and bruises of a
fallen world and a sinful humanity. Hope calls us outside of ourselves
and points us the Power and Wisdom of God.
Rather than setting us up for frustration and failure, hope compels us
to look for God’s providence, implore the help of his grace, and pine
for his workings in our world today. Hope edifies us, enlarges our
efforts, and elevates our spirits.
Amidst the struggles and sorrows of our fallen world, hope breaks us
free from the heaviness of this world and reorients us to yearn for a
happiness with God. It points us to an eternity that heals our
fallenness, redeems our suffering, allows us to be fully alive, and
empowers us to yearn for a perpetual dwelling place with God.
Such a hope ennobles us and strengthens us to be instruments of peace,
healing, and reconciliation in our world today. It empowers us for
selfless service and gives us fortitude to suffer for the sake of
righteousness.
In our state of affairs, we have to decide which hope we will choose.
False hope only disappoints and perpetuates the downward spiral of our
spirits. A holistic hope will not make things easier, but it will
invigorate us and compel us to be something greater than the fallenness
around us.
The choice is ours, and the peace of our world and the continuity of
civilization as we know it, will rise or fall based on our decisions.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 30- "Concerning the Supreme Trinity
Among the Virtues"
1. And now, finally, after all that we have said,
there remain these three that bind and secure the union of all: faith,
hope, and love; and the greatest of these is love, for God Himself is so
called (1 John 4: 8, 16).
July 16, 2020
(Zec
2:10) Sing praise, and rejoice, O daughter of Sion: for behold I come,
and I will dwell in the midst of thee: saith the Lord.
HYMN:
Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel Whom in ancient prophecy God revealed to
Saint Elijah By an Oriental sea, Rise again on God’s creation, Bring to
bloom this arid place With the white cloud of your beauty And the
rainfall of your grace.
Virgin of the Incarnation, In the
mysteries of grace God has made his habitation In our soul’s most
secret place. Toward that bright and inner kingdom All our words and
ways compel, For the Father, Son and Spirit In its sacred silence dwell.
DAILY COMPASS: The Scapular: Mary’s way of clothing us with Christ
SPIRIT DAILY: Mysteries Of The Mount
AUDIO HOMILY: The Brown Scapular—A Share in Our Lady's Habit
NEWS REPORT: Colorful Mount Carmel Feast canceled for first time since World War II
YOUR BIBLE VERSE DAILY: Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patronal feast of the
Carmelite order. Following is an excerpt from the Carmelite
Constitutions of 1995:
Mary, overshadowed by the Spirit of God, is the Virgin of the new
heart, who gave a human face to the Word made flesh. She is the Virgin
of wise and contemplative listening who kept and pondered in her heart
the events and the words of the Lord. She is the faithful disciple of
wisdom, who sought Jesus, God’s Wisdom and allowed herself to be formed
and molded by his Spirit, so that in faith she might be conformed to
his ways and choices. Thus enlightened, Mary is presented to us as one
able to read “the great wonders” which God accomplished in her for the
salvation of the humble and of the poor.
Mary was not only the Mother of Our Lord; she also became his perfect
disciple, the woman of faith. She followed Jesus, walking with the
disciples, sharing their demanding and wearisome journey — a journey
which required, above all, fraternal love and mutual service.
At the marriage feast in Cana, Mary taught us to believe in her Son; at
the foot of the Cross, she became Mother to all who believe; with them
she experiences the joy of the Resurrection. United with the other
disciples “in constant prayer,” she received the first gifts of the
Spirit, who filled the earliest Christian community with apostolic zeal.
Mary brings the good news of salvation to all men and women. She is the
woman who built relationships, not only within the inner circle of
Jesus’ disciples, but, beyond that, with the people: with Elizabeth,
with the bride and bridegroom in Cana, with the other women, and with
Jesus’ “brothers.”
Carmelites see in the Virgin Mary, Mother of God and archetype of the
Church, the perfect image of all that they want and hope to be. For
this reason, Carmelites have always thought of Mary as the Patron of
the Order, its Mother and Splendor; she is constantly before their eyes
and in their hearts as “the Virgin Most Pure.” Looking to her, and
living in spiritual intimacy with her, we learn to stand before God,
and with one another, as the Lord’s brothers. Mary lives among us, as
mother and sister, attentive to our needs; along with us she waits and
hopes, suffers and rejoices.
The scapular is a sign of Mary’s permanent and constant motherly love
for Carmelite brothers and sisters. By their devotion to the scapular,
faithful to a tradition in the Order, especially since the 16th
century, Carmelites express the loving closeness of Mary to the people
of God; it is a sign of consecration to Mary, a means of uniting the
faithful to the Order, and an effective and popular means of
evangelization.
VIDEO: Feast Of Our Lady Of Mount Carmel (1927)
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
12. But why say more? The dispassionate man no
longer lives himself, but Christ lives in him (Gal. 2:20), as he says who
fought the good fight, finished his course and kept the Faith (2 Tim. 4:7).
July 15, 2020
(Heb 13:8) Jesus Christ, yesterday, and today: and the same for ever.
FATHER LONGENECKER TWEET: The
divide is no longer between Catholic and Protestant, but between those
who believe Christianity is a revealed religion that cannot adapt to
the spirit of the age and those who believe it is a relative religion
that MUST be adapted to the spirit of the age.
