Saturday, June 04, 2016
Once there was a pope who lived in a hotel,very much like a pilgrim and stranger ...
"You could say, "let the birds nest in your crown. ...
throw your scepter in the mud ..."
B. Sylvester, Brother Sun, Sister Moon
First of all - remember St. Francis was really poor and he really loved Lady Poverty and he considered riches as so much dung... Just like the Desert Fathers centuries before him.
A great man came from a distance to Scetis carrying gold, and he asked the presbyter of the desert to distribute it among the brothers. But the presbyter said, ‘The brothers do not need it.’ But he was very pressing, and would not give way, and put a basket of money in the church porch. So the presbyter said, ‘Whoever is in need may take money from here.’ No one touched it, some did not even look at it. The presbyter said, ‘God has accepted your offering to him. Go away and give it to the poor.’ He went away very much edified. - Sayings of the Desert Fathers
Once Saint Anthony was traveling in the desert he found a plate of silver coins in his path. He pondered for a moment as to why a plate of silver coins would be out in the desert where no one else travels. Then he realized the devil must have laid it out there to tempt him. To that he said, "Ha! Devil, thou weenest to tempt me and deceive me, but it shall not be in thy power." Once he said this, the plate of silver vanished. Saint Anthony continued walking along and saw a pile of gold in his way which the devil had laid there to deceive him. Saint Anthony cast the pile of gold into a fire, and it vanished just like the silver coins did. After these events, Saint Anthony had a vision where the whole world was full of snares and traps. He cried to the Lord, "Oh good Lord, who may escape from these snares?" A voice said back to him, "humility shall escape them without more.” - Life of St. Anthony
“We often fail to realize the depth of evil, terrifying as it is. I am not speaking only of the selfishness of the wealthy, heaping up riches for themselves, or of those who sacrifice to achieve their self-selected goals. Or of the dictator who breathes in the incense due only to God. I am speaking of the selfishness of good people, devout people, those who have succeeded through spiritual exercises and self-denial in being able to make the proud profession before the altar of the Most High, “Lord, I am not like the rest of men.” Yes, we have had the audacity at certain times of our lives to believe we are different from other men. And here is the deepest form of self-deception, dictated by self-centeredness at its worst: spiritual egotism. This most insidious form of egotism even uses piety and prayer for its own gain.” - Carlo Carretto, Letters from the Desert
Sister Therese would keep for her own use only what was strictly indispensable, and the uglier and poorer these were, the happier she was. She used to say that there was nothing sweeter than to lack what was necessary, because then you could say you were really poor. She urged me never to ask for anything to be bought without first assuring myself that there was no other alternative, and then I was to choose unhesitatingly what was cheapest, like really poor people do. - Marie of the Trinity ocd, testimony for beatification of S. Therese.
There is no option. Either we practice poverty or we shall not only not be sanctified; we shall not even be saved. It was not a pious platitude but a sober truth when Jesus said how hard it is for the rich person to enter heaven. - Fr. Hardon
Refuse honors and riches, take the last place. Do not even desire honors or riches. Set your heart on the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. St. Bernard tells us because there was no poverty in heaven, and because Jesus longed for it so much, he came down from heaven and chose it for himself - to make it precious for us.
Primates care ...
When Harambe was a little boy he used to take care of homeless tiger cubs - later he studied to get his nursing degree and planned to work in pediatrics after he graduated. But he died.
What?
Friday, June 03, 2016
Something I missed today...
The 'you can eat meat today' post.
Solemnity of the Sacred Heart on First Friday and no one mentions you can eat meat today. A glaring neglect by the spiritual advisory committee... it didn't even warrant a footnote. The Catholic blogisterium can be biased, going so far as to ignore whomever and whatever they choose whenever they choose, in an effort to promote their own, or gain donations for 'nursing school' or trips abroad ...
THIS JUST IN:
Christopher Ferrara and The Remnant receive approval and praise from Bishop Athanasius Schneider. - source
I am impressed. Seriously. I admire Bishop Athanasius Schneider and respect his fidelity to the Church and traditional Catholic teaching.
Dear Mr. Christopher A. Ferrara:
On May 9, 2016 you published on “The Remnant” website an open letter to me regarding the question of the Apostolic Exhortation “Amoris laetitia”.
As a bishop, I am grateful and at the same time encouraged to receive from a Catholic layman such a clear and beautiful manifestation of the “sensus fidei” regarding the Divine truth on marriage and the moral law.
I am agreeing with your observations as to those expressions in AL (“Amoris laetitia”), and especially in its VIII’s chapter, which are highly ambiguous and misleading. In using our reason and in respecting the proper sense of the words, one can hardly interpret some expressions in AL according to the holy immutable Tradition of the Church. - Finish reading here.
