POTUS is fanning the flames

Just a comment on the recent statements of POTUS on the shooting. We all know what it is about, but the language coming from various groups of hatred and creating an atmosphere of anti-white, anti-authority, that is anarchy. This president simply does not represent all the people of the United States. It is so unnecessary to create and use racist language from that level, from the White House.

The Ladder of Perfection

St. John Climacus, also known as St. John of Sinai, wrote a book for the monks of the famous monastery of St. Catherine, wrote a book for Lent, called the Great Fast, called either The Ladder of Perfection or The Ladder of Divine Ascent. As his feast day is tomorrow, I am highlighting parts of his book, which can be found and ordered from here. Orthodoxwiki has a great article with links as well.

The steps are:

1. On renunciation of the world
2. On detachment
3. On exile or pilgrimage; concerning dreams that beginners have
4. On blessed and ever-memorable obedience (in addition to episodes involving many individuals)
5. On painstaking and true repentance which constitutes the life of the holy convicts; and about the Prison
6. On remembrance of death
7. On joy-making mourning
8. On freedom from anger and on meekness
9. On remembrance of wrongs
10. On slander or calumny
11. On talkativeness and silence
12. On lying
13. On despondency
14. On that clamorous mistress, the stomach
15. On incorruptible purity and chastity, to which the corruptible attain by toil and sweat
16. On love of money, or avarice
17. On non-possessiveness (that hastens one Heavenwards)
18. On insensibility, that is, deadening of the soul and the death of the mind before the death of the body
19. On sleep, prayer, and psalmody with the brotherhood
20. On bodily vigil and how to use it to attain spiritual vigil, and how to practise it
21. On unmanly and puerile cowardice
22. On the many forms of vainglory
23. On mad pride and (in the same Step) on unclean blasphemous thoughts; concerning unmentionable blasphemous thoughts
24. On meekness, simplicity, and guilelessness which come not from nature but from conscious effort, and about guile
25. On the destroyer of the passions, most sublime humility, which is rooted in spiritual perception
26. On discernment of thoughts, passions and virtues; on expert discernment; brief summary of all aforementioned
27. On holy stillness of body and soul; different aspects of stillness and how to distinguish them
28. On holy and blessed prayer, the mother of virtues, and on the attitude of mind and body in prayer
29. Concerning Heaven on earth, or Godlike dispassion and perfection, and the resurrection of the soul before the general resurrection
30. Concerning the linking together of the supreme trinity among the virtues; a brief exhortation summarizing all that has said at length in this book

I hope this section makes you want to follow this saint's writings. God continue to bless your Lent.

Children Need Confirmation, a Sacrament of Initiation

I wonder how the Catholic Church's teaching on Confirmation got so convoluted? Why are so many parents unaware that Confirmation is a Sacrament of Initiation and not a Bar Mitzvah? Confirmation is not a "coming of age" in the sense that one holds off the sacrament until the young people are in their middle to late teens. Why the confusion and how can some of us who have been involved in Confirmation prep help teach the adults what is appropriate?

Confirmation is one of the three Sacraments of Initiation. Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Exhortation,  Sacramentum caritatis notes that the traditional order of the Sacraments of Initiation need to be re-examined according to the pastoral needs of our times. Here is part of this document I would like to emphasize again, as I have done this before.

Link is here.

17. If the Eucharist is truly the source and summit of the Church's life and mission, it follows that the process of Christian initiation must constantly be directed to the reception of this sacrament. As the Synod Fathers said, we need to ask ourselves whether in our Christian communities the close link between Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist is sufficiently recognized. (46) It must never be forgotten that our reception of Baptism and Confirmation is ordered to the Eucharist. Accordingly, our pastoral practice should reflect a more unitary understanding of the process of Christian initiation. The sacrament of Baptism, by which we were conformed to Christ,(47) incorporated in the Church and made children of God, is the portal to all the sacraments. It makes us part of the one Body of Christ (cf. 1 Cor 12:13), a priestly people. Still, it is our participation in the Eucharistic sacrifice which perfects within us the gifts given to us at Baptism. The gifts of the Spirit are given for the building up of Christ's Body (1 Cor 12) and for ever greater witness to the Gospel in the world. (48) The Holy Eucharist, then, brings Christian initiation to completion and represents the centre and goal of all sacramental life. (49)

The order of the sacraments of initiation

18. In this regard, attention needs to be paid to the order of the sacraments of initiation. Different traditions exist within the Church. There is a clear variation between, on the one hand, the ecclesial customs of the East (50) and the practice of the West regarding the initiation of adults, (51) and, on the other hand, the procedure adopted for children. (52) Yet these variations are not properly of the dogmatic order, but are pastoral in character. Concretely, it needs to be seen which practice better enables the faithful to put the sacrament of the Eucharist at the centre, as the goal of the whole process of initiation. In close collaboration with the competent offices of the Roman Curia, Bishops' Conferences should examine the effectiveness of current approaches to Christian initiation, so that the faithful can be helped both to mature through the formation received in our communities and to give their lives an authentically eucharistic direction, so that they can offer a reason for the hope within them in a way suited to our times (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).

