Another Sad Legacy

Manchester NH Diocese Under Fire....Yet Again

The sad legacy continues.

Close your spiritual fort.....

Paving the way for Antichrist

Hollywood film director James Cameron, of Titanic fame, (who is alleged by some to be a high-ranking freemason) has a new project. Now he's out to convince the world that Jesus did not rise from the dead: http://time-blog.com/middle_east/2007/02/jesus_tales_from_the_crypt.html

Many prophetic events are converging. There is now an all-out war against Christianity and in particular the Catholic Church.

Watch and pray.

Paul.

Some background on director James Cameron's occult society: http://religiousmovements.lib.virginia.edu/nrms/amorc.html

Persecution Watch: Parental Rights Under Assault in Massachusetts

This is extremely disturbing. Vatican II teaches us that, in raising children, the responsibility of parents is primary: "Since parents have given life to their children, they have a very grave duty to educate them, and so are to be recognized as their primary and principal educators" (GE, No. 3). And Pope John Paul II, explaining the conciliar teaching more fully in Familiaris consortio No. 36, says that: "The right and duty of parents to give education is essential, since it is connected with the transmission of human life; it is original and primary with regard to the educational role of others, on account of the uniqueness of the loving relationship between parents and children; and it is irreplaceable and inalienable, and therefore incapable of being entirely delegated to others or usurped by others."

Canon Law is also very clear on this matter. Canon 793, 1., states that: "Parents as well as those who take their place are obliged and enjoy the right to educate their offspring; Catholic parents also have the duty and the right to select those means and institutions through which they can provide more suitably for the Catholic education of the children according to local circumstances" and Canon 1136 says that: "Parents have the most serious duty and the primary right to do all in their power to see to the physical, social, cultural, moral and religious upbringing of their children."

This inalienable right of parents has been recognized by the United States Supreme Court. In 1922, the State of Oregon attempted to enact legislation that would have forced all children to attend the public schools within that state. But the Supreme Court overturned that decision and established that "The child is not the mere creature of the state; those who nurture him and direct his destiny have the right, coupled with the high duty, to recognize and prepare him for additional obligations."

Paul


Additional reading: http://wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=54420

http://www.massresistance.org/docs/parker_lawsuit/order_motion_to_dismiss_022307.pdf

http://www.spiritdaily.com/whiffpersecution.htm

Support this Catholic priest in his efforts

Fr. Joseph M. Cooper, a priest of the Diocese of Manchester, New Hampshire, is working to bring the old rite back to the diocese. I would urge Catholics in and around the Diocese to contact him at: (603) 669-3100 ext. 165, and to voice their support of this important endeavour.

Fr. Cooper may also be contacted at: jcooper@rcbm.org

Pope John Paul II, in his Apostolic Letter Ecclesia Dei, given Motu Proprio, had this to say regarding the old rite:

"..respect must everywhere be shown for the feelings of all those who are attached to the Latin liturgical tradition, by a wide and generous application of the directives already issued some time ago by the Apostolic See for the use of the Roman Missal according to the typical edition of 1962."

Our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI had this to say some years back in the book Salt of the Earth (which is published by Ignatius Press):

"I am of the opinion, to be sure, that the old rite should be granted much more generously to all those who desire it. It's impossible to see what could be dangerous or unacceptable about that. A community is calling its very being into question when it suddenly declares that what until now was its holiest and highest possession is strictly forbidden and when it makes the longing for it seem downright indecent."

Vatican II said that:

"Particular law remaining in force, the use of the Latin language is to be preserved in the Latin rites" (Sacrosanctum Concilium -Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy - No. 36).

Bringing the old rite back to the Diocese would only serve to foster both healing and renewal and would have the effect of bringing many Catholics back to the sacraments. The Latin Mass movement is primarily a youth movement. For years I attended the Latin Mass at both St. Benedict Abbey and St. Ann House in Still River, Massachusetts. And I have seldom witnessed more reverence for the liturgy.

Let us all pray for Fr. Cooper. That his efforts will be blessed with success and that he will be filled with every good thing he needs to accomplish God's Holy Will.

Paul.

An encouraging word from Francis Cardinal Stafford

"priests should embrace and encourage the laity.."

- His Eminence, Francis Cardinal Stafford

Holy Father: Confront evil with fasting

Mark 9: 28, 29.

Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik and false pretense

In his excellent book entitled, "The Hidden Power of Kindness," in a chapter entitled "Dedicate yourself to truth," Fr. Lawrence G. Lovasik explains that:

"False pretense is a form of lying. You are guilty of this fault if you make yourself out to be something you are not in order to impress others, to appear important, and to be admired. This is a form of vanity. You either exaggerate your standing or accomplishments or make up facts about yourself that will impress others....You practice religious hypocrisy when you pretend to be a very pious and sincere Catholic, yet privately embrace some form of moral evil like adultery, birth control, or corruption in business or politics...

You practice social hypocrisy when you worm your way into the confidence of another, act as if you are solely concerned with giving sympathy and advice, draw out secrets of a personal nature, and then use the information to hurt the one whose confidence you have gained; or when you petend to be unselfishly interested in advancing some good cause - charity, religion, or public welfare - but you have the intention of using the cause, and others who are working for it, to your own advantage....

You practice professional hypocrisy when, in public office or business, you speak against some evil and in reality practice it yourself, or when you complain of losing money while you yourself are making an unjust profit..." (The Hidden Power of Kindness, pp. 138-139).

Paul.

Test everything

In 1 Thessalonians 5: 19-21, the Holy Spirit teaches us through St. Paul: "Do not stifle the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test everything; retain what is good."

In these latter days, there are many false prophets masquerading as disciples of the Lord Jesus. How may we determine what is true and what is false? There must be a way to discern and promote the good and to determine what is false and what should be ignored. Thankfully, there is.

"Ubi Ecclesia, ibi Sanctus Spiritus!" "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit!" Vatican II, speaking of the charismatic gifts, has said that they, "must be accepted with gratefulness and consolation.." However, at the same time, the Council also taught that, "Judgment as to their genuineness and their correct use lies with those who lead the Church and those whose special task is not to extinguish the spirit but to examine everything and keep that which is good." (Lumen Gentium, No. 2).

This is the mind of the Church: that genuine charismatic gifts are to be thankfully welcomed and it is the Church's role to evaluate their genuineness. A charismatic gift in the Church does not discover any new Gospel. In the words of the Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"Throughout the ages, there have been so-called 'private' revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ's definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church." (No. 67).

All apparitions, private revelations and prophetical utterances must meet this first test of authenticity: conformity with the teachings of the Catholic Faith as interpreted by the Magisterium.

Getting back to false prophets. A woman from Massachusetts (who shall remain nameless) has created two "Catholic" blogs and on these blogs has informed her readers of how she experienced a "Eucharistic miracle." At the same time, this confused woman has said that she finds many of the Magisterium's documents to be "legalistic" and has associated herself with a couple of other bloggers who have promoted Centering Prayer and other New Age/Occult forms of spirituality.

These are red flags. And what they suggest is troubling. False prophets abound in these troubled times. These false prophets claim to have wisdom and to have experienced God's "wonderful love." This as they contradict the teachings of the Church or deride Magisterial documents as "legalistic."

This is not the work of the Holy Spirit. This is the work of the Devil who often comes disguised as an angel of light. "Ubi Ecclesia, ibi Sanctus Spiritus!" - "Where the Church is, there is the Holy Spirit!" No authentic disciple of the Lord Jesus will ever oppose the Magisterium of Christ's Church, deride its official documents, or promote (or associate with those who do promote) New Age Occultism.

Paul.

Fr. Basil Pennington and Centering Prayer

Fr. Anthony Kazarnowicz, a good friend of mine who was an Associate Pastor of Our Lady of Czestochowa Parish in Worcester, Massachusetts and now serves as a U.S. Army Chaplain, once wrote to thank me for a letter to the Editor which I had written to The Catholic Free Press expressing my concerns over the column of Fr. Basil Pennington of St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts.

It was Fr. Kazarnowicz's belief (and mine) that while Fr. Pennington's column represented somewhat of an improvement over that of dissident moral theologian Rev. Richard P. McBrien, still, there was much room for concern.

The link above will take you to an excellent article detailing the problem with Fr. Pennington's "Centering Prayer."

Paul.

