Sigh, tired of so called Catholics trying to turn our church into just another of the thousands of protestant denominations out there. Our Lord intended for one church. There is only one church. All other denominations are just Christian lay communities. But I also feel that God allows this to sift us like the wheat and the chaff. To purify the church.
Yes, this situation is far out of our control. But please go back to church and receive the sacraments asap. These are dire times and the Lord is waiting for you to return.
My Brother Henri, We don’t have to worry or lament about left or right but rather up or down. The evil one has discouraged you to the point of putting your soul in mortal sin and in his realm. NEVER despair the one, true, Holy, Apostolic, Catholic Church. This Church (of which we are living stones) is the Bride of Christ and His Mystical Body and He promised the gates of hell will never prevail against it. If you deny this, you call Christ a liar. Henri, with love, you must distinguish this beautiful bride from the human people in it. To give up on going to Church is to deny God’s authority over His Church and all of us. Do we have to like those to our left and right? We should try but it may not be possible. Should we love those all around us. Yes. But sometimes this means filial correction. This is that for you now. In the name of Jesus our Christ, and with His Holy and Immaculate Mother Mary and all of God’s Holy Angels and Saints, I implore you to immediately say an Act of Contrition and then get to Confession as soon as possible. Return to Catholic Mass (even if it’s not what you consider perfect) and return to the Eucharistic table after Confession. God loves you so much Henri and He wants you with Him at Mass and for you to worthily receive His Son so that you can become Him (Augustine). That is our one, main job. To give glory to God in the highest. It’s what we were created for before all time. Only through the Eucharist and the Paschal Mystery can we achieve this in Christ. Do not let the lies and despair of the deceiver snatch you away from eternal glory. Get to work my friend and Brother in Christ. Get er done. Put back on the full armor of our Faith and get back into battle. Christ is counting on you! Peace My Brother and with all Love, Ed
My dear brethren, If the smoke of Satan has entered the Church, I feel it best to flee, before the whole thing goes up in flames.
A guy who doesn't go to mass advising practising Catholics to stop going to mass doesn't belong here.
Your feet are already close to the fire and the flames you fear are the flames you will find unless you are in the barque of Christ’s Church. There is no salvation outside this Catholic Church. This is rather blunt and direct talk because your soul is in the balance. But it is your choice. You can choose eternal life or eternal fire. This is not a judgement upon you, it is the reality of a decision to knowingly, with full intent, being warned, leaving Christ’s Body. Do not go this route Henri.
A guy who doesn't go to mass advising practising Catholics to stop going to mass doesn't belong here. Really Bro.....I simply made a personal statement about why I choose not to get involved in a geopolitical *****, and look what happened. Aside from the sincere concern for my soul, which I am grateful for, but which is my responsability, it turned into a debate about the liturgy. That is the kind of nonsense that makes me sick, hey lets spend three days arguing about Garabandal and Medjugujrie, while we are at it. So WHATEVER.....I have my own problems, and I never adovcating anything for anybody. If I want to live a low key humble life, in some non centric fashion, who are you to say I cannot, when Pope Benedict XVI said that there are as many ways to God as there are people. Who knows maybe at some point I will return and you will all fall away. YOu Never know, but because of your ***** comment, I would like my account to be closed. Obscene language removed by Admin
The Devil has tempted you, Henri and you have fallen for it. Get you back to your Mass. Hell is Eternal and its fires are fierce.
Please watch your language! Our Lady is here. Please listen to the facts and go back to the Sacraments asap. Please. It’s not cool to be away.
For me, the greatest act of humilty, Henri, was the agony and death of the Lord Jesus upon the Cross, a death He embraced for your sake, as well as for all of us. And the second greatest act of humility is that Our Lord allows Himself to reside in the Tabernacle, waiting for you to visit and to be bathed in His Love. You say you want to live a humble life, then go spend an hour before the Blessed Sacrament, before Him Who is the most humble of all. He will speak to you there in the silence and show you what to do. Hunger for Jesus and He will satisfy you as no other can. When I go to Adoration this evening, I will speak to Him of you and your desire for a humble life.
I love what you have said Mario. Many times in my busy life when I drive by a church, I get saddened thinking about our Lord all alone in the tabernacle just waiting for someone to come visit him. I get sad for myself too in those moments to be too busy in life to be the one to come visit him. I need to do a better job of that for sure!!
Henri, If this statement of yours "My dear brethren, If the smoke of Satan has entered the Church, I feel it best to flee, before the whole thing goes up in flames" is only a statement proclaiming your personal decision to stop attending mass then I apologize. It reads to me more like a recommendation for all reading this thread to "flee the church", and if so, I have a grave issue with that and stand by my statement. There isn't even a debate here on this forum about staying in the church, about attending mass and receiving the most Holy Body of Christ. Holy communion is the summit of our faith, where God has graced us to spiritually and physically receive Him, body, blood, soul and divinity into our own body/soul. What an amazing gift! It's almost a FULL STOP at this point for me. For many of us, staying up on the the pope, cardinals and bishops misdeeds, sham synods etc. is to understand better the battle of good vs. evil going on in the church. The church is not defined by the sinner in it, even if they are at the summit. The true believers are the church, which is why we mustn't lose faith and trust in Christ that God is allowing this cleansing for all of our benefits. This is a test, especially for the faithful. We are called to stay with Christ and His church, trust in Him even when all seems lost. He promised the gates of hell will not prevail over His church. The faithless shepherds will fall away in God's timing, we must endure. Don't let fallen humans disrupt your personal relationship with Christ and His desire for you to unite with Him.
When I lie in bed at night I face the window and about 200 metres away is the chapel in my village, so I often think of Jesus alone in the dark in the tabernacle and keep him company from the comfort of my bed. I imagine myself in the chapel before the tabernacle. Maybe Jesus will grant me the grace of bilocation so I can actually visit him there and kneel before the tabernacle during the night. Unless you ask you don't get (lol I know). But one can always dream.
Henri , the Salvation of your soul is all our responsibility. Because we love you. Love makes us that way.
You are all beautiful people mates and dames, and I apologize if my foul-mouthed frustration has boiled over. They say intelligent people curse more, so I guess there is always an exception to the rule. I am tired. I have been on a very long journey. I have climbed many mountains both literal and figuratively. I have sat in many deserts both literal and figuratively. I am simply tired. I want the master of the house to come home for good, so I may be off the night watch. I apologize, but I am exhausted beyond exhaustion. I am very tired.
