I think part of this is that the spirit in universities, the spirit of the 60's, has captured the hearts of many church authorities. Just like the general population who could not see that the way COVID was handled was toxic. There is a kind of dichotomy whereby authorities must be right and those who challenge them are simpletons. I also discovered recently, to my shame, that when Jesus said the above, part of it was because he was constantly referring to old testament passages. Especially from Genesis and Isaiah. Which perhaps is another part which can explain what is going on, which you are alluding to. If church authorities are open to the world, but not to God and his scriptures, then everything else goes down hill from there. The Gospels rest primarily on Genesis and Isaiah. Faith in Genesis is virtually gone, by nature of the spirit within universities. All of the sacraments rely on faith in the first chapters of Genesis.
Today is the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Wonderful how it’s right after the Sacred Heart of Jesus. For me, as I look and listen to the “world” including popes, bishops, politicians, I try to do as Mary did…. Have docility and humility to truly hear (as opposed to listen) to the voice of Her Son. Did she understand it all whike o. Earth…. No… but she pondered these in her immaculate heart and said yes to the will of God. I pray for this in my life and for my family. Don’t listen to the loud voices of the world… but to the whisper of God. I thought today’s 1st reading spoke volumes to me. Someone earlier posted that ultimately it’s about a personal relationship with Christ- I agree! And when I read the Word of God like this one, I know it’s not just words or a letter to people from thousands of years ago. The word of God is alive and speaks to us personally. It evokes a response. I hope I can respond as Mary… pondering and do the will God has planned for me. 2Tm 4:1-8 4:1 Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I charge you, in the name of his appearing and of his kingdom: 4:2 proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it. Refute falsehood, correct error, give encouragement -- but do all with patience and with care to instruct. 4:3 The time is sure to come when people will not accept sound teaching, but their ears will be itching for anything new and they will collect themselves a whole series of teachers according to their own tastes; 4:4 and then they will shut their ears to the truth and will turn to myths. 4:5 But you must keep steady all the time; put up with suffering; do the work of preaching the gospel; fulfil the service asked of you. 4:6 As for me, my life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to depart. 4:7 I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; 4:8 all there is to come for me now is the crown of uprightness which the Lord, the upright judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his appearing.
From Scripture it seems pretty certain he was damned. It reminds me of the virus when so few asked questions Indeed so few still ask questions. So sad
John 6:70-71 70 Jesus answered them, “Did I not choose you, the twelve? And yet one of you is a devil.” 71 He spoke of Judas the son of Simon Iscariot, for he, one of the twelve, was going to betray him.
To me it is obvious, one cannot reject Christ, hand him over to worldly authorities by means of a kiss, without repenting, and remain grafted to the vine. The Jews who handed over Christ have been under the curse of disobedience for well over 2000 years now. https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Deuteronomy+28:15-68&version=DRA I once encountered a priest who told me that Jesus did not die for our sins. But rather came down to show us how to love or something like that. I was scandalized. He also believed entirely in evolution. The octogenarians who currently run the church often have a type of this kind of worldview. Everything is love so don't worry, Hitler is in heaven. "Their ears are itching for anything new". So they stock up piles of different books, as St. Paul tells us, trying to create a new world view without the books of the OT, that makes sense to them. They never really touch the Bible unless they have to. Meanwhile Jesus constantly quoted the OT, where he was in fact quoting Himself repeatedly. Jesus constantly interjected Himself in Bible history through the prophets, announcing what he was going to do. This is incredible. Imagine you are God for a moment. You decided to save humanity from sin. So you announce yourself through all the prophets and patriarchs. You also ensure that these things are written down and preserved through the ages. Then you do everything you said you would do previously. Then you ensure that the Bible is put together in such a way that all of what you have said you would do and did would reveal the Truth to mankind. It's incredible, but it takes faith to see it. A person has to actually dedicate time and energy to understanding what is going on in scripture. Those who don't have faith in scripture are typically the same ones who loved the vaxx. Their faith is in the world experts.
