Sign after sign after sign...

Interesting! … Within a 45 min period I’ve run across a Catholic Bishop and Evangelical Protestant espousing the same message .. Imagine That!? .. not hard “These Days” …. I suspect! … Eh?:

“As Iron Sharpens Iron”: Bishop Orders Men Into Spiritual Combat – Men must courageously “Step into the Breach” to save their families, themselves, and ultimately Christian culture and society.”
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/joseph-pronechen/stirring-film-challenges-men/

“A New Year Is Upon Us, Time To Stir Up The Brotherhood”
http://www.prophezine.com/index.php...ar-is-upon-us-time-to-stir-up-the-brotherhood

GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

 

Mac, your getting just a tad too serious and a tad too believing that saints never bring up fur balls.

Put up your feet and have a beer. My shout.

 

While it is not like me to turn down a drink, I will have to say no thankyou BH.
St Louis is my man.

 

My point is that it didn't start with Vatican 2. The smoke was already there. There was so much squabbling after Vatican 2, we will never know whether it was the infighting or the decisions made that increased the smoke. In my experience, having preferences for popes is very recent. For many Catholics outside Rome and Italy, most of us just accepted that the Pope was the Pope and all was well. I don't even recall being very concerned about bishops. The face of the Church was our Parish Priest and Curate.

I have mixed feelings about all this. I'm not sure that this focus on the personality of the Pope is healthy. It smacks of celebrity politics infecting the Church. I don't like reading about insider leaks from the Vatican no matter who they serve. We all know how agenda driven journalists and media moguls have used the cult of celebrity to manipulate politics. They can damage our Church just like they have destroyed politics where every sound byte is a potential banana skin. I don't want that to happen. At the same time, whenever I'm tempted (and give in to that temptation) to point the finger at the hierarchy for the damage to Christ's Church, my conscience reminds me that I did precious little to evangelise either by word or example and I did absolutely nothing to help out in any Church ministry. We all need to remember that when we are called to account on Judgement Day there won't be any popes, bishops, priests or journalists standing beside us to take a share of the blame for our sins.

In short, we don't really know what goes on inside the Vatican and we need to be very careful about making accusations or insinuations against God's anointed especially when we don't have all the facts.

 

Mac you are far too serious these days!

 

It's true we don't know how many are saved. We can only guess.


However my guess would be that if a Catholic can't be bothered to get of his seat to go Mass on a Sunday , he/she won't be getting into heaven anytime soon. No Mass; no Faith.

I know modern people don't want to hear things like this, but if we are no longer praying we cannot realistically expect to be going anywhere soon but hell.

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/nu...ed-to-attending-mass-200315991-237575781.html

'While Ireland on the whole is struggling with Catholicism, there are two very different scenarios operating in Northern and the Republic of Ireland. Most recent figures show that the Republic registers at 84 percent Catholic, while Northern Ireland is at 48 percent.

However, the number of those practicing their faith is significantly lower than those who just say they do during a census.

In 2011, it was reported that only about 18 per cent of Irish people in the Republic were regularly attending Mass, indicating a wide margin between those who claim to be Catholic and who are actively practicing.

The 2011 figure of those attending mass also shows a major decline from less than twenty years earlier in 1984 when, according to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, nearly 90 percent of Irish Catholics attended weekly Mass.'

 

St Louis is pretty awesome BH.
I will try to chill over Lent. While I had my own plan to give up something ,it was suggested to me by someone who knows better that I must give up the net.
GIVE UP THE NET!!

 

View attachment 4066

ZEN, Yoga meditation, Reiki or whatever…



http://www.zenflute.com/

 

Surely you are not saying one cannot belong to God without baptism Mac?

 

Basto are you comfortable with genuflecting in the Church - an adopted pagan Persian custom of greeting reserved for commanding officers of high rank...adopted by Greece then by pagan Rome then introduced into the Church.

I see the sincere offering of one's God given gifts and virtues in the Church akin to the gifts of the pagan Magi.
Have you never noticed the pagan examples of virtue and prophecy (demonic?) painted on the ceiling as well?
I think Jesus would be well pleased with the gift of flute playing.

I really don't understand the fear and loathing in this thread.

 

interesting that at cana Jesus called her woman. fulton sheen states The Blessed Mary (with that miracle) started His Hour. in other words by Our Blessed Mother asking her son to perform miracle... she was starting His ministry (the way of the cross).

 

"St. Louis Marie de Montfort

Be one of the small number who find the way to life, and enter by the narrow gate into Heaven. Take care not to follow the majority and the common herd, so many of whom are lost. Do not be deceived; there are only two roads: one that leads to life and is narrow; the other that leads to death and is wide. There is no middle way."

Mac, as this issue is of such profound importance, one must be absolutely forensic in one's use of quotations. I'm sure as great a saint as St. Louis would be the first to insist on this. No doubt, St. Louis would wish we take every word into account so take careful note of the clause "...the common herd, so many of whom are lost." The manner in which this is stated would not imply all the common herd, not necessarily most of them. Take a leaf out of St. Louis' book and refrain from such certainty, is my advice. That is where one is lead to the despair-inducing Jansenism that Garabandal has spoken of. Maybe almost all land in Hell. We should HOPE not and trust to the Mercy of the Sacred Heart that this will not be so. Indeed it is incumbent upon us to hope that nobody reaches Hell, even if that is impossible.

 

Thanks for the advice . I agree with everything you have written.
I also believe what the saints have written. Those saints who have even visited Hell and returned .
The warnings of the Blessed Virgin who has come again and again to warn us of our peril.

