Pastoral Letter of the Bishops of Malta on IVF

Many posts today and yesterday--hope you can catch-up.

Malta is officially in recession, but, praise God, the bishops finally made a definitive statement on IVF.

UPDATE: Since I posted this, the official website of the Diocese of Malta has put this on their website. I give the link, as this translation is better and more complete than the original one I posted here. Here is the link. Please take time to read it. The letter is very moving.

http://maltadiocese.org/lang/en/news/pastoral-letter-celebrating-human-lifepastoral-letter-celebrating-human-life/

Answering an e-mail query on sin and responsibility

A good reader of this blog noted Garrigou-Lagrange's note that "Weakness and ignorance do not take away culpability for sin".  What the good priest is saying here can be broken down into various points. I shall write more on this later.


One, if one is a Catholic, one is responsible for learning the Faith. We have the CCC and the long, 2,000 years of history of the Catholic Church for information. In this information age, there is no excuse for not knowing something. More than 60% of households in Great Britain, Ireland and America are connected to the Internet. We can buy plane tickets, order food, order clothes, find mates and chat with our friends daily. We can also read the Vatican website and the CCC online, as well as other excellent sources, such as EWTN and others. Even children can find out the truth and I now at least four very young children (ages 8-12) who chose to be Catholics when their parents were not. 


Two, the Natural Law, embedded in all humans by the very fact that they are human tell us when something is right or wrong, unless we have lived a life of perversion and keep choosing that over truth. Again, if we are sensitive, our natural consciences will dictate what is immoral and what is moral. The Greeks and Romans knew this and the early philosophers wrote on what was human and what was sub-human behavior. It is the errors of Modernist heresies which have deadened natural law philosophy, especially in the States, where is it no longer taught in some law schools.


Three, the habit of sin must be broken. And, the longer we are in sin, the harder it is to break those habits. Guilt is not a bad thing regarding habitual sin. Habitual sin becomes addictive and addictive sin is living in sin. St. Thomas Aquinas says that it takes one year to break a habit of sin, such as lying, and only three months to develop a virtue. I think he had personal experience of this. We cannot make excuses for habitual sins of any type, such as masturbation or lying. These must be taken to Confession weekly, and with a good, orthodox Confessor, can be broken. Sometimes healing is necessary and both a spiritual director and a counselor who is Catholic and sound can be very helpful. But, the sin must be broken. This is what is means to carry the Cross of our weaknesses. But, tendency, which is concupiscence, is not an excuse. We all have concupiscence because of Original Sin.


Four, temptation is not sin. Sin is the dwelling on the temptation or the action. If an idea crosses our mind of something sinful, we can actively say "no" to the thought and deed.


Five, we all have weaknesses. These our both our Crosses and our way to holiness. Weaknesses are both in the body and in the will. We must practice the strengthening of the will. Weakness equals concupiscence. Modern society does not see weakness in itself as an occasion of sin, but it is.


I can give an example. A good woman I knew years ago had a compulsion for shopping. She spent money and used her credit card to the point of bad stewardship. She got into debt. Thankfully, she was a praying Catholic and realized one day that she just could not go shopping. She had to avoid the malls and shops. She did that and succeeded in overcoming her desires. She also prayed for the opposite virtue of these sins of gluttony and vanity by practicing "custody of the eyes". She did not look anymore at Vogue, or other fashion magazines. She controlled her eyes when on the street. She asked God for humility and simplicity. She prayed to Mary and did this on her own. She succeeded in overcoming the need, the compulsion, the sin of vanity. I admire this person and hope that she can overcome pride in other areas of her life. She is very open about this and knows that the life of virtue will lead her to heaven, eventually.


When one gives in to sin, one creates a habit and, possibly, an addiction. If one has an addictive personality, to pornography, for example, the first cause of divorce in the States today, one needs to be very strict with one's self. We have lost the idea of discipline. But the only way to overcome such is through prayer, fasting, the sacraments, the opposite virtues.


Six,  sins and weaknesses are OBJECTIVE not SUBJECTIVE. Once society forgets that there is objective evil, sin becomes rampant. Herein lies our culpability. Stealing. adultery, masturbation. sodomy, etc. are objectively evil. Therefore, each person has some level of culpability. Even the young person who has been abused must accept the fact that he or she does not have to live a life of abuse or sexual promiscuity because of that abuse. This is the fact of heroic virtue. One chooses the hard way. A person may have the strength of will to do this on his own, but he needs Catholic, orthodox help is the will is weak. We are never without some responsibility for sinning. And being sinned against is no excuse for sinning. I speak from experience in that regard. 


