Man does not need to find Satan. Satan finds man.
Satan is everywhere except in Heaven and in the hearts and minds of those who continuously reject all of its temptations. It would be foolish to assume that Satan is not in the Vatican, in Catholic churches around the world and everywhere else, and that it has no power to influence one's thoughts and actions including those of clerics. Those who do not believe in Satan and who believe that it has no power over them are already owned by Satan. It takes a conscious effort to recognize Satan and an unflinching determination to say no to Satan consistently.
Satan is deceitful, and is therefore not readily recognizable but that does not mean it cannot be recognized. It is powerful but its power is no match against man's Free Will because Free Will comes from God. When it is used successfully against Satan, Satan can only accept defeat but only for a moment at that moment. Satan does not and will not give up. It will come back with a better plan at a more opportune time when man is more vulnerable, when he is weaker. This Satan will do over and over. The war against Satan does not end until man has breathed his last breath. Satan wants to be present at death, to collect and escort the soul to Hell. It is difficult to imagine how terrifying it would be for the soul to have no choice to but accept its eternity without God and without love.
One is usually, but not always, at the weakest point at death. Satan knows this and wants to take advantage of it. Therefore, the words in the second part of the Hail Mary prayer are important (in English): Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death; (in Latin): Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc, et in hora mortis nostrae [Emphasis added]. [1] At this critical period in one's life, one needs the Mother of God to be at one's side. One may not have time or the consciousness to say the the Hail Mary prayer when death is about to arrive, but all the prayers that were said before become an invitation for one's Mother given to everyone by Christ on the cross to be present. She would accept this invitation. When She is present protecting Her child, the Devil will not dare approach and one can be at peace, not just at the hour of death but anytime during life.
The second part of the Hail Mary prayer is not separable from the first. The first part of the prayer establishes the Blessed Virgin Mary as the Mother of God. She is always filled with God's grace and is blessed among all women. She is the only Woman blessed to carry God's only Son in Her womb. Her unique relationship with God allows one to pray to Her and to ask Her to show after one's exile "the blessed fruit of thy womb, Jesus" [in English], "Et Iesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui" [in Latin]. [2] It is because of Her close connection to God that Satan would not dare touch the Blessed Virgin Mary despite the hate it has toward Her.
Even though the Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God, there are Christians who do not pay Her much attention and pray to Her. Like Her Son, the Blessed Mother respects Free Will and does not demand one's respect or love. For those who know but reject Her, She would not be able to come to their assistance as much as it pains Her not to. This does not mean they would not enter Heaven. They would just have to fend off Satan by themselves at the hour of death.
Even in the absence of Satan, it is good to have the Blessed Mother by one's side. With Her around, things tend to work out well. Without Her, things may not go smoothly. The wedding guests at Cana might have to drink water after the wine was finished. How embarrassing it would be for the newlyweds to have to admit and find excuses for their gross miscalculation. That was just a wedding, but at the pivotal moment when eternity is at stake, one would want the Mother of God to intercede on one's behalf before Her Son as Judge. A miscalculation here that is not fixed could mean that one will never have to wonder where Satan is since one could end up in Hell and be in Satan's continuous company.
[1] http://www.ewtn.com/library/prayer/latrosar.htm
[2] https://www.ewtn.com/faith/teachings/maryd6d.htm
Saturday, March 2, 2019
Friday, March 1, 2019
A Priest's Reckoning Before Christ
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| Reverend Steven P. Scheier https://catholicdioceseofwichita.org/priests-directory/retired-priests/24553-reverend-steven-p-scheier |
It is better to hear from Fr. Steven Scheier himself than reading this blogger's attempt to summarize his story. The following are links to YouTube:
1. Father Steven Scheier's Judgment Experience posted by stchadwick74 -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VFE8ToVatI, (first interview on EWTN with Mother Angelica)
2. Father Steven Scheier judgment experience SECOND interview with Mother Angelica [EMPHASIS original] posted by MariaForMary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EFKnoH6bqs (second, repeat interview on EWTN with Mother Angelica)
3. EC1998-Fr Steven Scheier-A Priest is Called To [Judgment] posted by John Porteous
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM70FTfPPYM&list=PLlZR1Ck-Cr0yOxGHjW1l2BQJ3GLfAnoDz&index=2 (Fr. Steven Scheier begins with a joke which this blogger believes to be an unnecessary introduction relative to the seriousness of his other-worldly experience, despite the levity, he likes this presentation best)
Tools Of Satan: Secularism, Atheism, Materialism & Idolatry
Secularism is (quoted in part) "a system of political or social philosophy that rejects all forms of religious faith and worship." [1]
Atheism is "[d]isbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods" [2]
Materialism is "[a] tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values." [3] [Hyperlink omitted.]
