Keep
your eyes open!...
June 28, 2024
(Mat 5:9) Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
FOX NEWS: Catholic Church struggles to maintain Christian presence in Holy Land amid war, political turmoil
UCANEWS: Vatican urges Middle East parties to accept peace plans
CATHOLIC SUN: Under olive tree planted as sign of peace, pope begs God to help Holy Land
ACN: Archbishop in Lebanon: ‘We find ourselves in a state of war!’
ACN and the local Church are calling for prayers, so that peace may be
restored in the region. Daily rocket fire in southern Lebanon is
plunging people into deeper poverty than they were already suffering as
a result of the financial crisis in 2019. The Church is standing with
them, providing practical help for their needs and providing an
accountof courage.
Because of the war in Gaza, daily rocket fire is hitting southern
Lebanon. Places near the Israeli border are particularly affected.
“The eyes of the world are on Gaza, but something that the media rarely
reports is that this has resulted in an armed conflict taking place in
southern Lebanon,” said Marielle Boutros, project coordinator of Aid to
the Church in Need (ACN) in Lebanon. “As with the people in Gaza, this
is not the first war that the people in southern Lebanon have had to
experience. They can’t cope with the noise of the rockets anymore and
are traumatized. They really need our prayers.”
The Maronite Archbishop of Tyre, Monsignor Charbel Abdallah, whose
archdiocese is one of the oldest in the world, told ACN that despite
“finding ourselves in a state of war,” most people who had fled to
Beirut or further north have now returned because they were short of
money, and their relatives did not have the capacity to accommodate so
many people. In the ten parishes near the Israeli border, which make up
almost the entirety of the archdiocese, 70 percent of people have come
back. “The parishes of Alma el Chaeb and Quzah are, however, still
nearly empty, because they lie entirely in the area of the air strikes;
a large number of houses there have been completely destroyed.”
Livelihoods ruined for years
According to the archbishop, the people in these ten parishes can no
longer bring in their harvest, because their fields are now a conflict
zone. Plus, many fires caused by phosphorus bombs have destroyed
cultivated fields and fruit trees, which will have negative effects for
years to come. Archbishop Abdallah laments that all these people, who
have been robbed of their one source of income, are not receiving any
help from the state: “In the face of these many needs, the state is
completely absent. The people are becoming poorer and poorer and can no
longer live dignified lives. Because of extreme inflation, the social
security funds for hospital stays, visits to the doctor, or medicine
are hardly present.”
Archbishop Abdallah Despite this, Boutros is deeply impressed by the
courage and faith of ACN’s many project partners in southern Lebanon.
“None of them – whether bishops, priests, religious brothers, or nuns –
have left the region in the face of constant danger. They feel
responsible for staying with the people in their need and offering them
support and comfort.” Even the priests of the two parishes in Alma el
Chaeb and Quzah, who find themselves amid the air strikes, are still
there to strengthen the few remaining believers.
Archbishop visits parishes despite mortal danger
Every Sunday and sometimes during the week, Archbishop Abdallah visits
the parishes affected by the war, though twice already during his
visits, bombs landed nearby. After Mass, he meets the faithful “to talk
about the situation.” The archbishop and his pastoral staff try to give
witness to their faith through action, before they do so with words:
“We try to keep the spiritual life of the parishes going by celebrating
all the usual festivals: the festivals of the liturgical year, the
festivals of patron saints, and First Communion. After the
celebrations, we listen to the people to see what needs they have and
to help them with our modest means.” Archbishop Abdallah has found that
these visits “encourage the people enormously; they sense that they
have not been left in the lurch by the Church.”
But to help them, the local Church, which is one of the poorest in the
country, is dependent on outside support. “Fortunately, Catholic
organizations like ACN and other NGOs are present,” reports the
Maronite archbishop, who is very grateful for the longstanding help of
ACN. “Every month, ACN provides food parcels to thousands of needy
families and thereby gives vital support. Beyond this, hundreds of sick
people receive monthly help to buy medicine. The charity has also
equipped a health center in one of our big parishes to support the
local families. Many thanks to all the benefactors for their
generosity! Please pray for us. Pray that this war in the Middle East
ends as quickly as possible!”
REPORT: Israel Readies Troops for a Potential Escalation in Lebanon
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
35. Hyperichius said, 'Let your mind be always on the kingom of heaven, and you will soon inherit it.'
June 26, 2024
(Mat 10:32-33) Every
one therefore that shall confess me before men, I will also confess him
before my Father who is in heaven. But he that shall deny me before
men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven.
FATHER JEFFREY KIRBY HOMILY: The Consequences of Secularism
DR. PETER KREEFT: The Church and Secularism
EXCERPT FATHER JEFFREY F. KIRBY: Let’s face it: There’s nothing unbiased about secularism
In the public forum, secularism
presents itself as a neutral space, a type of safe answer to the
challenge of pluralism. In truth, however, secularism is just one of
many philosophical systems which seek to influence the human family.
Beyond its own marketing, secularism is a partisan system which is
intolerant of transcendence and lacking in true acceptance of religious
creed or spiritual experience. There is nothing unbiased in the secular
system.
Secularism claims to possess a new way forward for humanity. It
identifies rational thought, empirical investigation, and social
harmony solely with itself. It casts a shadow on religion, ostracizes
it, and identifies religious belief with violence, ignorance, and
fantasy.
