The Meaning of the Fig Tree

Many Catholics seem perplexed by today's Gospel reading. The message is relatively simple. We need to be cooperating with grace when things are good and smooth, and when things are difficult and rough.

It is easy to be holy when everything is going "my way". But, when one's will is being crossed and when one is not in a physically comfortable place, the real depth of a person's grace-filled life can be revealed.

Three weeks into chaos, movement, "mess", as the Pope would state, I find that God wants me and others who are truly Christian to be able to respond in love and calmness to any situation.

Turning to God immediately in the mind, making a rational act to cooperate with grace makes one "faithful in little things".  Daily, we are in these situations and one is shown the limitations of holiness in certain situations.

Pettiness seems to be a common sin we can all fall into daily--getting upset about the small things, the very small things, instead of letting go and seeing the big picture. In good times and in stressful times, one must be ready to be loving and always take the humble position.

Mark 11:11-26

11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and came into the temple; and after looking around at everything, He left for Bethany with the twelve, since it was already late.

12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.

Jesus Drives Money Changers from the Temple

15 Then they *came to Jerusalem. And He entered the temple and began to drive out those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling [a]doves;16 and He would not permit anyone to carry [b]merchandise through the temple.17 And He began to teach and say to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a robbers’ [c]den.”18 The chief priests and the scribes heard this, and began seeking how to destroy Him; for they were afraid of Him, for the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

19 When evening came, [d]they would go out of the city.

20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. 26 [[e]But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”]

Some people ask why this particular fig tree was cursed by Christ and died, especially used by Christ as an example for all of us Catholics to see what would happen to us if we are not producing fruit when God expects us to do so.

Why must we pay attention to this image from the Scriptures? 

Christ demonstrates the justice of God by cursing the fig tree-if it has no fruit, it is already dead. God gives all people sufficient grace for salvation, but He gives efficacious grace freely to those who He has deemed will use this grace.

Here is Garrigou-Lagrange on efficacious grace, which is a bit of a repeat on this blog, but a necessary reminder and timely today.

In the New Testament, too, we find: “Without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Therefore grace is not rendered efficacious through our consent; rather, on the contrary, without the grace of Christ we do not consent to the good conducive to salvation. “My sheep hear My voice . . . and I give them life everlasting and they shall not perish forever, and no man shall pluck them out of My hand. That which My Father hath given Me, is greater than all; and no one can snatch them out of the hand of My Father” (ibid., 10:27-29). That is to say, the souls of the just are in the hand of God, nor can the world with all its temptations nor the demon snatch the elect from the hand of God. Cf. St. Thomas’ commentary on this passage.  It reiterates the words of St. Paul: “Who then shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation or distress or famine . . . or the sword?. . . But in all these things we overcome, because of [or through] Him that hath loved us. . . . For I am sure that neither death nor life . . . nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:35-39). St. Thomas comments here that either St. Paul is speaking in the person of the predestinate or, if of himself personally, then it was thanks to a special revelation. Elsewhere St. Paul writes: “Not that we are sufficient to think anything of ourselves, as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is from God” (II Cor. 3:5). If we are not sufficient to think anything conducive to salvation of ourselves, with still greater reason is this true of giving our consent, which is primary in the role of salvation. Again, “For the word of God is living and effectual, and more piercing than any two-edged sword; and reaching unto the division of the soul and the spirit, of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. . . . All things are naked and open to His eyes” (Heb. 4:12 f.). Cf. St. Thomas’ commentary: “The word of God is said to be effectual on account of the very great power and infinite effective force which it possesses. For by it are all things made: ‘By the word of the Lord the heavens were established’ (Ps. 32:6). . . . It effects in the innermost being of things . . . all our works . . . In the order of causes it is to be observed that a prior cause always acts more intimately than a subsequent cause.”

Be grateful daily for the graces which God has given you, even the grace to study and follow blogs. 

God does not ask the impossible. All are given sufficient graces to convert, to accept Him as Saviour. But, God also expects us to use the graces He generously gives to those to whom He has chosen to join Him in heaven.

In Rom. 9:14-16 we read: “What shall we say then? Is there injustice in God? God forbid. For He saith to Moses: I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will show mercy to whom I will show mercy. So then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth, but of God that showeth mercy” (cf. Exod. 33:19)1 To the Philippians, St. Paul writes: “With fear and trembling work out your salvation. For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to accomplish, according to His good will” (2:13); hence the soul should fear sin or separation from God, the author of salvation; cf. St. Thomas’ commentary.

Book Review

http://www.amazon.com/Fr.-Mike-Driscoll/e/B00WKHCVOE

I have read the Demons, Deliverance and Discernment one and it is balanced. This priest worked with Fr. Ripperger for awhile. I know him personally and he is a great TLM priest.

I highly suggest reading this book.

STM

For those who did not take my word on this topic...

http://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/micd-updeath-too-soon

http://www.lifeguardianfoundation.org/

Great website!

If anyone wants to order any of the books on this website for me to discuss on the blog, feel free to do so.

The Freedom to Pray and Act Is Now...Now!

Please join me in prayer for that place where I can set up the chapel again and pray as I was doing for years. The call to prayer is not an easy out of the lay life, but the heart of the Church and all the actions which come out of the virtues of those doing good works.

A few days ago, I discovered that more people than I have thought, including those who are wealthy, have been refused entry into certain countries in order to see their children who are citizens of those countries.

I have also discovered that in some ways the United States government is treating some of its own citizens as second-class, demanding new restrictions in various areas of residency in a particular state, in business, in banking.

The movements of many are being circumscribed on purpose. In the past, when people could travel, they met and encouraged other Catholics who were the remnant. This may not ever happen again.

