Monday, 9 July 2012
Church Times on Delayed Vote on Women Bishops
http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2012/6-july/news/uk/synod-postpones-final-decision-on-women-bishops
The Second Church Estates Commissioner, Sir Tony Baldry, gave Synod a warning. He said that there was "no way that I am going to be able to explain to the [House of] Commons that when this Church had voted by 42 dioceses to two, that it was not possible for the Synod to manage to develop a Measure which commands the support of the whole Synod; and in particular commands the support of those who campaign for such a Measure."
He said that Parliamentarians were familiar with the concept of "ping-pong" when the Commons and Lords could not agree, and suggested that during an adjournment "the usual channels" should "use the space and time to resolve the outstanding differences".
I am so glad I am a Catholic. The argument is over Clause Five, an amendment stipulating this:Clause 5(1)c stipulates that a new code of practice being drawn up should include official guidance on how to ensure that "the exercise of ministry by those [alternative] bishops and priests will be consistent with the theological convictions" of the parish which has objected to a woman.
Its defenders say that this wording is merely making explicit what was already implicit in the draft legislation. But others says it is enshrining in law the very prejudices against which supporters of female bishops have battled so long. It would, they say, create a two-tier system in which not only women, but men who ordained women or who had themselves been ordained by women, would be considered second rate.
Not everyone, even fellow supporters of the cause, agrees with them; they have been accused of nit-picking at a crucial stage, and exposing the Church of England to yet more censure for its slow-moving decision-making.http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/05/church-england-vote-women-bishops
Update on Anglican General Synod As Of July 9th
I am having trouble on my computer getting the live feed from the General Synod to work today. Here is today's update. From the General Synod Website. Here is today's update. Final approval is pushed forward to the Autumn on women bishops.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/09/church-of-england-female-bishops
Adjournment motion passed - draft Measure sent back to House of Bishops for further consideration General Synod has passed a motion (by 288 votes for to 144 votes against with 15 recorded abstentions) today, to adjourn the Final Approval debate on the draft Bishops and Priests (Consecration and Ordination of Women) Measure to enable the amendment made in May to clause 5 to be reconsidered by the House of Bishops. The House will meet for that purpose in September. When it does so it will have power to amend the part of the text of the draft Measure previously altered by the amendment it made in May to clause 5.
The Archbishops have confirmed that, following reconsideration by the House, the General Synod will meet in November (19-21) in London to resume the Final Approval debate in the light of the House of Bishop's consideration.
The Bishop of Dover the Rt Revd Trevor Willmott, on behalf of the Steering Committee successfully moved the motion this morning proposing that the debate on the motion for the Final Approval be adjourned.
Also here are article from two newspaper in Britain: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/church-backs-away-from-women-bishops-debate-7924528.htmlhttp://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jul/09/church-of-england-female-bishops
New Ordinariate Liturgical Texts
I hope this move will encourage more Anglo-Catholics, especially today, to consider crossing the Tiber.
I also hope that the bishops of the world accept the Ordinariate as the Pope intended this group to be.
The first liturgical texts approved for worldwide use by the Personal Ordinariates for former Anglicans have been promulgated by the Holy See. The Order for Funerals and the Order for the Celebration of Holy Matrimony are to be used by the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham in the United Kingdom; the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter in the United States and Canada; and the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of the Southern Cross in Australia.
Drawn from the classical Anglican prayer book tradition, the texts incorporate elements of the Anglican patrimony now in the full communion of the Catholic Church. "We welcome with gratitude these texts, which bring into Catholic liturgical life some of the most beloved and memorable texts in the Book of Common Prayer. These texts have blessed and comforted generations of English-speaking Christians and will be deeply appreciated in the Ordinariate communities," said Monsignor Jeffrey N. Steenson, Ordinary for the Ordinariate of the Chair of St Peter.
Feminism's Greatest Failure
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| woman burned in attempted honor killing |
In America and in England, except for a few, very few, women are not outraged and speaking out against the rising violence and harassment of women in the Middle East and Far East. In this regard, the feminist movement has FAILED.
Yesterday, on several news sources, a report of young women, students in Egypt, being harassed by men for not wearing a veil and being in trousers, was promulgated. The major media does not cover these stories. A woman was shot in Kabul for have a relationship with a politician, shot nine times. The politician was not shot.
In Nigeria, women, children and men who are Christian were killed on the weekend.
In Sudan, sharia law will be the law of the land, taking away liberties from women primarily, and from Christians. This is in today's news sources from Christian sites.
In Indonesia and in Saudi Arabia, girl's schools were burned as it is against Islam to educate women, and in the second case, girl's were allowed to burn to death. The last episode, which happened in January, was covered by very few news agencies.
No one is reporting these abuses but about six sites which I found, and all are Christian based. Why? And, why are not the feminists in America, Great Britain and other European countries outraged at the increasing violence against women?
Feminism has failed because the movement is not really about civil rights for women. It is about "me".
There is an older but good article on how feminism has failed American women as well. See here.
Women die, girls die, and more will unless the Women of the West respond now.
In the past week, I have had may posts, as many as seven or nine a day. Take a minute to scroll down. A reader sent me this link to add to the post.http://itsybitsysteps.com/16-year-old-amina-filali-who-was-forced-to-marry-her-rapist-commits-suicide/
For the Ordinariate
Begging for the Ordinariate is a bold way of telling you all that many of the families who came in, especially the wives and children of the good priests, have suffered great losses.
Some left pensions.
Some left houses and the right to property.
Some left gifts.
Please consider going to the Ordinariate website and donating something. These good Catholics suffered to come into the Church. Bless them and you. www.ordinariate.org.uk
Answer to yesterday's quiz
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| Old Kabul Road |
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| Woman milking her goat in Kabul |
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| Man selling things our of his trucks |
Answer to yesterday's quiz on where the photos were taken: Kabul. And, look at parts of the city and how the women dress now...after the Taliban and the Russian war. Can the West take back what was civilized?
On the Four Last Things
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| Hieronymus Bosch "Death of a Sinner" |
A second reason is what I consider the most common heresy in the Church, "universal salvation". A just and merciful God, to many priests and laypeople would never damn anyone, and therefore, all people go to Heaven.
A third reason is that we are told we are not allowed to judge. Recently, Michael Voris pointed out the possible future storm in New York if a certain lady who claims to be a practicing Catholic, who is pro-abortion and who is married to her lesbian lover gets elected the next mayor of NYC. A friend of mine's mom, on seeing the video said, "Well, he is judgmental." Dear me. We cannot call sin sin and we are not allowed to be objective about public sin, even when that sin cries out to heaven (see Fr. Z for a long discussion on THAT subject.)
