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Wednesday 18 February 2015

A Hidden Place for God

Because of the cold snap, I cannot go outside because of the chilblains, which flare up immediately.

Lots of prayer time. Please consider my plea for money in order to set up a house of Adoration in this place of corruption. I cannot do this without help.

The plan is this.

Daily Adoration with those women, single or married, who want to come and stay for a short while, or long while and adore Christ in the Eucharist.

Daily Divine Office according to the Monastic Diurnal, at least Lauds, Vespers and Compline.

Shared meals in silence, with an hour of talk in the afternoon for community building.

Simplicity of domain, wooden furniture, few comforts, silence.

Offerings accepted according to income only. Stays from one day to one month.

Plan is for enough women to sign on so that 24/7 Adoration for the intentions and protection of priests, bishops, and cardinals, and prayers for the pope can occur.

Group rosary optional but invited.

I have a house in mind but I would need a benefactor or two to cover the price of the house, taxes, fees and utilities. I have the backing of my son, which is good.

If I do not have a place, I cannot approach the local bishop, who I think would be open to the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist in a private setting.

God is telling me to stay away from government status of charity, as these can be followed and shut down asap in a hostile environment, whereas a private home can remain a hidden place for God.

Once ssm is passed by the Supreme Court, America will become hostile territory for priests, bishops, cardinals, who are faithful.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2015/02/remember-my-plea-two-years-ago.html

News from SPUC

WEDNESDAY, 18 FEBRUARY 2015

Department for Education promotes “traffic light” tool that condones under-age sex

 
 
In a fact-packed January bulletin, the excellent Family Education Trust carries a compelling story on its front page showing how guidance backed by the Department for Education is encouraging unlawful sexual activity. (The Family Education Trust is a charity committed to researching the causes and consequences of family breakdown and promoting the welfare of children and young people.)
 
The UK law is clear that sexual activity under the age of 16 is unlawful. Nevertheless, the Department for Education has funded[1] and recommended as a useful resource a Brook “traffic light” system that condones underage sex. The system has been adopted by at least one County Council[2]. (Brook Advisory Service is one of Britain's leading abortion referral organisations, specialising in advising young people - including those under 16 - about abortion, sex, STIs etc). 
 
The traffic light system is not distributed to young people but is intended to “inform” teachers and other professionals working with children and young people.
 
The tool identifies green, amber and red behaviours. Green behaviours – according to Brook – “reflect safe and healthy sexual development”[3], and “provide opportunities to give positive feedback”. Those behaviours include “consenting oral and/or penetrative sex with others of the same or opposite gender who are of similar age and developmental ability” – even where those engaged in the activities are in the 13-15 age group.
 
Activities classified as amber rather than red include “following others into toilets or changing rooms to look at them or touch them” and “pulling other children’s pants down/skirts up/trousers down against their will”. These behaviours, according to Brook, merely “have the potential”[4] to be unsafe and unhealthy behaviour.
 
Brook have denied that the tool condones any particular sexual behaviours, but Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, comments that “if giving positive feedback to sexually active children aged 13, 14 and 15 isn’t condoning and encouraging underage sex, then I don’t know what is!”.

If you are concerned about what is happening in schools in the name of sex education, please contact SPUC at politics@spuc.org.uk to find out how you can challenge parliamentary candidates in the forthcoming general election on this issue and on other vital pro-life issues.
 

A Pizza Story

My son is hysterically funny. I asked God before he was born for him to have a sense of humor, as I was convinced that with a mom like me, he would need one.

Last week, after fifty years (yes! from 1965 on), I ordered the worst pizza I had ever paid for in my life. I could not get out as I had no car and it was way too cold to walk to the McDonald's. I had no food in the house


Not only was the order one and a half-hours late, but the crust was greasy, the sausage all clumped up on two slices only, and the entire thing was cold, stone cold.

I phoned and ordered an immediate replacement, as I had paid for this, plus a delivery fee, plus a nice tip for the young driver.

The manager told me the replacement would be out to me in thirty-five minutes.

Another hour and ten minutes passed and I phoned, cancelled this replacement, and demanded the money for the pizza back.

No apologies from either manager or sullen driver. I got the pizza money back, not the delivery charge or the tip.

