Hi HH, About 3 years ago I witnessed a MoG member target and stalk another member. (I believe many of us witnessed this at the time) The poor stalked member was followed around the threads he replied to, by the stalker who would apply underhanded tactics to discredit the context of the other members posts, belittling him and generally harassing this member. I know I wondered why this person (the stalker) would want to do this to another member, I came to the conclusion that the stalker had either a mental illness or possibly a personal guilt which led to this vengeful retaliation. Sadly, both members are no longer on the forum. Over the last 9 years I have never needed to utilize the ignore button! Because I have always found other members to be civil to each other even with disagreements which ensued over theology or private revelations. But in May this year I applied the ignore button to a MoG member (due to consistent harassment); I also distanced myself from the offending thread to give this person a safe space to speak her truth. I did this to place a boundary around this person and myself for protection. When one utilizes the ignore button you no longer see the ignored persons posts. So last night I did not know who you were addressing or what had been said, however your posts were, just, loving and full of common sense. So I gave my likes! At the moment I can only assume that I have been followed (by this member) to the St Joseph’s thread. And that possibly detracting and detrimental things have been said about me. I want to thank you for your love and support. May God be praised always! Luke 23:31 Our Lords Words ....."For if such things as these are done when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
Hi, Josephite. I think I know what you mean. These things have happened to me, and I have had to use the ignore button, but I haven't in quite awhile. I am glad to know that you found my posts positive. LOL. I love your quote from Luke23:31. It is one of Our Lord's most mysterious quotes...at least for me, it is. As my teachers would say to us when we were small, "put on your thinking caps." I wasn't always sure where my thinking cap was located. I would hope that when we see problematic posts, that we would use the report button. That's what it is for. Don't worry about the negative things people may say about us, because God is our protector. He will vindicate us.
I think we need to be able to express ourselves, but to be aware also that we must try to avoid making personal comment posts. It's rather difficult when we feel strongly about an issue. It's okay to let other people voice their opinions even if different from ours. We all like to think that we are right all the time but that will never happen on this earth. Sometimes we even bring our problems on ourselves. Been there. Some of us have had personal experiences which were not fruitful, and it is okay to talk about that without being called out. I know I will express myself over condemned Bayside apparitions at the drop of a hat. And don't get me started on John Leary. Edit maybe some posts were missed on Ignore.
—Sincerity— Source: Divine Intimacy (Catholic Exchange) Presence of God – Give me, O Lord, an open, sincere heart, loving the truth, seeking and desiring it at any cost. MEDITATION “Lord, who shall dwell in Thy tabernacle, or who shall rest in Thy holy hill?” asks the Psalmist. And he gives the answer: “He that walketh without blemish, and worketh justice” (Ps 15:1,2). God is truth, and no one can be admitted to His intimacy who does not strive as much as he can, to live in truth and to be sincere in all his actions. First of all, we must seek to possess truth in the depths of our heart, that we may know ourselves as we really are in the eyes of God, stripped of all disguise and artificiality. To do this we must accept, not only the truths which please us, but also those which are painful and wound our pride to the quick, revealing our faults and evil tendencies. A person who is sincere never closes his eyes to these truths, but values them, even if they are humiliating, knowing that humiliation which reveals the truth is worth more than illusion which flatters pride and keeps us in error. Sometimes God permits difficult circumstances which are especially hard and trying for the practice of virtue, that we may see the truth and know ourselves as we really are. Under the onset of contradiction, we experience movements, hitherto unknown, surging up within us: movements of anger, rebellion, selfishness, from which perhaps we had had the illusion that we were free. In such cases, instead of turning our gaze away, it is necessary to have the courage to recognize these faults and confess them, humbly and frankly. St. John of the Cross speaks of certain pious souls who, in confession, “palliate [their sins] and make them appear less evil, and