I remember a very,very holy priest indeed, a monk...in fact he was a saint I believe , said that we are like people who build houses of cards and the Holy Spirit is the wind that comes along and blows them all over forcing us to rebuild them. I think some people try to build their houses in brick and cement with absolutes. This is often a mistake. Dogmas are absolutes, so are the Teaching of the Faith, so too is scripture.. Pretty much everything else is up for grabs. The Holy Spirit is a real Joker. Often people are much too ready to say, 'You cannot say this', or 'You cannot do that'. When really you can. They have not had their houses of cards blown over often enough I think. Our God is a God of surprises. Pope Francis was a big surprise certainly. But often getting a house of cards like the Papacy blown down can be a good thing. We have maybe set it too much in cement.
I like that image of the Holy Spirit. I've had those cards blown about a fair bit over the years. My mother who was very very strong in her beliefs (extending well beyond religion)said to me as she reached her 80's--"I used to think I knew everything. Now I realize I don't know anything." She said it so humbly and so simply. It is a great gift to let go of being right, of insisting on the last word, of holding fast to your opinion despite evidence because you simply must not be wrong. A great great grace from God. What an example my mother was for me.
Now the public has to figure out just what constitutes a "serious" or "mortal" these days....after "special circumstances" get straightened out!
Anyone buying a postage stamp in the Vatican last November could be forgiven for believing that the only people at the foot of the cross were Martin Luther and his sidekick Melanchton. Had the Council of Trent been less judgemental and more merciful to dear old Martin, we could have Christian unity today, perhaps even with a Popess considering how Lutheran doctrine has evolved to pastorally accompany those on the peripheries.
I suppose all growing up is about facing surprises. I certainly would not like to go through my teenage years again. They are all about being surprised and left me like a gasping fish. God is not a pussy cat; we cannot hold Him on our laps and pet Him. He is the Lion of Judah. Sadly some folk think you can put Him in a Box a keep Him there. I think this wa the mistake the Pharisees and Scribes made. They could not understand a Jesus who was out of the box, running free. This is also I think why the saints always get such a hard time from folks, often the Church authorities. I think it was Voltaire of all who people who said, 'God wants to remake us in His image, but we want to remake God in our own' So true. A box or a cage is no plave to keep a Lion.
Luther told his followers 'to sin, and sin boldly', if I recall correctly. He'd make a good Vatican spokesman, these days.
Personally I think Pope Francis and his clique have erected a False House of Cards which God is blowing over.
It's very sad, though. How many souls will end up in hell because of this? But as Mark Mallett says, there are better days ahead for the Church.
http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/new...e-of-mortal-sin-you-cannot-receive-communion/ Pope Francis: if you are in a state of mortal sin, you cannot receive Communion by Staff Reporter posted Thursday, 15 Mar 2018 The Pope reminded Catholics that those in a state of sin must go to confession first Any Catholic who has committed a mortal sin cannot receive Holy Communion unless they have been to confession, the Pope has said. Continuing a series of talks on the Mass during his General Audience on March 14, Pope Francis reminded Catholics of the need to obtain absolution for grave sins before receiving the Eucharist. In remarks after his catechesis on the Our Father, the Pope said: “Someone who has committed a serious sin must not approach Holy Communion without having obtained absolution in the sacrament of Reconciliation beforehand.” During his talk, he also said the words “our daily bread” refer “not only to food for our body but also Eucharistic bread, food for the soul.” The prayer also opens a person’s heart to forgiving others as God has forgiven him or her, the Pope said. “Forgiving people who have offended us is not easy,” he added, so people must pray to the Lord “to teach me to forgive as you have forgiven me.” Human strength or will is not enough to be able to forgive, he said; it requires grace from the Holy Spirit. The prayer prepares people for the rite of peace in which the celebrant prays that the peace of Christ will fill people’s hearts and, as a sign of hope, the assembly exchanges a concrete sign of peace, he said. This expression of ecclesial communion and being reconciled in mutual, fraternal love is key before receiving the sacrament of Communion, the pope said. “Christ’s peace cannot take root in a heart incapable of living in fraternity (with others) and of piecing it back together after it has been wounded,” he said. Pope Francis prayed that by celebrating the rites with greater understanding people would experience the Eucharist more fully as the sacrament of their communion with God and with their brothers and sisters, Pope Francis said.
I hope Pope Francis will explain with great clarity Amoris Laetitia. I mean all this talk about dialogue and understanding just doesn't add up, or am I just in a state of constant confusion with his comments?