I'm stirred and shaken at the same time.
Thursday, June 02, 2016
Ordinary time, ordinary life, ordinary sanctity ...
"There are some people whom God takes and sets apart.
There are others he leaves among the crowds, people he does not 'withdraw from the world.'
These are the people who have an ordinary job,
an ordinary household,
or an ordinary celibacy.People with ordinary sicknesses,
and ordinary times of grieving.
People with an ordinary house,
and ordinary clothes.
These are the people of ordinary life.
The people we might meet on any street.
We the ordinary people of the streets,
believe with all of our might that this street, this world,
where God has placed us,
is our place of holiness.We do not need to find silence - we already have it ...
In the street crushed by the crowd ...
In those crowds ...
we recollect ourselves ... with great ease." - Madeleine Delbrêl
+ + +
Stay a long time after Communion - recollected amidst the din - and you will learn to abide constantly in the presence of God. It's an ordinary grace given to ordinary people of the streets. If you are faithful to this grace, many things which bothered you before will no longer matter. You will follow the meek and humble Christ, who 'walked in peace through the midst of them.' When you fail, you'll quickly recover your peace - because He is with you. Your conscience will become more and more sensitive and after every fall you will quickly return to that interior silence, repentant and more humbled.
Wednesday, June 01, 2016
The Apparitions of Our Lady of Lipa ... the Bishop over-ruled.
Last year the local bishop approved the apparitions and devotion to Our Lady of Lipa, Mediatrix of Grace, contradicting earlier Vatican judgments since 1951 that the apparitions were not supernatural - the last such declaration was made in 2010. Yet last year the local bishop determined that the apparitions were 'worthy of belief'.
Cardinal Muller, prefect of the Congregation of the Faith nullified the local bishop's decree, pretty much because he had no authority to make that determination. Hence the Vatican ruling stands. The story and letter is published here.
I always found these apparitions compelling since they involved a Carmelite community whose discernment I felt would have to be trustworthy, guided as they must be by their heritage of spiritual discernment and prayer. I also loved the image representing Our Lady, which inspired devotion in my heart. I never paid a great deal of attention to the messages, since I've always found the message of Fatima complete and more than enough for me. Nevertheless, I was intrigued by the phenomenon of rose petals at Lipa, said to be miraculously impressed with images of Christ and Our Lady. These 'signs' seemed to prove the authenticity of the apparitions. The weirdest part for me was the suppression of the apparitions, the transfer of the prioress to another monastery, and the seer leaving religious life. That was the only 'creepy' part I could discern, which resulted in my not being entirely convinced by the entire story.
It's interesting how this has turned out. Approval given, then refuted, and so on. In the current declaration, the CDF reiterates the order that studies of the apparitions be disbanded. The case is closed. No 'yes, buts' or spinning the story saying things like, 'they didn't condemn - they just said they couldn't find evidence that anything supernatural went on there.' It's over, not deemed worthy of belief.
I think it's best to live ordinary life with great faith - preferring not to see - and in some cases - not to know - at least not to know too much about these things. God is pleased with faith.
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Scene from Jesus of Nazareth
Zeffirelli framed this beautifully.
Let your love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor.
Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality.
Bless those who persecute [you], bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation... - Romans 12
Monday, May 30, 2016
Memorial Day ... remembering the dead.
Just a few minutes ago, I caught a segment of The View with Hillary Clinton and once again she affirmed that “the unborn person doesn't have constitutional rights.”
Memorial Day is meant to be a day we remember those who gave their lives for our freedom ...
to kill.
Memorial Day
War totally destroys families ...
O my God
I am heartily sorry
for having offended you
my God!
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Solemnity of Corpus Christi
They will know Christ is truly present in the Blessed Sacrament by our devotion,
whether it is convenient or inconvenient.
Saturday, May 28, 2016
Friday, May 27, 2016
President Obama in the place where fire fell from the sky 71 years ago ...
Barack Obama on Friday became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima, where he called for a "world without nuclear weapons" during his remarks at the city's Peace Memorial Park.
Obama said that "71 years ago on a bright, cloudless morning, death fell from the sky and the world was changed."
"A flash of light and a wall of fire destroyed a city, and demonstrated that mankind possessed the means to destroy itself," the President added during his address at the site of the first nuclear bombing. - CNN
Breaking through this Iron Sky ... the Franciscans of the Renewal.
This documentary is so providential, so hope-filled, an answer to the misery that is now upon us!
To those who can hear me, I say, do not despair.