Sadly, Thomistic philosophy has not been taught for years in seminaries, so many priests are confused themselves on the overlap of sin and will. I cannot see that masturbation as explained in the CCC is never sinful. It is always sinful, always, as is any addictive behavior which destroys the body or the soul.  If one is that weak in the will, the will must be made strong again. Culpability is lessened, but to stop taking that sin to Confession will only add to the problem. Weaknesses must be confessed on a regular basis. Here is a quotation from an excellent section which I recommend to all readers:

2352 By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. "Both the Magisterium of the Church, in the course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action."¹³⁸ "The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose." For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of "the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved."¹³⁹

To form an equitable judgment about the subjects' moral responsibility and to guide pastoral action, one must take into account the affective immaturity, force of acquired habit, conditions of anxiety or other psychological or social factors that lessen, if not even reduce to a minimum, moral culpability.

That passage does not deny sin. The levels of culpability should change as one becomes more aware, more holy. But, one does not need to be trapped in sin all one's life. That is the beauty of the Sacramental Life.

A good simile is from St. Teresa of Avila, who wrote that as we become more holy, the light of grace shines in us and shows us the smallest sin as a great shadow. The brighter the sun, the longer and more dark the shadow. That is the type of conscience we are called to in the life of the virtues. She said: One venial sin can do us greater harm than all the forces of hell combined.

Last point, which is seven. Grace is greater than nature or nurture. To deny that grace changes us is to deny the Teaching of the Catholic Church. Christ gives us this grace daily, and those who have addictions can win the battle by daily Communion, weekly Confession and good friends and companions. 


We must fight against mortal sin. We must then fight against venial sin. We must then fight against imperfections. Otherwise, we shall never see God. We do not fight alone, but with the help of grace and knowledge, we can win. God never abandons us.




God bless my good reader.

St. Joachim and Private Revelations

St. Joachim, whose feast day is shared with his wife, St. Ann (see below) like other married saints, has an interesting name according to the Catholic Encyclopedia online. It means "God Prepares". I highlight him today with St. Ann in order to invoke them to help me with a point I have been making regarding private revelations.

St. Peter Damian, along with other saints mentioned below in Garrigou-Lagrange's book, warns against curiosity about things which are not in the Scriptures. At this time, I cannot stress this point enough. We have many things upon which we can ponder, in the Scriptures and in the CCC, for example. We can meditate on the lives of the saints in our modern times, whose lives have been documented clearly.

We should not read the fake "gospels" for meditations, as these are not inspired by God. Here is a bit from the same article on St. Joachim where I happily found the reference to St. Peter Damian.


Tradition has it that the parents of the Blessed Virgin, who, apparently, first lived in Galilee, came later on to settle in Jerusalem; there the Blessed Virgin was born and reared; there also they died and were buried. A church, known at various epochs as St. Mary, St. Mary ubi nata est, St. Mary in Probatica, Holy Probatica, St. Anne, was built during the fourth century, possibly by St. Helena, on the site of the house of St. Joachim and St. Anne, and their tombs were there honoured until the close of the ninth century, when the church was converted into a Moslem school. The crypt which formerly contained the holy tombs was rediscovered on 18 March, 1889


We can assume the relics were destroyed, except for those few which had already made the journey into Europe.

On the lunge line...

I have had feedback from readers who want me to go through the list of Garrigou-Lagrange's sins and categories. I did that on two yesterday. I shall try and define the rest, using the texts of the Catholic Church as much as possible. Both the sins and the virtues must be understood.

Now, most Catholics have never heard, unless they have read this blog, that the Life of Virtue is the way we are to be living daily. It is not enough to be broken from habits of mortal or venial sin. It is not enough to stop sinning. That is only the beginning of our walk to and in holiness.

Following the breaking of habitual or even repeated venial sins is the whole new world of the virtues. How many sermons have you heard on the development of the virtues on a daily basis in order to attain heaven and in order to bring about the Kingdom of God, and to support the Church in Her mission of evangelization?

The life of the virtues begins when a child is born. Children vary as to what age they reach the age of reason, but the Church has consistently stated that this age is seven. No excuses can be given for not understanding right and wrong through nurture, as nature gives each one of us this ability. Natural law is part of being human.