Idolatry is "[e]xtreme admiration, love, or reverence for [or obsession with] something or someone." [4]
Nones are "the religiously unaffiliated." [5]
Secularism, atheism, materialism and idolatry have given rise to nones. In the United States, "[f]or Millennials and even GenXers, the most common religion is no religion at all. The Nones claim 44% of the 18–29 age group, and nearly that (43%) among those who are 30–44." [6]
Secularism has expanded beyond the mere the separation of church and state. It has permeated the Catholic Church which now has its focus on political struggles and economic poverty as opposed to interior struggles and spiritual poverty. If suffering is so repugnant to the Catholic Church, then why does it even bother to exist? Did Christ not undertake pain and suffering for the forgiveness of sins? If every refugee and poor person is given shelter, food, a smart phone and medical care, would then the giver and the receiver be saved and enter Heaven regardless of how sinful they may be? In other words, can a sinful rich person with plenty of money and goods to donate to charities buy his or her way into Heaven? Is that not what the Catholic Church seems to be implying these days, that donation is the key to Heaven? The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) is not about handing money to the man unable to help himself, but is about showing one's love, by "bandag[ing] his wounds, pouring on oil and wine ... [and putting] the man on his own donkey, [bringing] him to an inn and [taking] care of him." [7], [8]. These days, not many Catholic clerics care to or want to do what the Good Samaritan did. Priests are probably more concerned with choosing their vestments than making personal sacrifices and caring for the needy personally.
Personal poverty, and spiritual poverty, it seems, have become new unstated sins of the Catholic Church that are to be avoided in homilies. This stands in stark contrast to Saint Francis of Assisi, the true stigmatist, who gave up all his wealth to become poor (Luke 6:20) and poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) by his humility.
If money were as important as the Catholic Church sees it these days, then Christ would have bowed to Satan and worshipped it in order to have all the kingdoms of the world. (Matthew 4:1-11). The poor, the sick and those who are needy do need help but not at the expense of ignoring spiritual poverty and not talking about the ways to enter into Heaven through the narrow gate. (Matthew 7:13-14). A priest's main purpose is to lead all souls to Heaven by word and by example. Nothing is more important; everything else is secondary. By not "lead[ing] folks more deeply into themselves to see where conversion (turning to God in Jesus Christ) needs more and more to occur," [9] a priest becomes a tool of Satan.
Atheists, rich and poor alike, are not merely spiritually poor; they are spiritually bankrupt. Neither an atheist nor Satan prays to God, but Satan is not an atheist. Satan knows God very well, but promotes atheism and wants people to choose to believe that God does not exist lest they be saved. Without prayer, there is no need for humility before God, for self-examination of conscience and for God's Truth. What is left is one's pride without a moral compass, resulting in one's inability to tell which direction is right from wrong in the eyes of God.
Materialism blinds one to things that are spiritual. This cannot be good on the one hand if a person is unable to realize that he or she is being led into spiritual darkness by the Evil One or on the other is too preoccupied with what Satan has to offer the world to see the spiritual path that leads to God. Materialism often leads to hedonism which includes unbridled sexual gratification, alcoholism and drug addiction.