Initiation, the ecclesial community and the family

19. It should be kept in mind that the whole of Christian initiation is a process of conversion undertaken with God's help and with constant reference to the ecclesial community, both when an adult is seeking entry into the Church, as happens in places of first evangelization and in many secularized regions, and when parents request the sacraments for their children. In this regard, I would like to call particular attention to the relationship between Christian initiation and the family. In pastoral work it is always important to make Christian families part of the process of initiation. Receiving Baptism, Confirmation and First Holy Communion are key moments not only for the individual receiving them but also for the entire family, which should be supported in its educational role by the various elements of the ecclesial community. (53) Here I would emphasize the importance of First Holy Communion. For many of the faithful, this day continues to be memorable as the moment when, even if in a rudimentary way, they first came to understand the importance of a personal encounter with Jesus. Parish pastoral programmes should make the most of this highly significant moment.

Firstly, in this day of tremendous temptations to sin, the young person needs the special graces of this important sacrament. Our time is similar to that of the Roman Empire, when Christians found themselves living in a culture and governmental structure of paganism. No longer are the cultures Christian and those who go out into the world daily need grace to withstand the assaults of the Evil One. the world, the flesh and the devil are huge pulls on the souls of youth. The gifts of the Holy Spirit should not be denied to the younger ones, at early adolescence or even younger, as these gifts are necessary for  the fight, and fight it is, against the media, the peer groups, and even misguided parents.

I have been using Garrigou-Lagrange on my mini-series on perfection. This is what he writes on the gifts from the Holy Spirit.

Here is reminder of of those gifts:

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him: the spirit of wisdom, and of understanding, the spirit of counsel, and of fortitude, the spirit of knowledge, and of godliness, and He shall be filled with the spirit of the fear of the Lord."

 "The just man, that is to say, he who lives the life of divine grace and acts by the fitting virtues as by means of faculties, has need of those seven gifts, which are properly attributed to the Holy Ghost. By means of them the soul is furnished and strengthened so as to be able to obey more easily and promptly His voice and impulse. Wherefore these gifts are of such efficacy that they lead the just man to the highest degree of sanctity; and of such excellence that they continue to exist even in heaven, though in a more perfect way. By means of these gifts the soul is excited and encouraged to seek after and attain the evangelical beatitudes which, like the flowers that come forth in the springtime, are the signs and harbingers of eternal beatitude. . . .

Secondly, the problem with parents is that they somehow forget that children have need for sanctity. I wrote below that children can be saints. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are an absolute necessity for growing in holiness. Why deny younger children these gifts? 

When I hear parents blaming the Church or priests or bishops for the fact that their youth leave the Church after Confirmation, I am shocked. The parents are the primary persons responsible for the development of their children's spiritual life. No one can take the place of the parents in the home, as a young person's spiritual life is a daily experience of prayer and formation. 

Formation is practically missing in the homes of many Catholic parents, who seem not to have enough time for their own spiritual lives. To leave learning the Faith and prayer to the last minute or not at all. Parents have only themselves to blame if the children at any age leave the Church. Religion must be part of the daily rhythm of life in the family. To think that someone other than the parents or the peer group can influence a child is a misunderstanding of the needs of the child. The media and whatever computer games the young one play are also huge influences spiritually, which should be painfully obvious. Confirmation gives all of us the strength and the boost to the virtuous life necessary to be holy. This sacrament should never be delayed for social or liberal Catholic reasons.

Obamacare and the Supreme Court

I am following the Supreme Court case against Obamacare. I am waiting for the decision.

Prayer for Priests, Nine; for all those priests who we know, who say the Tridentine Mass in Europe and in America

O Jesus, eternal Priest,

keep your priests within the shelter of Your Sacred Heart,

where none may touch them.

Keep unstained their anointed hands,

which daily touch Your Sacred Body.

Keep unsullied their lips,

daily purpled with your Precious Blood.

Keep pure and unearthly their hearts,

sealed with the sublime mark of the priesthood.

Let Your holy love surround them and

shield them from the world's contagion.

Bless their labors with abundant fruit and

may the souls to whom they minister
be their joy and consolation
here and in heaven their beautiful and

everlasting crown.

Amen. St. Therese of Lisieux and http://clericalwhispers.blogspot.fr/2009/06/prayer-for-priests-by-st-therese-of.html

Notice on Latin Mass for Palm Sunday

         There will be a Mass at 8.00 am on Palm Sunday, at St Mary Magdalene, Bexhill.

Oh, my goodness, the microphone was on, again....

Duh, the microphone does not lie. look at this from The Washington Times online: SEOUL — Unaware that a microphone was recording him, President Obama asked outgoing Russian President Dmitry Medvedev Monday for breathing room until after Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign to negotiate on missile defense.
“On all these issues, but particularly missile defense, this, this can be solved, but it’s important for him to give me space,” Mr. Obama told Mr. Medvedev at the end of their 90-minute meeting, apparently referring to incoming Russian President Vladimir Putin. Putin is possibly being handed American secret defense policies on a plate by POTUS. That the President does not seem to have a clue about foreign policy is no surprise to some of this, but this last move "takes the biscuit". In an article on The Washington Free Beacon, online. Michael Turner in the House has challenged Obama's seemingly naive, yet worrying overture to Vladimir Putin.


