It is like I have always said, stay with the Pope who stay's with the unchanging doctrines of the faith. This cannot be stressed enough. Doctrine can never change. Know your faith. This is why we have a Catholic Catechism given to us by Saint John Paul the Great. Pope Francis, although seemingly in favor of a 'softer doctrine' as it pertains to giving communion to the divorced and remarried and recognising gay relationships in some degree, did not, nor could he ever change doctrine. Yes, we would all like to hear straight candid talk from Pope Francis on what he thinks and what direction he wants to go, but we can be assured that he did what he did with the synod for some mystical reason that one day we may understand. Or again maybe we won't. But nonetheless he deserves our fidelity. He did say very early in his papacy that he wanted to 'shake things up' and well he did and he is.
Mary Ann, I will look those up when I get home and get back to you. I had lunch and dinner with my Bishop, Vicar General and chancellor today along with 5 other new employees of the diocese. It was a wonderful day! I honestly never had one seconds thought about Francis being a false pope or this Synod. The chips are gonna fall where they fall. My faith is in Christ. He is in charge of the Pope, not me. I will follow the pope until either of us die. If I follow him and he is false, then I will have won. If I follow him and he is true, I will have won. He is true. Ivan said he was true when I had lunch with him in Missouri. OUR LADY SAID THIS WAS HER POPE. SHE SAID HE WAS A GOOD POPE!! I know this not just because of Ivan, but because I have read Fr. Gobbi's book front to back and back to front and about 2000 other messages. Those that are true and approved by good solid bishops have never said one thing about a false pope. Poor St. Malachy is rolling in his grave being blamed for all this and he never said anything about a false pope either!! He gave us the GOOD NEW! That a pope would be another Peter--getting us through the tribulation. Remember everyone--we are neither CONSERVATIVE OR LIBERAL---WE ARE CATHOLIC. That sets us aside and gives us a great responsibility.
padraig and Andy3 too, I appreciate very much both of you for being candid, sharing of your falling down. We all I imagine for years now, think of our past mortal sins, of seeing of them in the Warning. Then there are mortal sins committed after conversion, who would of thought! There was a sin I committed after my conversion, it was so awful, once I did it, I wept for hours until I couldn't cry any more. The only consolation, sign, came the next day, from my patron saint, St. Therese. My pride, St. Therese is beautiful, so holy and here she knows me now for who I really am. Oh dear God, thank you for the help of the saints. And, I am grateful for everyone at MOG for the spiritual strengthening in every thread. Happy the forum is back.
It is only when we are broken Jackie that the Holy Spirit can rebuild us. I admit there are two thing that throws me a lot on discovering these roaches crouched under the stone of my hearts. When I find them and the Holy Spirit lets me know they are there I ask myself, 'How on Earth where you so blind you never ever realised?' (the answer to that of course is pride) The second question I ask, 'How many more of these roaches are crawling about in my soul?' (and the answer to that is of course is that there are hundreds of them rattling around in my life. To which the only thing I can say is, 'Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Be merciful to me a poor sinner'
You redraw my attention to something in the video that always startles and delights me. The children, the very little children sing, 'We fall down and we get up' . This expresses the profound and simple truth concerning God and God's mercy. Plainly, watching the children sing they really understand it. ..and why and how to the children understand something so great even most of us adults fail to grasp? Why because they are very little and we are very big and filled with pride. Little children get rebuked by their parents and teachers a hundred times a day and take it with good grace, because they are very little. Whereas we , someone only has to glance reproachfully in our direction and there is this huge, burning resentment, we are outraged. Matthew 11:25 Rest for the Weary 25At that time Jesus said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26"Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.…
Oh Dear God! If these roaches of sin scuttle in my heart till I day I die, then at least make them golden creatures who sing thy praise! Make me at least acknowledge them before men that touched by littleness they may turn to gold and sing your praise. May even my many sins praise you. ..and if at the End of Time in Judgement they reproach me, let it be known by all the angels, to your glory that even the lowliest of sinners and his sins turned in joy and hope to praise you. Oh dear Lord if, even together, we fail in this life to overcome them, many as they are , let them at least turn to gold and sing your praises . Grant oh Lord that even my sins, many as they are ,serve to praise you.
Very, very happy to see this clarification and apology from Michael Voris regarding the Pope and the synod. I actually had become turned off to him in the last year and this statement and his contrition and humility is worthy of praise. Nice job Michael!
I am sorry, bless Michael but I am glad I am not the only one with egg on my face over the Synod. Misery loves company. As was written I respect his humility in apologising. We all make mistakes. All of us.
padraig, Oh, thank you for taking the time to reply and for the video. I like any post from you, your style of writing. For example here, the "roaches" analogy for sin. Jesus mercy, our pride. I look at my habitual sin or sins, I want family, loved ones to think more of me and now if that isn't pride!
