St. Michael

Lest I forget:  May 8 is the feast of the Apparition of St. Michael at Monte Gargano, in southern Italy.
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Cardinal against cardinal.
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If the news is accurate, reports are that Cardinal Schoenborn is ruffling feathers again by accusing Cardinal Sodano of  having "blocked a probe into a sex abuse scandal that rocked Austria's Catholic church 15 years ago.  (I made a somewhat humorous ex-voto commemorating an aspect of that scandal here.) 
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Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn also accused Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the retired Vatican secretary of state, of causing "massive harm" to victims when he dismissed claims of clerical abuse as "petty gossip" on Easter Sunday." - Source
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Hoochimama!  Looks like someones got his cappa magna in the wringer.
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Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio; contra nequitiam et insidias diaboli esto praesidium. Imperat illi Deus; supplices deprecamur: tuque, Princeps militiae coelestis, Satanam aliosque spiritus malignos, qui ad perditionem animarum pervagantur in mundo, divina virtute in infernum detrude. Amen

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Art:  St. Michael Defeats the Devil - Eugene Delacroix

Minnesota weather...

A return to the winter palace.
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A week or so ago I placed my topiary outside due to our early spring. This weekend it's just too cold for them to be outdoors, and tonight we are expecting snow, so I brought the girls indoors. They are back in their winter garden - grow lights and Mylar surround them, as shown here - in the winter, Mylar and tin foil cover the base, along with the pots for optimum light reflection. I got the idea from pot growers. No - I neither grow pot or use it.
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But since you brought it up: Would it still be a sin to smoke it if it was legal? I can never get a straight answer from anyone. Drinking is legal and it is not a sin to drink. Pain killers are legal and it is not a sin to use those as prescribed. I'm not sure I'd use it even if it was legal however - I'm just asking.

Anyway - now that the trees are indoors, I see I need to prune a bit more to get the shape just right. They have 3 siblings remaining outdoors - they happen to be more cold hardy - they being boxwood topiary.

It is said some of the early monks hated fame and praise more than anything.

"The monks praised a brother to Antony.  Antony went to him and tested him to see if he could endure being insulted.  When he saw that he could not bear it, he said to him, 'You are like a house with a highly decorated outside, but burglars have stolen all the furniture by the back door.'" - The Desert Fathers
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Art:  St. Anthony of Egypt beaten by demons. 

It's Cathy of Alexandria's Birthday Today!

Go wish Cathy a Happy Birthday and behave!

Where do we see the Church most clearly?

At the table of sinners...
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"In the human dream of a perfect world, holiness is always visualized as untouchability by sin and evil, as something unmixed with the latter. [. . .] In contemporary criticism of society and in the actions in which it vents itself, this merciless side always present in human ideals is once again only too evident. That is why the aspect of Christ's holiness that upset his contemporaries was the complete absence of this condemnatory note – fire did not fall on the unworthy nor were the zealous allowed to pull up the weeds which they saw growing luxuriantly on all sides. On the contrary, this holiness expressed itself precisely as mingling with the sinners whom Jesus drew into his vicinity; as mingling to the point where he himself was made "to be sin" and bore the curse of the law in execution as a criminal – complete community of fate with the lost (cf. 2 Cor. 5.21; Gal. 3.13). He has drawn sin to himself, made it his lot and so revealed what true "holiness" is: not separation but union, not judgment but redeeming love.
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Is the Church not simply the continuation of God's deliberate plunge into human wretchedness; is it not simply the continuation of Jesus' habit of sitting at table with sinners, of his mingling with the misery of sin to the point where he actually seems to sink under its weight? Is there not revealed in the unholy holiness of the Church, as opposed to man's expectation of purity, God's true holiness, which is love, love which does not keep its distance in a sort of aristocratic, untouchable purity but mixes with the dirt of the world, in order thus to overcome it? Can therefore the holiness of the Church be anything else but the mutual support which comes, of course, from the fact that all of us are supported by Christ? [. . .]
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Those who really believe do not attribute too much importance to the struggle for the reform of ecclesiastical ritual.
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At bottom there is always hidden pride at work when criticism of the Church adopts that tone of rancorous bitterness which today is already beginning to become a fashionable habit. Unfortunately it is accompanied only too often by a spiritual emptiness in which the specific nature of the Church as a whole is no longer seen, in which it is only regarded as a political instrument whose organization is felt to be pitiable or brutal, as the case may be, as if the real function of the Church did not lie beyond organization, in the comfort of the Word and of the sacraments which she provides in good and bad days alike. Those who really believe do not attribute too much importance to the struggle for the reform of ecclesiastical ritual. They live on what the Church always is; and if one wants to know what the Church really is one must go to them. For the Church is most present not where organizing, reforming and governing are going on but in those who simply believe and receive from her the gift of faith that is life to them." -  Ratzinger: "Introduction to Christianity." Holy, Yet Mingled with Sinners: The Church of the Pope Theologian
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Thanks to Joshua at Western Confucian for the link.