You are not alone. I keep waiting, as well. We need clarification. My prayerful hope is that the Pope might be getting closer. My son just recently had a small fit of righteous indignation over AL. Let's hope other Catholics have a good snit as well!
Psalm 143 1 Hear my prayer, O Lord, Give ear to my supplications! Answer me in Your faithfulness, in Your righteousness! 2 And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, For in Your sight no man living is righteous. 3 For the enemy has persecuted my soul; He has crushed my life to the ground; He has made me dwell in dark places, like those who have long been dead. 4 Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; My heart is appalled within me. 5 I remember the days of old; I meditate on all Your doings; I muse on the work of Your hands. 6 I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah . 7 Answer me quickly, O Lord, my spirit fails; Do not hide Your face from me, Or I will become like those who go down to the pit. 8 Let me hear Your lovingkindness in the morning; For I trust in You; Teach me the way in which I should walk; For to You I lift up my soul. 9 Deliver me, O Lord, from my enemies; I take refuge in You. 10 Teach me to do Your will, For You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground . 11 For the sake of Your name, O Lord, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. 12 And in Your lovingkindness, cut off my enemies And destroy all those who afflict my soul, For I am Your servant. It is so important to in these days for us to pray from the heart, to literally lay bare our hearts before the Lord. In his psalms David expressed himself just so! It is so tempting for us to wallow in confusion and in the midst of darkness. When we, the children of God do so, it's probably one of the few times JoeJerk is gleeful. In v. 5, David says something very important: remember. About 20 years ago, Geralyn was pregnant with our youngest and we were traveling up to the White Mountains in New Hampshire for vacation- 5 young kids, my pregnant wife, and yours truly. Well, the transmission went on our van. It was a Saturday afternoon; what repair place would be open in a location where we didn't know anyone to begin with? God, help! So I contacted some friends who had recently purchased a van and asked them to pick us up and take us back home. I would deal with our van on Monday. Well John and Cindy, left their kids with Cindy's parents and came to our rescue! But the amazing and most beautiful gift was: they gave us their van so we could continue to enjoy our vacation! Isn't such generosity something only God would provide? Isn't God worthy to be praised (and of course John and Cindy to be thanked)! God is above and beyond the call of duty. We as a Church have been in a tough place for awhile. This period, however only encompasses about roughly 2% of the Church's lifespan! And there have been hassles in virtually every century. Let us not wallow! Rather, let us remember the blood of the early martyrs, the rise of the monastic movement as the Roman Empire crumbled, the mendicant orders of the 11th century, the gift of the Council of Trent, the rise of the early Jesuits, and the redeeming grace of Humanae Vitae. No matter what truth exists in lambasting John Paul II and Benedict XVI, I believe ultimately we are digging a pit of despair, or at least wallowing in the mud, if we be giving D- grades to such men. Would you suggest putting me in their place? No, let us remember both the rescues God has performed in the past, not only for our Beloved Church, but in each of our lives! For the day will come when our God will: ...cut off [our] enemies And destroy all those who afflict [us]. In fact, I think living in the Divine Will includes singing His praises even now before we witness His inevitable triumph! Padraig asked, A time of prayerful silence? May I add, A time of anticipatory praise? Safe Under Our Lady's Mantle!
I love stories. I remember reading one time that if we pray fro something then in order to receive it in Faith we should anticipate God's answer by thanking Him. In fact I think this is contained somewhere in St Jame's wonderful teachings on prayer of petition. I know that there are certain things I have been praying for my entire life that I have never ,as far as I can see received. But they are good things and if I do not receive them in this life, no doubt I will find them in the life to come. Who can know the mjnd of God? As to the Church, as Pope St John 23rd once wrote, 'It is God's Church and He will look after it!'
Are people getting just how catastrophic this is? If no bishops conference stands up for what the Church has always taught on this then any priests who are loyal to traditional Catholic teaching are likely to be removed. This means your good Catholic priest you go to will be gone!!! How is he going to refuse an adulterous couple when they come to him to be admitted to Holy Communion? He may be able to refuse the first few on the excuse that they did not satisfy the requirements, but after a short time he will build up a "track record" of not allowing anyone to receive. This record will then be taken to the bishop by the unhappy adulterous couples and the bishop will most likely have him removed for pastoral insensitivity. Goodbye Catholic priests! Hello Modernist priests!
