Please pray to Father John Hardon for me to return to Europe.
Ta muchly.
Friday, 13 June 2014
Prayers Please
I have to make a decision...and I need regular wifi.
Please pray to Father John Hardon for me to return to Europe.
Ta muchly.
Please pray to Father John Hardon for me to return to Europe.
Ta muchly.
Meet Father Chris Young
And, his beautiful wife, Jody. Father Young was ordained June 7th, 2014. He loves the Latin Mass and has learned to do funerals and weddings.
He and his wife are converts from Anglicanism. Father came in through the Pastoral Provision set up by St. John Paul II. For more on what it is to be a priest's wife, see my post earlier this year.
http://supertradmum-etheldredasplace.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-vocation-of-priests-wife-and-three.html
Going Off Panera's
Panera's use to be a nice place to sit and blog. Now, the company cuts one off after a half-hour, after it takes a good seven minutes of that time to get in.
There are no other people on line in this coffee shop at this time. I have been coming here almost daily and there have never been more than three people online even at rush hour.
So, why cut people off?
Not nice.
Unnecessary.
There are no other people on line in this coffee shop at this time. I have been coming here almost daily and there have never been more than three people online even at rush hour.
So, why cut people off?
Not nice.
Unnecessary.
Coffee and Cardinal Manning
Finally, returning to the book by Henry Edward Cardinal
Manning, The Interior Mission of The Holy
Ghost , one sees the intuitive
understanding of this good leader of the Church.
Like St. Angela, another reflective person who was granted
graces by God, one sees that the great advantage of the saints of the past was
that they could find silence in their worlds.
Cardinal Manning assumes that one has the ability to find
times of silence. So does St. Angela. As noted
on this blog before, silence is essential for a life of holiness.
Silence is not the same as exile, or imprisonment. Silence
is a gift of being in the world with time and space to pray, to study, to
reflect.
I cannot understand those who never have silence and who
flee from silence. What could be the reasons for good people to avoid silence?
I have one reason and that is the fear of death. Silence
makes one face death, the death of self-will, the death of desires. Noise blocks out thoughts of sin, of the four
last things.
Noise covers up the need for listening to God.
Cardinal Manning writes this in his chapter on “The Gift of
Counsel”: “…the characteristic mark of these latter days; I mean the perversion
of the intellect. The intellect of man is withdrawing itself from the light of
faith, and therefore from conformity to God. And this intellectual perversion
is the source of a systematic immorality in men, in households, and in states.
The intellect in man is the image of God in us. Ir is the light of the soul;
and if that light be darkened, how great is the darkness.”
Manning refers to the rise of Gnosticism, the rise in
“illuminism” which we would call relativism or subjectivism. He refers to rationalism.
In all of these heresies, the idea that God is knowable has
been undermined. Revelation is denied.
Manning notes that those who deny Revelation have replaced God with
themselves.
He also stresses that the seven gifts of the Holy Ghost
perfect, that is, sanctify the intellect. I have written about this before in
the long perfection series. Manning
tells us that the sanctification of the intellect is “the illumination of the
reason of man by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit of God’ it is the submission
of the intellect of man to the authority of the Divine Teacher; it is the
conformity of the reason, and therefore of the conscience, of man to the truth
and to the law of God.”
How does one allow God to perfect the intellect? In his chapter on the gift of knowledge,
Manning states that most of the sins in the world come from the perversion of
the intellect, “which is the corruption and darkness of the reason; and that if
we would heal our own souls, we must begin by rectifying the false action and
perversion of our intellect.”
How different is this emphasis than on the overly emotional
approaches of pastors today, who insist on “healing” rather than right reason.
Both may be necessary, but to ignore the necessity of right
reason for the pursuit of holiness begs the question for the need for healing.
One must ask the correct questions if one is to be healed, let us say, for
example, of rebellion.