Congress has made exquisitely clear to your administration and to other nations that it will block all attempts to weaken U.S. missile defense,” Turner stated in the letter. “As the chairman of the strategic forces subcommittee, which authorizes U.S. missile defense and nuclear weapons policy, I want to make perfectly clear that my colleagues and I will not allow any attempts to trade missile defense of the United States to Russia or any other country.”


Our national defense is at stake and if Americans do not wake up, they will wonder what happened not only on our own frontiers, but in Europe. Of course, any man trained in the Saul Alinksy communist school of activism does not see anything wrong with playing footsie with Putin. America has lost so much ground in foreign status under this present president, that i wonder how it will all end.....

Lepanto Remembered

It is time to post the great poem of Chesterton on Don Juan. Especially after the news coming from France today on the filming of the killings by the late Mohamed Merah. Disgusting.

G. K. Chesterton.

Lepanto

WHITE founts falling in the Courts of the sun,
And the Soldan of Byzantium is smiling as they run;
There is laughter like the fountains in that face of all men feared,
It stirs the forest darkness, the darkness of his beard;
It curls the blood-red crescent, the crescent of his lips;	5
For the inmost sea of all the earth is shaken with his ships.
They have dared the white republics up the capes of Italy,
They have dashed the Adriatic round the Lion of the Sea,
And the Pope has cast his arms abroad for agony and loss,
And called the kings of Christendom for swords about the Cross.	10
The cold queen of England is looking in the glass;
The shadow of the Valois is yawning at the Mass;
From evening isles fantastical rings faint the Spanish gun,
And the Lord upon the Golden Horn is laughing in the sun.
Dim drums throbbing, in the hills half heard,	15
Where only on a nameless throne a crownless prince has stirred,
Where, risen from a doubtful seat and half attainted stall,
The last knight of Europe takes weapons from the wall,
The last and lingering troubadour to whom the bird has sung,
That once went singing southward when all the world was young.	20
In that enormous silence, tiny and unafraid,
Comes up along a winding road the noise of the Crusade.
Strong gongs groaning as the guns boom far,
Don John of Austria is going to the war,
Stiff flags straining in the night-blasts cold	25
In the gloom black-purple, in the glint old-gold,
Torchlight crimson on the copper kettle-drums,
Then the tuckets, then the trumpets, then the cannon, and he comes.
Don John laughing in the brave beard curled,
Spurning of his stirrups like the thrones of all the world,	30
Holding his head up for a flag of all the free.
Love-light of Spain—hurrah!
Death-light of Africa!
Don John of Austria
Is riding to the sea.	35
Mahound is in his paradise above the evening star,
(Don John of Austria is going to the war.)
He moves a mighty turban on the timeless houri's knees,
His turban that is woven of the sunsets and the seas.
He shakes the peacock gardens as he rises from his ease,	40
And he strides among the tree-tops and is taller than the trees;
And his voice through all the garden is a thunder sent to bring
Black Azrael and Ariel and Ammon on the wing.
Giants and the Genii,
Multiplex of wing and eye,	45
Whose strong obedience broke the sky
When Solomon was king.
They rush in red and purple from the red clouds of the morn,
From the temples where the yellow gods shut up their eyes in scorn;
They rise in green robes roaring from the green hells of the sea	50
Where fallen skies and evil hues and eyeless creatures be,
On them the sea-valves cluster and the grey sea-forests curl,
Splashed with a splendid sickness, the sickness of the pearl;
They swell in sapphire smoke out of the blue cracks of the ground,—
They gather and they wonder and give worship to Mahound.	55
And he saith, "Break up the mountains where the hermit-folk can hide,
And sift the red and silver sands lest bone of saint abide,
And chase the Giaours flying night and day, not giving rest,
For that which was our trouble comes again out of the west.
We have set the seal of Solomon on all things under sun,	60
Of knowledge and of sorrow and endurance of things done.
But a noise is in the mountains, in the mountains, and I know
The voice that shook our palaces—four hundred years ago:
It is he that saith not 'Kismet'; it is he that knows not Fate;
It is Richard, it is Raymond, it is Godfrey at the gate!	65
It is he whose loss is laughter when he counts the wager worth,
Put down your feet upon him, that our peace be on the earth."
For he heard drums groaning and he heard guns jar,
(Don John of Austria is going to the war.)
Sudden and still—hurrah!	70
Bolt from Iberia!
Don John of Austria
Is gone by Alcalar.
St. Michaels on his Mountain in the sea-roads of the north
(Don John of Austria is girt and going forth.)	75
Where the grey seas glitter and the sharp tides shift
And the sea-folk labour and the red sails lift.
He shakes his lance of iron and he claps his wings of stone;
The noise is gone through Normandy; the noise is gone alone;
The North is full of tangled things and texts and aching eyes,	80
And dead is all the innocence of anger and surprise,
And Christian killeth Christian in a narrow dusty room,
And Christian dreadeth Christ that hath a newer face of doom,
And Christian hateth Mary that God kissed in Galilee,—
But Don John of Austria is riding to the sea.	85
Don John calling through the blast and the eclipse
Crying with the trumpet, with the trumpet of his lips,
Trumpet that sayeth ha!
Domino gloria!
Don John of Austria	90
Is shouting to the ships.
King Philip's in his closet with the Fleece about his neck
(Don John of Austria is armed upon the deck.)
The walls are hung with velvet that is black and soft as sin,
And little dwarfs creep out of it and little dwarfs creep in.	95
He holds a crystal phial that has colours like the moon,
He touches, and it tingles, and he trembles very soon,
And his face is as a fungus of a leprous white and grey
Like plants in the high houses that are shuttered from the day,
And death is in the phial and the end of noble work,	100
But Don John of Austria has fired upon the Turk.
Don John's hunting, and his hounds have bayed—
Booms away past Italy the rumour of his raid.
Gun upon gun, ha! ha!
Gun upon gun, hurrah!	105
Don John of Austria
Has loosed the cannonade.
The Pope was in his chapel before day or battle broke,
(Don John of Austria is hidden in the smoke.)
The hidden room in man's house where God sits all the year,	110
The secret window whence the world looks small and very dear.
He sees as in a mirror on the monstrous twilight sea
The crescent of his cruel ships whose name is mystery;
They fling great shadows foe-wards, making Cross and Castle dark,
They veil the plumèd lions on the galleys of St. Mark;	115
And above the ships are palaces of brown, black-bearded chiefs,
And below the ships are prisons, where with multitudinous griefs,
Christian captives sick and sunless, all a labouring race repines
Like a race in sunken cities, like a nation in the mines.
They are lost like slaves that sweat, and in the skies of morning hung	120
The stair-ways of the tallest gods when tyranny was young.
They are countless, voiceless, hopeless as those fallen or fleeing on
Before the high Kings' horses in the granite of Babylon.
And many a one grows witless in his quiet room in hell
Where a yellow face looks inward through the lattice of his cell,	125
And he finds his God forgotten, and he seeks no more a sign—
(But Don John of Austria has burst the battle-line!)
Don John pounding from the slaughter-painted poop,
Purpling all the ocean like a bloody pirate's sloop,
Scarlet running over on the silvers and the golds,	130
Breaking of the hatches up and bursting of the holds,
Thronging of the thousands up that labour under sea
White for bliss and blind for sun and stunned for liberty.
Vivat Hispania!
Domino Gloria!	135
Don John of Austria
Has set his people free!
Cervantes on his galley sets the sword back in the sheath
(Don John of Austria rides homeward with a wreath.)
And he sees across a weary land a straggling road in Spain,	140
Up which a lean and foolish knight for ever rides in vain,
And he smiles, but not as Sultans smile, and settles back the blade....
(But Don John of Austria rides home from the Crusade.)

