On Gifts Three, with a bit of humor...

My images for the understanding of gifts are four saints. Bear with me as I examine their lives to show the difference in "gifting".

The first is Blessed Margaret of Castello, probably the ugliest, and most unlikely of women ever to be called blessed.

This woman was born a dwarf, blind, deformed, hunchbacked and lame. Her "noble" parents disowned her to the point of abandoning her in a church when God did not answer their prayers for a healing. Before that, she had been virtually imprisoned and kept out of sight. She was, therefore, psychologically abused.

But, Margaret was given the gifts of heroic charity, forgiving her horrid parents, and remaining cheerful. She was also given a great intellect, plus infused knowledge, and could even tutor children and teach adults, despite her great infirmities. She could discern demons, and healed those who were sick.

She was homeless, and had to be passed from house to house in the community which finally adopted her. She was never bitter. Her beauty was interior, and God gave her the gift of dying at the age Jesus did, plus being an incorruptible, just to prove to us that God's chosen ones are His choice, not ours.

She would have not been able to take a gifting course as she was too poor to pay the fees, blind, and deaf.

The second is one of my personal patrons, St. Joseph Cupertino. Born into poverty with a harsh mother and an alcoholic father, he was "retarded" or what we call today, "mentally challenged". Yet, God gave him extraordinary gifts of knowledge and wisdom, as well as visions. His love for Mary is well-known. His amazing gifts included levitation. His gifts were highly personal, but also for the upbuilding of his own community.

St. Joseph Cupertino would not have been able to take the "gifted and talented" courses, as his intellect was too low.

The third is my favorite saint of all men, St. Bernard of Clairvaux, one of the most talented and charismatically gifted men to ever walk this earth. Not only was he handsome, but he was noble, highly intelligent, a real intellectual with great gifts of meditation, contemplation, counsel, writing, preaching, and leadership. He is rare among saints for the number and quality of his gifts. His love for his monks shines through his works. His love for Mary is found in his prayers and meditations. His great love for Christ, as seen in his sermons on the Song of Songs, cannot be matched among male saints,except for the assumption of the love of SS. John the Baptist and Joseph.

He would have refused the gift courses, exorcised the presenters, then given them all a course on humility.

The fourth is Mary of Egypt, a prostitute and most likely a nymphomaniac from the age of twelve, who underwent a complete conversion at the age of seventeen. She was told by God to cross the Jordan after going to confession and the Eucharist, living a life of complete denial of self in the desert. St. Zosima was led to her and gave her Communion the day of the night she died, coming back to bury her with the help of a lion.

She would have been refused the gifting course, for sure, as she would have smelled bad, been stark naked, and refused to leave the desert.

Gifting and talented classes are part a narcissistic trend in middle-class spirituality. I hope these courses fade away and people return to common sense and humility. Once one is praying and reflecting, living in grace, God reveals His gifts. Hopefully before one is an adult, one has a sense of one's talents as well as one's gifts. One does not have to pay for such knowledge. For those who pray, God gives self-knowledge.

On Gifts Two

So, how to we come to know what our gifts are without paying for weeks of intense self-centeredness?

1. The first route to knowing one's gifts in a Catholic context would be the discernment God gives every parent. Parents know from the moment of a child's birth something of the character and natural gifts of that child. God gives much information about children to praying and reflective parents. Parents who seem estranged from their children or who claim they do not understand a child's gifts are not listening to God in the daily event of domestic life.  The character and gifts of a child blossom early in good, nurturing homes. The sacraments inform the natural gifts and give additional supernatural ones, the next point.

2.Gifts of the theological virtues are given at baptism as well as helps to develop the cardinal virtues. Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given at confirmation and a good parent helps form these gifts into lasting character traits, as well as even strong charisms for a certain vocation.

3.Simplicity teaches us what our gifts actually are. Here is Garrigou-Lagrange, again, as I have posted this before, on simplicity.

The souls of such men as St. Joseph, St. John, St. Francis, St. Dominic, the Cure of Ars give us some idea of this simplicity of God; but still more the soul of Mary, and especially the holy soul of Jesus, who said: "If thy eye be single, thy whole body shall be lightsome." That is, if your soul is simple in its outlook, it will be in all things enlightened, steadfast, loyal, sincere, and free from all duplicity." Be ye wise as serpents [so as not to be seduced by the world], and simple as doves, " so as to remain always in God's truth." I confess to Thee, O Father,... because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones." "Let your speech be yea, yea: no, no" (Matt. 10: 16; 11: 25; 5: 37)

It is a great gift not ever to fall into mortal sin, as simplicity comes to the pure in heart.

In the Old Testament we read: "Seek the Lord in simplicity of heart" (Wis. 1: 1) ; "Better is the poor man that walketh in his simplicity, than a rich man that is perverse in his lips and unwise" (Prov. 19:1). "Let us all die in our innocency," cried the Maccabees amid the injustices that oppressed them (I Mach. 2:37). "Obey... in simplicity of heart," said St. Paul (Col. 3: 22) ; and he admonishes the Corinthians not to lose "the simplicity that is in Christ" (II Cor. 11: 3).

This simplicity, says Bossuet, enables an introverted soul to comprehend even the heights of God, the ways of Providence, the unfathomable mysteries which to a complex soul are a scandal, the mysteries of infinite justice and mercy, and the supreme liberty of the divine good pleasure. All these mysteries, in spite of their transcendence and obscurity, are simple for those of simple vision.