Many children show signs of a conscience much earlier than seven. In fact, I know one child who was allowed to make his First Confession at the age of five as he clearly understood good and evil, sin and virtue, right and wrong, even grace, in age-appropriate language.

Many parents will admit that their toddlers "get it" when corrected and the breaking of the will, not the spirit of the child, is a role a parent must accept. If a child is taught virtue early, she has a chance for great holiness.

This sounds like heresy to some parents, but if anyone has ever trained a horse on a lunge-line, you will understand my metaphor. Look at my post on March 27th for this discussion.
http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/on-lunge-line.html

The will comes into submission through grace and the life of the virtues begins.

I shall try and share the definitions in the weeks to come.

Down with the charismatic presidents--Thomas Sowell's thoughts

Thomas Sowell: worth reading.

Random thoughts on the passing scene:

Even squirrels know enough to store nuts, so that they will have something to eat when food gets scarce. But the welfare state has spawned a whole class of people who spend everything they get when times are good, and look to others to provide for their food and other basic needs when times turn bad.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution prescribes "equal protection of the laws" to all Americans. But what does that mean, if the President of the United States can arbitrarily grant waivers, so that A, B and C have to obey the laws but X, Y and Z do not -- as with both ObamaCare and the immigration laws?

Two reports came out in the same week. One was from the Pentagon, saying that, in just a few years, Iran will be able to produce not only a nuclear bomb but a missile capable of carrying it to the United States. The other report said that the American Olympic team has uniforms made in China. This latter report received far more attention, both in Congress and in the media.

People who lament gridlock in Washington, and express the pious hope that Democrats and Republicans would put aside their partisan conflicts, and cooperate to help the economy recover, implicitly assume that what the economy needs is more meddling by politicians, which is what brought on economic disaster in the first place. (Skeptics can read "The Housing Boom and Bust.")

Racism is not dead, but it is on life support -- kept alive by politicians, race hustlers and people who get a sense of superiority by denouncing others as "racists."

One of the arguments for Medicare is that the elderly don't want to be a burden to their children. Apparently it is all right to be a burden to other people's children, who are paying taxes.

Those who talk as if more people going to college is automatically a Good Thing seldom show much interest in what actually goes on at college -- including far less time spent by students studying than in the past, and a proliferation of courses promoting a sense of grievance, entitlement or advanced navel-gazing and breast-beating.

One of the most dangerous trends of our times is making the truth socially unacceptable, or even illegal, with "hate speech" laws. It is supposed to be terrible, for example, to call an illegal alien an "illegal alien" or to call an Islamic terrorist an "Islamic terrorist." When the media refer to "undocumented" workers or to violence committed by "militants," who is kidding whom -- and why?

After the charismatic -- and disastrous -- Woodrow Wilson presidency, the voters did not elect another president in the next decade who could be considered the least bit charismatic. Let us hope that history repeats itself.


For more than two centuries, the U.S. military never had a public celebration of anybody's sex life -- until the recent "gay pride" event under the Obama administration. Here, as elsewhere, the gay political agenda is not equality but privilege.

Franklin D. Roosevelt famously said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself." Then he proceeded to generate fear among businesses for years on end, with both his anti-business rhetoric and his anti-business policies. Barack Obama is repeating the same approach and getting the same results -- namely, an agonizingly slow economic recovery, as investors hang on to their money, instead of risking it in a hostile political environment.

If we wake up some morning and find some American cities in radioactive ruins, courtesy of a nuclear Iran, nobody is going to care whether the president who lets this happen is the first black president or the last WASP president. But, in the meantime, many people will keep on voting for symbolism, as if an election is a popularity contest, like choosing a college's Homecoming Queen or Parade Marshal.

There seems to be something "liberating" about ignorance -- especially when you don't even know enough to realize how little you know. Thus an administration loaded with people who have never run any business is gung-ho to tell businesses what to do, as well as gung-ho to tell the medical profession what to do, lenders whom to lend to, and the military how to fight wars.

Meteor Shower Coming Soon

On the night of August 11th into the morning of the 12th, one can watch the Perseid Meteor Shower. I was in Kent for the last one and saw many meteors. As a young friend of mine states, in London, the stars live indoors, so I am not sure I shall be able to see these.

However, I shall try.