The Latin Mass in the Diocese of Shrewsbury

Damian Thompson in The Telegraph has this fantastic story about the  Bishop of Shrewsbury, Rt. Rev. Mark Davies supporting Summorum Pontificum in his diocese. Here is the link and a section of the article. Take heart, Traddies.


 Summorum Pontificum has finally been fully implemented by a diocesan bishop – the Rt Rev Mark Davies, Bishop of Shrewsbury, who has entrusted the Shrine Church of Ss Peter and Paul and St Philomena in New Brighton, Wirral, to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest. This much-loved building, once known as "the dome of home" to returning sailors, had previously been closed. Bishop Davies saw no reason why this dynamic apostolic institute should not revive it.

I must say that other bishops have encouraged the TLM in their dioceses by allowing it and responding to priests who want to say the Mass of the Ages. At this time, more than ever, Britain needs the Latin Mass. 

On the Lunge Line

Virtue is an extension of the interior life of the spirit. Narcissism is a result of many things, including a lack of discipline, as well as an inherited disorder. Narcissism can be taught. Some of the  children of today believe that the world revolves around them and that their parents are there to meet their needs. This narcissism has been created by the lack of parental authority in families Many parents praise their children without the children earning the praise. This is the irony of the over-use of the self-esteem. Like a horse on a lunge line, one needs to break the will, but not the spirit. The life of the virtue cannot be taught until the will is under an authority. The life of virtue follows the breaking away of a life of the habit of sin. Habitual sin must be broken before a child can develop the virtues. But, an emphasis on the virtues is necessary and the earlier a child learns kindness, humility, charity, honesty and the other virtues the better.

Habits learned early create a happier adolescent time. Children need to learn and love boundaries. Boundaries and virtues go together. The so-called modern idea that children can express anger or hatred without compunction creates a child without boundaries. How far have we moved away from natural law and the common sense rearing of children is too sadly seen in deviant behavior. The popular anarchist movement, in my mind, is connected to this lack of boundaries and lack of virtue. We only have ourselves to blame as parents if there is now one or two generations of children who have and are being raised without virtues. If the parent is not honest with himself or herself with regard to sin and perfection, the children will follow in the sad footsteps of those who do not understand the interior life. The interior life can only be won with discipline and dying to self. Such a journey must be part of child-raising by parents who have gone before them in mercy and justice.