This juxtaposition can almost be summarized as “reason versus
superstition,” with faith and religion absorbed under the designation
“superstition.” Secularism tells the human person that she can live a
completely good and happy life without God or spirituality, and the
only narrative that she really needs is the one that she is writing for
herself.
More pressingly, secularism asserts that it is the true destiny of
humanity. It argues that only as humanity “grows up” and sheds its
superstition, can it enter a new era with exalted things for all.
Tragically to the holistic nature of the human person, religion and her
spiritual nature – so sacred and important to human life and such a
source of its richness – are completely discredited and seen as useless
holdovers of an antiquated and dark past in human history, which no
longer has any relevance and can contribute nothing to human
development.
Such a worldview seems partial to a will to power. It comes across as
such a small world, impoverished of human transcendental aspirations
and the capacity for virtue. In its supposed neutrality, it has no room
for the depths of the human soul and the multi-tiered expressions of
its beauty.
The world today doesn’t need a will to power. It doesn’t need extremism
disguised as religion. It doesn’t need the emptiness or intolerance of
secularism.
The pining of the human family today needs the panorama of love, truth,
beauty, goodness, kindness, compassion, and gentleness. It needs all
the avenues which point it to this elevated way of life, including
religious belief and spiritual expression. And sometimes humanity needs
a reminder, a simple witness, to this truth.
OPINION: Founding Fathers never intended U.S. to be secular or hostile to religion
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
32.
Syncletica said, 'Let us live soberly, for thieves get in through our
bodily senses. The inside of the house is sure to be blackened if the
smoke that is coiling up outside finds the windows open.'
June 24, 2024
(Rev 6:4) And
there went out another horse that was red. And to him that sat thereon,
it was given that he should take peace from the earth: and that they
should kill one another. And a great sword was given to him.
BBC: Unable to back down, Israel and Hezbollah move closer to all-out war
VOA: Israel, Lebanon’s Hezbollah on potential ‘knife edge of conflict’
ACN: LEBANON: Church scrambling to help people living in a state of war
Renewed prayers for an end to the conflict in the Middle East are
urgently needed – according to Church leaders bringing vital aid to
people in southern Lebanon caught in the crossfire between the Israeli
army and militant groups.
Those living near the Israeli border are suffering because of daily
rocket fire while living in extreme poverty as a result of the
financial crisis that started in 2019, according to information
gathered by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
Maronite Catholic Archeparch Charbel Abdallah of Tyre – one of the
oldest archdioceses in the world – told ACN that, despite finding
themselves “in a state of war”, most of those who had fled to Beirut or
further north have been forced to return home because of a lack of
funds and shortage of accommodation in other parts of the country.
Archeparch Abdallah said that two parishes – Alma el Chaeb and Quzah –
are “still nearly empty because they lie entirely in the areas of the
air strikes” and “a large proportion of the houses there have been
completely destroyed”.
He added that those living in the other 10 parishes of his archeparchy
can no longer bring in their harvest because their fields are now
located in a conflict zone.
Marielle Boutros, ACN project coordinator in Lebanon said that she was
deeply impressed by the courage and faithfulness of the charity’s
project partners “in the face of the constant danger”.
Ms Boutros added: “None of them – whether bishops, priests, religious
brothers or nuns – have left the region… “They feel responsible for
staying with the people in their need and offering them support and
comfort.” She stressed that even the priests of the Alma el Chaeb and
Quzah parishes – who regularly find themselves in the middle of air
strikes – have remained in place to support the few remaining believers.
NCR: Caught in the Crossfire: Israeli Christians Face Hezbollah’s Relentless Attacks
With all eyes on the Hamas-Israel war and growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza, many people around the world have ignored the threat to Israel from its northern neighbor, Lebanon.
Since the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terror
organization and militia with 60,000 soldiers, has been launching
rockets and armed drones at communities in northern Israel from its
perch in southern Lebanon. The Israeli Defense Force often responds to
the attacks by launching rockets across the border.
Hezbollah’s attacks, which sometimes number dozens a day, have caused
damage, casualties and fear in the towns, villages and kibbutzim
(communal farms) that dot Israel’s mostly rural northern border. This
has affected the lives of all Israelis who live near Israel’s border
with Lebanon, including tens of thousands of Christians.
“This is a war of attrition,” said Bishop Rafic Nahra, patriarchal
vicar for Israel and auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of
Jerusalem, describing the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
“People’s lives are affected. It is a very difficult situation.”
While there are some Christians who are visiting Israel on solidarity
missions or serving as volunteers to Israeli farmers and others in
need, they rarely visit the usual Christian holy sites. “There is very
little tourism,” Father Nahra said. “A few Asian groups but almost no
Americans or Europeans.” This is a big blow for the country’s
185,000-strong Christian community, which relies heavily on
pilgrimages. “All those who worked in hotels, in Christian shops, who
produce items sold to pilgrims aren’t working.” Even the large hostel
run by the Sisters of Nazareth is shuttered.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
30.
Some brothers once asked Silvanus, 'What way of life did you follow to
be endowed with such prudence?' He answered, 'I have never let any
bitter thought remain in my heart.'