CATHOLIC CULTURE: Definition of Liberalism
The belief that the human person is the ultimate source of freedom and
goodness, and so must be emancipated not only from restrictive
political and social systems but from the Church, religion and even God
Himself. Thus liberalism is above all a spiritual rebellion that is
almost inevitably combined with Modernism.
Leaving theory aside for a moment, we might well seek to recognize the
invariable marks of the “liberal” or the “progressive” in the rough and
tumble of contemporary debate, including socio-political discourse. The
liberal:
- Fails to oppose and often favors those actions which
have historically been regarded as intrinsically evil (independently of
culture and/or motive), and consistently ignores the personal, familial
and societal tragedies which result from this categorical
non-recognition;
- Focuses instead on “social justice” (the quest for
which is always prudential in character), and consistently elevates
prudential decisions into a new set of absolutes, on the basis of which
opponents can be condemned as bigoted or frightened;
- Seeks to implement social improvement through public
funding and governmental control, consistently proposing solutions
which require little or no self-sacrifice, depending as they do on the
resources of others, as acquired through taxation.
CRISIS MAGAZINE: Liberalism Is a Sin
AUDIO HOMILY: Regina Prophetarum: The Church and The Libertarian
Any form of the ideology of liberalism is opposed to Christ the King
and His Kingdom. Liberalism in philosophy is condemned for it leads to
rationalism. Liberalism is politics is irreconcilable with Christ and
the Church for it leads to laicism and secular humanism. Liberalism in
religion leads to religious indifferentism which clashes with the
rightful claims of Christ and the Catholic Church of having a monopoly
on all saving truth and saving grace. And yes, liberalism in economics,
including libertarianism, often leads to the promotion of greed.
Classic liberalism is still the plain old error of liberalism and the
Church is anti-liberal in her very nature.
EXCERPT LIBERTAS ENCYCLICAL OF POPE LEO XIII: ON THE NATURE OF HUMAN LIBERTY
27. In faith and in the teaching of
morality, God Himself made the Church a partaker of His divine
authority, and through His heavenly gift she cannot be deceived. She is
therefore the greatest and most reliable teacher of mankind, and in her
swells an inviolable right to teach them. Sustained by the truth
received from her divine Founder, the Church has ever sought to fulfill
holily the mission entrusted to her by God; unconquered by the
difficulties on all sides surrounding her, she has never ceased to
assert her liberty of teaching, and in this way the wretched
superstition of paganism being dispelled, the wide world was renewed
unto Christian wisdom. Now, reason itself clearly teaches that the
truths of divine revelation and those of nature cannot really be
opposed to one another, and that whatever is at variance with them must
necessarily be false. Therefore, the divine teaching of the Church, so
far from being an obstacle to the pursuit of learning and the progress
of science, or in any way retarding the advance of civilization, in
reality brings to them the sure guidance of shining light. And for the
same reason it is of no small advantage for the perfecting of human
liberty, since our Saviour Jesus Christ has said that by truth is man
made free: "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."(9) Therefore, there is no reason why genuine liberty should grow
indignant, or true science feel aggrieved, at having to bear the just
and necessary restraint of laws by which, in the judgment of the Church
and of reason itself, human teaching has to be controlled.
28, The Church, indeed - as facts
have everywhere proved - looks chiefly and above all to the defense of
the Christian faith, while careful at the same time to foster and
promote every kind of human learning. For learning is in itself good,
and praiseworthy, and desirable; and further, all erudition which is
the outgrowth of sound reason, and in conformity with the truth of
things, serves not a little to confirm what we believe on the authority
of God. The Church, truly, to our great benefit, has carefully
preserved the monuments of ancient wisdom; has opened everywhere homes
of science, and has urged on intellectual progress by fostering most
diligently the arts by which the culture of our age is so much
advanced. Lastly, we must not forget that a vast field lies freely open
to man's industry and genius, containing all those things which have no
necessary connection with Christian faith and morals, or as to which
the Church, exercising no authority, leaves the judgment of the learned
free and unconstrained.
29. From all this may be understood
the nature and character of that liberty which the followers of
liberalism so eagerly advocate and proclaim. On the one hand, they
demand for themselves and for the State a license which opens the way
to every perversity of opinion; and on the other, they hamper the
Church in divers ways, restricting her liberty within narrowest limits,
although from her teaching not only is there nothing to be feared, but
in every respect very much to be gained.
30. Another liberty is widely
advocated, namely, liberty of conscience. If by this is meant that
everyone may, as he chooses, worship God or not, it is sufficiently
refuted by the arguments already adduced. But it may also be taken to
mean that every man in the State may follow the will of God and, from a
consciousness of duty and free from every obstacle, obey His commands.
This, indeed, is true liberty, a liberty worthy of the sons of God,
which nobly maintains the dignity of man and is stronger than all
violence or wrong - a liberty which the Church has always desired and
held most dear. This is the kind of liberty the Apostles claimed for
themselves with intrepid constancy, which the apologists of
Christianity confirmed by their writings, and which the martyrs in vast
numbers consecrated by their blood. And deservedly so; for this
Christian liberty bears witness to the absolute and most just dominion
of God over man, and to the chief and supreme duty of man toward God.
