On Penances

Most of us have some suffering in our lives. Some have more than others. Cancer, broken marriages, children who have fallen away, financial ruin, and so on are more common than one would like to hear.

But, on top of suffering, God calls us to freely choose penances.

Now, fasting or abstinence of meat on Fridays, and maybe Wednesdays, as well is a good start.

But, I have become more and more aware of the need to take on extra penances.

I talked to a priest about this and he said, "Well, I do not want you standing on your head in a bucket of ice water."  The Irish are so cute with words.

But, sometimes small penances are better. I have a few suggestions.

Stop complaining and offer it up for someone. Perhaps, say to yourself- "My friend Sam has cancer, so I shall not complain as a penance for her."

Or give up chocolate for someone who has fallen away from the Church...

Or give up desserts for someone who is blaspheming...

Or give up beer for an alcoholic friend, and so on....

Add small penances to your prayers.

I did something like this for a person who is very far away from God and heard for them the day after I gave up the thing. I had not heard from them for over a year. God-incidence.

Try and do little penances for those you love who are far away from God.

Are you a grown-up? Are you a Donatist? Are you a Gnostic?

In the past two weeks, I have watched the laity tear themselves apart arguing about personal things. The reasons for such arguing has been the heresies, the faulty thinking of  Gnosticism and Donatism. Now most people do not know that they are Gnosticism or Donatists; in fact if I suggested this, they would think that I fell out of a tree.

Let me start with Donatism. Donatism is the heresy which noted that those who once one fell away from the Church one could not come back, and if a priest sinned, he would not be accepted by the community for dispensing sacraments.

The Donatists wanted a Church merely of saints and not sinners. Some of the Donatists would have hated any of the clergy who offered sacrifices to the gods, and would not receive the sacraments from them. They denied ex opere operato, which means that they insisted that the sacraments were not valid if the priest had sinned seriously. Of course, the real meaning of the sacraments involves the belief that the holiness of God and the grace of the sacrament are sufficient. The heresy was condemned the Council of Arles in 314.

How many people today condemn priests and bishops as too sinful to be in the Church? Not only is this a lack of charity, but a lack of humility. As one sees one's own sins more clearly, one refrains from judgement.

We can criticize faulty thinking, and heresies are faulting thinking, but we cannot attack anyone personally.

Only those who are immature blame others for their own actions or lack thereof. Once a person comes into maturity, one no longer blames others. This is a sign of the strengthening of the inner man, the creation of character.

To be continued....

I highly recommend this

• http://bishopjulianporteous.com/?p=241

  
  
  Good for discussion as well.....

Interesting article....

The poll found that 45 percent of practicing Catholics — those who attend Mass regularly and abide most of the church’s teachings — said yes, the world was living out its end times.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/12/4-in10-american-adults-were-living-end-times/#ixzz2ehUJ2BlS
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

MachoMan speaks..

http://thatthebonesyouhavecrushedmaythrill.blogspot.ie/  A big thanks to LozzerEngland for this text. And, I must add that we need to beware....read Lord of the World.

New York Times

'Recent events surrounding Syria have prompted me to speak directly to the American people and their political leaders. It is important to do so at a time of insufficient communication between our societies.

Relations between us have passed through different stages. We stood against each other during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis together. The universal international organization — the United Nations — was then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent the veto by Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter. The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international relations for decades.

No one wants the United Nations to suffer the fate of the League of Nations, which collapsed because it lacked real leverage. This is possible if influential countries bypass the United Nations and take military action without Security Council authorization.

The potential strike by the United States against Syria, despite strong opposition from many countries and major political and religious leaders, including the pope, will result in more innocent victims and escalation, potentially spreading the conflict far beyond Syria’s borders. A strike would increase violence and unleash a new wave of terrorism. It could undermine multilateral efforts to resolve the Iranian nuclear problem and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and further destabilize the Middle East and North Africa. It could throw the entire system of international law and order out of balance.

