''We can begin to become that Holy People now if we resist the temptation to anger, finger-pointing, and rash judgement, and simply pray more, and speak less, making room not only for Divine Wisdom but the Divine One Himself''. MM Mark is completely out of touch with the role of the laity.
Mark's wisdom seems sound to me. The saints were men and women first and foremost of prayer and penance. They were outspoken when necessary, but realized that it is only God who can and will make whatever is bad, good, first and foremost through prayer and penance. I have no problem believing that all the tough talk on the MOG forum against Pope Francis (and I am not saying much of it is not true) fades in the eye's of God in comparison to those prayer warriors and those who are doing penance for the Church and our pope.
I agree. Sure, pray more, of course! Fast, take part in acts of sacrifice and the Sacraments certainly. We all know this, it's a no brainer. In fact, pray most of all for these men. The fact is that these abuses have been happening for decades and good men have repeatedly spoken out and have not been heard or have been deliberately silenced and ostracized by those in positions of authority. Some even stripped of their station in the Church due to it. If there was another way we would not be where we are right now.
Thank God archbishop Viganò doesn't read Mark' blog or follow his advice. Let's contrast Mark's message to Our Lady's: "In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license.… Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women. “He who should speak seasonably will remain silent..." I believe Mark to be a good man, but for whatever reason he seems slow to catch on what is really happening here and what the proper response of real Catholic men should be. Why does he presuppose that just because one speaks that he doesn't pray? He is playing right into their hands...
Why does he presuppose that just because one speaks that he doesn't pray? Exactly. Rash judgement indeed!
Saint Catherine had a wonderful Tmepr I think Donna. One time a Cardinal rebuked her for showing him lack of respect, to which she replied, 'When your Eminence behaves in a way worthy of respect, I will show you respect'. Wonderful woman. I would say being silent in the face of great evil is very often a grave sin of omission. It reminds me of what Jesus said when He entered Jerusalem, 'If these were quiet the very stones would speak!'.
I absolutely love Mark and his writings. But prayer and actions go together. Should John the Baptist have remained quietly praying in his cave and not denounce the evil around him? It seems to me he did both. Luke 3:7-9 So he began saying to the crowds who were going out to be baptized by him, "You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? "Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance, and do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father,' for I say to you that from these stones God is able to raise up children to Abraham. "Indeed the axe is already laid at the root of the trees; so every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." Luke 3:19-20 But when Herod the tetrarch was reprimanded by him because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the wicked things which Herod had done, Herod also added this to them all: he locked John up in prison. Mark 6:17-20 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; Matthew 11:11 "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
I am thankful for those who are speaking out at this time and many are doing so in a very constructive way imho. The following article discusses a letter signed by various women of the church. You can sign the letter by clicking on the link provided at the bottom of this article which will also allow you to view the letter itself. The letter has yesterday's date on it and it has over 14,000 signatures. Thousands of Catholic women ask Pope: Did you cover-up for McCarrick, as Viganò claims? Stephen Kokx | https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/t...k-pope-did-you-cover-up-for-mccarrick-as-viga carlo vigano, catholic, clergy sex abuse scandal, pope francis, sex abuse crisis in catholic church, theodore mccarrick, vatican cover-up SIGN THE PLEDGE: Support and pray for Archbishop Viganò. Sign the petition here. August 30, 