Memorare to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Remember, O most kind Jesus, that none who have had recourse to Your Sacred Heart, implored its assistance, or called for mercy, have ever been abandoned. Filled, and animated by this same confidence, O divine Heart, Ruler of all hearts, I fly to You, and oppressed beneath the weight of my sins, I prostrate myself before You. Despise not Your unworthy child, but grant me, I pray, an entrance into Your Sacred Heart. Sustain me in all my combats and be with me now, and at all times, but especially in the hour of my death. 0 gracious Jesus! 0 amiable Jesus! 0 loving Jesus!

[Reparation for the neglect of the majority of Catholics who have left our Lord alone and abandoned on the altar, never visited, is a key feature of the Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Following are a number of very beautiful Acts of Reparation to the Sacred Heart, not generally known, which can form a part of one's daily prayer life, particularly when before the Blessed Sacrament.]

Act of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus

O Jesus, divine Savior, deign to cast a look of mercy upon Your children, who assemble in the same spirit of faith, reparation, and love, and come to deplore their own infidelities, and those of all poor sinners, their brethren.
May we touch Your divine Heart by the unanimous and solemn promises we are about to make and obtain mercy for ourselves, for the world, and for all who are so unhappy as not to love You. We all promise that for the future:
For the forgetfulness and ingratitude of men, *(We will console you O Lord)
For the way You are deserted in Your holy tabernacle,
For the crimes of sinners,
For the hatred of the impious,
For the blasphemies uttered against You,
For the sacrileges that profane Your Sacrament of Love,
For the outrages against Your divinity,
For the injuries of which You are the adorable Victim,
For the coldness of the greater part of your children,
For the contempt of your loving invitation,
For the infidelity of those who called themselves Your friends,
For the abuse of Your grace,
For our own unfaithfulness,
For the incomprehensible hardness of our hearts,
For our long delay in loving You,
For our tepidity in Your holy service,
For Your bitter sadness at the loss of souls,
For Your long waiting at the door of our hearts,
For the heartless scorn that grieves You,
For Your loving sighs,
For Your loving tears,
For Your loving imprisonment,
For Your loving death,*
We will console you, 0 Lord

Let us pray

0 Jesus! divine Savior, from whose Heart comes forth this bitter complaint, "I looked for one that would comfort me, and I found none," graciously accept the feeble consolation we offer You, and aid us so powerfully by your grace, that we may, for the time to come, shun more and more all that can displease You, and prove ourselves in everything, and everywhere, and forever Your most faithful and devoted servants. We ask it through Your Sacred Heart, O Lord, who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit one God, world without end. Amen.

Traditional Prayer of Reparation

Most loving Jesus, when I consider your tender heart and see it full of mercy and tenderness toward sinners, my own heart is filled with joy and confidence that I shall be so kindly welcomed by You. Unfortunately, how many times have I sinned! But now, with Peter and with Magdalene, I weep for my sins and detest them because they offend You, infinite Goodness. Mercifully grant me pardon for them all; and let me die rather than offend You again; at least let me live only to love You in return. Amen. (Raccolta n. 255)

Traditional Prayer of Reparation

My loving Jesus, out of the grateful love I bear you, and to make reparation for my unfaithfulness to grace, I give You my heart, and I consecrate myself wholly to You; and with Your help I purpose to sin no more. Amen. (Raccolta, n. 260)

Traditional Prayer of Reparation from the Irish

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on me.O God, forgive me for all the sins of my life;The sins of my youth and the sins of my age,The sins of my body and the sins of my soul,The sins I have confessed and the sins I have forgotten,The sins against others in thought, word, and deed, My sins of omission.0, my God, I am sorry for all my sins, because you are so good; And I will not sin again with the help of God.God be merciful to me, a sinner.Divine Heart of Jesus, convert sinners, save the dying, Deliver the holy souls in purgatory.

Contemporary Prayer of Reparation

Lord Jesus, who loves us so much: we have not loved You as we easily might have, nor served You enough in our neighbor as we could have. We are truly sorry for this unfaithful love and promise to do better in the future. Because You accept everything that we do in God's grace, when done in a spirit of love and obedience, as reparation, we now offer You and Your Heart our every thought, word, deed, and suffering in union with Your own sufferings. Join our Reparation to that which You ceaselessly offer to the Father in the Mass and in the silence of the tabernacle. Help us to suffer lovingly and to aid those who suffer. Make Your redemptive love fruitful in the hearts of all those who will die today, so that all of us may love You for ever in heaven. Amen.

Daily Prayer to the Sacred Heart

0 Sacred Heart of Jesus, mercifully accept the prayer which I now make to You for help in the moment of my death, when at its approach all my senses shall fail me.
When, therefore, 0 kind and merciful Jesus, my weary and downcast eyes can no longer look up to You, be mindful of the loving gaze which I now turn to You, and have mercy on me, a sinner.

When my parched lips can no longer kiss your most sacred wounds, remember that hour those kisses which I now imprint on You, and have mercy on me, a sinner.

When my cold hands can no longer embrace Your cross, forget not the affection with which I embrace it now, and have mercy upon me, a sinner. When my swollen and lifeless tongue can no longer speak, remember that I called upon You now, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, to you I commend my soul.

0 Sacred Heart of Jesus, filled with infinite love, broken by my ingratitude and pierced by my many sins and yet loving you still, accept this act of consecration that I make to You of all that I am and all that I have. Take every faculty of my soul and body, draw me day by day near and nearer to Your Sacred Heart, and there, as I can bear the lesson, teach me Your blessed way.
0 Sacred Heart of Jesus, Incarnate Son of God, who for our salvation did vouchsafe to be born in a stable, to pass Your life in poverty, trials, and misery, and to die amid the sufferings of the cross, I entreat You, in the hour of my death to say to Your divine Father, "Father forgive Him"; Say to my soul, "This day you to shall be with me in Paradise." My God, my God forsake me not in that hour. "I thirst"-truly, my God, my soul thirsts after You, who are the fountain of living waters. My life passes like a shadow; yet a little while and all will be consummated. Wherefore, my adorable Savior from this moment, and for all eternity, "into your hands I commend my spirit." Lord Jesus, receive my soul.

O Queen of the Holy Rosary and most kind and loving Mother of Perpetual Help, in memory of your Seven Sorrows, intercede for us with your divine Son and beg Him, in honor of His precious blood and sacred passion and death upon the cross, to forgive our sins and grant us the grace of a holy and happy death. Amen. (Say one Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.)

Prayer for the Forgiveness of Daily Neglects

Eternal Father, I offer the Sacred Heart of Jesus with all its love, all its sufferings of and all its merits:

First-To expiate all the sins I have committed this day and during all my life. (Glory Be)

Second-To purify the good I have done badly this day and during all my life. (Glory Be.)

Third-To supply for the good I ought to have done and I have neglected this day and during all my life. (Glory Be.)

0 Sacred Heart of Jesus, I Place My Trust in Thee

O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee,Whatever may befall me, Lord, though dark the hour may be;In all my woes, in all my joys, though nought but grief I see,O Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.

When those I loved have passed away, and I am sore distressed,0 Sacred Heart of Jesus, I fly toThee for rest.In all my trials, great or small, my confidence shall beUnshaken as I cry, dear Lord, I place my trust in Thee.


This is my one sweet prayer, dear Lord, my faith, my trust, my love, But most of all in that last hour, when death points up above,O sweet Savior, may Thy face smile on my soul all free. Oh may I cry with rapturous love, I've placed my trust in Thee.

Three kinds of slavery

In his classic work The Secret of Mary, St. Louis Marie de Montfort explains that, "..there are three kinds of slavery. There is, first, a slavery based on nature. All men, good and bad alike, are slaves of God in this sense. The second is a slavery of compulsion. The devils and the damned are slaves of God in this second sense. The third is a slavery of love and free choice. This is the kind chosen by one who consecrates himself to God through Mary, and this is the most perfect way for us human beings to give ourselves to God, our Creator." (The Secret of Mary, No. 32, Montfort Publications, p. 271).

And, in The Love of Eternal Wisdom, Montfort says, "For exterior and voluntary mortification to be profitable, it must be accompanied by the mortifying of the judgment and the will through holy obedience, because without this obedience all mortification is spoiled by self-will and often becomes more pleasing to the devil than to God...By holy obedience we do away with self-love, which spoils everything; by obedience the smallest of our actions become meritorious. It protects us from illusions of the devil, enables us to overcome our enemies, and brings us surely, as though while sleeping, into the harbor of salvation." (The Love of Eternal Wisdom, No. 202, Montfort Publications, p. 106).

For Montfort then, slavery to the Immaculate Heart of Mary must be characterized by holy obedience. This great marian saint always remained obedient to his superiors. In what became known as the Pontchateau Affair: www.montfort.org/English/LifeLM.htm, Montfort spent an entire year building a Calvary scene only to be ordered by his Bishop to tear it down. He immediately obeyed.

For Montfort, disobedience to a Bishop of Christ's Church would have been unthinkable. This point is lost on a small group of cultists based in Richmond, New Hampshire who call themselves the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. This group operates within the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire without the permission of the local Bishop - The Most Rev. John B. McCormack - and is not in union with the Diocese. They oppose the Magisterial teaching of the Catholic Church regarding the correct interpretation of the Dogma: Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus while engaging in anti-Semitism. They have also stated their intention (publically) of seeking ordination for one of their members without dimissorial letters - canonical permission.