What is Prelest?

A spiritual malady.
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Even a pious person is not immune to spiritual sickness if he does not have a wise guide -- either a living person or a spiritual writer. This sickness is called  prelest, or spiritual delusion, imagining oneself to be near to God and to the realm of the divine and supernatural. Even zealous ascetics in monasteries are sometimes subject to this delusion, but of course, laymen who are zealous in external struggles (podvigi) undergo it much more frequently. Surpassing their acquaintances in struggles of prayer and fasting, they imagine that they are seers of divine visions, or at least of dreams inspired by grace. In every event of their lives, they see special intentional directions from God or their guardian angel. And then they start imagining that they are God's elect, and often try to foretell the future. The Holy Fathers armed themselves against nothing so fiercely as against this sickness -- prelest. - Metropolitan Anthony Khrapovitsky
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Consider this precaution in light of all the heavenly messages and inspirations pious people seem to be receiving now days.  Consider the many locus sancti locutionists in many parts of the world today.  As in Fr. Gobbi's case, some may even have a large following.  Most of these people claim Christ or Our Lady speaks to them.  Often the words they receive accord with other approved private revelations - at least in tone.  The locutionists write down what they hear and sometimes publish the 'messages' without any official approval.  An exception would be in the case of someone with a spiritual director who may authorize the person to publish their messages - yet such 'permissions' do not have the same authority as Church approval. 
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For example, the late Fr. Robert Fox counseled a local locutionist in Minnesota whose messages he gathered and eventually  published.  Spiritual directors can make mistakes; remember Fr. Fox had been gravely mislead by Fr. Gino of San Vittorino at one time.  The spiritual director is not the final authority in such cases.  Later, the locutionist Fr. Fox supported was subsequently asked to refrain from reading the messages on Church property by the archbishop.  To her credit she obeyed.
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One must be cautious. 
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Art:  Vision of St. Benedict: "A marvelous thing followed in this contemplation for, as he himself related afterwards, the whole world was brought before his eyes, gathered up, as it were, under a single ray of sun." - The Life of St Benedict - St Gregory the Great. Source

Question

Is it just me or is it "Just For Men"?
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Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

I know!