Happy Feast of St. Ann

Happy Feast Day of St. Ann, one of my name-patrons. God bless all my friends who have the name of Ann, all my friends who have birthdays today, and all mothers and grandmothers.

We must not forget that her holiness was instrumental in the life of the most perfect woman to ever live, Our Blessed Virgin Mary.

On False Prophets and Scandal

Acquaintances and friends have dropped me recently because they are involved in following false prophets and seers. When I pointed out the errors, I was cut off from intimacy and trust on their part. Sadly, this is a result of the sin of scandal. Scandal is caused when one chooses sin which publicly leads others astray. Remember, the devil does not care how people lose their souls. Something could seem like a good and not be so. This is why those of us who are careful concerning seers seek the wisdom and guidance of Holy Mother Church. I pray these people see their errors and begin to meekly obey the Church. It is the closed-mindedness and anger which one meets when trying to help sort out the errors, which is so painful and a mystery to me. The defensiveness must be based on something.

Those creating scandal, which is mortal sin, invite others to sin as well. If a seer or false prophet is engaged in spreading doctrinal errors, this activity is inviting others to sin against truth. After being told
that something is wrong doctrinally, or that the Church has condemned or warned against a seer, a person who persists in following that person either by supporting them financially, or visiting their holy places, or going to their talks, is likewise committing a sin of disobedience on top of scandal.

There are divisions to the sin of scandal, as there are to most sins. Here are the divisions from Catholic Encyclopedia online:


(1) Scandal is divided into active and passive. Active scandal is that which has been defined above; passivescandal is the sin which another commits in consequence of active scandal. Passive scandal is called scandal given (scandalum datum), when the act of the scandalizer is of a nature to occasion it; and scandal received (acceptum), when the action of the one who scandalizes is due solely to ignorance or weakness—this isscandal of the weak (infirmorum),—or to malice and evil inclinations—this is pharisaical scandal, which was that of the Pharisees with regard to the words and actions of Christ.


Some Catholics who are weak or ignorant fall under this category. Notice that weakness or ignorance do not take away culpability for sin. This is an important point. And, if one persists in sin, one can see the evil of that decision, especially after being told of the dangers.


The second division is:


(2) Active scandal is direct when he who commits it has the intention of inducing another to sin; such is the sin of one who solicits another to the crime of adultery, theft etc. If one prevails upon another to commit thesin not only because of an advantage or pleasure believed to accrue therefrom but chiefly because of the sin itself, because it is an offence to God or the ruin of a neighbor's soul, direct scandal is called by the expressive name of diabolical scandal. On the other hand scandal is only indirect when without the intention to cause another to fall into sin we say a word or perform a deed which is for him an occasion of sin


It is too easy to lead others astray, especially in our youth, when we have peers who are easily pressured, even TRAD peers, into believing something is not true.


Unless the Church approves a visionary, do not follow him or her. If one has been condemned or if the Church has given a warning against one, do not follow that person.


You do so at your own peril.


May I add that earlier in this series, I outlined the way the Church determines the validity of revelations. One can put in "private revelations" in the search bar.


A reminder-a person who is a visionary can be made a Blessed or Venerable without her writings or visions being approved. I know this sounds odd, but it is so. Also, a veneration of a particular statue or devotion to Mary can be approved without the revelations being approved. This happens more than one would think.

The Return of the Feminine?

Some of my friends and I have noticed a fashion design change, which is huge. A few years ago, one could not find skirts or dresses in many of the high-street shops. A few names carried them, but if one wanted, for example, a particular colored dress or skirt, shopping became a real chore. Many of us trad women have shopped at second-hand stores for years, as that is where we could find quality dresses and skirts from days past.

This has changed. Daily, I now see ladies and girls in dresses and skirts and blouses. I am happy. The problem is that this trend has not hit two types of females: women over 60, and young women who are not peaceful with being feminine.

The older ones are either still in rebellion and feminists, like Ms. Clinton, or they are cold. However, when temperatures hit 91 Fahrenheit, one would think the second argument falls flat.

Other reasons create a problem which is more serious and connected to several factors. The first is the push to be "sporty"; many young women in their twenties wear sports clothes all the time. I see this in London. The clothes, which are not inexpensive, are either too tight, or too baggy. I think the shirts with sports logos and team names create the worst eye-sores. Why a beautiful young woman of twenty-something would walk through Portobello Market with a Manchester United shirt on is beyond me. Why a young woman of twenty-something would wear tight bicycling pants for shopping is strange.