It is wonderful to have a great love for scriptures. I only started reading a chapter a day after I retired. I wish I had done it all my life.
It's not just love but awe and fear. The fact that the Bible still exists and exists in the way it does, demonstrates how much power God has. He can move through all of space and time and reacts according to His desires. As well, he doesn't force His Will. He could have sat Judas down, told him everything that was going to happen to him if he didn't change his ways, but he didn't. He could have been direct with the entirety of the scriptures, but isn't. When he said to those following Him that they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood, he didn't seem to care when some walked away. He seemingly even provoked it. For me this is scary, and I think this is a proper response. How easy it is to lose eternity by simply not having faith.
What amazes me is how lock step so many are in refusing to acknowledge the obvious caseload of data showing the harm it caused AND the subterfuge of Fauci and his minions. They don't believe it. Or won't believe it. They are all firm Biden supporters. Hmm. Is there a correlation?
Your last sentence is weighty indeed. How easy to lose Jesus by walking away through pride or doubt or impurity or envy or any deadly sin. We must pray every day for final perseverance and a holy death. Our Lady protects her children. No wonder " newchurch" plays down her motherly role and/or the Rosary.
Isaiah 28 14 Wherefore hear the word of the Lord, ye scornful men, who rule over my people that is in Jerusalem. 15 For you have said: We have entered into a league with death, and we have made a covenant with hell. When the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come upon us: for we have placed our hope in lies, and by falsehood we are protected. They will never admit anything.
I would say that this applies to the theology of the development of doctrine proposed by the brilliant Cardinal Newman: the relationship between God's chosen ones and His Church is like that of a son who recognizes his mother over many years and still manages to see in her that youthful face he could see with his own eyes when he was a child, and which gives him the peace and deep love that a pure mother-son relationship can provide.
One lung.....Francis literally has one lung. That stayed with me until I realized that St. John Paul II spoke of the need for the Church to breathe again with two lungs....That of the East and the West. The synodality gurus, from what I've read, appear to be using that dichotomy to completely undermine the need for the papacy, and consequently the hierarchy, as well as celibate priesthood. They're clamouring for "married priests" etc etc. To me, the East has way more to offer - "married clergy" is a distraction. In the process, the current Latin gurus are driving the wedge even deeper between the East & West with their horrendous documents. (FS, etc) My thinking on this is that the West seems to have traditionally focused on sin and repentance, while the true joy that comes from practicing the faith had over time been belittled leading to a great lack of charity. This appears to have laid the groundwork for "kumbaya Christianity", aka, God loves us as we are... The East, from the little I've read, focuses more on growing in virtue, while fighting the opposing vices. The current leader in the Latin/West (he of the one lung), has now seemingly abandoned the notion of sin altogether. He says one thing today, and contradicts himself tomorrow. There's no balance to be found. No sin=no need to grow in virtue as there are no vices to conquer. An eternally deadly path. Is all the confusion/lack of care within the Church due to a lack of oxygen, from breathing with only one lung for 1,000 years? This is a long winded way of saying that maybe help will come from the East. Maybe, soon, the Church will be breathing again with two lungs, as She did at the start......how that will happen, who knows...
The Orthodox Church places great emphasis on the importance of the first seven ecumenical councils as instruments of consensus for the early Church in decision-making, as well as on the principle of monastic life as a light for doctrinal discernment. Perhaps an eighth ecumenical council, once again bringing together the two churches with strong monastic guidance, could be the way to signify the fullness of the two lungs breathing together.
I hope you are right. However I am not sure that the Orthodox church is doing so well either. My understanding is that modernism has creeped in there too. I also have seen a recent documentary on Mt. Athos and all the monks there looked to be 300-400 lbs. They were also very pro-vaxx.
It is encouraging that we are being told of the misdeeds of this ageing prelate by a young person. These progressive perversions don't appear to be necessarily progressing.
