Archbishop Sheen:"...either the merciful Face of Christ, or the horrible face of Satan"

Archbishop Fulton Sheen speaks about the devil. 

Watch, learn, and pray. 

THE SACRED TRIDUUM ~ 2018 ~ Chapel at Carmel Heights

Fr. John O'Connor: dissent is blasphemy !

Fr. John O'Connor

"One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said,

“What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”

They paid him thirty pieces of silver,

and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over'.

The gift of faith must be guarded and protected. It needs to be nurtured with prayer and acts of corporal mercy. When we abandon one aspect of the gift of faith, little by little, we end up losing all of our faith. So it tragically was with those who rejected the Church's teaching about the sacredness of the Marital Act. 

Here, Fr. John O'Connor reflects on the of dissenters against Humanae Vitae. The near universal rejection of Pope Paul VI's reaffirmation of 2000 years of Church teaching that the use of contraception is a grave mortal sin has very serious consequences. Rejecting Humanae Vitae, the dissenters - as Fr. O'Connor said - claimed that not only was Christ's Vicar was wrong, the Church was wrong. In this, as Fr. O'Connor pointed out, they blasphemed the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit. 

Please listen to the following talk by Fr. O' Connor on dissenting theologians from Humanae Vitae:

St. John Chrysostom: "...do you see that He everywhere declares that He has been sent..."

"I have come in My Father's name, and you receive Me not; if another shall come in his own name, him will you receive". (John 5:43)

2. Do you see that He everywhere declares that He has been sent, that judgment has been committed to Him by the Father, that He can do nothing of Himself, in order that He may cut off all excuse for their unfairness? But who is it that He here says shall come in his own name? He alludes here toAntichrist, and puts an incontrovertible proof of their unfairness. For if as loving God ye persecute Me, much more ought this to have taken place in the case of Antichrist. For he will neither say that he is sent by the Father, nor that he comes according to his will, but in everything contrariwise, seizing like a tyrant what belongs not to him, and asserting that he is the very God over all, as Paul says, 'Exalting himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, showing himself that he is God.' This is to 'come in his own name.' I do not so, but have come in the Name of My Father. 

That they received not One who said that He was sent of God, was a sufficient proof that they loved not God; but now from the contrary of this fact, from their being about to receive Antichrist, He shows their shamelessness. For when they received not One who asserts that He was sent by God, and are about to worship one who knows Him not, and who says that he is God over all, it is clear that their persecution proceeded from malice and from hating God. On this account He puts two reasons for His words; and first the kinder one, That ye may be saved; and, That ye may have life: and when they would have mocked at Him, He puts the other which was more striking, showing that even although His hearers should not believe, yet that God was wont always to do His own works. 

Now Paul speaking concerning Antichrist said prophetically, that God shall send them strong delusion — that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. Christ said not, He shall come; but, if He come, from tenderness for His hearers; and because all their obstinacy was not yet complete. He was silent as to the reason of His coming; but Paul, for those who can understand, has particularly alluded to it. For it is he who takes away all excuse from them.

Pope Benedict XV: "...Christian charity ought not to be content with not hating our enemies..."

On Passion Sunday, let us reflect upon the words of Pope Benedict XV. The holy Pope's encyclical, "On Peace and Reconciliation" was composed just after the conclusion of the Great War when palpable hatreds continued to fester in Europe, following the senseless slaughter. It is a lovely meditation on forgiveness of enemy, and true brotherly love. Sadly, there is even greater hatred in the world today, with Nations, peoples rejecting Christ and His Church. 

“But I say to you, love your enemies; do good to them that hate you; pray for those that persecute you and calumniate you, that you may be the children of your Father who is in Heaven, Who maketh His sun to rise upon the good and the bad”. Hence that terribly severe warning of the Apostle St. John. 

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer. And you know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in himself. ”Our Lord Jesus Christ, in teaching us how to pray to God, makes us say that we wish for pardon as we forgive others: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive them that trespass against Us.” And if the observance of this law is sometimes hard and difficult, we have not only the timely assistance of the grace of Our Divine Redeemer, but also His example to help us to overcome the difficulty. For as He hung on the Cross He thus excused before his Father those who so unjustly and wickedly tortured Him: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” 

We then, who should be the first to imitate the piety and loving kindness of Jesus Christ, whose Vicar, without any merit of Our own, We are; with all Our heart, and following His example, We forgive all Our enemies who knowingly or unknowingly have heaped and are still heaping on our person and Our work every sort of vituperation, and We embrace all in Our charity and benevolence, and neglect no opportunity to do them all the good in Our power. That is indeed what Christians worthy of the name ought to do towards those who during the war have done them wrong. 