Montfort would have had nothing to do with such a work. He would have seen it as a kind of slavery, but not to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But rather to belial. For Montfort, slavery to the Immaculate Heart of Mary was defined by love and obedience. And there is nothing loving about anti-Semitism. There is nothing of obedience in contradicting the teaching of the Church and operating without the permission of one's Bishop.

Signs

Pope Praises Rosary as Fatima Anniversary Nears

NH Attorney General: Diocese of Manchester's abuse policies need work

The Saint Benedict Center cult will be holding its annual conference at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Nashua, New Hampshire. Among the guest speakers scheduled is Mr. John Sharpe. My friend at Fringe Watch has provided some background on Mr. Sharpe:
http://fringewatcher.blogspot.com/2005/12/john-sharpes-legion-of-st-louis.html

Paul.

Founders Message: Southern Poverty Law Center

Small wonder that residents of Richmond, New Hampshire - and beyond - are so concerned about the Saint Benedict Center cult.

Mr. Terence Fulham objects...

Mr. Terence Fulham, known by his followers as "Bishop" Fulham, has left a comment at this Blog objecting to my use of the word schismatic to describe him and his church which is located in Spring Hill, Florida. Mr. Fulham wrote in part: "The determination 'schismatic' is to be made by somebody in possession of canonical authority."

Mr. Fulham's understanding of Church teaching and Canon Law is, to put it charitably, less than adequate. In the words of Dr. Germain Grisez, Ph.D, one of the finest moral theologians of our time who serves as the Rev. Harry J. Flynn Professor of Christian Ethics at Mount Saint Mary's College in Emmitsburg, Maryland:

"A schismatic intentionally rebels against hierarchical authority which he or she knows to be legitimately exercised. Instead of acting obediently as parts of the one body, schismatic individuals and groups act as if they were autonomous wholes, independent of the whole which is the Catholic Church; they commit the sin of schism by carrying disobedience so far that they purposely separate themselves from the Church's unity, which is realized by the submission of Jesus' members to him and by their communion with one another. Since the pope is Jesus' vicar, Catholics who separate themselves from him divide themselves from Jesus and thus divide the Church. Schismatics refuse to be subject to the pope, either directly or by rejecting communion with those loyal to him. Thus, 'Schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him'*...While schismatics often are also heretics, it is possible to be in schism over matters of law and policy without rejecting any truth of faith."

* Canon 751 of the Code of Canon Law provides that a schismatic incurs automatic excommunication.

Dr. Grisez also notes that: "Among those who recently have been or appeared to be in schism" are the "Patriotic Association of Chinese Catholics, Marcel Lefebvre and his followers, the so-called Popular Church in Nicaragua, various groups (some reactionary and some revolutionary) which set themselves up as worshiping communities in defiance of their Bishops, and the many families and individuals who reject papal authority and leave the Church. John Paul II, Letter to the Bishops of Nicaragua, AAS 74 (1982) 1108-13, OR, 6 Sept. 1982, 6-7, points out that the so-called Popular Church leads to the autonomy of the basic communities from the Church's legitimate pastors and teachers."

As this article from the online encyclopedia Wikipedia makes clear: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Fulham, Terence Fulham is still in an irregular situation (especially given his episcopal consecration).." The article also notes that Terence Fulham's episcopal consecration is "without a papal mandate" and that "He is a bishop consecrated by a converted bishop from the Carlos Duarte Costa line." And who was Carlos Duarte Costa? Another article at Wikipedia explains: "Most Reverend Carlos Duarte Costa (declared Saint Carlos of Brazil by the Brazilian Catholic Apostolic Church) (1888-1961) was a bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. After many years of struggle with Rome he was eventually excommunicated by Pope Pius XII, and went on to establish the Catholic Apostolic Church of Brazil."

There you have it. Terence Fulham is not a Bishop of the Roman Catholic Church. His episcopal consecration is without a papal mandate. He attempts to justify the schismatic act of his "episcopal consecration" by "appealing to the 'emergency and crisis situation' he says the Roman Catholic Church is in presently" (Wikipedia article).

His attitude is that of "Brother" Francis of the Saint Benedict Center, who wrote these words roughly two years ago:

"Since the death of Father Feeney, we have never had a cleric as a religious member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, circumstances in the Church [read their own disobedience to Church teaching and authority] making it virtually impossible to attain that goal. Regardless of this, it was the intention of our Founder to have priests in our First Order, and we have never abandoned that desire...Years of searching for priests to assist us have turned up no long-term solution.... The demands of serving our community call for a priest convinced of our position and goals. Otherwise, longevity is not likely. The most obvious question is how will it be done? We have long prayed for this goal, and sought to achieve it through proper canonical channels. Knowing how saturated the hierarchy is with modernism - from Rome on down - we have concluded that passage through these channels is impossible without compromising our Crusade. We are forced to take extraordinary measures to procure ordination. To be precise, we would be seeking ordination without dimissorial letters, the canonical permission granted by a diocesan bishop or other prelate for a man to be ordained. Is this action justified? In a word: Yes..."

Such an attitude is deeply disturbing. But comes as no great surprise. Disobedience to the Church is, for some, a way of life.

Long before the Second Vatican Council, when Nazism reared its ugly head and the Jewish People were dehumanized and sent to death camps as part of Hitler's "Final Solution," Pope Pius XI raised his voice:

"Pius XI responded by issuing in 1937 the encyclical Mit Brennender Sorge condemning the Nazi ideology of racism and totalitarianism and Nazi violations of the concordat. Copies had to be smuggled into Germany so they could be read from the pulpit.

As the extreme nature of Nazi racial anti-Semitism became obvious, and as Mussolini in the late 1930s began imitating Hitler's anti-Jewish race laws in Italy, Pius XI made his position clear, both in Mit Brennender Sorge and in a public address in the Vatican to Belgian pilgrims in 1938: "Mark well that in the Catholic Mass, Abraham is our Patriarch and forefather. Anti-Semitism is incompatible with the lofty thought which that fact expresses. It is a movement with which we Christians can have nothing to do. No, no, I say to you it is impossible for a Christian to take part in anti-Semitism. It is inadmissible. Through Christ and in Christ we are the spiritual progeny of Abraham. Spiritually, we [Christians] are all Semites."

(Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope_Pius_XI).

His successor to the Chair of Peter, Pope Pius XII of happy memory, stood with the Jewish People during their painful trial, and rescued anywhere between 800,000 and 1.5 million of the Jewish People. The Historical Record: What Pius XII Did for the Jews: http://www.catholicleague.org/pius/dalinframe.htm

The anti-Semitism of the Saint Benedict Center and other "traditional Catholic" groups in no way represents the mind of the Church.

DECLARATION ON THE RELATION OF THE CHURCH TO NON-CHRISTIAN RELIGIONS (NOSTRA AETATE) PROCLAIMED BY HIS HOLINESS POPE PAUL VI ON OCTOBER 28, 1965

1. In our time, when day by day mankind is being drawn closer together, and the ties between different peoples are becoming stronger, the Church examines more closely he relationship to non- Christian religions. In her task of promoting unity and love among men, indeed among nations, she considers above all in this declaration what men have in common and what draws them to fellowship.

One is the community of all peoples, one their origin, for God made the whole human race to live over the face of the earth.(1) One also is their final goal, God. His providence, His manifestations of goodness, His saving design extend to all men,(2) until that time when the elect will be united in the Holy City, the city ablaze with the glory of God, where the nations will walk in His light.(3)

Men expect from the various religions answers to the unsolved riddles of the human condition, which today, even as in former times, deeply stir the hearts of men: What is man? What is the meaning, the aim of our life? What is moral good, what sin? Whence suffering and what purpose does it serve? Which is the road to true happiness? What are death, judgment and retribution after death? What, finally, is that ultimate inexpressible mystery which encompasses our existence: whence do we come, and where are we going?

2. From ancient times down to the present, there is found among various peoples a certain perception of that hidden power which hovers over the course of things and over the events of human history; at times some indeed have come to the recognition of a Supreme Being, or even of a Father. This perception and recognition penetrates their lives with a profound religious sense.

Religions, however, that are bound up with an advanced culture have struggled to answer the same questions by means of more refined concepts and a more developed language. Thus in Hinduism, men contemplate the divine mystery and express it through an inexhaustible abundance of myths and through searching philosophical inquiry. They seek freedom from the anguish of our human condition either through ascetical practices or profound meditation or a flight to God with love and trust. Again, Buddhism, in its various forms, realizes the radical insufficiency of this changeable world; it teaches a way by which men, in a devout and confident spirit, may be able either to acquire the state of perfect liberation, or attain, by their own efforts or through higher help, supreme illumination. Likewise, other religions found everywhere try to counter the restlessness of the human heart, each in its own manner, by proposing "ways," comprising teachings, rules of life, and sacred rites. The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions. She regards with sincere reverence those ways of conduct and of life, those precepts and teachings which, though differing in many aspects from the ones she holds and sets forth, nonetheless often reflect a ray of that Truth which enlightens all men. Indeed, she proclaims, and ever must proclaim Christ "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6), in whom men may find the fullness of religious life, in whom God has reconciled all things to Himself.(4)

The Church, therefore, exhorts her sons, that through dialogue and collaboration with the followers of other religions, carried out with prudence and love and in witness to the Christian faith and life, they recognize, preserve and promote the good things, spiritual and moral, as well as the socio-cultural values found among these men.

