By the way the main reason why the Old Dragon has fallen to Earth in such fury and with such immense power is the murder of the innocents, the Sin of Molloch , abortion. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=ajUDHK1MJvdo
Padraig, thank you for sharing this. It is painful and frustrating to experience this when you try to do what God asks you to do and when you try to be in union with God in the Church. I completely agree with your remark: "One thing that amazes me really is just how bad things have gotten so quick. It is as though we had left a joint of meat in the kitchen and when we go back again to look it is writhing with maggots and covered in flies. People and the Church in general and the world too are like that going bad very quick". It does not surprise me that you encounter evil in many forms. I also met this many times, but not so much the evil presence in the street you experienced, although I hate it to take the metro because of the presence of more and more weird people. People becoming aggressive, also in the Church and it comes from nowhere (there is no reason for it). I have friends who do not like to go out anymore... But I am more sad and sick than afraid because many people risk to loose their souls because of their behavior and there are so many Padraig, so many.... you know. There are so many totally blind. I am not judging them but it is obvious that they are not doing what Our Lady is asking from them. Prayers and prayers and prayers are needed. The devil is also afraid of us and becomes perhaps therefore more aggressive.
The only thing that scares people is me teaching their children religion class! The kids seem to love me, but their parents not so much. I usually only last teaching religion the first year of a new faith formation director. Then I am not invited back until a new director comes in about every 3 years. See, I tell my kids (I only will teach high school kids), that whatever I say in this room does not stay in this room but goes home to tell their families. Parent's don't like it much when their kid tells them that I told them it is a grave sin to miss Mass on a Holy Day of Obligation and/or Sunday's. Of course it doesn't matter that I read it right out of the Catholic Catechism. Kids love to be challenged. I throw the books the director gives at the beginning of the year aside and don't bother to open them. Then I plan lessons around the Mass, the Rosary, the Bible, Fatima, the Angels, etc... A few weeks ago, our new director who happens to be Hispanic and orthodox in her faith, asked me if I could teach two other grades along with mine, because they couldn't find a teacher. Yes of course I said. She said it might be around 40 kids, I said, no problem the more the merrier! It was a lesson on the Mass. The next day I got a call at work from a parent. To my dismay he thanked me profusely, as his kid from the moment he got into his car until bed time was telling them everything he learned and said he wanted to only come back to my class from now on as his teacher just read out of a boring book for 1.5 hours each week. A gift from God it was to have a kid so excited to learn the hard sayings of the faith.
Fatima, God bless you for teaching the truth! So difficult in these times. The sad part is that so many souls are starving for the truth but don't even know they're hungry because of the noise and distractions of this world. I long for the day of no technology where our biggest job of the day is giving thanks to God and hoping we find food to sustain ourselves. Just a simple life. God Bless!
I think the one thing we have to avoid the most, Elisa is fear. This perhaps the greatest thing Pope John Paul taught us, 'Be not Afraid' . his is especially true of the devil and those who follow the devil. More and more I think of the devil as like a black oily smoke. He can't do any harm unless we let him. It would be just so sad to be too afraid to leave our homes. These poor people need us and need out witness. It is the same for me in Church. It would be the easiest thing for me at the moment to move seats to avoid people. Or even to start going to a different Church. But prayerfully I feel that God does not want this. I think when we hide we give power to those who pursue us but if we stand erect with heads high the our of our deliverance is right at hand. http://uk.reuters.com/article/2013/07/05/us-vatican-johnpaul-costarica-idUSBRE9640WP20130705
There must be some kind of Golden Rule written into the scheme of things, that when we do the right things people rush to attack us and when we do wrong they admire and praise us.
Oh, wow! Presumably you're not in the UK? Years ago, a friend of mine, whose grandchild attended the local 'Catholic' school, told her that none of the other children knew how to pray the Rosary and thought that the rosary was just a fashion accessory! She went to see the headteacher and asked if she could possibly come into school and give a talk on the Rosary. The headteacher told her 'absolutely not, you're not trained and anyway the Rosary is not part of the Religious Education syllabus'. She told her grandson to try to teach his friends, I never heard whether or not he had any success.
Last night in my sleep, for some reason I was in a time frame when Christian worship in all forms was abolished and you could not be found to have any religious symbols, even in your homes or you would be arrested. So I was trying to find places to hid my valued religious books and religious articles. Trust me, I am no mystic, so I don't even know why this came to me. When I woke, I began to ponder whether it would be right to veil our religious articles during this time? Would it be turning on our faith to hide religious pictures, statue's, rosaries, bibles etc.., rather than suffer persecution. ? What do you all think?
Fatima, I've had thoughts about this also. I think it is only prudence to hide our religious articles when it comes to this kind of persecution. I've also been working, in advance, on loving my enemies, the kind of people who would turn me in, since I'm a notorious faithful Catholic. I think of the people I know, even in my own family, who are so far from God. It grieves me to think what will become of them (if they continue to resist conversion) when darkness covers the land, and gross darkness the people.