The reason is that, in divine matters, the simplest things, such as the Our Father, are also the most profound. On the other hand, in the things of this world, containing both good and evil closely intermingled and thereby exceedingly complex, anybody who is simple is lacking in penetration and will remain naive, unsuspecting, and shallow. In the things of God simplicity is combined with depth and loftiness; for the sublimest of divine things as also the deepest things of our heart, are simplicity itself.

4. Teachers, working with parents, have a duty to find out the external and even the internal gifts of a child. How many times have I sensed as a Catholic teacher, a vocation, and encouraged the young person to follow this to conclusion?

5. Leadership training is not the same as knowing or acknowledging gifts, as leadership qualities are encouraged after a person is seen as having such gifts. But, natural gifts should impinge on supernatural gifts.

6. Most people who are praying and reflective have a sense of their gifts. The most obvious way is to see what interests a person. Does someone love pencils, papers, computers, words, reading, researching? Most likely that person has a gift of writing and perhaps, teaching. Does someone love baking, being in the kitchen, reading about recipes, sharing baked goods? Most likely that person has the gift of baking and hospitality, even motherhood. Does a little boy want to read about martyrs, and dress up like them on All Saints, and follow the Church calendar of saints? Most likely that child will be a martyr or be involved in a servant-type of vocation.  Does a little girl love her baby brothers and sisters to the point of loving to care for them, even in the hard work? She may be called to motherhood. Or she may have a vocation to be a sister, as she loves to serve.

7. Not everyone has charismatic gifts as some charismatics believe. There are few prophets and fewer interpreters of tongues. The list of gifts in St. Paul mix both charisms and more ordinary, natural gifts which can be supernaturalized by God. Sometimes a person obviously has a charism, such as a woman who has a stutter can sing in the choir without halting, clearly an intervention from God.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses.
8. Notice that St. Paul refers to services as well as gifts. To pretend that a service is a charismatic gift confuses the levels of gifts. Remember, the Church is not a democracy, and people do not have to "feel equal" about gifts or services. One of the greatest deceits of the gifting courses is to level out gifts, instead of teaching humility.



9. The gifts received in confirmation are for all the confirmed, not merely for some. These gifts PERFECT the virtues given at baptism. They are: wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, fortitude, piety and fear of the Lord. We all have these, all who are confirmed in the Catholic Church.

10. Some gifts are for the Church and some are for growing in personal holiness, but there can be overlaps, which I can cover later today. Not all have the same gifts, and some gifts are less obvious than others.

Baptismal Graces

The graces given to us at baptism give Catholics tremendous power to deal with spiritual problems.

As the CCC notes, baptism is the gateway to the other sacraments and gives enlightenment to the soul, as well as freeing the soul from Original Sin.

That first grace, of the forgiveness of all sins and Original Sin, opens the soul to receive the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity which are "infused in the soul", sanctifying grace and the moral virtues, which develop with grace, practice and education.

Baptism informs all these virtues because the person is renewed in sanctifying grace. Grace purifies the natural virtues. Without grace, these virtues either remain stilted or disappear because of the practice of habitual vice. Sin blocks virtue. Sin is an abuse of free will.

Without baptism, the natural virtues, or the cardinal virtues, cannot be "supernatualized".
Confirmation literally "confirms" the graces of baptism.  We get an indelible mark in baptism, and, as noted in the Council of Trent an indelible mark, which enables the person to publicly live his faith.

The other graces we receive in baptism, confirmed in confirmation, involve a power over the spirits of darkness. Those who are in sanctifying grace have the ability to free themselves from most obsessions and oppressions. Even family vices can be dealt with by the person who is living out his baptismal graces.

Humility, or docility to God's Will allows a person to grow quickly in the graces of baptism. But, as the Church is not a democracy and God gives graces according to His Divine Providence, there is a difference in the accidental graces of baptism.

Here is Thomas Aquinas on the subject:

The effect of Baptism is twofold, the essential effect, and the accidental. The essential effect of Baptism is that for which Baptism was instituted, namely, the begetting of men unto spiritual life. Therefore, since all children are equally disposed to Baptism, because they are baptized not in their own faith, but in that of the Church, they all receive an equal effect in Baptism. Whereas adults, who approach Baptism in their own faith, are not equally disposed to Baptism; for some approach thereto with greater, some with less, devotion. And therefore some receive a greater, some a smaller share of the grace of newness; just as from the same fire, he receives more heat who approaches nearest to it, although the fire, as far as it is concerned, sends forth its heat equally to all.
But the accidental effect of Baptism, is that to which Baptism is not ordained, but which the Divine power produces miraculously in Baptism: thus on Romans 6:6, "that we may serve sin no longer," a gloss says: "this is not bestowed in Baptism, save by an ineffable miracle of the Creator, so that the law of sin, which is in our members, be absolutely destroyed." And such like effects are not equally received by all the baptized, even if they approach with equal devotion: but they are bestowed according to the ordering of Divine providence. (I left the links on).

Therefore, saints are not "equal".  Each person is called to holiness according to God's Plan.

St. Catherine of Siena is not the same type of saint as St. Faustina. St. Bernard of Clairvaux cannot be compared to St. Benedict Labre, whose feast day is today, and so on.