It has nothing in common with a seditious and rebellious mind; and in
no title derogates from obedience to public authority; for the right to
command and to require obedience exists only so far as it is in
accordance with the authority of God, and is within the measure that He
has laid down. But when anything is commanded which is plainly at
variance with the will of God, there is a wide departure from this
divinely constituted order, and at the same time a direct conflict with
divine authority; therefore, it is right not to obey.
31. By the patrons of liberalism,
however, who make the State absolute and omnipotent, and proclaim that
man should live altogether independently of God, the liberty of which
We speak, which goes hand in hand with virtue and religion, is not
admitted; and whatever is done for its preservation is accounted an
injury and an offense against the State. Indeed, if what they say were
really true, there would be no tyranny, no matter how monstrous, which
we should not be bound to endure and submit to.
32. The Church most earnestly
desires that the Christian teaching, of which We have given an outline,
should penetrate every rank of society in reality and in practice; for
it would be of the greatest efficacy in healing the evils of our day,
which are neither few nor slight, and are the off spring in great part
of the false liberty which is so much extolled, and in which the germs
of safety and glory were supposed to be contained. The hope has been
disappointed by the result. The fruit, instead of being sweet and
wholesome, has proved cankered and bitter. If, then, a remedy is
desired, let it be sought for in a restoration of sound doctrine, from
which alone the preservation of order and, as a consequence, the
defense of true liberty can be confidently expected.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
9. That soul has dispassion which is immersed in
the virtues as the passionate are in pleasures.
July 13, 2020
(Mat 26:67-68)
Then did they spit in his face and buffeted him. And others struck his
face with the palms of their hands, Saying: Prophesy unto us, O Christ.
Who is he that struck thee?
MARK MALLET BLOG: Unmasking the Plan
THE CATHOLIC THING: Masked Faces and the Holy Face
The news ripped through my computer like an electrical shock. In the
midst of the lockdown, through my parish’s daily Mass uploaded to
YouTube, the father of a former student was announced among the sick in
need of prayers. A few days later, I learned in the same manner that
Joe Senior had died. I sought in vain to find news; there was no wake,
funeral, or public obituary, and my inquiry to the parish went
unanswered. I knew Joe Senior from the four years I taught his son; the
two even shared the spoils of their hunting trip with my family so many
years ago. My heart ached for both of them, and for Joe’s wife, whom I
also got to know.
A few weeks later, as I assisted
with seating for Sunday Mass (at 25 percent of church capacity), in
walked Joe Junior with his mom. My eyes locked on hers, and I felt my
face curl in sympathy. Yet my expression went unanswered, or so it
seemed. A mask concealed my face from her, and hers from me. We could
not embrace. I attempted to express my sorrow and learn what happened,
but it was impossible to do so behind the voice-muffling mask. The
strip of cloth that was protecting our health was, at the same time,
sickening our souls. The masks created an awkward and painful moment.
This is not an argument against
wearing masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus. We must do what we
must do. It is, first, another reminder (the pandemic has been prolific
in generating them) of something precious that we take for granted:
facial expressions, which are the most quintessentially human of
gestures. Like sacraments, they make visible the invisible yearnings of
the heart, often before a single word forms on our lips. Whether in a
moment of grief, triumph, or joy, countenance opens a window to the
soul.
Masks, we hope, will become relics
of an unforgettable year once COVID-19 is vanquished. For now, though,
masks unwittingly alienate us from each other in the true sense of the
word: they make us aliens, foreigners, from even our close friends.
Masks have even transformed the casual smile toward a stranger, that
simple, kindly, and almost reflexive gesture, into an odd stare.
Cloaked faces hide our true selves, and form a barrier to fulfilling
our vocation as men and women called to communion with each other in
Jesus Christ.
My masked encounter also prompted
me to think of a face that went uncovered despite threatening dangers:
our Lord’s holy face, unprotected from the spittle and blows of His
captors. There is a pious devotion, not as well known as it should be,
to the holy face of Jesus that I had forgotten. I realized instantly
that our current pandemic and civilizational crisis is the perfect
impetus for taking it up.
An image of our Lord’s holy face is
miraculously preserved on Veronica’s veil, now kept inside St. Peter’s
Basilica. In the 1840s, as political revolution was sweeping Europe,
our Lord revealed to Sister Marie de Saint-Pierre, a French Carmelite,
that blasphemy and profanation of Sundays wounded His sacred heart like
a “poisoned arrow.” Blasphemy, in particular, He likened to being
cursed in His face.
He asked that we offer His holy
face in prayer to God the Father in reparation and for the conversion
of sinners. As antidote, He presented the “Golden Arrow” prayer to be
recited daily, and, along it, this simple prayer: “Eternal Father, I
offer Thee the adorable face of Thy beloved Son for the honor and glory
of Thy Name, for the conversion of sinners and the salvation of the
dying.”
Venerable Leo Dupont, a friend of Sister Marie, spread devotion to the
holy face of Jesus in France, where miraculous healings attributed to
the holy face began to occur. Pope Leo XIII approved the devotion,
establishing the Archconfraternity of Reparation to the Holy Face of
Jesus so Catholics worldwide could participate. Among the most
enthusiastic was France’s Martin family, whose daughter, when she
entered the Carmel, took the religious name Thérèse of the Child Jesus
and the Holy Face.