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Spy Wednesday

I know, I know, it's Thursday today.
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Spy Wednesday is the only mention in the Roman calendar I can think of which memorializes anything remotely connected with espionage and betrayal - and not in a good way either.  Rather it is an infamous day, Wednesday of Holy week, the day before Holy Thursday when Judas betrayed Christ.  What is interesting about that whole scenario is how Jesus never once commanded his followers closest to him to infiltrate the Scribes and Pharisees in order to spy on them and find out what they were plotting.  Judas acted alone however - becoming a sort of double agent, perhaps believing himself to be acting on Christ's behalf - for the good of the nation of course.
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The work of Christ, the work of the Church is to evangelize - to work openly for the salvation of souls - in witness to the truth.  A lie - an evil - can never be undertaken even for a good end.  I know folks disagree with me on that, but I just do not see how espionage, infiltrating anti-Catholic groups, or groups which seek to undermine Church teaching and authority, can be compatible with Catholic action.  Dishonesty and cover up is never good - as the recent Church scandals continue to prove.
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If the Church sanctions spies and informants as a form of Catholic defense, the Church risks the ability to evangelize and serve in the modern world, not just in countries where the Church is persecuted, but in so-called democratic countries where laws are changing seeking to silence the Church's moral authority and voice.
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After the revolution in Russia, Pius XI asked for priests to go to the country as missionaries.  They went as missionaries however, not as spies for the Vatican.  Fr. Walter Cizek volunteered to go and was arrested and imprisoned, accused of being a Vatican spy.  Though Fr. Cizek acted covertly, his mission was for the good of souls, not to infiltrate and gather information. 
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I've been asked to infiltrate a group - I had to think about it long and hard.  On the surface it appeared up and up, but as I prayed about it I realized if wasn't of God - despite the fact that the people requesting it 'work for God'.  The fact is, if the parties are so interested in a groups activities, they should attend the meeting publicly.  The meetings are not secretive or closed, in fact their agenda is clearly posted on the internet - actually involving priests of the Archdiocese.  So why the secrecy?  The 'enemy' acts secretly and covertly, the Christian acts in the light of day, with nothing to hide, nothing to be ashamed of - especially considering one should never be ashamed of the cross of Christ.
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Indeed - there is a culture war going on, and good men like Fr. Corapi tell us it is a genuine war - but it is a spiritual battle for souls.  It is not politics or playing espionage - lying and deceit has no place in Catholic action.

Garrigou-Lagrange on Charity

Two souls united in God by charity are like two candles whose flames unite and fuse.
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St. Catherine obtained the conversion of Andrea Mei, a Sienese invalid, who had grievously calumniated her. The saint with consummate devotion nursed this woman, who was being eaten by a cancer. The unfortunate creature had the sorry courage to impugn the virginal honor of her devoted nurse, and these evil remarks spread abroad. Catherine, however, did not cease to tend her with the same zeal. Her patience and humility triumphed over Andrea Mei. One day the saint, as she approached the sick woman's bed, was surrounded by light, as if resplendent in glory; "Pardon!" cried the guilty woman. Catherine threw her arms around her neck, and their tears mingled. It was like the radiation of the divine goodness and the realization of our Savior's words: "The glory which Thou hast given Me, I have given to them; that they may be one, as We also are one."
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Charity, which thus triumphs over wickedness, makes the saints share in the victory of Christ over sin and the devil. It is one of the glories of His mystical body; through it shine forth the grandeur of the life of the Church, its fruitfulness in every kind of good and of works of mercy. It is the confirmation of the divine origin of the Church. - Three Ages of the Interior Life
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A footnote to this chapter:
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22. One of the characteristics of heroic charity is to bear with great generosity the sufferings that come from those one loves. Thus saints who, like St. Catherine of Siena and St. Joan of Arc, had a great love for the Church, have also had to suffer particularly from the faults of churchmen. This suffering was in the nature of reparation.
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Charity covers a multitude of sins.  "Catherine threw her arms around her neck, and their tears mingled."  That is how Christ is with us when we confess our sins.
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Art: Stigmatization of Saint Catherine of Siena, Rutilio Manetti

That's all.

Nuts

"A bizarre faith-healing ritual has prompted the Catholic Church to warn that an influx of foreign priests had created "difficulties" because they tended to have a more spiritual outlook than Westerners.
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A horrified congregation watched a foreign-trained Catholic priest lay a mentally and physically disabled girl on an altar during mass at the weekend and order her to walk.
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The priest was later escorted to a mental health clinic by police. The congregation is being counselled over the event, which left children and adults in tears.
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While the Church did not condone the bizarre service, Church spokesman, Monsignor O'Loughlin said it was standing by the priest in his time of need, though he would not be allowed to give mass until he was better." - Story
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Save the liturgy, save the world...
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Photo:  Unrelated photo of woman 'slayed in the spirit' at a prayer meeting.

What?

I like softball.