There is a lack of appropriateness in dressing. We dressed for occasions, including shopping. Now, I know some ladies hate the thought of changing before going out, but that is how I grew up. You changed for shopping, going to the doctor, going to church, and visiting.

As I wore a uniform from age 6 until 18 and was a day-student, I changed for dinner, as did my brothers.

So, "sporty" falls under inappropriateness. If one goes to a baseball game or soccer game, by all means dress in fan colors. Why not? Why not a skirt and blouse in red and white or whatever? Cute.

Secondly, there are many women who hate the fact that they have fat legs, less than perfect hips, and curly hair. Whatever the problem as perceived, because they do not look like Barbie, or the latest famous actress or singer, they will not wear dresses or skirts. This is a serious problem. Their mums are probably wearing pants, trousers, slacks, whatever you call them all the time as they lack confidence is just being a woman.

Thirdly, the evil in the world stresses androgyny. Androgyny denies gender differences, and see my post  on the EU wanting countries to pass a law which states that gender differences are created by a culture. This attitude denies God as Creator of male and female and allows for all types of sexual deviance.

Fourthly, Catholic mums have failed to pass on femininity to their daughters. I could write a book on this fact alone. Eating habits, how one walks, appropriate tone of voice, etc. have not been seen as disciplines. The worst to me is raucous, loud laughter. A woman of God must be feminine. If a woman starts talking to me about being a committed Christian on the street, and is wearing blue jeans and a sweat shirt, I would like to speak with her about being a Christian woman.

Lastly, if we are to evangelize the world, we must not give in to modern culture regarding dress. Modesty and appropriateness must accompany a interior disposition to put on the Mind of Christ. If there is a disjoint, I am concerned. The physical and the spiritual are one. If there is a split in the personality, there is a character defect. Self-hatred is sinful as well as a psychological problem. This is connected to the second problem of women not accepting who they are and how God made them.

Catholic women need to look and act like women.

As a postscript, there are some readers who do not understand what a blog or a post is. I always give my sources if those ideas are not my own. Otherwise, one can be assured these are my own. However, my ideas are based on tradition, the Teaching Magisterium, or years of Catholic wisdom in the Catholic culture. Also, I try to write in truth. I find that many women who get angry about being feminine and who want to wear trousers or jeans, just do not understand what I am saying about the evils of androgyny. I hope all readers pause and think, and not merely have knee-jerk reactions.

Another Gramsci Post and the Enemy of Marxism

Thanks, Wiki

Well, I haven't written about Gramsci for a long time, and as I only have 16 articles in which I mention him by name, I thought it was about time I brought him out of the closet again.

Why? Because Catholics do not think like Catholics.

Gramsci understood that neo-Thomism was a danger to Communism.  He knew that Thomism and neo-Thomism were antithetical to communism and the war against culture. He quotes an article by Father Gemelli on Leo XIII in Notebook I. "To lead the world back to a fundamental doctrine by means of which the intelligence can regain the ability to show man the truth which he must acknowledge and to do so not only by preparing the path to faith, but by giving man the means to securely handle all of life's problems. Leo XIII thus offered the Christian people a philosophy, the doctrine of scholasticism, not as a narrow, static and exclusive frame of knowledge but as an organism of living thought which is open to enrichment by the thought of all the Doctors and Fathers, and which is capable of bringing the speculation of rational theology into harmony with the data of positive science, a condition for stimulating and harmonizing reason and faith, the real and the ideal, the past and the discoveries of the future, prayer and action, internal and social life, the duties of the individual and those of society, the duties toward God and the duties toward man."


This packed quote in Gramsci's Notebook, indicates that he knew that the most formidable enemy of Marxist and atheism was the rational and faithful Catholic.

A thinking Catholic who has the framework for a living faith could create activity in all strata of society and appeal to the intellectual as well as the laborer, who, in Gramsci's eyes should be one and the same.

He wanted intellectualism  not to be the mark of academia, but of all levels of society. Why? Gramsci saw the power of a cohesive mind-set, a unified world view. an ideal and reality which would counteract both socialism and individualism.

The moral impetus of the Church could be found nowhere else but in Marxism.

And the strength of the unified declaration of the equality and freedom of all humans which the Marxists taught was only rivaled by the Thomism and neo-Thomism of the Catholic Church.