This was a mid-week delivery, not a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

Four days later, the owner of the store phoned me and said he had trouble getting adequate help, and that he had told his pizza makers about the clumping sausage before this. "Inadequate help"?

The owner said that if I ever ordered a pizza from them again, I would get a discount. He also said the normal time for delivery was an hour and a half. No way will I order from them again. This was an Italian family place as well, and not a chain. One cannot support Pizza Hut anymore as they support P.P.

From ordering time until the pizza refund was made, three hours had passed. My son commented later that maybe, me with a slight English accent, they thought I was European and wanted me to feel at home giving me bad pizza and bad service.

Well, my pizza ordering days are over.


Customer service in America has tanked.

Now, my lovely son said, "Mum, this seems to be a defining moment in your life.?

After getting off the floor, ROFL, I thought of this and realized that, indeed, America has changed for the worse. This little episode encapsulates, sloth, greed, and the lack of the good, old-fashioned work ethic.



My first pizza outside of mom's Chef Boyardee in the 1960s, was bought by my boyfriend on my very first date in my life. It was New Year's Eve,1965, and this nice young man, a Lutheran, with whom I had many discussions and learned apologetics mid-stream, and his friend took me out. I had to ask my dad's permission, as I was not allowed to date until I was sixteen, two days later. Dad, who had known this family (our neighbors) for over twenty years, said yes, and we three went to the "new" Pizza Hut. I  remember that I was wearing a white with giant black polka-dot turtle neck, a black pleated skirt and had the latest Soho-look hair cut, long, but straight and "going under", but that night I had my hair up in a pony tail. I must have weighed about ninety-six pounds and ate like a pig, having very high metabolism and being a workaholic already at almost sixteen. The pizza was great!

Great pizzas and I grew up together in the Midwest, with Chicago-style pizzas and various new and even Catholic pizza places opening up for the Boomers. In college, pizza deliveries were regular things for us all in study groups. And, as a single mom, the pizza delivery was a treat for son and me.

When we had seminarians in for movie night, pizzas became almost a sacred occurrence for these "starving boys" along with chicken wings, bread sticks, cheese bread, beer and soda.

No more...

I guess I am now out of my pizza delivery stage. A "defining moment"? I am even more grown-up than before and sometimes the little things tell us more about life in a culture than the big ones.

Sad, the America of the past is gone...and the pizza symbolizes the story.

Mic'd Up Tonight

...will be on pornography. I suggest all parents watch this.

And singles...8:00 EST.

http://www.churchmilitant.tv/platform/?today=2015-02-18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGpV2vrk_yU

Mic'd Up : Fifty Shades of Black


As pornography begins to step into mainstream culture, Michael Voris breaks down the dangers of its use, including several lesser known issues such as the psychological costs and the growing problem of porn marketed to women. Featuring Christine Niles, Psychologist Dr. Peter Kleponis, and Mark Houck of The King's Men.


On Twitter, Recruitment, and Thanks to P.G.


A Real Priest

As below zero temperatures and snow hit the Midwest, a priest I know is going out on rounds in his all-wheel-drive SUV with ashes and communion. God bless him.

It is bad in NY as well.


On not getting to church from a reader...

Your  experience of  ecclesial isolation due to lack of transport is sadly not uncommon. back in the early 2000’s one of the large US Conferences conducted a survey of its members with vision impairment that prevented them from driving. Only 20%, yes, twenty percent of individuals surveyed who wished to attend church regularly were actually able to do so due to lack of transport. I daresay this experience could be replicated across various disability groups and geographically isolated individuals trans-denominational in instances where safe,  regular and reliable quick public transport is not in existence – even in comparisons with getting to church in NYC as opposed to suburban, urban and upstate NY. One or two more forward thinking congregations I had been involved with acquired a minibus and bused in parishioners, the drivers being reliable volunteers. Other instances, I received rides but was considered the burden. I've mentioned it before and I’ll mention it again. NO or EF, the most welcoming church will be that with the most number of persons with disability in attendance, especially those without transport/those needing accommodations to  participate in church life. In a twist of irony, the wealthier the church, the less helpful/accommodating/welcoming its membership, especially in the Anglo-sphere (I can attest to this across three  denominations including two Catholic rites. If I’d had  no husband to take me to the EF on occasion, the chances are that I would not have gotten there at all; priests wonderful, parishioners, only a handful even talked to me and one trad lad almost fell to pieces at the prospect of guiding me through the maze that was the church’s entrance into its courtyard and into the church. I had to press him into service to actually guide me – him holding my sleeve tentatively as though he’d scald himself. On the other hand, Fr. ..... on the odd occasion he guided me, guided me properly and was happy to do so, also a very effective guide and all-round excellent gentleman. When those who sat on their hands rather than giving you a ride receive their ashes today your time, I wonder what they’ll think when exhorted to ‘Repent and believe the Gospel’.