Materialism and idolatry often go hand in hand. These days, the smart phone, a material possession, is being idolized, as if one's very existence depends on it, perhaps even God's. One ought to wonder if people can live and businesses can survive without smart phones these days. The smart phone opens up a world of possibilities, secular and perhaps even sacrilegious (like a prayer app, treating the smart phone as if it were God, as if without it, or an internet connection, one does not have to, or cannot, pray).
For nones, it would probably be more terrifying if all of the world's cell phone towers were to suddenly fail to function due to a cosmic event than having to face what could occur under the Book of Revelations.
[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/secularism
[2] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/atheism
[3] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/materialism
[4] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/idolatry
[5] https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160422-atheism-agnostic-secular-nones-rising-religion/
[6] https://religionnews.com/2018/12/10/religion-declining-in-importance-for-many-americans-especially-for-millennials/
[7] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=NIV
[8] A present day example of this kind of personal care given to the poor, the sick, the elderly and the abandoned are the brothers of the Missionaries Of The Poor, founded by Fr. Ho Lung, in Kingston, Jamaica. This is just one example. There are others, but it is this charity to which this blogger is attached for reasons not yet known to him.
[9] http://www.oursaviorparish.org/2016/11/16/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-priest/
Atheism is "[d]isbelief or lack of belief in the existence of God or gods" [2]
Materialism is "[a] tendency to consider material possessions and physical comfort as more important than spiritual values." [3] [Hyperlink omitted.]
Idolatry is "[e]xtreme admiration, love, or reverence for [or obsession with] something or someone." [4]
Nones are "the religiously unaffiliated." [5]
Secularism, atheism, materialism and idolatry have given rise to nones. In the United States, "[f]or Millennials and even GenXers, the most common religion is no religion at all. The Nones claim 44% of the 18–29 age group, and nearly that (43%) among those who are 30–44." [6]
Secularism has expanded beyond the mere the separation of church and state. It has permeated the Catholic Church which now has its focus on political struggles and economic poverty as opposed to interior struggles and spiritual poverty. If suffering is so repugnant to the Catholic Church, then why does it even bother to exist? Did Christ not undertake pain and suffering for the forgiveness of sins? If every refugee and poor person is given shelter, food, a smart phone and medical care, would then the giver and the receiver be saved and enter Heaven regardless of how sinful they may be? In other words, can a sinful rich person with plenty of money and goods to donate to charities buy his or her way into Heaven? Is that not what the Catholic Church seems to be implying these days, that donation is the key to Heaven? The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) is not about handing money to the man unable to help himself, but is about showing one's love, by "bandag[ing] his wounds, pouring on oil and wine ... [and putting] the man on his own donkey, [bringing] him to an inn and [taking] care of him." [7], [8]. These days, not many Catholic clerics care to or want to do what the Good Samaritan did. Priests are probably more concerned with choosing their vestments than making personal sacrifices and caring for the needy personally.
Personal poverty, and spiritual poverty, it seems, have become new unstated sins of the Catholic Church that are to be avoided in homilies. This stands in stark contrast to Saint Francis of Assisi, the true stigmatist, who gave up all his wealth to become poor (Luke 6:20) and poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) by his humility.
If money were as important as the Catholic Church sees it these days, then Christ would have bowed to Satan and worshipped it in order to have all the kingdoms of the world. (Matthew 4:1-11). The poor, the sick and those who are needy do need help but not at the expense of ignoring spiritual poverty and not talking about the ways to enter into Heaven through the narrow gate. (Matthew 7:13-14). A priest's main purpose is to lead all souls to Heaven by word and by example. Nothing is more important; everything else is secondary. By not "lead[ing] folks more deeply into themselves to see where conversion (turning to God in Jesus Christ) needs more and more to occur," [9] a priest becomes a tool of Satan.
Atheists, rich and poor alike, are not merely spiritually poor; they are spiritually bankrupt. Neither an atheist nor Satan prays to God, but Satan is not an atheist. Satan knows God very well, but promotes atheism and wants people to choose to believe that God does not exist lest they be saved. Without prayer, there is no need for humility before God, for self-examination of conscience and for God's Truth. What is left is one's pride without a moral compass, resulting in one's inability to tell which direction is right from wrong in the eyes of God.