Manning writes, “The reason or intellect in us is that part
of the soul which is nearest to God. The Son of God became man by assuming a
reasonable nature: when He took upon Himself a created nature He did not take
it from the irrational creatures, He took it from the reasonable creation. And
the order of the Incarnation was this: He took a human body by assuming a human
soul, and He assumed a human soul by uniting His eternal intelligence with a
created intelligence; so that the human reason is that part of our nature which
is in the most immediate contact with God, and the reason which is in us
therefore in a special way the image of God.”
One cannot develop a relationship with God without use of
the intellect. One cannot use the intellect except in silence and in
reflection.
Manning notes, “It is the light of God in the soul, whereby
we are able to know God and ourselves, and to judge of truth and falsehood, and
of right and wrong.”
This light of the soul becomes extinguished by sin, and as I
wrote a few days ago, sin makes one stupid, literally.
Reason is not merely a combination of electrical impulses in
the brain, but the gift of God, the light of God which joins our intelligence
to His.
One cannot do this in noise and constant distraction.
Manning stresses that one actually become “deformed” in the measure in which
one’s image leaves off reason.
One must admit that one of the great evils of Protestantism
is the emphasis on feeling and anti-intellectualism. But, the sin of “intellectual pride” seems to
exist more among the agnostics and atheists, who refuse to conform their minds
to the Mind of Christ.
Manning writes of the time in history in which man’s
intellect was illumined by grace, when the light of God became obvious in the
world. “’Thy word is a light unto my feet.’ Such was once the state of the
Christian world, and such it is still, wherever faith reigns over the hearts of
men.”
Much upon which to think…to be continued….
Perfection Series II: St. Angela Part Ten
“Blessed (saith He),
verily blessed is, and shall be, he who loveth poverty in all the aforesaid
things and who desireth to be truly poor in worldly things, in deed and not
only in words; poor in friends, in familiar intercourse, in all delights, vain
knowledge and curiosity, poor in the repute of holiness and in all preferment
and dignity. And if any should not be able to put away from himself utterly all
these aforesaid things, he should at least endeavor with all his might to
withdraw his affection from them. Of a surety these poor are blessed, for they
shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. And, those who have done the contrary in
all things, and have only preached with their lips and uttered empty words,
shall be left cursed and lamenting; because theirs shall be the utmost poverty,
eternal hunger and the house of hell, where there is everlasting hunger and
thirst, where there is neither friend, nor brother, nor father to redeem them,
nor any help whatsoever. Neither will they have power to issue forth, and all
the wisdom of the world will not avail them;
but all things will be taken from them in very deed, as in very deed
they did desire to kee them contrary to the teaching of Christ. Wherefore shall
they live in torments everlasting. Amen.”
Hard words for all of us…
Remember Christ’s poverty began in the womb on His dear
mother, continued in His birth in a stable, in His parents’ flight into a pagan
country far away, and in His thrity-three years of a hidden, simple life.
I am wrapping up this series on St.
Angela of Foligno at this time. Here
words leave much about which we can all meditate.
I shall return to Cardinal Manning’s great book on the
weekend-one I set aside temporarily to highlight St.
Angela’s writings.
Perfection Series II: Part Nine-St. Angela
St. Angela reminds us that only those who either choose to be humiliated or those who do not grumble about suffering can reach the perfection necessary for heaven. The passive purgation of the Dark Night is absolutely necessary.
Those who are proud cannot bear to be contradicted in any way. Those who are proud constantly seek approval from society or certain individuals. The sin of vainglory, one of the manifestations of pride, causes some to want others to think well of them either through dress, or accomplishments, or even in the seeking out of “friends”.
Collecting acquaintances and friends cannot be a sign of holiness.
St. Angela notes that Christ even gave up the show of wisdom and knowledge, appearing foolish and even blasphemous to those in the religious circles of the day.
Two well-known Catholic commentators and one blogger I know have given up writing on line in order to do more penance and pray more. They have been called to a higher life of perfection. Pay attention to these whispers from the Holy Spirit.
(I am called to write, but not too much longer.)
That Christ hid His immense perfection and holiness and was deemed a religious outcast cannot be fathomed by many in the Church who seek positions of pride and power.