Christian charity ought not to be content with not hating our enemies and loving them as brothers; it also demands that we treat them with kindness, following the rule of the Divine Master Who “went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil”, and finished His mortal life, the course of which was marked by good deeds, by shedding His blood for them. So said St. John: “In this we have known the charity of God, because He hath laid down His life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. He that hath substance of this world and shall see his brother in need and shall shut up his bowels from him: how doth the charity of God abide in him? My little children, let us love not in word nor by tongue, but in deed and in truth.”

Cardinal Collins: "...Go to Joseph"

On St. Joseph's Day, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins said Mass at St. Joseph's Health Centre in the west-end of Toronto. His Eminence preached on the quiet, strong, holiness of St. Joseph, pointing him out as a model for us all. 

"Today, throughout the whole world, we celebrate the Feast of the great St. Joseph", began the Cardinal Archbishop of Toronto.  

Cardinal Collins emphasized that St. Joseph was the Protector of the Universal Church. As such, even during dark hours and times, we should have confidence in Joseph that, as he defended the Holy Family from attack, so too, would St. Joseph defend the Church. 

"We honour saints so that they may be an example for us", said the Cardinal. "He is or heavenly guardian", the one we look to for example...continued His Eminence. After a few words on a Catholic hospital under the patronage of so great a saint, the Cardinal then drew his sermon to a close with an emphasis on St. Joseph being the patron of a happy death: "ultimately we are just passing through". 

Today, on Palm Sunday as we begin to reflect more intensely on the coming Passion of Our Lord, may we pray to St. Joseph to draw closer to the Cross. 

Pink Swastika Rising: Homoerotic Gnosticism is an Ideology of Evil (Part 3)

"An ideology of evil" is what was, and is, driving the demand to accept homosexuality. So wrote St. Pope John Paul II about the push in the European Union to have so-called "homosexual unions" accepted. Homoeroticists do not consider their lifestyle an "alternate" one, but superior to the "breeders", the "masses", as they refer to normal men and women. 

This superman mentality of the 21st century homosexual theologian, as I noted earlier,  is inherited from the proto-Nazi occultists of the 19th century, the early Nazi homosexuals of the Weimar Republic, and the fully fledged rabid SS and Gestapo of the Third Reich. We have to understand and be aware that post-War homosexual gnostics have spent decades developing an entire "theology" - really an ideology - around the "queerness" of Christ and Christianity. They are dedicated to the glorification of homosexuality as the ritualistic centre-piece (through homosexual practices de facto becoming anti-sacraments) of a new "religion" that rejects and perverts the very notion of human nature as a given reality (c.f. Memory and Identity, Pope John Paul II, p.13).

This homoerotic, gnostic "religion" is based on a perverted belief that there is a secret tradition of homosexuality in the Bible: David and Jonathan, and Our Lord and St. John. Saints such as Sts. Perpetua and Felicity, Sts. Sergius and Bacchus, St. Francis of Assisi have been declared by homosexualist gnostics as engaging in homosexual practices and being adherents to an earlier "acceptance" of homosexuality amongst "ancient Christians"; in fact, according to these dissenters, founders of the homoerotic, gnostic false religion. With this counter-"gospel", the homosexualists seek to have the vice of homosexual practices not only excused, but promoted as a positive good and "godly".  

By the mid and late 1970s, leading homosexualist gnostic theoreticians began to increase their output and publish their gnostic ideas for the secret advancement of homosexuality, and its acceptance by the masses in the future. The writings of John McNeill S.J., quickly formed the basis of the gnostic ideology of the dissident group, "Dignity".  Along with the Dominican priest, Donald J Goergen, and his landmark 1974, book, "The Sexual Celibate", (in which he also denied the Virgin Birth), other prominent figures emerged as contributors to this occult-driven, homoerotic "religion". Richard Woods, Gareth Moore, Adriano Oliva are but three names that can be mentioned who have contributed over the decades to the development of homoerotic "theology".

This "theological" evolution of homoeroticism would eventually proclaim that Christianity in general, and Catholicism in particular, is not only positive towards homosexual experiences, but that Our Lord, and His Sacraments are actually gay-positive, they are "queer".  Indeed, this new, false religion even has its own "saints", such as Harvey Milk. 