This is one reason why the neo-Thomists, such as Maritain and Dawson, were so interested in culture and politics. They could see the need for this application of Thomism as a wall against communism and atheism. They could see that tyranny had to be combated by a strong philosophy, the Handmaid of Theology.

Sigh, too bad Thomism was dropped as a philosophical core course by the late 1950s in America. Too bad the seminaries in Europe were infiltrated by other philosophies open to Marxist interpretations of history and progress in the 1930s. Too bad the definition of the individual changed in seminary classes.

Now, the new orders, such as the FSSPs, and the Legionaries, have realized the weaknesses of seminary training which does not apply this Catholic manner of thinking and have re-introduced this philosophy, which leads to a practical world-view. No offense, but we have many uneducated seminarians from diocesan colleges, who lack a common philosophy which ties all their courses into a cohesive world-view. They do not think like Catholics.

It is interesting to me that so many post-Vatican II priests distrust Thomism and neo-Thomism. I think it is because they want to be open to the relativism and ideologies of modernist heresies, including communism and socialism.

Gramsci knew his enemy and his enemy has failed to be vigilant.

USCCB supports contraception abroad

In case you missed this, Michael Voris adds to my opinion, expressed here and elsewhere, that the USCCB has to go.

Perfection Series continued--sins

A reader asked me to break down some of the categories of sin and concupiscence. I hope this answers her questions.

Here was the original list:

Under Pride and Self, these are listed: vainglory, disobedience, boasting, hypocrisy, contention, rivalry, discord,, singularity, stubbornness, sloth (acedia), hatred of spiritual things, malice, rancor, pusillanimity, discouragement, spiritual torpor, forgetfulness of precepts and seeking after forbidden things.


Catholics who insist on following false, condemned seers are committing a sin of pride.

In the next category of Pride, that of sins against others, the list continues: envy, hatred, detraction, calumny, joy at the misfortune of others, sadness at another's success, anger, disputes, fits of passion, insults, contumely, blasphemy.

Let me start with pusillanimity. To be pusillanimous is to be cowardly and timid to the point of not living up to  one's potential. Now, psychology wants us to believe that weaknesses are not sin. And, why are weaknesses sin? Because we have access to grace, we can change. We are not doomed to live in sinful conditions owing to our past experiences or natural or nurturer-faults. If one is timid to the point of living in fear, and I know an entire family like this, one must stop and get an excellent Catholic counselor or spiritual director, or both.

Cowardice created excuses, so  a pusillanimous tends to lie and cover up weaknesses.

Another sin which may need defining is contumely. This is a HUGE sin in the modern world. It is abusive and offensive language and behavior, as well as rude, insulting and scornful language and behavior. This sin has increased in the past decade, as people, including politicians, think they can be rude and act rude with impunity.

I am amazed at parents who allow their children to be rude. I saw this beginning in about 1990, when one of the mothers in my coffee morning-toddler play group was sending her two year old to aggressive training classes. This is not a joke. 

I said to her at the time that a two-year old hardly needs aggressiveness training and her response was that the world was so bad that survival of the fittest meant her son needed this.

I wonder what he is like now.

To be continued...

The Virtues To Beat the Vices

So as not to fall into despair, one must cultivate the virtues, which we should be doing in childhood.

The habit of virtue can be taught and learned at very early ages. "Give me a child before five, and I have him for life". An old Jesuit saying, which I saw as true when I was teaching Montessori, this phrase sho

People want these days to let their children grow up like little weeds, thinking somehow, (well, it is not thinking) that these kids will automatically blossom into angels at puberty. No.

The life of the virtues is long and hard and starting early is a huge advantage.

This is the the importance of infant baptism. As we grow, we grow in either virtue or vice. There is no other way.

Some people have said to me, how did you know this or that practice, such as custody of the eyes, or daily examination of conscience, which are habits? I tell them I learned this at the ages of seven and eight, preparing for First Confession and Holy Communion. Some people are shocked. Why?

Even a toddler knows right and wrong. Just watch. Even children can go to hell. I was living in England when two very young boys kidnapped a toddler, tortured him and killed him. Sadly, we all need training in virtue.

The theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity help with SPECIFIC sins.

Garrigou-Lagrange explains this.

Charity "towards God, and gift of wisdom and towards one's neighbor--(fight) disgust for spiritual thing, envy discord, scandal."


