More News Impacting Your Kids

With this and Common Core, your children will have no protection, no security, unless you as parents step in.

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/data-mining-your-children-106676.html

Will blog later today..

Off to a rare treat of morning rosary and Mass.

Americans, have a peaceful and safe Memorial Day, and may God bless our veterans.

Also, may God shine His light and mercy on the souls of those departed, especially those who died to keep us free.

More Birds Times Three

Thanks to Wiki for photo

Saw these today and the past few days: Eastern Meadowlark, Goldfinch, Turkey Vulture, Cooper's Hawk, Green-Violet ear Hummingbird, Tree Swallow, and a House Finch.

Heard a Mourning Dove but could not see it. Also hear a Barred Owl, but could not see it.

I have seen many more and varied types of birds, but cannot list them all at this moment.

For a list of Iowa birds, check this out.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_birds_of_Iowa

I kept a bird diary for 35 years or so, which includes most of the birds on that list, plus others I saw in other states and in England.

All the ones I mentioned above I saw from my windows.

More Birds

There are hundreds of Red-winged Blackbirds here, but today, I distinctly saw a Yellow-winged Blackbird. 

I have seen these before in the Midwest. Visitors?

Thanks to Wiki for the photos.

I Love Birds

There are now two kinds of Phoebes outside my window at this time.

One is the Eastern Phoebe. There seems to be a male and female.

The other is the Black Phoebe, which really should not be this far east, but there it is. In fact, there are also two. Interesting.

They have lovely songs. Thanks to Wiki for the photos.

Happy Birthday

to all who have birthdays on this wonderful feast day of May 26th.  SS. Philip Neri and Mariana are just two.

I like to think of Philip Neri walking in the streets of Rome, with his little dog. This saint was a great evangelizer of youth and of course, the founder of the Oratory. He called the hot afternoon in Rome, "the dangerous part of the day" and made sure the young men had things to do at that time.

St. Philip Neri has a magnificent altar dedicated to him in the Brompton Oratory. Please pray for the seminarians in that order today. If you have a chance get there today.

Someone in Rome years ago told me his dog was white, like a little Maltese, but here is a modern icon with the saint and a orangey-brown dog.

More from Garrigou-Lagrange on Confession

On Confession with no comment..

As regards ourselves, there is another motive: venial sin, though it does not of itself diminish charity, takes away its fervor, its liberty of action, and its radiation. Venial sin renders the divine friendship less intimate and less active. To lose the intimacy of a saint would be a great loss; but to lose the intimacy of our Savior is a far greater loss. Moreover, venial sin, especially if deliberate, causes evil inclinations to spring up again in us and thereby disposes us to mortal sin; and in certain matters the attraction to pleasure may easily cause us rapidly to cross the line which separates venial sin from mortal. We have here another motive for sincere contrition.

Confession thus practiced will, especially by virtue of absolution and the counsels of the priest, be a powerful means of purification and progress. Blessed Angela of Foligno, along with many others, exemplifies this purification and progress by means of confession. At the beginning of the book of her visions and instructions, the saint herself relates that when she first took cognizance of her sins she was greatly afraid, trembled at the thought of damnation, wept much, blushed for the first time, put off confessing them; nevertheless she went in this state to the holy table. She says:

With my sins I received the body of Jesus Christ. That is why my conscience did not cease to chide me day or night. I prayed to St. Francis to make me find the confessor I needed, someone who would be able to understand and to whom I could talk.. . . In the morning I found a friar who was preaching in the church of St. Felician. After the sermon I resolved to make my confession to him. I confessed my sins in full, I received absolution. I did not feel love, only bitterness, shame, and sorrow.
I persevered in the penance imposed on me; devoid of consolation, overwhelmed with sorrow, I tried to satisfy justice.
Then I looked for the first time at divine mercy; I made the acquaintance of that mercy which had withdrawn me from hell, which had given me the grace that I have related. I received its first illumination: my grief and tears redoubled. I gave myself up to severe penance. . . .
Thus enlightened, I perceived only defects in myself; I saw with entire certitude that I had deserved hell. . . . I received no consolation other than that of being able to weep. An illumination made me see the measure of my sins. Thereupon I understood that, in offending the Creator, I had offended all creatures. . . . Through the Blessed Virgin and all the saints I invoked the mercy of God and, knowing that I was dead, on my knees I begged for life. . . . Suddenly I believed that I felt the pity of all creatures and of all the saints. And then I received a gift: a great fire of love and the power to pray as I had never prayed. . . . I received a profound knowledge of the manner in which Christ died for my sins. I felt my own sins very cruelly, and I perceived that I was the author of the crucifixion. But as yet I had no idea of the immensity of the benefit of the cross. . . .
Then the Lord in His pity appeared to me several times, in sleep or in vigil, crucified: "Look," He said to me, "Look at My wounds." He counted the blows of the scourging and said to me: "It is for thee, for thee, for thee." . . . I begged the Blessed Virgin and St. John to obtain the sufferings of Jesus Christ for me, at least those which were given to them. They obtained this favor for me, and one day St. John so loaded me with them that I count that day among the most terrible of my life. . . . God wrote the Pater Noster in my heart with such an accentuation of His goodness and of my unworthiness that I lack words to speak of it.