If you are not in an area where you are being fed by the liturgy, or with other real Catholics, now is the time to move.

One makes sacrifices. There is a growing community building up around Clear Creek Monastery. If you have a home-based business, or can easily re-locate financially, (unlike me), move there asap.

My calls for Catholics to pod have been ignored by many who simply have fallen into spiritual sloth, cannot extricate themselves from where they are for good reasons, or who are fearful.

I must say that many people I have met in the States are either too fearful, and therefore, not open to community, or just cannot see the handwriting on the wall.

Please pray for me today, as I sort out things here, to find that place where I can have the hidden life of prayer, blog, if God desires that, and have a stable lifestyle.

It very well may be not where I am now, or it could be. There are obstacles.

I pray for you all to find that place of support. We shall need it in the days to come of persecution, which are looming, believe me, as I have been saying for years on this blog.

Do not hesitate or procrastinate doing something within your power to do....act now.

Behind Schedule

All my worldly goods, almost, bar a few things in Malta and a few things in England, as of now are under one roof. This is the first time I have been able to go through things in five years, and I must attack the last vestiges of books. STS has just taken his last philosophy course, ever, and he and I discussed which of the 1,400 books to pass on. We started with about 6,000, and I pared down to 4,000, then 2,000 and now this amount. Yesterday, I gave many books to a homeschooling family of three children for a start.

I am waiting here for a response from a monastery close by to see if the abbot wants some of these and if so, there these shall go.

Sadly, it is too expensive to send books to England, but I shall try and get some to STS. Of course, he has some of mine and I have some of his, and so on.

Such is life, as he states, as some things have "gone missing", and I am afraid some of my icons have "gone missing". And, I ask my self, "Why"?

I shall not be able to post much for the next few days and the encyclical on the Body of Christ discussion will be delayed. However, I am reading several other books which I shall share with you including The True Spouse of Jesus by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

Watch this space....many, many thanks to F, J, and C for the help moving. I honestly could not have done it without your help.

I am glad this basement does not flood.....

A Reminder...from St. John Bosco

“Very grave trials await the Church. What we have suffered so far is almost nothing compared to what is going to happen. The enemies of the Church are symbolized by the ships which strive their utmost to sink the flagship. Only two things can save us in such a grave hour: devotion to Mary and frequent Communion. Let us do our very best to use these two means and have others use them everywhere.”  St. John Bosco 

Report from a friend re: Walsingham

I knew when I went to Walsingham this year it would be different.  The reason being that the new shrine director is Mgr John Armitage. He is from the east end of London. Similar to the Bronx in New York.  He was used to every day being challenge.  He has set himself a challenge in Walsingham.  When I went to the first mass of the retreat our group was one of many groups who had come that day.  One of the groups was one of the largest which had come for quite a while because it was the Brentwood Diocesan pilgrimage, Mgr Armitage's last Diocese.  They not only came out to see him,but it was lead by Bishop Alan Williams, who in his previous role, was the shrine director of Our Lady of Walsingham.

It was the wonderful feast of Pentecost.  After the mass, Mgr Armitage introduced everyone to the 'blue bucket'.  Plans are afoot to make huge improvements to the shrine (not before time) to the amount of £10 million.  He has a bit to go, but with his enthusiasm the goal will become closer by the day.  I know that I went home with a totally empty purse.  Not a bean was left in it.  Well I did have a couple of medals in it so I held on to them in the hope that it wouldn't be empty for long............and it wasn't.  God is good. 

After a short service in the Annunciation church in Little Walsingham, candles were lit and the procession wound its way through the village, stopping for a history lesson outside the Abbey grounds to remind all of us how much suffering went on during the reformation. Behind the coach park is what is called the 'Martyrs Field'.  The long procession continued towards the Anglican shrine where there is a replica of the 'holy house of Nazareth'.  The Lourdes hymn was sung and the rosary prayers interjected in between.  The music echoed round the streets and as we entered into the shrine gardens our group joined up with an Anglican group.  Such a poignant moment.

The Anglicans separated and continued into the shrine church.  We then processed round the grounds and out again praying and singing back to the Friday Market where the Catholic church is situated.  Joy and hope filled my heart.  I am sure many more were affected by this unusual event --which will be not so unusual by the end of the summer.

My comment on another blog....

This overturn of religion did not happen overnight. I visited and stayed in Ireland for quite some time in 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and this past January, 2015. An excellent priest told me that the Irish Catholics did not appropriate their adult faith even in the 1950s,refusing to read or study their own religion. My take was that socialism and radical politics, as well as money, were more important than religion. Ireland is not a poor country. Dublin is a rich, international metropolis. Google International is located in Ireland, which has become a tax haven for American companies. The American, Hollywood idea of Ireland has been long gone. I was there when the abortion bill was pushed through the Dail. There was relatively little resistance.

What commentators are forgetting is that Ireland has cooperated more than most countries with the Big Brother of Brussels, giving up sovereignty in many areas, which are hidden to most Americans. Ireland has also pandered to American interests, many businesses, and American liberal groups which push international far left politics.

In addition, in 2012, when I was there, the banks accepted sharia law banking. Look that up, giving preference to loans given to Muslims in exchange for money deals with Saudi Arabia. This is not arcane knowledge, but was touted on the television and radio when I was there.

Also, many of the clergy, specifically the bishops, have given Communion to pro-abort politicians and have not stood up against ssm, and two came out and said vote “yes”. at least two. Again, this sea-change did not happen quickly, but in an atmosphere of growing hatred of the Catholic Church,. Of course, the sex scandals did not help clergy-laity relationships.