Materialism, Socialism and Civil Unions

Yet, again, I am surprised at the number of Catholic adults who not only are socialists, but have never bothered to study the teachings of the Catholic Church on this cleverly deceitful ideology. I have written many times on this blog of the evils of socialism and have several encyclicals linked at the side for further study. What is also not understood is that socialism, as well as communism, in our cultures and societies, have degraded the parental roles and the nature of marriage. In fact, I shall make the case here that the push for homosexual and lesbian civil marriages is not only part of the lgtb agenda, as stated in After the Ball, but part of the socialist agenda. And, why?

In the ideology of socialism, there can be no private property. All things, including people, belong to the State. The State becomes the Perfect Parent, knowing how to raise one's child better than one's self. The State dictates that home schooling must be bad, as the State has no power over what is being taught. Sweden and Germany have outlawed home schooling, and POTUS, as I have shown below in another post, wants to do the same. It is not only a power game, but who has control of the children has control over the future.

Socialism denies that there are any differences in people, as all are equal in the eyes of the State with regard to private property and supposedly talent. To bend the perceptions of people to make them deny that we are not all talented in the same manner, or that there are not differences in aspirations among people, is again, to make the State decide who does what when, how, where. The great social engineers of education, Bismarck in Germany and Dewey in America, planned an education system which would create non-thinking but obedient citizens, who would believe propaganda and deny free will. This has happened in America and most parts of Europe, creating a non-thinking populace, who are so used to the media controlling their minds, and the lack of logical discourse, that one is hard put to find a thirty-something who has actually learned how to think. Socialism demands conformity. The socialist redefines the nature of the individual, denying person-hood, as it the case of abortion or euthanasia, and redefines also the role of the individual in society. There are no differences in people.

The irony of socialism is that it also destroys the State. The State is not only subjected to the undermining of those States which are Catholic, but the very nature of a State, as a free organization of individuals contributing to the common good. The State becomes the end of all energy and organization, thus becoming the end of all individual accomplishments, including finances. To some Catholics who do not understand that it is the individual who should benefit from the State, this sounds like heresy. The State becomes something other than the servant to and for the people. It becomes god.

But, of course, the greatest evil of socialism is that it is based on the philosophy of materialism. There is no eternal life, no spiritual life, no Church, no Revelation, no Sacraments, etc. The materialistic philosophy pushes the idea of utilitarianism and production. Nothing, therefore, is important but things, which are temporary and ephemeral. In addition, authority does not belong to God, but to the State, or rather, those who control the State. So, what has all this to do with civil unions?

The push for civil unions not only undermines the sacrament of Marriage and the status of the natural family, but the State. Why? Socialism takes away the natural definitions of the individual, so that a person is merely there for the State. Civil marriage obviously takes away authority from the Church, but ultimately, it takes away authority from the State and undermines the entire concept of authority. By definition, sexual unions outside of the traditional heterosexual ones, are materialistic and ultimately, anarchic.  In a socialist system, the materialistic philosophy means there is no afterlife, no sin, no judgement. The entire idea of civil unions is based on the here and now, that there is no sin, no judgement, only the now, only the present pleasure. One needs a basis of morality in order to make spiritual decisions. Socialism denies this. There are no authorities which can dictate moral frameworks--the churches cannot impose religious views on society, as it is materialistic and never points to the Eternal. which does not exist. The gay lifestyle, which seems so capitalistic and free actually feeds into the denial of the individual as a person with a soul and a spiritual goal. All that is important is the same type of hedonism which pushes utilitarianism and the obsession with production. If I had to categorize this tendency as sin, I would call it the ultimate Idolatry of the Material.

Civil unions do not point to salvation. Gay marriage does not entail spiritual love. Civil unions by definition are materialistic. Such a false definition of marriage fits into the socialist agenda. All that does not serve God, all that does not admit of the spiritual life will bring spiritual death.

May I add that the misuse of language in socialist propaganda is similar if not the same in that of the lgtb factions. Words, such as freedom, liberty, brotherhood, justice, equality, and solidarity are the language of propaganda, the original meanings distorted for the use of an ideology. Socialism has murdered the English language, just as Nazism distorted the German language for at least three generations. The lgtb factions do the same thing, changing the definitions of words, like those listed above, to mean something else than the traditional meanings, based on a shared cultural and moral framework. Even claims to "love" and "caring" as words which mean something in a heteosexual relationship, have been used in a twisted and unnatural manner. That ideologies have much in common is obvious, but that the socialist agenda of disturbing the natural concept of the family, the State and marriage makes it a real partner with the gay marriage proponents.

Gemini and the Night Sky

Orion moves out of the Spring Sky, leaving us with the constellation Gemini, as one of the most obvious. Several planets may be seen, including Jupiter, Venus, Saturn and Mars.  If one knows where to look, these objects are easy to spot. Mars is best seen now at nightfall. It and Saturn are obvious. Remember, that planets do not twinkle or blink, but look stationery. I also saw the Space Shuttle. It is very bright and moves faster than the satellites.

Gemini, the Twins named Castor and Pollux, have two bright stars and a cluster. I highly suggest using binoculars to look at the various clusters found on the Hubble site. Have fun.

God Created the Patriarchy

In many conversations in the past nine months or so, I have noted that many adults simply do not understand that difference between a patriarchal and a matriarchal society or culture. Now, I learned these concepts in History class in junior high school classes when studying the ancient civilizations,which would fall into one or the other category.