The young saint composed her own
beautiful prayer to the holy face of Jesus, one whose beginning is
particularly apt for our times. “O Jesus . . . I venerate the sacred
face whereon there once did shine the beauty and sweetness of the
Godhead; but now it has become as it were the face of a leper!
Nevertheless, under those disfigured features, I recognize Thine
infinite love.”
The holy face of Jesus is the perfect locus of meditation for a nation
whose medical and civic lives are at a crossroads. Our universal prayer
right now, though coming from the depths of our hearts, is simple:
Deliver us from evil. The only One who can do so goes unrecognized,
masked from increasing numbers by sins of every kind. Only if we heed
His command to make reparation for our sins and for those who dishonor
Him will He repair us. And only when we are repaired first does our
broader civic life have any chance of its own repair.
Veronica had neither office nor
power. Yet her seemingly tiny gesture of compassion towards our Lord’s
holy face remains impactful today, unlike any of the political actions
of her day. As we gaze upon the holy face, let us remember that the
only way to overcome our current alienation is through a greater love
of God.
CHURCHPOP: The Power of Christ’s Holy Face: A Little-Known Chaplet for Battling God’s Enemies
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
7. Purity too is called dispassion; and rightly,
because it is the harbinger of the general resurrection and of the incorruption
of the corruptible.
July 9, 2020
(Eph 6:12-13) For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood; but
against principalities and powers, against the rulers of the world of
this darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.
Therefore, take unto you the armour of God, that you may be able to
resist in the evil day and to stand in all things perfect.
VATICAN.VA: AGOSTINO ZHAO RONG (+ 1815) AND 119 COMPANIONS, MARTYRS IN CHINA (+ 1648 – 1930)
UNIVERSALIS SUMMARY:
Augustine Zhao Rong was one of the Chinese soldiers who escorted Bishop
John Gabriel Taurin Dufresse to his execution. Moved by his patience,
he asked to be baptized, and in due course was sent to the seminary and
ordained a priest. He was arrested and savagely tortured. He died in
1815. With him are celebrated 119 of his companions in martyrdom
in China between 1648 and 1930 (including Bishop Dufresse).
Official persecution of Christians by the Emperors ceased in 1842, but
violent anti-religious sentiments persisted, and in the Boxer Rebellion
of 1900, Christians were particularly attacked and many thousands were
killed.
ASIANEWS.IT: Jiangxi, the Yujiang Underground Church suffocated by persecution
NEWS REPORT: Christian family details crackdown on church in China
PERSECUTION.ORG: New State Department Report Highlights Persecution in China
FROM THE MAILBAG: Father Rutler's Weekly Column
Stalin, killer of at least 20 million people, said “A single death is a
tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic.” In mid-nineteenth-century
China, the civil war known as the Taiping Rebellion cost upwards of 30
million lives.
The feast of Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and his 119 companions, on July
9, is a reminder that the persecution of Christian missionaries and
native Chinese, begun in the mid-17th century, continues into our time.
Augustine had been a soldier assigned as a prison guard for the French
missionary bishop, Louis Gabriel Dufresse, whose martyrdom in Chengdu
moved Augustine to request baptism, after which he became a priest and
was tortured and killed in 1815. Later, in the Boxer Rebellion, 30,000
Christians would be slaughtered.
There are magnificent witnesses in China today, among whose champions
is Cardinal Zen, indomitable at the age of eighty-eight. The
insouciance with which some timorous Western ecclesiastics have cast a
blind eye to the persecution of the Catholics in China, will be
remembered as a dark blot on the history of our time.
Mao killed at least 40 million. His “Cultural Revolution,” which
executed upwards of 3 million, excited mobs of youths as agents of
government repression. Monuments of ancient culture were destroyed.
These included nearly 7,000 priceless works of art in the Temple of
Confucius alone as part of the frenzied attack on the Four Olds: Old
Customs, Old Habits, Old Culture, and Old Ideas.
In our own country, the debutantish radicalism of hysterical youths
whose misguided idealism makes a venomous brew when mixed with poor
education, is exploited by more sinister strategists. James Madison
described such mobs as: “united and actuated by some common impulse of
passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to
the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.”
Young people eager to condemn the immorality of forebears, while
exulting in their own undisciplined lives, recently pulled down a
statue of Saint Junípero Serra. It evoked the attack on the Franciscan
mission in Alta California on November 4, 1775, when 600 native
warriors pierced the friar Father Luis Jayme with eighteen arrows as he
called to them: “Love God, my children!”
Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, the one Iraqi combatant to receive the
Medal of Honor, has said that our universities are turning out “Peter
Pan” adolescents who would profit better if they joined the Army where
they would be taught how to be men and women.
After the destruction of the statue of Saint Junípero Serra, the wise
Archbishop of San Francisco did not engage in polemics. He simply went
to the site of the vandalism and said the exorcism prayer of Saint
Michael. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against
principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians
6:12).
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
6. There is a dispassionate man, and there is one
who is more dispassionate than the dispassionate. The one strongly hates
what is evil, but the other has an inexhaustible store of virtues.