The grace of martyrdom is different than the grace of being an abbot, or bishop, or pope. These are not merely "jobs" but vocations accompanied by certain graces.

Those who are not baptized do not have these many graces. Of course, God can give His graces to whom He desires, but baptism is the normal way for a person to be saved and given the means of salvation.

Trent clarifies the role of the sacraments. A few statements...

CANON IV.-If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law are not necessary unto salvation, but superfluous; and that, without them, or without the desire thereof, men obtain of God, through faith alone, the grace of justification;-though all (the sacraments) are not indeed necessary for every individual; let him be anathema.

CANON VI.-If any one saith, that the sacraments of the New Law do not contain the grace which they signify; or, that they do not confer that grace on those who do not place an obstacle thereunto; as though they were merely outward signs of grace or justice received through faith, and certain marks of the Christian profession, whereby believers are distinguished amongst men from unbelievers; let him be anathema.

CANON IX.-If any one saith, that, in the three sacraments, Baptism, to wit, Confirmation, and Order, there is not imprinted in the soul a character, that is, a certain spiritual and indelible Sign, on account of which they cannot be repeated; 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 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 baptized in the faith alone of the Church; let him be anathema.

to be continued...

Revealing the Sins of the Apostles

Mark 16:9-15Douay-Rheims 

9 But he rising early the first day of the week, appeared first to Mary Magdalen, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

10 She went and told them that had been with him, who were mourning and weeping.

11 And they hearing that he was alive, and had been seen by her, did not believe.

12 And after that he appeared in another shape to two of them walking, as they were going into the country.

13 And they going, told it to the rest: neither did they believe them.

14 At length he appeared to the eleven as they were at table: and he upbraided them with their incredulity and hardness of heart, because they did not believe them who had seen him after he was risen again.

15 And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.

Today, Christ upbraids the apostles for two sins-yes, sins. 

The context is that the Eleven refused to believe both Mary Magdalen and the two disciples who met Jesus on the way to Emmaus.  

The two sins for which Christ suffered on the Cross and to which He reprimands them in this Gospel are obstinacy and the unwillingness to believe.

These two sins involve acts of the will. Obstinacy may be called in our culture "pig-headedness" or "rigidity".  This sin comes from two big sins--inordinate self-love, or selfishness, and rebellion.

The sin of rebellion was THE sin of the Jews in the Old Testament. Innumerable times do we see the prophets reprimanding the people for rebellion, for hardness of heart.

Pig-headedness just means that a person wants what they want when they want it and too bad, so sad for the consequences. Basically, this sin is one of pride, as well as the primal sin of rebellion.

The unwillingness to believe, incredulity, indicates a turning away from grace. In other words, the apostles turned away from the truth of the appearances of Christ to their own comfort zones of unbelief.

They were still acting like Old Testament Jews, instead of New Testament Christians. They had to repent, and Christ, the Son of God, severely rebuked them-the meaning of the word upbraided, or reprimanded.

No small thing to be severely rebuked by the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity-Christ, God and Man...Maybe if they listened to Him, believed in His Resurrection, the apostles would have to change their lifestyles. Big time decisions can be put off by rebellion.

We all can fall back into old patterns of sin. This is the reason for seeking out, begging God for purgation. Purification is the only way to stop the habits of sin.

In today's Epistle, we see brave and true apostles, but this is after Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit gave them the very virtues we have to go out and preach the Gospel.

Fortitude, temperance, prudence, justice--the cardinal virtues, faith, hope, love-the theological virtues, and all the gifts of the Holy Spirit....wisdom connected to prudence, perfecting love, understanding connected to justice and perfects hope, knowledge connected to prudence and perfects love, counsel connected to prudence and perfects it, fortitude adding to the virtue of fortitude--as we need more courage and the insights of this most important virtue, piety connected to temperance and justice, and fear of the Lord., also informing, connected to temperance. This information is all found in the teachings of Aquinas and commentators on the virtues throughout the history of the Church, including the catechisms. 

The gifts perfect the cardinal and theological virtues. See my other posts on these.

We have these and it is only sin which prevents us from proclaiming the Gospel to the world, as commanded (not suggested) by God.

Let God cleanse you, bringing you to purity of heart so that these virtues and gifts may be manifested in the world. More now than ever does the world need holiness...

A simple view of the Illuminative State-II

Garrigou-Lagrange's explanation sounds like a summary of all the posts of mine on the virtues. Of course, Aquinas provides us with most of this teaching.

The explanation of the drawing below continues....Someone yesterday told me a person became "unhinged" and ended their marriage. This word in common parlance means the same thing as here-the lack of virtue.

This drawing and the explanations would make a great part of Confirmation prep, imho. Home schoolers, take note.

However, to enter this spiritual edifice there must be a door. According to tradition, in particular the teaching of St. Gregory the Great, often quoted by St. Thomas, the four hinges of this two­leafed door symbolize the four cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance. Their name "cardinal" comes from the Latin cardines, meaning hinges. This meaning is preserved in the current expression, "That man is unhinged," when irritation makes a man fail in these four virtues. Without them man is outside the spiritual temple in the uncultivated region ravaged by the evil weeds of egoism and inordinate inclinations.(3) The two upper hinges on the temple door symbolize prudence and justice, which are in the higher part of the soul, and the two lower hinges are figures of fortitude and temperance, which have their seat in the sensible appetites, common alike to man and animal.