It is politically incorrect to talk about punishment.
We have now one, maybe two, generations of parents who have not punished their kids about anything.
So, God is not present in these young and not-so-young people's lives as a Judge and, oh boy, we cannot hurt anyone's feelings, now, can we?
The Teaching Magisterium of the Church includes a branch of theology called "eschatology" from the Greek ta eschata, meaning of the last things.
In that teaching, the definition of a "personal" or "individual" eschatology emerges, referring to my death, my judgment, my being sent to Heaven, Hell or Purgatory.
That individual eschaton happens on the day I die, on the day you die.
In the teaching, there is also a definition of a "universal" eschatology, which deals with the Final Judgment of the world. At the final coming of Christ, the parousia, the final judgement of all people will occur. This is commonly called the "general " judgement and the final destruction of the earth, the "general consummation".
The Four Last Things prepare you and I for our particular judgment. When was the last time you heard a priest speak on these things? The art of objectivity is dying and objectivity is a sign of personal holiness.
United State Navy and Spiritual Narcissism
If you cannot understand "spiritual narcissism", look at these five points and read the rest of the post.
One, spiritual narcissism allows the person to be the center, the goal of religious quest. In other words, "it is all about me".
Two, God, if there is a God, is within, not as the Indwelling of the Holy Trinity through baptism, but simply because man is god-like and only needs to find his or her god within.
Three, vibes, energies, healings, can be found withing through certain ritualistic actions. Of course, this is a fancy description of "magic".
Four, the goal is self-realization, not god of God, really.
Five, the early Christians threw out this nutsy stuff as part of the occultic thinking of both the West and East, realizing that myth, paganism and magic would not save one, would not purify one, would not lead one to Christ.
A new labyrinth has been established by the United States Navy. Here is a section of an article from "America's Navy". This is embarrassing.
National Naval Medical Center held a dedication ceremony for its new stone labyrinth, designed to foster an environment for healing, compassion and hope, March 14.
Located between Walter Reed Bethesda's Buildings 8 and 9, in the Angel Garden, the labyrinth is a spiritual tool that all staff, patients and family members can use to find peace, pray, or meditate, as they walk along its path toward its center, said Cmdr. Kim Donahue, chaplain, who initiated and led the project.
"This is a community garden, and I want everyone to look at it like that," said Donahue. "This labyrinth is dedicated today, an enduring work of love, to bring healing, compassion, hope and peace, in memory and in honor of all who have given themselves to free others."
During the ceremony, Rear Adm. Alton L. Stocks, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) commander, noted the labyrinth's value and its healing capabilities...
"After walking a labyrinth, your energy is flowing again in all directions," she (Donahue) said. "It balances your system. You're allowing yourself to get in the present moment to let down your guard, [and] relax.
I hate to tell the good doctor, and the chaplain, but there is nothing healing about a labyrinth. On the contrary.
Here is our Church's teaching against such such....pay attention.
Alternative therapies have gained enormously in popularity because they claim to look at the whole person and are about healing rather thancuring. Holistic health, as it is known, concentrates on the important role that the mind plays in physical healing. The connection between the spiritual and the physical aspects of the person is said to be in the immune system or the Indian chakra system. In a New Age perspective, illness and suffering come from working against nature; when one is in tune with nature, one can expect a much healthier life, and even material prosperity; for some New Age healers, there should actually be no need for us to die. Developing our human potential will put us in touch with our inner divinity, and with those parts of our selves which have been alienated and suppressed. This is revealed above all in Altered States of Consciousness (ASCs), which are induced either by drugs or by various mind-expanding techniques, particularly in the context of “transpersonal psychology”. The shaman is often seen as the specialist of altered states of consciousness, one who is able to mediate between the transpersonal realms of spirits and gods and the world of humans.
There is a remarkable variety of approaches for promoting holistic health, some derived from ancient cultural traditions, whether religious or esoteric, others connected with the psychological theories developed in Esalen during the years 1960-1970. Advertising connected with New Age covers a wide range of practices as acupuncture, biofeedback, chiropractic, kinesiology, homeopathy, iridology, massage and various kinds of “bodywork” (such as orgonomy, Feldenkrais, reflexology, Rolfing, polarity massage, therapeutic touch etc.), meditation and visualisation, nutritional therapies, psychic healing, various kinds of herbal medicine, healing by crystals, metals, music or colours, reincarnation therapies and, finally, twelve-step programmes and self-help groups.(25) The source of healing is said to be within ourselves, something we reach when we are in touch with our inner energy or cosmic energy.
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The labyrinth has made a come-back because of New Age Occultism. It falls into several categories
The labyrinth follows these errors: the biggest is the idea of self-healing and self-redemption!
Some stages on the way to self-redemption are preparatory (meditation, body harmony, releasing self-healing energies). They are the starting-point for processes of spiritualisation, perfection and enlightenment which help people to acquire further self-control and psychic concentration on “transformation” of the individual self into “cosmic consciousness”. The destiny of the human person is a series of successive reincarnations of the soul in different bodies. This is understood not as the cycle of samsara, in the sense of purification as punishment, but as a gradual ascent towards the perfect development of one's potential.
Psychology is used to explain mind expansion as “mystical” experiences. Yoga, zen, transcendental meditation and tantric exercises lead to an experience of self-fulfilment or enlightenment. Peak-experiences (reliving one's birth, travelling to the gates of death, biofeedback, dance and even drugs – anything which can provoke an altered state of consciousness) are believed to lead to unity and enlightenment. Since there is only one Mind, some people can be channels for higher beings. Every part of this single universal being has contact with every other part. The classic approach in New Age is transpersonal psychology, whose main concepts are the Universal Mind, the Higher Self, the collective and personal unconscious and the individual ego. The Higher Self is our real identity, a bridge between God as divine Mind and humanity. Spiritual development is contact with the Higher Self, which overcomes all forms of dualism between subject and object, life and death, psyche and soma, the self and the fragmentary aspects of the self. Our limited personality is like a shadow or a dream created by the real self. The Higher Self contains the memories of earlier (re-)incarnations.
