Great darkness has descended

I sometimes look at young people in Park, especially young courting couples and think how beautiful they are. As Scripture says, 'You have made them little less than the angels'.

But then I also think of other words of Scripture, 'Men Judge by outward appearances, but God Judges by the Heart'. My own impression is that the love of God is very ,very far from the hearts of men.

 

HH, this was utterly beautiful. One cannot read it and not be moved

 

Thank you. It makes me think about my
late father who told me about it.

 

The Darkness is here it is all around us.

We need to pray the rosary,
Pray to our guardian angel,
And beg God for mercy.

Stay in the state of grace.
We have today, tomorrow is not a given.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, please be merciful to me a sinner.

 

Is it even worth anymore voicing dissension to our priests and Bishops? I mean do we continue to follow them as they remove more and more traditional practices? At what point do we say no more and stay at home do our spiritual communions and pray to God for forgiveness?

I am still flabbergasted that a Bishop would not allow kneeling to receive.

 

Well, I don't advocate staying at home, at least until the Mass is no longer valid. But it really does upset me that the Bishop has banned kneeling for Holy Communion. The only thing I can think of, that sometimes, if there is no altar rail, kneeling can become very difficult, getting up from a kneeling position is even worse. It can cause a spectacle and a possible dropping of Holy Communion. Not that I would do away with kneeling. We still have the altar rails in our church and kneeling is an option. But I think you deserve an explanation. What does your pastor say?
I wonder if you would be able to contact the Bishop and ask him the reasons why he did this.

 

This is an English hymn which is very well known here. It is the custom that it be sung at the English football cup finals (the biggest annual sporting event in England. It was my grandfather's favourite hymn (though I was shocked when I heard this as a child as it is an Anglican hymn that we were banned from singing at the time). We did actually sing this recently at Mass.

FA Cup Fans Choir and Alfie Boe sing Abide with Me - YouTube

 

Thanks for this.

 

We will pray for each other. I’m experiencing the same. I have to constantly quote Gods promises and trust in Him

 

miker,

I'll offer my Friday fast for you this week. Remain steadfast. This is what the Lord asks of us.

Dearest Lady, wrap miker in your Maternal Mantle of love and gentleness.

 

Welcome to the forum, Juanita. May the Two Hearts watch over you and your loved ones.

 

Thank you

 

Prayers for you.

 

Thank you

 

Yes. Those Christian bakers (who got sued for not baking the gay cakes) were only the prelude.
The seed has been planted in the mind of the public.
It's only a matter of time now before they come for a priest/church who refuses to marry 2 men or 2 women.
Then they'll extend it priest-wide/church-wide.
Few will object.
The public have been conditioned to accept this top down 'democracy'.

You know, I actually wish they'd hurry-up and get started. So we can get it all over and done with, and hopefully get on up to heaven...

 

I laughed so hard when I read your post. My thought was YES! Right there with you! Giddy up God or there might not even be a remnant!…. And then my priest smiles and says - you better hope not you still need to learn the virtue of patience

 

It was very edifying to hear the homily our priest gave this past Sunday. He said God the Father could have had Jesus come into this world in any way He wanted. But He ordained it to be in poverty in a stable. But our priest said the only thing the Father ordained for His Son was that he be born into a family with a MARRIED woman and man - a husband and a wife living in holiness. Father told us God is purposeful in all his action so this is an important sign- God wants holy families with married mothers and fathers raising children. He repeated this several times.

I thought afterward, I hope he does not get “reported”. It was a beautiful and truthful homily. Likely will not hear this often. Please say a pray for this holy priest.

 

https://catholicexchange.com/christmas-trials-mercy-padre-pio/

St. Padre Pio’s Christmas Reflection

O Christians, so plentiful are the lessons that shine forth from the grotto of Bethlehem! Oh how our hearts should be on fire with love for the one who with such tenderness was made flesh for our sakes! Oh how we should burn with desire to lead the whole world to this lowly cave, refuge of the King of kings, greater than any worldly palace, because it is the throne and dwelling place of God! Let us ask this Divine child to clothe us with humility, because only by means of this virtue can we taste the fullness of this mystery of Divine tenderness.

Glittering were the palaces of the proud Hebrews. Yet, the light of the world did not appear in one of them. Ostentatious with worldly grandeur, swimming in gold and in delights, were the great ones of the Hebrew nation; filled with vain knowledge and pride were the priests of the sanctuary. In opposition to the true meaning of Divine revelation, they awaited an officious savoir, who would come into the world with human renown and power.

But God, always ready to confound the wisdom of the world, shatters their plans. Contrary to the expectations of those lacking in Divine wisdom, he appears among us in the greatest abjection, renouncing even birth in St. Joseph’s humble home, denying himself a modest abode among relatives and friends in a city of Palestine. Refused lodging among men, he seeks refuge and comfort among mere animals, choosing their habitation as the place of his birth, allowing their breath to give warmth to his tender body. He permits simple and rustic shepherds to be the first to pay their respects to him, after he himself informed them, by means of his angels, of the wonderful mystery.

Oh wisdom and power of God, we are constrained to exclaim how incomprehensible are your judgments and unsearchable your ways! Poverty, humility, abjection, contempt, all surround the Word made flesh. But we, out of the darkness that envelops the incarnate Word, understand one thing, hear one voice, perceive one sublime truth: you have done everything out of love, you invite us to nothing else but love, speak of nothing except love, give us naught except proofs of love.

The heavenly babe suffers and cries in the crib so that for us suffering would be sweet, meritorious and accepted. He deprives himself of everything, in order that we may learn from him the renunciation of worldly goods and comforts. He is satisfied with humble and poor adorers, to encourage us to love poverty, and to prefer the company of the little and simple rather than the great ones of the world.

This celestial child, all meekness and sweetness, wishes to impress in our hearts by his example these sublime virtues, so that from a world that is torn and devastated, an era of peace and love may spring forth. Even from the moment of his birth he reveals to us our mission, which is to scorn that which the world loves and seeks.

Oh let us prostrate ourselves before the manger; …let us offer him all our hearts without reserve. Let us promise to follow the precepts which come to us from the grotto of Bethlehem, which teach us that everything here below is vanity of vanities, nothing but vanity.

(Padre Pio, Letters, San Giovanni Rotundo, Italy)

 

Thank you for telling us. This good priest! I will pray.