As I wrote in my previous post, Andy Buechel, who teaches at the Jesuit-run, Xavier University in Cincinnati, explains this homosexual, gnostic "christ" in this way: 

The encounters with the resurrected Lord intensify the limitations and reductions of modern conceptions of sexual difference and sexual orientation, limitations first seen at the transfiguration. Jesus’ body is not only queer in its fluidity, openness, and excess; it is queer by how it relates to other bodies erotically, drawing them towards the Divine. 

The superior caste homosexual, according to this gnostic interpretation, is not limited, but with this "queer" so-called Christ, through an homoerotic encounter with him draws near to the divine. This is very similar to the "sex magick" of Crowley, but worse. Whereas, Crowley rejected openly Christianity, these homoerotic theologians continue to use Christian terminology, showing they really are under diabolical influence. 

Thus, "queering" theologians do not argue that homosexuality is just an alternate lifestyle, they argue that it is superior, sacred, holy and participating in the Divine life of what they call "god". Thus, homosexuals are the new "supermen", the ones with the special, gnostic insight and link with the "divine" through occult homosexual practices. In all of this, we can see the dark involvement of Lucifer. It is in fact, an encounter with the Evil One, under the guise of "light". 

In what was his final book, "Memory and Identity", Pope John Paul II in the chapter entitled "Ideologies of Evil" includes the promotion of "homosexual unions" (p.13) as "another ideology of evil, more subtle and hidden, perhaps, intent upon exploiting human rights themselves against man and against the family". 

The holy Pope continued: 

"Why does this happen? What is the root of these post-Enlightenment ideologies? The answer is simple: it happens because of the rejection of God qua Creator, and consequently qua source determining what is good and what is evil" (p.13). 

There are some homosexuals who are purely demonic - an inner circle -  who delight in perversion, sadism, and the diabolical. There are some who are spreading this evil, gnostic homoerotic perversion in the Church because they hate Christ and His Church. To refuse to repent, confess and ask for mercy is to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit. God will be their judge. 

There are others who have been abused as children, young boys, teenagers - let us therefore recall the admonition of Mgr. Foy that "among the evil fruits of this decadent age there is an unparalleled betrayal of homosexuals". 

To conclude with the words of Mgr. Foy, that God's Grace move the homosexuals to conversion, even those under near complete diabolical control: 

All can pray for homosexuals; we should never deviate from charity towards them while never condoning homosexual activity. We can give homosexuals the example of lives lived in chastity and goodness.

To all homosexuals we say: Peace, Hope, and Joy in your daily pursuit of chastity and holiness. God be with you! May you always keep in your hearts the words of St. Paul, “You are not called to immorality but to holiness.”

Pink Swastika Rising: Homosexuality and "Queering Christianity" (Part 2)

In my previous post, "Pink Swastika Rising: Homosexuality and Nazism", I briefly outlined the historical roots of Nazism in homosexuality, and its  fusion of anti-Christian neo-paganism with sexual perversion. St. Paul, St. Jude and St. John Chrysostom (for example) all identified godlessness as the root cause of sexual deviancy and perversion. The saints pointed out that the darkening of the mind through godlessness, leads to a rejection of God and His creation, opening the door to the human mind being seduced into unnatural sexual vice.

It is no coincidence that homosexuality was rife in the ancient world. Only amongst one people was unnatural vice seen as sin: Israel. The recent statements by revisionist writers that Our Lord did not mention homosexuality and therefore that He approved of such activity is preposterous and blasphemous for a number of  reasons: 1) God does not change; His Moral Law does not change: male and female He created them; 2) Our Lord had no reason to discuss homosexual practices with the scribes and pharisees, as all in Israel knew homosexuality to be a grave sin. We do however, have one incident where Our Lord responded to a case of sexual sin (adultery) brought before Him. His response was go and sin no more your sins are forgiven you. 

The Catechism of the Catholic Church [2396] lists homosexual practices as graves sins.

In 1968, following the issuing of Humanae Vitae, there was an explosion of dissent. Monsignor Vincent Foy documented the tragic and lamentable influence of the late Gregory Baum in orchestrating rebellion against the sanctity of the Marital Act. Baum, logically, also dissented on the issue of  homosexuality, and held great influence here in Canada and abroad amongst "rebellious theologians" (Mgr. Foy). 

The result of rejecting Christ's teaching on Matrimony, was the acceptance of "alternate lifestyles" (see the above link on Mgr. Foy). That is, sexuality was not for unity and life, it was for "love".These "rebellious theologians" having rejected God's truth about sexuality, turned their lust into a new idol.