Maciel

I just can't figure this priest out.  How could he deceive everyone for so long - including the pope?  (Not Ratzinger however.)  Like I said in the comment box on an earlier post - I've never heard of anything so bizarre except for the the story of the Devils of Loudun, a non-fiction novel by Aldous Huxley:  A historical narrative of supposed demonic possession, religious fanaticism, sexual repression, and mass hysteria which occurred in 17th century France.
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In 1632, Sister Jeanne of the Angels and sixteen nuns of the Ursuline convents, allegedly possessed by demons, threw convulsions and used abusive language. Father Jean-Joseph Surin exorcised the demons by inviting them into his body. He lost mental balance as a result. He inflicted injuries on himself and attempted suicide. Describing the plight he said that he was unable to understand what happened to him when the unknown spirit entered his body. He got the feeling that he had two souls and that the alien soul constituted a second personality - Source *

I watched a fascinating clip from Ken Russell's film, The Devils.  The sequence depicts Sister Jeanne of the Angels, played by Vanessa Redgrave, leading the community in the rosary, as she walks through the chapter room on her knees, writhing in a sort of ecstasy while experiencing "mystical visions" of Christ.  Christ in this case is represented by the person of a priest known for his promiscuity, Fr. Grandier - in persona Christi as it were, descending from the cross to embrace her.  The fantasy devolves into a twisted, eroticized variation of what has been recorded regarding the visions of some of the mystic saints who were embraced by Christ crucified - greatly exaggerated of course.  The "rapture" is so intense Jeanne of the Angels appears to produce the stigmata - although the viewer knows it was caused by digging the end of her crucifix into her hand.  The scene is disturbing and repulsive, yet for me it is a rather compelling glimpse into the nature of delusion, false mysticism, spiritual lust, and diabolic obsession.
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To view the clip click: The Devils.  Be advised of erotic content.  I would also avoid viewing the clip if you are accustomed to using the imagination in mental prayer, as the imagery could have a negative affect.
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UPDATE:
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Father James Farfaglia, a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi for nine years, was formerly with the Legion of Christ for 21 years.
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His response to the Vatican's recent statement on the scandal-plagued order?
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"When I read it, my first response was that of hurt and anger. I don't see how the Legion of Christ can reform itself by leaving in place the present leadership," Father Farfaglia said in an e-mail.
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Authentic reform will take place only if the Legion separates itself from its Mexican roots.
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"A member of the clergy who has no connection to the ecclesiastical, political and social structures of Mexico should be the one to direct the reform of the Legion. It has to be someone untouched by favors. And this is why, for the good of the order, Fathers Alvaro, Luis and Evaristo should resign immediately and a new, untarnished set of superiors should take over." - Full story.

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I too have been thinking along these same lines:  Who/what were Maciel's connections with secular persons and powers?  There has got to be more to his double life than sexual misconduct.

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*I'm not sure how reliable this Wikipedia excerpt is - from what I remember, Fr. Surin did not "invite" the devils into himself, though he was subject to attack and possibly diabolic obsession.
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Photo: Maciel
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Links:
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Fr. Farfaglia's blog
EXLBLOG
ReGAIN

The loveliest thought...

On death.
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"The Pontiff noted that in dying we achieve the "most profound desire of mankind," being reunited with God." - Homily for the funeral of Cardinal Paul Augustin Mayer. - CNA
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Doesn't that set your heart on fire? 
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Fired with love's urgent longings...

40 Years Gone

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And Now: The Psychological Value of Frequent Confession

Obviously many young Catholics as well as "new" Catholics, and even some "by the book" priests do not understand the practice of frequent confession.  I've printed the following from Fr. Hardon on The Psychological Value of Frequent Confession - something old Jesuits know well since weekly confession was an important feature in their spiritual training.
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"Frequent Confession has not only deep spiritual value as we have just seen. It is also immensely beneficial psychologically. In other words, the frequent reception of the sacrament of Penance contributes to the well-being of our mind. In one declarative sentence, it is a divinely instituted means of giving us peace of soul.
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Remember what happened on Easter Sunday night. As described by St. Luke, “The doors were closed in the room where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews. Jesus came and stood among them. He said to them, ‘Peace be with you,’ and showed them His hands and His side. The disciples were filled with joy when they saw the Lord, and He said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.’ After saying this, He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained’” (Jn 20:19-23).
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As the Catholic Church teaches, by these words of the risen Savior, He instituted the sacrament of Confession. For twenty centuries, it has been called the sacrament of peace.
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The principal source of conflict in the human spirit is the sense of guilt. Psychologists tell us, it is the mysterious feeling of guilt which lies at the root of most people’s disquiet of mind and disturbance of will. On both levels, the sacrament of Confession is the Lord’s great gift to His followers.
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There is some value in explaining what the Catholic Church understands by guilt. Guilt is the loss of God’s grace. The more deeply we have sinned, the more guilt we incur. That is what mortal sin means. It is the supernatural death of the soul by the loss of sanctifying grace.
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But all sin incurs guilt. Every sin we commit deprives us of more or less of the grace of God. The subjective experience that is called guilt is only the tip of an iceberg. Beneath the feeling of guilt is the objective fact that we have been deprived, however minimally, of God’s friendship.
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The more frequently we receive the sacrament of Christ’s mercy, the more grace is restored to our soul. We can experience the effect by growing in that peace of soul for which there is no substitute this side of heaven, realizing and not only knowing that, in spite of our sins, God loves us with that special love He reserves for repentant sinners." - Fr. Hardon

