Confusing

I am not talking about extremist sites or unpleasant views expressed by some. I am talking about thoughtful, accurate analysis of what the Pope says and has been saying, there is a great deal of it available on the net. It is irritating that ANY such analysis is discounted by some as 'hateful' when his remarks are so provocative in so many respects. Merely damning those who choose to raise such points is helpful to no-one.

 

I more and more think that our only hope is to fulfill Our Lady's request at Fatima for the Consecration of Russia to the Immaculate Heart.

I know this sounds redundant and immaterial to all the practical, wonderful things that the Holy Father is doing like the reform of the Roman Curia. But my sense is the only thing that is going to save the Church and the world is a huge miracle.

My own conversion came about because I was humbled and made to realise my complete need for God. I think this doorway of humility will occur when we realise as a Church we can't wing it on our own anymore and get down on our knees and beg heaven to intervene.

Pope Francis of course is wonderful . But still I think the Consecration must take place EXACTLY AS ASKED AT FATIMA ...THE WHOLE HOG WORLD BISHOPS AND ALL.

You might say this is such a small thing, how can this do it? Well on this Feast of the Immaculate Conception I have to say humility is never a small thing. In fact humility is everything.

The second doorway of humility we have to get down on our knees and do is declare the last three Marian Dogmas. Every all remedy, every all recourse will fail unless we do these two things.

I know I maybe sound nuts for saying this. But I think that is what heaven has been asking for this. This is why the Queen of Heaven was sent from heaven.

It is a bit like the story of the foreign general who came to the prophet for healing in scripture. Do you remember the story?

He was asked to wash himself in the Jordan with water to be cured. Such a simple thing. But the general was indignant as it hurt his humility . But when he humbled himself and washed his leprosy was cured. This reminds me so much of the springs of Lourdes and the Immaculate Conception.

We, as a Church need to wash in the Jordan. Such a small thing, but taking so much humility.


2 Kings 5
New International Version (NIV)


Naaman Healed of Leprosy
5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.


2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”


4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”


7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”


8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”


11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.


13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.


15 Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.”


16 The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.


17 “If you will not,” said Naaman, “please let me, your servant, be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry, for your servant will never again make burnt offerings and sacrifices to any other god but the Lord. 18 But may the Lord forgive your servant for this one thing: When my master enters the temple of Rimmon to bow down and he is leaning on my arm and I have to bow there also—when I bow down in the temple of Rimmon, may the Lord forgive your servant for this.”


19 “Go in peace,” Elisha said.

After Naaman had traveled some distance, 20 Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something from him.”


21 So Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. “Is everything all right?” he asked.


22 “Everything is all right,” Gehazi answered. “My master sent me to say, ‘Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.’”


23 “By all means, take two talents,” said Naaman. He urged Gehazi to accept them, and then tied up the two talents of silver in two bags, with two sets of clothing. He gave them to two of his servants, and they carried them ahead of Gehazi. 24 When Gehazi came to the hill, he took the things from the servants and put them away in the house. He sent the men away and they left.


25 When he went in and stood before his master, Elisha asked him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?”

“Your servant didn’t go anywhere,” Gehazi answered.

26 But Elisha said to him, “Was not my spirit with you when the man got down from his chariot to meet you? Is this the time to take money or to accept clothes—or olive groves and vineyards, or flocks and herds, or male and female slaves? 27 Naaman’s leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever.” Then Gehazi went from Elisha’s presence and his skin was leprous—it had become as white as snow.

Oh Mary Conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee!

