With every day that passes, the more hate is given to the truth. It makes me so sad that the term pro lifers has been poisoned to the point that it is now an insult. I think it is so important to remain in the truth and speak to the truth. I have many times in my life been called too blunt. I prefer to think of it as you so perfectly put it… “simple sense and telling it like it is.”
I think if I'd been Dr Marshall and the priest had said to me what he said to him I 'd have been kind of stunned and shocked in silence of horror and walked away shaking me head as though I'd just met a Tarantula Spider sitting on my seat. I'm always inclined to think afterwards, 'I wish I'd said this!' or,' I wish I'd said that!' But Jesus promises in Scripture to send us the Holy Spirit when needed. So I would have to count in that. But I admit I was horrified at his anti Pro-life slur. There were two occasions when I directly warned priests that they were in very great danger of hell. One was a priest who turned out to have been a rapist and ended up in jail. The other was a priest who was in Rebellion against his Bishop . When I talked to them about being sent to hell they did not argue back. But that was Our Lady pushed me into letting them know... They both looker terrified, they knew what I was saying came from God. John 14:26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
I have to say there is nothing quite so satisfying as blasting someone right in the face, with the double barrelled shotgun of the plain unvarnished truth. Best of all it is an Act of Charity. Fun, fun, fun.
One thing I have learnt about the Internet is that you don't have to respond to other people's post. If they are contradicting you or insulting you , you can simple ignore it and move on. It's different if they are contradicting you; making a genuine point. Then if you both have good hearts on the matter you can enter into discussion. But so many arguments and discussions have nothing to do with a search for the truth, but with pride (I have to prove that I'm right). If however you're a Moderator on a Catholic Forum, the goal posts change a little, in that you've a duty of care to others, not just yourself and you have to be a bit more preemptive. But open discussion generally, I think, are not for the faint hearted. Better to know your subject matter. However it can be very deeply rewarding if you want to start swimming in deeper waters. It can be very surprising how quickly we can understand were the other person is coming from, how genuine they are. None of us are fools. None of us are fools. None of us are fools. We can all of us have a very good sense of things that are not being said.
Everything on a Forum, like everything else in life, should be framed in the language of love. When we loose this, we loose all else, including the discussion. 'If I've the tongue of men and angels...but have not love..'
I like Taylor Marshall but I don't believe that there is any procedure in the Church to remove a reigning Pope. A Cardinal/Saint's personal opinion is not the mind of the Church. Sr. Robert Bellarmine wasn't raised to the altars for his opinion on what should be done about a bad Pope. Taylor Marshall needs to back off on this and nobody should be putting pressure on Cardinal Burke to start a rebellion against the Pope. Jesus didn't demote St. Peter after Peter's denial, so what gives us the right to call for the removal of Peter's successor? I really think that Taylor Marshall was better when he worked with Timothy Gordon. Gordon can be a bit mouthy but he has Catholic instincts which Marshall seems to lack.
It took courage, I admire him for it. But then he is well educated in the subject matter. That would help.
The video below is quite short, but would make you want to cry. I think one thought encourages me along the way at the moment is that we all have our personal journey and choices to make. We can either choose to follow God and the Church He Founded, or we can choose not to. We can choose the path of love and light or go down into the outer Darkness. As St Paul said, 'Who can separate us from Christ?' We are, none of going to get sent to hell for the choices other people make. I think we have to let ourselves not get scandalised too much. Not to dwell too much on the Darkness. Nevertheless it is good to be warned by being aware it is there, even in Rome.
I always thought that the greatest pain for Padre Pio was not that Atheists and 'Freethinkers' and Freemasons and communists hated him so much and said and did so many bad things against him. No, he loved the Church so much I think his greatest pain came from the fact that those who should have respected and loved and defended him the most turned so savagely against him. Even his own brothers in the Capuchin Order. This must have been a total nightmare for him. The same with Jesus. He came to His own and His own rejected Him. There is nothing knew in all that is going on in Rome at the moment. It is an Ancient an Evil as the Serpent Himself. He who was once and Angel of Light, the Son of the Morning, now a Throne of Hell.
Taylor Marshall is a good man but he's on the wrong track. Sure, he's smart and learned but he's not as smart or as learned as the St. Gallen Bishops and the dissident theologians and Jesuits who have been planning this Catholic reset since St. John Paul was pope. They knew what they were doing and Pope Francis knows what he's doing. Anything intended to attack the Faith will be worded in such a way to allow for an interpretation that's vaguely in line with the Faith. Marshall is only upsetting himself and giving false hope to people who believe that somehow the majority of Bishops (Francis appointees) will somehow stand up for the Faith. That's not going to happen. Patrick Coffin probably has a better chance of being proved right but he and we will probably be pushing up daisies before there's a Pope and Bishops who would look into what led to Benedict's resignation and why a Pope proficient in Latin and with a reputation for following correct procedure managed to make a mess of how he worded his own resignation. Watching what's going on and being powerless to stop it is bad enough for us. It must be devastating for someone like Dr. Marshall who gave up so much to join the Church. For his own sake, his family's sake, and the sake of his followers, he needs to ease off on the criticisms of Pope Francis because he's only providing more ammunition for his detractors, most of whom probably don't have a fraction of his faith or courage. If the good Cardinals thought there was a way to stop this train wreck, they would have acted by now. Remember the attacks on the four Cardinals who simply submitted the dubia? Imagine what it would be like for any Cardinal who dared say openly what Marshall and Coffin are saying. He'd be excommunicated before he could join Archbishop Vigano in hiding and all the sycophantic hypocrites would have a field day bad-mouthing him while sanctimoniously urging everyone to pray for him. It's really best not to dwell on the bad stuff. What good does it do?
Such confusing times! For myself I find a great consolation in going to God directly in prayer and asking for Him for advice as to what to think, say and do about things. Most especially to the Blessed Virgin Mary to whom a have the hugest confidence. Complete and total confidence. She who is the Deafeter of all Heresies and casts them, like the snake, under her feet. Not only that but she puts me in a very good happy, cheerful joyful mood. She is a holiday in herself, she refreshes the soul bringing great graces , including courage. I think she would have made a great, great soldier. Anyhow she makes me want to sing. Singing and joy is a big , big plus under the shadow of our days. The Church is Hierarchical in Nature and we lay people are at the very bottom of the heap. I am fine with this. Our Lady and St Joseph it may be said were laypeople themselves so we are in very good company. Thus our duties and obligations are very different from priests, Bishops , Cardinals and Popes. Who will of course be answerable to God in a very different way than us poor sheep for various goings on at the present. All I can say is, thank God to be a poor layperson. I am so happy to be a sheep rather than a shepherd. Thank you Our Blessed Mother for filling my Heart with Joy and Confidence in this grim, grim time for the Catholic Church. Hail Star of the Sea! (The Church I was Baptised in was, 'Star of the Sea)
So beautifully said Padraig. I am grateful too to be a lowly lay person. The responsibilities carried by our bishops cardinals and popes are terrifying. God have mercy on them and help them. But for me....the ancient teachings of the Church and total reliance on Our Lord and Blessed Mother. There is great peace in handing everything over to them: loved ones, health, finances, property...everything. "Dear Mother since I am your child guard me as your property and your possession." ( from a short consecration prayer to the Immaculate Heart from long long ago)
Padraig, wise words! I'm at the bottom of the bottom of the chain. But I have turned everything over to Our Lady and I need not worry. I put on spiritual blinders to keep me from looking astray and I look straight ahead. Beautiful hymn.