By this very profound contrition, Blessed Angela entered on the way of sanctity. These great graces should draw our attention to the value of the aids which God offers us daily, to matters of import in the ordinary Christian life.

And Again, from Garrigou-Lagrange on Confession

The series on the predominant fault has received attention lately, so I am continuing posts on this theme.

One of the things I must remind readers is that the removal of the predominant fault is in the stage of Beginners.

This purification is part of the Dark Night, and not the stage of the proficients, who are involved in given contemplative prayer.

Several readers have written to me that one of the biggest problems is finding a confessor who takes the way of perfection seriously. As late as two weeks ago, I was confessing to a priest who wanted to talk me out of what I considered a serious sin of imperfection. One does not want to argue with priests, especially trad ones, but the laity must admit that not all priests themselves understand even the beginning stages of purification and, therefore, cannot help the person in the confessional.

To be honest, I have met no more than six priests in my entire in the confessional, who understood the way of perfection through purification.

Six, which is about one for every ten years of my life. The best, absolute best confessors I have had have either been FSSP priests or Opus Dei priests.

And the best of the best is at St. Kevin's in Dublin.

Here is a long section from Garrigou-Lagrange on the importance of confession in the Dark Night, the purification.

If a man who tends towards perfection has the misfortune to commit mortal sins in a moment of weakness, he must accuse himself of them sincerely and clearly at the beginning of his confession, without, seeking to cause them to pass unperceived in the multitude of venial sins. He must indicate their number, kind, and cause, and especially have a profound contrition for them accompanied by a firm purpose of avoiding in the future not only the sins themselves, but their occasions and causes. Even after receiving pardon, he must also keep alive in his heart the sincere desire to atone, by an austere life and a generous love, for the evil committed. He should also remember how the Apostle, St. Peter, wept over his denial, humbled himself profoundly, thanked infinite Mercy, and continued on his way even to martyrdom.

An isolated mortal sin, when immediately confessed and atoned for, leaves scarcely any traces in the soul, which may at once resume its ascent from the very spot where it fell, without having to retrace all the road that had already been traveled. Thus he who stumbles midway in an ascent, may, when he picks himself up, promptly continue his climb from the spot which he had reached.

Venial sins committed with full deliberation are a serious obstacle to perfection, especially when they are frequent and the soul is attached to them. They are real maladies, which weaken the Christian soul. "Do not allow sin to grow old in thee," Christ said to St. Gertrude. Fully deliberate venial sin, when not rejected, is like a poison that is not vomited forth and that, although it does not cause death immediately, acts slowly on the organism. For instance, close attention must be paid to avoid keeping voluntarily any petty rancor, or attachment to one's own judgment, to self-will, to habits of rash judgment, of slander, of dangerous natural affections that would be a fetter, depriving us of liberty of spirit and all spontaneous movement toward God. When we deliberately refuse the Lord these manifestly demanded sacrifices, we cannot expect from Him the graces that lead to perfection. Consequently we must plainly accuse ourselves of fully deliberate venial sins against charity, humility, the virtue of religion, and so forth, especially those which are most humiliating. Their cause must be sought with a firm resolution to avoid them. Otherwise, of course, there is no longer any real and effective tendency to perfection. This is a point of primary importance.

There are other semi-deliberate venial sins, which are committed with less reflection and into which there enters a certain amount of surprise and impulse, but to which the will adheres with a certain complacency. We must guard against them, especially if they recur frequently; they show that the soul fights too feebly and is not determined to free itself from all obstacles.

Sins of frailty are those committed inadvertently because of human weakness; the will has only a small share in them; it yields momentarily, but promptly disavows its weakness. Sins of this kind cannot be completely and continually avoided, but their number should be diminished. They are not a serious obstacle to perfection because they are quickly atoned for; yet it is well to submit them to the influence of the sacrament of penance because thereby purity of soul will become more complete.(1)

On this last point, an excellent confessor is essential and a great blessing. How fortunate you are if you find such a holy priest, who has allowed himself to go through the hard stages of purification, in order to help his flock, as well as save his own soul.

