Apostolic Succession

Quoted below is from Catholic Answers Forums  on Founding a religious order  written by Weeorphan [1]:

Weeorphan
Oct '06

St Francis of Assisi was a lay person before he started gathering a small brotherhood by preaching in the streets barefoot. It was only after his audience with the Pope that he was given permission to expand as an authorized mendicant Religious Order. He had to be ordained a Deacon to ‘officially’ preach from a pulpit. Otherwise, he would likely have been hounded by authorities to historical insignificance, relegated to merely a homeless gadfly preacher with an unwashed band of tick-infested ‘hippie’ misfits.

So he reluctantly succumbed to the Church’s demand, deeming himself unworthy of ordination. Interestingly, St Francis later grew somewhat disgusted over his rapidly expanding and highly structured organization with thousands of neophytes attending schools of higher education, stuffing their nuts for winter and feathering their nests. He delegated administration of his worldly brotherhood while preferring to be alone in prayer.

His original twelve disciples stayed to his rugged course of taking no thought for the morrow. He suffered with blindness from his mission to Jerusalem, his crippling stigmata, and the anguish that Jesus’ teachings were being diluted in his Order to a worldliness beyond his control. His severe self-denial caused an early death, but no saint has more closely followed Christ’s example to willingly suffer much in obedience to God. I suspect Jesus Christ has been feeling much the same angst about his beloved Church.

It was Christ Who told Francesco d'Assisi to rebuild His Church.  As Weeorphan noted above, "St Francis of Assisi was a lay person before he started gathering a small brotherhood by preaching in the streets barefoot." [2]  He was no where near the line of succession of the Apostles, yet he was holy enough to suffer the stigmata.  He also suffered "the anguish that Jesus’ teachings were being diluted in his Order to a worldliness beyond his control," which led to Weeorphan's insightful conclusion: "I suspect Jesus Christ has been feeling much the same angst about [H]is beloved Church." [3]

It is not time to wake up from the reality that Christ's beloved Church is being continually diluted "to a worldliness" so secular [4] that the Church is ever so gradually becoming more and more indistinguishable from any of the world's social and political institution?  Is it not time for more and more Catholics to answer the call that seems so far removed from the heart and so faint to the ear to begin living lives of humility with complete faith in and love for God so that every moment can be filled with joy while preaching the words of Christ in a manner and with a voice that reflect a quiet and steady peace within that is alive and joined with the peace of Christ?

Are those who act as such but who do not have approval from a Catholic bishop who is along the line of Apostolic succession causing more wounds upon the Body of the already-wounded Christ because they do not necessarily agree with the Magisterium based on what the pope and bishops say and do?  Are they heretics?  Was San Francesco d'Assisi a heretic when he first started preaching to the birds [5]?  According to Saint Augustine of Hippo who himself was a fornicator who had an illegitimate son named Adeodatus with one of his many mistresses [6], it seems that Francesco d'Assisi who had preached (fed the Lord's sheep) initially without any prior apostolic blessing could have been deemed a heretic.  This was what Augustine said (quoted from catholic.com) [7]:

"[T]here are many other things which most properly can keep me in [the Catholic Church’s] bosom. The unanimity of peoples and nations keeps me here. Her authority, inaugurated in miracles, nourished by hope, augmented by love, and confirmed by her age, keeps me here. The succession of priests, from the very see of the apostle Peter, to whom the Lord, after his resurrection, gave the charge of feeding his sheep [John 21:15–17], up to the present episcopate, keeps me here. And last, the very name Catholic, which, not without reason, belongs to this Church alone, in the face of so many heretics, so much so that, although all heretics want to be called ‘Catholic,’ when a stranger inquires where the Catholic Church meets, none of the heretics would dare to point out his own basilica or house" (Against the Letter of Mani Called "The Foundation" 4:5 [A.D. 397]).

Interestingly, according to Frank A. James III, Monica (a saint), Augustine's mother, had "persuaded [her son Augustine] to send his unnamed mistress away so that he might acquire the hand of a high-society Milanese girl." [8]  Sinfulness, one can suppose if the foregoing is true, does not fall far from the womb, nor does saintliness, according to the Catholic Church based on this mother-son relationship.

In this blogger's opinion, it seems that those whose lives have benefited from the Church, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Eastern or Oriental, or otherwise, whether financially, educationally, authoritatively or otherwise, are the ones most supportive of the concept of Apostolic succession even though there are Christian religions without Apostolic succession have come into existence and continue to exist.  These, perhaps, are the strongest published words against Apostolic succession: "Alignment with scriptural teaching, not apostolic succession, is the determining factor of the trueness of a church." [9]

Even within the family of religions that believe in Apostolic succession, they are not unified, as they ought to be, for the disciples had been taught to love one another, to wash and dry the feet of one another.  Love and humility are not found among the successors of the different Apostles today and the divisions among them will likely continue into the foreseeable future due to differences in culture, language, practices and so on, not to mention the reluctance to forego pride and power.

As one year ends and another begins, the need to bring about a new universal Church that is truly catholic that is unified under the teachings of Christ ought to stir within the hearts of true Catholics, leaving aside those with hearts of hypocrites who may be in the Vatican, the parishes, the seminaries and in towns and cities everywhere who are more concerned with their own communities, their own countries, their own troops, their own kind with similar culture, upbringing, political beliefs and secular outlook than with the whole of humanity whose collective heart is inextricably linked to God, the Creator.

Admittedly, it is not easy to keep in mind those who are either different from oneself or are not part of and close to one's life but pray true Catholics ought to for all, not forgetting those had been martyred, among them were 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded in Libya in 2015 who were found buried in a grave "in the town of Sirte, once held by ISIS militants, after a former captive of ISIS provided the location of the bodies." [10]

http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/11/bodies-of-the-21-coptic-christians-isis-beheaded-found-to-be-returned-to-families/

http://www.egyptindependent.com/families-21-coptic-christians-killed-libya-demand-remains/

http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/cwn/2017/october/bodies-of-21-christians-found-beheaded-by-isis-in-mass-grave-in-libya

True Catholics ought also to pray for all of those far away from the bloody beach where the executions took place and whose memories may have been clouded by the passage of time beginning with the moment the idea of invading Libya was instigated culminating in the execution and completion of that invasion who had directly and/or indirectly brought this fate to these martyred Christians, that they (with their hands forever stained with the blood of all the martyred) may visualize vividly the pains, the sufferings and the faces of each of these decapitated men day and and night for the remainder of their lives so that they may come to regret their actions and humble themselves before God ask God for forgiveness of their compound sins and for mercy upon their eternal souls.

Those with enough faith and love to die in the name of the Lord Jesus are in this blogger's opinion apostles of Christ whether or not they are Apostolic successors as defined by those who see themselves as successors and potential successors and those benefiting and about to benefit from the ordained Apostolic successors.

Situated directly opposite all of Christ's apostles who had been martyred are those who do the works of Satan, who destroy lives and families, by betraying Christ and all that Christ represents, who fall in line with the Apostle Judas Iscariot, and who ought to be deemed as apostolic successors as well.  Even though there is no symbolic gesture conferring their succession, they nevertheless cannot be mistaken as true successors of the Apostle Judas Iscariot by their betrayals and Satanic works except by those already blinded by Satan and can no longer see God clearly.

Seeing God clearly is not so easy.  Sin is like cataract in the eye that clouds one's vision of God, but unlike the medical condition, eyes clouded by cataract of sin can often see clearly Satan present in others but rarely, if ever, in oneself. This malady is non-discriminatory.  It plagues the average person just as it plagues those who are in seats of power, and that includes the current successor of Peter the Apostle, his infallibility notwithstanding, who speak on behalf of the Vatican City State and the Catholic Church.  To be sure, Bergoglio, in the opinion of this blogger, is neither a visionary, a saint nor someone who is holy and infallible.  He is, however, a gifted secular politician.