2018 (LifeSiteNews) – A group of prominent Catholic women have written an open letter to Pope Francis imploring him to provide clarity on the “escalating” sex abuse crisis currently “engulfing” the Church. Expressing anger, betrayal, and heartbreak, the women bluntly ask Pope Francis if Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò’s detailed testimony about sex abuse being covered up by Vatican officials, including the Pope, is true or not. “We are Catholic women deeply committed to our faith and profoundly grateful for Church teachings, the Sacraments, and the many good bishops and priests who have blessed our lives,” they write. They also call on him to publicly state when he learned of the “abhorrent” allegations against now ex-Cardinal McCarrick and if he knew about and lifted sanctions reportedly imposed on him by Pope Benedict. “We, your flock, deserve your answers now,” the women’s letter reads. “The answers are surely known to you.” These are “devastating” allegations that have caused our hearts to be broken and faith tested, it adds. “To your hurting flock, Pope Francis, your words are inadequate. They sting.” Be "honest with us. Please, do not turn from us,” they write. On his return flight from the pro-LGBT World Meeting of Families in Dublin, Ireland Sunday, Pope Francis refused to confirm or deny the allegations made by Archbishop Viganò. “I am not going to say a word about this,” he told a journalist from CBS. As of this writing, 10,858 women have added their name to the letter, with hundreds being added by the hour. The letter is not sponsored by any group or organization and is only the personal initiative of the those who signed it, which includes wives and single women but also consecrated women and religious sisters. “We are the mothers and sisters of your priests, seminarians, future priests and religious,” the letter reads. “We are the Church’s lay leaders, and the mothers of the next generation. We are professors in your seminaries, and leaders in Catholic chanceries and institutions. We are theologians, evangelists, missionaries and founders of Catholic apostolates.” Some of the more well-known signatories of the letter include: Mary Rice Hasson, JD, Director of the Catholic Women’s Forum, Ethics and Public Policy Center Mary Hallan FioRito, Cardinal Francis George Fellow in Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center Obianuju Ekeocha, Founder & President of Culture of Life Africa Professor Janet E. Smith, Professor at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit Kathryn Jean Lopez, Senior Fellow at the National Review Institute Carrie Gress, PhD, Author and Philosopher, Pontifex University Jennifer Fulwiler, Radio Host and Author Teresa Tomeo, Syndicated Catholic Talk Show Host Leah Darrow, Evangelist, Catholic author/speaker Ashley McGuire, The Catholic Association, Author Alexandra DeSanctis, Staff writer, National Review “We are the people who sacrifice to fund the Church’s good work. We are the backbone of Catholic parishes, schools, and dioceses. We are the hands, the feet, and the heart of the Church. In short, we are the Church, every bit as much as the cardinals and bishops around you,” the women state in the letter. “Please do not keep us at arm’s length on these questions,” the letter states. “We are faithful daughters of the Church who need the truth so we can help rebuild. We are not second-class Catholics to be brushed off while bishops and cardinals handle matters privately. We have a right to know. We have a right to your answers.” The letter points out that the Pope himself said in his 2013 apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium that he desires “a more incisive female presence in the Church,” and that “women are able to pose questions that we men are not able to understand.” The letter supports calls for an investigation into the claims put forth by Archbishop Viganò. “The victims who have suffered so greatly need to know they can trust you. Families, who will be the source of the Church’s renewal, need to know we can trust you, and thus trust the Church.” Read letter here. [and click to sign it, emphasis added]
I think very highly of Mark Mallett and if he says we should pray more it is because he only wants to do the right thing in the eyes of the Lord. I am sure that he is as angry as the rest of us.