Sins of fraility are those which one has committed from childhood and are ingrained in our souls, sins such as white lies, cowardice, defensiveness, and even rebellion, which can become a habit. When one commits these, one must repent immediately and confess these in order for the bad habits to be broken. It is interesting that those sins of human weakness may not at all be connected to one's predominant fault.

Here is another link which might help....

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2013/10/practicing-virtues-in-dark-night.html

to be continued.....

Again on Egoism Ruining The Church

Many months ago, I wrote on the fact that egotism hinders the work of the virtues in the Church and weakens the Church. Here is one of the articles on this. 

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/02/egotism-enemy-within.html

Garrigou-Lagrange actually describes the same problems with greater emphasis on sin as one sees in psychological treatises on narcissism.

The problem is that we are all living in societies which not only tolerate egoism, but encourage this state.

Those egoists in charge of churches, parishes, families work on the premise that somehow "their gifts" are necessary for the growth of the Church, when in reality only those who have become humble and are working with God's gifts in and through the life of virtue can really do the work of God.

How much we have forgotten in these days of hero-worship of super-stars, or personal idolatry of the self.

This could be a predominant fault for some. 

The old phrase, "Let go and let God" applies to the egoist, if he wants to attain heaven.

Egoism is like a cancer of the will, which ravages it more and more, whereas sanctifying grace should be in it like a strong root which buries itself ever deeper in the soil in order to draw therefrom nourishing secretions and transform them into fruitful sap. We should think of the value of habitual grace, called the "grace of the virtues and the gifts," because of various proximate principles of meritorious acts springing from it. We would do well to consider that our will should possess a high degree of the virtues of justice, penance, religion, hope, and charity in order that its powers may be vastly increased.

The author of The Imitation thus describes inordinate self-love when he has Christ say: "My son, thou must give all for all, and be nothing of thy own. Know that the love of thyself is more hurtful to thee than anything of the world. . . . If thy love be pure, simple, and well ordered, thou shalt not be in captivity to anything. Covet not that which thou mayest not have. Seek not to have that which may embarrass thee and deprive thee of thy inward liberty. It is wonderful that thou wilt not, from the very bottom of thy heart, commit thyself wholly to Me, with all things that thou canst desire or have. Why dost thou pine away with vain grief? Why art thou so worn with superfluous cares? Be resigned to My good pleasure, and thou shalt suffer no loss. If thou seekest this or that, or wouldst be here or there for thy own interests' sake, and the more to indulge thy own will, thou wilt never be at rest or free from solicitude; for in everything there will be found some defect, and in every place therewill be someone that will cross thee." (14)

Yet another repost on Bede

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Part 39: Bede, Doctor of the Church and Perfection

I am amazed that this is the thirty-ninth posting on the Doctors of the Church and Perfection. Looking at Bede is such a joy, as he not is only is a personal example for us of one who pursued perfection, but his great contribution to civilization is tremendous. Did you know that he was the first person to us Anno Domini for dates? Sadly, in the past thirty years, secularists have moved away from this. However, we know better, those who read and write on this blog!

Now, a sermon of Bede's on the saints for a further look at perfection. My commentary is in red. This is found here.