Hope which is "confidence, abandonment, and the gift of fear, opposed to presumption, (fight) presumption and despair"

"Faith and the spirit of faith, and the gifts of understanding and knowledge (fight) infidelity, blasphemy, blindness, culpable ignorance."


The great Dominican goes on to state that "Prudence, docility to good counsels and the gift of counsel" fight "imprudence and negligence, carnal prudence, cunning".


"Justice and the connected virtues of religion (gift of piety), penance, filial piety, obedience gratitude, veractiy, fidelity, liberality" fight " injustice, impiety, superstition, hypocrisy, lying."


"Fortitude and teh gift o f fortitude, with magnanimity, patience and perseverance" fight, "rash boldness, cowardliness and pusillanimity."


"Temperance, sobriety and chastity, with meekness and humility" fight "intemperance, lust, anger, pride and curiosity."


I don't know about you, but I have a lot of work to do....

If we do not help God destroy vice in us, we shall not see Him. 

Prayer to the Great Angel Gabriel for Help in Need

St, Gabriel, the great angel of God, is the patron of many things. Today, I invoke him as patron of postal workers, postal services, post offices, telecommunications workers, and telephones.

If you live in England, you understand my fervent prayer to him. I said this prayer and the prayer was answered immediately.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel, I venerate you as the Angel of the Incarnation, because God specially appointed you to bear the messages concerning the God-Man to Daniel, Zechariah, and the Blessed Virgin Mary. Give me a very tender and devoted love for the Incarnate Word and his Blessed Mother more like your own. I venerate you also as the "Strength from God" because you are the giver of God's strength, consoler and comforter chosen to strengthen God's faithful and teach them important truths. I ask for the grace of a special power of the will to strive for holiness of life.

Steady my resolutions; renew my courage; comfort and console me in the problems, trials and sufferings of daily living, as you consoled our Savior in his agony and Mary in her sorrows and Joseph in his trials. I put my confidence in you. Saint Gabriel I ask you especially for this favor: (mention your request). Through your earnest love for the Son of God made man and for his Blessed Mother I beg of you, intercede for me that my request may be granted, if it be God's holy will. Pray for us, Saint Gabriel the Archangel, that we may be worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen.

Window, Buckland, England

More on the BioVentures Center in Iowa

This news is a bit late, but it is good news--I had a post on this earlier, but I want to follow-up on this.. On July 11th in Coraville, Iowa, Rick Santorum helped launch the Give Cures at the BioVentures Center in Iowa City, for the John Paul II Stem Cell Research Center. This type of research provides cures  without using the tissues of aborted babies. Santorum stated:  


"Shortcuts by promoting abortion and promoting unethical behavior are certainly not the best solution to whatever medical condition you might have...How many people have ever heart of a single cure as a result of fetal tissue (research)? The answer is none, zero..The field has been abandoned."


Father Jim Vrba, pastor of St. Mary's Parish in Solon, Iowa stressed in the article in the local diocesan paper that the center's research was in line with Church teaching that life begins at conception.


I write about this again to encourage those who want to give to a great cause in research, that Catholics are working hard in the area of stem cell research. 


You may contact the group in order to give a donation.http://www.givecures.org/#/about/4563732608

Perfection series warning two--Concupiscence

Tomorrow, I shall write about the virtues which counteract the sins and tendencies listed today.

The All Pure, All Holy Theotokos

The life of the virtues bring us to eternal life and help the Church to grow through evangelization. If we are not living the life of virtue, we shall go to purgatory, as only the perfect see God. And, we shall not have the power of ministry needed in the Church.

We all have concupiscence, a result of Original Sin, and it is the tendency towards sin. The closer we get to God, the more clear are these areas. These lists are from Garrigou-Lagrange.

Under concupiscence of the eyes, this is the list: avarice, perfidy, fraud, deceit, perjury, itch to acquire and excessive anxiety to keep, harshness, hardness of heart.


Under concupiscence of the flesh are listed: lust, spiritual blindness, poor judgment, impetuosity of decision, inconstancy, love of self even to hatred of God, attachment to the present life which destroys hope of eternal life.  


Do not despair. as we have the life of the sacraments, which gives us and feed the theological and cardinal virtues. Watch this space. Be honest, pray, act. Look to Mary, Our Mother and Role Model.