Syria is not witnessing a battle for democracy, but an armed conflict between government and opposition in a multireligious country. There are few champions of democracy in Syria. But there are more than enough Qaeda fighters and extremists of all stripes battling the government. The United States State Department has designated Al Nusra Front and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, fighting with the opposition, as terrorist organizations. This internal conflict, fueled by foreign weapons supplied to the opposition, is one of the bloodiest in the world.

Mercenaries from Arab countries fighting there, and hundreds of militants from Western countries and even Russia, are an issue of our deep concern. Might they not return to our countries with experience acquired in Syria? After all, after fighting in Libya, extremists moved on to Mali. This threatens us all.

From the outset, Russia has advocated peaceful dialogue enabling Syrians to develop a compromise plan for their own future. We are not protecting the Syrian government, but international law. We need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep international relations from sliding into chaos. The law is still the law, and we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law, force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and would constitute an act of aggression.

No one doubts that poison gas was used in Syria. But there is every reason to believe it was used not by the Syrian Army, but by opposition forces, to provoke intervention by their powerful foreign patrons, who would be siding with the fundamentalists. Reports that militants are preparing another attack — this time against Israel — cannot be ignored.

It is alarming that military intervention in internal conflicts in foreign countries has become commonplace for the United States. Is it in America’s long-term interest? I doubt it. Millions around the world increasingly see America not as a model of democracy but as relying solely on brute force, cobbling coalitions together under the slogan “you’re either with us or against us.”

But force has proved ineffective and pointless. Afghanistan is reeling, and no one can say what will happen after international forces withdraw. Libya is divided into tribes and clans. In Iraq the civil war continues, with dozens killed each day. In the United States, many draw an analogy between Iraq and Syria, and ask why their government would want to repeat recent mistakes.

No matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes are meant to protect.

The world reacts by asking: if you cannot count on international law, then you must find other ways to ensure your security. Thus a growing number of countries seek to acquire weapons of mass destruction. This is logical: if you have the bomb, no one will touch you. We are left with talk of the need to strengthen nonproliferation, when in reality this is being eroded.

We must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized diplomatic and political settlement.

A new opportunity to avoid military action has emerged in the past few days. The United States, Russia and all members of the international community must take advantage of the Syrian government’s willingness to place its chemical arsenal under international control for subsequent destruction. Judging by the statements of President Obama, the United States sees this as an alternative to military action.

I welcome the president’s interest in continuing the dialogue with Russia on Syria. We must work together to keep this hope alive, as we agreed to at the Group of 8 meeting in Lough Erne in Northern Ireland in June, and steer the discussion back toward negotiations.

If we can avoid force against Syria, this will improve the atmosphere in international affairs and strengthen mutual trust. It will be our shared success and open the door to cooperation on other critical issues.

My working and personal relationship with President Obama is marked by growing trust. I appreciate this. I carefully studied his address to the nation on Tuesday. And I would rather disagree with a case he made on American exceptionalism, stating that the United States’ policy is “what makes America different. It’s what makes us exceptional.” It is extremely dangerous to encourage people to see themselves as exceptional, whatever the motivation. There are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.'

Vladimir V. Putin is the president of Russi

Is it not ironic? And two sides to a coin.....

Is it not ironic..that the nastiest comments I get are from Anonymous. A person who cannot identify themselves even with a nom de plume is not reading the sign on the side bar. As to those who just want to vent, please do that on twitter or another blog. I am not interested in illogical arguments which are merely emotional outbursts.

As to those who are hurting and crying out for understanding, those Anonymous I pray for at Mass.

But, I do want to address a confusion about the role of the laity and the idea of Triumphalism, which a reader brought up.

First, the laity have to be savvy enough to spot heresy and disagreement with Church teaching. That is our baptismal duty. To merely state that priests, bishops or even cardinals can make decisions for us is a terrible misunderstanding of our relationship with truth.

We must appropriate Catholic teaching. We must be able to spot errors when we read, watch, hear speakers and teachers. That is part of the virtue of prudence. We must be able to spot modernism in sermons.

