The Real Status of Father Feeney's Doctrinal Position

Louis Villarrubia, known to followers of the Saint Benedict Center cult as "Brother" Andre Marie, continues to insist that Father Leonard Feeney's doctrinal position on Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus was and is correct. He writes (at his Blog):


"Father Feeney died in the good graces of the Church, without even the slightest ecclesiastical censure remaining upon him. He did so without having changed his position on "no salvation outside the Church." In fact, he made no doctrinal reversals of any sort. Knowing that he maintained his dogmatic "hard line," Church officials lifted "any censures which may have been incurred" in 1972."

But this isn't the whole story. Not by a long-shot. As explained by Fr. William Most, an internationally acclaimed theologian and Scripture scholar:

"When Feeney was old, some church authorities out of sorrow for him, let him be reconciled to the Church. As part of the unfortunate looseness we see so often today, they did not demand that he recant. So he did not. As a result, some former followers of his came back to the Church. Others even today insist that the lack of demanding a recantation meant Feeney had been right all along. Of course not. We have proved that abundantly with official texts above and the texts of the Fathers of the Church." Source: http://www.ewtn.com/library/scriptur/feeney.txt

The following explains the Church's understanding of the dogma Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus and the real status of Father Feeney's doctrinal position:


LETTER OF THE SACRED CONGREGATION OF THE HOLY OFFICE

Archbishop Richard J. Cushing

Given on August 8, 1949 explaining the true sense of Catholic doctrine that there is no salvation outside the Church.

This important Letter of the Holy Office is introduced by a letter of the Most Reverend Archbishop of Boston.

The Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Holy Office has examined again the problem of Father Leonard Feeney and St. Benedict Center. Having studied carefully the publications issued by the Center, and having considered all the circumstances of this case, the Sacred Congregation has ordered me to publish, in its entirety, the letter which the same Congregation sent me on the 8th of August, 1949. The Supreme Pontiff, His Holiness, Pope Pius XII, has given full approval to this decision. In due obedience, therefore, we publish, in its entirety, the Latin text of the letter as received from the Holy Office with an English translation of the same approved by the Holy See.

Given at Boston, Mass., the 4th day of September, 1952.
Walter J. Furlong, Chancellor
Richard J. Cushing, Archbishop of Boston.

LETTER OF THE HOLY OFFICE
From the Headquarters of the Holy Office, Aug. 8, 1949.

Your Excellency:

This Supreme Sacred Congregation has followed very attentively the rise and the course of the grave controversy stirred up by certain associates of "St. Benedict Center" and "Boston College" in regard to the interpretation of that axiom: "Outside the Church there is no salvation."

After having examined all the documents that are necessary or useful in this matter, among them information from your Chancery, as well as appeals and reports in which the associates of "St. Benedict Center" explain their opinions and complaints, and also many other documents pertinent to the controversy, officially collected, the same Sacred Congregation is convinced that the unfortunate controversy arose from the fact that the axiom, "outside the Church there is no salvation," was not correctly understood and weighed, and that the same controversy was rendered more bitter by serious disturbance of discipline arising from the fact that some of the associates of the institutions mentioned above refused reverence and obedience to legitimate authorities.

Accordingly, the Most Eminent and Most Reverend Cardinals of this Supreme Congregation, in a plenary session held on Wednesday, July 27, 1949, decreed, and the august Pontiff in an audience on the following Thursday, July 28, 1949, deigned to give his approval, that the following explanations pertinent to the doctrine, and also that invitations and exhortations relevant to discipline be given:

We are bound by divine and Catholic faith to believe all those things which are contained in the word of God, whether it be Scripture or Tradition, and are proposed by the Church to be believed as divinely revealed, not only through solemn judgment but also through the ordinary and universal teaching office (, n. 1792).

Now, among those things which the Church has always preached and will never cease to preach is contained also that infallible statement by which we are taught that there is no salvation outside the Church.

However, this dogma must be understood in that sense in which the Church herself understands it. For, it was not to private judgments that Our Savior gave for explanation those things that are contained in the deposit of faith, but to the teaching authority of the Church.
Now, in the first place, the Church teaches that in this matter there is question of a most strict command of Jesus Christ. For He explicitly enjoined on His apostles to teach all nations to observe all things whatsoever He Himself had commanded (Matt. 28: 19-20).

Now, among the commandments of Christ, that one holds not the least place by which we are commanded to be incorporated by baptism into the Mystical Body of Christ, which is the Church, and to remain united to Christ and to His Vicar, through whom He Himself in a visible manner governs the Church on earth.

Therefore, no one will be saved who, knowing the Church to have been divinely established by Christ, nevertheless refuses to submit to the Church or withholds obedience from the Roman Pontiff, the Vicar of Christ on earth.

Not only did the Savior command that all nations should enter the Church, but He also decreed the Church to be a means of salvation without which no one can enter the kingdom of eternal glory.

In His infinite mercy God has willed that the effects, necessary for one to be saved, of those helps to salvation which are directed toward man's final end, not by intrinsic necessity, but only by divine institution, can also be obtained in certain circumstances when those helps are used only in desire and longing. This we see clearly stated in the Sacred Council of Trent, both in reference to the sacrament of regeneration and in reference to the sacrament of penance (, nn. 797, 807).

The same in its own degree must be asserted of the Church, in as far as she is the general help to salvation. Therefore, that one may obtain eternal salvation, it is not always required that he be incorporated into the Church actually as a member, but it is necessary that at least he be united to her by desire and longing.

However, this desire need not always be explicit, as it is in catechumens; but when a person is involved in invincible ignorance God accepts also an implicit desire, so called because it is included in that good disposition of soul whereby a person wishes his will to be conformed to the will of God.

These things are clearly taught in that dogmatic letter which was issued by the Sovereign Pontiff, Pope Pius XII, on June 29, 1943, (AAS, Vol. 35, an. 1943, p. 193 ff.). For in this letter the Sovereign Pontiff clearly distinguishes between those who are actually incorporated into the Church as members, and those who are united to the Church only by desire.

Discussing the members of which the Mystical Body is-composed here on earth, the same august Pontiff says: "Actually only those are to be included as members of the Church who have been baptized and profess the true faith, and who have not been so unfortunate as to separate themselves from the unity of the Body, or been excluded by legitimate authority for grave faults committed."