A number of other leading dissident priests need to be mentioned. Fr. John MacNeill S.J., and Fr. Donald J. Goergen O.P., were two leading figures in the early and mid 1970s. Indeed, homosexuality was so rife in some seminaries, that they had to be closed. St. Bernard's Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa was shut down in 1969 due to rampant homosexuality, as  the late Fr. John O'Connor revealed. 

These pro-homosexual theologians were, in their writings in a different, yet similar manner following the earlier homosexual Nazis. Both groups were all male environments and under obedience to superiors. Both hold the superiority of the homosexual over male and female. Both groups also were fundamentally anti-Christian and developed intricate gnostic ideologies to justify their evil. Whereas the Nazis strove for a homosexual supermen to rule over the "Aryan" nations, the dissident homosexualist priests strove for a gnostic homosexual priest to rule over the Catholic Church. Nazis sought their twisted justification of homosexuality by looking to the ancient world and the occult; homosexualist priests look to gnostic writings and humanism. Both worlds are linked to the satanic. 

This satanic influence has led the Gnostic theologians to "queer" what they call "Christ". The earlier advocacy for "alternate lifestyles" was merely to soften opposition to homosexuality, as the homoerotic gnostics never considered themselves "equal" with anyone. No, they were and are a secret, superior type of human according to their ideology. They are a superior caste unto themselves, reflecting the Nazi superiority ideology of the earlier homoerotic warriors of the Third Reich. 

For the homoerotic theologian, homosexuality is not only justifiable, but a link to the "divine". Homosexual practices become a type of "sacrament". In this, they accept and parallel occult beliefs that sexual activity is a form of "magick", as was famously advocated by occultists, such as Aleister Crowley. According to  these "queering Christianity" theologians, Christ was a homosexual who had homoerotic encounters with at least two disciples: St. John and St. Thomas. Further reading on this can be found at Joseph Sciambra's excellent website [warning: graphic and very disturbing content]. Within the priesthood these  "queer" theologians regard themselves as a part of a superior, secretive group enlightened in the hidden homosexual tradition of Jesus and His disciples.  

The very influential gay theologian, Andy Buechel wrote: 

…God became human that humans might become God. Our deepest desire is to participate fully in the erotic life of God, to be immersed so totally in love that the Divine Life and our own become the same.

The encounters with the resurrected Lord intensify the limitations and reductions of modern conceptions of sexual difference and sexual orientation, limitations first seen at the transfiguration. Jesus’ body is not only queer in its fluidity, openness, and excess; it is queer by how it relates to other bodies erotically, drawing them towards the Divine.

Buechel then proposes that the encounter between Our Lord and St. Thomas was essentially a homosexual encounter: 

In this, the intimacy and eroticism are manifest. Jesus himself is guiding the hand of the fascinated Thomas toward his side. He is guiding the penetration of his wound, of the womb from which the church is born. Strictly, and anachronistically, speaking, this encounter is homosexual: it involves deep erotic intimacy between two people of the same sex.

Part Three: Pink Swastika Rising: Homoerotic Gnosticism is an Ideology of Evil 

Pink Swastika Rising: Homosexuality and Nazism (Part 1)

Homosexuality is mentioned in Sacred Scriptures as being a result of denying God. In the Book to the Romans, St. Paul identifies homosexual practices as a result of ungodliness. "They changed the truth of God for a lie". 

St. John Chrysostom, in his Homilies on the Book to the Romans, underscores this foundation of homosexuality: "But if you say, and whence came this intensity of lust? It was from the desertion of God".

St. Jude, likewise, links homosexuality to ungodliness: "So with Sodom and Gomorrha and the cities round them, which fell into the same debauchery as their neighbours and pursued unnatural lust; they bear, for our warning, their sentence of eternal fire...Godless and sinners, with how many ungodly acts they have defied God, with how many rebellious words have they blasphemed him". 

Homosexuality is a spiritual disease. It is ungodliness manifested in unnatural and perverse sexual behaviour, that inverts and mocks God's order of Creation: male and female He created them. 

Against this backdrop that reveals homosexuality as rebellion against God, we can now explore the bond between homosexuality and Nazism. 

The Nazi movement was, from its very origins, heavily indebted to homosexual occultists and homosexual Greco-Roman pagan ideology. In 19th century Germany, along with German idealism and rationalism, there was a revival of paganism (both Hellenist and Norse) and gnostic occultism. Homosexuals were very influential in both movements, and they would pave the way for the fusing of German philosophy, neo-paganism, homoeroticism and emerging racialist ideology. The ideal of the ultra-masculine, homoerotic warrior, as exemplified in the SS, the Gestapo and the Brown Shirts (SA) was created in the 19th century. 

