Some thoughts on Friendship for the Feast of St. Francis De Sales

I'm reading all this stuff on friendship and 'that' particular inclination, which reminded me of something I once copied for another post from Francis De Sales.  I thought it might be a nice followup to yesterday's post.  Forgive me, I took a couple of liberties with the text.

"Whatever is founded on mere sensuality, vanity, or frivolity, is unworthy to be called friendship. I mean such attractions as are purely external; a sweet voice, personal beauty, and the cleverness or outward show which have great weight with some. You will often hear women and young people gay men unhesitatingly decide that such an one is very delightful, very admirable, because he is good-looking, well-dressed, sings, or dances, or talks well. Even charlatans esteem the wittiest clown amongst them as their best man. But all these things are purely sensual, and the connections built on such foundation must be vain and frivolous, more fitly to be called trifling than friendship. They spring up chiefly among young people, and gay men who are easily fascinated by personal attractions, dress, and gossip—friendships in which the tailor and hairdresser have the chief part. How can such friendships be other than short lived, melting away like snow wreaths in the sun!" - St. Francis De Sales, Introduction to the Devout Life

Too simple?  Perhaps.

There are some who will tell you that you should avoid all special affection or friendship, as likely to engross the heart, distract the mind, excite jealousy, and what not. But they are confusing things. They have read in the works of saintly and devout writers that individual friendships and special intimacies are a great hindrance in the religious life, and therefore they suppose it to be the same with all the world, which is not at all the case. - Ibid

NB: Truth be told, St. Francis De Sales' direction on spiritual friendship is more practical for lay people than the work of St. Aelred... just saying.


Don't listen to me, go to confession and get a spiritual director instead. 

Tom Brady can do no wrong.

So leave him alone.

His wife is beautiful too.

They are perfect human beings.

Song for this post here.

I came online to check emails while thinking about my recent posts on what Catholics were saying about what the Holy Father said on the flight back from the Philippines ...

There's a church for that.

And I couldn't remember why I thought it was important for me to even comment on it.

Archbishop Georg Gänswein gives interviews too.

"Speaking of an antipope is simply stupid, 

and also irresponsible. 

 That goes in the direction of theological arson."

photo source

My friend Diane sent me an email with an interview attached.  Gänswein was interviewed by Christ & Welt, a weekly supplement to Die Zeit in Germany.  It is a great read.  I'll offer just a couple of excerpts below.

With the Synods on the pastoral care for families this past and the coming autumn, Francis created a focal point. Especially the question of allowing divorced and remarried faithful access to the sacraments causes much disagreement. Some also have the impression that Francis is more concerned with pastoral care than with doctrine…

I do not share that impression. It creates an artificial opposition which does not exist. The Pope is the first guarantor and keeper of the doctrine of the Church and at the same the first shepherd, the first pastor. Doctrine and pastoral care are not in opposition, they are like twins.

Do the current and the retired Pope take opposite views in the debate about divorced and remarried Catholics?

I know of no doctrinal statements from Pope Francis which are contrary to the statements of his predecessor. That would be absurd too. It is one thing to emphasise the pastoral efforts more clearly because the situation requires it. It is something else entirely to make a change in teaching. I can only act pastorally sensitive, consistent and conscientious when I do so on the basis of full Catholic teaching. The substance of the sacraments is not left to the discretion of pastors, but has been given to the Church by the Lord. That is also and especially true for the sacrament of marriage.

Was there a visit of some cardinals to Benedict during the Synod, with the request that he intervene to rescue the dogma?

There has not been such a visit to Pope Benedict. A supposed intervention by the Pope emeritus is pure invention. - In Caelo et in Terra

Papal gaffes.

soup du jour 

Art: Michael Sowa

So many Catholics online seem to be embarrassed by their Pope when he gives interviews ...

Some say he speaks beneath the dignity of his office.  Others insist his predecessor, Pope Benedict XVI would never speak the way Pope Francis does.  Many of these critics just don't like Francis - and that's fine - no one has to like the man.

That said, Catholics seem to have short memories.  Every predecessor of Pope Francis made their own spectacular gaffes and received severe criticism from faithful Catholics - be they progressive, dissenting, or the inflexibly obedient.  As I said in the com box to another commenter:

Actually dear Pope Benedict XVI had a reputation for gaffes - he made a couple of statements on the use of condoms - in Africa, as well as by male prostitutes, which media and faithful Catholics pretty much attacked. Likewise his famous Regensburg lecture on Islam caused quite a stir throughout the world. Even the current Pope Francis was critical. Benedict's appointments were very often criticized, as was the lifting of the excommunication of SSPX Bishop Williamson. Some people still view the Pope's resignation as either appropriate for a failed papacy, or a huge mistake and a running away from the wolves. 