Bede's Tomb

TO-DAY, 1 beloved, we celebrate in the joy of one solemnity, the festival of All Saints, in whose companionship the heaven exults; in whose guardianship the earth rejoices; by whom triumphs the Holy Church is crowned; whose confession, as braver in its passion, is also brighter in its honor—because while the battle increased, the glory of them that fought in it was also augmented. And the triumph of martyrdom is adorned with the manifold kind of its torments, because the more severe the pangs, the more illustrious also were the rewards; while our Mother, the Catholic Church, was taught by her Head, Jesus Christ, not to fear contumely, affliction, death, and more and more strengthened—not by resistance, but by endurance—inspired all of that illustrious number who suffered imprisonment or torture, with one and equal ardor to fight the battle for triumphal glory.	1
O truly blessed Mother Church! so illuminated by the honor of divine condescension, so adorned by the glorious blood of triumphant martyrs, so decked with the inviolate confession of snow white virginity! Among its flowers neither roses nor lilies are wanting. Endeavor now, beloved, each for yourselves, in each kind of honor, to obtain your own dignity—crowns, snow white for chastity, or purple for passion. In those heavenly camps, both peace and war have their own flowers wherewith the soldiers of Christ are crowned. Bede is showing us that each person has a way to perfection within the larger stages all experience. Virginity is a white martyrdom, a real suffering perhaps for Bede.	2
For the ineffable and unbounded goodness of God has provided this also, that the time for labor and for agony should not be extended—not long, not enduring, but short, and, so to speak, momentary; that in this short and little life should be the pain and the labors, that in the life which is eternal should be the crown and the reward of merits; that the labors should quickly come to an end, but the reward of endurance should remain without end; that after the darkness of this world they should behold that most beautiful light, and should receive a blessedness greater than the bitterness of all passions; as the apostle beareth witness, when he saith, “The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us.” Again, the sufferings are purgation of the soul, the mind, and the body. The endurance is not merely "offering up crosses" as so many modern people state, but immersing one's self in the suffering, cooperating with it for the greater glory of unity with the Beloved.	3
With how joyous a breast the heavenly city receives those that return from flight! How happily she meets them that bear the trophies of the conquered enemy! And with triumphant men, women also come, who rose superior both to this world, and to their sex, doubling the glory of their welfare; virgins with youths, who surpassed their tender years by their virtues. Yet not they alone, but the rest of the multitude of the faithful shall also enter the palace of that eternal court, who in peaceful union have observed the heavenly commandments, and have maintained the purity of the faith. The final union with God in heaven depends on this purity of faith, which might seem like a strange phrase. But, what Bede means by this is the complete trust of the will which has been conformed to the Mind of Christ. Purity comes only after suffering.	4
But above all these things is the being associated with the companies of angels and archangels, thrones and dominations, principalities and powers, and the enjoyment of the watches of all the celestial virtues—to behold the squadron of the saints, adorned with stars; the patriarchs, glittering with faith; the prophets, rejoicing in hope; the apostles, who in the twelve tribes of Israel, shall judge the whole world; the martyrs, decked with the purple diadems of victory; the virgins, also, with their wreaths of beauty. But of the King, who is in the midst, no words are able to speak. That beauty, that virtue, that glory, that magnificence, that majesty, surpasses every expression, every sense of the human mind. For it is greater than the glory of all saints; but to attain to that ineffable sight, and to be made radiant with the splendor of His countenance, it were worth while to suffer torment every day—it were worth while to endure hell itself for a season, so that we might behold Christ coming in glory, and be joined to the number of the saints; so is it not then well worth while to endure earthly sorrows, that we may be partakers of such good, and of such glory? These are the passionate words of a man who has seen God. Bede reveals here the same intensity as seen in St. Paul when he describes his moment of union with God in 2 Corinthians 12.	5
What, beloved brethren, will be the glory of the righteous; what that great gladness of the saints, when every face shall shine as the sun; when the Lord shall begin to count over in distinct orders His people, and to receive them into the kingdom of His Father, and to render to each the rewards promised to their merits and to their works—things heavenly for things earthly, things eternal for things temporal, a great reward for a little labor; to introduce the saints to the vision of His Father’s glory; and “to make them sit down in heavenly places,” to the end that God may be all in all; and to bestow on them that love Him that eternity which He has promised to them—that immortality for which He has redeemed them by the quickening of His own blood; lastly, to restore them to Paradise, and to open the kingdom of heaven by the faith and verity of His promise? I like the phrase "all in all" and the idea that God in His Love is all to the saints. This is what one must desire to be a saint--to want the all of God, to the capacity which God has called one.	6
Let us consider that Paradise is our country, as well as theirs; and so we shall begin to reckon the patriarchs as our fathers. Why do we not, then, hasten and run, that we may behold our country and salute our parents? A great multitude of dear ones is there expecting us; a vast and mighty crowd of parents, brothers, and children, secure now of their own safety, anxious yet for our salvation, long that we may come to their right and embrace them, to that joy which will be common to us and to them, to that pleasure expected by our fellow servants as well as ourselves, to that full and perpetual felicity…. If it be a pleasure to go to them, let us eagerly and covetously hasten on our way, that we may soon be with them, and soon be with Christ; that we may have Him as our Guide in this journey, who is the Author of Salvation, the Prince of Life, the Giver of Gladness, and who liveth and reigneth with God the Father Almighty and with the Holy Ghost. Do not forget that on this journey to perfection, one has help from those who have gone before--the Church Triumphant.  Christ takes us by the hand and guides us, giving us Life and Grace. We only need to desire this way and to cooperate. And, so, goodbye to Bede, and on to the next Doctor of the Church...	7

Bede's Door

Note 1. Translated by the Rev. John M. Neale. Abridged. More than thirty editions of Bede’s writings have been published. The one which appeared in 1843, edited by Dr. J. A. Giles, and giving in complete form the original Latin, with translations of the historical work into English, comprises twelve volumes.

Another Repost on Bede

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Doctors of the Church Series and Perfection: Bede the Venerable; Part 38

There are only two people who have been born in the Holy Spirit besides Our Lord Himself. One is the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was perfected from the moment of her Immaculate Conception. She achieved the Unitive State by a particular grace without any effort, as she was prepared from all time to be the Theotokos, the Mother of God.