To each of these four hinges is fastened a triple piece of ironwork, symbolizing the principal virtues annexed to each of the cardinal virtues. Thus, to prudence is attached foresight (a reflection of divine Providence), circumspection attentive to the circumstances in the midst of which we must act, and steadfastness or constancy, that we may not because of difficulties abandon good decisions and resolutions made after mature reflection in the presence of God. 

Inconstancy, says St. Thomas, is a form of imprudence.(4)

To the virtue of justice are also attached several virtues. Those which relate to God as forms of justice toward Him are: religion, which renders to Him the worship due Him; penance, which offers Him reparation for the offenses committed against Him; obedience, which makes man obey the divine commandments or the orders of the spiritual or temporal representatives of God.

The virtue of fortitude makes us keep to the right road in the presence of great dangers instead of yielding to fear; it manifests Itself in the soldier who dies for his country and in the martyr who dies for the faith. To fortitude several virtues are also attached: notably, patience that we may endure daily vexations without weakening; magnanimity which tends to great things to be accomplished without becoming discouraged in the face of difficulties; longanimity which makes us bear over a long period of time incessant contradictions that sometimes are renewed daily for many years.

Lastly, to the virtue of temperance, which moderates the inordinate impulses of our sensible appetites, are attached chastity, virginity, meekness which moderates and represses irritation or anger, and evangelical poverty which makes us use the things of the world as though not using them, without becoming attached to them.

According to St. Augustine and St. Thomas, to each of these cardinal virtues corresponds a gift of the Holy Ghost, symbolized by so many precious stones which ornament the door; portae nitent margaritis, as we read in the hymn for the feast of the dedication of a church.

To prudence corresponds manifestly the gift of counsel, which enlightens us when even infused prudence would remain uncertain, for example, as to how to answer an indiscreet question without telling a lie. To justice, which in regard to God is called the virtue of religion, corresponds the gift of piety, which comes to our help in prolonged aridities by inspiring in us a filial affection for God. To the virtue of fortitude corresponds the gift of fortitude, so manifest in the martyrs. To the virtue of temperance, and especially of chastity, corresponds the gift of filial fear, which enables us to surmount the temptations of the flesh, according to the words of the Psalmist: "Pierce Thou my flesh with Thy fear."

Thus the picture of the spiritual edifice condenses the teaching of the Gospel, the writings of St. Paul and of the great doctors on the subordination of the virtues and their connection with the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

This structure may appear somewhat complicated when insistence is placed on the virtues attached to the cardinal virtues; but the superior simplicity of the things of God stands out if the following profound statement is considered carefully: When in a soul or a community the foundation of the edifice and its summit are what they ought to be, in other words, when there is profound humility and true fraternal charity, the great sign of the progress of the love of God, then everything goes well. Why is this? Because God then supplies by His gifts for what may be lacking in acquired prudence or natural energy; and He constantly reminds souls of their duties, giving them His grace to accomplish them. "God . . . giveth grace to the humble," and He never fails those who understand the precept of love: "Love one another as I have loved you; by this shall all men know that you are My disciples."

We Are Not Equal, Part Four

Ephesians 1:15-18 Douay-Rheims 

15 Wherefore I also, hearing of your faith that is in the Lord Jesus, and of your love towards all the saints,

16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making commemoration of you in my prayers,

17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and of revelation, in the knowledge of him:

18 The eyes of your heart enlightened, that you may know what the hope is of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

Today's reading from the New Testament continues with the mystery of the proclamation of the Gospel being appropriated by the Ephesians, resulting in love for the community.
  
What follows is St. Paul's happy note that he is grateful for what he hears of the faith of this Church in Ephesus.

Note that this Jewish scholar understands that wisdom, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and the revelation of Christ, as well as knowledge, another gift, lead each member to holiness, through "enlightenment", which is illumination of the self., giving hope.

Now, the word "inheritance" reminds us that the Church is the New People of God, the chosen. Those who are chosen, who listen to the Word of God, inherit the Kingdom of God, which is heaven.

In order to be chosen, one must admit that there are some who are not chosen.

We are not all equal. Do those bishops and cardinals who listen and ponder these words today apply these pastorally? I am coming to the conclusion that some have lost their own faith, and departed from the Word of God, the Word Made Flesh, in Whose feast we celebrate today.

With these passages in mind from the last few posts, go back and read the long selections from Garrigou-Lagrange and apply his clear commentary on Church teaching to these passages, with the Synod in mind.

(apologies for the spacing...blogspot problem)

We Are Not Equal, Part Three

Today's second reading, from Ephesians, reveals the mystery of God's Church as the New Chosen People.

Looking at the beginning of the reading, one sees again the idea of selection, of God's Will for a People. In verse 3, St. Paul immediately refers to God the Father giving us a special blessing through and in Christ. Verse 4 indicates that those in the Church are chosen from all time, referring to God's Will for those in the Church to become holy, and perfect--"unspotted".  Verse 5 is even more specific, when the great Apostle of the Gentiles uses the word, "predestinated" or predestined. This is not a poetic word-choice, but the reality of God's predilection.

"According to the purpose of his will" cannot be a clearer statement that God, in Christ, calls the members of the Church on purpose, from all time, to holiness.