St. John Paul II was even more sharply criticized and accused of gaffes by liberals and conservatives - depending on the 'offense' - especially when he kissed the Koran, as well as his participation in the Assisi gatherings. One can't forget the bare-breasted women communicants in New Guinea, not to mention the liturgical abuse ridden World Youth Day gatherings. 

Of course it would fill a week's worth of com box entries to enumerate the many horrible gaffes traditionalists and secular media attributed to Bl. Paul VI - the real PPVI, not the impostor.

Pope Francis is simply the soup du jour among Catholic politicos, pundits and bloggers - who find him intolerable, not excluding the traditional enemies of the Church in secular media of course - they know how to pit everyone against one another.

What?

Lambs

I love lambs.

The Pope blesses lambs today on the feast of St. Agnes - find out why here.

St. Francis of Assisi used to cry when he saw a lamb because he thought of the Passion of Christ, the little Lamb of God.  It is said a lamb followed him everywhere he went, another story says it was a rabbit he had rescued from a trap.

Lambs are so simple.  Francis called Br. Leo 'little lamb' because of his simplicity and obedience.

Many know the story of how Francis tamed the wolf of Gubbio, who became as gentle as a lamb.

Today we honor St. Agnes, the pure and spotless little virgin who shed her blood rather than surrender her virginity.

St. Agnes pray for us.

source

The Holy Father, Pope Francis, Supports Large Families... Get over it!

Photo source

Pope Francis' Address to the Italian Association of Large Families

"In a world often marked by selfishness, the large family is a school of solidarity and sharing; and this attitude then becomes a benefit for the whole society."

Dear parents, I am grateful to you for the example of love towards life, that you preserve from conception to natural end, despite all the difficulties and burdens of life, and that unfortunately, the public institutions do not always help you. You rightly remembered that article 31 of the Italian Constitution, asks for particular attention to large families; but this is not adequately reflected in the facts. It remains in words. Therefore, I hope, also thinking of the low birth rate that has long been in Italy, for a greater focus on policy and administrators on a public level, in order to give due support to these families. Each family is a cell of society, but large families are a more rich cell, more vibrant, and the State has an interest in investing in it.

Therefore, we welcome the families meeting in this association– like this Italian one and those of other European countries represented here -, and we welcome a network of family associations capable of being present and visible in society and in politics. In this regard, St. John Paul II wrote: "Families should grow in awareness of being 'protagonists' of what is known as 'family politics' and assume responsibility for transforming society; otherwise families will be the first victims of the evils that they have done no more than note with indifference." (Familiaris consortio, 44)

The commitment that the family associations develop in the various national and local "Forums", is precisely that of promoting in society and in the laws of the State the values and needs of the family. We also welcome the ecclesial movements, in which you members of large families are particularly present and active. I always thank the Lord in seeing mothers and fathers of large families, together with their children, engaged in the life of the Church and society. For my part, I am close to you through prayers, and I place you all under the protection of the Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph and Mary. And a beautiful news is that in Nazareth, a house for families is being built for families around the world who go as pilgrims where Jesus grew in age, wisdom and grace (cfr. Lk. 2,40).

I pray in particular for the families who are most tested by the economic crisis, those where the father or mother have lost their job, - and this is hard – where the youth have been unable to find [work]; the families tried by love ones and those tempted to give in to loneliness and division. 

Vatican City, December 28, 2014 - Zenit

HE SAID THIS IN DECEMBER OF 2014.

A million kisses and thanks to Elena Vidal for the reminder.

Laughing with him - not at him ...

What?

The Pope of surprises ... I guess.

Watch out how you paint him.

-photo source-

 The Pope, Bishop of Rome and Peter's successor, "is the perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the bishops and of the whole company of the faithful." "For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered." - CCC

Fallout from the Holy Father's visit to the Philippines.

Apparently the Holy Father surprised people because he spoke out against contraception and gay marriage and spoke in support of, and the need for support of the family:

Vatican spokesman Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi later confirmed with Catholic News Service that the Pope had been referring to same-sex marriage among other distortions to both marriage and the family. 

"As you know, these realities are increasingly under attack from powerful forces which threaten to disfigure God's plan for creation and betray the very values which have inspired and shaped all that is best in your culture," he said. "[resist] ideological colonization that threatens the family"

These comments from the Pope are consistent with comments he made in the past while Pope and as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, then-Cardinal Jose Maria Bergoglio. Speaking before an audience from the international Marian movement in October, the Holy Father said "the family is being bastardized" and decried "new forms of unions which are totally destructive and limiting the greatness of the love of marriage." His comments came only a few weeks before he exclaimed, "children have the right to a mother and father" at the Vatican-sponsored "Complementarity of Man and Women" colloquium in November. - Source

The Pope has consistently held up Catholic teaching when it comes to these questions - before becoming Pope he was very clear in his stance against same sex marriage.  The 'faithful remnant' chose to ignore these facts and ran with anti-papist/anti-Catholic  news reports from secular agencies and Catholic blogs and Catholic 'tabloid news portals' such as Pewsitters and other start up sites.