Toward the end of this same encyclical letter, when most affectionately inviting to unity those who do not belong to the body of the Catholic Church, he mentions those who "are related to the Mystical Body of the Redeemer by a certain unconscious yearning and desire," and these he by no means excludes from eternal salvation, but on the other hand states that they are in a condition "in which they cannot be sure of their salvation" since "they still remain deprived of those many heavenly gifts and helps which can only be enjoyed in the Catholic Church" (AAS, 1. c., p. 243). With these wise words he reproves both those who exclude from eternal salvation all united to the Church only by implicit desire, and those who falsely assert that men can be saved equally well in every religion (cf. Pope Pius IX, Allocution, , in , n. 1641 ff.; also Pope Pius IX in the encyclical letter, , in , n. 1677).

But it must not be thought that any kind of desire of entering the Church suffices that one may be saved. It is necessary that the desire by which one is related to the Church be animated by perfect charity. Nor can an implicit desire produce its effect, unless a person has supernatural faith: "For he who comes to God must believe that God exists and is a rewarder of those who seek Him" (Heb. 11:6). The Council of Trent declares (Session VI, chap. 8): "Faith is the beginning of man's salvation, the foundation and root of all justification, without which it is impossible to please God and attain to the fellowship of His children" (Denzinger, n. 801).

From what has been said it is evident that those things which are proposed in the periodical , fascicle 3, as the genuine teaching of the Catholic Church are far from being such and are very harmful both to those within the Church and those without.
From these declarations which pertain to doctrine, certain conclusions follow which regard discipline and conduct, and which cannot be unknown to those who vigorously defend the necessity by which all are bound' of belonging to the true Church and of submitting to the authority of the Roman Pontiff and of the Bishops "whom the Holy Ghost has placed . . . to rule the Church" (Acts 20:28).

Hence, one cannot understand how the St. Benedict Center can consistently claim to be a Catholic school and wish to be accounted such, and yet not conform to the prescriptions of canons 1381 and 1382 of the Code of Canon Law, and continue to exist as a source of discord and rebellion against ecclesiastical authority and as a source of the disturbance of many consciences.

Furthermore, it is beyond understanding how a member of a religious Institute, namely Father Feeney, presents himself as a "Defender of the Faith," and at the same time does not hesitate to attack the catechetical instruction proposed by lawful authorities, and has not even feared to incur grave sanctions threatened by the sacred canons because of his serious violations of his duties as a religious, a priest, and an ordinary member of the Church.

Finally, it is in no wise to be tolerated that certain Catholics shall claim for themselves the right to publish a periodical, for the purpose of spreading theological doctrines, without the permission of competent Church authority, called the "" which is prescribed by the sacred canons.

Therefore, let them who in grave peril are ranged against the Church seriously bear in mind that after "Rome has spoken" they cannot be excused even by reasons of good faith. Certainly, their bond and duty of obedience toward the Church is much graver than that of those who as yet are related to the Church "only by an unconscious desire." Let them realize that they are children of the Church, lovingly nourished by her with the milk of doctrine and the sacraments, and hence, having heard the clear voice of their Mother, they cannot be excused from culpable ignorance, and therefore to them apply without any restriction that principle: submission to the Catholic Church and to the Sovereign Pontiff is required as necessary for salvation.

In sending this letter, I declare my profound esteem, and remain,
Your Excellency's most devoted,

F. Cardinal Marchetti-Selvaggiani.
A. Ottaviani, Assessor.
(Private); Holy Office, 8 Aug., 1949.

Source: http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDFFEENY.htm


It is noteworthy that while Louis Villarrubia always seems to find the time to propagate Fr. Feeney's erroneous doctrinal position, he never seems to find any time to answer his critics who wish to know how he can be an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church without canonical permission from the Church.

Related reading: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/02/still-no-answer-from-saint-benedict.html

Related reading: http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=1385

Related reading: www.thebostonchannel.com/chronicle/15910669/detail.html


"Both Feeney and Lefebvre ended up betraying the pope they professed to love so well by willfully disobeying a clear order from their ecclesiastical superiors and by claiming that they had heavenly permission to engage in their renegade activities. Furthermore, for all their stated concern for law in general, both evidently had little regard for ecclesial law in particular, in that they both continued to regularly administer the sacraments despite the fact their faculties had been withdrawn by their superiors—Feeney in April of 1949, and Lefebvre in July of 1976.

Likewise, both of these 20th-century schismatics stubbornly focussed on a technicality in Canon Law in an attempt to prove themselves right, all the while claiming a martyr's role. Feeney claimed the papal Protocol explicitly condemning his group was invalid since it hadn't been published in the , while Lefebvre claimed more than once to be the victim of canonical irregularities.

Another similarity between the Boston priest and the French cardinal concerns their penchant for the private interpretation of magisterial documents. Just as Feeney claimed to possess the one, true interpretation of Benedict VIII's over and against Pius IX's , so Marcel Lefebvre held that his Society of St. Pius X possessed over and above the authority of the Second Vatican Council the correct concept of the Mass and religious freedom.

Both Feeney and Lefebvre gathered around themselves counselors who were, in retrospect, at least as crafty and cunning as their mentors had been in their worst moments. One wonders whether it was fidelity to the cause or simple self-interest that lay behind both Feeney's and Lefebvre's advisors' stubborn insistence that their respective leaders—Catherine Goddard Clarke with Feeney and Richard Williamson with Lefebvre, for example—take a hard line against the church, even when it meant excommunication for him.

Finally, and most significantly, both Leonard Feeney and Marcel Lefebvre are dead. And, like the hundreds of other so-called "reformers" that have appeared over the centuries, the movements they spawned have broken up, splintering off into increasingly smaller sects. Such is the fate reserved for those who believe themselves to be more Catholic than the pope. Without a central authority, the spirit of self-will that generated the division in the first place perpetuates itself, eventuating in more and more schisms."
Source: http://www.ewtn.com/library/answers/extreccl.htm

Prophecy: The choice is ours

The Lord Jesus is giving us a choice: Return to His love or continue down the path of self-will. Have we forgotten what He told us in John 15:5? Do we still believe that we can accomplish anything without Him?

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.