In summary, it is not Apostolic succession that defines the trueness and oneness of the universal Church, the Catholic Church that Christ wants; it is how closely a religious order or church, whether it be Catholic, Orthodox or otherwise, adheres to the teachings of Christ [11] that defines universality, Catholicity, unity and authenticity.

Is this conclusion heretical according the the Catholic Church?  Yes, but not absolutely.  Giving a nod to the Protestants, the Vatican after presenting arguments for Apostolic succession said, "To say this is not to say that the ecclesial and spiritual qualities of the Protestant ministers and communities are thereby negligible. Their ministers have edified and nourished their communities. By baptism, by the study and the preaching of the word, by their prayer together and celebration of the Last Supper, and by their zeal they have guided men toward faith in the Lord and thus helped them to find the way of salvation. There are thus in such communities elements that certainly belong to the apostolicity of the unique Church of Christ." [12]  Despite this acknowledgement by the Catholic Church, the Protestants have their own problems and disagreements among their many divisions, without regard to the elements of apostolicity.

So to where does true  Apostolic succession lead?  A genuine universal Catholic Church, one that unifies, embraces and welcomes all who are humble and apolitical, who have the suffering Christ at the center and in clear focus as well as the grace to revive and inspire those spiritually dead to Christ, especially those leading empty lives consumed by their wealth, fame, pride, possessions, perversions and denials. This is the focus the Catholic Church ought to have and the direction it ought to go, beginning with these several days left in 2017 and into new year until the end of the world.  However, given the likelihood that its focus and direction will likely become more and more secular, a new Church with genuine Catholicity needs to be built from the ground up without deliberate delay. [13]



[1] https://forums.catholic.com/t/founding-a-religious-order/56515/3
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] A lifesitenews.com  article dated December 22, 2017, entitled Catholics shocked that Vatican Christmas tree has no Christian symbols  reported that "[t]he decorations on the Vatican Christmas tree in St. Peter's Square this year are devoid of Christian religious symbols, that "'[t]here are peace signs, and the oriental yin-yang signs, but no angels, no depictions of the Magi, no images of Mary, nothing but universal symbols,'" according to an observer while another remarked, "'I too saw that there seemed not to be a single Christian symbol on the tree, unless the star on the top of the tree could be considered a sign of the star that led the Magi to the Christ-child.'" See https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/catholics-shocked-that-vatican-christmas-tree-has-no-christian-symbols
[5] https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-francis-and-the-birds/
[6] http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-15/augustines-sex-life-change-from-profligate-to-celibate.html
[7] https://www.catholic.com/tract/apostolic-succession
[8] http://www.christianitytoday.com/history/issues/issue-15/augustines-sex-life-change-from-profligate-to-celibate.html
[9] https://www.gotquestions.org/apostolic-succession.html
[10] http://dailycaller.com/2017/10/11/bodies-of-the-21-coptic-christians-isis-beheaded-found-to-be-returned-to-families/
[11] http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/12, 28-31; http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/22:1517, 34-40; http://www.usccb.org/bible/lk/10:52, 25-28.
[12] http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/cti_documents/rc_cti_1973_successione-apostolica_en.html
[13] Any suggestion is welcomed.

Advent 2017 - Fourth Sunday (Christmas Eve)

The fourth Sunday of Advent 2017 coincides with Christmas Eve.  The first reading is from the Old Testament, selected lines from the Book of Samuel. [1]   The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ("USCCB") called this the "Dynastic Oracle," [2]  together "with cognate texts in the Scriptures, [the Dynastic Oracle] is the basis for Jewish expectations of an anointed king." [3]

The Mother of the Anointed King would be Mary, according to the Gospel of Luke [4], the Gospel reading for the fourth week of Advent 2017.  Where the words in the second reading from the Romans [5] come from (compared to upper right hyperlink: ROM 16:25-27), what they mean and how they fit in before the Gospel this blogger has no idea.  Perhaps USCCB does but it does not elaborate.

As an aside, Christmas Eve is less than a week away, and the Vatican already has its Nativity scene in place.  It was described in detail by The Catholic Traveler with photographs. [6]  Neither the content nor the photographs has been pasted here because of copyright.

Incidentally, nothing written by this blogger is copyrighted.  For certain people, the saying "pride of ownership" applies, but for others, "stress of ownership" is an understatement.  Did Adam and Eve own anything before they sinned?  God provided for them everything they needed, yet they were dissatisfied.  They wanted to be like God, to "own" a piece of God.  They wanted to "copyright" God and call it their own.  The world has thus become a world of ownership, and it is over ownership, the desire for and the exercise of dominion, that wars have been waged, that regime changes have been forced upon sovereigns, that people have been uprooted, tortured and killed and that terrorism has become a norm.  As a consequence, peace in that far away place, in a manger in Bethlehem, has become elusive to grasp and difficult to comprehend and internalize, even for those who believe in God and who celebrate the birth of Christ.

The birth of Christ was an event that changed the world, one that is holy and wholesome and ought to be depicted as such in a Nativity scene.  One section of the 2017 Nativity scene at the Vatican contradicts that holiness and wholesomeness.  Even authorities at secular Facebook had to censor it.  Quoting from lifesitenews.com, in part without hyperlinks [7]:

Facebook has nixed a photo of this year’s Vatican nativity scene, referencing its policy against “sexually suggestive or provocative” images, Breitbart reported.

The Vatican crèche was donated by the ancient Abbey of Montevergine in the Campania region of southern Italy. Its scenery and crib figures, in 18th-century Neapolitan costumes, were produced by artisans in a local workshop. It incorporates vignettes representing the corporal works of mercy, including visiting the sick and imprisoned, burying the dead, and clothing the naked.

“It was this last element that excited the censors at Facebook,” Breitbart said. The manger scene prominently features the figure of a naked man lying on the straw, being offered a cloth by a pilgrim, just opposite where the figure of the baby Jesus will be placed on Christmas Day.

An ad featuring the image of the scene was rejected by Facebook with the following explanation: “Your ad can’t include images that are sexually suggestive or provocative.”

Here is the image that was rejected by Facebook:

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebook-rejects-picture-of-vatican-nativity-scene-with-naked-man

Does this well-groomed, clean-shaven reclining statue represent a homeless man who has gone without proper nutrition and hygiene for a good length of time?  Does he look emaciated, or look more like a well-trained Olympic athlete on a finely calibrated diet or an ancient Greek wrestler at rest?  This semi-nude figure was undoubtedly created by talented sculptors and artists but is it appropriate as part of a Nativity scene?  Allowing this "sexually suggestive or provocative" image (and the depiction of a cadaver - see below) to be displayed as a part of a Nativity scene seems to indicate Satan is in the Vatican, and it is not leaving any time soon.

From Google Images
"Celebrating death instead of life – another attention-grabbing image is that of a person burying a dead man in the nativity scene." See  https://veritas-vincit-international.org/2017/12/13/naked-man-steals-show-vaticans-new-nativity-scene-rendition/ 

Reparations ought to be made for the sins of the Vatican and of those who are in charge of it.  Perhaps saying the Seven Sorrows Rosary, in addition to saying the regular Rosary, would help.  Below is a photograph of the Seven Sorrows Rosary this blogger uses (sadly not often enough):




Below is one way of saying the Seven Sorrows Rosary (as edited by this blogger within [brackets]) quoted in part from companionscross.org [8]:

The Rosary of

the Seven Sorrows Of Our Lady

INTRODUCTORY PRAYERS

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My God, I offer you this rosary for your glory. I
want to honor your Holy Mother, the Blessed
Virgin, by meditating upon and sharing in her
suffering.