Pray for me

I think this is only the second Ash Wednesday I have not been able to go to in my entire life, that I can remember, and I have a great memory.

Sad, that no one is this rich, large parish can pick up someone without a car.

That is my penance for today-The secretary could not find a ride for me even for Sunday.

The Drums of War

http://news.yahoo.com/italy-deploys-4-800-soldiers-security-sensitive-sites-211650032.html

Wake up, people

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/islamic-state/11418966/Islamic-State-planning-to-use-Libya-as-gateway-to-Europe.html

What?

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/01/29/us-usa-syria-refugees-idUSKBN0L22WX20150129

If the Muslims get to Rome...

this Pope could be the one martyred in St. John Bosco's vision of the Two Pillars.

"Imagine yourself to be with me on the seashore, or better, on an isolated rock and not to see any patch of land other than that under your feet. On the whole of that vast sheet of water you see an innumerable fleet of ships in battle array. The prows of the ships are formed into sharp, spear-like points so that wherever they are thrust they pierce and completely destroy. These ships are armed with cannons, with lots of rifles, with incendiary materials, with other firearms of all kinds, and also with books, and advance against a ship very much bigger and higher than themselves and try to dash against it with the prows or burn it or in some way to do it every possible harm." 
"As escorts to that majestic fully equipped ship, there are many smaller ships, which receive commands by signal from it and carry out movements to defend themselves from the opposing fleet. In the midst of the immense expanse of sea, two mighty columns of great height arise a little distance the one from the other.

On the top of one column, there is the statue of the Immaculate Virgin, from whose feet hangs a large placard with this inscription: Auxilium Christianorum - "Help of Christians"; 


On the other column
, which is much higher and bigger, stands a Host of great size proportionate to the column and beneath is another placard with the words: Salus Credentium - Salvation of the Faithful (Believers). 


"The supreme commander of the big ship is the Sovereign Pontiff. He, seeing the fury of the enemies and the evils among which his faithful find themselves, determines to summon around himself the captains of the smaller ships to hold a council and decide what is to be done.

All the captains come aboard and gather around the Pope. They hold a meeting, but meantime the wind and the waves gather in storm, so they are sent back to control their own ships. There comes a short lull; for a second time the Pope gathers the captains around him, while the flag-ship goes on its course. But the frightful storm returns. The Pope stands at the helm and all his energies are directed to steering the ship towards those two columns from whose summits hang many anchors and strong hooks linked to chains.

"All the enemy ships move to attack it, and they try in every way to stop it and to sink it: some with books and writings or inflammable materials, of which they are full; others with firearms, with rifles and with rams. The battle rages ever more relentlessly. The enemy prows thrust violently, but their efforts and impact prove useless. They make attempts in vain and waste all their labor and ammunition; the big ship goes safely and smoothly on its way. Sometimes it happens that, struck by formidable blows, it gets large, deep gaps in its sides; but no sooner is the harm done that a gentle breeze blows from the two columns and the cracks close up and the gaps are stopped immediately.

Meanwhile, the guns of the assailants are blown up, the rifles and other arms and prows are broken; many ships are shattered and sink into the sea. Then, the frenzied enemies strive to fight hand to hand, with fists, with blows, with blasphemy and with curses.

"Suddenly the Pope falls gravely wounded. Immediately, those who are with him run to help him and they lift him up. A second time the Pope is struck, he falls again and dies. A shout of victory and joy rings out amongst the enemies; from their ships an unspeakable mockery arises.