One particularly shrewish Catholic blogger, self-congratulates and pretty much heaps self praise upon herself and other crackpot bloggers such as Ann Barnhardt, Steve Skojec, and other fear-mongering-divisive 'faithful remnant' sites claiming the influence of the Catholic blogosphere goes to the Chair of Peter itself.  In other words, the Catholic blogosphere believes they've somehow forced the Pope to become more Catholic?!  Amazingly ridiculous.

I seriously think many of these folks are deluded malcontents. They are like drunks hanging out at their neighborhood corner bar - arguing and fighting and looking for new fights to get into - just for the sake of congratulating themselves for the win - and if they should lose a round, they start to denigrate and shame their 'liberal' opponent to death.  So today, after they are forced to acknowledge that the Pope is faithful, they ALL go on the attack against secularists, who have no interest in Catholic teaching save to find ways to circumvent it or destroy it.  Suddenly, everyone with a Catholic blog-site muscles up all their sarcasm and derision to hurl insults and told ya so's against the cultural enemies of the Church.

What a bunch of blowhards.  Don't forget to hold out your tin cups to support yourself - especially now while the hits are coming in.

Be sure to support the online 'faithful remnant' priests too.  You know - the ones who wander the 'digital continent' like gyrovagues.

'Gutsy lady' 

Catholic-blogger-type A-O.

     

The Millions Who Attended Mass With the Pope

The Santo Nino is in the foreground.

photo source

The faces of devotion and prayer ... kneeling in the rain ...

"This is the one I approve, the lowly and afflicted man, who trembles at my word." - Isaiah 66:2

Santo Nino Sunday

“It is a special joy for me to celebrate Santo Nino Sunday with you”, said the Pope in his homily. “The image of the Holy Child Jesus accompanied the spread of the Gospel in this country from the beginning. Dressed in the robes of a king, crowned and holding the sceptre, the globe and the cross, he continues to remind us of the link between God’s Kingdom and the mystery of spiritual childhood. He tells us this in today’s Gospel: 'Whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it'. The Santo Nino continues to proclaim to us that the light of God’s grace has shone upon a world dwelling in darkness, bringing the Good News of our freedom from slavery, and guiding us in the paths of peace, right and justice. The Santo Nino also reminds us of our call to spread the reign of Christ throughout the world.

“In these days, throughout my visit, I have listened to you sing the song: 'We are all God’s children'. That is what the Santo Nino tells us. He reminds us of our deepest identity. All of us are God’s children, members of God’s family. Today St. Paul has told us that in Christ we have become God’s adopted children, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is who we are. This is our identity. We saw a beautiful expression of this when Filipinos rallied around our brothers and sisters affected by the typhoon.

“The Apostle tells us that because God chose us, we have been richly blessed! God 'has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens'. These words have a special resonance in the Philippines, for it is the foremost Catholic country in Asia; this is itself a special gift of God, a special blessing. But it is also a vocation. Filipinos are called to be outstanding missionaries of the faith in Asia. - VIS

Joel said: "It won't make you happy."

Things can't make you happy.

So true.

This is sweet: Former First Lady Imelda Marcos attends Papal Mass

"The message of the Holy Father is about the poor, and I love the poor." - Mrs Marcos

TACLOBAN, Philippines — Former Philippine First Lady Imelda Marcos raised eyebrows Saturday when she made an appearance at Pope Francis' Mass held in the typhoon-ravaged region, declaring that she loves the poor. Marcos, 85, was one of the thousands wearing yellow ponchos and enduring wind and rain to hear the pontiff deliver an emotional homily centering on the faith and resolve of the people there. - Source

I was wondering if and how she would be present.  I think she is so sincere.  I love some of her quotes, especially the one I often repeat, "Don't dress down for the poor, they won't respect you for it."  Makes sense to me.

What?

Rod Taylor 1930-2015

Gone to be with Weena forever.

It's like no one even noticed ...

At least I hadn't seen anything announcing his death.

I just found out last night that Rod Taylor died on January 7 of this year, four days before his 85th birthday.

RIP Rod.



Song for this post here.

Untitled.

Song for this post here.

I don't think I like blogging anymore...