We can judge private revelations merely by using the teaching of the Catholic Church. Those Catholics who are in contradiction with Catholic Teaching because of private revelations have fallen into grave sin. We do not have to follow any private revelations. Period.

We do have to accept the doctrines and dogmas of the Catholic Church. Sadly, many Catholics are choosing against the Teaching Magisterium in favor of false seers. Remember, heretics go to hell. We need to be fearful and be careful in what we believe.

Satan does not care how you get to hell...he can lead you away from being obedient to the Church in many ways. Spiritual pride is one. And, if a person cannot spot error that person needs to pray, study, be humble.

As to Triumphalism, some readers are confused on this term recently referred to by the Pope. Now, there are two kinds of Triumphalism. The first is ok. This first definition is the recognition that the Catholic Church has the fullness of Truth, that the Kingdom of God is found in the Catholic Church.

Here are two quotations from Dominus Iesus.

Therefore, the theory of the limited, incomplete, or imperfect character of the revelation of Jesus Christ, which would be complementary to that found in other religions, is contrary to the Church's faith. Such a position would claim to be based on the notion that the truth about God cannot be grasped and manifested in its globality and completeness by any historical religion, neither by Christianity nor by Jesus Christ. The Catholic faithful are required to profess that there is an historical continuity — rooted in the apostolic succession53 — between the Church founded by Christ and the Catholic Church: “This is the single Church of Christ... which our Saviour, after his resurrection, entrusted to Peter's pastoral care (cf. Jn 21:17), commissioning him and the other Apostles to extend and rule her (cf. Mt 28:18ff.), erected for all ages as ‘the pillar and mainstay of the truth' (1 Tim 3:15). This Church, constituted and organized as a society in the present world, subsists in [subsistit in] the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him”.54  With the expression subsistit in, the Second Vatican Council sought to harmonize two doctrinal statements: on the one hand, that the Church of Christ, despite the divisions which exist among Christians, continues to exist fully only in the Catholic Church, and on the other hand, that “outside of her structure, many elements can be found of sanctification and truth”,55 that is, in those Churches and ecclesial communities which are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church.56 But with respect to these, it needs to be stated that “they derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Catholic Church”.57 17.  Therefore, there exists a single Church of Christ, which subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him.58The Churches which, while not existing in perfect communion with the Catholic Church, remain united to her by means of the closest bonds, that is, by apostolic succession and a valid Eucharist, are true particular Churches.59 Therefore, the Church of Christ is present and operative also in these Churches, even though they lack full communion with the Catholic Church, since they do not accept the Catholic doctrine of the Primacy, which, according to the will of God, the Bishop of Rome objectively has and exercises over the entire Church.60 In the Netherlands..... This is good Triumphalism. Bad Triumphalism is when a person thinks they are better than someone else because they are a Catholic. That is an erroneous position based on pride. Humility demands that we are thankful for the gift of Faith and that we try and help others see the Truth. One cannot call into subjective thinking or relativism, one of the many modernists heresies concerning the Truth. But, likewise, one cannot fall into pride.  One of the greatest examples of bad Triumphalism are the wars started by the Muslims against Christianity. Even today, there are those who believe they have a duty to start wars and make jihad under the name of a false religion. That belief, based on bad Triumphalism, is why the Pope was giving us a warning.  Do not be proud, but be confident in the Truth. Truth and the love of God give us confidence, not in ourselves, but in God.

Portia's Speech from The Merchant of Venice

This is the first passage of Shakespeare I ever memorized in school. Great stuff...and a good meditation. 

The quality of mercy is not strained.
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven,
Upon the place beneath.
It is twice blessed.
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
It is mightiest in the mightiest,



It becomes the throned monarch better than his crown.
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
An attribute to awe and majesty.
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings.
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself.
And earthly power dost the become likest God's,
Where mercy seasons justice.