That God actually created the patriarchal society of the Jews is a shock to many Christians, especially Catholics. That the Hebrews were one small group of Chosen People among many larger and stronger groupings, such as the Hittites and Assyrians, is forgotten, or never understood. The small Hebrew community was organized first under Moses, and then more so under Joshua and the High Priests. Leviticus is a good read for those who want the details. The Covenant came with many rules, but the primary purposes of God, if we can understand the Old Testament in light of the New, was to create a Nation of people who had a system of governance and hereditary priesthood which was male. Matriarchies dotted the ancient world, and one only needs to think of the religious aspects of female priestesses and the rules of sexual engagement these religions demanded. That God intervened and separated this type of occult power and created a People who had male leaders, male priests and the heads of the family were now male. Of course, the feminists hate all this and do their best to undermine this to the detriment of the Church and Church organization.

All of these is a denial of the Incarnation. And, a denial of the Revelation of the Old and New Testament is the  keystone of Modernist Heresies. Some Catholics look at the stronger wording of patriarchal theology of the Evangelical Churches and want to remove themselves from those influences and even vocabularies. However, the basis for the patriarchy in the Church cannot be ignored or swept under the carpet. That Christ came as a Man into the world strengthens and indeed, fulfills the patriarchal structures, especially that of priest, as seen clearly in the theology of Hebrews.

That Christ is the High Priest and that an ordained priest is an "alter Christus" has been debated by the feminists for the past thirty years. The Popes who wrote against the Modernist errors warned us of this type of re-reading and reinterpretation of Scripture. That Christ was Divinely Chosen to be a priest, is worth following in the Epistle. I have remarked on the Order of Melchizedeck before on this blog.

The point here is not merely reminding all of the fact of the Incarnation, but that Christ ordained, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, (not the Creator and the Sustainer), that His Church be based on a patriarchal system. One can go back to the Covenant of Abraham and trace the chosing of leadership, through the hereditary and even non-hereditary positions of the sons of the Patriarchs. I say non-hereditary, as some of those chose were not the oldest son, as in the case of David, the King. Solomon was not the oldest son, either.

Some feminists do not want to use the matriarchy, but matristic. Having a woman-centered society involves keeping the maternal side as the controlling unit in passing down land or even names. In a government by mothers, or even women who are unmarried with children, this type of society decides on the rules in families, etc. I have had many Irish friends state that the Celtic families are ruled by the women in the families. I think some of the families in England are matriarchies. 

Tappe, Sherman and Crisis Magazine on Castro and Obama

Christian Tappe in Crisis Magazine online, a link which is in my blog list, has a brilliant article on the losing of religious freedom in America and comparing it with what happened in Cuba. It is really on the mark.Tappe refers to a 1960  article by George Sherman. Why do we not learn from history? Here is a section:

To isolate rather than destroy. To allow worship…and nothing else. Sound familiar? It should.

President Obama began using the term “freedom to worship” in his speech at Fort Hood in 2009, less than a year into his presidency. And he and his administration have notably continued to use this language—as opposed to “freedom of religion”—a significant difference in terms.

Furthermore, unless the new HHS mandate changes, many Catholic hospitals (and possibly colleges) will either have to compromise the very beliefs that make them Catholic hospitals (or colleges) or shut down. Or serve only Catholics, thus accomplishing a major step toward Catholic “isolation.”

In his piece from fifty years ago, Sherman noted, significantly: “Priests are the first to admit that large sections of the population have little religious training.” In other words, Castro pounced when the Church was already weak. Many so-called Catholics likely didn’t notice any changes. They likely agreed with Castro over the Church on certain policies. And the faithful? Well the faithful, recognizing their reduced numbers and the potential dangers the Castro regime brought, were concerned . . . yet happy they were “allowed” to worship.

And, just like that, the Catholic Church in Cuba was reduced to a bunch of harmless, pious old church ladies. Catholics could still worship, sure. But the hospitals, orphanages, schools, etc. that were run by the Church were taken over by the state. Soon after, Christians were barred from participating in government.

Sound familiar?

The Church in America is weak. Secularism has been chipping away at it for decades. In recent years, many Catholic orphanages have closed after being cut off from public funds because they would not promote abortion, contraception, and the like. And we already know the precarious state of Catholic hospitals and colleges.

Sherman begins his piece with a warning that the Church and the Castro regime were quickly moving toward a clash, but that “Both sides are extremely reluctant to turn to all-out warfare.” He goes on to write, “For the government it is a question of tactics. . . . The position of the Church is much weaker. It is fighting for its life.”

Sherman’s observation was dire, terrifying, and prescient . . . and it still applies today. Perhaps the Church is stronger now in the United States than it was then in Cuba, but not exponentially so. The Church here is indeed struggling. The bishops, led by Cardinal Dolan, have spoken out, but then again, as Sherman tells us, two of the leading archbishops in Cuba “demonstrated publicly against Soviet influence.”

For the Obama administration, just like in Castro’s fledgling Cuba, it is merely a matter of tactics. How to isolate the Church without inciting a riot. It’s a line that Obama and his administration are toeing, and they’ve come close to crossing it with the HHS mandate. And yet they seem to have caught their balance, rallying the support of the media, the “public,” and even a depressingly high number within the Church.