June 19, 2024
(2Th 2:15) Therefore, brethren, stand fast: and hold the traditions, which you have learned, whether by word or by our epistle.
WHAT WE NEED NOW BLOG: The Catholic Church’s Enduring Answer to the Practical Atheism of Our Age By Cardinal Robert Sarah
BLOG: Growing Rumors of a “Final Solution” for the Traditional Latin Mass - TLM
CRISIS MAGAZINE: The Problem of Blessing Same-Sex Couples and Its Consequences for the Doctrine and Life of the Catholic Church by Bishop Athanasius Schneider
INSIDE THE VATICAN EXCERPT: Letter #18, 2024, Monday, June 10: Crisis and Eclipse of the Church in the West in the Words of an Elderly Priest
Q: Are we living in a form of paganism?
The elderly priest: We only think about living materially by greedily
seeking the goods of this world (while always remaining dissatisfied),
because after death we believe that there is nothingness.
In fact, the “Novissimi” (“the last things”) — Death, Judgement, Hell and Heaven — also have ended up in oblivion.
Hell exists and is not empty, as authoritative figures in the
ecclesiastical sphere have declared, otherwise why did Jesus speak in
these terms? Jesus said: “Then he will say to those on his left: Depart
from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire, prepared for the devil and
for his angels. Because I was hungry, and you didn’t give me anything
to eat; I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me anything to drink; I was
a stranger, and you did not welcome me, naked, and you did not clothe
me, sick and in prison, and you did not visit me” (Gospel of Saint
Matthew 25, 41-43).
Q: Is the worldly Church proclaiming a different Gospel?
The elderly priest:The Holy Scripture responds in this regard: “But
even if we or an angel from heaven announce to you a Gospel other than
that which we have announced to you, let him be anathema. As we have
already said, I repeat it again now: if anyone preaches to you a Gospel
other than the one you have received, let him be anathema. Am I perhaps
seeking the favor of men, or that of God? Or do I try to please men? If
I still tried to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ (From
the letter of St. Paul to the Galatians 1, 8-10). And further: “The day
will come, in fact, when sound doctrine will no longer be tolerated,
but, due to the itch to hear something, men will surround themselves
with teachers according to their own desires, refusing to listen to the
truth and turning to fables. However, watch carefully, know how to
tolerate suffering, carry out your work as a preacher of the Gospel,
fulfill your ministry” (2 Timothy 4:3-5).
However, we must not lose hope, because the Lord said: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world” (Mt 28:20).
A MOMENT WITH MARY: Padre Pio: People will believe in Garabandal when it is too late
The Garabandal apparitions are not yet officially recognized, but the
Church has never condemned them. The great Saint Padre Pio spoke in
support of their authenticity on several occasions. This fact is
important, in the light of his recent canonization.
When some Spaniards visiting San Giovanni Rotondo, Italy, asked Padre
Pio if he believed in the authenticity of the Garabandal apparitions,
the saintly Capuchin Father replied in his usual stern tone: "Are you
still asking?... How many apparitions do you need, when they've already
been happening for eight months?"
On March 3, 1962, Conchita received an unsigned, typewritten letter in
Italian, with no sender's address on the envelope, and only a smudged,
illegible postmark. The letter began with: "Dear little children of
Garabandal, this morning the Blessed Virgin spoke to me of your
apparitions." And it ended with these words: "I give you only one piece
of advice: Pray and have others pray, for the world is going to
perdition. People don't believe you or your conversations with the Lady
in White; they will believe when it is too late."
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
27.
A brother said to Sisois, 'I want to guard my heart.' He said to him,
'How can we guard the heart if our tongue leaves the door of the
fortress open?'
June 17, 2024
(Psa 46:10) Be still and see that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, and I will be exalted in the earth.
OUR SUNDAY VISITOR: Cardinal Sarah warns against ‘practical atheism’ even within the Church
CRISIS MAGAZINE: The Great Sifting
BISHOP STRICKLAND BLOG: A Sacred Pause
Psalm 33:11 – “But the plan of the Lord stands forever, the designs of his heart through all generations.”
There is a storm coming – the likes of which has never been seen upon
the Earth. The Church, the Brideof Christ, has weathered quite a few
squalls and gales, and although many of these have left the ship
damaged at times and taking on water, each time the Master shipbuilder
has restored her – polishing the wood and making her seaworthy once
more. And those on the ship, although tattered and weary, have often
been blessed and healed by Our Blessed Mother who walks among her
children.
So, what is different about this
storm that is now coming? It is the fact that this time the ship itself
is in such a weakened state from the hidden sins and corruption within
its sacred halls that it has already started to take on water, and it
is ill-equipped to weather the storm that is coming. So as evil reaches
a previously unseen level of saturation in the Church and in the world,
the ship is already so compromised by sin and corruption that it is in
danger of capsizing.
As St. John Bosco reminds us, there are two pillars that have served to
keep the ship upright through the ages, and these are the Eucharistic
presence of Our Lord and devotion to Our Blessed Mother. However, the
ship is not now so firmly anchored to these pillars as it has been in
the past. The lack of supernatural faith has weakened its ties to the
Eucharistic pillar, and the indifference to Our Blessed Mother and the
disregarding of her warnings and admonitions, as well as a refusal to
acknowledge the words she still brings, have weakened the ties to the
other pillar. Therefore, the storm that now comes brings unprecedented
danger.