Therefore Jew,
Though justice be thy plea, consider this,
That in the course of justice we all must see salvation,
We all do pray for mercy
And that same prayer doth teach us all to render the deeds of mercy.
I have spoke thus much to mittgate the justice of thy plea,

Which if thou dost follow,
This strict court of Venice
Must needs give sentance gainst the merchant there.

Excellent video on Fr. Z.

http://wdtprs.com/blog/2013/09/archbp-nienstedts-tough-love-comments-about-the-redefinition-of-marriage

Wow, The Modern Mom - A Complete Cop-Out of Authority

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/sep/11/sexy-selfies-upset-parents-texan-mother?CMP=twt_gu

Since when has adolescence been all about sex? 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 sexual permissiveness not to see that a child who is doing things as described in the article is already perverted is breath-taking.

Catholic parents, home school. I really do not see that you have a choice with parents of kids out there who see nothing wrong with sexually provocative selfies on cell phones.

We need a counter-culture NOW.

Adolescence is about many, many things other than just sex. It is a time of discovering gift, vocations, growing in responsibility, becoming confident through responsibility.

A snippet.

And adolescence is a lot about sex, too; one of the ways that sexual attraction is played out these days is on the internet. Teenagers of both sexes have always experimented with their sex appeal, and one of the big differences between our day and theirs is that this experimentation has other outlets in 2013. I'm not saying it's good, and I'm not saying it's bad – what I am saying is that it's something we did too when we were young, just in a different way.


Selfie advice
http://www.fastcoexist.com/1682352/an-app-for-cats-to-take-selfies

Well, McCain and Kerry Have Egg on Their Faces-from Drudge

http://dailycaller.com/2013/09/05/woman-informing-kerry-mccains-opinions-on-syria-also-an-advocate-for-syrian-rebels/

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/wall-street-journal-elizabeth-obagy-fired-96637.html

On Line Book Three to Get Married by Ven. Fulton J. Sheen

http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARRIAGE/3GETMARR.TXT

Hmmmm and what about the gift of celibacy?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/11/vatican-opens-door-discussion-priest-celibacy/

Someone loves America

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/sep/10/no-permit-but-bikers-plan-dc-ride-to-protest-musli/

On 9/11

http://guildofblessedtitus.blogspot.ie/2013/09/a-collection-of-collective-memories.html

Fr. Yunis Shawqi States Christians Forced To Pay Islamic Protection Money

http://www.jihadwatch.org/2013/09/brotherhood-imposes-jizya-tribute-on-egypts-christians.html

If it comes to fingerprints, I shall not have a phone.....at all

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323864604579065440953246958.html

A Prayer from My Childhood for September 11th

Ven. Fulton J. Sheen reminds me in his book, which I have been following, of a prayer which I said as a child. It was actually in my First Communion Prayer Book. Here it is:

Lovely Lady, dressed in blue
teach me how to pray!
God was just your little Boy,
tell me what to say!
Did you lift Him up, sometimes,
gently on your knee?
Did you sing to Him the way
Mother does to me?
Did you hold His hand at night?
Did you ever try
telling stories of the world?
O! And did He cry?
Do you really think He cares
if I tell Him things
Little things that happen? And
do the angel's wings
make a noise? And can He hear
me if I speak low?
Does He understand me now?
Tell me for you know!
Lovely Lady dressed in blue
teach me how to pray!
God was just you little Boy
And you know the way.

Mary Dixon Thayer from "The Child on His Knees."

A reminder....not admitted to ecclesiastical communion

Announcement On Vassula Ryden By The Ecumenical Patriarchate

http://www.ec-patr.org/docdisplay.php?lang=en&id=1306&tla=gr

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/03/announcement-on-vassula-ryden-by.html

http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2011/04/my-translation-of-decree-against.html

http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2011/03/fyi-patriarchate-of-constantinople.html

The Orthodox Church, following strictly the shining example and teaching of the Holy Apostles, the teaching of the Fathers of the Church who have their succession, and the divinely-inspired decisions of the Ecumenical Synods, safeguards as a pearl of great price the faith of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church which the Christian plenitude experiences through their participation in the Sacraments and entire spiritual life of the divinely-founded ecclesiastical body.