Catholic Ireland is officially dead, but it was dying a slow, long death, imho. There has been a disjoint between Catholic practice and politics since Catholic Ireland made a hero out of Charles Parnell, the “uncrowned king of Ireland”, despite his infamous adultery. Even then, Catholics turned against the Catholic Church, which, of course, condemned the man’s actions, and many so-called good Catholics sided with Parnell, making him some sort of martyr. This split between politics and religion is not new in the land of Patrick.

One more thing–neo-paganism, since another “hero”, William Butler Yeats, has made a huge comeback in Ireland, (and many have never left the Isle) in the form of satanism and witchcraft, which are both highly popular. One cannot ignore the fact that the slow fog of compromise grew into the storm we saw on Friday and that this fog was a long time growing in the hearts of many Irish people.

Sophronius Burying St. Mary of Egypt

Living Among The Unbaptized

Over thirty "Protestant" denominations do not baptize or do not baptize in the only true form, that of the Trinity-"I baptize you in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit."

Baptism in the Name of Jesus is not valid, nor accepted in the Catholic Church as baptism.

Some denominations merely "dedicate" their children, babies to Christ and expect the adult to decide whether to be baptized or not.

Now, there is a generation (or two) of adults who have never been baptized. Recently, in southern Illinois, this was brought to my attention by a few discussions with three people, one who calls himself a "Bible Christian" and one who was baptized in a New Age Christian "church". The other person did not say whether she was baptized or not.

To live among people who are not baptized presents a new dimension of spiritual warfare to the Catholic. If people are baptized, they are adopted sons and daughters of God, heirs of heaven, and given the theological graces of faith, hope and charity.

If a person is not baptized, according to the teaching of the Church, that person is a "slave to sin". Trent is clear on baptism. http://www.thecounciloftrent.com/ch7.htm

ON BAPTISM

CANON I.-If any one saith, that the baptism of John had the same force as the baptism of Christ; let him be anathema.CANON II.-If any one saith, that true and natural water is not of necessity for baptism, and, on that account, wrests, to some sort of metaphor, those words of our Lord Jesus Christ; Unless a man be born again of water and the Holy Ghost; let him be anathema.
CANON III.-If any one saith, that in the Roman church, which is the mother and mistress of all churches, there is not the true doctrine concerning the sacrament of baptism; let him be anathema.
CANON IV.-If any one saith, that the baptism which is even given by heretics in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, with the intention of doing what the Church doth, is not true baptism; let him be anathema.
CANON V.-If any one saith, that baptism is free, that is, not necessary unto salvation; let him be anathema.
CANON VI.-If any one saith, that one who has been baptized cannot, even if he would, lose grace, let him sin ever so much, unless he will not believe; let him be anathema.
CANON VII.-If any one saith, that the baptized are, by baptism itself, made debtors but to faith alone, and not to the observance of the whole law of Christ; let him be anathema.
CANON VIII.-If any one saith, that the baptized are freed from all the precepts, whether written or transmitted, of holy Church, in such wise that they are not bound to observe them, unless they have chosen of their own accord to submit themselves thereunto; let him be anathema.
CANON IX.-If any one saith, that the resemblance of the baptism which they have received is so to be recalled unto men, as that they are to understand, that all vows made after baptism are void, in virtue of the promise already made in that baptism; as if, by those vows, they both derogated from that faith which they have professed, and from that baptism itself; let him be anathema.
CANON X.-If any one saith, that by the sole remembrance and the faith of the baptism which has been received, all sins committed after baptism are either remitted, or made venial; let him be anathema.
CANON XI.-If any one saith, that baptism, which was true and rightly conferred, is to be repeated, for him who has denied the faith of Christ amongst Infidels, when he is converted unto penitence; let him be anathema.
CANON XII.-If any one saith, that no one is to be baptized save at that age at which Christ was baptized, or in the very article of death; let him be anathema.
CANON XIII.-If any one saith, that little children, for that they have not actual faith, are not, after having received baptism, to be reckoned amongst the faithful; and that, for this cause, they are to be rebaptized when they have attained to years of discretion; or, that it is better that the baptism of such be omitted, than that, while not believing by their own act, they should be bapized in the faith alone of the Church; let him be anathema.
CANON XIV.-If any one saith, that those who have been thus baptized when children, are, when they have grown up, to be asked whether they will ratify what their sponsors promised in their names when they were baptized; and that, in case they answer that they will not, they are to be left to their own will; and are not to be compelled meanwhile to a Christian life by any other penalty, save that they be excluded from the participation of the Eucharist, and of the other sacraments, until they repent; let him be anathema.

There is a demonic twitter trending today, in which teens are calling up a demon. Those who do this and are Catholic fall into mortal sin. Those who are not baptized have no way to defend themselves from either possession, obsession, or oppression. They have no "armour".

Sadly, we are now living among the unbaptized, who do not have, usually, sanctifying grace, and who cannot defend themselves against the powers of the devil. These people have no illumination of the mind, no virtues to strengthen the will, no grace to help them choose good over evil. We can do nothing without grace, and natural virtues do not get us to heaven.

If you have children, find out those in their play groups or school groups who are not baptized and speak with the children about this new problem in our culture. One cannot expect an unbaptized person to act, think, respond the same way as someone who is baptized.

Can God give sanctifying grace to anyone without baptism? Yes, of course. But, the ordinary way into the life of God's own life, which is what grace is, still remains the sacrament of baptism.

We must evangelize the neo-pagans. Their salvation and the salvation of those around them demand this. Our own baptismal promises demand this.

Matthew 28:19New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI--Three

Sometimes, a particular encyclical seems prophetic. Humanae Vitae is of that category, as is Humanum Genus. The encyclical on the Mystical Body of Christ resonates with me this week, as we Catholics face a new awareness of the fragility of the Faith in many countries.

My comments are in blue here.