Two leading homosexuals of the 19th century who had a profund influence on the birth of Nazism need to be mentioned.

Guido von List (1848-1919) was an occultist, who also worshiped Wotan. A notorious pedophile, his ideas would influence other occult groups, such as the Thule Society, to which belonged such Nazi homosexual luminaries, such as Rudolf Hess and Dietrich Ekart. von List also influenced the ideas of the more famous occultist Aleister Crowley, who can be said to be the main driving force behind modern day occultism and sexual perversion in the post-War world.

The second homosexual was Jorg Lanz von Liebenfels (1874-1954), who was expelled from the seminary for homosexual activity. He would eventually fuse his form of occultism with racialism, which included a special hatred of Jewish people.

The pompous, blustering Ernst Roehm, and sadistic murderer, Gerhard Rossbach, the creators of the SA, were both notorious homosexuals, and their organization was top heavy in so-called "butch", homosexual warriors. Other very prominent homosexuals in the Nazi Party included sadist, Julius Streicher, who was dismissed by Nuremberg school authorities for pedophile activities, and Hans Frank, the so-called "Butcher of Poland".  The "Fuhrer" was himself a rabid homosexual, whose virtual entire personal staff (body guards and chauffeurs) were homosexuals. High ranking Nazis in Hitler's inner circle were also either bisexual or homosexual. So open was the homosexuality of the Nazi leadership, that the Italians (who had been spying in Berlin during the early and mid thirties) mockingly referred to it as "the German disease". 

The key to this, is to understand that Nazism was founded by men who were godless pagans, who had an alternate religion  (to be more accurate an anti-religion). Having rejected the one, true God, they turned to idols. As Sacred Scripture teaches us, having rejected God, it is only inevitable that sexual perversion follow. 

The sexual deviants of Nazism had a gnostic, pagan religion. They believed they were enlightened, they believed they formed a super-race, supermen; they believed that ultra-masculine, homosexual warriors were the highest of the Aryan super-race. It would be these gnostic ideas that would carry over into the homosexual infiltration of Christianity. It would be these ideas that would result in the blasphemous conception of a "Gay Christ" (Our Lord Jesus Christ and St. John); of the belief that David and Jonathan were secret homosexual lovers; that homosexuality is "God's gift" to mankind, etc. 

Part 2 : Pink Swastika Rising: Homosexuality and "Queering Christianity" 

The Metoo Movement refuses to address the Sexual Revolution

Tragic young women who have no idea what it is to be a daughter of God 

Women cannot be truly liberated, unless they turn to Jesus Christ. How many women Our Lord liberated during His three year Ministry! Such was His liberating power, that it was the women who stood at the foot of the Cross. They were the ones who did not fear the Jews and Romans who had conspired to crucify the Lord of Glory. 

In a world rejecting Our Lord, can we be surprised that the relationship between men and women has deteriorated? Should we be surprised if, having rejected Christ, most men and women end up behaving in a sexually depraved manner? The primordial relationship was damaged by Original Sin: man and woman can only truly meet in, and through Our Lord Jesus Christ. 

The tragedy of the #metoo movement is that it rejects Our Lord. With this rejection comes the rejection of His teachings on the sanctity of human sexuality. 

The debasement of women has been drastically accelerated by the so-called Sexual Revolution: divorce, contraception, abortion, free "love... women's increased consumption of pornography. 

Asia Argento: a proponent of sexual liberation

The #metoo movement, in an ever increasing sexualization and objectification of women, has been silent on the sexual promiscuity of women, but it has been very vocal about abortion and contraception. It has been silent about the huge increase of pornography consumption by women. 

The so-called "Women's March", did nothing to halt the sexualization and objectification of women, but rather, through its support for abortion, contraception, deviant sexual practices, furthered moral decay. The "Women's March", has nothing to do with a return to Christian morality. In their dress, their manners, their language, their promiscuity, women (not all, thank God), are presenting themselves as hyper-sexualized beings who want "sex" as recreation. They want "sex" separated from union and from openness to life. Men (not all, thank God) are very aware of this, and most take advantage of this. 

What a tragedy that young women want to be "sluts"

The most immediate result of sexual promiscuity is the enormous increase in venereal diseases: Chlamydia, Gonorrhea are rampant amongst young women, not to mention young men. Another result is that  the majority of women have had multiple (mostly via abortifacients) abortions. A woman using the Pill can have easily three abortions in a single year. How many tens of millions of women have innocent blood on their hands? 