The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed ...*
... So begins the trailer of a powerful new offering by Grassroots Films called Outcasts. Excerpting a long soundbite from Charlie Chaplin’s classic speech from The Great Dictator, and juxtaposing these words against haunting modern images, we’re shown snippets of people’s lives in five countries where the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal work and live. The film promises to prick our consciences and to consider the radical message of the Gospel, which is rooted in God’s profound love for every person, and the call to kindness — to find humanity in everyone, especially the desperate and forgotten. - Aleteia via Badger
*Dialog 'Great Dictator' 1940, Charlie Chaplin, excerpted from Paolo Nutini's, Iron Sky.
You just got to hold on!
You just got to hold on!
As the cesspools overflow: Father Dwight Longenecker knocks it out of the park!
It appears the inmates in the asylum
have clogged the system with toilet tissue
and their own brand of 'fishwrap'.
Father Dwight Longenecker asks if the radical traditionalist blogosphere is not only “a cesspool,” but an asylum for Catholic crazies. - Crux
Fr. Longenecker is one courageous priest and I will never ever criticize him again. Ever! I'm serious. He's pretty much covered the online clogged cesspool problem - unfortunately, Father doesn't have a solution on how to flush out the sludge that has accumulated at the bottom and unclog the system. As the article says, some Catholic blogs may be cesspools, but saying so won't help. One fills up, and another one opens - so it's really all about waste management... but I digress, as they say in Rome.
Although I'm glad Fr. Longenecker identified the most problematic cesspools. It's a dirty job but someone has to do it thus Father offers a bit of history here:
-source-
In February 2015 Rosica’s lawyer threatened to sue Canadian blogger David Domet. Domet blogs at Vox Cantoris and is a member of a clan of traditionalist bloggers who trade in sensational accusations about the Catholic Church, of which they claim to be faithful defenders.
Michael Voris’ Church Militant website jumped to Domet’s defense, a major tempest in a teapot blew up, and Rosica’s lawyer backed off.
The traditionalists continued their campaign against Rosica on a variety of other fronts, putting him firmly in their crosshairs.
Are Rosica’s criticisms fair, or is he just licking his wounds and nursing a grudge against sensible, holy and well-meaning Catholic conservatives? Perhaps it is worth letting these folks speak for themselves.
A quick click through David Domet’s Vox Cantoris blog reveals a few common themes. The Holy Father is consistently disrespected, referring to him as “Jorge Bergoglio.” This is common usage across radical traditionalist websites and blogs.
Does this qualify as a “cesspool of venom and vitriol”? Maybe not. But dig a bit deeper into radical traditionalist sites such as Michael Matt’s The Remnant, Steve Skojec’s 1Peter5, or Anne Barnhardt’s blog, and Rosica’s words will not seem like an exaggeration.
Anne Barnhardt, refers to Pope Francis as a “diabolical narcissist,” and in an interview at Creative Minority Report calls the pope a “fag hag.”
The anonymous Mundabor, like most of the radical blogs, calls for Amoris Laetitia to be withdrawn and ponders how a heretical pope might be deposed, while Barnhardt, writing here at The Remnant,writes an incendiary and ludicrous article calling for “all bishops who are true Catholics” to rise up and depose Jorge Bergoglio. - Crux
I sincerely mean this when I say, thank you Fr. Longenecker for having the courage to write this commentary. I'm an unknown crackpot with a website, so I have nothing to boast about, but pointing out these crazies online is a work of mercy. God bless you!
You'll need it - because the s--t is going to hit the fan now.
Song for this post here.
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Traditional Feast of Corpus Christi
Panis angelicus
We lifted our heads to see what was happening. the Angel was holding in his left hand a chalice and over it, in the air, was a host from which drops of blood fell into the chalice. The Angel leaves the chalice in the air, kneels near us and tells us to repeat three times:
Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly, and I offer You the Most Precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. And by the infinite merits of His most Sacred Heart and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.
After that he rose, took again in his hand the chalice and the host. - Third Apparition of the Angel to the children of Fatima in 2016
This is the day of my baptism, which coincided with the Feast of the Ascension the year I was born. It is also the memorial of St. Philip Neri.
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
Here you go ... the “relationship between two popes” and the “baleful consequences” of the “false Church” ...
Oy! Vat a nightmare!
Gänswein recently shared confidences of Pope Benedict XVI on there being two popes - one active, one contemplative - which in turn gets spun as code, linking it to the two popes prophecy from Blessed Emmerich. Unverifiable as that may be - and even dismissed by some proponents of Emmerich's private revelations, it remains useful for the propagation of the 'bad council-bad Mass' trope - 'emmervating' from the Fatimist conspiracy theorists.
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