I have discerned this is why we have Pope Francis. I would not have chosen him, Saint John Paul II was my kind of Pope, as was Benedict. But I’m not making the decisions. God has allowed this and He has a plan, so I trust Him and feel we’ll look back in hindsight after the Triumph and shake our heads in amazement at how perfect His plan was.
Just read the reflection on today’s Gospel. No coincidences, we may not understand or agree with what is unfolding now in our Church, but we are wise to just say yes and Trust Him: “Do Not Be Afraid!” Mary “was greatly troubled and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.” When God presents us with his plan, we too might be afraid. We may not fully understand what he has in mind. It can seem that his plan is too great for us. But when God wants something from us, he shows us that it is not beyond our reach. As with Mary at the Incarnation, God will make it happen and will provide all the grace necessary for its completion. “May It Be Done to Me According to Your Word” When Gabriel clarifies Mary’s mission and illustrates that with God all things are possible, Mary makes an act of faith. Her act of faith is what the Second Vatican Council terms the ‘obedience of faith’. The obedience of faith “is to be given to God who reveals, an obedience by which man commits his whole self freely to God, offering the full submission of intellect and will to God who reveals, and freely assenting to the truth revealed by Him” (Dei Verbum, 5). God supplied Mary with his grace and did not abandon her; nor will he abandon us. When we do what God wants and cooperate with his plan, he will support us. He will accompany us as we carry out his will and bring his plan to fulfillment. God’s will is our holiness, and when we do his will, we help God to make us saints. Conversation with Mary: Mary, teach me how to do God’s will as you did, so that I can remain in his company. I want to do his will, even though at times I know that it may seem difficult or impossible. Ask your son for the grace of perseverance for me so that I, too, may cooperate with the Lord, whether he is asking something of me that is ordinary or extraordinary. Resolution: In a difficult situation, I will pray a “Hail Mary,” asking Mary for help in being faithful.
I'm reminded of a segment of a discussion on a recent Taylor Marshall video. I can't recall who his guest was but the message was that, around the time Amoris Laetitia was published, Catholic apostolates/apologists in the US were warned that if they wanted to keep in the Bishops' good books they had better back off from questioning AL. Some well known Catholics are partially if not wholly dependent on income from giving talks at Church sponsored gatherings or as columnists in Church sponsored newspapers. Being on good terms with the Bishops matters to media outlets that trade on being on good terms with the hierarchy. I'm sure that there was some serious wrestling with conscience on the part of well know Catholics. Just a guess on my part, but I don't think it's any coincidence that, for example, Patrick Coffin is no longer with Catholic Answers. The behaviour of some self-styled "loyal to the Pope" Catholic commentators and apologists has been quite unseemly. Vague inferences such as that made by Mark Mallet is one such example although mild in comparison with others. I pay no attention to secular news these days but I happened to tune in yesterday to the US Senate discussion about the FBI investigation of the Trump campaign. I know there's also an impeachment hearing in the Congress but I haven't read or watched any news about that. Unless there is more information than was discussed at the Senate hearing yesterday, what the FBI did wouldn't have been out of place in Soviet East Germany. I don't know how the culprits haven't been tried for treason. And you couldn't find a clearer example of a bureaucratic whitewash than the Inspector General's report. That elected representatives (from both sides) heaped praise on him was the clearest indication that there's something seriously amiss at the heart of power in the world's most powerful country. As a Catholic from outside the US, what worried me most was the knowledge that the party supporting that attempted treason is connected with the people behind the self-styled "Catholic Spring" based in Jesuit Georgetown University. The question that niggles at me is this: They have failed (thus fair) to accomplish their coup in the US government, but did their coup succeed in the Catholic Church? Hard times ahead for sure. Mark needn't worry about "people attacking the Pope". The papacy is well on track to be nothing more than a ceremonial role and Mark's dilemma will be loyalty to each succeeding Bishop in his own diocese as "the Faith" will be dependent on the whim of the reigning Bishop. When that time comes in the not too distant future, Mark's problem will be how to reconcile current and past reflections on his blog while he attempts to remain in the Bishop's good books. God help him.