O my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, trusting in
your infinite love I turn to you for forgiveness
and mercy. I am truly sorry for the pains you
suffered in your most bitter Passion because of
my sins. For love of you, and before your holy
presence, I utterly renounce and forsake all the
sins of my whole life. I ask pardon of you with all
my heart. I firmly resolve to amend my life and
would rather die than offend you again.

[together with or instead of the prayer immediately above

"Act of contrition

My God, I regret so much to have offended you because you are infinitely good, infinitely kind and you dislike sin. I make a firm resolution, with the help of your holy grace, never to offend you and to do penance. In this state of contrition, I want to live and die. Amen!" [9]]


O Blessed Virgin Mary, you are our tender
Mother and the refuge of sinners. I run to you
with confidence and love. Hide me under your
mantle of love and protection. As I meditate upon
the swords of sorrow that pierced your
Immaculate Heart, obtain for me the forgiveness
of my sins and the grace to live a life of heroic
holiness.

O Blessed Mother, I unite my heart to yours and
offer this rosary for priests: for their growth in
holiness, obedience to the Magisterium [in
accordance with the teachings of Christ],
boldness in the proclamation of the Gospel, and a
profound love for the people of God. May all
priests humbly lead the souls entrusted to their
care into an intimate relationship with the Lord.
[I also pray for the following particular
intentions…]  {These brackets are original.}

...

The First Sword of Sorrow

Simeon announces
the suffering destiny of Jesus
(Luke 2:34-35)

O Mother of Sorrows, how deeply your heart was
pierced with sorrow when Simeon announced
that Jesus, your beloved Child, was to be a sign
that would be rejected. Your heart knew that He
was to be the suffering Messiah the prophets had
foretold, the man of sorrows, who would carry all
our sins and heal us by His wounds. Through this
bitter sorrow obtain for us the grace never to
reject Jesus or refuse Him anything. Help us to
completely surrender our lives to Him and to live
according to His most holy will in everything.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

The Second Sword of Sorrow

Mary escapes into Egypt
with Jesus and Joseph
(Matt 2:13-15)

O Mother of Sorrows, what pain filled your heart
as you fled your home and country knowing that
the tyrant Herod was intent on murdering your
little Child whom you loved above all else. The
hardships of travel, the long journey, and life as a
refugee was nothing compared to the torment of
such demonic malice directed toward Jesus.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us
the grace never to risk the life of Jesus in our
souls through deliberate sin.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

The Third Sword of Sorrow

Mary seeks Jesus lost in Jerusalem
(Luke 2:41-51)

O Mother of Sorrows, what grief filled your heart
as you and Joseph searched desperately for Jesus
when you could not find Him among your
relatives and friends returning home from
Jerusalem. When your Son replied that He must
be about His Father’s business, you accepted that
He had begun the mission that would lead to His
sacrificial death. The sorrow of those three days
of separation prepared you for the three days of
suffering you endured while His body lay lifeless
in the tomb. Through this bitter sword of sorrow
obtain for us the grace to accept the ways of
Divine Providence even when we do not
understand them.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

The Fourth Sword of Sorrow

Mary meets Jesus as He carries
His Cross to Calvary
(cf. Luke 23:26-31)

O Mother of Sorrows, how it must have wounded
your tender maternal heart to see your beloved
Son Jesus carrying His Cross to Calvary, the place
of [crucifixion.]  How it must have pained you to see
Him so bloodied, beaten, and reviled as He
strained to fulfill His deepest desire: to give His
life as a ransom for us. Through this bitter sword
of sorrow obtain for us the grace to deny
ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Jesus
with perseverance and love.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

The Fifth Sword of Sorrow

Mary stands near the Cross
of her Son Jesus
(John 19:25-27)

O Mother of Sorrows, here the prophecy of
Simeon comes to its ultimate fulfillment: the
sword of sorrow impales your heart as you stand
beneath the Cross of your Son. Crucified
spiritually with your crucified Son, you offered
Him to the Father and united yourself completely
to His self-offering and sacrificial death. We
simply cannot fathom the pain of your offering or
the depth of love that inspired it. Through this
bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to
unite all our sufferings to our crucified Lord with
[humble acceptance] and love.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

The Sixth Sword of Sorrow

Mary receives into her arms
the body of Jesus taken down from the
Cross
(cf. John 19:38)

O Mother of Sorrows, your heart was drowned in
grief as you embraced the lifeless corpse of your
Son. He who was your very life was now dead.
Your light in this life was extinguished. Yet you
accepted this sorrow with love knowing that it
was all part of the Father’s plan of salvation.
Through this bitter sword of sorrow obtain for us
the grace to accept with patience and love the
sorrows that befall us in this vale of tears, firmly
believing that God works all things to the good
for those who love Him.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

The Seventh Sword of Sorrow

Mary helps place the body of Jesus
in the tomb
(cf. John 19:39-42)

O Mother of Sorrows, who could express the
cruel anguish of this moment? The same Child
that you once wrapped in swaddling clothes
amidst unspeakable joy, you now wrap silently in
His burial shroud. Your tears mingle with the
blood and dirt that covers His broken body. But
even in this moment your trust in His promise did
not die. Your mourning was [with unwavering faith],
for you knew that He would rise again from this
grave just as He promised. Through this bitter
sword of sorrow obtain for us the grace to believe
with [absolute faith] in the victory of our Lord
even in the darkest moments of life.

Our Father & seven Hail Mary’s

Holy Mother hear my prayers, and renew in my heart each wound of Jesus my Savior.

Pray three Hail Mary’s in honor of the tears of
Our Sorrowful Mother.

CLOSING PRAYERS

O Mary, you truly became the Queen of all
martyrs as these seven bitter swords of sorrow
pierced your Immaculate Heart! By the merits of
your tearful distress obtain for us [and for all]
sinners the graces of perfect contrition and
conversion. Help us always, dear Mother, to
imitate you by taking up our crosses and
following Jesus with limitless love and generosity.
Amen.

Mary, who was conceived without sin and who
suffered for us, pray for us. (Say three times)

[1] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122417.cfm
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/2samuel/7:1
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/122417.cfm
[5] Ibid.
[6] http://thecatholictraveler.com/christmas-vatican-2017-nativity-scene/
[7] https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/facebook-rejects-picture-of-vatican-nativity-scene-with-naked-man
[8] http://www.companionscross.org/sites/default/files/file-attachments/The%20Rosary%20of%20the%20Seven%20Sorrows%20of%20Our%20lady_edited.pdf
[9] http://kibeho-sanctuary.com/index.php/en/liturgy/holy-rosary

Hell On Earth

This entry was not part of the plan when the post Heaven On Earth  was written two days ago.  This came about after Crux  published an article dated December 13, 2017, entitled New Vatican news site ready to launch; multimedia plan explained.  It is quoted in part below [1]:

ROME - Before Christmas, the Vatican plans to launch its new multimedia communications website, although the Vatican Radio and Vatican Television Center sites will stay accessible as archives.

Monsignor Dario Vigano, prefect of the Secretariat for Communication, announced Dec. 13 that the new site - vaticannews.va - would be launched in beta form “in the coming days.”

The public announcement came the day after Vigano presented the site to Pope Francis and his international Council of Cardinals and explained to the council the progress made in unifying the various Vatican media.

“The cornerstone of the system, fruit of a process of consolidation on an economic and technical level, is represented by the Editorial Multimedia Center,” which will be a single structure responsible for producing audio, text, video and graphics in several languages and for use on a variety of platforms, including the new website and social media.

The Secretariat for Communication’s editorial board will determine how various events and issues are presented and covered.

According to a statement from Vigano, eventually the multimedia center will include about 350 employees drawn from the 40 language programs of the former Vatican Radio and from the nine institutions - the radio, Vatican newspaper, Vatican television production center, Vatican printing press, etc. - that now form part of the secretariat.