Ephesians 1:3-6Douay-Rheims

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual blessings in heavenly places, in Christ:

4 As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and unspotted in his sight in charity.

5 Who hath predestinated us unto the adoption of children through Jesus Christ unto himself: according to the purpose of his will:

6 Unto the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he hath graced us in his beloved son.

to be continued....

We Are Not Equal, Part Two

The Old Testament reading for today's Mass is from the 24th Chapter of Ecclesiasticus. The entire chapter is here below repeated in order to understand the meaning of this selection.

Here, one sees that God called a "privileged people"  or "honorable people" as some translations read. Israel was not equal to the other nations surrounding her. God had created His Own People through Abraham.

Look at verse 3. The Douay-Rheims translations makes the connection between the People of God and the Church. In verse 4, the word "elect" indicates that there is predilection, a choice of God, a chosen group, set apart to become holy.

Wisdom personified here as a female, has been seen as Christ Himself, the "firstborn before all creatures" , the Incarnate One, which is one reason this passage is read today.

Sion and Jerusalem represent not only the Jews, but the Church, the New Jerusalem.

Again, the DR refers to the Chosen People as the "saints", those called by God to become holy, and given the grace to do so.

Verse 25 employs the word "grace".  But, notice, Wisdom calls all to Himself, that is Christ calls all, but only those who desire Him receive the Spirit. Again, the mystery of grace indicates that "many are called, but few are chosen".

Over and over again in the Scriptures, we are reminded of God's choice, His Will regarding the elect. the Jews, the Chosen People, turned against the Messiah, Christ, Wisdom, and He created His Church from those who did follow Him, and the Gentiles.

But, not all are equal. Those who do not follow Christ, who do not embrace Wisdom, do not become part of the honorable people. Here is Chapter 24.

Wisdom praiseth herself: her origin, her dwelling, her dignity, and her fruits.

[1] Wisdom shall praise her own self, and shall be honoured in God, and shall glory in the midst of her people, [2] And shall open her mouth in the churches of the most High, and shall glorify herself in the sight of his power, [3] And in the midst of her own people she shall be exalted, and shall be admired in the holy assembly. [4] And in the multitude of the elect she shall have praise, and among the blessed she shall be blessed, saying: [5] I came out of the mouth of the most High, the firstborn before all creatures:

[6] I made that in the heavens there should rise light that never faileth, and as a cloud I covered all the earth: [7] I dwelt in the highest places, and my throne is in a pillar of a cloud. [8] I alone have compassed the circuit of heaven, and have penetrated into the bottom of the deep, and have walked in the waves of the sea, [9] And have stood in all the earth: and in every people, [10]And in every nation I have had the chief rule:

[11] And by my power I have trodden under my feet the hearts of all the high and low: and in all these I sought rest, and I shall abide in the inheritance of the Lord. [12] Then the creator of all things commanded, and said to me: and he that made me, rested in my tabernacle, [13] And he said to me: Let thy dwelling be in Jacob, and thy inheritance in Israel, and take root in my elect.[14] From the beginning, and before the world, was I created, and unto the world to come I shall not cease to be, and in the holy dwelling place I have ministered before him. [15] And so was I established in Sion, and in the holy city likewise I rested, and my power was in Jerusalem.

[16] And I took root in an honourable people, and in the portion of my God his inheritance, and my abode is in the full assembly of saints. [17] I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus, and as a cypress tree on mount Sion. [18] I was exalted like a palm tree in Cades, and as a rose plant in Jericho: [19] As a fair olive tree in the plains, and as a plane tree by the water in the streets, was I exalted. [20] I gave a sweet smell like cinnamon. and aromatical balm: I yielded a sweet odour like the best myrrh:

[21] And I perfumed my dwelling as storax, and galbanum, and onyx, and aloes, and as the frankincense not cut, and my odour is as the purest balm. [22] I have stretched out my branches as the turpentine tree, and my branches are of honour and grace. [23] As the vine I have brought forth a pleasant odour: and my flowers are the fruit of honour and riches. [24] I am the mother of fair love, and of fear, and of knowledge, and of holy hope. [25] In me is all grace of the way and of the truth, in me is all hope of life and of virtue.

[26] Come over to me, all ye that desire me, and be filled with my fruits. [27] For my spirit is sweet above honey, and my inheritance above honey and the honeycomb. [28] My memory is unto everlasting generations. [29] They that eat me, shall yet hunger: and they that drink me, shall yet thirst. [30] He that hearkeneth to me, shall not be confounded: and they that work by me, shall not sin.

We Are Not Equal (What Some Synodal Fathers Forget)

One of the great lies coming from the pulpits and in the institutions of the modern Church seems to be this idea that we are all equal in grace or holiness. We most certainly are not. The Parable of the Talents teaches us this, as well as the pericope in Scripture where Christ corrects the other apostles for wanting to know the future of John.  Even the apostles wanted all the same graces and position in Christ's Kingdom. They questioned Christ as to the role of John, as they could see that he was "the beloved disciple".



John 21:23New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition 

23 So the rumor spread in the community that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you?"

I do not have the same graces as St. Bernard of Clairvaux, for example, and if I desired to be him, I would be committing two serious sins--pride and presumption. St. Peter and St. James were not equal in grace, nor Our Blessed Lady and other saints.