Many will say – “Why worry? The
Master shipbuilder will once again restore His Bride.” However, the
time is now upon us when we begin to receive the fruits of what we have
sown – and the cord of Mercywhich has long been extended from Heaven to
Earth is even now being replaced by the rope of justice.
As the evil in the world accelerates, steadily advancing, unrelenting
in its seemingly victorious march, and as every day we hear about new
abuses, new scandals, new heresies within the sacred halls of the
Church, where does that leave us? Terrified? Dismayed?
Wait! Listen! Be still!
For even as the din of the demons
becomes deafening, underneath the wailing and the gnashing and the
clashing, there can be found a profound silence – a sacred pause. And
in this profound silence that forms a barrier between your soul and the
world, you will hear a sound if you listen closely – it is a heartbeat!
It is the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Evil marches relentlessly forward – and every day new atrocities come
to light – and the faithful shudder and wonder if it can get any worse.
The answer is – it can, and it will. But underneath it all, in the
profound silence of the Sacred Pause, you can hear a sound if you will
only listen – the heartbeat of His Sacred Heart.
The heart of Jesus began to beat the rhythm of love in His infant chest
only days after He was conceived in Mary’s womb. His heart, human and
divine, continued to beat throughout His life in this world. For
thirty-three years, His heart proclaimed love with every beat until the
awful moment of His death on the cross. Scripture tells us that at His
death the Earth was shaken to its depths because the Lord of creation
breathed no more. All of creation entered into a “sacred pause” when
literally the breath of the universe was taken away. This, though, was
only a pause – devastating but passing. The Lord of all rose, and His
heart began to beat anew. His heart has not stopped since the moment of
His resurrection when His heart began to beat again with a vigor like
never before, the beating of the heart of Our Risen Lord who has
conquered sin and death. Twenty centuries have passed, and through it
all, His heart beats on.
Yes, there is a storm coming, the likes of which has never been seen
upon the Earth. However, as it increases in intensity, if you feel
overwhelmed – just stop, pause – and enter into a Sacred Pause. St.
Margaret Mary Alacoque said, “I understand that the devotion of the
Sacred Heart is a last effort of His Love towards the Christians of
these latter days, by offering to them an object and means so
calculated to persuade them to love Him.” The coming days bring things
which we could never have imagined would take place in the Lord’s
Church, but do not despair! Stop – pause – there is a sound – it is His
heartbeat. Let us ponder His Sacred Heart. All of the chaos of the past
and the increasing chaos of our time will never overcome the sacred
heartbeat that emanates from the heart of Christ. The heart of God’s
Son brings us a message that echoes through the ages: “be still and
know that I am God.”
As we go forward into June, the month of the Sacred Heart, I feel a
powerful urgency to call us all deeper into the Sacred Heart of Christ.
Psalm 33 speaks of the designs of God’s heart and reminds us that His
love is everlasting. It is profoundly important as the storm gathers
momentum that we all draw closer and closer to His Sacred Heart, and
that we know the heart of Christ which is truly and fully present in
the Eucharist. So many Eucharistic miracles throughout the ages point
to the incarnate flesh of the heart of Our Lord. Even now, His Sacred
Heart bleeds for us in order to draw us closer to His Eucharistic Face.
Let us not be blind and deaf to the wonder of Jesus Christ truly
present at every Mass, in every tabernacle and on every altar of
Eucharistic adoration.
This month, may we begin to enter into our own “Sacred Pause” and, as
we hear the heartbeat of His Sacred Heart, let us drink in the
tremendous blessing of knowing that Jesus Christ is with us in the
storm.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
25.
He also said, 'Do not stay with anyone who is always scornful when they speak.'
June 11, 2024
(Gen
49:1-10). And Jacob also predicted: "The scepter shall not depart from
Judah, nor the rod of command from between his feet, until he comes to
whom it belongs and to whom the peoples owe obedience."
1000 REASONS TO BELIEVE: The Unique Prophecies That Announced the Messiah
Messianic expectation was shaped by
a long series of individuals who prophesied, over many centuries and
through many inspired, revealed words and figures, the coming of a
Messiah king from Israel. The prophecies foretold how this man would
change the course of world history, describing his birth, life, death,
posterity, mission and even the time of his coming. Nowhere else in
human history do we find an expectation of this magnitude and manner,
pointing to Jesus, and occurring at the foretold time.
1000 REASONS TO BELIEVE: The Time of the Coming of the Messiah Was Accurately Prophesied
It is amazing to see that the time of the Messiah's coming was
accurately predicted by several prophecies well known to Jews and to
those living at the time of Christ. According to the patriarch Jacob,
the "scepter" first had to depart from Judah (Gen 49:1); for the
prophet Haggai, the Messiah would come at the time of the Second
Temple; for the prophet Daniel, it would coincide with the time of the
fourth kingdom "after Nebuchadnezzar" (Dan 2:39) and "Seventy Weeks"
after a prophecy announcing the rebuilding of the Temple (Dan 9:24); as
for the prophet Isaiah, he predicted that the "Prince of Peace" would
arrive at a time when the world would have ceased to fight (cf. Is
9:5), in the "fullness of time" (Ga 4:4; Eph 1:10). Even the pagans
(Tacitus, Suetonius, the Sibyl of Cumae, the Babylonian astrologers)
sensed the coming of a "world-dominating" Messiah from Israel. At the
time of Christ, therefore, "the people were waiting" (Lk 3:15) in a
very singular way. So, when John the Baptist appeared, they all asked
him: "Are you the One who is to come, or must we wait for another?" (Lk
7:19). The anticipation had become so strong in this period of history
that historians have identified dozens of candidate Messiahs (cf.