The multimedia center will begin its work with 70 people working in six languages: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Portuguese. They will focus on four areas: The pope, the Vatican, the Church and the world.

Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office, briefed reporters on the meeting of the Council of Cardinals Dec. 11-13, including on Vigano’s report that the new website and production center are simply the “first visible and concrete expression” of the unified approach to communications requested by the pope and cardinals.

More generally, the pope and cardinals discussed “the Curia as an instrument of evangelization and of service to the pope and the local churches,” Burke said. The idea of the “reform of the Roman Curia” is not simply to change structures, “but mentalities.” [Emphasis added.]

...

Francis formed the Council of Cardinals one month after his election in 2013. The cardinals have been working on ideas for the reform of the Roman Curia, but also advise Francis on a variety of matters regarding church governance. The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for Feb. 26-28.

Is it a coincidence or a preordained outcome in the election of this creature that heads the Vatican?  Just "one month after his election in 2013" the creature "Francis formed the Council of Cardinals" with members that "have been working on ideas for the reform of the Roman Curia, but also advise Francis on a variety of matters regarding church governance." [2]

As much as this blogger wants to believe that the Holy Spirit moves those who are in the conclave in the election of a new pope, the reality seems to be politics that move them in voting for one candidate as opposed to another.  The Holy Spirit can only do so much, giving way to man's Free Will to ignore His gentle yet immense and powerful pervasive presence.

In this blogger's opinion, it is the election of Bergoglio in 2013 that had solidified Satan's presence in the Vatican.  Now with this "new multimedia communications website" that is scheduled to launch before Christmas 2017, the forces of Satan will be better able to consolidate their power and exert influence over the whole of the Catholic Church with uniformity.  This will mark a beginning of Hell's dominion upon the earth, especially when "Greg Burke, director of the Vatican press office" said that "[t]he he idea of the “reform of the Roman Curia” is not simply to change structures, “but mentalities.” [Emphasis added.] [3]

Why do mentalities need to be changed?  Ought the mentalities of the Catholic Church be identical to the teachings of Christ, the Son of God?  Were they changed before and require a change back to the original?  If they were changed previously, then had the teachings of the Catholic Church been in error?  If what had been taught previously had not been in error, then would any change going forward be necessarily erroneous?

Furthermore, it is reported that "[t]he Secretariat for Communication’s editorial board will determine how various events and issues are presented and covered." [4]  Does that mean that the successor of Peter, God's shepherd, is no longer solely responsible for "how issues are presented and covered" since this responsibility will be delegated to a board that will oversee this new website with a "multimedia center [that] will include about 350 employees drawn from the 40 language programs of the former Vatican Radio and from the nine institutions"? [5]

Even if the conclusion above is somewhat broad, the central point is still an unholy delegation of responsibility since "the new website and production center are simply the 'first visible and concrete expression' of the unified approach to communications requested by the pope and cardinals." [Emphasis added.] [6] The troublesome word here is "and" because it is the voice of Peter's successor that is supposed to be infallible, not the consensus reached by Bergoglio and his cardinals.  The "rock" upon which Christ built His church went to Peter alone, not to a partnership between Peter and a handful of other disciples, and certainly not to an association of secondarily (and politically) appointed cardinals.

More troubling are these words taken together, that "the new website and production center are simply the 'first visible and concrete expression' of the unified approach to communications." [Emphasis added.] [7] What else could be next?  Why is the word "visible" used?  Why not just state "first concrete expression" omitting the word "visible"?  Is there a form of "invisible" and concrete expression?  The forces of Evil are invisible.  Should Catholics wait in anticipation that there would be something "invisible and concrete expression" that would be forthcoming?

One could say that angelic forces, the forces that are derived from God, are also invisible except that invisible forces that come from God are not unified under a communication website.  God picks people from everywhere to pray, to love, and with assistance from the angelic realm to spread the joy of being close to Heaven and to bring peace into people's hearts that are receptive to the firmly established communication from Christ to all which can be imagined as structures in the form of a fortress impenetrable by Satan and a path to Heaven, both of which are perfect and eternal and do not require man to reform and change in any way.  Only Satan wants to change them.  When the changes desired by Satan have taken place, Hell would be upon this earth.


[1] https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/12/13/new-vatican-news-site-ready-launch-multimedia-plan-explained/
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Ibid.
[5] Ibid.
[6] Ibid.
[7] Ibid.

Advent 2017 - Third Week

Here are the readings for the third week of Advent for 2017: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121717.cfm, published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ("USCCB").

Like the second week, the first reading for the third week of Advent is also from the Book of Isaiah.  Who is Isaiah?  According to the Orthodox Church in America, "[t]he Holy Prophet Isaiah lived 700 years before the birth of Christ, and was of royal lineage. Isaiah’s father Amos raised his son in the fear of God and in the law of the Lord. Having attained the age of maturity, the Prophet Isaiah entered into marriage with a pious prophetess (Is 8:3) and had a son Jashub (Is 8:18)." [1]

After being sent by God to do God's work, "Isaiah left behind him a book of prophecy in which he denounces the Jews for their unfaithfulness to the God of their Fathers. He predicted the captivity of the Jews and their return from captivity during the time of the emperor Cyrus, the destruction and renewal of Jerusalem and of the Temple. Together with this he predicts the historical fate also of the other nations bordering the Jews. But what is most important of all for us, the Prophet Isaiah with particular clarity and detail prophesies about the coming of the Messiah, Christ the Savior. The prophet names the Messiah as God and Man, teacher of all the nations, founder of the Kingdom of peace and love." [2]

It was after God picked Isaiah to be a prophet that these words (the first reading's first two sentences) came into existence: "The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me." [3]

Not too many people can claim that they had been anointed by the Lord God.  The second reading is a letter from Paul to the Thessalonians, saying the following, quoted in part from the his letter [4]:

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

USCCB explains the above as follows [5]:

Another possible translation is, “May the God of peace himself make you perfectly holy and sanctify your spirit fully, and may both soul and body be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” In either case, Paul is not offering an anthropological or philosophical analysis of human nature. Rather, he looks to the wholeness of what may be called the supernatural and natural aspects of a person’s service of God.

This blogger doubts if any of the Thessalonians who happened to read Paul's letter was actually made holy or "anointed" by God in the same manner that Isaiah was anointed, otherwise there could be many books in the bible named after the God-anointed Thessalonians.

How these two readings relate to the Gospel of John on John the Baptist this blogger has no clue, unless John the Baptist was a Thessalonian made holy by the words of Paul and anointed by God, but this could not have been possible since Paul's letter to the Thessalonians were written circa 50 A.D. [6].  By then John the Baptist had already been beheaded.  "None of the sources gives an exact date [as to when John the Baptist was killed], which was probably in the years 28-29 AD (Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-27; Luke 9:9) after imprisoning John the Baptist in 27 AD (Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14)." [7]

It seems like the main message in the Gospel of John for the third week of Advent is simply: "'I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, "make straight the way of the Lord[.]" '" [8]  If correct, then to match the contemporary Mass being celebrated nowadays, there is a song from a 70's Off-Broadway musical called Godspell [9] that may be appropriate to conclude this entry with, that can be heard on You Tube: Prepare Ye The Way Of The Lord [10].