July 8, 2020
(Psa 57:2)
Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy
on me: for my soul trusteth in thee. And in the shadow of thy wings
will I hope, until iniquity pass away.
FIRST THINGS: My Time in Prison by George Cardinal Pell
CHURCH MILITANT: America 'Demonically Oppressed According to Seasoned Exorcist
CHURCHPOP: 3 Priests Call For 40 Days of Prayer & Fasting to Drive Demonic Forces Out of America
On July 4, Fr. Bill Peckman, Fr. James Altman, and Fr. Richard Heilman
announced their call for 40 days of prayer and fasting to cast demonic
influence from our nation.
Doug Barry’s U.S. Grace Force initiative sponsors the effort.
“Through acts of reparation, fasting, penance, charity, and prayer
(both personal and sacramental), we call upon the power of God to
release ourselves, our families, our parishes, our dioceses, and our
nation from all demonic influence and oppression,” the release says.
The group calls the effort “Let Freedom Ring: 40 Days to Freedom From
the Devil,” beginning July 7 and ending Aug. 15. The three priests will
provide a reflection each of the 40 days, as well as a specific litany
and prayer of exorcism. They also suggest acts of reparation, while
considering the person’s state in life.
Acts of reparation include the daily rosary, regular exercise, fasting from sweets, etc.
Fr. Peckman also invited his parishioners to participate.
“Just think what our parishioners could be and become if we marshaled
our forces and took the 40 days between July 7 and August 15 to pray
for deliverance and a fullness of God’s blessings,” he said.
“This is a national movement of which I am a part of in order to more
than complain about the state we find ourselves in, but to use the
grace of God to make a real and lasting change.”
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
4. Some say, moreover, that dispassion is the resurrection
of the soul before the body; but others, that it is the perfect knowledge
of God, second only to that of the angels.
July 6, 2020
(Joh 16:33) These things I have
spoken to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you shall
have distress. But have confidence. I have overcome the world.
Actually
I am a Christian, and indeed a Roman Catholic, so that I do not expect
‘history’ to be anything but a ‘long defeat’— though it contains (and
in legend may contain more clearly and movingly) some samples or
glimpses of final victory.
— J.R.R. Tolkien
SHIELD OF FAITH BLOG: Christ has Overcome the World
THE CATHOLIC THING: Credit to the Man
ACN: In 2019, ACN raised $119M, funding 5,230 projects in 139 countries
In 2019, AID TO THE CHURCH IN NEED
(ACN), which has 23 national offices and more than 330,000 individual
donors around the world, raised $119M for the benefit of suffering and
persecuted Christians worldwide.
Some 80.4 percent of the funds was
spent on three areas ACN considers to be the pillars of its mission:
Giving direct financial support via aid projects; providing information
about the plight of Christians around the world; and encouraging
Christians in the West to pray for their suffering brothers and sisters.
In 2019, ACN sponsored 5,230
projects, responding to a broad range of needs in 139 different
countries, above all in Africa and the Middle East. The total spent on
projects in the field—supporting 1,162 dioceses—was $85M.
ACN continued its support for the formation of seminarians and members
of religious congregations, aid the the organization regards as crucial
for the future of the Church. Thanks to this program, more than 13,000
women religious were able to continue their service to the poorest and
most vulnerable people under their care. ACN supported the studies of
more than 16,200 seminarians around the world—one in every seven
worldwide. Together, these programs accounted for some 16 percent of
the aid allocated last year.
Last year, ACN funded the purchase of 266 cars, 119 motorbikes, 266
bicycles, four buses, three trucks and 12 small vessels to facilitate
the pastoral mission of the Church by land and sea in many remote and
difficult regions, for example in Brazil, Burundi, India and Madagascar.
There are some 200 million Christians around the world who are unable
to practice their faith freely, and there are more than 80 countries in
the world where the fundamental right to religious liberty is not
guaranteed. Christians are persecuted, oppressed, or discriminated
against in more than 40 countries.
ACN also invited victims of persecution and leaders of local Churches
suffering hardships to speak at international meetings, events and
conferences. They were given a platform so that they could give
personal testimony about situations that are often unknown to, or
ignored by, the West.
In the realm of prayer, one initiative worth mentioning among many
others is the Rosary Campaign, “A Million Children Praying the Rosary”
for unity and peace in the world. On Oct. 18, 2019, with the support of
Pope Francis and by getting the word out through social media, hundreds
of schools, parishes, religious communities and countless families in
more than 80 countries around the world joined together in this
campaign of prayer—united in the conviction that in addition to
concrete practical aid, prayer and faith are ultimately most vital to
the healing of the world.
Despite the economic damage caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, ACN looks
to keep up the level of support for the suffering Church in 2020.
Although this is a great challenge, the needs in many countries have
greatly increased. Since April 2020, ACN has already allocated $5.5M
for the support of priests and women religious, and those they serve,
in some of the poorest countries. Additional emergency aid programs
helping Christians suffering from the fall-out of the pandemic— notably
in Syria and Pakistan—are underway.
LINK TO DONATE TO ACN: https://secure3.convio.net/acn/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app330b?df_id=10316&mfc_pref=T&10316.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=7CDB2E3470CD06180FB3E8ADA9E5A936
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
3. And so he is pre-eminently dispassionate, and
is recognized as dispassionate, who has made his flesh incorruptible, who
has raised his mind above creatures and has subdued all his senses to it,
and who keeps his soul before the face of the Lord, ever reaching out to
Him even beyond his strength.