The fiasco of Harvey Weinstein actually helped expose the hypocrisy of the #meetoo movement. Wealthy, powerful women (such as Asia Argento, pictured above) complained about sexual exploitation by the former Hollywood producer, yet the actresses who have come forward present themselves as sexualized women, who promote lifestyles and moral choices that are anything but in conformity with Christian morality. No, the #metoo movement is a dead-end. 

Without Christ, there can be no true liberation of women. Please pray for young women especially those caught in sexual promiscuity that they may break free of this vice and become the true women that Our Lord calls them to be. 

Cardinal Collins: "Even one of the Twelve betrayed Him"

As we enter deeper into Lent, let us recall the words of Cardinal Collins warning us how easily sin and betrayal can enter the Church, enter us. We are, as Cardinal Collins says, looking at the mystery of iniquity when we see someone who had the Gift of Faith, betray Our Lord. 

St. Joseph: Patron of Canada ~ Pray for Us

Pope Pius IX's decree Quemadmodum Deus, of 1870 that declared St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. St. Joseph is also the Patron of Canada. As we see from the Decree of Blessed Pius IX, one major motivation was to call upon St. Joseph to defend the Church against Her enemies. Today, the Church not only faces attacks from Her traditional enemies: the Synagogue of Satan and Freemasonry, but She suffers even greater blows from within by those whom should be Her greatest advocates and protectors, clergy who have lost the Gift of Faith. 

Let us therefore re-double our prayers and devotion to St. Joseph. To all Canadian readers, a blessed and most holy Feast Day to you!

As God appointed Joseph, son of the Patriarch Jacob, over all the land of Egypt to store up corn for the people, so, when the fullness of time was come, and He was about to send to earth His only-begotten Son, the Savior of the world, He chose another Joseph, of whom the first had been the type, and He made him Lord and Ruler of His household and possessions, the Guardian of His greatest treasures.

And Joseph espoused the Immaculate Virgin Mary, of whom was born by the Holy Ghost, Jesus Christ our Lord, who deigned to be reputed before men as the Son of Joseph, and was subject to him. And Him whom so many kings and prophets desired to see, Joseph not only saw, but abode with, and embraced with paternal affection, and kissed, yea, and most sedulously nourished, even Him whom the faithful should receive as the Bread come down from Heaven, that they might obtain eternal life.

On account of this sublime dignity which God conferred on His most faithful Servant, the Church has always most highly honoured and lauded the Most Blessed Joseph next after his spouse, the Virgin Mother of God, and has implored his intercession in all her great necessities.

And now that in this most sorrowful time the Church herself is beset by enemies on every side and oppressed by heavy calamities, so that impious men imagine that the gates of hell are at length prevailing against her, the Venerable Prelates of the whole Catholic world have presented to the Sovereign Pontiff their own petitions and those of the faithful confided to their care, praying that he would vouchsafe to constitute St. Joseph Patron of the Catholic Church.

Moreover, when at the Sacred Ecumenical Council of the Vatican they renewed still more fervently this their petition and prayer, Our Most Holy Lord, Pius IX, Pope, moved thereto by recent deplorable events, was pleased to comply with the desires of the Prelates, and to commit to the most powerful patronage of the Holy Patriarch Joseph both himself and all the faithful and solemnly declared him Patron of the Catholic Church, and commanded his festival, occurring on the 19th of March, to be celebrated as a double of the first class, but without an octave on the account of Lent.

Further, he ordained that on this day, sacred to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and Spouse of the Most Chaste Joseph, a declaration to that effect should by this present Decree of The Sacred Congregation of Rites be published.


All things to the contrary notwithstanding.

On the 8th of December 1870.


CONSTANTINE, BISHOP OF OSTIA AND VELLETRI.

CARDINAL PATRIZI, Prefect of the Sacred Congregation.

D. Bartoloni, Secretary of the said Congregation.

Pope Benedict XVI: "fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation"

From a Message for Lent by Pope Benedict XVI:

“Being concerned for each other” also entails being concerned for their spiritual well-being. Here I would like to mention an aspect of the Christian life, which I believe has been quite forgotten: fraternal correction in view of eternal salvation. Today, in general, we are very sensitive to the idea of charity and caring about the physical and material well-being of others, but almost completely silent about our spiritual responsibility towards our brothers and sisters. 