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Human Potential Movement: since its beginnings (Esalen, California, in the 1960s), this has grown into a network of groups promoting the release of the innate human capacity for creativity through self-realisation. Various techniques of personal transformation are used more and more by companies in management training programmes, ultimately for very normal economic reasons. Transpersonal Technologies, the Movement for Inner Spiritual Awareness, Organisational Development and Organisational Transformation are all put forward as non-religious, but in reality company employees can find themselves being submitted to an alien 'spirituality' in a situation which raises questions about personal freedom. There are clear links between Eastern spirituality and psychotherapy, while Jungian psychology and the Human Potential Movement have been very influential on Shamanism and “reconstructed” forms of Paganism like Druidry and Wicca. In a general sense, “personal growth” can be understood as the shape “religious salvation” takes in theNew Age movement: it is affirmed that deliverance from human suffering and weakness will be reached by developing our human potential, which results in our increasingly getting in touch with our inner divinity.(102)
AND
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On the fear of death among Catholics
Catholics are increasingly afraid to talk about death. When I grew up, my dad and mom took me to funeral and funeral homes. People are afraid of death. That Catholics fear death is a sad development, as it means they have removed themselves from both reality and the Faith. Parents who shield their children from the reality of death are lying about a fact we all must face, the result of Original Sin. I was not traumatized by going to the wake of my Aunt Rose, when I was 12 or so, and I, of course, went to the funeral home when my sister died when I was seven. I was in a Gregorian Chant choir as a child which sang at funerals and memorial Masses. It all seemed natural.
Catholics seem to be doing a run around the goal by not talking about the four last things nor teaching their children that we must prepare for our particular judgment. Many Catholics do not know what the particular judgement is and are afraid to think of the sufferings leading up to death.
Now, I am not a masochist, who goes out of my way to find suffering. I may fast and do some penances as required by the Church, but God sends suffering for us to endure and transcend. I do not know one person who has not suffered something.
The fear of death feeds the retirement industries of playing until you die, instead of doing things which will help your salvation and that day of facing God. The retirement industry insists on allowing older adults to go on endless holidays, spend their pensions having a good time, and keeping the elderly from thinking.
The pharmaceutical industry may or may not help us face death and New Age health stores which push Asian cures for every known ailment trap people into believing that they can cheat death and avoid suffering.
This avoidance of death is not new, but we should know better in 2012.
Euthanasia is a fear of suffering and a fear of death. It is the ultimate cry of despair from a world which no longer believes in salvific suffering and the value of facing one's natural death. Euthanasia makes believe, causes a pretense that you are in charge of your life and your death.
No way.
We are not in charge of either. And, Catholics of all people could know the truth of God being in control if only they stopped, listened and thought a bit more.
The fear of death feeds the health food and vitamin industry.
The fear of death feeds the industries which sell "youth" to those who are no longer young--Viagra and botox are part of this fear of aging and death.
It is natural to die
We must face death and be ready for that day when God calls us to stand in front of Him in Mercy and Justice. I pray that Catholics renew their awareness that the goal of this life is Eternal Life, and that we must pass through the agonies and sorrows of death to get there.
Christ has gone before us and He shows us the way. He is Life.
“Remember thy last end, and thou shalt never sin.”
I shall also write on the Four Last Things.
Sunday, 8 July 2012
Guess where these photos were taken game?
There photos were taken in the 1950s and 1960s. Play the game and win three Hail Marys.
Guess #1
1) Rome
2) Manhattan
3) Moscow
4) Kabul
Guess #2
1) Cairo
2) Morocco
3) Kabul
4) Rome
Guess #3
1) Barcelona
2) Madrid
3) Kabul
4) Cairo
Guess #1
1) Rome
2) Manhattan
3) Moscow
4) Kabul
Guess #2
1) Cairo
2) Morocco
3) Kabul
4) Rome
Guess #3
1) Barcelona
2) Madrid
3) Kabul
4) Cairo
The Missing Element of Prayer-Silence
I do wish the culture would revert back to the days when silence in Church was the rule. If one is not silent, one cannot listen. May I quote Mother Theresa for back-up:
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| Papa Stronsay |
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Audience means listening. And, I quote her again:
The fruit of silence is PRAYER
The fruit of prayer is FAITH
The fruit of faith is LOVE
The fruit of love is SERVICE
The fruit of service is PEACE
To think like a priest...
One of the things I do is pray for seminarians and priests. Seminarians talk to me, because they know I take their lives and discernment process seriously and that I shall pray for them.
One of the things I have noticed about seminarians is that the one's who succeed in following their vocation undergo not only a spiritual formation, and an academic formation, but also an intellectual formation. What do I mean by this?
The young men who end up ordained undergo a "head change". They slowly but surely stop "thinking" like a lay person and start thinking like a cleric. I have never read anyone define or describe this before, so I am all alone, I think, in my observation. Let me explain.
Spiritual formation we understand as moving away from bad habits, learning the discipline of prayer, and developing a close, love relationship with Christ, His Mother and the Church. Academic formation involves getting the necessary training in philosophy, theology, and liturgy, as well as developing pastoral skills.
Thinking like a priest is another thing altogether. What do I mean?
A layman relates to the world as "in" the world. A lay person is concerned with a job, a profession, most likely looking for a wife and being open to marriage and children. A lay person views the world as his place of work, play and spirituality. Lay spirituality is not that of the Benedictine, Dominican or even that of the secular priest, except in a limited manner. So, these various approaches to life create a world view, a "thinking" process which involve engaging in the world as a lay person. The world is our "stage". It is where we live out our salvation. It is the rough material for our souls wherein we grow in virtue and holiness.
Our entertainment, goals, friends, joys and sorrows are in the world, within families and lay gatherings of friends.
If I see a seminarian spending most of his time with his lay friends and not as much time with his fellow seminarians or with priests, I am concerned. That young man IS NOT IDENTIFYING with the priesthood.
This is a thinking process, of self-identification.
When I see a seminarian involved with other seminarians, socializing with priests and sems, I know that he is identifying with the clerical lifestyle. He identifies with his fellow clerics and this is good.
There is a huge difference in the way we think about ourselves and the world in which we live.
Unless a sem begins to really like all the trappings and manifestations, as well as the work of a cleric, he may not follow through with his vocation. He may not even have one. It is not about the work, merely, it is about who he is and how he thinks. How we act follows how we see ourselves.
.
It is not about the work for a an active sister, for example, but about her relationship with Christ, as He is her Lover, she His Bride. For the priest is it about his work to a certain extent, as he is persona Christi, and he is what he does. But that is the key, being a priest is about being, and thinking is part of being. More than most vocations, the priest is Christ. That he is a professor, or canon lawyer, or counselor is secondary.
