I did not learn anything new about Our Lady at the Novena in her Honour because no one ever talked about her. But I did learn something about myself and people in general and that is how very,very much we all long to be part of the common group, the herd and none of us ever like to stand out and be different. There were 15 Eucharistic Ministers. I sat at one side of the altar and the other 14 sat at the other. I watched them all stand up together do the long ritual cleansing with the sanitiser , don their masks and then head of to the Tabernacle at the rear of the altar to collect their Ciboriums. I on the other side no mask , no ritual cleansing. They sat talking before the Mass, I sat there alone talking to Our Lady and Our Lord..I was the only one on the altar who knelt at the Cosecration. It's hard to be different. Hard not to be part of the group. Hard not to go along with things. The ancient Greek Philosopher Socrates, commented on this thousands of years ago. In the end they killed him by forcing him to drink poison because he was an, 'Atheist'. By atheist they meant someone who asks too many questions. I read about a school in England last week were one of the boys declared he identified as a cat. Another young boy burst out laughing at this because he thought it was such nonsense. His teacher however sternly told him he would be better of going to another school because he did not respect someones else's identity and hurt their feelings. I can imagine how that little boy felt. He knew what other people are saying and thinking and doing was nuts. On the other hand when the rest of world has gone nuts there is the uneasy feeling that you yourself are the one that is nuts and all the nuts are the ones who are sane. 'The unreflected life is not worth living'. Socrates in saying this meant if you don't take time to really think about things you are not really living your life. That little boy who thought that saying you are a cat and thought it was nuts and laughed was thinking about things. His teacher and the rest of the class were not. Another Ancient Greek Philosopher Plato in talking about this told the story of people in a cave.
I was thinking and praying about something I read in the Bible recently last night in prayer. It was the directions for the building of the Holy of Holies, the Tent werein was placed the Ark of the Convenent. It must have been from the description drop dead gorgeous. A reminder to us to build beautiful Churches today Later we are told a Pillar of Cloud stood outside the Holy of Holies by day and a Pillar of Fire by Night. In Prayer I stood outside the Tent watching the Pillar of Cloud. There was a wonderful whoosing sound as though a great fan were turning. As I looked at the Pillar I could see the faces of the Cherubim, the angels who form the Throne of God swirling around within. I noticed that while some of the Cherubim looked out, some of them gazed within. So some of them were concerning themselves directly with the affairs of heaven, turned inwards, other turned outward concerned themselves with affairs here below. It was very,very beautiful. Sitting in Front of the Tabernacle talking and laughing is a very bad idea.
I wonder - could this be a fore-runner of the permanent sign left at Garabandal after the Great Miracle? After the Miracle, a Permanent Supernatural Sign will remain forever at the pine trees in memory of the miracle as visible proof of our Blessed Mother’s love for all humanity. On September 14, 1965, Conchita said: “The sign that will remain forever at the Pines, will have never been seen before on earth, and is something we will be able to photograph, televise and see, but not touch. Conchita went on to say, “ It will be evident that it is not a sign of this world but from God “
I always wondered about this Perpetual incontrovertible sign from God. Can it really be? What happens to faith? We now live with the veil of faith as it were. God does not manifest Himself so clearly and profoundly in a permanent manner as what implications does it have for freedom. Just a few thoughts. To be fair I don't know much about garabandal and at this stage I don't think I need any more rabbit holes when what is happening around us is manifest. I feel the same about the illumination of conscience. When you follow the thought through you have to ask yourself if this is supposed to happen before the worst of it how can it be explained away as some mass hallucination or some new age manifestation when it clearly has a moral character to it. The stripping bear of one's soul in light of divine truth and justice.
I am minded of the words of Rabbie Burns, “Oh the gift that God could give us, to see ourselves as others see us.” ― Robert Burns To see ourselves as others see us would be both wonderful and terrible. Even more wonderful and terrible to see ourselves as God sees us. As to Signs and Wonders. In this I see God as a good Father who takes His little child in a long walk through the Pilgrimage of Life. Usually the Good, Wise, Father lets the child totter away by itself. But from time to time the Father must intervene and picking the child up throw it like a bad of old potatoes over His shoulder and carry it, even kicking and screaming. Especially so when the child places itself in grave danger. We see this so often these days in stories of Radical Conversion. Signs and Wonders. What are the visits of Mary Our Mother from Heaven but a mother come to carry a wandering child? The more that sin abound the more that grace abounds. If God the Father had not constantly intervened by Signs and Wonders and Miracles to save our Spiritual Grandparents in the Faith, the Hebrews we would not stand, tottering, on the Holy Ground we do today.