Perfection Series continued--a Warning

sloth, spiritual torpor and discouragement

One of the most important lessons to learn in the spiritual life is NOT to believe one is at a higher stage of development that one really is. Self-deceit and confusion can lead to dangerous results, including the loss of one's soul.

A spiritual director or a good confessor is a necessary person. Also, one must examine one's conscious daily. Before one goes to bed at night is the best time.

Garrigou-Lagrange lists sins we could use in an examination: all come from "Inordinate love of self".

He divides this list into "Pride" and "Concupiscence".

He further divides Pride into sins regarding one's self and sins in regard to one's neighbor.

He further divides Concupiscence into sins of the flesh and sins of the eyes. That will be in the next post.

Under Pride and Self, these are listed: vainglory, disobedience, boasting, hypocrisy, contention, rivalry, discord,, singularity, stubbornness, sloth (acedia), hatred of spiritual things, malice, rancor, pusillanimity, discouragement, spiritual torpor, forgetfulness of precepts and seeking after forbidden things.


Catholics who insist on following false, condemned seers are committing a sin of pride.

In the next category of Pride, that of sins against others, the list continues: envy, hatred, detraction, calumny, joy at the misfortune of others, sadness at another's success, anger, disputes, fits of passion, insults, contumely, blasphemy.


To be continued...

Perfection Series continued-the predominant fault--four

St. Augustine tells us, using Garrigou-Lagrange, that God never asks us to do the impossible. If God desires us to be one with Him and He does, we will have the means to overcome all of our sins. First of all, we must ask for grace and as Catholics, that means taking part in the Sacramental Life of the Church-monthly if not weekly Confession; frequent, if not daily Communion; living out the life of the virtues.

We cannot give up the fight. If we do,we shall lose eternal life with God.

Garrigou-Lagrange states. "We must not make peace with our faults." Do not tolerate evil in yourself and in others. Parents, mold and guide your children to holiness. Do not give in to the lies of the world.

We are all called to the fight. We are all called to be saints. It is hard. So what? Heaven and the Face of Jesus will be our reward.

Huckabee on Abortion and Guns

Mike Huckabee, speaking on his Fox News show, said America doesn’t have a gun problem or crime problem but a “sin problem” and that while the Aurora movie massacre was a horrible incident that deserves the media coverage it's getting, other daily American tragedies such as mass abortion, suicides, and other murders should receive more attention.

The former Arkansas governor and presidential candidate said his Fox News segment that the shooting “is impossible to understand except that we live in a world where there is evil.”

“We simply don't know why any person would reach deep enough into the forces of darkness to decide to kill innocent people simply watching a movie,” Huckabee said, adding that he is refusing to name the killer because he is not interested in “helping him become a celebrity.”

Huckabee said killing a dozen people in a movie theater gets attention because it doesn’t happen every day “but one million innocent and unborn babies die in their mother's wombs each year by elective abortions and we pay scant attention to that.”

He cited the 6,500-plus troops lost in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and suicides in the U.S. as other examples of tragedies which do not generate as many headlines as a mass shooting.

“I'm not attempting to disparage the attention being given to the Aurora theatre shooting,” he noted. “We should all pray for the victim,  their families and friends and offer our help for the physical and emotional recovery  of the survivors. But the victim of a murder in a convenience store robbery or a wife who dies at the hands of a serial abuser is also precious life.”

“Ultimately,” Huckabee concluded, “We don't have a crime problem or a gun problem – or even a violence problem. What we have is a sin problem. And since we ordered God out of our schools and communities, the military and public conversations, you know, we really shouldn't act so surprised when all hell breaks loose.”

Read more on Newsmax.com: Huckabee: ‘We Have a Sin Problem’
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

G4S song......Olympic Disgust 1,000

Some CEO must have wanted his nephew to have a job. This is SO  bad I have to share it. G4S has a theme song and it is bad...Should we write a Church Militant Song?

Here are the lyrics


You love your job and the people too
Making a difference is what you do
But consider all you have at stake
The time is now don't make a mistake
Because the enemy prowls, wanting to attack
But we're on the wall, we've got your back
So get out front and take the lead
And be the winner you were born to be
G4S! protecting the world
G4S! so dreams can unfurl
24/7 every night and day
A warrior stands ready so don't be afraid
G4S! secure in your world
G4S! let your dreams unfurl
We're guarding you with all our might
Keeping watch throughout the night