3. The Church regards with esteem also the Moslems. They adore the one God, living and subsisting in Himself; merciful and all- powerful, the Creator of heaven and earth,(5) who has spoken to men; they take pains to submit wholeheartedly to even His inscrutable decrees, just as Abraham, with whom the faith of Islam takes pleasure in linking itself, submitted to God. Though they do not acknowledge Jesus as God, they revere Him as a prophet. They also honor Mary, His virgin Mother; at times they even call on her with devotion. In addition, they await the day of judgment when God will render their deserts to all those who have been raised up from the dead. Finally, they value the moral life and worship God especially through prayer, almsgiving and fasting.

Since in the course of centuries not a few quarrels and hostilities have arisen between Christians and Moslems, this sacred synod urges all to forget the past and to work sincerely for mutual understanding and to preserve as well as to promote together for the benefit of all mankind social justice and moral welfare, as well as peace and freedom.

4. As the sacred synod searches into the mystery of the Church, it remembers the bond that spiritually ties the people of the New Covenant to Abraham's stock.

Thus the Church of Christ acknowledges that, according to God's saving design, the beginnings of her faith and her election are found already among the Patriarchs, Moses and the prophets. She professes that all who believe in Christ-Abraham's sons according to faith (6)-are included in the same Patriarch's call, and likewise that the salvation of the Church is mysteriously foreshadowed by the chosen people's exodus from the land of bondage. The Church, therefore, cannot forget that she received the revelation of the Old Testament through the people with whom God in His inexpressible mercy concluded the Ancient Covenant. Nor can she forget that she draws sustenance from the root of that well-cultivated olive tree onto which have been grafted the wild shoots, the Gentiles.(7) Indeed, the Church believes that by His cross Christ, Our Peace, reconciled Jews and Gentiles. making both one in Himself.(8)

The Church keeps ever in mind the words of the Apostle about his kinsmen: "theirs is the sonship and the glory and the covenants and the law and the worship and the promises; theirs are the fathers and from them is the Christ according to the flesh" (Rom. 9:4-5), the Son of the Virgin Mary. She also recalls that the Apostles, the Church's main-stay and pillars, as well as most of the early disciples who proclaimed Christ's Gospel to the world, sprang from the Jewish people.

As Holy Scripture testifies, Jerusalem did not recognize the time of her visitation,(9) nor did the Jews in large number, accept the Gospel; indeed not a few opposed its spreading.(10) Nevertheless, God holds the Jews most dear for the sake of their Fathers; He does not repent of the gifts He makes or of the calls He issues-such is the witness of the Apostle.(11) In company with the Prophets and the same Apostle, the Church awaits that day, known to God alone, on which all peoples will address the Lord in a single voice and "serve him shoulder to shoulder" (Soph. 3:9).(12)

Since the spiritual patrimony common to Christians and Jews is thus so great, this sacred synod wants to foster and recommend that mutual understanding and respect which is the fruit, above all, of biblical and theological studies as well as of fraternal dialogues.
True, the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ;(13) still, what happened in His passion cannot be charged against all the Jews, without distinction, then alive, nor against the Jews of today. Although the Church is the new people of God, the Jews should not be presented as rejected or accursed by God, as if this followed from the Holy Scriptures. All should see to it, then, that in catechetical work or in the preaching of the word of God they do not teach anything that does not conform to the truth of the Gospel and the spirit of Christ.

Furthermore, in her rejection of every persecution against any man, the Church, mindful of the patrimony she shares with the Jews and moved not by political reasons but by the Gospel's spiritual love, decries hatred, persecutions, displays of anti-Semitism, directed against Jews at any time and by anyone.

Besides, as the Church has always held and holds now, Christ underwent His passion and death freely, because of the sins of men and out of infinite love, in order that all may reach salvation. It is, therefore, the burden of the Church's preaching to proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of God's all-embracing love and as the fountain from which every grace flows.

5. We cannot truly call on God, the Father of all, if we refuse to treat in a brotherly way any man, created as he is in the image of God. Man's relation to God the Father and his relation to men his brothers are so linked together that Scripture says: "He who does not love does not know God" (1 John 4:8).

No foundation therefore remains for any theory or practice that leads to discrimination between man and man or people and people, so far as their human dignity and the rights flowing from it are concerned.

The Church reproves, as foreign to the mind of Christ, any discrimination against men or harassment of them because of their race, color, condition of life, or religion. On the contrary, following in the footsteps of the holy Apostles Peter and Paul, this sacred synod ardently implores the Christian faithful to "maintain good fellowship among the nations" (1 Peter 2:12), and, if possible, to live for their part in peace with all men,(14) so that they may truly be sons of the Father who is in heaven.(15)

NOTES
1. Cf. Acts 17:26
2. Cf. Wis. 8:1; Acts 14:17; Rom. 2:6-7; 1 Tim. 2:4
3. Cf. Apoc. 21:23f.
4. Cf 2 Cor. 5:18-19
5. Cf St. Gregory VII, letter XXI to Anzir (Nacir), King of Mauritania (Pl. 148, col. 450f.)
6. Cf. Gal. 3:7
7. Cf. Rom. 11:17-24
8. Cf. Eph. 2:14-16
9. Cf. Lk. 19:44
10. Cf. Rom. 11:28
11. Cf. Rom. 11:28-29; cf. dogmatic Constitution, Lumen Gentium (Light of nations) AAS, 57 (1965) pag. 20
12. Cf. Is. 66:23; Ps. 65:4; Rom. 11:11-32
13. Cf. John. 19:6
14. Cf. Rom. 12:18
15. Cf. Matt. 5:45

This is the mind of Christ. This is the mind of His Church. Anyone professing to be Catholic who sets himself in opposition to this teaching sets himself against the mind of Christ and His Mystical Body which is the Church.

Canon Law and usurpation of ecclesiastical functions and offenses in their exercise, relevant canons:

Can. 1378

1. A priest who acts against the prescription of can. 977 incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication reserved to the Apostolic See.

2. The following incur an automatic (latae sententiae) penalty of interdict or if a cleric, an automatic (latae sententiae) suspension:

(1) One who has not been promoted to the priestly order and who attempts to enact the liturgical action of the Eucharistic Sacrifice;

(2) Outside the case mentioned in (1), a person who attempts to impart sacramental absolution or a person who hears a sacramental confession when one cannot validly give sacramental absolution.

(3) In the case mentioned in (2) other penalties including excommunication can be added in accord with the seriousness of the offense.

Can. 1379

Outside the cases mentioned in can. 1378, one who simulates the administration of a sacrament is to be punished with a just penalty.

Can. 1381

1. Whoever usurps an ecclesiastical office is to be punished with a just penalty.


This is the law of the Church regarding the usurpation of ecclesiastical offices and functions. And so, I will ask the question again: Why has "Brother" Andre Marie of the Saint Benedict Center been photographed at a schismatic church wearing a priestly biretta and what appear to be priestly vestments?

"Since the death of Father Feeney, we have never had a cleric as a religious member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, circumstances in the Church [read their own disobedience to Church teaching and authority] making it virtually impossible to attain that goal. Regardless of this, it was the intention of our Founder to have priests in our First Order, and we have never abandoned that desire...Years of searching for priests to assist us have turned up no long-term solution.... The demands of serving our community call for a priest convinced of our position and goals. Otherwise, longevity is not likely. The most obvious question is how will it be done? We have long prayed for this goal, and sought to achieve it through proper canonical channels. Knowing how saturated the hierarchy is with modernism - from Rome on down - we have concluded that passage through these channels is impossible without compromising our Crusade. We are forced to take extraordinary measures to procure ordination. To be precise, we would be seeking ordination without dimissorial letters, the canonical permission granted by a diocesan bishop or other prelate for a man to be ordained. Is this action justified? In a word: Yes....Readers can rest assured that we would never present ourselves to a heretic or schismatic for Holy Orders. Such an action would violate the very principles we are vowed to defend." - "Brother" Francis, "Two Major Announcements - Epiphany 2005."

I have been truly blessed in my life in so very many ways. Two of the greatest blessings in my life have been my parents. From both of them, I inherited a deep piety and a strong devotion to the Church and to the Immaculate Mother of God. I also learned what it means to love God and neighbor in a home overflowing with both. My parents embraced everyone they came into contact with irregardless of that person's skin color, ethnicity, faith tradition etc.

My father was a career soldier. And after his tour in Korea with the U.S. Army as a tank commander, he crossed over to the Air Force where he remained on active duty for twenty years. Growing up in a military family had its advantages and disadvantages. One disadvantage was making new friends and having to leave them behind every year or two. That was very difficult to say the least, but it also shaped my personality in so many ways. For one thing, I never take anyone for granted and I never forget a friend. One advantage, however, was that I was exposed to a wide variety of people and circumstances. I had friends from every race, religious creed and socio-economic background.

When I was five years old, I had a best friend named Irwin. We did everything together. We ran and jumped and played with a kite, two carefree children enjoying our summers together. And then one day, a neighbor noticed that his scissors were missing from his garage. And Irwin and I were playing across the street in my parent's yard. The man walked to the end of his driveway, and started to yell something at us. Soon I realized what he was saying, even if I didn't understand exactly what he meant: "You, nigger, what did you do with my scissors."

Now Irwin hadn't taken the scissors. He had been with me the whole time and neither one of us had gone anywhere near that man's house. But I remember thinking (something which was actually encouraged in my family), "Why didn't he accuse me of taking the scissors?" Today I know the answer to that question. And the answer has haunted me to this day.