Such perfection was never seen before on earth and is a great gift to us, her children by adoption. She is the New Eve plus. She is the most perfect of all God's creatures.

The second person born in the Holy Spirit was not conceived without Original Sin or sanctifying grace, but was given it at six months, when the Mother of God visited his mother, Elizabeth. Now, we know this is St. John the Baptist.

These two humans are models for us on our way to perfection. St. Bede writes of both in sermons, which highlight the fullness of grace in Mary and the great light given to John the Baptist, which is why Christ called him the greatest of all men.

Not even St. Joseph, who achieved great purity through righteousness and grace, was born with such graces at John the Baptist.

How does he show us the way to perfection? Let us look at Bede's sermon on this wonderful saint. This is Bede's Homily 23 ffound on the CCL site. and this particular reading is also in some breviaries.

Now, remember a few days ago, I mentioned here that martyrs also reach the perfection possible to all of us, but through a different manner. And, although John the Baptist was a martyr, his unitive state came before his death. I do not quote the entire sermon here. My comments are in brown.

The Baptizer had been baptized in the womb. John is a type of Christ. He experienced what Christ was going to experience; that is, tremendous suffering, isolation, misunderstanding, persecution. John knew the Truth as a Person and never denied Him. Through his birth, preaching and baptizing, he bore witness to the coming birth, preaching and baptism of Christ, and by his own suffering he showed that Christ also would suffer. Again, as the forerunner, all things which happened in John's life, all he did, pointed to Christ. Such was the quality and strength of the man who accepted the end of this present life by shedding his blood after the long imprisonment. He preached the freedom of heavenly peace, yet was thrown into irons by ungodly men; he was locked away in the darkness of prison, though he came bearing witness to the Light of life and deserved to be called a bright and shining lamp by that Light itself, which is Christ.  That Bede emphasizes the Light which is Christ as being in and with John, we understand that John has experienced Illumination, and was living in the light of all virtues and graces. His union with Christ would be completed in martyrdom. John was baptized in his own blood, though he had been privileged to baptize the Redeemer of the world, to hear the voice of the Father above him, and to see the grace of the Holy Spirit descending upon him.  Can we understand how close John was to Jesus? He shared all the manifestations of the Father with Christ, recognizing his God in the Baptism of Jesus and witnessing the Trinity. John was illumined to recognize God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit right before him in the Jordan. But to endure temporal agonies for the sake of the truth was not a heavy burden for such men as John; rather it was easily borne and even desirable, for he knew eternal joy would be his reward. Only a man who has been purified of all desires, of all venial sins, of all imperfections through trials and sufferings can experience joy at death. John desired to be one with God, as he knew his time on earth has accomplished what God wanted--to prepare the way for the Lord. Since death was ever near at hand through the inescapable necessity of nature, such men considered it a blessing to embrace it and thus gain the reward of eternal life by acknowledging Christ’s name. John's suffering is not purgation but the invitation to be one with Christ in His Cross. John was invited by Christ to suffer with Him, for Him and witness to Him in that suffering. Hence the apostle Paul rightly says: You have been granted the privilege not only to believe in Christ but also to suffer for his sake. He tells us why it is Christ’s gift that his chosen ones should suffer for him: The sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us. Only Mary was completely without sin. John earned his reward by cooperating with grace from his childhood. He knew his way was unique. He knew he had to go into the desert to be completely formed into the Precursor.  John's way is a light for us on our way. Bede obviously understands this all first hand, being holy himself and knowing the stages of purification, illumination and unity. To be continued....

Repost on Bede

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Part 37: DoC--St Bede the Venerable Two--The Beauty of Simplicity

Posted by Supertradmum

I want to look at Bede on Bede  and his dates are 673 – 26 May 735 .

Here is a snippet which reveals Bede's way to perfection.

“I  have devoted my energies to a study of the Scriptures, observing monastic discipline, and singing the daily services in church; study, teaching, and writing have always been my delight.”

How simple and yet how profound is his description of himself.

First, he is focused, putting all his energies into the road to perfection.

Second, he studies the Scriptures, which would include meditating on the Word of God as well as using commentaries from the Early Church Fathers. Of course, Bede would have had infused knowledge as well.

Third, he observed the Rule of the monastic life. Celibacy, poverty, obedience and if Benedictine, stability.

Here we see his choice of the shortest way to perfection-the rule under obedience, which forms the will into God's Will.

Fourth, singing the daily office; nine times a day and night, Bede joined in the Divine Office of the monks.

Fifth, from study, the pursuit of God through learning, Bede used his great gifts to teach and write.