Materialism blinds one to things that are spiritual. This cannot be good on the one hand if a person is unable to realize that he or she is being led into spiritual darkness by the Evil One or on the other is too preoccupied with what Satan has to offer the world to see the spiritual path that leads to God. Materialism often leads to hedonism which includes unbridled sexual gratification, alcoholism and drug addiction.
Materialism and idolatry often go hand in hand. These days, the smart phone, a material possession, is being idolized, as if one's very existence depends on it, perhaps even God's. One ought to wonder if people can live and businesses can survive without smart phones these days. The smart phone opens up a world of possibilities, secular and perhaps even sacrilegious (like a prayer app, treating the smart phone as if it were God, as if without it, or an internet connection, one does not have to, or cannot, pray).
For nones, it would probably be more terrifying if all of the world's cell phone towers were to suddenly fail to function due to a cosmic event than having to face what could occur under the Book of Revelations.
[1] https://www.dictionary.com/browse/secularism
[2] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/atheism
[3] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/materialism
[4] https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/idolatry
[5] https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/04/160422-atheism-agnostic-secular-nones-rising-religion/
[6] https://religionnews.com/2018/12/10/religion-declining-in-importance-for-many-americans-especially-for-millennials/
[7] https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+10%3A25-37&version=NIV
[8] A present day example of this kind of personal care given to the poor, the sick, the elderly and the abandoned are the brothers of the Missionaries Of The Poor, founded by Fr. Ho Lung, in Kingston, Jamaica. This is just one example. There are others, but it is this charity to which this blogger is attached for reasons not yet known to him.
[9] http://www.oursaviorparish.org/2016/11/16/what-is-the-purpose-of-a-priest/
Sunday, February 24, 2019
Bergoglio's Empty Promises
"Pope Francis has promised that 'concrete action' will be taken against child sexual abuse by Catholic priests during an extraordinary summit of bishops in Rome." [1]
"'Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you [but in reality do nothing at all],' Pope Francis told the assembled bishops and heads of religious orders." [2] [annotated]
Bergoglio also offered reflection points entitled Meeting on “The Protection of Minors in the Church” – Reflection points, 21.02.2019. [3] His 21 points are not quoted here because it would be a waste of time to read and reflect on them. The time has come to act, not to reflect.
But the Catholic Church did act on sexual abuses [4]:
[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-child-sex-abuse-summit-priests-bishops-rome-vatican-a8791731.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/02/21/190221f.html
[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cardinal-says-catholic-church-destroyed-documentation-sex-abuse-n974941
"'Faced with the scourge of sexual abuse committed by men of the church against minors, I wanted to reach out to you [
Bergoglio also offered reflection points entitled Meeting on “The Protection of Minors in the Church” – Reflection points, 21.02.2019. [3] His 21 points are not quoted here because it would be a waste of time to read and reflect on them. The time has come to act, not to reflect.
But the Catholic Church did act on sexual abuses [4]:
"Files that could have documented the terrible deeds and named those responsible were destroyed, or not even created," [Cardinal Reinhard] Marx said. "Instead of the perpetrators, the victims were regulated and silence imposed on them. The stipulated procedures and processes for the prosecution of offences were deliberately not complied with, but instead cancelled or overridden. The rights of victims were effectively trampled underfoot, and left to the whims of individuals."
[1] https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/pope-francis-child-sex-abuse-summit-priests-bishops-rome-vatican-a8791731.html
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2019/02/21/190221f.html
[4] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/cardinal-says-catholic-church-destroyed-documentation-sex-abuse-n974941
Thursday, February 21, 2019
Limits Of The Catholic Church
The Catholic Church has its limits not only because some of its clerics are less than holy, even hypocritical, but also because its rules are impractical. Below is just one example of the latter.