6. There is a special reason too, and one most dear to Us, which recalls this doctrine to Our mind and with it a deep sense of joy. During the year that has passed since the twenty-fifth anniversary of Our Episcopal consecration, We have had the great consolation of witnessing something that has made the image of the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ stand out most clearly before the whole world. Though a long and deadly war has pitilessly broken the bond of brotherly union between nations, We have seen Our children in Christ, in whatever part of the world they happened to be, one in will and affection, lift up their hearts to the common Father, who, carrying in his own heart the cares and anxieties of all, is guiding the barque of the Catholic Church in the teeth of a raging tempest. This is a testimony to the wonderful union existing among Christians; but it also proves that, as Our paternal love embraces all peoples, whatever their nationality and race, so Catholics the world over, though their countries may have drawn the sword against each other, look to the Vicar of Jesus Christ as to the loving Father of them all, who, with absolute impartiality and incorruptible judgment, rising above the conflicting gales of human passions, takes upon himself with all his strength the defense of truth, justice and charity.

The real experience of Christians standing against the Nazi destruction of the Jews, and the new totalitarianism which included hatred of Christ's Gospel message and which prefered a neo-paganism, made many Christians, including leaders, come together in Germany and other places, decide to be strong together. Much was at stake, like today.

7. We have been no less consoled to know that with spontaneous generosity a fund has been created for the erection of a church in Rome to be dedicated to Our saintly predecessor and patron Eugene I. As this temple, to be built by the wish and through the liberality of all the faithful, will be a lasting memorial of this happy event, so We desire to offer this Encyclical Letter in testimony of Our gratitude. It tells of those living stones which rest upon the living corner-stone, which is Christ, and are built together into a holy temple, hr surpassing any temple built by hands, into a habitation of God in the Spirit.[4]

This good Pope aided the Jews himself, and the cooperation of many brave people revealed a love of God embracing all humans in distress. The period of warfare and the time after the war witnessed great growth in the Catholic Faith, not only in numbers, but in the consolidation of study and the pursuing of truth. Sadly, communist and socialist infiltration also grew, and the corruption we see today in the curia must be seen as entrenched positions of anti-Catholicism near the heart of the Church, like a disease ready to spread. Modernism also became part of the thinking of many leaders in the Church, especially in the seminaries, which churned out liberal, even disobedient priests. As an old priest told me years ago, he and his friends joined the seminary in the 1950s to make the Church more Protestant, in order to create a Pan-Christianity which could stand up against both communism and socialism. Of course, this belief did not work.

8. But the chief reason for Our present exposition of this sublime doctrine is Our solicitude for the souls entrusted to Us. Much indeed has been written on this subject; and we know that many today are turning with greater zest to a study which delights and nourishes Christian piety. This, it would seem, is chiefly because a revived interest in the sacred liturgy, the more widely spread custom of frequent Communion, and the more fervent devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus practiced today, have brought many souls to a deeper consideration of the unsearchable riches of Christ which are preserved in the Church. Moreover recent pronouncements on Catholic Action, by drawing closer the bonds of union between Christians and between them and the ecclesiastical hierarchy and especially the Roman Pontiff, have undoubtedly helped not a little to place this truth in its proper light. Nevertheless, while We can derive legitimate joy from these considerations, We must confess that grave errors with regard to this doctrine are being spread among those outside the true Church, and that among the faithful, also, inaccurate or thoroughly false ideas are being disseminated which turn minds aside from the straight path of truth.

9. For while there still survives a false rationalism, which ridicules anything that transcends and defies the power of human genius, and which is accompanied by a cognate error, the so-called popular naturalism, which sees and wills to see in the Church nothing but a juridical and social union, there is on the other hand a false mysticism creeping in, which, in its attempt to eliminate the immovable frontier that separates creatures from their Creator, falsifies the Sacred Scriptures.

10. As a result of these conflicting and mutually antagonistic schools of thought, some through vain fear, look upon so profound a doctrine as something dangerous, and so they shrink from it as from the beautiful but forbidden fruit of paradise. But this is not so. Mysteries revealed by God cannot be harmful to men, nor should they remain as treasures hidden in a field, useless. They have been given from on high precisely to help the spiritual progress of those who study them in a spirit of piety. For, as the Vatican Council teaches, "reason illumined by faith, if it seeks earnestly, piously and wisely, does attain under God, to a certain and most helpful knowledge of mysteries, by considering their analogy with what it knows naturally, and their mutual relations, and their common relations with man's last end," although, as the same holy Synod observes, reason, even thus illumined, "is never capable of understanding those mysteries as it does those truths which form its proper object."[5]

Naturalism and false rationalism created the atmosphere for the Irish vote on Friday. False mysticism created an environment of false love and false tolerance of sin. The framework of morality disappeared in Ireland, and, indeed, in Europe and America over the past forty years.

What was set aside was exactly "reason illumined by faith" which leads to study, prayer and the understanding of the true goal of all humans, union with God in heaven forever. 

Of course, I love this following paragraph with the reference to perfection, which would include, moral perfection as well as mystical and rational assent to the Church's teaching on all subjects.

11. After pondering all this long and seriously before God We consider it part of Our pastoral duty to explain to the entire flock of Christ through this Encyclical Letter the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ and of the union in this Body of the faithful with the divine Redeemer; and then, from this consoling doctrine, to draw certain lessons that will make a deeper study of this mystery bear yet richer fruits of perfection and holiness. Our purpose is to throw an added ray of glory on the supreme beauty of the Church; to bring out into fuller light the exalted supernatural nobility of the faithful who in the Body of Christ are united with their Head; and finally, to exclude definitively the many errors current with regard to this matter.

To read a clear document on what the Mystical Body of Christ actually is will give us all hope.