As a postscript, perhaps instead of having readings from Isaiah and Paul's letter to the Thessalonians, the readings ought to follow the readings of the traditional Latin Mass, from Philippians 4, at 4-6 and 4-7 that emphasize "modesty" and "prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving." [11]  And perhaps instead of having to sit through an informal Mass listening to the homilist talk about himself and things that have little to do with holiness, one may be able to attend a traditional Latin Mass and follow the readings translated from Latin and listen to the chants that lift one's spirit up toward Heaven, assuming that this would not be spoiled by a priest who enjoys talking about himself and telling jokes more than focusing only on "modesty" and "prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving," [12] all of which are essential throughout the Advent season to "make straight the way of the Lord." [13]



[1] https://oca.org/saints/lives/2017/05/09/101331-prophet-isaiah
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121717.cfm
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.usccb.org/bible/1thes/5:23#60005023, at footnote [5:10].
[6] http://www.usccb.org/bible/1thessalonians/0
[7] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beheading_of_St_John_the_Baptist, under the section "Traditional accounts."
[8] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121717.cfm, the Gospel of John.
[9] http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_g/godspell.htm
[10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSIs1MHdFQY
[11] http://www.extraordinaryform.org/propers/Advent3rd.pdf, page 1 of 2;
http://www.extraordinaryform.org/properssundays.html
[12] http://www.extraordinaryform.org/propers/Advent3rd.pdf, page 1 of 2
[13] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121717.cfm, the Gospel of John.

Heaven On Earth

Where is Heaven on earth?  Is it along the horizon where land and water meet the sky?  Is it on a mountaintop where an occasional cloud brushes against the ground upon which wild flowers are awakened and refreshed by soft breezes of crisp, clean air?  Is it within the gaps not yet occupied by evil, materialism and secularism in a noisy and polluted city?  Or is it hidden in the smiles brought by one to the faces of those abandoned by love, the orphans, the aged and those who are innocent and lonely?  Perhaps Heaven on earth is all of those places.

Perhaps Heaven on earth is less about a location but more about love, for God, the Son of God and the Mother of God, and for one's mother and father who have given one life and who have brought one up under their protection.

Perhaps Heaven on earth is both a location and a love that cannot be separated.  When they are separated, then like a traveler who enjoy seeing places, those are just places on earth, but for someone who has no love, then it matters not where one is, at a place or in some state of mind, that place would be like Hell where love never existed and never will.

But this entry is not about Hell.  Hell is only a point of reference.  Far away from it has to be Heaven on earth, and this blogger wants to know where it is so that he can move there.  He recently told a priest (from inside a confessional of all places) that he wanted to go to such a place.  Calmly, he replied, "There is no Heaven on earth," and that "we take steps to go there."

That was not what this blogger wanted to hear.  Reflecting on this truth that evening, he reacted with sadness, like a young boy disappointed by his parents who would not let him have what he so badly wanted, but he is no longer a boy and is determined to find this place, overlooking, or rather denying the fact that he would probably be living a life of disappointments, but then who lives a life that is free from disappointments?  Not even the Son of God lived a disappointment-free life as man and He was Heaven on earth.

Perhaps Heaven on earth can exist since God exists, and anything is possible with God.  Any reader of this blog who knows of this place or is currently there (assuming that the place has internet access), is welcomed to leave a comment.  As usual, any comment is welcomed, always.

An Additional Thought On The Lord's Prayer

Two days ago, on December 8, an opinion was expressed to leave these words in the Lord's Prayer, "lead us not into temptation" unchanged.  Since the post, another thought supporting this position came to mind, that there could be another way to restate these words, assuming that they even need to be restated, which they do not, which is to substitute the word "lead" with "direct" and the words "not into" with "away from" so that it would read: "direct us away from temptation."  This restatement preserves man's Free Will since Free Will does not necessarily go the way that it is being directed, even if God is the One directing.  However, to change the Lord's Prayer and use the either words "do not let temptation enter" or "do not let us fall into temptation" or similar words to that effect is, again, to take away man's Free Will, as stated previously on December 8, which is contrary to the plan of Creation.

December 8 - Solmenity Of The Immaculate Conception

In Her appearance to Bernadette Soubirous, Our Lady of Lourdes "asked for a chapel and processions, but Fr Peyramale, the local parish priest, insisted that the Lady would have to reveal her name before anything could be done about such matters. [In 1858,] [e]arly on March 25, the feast of the Annunciation, Bernadette made her way to the grotto, where the beautiful Lady was already waiting for her. Bernadette asked the Lady her name and after joining her hands at the breast and looking up to heaven she said, 'I am the Immaculate Conception.'" [1]

Four years earlier, "[i]n 1854, [Pope] Pius IX solemnly proclaimed: 'The most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instant of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin.'" [2]

According to franciscanmedia.org, "[a] feast called the Conception of Mary arose in the Eastern Church in the seventh century. It came to the West in the eighth century. In the 11th century it received its present name, the Immaculate Conception. In the 18th century it became a feast of the universal Church. It is now recognized as a solemnity." [3]

Furthermore,  franciscanmedia.org  noted as follows:

It took a long time for this doctrine to develop. While many Fathers and Doctors of the Church considered Mary the greatest and holiest of the saints, they often had difficulty in seeing Mary as sinless—either at her conception or throughout her life. This is one of the Church teachings that arose more from the piety of the faithful than from the insights of brilliant theologians. Even such champions of Mary as Bernard of Clairvaux and Thomas Aquinas could not see theological justification for this teaching.

Two Franciscans, William of Ware and Blessed John Duns Scotus, helped develop the theology. They pointed out that Mary’s Immaculate Conception enhances Jesus’ redemptive work. Other members of the human race are cleansed from original sin after birth. In Mary, Jesus’ work was so powerful as to prevent original sin at the outset.

Imagine what Thomas Aquinas thought to himself when he realized the Truth, that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved from Original Sin at the moment of conception and that She had remained sinless Her entire life.  Maybe he was in Purgatory at the time and decided to stay there longer to purify his thoughts before entering Heaven to meet the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Immaculate Conception.  Then imagine all the Protestants in Purgatory who do not believe that the Blessed Mother is the Immaculate Conception and is sinless who will choose to do the same.

A Protestant minister and his wife once told this blogger that the Blessed Virgin Mary was a sinner and had children.  He did not know that the Protestants believed differently and was shocked.  After protesting a bit, knowing that he was not able to convince them otherwise, he suggested to them that perhaps everyone ought to have a genetic ancestry test [4] to find out if any one is related to the Mother of God.  With this suggestion, the conversation on this topic turned from passionate discourse to silence.


[1] http://www.theotokos.org.uk/pages/approved/appariti/lourdes.html
[2] https://www.franciscanmedia.org/solemnity-of-the-immaculate-conception/
[3] Ibid.
[4] https://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/primer/testing/ancestrytesting

Changing Pater Noster - A Contrarian's Viewpoint In Defense Of Tradition

Quoting in part from an article entitled Does God lead us to sin? New French 'Our Father' says no  published by the National Catholic Reporter on December 6, 2017, [1]:

PARIS — Updated Dec. 6 4:36 p.m. central time: Pope Francis has also joined in the discussion, telling the Italian Catholic television network TV2000 that "lead us not into temptation" is "not a good translation."

"The French have changed the text and their translation says "don't let me fall into temptation," he said in an interview broadcast on the evening of Dec. 6. (here on YouTube in Italian). "It's me who falls. It's not Him who pushes me into temptation, as if I fell. A father doesn't do that. A father helps you to get up right away. The one who leads into temptation is Satan."

This statement is irrefutable, that God does not push one into temptation, but it is Satan that leads one into temptation.

The original English Our Father, as well as the Latin Pater Noster and the French Notre Père, has these words: "lead us not into temptation" and "ne nos inducas in tentationem" and "ne nous soumets pas à la tentation."

One can choose to interpret these words as man praying to God to not lead man into temptation or subject man to it, as if there is no temptation anywhere and God has devised all the temptations that exist in the world with every intention to lead or subject man to them, or borrowing the pope's word, to "push" man into temptation.

Or, one can choose to interpret these words as man praying to God to not lead man into temptation or subject man to it since temptations have always  been present, from the time of Adam and Eve, to the time when Satan presented to Christ in the desert with three of them [2] to many, many now.  Because temptations are always present, praying to God "to lead us not into temptation,"  in other words, to avoid them, is correct.