La Salette Center for Christian Living and Pax Christi

A few week ago, the La Salette Center for Christian Living in Attleboro offered the 16th annual Pax Christi Massachusetts retreat directed by Sister Patricia McCarthy. As explained here, Pax Christi is both a leftist organization and nationally-recognized dissent group. Pax Christi has strong ties to another well-recognized dissent group - Call to Action. As explained here, Bishop Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Nebraska, has described the Call to Action movement [of which Pax Christi is part and parcel] as one which is, "..often disguised as a sincere effort to 'renew' the Catholic Church" but which masks "a hidden agenda and poison fruit which the noisier dissenters never tire of offering to their unsuspecting victims."

As Elizabeth Drennan notes in her excellent article:

"The CTA [Call to Action]/lesbian pro-abortion Feminist's Prayer to the Four Great Spirits is also part of RENEW 2000 materials (Called to Lead, book 2). In this prayer/exercise, participants stand in a circle, arms outstretched, and pray to the "Great Spirits of the Four Directions, North, South, East, and West" and "to the Great Spirit of All That Is Below" — which is actually in the text of RENEW 2000, along with its author's name: Diann Neu, the lesbian-feminist CTA speaker.

Alarmingly, the idea of prayer to the "four directions" which Neu teaches RENEW 2000 participants is also an intrinsic part of WICCA (witchcraft) worship of the goddess, Gaia, according to WICCA web sites."

Astute readers of this Blog will recall from a previous posting of mine how the La Salette Center for Christian Living had offered a retreat directed by a witch [and former nun] which featured an altar to the "four directions."

And this is where Steubenville East is held every year?

Related reading (Renew 2000): http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/renew/renewauth.htm

Is this what you want for your children?

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it."

- Proverbs 22:6


Which one of you parents would hand your child a pack of camel cigarettes before sending them off to school? Or a bottle of Jack Daniels? Why then allow them to be indoctrinated in the perverse homosexual "lifestyle"? Is this what you want for your children?

And of course, what is far more important to consider is the supernatural life of grace in your children's souls. It is your responsibility as parents to do everything in your power to cultivate and protect this life of grace. And you will be judged by the Lord Jesus as to whether or not you were faithful to this responsibility.

Related reading: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2007/02/persecution-watch-parental-rights-under.html

Calvary approaches

Secundum Ioannem 14:30:

"Iam non multa loquar vobiscum, venit enim princeps mundi et in me non habet quidquam."



A word to the Church: Prepare. Watch. Pray. For the hour is almost at hand. The Prince of this world is ready to reveal himself as the Son of Perdition. The night is far spent. The mystery of iniquity is already unfolding. Pray and trust.

"We have no illusion about the price we followers of Christ have to pay to remain faithful to our divine Master. Throughout the Gospel of St. John, we are told that when Christ came into the world the world rejected Him. We are told we cannot both love Christ and the world. We are warned, or shall I say promised, that the world will treat us as it treated the living God when He came into this world." (Father John Hardon).





POWERFUL EXORCISM PRAYER

Kyrie eleison. God, our Lord, King of ages, All-powerful and Almighty, You Who made everything and Who transforms everything simply by Your will. You Who in Babylon changed into dew the flames of the "seven-times hotter" furnace and protected and saved the three holy children. You are the doctor and the physician of our souls. You are the salvation of those who turn to You. We beseech You to make powerless, banish, and drive out every diabolic power, presence and machination; every evil influence, malefice, or evil eye and all evil actions aimed against your servant. . . Where there is envy and malice, give us an abundance of goodness, endurance, victory, and charity. O Lord, You who love man, we beg You to reach out Your powerful hands and Your most high and mighty arms and come to our aid. Help us, who are made in Your image, send the angel of peace over us, to protect us body and soul. May he keep at bay and vanquish every evil power, every poison or malice invoked against us by corrupt and envious people. Then, under the protection of Your authority may we sing, in gratitude, "The Lord is my salvation; whom should I fear?" I will not fear evil because You are with me, my God, my strength, my powerful Lord, Lord of peace, Father of all ages. Yes, Lord our God, be merciful to us, Your image, and save your servant . . . from every threat or harm from the evil one, and protect him by raising him above all evil. We ask you this through the intercession of our Most Blessed, Glorious Lady, Mary ever Virgin, Mother of God, of the most splendid archangels and all yours saints. Amen."

ANIMA CHRISTI

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from the side of Christ, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; within Your wounds, hide me; let me never be separated from You; from the evil one, protect me; at the hour of my death, call me; and bid me come to You; that with Your saints, I may praise You forever and ever. Amen.

PRAYER AGAINST EVERY EVIL

Spirit of our God, Father, Son , and Holy Spirit, Most Holy Trinity, Immaculate Virgin Mary, angels, archangels, and saints of Heaven, descend upon me. Please purify me, Lord, mold me, fill me with Yourself, use me. Banish all the forces of evil from me, destroy them, vanquish them, so that I can be healthy and do good deeds. Banish from me all spells, witchcraft, black magic, malefice, ties, maledictions, and the evil eye; diabolic infestations, oppressions, possessions; all that is evil and sinful, jealousy, perfidy, envy; physical, psychological, moral, spiritual, diabolical ailments. Burn all these evils in hell, that they may never again touch me or any other creature in the entire world. I command and bid all the powers who molest me -- by the power of God all powerful, in the name of Jesus Christ our Savior, through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin Mary -- to leave me forever, and to be consigned into the everlasting hell, where they will be bound by Saint Michael the archangel, Saint Gabriel, Saint Raphael, our guardian angels, and where they will be crushed under the heel of the Immaculate Virgin Mary.

PRAYER FOR INNER HEALING

Lord Jesus, You came to heal our wounded and troubled hearts. I beg You to heal the torments that cause anxiety in my heart; I beg You, in a particular way, to heal all who are the cause of sin. I beg You to come into my life and heal me of the psychological harms that struck me in my early years and form the injuries that they caused throughout my life. Lord Jesus, You know my burdens. I lay them all on Your Good Shepherd's Heart. I beseech You -- by the merits of the great, open wound in Your heart -- to heal the small wounds that are in mine. Heal the pain of my memories, so that nothing that has happened to me will cause me to remain in pain and anguish, filled with anxiety. Heal, O Lord, all those wounds that have been the cause of all the evil that is rooted in my life. I want to forgive all those who have offended me. Look to those inner sores that make me unable to forgive. You Who came to forgive the afflicted of heart, please, heal my own heart. Heal, my Lord Jesus, those intimate wounds that cause me physical illness. I offer You my heart. Accept it, Lord, purify it, and give me the sentiments of Your Divine Heart. Help me to be meek and humble. Heal me, O Lord, from the pain caused by the death of my loved ones, which is oppressing me. Grant me to regain peace and joy in the knowledge that You are the Resurrection and the Life. Make me an authentic witness to Your Resurrection, Your victory over sin and death, Your living presence among us. Amen."
PRAYER FOR DELIVERANCE

