Something to ponder (Words from Jesus through Luisa - Book of Heaven, Vol. 23, Feb. 3, 1929): "...one who does and lives in my Will on earth is similar to the inhabitants of Heaven – that is, she is all one piece, and forms one single piece with them, in such a way that if the pilgrim soul thinks, the Saints think together with her; if she loves, if she operates, they love and operate with her. There are such tight bonds between her and Heaven, that all together form one single act of my Will; so much so, that all the celestial inhabitants are on the lookout to see what the creature on earth does, so that nothing may escape them. Wherever my Divine Will reigns, It has Its Heaven, and has the virtue of kidnapping Heaven onto earth and the earth into Heaven, and of forming one single thing." My comment: Are we of one heart, one mind, and one will with all of Heaven - or are we sowing discord and division. Let us become one! John 17:11 " Holy Father, keep them in thy name whom thou has given me; that they may be one, as we also are." Fiat!
Papa Francis stating ...he has feeling he will only be Pope 4 or 5 years. Also, how he was elected Pope. http://www.catholicherald.co.uk/new...st-peters-balcony-i-did-not-know-what-to-say/ I think we have a very mystical pope. John Paul 2 was a very human and down to earth. Pope Benedict was the intellectual. Maybe Pope Francis is the Mystical. Not to say all three didn't have mystical experiences. Brother al
“During the vote I was praying the rosary, I usually pray three rosaries daily, and I felt great peace, almost to the point of insentience. The very same when everything was resolved, and for me this was a sign that God wanted it, great peace. From that day to this I have not lost it. It is ‘something inside’, it is like a gift. I do not know what happened next. They made me stand up. They asked me if I agreed. I said yes. I do not know if they made me swear on something, I forget. I was at peace.
Tue Mar 24, 2015 - 1:51 pm EST Exclusive: Cardinal Burke says ‘manipulation’ at Synod was driven by agenda to undermine teachings on marriage John-Henry WestenFollow John-Henry By John-Henry Westen cardinal raymond burke,catholic ROME, March 24, 2015 (LifeSiteNews.com) -- In an interview with LifeSiteNews Paris correspondent Jeanne Smits, Cardinal Raymond Burke warns that confusion is spreading among Catholics regarding divorce and homosexuality. In a wide-ranging interview published today in full on LifeSiteNews, the cardinal, who until recently was the head of the Vatican’s highest court, spoke of the “manipulation” that took place at the Synod of Bishops in October and also addressed contraception. Smits simultaneously published a French version of the interview on her blog. LifeSiteNews Paris correspondent Jeanne Smits and Cardinal Raymond Burke Olivier Figueras / LifeSiteNews Pointing to bishops whose statements in favor of homosexuality have gone “undisciplined,” Cardinal Burke said it was evident that “confusion is spreading, really, in an alarming way,” in the Church. And the confusion is having adverse effects. “I hear it myself: I hear it from Catholics, I hear it from bishops,” he said. “People are claiming now, for instance, that the Church has changed her teaching with regard to sexual relations outside of marriage, with regard to the intrinsic evil of homosexual acts.” Cardinal Burke noted that while previously the “authority of the Church prohibited certain discussions,” now Catholics feel free to dispute even settled Catholic teaching such as that forbidding contraception. Speaking of manipulation at October’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops, Cardinal Burke said, “It's clear to me that there were individuals who obviously had a very strong influence on the synod process who were pushing an agenda which has nothing to do with the truth about marriage as Our Lord Himself teaches it to us, as it is handed down to us in the Church.” He explained further, “That agenda had to do with trying to justify extra-marital sexual relations and sexual acts between persons of the same sex and, in a way, clearly to relativize and even to obscure the beauty of the Church's teaching on marriage as a faithful, indissoluble, procreative union of one man and one woman.” One of the frequent lines at the Synod from those who were suggesting change was that the change was merely pastoral and never doctrinal. For Cardinal Burke however, that “simply is a false distinction.” “There cannot be anything that's truly pastorally sound which is not doctrinally sound,” he added. “And so to say that we're just making pastoral changes that have nothing to do with doctrine is false.” The cardinal encouraged married couples to be generous in having children, dismissing false notions of the ecological need for population control. “The truth is that if God has called a couple to marriage, then He is calling them also to be generous in receiving the gift of new human life,” he said. “And so we need many larger families today, and thanks be to God I see among some young couples today a remarkable generosity with regard to children.” Burke said he was “very concerned” that “people are being led in a false way to think that they should practice some form of birth control in order to be responsible stewards of the earth.” Rather, “the fact of the matter is that the birthrate in most countries is far below what it needs to be to replace the present population.”