Furthermore, praying to God for the strength and the determination to walk away from temptations does not mean asking God to take away one's Free Will.  The Free Will to choose still exists.  Trying to gain fortitude through devotion and prayer to stay away from temptations is a continuous battle because Free Will tends to choose to sin, in particular, the seven deadly ones. [3]

The "new" way to say Our Father and Pater Noster and Notre Père is to pray to God to NOT let man fall into temptation, which is the same as asking God to take away man's Free Will.  Of course, God can answer man's prayer and never allow man to fall into temptation, so that everything will be done in accordance with God's will.  Man would then be perfect, except that man would not be man as God created man to be, one who can choose, but rather one who cannot choose, one who is a robot.

God did not create Adam and Eve to be robots that are immune to temptations.

God gave them the power to choose.  Knowing that evil exists, their descendants have prayed the "old" Our Father, Pater Noster or Notre Père (and in other languages too) to avoid evil and its temptations.  Now, the pope wants man to pray the "new" Our Father and Pater Noster "prayer" to not let man fall into temptations, the snares of the Devil.

This "new prayer" cannot delight Satan more because if God answers this "new prayer," man will forever be changed from one who is given Free Will, just like the fallen angel Lucifer who has Free Will, to one who is without Free Will, who might as well be dead (and in Hell), which is exactly what Satan wants: to destroy man, created in the image of God, in any way it can.

With people in the priesthood holding positions as high as the pope doing Satan's work, Satan must be happy.  This "new" Our Father, Pater Noster and Notre Père "prayer" has to be, ironically, Satan's early Christmas present!

This change, and some others, confirm to this blogger what he long believes to be true, that Satan's influence upon the world and upon those who are in power is growing, and Satan is in the Catholic Church and in the Vatican.  As he sees it, the "new" translation of Our Father, Pater Noster and Notre Père is a Satanic chant, no longer a prayer to God.

Perhaps it is by no mere coincidence that this perversion had started in France, a country that had been blessed with so many saints [4] (including Bernadette Soubirous and Jean-Marie Baptiste Vianney, Curé d'Ars, two of this blogger's favorite) that Satan wants to destroy first, and also by no mere coincidence that it began on "Dec. 3, the first Sunday of Advent" [5] which started "[t]he [2017] Advent season [which is] a time of preparation that directs our hearts and minds to Christ’s second coming at the end of time and also to the anniversary of the Lord’s birth on Christmas," [6] because Satan wants to taint and spoil this season, and every Advent thereafter.  Perversion of the Lord's Prayer did not take place on December 25, because Satan would not dare.  Even though Satan is powerful, it knows its place before God.


[1] https://www.ncronline.org/news/theology/does-god-lead-us-sin-new-french-our-father-says-no
[2] http://www.usccb.org/bible/matthew/4
[3] http://www.deadlysins.com/
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:French_Roman_Catholic_saints
[5] https://www.ncronline.org/news/theology/does-god-lead-us-sin-new-french-our-father-says-no
[6] http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/

Advent 2017 - Second Week

Looking ahead to next Sunday's readings, this blogger has come away with some thoughts.  The readings can be found at http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121017.cfm.

Readings from the Bible precede the Gospel at Mass.  In this instance, this blogger thinks that the Gospel of Mark ought to be read first, so that the readings make sense to him, and probably only to him.

The Gospel of Mark brings attention to what was prophesied by Isaiah, that there would be a messenger, who turned out to be John the Baptist, who would prepare people through baptism for their encounter with the Lord.  Quoting from the Gospel of Mark, in part [1]:

John the Baptist appeared in the desert
proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
People of the whole Judean countryside
and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem
were going out to him
and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River
as they acknowledged their sins.

... 

And this is what he proclaimed:
"One mightier than I is coming after me.
I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals.
I have baptized you with water;
he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

After knowing from John the Baptist Who would be coming, the words in the Book of Isaiah in the first reading (the first paragraph) give depth.  First they tell of Jerusalem, "that her service is at an end, [that] her guilt is expiated; [that] indeed, she has received from the hand of the LORD double for all her sins." [2]

With the birth of Christ (the new Adam), Jerusalem, quite possibly the old Garden of Eden, was no longer needed.  Jerusalem's guilt, the sin of Eve and Adam, and the collective guilt everywhere since the fall of man, would be expiated by the suffering and death of Christ.  Unique to Jerusalem, and some other places, among them Bethlehem, Egypt and Nazareth, was the presence of the Son of God Whose holy feet walked upon earth's dirt as man.  This gift "received [by Jerusalem] from the hand of the LORD" [3] was "double" that of Jerusalem's sins, obviously a metaphor, since the gift of Christ's physical presence must necessarily be infinitely greater than Jerusalem's sins.

On the other hand, perhaps it is not a metaphor.  Since the gift of Christ's physical presence cannot be quantified, because it is infinite, then half of that, which amounted to Jerusalem's sins, which include the Original Sin, is therefore half of infinite.  That is a lot.  The Original Sin and all the sins that follow are sins for which only the Son of God can make reparation.  It was Jerusalem, the old Garden of Eden, and the surrounding areas, that Jesus chose to do His work.

An account of Jesus in Jerusalem entitled Jesus In Jerusalem  is quoted in part below [4]:

The Gospel of John gives the most detailed accounts concerning different appearances of Christ in Jerusalem. John also depicts Jesus' ministry in Jerusalem more than any other Gospel.

The number of times Jesus journeyed to Jerusalem, and the total amount of time He spent there throughout His life is impossible to know for certain.

Despite the different accounts and details each Gospel portrays it is evident He spent time there, and journeyed to Jerusalem for many of the Jewish feasts. Scripture makes it plain He taught in the Temple precincts, spreading His gospel to all who would listen. Jesus frequently appeared in Jerusalem during celebrations and feasts where throngs of people would have been present to hear His message. These times would have also been under heightened watch by both the Jewish and Roman authorities.

How accurate the above account is, is not for this blogger to know because he is not educated enough to know these things.  The point here is that Christ was most likely in Jerusalem, so that the Book of Isaiah makes sense.

The second paragraph of the first reading from the Book of Isaiah talks about John the Baptist.  It is followed by the third that talks about Christ Himself.  Quoting from USCCB [5]:

A voice cries out:
In the desert prepare the way of the LORD!
Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!
Every valley shall be filled in,
every mountain and hill shall be made low;
the rugged land shall be made a plain,
the rough country, a broad valley.
Then the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
and all people shall see it together;
for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Go up on to a high mountain,
Zion, herald of glad tidings;
cry out at the top of your voice,
Jerusalem, herald of good news!
Fear not to cry out
and say to the cities of Judah:
Here is your God!
Here comes with power
the Lord GOD,
who rules by his strong arm;
here is his reward with him,
his recompense before him.
Like a shepherd he feeds his flock;
in his arms he gathers the lambs,
carrying them in his bosom,
and leading the ewes with care.

Then in the second reading, from 2 Peter, chapter 3, the focus shifts to the people, cautioning everyone to be prepared, quoting USCCB in part [6], [7]:

The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay,"
but he is patient with you,
not wishing that any should perish
but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief,
and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar
and the elements will be dissolved by fire,
and the earth and everything done on it will be found out.

Since everything is to be dissolved in this way,
what sort of persons ought you to be,
conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion,
waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames
and the elements melted by fire.
But according to his promise
we await new heavens and a new earth
in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, since you await these things,
be eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.

How the heavens will be dissolved in flames and how the elements will be melted can only be imagined.  The passage does not speak of Heaven that would be set aflame but the "heavens" which this blogger thinks refer to the entire universe or perhaps many universes that would be on fire, and with this conflagration, the whole earth would be melted, and "new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" [8] would be the replacement.