To be continued…
Perfection Series II: St. Angela Part Eight
As she notes, St. Angela
explains how Christ empowered men to have power over Him. This fact marks
Christ as the Man of Humility, reminding one of the beautiful icons of the
Great Humility, one shown here.
He gave the power to judge, accuse, revile, and insult Him
to those men around Him. He gave power to those who hated goodness to beat,
mock and kill Him.
This poverty provides an example for those Catholics who are
facing real persecution. God will allow persecution for three reasons: one, to
show the glory of His martyrs; two, to bring many to Him; and three, for punishment
of those who hate Him.
Christ teaches us patience in tribulation and hard times.
Yesterday, I failed in this matter once, a clear sign of how far I am from
holiness. I was angry with someone who revealed hatred for me. I told this
person he was rude for criticizing me for being ill with asthma and coughing in
front of him. He did not want me to cough. But, I did not pass the test of
love.
Anger is not the proper response, but patience, objectivity,
and love for those who hate us. I know God will give me more chances to pass
the test of love.
I do not share this to show the response of the other
person, but to show how we each are to respond in love. Some of my dear readers
already react to hatred with love. But, for those of us who are still not quite
there, I encourage us all. And, one
cannot be upset with one’s self for failures to love. Without God’s grace, one
is weak and chooses to sin.
Simple lesson-not to be upset with either one’s self or
others in the face of sin, although one can feel sorrow and confess, one should
not be so proud as to not accept one’s own sinfulness.
Anger may be a natural response to hatred but this is not
the response of Christ, my model in all things.
Americans cannot endure shame, which is one reason so many
immigrated to this fair country. The pride which makes men think they have
gained all prosperity and goodness by themselves distorts Christianity in America
The last point covered here today from St.
Angela regarding the poverty of Christ is that He allowed Satan to have power
over Him.
Angela states this: “…He did give the devil power over Him
that He might be tempted and led into danger, and persecuted even unto death,
in order that He might thereby liberate man from the devil’s power.”
We can liberate ourselves, through grace, and liberate
others, (see my Code Breakers series), by accepting suffering and becoming
humble.
Without grace and the acceptance of grace, one finally
realizes one is nothing and can do nothing without God.
Any other choices will keep us imprisoned in our own egotism
and self-will.
To be continued…
Thursday, 12 June 2014
Prayers Please
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Perfection Series II: Part Seven St. Angela Inspired
The soul of America Ottumwa , Iowa Davenport
He began to support individuals and worked for equal rights
and recognition for Catholic Americans.
My dad was literally stoned when walking to school by the
Lutherans. And, the above priest told me Catholic youth were being beat up by
Protestant gangs in the 1950s.
Interesting. But, Catholics had souls, and were willing to
be beaten up when they did not deny their Catholic heritage. The Catholic
heritage of the immigrants is practically dead, at least in the cities. There
are some vestiges of it in the small, very small Midwest
towns which were settled by Catholic priests and Catholic immigrants, my
ancestors included.
However, what is missing is the willingness to identify with
being Catholic in America
This has caused the immigration crisis in some nations, by
the way, as Catholics are now being targeted, such as the Kenyan family refused
in Chicago for a week visa, to see their son ordained a priest, because of one
small mistake on their papers. They were turned away at the airport.
The Catholic is part of a international, global, pan-national
institution. The Kingdom
of God
Catholics are THE greatest threat to those who want a global
government. This is daily more obvious. But, the truth is that most Catholics
in America
The living, baptismal soul of Catholics in many places has
been replaced by a dead, consumeristic soul, which chooses daily things over
people, events over prayer and comfort over God.
The Protestant Work Ethic tied to the idea of predestination
as being marked by material success have ruined Catholics. They can and do no
longer think like Catholics, and are, in fact, becoming more utilitarian, like
their pagan neighbors, no longer seeing the value of suffering or the value of
poverty.
To “not be poor” is more important than to “be holy” here in
the Midwest .
What the great saints tell us forms the basis for the
Catholic message of perfection through-out the ages; that is, poverty is the
way to holiness.
To hate poverty, to hate the poor, to want to have a “war on
poverty” and eradicate all suffering are ideals of Americans which run contrary
to the Gospel message.
