tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post318124378066612905..comments2024-02-14T03:56:12.027-08:00Comments on La Salette Journey: Extinguish not the spirit...Paul Anthony Melansonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08455719838570381999noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-61955235651695962052010-06-09T16:16:34.920-07:002010-06-09T16:16:34.920-07:00Is Terry being negative in calling you negative? ...Is Terry being negative in calling you negative? You get the point.Matleenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-19477392967474434602010-06-09T14:03:23.982-07:002010-06-09T14:03:23.982-07:00"In those days John the Baptist appeared, pre..."In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea(and) saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." (Matthew 3: 1-12).<br /><br />Terry must think John the Baptist is "too negative" as well. How dare he say or even imply that people need to repent!Stewartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-16675529126133218512010-06-09T13:40:36.750-07:002010-06-09T13:40:36.750-07:00Terry, you started off by asserting that this Blog...Terry, you started off by asserting that this Blog is "too negative" for your taste. Now that you realize how uncharitable you were, you return to this Blog [even though you find it "too negative"] and write, "I'm greatly disturbed that you would think I was scoffing at you or your work.." What was I supposed to think? And why would you return if you find this Blog to be "too negative."<br /><br />Let's address this false argument of yours first. Some might be tempted to believe that the rejection of error and falsehood [ and here, again, we are speaking of ideas not persons] is something "negative" and even cult-like. But such is simply not the case. Dr. Dietrich von Hildebrand explains: "Perhaps never before has there been as much intellectual fraud as there is today. In the mass media - and even in discussions on university campuses - this intellectual fraud appears chiefly as the manipulation of slogans designed to bluff the hearer or reader, and prevent him from thinking clearly. For a typical example, let us consider how the terms positive and negative are now most often used to discredit the refutation of pernicious errors and to give credit to the most shallow speculations. The intellectual swindlers who play such an important role in public discussions will often denominate as 'positive' propositions and attitudes they favor. They thereby seek to forestall questions of truth and value by enveloping their prejudices in a vague suggestion of 'creativity,' 'originality,' 'openness,' 'unaggressiveness.' This is the device of the cuttlefish. The moment one tries to grasp it, it emits a murky substance to confuse and deceive.<br /><br />In reality, the popular slogan usages of positive and negative is a distortion of the genuine meanings of the terms. In proper usage they can refer to existence and nonexistence or to value and disvalue. They can refer to desirability and undesirability, or to answers to questions and demands, or to results of tests and inquiries. But when these terms are applied to attitudes of mind or to theses - by way of suggesting an evaluation - an intellectual fraud is committed; for they are then being used to evoke vague associations that distract from the question that alone matters - namely: Is this attitude objectively called for? Or: Is this thesis true?...It is the nature of truth to exclude every contradiction of itself. Thus, the rejection of errors and falsehoods can never be separated from the affirmation of truth. The one implies the other...<br /><br />To give the impression that affirmations are 'positive' and denials 'negative' is to misrepresent completely the nature of judgments and propositions. This abuse of the language transforms the terms positive and negative into deceptive slogans and thus amounts to an intellectual swindle..." (The Charitable Anathema, pp. 45-47).<br /><br />Then you write, "We agree that there are many bad things happening in the world today. Where we part ways is how we react to those terrible things. I prefer to focus my attention on the beauty God has created and I pray in thanks for all I see that is beautiful." That's great Terry. So do I. So did Dr. Hildebrand. Even as exposed the philosophical underpinnings of National Socialism. Even as he left Germany saying, "I can no longer remain in a country ruled by a criminal."<br /><br />The real difference between us? While we both seem to appreciate beauty, Ihave the fortitude to address the evils of our day and you do not. Some of us actually possess the Cardinal Virtue of Fortitude Terry. And we won't apologize for that.Paul Anthony Melansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08455719838570381999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-8489020465004661112010-06-09T10:25:57.559-07:002010-06-09T10:25:57.559-07:00Dear Paul,