My Lord, You are all powerful, You are God, You are Father. We beg You through the intercession and help of the archangels Michael, Raphael, and Gabriel, for the deliverance of our brothers and sisters who are enslaved by the evil one. All saints of heaven, come to our aid. From anxiety, sadness, and obsessions, We beg You: Free us, O Lord. From hatred, fornication, envy, We beg You: Free us, O Lord. From thoughts of jealousy, rage, and death. We beg You: Free us, O Lord. From every thought of suicide and abortion. We beg You: Free us, O Lord. From every form of sinful sexuality. We beg You: Free us, O Lord. From every division in our family, and every harmful friendship. We beg You: Free us, O Lord. From every sort of spell, malefice, witchcraft, and every form of the occult. We beg You: Free us, O Lord.
Lord, You Who said, "I leave you peace, my peace I give you," grant that, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, we may be liberated from every evil spell and enjoy Your peace always. In the Name of Christ, our Lord. Amen."

More food fears

Related reading: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/03/hour-of-poverty-and-defeat-approaches.html

A Neopagan Homosexual Gospel......

Josyp Terelya, a visionary from the Ukraine, has experienced apparitions and messages from the Mother of God in Marmora, Ontario, Canada. On Friday, September 18, 1992, Our Lady told this heroic servant of God:

"...Today as never before we see the servants of Satan, all the evil spirits and antichrists, openly proclaiming their hatred of God, saying, We are rejecting God and His kingdom, because we shall govern the earth ourselves as we ourselves want. How many priests and bishops there are today who give glory to God with their lips but not with their hearts. How many are the priests that deny the Bible today, especially those sections which proclaim Jesus as the Savior and King of the world....Some governments will begin to protect homosexuality and all sorts of abominations of the devil. Congresses and parliaments will make laws against truth, and some have already done so. Those who speak the truth will be considered criminals. It is then that the general persecution of Christians will begin. The law will prohibit the truth and the law of God."

And this persecution is beginning to manifest itself more and more. Read here

Although I have always and everywhere stressed the Magisterial teaching of Christ's Church that those with homosexual tendencies, "..must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided," (CCC, 2358), I have just as often stressed the Magisterial teaching that, "..homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered..They are contrary to the natural law..They close the sexual act to the gift of life..They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity..Under no circumstances can they be approved." (CCC, 2357).

For this, I have twice been labelled a "bigot" by a homosexual activist who frequently leaves comments at JayG's Blog Defend the Faith. This same individual left a comment at this Blog asserting the same thing. And when one of his friends [another homosexual activist] asserted that, "There is a growing number of pro gay priests and ministers who will turn the tide" [against the Church's Magisterial teaching regarding homosexuality], he was challenged to be more specific. This was his response (in part):

"I've already mentioned the names of two gay supporting priests by linking to their websites. And then of, course, there is the Catholic Pastoral Committee on Sexual Minorities, http://www.cpcsm.org/ But I know that homosexuality is not a sin because I know several couples. Their relationships are absolutely identical to straight relationships in every pertinent way." This comment may be found at this Blog post.

Make no mistake about it. The antagonism between the homosexual movement and Christianity is rooted in something much more profound, something much deeper, than the scientific, psychological, social and political elements. The antagonism is religious. The homosexual movement's "moral revolution" is nothing less than an immense effort to overthrow orthodox Christianity (as well as to criminalize it) and to replace it with a neopagan erotic mysticism*

See The Spiritual Roots of Homosexuality: http://www.spirit-alembic.com/ishvara.html

St. Pio.....40 years later

Saint Padre Pio is displayed in the Madonna delle Grazie Church in San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia province, Italy, 24 April 2008. Tens of thousands of pilgrims converged 24 April in the southern Italian village to witness the first public display of Padre Pio's exhumed remains. Pio who died 40 years ago and is famous for his stigmata (wounds on his hands and feet corresponding to those of the crucified Christ) continues to be widely venerated by many Catholics worldwide. EPA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

Impurity is a punishment for pride.....

"..they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for the likeness of an image of mortal man or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes. Therefore, God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies...Their females exchanged natural relations for unnatural, and the males likewise gave up natural relations with females and burned with lust for one another. Males did shameful things with males and thus received in their own persons the due penalty for their perversity...They are filled with every form of wickedness, evil, greed, and malice; full of envy, murder, rivalry, treachery, and spite. They are gossips and scandalmongers and they hate God.." (Romans 1).

By contrast:

"Through humility the purity of chastity is guaranteed. Indeed, if one submits piously to God, one's flesh will not rise illicitly against the spirit. That is why Adam, the first to disobey, covered himself as soon as he had committed the sin of pride." (St. Gregory (lib. XXVI, Morals, xii).

"You will know them by their fruits.." (Matthew 7:16).

The End of the Times....

On December 31, 1992, Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi:


“I have announced to you many times that the end of the times and the coming of Jesus in glory is very near. Now, I want to help you understand the signs described in the Holy Scriptures, which indicate that his glorious return is now close.

These signs are clearly indicated in the Gospels, in the letters of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, and they are becoming a reality during these years.— The first sign is the spread of errors, which lead to the loss of faith and to apostasy.These errors are being propagated by false teachers, by renowned theologians who are no longer teaching the truths of the Gospel, but pernicious heresies based on errors and on human reasonings. It is because of the teaching of these errors that the true faith is being lost and that the great apostasy is spreading everywhere.‘See that no one deceives you. For many will attempt to deceive many people. False prophets will come and will deceive very many.’ (cf. Mt 24:4-5, 11)

‘The day of the Lord will not come unless the great apostasy comes first.’ (cf. 2 Thes 2:3)

‘There will be false teachers among you. These will seek to introduce disastrous heresies and will even set themselves against the Master who ransomed them. Many will listen to them and will follow their licentious ways. Through their offense, the Christian faith will be reviled. In their greed, they will exploit you with fabrications.’ (cf. 2 Pt 2:1-3)