Judging which is acceptable

There are some - even many Catholics, poorly instructed in their faith, who believe that all judging is wrong. These Catholics apparently believe that love of enemies means condoning vice and sin. In the words of Dr. Germain Grisez, one of the finest moral theologians of our time, "It might seem to follow that love must accept everyone, even enemies, just as they are, and to affirm them even in the error or sin which is present in them. But the law of love does not require indiscriminate affirmation of everything about other persons (see Saint Thomas Aquinas, S.t., 2-2, q.34, a.3). One's love must be like Jesus'. He loves sinners and brings them into communion with himself in order to overcome their error and sin. When the scribes and pharisees bring a woman caught in adultery to Jesus, he not only saves her from being stoned to death but warns her not to sin again (see John 8:3-11). In a true sense, Jesus is not judgmental, he sets aside the legalistic mentality, readily forgives sinners, does not condemn the world, and points out that those who refuse to acknowledge their sinfulness are self-condemned by the truth they violate (see John 3:16-21). But he realistically recognizes sinners as sinners and never accepts error as truth...

Similarly, if Christians' love of neighbor is genuine, it not only permits but REQUIRES THEM both to 'hold fast to what is good' and to 'hate what is evil' (Romans 12:9)."And again, according to Dr. Grisez, "Vatican II neatly formulates the prohibition against judging others" 'God alone is the judge and searcher of hearts; for that reason, he forbids us to make judgments about the internal guilt of anyone' (Gaudium et Spes, No. 28). This norm, however, does not preclude JUDGMENTS necessary for determining that one should try to dissuade others from committing sins or to encourage them to repent if they have sinned."

Very often, the poorly instructed Catholic will be heard to remark "I don't like the word 'judge,' or to those of us who defend the Church's authentic Magisterial teaching while exposing error they will say: "You're judging."What if we are? Judging isn't always sinful. It is only sinful when we judge another's interior dispositions, when we judge their soul. But we are entirely free to judge words, ideas and actions which fail to hold up when placed in the Lumen Christi (Light of Christ).

Sacred Scripture (which these confused souls obviously don't spend much time with) makes this abundantly clear: "should you not judge those inside the Church"? (1 Corinthians 5:12), and again: "the saints will judge the world and angels" (1 Corinthians 6:2-3), and again: "the spiritual man judges all things" (1 Corinthians 2:15), and again: "Let prophets speak and the others judge" (1 Corinthians 14:29).

Not all judging is sinful. This is just common sense. Our legal system is structured in such a way that when a person commits a crime, he or she is tried before a judge and sentenced (judged) if found guilty. Likewise, it is our right (and duty) to judge words, ideas and actions which are not in conformity with the Gospels or which fail to conform to the Magisterial teaching of Christ's Church and to expose these as fallacious and/or sinful. In so doing, we are not rendering a judgment against a person. We are following the teaching of the great Saint Augustine (Bishop, Father and Doctor of the Church), who said: "Interficere errorem, diligere errantem" - kill the error, love the one who errs. This killing of what is sinful or erroneous is necessary if our charity - our love of neighbor - is to be genuine. Otherwise, our love is counterfeit. It is a fraud.

Paul Anthony Melanson

Wisdom of the world

"The wisdom of the world is that of which it is said, 'I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, i.e. those whom the world calls wise.' 'The wisdom of the flesh is an enemy of God,' and does not come from above. It is earthly, devilish and carnal.

This worldly wisdom consists in an exact conformity to the maxims and fashions of the world; a continual inclination towards greatness and esteem; and a subtle and endless pursuit of pleasure and self-interest, not in an uncouth and blatant way by scandalous sin, but in an astute, discreet, and deceitful way. Otherwise the world would no longer label it wisdom but pure licentiousness.

In the opinion of the world, a wise man is one with a keen eye to business; who knows how to turn everything to his personal profit without appearing to do so. He excels in the art of duplicity and well-concealed fraud without arousing suspicion. He thinks one thing and says or does another. Nothing concerning the graces and manners of the world is unknown to him. He accomodates himself to everyone to suit his own end, completely ignoring the honor and interests of God. He manages to make a secret but fatal reconciliation of truth and falsehood, of the gospel and the world, of virtue and sin, of Christ and Belial. He wishes to be considered an honest man but not a devout man, and most readily scorns, distorts and condemns devotions he does not personally approve of. In short, a man is worldly-wise who, following solely the lead of his senses and human-reasoning, poses as a good Christian and a man of integrity, but makes little effort to please God or atone by penance for the sins he has committed against him.

The worldly man bases his conduct on personal honor, on 'What will people say?', on convention, on high living, on self-interest, on ceremonious manners, and on witty conversation. These seven principles are irreproachable supports on which, he believes, he can safely depend to enjoy a peaceful life.