12. When one reflects on the origin of this doctrine, there come to mind at once the words of the Apostle: "Where sin abounded, grace did more abound."[6] All know that the father of the whole human race was constituted by God in so exalted a state that he was to hand on to his posterity, together with earthly existence, the heavenly life of divine grace. But after the unhappy fall of Adam, the whole human race, infected by the hereditary stain, lost their participation in the divine nature,[7] and we were all "children of wrath."[8] But the all-merciful God "so loved the world as to give his only-begotten Son";[9] and the Word of the Eternal Father with the same divine love assumed human nature from the race of Adam—but an innocent and spotless nature—so that He, as the new Adam, might be the source whence the grace of the Holy Spirit should flow unto all the children of the first parent. Through the sin of the first man they had been excluded from adoption as children of God; through the Word incarnate, made brothers according to the flesh of the only-begotten Son of God, they receive also the power to become the sons of God.[10] As He hung upon the Cross, Christ Jesus not only appeased the justice of the Eternal Father which had been violated, but He also won for us, His brethren, an ineffable flow of graces. it was possible for Him of Himself to impart these graces to mankind directly; but He willed to do so only through a visible Church made up of men, so that through her all might cooperate with Him in dispensing the graces of Redemption. As the Word of God willed to make use of our nature, when in excruciating agony He would redeem mankind, so in the same way throughout the centuries He makes use of the Church that the work begun might endure.[11]

The pope refers almost immediately to grace, a theme on this blog. The truth of the Fall of Man and his need for redemption led to the Incarnation and the great act of mercy, Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross, which draws all people of good will to a life of freedom and justice. Grace comes through the merits of the Church, the visible Church, and we choose to cooperate or not cooperate with these graces of that Act of Mercy, Redemption. Through the Cross and through the Church, we have access to new life as brothers and sisters in Christ.

13. If we would define and describe this true Church of Jesus Christ—which is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Roman Church[12]—we shall find nothing more noble, more sublime, or more divine than the expression "the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ"—an expression which springs from and is, as it were, the fair flowering of the repeated teaching of the Sacred Scriptures and the holy Fathers.

The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ, a great mystery of love. He is the Head and we are the Body. The visible Church on earth is this body, as noted below and explained by Leo XIII. The heresy of the "invisible church" was clearly rejected over a hundred years ago.

To be a member of the Mystical Body means that we are one with Christ on earth in and through His Church.

14. That the Church is a body is frequently asserted in the Sacred Scriptures. "Christ," says the Apostle, "is the Head of the Body of the Church."[13] If the Church is a body, it must be an unbroken unity, according to those words of Paul: "Though many we are one body in Christ."[14] But it is not enough that the body of the Church should be an unbroken unity; it must also be something definite and perceptible to the senses as Our predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, in his Encyclical Satis Cognitum asserts: "the Church is visible because she is a body."[15] Hence they err in a matter of divine truth, who imagine the Church to be invisible, intangible, a something merely "pneumatological" as they say, by which many Christian communities, though they differ from each other in their profession of faith, are united by an invisible bond.



to be continued....

MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI for Today--part two as an introduction

Starting tomorrow in earnest, I shall unpack the great encyclical on the Mystical Body of Christ by Pope Pius XII. I believe he is speaking to our times, as he did in to Catholics in 1943. Here is a tidbit to get you interested in this mini-series.

2. For We intend to speak of the riches stored up in this Church which Christ purchased with His own Blood,[2] and whose members glory in a thorn crowned Head. The fact that they thus glory is a striking proof that the greatest joy and exaltation are born only of suffering, and hence that we should rejoice if we partake of the sufferings of Christ, that when His glory shall be revealed we may also be glad with exceeding joy.[3]

4. And it is to be hoped that Our instructions and exhortations will bring forth abundant fruit in the souls of the faithful in the present circumstances. For We know that if all the sorrows and calamities of these stormy times, by which countless multitudes are being sorely tried, are accepted from God's hands with calm submission, they naturally lift souls above the passing things of earth to those of heaven that abide forever, and arouse a certain secret thirst and intense desire for spiritual things. Thus, urged by the Holy Spirit, men are moved, and, as it were, impelled to seek the Kingdom of God with greater diligence; for the more they are detached from the vanities of this world and from inordinate love of temporal things, the more apt they will be to perceive the light of heavenly mysteries. But the vanity and emptiness of earthly things are more manifest today than perhaps at any other period, when Kingdoms and States are crumbling, when enormous quantities of goods and all kinds of wealth are being sunk in the depths of the sea, and cities, towns and fertile fields are strewn with massive ruins and defiled with the blood of brothers.

Can we not see that this encyclical gives us hope in these darkening times? The phrase "calm submission" with regard to lifting souls "above the passing things of earth to those of heaven that abide forever, and arouse a certain secret thirst and intense desire for spiritual things."

Unless we are totally focussed on Christ and His Church, and the Mystical Body of Christ, we shall be overwhelmed by the same-old, same-old and refuse to move out of the idea that what we see is normal. This encyclical will help us all get our minds in a place to accept the new times.

"...when Kingdoms and States are crumbling, when enormous quantities of goods and all kinds of wealth are being sunk in the depths of the sea, and cities, towns and fertile fields are strewn with massive ruins and defiled with the blood of brothers."

This is not poetry or exaggeration. The Pope was noticing that people in the middle of the war were turning towards Christ the King and His Kingdom, as the "vanities" of the world were disappearing from their lives. Should we not take heart from Pius XII and this document to see where the focus of our lives needs to be today?

More later....