We have his books today and still study him in high school or college, Historia ecclesiastica gentis Anglorum.

A modern drawing of his monastery, St. Paul's

Sixth, in all of this is his joy. The suffering is muted, but the joy shines through these limited words. 

Such is the way to perfection for the religious, whose entire day is devoted to perfection. So much in so few words...

To be continued........

Reposts on Anselm, partly, and Bede

Wednesday, 20 February 2013

Part 36: Doctors of the Church-Anselm and the Illuminative State

Before I finish St. Anselm, I must address some questions from a few who have asked me whether God really does want us to pursue perfection. They wanted Scriptural proof and not "merely" the ideas and insights of the great saints. Such is the Protestant mindset which does not understand the Tradition of the Church as resting on Christ and the Apostle.

Another person said to me that it was too hard to be a Catholic. Yes, it is hard, but we have grace and help.

Christ said it and this was echoed by St. Paul as well as the saints I have been emphasizing on this blog. 

Without being tedious, I shall only quote again two passages: Christ, the Son of God Himself in Matthew 5:48 said, Be you therefore perfect, as also your heavenly Father is perfect. DR

St. Paul in 2 Corinthians 13:11 states, For the rest, brethren, rejoice, be perfect, take exhortation, be of one mind, have peace; and the God of peace and of love shall be with you. DR.

Seeking perfection is not an option.

And, at that stage of Illumination, we shall have light to understand more and more what this means.

Here is St. Anselm again.



CHAPTER XIV  from Meditations of St. Anselm on Seeking God.

HAST thou then found, O my soul, that which thou wast seeking? Thou wast seeking God and thou hast found that He is that thing which is supreme among all things, than which nothing better can be conceived, and that this is very life, light, wisdom, goodness, eternal bliss and blissful eternity, and that this is everywhere and always. For if thou hast not found thy God, how can He be this which thou hast found, and which thou hast with so certain an assurance, so assured a certainty understood Him to be? But if thou hast found Him, why dost thou not perceive that which thou hast found? Why doth my soul not perceive Thee, O Lord God, if she hath found Thee? Hath she not found Thee, whom she hath found to be light and truth? Or could she understand anything at all concerning Thee, except by Thy light and truth? If then she hath seen light and truth, she hath seen Thee; if she hath not seen Thee, she hath seen neither light nor truth. 

And may I add that if one truly seeks Truth, one will find God.


Or is it rather that that which she hath seen is indeed both truth and light; and yet she hath not yet seen Thee because she hath seen Thee in part only, but hath not seen Thee as Thou art? O Lord my God, my Creator and Renewer, tell my soul that longeth after Thee, what else Thou art beside what she hath seen, that she may see clearly that after which she longeth. 

Shall we not seek for the "more"?

She stretcheth out herself that she may see more, and yet seeth nothing beyond what she hath seen, except mere darkness. Nay, she seeth not darkness, for in Thee is no darkness; but she seeth that she can see no farther, because of the darkness which is in herself. Wherefore is this, O Lord, wherefore is this? Are her eyes darkened by her own infirmity, or are they dazzled by Thy splendour? Surely she is both darkened in herself and dazzled by Thee. 

Thus also she is darkened by reason of her own littleness, and overwhelmed by reason of Thine immeasurable greatness. She is straitened by her own narrowness, and vanquished by Thy vastness. 

And, so we are purified in the heart and in the mind as well as the soul.

For how great is that Light, whereby every truth shineth that doth enlighten the rational intelligence! How vast is that Truth, wherein is contained every thing that is true, and outside whereof is only nothingness and falsehood! How immeasurable is that Vision which beholdeth in one glance all things that have been created and whence and by whom and how they were created out of nothing! What purity, what simplicity, what clearness and splendour is there!  Surely more than can be comprehended by any creature.

St. Anselm is standing on the shoulders of a lowly monk to show us  his roots in humility.

Anselm's words remind me of those of Julian of Norwich. The path way is the same for all who seek holiness.

Goodbye to St. Anselm for now. There is so much more of his writings, but I have shared a little of his great insights. St. Bede will follow, the Venerable Bede.

Garrigou-Lagrange Again

One of my readers asked me recently about the connection between malice and egoism. I think one reason why this question is in the mind of those who use the Internet is that the language of many Catholic bloggers and tweeters has become more and more vitriolic.

One friend has suffered terrible name-calling in public in blogs and on twitter. Of course, this is not, absolutely not, Christian behavior.

Anything which is an attack on a person is serious sin.

Therefore, what we are seeing in public are fights of egoism, descending into malice. Sadly, those who are narcissists and believe the sun rises and sets on their little worlds, cannot always understand the maliciousness which pops out of gross egoism.