Christ told us that the poor would always be with us. Why?
Because both the poor and the rich benefit from receiving
and giving things, money, attention, which would not happen if everyone were
comfortable….
Being comfortable is no the goal of life, despite the
American dream.
Becoming a saint is the goal of life.
Angela, the saint for the week on this blog, could not be clearer
about Christ choosing poverty on purpose.
Why the soul of American has disappeared has to do directly
with the choosing of comfort over generosity, of judgment over love, of habit
over being open to accepting others into one’s world. There are a few Americans, mostly young ones,
who have resisted the siren call of consumerism.
Sadly, those who are older and either still trying to have
status or resting in a status they have chosen for comfort, have held the spiritual
knife which has killed not only their own souls, but the soul of the Church in
many areas.
Consumerism is not the same as materialism, as I have
written on this blog long ago, but the two may be connected.
Consumerism is the incessant buying of the best, the latest,
the biggest, for one reason-pride.
Materialism, which is more common in Europe ,
is the belief that only the material world exists, and that there is no
spiritual world. Marxism and socialism are materialistic ideologies. Americanism
and even to a large extent, Catholic Americanism, has become consumerist in
ideology.
The soul of the Ameican Catholic dies and then stays dead by
the daily choosing of things, events, self, the stuff of this world over the
glory of the next.
To be continued….
Pilgrim Blogger Takes A Break
Two coffee shops and a mall wifi center in two days....excuse mistakes.
I can tune out most things when I am thinking and typing, but not all...
Perfection Series II: Part Six on Saint Angela
The mystic saint I have been following notes that Christ did penance for us His entire life. He also took on the contempt of the world. Perhaps, the most difficult things about poverty and suffering is the resulting contempt brought upon one from others who stand back and judge.
Some people are afraid they will slip into poverty themselves, especially in this day of financial insecurity. To be afraid of falling off the edge is an understandable fear. But, as God is in charge of all happenings in our lives, either through His Perfect Will or through His Permissive Will, poverty is willed by God. He may not will suffering which is caused by the greed and selfishness of others, but He allows some to experience this purgation of poverty for the cause of perfection.
St. Angela writes of three levels of poverty in Christ's life, freely chosen, freely willed by Him. The first level is that of complete material poverty. As the saint notes, Christ did not own a vineyard, land, silver, gold or other things. He allowed Himself to feel thirst and hunger. He did not eat delicate or gourmet food. His clothes were the rough clothes of a working man, a carpenter.
When Christ went into His public vocation, He left His house and all His furniture, His few belongings, and became peripatetic. Matthew 8:20, "And Jesus saith to him: The foxes have holes and the birds of the air nests: but the son of man hath no where to lay his head."
This is not a romantic way to live, but one of fatigue and stress.
The second level of poverty, according to St. Angela, was that Christ deprived Himself of excellent company. He did not engage in stimulating conversations over wine and cheese with close friends, with idea men or with the powerful. Although The King, He did not converse with kings.
His chosen apostles, as we see clearly, were not the creme de la creme of society. Some seem downright stupid, or at least, dense.
This second type of poverty may be one of the worst for some to endue. He did not even allow Himself, as the mystic points out, the comfort of His Foster Father, who died before Christ's public life. There was no one to discuss His apostolate with among His companions. Christ was not understood or accepted by His relations, as we see in the Scriptures. Only His Mother was close to Him in thought and word, and for three years, Christ denied Himself her wonderful, holy, blessed company.
I shall write about the third level of poverty later.
This information should be meditated upon and contemplated.
to be continued...
Christ in Constant Penance: Perfection Series II Part Five St. Angela
St. Angela writes that Christ's entire life was one of penance.
This seems obvious after one points this out. God on earth must have suffered constantly.
I was thinking last night, as I was suffering intensely, of the great Desert Fathers, who endured the torments
of the devils, seeing these creatures, being tempted by them, being taunted by them.
I was in a situation surrounded by some evil and I could not get away. I just prayed to Abbot Anthony and Abba Poeman and Abba Ischaryus over and over. Something insteresting happened. The evil did not go away, but I was protected, as it was blunted.