— The second sign is the outbreak of wars and fratricidal struggles, which lead to the prevalence of violence and hatred and a general slackening off of charity, while natural catastrophes, such as epidemics, famines, floods and earthquakes, become more and more frequent.‘When you hear of reports of wars, close at hand or far away, see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many places. All this will be only the beginning of greater sufferings to come. Evildoing will be so widespread that the love of many will grow cold. But God will save those who persevere until the end.’ (cf. Mt 24:6-8,12-13)

— The third sign is the bloody persecution of those who remain faithful to Jesus and to his Gospel and who stand fast in the true faith. Throughout this all, the Gospel will be preached in every part of the world. Think, beloved children, of the great persecutions to which the Church is being subjected; think of the apostolic zeal of the recent popes, above all of my Pope, John Paul II, as he brings to all the nations of the earth the announcement of the Gospel.‘They will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all because of me. And then many will abandon the faith; they will betray and hate one another. Meanwhile, the message of the kingdom of God will be preached in all the world; all nations must hear it. And then the end will come.’ (cf. Mt 24:9-10,14)

— The fourth sign is the horrible sacrilege, perpetrated by him who sets himself against Christ, that is, the Antichrist. He will enter into the holy temple of God and will sit on his throne and have himself adored as God.‘This one will oppose and exalt himself against everything that men adore and call God. The lawless one will come by the power of Satan, with all the force of false miracles and pretended wonders. He will make use of every kind of wicked deception, in order to work harm.’ (cf. 2 Thes 2:4,9-10)

‘One day, you will see in the holy place he who commits the horrible sacrilege. The prophet Daniel spoke of this. Let the reader seek to understand.’ (cf. Mt 24:15)Beloved children, in order to understand in what this horrible sacrilege consists, read what has been predicted by the prophet Daniel: ‘Go, Daniel; these words are to remain secret and sealed until the end time. Many will be cleansed, made white and upright, but the wicked will persist in doing wrong. Not one of the wicked will understand these things, but the wise will comprehend.‘Now, from the moment that the daily Sacrifice is abolished and the horrible abomination is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits with patience and attains one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.’ (Dn 12:9-12) The Holy Mass is the daily Sacrifice, the pure oblation which is offered to the Lord everywhere, from the rising of the sun to its going down.

The Sacrifice of the Mass renews that which was accomplished by Jesus on Calvary. By accepting the Protestant doctrine, people will hold that the Mass is not a sacrifice but only a sacred meal, that is to say, a remembrance of that which Jesus did at his Last Supper. And thus, the celebration of Holy Mass will be suppressed. In this abolition of the daily Sacrifice consists the horrible sacrilege accomplished by the Antichrist, which will last about three and a half years, namely, one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

— The fifth sign consists in extraordinary phenomena, which occur in the skies.‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; and the stars will fall from the sky; and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’ (Mt 24:29) The miracle of the sun, which took place at Fatima during my last apparition, is intended to point out to you that you are now entering into the times when these events will take place, events which will prepare for the return of Jesus in glory.‘And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. All the tribes of the earth will mourn, and men will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven, with great power and splendor.’ (Mt 24:30)

My beloved ones and children consecrated to my Immaculate Heart, I have wanted to teach you about these signs, which Jesus has pointed out to you in his Gospel, in order to prepare you for the end of the times, because these are about to take place in your days.The year which is coming to a close, and that which is beginning, form part of the great tribulation, during which the apostasy is spreading, the wars are multiplying, natural catastrophes are occurring in many places, persecutions are intensifying, the announcement of the Gospel is being brought to all nations, extraordinary phenomena are occurring in the sky, and the moment of the full manifestation of the Antichrist is drawing ever nearer.

And so I urge you to remain strong in the faith, secure in trust and ardent in charity. Allow yourselves to be led by me, and gather together, each and all, in the sure refuge of my Immaculate Heart, which I have prepared for you especially during these last times. Read, with me, the signs of your time, and live in peace of heart and in confidence.

I am always with you, to tell you that the coming about of these signs indicates to you with certainty that the end of the times, with the return of Jesus in glory, is close at hand.‘Learn a lesson from the fig tree: when its branches become tender and sprout the first leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things taking place, know that your liberation is near.’ ” (cf. Mt 24:32-33)

I've been saying this for more than 15 years now....

"No longer should a diocese be a bureaucracy (where the devout are unwelcome)."
- Michael H. Brown


From the La Salette Journey archives:


Thursday, September 15, 2005

Priesthood as vocation


Before entering into any state of life, a divine vocation is necessary. This because without such a vocation, it is difficult if not impossible to fulfil the obligations which pertain to that state and to obtain salvation. This is particularly true for the ministerial priesthood or any other ecclesiastical state. After all, it was Our Lord Who said: "He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up another way, the same is a thief and a robber" (John 10:1).

Consequently, the man who takes holy orders without a call from God is convicted of theft in taking by force a dignity which God has not called him to and does not desire to bestow upon him. This is the teaching of Saint Paul:"Neither doth any man take the honor to himself, but he that is called by God, as Aaron was. So Christ also did not glorify Himself that He might be made a high priest; but he that said unto Him: Thou art My Son; this day I have begotten Thee." (Hebrews 5:4,5).

It matters not then how learned or prudent or holy a man may be. No man may place himself into the holy sanctuary unless he is first called and introduced to the same by Almighty God. Jesus Our Lord was certainly the most learned and holy among all men, full of grace and truth (John 1:14), the Son of Man in Whom were (and are) hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3). And yet, Jesus required a divine call to assume the dignity of the priesthood. This is the teaching of the Council of Trent. That the Church regards the man who assumes the priesthood without a vocation not as a minister but as a robber: "Decernit sancta Synodus eos qui ea (ministeria) propria temeritate sibi sumunt, omnes, non Ecclesiae ministros, sed fures et latrones per ostium non ingressos habendos esse" (Session 23, cap. 4).

Those who seize the priesthood without a vocation may labor and toil exhaustively. But their labors will profit them very little before God. In fact, the very works which would be considered of much merit when performed by others will deserve chastisement for such souls. Because such men are not in conformity with the divine will, not having a vocation to the state of life which they have usurped, the Lord Jesus will not accept their toils: "I have no pleasure in you, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will not receive a gift of your hand" (Malachi 1:10).