Here is Garrigou-Lagrange on this connection. More later..

Since original sin, we are born without sanctifying grace and charity, with our wills turned away from God, the supernatural last end, and weak for the accomplishment of our duties even in the natural order.(3)

Without falling into the exaggeration of the first Protestants and the Jansenists, we must say that we are born with a will inclined to egoism, to inordinate self-love. This is called the wound of malice; (4) it often manifests itself by a gross egoism, against which one should guard, an egoism that mingles in all man's acts. It follows that the will, which has become weak by reason of its lack of docility to God, no longer has absolute power over the sensible faculties, but only a sort of moral power or persuasion to lead them to subject themselves.(5) Doubtless after baptism, which regenerated us by giving us sanctifying grace and charity, this wound, like the others, is in the process of healing; but it also reopens by reason of our personal sins.

The principal defect of the will is the lack of rectitude, called self-love or inordinate love of self, which forgets the love due to God and that which we should have for our neighbor. Self-love or egoism is manifestly the source of all sins.(6) From it are born "the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupiscence of the eyes, and the pride of life." (7) The sensible appetites, which are no longer firmly led, incline man to thoughtlessness, feverish eagerness, fruitless agitation, selfish search for all that pleases, flight from all that is painful, nonchalance, discouragement, in which he sees that his will has lost its strength, and to all sorts of bad examples. (8)

It is clear that self-will, which is defined as that which is not conformed to the will of God, is the source of every sin. Self-will is extremely dangerous because it can corrupt everything; even what is best in one may become evil when self-will enters in, for it takes itself as its end, instead of subordinating itself to God. If the Lord perceives this will in a fast or a sacrifice, He rejects them because He sees therein a divine work accomplished through pride in order to gain approbation. Now, self-will is born of self-love or egoism; it is strong self-love that has become imperious.

Hello, Will Happen Here

http://www.churchmilitant.tv/daily/?today=2014-05-23

Please take time to watch this. As one reader noted, there is some signs of this happening in the States already.  I would imagine that military personnel do not want to talk about this.

News and A Lovely Sermon from The Pope

http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/2607/20140524/us-asylum-sudanese-christian-woman.htm

http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-s-homily-in-manger-square

http://www.news.va/en/news/pope-francis-condemns-brutal-attack-on-jewish-muse?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=catholiclisa

http://www.jpost.com/Jewish-World/Jewish-Features/Two-Jews-attacked-outside-Paris-synagogue-353288

Tribal Politics And Thoughts on The End of Democracy

One of the most unfortunate trends in politics, both in America, and in Europe, is the growth of "tribal politics," a term used in the UK and in America to describe voters and leaders of voters who represent ethnic or group priorities.

This term is, sometimes, is use to describe pro-life groups in America, which effect change through voting, unlike the pro-life movement in GB, which is so fragmented, there are never any politicians put forward in the elections which one can state are truly pro-life.

Brits vote, like so many Americans, in knee-jerk fashion, with old party loyalties, which do not reflect the reality of the parties in 2014.

So, millions of Catholics, because of their ancestors proclivity to vote Dem, voted in the most anti-life, pro-gay, anti-Christian president America has ever seen. Dem first, Catholic second is their motto.

Tribal politics, sadly, vote for faces. The leader of the tribe is the one who wins the election. Again, this is connected to the cult of personality. For tribal politics to work, people must put their trust in a person and not a party.

Sadly, when voters do not use their right and privilege to vote, tribal politics rule the day, as the tribe is usually organized.

Tribal politics tears apart a cohesive party, but also reveals the end of democracy in many Western nations.

Why?

Because consensus is necessary for democracy to work. But, once a nation has lost its identity, consensus dies in a death brought about by tribal politics.

The problem now in the States, and in England, is that the Christian basis for political parties has completely disappeared. There are no parties which represent Christian morality and goals. Christianity is now completely marginalized in GB and will become so in the States quickly.

The reason is simple. The main tribe is no longer Christian. There are no Christian leaders of any of the various tribes. Some may say they are Christian, but they consistently hold ideals which are anti-Christian.

Democracy has been severed, on purpose, for many reasons, from Christianity, especially in GB. Therefore, tribal interests will rule the day, not Christian principles.

In this post-Christian era, Christian moral ideals, culture, and way of thinking have been marginalized.

I do not think that there is any turning back. We are headed, especially in the EU and in America, for the systematized persecution of the now shrinking Christian tribe.

And, may I add, that as only 35% of Londoners voted yesterday, one can say that democracy is dying a quick death as well.

de Tocqueville prophesied all of this, did he not?