Christ did not allow himself to have evil "blunted" against Him. He was constantly aware of the sins of men. He was constantly aware of those who turned against Him daily. He was aware of the denial of the Incarnation, Himself, daily.
Christ suffered more in the Garden, seeing all the sins of all the humans who ever existed. He suffered more on the Cross, taking all that punishment due to sin on Himself.
Stop complaining. Look towards the One Who suffered without a break.
Evil makes one stupid
Well, some of you know this truism. The more one chooses sin, the more one loses one's God-given rational abilities.
The more one turns away from grace, the more dense one becomes, losing intuitions, senses of the spiritual life which is all around us, and discernment.
It is not that God takes these gifts, but that one begins to build walls which keep one in the material world.
This is why psychologists become more and more unintelligent the more they steer away from a belief in God and the soul.
How can one get better psychologically by going to a therapist or counselor who never addresses the existence or importance of the soul?
I have no idea how many psychologists are actually atheists or agnostics, but judging from the advice some give, I would guess a large majority.
Going to a counselor who ignores the spiritual life for healing and growth is like going to a mechanic for a sick pet.
Too many people, including children, daily are taken to counselors, psychologists and psychiatrists who do not believe in an immortal soul. Think about this.
How can someone whose soul is the form of the body become a whole and healed human being if their doctor does not believe in a soul?
Duh.
Duh.
Wednesday, 11 June 2014
Perfection Series II: St. Angela of Foligno 2
Continuing with Angela of Foligno, one sees the progression
of her road to holiness. This saint admits that she had lived a loose life. She
is sharing insights concerning the siren call of the world as one who escaped,
through the grace of God, from the world.
Angela clearly writes that the men of the world fall into
damnation by pursuing status, riches, comfort. She notes that this wisdom of
the world revolves around the immediate and not the eternal.
As one who is writing from the Illuminative
State , and finally, the Unitive State
This Illuminative
State
I have heard priests state that humility is not the same as
humiliation. Angela (and I, from experience) assures us that this idea is
false. To desire humility, one must be ready for humiliations, over and over
again.
These humiliations happen according to the Mind of God. He
allows some people to experience more humiliations than others for the sake of
their souls. When humiliations come, one is inclined to see these as punishment
from God. Some may be punishments for sins, a purgatory on earth.
Some humiliations are simply opportunities for growth. One
cannot look for reward, as this is vainglory.
Angela admits that she was extremely impure on her road to
perfection, by thinking she was holier than she was. God took her and showed
her vainglory and pride.
Pride, the number one sin, gets in the way of holiness, and
must be crushed. Angela of Foligno warns us all against these things, in her
own words.
“…in order that our minds may be the better fixed upon God
it is needful that we should cast off all perverse and useless habits, all
superfluous familiarity with men and women of whatsoever nature, all
superfluous knowledge and the desire to hear many new things, all superfluous
labours and occupations. And, briefly, it is needful that man should put away
from him all things which do distract his mind.”
Poverty takes care of many distractions. When one is poor,
one cannot afford cable television, the Internet, newspapers, magazines, going
out to plays, going on vacations, or
even books.
One cannot afford dinners out, or needless socializing. One
can barely afford the basics necessary for life, which creates a gratitude, as
one realizes that all one has is really from God and not from one’s own worth,
value, efforts.
Focusing on God is not an automatic response of the poor,
but not having other distractions helps to clear the mind of trivia.
Our model is Christ Crucified. As Angela notes, regarding the Sacrifice of Christ on the
Cross, “….he (the sinner) must take heed that never forget this great benefit.”
To fix one’s mind totally on Christ demands the simplicity
of life, and poverty provides this simplicity.
Ask yourselves today these simple questions:
How much time do I spend watching useless programs, or
playing distracting computer games?
How much time do I fill my imagination with decorating the
house, or planting more flowers, or fixing elaborate meals?
How much time do I waste on line reading copious comments,
tweets, or news items, not necessary for my work or salvation?
