Dark Night of The Spirit

Many readers have told me that the Dark Night series has been helpful.

I want to add something on the Dark Night of the Spirit. The Dark Night of the Senses seems more obvious, when God weans one from reliance on sight, sound, taste, feel, and smell. One no longer has any joy or consolation in the life of the senses. People do not understand that the person who is in this state or has gone through this state, simply does not care any longer about art, music, gourmet food, rich fabrics or lovely smells.

God removes consolation so that the senses become purified and heightened for a spiritual journey.

The Dark Night of the Spirit is much more painful. Spiritual consolations have been removed, as well as physical ones. One no longer can rely on old ways of prayer or meditation. Those who guide people in the Dark Night of the Senses remind the person that "this too will pass", but that the suffering becomes more intense.

The litany of humility becomes more important and more real for the person in the Dark Night of the Spirit.

One waits for God. Now and then, for the weaker soul, consolations come, to encourage the person towards purification. But, for the stronger souls, there are no consolations. One prays in faith, hope and love without feeling, without seeing. This darkness absolutely purifies the person so that the virtues can be released. Those pangs of love and longing written about in the books of St. Teresa of Avila belong to the following state of infused contemplation.

Egoism finally dies in the Dark Night of the Spirit.

Those who have persevered come into the Illuminative State, about which I have written on this blog as well.

I have met a few people in this state, but not many.

more later....

Fifty-seven years ago today

I made my First Holy Communion.  Do you remember your day?

This is not a photograph of my day, but the girls are wearing similar dresses. In fact, the second girl in the line has a dress similar to mine.

What a great gift is Communion.

I missed Mass and my plenary indulgence, (which was to go to the soul in purgatory the longest), as I had an accident with a car door and injured my back.

Never take Holy Communion for granted.

Tomorrow's Feast Day Posts

I have seventy-four posts which mention or highlight St. Catherine of Siena. Just put in her name in the tag and the posts will come up for you. Or, you may click on the side bar of labels.

A Hate Group For Sure

http://www.themediareport.com/2014/04/23/snap-pope-francis-bigotry/

I saw this on other places over the weeked

One blog site which quoted the Churchill reference has been removed from the Internet. I read the Churchill reference a few days ago. Try and find the reference.

A link from today and watch all the videos, including his explanation. Just a matter of time before books are banned.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2614834/Arrested-quoting-Winston-Churchill-European-election-candidate-accused-religious-racial-harassment-repeats-wartime-prime-ministers-words-Islam-campaign-speech.html

The Death of Christendom Is Obvious

Recently, I had to turn down several set of courses I would have offered through groups in Europe who were not able to hire me because of EU restrictions. These included marriage and family courses on virtue training, the lives of the saints in a particular country, homeschooling techniques, and others topics. These groups varied from private lay groups, to diocesan groups and institutional centers. Schools are under the same bind across the EU and some are lacking in people with an Catholic ethos and training as the governments do not look at character or quality, but only pieces of paper.

These groups could not get approval as I am not an EU resident.

So, if a Catholic school wants to hire someone who would not fornicate or be gay, or who absolutely is orthodox regarding Catholic teaching, they do not have the freedom to hire someone from the States who fits their criteria for being Catholic, when they can find no one like that in their areas. Certifications trump personal holiness and conformity with the Church.

This is part of the new tyranny of the EU.

The restrictions are this. If these groups can find someone in the country who has the degrees and ability to speak on my topics, they must "hire" them first.

Unless I set up my self as a media "expert" and have my own company, I can no longer go to another country and present Catholic teaching. I assume Michael Voris can do this as he has a company.

It is interesting that schools, groups, retreat houses, and diocesan centers of learning can no longer hire people from the States, if they have others in the country which seem to have the same abilities.

This is obviously an attack on the freedom of the Catholic Church, which is an international institution, to move people from country to country for the upbuilding of the Kingdom of God.

Of course, I do not have the monies needed to set up a company. In 1984, a mere thirty years ago, could one have imagined the restrictions the EU would be putting on the movement of Catholics?

The same is happening regarding men who are priests. Two Carmelites told me they can no longer visit the main mother house of their own order for more than two months at a time because of EU  restrictions. They are African.

Another person in a diocesan office of an EU country shared with me that unless a young man already is a resident, a citizen or has immediate family in an EU country, that man cannot come to the EU for seminary studies and work as a priest in the EU anymore.

If there are any immigration lawyers who read this blog, I would like further explanations on these points.I would also like to hear from others who have similar experiences.

Europe needs lay missionaries.

This seems to me to be out out attacks on the international, universal Catholic Church which transcends boundaries.

Prayers, please

Even after clearing with Medicare for the operations on my eyes, I am now being told I have to pay over one thousand dollars towards the bills.

Pray I can sort this out, as I do not have this kind of money.

Why would an office say something is covered, and then one finds out the entire bill is not?

Confusion and chaos in the medical world causes those of us who are ill and needy unnecessary concern, and my supplemental insurance will not cover what Medicare does not, which is contrary to what the salesperson assured me back in December.

To those who pick on the pope....

Imagine you are a blogger in the year 1500. There is a pope on the throne of Peter who has had several children, up to ten, in fact. However, he only acknowledge four, Cesare, Giovanni, Lucrezia and Gioffe. 

Would you be blogging about the other six, Girolama, Isabella, Pier Luigi, Bernardo, Ottaviano and Laura, writing that they has rights to be recognized as well? 

Would you be passing on information as to the supposed mothers of the various children, where these ladies lived, what they wore, and how they came and went from the Vatican apartments?