But hardly is the Pontiff dead than another takes his place. The pilots, having met together, have elected the Pope so promptly that the news of the death of the Pope coincides with the news of the election of the successor. The adversaries begin to lose courage.

"The new Pope, putting the enemy to rout and overcoming every obstacle, guides the ship right up to the two columns and comes to rest between them; he makes it fast with a light chain that hangs from the bow to an anchor of the column on which stands the Host; and with another light chain which hangs from the stern, he fastens it at the opposite end to another anchor hanging from the column on which stands the Immaculate Virgin.

At this point, a great convulsion takes place. All the ships that until then had fought against the Pope's ship are scattered; they flee away, collide and break to pieces one against another. Some sink and try to sink others. Several small ships that had fought gallantly for the Pope race to be the first to bind themselves to those two columns. Many other ships, having retreated through fear of the battle, cautiously watch from far away; the wrecks of the broken ships having been scattered in the whirlpools of the sea, they in their turn sail in good earnest to those two columns, and having reached them, they make themselves fast to the hooks hanging down from them and their they remain safe, together with the principal ship, on which is the Pope. Over the sea their reigns a great calm."

The City of God, Again


Re-reading the City of God after many years, (I taught this last in college in 2004), I am struck by the clarity of St. Augustine and the care which he took in writing this masterpiece.

He wrote to St. Jerome for translations of Greek commentaries on the Scriptures. He used his classical education in philosophy and religion, as well as rhetoric, applying these disciplines to his genius. He obviously prayed while writing, as it took him so long to finish the book.

Some commentators, and I disagree with them, claim St. Augustine never threw off the false philosophy of dualism. No one with Augustine's acumen would have kept this fallacy of perspective after discovering the truth of Christ, the richness of the Old Testament and New Testament revelations, and his, Augustine's own infused knowledge coming from grace.

What some worldly, and to be honest, Anglican, commentators have done is deny that there are two cities, own created by God and one by men. That these two cities grow side-by-side until the Second Coming of Christ seems more and more difficult to understand for many, who only perceive the City of Man. One cannot understand the City of God as an image, a symbol for the Kingdom of God without studying some Scripture and some philosophy. But, for adults to tackle this book seems more important to me now than ever, as we stand on the brink of the complete destruction of Western Civilization as we have known it.

Some of my friends have said to me that they no longer love America, or England, or France. I remind them that patriotism is a minor virtue, but that one can love the "real" nation and not the one which has fallen into decay and corruption.

That Augustine loved Rome as Rome is clear, but he did not love the degradation and the false history of the founding of Rome. He knew that Rome was limited, just as men and women are limited in material ways.

According to Augustine, the City of Man exists for the fallen angels as well, a place of suffering for those pure spirits who disobeyed God and were condemned instantly for that rebellion.

Another quick point, and I shall return to this again, is Augustine's assurance that the fall of Rome was just punishment for great evils. In fact, he implies that the punishment could have been worse.

Think on this....to be continued...


Review of Why The Illumination and Unitive States Need to Happen on Earth

The final illumination, for those who have not allowed God to purify them on earth, happens in Purgatory, most likely beginning at the particular judgment.

The unitive state occurs, fully, in heaven.

But, as I have been thinking of the 500th anniversary of St. Teresa of Avila, which is being celebrated this year. I am reminded of the fact that the main purpose for my perfection series has been to encourage Catholics to follow the road to perfection while on earth, for one reason.

To create a strong Church, capable of withstanding the evils of the day.

That the Church is weak, as I have noted over and over again in the long perfection series, is owing to the fact that Catholics do not pursue holiness, but stay in the state of sin, imperfections, and egotism.

We are now entering the last great tribulation of the Church. I have been convinced for years that the Millennials are going to be the great generation of martyrs.

But, only parents who avail themselves to grace, to the purgation of even venial sin, can lead their own children to holiness.

Daily, I see parents concentrating on the same old problems of finding an education which will lead to a great career, material comfort and the City of Man.

Rarely do I find parents training their children to be saints. Go back to my series in the summer of 2013 on the virtue training of children.

Even children, past the age of reason, can leave the Faith, become apostates, and even go over completely to the City of Man, the dark side, leaving the life of the Spirit behind.