As a lay person, I can evangelize the world daily in my little way. This is my call, to evangelize the world,
If a young man thinks like a lay person and wants to evangelize the world while being in the world, he is thinking like a lay person.
The priest is set apart, as a sign of contradiction in the world. His vocation is not merely a career. He is not "one of us", nor should he think he is.
Several years ago, some sisters with whom I was having lunch expressed that they could not understand why their order had no vocations. They talked for one hour about careers, flying here and there, including to Washington, doing this good thing in the ghetto and doing that good thing as a principal, but never once, in their discussion on their vocations did they refer to the Perfect Man Who loved them each individually enough to call each one to Himself, for Himself. They had forgotten their first Love and they were not thinking like sisters but like lay people. That is why they did not and still do not have new vocations.
For a seminarian to love God and His Church as his bride, to think like a priest, is a sign of a vocation which will flourish. For some, this is a quick transition, but for others, this may take a few years.
To put on the mind of Christ for a young man is to become Christ, to think like Christ, the High Priest and this means thinking like a priest and having his primary community that of his fellow priests.
Thinking and being indicate who we are.
I would ask a seminarian these questions?
Does the young man love Mary as his Mother and Lady? Does He love Christ above all and want to be like Christ? Does he love the Church, the Bride of Christ? Does He love God's people as a father loves his children? Does he like being with other priests and other seminarians? Does he know what it means to think like a cleric and not a layman? Does he know that a vocation is not simply a career? Does he desire to say the Mass?
Does he want to form his mind to think like a priest? Does he want to dress like a priest? Does he like the life of a priest? Does he think like a priest?
One of the things I have noticed about seminarians is that the one's who succeed in following their vocation undergo not only a spiritual formation, and an academic formation, but also an intellectual formation. What do I mean by this?
The young men who end up ordained undergo a "head change". They slowly but surely stop "thinking" like a lay person and start thinking like a cleric. I have never read anyone define or describe this before, so I am all alone, I think, in my observation. Let me explain.
Spiritual formation we understand as moving away from bad habits, learning the discipline of prayer, and developing a close, love relationship with Christ, His Mother and the Church. Academic formation involves getting the necessary training in philosophy, theology, and liturgy, as well as developing pastoral skills.
Thinking like a priest is another thing altogether. What do I mean?
A layman relates to the world as "in" the world. A lay person is concerned with a job, a profession, most likely looking for a wife and being open to marriage and children. A lay person views the world as his place of work, play and spirituality. Lay spirituality is not that of the Benedictine, Dominican or even that of the secular priest, except in a limited manner. So, these various approaches to life create a world view, a "thinking" process which involve engaging in the world as a lay person. The world is our "stage". It is where we live out our salvation. It is the rough material for our souls wherein we grow in virtue and holiness.
Our entertainment, goals, friends, joys and sorrows are in the world, within families and lay gatherings of friends.
If I see a seminarian spending most of his time with his lay friends and not as much time with his fellow seminarians or with priests, I am concerned. That young man IS NOT IDENTIFYING with the priesthood.
This is a thinking process, of self-identification.
When I see a seminarian involved with other seminarians, socializing with priests and sems, I know that he is identifying with the clerical lifestyle. He identifies with his fellow clerics and this is good.
There is a huge difference in the way we think about ourselves and the world in which we live.
Unless a sem begins to really like all the trappings and manifestations, as well as the work of a cleric, he may not follow through with his vocation. He may not even have one. It is not about the work, merely, it is about who he is and how he thinks. How we act follows how we see ourselves.
.
It is not about the work for a an active sister, for example, but about her relationship with Christ, as He is her Lover, she His Bride. For the priest is it about his work to a certain extent, as he is persona Christi, and he is what he does. But that is the key, being a priest is about being, and thinking is part of being. More than most vocations, the priest is Christ. That he is a professor, or canon lawyer, or counselor is secondary.
As a lay person, I can evangelize the world daily in my little way. This is my call, to evangelize the world,
If a young man thinks like a lay person and wants to evangelize the world while being in the world, he is thinking like a lay person.
The priest is set apart, as a sign of contradiction in the world. His vocation is not merely a career. He is not "one of us", nor should he think he is.
Several years ago, some sisters with whom I was having lunch expressed that they could not understand why their order had no vocations. They talked for one hour about careers, flying here and there, including to Washington, doing this good thing in the ghetto and doing that good thing as a principal, but never once, in their discussion on their vocations did they refer to the Perfect Man Who loved them each individually enough to call each one to Himself, for Himself. They had forgotten their first Love and they were not thinking like sisters but like lay people. That is why they did not and still do not have new vocations.
For a seminarian to love God and His Church as his bride, to think like a priest, is a sign of a vocation which will flourish. For some, this is a quick transition, but for others, this may take a few years.
To put on the mind of Christ for a young man is to become Christ, to think like Christ, the High Priest and this means thinking like a priest and having his primary community that of his fellow priests.
Thinking and being indicate who we are.
I would ask a seminarian these questions?
Does the young man love Mary as his Mother and Lady? Does He love Christ above all and want to be like Christ? Does he love the Church, the Bride of Christ? Does He love God's people as a father loves his children? Does he like being with other priests and other seminarians? Does he know what it means to think like a cleric and not a layman? Does he know that a vocation is not simply a career? Does he desire to say the Mass?
Does he want to form his mind to think like a priest? Does he want to dress like a priest? Does he like the life of a priest? Does he think like a priest?
9th Day of the Novena for the SSPX
We invite the faithful, religious and clergy to join the members of the SSPX in a novena to the Holy Ghost from June 30 to July 8. The novena will consist of praying the Veni Creator Spiritus with the addition of 2 invocations:
- Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. (3 times)
St Pius X, pray for us
Saturday, 7 July 2012
Marxists descend on London...
Come on, Westerners, wake up. The call at the conference is for radical economics, cultural revolution and a new world order.There is at least one talk on literature and art a la revolution. I think I am building up to yet another Gramsci post...And, some of you did not believe me when I said there were Marxist roots in the IRA and the Republican movement in Eire. Check out this note from the website above.
Freedom fighters
It is an old adage that “one man’s
terrorist is another man’s freedom
fighter”. And Marxism 2012 is very
proud to play host to some incredible
freedom fighters. Leila Khaled is a member of the
Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine and has dedicated her life to
Palestinian freedom. Most famously
she hijacked two planes in the ‘60s and
‘70s. Banned from the UK, Leila joins
us via Skype Sun, 3.45pm.