03/25/2015 Francis: Don't gossip about the synod! Pray for it (©Reuters) (©REUTERS)POPE FRANCIS Pope Francis has called on Catholics to stop gossiping about the upcoming Synod on the Family and to instead pray for it. The pontiff has also asked that the prayers be offered so that "no one is excluded" from the witness of God's love JOSHUA J. MCELWEEVATICAN CITY Pope Francis has asked Catholics around the world -- at every level of the church -- to stay away from gossiping about the upcoming Synod on the Family and to instead pray fervently that it will result in a church more committed to witnessing God's love for all. "There is not need of gossip!" the pope insisted strongly while talking about the synod during his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square Wednesday. "Everyone -- pope, cardinals, bishops, priests, religious, and lay faithful -- we are all called to pray for the Synod." Inviting those in the square and Catholics around the world to say such prayers "with holy insistence," Francis asked that the prayers "may be animated by the compassion of the Good Shepherd for his flock, especially for persons and families who for various reasons are 'troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd.'" The prayers, he continued, should be offered so that the church "will be yet more committed, and yet more united, in the witness of the truth of God's love and mercy for the families of the world." Summarizing that witness of truth, the pontiff defined it as: "That no one is excluded, may they be inside or outside the sheepfold." Francis was speaking Wednesday in his audience about two global meetings of Catholic bishops at the Vatican he has called for 2014 and 2015, known as synods. The 2014 meeting was held last October; this year's meeting will be held this October. The meetings -- which the pope has oriented towards addressing contemporary issues of family life -- are known to be addressing topics sometimes considered controversial in the church, such as divorce and remarriage and same-sex marriage. The synods have also led some -- including even cardinals -- to publicly express concerns about the pope's agenda or hope for the synods. Francis was addressing the meetings Wednesday as part of a wider reflection, centered on the fact that March 25 is the day celebrated in the Catholic church as the feast of the annunciation -- when Mary is said to have been told by an Angel of God that she would miraculously bear a child. The story of the annunciation, the pontiff said, "shows us how profoundly the mystery of the incarnation -- as God wanted it -- included not only the conception in the womb of the mother, but also the reception in a real family." Mentioning also that March 25 marks the publication date of Pope John Paul II's 1995 encyclicalEvangelium Vitae, which focuses partly on family life, Francis said: "The bond between the church and the family is sacred and inviolable." "The church, as a mother, never abandons the family, even when she is disheartened, hurt and defeated in many ways," said the pope. "Even when it falls into sin, or moves away from the Church; it will always do all to search to cure it and heal it, to invite it to conversion and to reconcile with the Lord." Francis then said the church needs prayer to fulfill that mission, "prayer full of love for the family and for life" and "prayer that knows to rejoice with those who rejoice and suffer with those who suffer." Tying that mission to the synod, the pontiff then asked all Catholics to pray for the upcoming synod using a prayer to the Holy Family that asks partly that families "never again experience violence" and that "all who have been hurt or scandalized find ready comfort and healing." In separate remarks to different language groups at the audience, Francis reinforced that Catholics should not gossip about the synod and renewed his call that governments find ways to provide work for those unemployed. In Spanish language remarks about the synod, the pontiff said bluntly that he wanted "prayers, not gossip!"
I'm in agreement with Mario. M. Voris is a good man but there is too much negativity all the time. I learned from a saintly priest that we should not talk bad about the church or the men in the church. The church is the bride of Christ.....they are 1 flesh. If we talk bad about the church, we are talking bad about Christ. We hurt Christ. If we talk bad about our shepherds we are talking ad about our brothers. All MV negative airings don't help. We know already.