July 3, 2020
(Pro 24:24-25) They that say to the wicked man: Thou art just: shall be
cursed by the people, and the tribes shall abhor them. They that rebuke
him shall be praised: and a blessing shall come upon them.
PADRE PIO ON ABORTION:
“I would like to strew these parents with the ashes of their destroyed
fetuses” “Those ashes should be thrown in the brazen faces of murderous
parents.” “Those who practice abortion and who turn to subterfuge and
sophisms in order to remain within the limits of the Catholic Church,
are poor people who are deceiving themselves, and are very similar to
the remains of Pompeii . . . I pity nobody more than these.”
ED. CONDON BLOG: On John Roberts, who loves his children
ANALYSIS: What’s next for the Supreme Court and abortion?
CNA: Catholic bishop: bill changes would leave UK with ‘most extreme abortion legislation in Europe’
EXCERPT COMMENTARY
VIA FACEBOOK:
DESMOND BIRCH, AUTHOR OF TRIAL, TRIBULATION, AND TRIUMPH:
Is there a central Cause for the chaos around us today?
We're not speaking of a sole cause, but of one very big central one.
Brothers & Sisters, how many answers about the question above do
you think you would get from the people you run into on the street in
your city, town, farming community - your own relatives, or even your
local Parish/church or Pastor?
We all know there would be a rash of different answers. And that is
part of the problem. Some would say abandonment of God, abandonment of
the God-Man Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Some would say, ‘Pride,
pride goes before the fall’. Some would say it is the abandonment of
morals while we as a culture and society are immersed in pure
materialism - seeking a life of ease and pleasure. Some would even say
racism. Others would try to tell you it is all about economic
inequality. Some would simply say it has been, and is, the refusal of
mankind to repent of their sins and convert. [Each one of us could
continue this list 'ad nauseam'. Couldn't we?]
But is there one big sin, one direct rejection of God’s law above or
under all the others – which wraps more people up in themselves,
blinding them in their ability to see they are sinners, to ask for
God’s forgiveness and to seek conversion of heart?
On the rare occasion that I express a personal opinion, by habit, I
label it as such. This one is such an opinion - which is based upon
some serious outside evidence, yes. But it is nevertheless a personal
opinion - about which I personally have very little doubt. And it is
nothing new.
I believe it is sins of impurity – of all kinds. This was first
attested to by Our Lady of Fatima to the three children there in 1917.
She showed the children a vision of hell and told them:
“"More souls go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason." She
additionally added, "Certain fashions will be introduced that will
offend Our Lord very much." … "Woe to women lacking in modesty."
On July 13, 1917 the Blessed Virgin unveiled at Fatima a terrifying
reality before the three children's eyes. Lucia recounts: ‘Our Lady
showed us a great sea of fire, which seemed to be under the earth.
Plunged in this fire were demons and souls, in human form, like
transparent burning embers, all blackened or burnished bronze, floating
about in this conflagration in clouds of smoke, lifted by flames coming
out of their bodies. They rose and fell on all sides, like sparks in
roaring fires, without weight or direction, amid shrieks and groans of
pain and despair that terrified us and made us tremble with fear. The
demons could be distinguished by their terrifying and repellent
likeness to frightful and unknown animals, black and transparent like
burning coals. This vision lasted but a moment, thanks to our good
Mother from Heaven who had warned us beforehand, and promised to take
us to Heaven. Otherwise, I think we would have died of horror and fear.
Then we raised our eyes to Our Lady, who said with kindness and
sadness: 'You have seen Hell, where the souls of poor sinners go. To
save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My
Immaculate Heart. If people do what I am going to tell you, many souls
will be saved and there will be peace.”
That is the end of Lucia’s description of the vision – with the ending
in which Our Lady told the children that mankind must convert to save
huge numbers of souls from going to hell – especially from the sins of
impurity. But is that the only downside? No. Our Lady added that if men
did not repent – there would be massive world and civil war, disease,
famine, civil unrest, suffering, etc. Sins of impurity are not the only
cause of our current worldwide chaos. But in considering Our Lady’s
words, it is my opinion that it is a logical conclusion the major cause
of the chaos is sins of impurity.
THE EARLY CHURCH FOUGHT BOTH CONTRACEPTION AND ABORTION – AS TWO SINS JOINED AT THE HIP.
St. Augustine speaks of women going to Pharmakei (poisoners who
prescribed herbs which killed the egg in a women) and Magei (workers of
incantations and spells and also poisoners) to avoid pregnancy. He
writes that when they got pregnant anyway, then they went back to the
pharmakei (poisoner) to purchase herbs which would kill the baby. And
when that failed, they would leave the baby out on a street or in a
garbage heap to die of exposure.
See how much things have changed since then? [Right?]
HOW DID MANKIND RESPOND TO OUR LADY’S WARNING AT FATIMA in 1917?