 

I am wondering how you all view sinners? Do you view them with disgust or with a feeling of arrogance because you are not them or do you view them with sorrow and love? I must admit I used to view them and their sin with disgust until I realized that I am just like them and we all are just like them. We are all sinners. As no one could pick up a stone and throw it nor can we pick up stones and throw them. Just because we may not be engaging in adultery, or homosexual acts or murder, etc does not discount the sins we do commit. I feel that sin is sin no matter what it is. There are no greater or lesser sins, just sin. Correction, there is only one greater sin than any other and that being the unpardonable one. I am trying in my hard heart to soften and accept all the sinners in the world and pray for them and love them as Jesus did. I detest their sins but in my heart I know that God detests my sins as well. We are equal to the worst sinner in the world and that sinner needs our love and prayers as we need love and prayers. There is only one judge. It is not me, or you or even the pope!

 

Hello Andy3, I like your thinking. We are all sinners and we are all not the one who will Judge at the end. And you had said it well that the one who does not forgive our sins as we forgive those who sin against us will be one of the greatest sins, but remember you have to also be able to ask for forgivness and know that there is nothing that you could do that you can't ask forgivness and God's mercy. When you think that you are so bad and that you can never return into God's graces is when satan has won. And I'm even hesitant to say that for as long as you are on this side of the ground and breathing, the chances to turn it all around is still there. No one should ever give up. We all faulter but we can all get back up and keep trying. I always knew I was a miserable sinner but I keep trying.

God bless,
Matt

 

Thanks Fatima, I will of course always pray for Pope Francis. As for change, I will be slow and watchful[dragging my feet]

 

I hear you Andy, I would have thought getting his own house in order would have been the real focus. While busy embracing sinners the church is in a shambles.

 

We were discussing sinners as those outside the Faith. Of course we are all sinners.

 

As usual Padraig has hit the nail on the head. We need to storm heaven for a full consecration to be done.

Is this the Pope who will do it?

Things are very bleak indeed but with our Lady interceding for us there is hope for there is nothing he wont do for his mother.

Our world is weary with the weight of sin. How we all need a 2nd Pentecost to boost the spirits and revive the body of Christ.

Otherwise we will all have to become victim souls to ward off divine justice.

 

I too believe that Padraig is spot on with his assessement of what is not only necessary but essential for this moment in time. I feel that we have had enough "Johnas" as pope's who for what ever reason have decided to not listen to heaven's specific requests, especially for the consecration of Russia they way our Lady of Fatima and even our Lord told Sister Lucia. They have all given lip service to Our Lady of Fatima, but did not do what she asked. Is it pride? Is it fear? Is it lack of grace? So what is it that keeps any one of the past half dozen or more Popes to not do what our Lady of Fatima requested? So what, if what the pope consecrates Russia and causes Russia or the world to react violently. Seems to me that doing what heaven is asking should trump any other reason. How many have died in wars since 1917 because the consecration has not been done? How many homosexual priests have molested young boys since 1917? How much evil in the world has already been done because our popes are 'chicken' to do as heaven has asked? I would go far as to say the whole world would have already been experienceing the 'era of peace' that our Lady of Fatima promised, if our popes had done are heaven had requested nearly 100 years ago.

Somehow the 100 year reign of the devil over this earth, in Pope Leo's vision, is directly linked to the Fatima message. I think both will come to fruition very soon. 1917 is poised to be a very important year in the big picture of God's plan. The consecration will happen, but "it will be late" as foretold by our Lady. Even this little girl gets it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxfo-7mW74g&feature=player_embedded

 

My real fear Fatima,is the last time there was talk of opening windows,for some fresh air ,even Paul vi had to concede 'the smoke of satan has entered the church'
If Pope Francis wants to open more doors and windows we will see more than just the smoke of satan ?
Am I being unrealistic?
E. Cardinal Pacelli:
I am worried by the Blessed Virgin’s messages to Lucy of Fatima. This persistence of Mary about the dangers which menace the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith, in Her liturgy, Her theology and Her soul…. I hear all around me innovators who wish to dismantle the Sacred Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, reject her ornaments and make her feel remorse for her historical past.

A day will come when the civilized world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaits them. Like Mary Magdalene, weeping before the empty tomb, they will ask, “Where have they taken Him?”