Why it is important to allow God to lead us through the Dark Night into the Illuminative State is to begin to live in the life of the virtues and prepare for union with God, in the mind soul, imagination, heart, body.

Our children will never see the lifestyle we had or live in the "normal" world in which we have lived since the end of WWII.

The time of peace is over. And, this is only one reason to pursue grace, to beg God for purification, illumination and unity, not only for yourselves, but for your children and the entire Church.

To pretend that things in five years will be the same as in 1950, or 1960, or 1970, or 1980, or 1990, or 2000, or 2010, is pure pretense. While we still have the sacraments, allow God to make you and your children holy.

Time for trivia is over. Look at the dates of these posts. I am merely highlighting things I have said before today.

19 Jul 2013
All of those who came out of Egypt, barring a few, like Joshua and Caleb, were not allowed entrance into Canaan, not merely because of punishment for idolatry, but because they simply were not strong enough to conquer ...

27 Jul 2013
Caleb and Joshua are two of my favourite Old Testament heroes. But, I tend to like the John Wayne men, such as David and the Maccabees. It is interesting that some of the most numinous and direct revelations of God and ...

26 Jul 2013
But, the GPS kicks in at one time and there is a narrow escape which needs angelic intervention-angels on horses may not work....studying Joshua and Maccabees for backup and see some very handsome, well-armoured ...
20 Nov 2013
Two, she could not understand why the army of St. Joshua had to kill Canaanites. (Also connected to this, would be the slaughter of the Philistines by St. David.) Good questions. Yes, God did punish many of those who built .
26 Mar 2012
The small Hebrew community was organized first under Moses, and then more so under Joshua and the High Priests. Leviticus is a good read for those who want the details. The Covenant came with many rules, but the ...

02 Aug 2012
That was there vocation, as was Joshua's, to be warriors. Are there any men out there responding to that call? Parents, challenge your children. Priests, religious and all in the consecrated life, re-read this beautiful letter.

08 Apr 2014
which was given through Moses is properly called the. Law. 6. The second class is of Prophets (Propheta), in which are contained eight books, of which the first is Josua Benun, called Iesu Navein Latin (i.e. the book of Joshua

16 Dec 2013
In fact, the grandson of Moses, Jonathan, the son of Gershom, became the head priest of idolatry in the land of Canaan. And, notice that it was to Joshua and Caleb that the line of leaders was given, not to the sons of Moses.
20 Aug 2013
St. Bernard of Clairvaux writes that great men ask God for great things. Moses, Joshua, David, Daniel, and many others asked God for great things, including the revelation of the Glory of God. We do not ask because we are .


08 Feb 2014
Like this young girl, who knew what was happening, and used her common sense to survive, we need to be training children to live in the Church Militant, not the Church Mushy. There is a wrong way that parents look at ...
22 Aug 2013
Are you combating the general softness of society by training yourself and your children not to fall into the dullness of sensuality and spiritual torpor? Are you practicing penances and training your children to do likewise?
28 Dec 2014
More and more, I am witnessing a huge problem of parents not training their children to respect adults. This, sadly, is very obvious in Malta. But, one thing is clear-that the Catholic ideal of parenting is rarely employed, people ...
27 Aug 2013
Daily examination of conscience is one way of training a child to be objective; that it, looking at one's daily sins and failings. This can be started in training for the sacrament of Confession as early as age six. Fourth, subjectivity ...

22 Oct 2014
Your children do not need things, the latest clothes, mobiles, TVs, stuff. They need God and formation in the virtues. Lay persons who do not take the religious training of their children in hand directly have added to the ...
26 Jul 2014
If you are not doing this, you are not passing the real Faith to your children, which is the ability to pray, study, reflect. God will punish parents for not training their children to have "a quiet mind" based on purity and serenity.
23 Dec 2014
Montessori training changed my life in my early twenties. I had a strong Catholic upbringing and clarity regarding roles, virtues, responsibilities and talents. I did not have a sense of what a normalized child was like by ...
27 Aug 2013
I am merely in this post going to list the qualities necessary for the parents of a child. I wish I had been more aware of my lack of holiness when training my own child. Now, these comments are a combination of me and Maria ...