Not only will God refuse the gifts of their hand, He will punish the works of the minister who has entered the sanctuary without being called; without a vocation:"What stranger soever cometh to it (the Tabernacle) shall be slain." (Numbers 1:51). Bearing all of this in mind, please read the following which first appeared in The Wanderer [I submitted it back in 2001] and may be found at the Faithfulvoice.com website:

On October 1, 1986, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published an instruction entitled, Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic Church on Pastoral Service for Homosexual Persons, signed by Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger and approved by Pope John Paul II. In this Instruction, Cardinal Ratzinger writes, "It is necessary to point out that the particular inclination of a homosexual person, though not a sin in itself, nevertheless constitutes a more or less strong tendency to an intrinsically evil behavior from the moral standpoint. For this reason, the very inclination should be considered as objectively disordered." (No. 3).

This would appear to be especially significant since Canon 1040 of the Code of Canon Law states that: "Persons who are affected by a perpetual impediment, which is called an irregularity, or a simple impediment, are prevented from receiving orders." Now, irregularities arise either from defect (ex defectu) or from crime (ex delicto). It seems clear to me that a homosexual inclination, which Cardinal Ratzinger has referred to as "objectively disordered," constitutes an irregularity ex defectu. In fact, when asked by a Bishop if it is licit to confer priestly ordination to men with manifest homosexual tendencies, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments replied with a letter signed by Jorge Cardinal Medina Estevez which stated that, "Ordination to the diaconate and the priesthood of homosexual men or men with homosexual tendencies is absolutely inadvisable and imprudent and, from the pastoral point of view, very risky. A homosexual person, or one with a homosexual tendency is not, therefore, fit to receive the sacrament of Holy Orders."

Read this and then do your part to defend our Holy Father

Richmond: A Town Divided

Those of you who missed last year's broadcast of the Chronicle episode entitled "Richmond: A Town Divided," which discussed the controversies and concerns swirling around the Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, may view a re-broadcast of the episode on Tuesday, April 22nd at 7:30 PM on Channel 5.

Related reading:
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2008/02/still-no-answer-from-saint-benedict.html

* http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2007/10/im-not-historian.html

http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=1385

http://www.factnet.org/?p=193

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/976383.html

I received threats against my person at this Blog and was attacked and slandered publically by Stormfront, one of the most prominent hate groups in this country. I was referred to as a "Jew-loving sh..bag," "an Ayn Rand capitalist materialist," and the "village communist." I never could figure out just how I could be a capitalist materialist and a communist at the same time. But then, logic isn't exactly a strong suit at Stormfront or any other hate group for that matter.

I am proud to stand with my Jewish brothers and sisters. And just as threats will not intimidate me from promoting and defending the Magisterial teaching of Christ's Church, so too I will not back down in fear when it comes to defending my elder brothers and sisters* in the Jewish Community.

Paul.


* "Mark well, we call Abraham our Patriarch, our ancestor. Anti-Semitism is irreconcilable with this lofty thought.....Anti-Semitism is inadmissible; spiritually, we are all Semites." (Pope Pius XI to Belgian Pilgrims, September 6, 1938).

* "He who makes a distinction between Jews and other men is unfaithful to God and is in conflict with God's commands." (Pope Pius XII, Broadcast of Vatican Radio to the People of France, June 1943).

What would Cardinal Newman think?

I was disappointed at the mental gymnastics exhibited by professor Thomas Groome of Boston College on the television program Chronicle as he attempted to rationalize the turning away from the Catholic ideal which has taken place in Catholic universities across the United States. But I was even more disappointed that professor Groome would suggest that Cardinal Newman would have difficulty understanding the concerns of the Cardinal Newman Society as they relate to the identity of Catholic universities.

Quite simply, professor Groome is wrong. In his classic work The Idea of a University, Cardinal Newman explains that, "...It is no sufficient security for the Catholicity of a university, even that the whole of Catholic theology should be professed in it, unless the Church breathes her own pure and unearthly spirit in it, and fashions and moulds its organization, and watches over its teaching, and knits together its pupils, and superintends its actions....It cannot but be that if left to themselves, they will, in spite of their profession of Catholic truth, work out results more or less prejudicial to its interests. Nor is this all: such institutions may become hostile to the revealed truth in consequence of the circumstances of their teaching as well as of their end. They are employed in the pursuit of liberal knowledge, and liberal knowledge has a special tendency, not necessary or rightful, but a tendency in fact, when cultivated by beings such as we are, to impress us with a mere philosophical theory of life and conduct, in the place of Revelation....It is not that you will at once reject Catholicism, but you will measure and proportion it by an earthly standard. You will throw its highest and most momentous disclosures into the background; you will deny its principles, explain away its doctrines, rearrange its precepts, and make light of its practices, even while you profess it....This intellectualism first and chiefly comes into collision with precept, then with doctrine, then with the very principle of dogmatism."

No professor Groome, Cardinal Newman wouldn't be shocked over the beliefs of the society which has taken his name. Rather, he would be shocked at how accurately he described our age of institutionalized apostasy from Catholic truth. He would be shocked at how the light and love of the world have replaced the light and love of Jesus Christ within the walls of most of our Catholic universities. And he would weep. And he would pray for a return to fidelity.

Related reading: http://www.catholicmediacoalition.org/groome.htm

Paul.

Sodomy and false compassion...

Pope Saint Pius X, in his 1910 Catechism, teaches us that sodomy ranks second in gravity to voluntary homicide, among the sins that "cry out to God for vengeance." According to this Catechism, these sins "are said to cry out to God because the Holy Spirit says so and because their iniquity is so grave and manifest that it provokes God to punish with more severe chastisements."

The Catechism of the Catholic Church published by the Vatican in 1994 teaches clearly that homosexuality is contrary to nature and that homosexual acts are among the "sins gravely contrary to chastity." (CCC, 2396). This Catechism teaches that homosexual acts are "intrinsically disordered," "contrary to the natural law," and that "under no circumstances can they be approved." (CCC, 2357).

In a discussion thread which may be found here homosexual activist John Hosty [from Massachusetts] is attempting to convince others that Christian "compassion" for homosexual persons should leave such individuals comfortable in their sin.


Now while it is true that everything must be done to help sinners, this cannot include helping them to sin or to remain in sin. Because of human frailty, every sinner deserves both pity and compassion. However, vice and sin must be excluded from this compassion. This because sin can never be the proper object of compassion. (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 30, a.1, ad 1).