Before this takes place, a time which no one can predict, 2 Peter, chapter 3 seems to recommend that one be found "at peace" "without spot or blemish" of sin because it is not the Lord's wish that "any should perish." [9]



[1] http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/1:1, 1-8.
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] http://www.israel-a-history-of.com/jesus-in-jerusalem.html
[5] http://www.usccb.org/bible/mark/1:1, 1-8.
[6] Ibid.
[7] http://www.usccb.org/bible/2peter/3:8
[8] http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/121017.cfm
[9] Ibid.

The Pope Mentioned Humility

The pope preached humility.  This is a change, a very good change.  It is like watching a "prequel" to a movie on "mercy" since humility precedes mercy.

"'Humility without humiliation,' [the pope] stressed, 'is not humility.'" [1]  That is half right.  He omitted to mention humility's twin, which can be had without humiliation, which is found when one humbles oneself before God.

God does not humiliate anyone; yet, one must pray with humility.  In this sense, humility means the absence of pride, not the presence of humiliation.  Perhaps the pope will introduce to his flock the other side of humility which is humility without pride.

Every prayer must begin with humility.  One who is sinful must humble oneself before the One Who is sinless.  To put it another way, one who is unable to overcome Satan must humble oneself before the One Who defeated it (Satan is a "he" but Satan is a "it" in this blog) and Who helps one overcome its evil forces.

Moreover, one does not thank God as God's equal; one thanks God knowing one is undeserving of God's assistance and gifts.  No sinner has a right to expect God's love and mercy, even as some seemed to have repeatedly taught the contrary.  This blogger is convinced that God's love and mercy follow humility, defined as the absence pride.

Humility is difficult to preach.  Words alone are meaningless.  It is humility in action that catches people's attention.  People are sensitive.  They notice hypocrisy.  Not many things are more repugnant than preaching humility on the one hand and being prideful on the other.


[1] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/12/05/pope_mass_santa_marta_humility_humiliation_holy_spirit_gifts/1352979

Advent

The following paragraphs are part of the Liturgical Notes for Advent  published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ("USCCB"), quoted without paragraph numbers [1]:

Advent has a twofold character, [for] it is a time of preparation for the Solemnities of Christmas, in which the First Coming of the Son of God to humanity is remembered, and likewise a time when, by remembrance of this, minds and hearts are led to look forward to Christ's Second Coming at the end of time. For these two reasons, Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight.

... 

The liturgical color for Advent is purple, just like Lent—as both are seasons that prepare us for great feast days. Also Advent (like Lent) includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas. This penitential dimension is expressed through the color purple, but also through the restrained manner of decorating the church and altar:  "During Advent the floral decoration of the altar should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord…[also] the use of the organ and other musical instruments should be marked by a [similar] moderation…" (GIRM n. 305 and n. 313)  

The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete" Sunday (coming from the first word of the Latin Entrance Antiphon for this day, meaning "Rejoice") and the liturgical color may be rose instead of purple. This is the Church's way of further heightening our expectation as we draw ever nearer the Solemnity of Christmas.

This is informative, as it should be, coming from the USCCB, but stands in stark contrast to the "homily," if one could call it a "homily," given by a deacon at Mass this past Sunday evening.  The "speech" was long and parts of it were mere repetition.  This blogger is too stupid, and was unable to follow, perhaps it was too cerebral and was it was over his head.  He talked about "time," which happens to be one of this blogger's favorite topic but none of his references to time registered.  He never mentioned time in reference to the Second Coming that this blogger could recall.

Among some of the things that this blogger remembers, he talked about the amount of "time" he and his sister had to be in the hospital waiting while his brother was in surgery; he talked about having a double martini with his sister at a bar after knowing that their brother was fine; he talked about World Aids Day and finding a cure for AIDS (wait, is AIDS a disease that needs to be cured?  If people stay celibate and do not inject drugs, will people contract AIDS?  And what does World Aids Day have anything to do with Advent?).

This priest sitting in the background apparently allowed this deacon to give homilies.  Did Christ ever delegate to his disciples what to say when presented with a teaching moment?  If He did not, then how can a priest delegate homilies to deacons who are not priests?  If deacons who are not priests can teach like Christ had taught, then they ought to be able to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ too, but they cannot.  Why not?  Why can they perform one function of Christ but not another?  Is it a sin to do so?  If so, why is it not a sin to delegate the very important task in communicating the readings of the Bible and the Gospels to someone who is unable to do so accurately and reverentially?

Even some priests do not preach well and crack jokes in the middle of a homily.  Is during a homily the right time to be funny?  Did Christ ever tell a joke?  He was here to save souls, not to entertain them.  A priest's job has to be the same, to save souls, not to be funny.  He has to be devout, and to delight in being Christ's true representative on earth, not in being a comedian.

USCCB stated that "Advent is a period of devout and expectant delight" [2] and "includes an element of penance in the sense of preparing, quieting and disciplining our hearts for the full joy of Christmas," [3] yet many parishes use this period to have Christmas sales, potluck gatherings and other parties.  Are such things elements of penance?  If only shopping, eating and partying can be considered as elements of penance, then a lot people around the world are truly holy.



[1] http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/advent/liturgical-notes-for-advent.cfm
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.

An Imaginary Seminary

If this blogger had been assigned to start a seminary from the ground up under an order that is not yet in existence, then he has one that is all set to go in his imagination.  He even has a vague idea as to what color the tunic would have and how the tunic would look, but is uncertain about the cap that goes with it.  It would be similar to a Coptic monk's koulla but without the stitching in the middle and the six crosses on each side representing the twelve apostles.  Instead, it would have a design that could be extremely controversial but when one is unknown to the world, there would be no controversy, perhaps just passing curiosity.

So far, nobody is there at the seminary, not even this blogger has the courage to enter its imaginary doors and wear the imaginary tunic and cap.  If this place ever comes into existence and the doors open, he will probably be the only one occupying it.  Both the seminary and the new order will one day disappear from the face of this earth just as he will, and all will be forgotten, as if neither the person nor the idea nor the structure had ever existed.

Where on earth will this place be he has no clue, but probably in a country that is not only tolerant of Christianity but also accepts it as an integral part of the fabric of society.  This will exclude many countries with a large secular population that is indifferent to the one and only Triune God and the Immaculately conceived Blessed Virgin Mary.

What will the seminary look like architecturally?  A two-level donut-shaped building with arches and a retractable roof that is frosted to diffuse the sunlight.  How large will it be?  That all depends.  Optimistically, it will be large enough for twelve residents, and no more than twelve.

The building will also have a place for a small "chapel" on the second level that will be called the "upper room."

And what will the seminary teach?  Two things only, and it will be a self-study curricula: first is the two most important commandments from the three Gospels, namely the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22, 37-40, the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12, 28-34 and the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, 25-28, and second is how to wash and dry one another's feet according to the Gospel of John, Chapter 13, 1-20.

Once a seminarian perfects these lessons, he graduates with an invisible distinction that can only be recognized by the people he serves and God.  It is called love, a love that is devoid of any hint of pride or of hypocrisy.

From there, seminarians will either choose to stay as contemplative monks or go everywhere and apostolate (used here as a verb - to repeat the exact words of Christ in the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 22, 37-40, and the Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12, 28-34, and the Gospel of Luke, Chapter 10, 25-28.)

Unlike many seminaries that only recruit unmarried young men from certain geographic areas with a majority of them having certain ethnicities, this seminary seeks all unmarried, chaste men and converts of all ages from all backgrounds, from all continents of the world, from all Christian churches, who have unwavering faith in the one and only Triune God and the Immaculately conceived Blessed Virgin Mary. [1]

Any one who enters this imaginary order will pray for himself, his brethren, non-Christians and Christians, lay and religious, including monks and priests, especially those who sit in their respective ivory tower constructed out of error based on a subjective sense of superiority, a variation of pride, who sin continually, unutterably and hypocritically in secrecy, despite what they wear, where they live, how often they pray and what they perceive themselves to be, true representatives of Christ, representatives that have attached no heart to the meaning of the word "love" and have not knelt down, washed and dried the feet of their peers in humility.