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

But why warn me DeGaulle ?
Shouldnt you be more concerned with those who give Hell little thought?
Those people who think most go to Heaven?

If a person was to err on one side of the issue , what side would be better?

 

Not only is it incumbent upon us to hope, it is incumbent upon us to pray that nobody reaches Hell.

Lately, I get occasional flashes of my early school years (probably a sign of oncoming dementia because I'm hard put to remember what I did yesterday). I recall one of the nuns talking about who goes to hell and reassuring us that there are more people in Heaven than Hell because God wouldn't allow Satan a victory over the majority of souls. Maybe the greater number of infant and child deaths in past centuries will account for the majority of souls reaching Heaven. Who knows. All any of us knows is that we must work out or own salvation in fear and trembling. That should be warning enough.

 

View attachment 4067
Lent cant come soon enough

 

I understand what both Sanctus and DeGaulle are saying.
And I think Jesus puts it beautifully.

Luke 15:1-7
1 The tax collectors and sinners, however, were all crowding round to listen to him,
2 and the Pharisees and scribes complained saying, 'This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.'
3 So he told them this parable:
4 'Which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he lost one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the missing one till he found it?
5 And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders
6 and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours, saying to them, "Rejoice with me, I have found my sheep that was lost."
7 In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner repenting than over ninety-nine upright people who have no need of repentance.



John 10:11-14
11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep.
The hired man, since he is not the shepherd and the sheep do not belong to him, abandons the sheep as soon as he sees a wolf coming, and runs away, and then the wolf attacks and scatters the sheep;

Matthew 18:12-13
12"What do you think? If any man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go and search for the one that is straying?13"If it turns out that he finds it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine which have not gone astray.…

 

It is certainly best to err on the side of caution. Absolutely. But, for myself, I would be afraid that if I thought it was 1 to Heaven, 99,999 to Hell, that there would be no chance for me and I could fall into despair. Not to mention the chances for my loved ones. Those kind of odds would mean that certainly some wouldn't make it. I don't think that's what we're meant to believe.

The Fatima prayer:

O my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell, lead all souls to Heaven, especially those most in need of Thy mercy.

Domine Iesu, dimitte nobis debita nostra, libera nos ab igne inferiori, perduc in caelum omnes animas, praesertim eas, quae misericordiae tuae maxime indigent.

This seems a more hopeful perspective, while keeping the matter in the perspective of the vision of Hell she also provided.

[I'm sorry if I gave the impression of "warning" you, Mac. If that's what I did, I have no right to and I'm sorry and take it back. I only wish to offer my opinion. I think we're not very far apart in our views and you're dead right about paying very close attention to the saints. The whole affair of Salvation and Damnation is an infinitely delicate balance between Presumption and Despair. The Church generally has managed to walk that tightrope over the centuries, but many have been pulled too far to the complacent side lately. I think it important that those who disagree not swing the pendulum excessively in the opposite direction].

 

Just one more month Mac! Feb 10th. Peace.

 

I stopped following this thread as it appeared to be spiraling toward the "same old same old " that I've seen in other threads. I guess I've reached the point where I'm striving as best I can to trust in Jesus, especially in this Year of Mercy. There is no doubt that as year progresses I will be confused and wondering about the world. Wondering why this bishop or that bishop or even the Pope himself said or does something. But. I hope to not let any of it take me off my journey toward God this year. I really believe that in this Mercy Year, we not only have the opportunity to wipe the slate clean so to speak, but to go more into the Divine Will through our trust in Jesus despite all that might happen in our world and in our personal lives. I know this will not be easy for me. So the only path I see for me at least is frequent confession, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, more prayer- the Rosary and Divine Office, and last what I'm calling fireside chats with my kids. Im not going to say you must do this or that (yes my non- adult children still under my roof, must attend Mass on Sunday), but I want to show by example. We will reinstate the family dinner at least on Sundays and then go from there. I guess for me this is within my sphere of influence. Everything else - what the pope does, the Church does, the various apparitions are beyond me. Peace.

 

Hi Miker,

You cant beat a good relaxed straightforward Sunday dinner! I recommend a nice roast...

Personally, I've kinda given up on much of the web gossip that masqurades as news these days. There are so many prophetic voices, so many varying opinions, its impossible to fathom.
I just try to say a daily Rosary, and get to Mass with the family/gang on Sundays. We nearly always head to the nearby coffee place afterwards, for an 'oul chat over a brew! Very worthwhile, the place has kids books to buy & read, and our gang love this. Its a nice way to 'normalise' going to Mass, ie: hey today is Sunday, we're off to Mass and the coffee shop afterwards...Thing is, both the Church and the coffee place are packed, no seats guranteed in either place...

Even though our gang are young, we try to be realistic with them about life, ie: people die, not pass on, wars happen, accidents happen, bad guys do exist and u have to be carefull, God is all around us and in us, but we do have work at believing in our faith/God, and always thank God for all things in this life. When I get questions like why are bad guys bad? I'd reply; well once they were babies too, but they took the wrong path in life, but they can come back to God at any time, so always ask God to help them as best you can...I think its just my way of keeping God in their minds through the day. Dont know if it'll work long term, but I'll leave that to God too.

We had a straightforward Christmas, and we were delighted to go to Confession just prior to Christmas Eve. We did our best to keep Christmas grounded in reality, (its hard to align the media driven massive consumer campaigns, alongside the massive destruction and poverty over the planet) We are still swamped in packaging and toys..I fully agree with your post above. We will do our best with our Family, and leave the rest to God Himself.

Cheers,

DBM.