It is a false compassion which supplies the sinner with the means to remain attached to sin. Such "compassion" provides an assistance (whether material or moral) which actually enables the sinner to remain firmly attached to his evil ways. By contrast, true compassion leads the sinner away from vice and back to virtue. As Thomas Aquinas explains:

"We love sinners out of charity, not so as to will what they will, or to rejoice in what gives them joy, but so as to make them will what we will, and rejoice in what rejoices us. Hence it is written: 'They shall be turned to thee, and thou shalt not be turned to them.'" (St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 25, a.6, ad 4, citing Jeremiah 15:19).

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches us that the sentiment of compassion only becomes a virtue when it is guided by reason, since "it is essential to human virtue that the movements of the soul should be regulated by reason." (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 30, c.3). Without such regulation, compassion is merely a passion. A false compassion is a compassion not regulated and tempered by reason and is, therefore, a potentially dangerous inclination. This because it is subject to favoring not only that which is good but also that which is evil (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 30, a.1, ad 3).

An authentic compassion always stems from charity. True compassion is an effect of charity (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 30, a.3, ad 3). But it must be remembered that the object of this virtue is God, whose love extends to His creatures. (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 25, a.3). Therefore, the virtue of compassion seeks to bring God to the one who suffers so that he may thereby participate in the infinite love of God. As St. Augustine explains:

"'Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.' Now, you love yourself suitably when you love God better than yourself. What, then, you aim at in yourself you must aim at in your neighbor, namely, that he may love God with a perfect affection." (St. Augustine, Of the Morals of the Catholic Church, No. 49, which may be found here: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1401.htm).

Please pray for Mr. Hosty and other misguided individuals who believe that compassion toward homosexual persons means showing acceptance of homosexual behavior. For such false compassion actually serves to harm the one chained to vice as well as the common good.

Paul.

Museum of Russian Icons

If you're like me, you love icons. I just discovered a remarkable museum which houses the largest collection of Russian Icons in North America.

Location: 203 Union Street
Clinton, Mass
Phone: (978) 598-5000

From the Vatican Information Service...

A "NEW HUMANISM" IS VITAL IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE PEACE

VATICAN CITY, 12 APR 2008 (VIS) - Made public today was a Message from the Pope addressed to Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and to participants in a seminar entitled: "Disarmament, development and peace, prospects for integral disarmament", being held in Rome on 11 and 12 April.

"Tension and war exist in various parts of the world", notes the Holy Father in his Message, "and even where the tragedy of war is not present, feelings of fear and insecurity are nonetheless widespread. Furthermore, such phenomena as global terrorism blur the distinction between peace and war, seriously compromising the future hopes of humankind.

"How", he adds, "can we respond to these challenges? How can we recognise the 'signs of the times'? Certainly, joint action on a political, economic and juridical level is needed but, even before that, it is necessary to reflect together on a moral and spiritual level. What is ever more vital is to promote a 'new humanism'".

Benedict XVI highlights how "development cannot be reduced to simple economic growth, it must include the moral and spiritual dimension. A truly integral humanism must, at the same time, also express solidarity".

"True and lasting peace is unimaginable without the development of each person and of all peoples", says the Pope. "Nor is it conceivable to think of reducing arms if first we do not eliminate violence at its roots, if man does not first turn decisively to searching for peace and for what is good and just".

"As long as a risk of hostility exists, the arming of States will remain necessary for reasons of legitimate defence. ... Nonetheless, not all levels of armament are permissible. ... The vast material and human resources used for military expenditure and armaments are, in fact, taken from projects for the development of peoples, especially the poorest and those most in need of help".

In this context, the Pope makes an appeal "for States to reduce military expenditure on arms and to give serious consideration to the idea of creating a global fund for peaceful development projects".

Benedict XVI affirms the need to do everything possible to ensure that "the economy is directed to serving human beings and solidarity, and not just to profit. On a legal plane, States are called to a renewed commitment, especially as regards international agreements on disarmament and arms-control, as well as the ratification and subsequent implementation of previously-adopted instruments such as the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. ... Finally, every effort must also be made to combat the proliferation of small-calibre arms.

"Nonetheless", the Pope acknowledges, "it will be difficult to find a solution to the various technical problems without man's conversion to good on a cultural, moral and spiritual level".

The Holy Father highlights the "ever greater need for a choral invocation of the culture of peace and for a joint education in peace, especially among the new generations. ... The human right to peace", he writes, "is fundamental and inalienable", and upon it "the exercise of all other rights depends".

Although the current situation in the world could give rise "to a justified sense of discomfort and resignation", the Holy Father points out that "war is never inevitable and peace is always possible. Even more so, it is a duty! The time has come to change the course of history, to rediscover trust, to cultivate dialogue and to nourish solidarity", he says.

"The future of humanity depends upon a commitment on everyone's part. Only by pursuing an integral and solidary humanism, in which disarmament assumes an ethical and spiritual dimension, can humanity progress towards the true and lasting peace for which it longs".

St. Pio

Senator Obama: Prophet for a "New Age"?

One of the fundamental tenets of the New Age religion is that humanity is entering a "new era" in which all of the religions of the past will have to be subverted and in some way assimilated. It is believed that Christianity is a barbaric religion which is not fit for "modern man" and must be overpowered. Christianity must be purged of its fundamental dogmas and reinterpreted. Many New Agers hold that those who refuse to embrace this reinterpretation of Christianity will have to be "cleansed." By this they mean eliminated.

Atheism has become more sophisticated. The atheism of the future will not say, "God does not exist." Instead, it will assert that "Man is God," "humanity is God."

And just as Feurbach and Marx held that religion is induced by man's social suffering and by his oppression and manipulation and that man therefore consoles himself with God, so too proponents of the New Age religion believe that the religions of the past are illusory and that paradise will be achieved by peace, progress and labor for all and that this will result in the demise of faith in God.

For such people, Christ is the enemy of existence. It was Romano Guardini [in his classic The Lord, p. 513] who reminded us that:

"One day the Antichrist will come: a human being who introduces an order of things in which rebellion against God will attain its ultimate power. He will be filled with enlightenment and strength. The ultimate aim of all aims will be to prove that existence witout Christ is possible - nay rather, that Christ is the enemy of existence, which can be fully realized only when all Christian values have been destroyed. His arguments will be so impressive, supported by means of such tremendous power - violent and diplomatic, material and intellectual - that to reject them will result in almost insurmountable scandal, and everyone whose eyes are not opened by grace will be lost. Then it will be clear what the Christian essence really is: that which stems not from the world, but from the heart of God; victory of grace over the world; redemption of the world, for her true essence is not to be found in herself, but in God, from whom she has received it. When God becomes all in all, the world will finally burst into flower."