I know that many of you will rebuke me for this, but because St. Catherine of Siena was mentioned above, please read this - if you wish. It is something that is on my heart: I just read an email from a good, holy Priest in defense of our Holy Father. It matters not if this Priest is wrong or right for defending the Pope, but what does matter is what I am called to do about the situation in our Holy Catholic Church. It seems to me that those who are speaking out against the Pope and certain Bishops are doing so with the same anger and sometimes even hatred as I see the left (and atheists) who are coming up against good Christians in the world today. What does Our Lord expect of us? This is a revelation of God the Father to St. Catherine of Siena: “The reverence you pay to [priests] is not actually paid to them but to Me, in virtue of the Blood I have entrusted to their ministry. If this were not so, you should pay them as much reverence as to anyone else, and no more. It is this ministry of theirs that dictates that you should reverence them and come to them, not for what they are in themselves but for the power I have entrusted to them, if you would receive the Sacraments of the Church…. So the reverence belongs not to the ministers, but to Me and to this glorious Blood made one thing with me because of the union of divinity with humanity. And just as the reverence is done to Me, so also is the irreverence, for I have already told you that you must not reverence them for themselves, but for the authority I have entrusted to them. Therefore you must not sin against them, because if you do, you are really sinning not against them but against Me. This I have forbidden, and I have said that it is my will that no one should touch them. For this reason no one has excuse to say, ‘I am doing no harm, nor am I rebelling against holy Church. I am simply acting against the sins of evil pastors.’ Such persons are deluded, blinded as they are by their own selfishness…. It is Me they assault, just as it was Me they reverenced. To Me redounds every assault they make on My ministers: derision, slander, disgrace, abuse. Whatever is done to them I count as done to Me…. By not paying Me reverence in the persons of My ministers, they have lost respect for the latter and persecuted them because of the many sins and faults they saw in them. If in truth the reverence they had for them had been for My sake, they would not have cut it off on account of any sin in them. For no sin can lessen the power of this Sacrament, and therefore their reverence should not lessen either. When it does, it is against me they sin.” (Catherine of Siena; The Dialogue, New York: Paulist Press, 1980, art. 116.) For myself, all I can say is that when I stand before God, I do not think He is going to say to me that I was wrong for not speaking out badly against the Pope, Cardinals and Bishops, nor will He say that I was wrong to pray for the Church. But I would not wish to be one of those with anger in my heart who have spoken badly against them – or anyone for that matter. What is needed is Love! St. Leopold Mandic (1866-1942 A.D.), a Capuchin priest from Croatia, prophesied that during the tribulation the Church of the USA will create a schism by separating itself from the Church of Rome. He wrote to an American priest in 1939: “Be careful to preserve your faith, because in the future the Church in the U.S.A. will be separated from Rome.” Ask yourself this: ‘Do I want to be one of those who would be the cause this schism in the Church?’ May God's Will be done! God bless all and our Holy Catholic Church. Lynne
Paying reverence does not mean being gullible. Or walking down the same path that these Second Judas's walk. But in accepting their authority who sit in the Chair of Moses. To do as they bid (so long as it does not involve sin) but not to act as they act. The Gospel does not bid us be silent in the Face of Evil. Since, if it were so , Jesus, the sinless one, would Himself have sinned in rebuking those in Authority.. Where is it written that we must be silent in the Face of Great Evil?
I suppose the form MOG serves as dual purpose. For some, it is mostly a place to vent and there is a few who remind us of our need for prayer and penance during these dark days, which can and does make a difference. I believe Mark Mallett is saying the same thing. Perhaps venting ones anger on the MOG provides some form of relief and makes us feel we are doing something. When in reality, the news of the day, especially as it refers to problems within Christ's Church, should do as Mark suggests and lead one to more prayer and penance. If it only brings one to complain more and not really do anything else to help resolve the many problems, then to what end does it make a difference? Mark is right in saying more silence, prayer and penance, as he clearly sees this is what God needs form the average faithful person and less idle lip service or waiting for the next sensational statement. Knowledge is not a virtue. If it leads one to prayer and penance then it serves a purpose. If more knowledge just leads to more sensationalism then it does not serve the will of God. One can be plenty mad at what is taking place in the Church, but prayer makes the difference in the outcome.
St. Peter Damian wrote The Book of Gomorrah and it detailed the sodomites and scandal in the Church around 1050 AD I say this all the time It’s my broken record Pope St Leo IX responded by cleaning up the Church and warning souls not to be complicit in this grave evil This is what we need. Yes, prayers, Masses, many Rosaries, fasting As well Some of the acts committed by the clergy are criminal as well as sinful I feel I need to acknowledge that and pray for them But I also feel the need to keep up with the events in my beloved Church I am in the Archdiocese of Washington There has been a conspiracy of silence for too long