Would you be writing about Pope AlexanderVI's horrible life involving wine, women and song, and the gossip of his enemies?

Would you remember that he let the Jews kicked out of Portugal and Spain into Rome to live and work there freely?

Would you criticize him for entertaining actors in his private apartments or spending tons of money on art done by Raphael, Bramante, Pinturicchio, and Micelangelo?

Would you overlook his curial reforms and the insistence that cardinals only have one bishopric?

Would you be joining the msm of the day in decrying his attempts to keep power in his family, and fight the other leading families of Rome with intrigue?

Yet, this pope never passed legistlation contrary to the good of the Church and never taught heresy.

Instead of trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide God's Church, would you be writing that Alexander VI was a false pope and that the seat was empty?

The pope I watched say Mass yesterday looked like a man with the burden of a billion souls on his shoulders, and a man in love with the Blessed Mother and Christ in the Eucharist?

Bloggers, trust in God, pray for the Pope, and look towards your own sins, as I do.

Reminder of Patronage and Feast Days

The feast day of St. John XXIII is October 11th and he is patron of papal delegates. Nuncios are papal delegates, so pray for them invoking St. John XXIII.

The feast day of St. John Paul II is October 22nd and he is patron of  World Youth Day. So if you do not like to see the problems at those celebrations, pray to him. He is co-patron with Blessed Teresa of Calcutta.

Greetings to Friends in Luxembourg

I am half Luxembourgian. Have a great day!

Nice link for today

http://southernorderspage.blogspot.com/2014/04/wow-church-militant.html

Have a Great Day of Mercy

On the Canonizations from Rome

http://en.radiovaticana.va/index.asp

Pope Francis called St. John XXIII, the  Father, the Pope of the Holy Spirit and St. John Paul II, the Father, the Pope of the Family.

The vast majority of the priests on the television are giving Communion on the tongue. Praise God for the new priesthood.

Watching the Canonizations from The Midwest

The Pope Emeritus looks great,(a saint honoring two saints), but I can understand why he is not able to physically handle all Pope Francis will do this morning.

The rain has started in Rome as well, but at this moment, it may have stopped. It looks like most of the audience are from Poland! More later. Litany of the Saints has started.

Pope Francis has aged so much in one year. God bless him.

God bless all Catholics in the world today.

The woman healed by St. John Paul II brought up his relic to the Pope and lots of Latin.

You can follow here.

http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/libretti/2014/20140427-libretto-canonizzazione.pdf

Hello to Friends in Finland

Ask Yourself "Why"?

If you are a Catholic today who is not rejoicing at the canonization of two popes, please ask yourself  "why".

Perhaps you have not read the biographies of these two popes. If not, I would recommend doing so.

Perhaps you have not understood that politics are not religion and religion is not politics.

Perhaps you do not understand mercy and forgiveness, repentance and change.

Perhaps you have not read the lives of the saints, such as that of St. Teresa of Avila, or St. Jerome.

Perhaps you do not understand that some few saints are born saints, but most become saints in their lifetime.

Perhaps you are looking at people who surrounded these saints rather than at the saints themselves. Judgments such as this have no place in the minds of good Catholics.

Perhaps you are confusing holiness, which is perfection on earth, with political astuteness or infallibility in writings. Even the writings of the great saints are not perfect, or infallible, even though the persons became saints.

Perhaps you have not understood the reason why these saints are being canonized today.

Perhaps you need to pray and read about what real holiness is.

Useful List of Criteria for Sainthood

Of course, a pope may change these, as in the case of St. Hildegard of Bingen and others. Also, martyrs are sometimes canonized without miracles and other saints if there has been a long history of veneration.

The following are the basic steps to becoming a saint: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/1916620/posts

1) The candidate must be deceased for a minimum of five years

2) Even in our modern, fast-paced society, the candidate must have lived a life of extraordinary asceticism, self-denial, faith, good works and inspirational virtue, often helping the poor and sick

3) The candidate must be recognized for two posthumous miracles...verified by a scientific board appointed by the Vatican

3) Once it is determined that the candidate has led a life of holiness, he or she is declared a Servant of God and the investigation of their candidacy begins

4) A postulator is appointed on the candidate's behalf, undertaking an exhaustive investigation into his or her life, works, writings, sayings, family life, early history, etc. – digging for any small thing that might be inconsistent with tireless faith and Church teachings

5) Witnesses (if still alive) are called to appear before a church tribunal and further evidence is gathered

6) A positioning paper presenting the case of the saint is handed to the Bishop

7) If the Bishop agrees with the evidence, he passes on the report to the Vatican's Congregation of Saints

8) If the Congregation and the Pope agree that the person lived a virtuous life, the candidate is named a "Venerable."

9) This completes the investigation of the candidate's earthly life. Now, the Congregation undertakes the investigation of the two posthumous miracles, if they have occurred. If not, they wait. The first miracle earns the candidate beatification, the second assures sainthood.

10) Miracles are intensively scrutinized by both religious and scientific authorities. Medical miracles are examined by a board of five doctors who must unequivocally determine that no other possible explanation for a cure exists.

11) All cures must be instantaneous and complete (One potential candidate's miracle – restoring the sight of a blind man – was rejected because the sight was only 90% restored). In the case of cancer, a ten year waiting period must assure that the patient doesn't come out of remission

12) If the high standards for miracles are met, the Pope bestows the title of saint on the candidate

Greetings to Friends in Ireland

Hello to Friends in Cyprus

Greetings.

Greetings to Friends in Spain