Tommy McKearney, author of The
Provisional IRA from Insurrection to
Parliament, remembers his participation
in the IRA hunger strikes 30 years ago
Sat, 3.45pm.
Ronnie Kasrils was head of the
African National Congress military
underground. He is speaking twice at
Marxism this year, asking what makes
for revolutionary courage Sat, 11.45am
and outlining the case for sanctions
against Israel Sun, 2pm.
Robert H King, a Black Panther
and one of the Angola 3, was held in
solitary confinement for 29 years. Since
his release he has campaigned tirelessly
for justice for his two comrades.
He introduces the film of their struggle
In the Land of the Free
Mary, Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us and London today.
KUDOS to a Reader
I am humbled by my readers. One, New Sister, is receiving a great honor on July 27th; the French National Order of Merit. How COOL is that! Congratulations and may God bless your vocation one-hundred-fold.
Here is the explanation of the honor from Wiki and again, congratulations to a great woman. I do not know the particulars, but maybe she would share. And, later, photos, please....
Here is the explanation of the honor from Wiki and again, congratulations to a great woman. I do not know the particulars, but maybe she would share. And, later, photos, please....
The National Order of Merit is a French order which was established on 3 December 1963 by General de Gaulle and it recognizes distinguished merit...in military or civilian (actions) to the French Nation
The decree creating the National Order of Merit h.as the distinction of bearing the signatures of three presidents of the French Republic. It is signed by President Charles de Gaulle, Georges Pompidou, then prime minister and Valery Giscard d'Estaing, Minister of Finance and Economy of the time .
Its creation allows to upgrade the National Order of the Legion of Honor created by Napoleon Bonaparte on May 20 1802 to reward outstanding merit .
It also includes three ranks: knight, officer and commander, and two honors: Grand Officer and Grand Cross .
The appointment of the National Order of Merit can be done by ministerial proposal and by the procedure of citizens' initiative
Private Revelations and the Protestant Mind-Set
One of the problems with following seers and visionaries is that the followers create division in parishes and communities. Obedience creates an atmosphere of unity and humility. Fanatic following of these visionaries seems to create a blindness and unwillingness to learn what the Church is really stating on a subject.
I have written between 11-12 posts on private revelations, which I believe are separating the Church in much the same way as the proliferation of Protestant denominations did in the 15th and 16th centuries. That people who follow these refuse to submit to the CDF or other levels of hierarchy shows that Satan, who is the Father of Deceit, is having a hay-day. In every parish I have attended in Europe, such followers of those persons, seers, or visionaries-- already either seriously warned against or condemned-- reveal a rebellious attitude no different than that of the arch-liberals. Disobedience is disobedience. Christ Himself warned us that if we cannot be trusted in small things, how can we be trusted in great?
The CDF has made three definitive statements on Vassula Ryden. Some of the criticisms deal with doctrine. I shall put the links here, as I did in a previous post, but also quote from the documents. These cannot be ignored.
First, in 1995, the Vatican stated thus:
Among other things, ambiguous language is used in speaking of the Persons of the Holy Trinity, to the point of confusing the specific names and functions of the Divine Persons. These alleged revelations predict an imminent period when the Antichrist will prevail in the Church. In millenarian style, it is prophesied that God is going to make a final glorious intervention which will initiate on earth, even before Christ's definitive coming, an era of peace and universal prosperity. Furthermore, the proximate arrival is foretold of a Church which would be a kind of pan-Christian community, contrary to Catholic doctrine.
In addition, the document added that: The fact that the aforementioned errors no longer appear in Ryden's later writings is a sign that the alleged "heavenly messages" are merely the result of private meditations.
Moreover, by habitually sharing in the sacraments of the Catholic Church even though she is Greek Orthodox, Mrs. Ryden is causing considerable surprise in various circles of the Catholic Church. She appears to be putting herself above all ecclesiastical jurisdiction and every canonical norm, and in effect, is creating an ecumenical disorder that irritates many authorities, ministers and faithful of her own Church, as she puts herself outside the ecclesiastical discipline of the latter.
Given the negative effect of Vassula Ryden's activities, despite some positive aspects, this Congregation requests the intervention of the Bishops so that their faithful may be suitably informed and that no opportunity may be provided in their Dioceses for the dissemination of her ideas. Lastly, the Congregation invites all the faithful not to regard Mrs. Vassula Ryden's writings and speeches as supernatural and to preserve the purity of the faith that the Lord has entrusted to the Church.
The link for that is here. A second warning in general came out in 1996.
The interpretation given by some individuals to a Decision approved by Paul VI on 14 October 1966 and promulgated on 15 November of that year, in virtue of which writings and messages resulting from alleged revelations could be freely circulated in the Church, is absolutely groundless. This decision actually referred to the "Abolition of the Index of Forbidden Books", and determined that -after the relevant censures were lifted-the moral obligation still remained of not circulating or reading those writings which endanger faith and morals.
The interpretation given by some individuals to a Decision approved by Paul VI on 14 October 1966 and promulgated on 15 November of that year, in virtue of which writings and messages resulting from alleged revelations could be freely circulated in the Church, is absolutely groundless. This decision actually referred to the "Abolition of the Index of Forbidden Books", and determined that -after the relevant censures were lifted-the moral obligation still remained of not circulating or reading those writings which endanger faith and morals.
2) It should be recalled however that with regard to the circulation of texts of alleged private revelations, canon 823 §1 of the current Code remains in force: "the Pastors of the Church have the ... right to demand that writings to be published by the Christian faithful which touch upon faith or morals be submitted to their judgement".
3) Alleged supernatural revelations and writings concerning them are submitted in first instance to the judgement of the diocesan Bishop, and, in particular cases, to the judgement of the Episcopal Conference and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Another warning against Mrs. Ryden came out in 2007. Here is the link, and a quotation regarding:
her messages, which do not present themselves as divine revelations but, rather as personal meditations (cf. attachment 2: Letter of April 4th 2002 published in the True Life in God vol. 10). From the normative point of view, then, after the above mentioned clarifications, it is advisable to make a prudent evaluation, case by case, taking into account the concrete possibilities for the faithful in reading these writings within the framework of such clarifications.
her messages, which do not present themselves as divine revelations but, rather as personal meditations (cf. attachment 2: Letter of April 4th 2002 published in the True Life in God vol. 10). From the normative point of view, then, after the above mentioned clarifications, it is advisable to make a prudent evaluation, case by case, taking into account the concrete possibilities for the faithful in reading these writings within the framework of such clarifications.