This was not the case in the early Church or in those communities that are truly mature in faith, those which are concerned not only for the physical health of their brothers and sisters, but also for their spiritual health and ultimate destiny. The Scriptures tell us: “Rebuke the wise and he will love you for it. Be open with the wise, he grows wiser still, teach the upright, he will gain yet more” (Prov 9:8ff). Christ himself commands us to admonish a brother who is committing a sin (cf. Mt 18:15). 

The verb used to express fraternal correction - elenchein – is the same used to indicate the prophetic mission of Christians to speak out against a generation indulging in evil (cf. Eph 5:11). The Church’s tradition has included “admonishing sinners” among the spiritual works of mercy. It is important to recover this dimension of Christian charity. We must not remain silent before evil. 

I am thinking of all those Christians who, out of human regard or purely personal convenience, adapt to the prevailing mentality, rather than warning their brothers and sisters against ways of thinking and acting that are contrary to the truth and that do not follow the path of goodness. Christian admonishment, for its part, is never motivated by a spirit of accusation or recrimination. It is always moved by love and mercy, and springs from genuine concern for the good of the other. 

As the Apostle Paul says: “If one of you is caught doing something wrong, those of you who are spiritual should set that person right in a spirit of gentleness; and watch yourselves that you are not put to the test in the same way” (Gal 6:1). In a world pervaded by individualism, it is essential to rediscover the importance of fraternal correction, so that together we may journey towards holiness. Scripture tells us that even “the upright falls seven times” (Prov 24:16); all of us are weak and imperfect (cf. 1 Jn 1:8). It is a great service, then, to help others and allow them to help us, so that we can be open to the whole truth about ourselves, improve our lives and walk more uprightly in the Lord’s ways. There will always be a need for a gaze which loves and admonishes, which knows and understands, which discerns and forgives (cf. Lk 22:61), as God has done and continues to do with each of us.

What can St Francis de Sales teach us?

Alice von Hildebrand wrote an interesting reflection in 2015, which, with the crisis in the Church showing no signs of abetting, is even more pertinent nearly three years later. As this tragic crisis unfolds, the temptations to heresy and schism will increase. 

von Hildebrand wrote:

If anyone came to me with the following request: what is the book on spiritual life that you would recommend not only for beginners, but also for people who have already taken their first steps? Without a moment’s hesitation, I would say; Saint Francis of Sales’ Introduction to the Devout Life, a book published in the XVII century which, I believe, never was out of print. 

There is a profound reason for it: not only is it classical, (above time and fashion), but it has a value for people of the most varied backgrounds. It is like bread: it will never be outdated. This great saint’s message is couched in such gracious terms that he combines depth of thought, and gentle charm.

One typical temptation of beginners in spiritual life, is to feed their soul on mystical literature, such as the Dark Night of the Soul of St. John of the Cross. Its very title attracts a large number of beginners convinced that they know by personal experience what this great saint and mystic is referring to. Being spiritually immature, they easily fall prey to an exaltation that favors dangerous illusions. St. Francis of Sales’ book combines profound spiritual wisdom, with what I shall term “holy sobriety”. Such spiritual food prevents one from falling into the very many illusions which are traps set by the devil to make many people endorse spiritual fallacies and leave the safe road of humility.

All I intend to do in this brief essay is to meditate on one chapter in Book 3, which, in my personal life, I have found to be a gold mine of insights. It refers to our attitude toward the faults and sins of others -- a topic of crucial importance because all of us have to deal with it, and very few are aware of  only valid Christian response. Any sin calls for tears because first and foremost, it is an offense of God. Had men not sinned, Christ would not have been crucified. This should be our primary concern.

Read the full essay here. 

To those whom I have mocked, ridiculed, and gossiped about: I apologize and ask forgiveness

Over the past two years I have slowly, but surely, endangered my soul by writing on this blog in a manner that was not always Christian. Mockery, ridicule, gossip can never be a part of the Christian life. 

There were times when I mocked, ridiculed, gossiped about people. This was wrong, this was sinful. There is a way to challenge erroneous ideas without mocking, ridiculing or gossiping about those who may propose them. To Fr. Edward Beck, C.P., Fr. James Martin, S.J., and any others, I apologize and ask forgiveness for mocking, ridiculing or gossiping about them. 

As such, I am reviewing, and already in the process of removing posts that  had strayed into sin. Simply put, I do not want not to commit sin in the process of writing about issues I care deeply about. 

I have no intention of setting myself up as a theologian or philosopher, However, there were times when I did so by implication. I do not have the authority to make theological decisions or to instruct the faithful as an official of the Church. I only have the right to question (always respecting the person) via an informed conscience. In this way, I can, as a layman, do my duty to spread the Gospel. St. Francis told his followers to preach through example first, and then if necessary, with words. 