The world will canonize him for such virtues as courage, finesse, tactfulness, shrewdness, gallantry, politeness and good humor. It stigmatizes as serious offenses, insensitiveness, stupidity, poverty, boorishness and bigotry.

He obeys as faithfully as he can the commandments which the world gives him:

You shall be well acquainted with the world.
You shall be respectable.
You shall be successful in business.
You shall hold on to whatever is yours.
You shall rise above your background.
You shall make friends for yourself.
You shall frequent fashionable society.
You shall seek the good life.
You shall not be a kill-joy.
You shall not be singular, uncouth or over-pious.

Never has the world been so corrupt as it is now, for never has it been so cunning, so wise in its own way, and so crafty. It cleverly makes use of the truth to foster untruth, virtue to justify vice, and the very maxims of Jesus Christ to endorse its own, so that even those who are wisest in the sight of God are often deceived.

Infinite is the number of these men, wise in the sight of the world but foolish in the eyes of God.


- St. Louis de Montfort, Love of Eternal Wisdom

Fr. Salvany, Deacon Tom and an Authentic Charity

In his classic work Liberalism is a Sin," Fr. Felix Sarda Y Salvany writes:


"Charity is a supernatural virtue which induces us to love God above all things and our neighbors as ourselves for the love of God. Thus after God, we ought to love our neighbor as ourselves, and this not in any way, but for the love of God and in obedience to His law. And now what is to love? Amare est velle bonum, replies the philosopher: "To love is to wish good to him whom we love." To whom does charity command us to wish good? To our neighbor, that is to say, not to this or that man only but to everyone. What is that good which true love wishes? First of all supernatural good; then goods of the natural order, which are not incompatible with it. All this is included in the phrase "for the love of God."

It follows, therefore, that we can love our neighbor, when displeasing him, when opposing him, when causing him some material injury and even, on certain occasions, when depriving him of life. All is reduced to this in short: Whether in the instance where we displease, oppose or humiliate him, it is or is not for his own good, or for the good of someone whose rights are superior to his, or simply for the greater service of God.

If it is shown, that in displeasing or offending our neighbor, we act for his good, it is evident that we love him even when opposing or crossing him. The physician cauterizing his patient or cutting off his gangrened limb may none the less love him. When we correct the wicked by restraining or by punishing them none the less do we love them. This is charity and perfect charity. It is often necessary to displease or offend one person, not for his own good, but to deliver another from the evil he is inflicting. It is then an obligation of charity to repel the unjust violence of the aggressor; one may inflict as much injury on the aggressor as is necessary for the defense. Such would be the case should one see a highwayman attacking a traveler. In this instance, to kill, wound, or at least take such measures as to render the aggressor impotent, would be an act of true charity.

The good of all good is the divine good, just as God is for all men the neighbor of all neighbors. In consequence the love due to a man inasmuch as he is our neighbor ought always to be subordinated to that which is due to our common Lord. For His love and in His service we must not hesitate to offend men. The degree of our offense towards men can only be measured by the degree of our obligation to him. Charity is primarily the love of God, secondarily the love of our neighbor for God's sake. To sacrifice the first is to abandon the latter. Therefore to offend our neighbor for the love of God is a true act of charity. Not to offend our neighbor for the love of God is a sin.

Modern Liberalism reverses this order. It imposes a false notion of charity; our neighbor first, and, if at all, God afterwards."

A false notion of charity puts neighbor before God, if God is recognized at all. It is such a false notion of charity which motivated certain Church leaders to reprimand Deacon Tom McDonnell for a homily in which he took pro-abortion politician Representative Brian Higgins to task for his support of the culture of death.

How else can we explain the rush to reprimand this heroic Deacon? Concern for rubrics? As one reader of this blog commented:

"Why is it that almost no one in this country is ever concerned about the "rubrics" of the Mass (tolerating every sort of liturgical abuse and aberration) but is suddenly so concerned about the rubrics when deacon McDonnell names names in a homily? Such an attitude seems almost perverse to me. Is this simply an effort to muzzle courageous pro-life witness?"

An excellent question. More importantly, as I have already noted, Blessed Cardinal Clemens von Galen used his pulpit to name Hitler and other Nazi officials who were violating the common good. And no one ever reprimanded him for "rudeness" or not following the rubrics of the Mass.

Fr. Salvany was a prophet of sorts. A very long time ago he warned us about a false notion of charity which inverts the order of authentic charity and places more importance on love of neighbor than on love of God. That so many Catholics have been influenced by this false notion of charity goes without saying. This even though the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches clearly in No. 1822 that:

"Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God."