George Soros is funding the destruction of Catholic Ireland: here’s how https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinio...res-how/?utm_source=top_news&utm_campaign=usa
If these laws are enacted, it will be Penal Times revisited. Unfortunately, as Padraig's experience this week shows, there are many in the Church itself who will be very eager to embrace all this. It'll be a case of all their Christmasses coming at once and anyone that objects will be reported to the authorities. Of course, just because the country completely suppresses the expression of the truth does not change Truth in the slightest.
We can't put all the blame on George Soros. If it's true that McEntee's husband peddles puberty-blockers, well there's a conflict of interests to beat the band. Not only do they want to get rich by destroying children, they don't even want to listen to any objections. But, I suppose my saying this is 'hate speech' and I need to be silenced for my own good.
Oops! I did of course mean the Third Person of the Trinity. But I take Mario's point about Jesus Himself using the term 'spirit'. See for example John 4: 23-24.
Day Eight of the Solemn Novena in Honour of Our Blessed Lady. Not single homily about Our Blessed Lady. Since tomorrow is the last day I have abandoned all hope. The young priest today preached about Climate Change, sea levels risings, Carbon foot prints. The evils of the Imperialistic Global North and our huge Carbon Footprints and how we all need to repent. At this point I did something I have never done before in a Church. I pulled out my smart phone went into my banking app and started to check my Finances. In other words I switched of and did not listen any further to a single word that came out of his mouth. In other words I just switched myself off. It is the same with BBC Radio Four which used to be my favourite, I just find myself switching it off almost as soon as I turn it on. Woke mad. I come to Mass to hear a Spiritual Homily not a political tirade about the Imperialistic Global North and our depicable giant Carbon Footprints. I can only take so much, especially first thing in the morning. I have many things of which to repent but my Carbon Footprint is not up there on my board. He can stick his Imperialist North where the squirrel stores its peanuts.
Language can be a problem, as we live in a Tower of Babel. Our Lord would have spoken, presumably, in Aramaic or Greek, the two main languages in that part of Palestine at that time. The word for the Third Person of the Trinity that He used, would probably have had a subtly more specific meaning than what the word 'spirit' can mean in English. English has problems with quite a few words, which often have to carry too many meanings. The vital word 'love' is a primary example, where it can even mean lust or the sexual act itself. In contrast, Greek had a different word for the various types of 'love', such as 'agape' for the higher kind and 'eros' for the sexual kind, if my memory serves me well. At least 'Ghost' has a limited range of meaning and is less amenable to hijacking by those who would like to attribute to it a meaning other than what was always traditionally so. I think the move away from the teaching of good grammar and syntax and from reading good solid, older literature is part of this general intent to disexact the English language and creat the maximum of confusion. Of course, it is ultimately hugely corrosive of civilisation itself.
Has that young priest any clue of what he's saying? The whole 'climate change' ideology and its imposition on developing countries, in particular, is a perfect example of the imperialism of the 'Global North'. Just ask the people of Sri Lanka, who had extreme organic farming imposed upon them, losing most of their rice crop as a consequence. At least Catholic Doctrine suffers no deficit of logic or reason. Fair play to you, for enduring all this. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Where have the ordinary Catholics gone? It is so difficult to navigate the terrain and to bring others along. On the one hand we have the "trads" who can tend to be over the top despite their best intentions. Their is often a lack of nuance and perspective and they suffer the myopia of their own perspective which is not to be questioned. On the other we have the not so trendy Liberal set who let's face it are bonkers and cringy. They are caught in the 1970s and they actually don't know who they are or what in fact they believe. With all due humility I like just to see myself as a normal Catholic who believes the apostolic faith, who loves beauty and thinks God deserves to be worshipped in the most worthy manner according to the full richness of our divine liturgy. I go to both forms. There is no doubt the ordinary form as it is currently practised is impoverished and is effectively in discontinuity with out liturgical patrimony. It is in fact a debasement in so many respects. So many questions. So many problems. It is in the Lord's hands. All we can do is the best we can given our roles and condition in life. Tend our own little vineyard and leave the rest to God.
I am currently reviewing some material for a new religious Ed programme for senior cycle non-exam RE in Ireland (16/17-18/19 year olds generally). Unit 4 is on "discovering the real you" and students are asked to identify their personality type using the enneagram. Their is also a module on "climate justice". All of this nonsense is the reason why I wanted the hell away from Catholic education. But I need to earn a living. I would be mentally better counting blades of grass.
I am very sorry for you Malachi. Just the word enneagram sends me screaming into the night Fr Ripperger has a great podcast on personality types using the 4 humors. I can only remember 2---choleric and sanguine. It goes back to the ancients. I will see if I can find the podcast on you tube and give you the link. He connects all this to our God given natures. Maybe you can bypass the enneagram? And the whole climate thing--should be a way to tie it into biblical stewardship of the earth. But I do not envy you having to do this. Madness reigns in the Church of Nice.
The only climate data a Catholic needs to know is that the temperatures aren't too high where he's going.