Santorum wins Louisiana

I am hoping he does not throw in the towel, yet. The voters in the Southern States, traditionally more religious and conservative than the North, know a real conservative when they see one....Here is the article and a snippet. "Every day that passes with President Obama in the White House is a missed opportunity for America to get back on the right path. It’s time for all Americans to come together and help return our country to the conservative principles that made America free and prosperous, secure and respected around the world."

The Battle for Marriage in Britain continued

The gay marriage debate is heating up in the British press and in the blogsphere. Why there is so much support among Catholics in England is a mystery to me until one considers the horrible lack of catechesis in the last fifty years, and the obvious detrioration of Catholic teaching in the so-called Catholic schools. How many schools at any level in England, Scotland, Wales and even Northern Ireland, which are labelled Catholic actually teach the Deposit of Faith. I know of one for sure and that is Chavagnes International College in France, an English school up, which is truly Catholic. For one thing, the priest who teaches religion, Father Bede Rowe, knows his stuff and is truly Catholic. For the sake of the souls of our youth, parents, you must consider where you are sending your children.

God will ask you at your particular judgement whether you passed the Faith of the Holy Roman Catholic Church down to your children. not your own version of the Faith. The laxity among the laity to learn their Faith is their fault and not the fault of poorly educated priests, although that does not help. Do not blame priests but look at your own priorities as to the teaching of Christ and His Church.

The gay marriage (so-called) argument is based on the faulty idea of "civil rights" for gays. Sin has no rights. And the definition of marriage is as ancient as man and woman. Indeed, for those who believe, one only has to look at the Book of Genesis.

The Catholic Herald has many interesting articles and comments on the problem. Here is a link to the discussion on the paper's blog. The connection between contraception and gay marriage is discussed there. Also, you may look at my comments on The Tablet articles on civil unions below. Another interesting take it found by Christopher West.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with Thee

The simplicity and beauty of the Feast of the Annunciation, traditionally March 25th, moves one to contemplate on the humility of Our Blessed Virgin, Mary. I find it odd that so many seminarians and youth in Catholic schools never or rarely hear about the few Scriptural texts which refer to Our Lady, the Theotokos, outside of Mass. The reverence and duty which are due to her seem to be more and more slipping away. Indeed, several years ago, some sems said to me that they were surprised at the lack of Marian devotion in their seminary. Also, the lack of Marian devotion in seminaries was one of the leading criticisms of the American Visitation from Rome several years ago. Not much has changed.

Young men can benefit greatly from a devotion the the Blessed Virgin Mary, and my own experience is that those who love Mary have much healthier relationships with women, either young or old. The number of priests I have met in my life who openly dislike women and their company would fill a book, sadly, and I include several countries in that criticism. However, I have found less love for Mary and women among priests in America than in other places. In fact, one of the worst scenarios included my stint of teaching religion to all four levels of a supposed Catholic school, where I was told by the priest-president not only to stop teaching the Rosary, but not to emphasize Mary in my classes or teaching. It simply was not "done at this school". Needless to say, many boys had terrible relationships with girls, and lacked any sense of gentlemanly behavior. The priest turned out to be the best friend of a homosexual, pedophile priest in the diocese, which confirmed my suspicions that priests who do not love Mary have serious sexual problems of that ilk. Another priest who claimed to love Mary, who I met a year ago, has very odd ideas about women, which amount to a hidden hatred for them. His love for Mary is based on a false idea of womanhood. This is an important point. Mary is not only Queen, but the Mother, the Mother of God and the Mother of all of us, her children through grace. 

I find that the recent plethora of false visions do not help the real concept of Mary as Mother of God, but only emphasize her role as petitioner, not even her role as Mediatrix of All Grace. The quicker Rome clarifies her position as the Mediatrix and Co-Redemptorix, the better, as some priests do not want to accept these roles. I have discussed this with teaching priests in seminaries who really do not want to pay attention to the Theotokos at all. Draw your own conclusions.

That young men need to learn to love Mary, for an understanding of the dignity of all women, is of primary importance. No marriage class or no class on the spirituality of the priest should be taught without reference to this simple, but great Woman, who turned the curse of Eve into the Alleluias of Christmas and Easter.

Good Scholastic Theology from the Heart for Young Men on Sexual Sins, Which Have Been Ignored by the Clergy to the Peril of Their Souls and the Souls of the Laity

Without a doubt, masturbation leads to other sexual sins. It is a gateway sin so to speak and must no be downplayed .. dismissed or made light of so at to gain a tacit acceptance--from The Vortex

Second Open Letter to the Knights of Malta

In January, I wrote a long open letter to the Knights of Malta, which may be found here. Now, I write again from a different slant. In January, I was appealing to the Knights to support the Pope in his efforts to promulgate the Tridentine Mass. Particularly, there is no regular Tridentine Mass in Malta. The denial of the Mass is in direct contradiction to the wishes and teachings of Pope Benedict XVI, and the Knights and Dames owe their allegiance to him and the Catholic Church. Peter and Paul gave their lives for the Truth and the times are here again when those who are in positions of influence and authority must consider whether social standing or Catholicism is more important to their immortal souls.