I recommend to you this book. Father Arseny and his spiritual children already lived under persecution and knew it thoroughly. This book I have translated from Russian to Finnish. It is very informative about Orthodox faith and way of life, too. And those people knew how to live "under ground"...and they shed their blood, blood of martyrs. MEMORY ETERNAL! Father Arseny: A Cloud of Witnesses Paperback by Vera Bouteneff
I was curious about something a young Deacon said at mass this morning, Daria and I was wondering if you could explain it a little. He said that a young friend of his who is training to be an Orthodox priest said that in Orthodoxy fasting is very much a part of Advent. I was wondering how this works? Thanks very much.
I think, when the time gets closer we could all do well to study up on how the Faithful survive in places like China. Jesus said, 'Be you innocent as doves and subtle as the serpent'. I suspect we will all have to study up on the subtle serpent bit
Great idea. I've tried to find something about how Catholics managed during the French revolution, and the Cristero war in Mexico. The best resource I've found so far is about Mother Elias of the Blessed Sacrament:http://www.audiosancto.org/sermon/2...ce-Mother-Elias-of-the-Blessed-Sacrament.html (P.S. I found this when Mother Superior was occupied with weddings and such - I had hoped to get her response, since it seems that Mother Elias was a prepper, and managed to bribe her way through some tangles with officials with tobacco and alcohol!)
Daria; If you had time, I'd love to hear from you some helpful tidbits, since many of us can't read Russian or Finnish. (I'm so impressed with those of you who are multi-lingual. My brain doesn't work that way!)
Was fasting not traditionally a part of Advent here in Ireland too at some point in time? I was just talking to my son about this this morning, because I was giving out about those secular "advent" calendars that have little pieces of chocolate in them, and I was thinking of the Patrick Kavanagh poem, Advent: We have tested and tasted too much, lover- Through a chink too wide there comes in no wonder. But here in the Advent-darkened room Where the dry black bread and the sugarless tea Of penance will charm back the luxury Of a child's soul, we'll return to Doom The knowledge we stole but could not use. And the newness that was in every stale thing When we looked at it as children: the spirit-shocking Wonder in a black slanting Ulster hill Or the prophetic astonishment in the tedious talking Of an old fool will awake for us and bring You and me to the yard gate to watch the whins And the bog-holes, cart-tracks, old stables where Time begins. O after Christmas we'll have no need to go searching For the difference that sets an old phrase burning- We'll hear it in the whispered argument of a churning Or in the streets where the village boys are lurching. And we'll hear it among decent men too Who barrow dung in gardens under trees, Wherever life pours ordinary plenty. Won't we be rich, my love and I, and God we shall not ask for reason's payment, The why of heart-breaking strangeness in dreeping hedges Nor analyse God's breath in common statement. We have thrown into the dust-bin the clay-minted wages Of pleasure, knowledge and the conscious hour- And Christ comes with a January flower.
Well, I can tell something about this book but it's available in English. Amazon sells it and many others, too. In Orthodox bookshops in U.S. they surely have it. http://www.amazon.com/Father-Arseny-A-Cloud-Witnesses/dp/0881412325 This book is amazing indeed even if you know something of those times of persecution in Soviet Union before. For everybody it is a provoking experience to peek into a different world of heroic faith and unbelievable miracles.
Nativity Fast rules: During the early part of the fast, the rule is identical to that of the Apostles' Fast (in summer). During the latter part of the fast, fish is no longer eaten on Saturdays or Sundays. In different traditions, this heightening of the fast may be for either the last week or the last two weeks. The rule for Nativity Fast is more lenient than for Great Lent. Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Strict fast. Tuesday, Thursday: Oil and wine permitted.Saturday, Sunday: Fish, oil and wine permitted. In the real life of a Finnish Orthodox person this fast is seen as an effort to limit eating (too much and too delicious food) and limit other kinds of consumption, too. In our Lutheran country this is very difficult, because they have a habit to celebrate Christmas in many ways before it's proper time. They have little feasts where Christmas food is served and small presents given to each other. Our fast last from 15 Nov to 24 Dec, and it is a long time mortify when all the other people are already enjoying Christmas treats! Many times we have to think how to say no to those meat dishes on the table...many eat vegetables and something more simple (potatoes!) which they find on the table. It's very difficult avoid those little feasts because they are everywhere: in jobs, schools, clubs - everywhere. Our priests understand how difficult fasting is in our society and usually they give some advice of limiting consumption, saving money for charity and keeping oneself in peaceful state of mind, praying more and preparing spiritually for Christmas. In our monasteries they of course are fasting according to those rules above. In families it is a great effort to make children wait for sweets and presents until 25 December when our celebration begins. Our Nativity Fast in indeed swimming against to current but we honor this fast and try to keep peaceful state of mind in the middle of common fuss.