In grade school (I attended Johnny Appleseed Elementary in Leominster, Massachusetts), I had another good friend named Jeff. We would enjoy talking about religion and the two of us would make paper boats, launch them in the brook near my home, and would race them or attempt to sink them with large rocks. I always wondered if this had any bearing on his decision later in life to join the U.S. Navy. Jeff was an extremely intelligent and gifted student with an incredible sense of humor. I remember him always talking about the news program Sixty Minutes (this when most of us kids were content to watch Happy Days or reruns of Gilligan's Island).

There are two things I will always remember about Jeff (not including his curly hair): His wonderful laughter and his incredible generosity of spirit.

The Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire would have a problem with Jeff. You see, Jeff is a Jew. And according to "Brother" Andre Marie, M.I.C.M., the Jewish People have a "tendency to undermine public morals," while his associate, "Brother" Anthony Mary M.I.C.M., told a conference that Jews are the "perpetual enemies of Christ."

Funny, I never saw Jeff as an "enemy of Christ" or as someone who "undermined public morals." He was just a friend. In fact, one of the only friends I ever had as a child with whom I could discuss religion.

Saints preserve us from such nonsense.

Paul.

THE CHURCH, A COMMUNITY COMMITTED TO CHRIST'S CHARITY

VATICAN CITY, APR 22, 2007 (VIS) - After his meeting with representatives from the world of culture in the University of Pavia, Benedict XVI travelled to the basilica of San Pietro in Ciel d'Oro to celebrate Vespers. Before entering the basilica, the Holy Father paused on the patio of the convent of St. Augustine where he blessed the cornerstone of a new Augustinian cultural center, which the Order intends to dedicate to him.

Once inside the basilica, the Pope incensed the urn containing the relics of St. Augustine and, after greeting Bishop Giovanni Giudici of Pavia and Fr. Robert Francis Prevost, prior general of the Augustinian Order, pronounced his homily.

"In this moment of prayer I would like to gather here, at the tomb of the 'Doctor gratiae,' a significant message for the journey of the Church," said the Pope. "This message comes to us from the encounter between the Word of God and the personal experience of the great bishop of Hippo. ... Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, ... is the revelation of the face of God Love to all human beings as they travel along the paths of time towards eternity. ... This is the heart of the Gospel, the central nucleus of Christianity. The light of this love opened Augustine's eyes and brought him to encounter the 'beauty, ever ancient and ever new' in which alone the human heart finds peace."

"Here before the tomb of St. Augustine," the Pope continued, "I would like once again to consign ideally to the Church and to the World my first Encyclical, which contains this central message of the Gospel: 'Deus caritas est,' God is love," and which is "greatly indebted to the thought of St. Augustine who was enamoured of the Love of God."

"In the wake of the teachings of Vatican Council II and of my venerated predecessors, I am convinced ... that contemporary humanity has need of this essential message. ... Here everything must begin and here everything must lead, all pastoral activity and all theological treatises."

"Love is the heart of Church life and of her pastoral activity. ... Only those who have a personal experience of the Lord's love are able to exercise the task of guiding and accompanying others on the road of following Christ. ... Following Christ is above all a question of love."

The Holy Father went on: "May your membership of the Church and your apostolate always stand out for their freedom from any kind of personal interest and for their unreserved adhesion to Christ's love. Young people in particular need to receive the announcement of freedom and joy, the secret of which is in Christ. He is the most authentic response to the expectations of their hearts which are troubled by the many questions they carry within."

"Following the footsteps of St. Augustine, you too must be a Church that frankly announces the 'good news' of Christ. ... The Church is not simply an organization for collective expression nor, at the other extreme, is she the sum of individuals living a private religion. The Church is a community of people who believe in the God of Jesus Christ and commit themselves to living in the world the commandment of love that He left us."

"I encourage you," the Holy Father concluded, "to pursue the 'exalted degree' of Christian life which considers charity as the bond of perfection, and which must also be translated into a form of moral life inspired by the Gospel."

A the conclusion of Vespers, the Pope went to Pavia's "P. Fortunati" stadium whence he travelled by helicopter to the airport of Milan. There he boarded a plane that took him back to Rome where he landed shortly before 8.30 p.m.

A call to action from JayG.....

I would also urge readers of this Blog to support JayG in his apostolate. His Blog is wonderful. It is always informative and reflects the Magisterial teaching of Christ's Church.

Paul.

Ad Tuendam Fidem, given Motu Proprio

JOHN PAUL II
Apostolic Letter Motu Proprio AD TUENDAM FIDEM, by which certain norms are inserted into the Code of Canon Law and into the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches

TO PROTECT THE FAITH of the Catholic Church against errors arising from certain members of the Christian faithful, especially from among those dedicated to the various disciplines of sacred theology, we, whose principal duty is to confirm the brethren in the faith (Lk 22:32), consider it absolutely necessary to add to the existing texts of the Code of Canon Law and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, new norms which expressly impose the obligation of upholding truths proposed in a definitive way by the Magisterium of the Church, and which also establish related canonical sanctions.

1.From the first centuries to the present day, the Church has professed the truths of her faith in Christ and the mystery of his redemption. These truths were subsequently gathered into the Symbols of the faith, today known and proclaimed in common by the faithful in the solemn and festive celebration of Mass as the Apostles’ Creed or the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
This same Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed is contained in the Profession of faith developed by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith,(1) which must be made by specific members of the faithful when they receive an office, that is directly or indirectly related to deeper investigation into the truths of faith and morals, or is united to a particular power in the governance of the Church.(2)

2. The Profession of faith, which appropriately begins with the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, contains three propositions or paragraphs intended to describe the truths of the Catholic faith, which the Church, in the course of time and under the guidance of the Holy Spirit “who will teach the whole truth” (Jn 16:13), has ever more deeply explored and will continue to explore.(3)

The first paragraph states: “With firm faith, I also believe everything contained in the word of God, whether written or handed down in Tradition, which the Church either by a solemn judgment or by the ordinary and universal Magisterium sets forth to be believed as divinely revealed.”(4) This paragraph appropriately confirms and is provided for in the Church’s universal legislation, in canon 750 of the Code of Canon Law(5) and canon 598 of the Code of the Canons of the Eastern Churches.(6)

The third paragraph states: “Moreover I adhere with submission of will and intellect to the teachings which either the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops enunciate when they exercise their authentic Magisterium, even if they do not intend to proclaim these teachings by a definitive act.”(7) This paragraph has its corresponding legislative expression in canon 752 of the Code of Canon Law(8) and canon 599 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.(9)

3. The second paragraph, however, which states “I also firmly accept and hold each and everything definitively proposed by the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals,”(10) has no corresponding canon in the Codes of the Catholic Church. This second paragraph of the Profession of faith is of utmost importance since it refers to truths that are necessarily connected to divine revelation. These truths, in the investigation of Catholic doctrine, illustrate the Divine Spirit’s particular inspiration for the Church’s deeper understanding of a truth concerning faith and morals, with which they are connected either for historical reasons or by a logical relationship.

4. Moved therefore by this need, and after careful deliberation, we have decided to overcome this lacuna in the universal law in the following way:

A) Canon 750 of the Code of Canon Law will now consist of two paragraphs; the first will present the text of the existing canon; the second will contain a new text. Thus, canon 750, in its complete form, will read:

Canon 750 – § 1. Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.

§ 2. Furthermore, each and everything set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals must be firmly accepted and held; namely, those things required for the holy keeping and faithful exposition of the deposit of faith; therefore, anyone who rejects propositions which are to be held definitively sets himself against the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Canon 1371, n. 1 of the Code of Canon Law, consequently, will receive an appropriate reference to canon 750 § 2, so that it will now read:

Canon 1371 – The following are to be punished with a just penalty:

1° a person who, apart from the case mentioned in canon 1364 § 1, teaches a doctrine condemned by the Roman Pontiff, or by an Ecumenical Council, or obstinately rejects the teachings mentioned in canon 750 § 2 or in canon 752 and, when warned by the Apostolic See or by the Ordinary, does not retract;

2° a person who in any other way does not obey the lawful command or prohibition of the Apostolic See or the Ordinary or Superior and, after being warned, persists in disobedience.

B) Canon 598 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches will now have two paragraphs: the first will present the text of the existing canon and the second will contain a new text. Thus canon 598, in its complete form, will read as follows:

Canon 598 – § 1. Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All Christian faithful are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.

§ 2. Furthermore, each and everything set forth definitively by the Magisterium of the Church regarding teaching on faith and morals must be firmly accepted and held; namely, those things required for the holy keeping and faithful exposition of the deposit of faith; therefore, anyone who rejects propositions which are to be held definitively sets himself against the teaching of the Catholic Church.

Canon 1436 § 2 of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, consequently, will receive an appropriate reference to canon 598 § 2, so that it will now read:

Canon 1436 – § 1. Whoever denies a truth which must be believed with divine and catholic faith, or who calls into doubt, or who totally repudiates the Christian faith, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished as a heretic or an apostate with a major excommunication; a cleric moreover can be punished with other penalties, not excluding deposition.

§ 2. In addition to these cases, whoever obstinately rejects a teaching that the Roman Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising the authentic Magisterium, have set forth to be held definitively, or who affirms what they have condemned as erroneous, and does not retract after having been legitimately warned, is to be punished with an appropriate penalty.

5. We order that everything decreed by us in this Apostolic Letter, given motu proprio, be established and ratified, and we prescribe that the insertions listed above be introduced into the universal legislation of the Catholic Church, that is, into the Code of Canon Law and into the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, all things to the contrary notwithstanding.