Vittorio Messori, Hypothèses sur Jésus, Mame, 1995, ch. 4), and
Gamaliel alluded to it during his address to the Sanhedrin on behalf of
the apostles (Acts 5:34-39). Lastly, even if some Jews did not
recognize Christ, they nonetheless bear indirect witness to the great
precision of this expectation: after the first century and the failed
revolt of Bar Kochba "son of the star" (died 135) - thought to be the
Messiah by Rabbi Akiva and the Jewish leaders of the time - they
acknowledged in the Talmud that "all the dates calculated for the
coming of the Messiah have now expired" ( Tractate Sanhedrin no. 97).
A MOMENT WITH MARY: A Navy Seal who knows something about spiritual battle and the Rosary
Former Navy SEAL Team Six /
Development Group (DEVGRU) Operator Dom Raso knows something about
battle—both physical and spiritual.
As one of the most elite soldiers in the United States military, Raso’s
name is revered across the country for his service as well as his
contributions to research and development of military techniques. But
perhaps more significant than his unparalleled military accomplishments
is the way he has sustained a will to fight—both for American freedom
and for the glory of God.
Dom has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers on Instagram and has
been a guest on prolific podcasts with millions of subscribers, but he
isn’t looking for fame. Raso summarizes himself in his Instagram
biography as: “Veteran Navy SEAL, Catholic, Husband, and Father of 5.”
In conversation with Word on Fire, Raso shares stories from his life.
Through combat, grief, and loss, Dom has chosen what is good, true, and
beautiful. But as is the case for all, it hasn’t been without extreme
discipline, profound suffering, and divine mercy.
[...] What’s striking, however, is how despite Raso’s SEAL past
carrying earthly weapons of war, he admits that the most powerful
weapon he carries is the Rosary.
Dom’s first Rosary was something he always cherished, even through his
SEAL Team days. “It was the one thing I can look back on where I had a
feeling of deep connection.” At the time he couldn’t have pinpointed
why the item seemed so valuable to him. “Now I know why.” As his faith
has evolved and grown, Raso is drawn deeper into the beauty of the
prayer. “The meditations and the actual praying of the Rosary has
changed my life. It’s deepened my sense of Christ walking every part of
his journey on earth. It’s deepened my sense of my love for him. It’s
deepened my [awareness of the] humility of Mary and her role in God’s
perfect plan, of being espoused to the Holy Spirit.” For the last five
months and counting, Raso and his teenage son have committed to praying
their daily Rosary together—no exceptions. It’s been a catalyst for
deep conversations and authentic bonding, and they both attribute it
all to Our Lady.
With a history as one of the most technically skilled soldiers in the
United States, Raso knows how to wield a weapon. But everyday, he asks
himself, “Is my trust in God higher than my ability to carry a blade
and trust in my skills?” Beads in hand, Raso stated, “This is my
reminder in my physical sense that I trust God more than anything else
physically in this world.” “It’s something that I would never be
without at this point. It’s absolutely something that’s made a profound
change in so many different areas of my life, it’s undeniable.”
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
24.
He also said, 'The beginning and the end is the fear of the Lord. For
it is written, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom" (Ps.
111:10) and, when Abraham built an altar the Lord said to him, "now I
know that you fear God" (Gen. 22:12).'
June 7, 2024
(Joh 19:33-35) But
after they were come to Jesus, when they saw that he was already dead,
they did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers with a spear
opened his side: and immediately there came out blood and water. And he
that saw it hath given testimony: and his testimony is true. And he
knoweth that he saith true: that you also may believe.
BISHOP DONALD J. HYING: Understanding the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and What it Means
WELCOME HIS HEART: Six Papal Quotes on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
We can place our trust in the Sacred Heart with our daily needs,
struggles, and desires. We can turn to this all-merciful heart for
strength, comfort, and love. The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus is the
solution to our brokenness and that of the world. When we enthrone the
Sacred Heart in our home, we are able to allow what once was annoying
and stressful to transform us. The closer we are to Jesus, the more we
will grow in holiness. Jesus invites us to promote the Kingdom of Love
through this most adorable and loving Heart.
These six quotes are from Popes who had a personal devotion to the
Sacred Heart of Jesus and promoted this devotion world-wide. St. John
Paul II’s favorite invocation from the Litany of the Sacred Heart
reminds us of our greatest desire, “Heart of Jesus, fountain of life
and holiness.” May we seek out this merciful Heart and come to
appreciate this true path to holiness.
- “Father Mateo, not only do I permit you, but I command you to
give your life for this work of social salvation to spread the devotion
Enthronement of the Sacred Heart throughout the world.” -Pope Pius X,
1907
- “You do well, beloved Father Mateo, to take up the cause of human
society, by first stirring up and spreading the Christian spirit in
Families and Homes, and by establishing in the center of our families
the love of Jesus Christ to reign and rule therein.” -Pope Benedict XV,
1916.