Quoted below is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church without the footnote [1]:
Quoted below without footnotes from the same source cited above are definitions of terms used by the Catholic Church [2]:
It is interesting to note that Section 1438 quoted above does not mention confessions explicitly as part of one's spiritual exercises, but it could be implied by these words "penitential liturgies" that were obviously written not for the not-so-educated Catholic such as this blogger to understand. Yet, the Catholic Church can be clear if when it wants to be, such as defining "fraternal sharing" in parenthesis "(charitable and missionary works)". Can the Catholic Church be more crafty? Perhaps the Catholic Church needs to be crafty since it is fully aware of its limitations.
According to catholic-hierarchy.org, the number of Catholics and the total number of priests in the United States number 64,621,000 and 44,906 respectively. When priests are limited to diocesan priests, the number falls to 30,207. [3] Using the larger number of priests, the ratio of Catholics to priests in the United States is about 1,400 to 1. How many parishes can accommodate 1,400 confessions every Friday according to Section 1438 above? The ratio of Catholics to priests is even more dramatic in Brazil, 8,630 to 1, arrived by dividing 145,446,000 Catholics by 16,853, the total number of priests. [4]
The Catholic Church is not stupid and compromised between the need for confessions and the impracticalities of confessions before receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass with the following section in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoted without footnotes [5]:
This blogger wonders whether every single Catholic who lines up to receive Holy Communion after Mass has had his or her sins absolved, or whether those who line up are simply unaware of having committed any mortal sin and consider themselves sinless since their last ("at least" yearly) confession as per Section 1457 above and therefore finds himself or herself to be in the good grace of God to receive the Body of Christ.
The Catholic Church is right about one thing: that after consecration of the bread and wine, they are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite clear on this, quoted without footnotes below:
This change, called transubstantiation, that takes place at the Altar of Sacrifice at every Catholic Mass is not to any degree subject to any sort of limitation [6]; it is only the delivery of the consecrated bread and wine to those Catholics between confessions who remain in the good grace of God or who think that they are in the good grace of God that the Catholic Church could run into practical limitations.
[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sc1.html
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
[6] In a previous post, this blogger questioned the ability of a priest who has betrayed Christ to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the extreme case where a priest had become Satanic, is he able consecrate during Mass and desecrate the uneaten Holy Communion when he participates in a Satanic ritual?
Quoted below is from the Catechism of the Catholic Church without the footnote [1]:
1438 The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works). [Emphasis added.]
Quoted below without footnotes from the same source cited above are definitions of terms used by the Catholic Church [2]:
ARTICLE 4
THE SACRAMENT OF PENANCE AND RECONCILIATION
1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."
I. WHAT IS THIS SACRAMENT CALLED?
1423 It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.
It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction.
1424 It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.
It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."
It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the live of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call: "Go; first be reconciled to your brother."
It is interesting to note that Section 1438 quoted above does not mention confessions explicitly as part of one's spiritual exercises, but it could be implied by these words "penitential liturgies" that were obviously written not for the not-so-educated Catholic such as this blogger to understand. Yet, the Catholic Church can be clear if when it wants to be, such as defining "fraternal sharing" in parenthesis "(charitable and missionary works)". Can the Catholic Church be more crafty? Perhaps the Catholic Church needs to be crafty since it is fully aware of its limitations.
According to catholic-hierarchy.org, the number of Catholics and the total number of priests in the United States number 64,621,000 and 44,906 respectively. When priests are limited to diocesan priests, the number falls to 30,207. [3] Using the larger number of priests, the ratio of Catholics to priests in the United States is about 1,400 to 1. How many parishes can accommodate 1,400 confessions every Friday according to Section 1438 above? The ratio of Catholics to priests is even more dramatic in Brazil, 8,630 to 1, arrived by dividing 145,446,000 Catholics by 16,853, the total number of priests. [4]
The Catholic Church is not stupid and compromised between the need for confessions and the impracticalities of confessions before receiving the Holy Eucharist at Mass with the following section in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoted without footnotes [5]:
1457 According to the Church's command, "after having attained the age of discretion, each of the faithful is bound by an obligation faithfully to confess serious sins at least once a year." Anyone who is aware of having committed a mortal sin must not receive Holy Communion, even if he experiences deep contrition, without having first received sacramental absolution, unless he has a grave reason for receiving Communion and there is no possibility of going to confession. Children must go to the sacrament of Penance before receiving Holy Communion for the first time. [Emphasis added.]