Condoms made of animal and fish skins were used starting back in the
Renaissance. In the mid-19th century, vulcanized rubber was discovered,
leading to vulcanized rubber condoms. But they had a very high failure
rate. World War I saw the deployment of condoms made of rubber, along
with weapons and ammunition for the German army. In the 1920s,
latex was invented. Latex was the discovery that transformed condoms
into what they are today. By 1927 they were being mass marketed in the
Western World.
On Dec. 31, 1930. Pope Pius XI issued his Papal Encyclical. ‘Castii
Conubii’, on Christian Marriage. Therein, he denounced contraception as
a grave sin against God’s law. He listed the greatest evils which would
result from a broad acceptance and usage of such contraceptive methods.
In part he wrote, “…that a great number of men, forgetful of that
divine work of redemption, either entirely ignore or shamelessly deny
the great sanctity of Christian wedlock, or relying on the false
principles of a new and utterly perverse morality, too often trample it
under foot. And since these most pernicious errors and depraved morals
have begun to spread even amongst the faithful and are gradually
gaining ground, in Our office as Christ's Vicar upon earth and Supreme
Shepherd and Teacher, We consider it Our duty to raise Our voice to
keep the flock committed to Our care from poisoned pastures and, as far
as in Us lies, to preserve it from harm.”
He points out the central theme of the promoters of condoms, “To begin
at the very source of these evils, their basic principle lies in this,
that matrimony is repeatedly declared to be not instituted by the
Author of nature nor raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a true
sacrament, but invented by man.” Well, has this view come to be
commonly accepted? Guess what, the shared object of Hillary Clinton and
Black Lives Matter and LGBT is to disable ‘The Nuclear Family’, destroy
the concept that the family is the central core unity of society.
Pius XI points out that the greatest danger to the common acceptance of
the ideas and methods of the promoters of contraception lead to, “… the
taking of the life of the offspring hidden in the mother's womb.” Yes,
he fully understood the link between contraception and abortion – just
as Augustine and many others before him did – and he now quotes
Augustine in this matter of the direct connection between contraception
and abortion. Pius XI points out that widespread acceptance of
contraception will lead to the breakup of marriages and children raised
without a father in the home. [Almost ninety years ago he clearly saw
the plague of the single parent families of today .]
Fifteen years after Castii Conubii, World War II was just ending. Every
Catholic who attended Mass regularly now saw in the pews (as I did as a
boy) the stark reality of the three classes of families. A) There are
those with no children – mostly composed of those who could have no
children of their own, B) Those who have on average two children (usual
maximum 3), C) And those with clearly larger families who took up much
of a pew by themselves.
By the mid 1950’s the difference is even clearer. The large families
make up only 10 to 15 percent of the congregation. But the vast
majority of Catholics are in the 1950’s still horrified at the idea of
abortion.
In 1962, the infamous ‘Pill’ is introduced and a rapidly increasing
percentage of Catholic girls in college and university are giving in to
boys’ demands that they have intercourse with them prior to marriage.
Most of the girls who gave in most quickly after introduction of the
pill, were those raised by contracepting mothers – mothers who had
indoctrinated their daughters into greeting contraception with open
arms.
Central cause: The hierarchy generally failed to present the contents
of Castii Conubii to the faithful. They did not insist that their
seminaries teach the future priests the truth about contraception,
which teaching goes back to the Infant Church. I was raised in a broad
spectrum of parochial venues. That ignorance was an almost universal
problem by the 1950’s.
In 1968, Pope Paul VI introduces his Encyclical, ‘Humanae Vitae” – On
Human Life. Therein, he expands the previous teaching of Pope Pius XI
and predicts in even graver language all of the social and societal
ills which already exist and will further develop from widespread usage
of contraception. He brilliantly predicts as a result the development
of a trashy culture which will treat women as sex toys to satisfy the
lusts of men, as objects to be used and then thrown away. Worst of all,
thousands of priests and nuns publicly, mindlessly, denounced Paul VI
and Humanae Vitae.
Do any of us need a crystal ball to see the fallout from widespread
acceptance of Contraception in the 20th century? They are amongst other
ills; broken homes, emotionally unstable children and grandchildren,
single parent families raising boys, many if not most of whom will turn
out to be run-away fathers. Lastly, the decline of a stable society
(due to so many males dropping out of school, who subsequently only
know gangs, drugs and prison. And, let’s not forget the homicidal
Planned Parenthoods of this world. And, let's not forget the ultimate
perversion caused by a lack of teaching about the only licit purpose of
sex, the procreative and unitive purposes of one man and one women in
marriage - LGBT - homosexual unions.
These are only highlights of the subject of the result of widespread
contraception. And, yes, it is my opinion that sins of the flesh, sins
of impurity are the ‘major’ cause of our national, societal, and
familial problems today. And Our Lady predicted, at Fatima, what would
happen if mankind did not repent of and convert from such sins.
Instead, mankind in general has gone downhill into the moral sewage and
social carnage predicted for such a sexually perverted generation.
It is the crux of the current chaos.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
2. The firmament has the stars for its beauty,
and dispassion has the virtues for its adornments; for by dispassion, I
mean nothing other than the Heaven of the mind within the heart, which
regards the wiles of the demons as mere pranks.
July 1, 2020
(Amo 4:11-12) "I overthrew some of you, as when God overthrew
Sodom and Gomor'rah, and you were as a brand plucked out of the
burning; yet you did not return to me," says the LORD. Therefore thus I
will do to you, O Israel; because I will do this to you, prepare to
meet your God, O Israel!"