3) Finally, it is reminded that the participation of Catholics in prayer groups organized by Mrs Vassula Ryden is not advisable. In the cases of ecumenical encounters, the faithful should comply with the provisions given by the Ecumenical Directory, the Code of Canon Law (can. 215; 223 §2, 383 §3) and the diocesan Ordinaries.
A huge problem with this seer is her misunderstanding of ecumenism. False ecumenism glosses over differences, which is the heresy of "eirenism". If one continues to go to her groups prayer meetings, one is disobeying the guidelines above. Why would any good and sensible Catholic choose private revelation over the Teaching Magisterium of the Church? I do not know. I do not have a Protestant mind-set. I have also written on The Warning on this blog, and one can use the find link on the side-bar by typing in Private Revelations. I find that people who follow these have not read the CCC or the encyclicals of Blessed John Paul II or Benedict XVI or even the Bible. If a lay person wants to improve their daily meditations, use the Breviary and the daily Mass readings, as well as the Bible and the lives of the saints.
I repeat one of the excuses I hear from traddies, that is that bishops who are liberal are condemning or at least, not approving, certain seers. Well, either we believe that the Holy Spirit is working through the hierarchy, or we do not. Just because we disagree with a particular bishop does not make the decision regarding private revelations wrong. This is pride on the part of the laity--spiritual pride, the first sin.
I repeat one of the excuses I hear from traddies, that is that bishops who are liberal are condemning or at least, not approving, certain seers. Well, either we believe that the Holy Spirit is working through the hierarchy, or we do not. Just because we disagree with a particular bishop does not make the decision regarding private revelations wrong. This is pride on the part of the laity--spiritual pride, the first sin.
If people who read this post, as they did my list of errors on The Warning, are offended, I suggest they consider whether they are true Catholics, choosing to follow the Church in matters which are too difficult for them to discern, or whether they are endangering their souls by "protesting".
As to the false ecumenism, I refer the readers to Humani Generis, which I have before. Here is a long, but necessary quotation, which includes a reference to the Modernist heresy of eirenism-the forgotten heresy.
Now if these only aimed at adapting ecclesiastical teaching and methods to modern conditions and requirements, through the introduction of some new explanations, there would be scarcely any reason for alarm. But some through enthusiasm for an imprudent "eirenism" seem to consider as an obstacle to the restoration of fraternal union, things founded on the laws and principles given by Christ and likewise on institutions founded by Him, or which are the defense and support of the integrity of the faith, and the removal of which would bring about the union of all, but only to their destruction.
13. These new opinions, whether they originate from a reprehensible desire of novelty or from a laudable motive, are not always advanced in the same degree, with equal clarity nor in the same terms, nor always with unanimous agreement of their authors. Theories that today are put forward rather covertly by some, not without cautions and distinctions, tomorrow are openly and without moderation proclaimed by others more audacious, causing scandal to many, especially among the young clergy and to the detriment of ecclesiastical authority. Though they are usually more cautious in their published works, they express themselves more openly in their writings intended for private circulation and in conferences and lectures. Moreover, these opinions are disseminated not only among members of the clergy and in seminaries and religious institutions, but also among the laity, and especially among those who are engaged in teaching youth.
14. In theology some want to reduce to a minimum the meaning of dogmas; and to free dogma itself from terminology long established in the Church and from philosophical concepts held by Catholic teachers, to bring about a return in the explanation of Catholic doctrine to the way of speaking used in Holy Scripture and by the Fathers of the Church. They cherish the hope that when dogma is stripped of the elements which they hold to be extrinsic to divine revelation, it will compare advantageously with the dogmatic opinions of those who are separated from the unity of the Church and that in this way they will gradually arrive at a mutual assimilation of Catholic dogma with the tenets of the dissidents.
15. Moreover, they assert that when Catholic doctrine has been reduced to this condition, a way will be found to satisfy modern needs, that will permit of dogma being expressed also by the concepts of modern philosophy, whether of immanentism or idealism or existentialism or any other system. Some more audacious affirm that his can and must be done, because they hold that the mysteries of faith are never expressed by truly adequate concepts but only by approximate and ever changeable notions, in which the truth is to some extent expressed, but is necessarily distorted. Wherefore they do not consider it absurd, but altogether necessary, that theology should substitute new concepts in place of the old ones in keeping with the various philosophies which in the course of time it uses as its instruments, so that it should give human expression to divine truths in various ways which are even somewhat opposed, but still equivalent, as they say. They add that the history of dogmas consists in the reporting of the various forms in which revealed truth has been clothed, forms that have succeeded one another in accordance with the different teachings and opinions that have arisen over the course of the centuries.
16. It is evident from what We have already said, that such tentatives not only lead to what they call dogmatic relativism, but that they actually contain it. The contempt of doctrine commonly taught and of the terms in which it is expressed strongly favor it. Everyone is aware that the terminology employed in the schools and even that used by the Teaching Authority of the Church itself is capable of being perfected and polished; and we know also that the Church itself has not always used the same terms in the same way. It is also manifest that the Church cannot be bound to every system of philosophy that has existed for a short space of time. Nevertheless, the things that have been composed through common effort by Catholic teachers over the course of the centuries to bring about some understanding of dogma are certainly not based on any such weak foundation. These things are based on principles and notions deduced from a true knowledge of created things. In the process of deducing, this knowledge, like a star, gave enlightenment to the human mind through the Church. Hence it is not astonishing that some of these notions have not only been used by the Oecumenical Councils, but even sanctioned by them, so that it is wrong to depart from them.
17. Hence to neglect, or to reject,or to devalue so many and such great resources which have been conceived, expressed and perfected so often by the age-old work of men endowed with no common talent and holiness, working under the vigilant supervision of the holy magisterium and with the light and leadership of the Holy Ghost in order to state the truths of the faith ever more accurately, to do this so that these things may be replaced by conjectural notions and by some formless and unstable tenets of a new philosophy, tenets which, like the flowers of the field, are in existence today and die tomorrow; this is supreme imprudence and something that would make dogma itself a reed shaken by the wind. The contempt for terms and notions habitually used by scholastic theologians leads of itself to the weakening of what they call speculative theology, a discipline which these men consider devoid of true certitude because it is based on theological reasoning.