See to it that no one be deprived of the grace of God, 

that no bitter root spring up and cause trouble, 

through which many may become defiled,  

that no one be an immoral or profane person like Esau, 

who sold his birthright for a single meal. - Hebrews 12:15-16

Did I mention I had my cataracts removed?

Everything looks so different now.

Thank you Santo Nino!

See. I told you so: Pope Francis and Little Therese.

Francis is her little Pope...

Aboard the papal plane, Jan 15, 2015 / 12:05 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- During his flight to the Philippines, Pope Francis thanked a French journalist who gave him an image of St. Therese, saying that instead of giving the usual rose when he asked for help, St. Therese came to him herself. 

“I have the habit of, when I don't know how things will go, to ask of St Therese the little child, St Therese of Jesus, to ask her if she takes a problem in hand, some thing, that she send me a rose,” the Pope told journalists during his Jan. 15 in-flight press conference from Sri Lanka to the Philippines. 

“I asked also for this trip that, she'd take it in hand and that she would send me a rose. But instead of a rose she came herself to greet me.” 

The image of the St. Therese, which was given to the Pope by Paris Match’s journalist Caroline Pigozzi, was a bas-relief, or carving, that appeared to be in silver. 

After the Pope received the framed image, he thanked Pigozzi for the gift, saying “Thanks to Caroline and thanks to little Therese and to (all of) you.” - CNA

He's a Theresian Pope.

I like this very much.

The Pope in Asia

He still schleps his own bag.

What's a schlepper?  Salesmen used the term to describe themselves going around, dragging their baggage - business to business, town to town.  The term has taken on a somewhat negative connotation these days, but I think of it as more a fun term... self-deprecating.

That said, the Pope makes me smile when I see him schlepping his own bag - it looks kind of funny, kind of dumpy - it makes him look like a schlepper.

Prayers for the Holy Father as he travels through the Philippines.

Bonus:

Here's an interesting papal fashion trend:  Many Cardinals, Bishops, Monsignors, and even priests and seminarians are now beginning to carry their own over-sized black bags themselves ...

Whaaat?

Get. Out.

I wonder what brought this on?

Actually, it was the Irish priest who outed himself from the pulpit last weekend.  I mentioned it here.

What was the statistic Jeannine Gramick cited?  40%-50% of priests are gay?  And she and a whole bunch of others think they should all come out.  That doesn't mean they are sexually active - I hope - but either way, if they all Got. Out. who would be left?  What would be left?

I sometimes wrote on how homosexuals weren't supposed to be admitted to seminary or religious life, but despite the rules, they have been admitted and most likely continue to be admitted.  I have no control over that ...  Then there are so many questions.  What if they used to be gay but are now just SSA?  What if they were notoriously gay - but now just have another job that keeps them busy after parish office hours?  What if they are gay and celibate - like gay-Catholics - and the actually say gay?  Then Michael brings up the fact there are gay bishops and gay friendly bishops - then what do you do?  What if you want to report a suspicious priest?  Or request that a Courage chapter be established in the archdiocese and he won't let you because he's against it?  What to do?

What to do Michael Voris?

I just want to be able to receive the sacraments and go to Mass - oh - and when I'm dying, please call a priest.  Make sure it's not a woman though.

If it's not one thing it's another, isn't it?

I never ask for anything - you know, like other bloggers do ...

But will someone please buy this stuff for me?

A. Tyner Antiques

A Painted and Gilded Italian Tabernacle.

19.5"W x 11.25"D x 21.75"H

Price: $2,440

I actually need this piece too.  I would use it for an antique statue of Our Lady of the Apocalypse:

A. Tyner Antiques

An Altar Piece/Stand

18"W x 7" D x 12" H

Price: $1,625

I would like to have these items by Candlemas.  Thank you.
Oh.  I will send an acknowledgement and
nice thank you card as well.

Okay. So if demons or the devil talks to you, don't listen - and never believe what you hear.

Detail of Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Fall of the Rebel Angels

The devil hates people - and unnatural vice.

The devil is also a liar.  Christ said he is 'the father of lies'.

Which is why I'm thinking - if he tells you something - don't believe him.  (It might be a good idea not to pay attention to any voices - but check with your confessor or spiritual director first to make sure.)

What am I talking about?  I don't know.  Because I'm not an authority on this stuff.

But here's a thought:

"Spiritual deception is the state of all men without exception, and it has been made possible by the fall of our original parents. All of us are subject to spiritual deception. Awareness of this fact is the greatest protection against it. Likewise, the greatest spiritual deception of all is to consider oneself free from it". - Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov

That's interesting, isn't it?


If you disagree - that's fine - I'm just saying.



Song for this post here.