- Devotion to the Most Sacred Heart is the extraordinary remedy for the extraordinary needs of our time.” -Pope Pius XI, 1928
- It is altogether impossible to enumerate the heavenly gifts which
devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has poured out on the souls of
the faithful, purifying them, offering them heavenly strength, rousing
them to the attainment of all virtues.” – Pope Pius XII, 1956.
- “In the Sacred Heart, every treasure of wisdom and knowledge is
hidden. The Heart of the Lord Jesus is the starting-point of the
holiness of each one of us. From the Heart of the Lord Jesus let us
learn the love of God and understanding of the mystery of sin. Let us
make acts of reparation to the Divine Heart for the sins committed by
us and by our fellow men. Let us make reparation for rejecting God’s
goodness and love. Let us draw close each day to this fount from which
flow springs of living water. Let us cry out with the Samaritan woman
“Give us this water”, for it wells up to eternal life.” -Saint Pope
John Paul II, 1984
- “Do not be afraid to present to him (Jesus) all the intentions of
our suffering humanity, its fears, its miseries. May this Heart, full
of love for men, give everyone hope and trust.”…I invite you to
discover the riches that are hidden in the Heart of Jesus.” – Pope
Francis, June 17, 2020
FATHER JOHN A. HARDON, S.J: How to Live in the Presence of God
Antonio Cardinal Bacci: Meditations For Each Day: Living in the Presence of God
1. The ability to live always in the presence of God is the foundation
of the spiritual life. It is an unquestionable fact that we are always
in the presence of God. “In Him we live and move and have our being.”
(Acts 17:28) But we must be aware of this divine presence. If we really
live all the time in the presence of God, we shall be able to avoid
sin, practise virtue, and enjoy God's close friendship. How can we
offend God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Judge, if we remember that we
are being watched by Him? “If we reflect on the presence of God,” says
St. Thomas, “we shall hardly ever sin.” (Opusc., 58:2) “If we keep
ourselves always in the presence of God,” writes St. John Chrysostom,
“we shall think no evil, say no evil, and do no evil.” (Hom. 8 ad
Phil., 2)
When we are always aware of God's presence and realise that He is
absolute truth, goodness and beauty, we shall be moved to love and
imitate Him. “Walk in my presence and be perfect.” (Gen. 17:1) Because
God is our only true good, we shall try by every means in our power to
live close to Him and to offer Him all the thoughts, desires and
actions of our day. The rare moments of formal prayer will not be
enough for us then, but we shall long to be in constant communication
with God.
When boiling water is moved away from the fire, it gradually loses its
heat. It is the same with us, St. John Chrysostom remarked, when we
move away from our awareness of God. We must live in His presence all
the time and must check ourselves immediately if we notice that we are
slipping away from this ideal.
2. The masters of the spiritual life advise us as to the best way to
cultivate an awareness of the presence of God. (Cf. S Alphons., Al
Divino Servizio, III, 3) This may be done by employing the intellect to
form the concept of God's nearness and by using the will to offer to
Him ourselves and everything around us with acts of humility, adoration
and love. The intellect, enlightened by faith, tells us that God is
everywhere. “Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord.” (Jer.
23:24) We should see Him in all His creatures which reflect His eternal
glory. “Learn to love the Creator in the creature,” says St. Augustine,
“so that you may not become attached to created things and so lose Him
by Whom you yourself were created.” (In Ps. 19)
When we wish to revive in our minds a sense of the presence of God, we
should not picture Him as a distant Being, but as our own God Who
condescended to dwell within us. We should then listen to His
inspirations and humbly venerate His divine majesty which resides in
our souls. “Do you not know,” asks St. Paul, “that you are the temple
of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Cor. 3:16) God is
everywhere, but He dwells in a special manner in our souls. It is
difficult for us, however, to live with our minds constantly
concentrated on Him. If we were able to do so, this would be an
anticipation of the happiness of the Blessed in Heaven. But we should
have a habitual intention, which we should renew as often as possible,
of living in the presence of God and of offering Him all our desires
and actions. Then our whole life will be a continual prayer of great
value in the sight of God.
3. My dear Mother Mary, you who lived in the intimate presence of God,
obtain for me also this great grace, so that I may avoid sin, do good,
and love God upon earth in the hope of enjoying Him forever in Heaven.
Amen.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
23.
Poemen said that someone asked Paesisus this question, 'What am I
to do about my soul? I have become incapable of feeling and I do not
fear God.' He said to him, 'Go, and live with someone who does fear
God: and by being there, you to.'
June 5, 2024
(Joh 8:12) Again
therefore, Jesus spoke to: them, saying: I am the light of the world.
He that followeth me walketh not in darkness, but shall have the light
of life.
ESSAY: On the Power of the Powerless By Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
ACN: Priest returns to Gaza to provide aid in the midst of war
CNA: Jerusalem’s Marian procession: A call for peace in war-torn Gaza
VIA X:
An incredible letter written by a non-Jewish Scottish professor to his
students who voted to boycott Israel It's a response from Dr. Denis
MacEoin to the motion put forward by The Edinburgh Student's
Association to boycott all things Israeli, in which they claim Israel
is under an apartheid regime. Denis is an expert in Middle Eastern
affairs and was a senior editor of the Middle East Quarterly. Here's
his letter to the students.