That's all.

The Pope and the Shroud

"Day pours out the word to day; and night to night imparts knowledge..." - Psalm 19
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The Holy Father's encounter with the holy Shroud was obviously very moving for him - I read that he prayed before it as if in a trance.
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"God’s concealment is part of the spirituality of contemporary man."
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Dear brothers and sisters, in our time, especially after having passed through the last century, humanity has become especially sensitive to the mystery of Holy Saturday. God’s concealment is part of the spirituality of contemporary man, in an existential manner, almost unconscious, as an emptiness that continues to expand in the heart. At the end of the 18th century, Nietzsche wrote: “God is dead! And we have killed him!” This celebrated expression, if we consider it carefully, is taken almost word for word from the Christian tradition, we often repeat it in the Via Crucis, perhaps not fully realizing what we are saying. After the two World Wars, the concentration camps, the gulags, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, our epoch has become in ever great measure a Holy Saturday: the darkness of this day questions all those who ask about life, it questions us believers in a special way. We too have something to do with this darkness.
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And nevertheless, the death of the Son of God, of Jesus of Nazareth, has an opposite aspect, totally positive; it is a font of consolation and hope. And this makes me think that the sacred Shroud acts as a “photographic” document, with a “positive” and a “negative.” And in effect, this is exactly how it is: The most obscure mystery of faith is at the same time the most luminous sign of a hope without limits. Holy Saturday is the “no man’s land” between death and resurrection, but into this “no man’s land” has entered the One, the Only One, who has crossed it with the signs of his passion for man: “Passio Christi. Passio hominis.” And the Shroud speaks to us precisely of that moment; it witnesses precisely to the unique and unrepeatable interval in the history of humanity and the universe, in which God, in Jesus Christ, shared not only our dying, but also our remaining in death. The most radical solidarity. In that “time-beyond-time” Jesus Christ “descended into hell” (“agli inferi”) What does this expression mean? It means that God, made man, went to the point of entering into the extreme and absolute solitude of man, where no ray of love enters, where there is total abandonment without any word of comfort: “hell” (“gli inferi”). Jesus Christ, remaining in death, has gone beyond the gates of this ultimate solitude to lead us too to go beyond it with him.
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We have all at times felt a frightening sensation of abandonment, and that which makes us most afraid of death is precisely this [abandonment]; just as when as children we were afraid to be alone in the dark and only the presence of a person who loves us could reassure us. So, it is exactly this that happened in Holy Saturday: In the kingdom of death there resounded the voice of God. The unthinkable happened: that Love penetrated “into hell” (“negli inferi”): that in the most extreme darkness of the most absolute human solitude we can hear a voice that calls us and find a hand that takes us and leads us out. The human being lives by the fact that he is loved and can love; and if love even has penetrated into the realm of death, then life has also arrived there. In the hour of extreme solitude we will never be alone: “Passio Christi. Passio hominis.”

