I am away camping for five days. See you all when I come back. It is raining like crazy, but who cares.?
I wish I was able to go camping as much as you! Nothing shows Gods presence more than nature (imo) Have fun and be safe!
I keep turning up for Mass and either the Chuceh is shut or empty. Country mass times are so different than the city. In the city we do mornings, in the countryside, evenings Thus morning in the empty Church a little old lady with a mask on came in. She came to light a candle in front of Our Lady. She had not been to Church since the virus started . She was terrified of me for not having a mask. I might as well have been Count Dracula. She virtually ran out of the Church to get away from me, after staring at me in horror. I try not to judge people too harshly..and yes we all judge people all the time, it's part of being human. But none of us are going to live forever. When do the masks stop. I stopped them a long, long time ago. It's not the virus that is the danger, it's fear of the virus.
If we really, really believe in God and love Him, shouldn't this as St John told us, Cast out Fear? How sad to see that little old lady run from me in terror.
Pádraig I do wear a mask entering and leaving the church but when I'm in my seat I take it off. I do it to give others peace of mind. We are really on our own in Ireland. Almost 90% population over 12 have been vaccinated. They are completely on board as are the clergy. I don't see it as my mission to argue fruitlessly with those who have taken the jab. I just hope and pray that they will be OK and have no ill effects. It's the same with PF. They all love him. We have a harvest Mass on this weekend based around Laudito Si. I got a call this evening requesting me to take part in the prayers of the faithful. I declined the invitation gracefully. It will take something huge to wake people up. I'm certainly not going to do it. Its hard to know how all this is going to end.
In my own Church , Mary, no one wears a mask, apart from the occasional stranger who wanders in. Even during the Lock Down we never locked down. We had our Mass in secret. Nothing terrible ever came of it. I don't know, I just don't but into any of it We are a pretty large congregation and ignored the whole close down deal, it was the same thing with Trad congregation s all over the world. Yet here we all are in one piece. I just don't buy into any of it.
Great to hear there this had been happening, gives great hope actually, I wish I had something like this.
It's not the science. It's not the research. It's just the praying makes me distrust all we have been told. Anyway I am not going to live the rest of my life hidden behind a mask. Even when I was young I was never afraid of Death, even when I did not believe in God. I'm not going to start now at my age
It's not the virus we should be afraid of It's the damned fear. I have faced the devil at nigh time and people who have tried to kill me during the day I don't give a toss about the virus , the devil, or death.
The only ingredients that does scare be is loosing my self respect. I was bought up in a very hard school and showing or giving into fear was something not to be done.
The true test of any man, or woman, is not when things are going fine, but when things come down to the wire. The true wire is death . At even the scent of death are Bishops, for the most part bolted like scared rabbits..and failed the test
I sometimes put on the mask while shopping just to avoid confrontation but I point blank refuse to wear one in a church, let alone during mass. I was my nephew's sponsor today at his confirmation and my brother and I were the only two people in the church not wearing them. The children were made wear them going up to be confirmed. Children as young as 5 there wearing them throughout the 1.5 hour long ceremony. It's just wrong. And young girls there with dresses barely covering their backsides and shoulderless tops. But that's OK because they wore their masks. Everyone vaxed up to the eyeballs and still they're afraid to take off the masks. It makes me sick. Sorry, rant over, but I had to vent!
Those who don't have God fear everything. Those who fear God fear nothing else. Ya, I have been pretty much non-compliant from day one, me an about three other people I know in my area, very few.