Some of the cardinals want everyone to be the same, with the same grace and life.

This is part of the faulty thinking behind wanting those living in sin to be able to receive Communion. Those who are not in communion with Christ in their lifestyles either have refused grace, recevingin grace sufficient to salvation, but not converting.

Really, it is none of our business to apply these thoughts to certain couples, but to state that a person who has gone through the annulment process is the same as one who has not denies grace. To ignore the discipline of the Church regarding the sanctify of marriage is to deny grace working in people's lives. Are some of the cardinals so cynical or without faith? Perhaps so....

This is my point over and over again in the synod series posted last week. We cannot deny grace or individual responses to grace. To do so denies several teachings of the Catholic Church concerning God's Will, predestination and predilection. To deny the mystery of grace in a person's life actually insults God, Who is not bound by human ideas of equality.

I think of all the women in Jerusalem watching Christ in His horrible suffering on the way to Golgotha. Yet, only one woman responded in compassion, wiping His Face with her veil.

For this bravery and kindness, Christ left the imprint of His Face on her piece of cloth. One woman, one veil, one miracle of grace....

to be continued..

"Diabolical Influence" Part Three

I have set forth the definitions of discernment by Garrigou-Lagrange earlier this week and followed up those posts with these on false apparitions. The reason for the connection is this: discernment, a gift given to all Catholics in confirmation as part of the gifts of counsel and knowledge. Counsel perfects the virtue of prudence.

Now, the charismatics and other groups have ruined definitions concerning "gifts" teaching people that not all gifts belong to all Catholics. This is an error. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to all Catholics. But, how these gifts are used determines a person's ministry. To deny that all receive the list of gifts below in confirmation would be bordering on heresy. That one needs to cooperate with the development of these gifts in grace is an essential truth. Some extraordinary gifts, as listed by Paul for the up building of the Church, are not given to all in the same way. But, Paul claimed he had all the gifts, and I think his comment was to make us all realize that this is a possibility, even for the extraordinary gifts. These two types of gifts are not to be confused, and some people want to make others think discernment is a special gift, when it is part of the gift of knowledge, which we all get in confirmation, and need.

When St. Paul writes that some people are prophets and some teachers, he is explaining that the roles in the Church use gifts in different ways. As written on this blog in the past on gifts and virtues, the gifts perfect the virtues received in baptism.

Baptism and confirmation are necessary for the life of the Catholic. The list is given below.

What diabolical influence does is twist the virtues and the gifts, taking away the clarity of discernment, knowledge, counsel and wisdom.

For example, in a false apparition or false messages, knowledge of the Church regarding salvation may be and is frequently twisted into heretical statements. One of the most obvious twisting of truths has to do with a famous seer telling people, as if God said this, that it is permissible for Catholics and Orthodoxs to attend regularly each other's liturgies. As this statement is against both the solemn teaching of the Catholic and the Orthodox Churches, one sees immediately a discrepancy in truth.

Those who chose to follow the false teaching of this seer fall into error because of the demonic influences, a serious problem as souls are then led astray into heresy. The gift of knowledge is twisted and the virtue of prudence set aside by those who, instead of following the teachings of the Church, follow the seer.

As I have noted many times here, I found in the early days of the website The Warning many doctrinal errors. I have done what every Catholic adult has done and learned my Faith, which is not exhaustive, as one can study this rich deposit all one's life and not know all, but we must know the basics. That is our responsibility as adults.

Once people are led to leave one truth of Catholic teaching, they open themselves up to following other false teachings. The list of the above errors is on this blog.

We are responsible not to leave the teaching authority of the Church, preferring individuals who claim direct knowledge from God. The first test of authenticity is whether the messages conform to Catholic teaching and in no way contradict this.

The demons involved in the masterly deceit make some believe "truths" which are lies, contrary to God's Revelation to us already.

This demonic influence involves sin if the persons have been instructed as to the deviations from doctrine and still follow the seers, over the long heritage of teaching in the Church.

When one decides on private revelation over Church teaching, one is in serious sin, if one has had that knowledge shown to them by someone, including the CDF. If people ignore local bishops and the CDF, their souls are in danger of losing first wisdom, then counsel, then knowledge and then the Faith entirely.

Another example is a seer from many years ago who had visions of God the Father as a person, in human form. If one knows one's faith, one knows that the Father is a Spirit, that Christ in Incarnate, and that the Holy Spirit is likewise a Spirit. In the lives of the saints and in the visions of approved mystics, the Father comes to the person through Christ, and in Spirit. But, the setting aside of Catholic teaching reveals an ignorance, or worse, the purposeful acceptance of falsehood.

Satan and the demons of the air are smarter than we are. They have the ability to make something seem true which is false. But, we have the virtues, gifts and graces to withstand such deceit. One can see that if one allows diabolical influences into one's life, the danger of damnation becomes a real possibility. This is why knowing the Faith and obeying the Church regarding visionaries is essential.

Our souls are safe resting in the virtue of obedience. St. Teresa herself wrote that anything which was revealed and against the Creed would not be from God. So too, by extension, anything shared which is against Catholic doctrine would be from satan and not God.

Also, if you readers go back into my posts on St. John of the Cross, you will remember that he said clearly that a sign of holiness is the acceptance of suffering and the moving away from seeking consolation. A sign of those who are on the way to perfection is this acceptance of suffering and ignoring of spiritual consolations, seeing these as distractions. Follow the tags.