Insightful. It's a time of testing. Some will walk one road, some the other. But with Jesus, there is only one road, for as He Himself said, 'I am the Way , the Truth, and the Life'. You know we are, all of us only as confused as we permit ourselves to be. We have only to turn to God in prayer and He will guide us. Lies are only lies and confusion no matter who it is that pushes them. No matter how clothed in false light they may appear to be. No other Gospel. Galatians 1:8 No Other Gospel …7which is not even a gospel. Evidently some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a divine curse! 9As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be under a curse!…
I told you recently that Pope Francis , whom Mark Mallett has been so very, very, very confused about, would be gone by the end of the year. So he will. His feet are already halfway out the door. The next Pope will be far, far, worse than he was. But will be on the Earth for a very short time indeed. To Mark a message. Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter.
FatimaPilgrim, thank you for re-posting this. I had not seen the original. O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!
Don't know about anyone else, but the level of confusion at the moment is astounding. Seems like we are all being tested.
I believe that Mark is not so much confused, Padraig; rather he has chosen to embrace, in principle, the following instruction of Jesus by not downgrading the Pope: Matt 23:1 Then said Jesus to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; 3 so practice and observe whatever they tell you, but not what they do; for they preach, but do not practice. The problem with the Pharisees was one of form without practice. Their form was burdensome and not fruitful. And Jesus knew that. Example: 23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. As Christians we should tithe, too, or perhaps be even more generous as God leads. But there are other challenges that Jesus requires us to embrace for the sake of the "little ones" in our midst. What Mark has done is decide not to attack the Holy Father. That is not confusion, that is a choice. Mark has not stated that everything the Pope has said and done is good and fine. He simply sees that for us laity, it is an exercise in futility and expends energy which would better be used laying our lives down for others. And I am now in that boat. So long I've been crying out; "But, but, but, but have you seen what he said and did! What a waste of time! Even Sg Catholic recently stated, "What exactly am I being called to do? I don't know yet, but I stand ready to fight for Christ and our Church." I know now that I'm no longer to waste of my breath by pointing at Pope Francis, because there is nothing I can do about his choices. Mark has decided what to do instead: Join the Rabble and be little. This is all to say that Our Lady’s Little Rabble is not necessarily special… just chosen. And she is inviting you. I'm joining you Mark. Yes. I've wasted precious time by putting the Pope under a microscope. His comments, words, homilies, decisions are out there continually. I am choosing to live the Gospel and abandon myself and the Holy Father into the Hands of Christ. Ps 131:1 O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high; I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me. 2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul. 3 O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore.
Bravo Terry. You have eloquently expressed what I desire to do--but dont always live up to it. I dont speak of these things to others because I dont want to undermine the Church. I know St Catherine said the world goes rotten with silence but I do not wish to sin or cause others to so I am silent. I just dont have the discernment right now to know when to speak and when to not speak. I hope and pray it is not cowardice. I pray for PF with every Rosary and every night before I go to bed. I should do more. It occurs to me that we are all groping toward the path Our Lady calls us to walk. She truly is leading us.
As the confusion grows, I find more solitude in prayer and study to be the antidote. This is why I am not shocked or surprised by anything occurring in the church, in my country and in the world , as they are all playing their part in Saul Alinski's playbook, "Rules for Radiclas", which Cardinal Bernadine was the first puppet to execute his playbook of governmental and church collapse. Much much more to come from it all.
For me, I feel I can speak to so very few at this time, including family members and friends. I just keep hearing in my heart, 'its not your time'. So, at this moment, more time for prayer and study I go. Pushing what ears are not ready to hear is like throwing snow into a strong wind....it comes back on me cold.