What does Senator Obama really believe about religion? What did he mean when he said, "You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing's replaced them...And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them.."

Does the Senator from Illinois view Christianity [the religion held by most of those small town people he was referring to] as barbaric and illusory? If not, why then does he paint their religious belief as a sort of crutch which they use to cope with unemployment?

Does Senator Obama view religion as some sort of "crutch"?

It was Karl Marx who said that, "Religion is, indeed, the self-consciousness and self-esteem of man who has either not yet won through to himself, or has already lost himself again. But man is no abstract being squatting outside the world. Man is the world of man—state, society. This state and this society produce religion, which is an inverted consciousness of the world, because they are an inverted world. Religion is the general theory of this world, its encyclopedic compendium, its logic in popular form, its spiritual point d'honneur, its enthusiasm, its moral sanction, its solemn complement, and its universal basis of consolation and justification. It is the fantastic realization of the human essence since the human essence has not acquired any true reality. The struggle against religion is, therefore, indirectly the struggle against that world whose spiritual aroma is religion. Religious suffering is, at one and the same time, the expression of real suffering and a protest against real suffering. Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people [Emphasis added] The abolition of religion as the illusory happiness of the people is the demand for their real happiness. To call on them to give up their illusions about their condition is to call on them to give up a condition that requires illusions. The criticism of religion is, therefore, in embryo, the criticism of that vale of tears of which religion is the halo."

Is this Senator Obama's view of religion? That it represents some sort of "crutch" or "opiate" which oppressed people fall back upon because they cannot cope with their problems? Does the Senator believe that religious belief is something which needs to be sanitized from society? Something which represents an "illusory happiness"?

Homosexual Juggernaut: The Pentagon

An important link:

http://www.ewtn.com/library/CURIA/CDfhomun.htm

Meanwhile, the courts continue to strip away the rights of those who oppose the homosexual "lifestyle":

http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=75547

Spent the better part of the day at Hanscom AFB and in prayer. Will return tomorrow with more posts.

Paul.

$10,000 worth of items stolen from St. Bernard's Parish in Fitchburg

Rev. Edward Chalmers, the Pastor of St. Bernard's, said that seven chalices, five ciborium and two candelabras were taken. Anyone with information on this break-in and theft are asked to contact Fitchburg police at: (978) 345-4355.

22 Episcopal Ministers fired for not embracing the homosexual agenda

I wonder if this is what Fr. Andre Dargis meant when he said that the Episcopal church is leading the way in the ecumenical movement? Isn't tolerance grand?

Meanwhile, Pope Paul VI said that the smoke of Satan had entered the Catholic Church and this has been confirmed by various attempts to empty Catholicism of its supernatural dimension and to reduce it to a humanitarian religion made in the image and likeness of man. A comfortable religion where little importance is attributed to sin, grace and the transcendent. In this man-made religion, the Sacraments are abandoned and the supernatural is relegated to the margins. Many clamor for a "democratic church" and the juridical and teaching authority of the Magisterium are contested.

Where is this all leading us. Read here for the answer:
http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2007/03/ecclesiastical-freemasonry-and-religion.html

Senator Obama: children as a punishment?

Children Are A Gift From God
by Sandra Tolson

God sent me three packages
That needed special care
"Take care of these tiny gifts
For they are very rare."
"Watch over them with all your love
And let them feel your touch
Take care of their every need
For you are needed very much."
"These gifts will grow up very fast
As you soon will see
Love them with all your heart
And let them be what they will be."
"When these gifts have fully grown
Look at Heaven up above
Know they exist because of God
And all his precious love."

In his Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, Pope John Paul II reminded us that:

"The first and fundamental structure for "human ecology" is the family, in which man receives his first formative ideas about truth and goodness, and learns what it means to love and to be loved, and thus what it actually means to be a person. Here we mean the family founded on marriage, in which the mutual gift of self by husband and wife creates an environment in which children can be born and develop their potentialities, become aware of their dignity and prepare to face their unique and individual destiny. But it often happens that people are discouraged from creating the proper conditions for human reproduction and are led to consider themselves and their lives as a series of sensations to be experienced rather than as a work to be accomplished.

The result is a lack of freedom, which causes a person to reject a commitment to enter into a stable relationship with another person and to bring children into the world, or which leads people to consider children as one of the many "things" which an individual can have or not have, according to taste, and which compete with other possibilities.

It is necessary to go back to seeing the family as the sanctuary of life. The family is indeed sacred: it is the place in which life — the gift of God — can be properly welcomed and protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed, and can develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth. In the face of the so-called culture of death, the family is the heart of the culture of life." (CA, No. 39).

Does Senator Obama view the family as the sanctuary of life? It would seem that he does not. Let's all pray that the Senator will come to view each and every child (born and unborn) as a gift from God and not as some sort of curse or "punishment." A child is not a "thing" which may be disposed of because he or she is deemed "inconvenient" or "intrusive."

Wisdom from Dr. Peter Kreeft:

http://catholiccitizens.org/press/contentview.asp?c=45693

"...you will see the great chastisement"

"Satan has deceived this entire poor humanity, bringing it so far away from God and building for it idols of his own perversion: pleasure, money, pride, egoism, amusement and impurity. And so humanity is today greatly threatened by violence, hatred, rebellion and war. During these years, you will see the great chastisement, with which the justice of God will purify this world, which has become a thousand times worse than at the time of the flood and so very possessed by evil spirits." (Our Lady to Fr. Stefano Gobbi, Perth Australia, December 8, 1993).

Natural disasters are multiplying. The economy is in a tail spin. There is talk of another Depression. A new CBS poll indicates that 81 % of the American people believe the United States is on the wrong track.

But Our Lady has been telling us this for so very many years now. And she has been ignored. The answer will not be found in politics. Our Mother has continually provided us with the only solution to our many problems: her Son Jesus. But are we listening? One has only to view a television broadcast to quickly obtain an answer to that question. There is no peace between men and nations because we are not following the Prince of Peace.

We've tried things our way. And we have failed. The choice is still ours: God's Holy Will or our own?