18. Unfortunately these advocates of novelty easily pass from despising scholastic theology to the neglect of and even contempt for the Teaching Authority of the Church itself, which gives such authoritative approval to scholastic theology. This Teaching Authority is represented by them as a hindrance to progress and an obstacle in the way of science. Some non-Catholics consider it as an unjust restraint preventing some more qualified theologians from reforming their subject. And although this sacred Office of Teacher in matters of faith and morals must be the proximate and universal criterion of truth for all theologians, since to it has been entrusted by Christ Our Lord the whole deposit of faith - Sacred Scripture and divine Tradition - to be preserved, guarded and interpreted, still the duty that is incumbent on the faithful to flee also those errors which more or less approach heresy, and accordingly "to keep also the constitutions and decrees by which such evil opinions are proscribed and forbidden by the Holy See,"[2] is sometimes as little known as if it did not exist. What is expounded in the Encyclical Letters of the Roman Pontiffs concerning the nature and constitution of the Church, is deliberately and habitually neglected by some with the idea of giving force to a certain vague notion which they profess to have found in the ancient Fathers, especially the Greeks. The Popes, they assert, do not wish to pass judgment on what is a matter of dispute among theologians, so recourse must be had to the early sources, and the recent constitutions and decrees of the Teaching Church must be explained from the writings of the ancients.
19. Although these things seem well said, still they are not free form error. It is true that Popes generally leave theologians free in those matters which are disputed in various ways by men of very high authority in this field; but history teaches that many matters that formerly were open to discussion, no longer now admit of discussion.
20. Nor must it be thought that what is expounded in Encyclical Letters does not of itself demand consent, since in writing such Letters the Popes do not exercise the supreme power of their Teaching Authority. For these matters are taught with the ordinary teaching authority, of which it is true to say: "He who heareth you, heareth me";[3] and generally what is expounded and inculcated in Encyclical Letters already for other reasons appertains to Catholic doctrine. But if the Supreme Pontiffs in their official documents purposely pass judgment on a matter up to that time under dispute, it is obvious that that matter, according to the mind and will of the Pontiffs, cannot be any longer considered a question open to discussion among theologians.
21. It is also true that theologians must always return to the sources of divine revelation: for it belongs to them to point out how the doctrine of the living Teaching Authority is to be found either explicitly or implicitly in the Scriptures and in Tradition.[4] Besides, each source of divinely revealed doctrine contains so many rich treasures of truth, that they can really never be exhausted. Hence it is that theology through the study of its sacred sources remains ever fresh; on the other hand, speculation which neglects a deeper search into the deposit of faith, proves sterile, as we know from experience. But for this reason even positive theology cannot be on a par with merely historical science. For, together with the sources of positive theology God has given to His Church a living Teaching Authority to elucidate and explain what is contained in the deposit of faith only obscurely and implicitly. This deposit of faith our Divine Redeemer has given for authentic interpretation not to each of the faithful, not even to theologians, but only to the Teaching Authority of the Church. But if the Church does exercise this function of teaching, as she often has through the centuries, either in the ordinary or in the extraordinary way, it is clear how false is a procedure which would attempt to explain what is clear by means of what is obscure. Indeed, the very opposite procedure must be used. Hence Our Predecessor of immortal memory, Pius IX, teaching that the most noble office of theology is to show how a doctrine defined by the Church is contained in the sources of revelation, added these words, and with very good reason: "in that sense in which it has been defined by the Church."
22. To return, however, to the new opinions mentioned above, a number of things are proposed or suggested by some even against the divine authorship of Sacred Scripture. For some go so far as to pervert the sense of the Vatican Council's definition that God is the author of Holy Scripture, and they put forward again the opinion, already often condemned, which asserts that immunity from error extends only to those parts of the Bible that treat of God or of moral and religious matters. They even wrongly speak of a human sense of the Scriptures, beneath which a divine sense, which they say is the only infallible meaning, lies hidden. In interpreting Scripture, they will take no account of the analogy of faith and the Tradition of the Church. Thus they judge the doctrine of the Fathers and of the Teaching Church by the norm of Holy Scripture, interpreted by the purely human reason of exegetes, instead of explaining Holy Scripture according to the mind of the Church which Christ Our Lord has appointed guardian and interpreter of the whole deposit of divinely revealed truth.
23. Further, according to their fictitious opinions, the literal sense of Holy Scripture and its explanation, carefully worked out under the Church's vigilance by so many great exegetes, should yield now to a new exegesis, which they are pleased to call symbolic or spiritual. By means of this new exegesis of the Old Testament, which today in the Church is a sealed book, would finally be thrown open to all the faithful. By this method, they say, all difficulties vanish, difficulties which hinder only those who adhere to the literal meaning of the Scriptures.
24. Everyone sees how foreign all this is to the principles and norms of interpretation rightly fixed by our predecessors of happy memory, Leo XIII in his Encyclical "Providentissimus Deus," and Benedict XV in the Encyclical "Spiritus Paraclitus," as also by Ourselves in the Encyclical "Divino Afflante Spiritu."
25. It is not surprising that novelties of this kind have already borne their deadly fruit in almost all branches of theology. It is now doubted that human reason, without divine revelation and the help of divine grace, can, by arguments drawn from the created universe, prove the existence of a personal God; it is denied that the world had a beginning; it is argued that the creation of the world is necessary, since it proceeds from the necessary liberality of divine love; it is denied that God has eternal and infallible foreknowledge of the free actions of men - all this in contradiction to the decrees of the Vatican Council.[5]
26. Some also question whether angels are personal beings, and whether matter and spirit differ essentially. Others destroy the gratuity of the supernatural order, since God, they say, cannot create intellectual beings without ordering and calling them to the beatific vision. Nor is this all. Disregarding the Council of Trent, some pervert the very concept of original sin, along with the concept of sin in general as an offense against God, as well as the idea of satisfaction performed for us by Christ. Some even say that the doctrine of transubstantiation, based on an antiquated philosophic notion of substance, should be so modified that the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist be reduced to a kind of symbolism, whereby the consecrated species would be merely efficacious signs of the spiritual presence of Christ and of His intimate union with the faithful members of His Mystical Body.
27. Some say they are not bound by the doctrine, explained in Our Encyclical Letter of a few years ago, and based on the Sources of Revelation, which teaches that the Mystical Body of Christ and the Roman Catholic Church are one and the same thing.[6] Some reduce to a meaningless formula the necessity of belonging to the true Church in order to gain eternal salvation. Others finally belittle the reasonable character of the credibility of Christian faith.