Given in Rome, at St Peter’s, on 18 May, in the year 1998, the twentieth of our Pontificate.
JOHN PAUL II

(1) CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Profession of Faith and Oath of Fidelity, (9 January 1989): AAS 81 (1989), 105.
(2) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 833.
(3) Cf. Code of Canon Law, Canon 747 § 1; Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 595 § 1.
(4) Cf. SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church Lumen Gentium, 25; Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum, 5; CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 15: AAS 82 (1990), 1556.
(5) Code of Canon Law, Canon 750 – Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
(6) Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 598 – Those things are to be believed by divine and catholic faith which are contained in the word of God as it has been written or handed down by tradition, that is, in the single deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and which are at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn Magisterium of the Church, or by its ordinary and universal Magisterium, which in fact is manifested by the common adherence of Christ’s faithful under the guidance of the sacred Magisterium. All Christian faithful are therefore bound to avoid any contrary doctrines.
(7) Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 17: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.
(8) Code of Canon Law, Canon 752 – While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic Magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith and morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.
(9) Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, Canon 599 – While the assent of faith is not required, a religious submission of intellect and will is to be given to any doctrine which either the Supreme Pontiff or the College of Bishops, exercising their authentic Magisterium, declare upon a matter of faith and morals, even though they do not intend to proclaim that doctrine by definitive act. Christ’s faithful are therefore to ensure that they avoid whatever does not accord with that doctrine.
(10) Cf. CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Instruction on the Ecclesial Vocation of the Theologian Donum veritatis (24 May 1990), 16: AAS 82 (1990), 1557.

On a related note, "Brother" Andre Marie of the Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, has been photographed wearing a biretta. As this article explains: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biretta, the biretta has traditionally been worn by members of the Catholic clergy or in some instances seminarians. Has "Brother" Andre Marie been passing himself off as a Roman Catholic priest or seminarian? Does this have anything to do with a previous announcement (made in the SBC's newsletter Mancipia) that the SBC intended to have "Brother" Andre Marie ordained without canonical permission - dimissorial letters?

A photograph (with "Brother" Andre Marie wearing what looks like a biretta) was taken at a schismatic "Catholic" church in Florida called Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and located in Spring Hill. This photo may be found at this link: http://www.olfatima.com/friends.html

Pictured in the photograph are Sr Maria Philomena M.I.C.M., Sr Marie Thérèse M.I.C.M., Bro. Andre Marie M.I.C.M. & Bro. Louis Marie M.I.C.M. of the St Benedict Center, Winchester, New Hampshire February 2005. The "Bishop" is Terence Fulham, who serves as the "pastor" of this church.

More information on the schismatic "Bishop" Terence Fulham: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terence_Fulham

And for more information pertaining to his movement: http://www.answers.com/topic/orthodox-roman-catholic-movement

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), has included the Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire in its list of anti-Semitic hate groups: http://www.splcenter.org/

According to the SPLC (and this will come as no surprise to readers of this Blog who have followed my articles exposing the SBC's anti-Semitic ideology), in 2005, Broter Anthony Mary, M.I.C.M., Tert., told a conference that "the Jewish nation" is the "perpetual enemy of Christ." The SPLC also reports that Brother Anthony Mary referred to the Jews as the "synagogue of Satan."

Various residents of the town of Richmond, New Hampshire have expressed their concerns regarding the SBC Cult at The Keene Sentinel (Keene, NH newspaper) Talkback Forum. A friend of mine reports that one such resident (who shall remain nameless for safety reasons) emailed him and indicated that residents of Richmond have heard gunshots from handguns, rifles and even automatic weapons.

This situation calls for prayer.

Read the article: http://www.splcenter.org/intel/intelreport/article.jsp?pid=1301

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL:
LONGER VERSION PRAYER AGAINST SATAN and THE REBELLIOUS ANGELS PUBLISHED BY ORDER OF H. H. POPE LEO XIII

The Holy Father exhorts priests to say this prayer as often as possible, as a simple exorcism to curb the power of the devil and prevent him from doing harm. The faithful also may say it in their own name, for the same purpose, as any approved prayer. Its use is recommended whenever action of the devil is suspected, causing malice in men, violent temptations and even storms and various calamities.

It could be used as a solemn exorcism (an official and public ceremony, in Latin), to expel the devil: It would then be said by a priest, in the name of the Church and only with the Bishop's permission.

In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.

PRAYER TO SAINT MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL

Most glorious Prince of the Heavenly Armies, Saint Michael the Archangel. defend us in "our battle against principalities and powers, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places" (Ephes. 6:12). Come to the assistance of men whom God has created to His likeness and whom He has redeemed at a great price from the tyranny of the devil. Holy Church venerates thee as her guardian and protector; to thee, the Lord has entrusted the souls of the redeemed to be led into heaven. Pray therefore the God of Peace to crush Satan beneath our feet, that he may no longer retain men captive and do injury to the Church. Offer our prayers unto the Most High, that without delay they may draw His mercy down upon us; take hold of "the dragon, the old serpent, which is the devil and Satan." Bind him and cast him into the bottomless pit "so that he may no longer seduce the nations" (Apoc. 20:2).

Manchester Diocese under fire for not naming accused priests

Rosie O'Donnell challenged to defend her anti-Christian hate speech

By now, most of you know what happened to Don Imus after his hateful and insensitive remarks made on his program. The question is: will Rosie O'Donnell's anti-Christian hate speech now be addressed by ABC?

I'm not holding my breath.

Threats against Archbishop continue...

From the La Salette Journey Archives...

Homosexuality and Catholic doctrine

While it is certainly true that homosexual persons "must be accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity" and that "every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided" (CCC, 2358), still, the premise that homosexuality is a God-given orientation which must be accepted and affirmed by society is erroneous.Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons, a Philadelphia area psychiatrist whose specialty is reparative therapy for those who suffer from same-sex attractions, has said that "..homosexuality is an attraction and not an orientation. In some ways homosexuality represents a false identity - a failure to develop that proper masculinity or femininity which God desires. Homosexuality is therefore considered to be an objective disorder."

And this is precisely the teaching of the Catholic Church: "The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial." (CCC, 2358).Homosexuality and lesbianism are both on the increase. This fact is highly significant. Dr. Abram Kardiner, distinguished physician, psychoanalyst and anthropologist, states that homosexuality reaches pestilential and plague proportions in morally rotting societies during the final stages of total collapse.According to Catholic doctrine, any disorderly tendency, above all to a vice contrary to nature, cannot have a right to citizenship in a person's thoughts. If someone in his mind makes a concession to this tendency, he sins. This is why in the Confiteor one asks forgiveness for thoughts, words and deeds.As for the act of sodomy, it constitutes a sin that cries out to Heaven and clamors to God for vengeance (See Gn 18:20; Gn 19:12-13; Lv 18:22; Lv 18"24-28; Lv 20:13; 1 Cor 6: 9-10; Rm 1: 24-27; 2 Pt 2:4-9; Jd 7:8).

It is an ominous fact that the "gay" movement is having its way of life (more accurately its way of death) redefined as a simple variant of normal sexuality and woven into the fabric of society. The movement to legitimize homosexuality runs contrary to the constant teaching of the Church. In fact, Saint Thomas Aquinas, writing about sins against nature, explains: "..they are called passions of ignominy because they are not worthy of being named, according to that passage in Ephesians (5:12): 'For the things that are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.' For if the sins of the flesh are commonly censurable because they lead man to that which is bestial in him, much more so is the sin against nature, by which man debases himself lower than even his animal nature." (St. Thomas Aquinas, Super Epistulas Sancti Pauli Ad Romanum, I, 26, pp. 27f).

Saint Catherine of Sienna, a religious mystic of the 14th century, relays words of Our Lord Jesus Christ about the vice against nature, which contaminated part of the clergy in her time. Referring to sacred ministers, He says: "They not only fail from resisting this frailty (of fallen human nature)...but do even worse as they commit the cursed sin against nature. Like the blind and stupid, having dimmed the light of their understanding, they do not recognize the disease and misery in which they find themselves. For this not only causes Me nausea, but displeases even the demons themselves, whom these miserable creatures have chosen as their lords. For Me, this sin against nature is so abominable that, for it alone, five cities were submersed, by virtue of the judgment of My divine justice, which could no longer bear them...It is disagreeable to the demons, not because evil displeases them and they find pleasure in good, but because their nature is angelic and thus is repulsed upon seeing such an enormous sin being committed. It is true that it is the demon who hits the sinner with the poisoned arrow of lust, but when a man carries out such a sinful act, the demon leaves." (St. Catherine of Sienna, El dialogo, in Obras de Santa Catarina de Siena, Madrid: BAC, 1991, p. 292).

Tertullian, the great apologist of the Church in the second century, writes: 'We condemn all those who give themselves over to the excesses of luxury contrary to natural law...and expel them from the bosom of the Church, for such acts are greater monstrosities than sins." (Tertullian, De pudicitia, IV, in J. McNeill, La Iglesia ante la homosexualidad, p. 134).

Saint Augustine is just as frank in his condemnation of sodomy and similar vices: "Sins against nature, therefore, like the sin of Sodom, are abominable and deserve punishment whenever and wherever they are committed...for our Maker did not prescribe that we should use each other in this way. In fact, the relationship that we ought to have with God is itself violated when our nature, of which He is Author, is desecrated by perverted lust." (St. Augustine, Confessions, New York: Penguin, 1967; Book III. Chap 8, p.65).