Personally what I find at the moment is helping me is developing a charitable attitude towards others and above all things being non-judgmental.
I said at the start of this thread I would not get drawn in, yet here I am. Drawn in. I very much respect your judgement , Terry. You've obviously prayed and thought about this a lot and I respect this. Discernment is a bit like listening to music, for true and false notes. As regards false notes, I would draw your attention to Mark's comments on the Worship of False Idols in the Vatican Gardens. There is I take no one on the forum who would disagree that what happened in the Vatican Gardens was Idol Worship.. which is effectively demon worship.. Agreed? Ok. To move on from this premise. The Pope was present at Idol worship. In defense of the Pope what Mark claims in his defense is that the Pope looked uncomfortable and put out. Well maybe he did and maybe he didn't. I would have been expecting a more Moses reaction a la Mont Sinai. Wrath. Not enbarrassment, if that was what it was ( personally I don't think it was, I believe he was into the Idol Worship thing right up to his wicked neck...but there you go). There are two paths in front of us. To call a spade a spade. The spade being that Pope Francis is the the most wicked and evil Pope in 2000 years of Church history or not. I would say he is. If that's wicked and uncharitable of me , I'm sorry that's the way it is. If it's wicked and uncharitable of me to say so, I'm sorry. The other path to go is to make excuses for him. But I'm sorry I'm not into making excuses for wickedness and I'm also not into making excuses for those who make excuses for wickedness So there you go.
To defend evil is to become evil. It is as simple as that. There's two Paths in Front of us , we can take one or the other. The Path to Heaven or the Road to Hell. Other people may be confused . I am not. As for me and my house, I choose the Lord.
Padraig said: I said at the start of this thread I would not get drawn in, yet here I am. Drawn in.... The Pope was present at Idol worship. [ I AGREE] In defense of the Pope what Mark claims in his defense is that the Pope looked uncomfortable and put out. [If Mark wasn't go to honestly address this issue he shouldn't have brought it up in the first place] Well maybe he (the Pope) did and maybe he didn't... The spade being that Pope Francis is the the most wicked and evil Pope in 2000 years of Church history or not... [Sounds like you're sincere!] But I'm sorry I'm not into making excuses for wickedness and I'm also not into making excuses for those who make excuses for wickedness So there you go.
I'm sorry for getting really angry here but Pope Francis is a really, really evil Pope. The worst there has ever been. I mean truly, truly evil. I'm not denying he is the Pope. But the fact is he is totally , totally attrocious. Wicked. Evil. Coroupt. Rotten. No good. Off the Chart. ..and people want to defend him.. Or keep, like Mark Mallett , some kinda secret in his heart... 'Reservations'? I mean really?
Padraig, what if there's a 3rd path? Not make excuses for him, not "attack" him, but instead understand that something is very very wrong with him and his papacy (understatement of the year), and to choose the path to join Our Lady’s Little Rabble and to pray with all our heart, body, and soul that he (and our cardinals, bishops, and priests) are protected from and turn away from evil and that they all defend our Faith, speak only Truth, and only do God's will. And then Trust that God will use our prayers to fix this. When He's ready for us to intercede on His behalf to fix His Church, we'll know it and I'll be right there with you burning the boats and leading the charge. If you're right about the next Pope, and I prayerfully feel that you are, we have a much bigger battle laying beyond this papacy...
I guess you can take it from that I am not not number one in his Fan Club. I was in Rome a few years ago at Christmas time and after what I was shown in prayer one Saturday Night about the Satanic goings on there, you might think I am being harsh on the Vatican but believe me you have no idea at all how wicked they are all are.
Padraig, I'm not questioning your convictions. I'm expressing the fact that I'm done following the every utterance of the Holy Father. I'm going to rest in Mary's arms. I believe she weeps over this confusion as well! Maybe I'll reach up and dry one of her tears! Safe Under Mary's Mantle!