thus … excuse themselves rather than accuse themselves” (cf. Dark Night of the Soul, I, 2, 4). A soul that loves the truth is very far from acting in this way; even if it has only venial sins and imperfections of which to accuse itself in confession, it exposes them all very sincerely, without magnifying or minimizing them, never blaming circumstances, but only itself for all that is faulty. Sincerity in confessing our faults is the first step toward freeing ourselves from them. COLLOQUY “O Lord, if I wish to reach You, who are the Way, the Truth, and the Life, I must travel the road of truth, without any pretense or dissimulation, renouncing reason that has been darkened by self-love and human respect. I must act with simplicity, wholly dying to myself and to creatures. Teach me, O eternal Truth, how to act sincerely and frankly. Let my soul, simple as a dove, fly to You to build its nest in Your heart, and nourish itself with the knowledge of You and of itself; thus despising its own malice, it will find nothing in itself to satisfy it, and therefore, it will be unable to stay far away from You, not finding where to repose outside of You. Teach me to walk in the straight path of truth without stopping, but always advancing, hurrying and running swiftly, in order to follow You, eternal Truth, my guide and my way” (St. Mary Magdalen dei Pazzi). “O Lord, let Thy truth teach me, let Thy truth guard me, and keep me till I come to a happy end. Let the same deliver me from all evil affections. I confess my sins to Thee with great compunction and sorrow; never permit me to esteem myself for my good works. I am indeed a sinner, subject to, and entangled with many passions. I always tend to nothing, I fall quickly, I am quickly overcome, easily disturbed and discouraged. I have nothing in which I can glory, but many things for which I ought to humble myself, for I am much weaker than I am able to comprehend. “Teach me, O Lord, to admire Thy eternal truth, and to despise my own exceeding vileness” (The Imitation of Christ, III, 4,2-4).
Thank you Jason, A truly magnificent presentation by Sensus Fidelium on St Joseph. Everyone should watch this. I had no idea that the Church has the cloak of St Joseph in its possession, what a precious relic! which is apparently coming to the US in September this year! I can only hope it will also make its way to Australia.
Thanks Heavenly, I have never used the report button. If posts are questionable, I normally doubt my own judgement especially if the poster seems to know what they are presenting, I do however check credentials and have alerted moderators, for further investigation, to hopefully limit any harm it may have caused. Yes God is our protector and our vindicator; if it be His Holy Will, otherwise we are to carry the cross of humiliation with Our Lord, knowing all things work to good for those that Love the Lord.
Jesus, I know you have a plan! Please do assist my dear sister! It saddens me greatly that things should be twisted so. So be it.
Thanks AED, I have the imitation of Christ, but not the Divine Intimacy, which I have just looked up, truly a beautiful work. While continually demonstrating his familiarity with Sacred Scripture, Fr. Gabriel extensively draws upon the wisdom of the great Carmelite Saints, including St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, St. Therese of the Child Jesus and Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. One only need look at Fr. Gabriel’s meditation “The Necessity for Interior Purification” from the pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima to appreciate the gift which is Divine Intimacy: “Grace, the gift of God which makes the soul a participant in the divine nature, is poured forth into the soul in proportion to its degree of interior purity, which always corresponds to its degree of conformity with God’s will. Therefore, the soul that wishes to be totally possessed and transformed by divine Grace, must in practice strive to conform fully to the will of God, according to the teaching of St. John of the Cross, “so that there may be nothing in the soul that is contrary to the will of God, but that in all and through all its movement may be that of the will of God alone”. (DI, 78) Beautiful!
Josephite, forgive my ignorance here, but how can you gain 16 indulgences? I thought only 1 per day is all you can gain. Can you post a link for this?
16 different ways to gain the indulgence perhaps? Not 16 a day. Example: a plenary indulgence for a Holy Hour or for public recitation of the Rosary etc. But only one per day.
Hi Fede, Below is an informative video by Father Calloway explaining how the year of St Joseph came about and if you go to the 27 minute mark he explains indulgencies in general and at the 33 minute mark he starts explaining the 16 indulgencies that can be obtained daily during the year of St Joseph.