I'm greatly disturbed that you wou...Dear Paul,<br /><br />I'm greatly disturbed that you would think I was scoffing at you or your work. You are obviously a very devout Catholic and I have nothing but admiration for that. We agree that there are many bad things happening in the world today. Where we part ways is how we react to those terrible things. I prefer to focus my attention on the beauty God has created and I pray in thanks for all I see that is beautiful. I'm not saying that you don't, but if you look at your writing from an outsider's point of view it does come off as mostly dark.<br /><br />All these things you lament are true, but they don't have to be your only subject to speak about. What about giving thanks and praise? <br /><br />Thank you for addressing my concerns. I hope that if you cannot see my point you can at least be comforted by my respect. I do not scoff at you, if anything I see much of your thoughts in my own. Perhaps by addressing you I am addressing my own thoughts too.Cat Loverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11652747450181191728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-2828115772310373742010-06-09T08:48:42.072-07:002010-06-09T08:48:42.072-07:00"I'll pray for you so that you might writ..."I'll pray for you so that you might write about something joyful soon, and that the thought illuminates the Christ within."<br /><br />This person comes across as someone who is on medication. Joy is one of the twelve fruits of the Holy Spirit. It is the pleasure experienced by one who knows Christ as the ultimate happiness. There is no authentic joy for the person who is separated from Christ because of mortal sin.<br /><br />Your posts are right on the money Paul. They convict certain souls. That's why they react in such a fashion.<br /><br />I've known of people who railed against the evils of abortion while trying to justify homosexual acts or adultery. These people are dishonest and incapable of joy. Which is why our society is becoming so angry. Many are openly or secretly living in grave sin. And if they do not repent, they will face not the mercy of God but His justice.Jonathannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-70330115851242219402010-06-09T06:37:57.433-07:002010-06-09T06:37:57.433-07:00A prophecy from the Liber Mirabilis, a collection ...A prophecy from the Liber Mirabilis, a collection of Medieval prophecies first published in 1524, warns that, "All elements will become altered, because it is necessary, that the whole condition of the Centuries becomes changed; Certainly will the Earth at many places be in a dreadful state of collapse and all living things will be swallowed up. Numerous strong Towns and Cities will be shattered and collapse in Earthquakes... The Sea will scream out and raise itself against the whole World. The Air will be dirty and be polluted because of the Grossness and Discord of Men... The air will completely change and because of Pestilence, Illness through it will break out, and will completely spoiled. Men will become like animals from the various new Diseases. They will be overcome and die suddenly. An indescribable plague will break out from a sudden and terrible Famine and will torment Men. It will be such great suffering in the whole World, and there is nowhere in the West that this will not find its place. Since the beginning of the World there has been nothing as horrible as this."Paul Anthony Melansonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08455719838570381999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-69171475133618001062010-06-09T06:21:40.958-07:002010-06-09T06:21:40.958-07:00A second oil rig leaking oil.
http://blog.al.com/...A second oil rig leaking oil.<br /><br />http://blog.al.com/live/2010/06/another_gulf_oil_spill_well_ne.htmlDereknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9695096.post-58262969055180900132010-06-09T06:17:12.345-07:002010-06-09T06:17:12.345-07:002 Peter 3: 3-13 speaks about these scoffers: "...2 Peter 3: 3-13 speaks about these scoffers: "Know this first of all, that in the last days scoffers will come (to) scoff, living according to their own desires and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? From the time when our ancestors fell asleep, everything has remained as it was from the beginning of creation." They deliberately ignore the fact that the heavens existed of old and earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God; through these the world that then existed was destroyed, deluged with water. The present heavens and earth have been reserved by the same word for fire, kept for the day of judgment and of destruction of the godless. But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some regard "delay," but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a mighty roar and the elements will be dissolved by fire, and the earth and everything done on it will be found out. Since everything is to be dissolved in this way, what sort of persons ought (you) to be, conducting yourselves in holiness and devotion, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved in flames and the elements melted by fire. But according to his promise we await new heavens and a new earth 11 in which righteousness dwells."<br /><br />This is the Word of God as given to Saint Paul. It is a word deemed "negative" by those addicted to sin who refuse to repent before the Lord Jesus.Ellen Wironkenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15037753678014941848noreply@blogger.com