The popes and bishops determine true apparitions and messages, not individuals. And until Rome approves, one should avoid. This is more than common sense, it is imperative in order to protect one's soul from deceit.

St. John XXIII made a statement which is hardly considered on this subject on February 18th, 1959:

"We urge you to listen to the salutary warnings of the Mother of God
with simplicity of heart and uprightness of spirit. The Roman Pontiffs are constituted the guardians and interpreters of divine Revelation, as contained in Holy Scripture and Tradition; but they also have the duty to recommend to the attention of the faithful - when, following mature examination, they judge it opportune for the general good - those supernatural lights which it pleases God to dispense freely to certain privileged souls, not in order to propose new doctrines, but in order to guide our conduct." (cf. Saint Thomas Aquinas, II. 11 , q. 174, art. 6 ad 3m)

All Catholics have the gifts given and here, again, is the list from the CCC:

1. 1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.

To be continued....

1. 
   

Discernment Part Two

Perfection comes with a price. This price is suffering. This suffering helps one discern and allows one to endure the Dark Night before coming into Illumination. Here is Garrigou-Lagrange again, briefly on determining what one is dealing with within a person who either is one's self trying to cooperate with grace, or if one is in a position of counseling, such as a priest, working with others.

This suffering is the sharing of Christ's Own suffering, a theme in the mini-series on reparation, repeated as links at the end of this post. But, before one gets to this point, the list of sins and tendencies discussed in the predominant fault posts. must be eliminated. Notice, this quotation overlaps with what Raissa stated about venial sin.

It would be comparatively easy to describe the signs of this spirit by opposing it to the spirit of God, noting at the same time certain differences from the spirit of the devil. As we have said already, this spirit of human nature is the inclination to judge, will, and act in a merely natural way. But notice the meaning of the word "natural." It is not intended to refer to human nature in its essential condition as capable of elevation to the supernatural order, but either to fallen nature not yet revivified by grace or to regenerate human nature, which still bears the four wounds left by original sin and now further aggravated by personal sin. These wounds, although scarring, will never be completely healed in this life.

They are wounds inherited by the entire human race from the sin of its first parents and only imperfectly healed by the water of Baptism, since this sacrament does not destroy concupiscence. This is very beneficial to our spiritual training, for we can thus acquire merit in overcoming our inordinate desires with the aid of God's grace. There is also another advantage to be gained from this imperfect healing; men might otherwise receive Baptism merely to avoid the penalties of this life and not because of the glory of eternal life. We are Christ's heirs, "only we must share his sufferings, if we are to share his glory" (Rom. viii, 17). Cf. St. Thomas, Ilia, q. 69, a. 3. But these four wounds are further aggravated by our own personal sins which diminish our natural inclination to virtue by putting a strong obstacle in its way a tendency to evil. "By sin (even by venial sin in those baptized) man's reason becomes obscured especially in directing what is to be done and the will is hardened against good; the difficulty of acting well is increased, and more fuel is added to the fire of concupiscence" (la Ilae, q. 85, a. 3).

Therefore the spirit of fallen or wounded nature is a bias towards the concupiscence still present within us, inclining us to sin and thus to sloth and cowardice in our irascible appetite, malice in our will, negligence, imprudence or deceit in the intellect. In a word, it is a spirit of self-satisfaction, inordinate love of self, egoism. And this spirit of self-love, as St. Thomas has shown, dedicates a man to the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life.³

This triple concupiscence is in its turn a dangerous slope towards the seven capital sins vain glory, envy, anger, avarice, sloth, gluttony, lust which are able to call even more grievous sins into being (la Ilae, q. 84, a. 4). According to St. John of the Cross (Dark Night of the Soul, bk. I, cc. 2-7) these capital sins may also appear in the spiritual order; for instance, spiritual gluttony which is an excessive desire for spiritual consolation loved for its own sake and not for the sake of God, and also spiritual pride. But these sins are not the most evil fruit of the spirit of nature; they prepare the way for even more serious sins, such as unbelief, despair, hatred of God.

When considered in this way the wounded nature described by St. Thomas does not differ from the nature portrayed in the Imitation of Christ (bk. Ill, c. 54).

But now let us study the spirit of human nature in its relation to the principal virtues of mortification, humility, faith, hope, and charity. As soon as we apply the first rule for the discernment of spirits "it is by their fruit that you will know them" we find that this natural spirit is never inclined to exterior or interior mortification, neither is it prepared to accept humiliations. As the masters of the spiritual life have always pointed out, nature is not anxious to be put to death and even in the life of prayer she is a spiritual glutton for consolation, which is totally opposed to the spirit of faith and true love of God.

This is one reason I have written so much about the danger of following consolations and false seers. One who does so avoids living in the virtue of faith, which demands walking in darkness and without consolations. As noted, St. John of the Cross warns against such spiritual candy.

Years ago, I had a mental picture which was applied to a certain prayer group close to London. I saw the bleeding Crucified Savior in a field, surrounded by sweeties, wrapped in colored papers. The leaders of the prayer group were ignoring Christ and bending over picking up the candies. The Saviour on the Cross was being ignored. This is what happens when people strive after consolations and "messages". Suffering is set aside for sweeties.

What happens when Catholics forget about suffering and purgation is the proliferation of false ministries.