I think one thing I noticed about myself Jackie, I think we all do it is this. When we were children the one thing we would love to have heard was that our mother loved us more than the rest of the kids. In a sense our whole life is a quest for love; we can't get enough of it. I think we do the same thing with God. We want to be the favourite kid. Part of this is pride but I think most of it is just plain hunger. But God loves us all equally because He loves us all totally. Thus , incredible as it may seem He loves us just as much as He loves His own mother. So there is no need for either pride or for hunger there is more than enough love to go round. None of us is special. Because we all special. We all His favourite/ Therefore pride becomes irrelevant, if you see what I mean.
Padraig I've been off this thread for a while and just saw your comments on Sunday. For the love of God don't beat yourself up. Just a case of "heard what you said but knew what you meant" my friend. We all get like that and its just letting off and static and its not the real you that we know and respect. W'ere all adults here so no scandal. And everybody here picked you up and dusted you off so nicely and set you on your way again. Very heart-warming .
Sorry Padraig, it was a moment of weakness. It won't happen again! Don't mock me too badly for it . I suppose its like Bart quoted previously, its entirely possible for two people to be unable to live with each other yet still both be saints and beloved of God. Love I suppose must therefore be, when the whips are cracking, first of all an abiding decision of one's will not one's heart or mind. Of course it would be great if our heart and mind was always in sync with one's will. Alas that is not possible all the time or with everybody in this life it seems . But there is such good will on this forum despite the differences. If that isn't Catholic Christianity at work I don't know what is.
"From seat to seat throughout this realm, to all the realm is pleasing." [That is, each citizen is pleased with the kingdom as a whole; the whole is present to each individual.] For in his will our hearts have found their peace. Dante Divine Comedy: Quoted in Peter Kreeft's Angels and Demons, P.60
I never read that before, beautiful. St Therese asked the question how everyone will have different places in heaven high and lower. She gave the answer that no matter the size of the cup every cup will be full to the brim, so no cup will complain. She also compared us to the flowers some little for get me nots, some roses some giant sunflowers. She said each has its own place in the garden , none in competition.with the other.
You can't beat the saintly wisdom of the little flower. As you know the truths of the faith are beautifully intertwined and woven together. It is most helpful to draw analogies from our everyday life and experience when attempting to comprehend something of these heavenly realities. For example: When you know you have done something wrong one's own sense of shame leads one to draw back as it were from the company of those one may have hurt and even to cower and hide from one's own miserable condition (as the story of adam and eve profoundly illustrates). In like manner the souls of those in purgatory draw back as it were from the blessed light of the fire of divine truth and love to the degree that their souls are in need of purification. Like a child who hides under his bed from his Father's anger born of love so too does the soul seek to hide its misery from the purifying and healing light of divine love. And so it comes to pass that after a time (through the intercession of our mother) we make our our way down the stairs and are once more made ready to gaze upon The Father through eyes purified by the tears of sorrow and repentance. In like manner, the more we love and surrender our wills to the Lord's in this life the greater participation in his divine life we will have in the next. It is like you said Padraig in a post somewhere, when we sin we disfigure as it were our own humanity-we rot from the inside out. I always liked C.S Lewis' analogy (maybe Fulton Sheen) of the operation of divine grace on the soul. Like the sun, the rays of divine mercy and love shine down on us all. However we can, and more than often do, put obstacles in the way of the light thus preventing its heavenly rays from scattering the darkness and filth of our souls. Just like the filth and stains that can prevent the light of the sun passing through our windows so also our sins prevent the light of God's grace from penetrating, vivifying, and purifying our souls. The deficiency does not lie in God's grace but in the openness of our hearts to his love and mercy. If we willfully close them to the action of divine grace then there is nothing that God can do to lead us into the light of his love. It is a terrible prospect indeed that in our twisted pride and willfulness we can reject the Lord's love and mercy and so condemn ourselves to hell.
Ha, ha, I have one child who still asks if she is my favorite. I reply..."How could I have favorites, I am a Libra." I do see what you mean and I shall remember it, thank you!
Well, I had written Michael off until I had seen this. Thank you for posting! We are all being tested in one way or another Padraig. I've learned so much reading Mark Mallett's posts during and after the Synod that I'm humbled just realizing I got over this little hump or trial! God knows a few years ago my pride, my life and my dreams were shattered and shaken to the core. After a lot of shame, regrouping, humble pie and prayer, I'm now glad I went through it all. I'm better for it. I'm wiser and more careful and I am REALLY trying to go slower and not to jump the gun. That in itself is hard for me. When I have an 'ah-ha!' moment, I want to tell everyone! NOT GOOD...LOL I've wanted to throw my computer in the river....when its not the stupid computer's fault! Thank God for confession. I am going more often and I fear for the times when we don't have priests! http://www.markmallett.com/blog/the-persecution-from-within/