TO: The Committee Edinburgh University Student Association.
May I be permitted to say a few
words to members of the EUSA? I am an Edinburgh graduate (MA 1975) who
studied Persian, Arabic and Islamic History in Buccleuch Place under
William Montgomery Watt and Laurence Elwell Sutton, two of Britain 's
great Middle East experts in their day. I later went on to do a PhD at
Cambridge and to teach Arabic and Islamic Studies at Newcastle
University . Naturally, I am the author of several books and hundreds
of articles in this field. I say all that to show that I am well
informed in Middle Eastern affairs and that, for that reason, I am
shocked and disheartened by the EUSA motion and vote.
I am shocked for a simple reason: there is not and has never been a system of apartheid in Israel .
That is not my opinion, that is
fact that can be tested against reality by any Edinburgh student,
should he or she choose to visit Israel to see for themselves. Let me
spell this out, since I have the impression that those members of EUSA
who voted for this motion are absolutely clueless in matters concerning
Israel, and that they are, in all likelihood, the victims of extremely
biased propaganda coming from the anti-Israel lobby.
Being anti-Israel is not in itself
objectionable. But I'm not talking about ordinary criticism of Israel .
I'm speaking of a hatred that permits itself no boundaries in the lies
and myths it pours out. Thus, Israel is repeatedly referred to as a
"Nazi" state. In what sense is this true, even as a metaphor? Where are
the Israeli concentration camps? The einzatsgruppen? The SS? The
Nuremberg Laws? The Final Solution? None of these things nor anything
remotely resembling them exists in Israel , precisely because the Jews,
more than anyone on earth, understand what Nazism stood for.
It is claimed that there has been
an Israeli Holocaust in Gaza (or elsewhere). Where? When? No honest
historian would treat that claim with anything but the contempt it
deserves. But calling Jews Nazis and saying they have committed a
Holocaust is as basic a way to subvert historical fact as anything I
can think of.
Likewise apartheid. For apartheid
to exist, there would have to be a situation that closely resembled how
things were in South Africa under the apartheid regime. Unfortunately
for those who believe this, a weekend in any part of Israel would be
enough to show how ridiculous the claim is.
That a body of university students
actually fell for this and voted on it is a sad comment on the state of
modern education. The most obvious focus for apartheid would be the
country's 20% Arab population. Under Israeli law, Arab Israelis have
exactly the same rights as Jews or anyone else; Muslims have the same
rights as Jews or Christians; Baha'is, severely persecuted in Iran,
flourish in Israel, where they have their world center; Ahmadi Muslims,
severely persecuted in Pakistan and elsewhere, are kept safe by Israel;
the holy places of all religions are protected under a specific Israeli
law. Arabs form 20% of the university population (an exact echo of
their percentage in the general population).
In Iran , the Bahai's (the largest
religious minority) are forbidden to study in any university or to run
their own universities: why aren't your members boycotting Iran ? Arabs
in Israel can go anywhere they want, unlike blacks in apartheid South
Africa . They use public transport, they eat in restaurants, they go to
swimming pools, they use libraries, they go to cinemas alongside Jews -
something no blacks were able to do in South Africa .
Israeli hospitals not only treat Jews and Arabs, they also treat Palestinians from Gaza or the West Bank.
On the same wards, in the same operating theatres.
In Israel , women have the same rights as men: there is no gender apartheid.
Gay men and women face no restrictions, and Palestinian gays often escape into Israel, knowing they may be killed at home.
It seems bizarre to me that LGBT
groups call for a boycott of Israel and say nothing about countries
like Iran , where gay men are hanged or stoned to death. That
illustrates a mindset that beggars belief.
Intelligent students thinking it's
better to be silent about regimes that kill gay people, but good to
condemn the only country in the Middle East that rescues and protects
gay people. Is that supposed to be a sick joke?
University is supposed to be about
learning to use your brain, to think rationally, to examine evidence,
to reach conclusions based on solid evidence, to compare sources, to
weigh up one view against one or more others. If the best Edinburgh can
now produce are students who have no idea how to do any of these
things, then the future is bleak.
I do not object to well-documented
criticism of Israel . I do object when supposedly intelligent people
single the Jewish state out above states that are horrific in their
treatment of their populations. We are going through the biggest
upheaval in the Middle East since the 7th and 8th centuries, and it's
clear that Arabs and Iranians are rebelling against terrifying regimes
that fight back by killing their own citizens.
Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs
alike, do not rebel (though they are free to protest). Yet Edinburgh
students mount no demonstrations and call for no boycotts against Libya
, Bahrain , Saudi Arabia , Yemen , and Iran . They prefer to make false
accusations against one of the world's freest countries, the only
country in the Middle East that has taken in Darfur refugees, the only
country in the Middle East that gives refuge to gay men and women, the
only country in the Middle East that protects the Bahai's.... Need I go
on?
The imbalance is perceptible, and
it sheds no credit on anyone who voted for this boycott. I ask you to
show some common sense. Get information from the Israeli embassy. Ask
for some speakers. Listen to more than one side.