An especially virulent case of Burke Derangement Syndrome™ Posted on 28 March 2015 by Fr. John Zuhlsdorf There is an especially venomous case of Burke Derangement Syndrome™ from the Wile E. Coyote of contemporary liberal catholicism, Michael Sean Winters of National Schismatic Reporter (aka Fishwrap). He reacted to an interview Card. Burke gave to LifeSite. HERE When it comes to Card. Burke it seems that there are no limits to decorum. Winters assumes he can write any sort of trash and not commit a transgression. You can read MSW’s hit piece yourselves, but here is the bottom line: Card. Burke says that homosexual sex is sinful and MSW has a spittle-flecked nutty. http://wdtprs.com/blog/
Burke Derangement Syndrome™ is more common than one might think. It shows up among good folks who should know better - which can lead to Burke Defensive Reflex™. Don't ask me how I know.
Fi News #138: Cardinal Burke Blesses Friary Statue of Blessed John Dun Scotus EWTN 2 MINUTES https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=UmU1jzm5wsw#t=1
Brian ,this is for you...well ALL of us! This played right after the Cardinal Burke Blessing on above link. around 3:30 Fr quotes St Therese' about the boat.... Jan 09 - Homily: Fear Not, Jesus Is In the Boat https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Ry0GyIA5vuk#t=1 Published on Jan 9, 2013 Fr. George explains that the Catholic Church is the boat, and Jesus is always in it amidst the storm. He will never let it be destroyed so keep working, fear not, abide in God, and abide in peace. Ave Maria! Mass: Wed post Epiphany or Jan 9 - Wkdy - Form: OF
This was a fair comment? This is garbage. If I could down thumb that comment I'd do so repeatedly. Ugh.
and I think that response illustrates why the Synod will be very difficult. But with prayer and a faithfulness to the Pope, it will be fruitful I believe.
Nobody who declares the perennial Truths of the Catholic Faith to be "strict and harsh" truly understands their Faith, and anyone who presents such nonsense as a "fair comment" is on shaky ground at best. As I said elsewhere on a thread here, This isn't a discipline like "Fish on Fridays" or the celibate priesthood (which, though a discipline, has a strong theological foundation) that can be arbitrarily changed or suspended. This is one where both the doctrine and the discipline are based on Scripture and as such the two are so intimately related as to be inseparable. Since the early Church, based on Scripture Christians have believed that there are venial sins and mortal sins 16 If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. 17 All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a sin not leading to death. -1 John 5:16-18 and that 1 Corinthians 11 is in reference to mortal sins and the reception of Holy Communion: 27 Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the body and blood of the Lord.[l] 28 A person should examine himself,[m] and so eat the bread and drink the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgment[n] on himself. 30 That is why many among you are ill and infirm, and a considerable number are dying. 31 Christ said in scripture that he who divorces and marries another commits adultery: Anyone who divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery, and the man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. -Luke 16:18From earliest times Christians have believed that adultery is one of those sins described in 1 John 5:16-18. And therefore from the earliest times those living in adultery were not permitted to partake of the Holy Eucharist. One cannot change that "discipline" without denying the doctrine which necessitates it.
A FEW of the straw men..... Bishops conferences are not the Magisterium, Vatican doctrine chief reminds Cardinal Marx Vatican City, Mar 26, 2015 / 05:00 pm (EWTN News/CNA) Cardinal Gerhard Mueller, prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has told a French paper that doctrinal, or even disciplinary, decisions regarding marriage and family are not up for determination by national bishops’ conferences. “It is an absolutely anti-Catholic idea that does not respect the Catholicity of the Church,” Cardinal Mueller said when asked, “Could certain doctrinal or disciplinary decisions on marriage and family be delegated to the episcopal conferences?” “Episcopal conferences have authority on certain matters, but they are not a magisterium beside the Magisterium, without the Pope and without communion with all the bishops,” he continued.
Unfortunately CruxNews is, in general, garbage. They are the new National Catholic Reporter and Pravda rolled into one. They are owned by the virulently anti-Catholic Boston Globe. All of this shows up consistently in their comm boxes, as the above excerpt aptly illustrates.
German prelate breaks rank with Cardinal Marx, insists on fidelity to Rome Munich, Germany, Mar 24, 2015 / 03:32 am (EWTN News/CNA) A German cardinal has publicly opposed the words of two other German bishops who have suggested that the nation’s Church can form its own policies without direction from Rome. Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes published a letter earlier this month objecting to the pronouncements of prominent leaders of the Church in Germany that the nation's bishops' conference will pursue its own program of pastoral care for marriages and family regardless of the outcome of October's Synod on the Family.