On that note, this blogger is still waiting for the day when Francis I kneels before Benedict XVI, washes and dries his feet, and for Benedict XVI to kneel, wash and dry the feet of Francis I.



[1] If by some miracle this imaginary seminary and order become a reality and flourish, the same blueprint can replicated across the globe.

Secretive Spying, Sins And Schemes

The title of this entry seems fitting for a book of fiction but the Vatican is not an imaginary creation even though many insiders live in delusion as to the extent of their holiness, power and infallibility.  It is what was reported in the news that inspired this entry.  The Catholic Herald  on December 1, 2017, published in an article entitled Senior bank official ‘sacked and escorted out of the Vatican’.  It is quoted as follows, in full without hyperlink [1]:

The deputy director of the Institute for Religious Works (IOR), commonly known as the Vatican bank, was removed from his position and escorted out of the Vatican on Monday.

Giulio Mattietti had held the position for two years before he was suddenly sacked this week. Crux reports that Vatican spokeswoman Paloma García Ovejero told local news agency ANSA, “Giulio Mattietti, deputy director general of the Institute of Religious Works, has ceased his service Monday November 27,” but decline to give any reason for his removal.

Italian media say another IOR employee may also have been removed in the past few days, although details are not clear.

In June, Vatican Auditor General Libero Milone resigned suddenly without any initial explanation.

He eventually broke his silence to claim he was forced out after uncovering possible illegal activity. Vatican officials responded by accusing him of spying.

“I couldn’t allow any longer a small group of powers to [defame] my reputation for their shady games,” Milone told reporters.

“I wanted to do good for the Church, to reform it like I was asked, but they wouldn’t let me.”

However, Archbishop Giovanni Angelo Becciu, the Vatican’s deputy secretary of state, said Mr Milone “went against all the rules and was spying on the private lives of his superiors and staff, including me.”

Recently, the former president of the Vatican-owned Bambino Gesù children’s hospital was convicted of diverting nearly half a million euros to pay for the renovation of a cardinal’s flat.

Some people may think that Bergoglio could "take some comfort in the fact that most modern popes before him - Paul VI, John Paul II, and Benedict XVI - all came into office with ambitious aims of “purifying” Vatican operations, and all, to some extent, came up short." [2]  This blogger believes that by assuming the office of the papacy, whoever it may be, must necessarily, in time, become part of the institution and reinforce its continued existence (tacitly, of course), regardless of how noble his original ambition might have been.  In this respect, there is no comfort to be taken.

It seems that the Vatican City State is a microcosm of the secular world resplendent with all the fine things in life that are inseparably attached to every sin imaginable with exceptions, such as the manufacturing and amassing technologically advanced weapons of mass destruction, attacking sovereigns, fomenting discord and changing regimes and all other acts and threats that has led and would lead to mass deaths and sufferings.

Do people who do things that are contrary to God, especially those who bring suffering and death to people on a large scale, ever think about an eternity in Hell, or are they so prideful, so righteous and so full of themselves to even think that perhaps one day they would be humbled for an eternity?

Steps away from Hell must begin on earth, steps toward humility, Christ's humility.  If not even one step is taken, then one could possibly experience the flip side of Divine Mercy which is Divine Justice.



[1] http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2017/12/01/senior-bank-official-sacked-and-escorted-out-of-the-vatican/
[2] https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2017/12/03/latest-vatican-mystery-raises-questions-popes-financial-reform/

Kidnapped Bangladesh Priest Is Safe

On Friday, December 1, Vatican Radio  reported as follows, quoted without emphasis [1]:

Fr. Walter William Rozario

A Bangladeshi Catholic priest who was abducted in the north-east on Monday, ahead of the visit of Pope Francis to the country, was found alive in Sylhet city on Friday.

Father Walter William Rozario is said to have fled from his kidnappers and got in touch with his family, his elder brother Bimal Rozariao told Star Online.  Bimal said Fr. Walter contacted their younger brother Amol Rozario from Shyamoli bus stop in Sylhet’s South Surma upazila (sub-district).

Vatican reporter in Dhaka, Sartre Xavier who has been in touch with the assistant parish priest of Fr. Walter, said Fr. Walter’s elder brother and the police have talked to the assistant parish priest about the rescue.

Biblop Bijoy Talukdar, superintendent of police in Natore District, said a joint team of Natore and Sylhet police recued  Fr. Walter from the bus stop Friday afternoon.

The 41-year old parish priest of Maria Virgo Potens ‎Church, went missing in the evening of Nov. 27.‎  Sources in the parish told UCANEWS.com said the priest who is the headmaster of church-run St. Louis High School at Borni, was engaged in preparing for the Pope’s visit.  On Nov. 27, Father Walter went to the Bonpara Christian stronghold area to oversee printing of a souvenir magazine dedicated to two local deacons who were ordained by Pope Francis in Dhaka on Dec. 1.   He disappeared on his way back to his parish by motorbike.  Local Church officials filed a police report on the disappearance.

On Wednesday, his family members said that the abductors demanded Tk300,000 as ransom over mobile phone for release of the priest.

Was this a miracle or did Vatican officials arranged to pay the ransom in secrecy?  Three hundred thousand taka (Tk300,000) is approximately USD 3,644.54. [2]  Was the police department also paid for their intervention and possibly their assistance in negotiating the amount of ransom?  Is this not how some places without a strict enforcement of laws (assuming there are laws) work, like a business?  In some countries, no ransom will be paid based on the principle that bad people must not profit from doing bad things, and for fear that subsequent kidnappings will demand a higher and higher ransom.

In the end, is it not all about money, whether it goes to pay the bad guys who are lawless who have their families to feed or the good guys working their jobs in maintaining law and order in form of salaries who also have families to support?

This brings to mind an entirely differnt point.  On Judgment Day, how will Christ weigh one's love in one's heart against one's sins?  Who wants His job, judging billions of souls individually?  Does anyone?  Eve did.  Perhaps giving her what she had wanted which was to be like God, and all the work that goes with being God, which the Serpent omitted to mention, and also giving the same to those who crave money and power in the world today, and increasing what they crave exponentially, reaching infinity, and with that, all the responsibilities of maintaining creation and creating at the same time, would be a perfect and lasting fulfillment of all wishes.  Would this eternity be like hell for a human, being like God but not quite God?

Some may ask if wanting to be Christ-like is the same as wanting to be like God.  The answer is no.  Christ is the Son of God Who became man.  God was never man.  Adam who was created in the image of God was man.  He was not God's twin.  Christ became man for the salvation of man's soul due to the fall of Adam and Eve.  The path of Christ is man's path to Heaven.  Wanting to be Christ-like is to want to live a holy life in preparation for Heaven.  One who wants to be like God wants to step on Christ and stand above Him and rule over Heaven, Hell and all of creation, except that nobody can come to God except through Christ. [3]

Speaking of Christ, does anyone notice a crucifix in the photograph above that was part of the article?  The calender (on the right) seems to show an image of Christ crucified.



[1] http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2017/12/01/abducted_bangladeshi_fr_%E2%80%8Ewalter_william_rozario_%E2%80%8Efree_/1352368
[2] http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?Amount=300000&From=BDT&To=USD

XE Currency Converter: BDT to USD

300,000 BDT =3,644.54USD

Bangladeshi Taka1 BDT = 0.0121485 USD

↔

US Dollar1 USD = 82.3150 BDT

[3] http://www.usccb.org/bible/john/14, 6.