Starting later this week, a review of MYSTICI CORPORIS CHRISTI

Time to discuss the Mystical Body of Christ....starting later. From the text:

3. From the outset it should be noted that the society established by the Redeemer of the human race resembles its divine Founder who was persecuted, calumniated and tortured by those very men whom He had undertaken to save. We do not deny, rather from a heart filled with gratitude to God We admit, that even in our turbulent times there are many who, though outside the fold of Jesus Christ, look to the Church as the only haven of salvation; but We are also aware that the Church of God not only is despised and hated maliciously by those who shut their eyes to the light of Christian wisdom and miserably return to the teachings, customs and practices of ancient paganism, but is ignored, neglected, and even at times looked upon as irksome by many Christians who are allured by specious error or caught in the meshes of the world's corruption. In obedience, therefore, Venerable Brethren, to the voice of Our conscience and in compliance with the wishes of many, We will set forth before the eyes of all and extol the beauty, the praises, and the glory of Mother Church to whom, after God, we owe everything.

Understanding Parish or Community Life

What I call community is not the same as what is known in America as parish life. It seems that the word "community" is misused constantly is parish when the mission statements. Mission statements did not exist in pre-Vatican II "communities".  Why mission statements became popular had to do parishes accepting business models for worship and relationships instead of family models. Yes, many mission statements use the word "family" but one cannot create a family atmosphere with a business model.

Community comes from people getting involved in each other's lives. When I was home schooling, the little group of home schooling moms created a little community. We saw each other weekly outside of Mass time, did things together with the children and shared talents and resources.

Community means men meeting in Bible studies, joining Men of St. Joseph or other fathers' groups, and even having men's Adoration groups. Sierra club is another community building group, which I know of personally, as my dad was president for years.

But, unless the members of families actually meet during the week outside of Church, socializing and praying with each other, there will be no community.

Community needs to start small and grow because people are becoming friends in the Lord, each one having a personal relationship with Christ and working on personal holiness at home.

Why there are so few real communities has to do with the fact that meeting together does not seem to be a priority in some areas.

As I have written so many times, imagine a diocese with only a handful of churches, few opportunities for receiving the sacraments, and almost complete marginalization of Catholics in the marketplace. This is coming.

For years on this blog, I have written about podding and creating small groups close by in your neighbourhoods for support when things get tough. Many Catholics will be, and already are, not accepted by their own families regarding Catholic doctrine. Communities are necessary to sustain such "lone wolves" who have been kicked out of the family circle for being really Catholic.

Being involved personally, knowing your Catholic neighbors, having dinners, having barbeques with these Catholic remnant people, praying together as families as well as individuals, create community. Home schooling moms seem to be very good at creating Catholic mini-communities.

Parish life usually does not create real community, as this model did years ago, as too many Catholics may be understood as living lives of heterodoxy.

Some people with whom I have spoken think community will "just happen" when things get tough. I do not think so.

Some communities are being built, as in those people who have moved to the Clear Creek Abbey area in order to have the TLM as the center of a communal life. There is some community is Idaho and in Tennessee in TLM communities which have worked on relationships. There are a few charismatic communities in Michigan and in Indiana.

The great blockage to community life is the stubbornness which insists that communal life must be seen as the same as parish life. The old paradigm no longer works, as, in my last parish, the heterodox Catholics simply cannot live the same life as those who are obedient.

The model of community can no longer be the divisive families of many shades of belief, or the old parish model. One cannot have intimate relationships with those who are living in disobedient and refuse to repent. Doctrinal divisions in families or in parishes stop community building.

Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior, had many things to say about division. Just look in Mark, Luke and Matthew, in the passages on the separation of the sheep and goats, and the turning of family members against other family members.

Mark, 13:12

And the brother shall betray his brother unto death, and the father his son; and children shall rise up against the parents, and shall work their death.

Luke 12:53

The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against his father, the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

Matthew 25:31-46

³¹ And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.

³² And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:

³³ And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

³⁴ Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

When I returned from Europe to the States, one thing which struck me, which I had not noticed before, was the fact that so many Catholics were idolizing their families.

Their families were more important that the Catholic communities, than Catholic teaching, than Catholic culture and practice. Their families took them away from activities or socializing with Catholics who could help them be stronger and holier.

Finally, I saw wives giving in to the pagan practices of their families and husbands to theirs instead of listening to the holy spouse God had given them.

Why has this happened? Why the deceit that one can bring one's family to God? Why the compromising on such a large scale?

The Kingdom of God is the Church. And the Church Militant is made up of those who fight for the truth of the Catholic Faith.

We may not share this vision, this grace with our siblings, or even parents.

In fact, I see husbands giving in to wives who want to spend too much on luxury items, going out, and so on, when these men know God is calling the family to more prayer and simplicity.

I see wives giving in to husbands on the issue of contraception.

I see husbands not wanting to confront the occult or new age practices they see their wives are doing.

I see wives not speaking to their husbands about pornography.

Husbands and wives are to bring each other to heaven. That is the main reason God brought them together.

If a family gets in the way of that process on purpose, by the strength of old sins, such as involvement in the occult, Freemasonry, lax Catholicism, the wife or husband must step in and help the other one break away from lives of sin.

How this is done takes prayer, patience, tact, but always the truth.

I have written about podding and building community before the really hard times hit. Some people have written or phoned me to say that they want to do this, for their own sake, the sake of the children and the spouse, but the other half of the couple does not.

If it is the man who wants to do so, the Catholic woman owes him obedience. If it is the woman who wants to grow deeper in holiness, she must pray, but never sin.

Family idolatry is rife. Our families do not save us, God does. Many saints had holy parents, but some did not.

The day St. Damien of Molokai told his father he wanted to be a priest, his father grew angry and said "no". The next morning, the father told him to get into the farm cart, said nothing else, drove the young man to the seminary, and dropped him off. The father never spoke with the saint again.

In my own family, one member, a father, never spoke to his daughter after she entered the convent. Never.