If the events of September 11th are a warning, and I believe that they are, then the clergy sex scandal is a judgment. For years, members of the Church's hierarchy have been ignoring the warnings of Our Lady that toleration (and even promotion of) false teaching would lead to a time of crisis.Many so-called "scripture scholars" and "moral theologians" have destroyed the faith and morality of millions. Many priests and religious "educators" in turn, influenced by these "scholars" and "theologians" have sown doubt about the scriptures and morality, thereby destroying the faith and morality of countless lay persons.

Their Destroyer is awake.

Persecution Watch: Bishop under attack

"Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. But beware of people, for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues, and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.
For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved. When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!" (Matthew 10: 16-25).

The Coming Persecution....

Satan's war on the children...

The spirit of Antichrist is growing.

The persecution intensifies:

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=9008

http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=8995


I have said it so many times before and will say it again: the New Order, the New Church being created in the image and likeness of man, will not tolerate any dissent regarding the acceptance of homosexual acts. Those of us who take a stand against homosexual acts will eventually be imprisoned, forced to undergo "re-education" and "sensitivity training," or simply eliminated.

The New Order will not tolerate opposition to homosexual acts from orthodox Christians, Jews, Muslims and others of good will who accept God's plan for humanity and His Commandments.

Cardinal Mercier's Prayer to the Holy Spirit

The secret to sanctity.

The reality of Satan

To be sure, there are some individuals who see Satan everywhere and in every evil they encounter in life. Such people approach life in a very superstitious manner and see the Evil One behind every evil action and circumstance. However, such people are the exception today. Our present epoch is imbued with the belief that there is no personal devil and that evil is merely a lack of human goodness in the world. Many theologians, such as Fr. Richard P. McBrien, have contributed to this belief. Father Richard McBrien once said on Nightline that the Catholic Church had never expressed dogmatically her belief in a personal devil.


However Fr. McBrien (and this is an old story) is simply wrong. In a dogmatic degree of the Fourth Lateran Council (1215), we read:

"We firmly believe and openly confess that there is only one true God, eternal and immense, omnipotent, unchangeable, incomprehensible, and ineffable, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; three Persons indeed but one essence, substance, or nature absolutely simple; the Father (proceeding) from no one, but the Son from the Father only, and the Holy Ghost equally from both, always without beginning and end. The Father begetting, the Son begotten, and the Holy Ghost proceeding; consubstantial and coequal, co-omnipotent and coeternal, the one principle of the universe, Creator of all things invisible and visible, spiritual and corporeal, who from the beginning of time and by His omnipotent power made from nothing creatures both spiritual and corporeal, angelic, namely, and mundane, and then human, as it were, common, composed of spirit and body. The devil and the other demons were indeed created by God good by nature but they became bad through themselves; man, however, sinned at the suggestion of the devil. This Holy Trinity in its common essence undivided and in personal properties divided, through Moses, the holy prophets, and other servants gave to the human race at the most opportune intervals of time the doctrine of salvation.

And finally, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God made flesh by the entire Trinity, conceived with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost of Mary ever Virgin, made true man, composed of a rational soul and human flesh, one Person in two natures, pointed out more clearly the way of life. Who according to His divinity is immortal and impassable, according to His humanity was made passable and mortal, suffered on the cross for the salvation of the human race, and being dead descended into hell, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven. But He descended in soul, arose in flesh, and ascended equally in both; He will come at the end of the world to judge the living and the dead and will render to the reprobate and to the elect according to their works. Who all shall rise with their own bodies which they now have that they may receive according to their merits, whether good or bad, the latter eternal punishment with the devil, the former eternal glory with Christ."

The fact that so many Catholics today (and among them priests and theologians) no longer believe in a personal devil is evidence of the extent of the breakdown in belief. The truth of the matter is that the Catholic Church has consistently taught in every age that there is a personal evil being: Satan.

In its Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Vatican II taught that Satan is the one who deceives human beings and leads them away from God: "But rather often men, deceived by the Evil One, have become caught up in a futile reasoning and have echanged the truth of God for a lie, serving the creature rather than the Creator (cf. Rom. 1: 21, 25)." (No. 16).

In 1975, the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith published Les Formes de la superstition to help the faithful understand the Church's teaching regarding demonic spirits:

"It would be a fatal mistake to act as if history were already finished and redemption had achieved all its effects, so that it were no longer necessary to engage in the struggle [against the devil and demons] of which the New Testament and the masters of the spiritual life speak....To maintain today, therefore, that Jesus' words about Satan express only a teaching borrowed from his culture and are unimportant for the faith of other believers is evidently to show little understanding either of the Master's character or of his age. If Jesus used this kind of language and, above all, if he translated it into practice during his ministry, it wsa because it expressed a doctrine that was to some extent essential to the idea and reality of the salvation that he was bringing....Satan whom Jesus attacked with his exorcisms and confronted in the wilderness and in his passion, cannot simply be a product of the human ability to tell stories and personify ideas nor a stray survival of a primitive culture and its language....Satan's action on man is admittedly interior but it is impossible to regard him as therefore simply a personification of sin and temptation....It was for all these reasons that the Fathers of the Church were convinced from Scripture that Satan and the demons are the enemies of man's redemption, and they did not fail to remind the faithful of their existence and action." (Les formes de la superstition, in Vatican Council II: More Post Conciliar Documents, Northport: Costello Publishing Company, 1982), pp. 456-485.

While there are some who approach the question of evil from a superstitious perspective, seeing Satan behind every evil action and circumstance, still, the belief in a real personal devil may not be attributed to superstition:

"What are the Church's greatest needs at the present time? Don't be surprised at our answer and don't write it off as simplistic or even superstitious: one of the Church's greatest needs is to be defended against the evil which we call the Devil....Evil is not merely an absence of something but an active force, a living, spiritual being that is perverted and that perverts others....It is a departure from the picture provided by biblical and Church teaching to refuse to acknowledge the Devil's existence...or to explain the Devil as a pseudoreality, a conceptual, fanciful, personification of the unknown causes of our misfortunes...St. Paul calls him the 'god of this world,' and warns us of the struggle we Christians must carry on in the dark, not only against one Devil, but against a frightening multiplicity of them..." (Pope Paul VI, General Audience given on November 15, 1972).

On most Fridays during Lent I eat at S&S Lobster on Rte 2A in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. I was there today and ran into some acquaintances from Holy Rosary Parish in Gardner. I was told of AFA's latest petition regarding big corporations and the homosexual agenda. The petition may be found here: http://www.afa.net/petitions/businesses/businesses.asp

Please take the time to complete this petition which consists of only one question.

Paul.

I See More Martyrs....

There is news of homosexual infiltration into Catholic schools in Canada: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/mar/07032803.html

And this shouldn't surprise us. On September 12, 1820, venerable Anne Catherine Emmerich related a vision:

"I saw a strange church being built against every rule...No angels were supervising the building operations. In that church nothing came from high above...There was only division and chaos. It's probably a church of human creation, following the latest fashion, as well as the new heterodox church of Rome, which seems of the same kind....I saw again the strange big church that was being built there [in Rome]. There was nothing holy in it....Everything was being done according to human reason. I saw all sorts of people, things, doctrines, and opinions. There was something proud, presumptuous, and violent about it, and they seemed to be very successful. I did not see a single angel nor a single saint helping in the work. But far away in the background, I saw the seat of a cruel people armed with spears, and I saw a laughing figure which said: 'Do build it as solid as you can; we will pull it to the ground.'"

And from August to October of 1820: "I see more martyrs, not now but in the future....I saw the secret sect relentlessly undermining the great Church. Near them I saw a horrible beast coming up from the sea....[My note: the "sea" in prophecy usually is taken to refer to the world of politics which is so tumultuous] When the Church had been for the most part destroyed [by the secret sect], and when only the sanctuary and altar were still standing, I saw the wreckers enter the Church with the Beast. There they met a Woman of noble carriage [The Blessed Virgin] who seemed to be with child because she walked slowly. At this sight, the enemies were terrorized, and the Beast could not take but another step forward. It projected its neck towards the Woman as if to devour her, but the Woman turned about and bowed down [towards the altar], her head touching the ground. Thereupon, I saw the Beast taking to flight towards the sea again, and the enemies were fleeing in the greatest confusion....Then, I saw that the Church was being promptly rebuilt, and she was more magnificent than ever before."

On April 20, 1820: "I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps."

On April 22, 1823: 'I saw that many pastors allowed themselves to be taken up with ideas that were dangerous to the Church. They were building a great, strange, and extravagant Church. Everyone was to be admitted in it in order to be united and have equal rights: Evangelicals, Catholics, sects of every description. Such was to be the new Church....But God had other designs." And again: "I see that when the Second Coming of Christ approaches, a bad priest will do much harm to the Church. When the time of the reign of Antichrist is near, a false religion will appear which will be opposed to the unity of God and His Church. This will cause the greatest schism the world has ever known. The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on earth, the greater will be the number of the children of corruption, and the number of the just will correspondingly diminish."

The nearer the time of the end, the more the darkness of Satan will spread on earth... Isn't this precisely what we see today? The moral evils of abortion, homosexuality, contraception, pornography and a host of other evils and impurities are accepted today as normal. Evil is called good and good is called evil, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah.

Important....

Ecclesiastical Freemasonry and the Religion of Humanitarianism

In an interview with the The Latin Mass magazine, "Present at the Demolition," Dr. Alice von Hildebrand alluded to communist and masonic infiltration into the Church:

TLM: You realize, of course, Doctor, that as soon as you mention this idea of infiltration, there will be those who roll their eyes in exasperation and remark, “Not another conspiracy theory!”