Hence, whatever movement and improvised tension, personal or collective, in contempt or in breach of the dogmas of the Orthodox Christian faith and life in Christ within the Church as the only path for the salvation of our souls, all the more the self-proclaimed "supposedly charismatic" personality, is rejected always as an unacceptable innovation.

In this spirit, and for the beneficial protection of our pious Orthodox plenitude from dangerous spiritual confusion, who do not know well matters underlying the risk of delusion, we denounce from the Mother Church Vasiliki Paraskevis Pentaki - Ryden, widely known as "Vassula", and her organization founded under the title "True Life In God" which rashly and frivolously proposes teachings based on the supposed "direct dialogue between her and the Founder of the Church Jesus Christ our Lord", and those conquered by her and the supporters of "True Life In God", which deviate arbitrarily from the God-given teaching of the Church, but also scandalize the Orthodox phronema of pious believers.

Hence, we call upon the proponents of these unacceptable innovations and the supporters who maintain them, who henceforth are not admitted to ecclesiastical communion, not only to not be involved in the pastoral work of the local Holy Metropolis, but also to not preach their novel teachings, to prevent the appropriate sanctions under the Holy Canons.

We express, lastly, the profound sorrow of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of the acts of some - fortunately few - clergy of the Orthodox Church to be found at talks of the said "Vassula" and give to her a "certificate of Orthodoxy."

At the Patriarchate, the 16th of March 2011
Of the Chief Secretariat of the Holy and Sacred Synod


Also see 
http://ephesians511blog.com/2013/03/02/vassula-ryden-a-cdf-notification-bishops-warnings-and-theologians-criticisms/

Taking on the Possible Big Deception-opening the can of worms

Only obedience could be my motto. 

God is the Hidden God, Rarely does He use extraordinary means to get our attention. The Eucharist, which is the center of our lives, is a mystery of Faith. The Church teaches that Christ has humbled Himself to be with us on earth.

At various times, His Mother has visited us as well: Fatima, Lourdes, Akita...but she does not come that often. She does not need to do so.

I shall probably lose readership with this blog, but I cannot remain silent any longer. Spirit Daily, which has picked up my posts in the past, will most likely now have me on their no-no list. 

Those who know me well, know I have never believed in the apparitions of Medjugorje. There are very few Catholic writers or priests who have been willing to tackle the problems surrounding the visions and visionaries. I was aware of it from the very beginnings of the alleged visions and I had one of those spiritual gut reactions that something was not right when I first heard about it way back in the early 1980s.

I believe that these false visions undermine the authority of the bishops and the Church and contradict some of the things said by Mary before and by great saints. I think satan wants schism here, those pro and those against will split over this more and more.This whole thing is creepy......

Early on, because I knew E. Michael Jones and worked for Fidelity Magazine for one summer in grad school, I learned more about the serious problems surrounding the supposed visions.

Humans are easily deceived when they want something badly enough. Deception is based on self-love and disobedience.

There are too many things involved in the "apparitions", including things which seemed manipulated from the very beginnings.

As time went on, knowing that the local bishop did not approve, and the guidelines for priests in America not to sponsor tours, which many priests did in disobedience, I grew more and more sure that my initial response was solidly good.

Things which may seem from God may be deceptions from the Evil One, and fruits, such as conversions and even confessions, do not mandate that a certain apparition is true.

I was increasingly distraught by the number of Catholics who went and came back from multiple visits still supporting, contraception, same-sex marriage, universal salvation, and other serious heresies, which indicated to me a lack of a real spiritual conversion or mature appropriation of the Faith.

Now, the reason after almost five years of blogging I am mentioning this, is that I am doubly concerned about the lack of orthodoxy of those who are still following these almost daily messages and the lack of real holiness. Too many of those men and women who follow Medjugorje are stuck in the baby-stage of Catholic growth, looking for consolations instead of asking for the purification, the suffering needed for holiness.