28. These and like errors, it is clear, have crept in among certain of Our sons who are deceived by imprudent zeal for souls or by false science. To them We are compelled with grief to repeat once again truths already well known, and to point out with solicitude clear errors and dangers of error.
29. It is well known how highly the Church regards human reason, for it falls to reason to demonstrate with certainty the existence of God, personal and one; to prove beyond doubt from divine signs the very foundations of the Christian faith; to express properly the law which the Creator has imprinted in the hearts of men; and finally to attain to some notion, indeed a very fruitful notion, of mysteries.[7] But reason can perform these functions safely and well only when properly trained, that is, when imbued with that sound philosophy which has long been, as it were, a patrimony handed down by earlier Christian ages, and which moreover possesses an authority of an even higher order, since the Teaching Authority of the Church, in the light of divine revelation itself, has weighed its fundamental tenets, which have been elaborated and defined little by little by men of great genius. For this philosophy, acknowledged and accepted by the Church, safeguards the genuine validity of human knowledge, the unshakable metaphysical principles of sufficient reason, causality, and finality, and finally the mind's ability to attain certain and unchangeable truth.
30. Of course this philosophy deals with much that neither directly nor indirectly touches faith or morals, and which consequently the Church leaves to the free discussion of experts. But this does not hold for many other things, especially those principles and fundamental tenets to which We have just referred. However, even in these fundamental questions, we may clothe our philosophy in a more convenient and richer dress, make it more vigorous with a more effective terminology, divest it of certain scholastic aids found less useful, prudently enrich it with the fruits of progress of the human mind. But never may we overthrow it, or contaminate it with false principles, or regard it as a great, but obsolete, relic. For truth and its philosophic expression cannot change from day to day, least of all where there is question of self-evident principles of the human mind or of those propositions which are supported by the wisdom of the ages and by divine revelation. Whatever new truth the sincere human mind is able to find, certainly cannot be opposed to truth already acquired, since God, the highest Truth, has created and guides the human intellect, not that it may daily oppose new truths to rightly established ones, but rather that, having eliminated errors which may have crept in, it may build truth upon truth in the same order and structure that exist in reality, the source of truth. Let no Christian therefore, whether philosopher or theologian, embrace eagerly and lightly whatever novelty happens to be thought up from day to day, but rather let him weigh it with painstaking care and a balanced judgment, lest he lose or corrupt the truth he already has, with grave danger and damage to his faith.
31. If one considers all this well, he will easily see why the Church demands that future priests be instructed in philosophy "according to the method, doctrine, and principles of the Angelic Doctor,"[8] since, as we well know from the experience of centuries, the method of Aquinas is singularly preeminent both of teaching students and for bringing truth to light; his doctrine is in harmony with Divine Revelation, and is most effective both for safeguarding the foundation of the faith and for reaping, safely and usefully, the fruits of sound progress.[9]
32. How deplorable it is then that this philosophy, received and honored by the Church, is scorned by some, who shamelessly call it outmoded in form and rationalistic, as they say, in its method of thought. They say that this philosophy upholds the erroneous notion that there can be a metaphysic that is absolutely true; whereas in fact, they say, reality, especially transcendent reality, cannot better be expressed than by disparate teachings, which mutually complete each other, although they are in a way mutually opposed. Our traditional philosophy, then, with its clear exposition and solution of questions, its accurate definition of terms, its clear-cut distinctions, can be, they concede, useful as a preparation for scholastic theology, a preparation quite in accord with medieval mentality; but this philosophy hardly offers a method of philosophizing suited to the needs of our modern culture. They allege, finally, that our perennial philosophy is only a philosophy of immutable essences, while the contemporary mind must look to the existence of things and to life, which is ever in flux. While scorning our philosophy, they extol other philosophies of all kinds, ancient and modern, oriental and occidental, by which they seem to imply that any kind of philosophy or theory, with a few additions and corrections if need be, can be reconciled with Catholic dogma. No Catholic can doubt how false this is, especially where there is question of those fictitious theories they call immanentism, or idealism or materialism, whether historic or dialectic, or even existentialism, whether atheistic or simply the type that denies the validity of the reason in the field of metaphysics.
33. Finally, they reproach this philosophy taught in our schools for regarding only the intellect in the process of cognition, while neglecting the function of the will and the emotions. This is simply not true. Never has Christian philosophy denied the usefulness and efficacy of good dispositions of soul for perceiving and embracing moral and religious truths. In fact, it has always taught that the lack of these dispositions of good will can be the reason why the intellect, influenced by the passions and evil inclinations, can be so obscured that it cannot see clearly. Indeed St. Thomas holds that the intellect can in some way perceive higher goods of the moral order, whether natural or supernatural, inasmuch as it experiences a certain "connaturality" with these goods, whether this "connaturality" be purely natural, or the result of grace;[10] and it is clear how much even this somewhat obscure perception can help the reason in its investigations. However it is one thing to admit the power of the dispositions of the will in helping reason to gain a more certain and firm knowledge of moral truths; it is quite another thing to say, as these innovators do, indiscriminately mingling cognition and act of will, that the appetitive and affective faculties have a certain power of understanding, and that man, since he cannot by using his reason decide with certainty what is true and is to be accepted, turns to his will, by which he freely chooses among opposite opinions.
34. It is not surprising that these new opinions endanger the two philosophical sciences which by their very nature are closely connected with the doctrine of faith, that is, theodicy and ethics; they hold that the function of these two sciences is not to prove with certitude anything about God or any other transcendental being, but rather to show that the truths which faith teaches about a personal God and about His precepts, are perfectly consistent with the necessities of life and are therefore to be accepted by all, in order to avoid despair and to attain eternal salvation. All these opinions and affirmations are openly contrary to the documents of Our Predecessors Leo XIII and Pius X, and cannot be reconciled with the decrees of the Vatican Council. It would indeed be unnecessary to deplore these aberrations from the truth, if all, even in the field of philosophy, directed their attention with the proper reverence to the Teaching Authority of the Church, which by divine institution has the mission not only to guard and interpret the deposit of divinely revealed truth, but also to keep watch over the philosophical sciences themselves, in order that Catholic dogmas may suffer no harm because of erroneous opinions.
There is more. If one has time to read private revelation, one has time to read the real deal....
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