."No pit is so deep that his love is not deeper still." - Betsy Ten-Boom
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Links:
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Pope's Remarks After Venerating Shroud of Turin - Zenit

More thoughts on Confession

"As Pope John Paul II lamented, we have lost the sense that we all sin daily." Edward Vacek, S.J.
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"To counteract our well-developed ability at self-deception, we “good people” need confession. Indeed, we should want to confess because, in effect, through the sacrament, God says: “You name it; I’ll forgive it.” With this offer in mind, it is to our advantage to face up to our sinfulness. While self-deception keeps us crippled, honesty heals. Just as a desire not to think of ourselves as sinners fosters the skill of self-deception, so too a desire to know ourselves as forgivable sinners leads to self-discovery and then to liberation. We feel safe enough to bring our sins out into the open because we trust that God wants to heal, not humiliate us.
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Jesus condemns the Pharisee who trusts in his own sinlessness (Lk. 18:9-14). The Pharisee honestly names the sins he does not commit. And he truthfully recounts the good things he does. He even gives thanks to God for what a good person he is. In contrast, the tax collector bemoans his sinfulness. Yet it is the guilty tax collector who goes away justified.
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Most of us “good people” are more like the Pharisee than the tax collector, since we ordinarily think of ourselves as basically generous and honest people who thank God for our successes. We need confession so that we can be more like the tax collector who lamented his sinfulness...and who thus was right with God. Armed with the knowledge that we are good at pharisaical self-deception, we need confession as an opportunity for a “search and be rescued” mission." - Edward Vacek, S.J.
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"It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation. Those who go to Confession frequently, and do so with the desire to make progress, will notice the strides that they make in their spiritual lives." - John Paul II

The very strange case of the Legionaries of Christ

What is their charism now?
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The visitation is completed, the Vatican has spoken and apparently the Pope will assign a special delegate to direct the order along with a special commission to examine the founding documents.  NCR has the details from John Allen's column Vatican statement on Maciel, Legionaries.  Anyone interested may read about it there. 
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All I can say is that it took long enough for the Vatican and the superiors of the Legion to even admit there was a problem, and only after numerous denunciations and condemnations by the Legion and Church officials of former Legionaries, who blew the whistle on Maciel's "extremely grave and objectively immoral behavior (of Fr. Maciel), which has been confirmed by irrefutable testimony, takes the form of true crimes and demonstrates a private life without scruples or authentic religious sentiment" - Vatican statement.
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I can't imagine how such a dysfunctional congregation can even be re-formed considering how the founder was essentially a social-climbing con-artist.  Obviously aspects of the formation process had to have been flawed, encouraging secrecy amongst the members as well as isolating the community from association with mainstream clergy.  It would seem to me formation was based upon falsehood and deceit.  I believe it reasonable to assume that the dysfunction of the founder has its effect throughout the entire organization.  What is their charism now?
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When media reports upon this story they like to point out that the order was greatly admired by JPII and some of his entourage mainly because they  attracted so many vocations - as well as funding.   Aside from the order's claim of fidelity to the Magisterium, the reputation of elitism was for a long time pretty much all I ever knew about the group.
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I'm totally amazed the Legionaries still have men who want to remain.
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Photo:  Maciel in his 'CIA' persona.  Sort of latter day Rasputin.

And go to Confession.

It's good for the soul.
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Rose, the mother in Moonstruck ordered her husband to confession after he renounced his mistress, saying, "And go to confession."  (Watch the video.)
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So go to confession - even when you think you don't need to.  You receive an increase of grace and charity.  If you've been crabby, depressed, anxious, stressed, tempted to sin - go to confession.  Confess your venial sins.  Just go to confession regularly.
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While I was struggling with particular sins I sometimes went to confession about every third day of the week - I would drive miles just to get to a church that had confessions - or I'd call a priest and ask to see him to make my confession.  I once made my confession, and received communion at the 5 PM Mass - on my way home I fell into sin - the next morning I was back at confession, completely broken down.  It was frequent confession and communion that freed me from habitual sin... oh, and the rosary.  Constant, daily praying of the rosary - sometimes many rosaries a day.  It took a long time - but anyone can do it if they keep going to confession... and praying the rosary.  (Try to pray the rosary and go to communion without confession and Our Lady will make you go to confession, so go to confession before you hurt your Mother.)
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And when you think there is nothing to confess - that is when you should begin to understand the fierce battle going on  for your soul.  So humble yourself and go to confession.  It feels so good. 
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The Sacrament of Penance restores charity in the case of mortal sin, and in the case of venial sin, charity is greatly increased.
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It's very simple.