Do not make your minds up until you
have given a fair hearing to both parties. You have a duty to your
students, and that is to protect them from one-sided argument.
They are not at university to be
propagandized. And they are certainly not there to be tricked into
anti-Semitism by punishing one country among all the countries of the
world, which happens to be the only Jewish state. If there had been a
single Jewish state in the 1930's (which, sadly, there was not), don't
you think Adolf Hitler would have decided to boycott it?
Your generation has a duty to
ensure that the perennial racism of anti-Semitism never sets down roots
among you. Today, however, there are clear signs that it has done so
and is putting down more. You have a chance to avert a very great evil,
simply by using reason and a sense of fair play. Please tell me that
this makes sense. I have given you some of the evidence.
It's up to you to find out more.
Yours sincerely, Denis MacEoin
OPINION: I Saw the Children Hamas Beheaded With My Own Eyes
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
12.
Theonas said, 'Our mind is hindered and held back from
contemplating God, because we are kept prisoner by our bodily passions.'
June 3, 2024
(Luk 21:25-28) And
there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, by reason of the confusion of the
roaring of the sea, and of the waves: Men withering away for fear and
expectation of what shall come upon the whole world. For the powers of
heaven shall be moved. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in
a cloud, with great power and majesty. But when these things begin to
come to pass, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption
is at hand.
FR. MARK GORING, CC: Tension in USA, Escalation & WWIII Warning??
MSGR. CHARLES POPE: Are These the End Times? What the Catechism Says
DIVINE MERCY TV SHOW (EWTN): End Times (Part 1): The 5 Signs
ELEISON COMMENTS: End-Times, End-World
For God’s own view of these two Testaments,
In Romans read how Paul saw the events.
It belongs to the Wisdom of God to leave us human beings ignorant of
His exact calendar or programme for the events leading up to the end of
the world, but in the most immediate of those events all of us are
involved, and it is not forbidden to speculate about them. On the
contrary, for the saving of my soul it may be prudent to think about
what Almighty God has in mind, in order to avoid certain major errors.
For instance, God may guide us human beings to do what He wants, but He
will never take away our free-will for us to do it, and that is why a
Golden Age of one thousand years between now and the end of the world
is impossible – for it to last, He would have to be constantly
nullifying men’s choices. Luther (1483–1546) knew that he was
destroying Christendom. It took him 450 years until Vatican II, so to
speak (1517–1965), but by the end of that time men had grown steadily
more corrupt. There may now be a short Golden Age such as the Triumph
of Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart, but it cannot last long. At La Salette
in 1846 Our Lady said that just 25 years of good harvests would see sin
coming back, i.e. the close of the Golden Age and the beginning of the
descent to the Antichrist. Millennarism, a supposed 1000-year Golden
Age before the end of the world, is an error condemned by the Church.
Another major error to be avoided is that the Church will come to its
end on earth in a blaze of human glory. A single quotation of Our Lord
Himself puts paid to that illusion – Lk. XVIII, 8: “When the Son of man
comes, will He find faith on earth?” In other words, at world’s end the
Church will almost have disappeared from sight, presumably as a result
of its persecution by the Antichrist, the most ferocious persecution of
all its history. That world which has the Devil for its ruler (Jn. XIV,
29) will see in that persecution a tremendous defeat for the Church,
but God will see in it the last drops of sanctity being squeezed from
it in the form of some of the greatest martyrs and saints in all of its
history, in other words one of its greatest victories. It should be no
surprise if the Church’s end most resembles Our Lord’s Cross.
The Church’s universal victory follows immediately in the General, or universal, Judgment.
Another error surely to be avoided is to confuse the end of “times”
(see Lk. XXI, 24) with the end of the world. In terms of the Venerable
Holzhauser’s commentary on Chapters 2 and 3 of the Book of Revelation,
where he divides Church history into Seven Ages, the “end times,” or
end of the times for the Gentiles to be entering God’s Church, to
replace all the former Chosen Race choosing no longer to be God’s own
people (Mt. XXVII, 25), comes at the end of the Fifth Age. On the
contrary, world’s end comes at the end of the Seventh Age. For indeed
the former Chosen Race will convert back to Our Lord, their own
Messiah, at world’s end (Rom. XI, 26), but until then Jewish converts
will still be the exception rather than the rule, in other words they
will be too few for God’s purpose of populating His Heaven. Hence God’s
whole plan for salvation by the two Testaments – see Romans, Chapters
IX, X, XI.
Here is why the New Testament had to replace the Old; why the richly
natured Chosen Race by race had to give way to the supernaturally
gifted Chosen Race by faith; why the Jews have had for so long to give
way to the Gentiles; and why they have made war upon them ever since (I
Thess. II, 14–16) – especially on the Palestinians. But Catholics must
never forget how much we owe to God’s own heroes of old – of the Old
Testament. Without them we would have had no Incarnation of Jesus.
CATECHISM OF CATHOLIC CHURCH 675:
Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final
trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that
accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of
iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent
solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The
supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a
pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of
his Messiah come in the flesh.
The
Desert Fathers: sayings of the Early Christian Monks: Sober Living
10. He also said, 'If you always keep in mind your death and the eternal judgment, there will be no stain on your soul.'
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