15 Feb 2014
If you are not training your children in the virtues, they will not be able to withstand the coming difficulties. Parents, it is part of your duty to train your children to be saints, now. The fourth leap is to create community now, and ...
14 Dec 2014
In other words, virtue training for children, and character formation would be limited to one's choice of mate and for honorable, church-going families. It is clear that Austen was aware that not all marriages not made in heaven, ...
12 Jun 2012
I have Montessori training and had a Montessori school and know the importance of the stages of childhood uninterrupted by adult concerns. Movies, music, books, toys, and television push children into sexualized thoughts ...

20 Nov 2014
Children grow up never having suffered inconveniences or having to wait for satisfaction in anything. They have not had training in the virtues, but only aggressiveness training, or, the opposite, training to be completely ...
13 Jun 2012
Their mothers were responsible for passing on such virtues. What happened? A lack of Christian training is at root. Yes, children, even girls, must be brought up wanting to be feminine and wanting to see their femaleness in ...
05 Oct 2014
The messengers in this dream said that children who did penance by embracing the cross would not lose their innocence. ... Labels: saints and martyrs, thinking like Catholics, training of the virtues, virtue training ...
21 Jun 2012
I have Montessori training. As a Montessori directress, I barely praised anyone. The children learned confidence by doing. I showed them what and how to do something, they did it well and learned peace, confidence, trust, ...

Etheldredasplace: Willie Wonka Truth
11 Aug 2014
I hope you have read my sharing on virtue training for children. As the Jesuits say, "Give us a child before five and they are formed for life" or something similar. Meaning, the role of the parent is the spiritual as well as physical, ...
06 Sep 2014
Remembering that the soul is the form of the body, one is responsible for feeding the soul with good ideas which have good consequences. This happens in the best of Catholic homes with the training of the virtues in children, ...
01 Sep 2013
happyhockeymom, I am not an expert in those areas, but children of various degrees of Aspergers do very well in real Montessori environments, and all children, including those with Down's can have virtue training. Of course ...
23 Sep 2014
1) The person has had professional training and much education. These ministries are not for the anti-intellectual. 2) The person must be disciplined in fasting and mortification, able to do such for days. 3) No one with children ...

03 Sep 2013
Because I had Montessori training, and because I had worked and taught for years before getting married and having a child, I perhaps was use to discipline more than some. Also, I had been in a strict lay community for seven ...

10 Jan 2012
For example, a friend of mine was in a grocery store in the Autumn and a mother was abusive to both of her children by literally screaming at them in the store and these children were very small. She merely said to the woman with her, "The woman ... This has spawned a whole victim industry: victim-witness coordinators, counselors, pet therapy (so help me, even in the courtroom), training courses for victims, etc., etc., etc. Prosecutors cede their discretion to victims and ...

28 Aug 2013
Can one imagine this being part of First Holy Communion training? We need to cultivate this type of daily awareness of the sacred. These children were younger than seven, as the next year was their First Holy Communion at ...
10 Sep 2014
How many times have I heard parents say that, for example, they will let their children decide on what religion these children want when they are old enough to decide. This approach and another approach, which is not to give any rational training to the intellect, allow the will to be weakened because the very power which could inform the will is missing. Many discussions I have had in the past with young people revolve around a denial of free will. The decadence of ...
27 Aug 2013
Interestingly, I had Montessori training but did not come across CGS until much later. I actually ... I highly recommend Maria Montessori's Mass Explained to Children which one can order from amazon.com. Timelines on both ...
28 Aug 2013
This is because of the Liturgy, primarily, and the Sacraments, as well as sacramentals. She makes the point that the child learns by making the sign of the Cross, putting his finger in holy water, kneeling down at Mass, following all the actions in the Mass. ... Here is another example of the Twelve Apostles and Jesus for the Last Supper part of pre-Communion training like the one above. Here are some quotations from an Orthodox CGS site which partially summarizes ...

12 Sep 2013
I am astounded by this mom's article, but now I understand all the kids out there without moral frameworks. With moms like these, who needs predator training? That a grown woman would be so naive and slanted towards ...
27 Mar 2014
The most important thing, however, is to train your children in the virtues early in order to become saints, now. If the tyranny in ... away from you. Look at my long series on virtue training and home schooling from last summer.