The call to poverty should be cherished. Those who hate
those of us who are poor fear facing the real poverty, which is the poverty of
the soul.
To be continued…
Perfection II: Angela Part Four
Perfection Series II yet again and again
Angela of Foligno writes that the worst poverty, abject
poverty, is knowing one’s sins are the cause of the suffering of Christ. Such
poverty is that which should be sought by all Catholics.
Why?
Unless one is emptied of self, one cannot love God as He
desires to be loved.
Unless one allows purgation, one cannot come to know the
Bridegroom.
Angela notes: “ …in order to raise man up again from out of
this adverse poverty, the most high God, Christ Jesus, the most rich in all
thing, did make Himself poor for our sake; how He, the most beatific and most
joyful, did make Himself most wretched in order that through His infinite
suffering He might redeem man and save him from everlasting and unspeakable
pain.”
The more we meditate on the Crucifixion, the more we see and
understand this great sacrifice of God Himself.
Angela explain, “ For the more clearly the soul doth know God and His
exaltedness, His mercy and infinite goodness and worthiness…and the more
clearly it beholdeth the wretchedness of man, his faults, is unworthiness, his
ingratitude, infirmities, and vileness, the more deeply is it moved towards the
love of Christ and the grief of His Passion, and is transformed into the
likeness thereof, wherein consisteth all the perfection of man”
One cannot, absolutely cannot, become perfect without being
transformed into Christ Himself, the Christ Who is on the Cross.
May I add that this meditation of Christ on the Cross is not
merely a devotion, but a lifestyle. What I mean by this is that the
contemplation of God as the Suffering Servant cannot be merely something which
happens now and then, but daily, in order to conform one’s self to Christ.
The problem is that people honestly do not believe in the
Suffering Christ.
To be continued….
Perfection Series II. Angela Part Three
Those who are poor endure many sufferings, which if
accepted, join one to the sufferings of Christ. People who can avoid suffering
poverty, should and rejoice in the gifts of God. But, they absolutely must not
look down or scorn those who are not so blessed.
The blessings of wealth come completely freely from God, and
despite the feelings or convictions of those who are wealthy, these gifts do
not come from our own efforts, but from God’s Providence
Angela of Foligno reminds us that only in realizing our own
wretchedness can we find God. I have moments of joy, but not consistently, as I
am so far from perfection, when people revile me. “Why don’t you get a job?” (I
have applied to so many, I have lost count.) “Why don’t you buy a car to get to
a job?” (Banks do not give car loans to people without incomes. And, I could not afford to keep a car.) “Why don’t you move in with some man to pay
your way?” (No answer to that one.., which I heard last week.) “Why does not son not leave the seminary to
help you? (He does not exist for my happiness, but for God, to Whom he belongs.
And, he would merely join the 50% of the unemployed of his age group.) “Why
don’t you move back to Europe ?” (Ummm…again,
no answer to that one.) “Why don’t you apply for HUD housing?” (There is an
eight year waiting list in this city and a ten year waiting list across the
River.)
For those who have never faced their own wretchedness, the
idea that to know one is nothing and to know that one is helpless in the face
of poverty can be freeing is completely mysterious. The freeing of one’s self
from the opinions of others brings an objectivity about grace and sin. Angela
writes this and I paraphrase-that all knowledge of God comes from knowledge of
self. The self is a prison which keeps
us from the Love and Mercy of God.
There is only one way to achieve both the knowledge of God
and knowledge of self. This is the way of meditating, contemplating on the
Crucifixion of Christ.
Thinking about the Passion of Christ reveals many things to
one’s self. If one cannot do this, one is running away from suffering. If one
can meditate on the sufferings of Our Lord, He begins to join His sufferings
with ours. One begins to enter into His
suffering by this invitation.
We know we love someone when we want to share in their
sufferings and not run away from these pains.
To focus on the sufferings of Christ is to be reminded that He actually
chose to endure these pains so that we can join Him in eternal bliss.
St. Angela states that if one wants to become perfect, one must accept suffering, penance, disdain...
Such is love….
To be continued…
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