Egoism takes over. Useless and self-seeking activity abounds in the Church today because of this problem. Such is the preoccupation with social justice or/and psychology at the expense of the pursuit of holiness.

A soul which is influenced by this spirit will cease to make further progress and abandon the spiritual life, once it has encountered its first difficulties or period of aridity. It hides its inattention to the interior life under the cloak of an energetic apostolate, devoting all its energy to external activity which has ceased to be supernatural and become entirely superficial. Such a person is confusing charity with philanthropy, humanism, and liberalism. Gradually this natural activity loses its initial drive; it begins as a burst of energy, changes into a general hurry, and finally, slows down to a leisurely pace.

Garrigou-Lagrange is warning priests about such sterile activity but this applies to the laity as well.

Human nature begins to groan as soon as it has to face contradiction or trial, since it is far from willing to shoulder the cross. And thus by degrees it sinks into despair. Its initial fervour was no stronger than the flame which leaps from a bundle of straw only to die away again as quickly as it appeared.

This spirit of nature reveals itself as completely egoistic with no regard for the glory of God or the saving of souls. No longer the love of God and one's neighbour but a disordered love of self occupies pride of place in the soul.

But this spirit is quick in trying to justify itself by appealing to a theory which takes as its fundamental principle: moderation in all things. We must avoid excess in our self-denial and spiritual exercises. We are not obliged to strive for mystical perfection, that would be the error of Mysticism. In fact, if a person makes it his daily practice to read a chapter from the Imitation of Christ for his spiritual profit, he is already a mystic. We must do nothing more than follow the ordinary way: virtus stat in medio.

Have not some of my readers been warned by their family members that they are too zealous? There is no middle ground in the spiritual life.

to be continued..

Etheldredasplace: On Reparation, Final Posting in Mini ...

31 Oct 2014

Two parts: one, yes one can make reparation while not through the purification process, such as when one is in the Dark Night, but it depends for what the reparation is being made...and I add that most likely, reparation before ...

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Etheldredasplace: Some of the Reparation Posts

31 Oct 2014

We can make reparation for our friends in order to enter into more perfect friendships. If one sees an imperfection in a friend, one may pray and do penance so that person becomes a saint. Leading others to perfection through ...

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Perfection Series VI: XIII Reparation And Mary Again

19 Oct 2014

If one is called to Reparation, one takes on a little bit of this compassion for others and suffers with that person in order for them to reach heaven. Those who are in difficult relationships understand this concept.

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Etheldredasplace: Perfection VI: XI Reparation

18 Oct 2014

And so on...do not waste any opportunity to pray, to do reparation. Again, I think that most reparation is for our own sins and predominant faults until we are in the Illuminative State, but I am willing to be corrected on that matter.

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Etheldredasplace: Perfection Series VI:II.5 Reparation

14 Oct 2014

Those for whom God has placed on own hearts and in our minds great love, who are in need of having someone do reparation for them, are those to whom God wants you to focus your prayers and energies. Mortification ...

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Etheldredasplace: Perfection Series VI: V Reparation

14 Oct 2014

Second, Psyche's reparation made it possible for Orual to have an excellent life, but as she is so full of pride, denial and ingratitude, she must be brought to see her sins and that fact that Pysche did all the work of reparation so ...

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Perfection Series VI: XII Reparation and Religious Life

18 Oct 2014

If you are a young woman and feel the call to live a life of Reparation, there is an order for you. The Sisters of Reparation of the Sacred Heart have this website. I highly recommend some of my younger readers to consider this ...

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Perfection Series VI: X Reparation and Friendship

18 Oct 2014

We can make reparation for our friends in order to enter into more perfect friendships. If one sees an imperfection in a friend, one may pray and do penance so that person becomes a saint. Leading others to perfection through ...

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Etheldredasplace: Perfection Series VI: VIII Reparation--The ...

15 Oct 2014

Chose that priest, bishop or cardinal who seems farthest away from the truth of the sanctity of marriage and do reparation for him starting today. Here is the prayer given to us by Pope Pius XI. Ask, no beg, the Reparatress to ...

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Etheldredasplace: Feast Day of St. Margaret Mary ...

16 Oct 2014

St. Margaret Mary did make reparation while on earth, suffering not only from her companions in the convent, but from the revelations from Christ, Who showed her His loving Heart, wounded by ungrateful humanity. Today is ...

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Walk in York This Sunday in Reparation for Abortion

02 May 2014

... York This Sunday in Reparation for Abortion. Posted by Supertradmum · http://spuc-director.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/walk-in-reparation-for-abortion-in-york.html · Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare ...

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Etheldredasplace: Reparation

07 Aug 2013

Repetition on reparation. If anyone is moved to help me with the Adoration House in Walsingham, please contact me. After this week, the need should be more obvious than ever-praying and adoring in reparation for sins ...

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Etheldredasplace: Reparation

13 Jun 2013

Reparation for sins comes either in this life or in purgatory. This is joyful reparation. God is good. My heart is full of love and love is what it is all about. Do you not want to be purged of all things which are displeasing to God?

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Etheldredasplace: Reparation

04 Dec 2013

A friend of mine told me that she saw a pattern in my life praying for a certain type of person. She noted that reparation can be made for some, and that one can learn to excel in the virtue of charity, because of intercessory ...

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