That's not a question.
Fr. Blake posted profound reflections is response to Cardinal O'Brien's resignation. It makes me sad. If I, a layman, can be saddened, maddened by all that is coming to light in the Church, how much more deeply must be the sorrow in the hearts of faithful clergy and religious whose entire life is a living sacrifice?
From Fr. Blake:
Today's news about Cardinal O'Brien is just the latest sign of the Church's sickness. I don't know, no-one seems to know exactly what "inappropriate behaviour" the Cardinal is accused of and despite his sacking - he has been sacked by the Pope, his resignation was due to take effect next month on his 75th birthday- he is of course contesting the allegations. However, it would seem to suggest that corruption is far from merely a Roman or Curial phenomena but embraces the whole Church. We have seen it all over the world, the Lavender episcopal palaces of Cardinal Bernardin and Weakland, the cover-ups by Law and Mahony and many other American bishops, the major sexual scandals in Poland, in Austria, in Ireland, in Belgium and a score of other places.
These are priests and bishops in a very grave state of sin, who seem to count it as nothing. These are men who are content to live in the sewer whilst ascending to the altar of God. There is not just the sin they are involved in, it is also the hypocrisy, the lies, the deceit, everything that runs contrary to the integrity of the Gospel, the betrayal of brother priests of laity, all contribute to the undermining of faith of "the little ones", "better millstone be tied around his neck ...". - Filth
I wonder if maybe we are experiencing a great mystery of light coming into the Church, illuminating our conscience as it were, revealing at first what must be purified, what must be discarded?
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away." - Matthew 13: 47-48
Stay on board the Barque of Peter my friends. If you feel yourself sinking, cry out for the Lord to grasp you, as Peter has done.
Look at his photo and age. A furniture salesman told me the skinny on this. These men entered Orders at a time in history (40's 50's) when if you came out of the closet, your Irish father may well have hit you with a hook off the jab. Rather than go through that, they tried to cure their inclinations and hide at the same time via clergy life where also they might find more compassion if they failed. Present gays come out of the closet and that's why the sex abuse also began to bate in the mid 80's of it's own....those who hid in the clergy from a bygone era were dying off.
ReplyDeleteOur next Pope should stay a month with the Amish to learn how they have unity of action in sex, in prayer attendance, and in helping each other....pssst...they broke with Western individualism and depend on each other. Most introverted, studious Catholics in big cities could die next week and 98% of their parish wouldn't know it or miss them. That can't happen amongst the plain people.
Why should we be surprised when Jesus teaches: “Brother will betray brother to death, and the father his child, children will rise up against their parents and have them put to death (condemned)...” and that’s just within the family, the Church!
ReplyDeleteAnd then from outside of the Church... “you will be hated by all men on account of my name...”
But here’s the good news... “but the man who stands firm to the end will be saved”
Last Sunday’s Gospel (Second Sunday of Lent) gives us an insight on that last statement. “Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory...”
And in the first reading (Genesis): “Abram fell into a deep sleep, and terror seized him...”
Also on Sunday Pope Benedict XVI spoke about this Gospel passage and said “we can draw a very important teaching from it. First of all, the primacy of prayer, without which the entire commitment of ministry and charity is reduced to activism.”
He went on to say, “I hear this Word of God addressed to me in a special way at this moment of my life. The Lord has called me to ‘scale the mountain’, to dedicate myself still more to prayer and meditation.”
I don’t hide my acceptance of the messages allegedly given by Our Lady at Medjugorje. There is always a constant call to prayer, to dedicate more time to prayer. Whether the call be from the head of the Church on earth or the Mother of the Church, there is no disputing there is much need for prayer in this world.
Jesus warned the disciples at Gethsemane: “You should be awake, and praying not to be put to the test.” But they fell asleep again, and were later put to flight by the enemy.
None of what is happening to the Church, from inside and out, should surprise us.
Once again, this evening, Our Lady’s message to the world called for prayer. She said: “Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you.
Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. ”
A message to those in Rome, perhaps? See Romans 7 : 14-25
Not "bate" but "abate".
ReplyDeleteBG, You wrote:
ReplyDelete"Once again, this evening, Our Lady’s message to the world called for prayer. She said: “Sin is pulling you towards worldly things and I have come to lead you towards holiness and the things of God, but you are struggling and spending your energies in the battle with the good and the evil that are in you.
Therefore, little children, pray, pray, pray until prayer becomes a joy for you and your life will become a simple walk towards God. ”
That is as vague and general as a newspaper horoscope.
Get out of here with that stuff.
Bill, I think it has to do with the kilt.
ReplyDeleteApologies for the intrusion, Terry, but I can’t see how the words are vague. They’re very clear to me. It’s a call to prayer. What’s vague about that?
ReplyDeleteIf you were to say you choose not to take on board the claims of alleged apparitions and messages at Medjugorje, then that makes more sense to me than to say the words of the message I quoted are vague; and even if they are considered ‘general’ does that make them less valid?
And to say they are ‘general’ does that not imply they are familiar, even recognisable, an echo, perhaps? They are factual, even applicable. Acceptable?
“But they could make nothing of this; what he said was quite obscure to them, they did not understand what he was telling them.” Luke 18 : 34
bg - not an intrusion - get out of here with that is a figure of speech.
ReplyDelete