Another toldjaso ... Cardinal Müller on Amoris ...

"I have just about had it!"

Cardinal Müller speaks.

It is simply common sense.  Ordinary, common sense:  "The pope has not, will not, and cannot change Revelation. Some claim that the pope has changed the foundations of Church morality and has relativized the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. This he would not and cannot do."

So many act and speak as if the Church is teaching error, claiming the pope is a heretic, or a Protestant, or writing essays that the Church has become Anglicanized, and they talk defacto schism for clicks and donations and subscriptions to their more Catholic than the Church online magazines.  Their stuff cannot be said to be part of the sensus fidelium. 

"The pope has not, will not, and cannot change Revelation."

Cardinal Müller: The true intention of the apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia, was to place at the center the full, complete biblical message concerning marriage as a sacrament and a way of life. In addition, it aimed to take into consideration those who, on account of various circumstances, have failed or have run into trouble, so that we would not say: “Here are those who do everything right, whereas the others do not belong to us.”

We want everyone to walk along the path of Christ’s followers, and we wish to be of assistance so that this path might be understood and put into practice.

In this sense, each debate or contention is good. This has one negative aspect, though. Namely, the debate boils down to only one issue, while other major and vital subjects raised are brushed aside. It generates small division and concern when one hears the question: “What do you think about Holy Communion for divorcees who are living in non-sacramental unions?”

We can approach this question only from the perspective of the fullness of the teaching of the Church. The pope has not, will not, and cannot change Revelation. Some claim that the pope has changed the foundations of Church morality and has relativized the sacrament of Holy Matrimony. This he would not and cannot do. - Source

Tomorrow is Divine Mercy Sunday.  Go to confession.

St. Conrad of Parzham, Capuchin lay brother

I wonder if there are any saints like him today?

Immediately after his profession he was sent to the Friary of St. Ann, in the city of Altötting. The friary served the Shrine of Our Lady of Altötting, the national shrine of Bavaria to the Blessed Mother. Conrad was given the position of porter at this shrine, and retained it until his death. Because it was a large and busy city, the duty of the friary porter was a very difficult one. Conrad was known to be diligent at his work, sparing in words, bountiful to the poor, eager and ready to receive and help strangers. Brother Conrad fulfilled the task of porter for more than forty years, assisting the inhabitants of the town in their needs of body and soul.

Conrad loved silence in a special way. His spare moments during the day were spent in a nook near the door where it was possible for him to see and adore the Blessed Sacrament. During the night he would deprive himself of several hours of sleep, to devote the time to prayer either in the oratory of the friars or in the church. It was generally believed that he never took any rest, but continually occupied himself in work and exercises of devotion.

On the 21 April 1894, Conrad died in the friary where he had served for 41 years. - Wiki

Христос воскрес! Christ is risen!

Boundless Christ Icon

Perfect for the Easter Octave

Воистину воскрес! In truth he is risen!

Let's act like it then.

"We judge things from a merely human standpoint, as they strike the senses and our human estimation.  We judge things from a merely human standpoint, as they strike the senses and our human estimation. We fail to hold everything against the bright backdrop of faith. Instead we allow our emotions to dictate to us what is real and what is not. Far too easily we give way to our moods, our fears, our uneasy feelings.

Set your troubled hearts at rest, banish your fears. Do you love me? Then what do your ups and downs matter? I am risen and with my Father. All is unutterably well, and well forever. Dry your tears forever Mary. Choose. Live with me in the sunshine world of my Father or opt to live in your own subjective estimation of reality.

Let us not be mistaken. We are not talking about a state of emotional tranquility which nothing can disturb. We are not speaking of emotion but of faith. We must act out our faith at every moment.

Notice how often Jesus tells us that love consists in: it consists in doing what He has commanded, doing always what pleases the Father. Note, always, not just now and then when we feel alright. There must be no identifying love of God with intense feelings of love, with sublime intellectual insight. Hence there must be no anxiety, no discouragement when spiritually we feel dull and drab.

To say Jesus is risen is to say He has come back to us. This is our joy, our certainty, the security in which we live out our days.

He is with us, not in limitation but with the whole weight of His Father behind Him. He comes in the Father, with the Father. He brings the Father to us as He promised: “We shall come to them and make our abode in them.” So up, let us go forward to do the will of that same Father." - Sr. Ruth Burrows, o.c.d.

The kids will be canonized May 13...

Pope Francis on Thursday announced that the two young shepherd children from Fatima, Francisco and Jacinta Marto will be canonised during his forthcoming pastoral visit to the Portuguese town on May 13th. - Read more here.

So much about Fatima has now been confirmed.  Growing up, I was very much attached to the Fatima apparitions, the call to holiness, the promises of Our Lady - especially that she would take Jacinta and Francisco to heaven - although I was sure it would probably not be fulfilled in my lifetime.  Yet it is unfolding right now.  The example of the three children, especially Francisco and his fidelity to prayer, very much influenced my childhood piety, and as I learned more about prayer as an adult, he has been a guide and model for me to some extent.

Our Lady promised to take them to heaven, and canonization is affirmation of that promise.

What a difference in children today.  Generally speaking, I suspect the majority are raised without faith, without knowing there is really is a place called hell, or that we were created to go to heaven.  So many kids today want to be rich and famous, to attain celebrity status and fame.  I'm not even thinking of Catholic kids.  I wonder what they actually know about all of these things?  

May St. Jacinta and St. Francisco pray for us, now and at the hour of our death.  Amen.

The icon I made for Fr. Robert Fox.

The first icon I did of Bl. Francisco and Jacinta.

Did I mention?

I just found out the monk who was the assistant novice master in the monastery I was at, died at the end of March.  I wrote to one of my fathers there and he sent back a note that they are all getting very old and haven't had anyone enter for 3 or 4 years.   It was a short note, which said very much.

So.

Time is short.  Very short.



Song for this post here.

What Missile Crisis?

Kennedy was smarter and had better advisors.

I'm so old , I distinctly remember the Cuban Missile Crisis.  My parents were very upset, my mother praying like it was the end of the world, the television tuned up to watch and listen to President Kennedy addressing the Nation, warning Khrushchev to stop banging his shoes on the podium, and so on.  (The shoe incident wasn't part of it - just added that in for fun.  What?)  At the time, we were closer to nuclear war than anyone could imagine.  It was a big, big deal.  A serious crisis.

What's going on with North Korea?

So we are prepared for war, we have a fleet of ships over there, Pence visited the DMZ - is it real? There are growing threats of nuclear war, and life goes on.  Trump doesn't address the nation, and someone is watching Dancing With the Stars instead.

While the big news locally is the anniversary of Prince's death and the investigation into his addiction to prescription drugs.  They keep talking about it as if it was an addiction that happened accidentally.  Like it's somehow different from recreational drug use.  Maybe it started out because of over-prescribed pain medication, but like Michael Jackson's dependency, maybe that kind of blame-shift is really denial?  Clinical denial.

I think we all must be in some sort of denial - drug induced, or not. 

Benedict and his drinking buddies ...

Photo credit and story source.

Typical.  Retire early and drink your days away.  What a crew.  Look at the one in the blue dress, cigarette hanging out of her mouth.  And they say the Irish are a bunch of drunks.

What?

Ate things you need to know about Easter...

This is the Bun-Bunny.

1-8) Rabbits are not your friends...

Just sayin'.

Happy Easter!

The finished icon of the Annunciation,

on my mantel for Easter.

Details here.

'After all you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.'

YES!