As I discern on my role in service to the Church, it is clear that I have work to do beyond this blog. There are other ways I can serve the Church, especially in my field of health sciences and music. The elderly need to be cared for, loved and served. 

You will see a change in this blog. My example is now Monsignor Vincent Foy. He never engaged in uncharitable words in his efforts to promote and defend the truth. Truth must always be presented in charity. 

Our Lord showed us how to act with and towards others. To the woman caught in adultery He told her, go and sin no more. He did not mock, ridicule or gossip about her. He challenged her to repent. I have failed to imitate Christ. He never mocked anyone.  Nor should I. Even more so, as I am a sinner! I must learn to have compassion and mercy. 

Please pray for me. 

Has Pope Benedict XVI been a victim of calumny and detraction?

Calumny, detraction and rash judgment can be very grave mortal sins. Several days ago, a supposed letter was released purporting to be from Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis. 

Like clockwork, with 24 hours or so, the actual letter became public. It became known that one paragraph had been blurred by individuals in the  Vatican Communications Office. However, during the preceding period severe harm was done to the reputation of Pope Benedict, where the Pope Emeritus was attacked, vilified, mocked, degraded, accused of heresy, modernism, etc. 

This is the poison that has spread to the Catholic (so-called) internet world. 

The men who created and doctored that letter, knew full well that within a day or so the real letter would be discovered. So why did they do it knowing it would be discovered? They are either highly incompetent, or were engaging in  a deliberate provocation. Incompetents or provocateurs, you decide. However, there is no doubt that they were dishonest. Very dishonest. The result was further confusion, dissent, anger, hatred, distrust, antagonism towards the Holy See and the Office of the Papacy in general. The devil never rests, and he exploits every situation. 

All of this confusion is leading many Catholics to "...fight one against the other, to the detriment of the true renewal and to the joy of the enemies outside and inside the Church" (Bishop Schneider, Letter to Michael Voris).

In the meantime, to the continued rejoicing of the enemies of the Church, - especially the Freemasons and their allies - is that the hated Pope Benedict was and continues to be a victim of rash judgment, calumny, detraction.  

From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 

2477 Respect for the reputation of persons forbids every attitude and word likely to cause them unjust injury. 
          He becomes guilty:

- of rash judgment who, even tacitly, assumes as true, without sufficient foundation, the moral fault of a neighbor;

- of detraction who, without objectively valid reason, discloses another's faults and failings to persons who did not know them;

- of calumny who, by remarks contrary to the truth, harms the reputation of others and gives occasion for false judgments concerning them.

2478 To avoid rash judgment, everyone should be careful to interpret insofar as possible his neighbor's thoughts, words, and deeds in a favorable way:

Every good Christian ought to be more ready to give a favorable interpretation to another's statement than to condemn it. But if he cannot do so, let him ask how the other understands it. And if the latter understands it badly, let the former correct him with love. If that does not suffice, let the Christian try all suitable ways to bring the other to a correct interpretation so that he may be saved.

Why the Church can NEVER change Her teaching on contraception

Pope John Paul II in Familiaris consortio provided the Church and the world with an overview of why Humanae vitae was prophetic teaching of the Church of Christ. The late Holy Father began by underscoring the unity of the bishops with the Supreme Pontiff: 

Thus, in continuity with the living tradition of the ecclesial community throughout history, the recent Second Vatican Council and the magisterium of my predecessor Paul VI, expressed above all in the Encyclical Humanae vitae, have handed on to our times a truly prophetic proclamation, which reaffirms and reproposes with clarity the Church's teaching and norm, always old yet always new, regarding marriage and regarding the transmission of human life.

For this reason the Synod Fathers made the following declaration at their last assembly: "This Sacred Synod, gathered together with the Successor of Peter in the unity of faith, firmly holds what has been set forth in the Second Vatican Council (cf. Gaudium et spes, 50) and afterwards in the Encyclical Humanae vitae, particularly that love between husband and wife must be fully human, exclusive and open to new life (Humanae vitae, 11; cf. 9, 12)."

 


Christians can see that the relationship between man and woman is fundamental. The relationship is always unitive, and always open to the possibility of life, according to nature's design. Pope Paul VI, did not teach something new in 1968, but merely reaffirmed what the Church has always taught. We are seeing today, the bitter fruits of not listening to the Pope. Women degraded, families destroyed, men brutalized. Abortion has never been so rampant, with women on the Pill having an average of THREE chemical abortions per annum. Truly we live in a "culture" of death.