One must be careful not to attribute to God what comes either from the imagination of humans, or worse, from demonic involvement.

I am particularly worried about priests, friars, nuns, sisters, as well as lay people, who follow Medjugorje as if it had been approved, which it may never be, and which I doubt will. 

There is one order which is fixated on these so-called visions-not a good thing.





People follow unapproved visions, instead of reading the great classical writings on spirituality, such as Father Jordan Aumann, or listening to talks by such solid priests as Fr. Chad Ripperger.

I cannot believe it would take the Queen of Heaven and Earth from June 24, 1981 until, as this is presented, September 11, 2013 to say what she wants to say to the world. And, to be honest, much is a repetition of Fatima and Lourdes messages. Hamish Fraser thought it was an undermining of Fatima and so do I think that.

As Catholics, we are under NO obligations to believe in private revelations. And, a rule of thumb for the laity should be, do not look into something until it is approved by Rome. Caution when approaching mystical or spiritual phenomenon is wisdom.

This is from the Davies' article, noted below. 

A partial translation of the interview appeared in the February 1994 issue of Fidelity. Mgr. Peric testified that his predecessor had been open to the veracity of the apparitions in the beginning. He pointed out that Mgr. Zanic would evidently have been predisposed to believe in the alleged apparitions. He continued: 

What bishop wouldn't be delighted that the Virgin Mary should be appearing in his diocese? Especially Mgr. Zanic, a very Marian bishop, who as a priest and later as a bishop made eleven pilgrimages to various Marian shrines all over Europe: Lourdes, Fatima, Syracuse, etc. And then for the Gospa (Our Lady) to have mercy on him and begin to "appear" in his own backyard as if to bring an end to all his wanderings all over Portugal. 

But after a few months, when he heard the small fibs and large lies, insincerities, inexactitudes, and all sorts of fabricated stories from those who claimed that the Gospa was appearing to them, he became totally convinced that it was not a matter of supernatural apparitions of the Gospa. Then he started to bring out the truth and to expose the falsehoods. The greatest satisfaction of his ten years of hard work was when the bishops of Yugoslavia at their spring meeting at Zadar on April 10, 1991, dutifully declared: "On the basis of studies it cannot be affirmed that supernatural apparitions and revelations are occurring." This is an exceptionally clear ecclesiastical ruling, and is a rebuttal of the claims of all those who claim to have seen the Gospa everywhere and at any time since 1981. 

The verdict of the Bishops' Conference is for me an authoritative instruction, responsive and binding unless another kind of verdict is brought. But until now there has been no other (ecclesiastical) judgment. If, after serious, solid, and professional investigation, our Bishops' Conference had the courage to declare that Medjugorje's apparitions are not supernatural, in spite of massive stories and convictions to the contrary, then that is a sign that the Church, even in the 20th century "upholds the truth and keeps it safe" (I Tim. 3:15). I affirm this unequivocally (my emphasis). 

Other sites can help you discern. Be open. And, there is an interesting thing which someone said to me a few years ago. Why are all the rad-trads anti-Medjugorje? Maybe it has to do with the clarity which comes from regular attendance to the Mass of the Ages...I really do not know. Rad-trads tend to be more orthodox than the neo-Con Catholics. Maybe that has something to do with it as well.

One of my favorite traddies, may God bless his soul, was Michael Davies, the champion of the Latin Mass in England for years and years. Here is his famous essay against Medjugorje.
http://www.catholictradition.org/Mary/medjugorje.htm

Here is a list of other documentation Michael listed in his paper, as his references. If you are truly a daughter and son of the Church, you must read these. We need to be discerning.