Bishop Kmiec and others who have rushed to reprimand Deacon Tom McDonnell have forgotten this. They have placed more importance on the respect of men (and especially those considered by the world to be important men) than they have on loving God (and His Commandments) above all things.

Small wonder then that the Church in the United States has suffered so much.

Paul.

Nec laudibus nec timore

More on Blessed Cardinal Galen...

Charity or rudeness?

In his Introduction to the Devout Life St. Francis de Sales, Doctor of the Church, writes:

"If the declared enemies of God and of the Church ought to be blamed and censured with all possible vigor, charity obliges us to cry wolf when the wolf slips into the midst of the flock and in every way and place we may meet him."

Deacon Tom McDonnell understands this. Read here:http://lasalettejourney.blogspot.com/2007/02/as-i-have-already-mentioned-in-previous.html

Meanwhile, in a posting here: http://dealwhudson.typepad.com/deal_w_hudson/2007/01/a_clarification.html, Deal Hudson suggests that Deacon Tom "went overboard." Mr. Hudson also writes, "My thought on this homily is that normally the homilist should not mention any sinner by name. I am not sure what the rubrics of the Mass would say on the subject, but he may deserve a reprimand for that."

But then says that: "However, things are not normal when a sinner is not only publicly open in his contempt for essential Church teachings, those on which all Catholics must agree in full in order to preserve their communion with the Church, but also enacts laws which over-turn Church teachings."

Exactly Mr. Hudson. These are not normal times. Times were not normal when Blessed Cardinal Clemens August von Galen used his pulpit to criticize Hitler and other Nazi officials by name. Was Blessed Cardinal Clemens August von Galen going "overboard" as well? You cannot have it both ways. To suggest that Deacon Tom was being "rude" is to suggest that Blessed Cardinal Clemens August von Galen was also being "rude."

Rubrics of the Mass? Are you kidding me? When we place more importance on such technicalities than on God's Eternal Law (which forbids killing the innocent - read Exodus Chapter 20 - God's fifth Commandment handed down to Moses), we have a serious problem.

Such a pharisaical approach to a matter of critical importance to the common good is, well, idiotic.

Paul Anthony Melanson

The Warning at Akita

On April 22, 1984, the Most Reverend John Shojiro Ito, the Bishop of Niigata in Japan, issued a pastoral letter in which he declared the events at Akita to be supernatural. And it was at Akita that Our Lady said to Sister Agnes Sasagawa:


"As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never have seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms that will remain for you will be the rosary and Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the rosary. With the rosary, pray for the Pope, the Bishops, and the priests.

The work of the devil will infiltrate even the Church in such a way that one will see Cardinals opposing Cardinals, Bishops against other Bishops. The priests who venerate Me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked, the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them."

One by one, these prophecies have been fulfilled. We have witnessed the work of the devil infiltrating the Church and Cardinals and Bishops opposing one another. We have witnessed priests who venerate Our Lady being scorned and opposed. We have witnessed churches and altars sacked as parish after parish has been closed. And we have witnessed the sexual abuse of children by priests and consecrated souls who have been pressed by the demon to leave the service of the Lord and a spirit of compromise which has swept over the Church.

On November 5, 1977, Our Lady spoke to Fr. Gobbi in a locution saying:

"Do not stop to consider the ever thickening darkness, the sin which has been set up as the norm of human action, the suffering which is mounting to its peak and the chastisement which this humanity is preparing with its own hands."

Our Lady did not want us to become discouraged by the sin and darkness which is all about us.

But she wants us to acknowledge the reality of sin and to recognize its consequences. Pope John Paul II often spoke of "a loss of the sense of sin." The people of former times were more honest than the people of our present day and didn't blame society, genetics, or a multitude of other factors for their sins. Today, there is a widespread denial of the existence of sin and moral laws (even the Natural Law) and this angers God. This because it makes God appear as the Creator of evil, and this blasphemy (not to mention pride and hypocrisy) on the part of His creature man will have its consequences.

It is necessary now, while it is still "today," to preach about the reality of sin and the need for repentance. Time is running short. Will we embrace the Mercy of God? Or will we continue to embrace a culture of death and immorality, a culture which denies the reality of sin while murdering innocent children in the womb and advancing homosexual "marriage."

As a Diocese withers and decays.....

Senator Barack Obama and abortion...