Now, I appeal to the Knights for a review of the reason for their existence. I recognize and applaud the charitable works done by several friends of mine who are Knights and Dames. However, I would ask for a review of their political and religious covenants, a strong word, demanding a support of the Church Militant under siege. Many Catholics are becoming, a bit late, but better than never, aware of the anti-Catholicism growing in the Middle East, including the so-called Arab Spring nations. Egypt is no longer becoming a threat to Catholics and other Christians, but is a threat. My earlier post today points to other real and demanding answers from the Catholic Lay Community, which is the Knights of Malta. I beg these good and influential people to pay attention to the sufferings of their brothers and sisters in Christ in Muslim countries, and in other places, where anti-Catholicism is rising, and do two things: first, assiduously work for those politicians who see the threat of anti-Catholicism and those who are willing to stop being "politically correct" or politically asleep, and help these Europeans get into office. Secondly, work in the Middle East for those who are being targeted, marginalized, killed. Stop playing the false ecumenism game which led to the escalation of these persecutions in the first place. For the second time this week, I refer to Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn, who was always clear who the enemies of the Church and Western values were and did not mince words. Too many Knights and Dames I have met continue to be blinded by the older rhetoric of the Islamists, ignoring the threats, deaths and increasing violence, which is inherent in the religion. Also, with those with whom I have discussed this in the past, my brothers and sisters in Christ seemed to think the religion of Islam was of equal value to that of Catholicism. That is a heretical and weak position. The Catholic Faith is the one, true, revealed Faith. There are only two revealed religions-the Jewish and the Catholic. All others are man-made. If one does not believe this, one is not a Catholic, but a relativist, or a follower of other Modernist heresies, all emphasized on this blog as undermining the laity's ability to think as Catholics.  If we pretend there are no threats to the Western World from Muslim hatred, we only have ourselves to blame when worst persecution comes. I challenge the Knights of Malta again.

Some Bishops in Europe Have Awakened to the Presence of the Persecutor

Valletta

The Orthodox Bishops and the Catholic Bishops, of certain dioceses in Europe, have made statements as to the denial of human rights, specifically the right to worship, which is being more and more severely curtailed in the Gulf States. Thankfully, Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, chairman of the German Bishops Conference is part of this outcry against the persecution of the 3.5 million Catholics who live and work in the Arabia Peninsula. The Muslim leaders and their people are becoming more strident and bold in these types of persecutions. We must, as Catholics, highlight this problem, which will only spread. This story may be found here. Thank you, Mr. Spencer, for bringing this our attention.

PARIS, March 23 (Reuters) - Christian bishops in Germany, Austria and Russia have sharply criticised Saudi Arabia's top religious official after reports that he issued a fatwa saying all churches on the Arabian PenTinsula should be destroyed.

In separate statements on Friday, the Roman Catholic bishops in Germany and Austria slammed the ruling by Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdulaziz Al al-Shaikh as an unacceptable denial of human rights to millions of foreign workers in the Gulf region.

Archbishop Mark of Yegoryevsk, head of the Russian Orthodox department for churches abroad, called the fatwa "alarming" in a statement on Tuesday. Such blunt criticism from mainstream Christian leaders of their Muslim counterparts is very rare.

Christian websites have reported Sheikh Abdulaziz, one of the most influential religious leaders in the Muslim world, issued the fatwa last week in response to a Kuwaiti lawmaker who asked if Kuwait could ban church construction in Kuwait.

Citing Arab-language media reports, they say the sheikh ruled that further church building should be banned and existing Christian houses of worship should be destroyed.

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, chairman of the German Bishops Conference, said the mufti "shows no respect for the religious freedom and free co-existence of religions", especially all the foreign labourers who made its economy work.

"It would be a slap in the face to these people if the few churches available to them were to be taken away," he said.

At least 3.5 million Christians live in the Gulf Arab region. They are mostly Catholic workers from India and the Philippines, but also Western expatriates of all denominations.

Saudi Arabia bans all non-Muslim houses of prayer, forcing Christians there to risk arrest by praying in private homes.

There are churches for Christian minorities in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and Yemen. The bishops conference in Austria, where Saudi King Abdullah plans to open a controversial centre for interfaith dialogue, demanded an official explanation from Riyadh.

"How could the grand mufti issue a fatwa of such importance behind the back of his king?" they asked. "We see a contradiction between the dialogue being practiced, the efforts of the king and those of his top mufti."

Indeed. Different audiences, different messages. What's the word from the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna?

In Moscow, Archbishop Mark told the Interfax news agency he hoped that Saudi Arabia's neighbours "will be surprised by the calls made by this sheikh and ignore them".

The Catholic Church has urged Muslim states in recent years to give Christian minorities in their countries the same freedom of religion that Muslims enjoy in Western countries.

There are few Orthodox Christians in the Gulf region, but the Moscow Patriarchate - which was mostly silent during the decades of Soviet communism that ended in 1991 - has become increasingly vocal in defending the rights of Christians around
the world.

Bishop Paul Hinder, who oversees Catholic churches in the United Arab Emirates, Oman and Yeman, told Catholic news agency KNA that the fatwa had not been widely publicised in Saudi Arabia. "What is worrying is that such statements have influence in part of the population," he said.

Posted by Marisol on March