This blogger wonders whether every single Catholic who lines up to receive Holy Communion after Mass has had his or her sins absolved, or whether those who line up are simply unaware of having committed any mortal sin and consider themselves sinless since their last ("at least" yearly) confession as per Section 1457 above and therefore finds himself or herself to be in the good grace of God to receive the Body of Christ.
The Catholic Church is right about one thing: that after consecration of the bread and wine, they are transubstantiated into the Body and Blood of Christ, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church is quite clear on this, quoted without footnotes below:
1376 The Council of Trent summarizes the Catholic faith by declaring: "Because Christ our Redeemer said that it was truly his body that he was offering under the species of bread, it has always been the conviction of the Church of God, and this holy Council now declares again, that by the consecration of the bread and wine there takes place a change of the whole substance of the bread into the substance of the body of Christ our Lord and of the whole substance of the wine into the substance of his blood. This change the holy Catholic Church has fittingly and properly called transubstantiation."
1377 The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures as long as the Eucharistic species subsist. Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ.
This change, called transubstantiation, that takes place at the Altar of Sacrifice at every Catholic Mass is not to any degree subject to any sort of limitation [6]; it is only the delivery of the consecrated bread and wine to those Catholics between confessions who remain in the good grace of God or who think that they are in the good grace of God that the Catholic Church could run into practical limitations.
[1] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
[2] Ibid.
[3] http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/country/sc1.html
[4] Ibid.
[5] http://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/p2s2c2a4.htm
[6] In a previous post, this blogger questioned the ability of a priest who has betrayed Christ to consecrate bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ. In the extreme case where a priest had become Satanic, is he able consecrate during Mass and desecrate the uneaten Holy Communion when he participates in a Satanic ritual?
Christians Under Attack
In France and India, Christians have been under attack. Catholic churches in France were specifically targeted. Attacks in India were not specifically identified as Catholic.
In France, "[a]t least 10 incidents of vandalism and desecration of Catholic churches have been reported in France since the beginning of February[, 2019]. [1]
In India, "[i]In January 2019 there were 29 incidents of violence against Indian Christians in 13 Indian states." [2] "'The data do not differ much from the trend of 2018, which saw an average of 20 incidents a month, almost a case of violence a day...'" [3]
Apparently all the politicking Bergoglio is doing around the world is not quite making a positive impact. Perhaps the title of this hymn "They'll Know We Are Christians by Our Love" written by Peter Scholtes [4] ought to be Bergoglio's inspiration, not his unstated motto which could very well be "they will know we are Catholics by our politics."
In Madagascar, "[a]ccording to Fr. Ludovic Rabenatoandro, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Antananarivo, who reported the testimony given by Fr. Nicolas a few days before his death, on 9 February, around 6.30pm, while he was riding his motorcycle, he was stopped by some bandits on the road to Mahitsy, a rural town located only 30 km from the capital. Fr. Nicolas was returning to the Soanavela center, after bringing the Eucharist to a sick man.
"The criminals shot the priest behind his back. Once on the ground, they walked over him and kicked him. Before leaving, the bandits shot him for the second time...." [5]
Unlike Russia and China, France, India and Madagascar all have freedom of religion based on a quick check online. This freedom does not guarantee safety, however. In the United States, religious freedom is not unlimited based on the idea of separation of church and state [6], even though there is no separation between God and man everywhere. The only true separations are between good and evil and between Heaven and Hell.
People are not separated by their religions; they are separated by what they choose, either good or evil. Even Christians, Catholics included, make such a choice. Those who attack Christians or anyone else have chosen to do evil. Evil does not discriminate; it permeates all religious beliefs and all places.