1. MEDJUGORJE: The Other Side of the Coin, Geoffrey Lawman,  p. 7
2. 1987 Communiqué of the Yugoslav Bishops Concerning the Facts of Medjugorje, p. 15
3. Declaration of the Bishop of Mostar Concerning Medjugorje
Medjugorje, 15 July 1987, p. 17
4. An Extract From the Letter of the Bishop of Mostar
to Mariya Davies Thanking Her for Her Translation, p. 21
5. Visions in Alabama, Excerptedfrom "Letter from London", 
The Remnant, 31 March 1989, p. 22
6. Marija Pavlovic Contradicts Herself, p. 24
7. The Truth About Medjugorje-----A Statement by Mgr. Zanic
Published in 1990, p. 27
8. Irish Bishops' Conference Statement of 13 June 1990, p. 49
9. "Bishops 'leaked' Ruling on Yugoslav Shrine, p. 49
10. "Rome Studies New Medjugorje Report", p. 51
11. The Medjugorje Industry , p. 51
12. A New Bishop of Mostar , p. 58
13. Further Information , p. 60

Another serious source is this condemnation of the visions by Bishop Gemma. 
http://catholiclight.stblogs.org/index.php/2011/04/gemma-on-medjugorje/

and from here, this statement as a reminder. 

What the Church has forbidden. From the statements given to date by ecclesiastical authorities it is clear that no one holding an office in the Church (bishop, pastor, rector, chaplain or other) may by virtue of that office lend official sanction to activities which tend to assert the supernaturality of Medjugorje, that is, to contradict the decisions made by competent local authority. Those statements speak only of pilgrimages organized under official auspices; however, common sense tells us that a conference or other activity sponsored by a diocese, parish or other Catholic institution would also be prohibited. Likewise,  there could not be public veneration (cultus) of the Blessed Virgin under the title of Our Lady of Medjugorje, since this would suggest the certainty of her appearing there. The title Queen of Peace, however, is already part of the patrimony of the Church.

And, I have serious reservations about these statements below from the seers and there are more like this...Mary would never contradict the teachings of the Church. In fact, one priest in England said that if a person did not believe in Medjugorje, he or she was an “idiot”. Strong words on something which may never be approved. And, such a statement leaves the door closed for intelligent discussion on the matter. I was especially disturbed about a television broadcast I watched on this. I got that good old gut reaction of “Something is not right here.” But, how is it that so many priests are deceived by this phenomenon?

Would Mary, the Mother of God say these things?

“I do not dispose of all graces…Jesus prefers that you address your petitions directly to him, rather than through an intermediary.” (Chron. Corp. p.181, 277-278)

Oct. 1, 1981: “All religions are equal before God,” says the Virgin. (Chronological Corpus of Medjugorje, p. 317)

The Crisis of Nothingness

If one wants to read one of the best philosophers who are Catholic on marriage, one could not do better than Ven. Fulton J. Sheen. Out of all the modern commentators on sex and marriage, I find his writings the ones which connect the spiritual world with the world of matter, the world of the flesh better than most. And, his comments on marriage are realistic signposts for today's married couples as well.

From the same book into which I have been dipping, here are a few choice gems for meditation on marriage.

"When married life becomes dull, one has not hit the bottom of life; one has hit the bottom of one's ego...One has not hit the bottom of his soul, only the bottom of his instinct; not the bottom of his mind, but the bottom of his emotional life.  These trials are contacts with reality which God sends into every life."

"Whenever there is discontent, God is stirring the waters of the soul. He is reminding us that the perfect love for which we crave is not here; we're on the road to it.

"Love, which began with pleasure and self-satisfaction, changes into love for God's sake. The other person becomes less the necessary condition of passion and more the partner of the soul."

"Just as there is the Dark Night of the Soul, there is the dark night of the body."

"Just keep in mind that in every marriage, a man and woman promise each other something only God can give."

He also says that children are the paradox of the answer to aloneness together in marriage. Children bridge the gap in the tension between the seeking of perfect unity in the body and the spirit.  Children, "are the link that binds the lovers together, body and soul."

Those who study the theology of the body could benefit from a few chapters written by Ven. Fulton J. Sheen. More than most, he understands the crisis of nothingness, as he puts it, which destroys marriage, unless, as in the Dark Night of the Soul, one turns to God in faith, hope, and love.

To be continued....