VIDEO HOMILY: Father Altier: Beware of False Prophets
ROMANCATHOLICMAN.COM: We Speak the Truth With Charity and Let the Consequences Come
Two names have been on the forefront of my mind in the past few days:
Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Clemens Von Galen. Both were churchmen during
the rise of Adolf Hitler in Germany. Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran minister
and Von Galen was the Catholic Bishop of Munster in Germany. Both saw a
bad moon rising which would both destroy their homeland and would turn
their homeland into a geographical serial killer which would be awash
in blood. Both were despondent at the silence or complicity of their
brother clerics in the face of National Socialism. Both took very
public and dangerous stands against Hitler, knowing it could very well
cost them everything. Von Galen knew that Hitler very much intended to
do to the Catholic Church what he had done to the Jewish population.
Bonhoeffer knew that were Lutheranism allowed to exists at all, it
would a puppet of the state. Both figured it was better to die a free
man than live a long life in cowardice or complicity. Bonhoeffer was
one of the last executions ordered by Hitler as the Soviet Army neared
the bunker. Von Galen died soon after WWII was over, having seen his
worst fears about his country realized.
I can’t help but feel that with
recent uprising that one day the clergy of this country will be at the
same crossroads. It could be argued that we are already there and have
been for some time. Since the sexual revolution and all that came with
it, from abortion to birth control to most every conceivable abuse of
human sexuality, our clergy has fallen into three camps: silence,
complicity, and courage. When we look at the devastation that happened
within the Church with the sexual scandals and cover ups, we can see
how silence and complicity are little more than tools of the devil.
When we see public Catholic voice more and more indistinguishable from
the secular voice, we again see the devastation rendered by the silent
and complicit. Such silence and complicity are a major contributory
factor in the terminal illness we see the Church undergoing in this
country.
For more than a few years, I have
written with all due charity to try to insert how the love of God is
the true answer to what ails us. I know many columns could very well be
used against me were an authoritarian state to rise. I have had the
same attitude as Bonhoeffer and Van Galen (though I dare not put my
writings as remotely equal to such giants) in that we speak the truth
with charity and let the consequences come.
The prophet Jeremiah lays heavy on
me as well. He was given the task of calling back the people of Judah
from the brink of disaster and the destruction of Judah and Jerusalem.
The people would not listen: not the king, not the priests, not the
Levites, nor the people. No one, save Jeremiah, challenged the
infidelity of Judah as they worshipped idols. The complicit and
cowardly priests and Levites persecuted him. As did the royal court.
Jeremiah persists because God wanted the people to be saved. As we hear
in 1st Reading from today’s Scriptures, the consequence inevitably
comes and Jerusalem and the Temple are destroyed.
Those who carry on the prophetic
message must do so because they know that the current course leads to
destruction. To be a Jeremiah, a Bonhoeffer, or a Von Galen requires a
deep love for God and for one’s flock and a desperate desire to not see
that flock destroyed even as they skip happily and unwittingly to their
own destruction.
Parents, you have such a call
within your homes. Will you call your children to silence, complicity,
or courage? Pastors of souls, we have the same question placed before
us. Assuredly we run the risk of persecution and suffering for adhering
to the truth, but is not better to live shortly as a free person than
live long as a slave to the passions and to authoritarianism? How will
history judge us? How will God judge us?
RENEWALMINISTRIES.NET: Fr. Michael Scanlan’s 1976 Prophecy
Son of man, do you see that city going bankrupt? Are you willing to see
all your cities going bankrupt? Are you willing to see the bankruptcy
of the whole economic system you rely on now so that all money is
worthless and cannot support you?
Son of man, do you see the crime and lawlessness in your city streets,
and towns, and institutions? Are you willing to see no law, no order,
no protection for you except that which I myself will give you?
Son of man, do you see the country which you love and which you are now
celebrating—a country’s history that you look back on with nostalgia?
Are you willing to see no country—no country to call your own except
those I give you as my body? Will you let me bring you life in my body
and only there?
Son of man, do you see those churches which you can go to so easily
now? Are you ready to see them with bars across their doors, with doors
nailed shut? Are you ready to base your life only on me and not on any
particular structure? Are you ready to depend only on me and not on all
the institutions of schools and parishes that you are working so hard
to foster?
Son of man, I call you to be ready for that. That is what I am telling
you about. The structures are falling and changing—it is not for you to
know the details now—but do not rely on them as you have been. I want
you to make a deeper commitment to one another. I want you to trust one
another, to build an interdependence that is based on my Spirit. It is
an interdependence that is no luxury. It is an absolute necessity for
those who will base their lives on me and not the structures from a
pagan world. I have spoken and it will take place. My word will go
forth to my people. They may hear and they may not—and I will respond
accordingly—but this is my word.
Look about you, son of man. When you see it all shut down, when you see
everything removed which has been taken for granted, and when you are
prepared to live without these things, then you will know what I am
making ready.
Ladder
of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 29- "Concerning Heaven on Earth"
1. Here are we who lie in the deepest pit of ignorance,
in the dark passions of this body and in the shadow of death, having the
temerity to begin to philosophize about Heaven on earth.
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