In Madagascar, "[a]ccording to Fr. Ludovic Rabenatoandro, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Antananarivo, who reported the testimony given by Fr. Nicolas a few days before his death, on 9 February, around 6.30pm, while he was riding his motorcycle, he was stopped by some bandits on the road to Mahitsy, a rural town located only 30 km from the capital. Fr. Nicolas was returning to the Soanavela center, after bringing the Eucharist to a sick man.
"The criminals shot the priest behind his back. Once on the ground, they walked over him and kicked him. Before leaving, the bandits shot him for the second time...." [5]
Unlike Russia and China, France, India and Madagascar all have freedom of religion based on a quick check online. This freedom does not guarantee safety, however. In the United States, religious freedom is not unlimited based on the idea of separation of church and state [6], even though there is no separation between God and man everywhere. The only true separations are between good and evil and between Heaven and Hell.
People are not separated by their religions; they are separated by what they choose, either good or evil. Even Christians, Catholics included, make such a choice. Those who attack Christians or anyone else have chosen to do evil. Evil does not discriminate; it permeates all religious beliefs and all places.
[3] Ibid.
[4] https://hymnary.org/text/we_are_one_in_the_spirit
[5] http://www.fides.org/en/news/65593-AFRICA_MADAGASCAR_Church_s_strong_position_for_the_death_of_Fr_Nicolas_victim_of_a_road_ambush_after_bringing_the_Eucharist_to_a_sick_person
[6] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/separation_of_church_and_state
[5] http://www.fides.org/en/news/65593-AFRICA_MADAGASCAR_Church_s_strong_position_for_the_death_of_Fr_Nicolas_victim_of_a_road_ambush_after_bringing_the_Eucharist_to_a_sick_person
[6] https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/separation_of_church_and_state
Monday, February 18, 2019
Which Hurts More: Total Rejection Or Pure Love?
It depends, is an answer to the question posed above. From God's point of view, this blogger imagines, the answer is total rejection but from man's it is pure love.
The reason that one's total rejection of God, including disbelief in and indifference toward God, hurts God tremendously is because God's love for every person is unconditional, undiluted and unlimited. When such great a love is taken for granted, when one thinks that one is entitled to it, that it is well-deserved, how painful it must be for God Whose only Son suffered under the hands of man, in order that man can be saved from his own self. For those who cannot imagine God’s pain most likely have either never experienced betrayal of the purest of intentions that were borne out of goodness and innocence emanating from deep within the heart that were free from any ulterior motive, or are too cynical to believe that such pure intentions can be possible because they are impossible for them.
As a result of Original Sin, pure love, the love that God gives to man continuously and unfailingly, cannot be possible for man. God knows this and does not expect pure love from man. This does not mean that man, because of his imperfect nature, has an excuse to ignore God, leaving God outside of his daily consciousness.
Despite man's refusal to acknowledge God and God's love, God nonetheless waits patiently, compassionately and lovingly for each person to love God in return. To return God's love is to live with a clean conscience, to be genuinely good, to be humble and to accept both moments of joy and periods of suffering equally. Loving God is neither easy nor was it ever intended to be easy. Christ demonstrated this on His way to Calvary and by His crucifixion. Of course, there are easy ways to live, the ways of the world, ways that belong to Satan, such as living in envy, with greed, pride and without a conscience, in wickedness, with vengeance and without forgiveness, in a self-centered world without consideration for others, and with cruelty in thoughts, words and deeds, the list goes on and on.
And on the last day of life, that day is certain to arrive, sooner or later, when one stands before Christ, when one will for the first time realize the full extent and magnitude of God's all-encompassing love and justice through Christ. If the soul is not already dammed, then it will likely have the mercy of Christ Whose Sacred Heart is united to His Mother's Immaculate Heart. It is at this moment when the soul faces the inescapable Truth and sees all the stains of sins it had accumulated throughout life, when it would be too late for repentance. But God is forgiving. When a soul is being given a chance to enter Heaven through Purgatory, imagine the amount of relief and gratitude from being spared an eternity in Hell, as well as the pain the shameful and regretful soul must feel for having received such pure love that is so undeserved yet unconditionally given. This pain has to be greater than any rejection because rejection is external and can be retaliated by a similar rejection or can be ignored, whereas God’s love and pardon are one-sided and non-reciprocal and they overwhelm the interior with gratitude and awaken the ineffable pain of shame and regret.