AVH:: I can only tell you what I know. It is a matter of public record, for instance, that Bella Dodd, the ex-Communist who reconverted to the Church, openly spoke of the Communist Party’s deliberate infiltration of agents into the seminaries. She told my husband and me that when she was an active party member, she had dealt with no fewer than four cardinals within the Vatican “who were working for us.”
Many a time I have heard Americans say that Europeans “smell conspiracy wherever they go.” But from the beginning, the Evil One has “conspired” against the Church – and has always aimed in particular at destroying the Mass and sapping belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. That some people are tempted to blow this undeniable fact out of proportion is no reason for denying its reality. On the other hand, I, European born, am tempted to say that many Americans are naïve; living in a country that has been blessed by peace, and knowing little about history, they are more likely than Europeans (whose history is a tumultuous one) to fall prey to illusions. Rousseau has had an enormous influence in the United States. When Christ said to His apostles at the Last Supper that “one of you will betray Me,” the apostles were stunned. Judas had played his hand so artfully that no one suspected him, for a cunning conspirator knows how to cover his tracks with a show of orthodoxy.

TLM: Do the two books by the Italian priest you mentioned before the interview contain documentation that would provide evidence of this infiltration?

AVH:: The two books I mentioned were published in 1998 and 2000 by an Italian priest, Don Luigi Villa of the diocese of Brescia, who at the request of Padre Pio has devoted many years of his life to the investigation of the possible infiltration of both Freemasons and Communists into the Church. My husband and I met Don Villa in the sixties. He claims that he does not make any statement that he cannot substantiate. When Paulo Sesto Beato? (1998) was published the book was sent to every single Italian bishop. None of them acknowledged receipt; none challenged any of Don Villa’s claims.
In this book, he relates something that no ecclesiastical authority has refuted or asked to be retracted – even though he names particular personalities in regard to the incident. It pertains to the rift between Pope Pius XII and the then Bishop Montini (the future Paul VI) who was his Undersecretary of State. Pius XII, conscious of the threat of Communism, which in the aftermath of World War II was dominating nearly half of Europe, had prohibited the Vatican staff from dealing with Moscow. To his dismay, he was informed one day through the Bishop of Upsala (Sweden) that his strict order had been contravened. The Pope resisted giving credence to this rumor until he was given incontrovertible evidence that Montini had been corresponding with various Soviet agencies. Meanwhile, Pope Pius XII (as had Pius XI) had been sending priests clandestinely into Russia to give comfort to Catholics behind the Iron Curtain. Every one of them had been systematically arrested, tortured, and either executed or sent to the gulag. Eventually a Vatican mole was discovered: Alighiero Tondi, S.J., who was a close advisor to Montini. Tondi was an agent working for Stalin whose mission was to keep Moscow informed about initiatives such as the sending of priests into the Soviet Union.
Source: http://www.latinmassmagazine.com/articles/articles_2001_SU_Hildebran.html

Our Lady told Fr. Stefano Gobbi of the Marian Movement of Priests:

"I am weeping because the Church is continuing along the road of division, of loss of the true faith, of apostasy and of errors which are being spread more and more without anyone offering opposition to them. Even now, that which I predicted at Fatima and that which I have revealed here in the third message confided to a little daughter of mine (i.e. Sister Lucia) is in the process of being accomplished. And so, even for the Church the moment of its great trial has come, because the man of iniquity will establish himself within it and the abomination of desolation will enter into the holy temple of God." (To the Priests, Our Lady's Beloved Sons, No. 362, September 15, 1987, p. 572.)

And again:

"The black beast like a leopard indicates Freemasonry; the beast with the two horns like a lamb indicates Freemasonry infiltrated into the interior of the Church, that is to say, ecclesiastical Masonry, which has spread especially among the members of the hierarchy. This Masonic infiltration, in the interior of the Church, was already foretold to you by me at Fatima, when I announced to you that Satan would enter in even to the summit of the Church. If the task of Masonry is to lead souls to perdition, bringing them to the worship of false divinities, the task of ecclesiastical Masonry on the other hand is that of destroying Christ and his Church, building a new idol, namely a false christ and a false church." (To the Priests, Our Lady's Beloved Sons, No. 406, June 13, 1989, p. 649)

The false church Our Lady refers to was also foretold by Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824), a German Augustinian nun, stigmatist, and miracle-worker, who subsisted entirely on water and Holy Communion for many years. Venerable Emmerich received numerous visions of the future crisis in the Church and the infiltration of the Masons. In her visions, she describes men in aprons destroying the Church with a trowel, The Masons wear aprons and their symbol is the Mason's trowel. The following excerpts are from page 565 of the Life of Anne Catherine Emmerich, Vol. 1, by Rev. K.E. Schmöger, Tan Books, 1976:


"I saw St. Peter's. A great crowd of men was trying to pull it down whilst others constantly built it up again. Lines connected these men one with another and with others throughout the whole world. I was amazed at their perfect understanding.

"The demolishers, mostly apostates and members of different sects, broke off whole pieces and worked according to rules and instructions. They wore WHITE APRONS bound with blue riband. In them were pockets and they had TROWELS stuck in their belts. The costumes of the others were various.

"There were among the demolishers distinguished men wearing uniforms and crosses. They did not work themselves but they marked out on the wall with a TROWEL where and how it should be torn down. To my horror, I saw among them Catholic Priests. Whenever the workmen did not know how to go on, they went to a certain one in their party. He had a large book which seemed to contain the whole plan of the building and the way to destroy it. They marked out exactly with a TROWEL the parts to be attacked, and they soon came down. They worked quietly and confidently, but slyly, furtively and warily. I saw the Pope praying, surrounded by false friends who often did the very opposite to what he had ordered..."

Back in October of 2005, I exposed one of these Catholic priests, a priest of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, who is working under the banner of the New Ecclesiology while loudly proclaiming that man has come of age: http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2005/10/reading-from-prophecy-of-malachi.html

This is the religious deception of the Antichrist: "The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh." (CCC, 675).

We have witnessed the gradual emergence of this false church within Christ's Church. And that which this false church proposes is a new religion in which man, and not God, is the object of worship. And all will be accomplished in the name of humanitarianism. Through one of his characters in his prophetic book The Lord of the World, Fr. Robert Hugh Benson describes this humanitarian religion:

"Humanitarianism...is becoming an actual religion itself, though anti-supernatural. It is a pantheism. Pantheism deifies all nature, God is the world, but naturally, man above all is God since he is the highest expression of nature. It is a religion devoid of the 'super' natural, because since God is nature itself, there is no longer a distinction between Creator and creature. The creature is God* and hence arbitrator of his own destiny and establishes the moral law for himself. Nature, and man is its highest expression, has all the divine attributes. Humanitarianism is a religion devoid of the supernatural. It is developing a ritual under Freemasonry; it has a creed, 'God is man'; and the rest. It has, therefore, a real food of a sort to offer religious cravings: it idealizes, and yet makes no demands upon the spiritual faculties. Then, they have the use of all the churches except ours, and of all the Cathedrals; and they are beginning at last to encourage sentiment. Then they may display their symbols and we may not: I think they will be establishedlegally in another ten years" (Introduction, p. xvii).

*Genesis 3:5.

Signs of the times...

More on ecclesiastical masonry later today...

And on the abortion front....

One can feel things beginning to accelerate.

The New Order will not tolerate opposition to homosexuality

Expect the persecution against Christians who refuse to accept homosexual acts to intensify. Proponents of the New Age religion will not tolerate any dissent on this matter.

Meanwhile, within the Church:
http://www.twincities.com/mld/pioneerpress/news/local/16926967.htm

While there is still time....

I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]…. While there is still time, let them have recourse to the fount of My mercy… He who refuses to pass through the door of My mercy must pass through the door of My justice. —Diary of St Faustina, 1160, 848, 1146

On January 22, 1980, Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi of the Marian Movement of Priests, that: "Humanity is now on the brink of that destruction which it could bring upon itself by its own hand. Indeed, that which was predicted to you by Me at Fatima, concerning the final closing of this age of yours, has already begun."

And on January 1, 1980, Our Lady told Fr. Gobbi that: "You are now being called to enter a time in which great sufferings await you. First of all, my Church will have to suffer as it is called to a more intense and painful process of purification." There are very definite signs that this hour of Calvary for the Church has already begun: http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/4865

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that: "Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the 'mystery of iniquity' in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist*, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh." (CCC, No. 675).

As Mr. Mark Mallett has made clear, there is a "marking of souls" taking place. "The Lord is sifting, the divisions are growing, and souls are being marked as to whom they serve." (Source: http://www.markmallett.com/blog/?p=257#more-257).

This is the fundamental choice we must all make: whom will we serve. *Jesus says in John 5:43: "I am come in the name of my Father, and you receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. In the Latin Vulgate, "Ego veni in nomine Patris mei et non accipitis me si alius venerit in nomine suo illum accipietis."

Antichrist comes in his own name. And many will follow him and his supreme religious deception. Indeed many are already receiving his mark as they choose the Man of Sin and reject the Lord Jesus and His Mystical Body which is the Church.

"As the sun when it riseth to the world in the high places of God, so is the beauty of a good wife for the ornament of her house." (Ecclus xxvi 1-3).

I have just discovered a beautiful Catholic Blog created by a devout Catholic woman who goes by the name Sanctus Belle. I am so impressed with her Blog that I am adding it to my links section.

Read Sanctus Belle at: http://ourladystears.blogspot.com

Paul.