We need to make choices daily. Some need to break away from consumerist, materialistic families. Some need to break away from negative families. Some need to break away from families involved in the occult, or power, or abuse.

I cannot save those in my family who have fallen away. Only God can. I love them and pray for them daily. But, no family member will take me away from the path of holiness.

Can you say the same? Are you caught up in family idolatry? Would you die for Christ when your family may decide not to do so?

Some times the sin of the family is pride. 

We make choices daily, little choices, which lead to bigger ones.

May I add that persecution will come soon, and that we are going to have to choose between REAL communities or false ones.

from Maccabees....

Now I urge those who read this book not to be depressed by such calamities, but to recognize that these punishments were designed not to destroy but to discipline our people 2 Maccabees 6

Many younger Catholics understand we are headed for real persecution. Those who do not can read my previous posts on the stages of such persecution. We are in the beginning of the last stage.

But, many Catholics think that persecution is for punishing the wicked. Not so. Look at the quotation above from Maccabees. Persecution is for the good of the Church. For our good, individually and collectively.

No one who is honest can deny that evils entered the Church in the past sixty years or so. People, including leaders, became complacent, and worse, seriously full of sin. The case of contraception is merely one part of the evil-even today. There are many priests, and even bishops in England, who do not teach that Humanae Vitae is an infallible document.

And, in America, some seminaries are still, in 2013, accepting homosexuals as future priests and have homosexuals on the staff.  Also, the laity do not correct one another and ignore sin, which is not only hypocritical, as not abiding by one's baptismal promises, but encouraging evil. Many Catholics are not obedient, and get involve in New Age practices and false private revelations, all which are disobedient actions and are sinful. Many Catholics are not orthodox. This is unfaithfulness. This is sin.

So, the Church must be purified. The lavender mafia is only one aspect. The sins against children are only one aspect. The tacit agreement and support of abortion by Catholics who vote for pro-abortion politicians is only one aspect. Now, we have priests and bishops accepting ssm. The blasphemies against God and the sacrilegious reception of Holy Communion as well as abuses in the Liturgy add to the list.

As seen in Maccabees, God is faithful and will not let His People go to hell. He wants the salvation of those in His Church as well as outside the Church.

Persecution is for us, folks. If you cannot see this, you are ignoring the evil which is in the Church. The Maccabees started with themselves, fasting, praying, fighting and witnessed great miracles.

We shall need community to live and to worship freely.

We cannot expect miracles unless we pursue purity of heart. Pray, fast, reflect, think, act. Form real communities, not false ones which will NOT support you in times of persecution. Some of the enemies of the Faith sit next to you in your parish on Sunday.

On Becoming New Women Saints

I have never been to a baby shower. I only went to wedding showers when I was in the wedding as a bridesmaid.

I had presents sent to the houses.

Why?

In this consumerist society, a woman is expected to talk about things. I never talk about things. Yes, I am practical and highly organizational. But, things do not have to be discussed with other females over coffee. I could never understand two hours of discussions on wallpaper for baby's room, or the paint needed for the crib, the color of booties to match daddy's eyes, or the need for endless talk about past labor pains.

Some females have not responded to the real call of freedom which is the freedom to think and the freedom to become holy.

Liberal arts education teaches one how to think. Liberal does not mean wild and wooly, but free to think. Thinking does not mean being obsessed with things, but discussing ideas, politics, Church teaching.

I remember the first meeting of some dear friends of mine in Malta. They asked me to help set up a day of prayer. For two hours, the menu was discussed and who was bringing what. This happened every time a day of renewal occurred and the same wonderful ladies basically made the same things. One of them, who had travelled extensively apologized as I look puzzled over this re-hashing of various buns, cookies, cakes, casseroles and salads. She knew that the Maltese loved to discuss food for a long time and made group decisions rather than having one person delegate needs.

Maybe it is because I was a working mum. Maybe my time was too valuable to waste on trivial discussions with people I would not see for two more years when another baby came along. Maybe it is because back home, women just say--"You bring this and this and you bring this for the food." Period.

One does not have to think out loud and one does not have to talk trivia. But, why do we?

It is safe. If one is talking trivia, one avoids serious issues, such as pro-life issues, or ssm, or the Synod, which several ladies I have spoken with in the last few weeks had no idea was happening. Oh no, we cannot hurt anyone's feelings by not accepting someone's lifestyle or the arrogance of sin, or suggesting people read the Catechism.

Until female Catholics stop talking trivia, they will not grow up and be the Catholic women we need in the world, like our Lynda, or Ann, or Diane,or Kathy, or Sarah, who read this blog and pray as well as work for the Church Militant. Could the Irish vote possibly be owing to women who do not know their Faith and have encircled their lives with trivia, including consumer objects? Holy women have led many to the radical Gospel for centuries.

Females, also, need to avoid places of gossip. Sadly, where I come from, showers are gossip groups.

Females in the Church Militant need to resemble the great lay saints, like Blessed Zelie Martin or a woman who will be canonized eventually, Empress Zita.

These are women who loved and worked, but grew in the holiness of saints in a lay context. We women need to let things which seemed important in 1999, or 2005, like re-decorating or having the latest recipes on the table, and start thinking like real soldiers in the spiritual field of battle.

A new woman in the Church Militant needs to emerge from within the remnant of Catholic culture.

What do we need? Contemporary Joan of Arcs, contemporary Catherine of Sienas, contemporary Margaret Clitherows, contemporary Gianna Mollas, contemporary Blessed Maria Corsinis--decide to become one and not just another person discussing the price of Pampers or the recipe for biscuits with sesame seeds. 