One might contend that God's total rejection hurts more than God's pure love when a soul realizes that it is to spend an eternity in Hell. Those who are to spend an eternity in Hell is not to be viewed as either a rejection or a punishment by God but rather as the fulfillment of their own individual Free Will in the disbelief in and rejection of God, finding God unnecessary and irrelevant time and time again during their sinful earthly lives when they had been given limitless chances to repent and love God in return while God waited patiently and never giving up. It is always the person by his or her Free Will who gives up on God, not the other way around. For these people, their freely chosen destination for their forever living souls is everlasting Hell.
The reason that one's total rejection of God, including disbelief in and indifference toward God, hurts God tremendously is because God's love for every person is unconditional, undiluted and unlimited. When such great a love is taken for granted, when one thinks that one is entitled to it, that it is well-deserved, how painful it must be for God Whose only Son suffered under the hands of man, in order that man can be saved from his own self. For those who cannot imagine God’s pain most likely have either never experienced betrayal of the purest of intentions that were borne out of goodness and innocence emanating from deep within the heart that were free from any ulterior motive, or are too cynical to believe that such pure intentions can be possible because they are impossible for them.
As a result of Original Sin, pure love, the love that God gives to man continuously and unfailingly, cannot be possible for man. God knows this and does not expect pure love from man. This does not mean that man, because of his imperfect nature, has an excuse to ignore God, leaving God outside of his daily consciousness.
Despite man's refusal to acknowledge God and God's love, God nonetheless waits patiently, compassionately and lovingly for each person to love God in return. To return God's love is to live with a clean conscience, to be genuinely good, to be humble and to accept both moments of joy and periods of suffering equally. Loving God is neither easy nor was it ever intended to be easy. Christ demonstrated this on His way to Calvary and by His crucifixion. Of course, there are easy ways to live, the ways of the world, ways that belong to Satan, such as living in envy, with greed, pride and without a conscience, in wickedness, with vengeance and without forgiveness, in a self-centered world without consideration for others, and with cruelty in thoughts, words and deeds, the list goes on and on.
And on the last day of life, that day is certain to arrive, sooner or later, when one stands before Christ, when one will for the first time realize the full extent and magnitude of God's all-encompassing love and justice through Christ. If the soul is not already dammed, then it will likely have the mercy of Christ Whose Sacred Heart is united to His Mother's Immaculate Heart. It is at this moment when the soul faces the inescapable Truth and sees all the stains of sins it had accumulated throughout life, when it would be too late for repentance. But God is forgiving. When a soul is being given a chance to enter Heaven through Purgatory, imagine the amount of relief and gratitude from being spared an eternity in Hell, as well as the pain the shameful and regretful soul must feel for having received such pure love that is so undeserved yet unconditionally given. This pain has to be greater than any rejection because rejection is external and can be retaliated by a similar rejection or can be ignored, whereas God’s love and pardon are one-sided and non-reciprocal and they overwhelm the interior with gratitude and awaken the ineffable pain of shame and regret.
One might contend that God's total rejection hurts more than God's pure love when a soul realizes that it is to spend an eternity in Hell. Those who are to spend an eternity in Hell is not to be viewed as either a rejection or a punishment by God but rather as the fulfillment of their own individual Free Will in the disbelief in and rejection of God, finding God unnecessary and irrelevant time and time again during their sinful earthly lives when they had been given limitless chances to repent and love God in return while God waited patiently and never giving up. It is always the person by his or her Free Will who gives up on God, not the other way around. For these people, their freely chosen destination for their forever living souls is everlasting Hell.
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