Opposing the feminization of Christianity....

"Since men continue to want to be masculine, they will continue (unless there are major changes in the Church) to put a greater or lesser distance between themselves and the Church...Feminism and homosexual propaganda dominate the liberal churches, and both drive men even further away.* Apart from some groups of evangelical Protestants, whose commitment to Scripture has made them aware of the lack of men and led them to use tactics which have had at least initial effectiveness, all other varieties of Western Christianity are totally bent on expanding the role of women in the Church and choose to ignore the absence of the male laity. Homosexuals who want to change are welcome even (perhaps especially) in evangelical and revivalist churches, but Catholic and mainline Protestant churches that cultivate a gay atmosphere (Archdiocesan Gay and Lesbian Outreach, gay choirs, gay tolerance talks in schools) will keep heterosexual men away...Christianity has within it the resources that allow it to appeal to men, to show that not only will Christianity not undermine their masculinity, but it will also fulfill and perfect it." (Dr. Leon J. Podles, "The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity," pp. 196-197).

* See Thomas C. Reeves, The Empty Church, The Suicide of Liberal Christianity, New York: Free Press, 1996; pp. 146-151).


Dr. Podles is right. A testosterone-free Church is not appealing to men. Effeminate priests and ministers do not inspire healthy young men to consider a vocation within the Church. There is absolutely no reason why Christianity should remain a testosterone-free zone.

More on Dr. Maneker.....

Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the kingdom signifies and anticipates heavenly communion. The Catholic Church teaches definitively that it is better and more blessed to remain in the state of Christian virginity or celibacy than it is to be joined in sacramental marriage.

Moreover, Pope John Paul II taught that: "Virginity or celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of God not only does not contradict the dignity of marriage but presupposes it and confirms it. Marriage and virginity or celibacy are two ways of expressing and living the one mystery of the covenant of God with his people." (Familiaris consortio, 16, AAS 74, 1982, 98).

Vatican II, in its Decree on Priestly Training (Optatam Totius), No. 10 teaches that: "Students who follow the venerable tradition of celibacy according to the holy and fixed laws of their own rite are to be educated to this state with great care. For renouncing thereby the companionship of marriage for the sake of the kingdom of heaven (cf. Mt 19:12), they embrace the Lord with an undivided love altogether befitting the New Covenant, bear witness to the resurrection of the world to come (cf. Lk 20:36), and obtain a most suitable aid for the continual exercise of that perfect charity whereby they can become all things to all men in their priestly ministry."

For Rev. Dr. Jerry Maneker, however, "..when any institution requires celibacy as a condition of fulfilling a calling, such as being a Roman Catholic priest, that institution is being unbiblical..and is setting itself up for the recruitment of very frustrated, sexually and emotionally immature officials."

What Dr. Maneker does not mention is that while Christ does approve of marriage for the Christian clergy, He prefers that they do not marry. Christ made this abundantly clear when He praised His Apostles for giving up "all" to follow Him: "And every one that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold and shall possess life everlasting." (Mt 19: 27-29).

Furthermore, the Holy Spirit explains to us through St. Paul why the state of virginity or celibacy is preferable to the married state for the Christian clergy: "He that is without a wife, is solicitous for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please God. But he that is with a wife, is solicitous for the things of the world, how he may please his wife: and he is divided." (1 Cor 7: 32-33).

In an article entitled "RC Priest Sexual Abuse" and published here: http://www.christianlgbtrights.org/2007/03/rc-priest-sexual-abuse.html, Dr. Maneker writes, "In my opinion, celibacy in and of itself is not the cause of the tremendous Roman Catholic priest abuse scandal, if that celibacy is a gift from God! However, when that celibacy is not a gift given to a person, and that person is forced to suppress a most primal urge, and that person is malleable and weak enough to acquiesce to that demand, that person is more likely than not going to be an emotional and sexual wreck.."

First of all, from a statistical standpoint, children are far safer with celibates than they are with married men. Apparently Dr. Maneker hasn't been watching any of the "To Catch a Predator" programs in which the majority of sexual predators are married men from various walks of life, including the field of education. As Raymond Arroyo has said, a "study by Penn State Professor Philip Jenkins reveals that a mere 0.3 percent of priests are pedophiles. Married men abuse children in far greater numbers. Anywhere from 3 to 8 percent, if you believe the studies."

In no way is celibacy an issue. Rather, homosexuality is. As one article makes clear:

An explosion of homosexuality is occurring in our midst. Flaunted by the mass media and promoted throughout our society, it has suddenly become a high profile issue. Yet this “coming out” is no surprise to those who have diligently worked for years to advance the cause of homosexuality, and this is especially true for the proponents of homosexuality that we find entrenched in the Catholic Church today.

The sex abuse scandal that broke out in 2002 was a loud signal that things have gone far astray. Although only 2.7 percent of the total number of priests nationwide were involved in sexual abuse cases (note that the number of homosexuals in the general population is estimated to be about 2 percent), the John Jay Study found 81 percent of the abuse cases to be homosexual in nature.

Yet the USCCB and the gay community insist that the problem is one of pedophilia and not homosexuality. Since pedophilia is defined as sexual contact with children who are prepubescent, and the vast majority of victims were post-pubescent males between the ages of 11 and 18, it is clear that the bulk of the crisis is directly linked to the practice of homosexuality.." (Source: http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?id=3942 ).

Abandoning the holy is not the answer. Careful psychological screening is. Men who possess a homosexual orientation do not belong in seminaries. The homosexual inclination is objectively disordered and ordaining men with such an inclination is, pastorally speaking, extremely imprudent.

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Sodomy:


Dr. Jerry Maneker is Professor Emeritus of Sociology at California State University, Chico. At his internet biography page, which may be found here: http://www.radicalchristianity.net/page18.html, Dr. Maneker says: "For many years, I have had a weekly column in the Sacramento Valley Mirror entitled 'Christianity and Society,' where I deal with a variety of social issues from a biblical and sociological perspective. I've also written many articles dealing with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights and progressive Christianity for the webzine, 'Speak From The Heart.' I also contribute regularly to the online magazine, 'Whosoever,' that deals with topics of relevance to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians and their allies, and I have a blog entitled, 'A Christian Voice For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender Rights'...The major thrust of my ministry is to help rescue the Bible and Christianity itself from those who pervert the only Gospel to be found in Christianity: the Gospel of grace, faith, love, peace, reconciliation, and inclusiveness. So many 'religious' leaders preach a false gospel of legalism and perfectionism that has the effect, beyond financial and/or psychological and/or social gain, of excluding, and even demonizing, others."

And who does Dr. Maneker have in mind when he speaks of those who "pervert the only Gospel found in Christianity?" In an interview which may be found here: http://livelovelearn247.blogspot.com/2006/09/interview-with-rev-dr-jerry-maneker.html, Dr. Maneker says:

"I'm an evangelical, dammit! And I won't allow purveyors of a false gospel, about whom the Apostle Paul felt so strongly that he wrote, "God damn them" (Galatians 1:8-9), to pervert the beauty of the Gospel of liberation into their twisted notions of God, the Bible, themselves, and other people, thereby seeking to put yokes of bondage on people, the very yokes of bondage from which Jesus came to set us free. These legalists and biblical literalists have thrown God's grace back in His face, and are seeking to lead gullible, vulnerable, biblically iliterate people away from the only Gospel to be found in Christianity. And for that grievous sin, as well as for the sin of wittingly or unwittingly helping to create and "legitimate" the shame, self-loathing, suicides, bashings and murders of LGBT people, they are to be assiduously confronted and told in no uncertain terms that they are not speaking for God, the Bible, or for the Gospel!"

There you have it. For Dr. Maneker, a "progressive Christianity" must continually oppose the "false gospel" of "legalists" and "biblical literalists" who accept what Sacred Scripture has to say regarding homosexual acts. And when Christians accept what the Holy Spirit says through St. Paul in Romans Chapter 1, namely that males who give up "natural relations with females" and "burn with lust for one another" are engaging in "perversity" (v. 27) and that "the just decree of God" is that "all who practice such things deserve death," (v. 32) such people are following a "false gospel." For Dr. Maneker, Christians who accept what God's Word reveals in 1 Corinthians Chapter 6: "Do not be deceived; neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor boy prostitutes nor practicing homosexuals nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God" (v. 9-10), are really "purveyors of a false gospel" who are 'seeking to put yokes of bondage on people."

We shouldn't be surprised that there are people like Dr. Maneker in this world who oppose God's Holy Word and attempt to deceive us. We read in 2 John v. 7-9 that: "Many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh; such is the deceitful one and the antichrist. Look to yourselves that you do not lose what we worked for but may receive a full recompense. Anyone who is so 'progressive' as not to remain in the teaching of the Christ does not have God; whoever remains in the teaching has the Father and the Son."

The Latin of the Vulgate is "Omnis, qui ultra procedit et non manet in doctrina Christi, Deum non habet." This might be translated literally thusly: "Every one who proceeds beyond and does not remain in the teaching..." Isn't it ironic that Dr. Maneker would label his own peculiar brand of Christianity as "progressive Christianity?" Isn't it true that he has become so progressive as to not remain in the teaching of Christ?

Again, we read in Jude (v. 5-7):

"I wish to remind you, although you know all things, that [the] Lord who once saved a people from the land of Egypt later destroyed those who did not believe. The angels too, who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains, in gloom, for the judgment of the great day. Likewise, Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding towns, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual promiscuity and unnatural vice, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire."

Signs