The Sin of Presumption

One of my favourite theologians to read is Suarez. His points on the sin of presumption may be seen in the Catholic Encyclopedia article of the same title. My comments in blue....One can be presumptuous about even dangerous situations which demand prudence and not foolhardiness. This sin is mortal. Many trad Catholics think they are saved by just going to the TLM. Presumption is actually a vice-a habitual sin.

Suarez ("De spe", disp. 2a, sect. 3, n. 2) enumerates five ways in which one may be guilty of presumption, as follows:

by hoping to obtain by one's natural powers, unaided, what is definitely supernatural, viz. eternal bliss or the recovery of God's friendship after grievous sin (this would involve a Pelagian frame of mind); Pelagianism may be the most prevalent heresy found in the people at Sunday Mass. We do not get to heaven by good works and we do not get to heaven through our own power or efforts--the great fallacy of Masonry.

a person might look to have his sins forgiven without adequate penance (this, likewise, if it were based on a seriously entertained conviction, would seem to carry with it the taint of heresy); many Catholics do not understand the seriousness of even venial sin. Penance is demanded by the God Who is Just.

a man might expect some special assistance from Almighty God for the perpetration of crime (this would be blasphemous as well as presumptuous); asking God for vengeance or retaliation-from a heart of malice-for supposed hurts. There is a major religion which works on this premise.

one might aspire to certain extraordinary supernatural excellencies, but without any conformity to the determinations of God's providence. Thus one might aspire to equal in blessedness the Mother of God;  seriously, many people think they are holy and saints without going through purgation and think they are like some of the saints.

finally, there is the transgression of those who, whilst they continue to lead a life of sin, are as confident of a happy issue as if they had not lost their baptismal innocence. head in the sand Catholics who actually deny the seriousness of sin....

Defending The Wicket

Recently, a certain seminarian shared with me his stand at the wicket, creating a needed draw for his team. To protect the wicket for thirty overs and getting not our for naught demands patience and focus.

One does not try for flashy shots when one's captain has asked one to go for a draw. One is not concerned with one's personal score, but the good of the team.

One bats "cautiously" in order to make it impossible for the other side to get the team out.

With a fast bowler at one end and a left-handed around the wicket bowler at the other, defense becomes an intellectual game, as well as one of patience and stamina.

The batsman does not slash out or go for the big runs, but plays calmly and with great assurance that he can meet the demand of his captain.

Too often, some batsmen fall into egotism, wanting to add to their own personal scores instead of thinking of the team. A team player goes for the good of the whole.

Sport can teach and also reveal, virtue. To be a good team player not only means doing one's best, but sometimes, not trying to score, unless one is absolutely sure of not getting out. This attitude is an humility.

What does this mean for the Catholic team player in the Church? Sometimes, one does not have to
"be seen" doing things, but work quietly, steadily. Praying for others either alone or with a prayer team may seem like a hidden job, but prayer is actually more important than activity. Prayer not only sustains, but guides and underpins action.

Like the batsman who stays in for thirty overs to obtain the draw for the team, those who pray defend with wicket with patience and perseverance. Now is the time for defending the wicket, but not merely for a draw. The match has already been won, but the innings must be played out.

Getting Behind The Lines

One of my military friends told me today that sometimes one soldier has to pull another one out of the line of fire. "Get down, you....." or similar words would be expressed to get a soldier out of range for enemy bullets.

Some of us are sensing the time for pulling friends, or being pulled, out of bullet range may be coming soon, if that time is not here already.

Since I have been given access to private wifi in the past few days, I am back in the trenches, but wondering if I am a bolo rather than a crack shot.

When one is on line, one is in Indian country, and one may be called to be a snake eater. However, there are times when one's buddies pull one down below the bullets of Those People.

I admit I am a trench monkey. But, I am sure glad of those who have pulled me back recently and have told me to hat up.

If I am blogging less, even with wifi access, I am hatting up and I may become a Jawa.

Thanks to Major....for the retrenching.....as I have just come out of a serious ruck up situ.

To ruck up comes from to get your rucksack and move out.....

The New Evangelization from Rome

Out of all the things which have been discussed abut the Synod, one issue which seems to be ignored is the fact that there has been for centuries, a division between what the local churches in Europe, and in America, have preached and "accepted" at the local level, and what Rome has taught. The old fight of the Modernists and Ultramontanists must date back to the Avignon Papacy.  I do not want to give a history lesson here, but refer to the general problem which has existed between so-called pastoral applications and doctrine.

Out of the great tensions of the 14th century came the consolidation of Trent and, finally, the inspired writings of the greatest popes to bring Rome to the center of policies and practices again, Popes Pius IX and X. But, in Europe and in certain areas of America, the desire to make decisions outside the rules and guidelines of Rome created the isms which have infiltrated the Church today.

Marriage is not the only issue of the Synod. The need for bishops and cardinals, perhaps at a time when the curia of Rome has fallen into the worst corruption since the Renaissance, to come to some agreement about following Rome's guidance, could lead to a real new evangelization.

Conciliarism was a response to the Avignon Papacy scandal. Although the extreme version of this was condemned, the better angels of the movement created the climate for Trent to be not only successful, but a powerful source for the new evangelization of the colonial period.

The common problem of priests and bishops departing from Catholic orthodox teaching on marriage, Communion, grace and authority may be solved in the real effort to allow the Holy Spirit to inspire those good bishops and cardinals to lead the Church away from both Modernism and Ultramontanism. More than ever, the Church must be united.

With the powers of evil rising to a pitch which resembles the beginning of the marshalling of evil for the Last Battle, the Pope has called together the good, the bad and the ugly to come to clarity on doctrine so that there is no contradiction between the pastoral and the doctrinal.

Pray for the Pope, who I believe has good intentions concerning a new energy which could come out of the Synod for a new evangelization, as happened after Trent.