Catholic Narcissism Three And Last

A healthy Catholic is one who recognizes that he has gifts and talents from God (not from the self) and that God created him to do something in this world. I have posted Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman's prayer on one's role in the world just recently. Here it is again.

The Mission of My Life

God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about.

A healthy Catholic has a balance of kindness, sensitivity, empathy, capableness, good aggression or energy, creativity, and a sense of self as being made good in and with and through God. A healthy person is honest about one's self and about others.

But, what has happened to many Catholics, especially trads, is that they have fallen into a passivity and a depression and even a passive-aggressiveness about the Church.

So, instead of working hard in the Church Militant and instead of working with grace in the purification of self, they leave all responsibility for their sin at the feet of priests. I wrote about this yesterday and before.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/05/judge-yourselves.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/05/the-sins-of-fathers.html

Now, the root of this is narcissism, again.  When one focuses on the sins of those in authority, one falls into the narcissistic awe state described in the previous post. But, one decides, in the false demonization of the authority, to become passive, or even passive-aggressive concerning one's own sins. Instead of facing one's imperfections, one either blames the authority figure or attacks the authority rather than looking in the mirror.

If one is angry enough, one becomes depressed, as depression can be a result of suppressed anger.

Such is the case of those who leave the Church either on the left or on the right.

Those on the left blame the Church for not being made in their image and likeness, demonizing the horrid Church for not accepting contraception, ssm, or marriage, divorce and remarriage without annulment.

Those on the right blame the Church for not being the idealized perfect parent and go off and create a new one. These people cannot accept sin or failure among members of the clergy and want only a perfect clergy.

Yes, we should pray for perfection in our clergy, but we should not get angry is some are not.

I have met many depressed trads. They concentrate on people rather than on Christ. They concentrate on the sins of the hierarchy rather than praying and doing penance for such men.

They choose to demonize some and idolize others. The real priests, who are men trying to become holy, will not even stand up to such scrutiny. And, when a priest is seen as not quite perfect, those involved in narcissistic awe begin to demonize him as well.

Anger and depression about the Church may result in actually leaving the Church and become schismatic, as one looks for perfection in other people rather than looking towards Christ.

The anger can turn husband against wife and wife against husband. It can lead people to accept false private revelations in search of a place of utopia on earth by constructing cults.

The Church is now, as a good priest told me yesterday, "two churches"--those who want to make the Church into something of their own idealization, either right or left in nature, and those who accept and love the real Church.


I suggest reading my identity series as well...here is the last one.

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/04/loss-of-identity-part-10.html

What we see in society is, sadly, repeated in some members of the Church. Pray to God to be a mentally and emotionally healthy, mature human being, which are synonyms for "holy".

Catholic Cult of Personality and Narcissistic Awe

In psychology, there is a part of the underdeveloped person who falls into the category of being narcissistic labelled "narcissistic awe".  Narcissistic awe may be described as the judgment of the narcissist who sees the parent or adult as either completely good and wonderful or completely bad. The person is incapable of seeing someone as a good person with faults and flaws.

This type of view is found among those with a narcissitic personality disorder. That person cannot see adults in authority as anything but in black and white terms.

A healthy child grows up realizing that his parents are good people but imperfect. He will not either demonize nor idolize the adult.

Now, I have been watching many people in the traditional camp of Catholicism turn against this present pope. They have demonized him to the point of denying any good in this man. Some of their judgment is based on faulty media reports, but some is based on the problem of  "narcissistic awe".

Those who blame this pope for the evils of other priests and for the evils of the Church are exhibiting the downside of the "cult of personality", which, imo, grows out of  "narcissistic awe." In other words, these people adore one pope unrealistically and hate another one unrealistically.

Popes, and, indeed, the Church of the past are idealized, into persons and institution which never really existed. I have written on the false romanticizing of the past concerning the Church before, but now I am writing about the root cause-narcissistic awe.

Very often, people who seem religious fall into this cult of personality growing out the inability to look at the adults in their lives realistically. One young person I know was abused as a child, but instead of demonizing the parent, she has fallen into deceitful idolization of that parent.

This may seem both impossible and amazing, but her own narcissism will not allow her to see the emotional truth of the situation.

So, too, with the pope blasters, who cannot see him as an imperfect man, chosen by the College of Cardinals, to be the pope. That he deserves the respect of office seems obvious.

Because of the decay of the healthy family, there seems to be more narcissists about than in the past. And, many of those in the Church are into papal blasting on a daily basis.

Time to look at narcissistic awe as the root of this cult of personality gone wild and on the negative side at this time in history.

to be continued....and see these posts

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-forgotten-past-has-been-romanticized.html

http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/05/memoricide-and-memory-continued.html