E. Cardinal Pacelli said this in 1931. He became Pope Pius XII in 1939.

 

We know that we will all one day weep before empty tabernacles and sacked churches, as the prophet Daniel told us we would lose the perpetual sacrifice. And woe to those who are responsible. It will happen. Our time now is best spent praying for the grace of fortitude, and praying for strength for our priests, especially those in leadership, that they will not become like Judas.

We do not know who these Judases will be - I pray that their number will be few, and I feel that they will not include Peter.

 

Often Spiritual Realities are hard to see, especially if we are not looking at these things with spiritual eyes.

“We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (2 Cor. 4:18.)

The people who are chosen to be Cardinals are chosen at least in part for their great administrative skills. Administrators rather than mystics. So they tend to look to the human, rather than the Spiritual realm for solutions. Very often they would no more look to the Spiritual for solutions than they would look to the tooth fairy to leave silver under their pillows at night.

Oh yes I am sure they would understand and believe that Our Blessed Mother was sent from heaven with a series of urgent requests, but consiously of unconciously they would compare and contrast Fatima with the, 'Real World' and as good practical administators Fatima and the last Dogmas got dropped to the bottom of the drawer.

In a way this is normal. But they have to see beyond that and to see beyond human ways of seeing they have to be humble and to be humble they have to be brought to their knees and to be brought to their knees they have to fail as the first Cardinals failed when they took to their feet and ran away at Gethsemane by running away and hiding.

They still look for human rather than spiritual remedies. For instance with priestly child abuse they issue new rule books and laws rather than encouraging deeper spiritual formation in the seminaries. A human solution to a Spiritual problem. A bit like putting a plaster on a cancer.

But they WILL be brought to their knees, we all will.
The Consecration of Russia

"I come to ask for the Consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart...If people attend to My requests, Russia will be converted and the world will have peace."

 

Evangelii Gaudium ~

There is a difference in the English translation of the original Spanish.

http://wtpotus.wordpress.com/2013/12/09/what-did-the-pope-not-say/

Thanks to the blogger whose blog is called...apocalypse paradigm.

 

A very timely and IMO a spot on assessment of Pope Francis

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/tom-k...tic-_b_4414410.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009

 

^^^ Love this from the article:

Even more important, the pope is not a politician, a media loudmouth or an activist. He is a religious figure, wholly dedicated to representing the Gospel of Jesus Christ as he understands it to a world caught up in a thousand other things.

Amen!

and this...

Has someone gotten to the pope, as Limbaugh suggests? Yes, actually. Jesus Christ apparently has. So when a news media figure such as Varney blasts Francis for wanting "to influence my politics," one has to ask who's really bringing politics to the discussion about Pope Francis. We'll probably find the answer not in the Vatican but in the mirror.

 

Andy, this was also my favorite quote from the article. I think this explains this Pope so well- he is not going to be labeled with the exception of a follower of a Jesus Christ.

 

If we could only be so lucky to ever be labelled in the same manner!!

 

This is purely anecdotal evidence but we have three families that were close to us in earlier years who all have left the Catholic Church this year for what we jokingly call the local Mega church where you can find the most "catholics" on Sunday. It's a local non-denominational feel good Christian church where the evangelical pastor openly derides the Catholic Church and has a very feel good message, very new age, lots of fun groups, rock music, etc. Apparently they draw quite a crowd, 12,000 plus on Sundays. Anyways, does anyone know of any surveys showing the % of Catholics in our country? Is it going up or down this year? I am wondering if Pope Francis' comments about not having to be Catholic to get to heaven have fed into folks feeling ok leaving the church and joining these "feel good" churches that have no dogma, no rules, no Eucharist . . .

 

^^^I feel they can continue to knock on the back door hoping someone will answer, while I will enter through the front door with the sacraments as the key. Knowing our loving Mother though, she will be standing on the front porch with outstretched arms just smiling and waiting to welcome us in!

 

there was a recent post in rorate-caeli :

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-francis-revolution-and-effect.html