The Four Last Things & the Yea But’s another I AM a Catholic Shared Lesson by Patrick miron

The Last Four “Things” & the “Yea – But’s”

Another I AM a Catholic Shared Lesson

By Patrick Miron

In case someone is unfamiliar with the above expression, it stems from Catholic Theology & Moral Teachings, and references the inevitable [1] Death [2] immediate-[the so called “Particular”] Judgment [3] Hell [4] or Heaven; quite possibly through Purgatory, which too is Biblically grounded. [1^st Cor.3:5-10]

The first two are controlled by our God; the second two [a God granted freewill option] by our individual freewill life-choices and decisions

“Yea –Buts” are any and all excuse [that we might hold as “reasons”]which we might attempt to give GOD for our personal choices. [A futile, even a humorous effort on our part.]

From the Catholic Catechism:

1051 Every man receives his eternal recompense in his immortal soul from the moment of his death in a particular judgment by Christ, the judge of the living and the dead.

THE JUDGMENTS OF WHICH THERE SHALL BE TWO

2Cor.6 2 For he says, “At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation. “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.”

Isa.55 Verses 6 to 9: [6] “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; [7] let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD.[9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Ezek.7: 3 Now the end is upon you, and I will let loose my anger upon you, and will judge you according to your ways; and I will punish you for all your abominations.

Heb.10: 30 For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

Luke.19: 2 He said to him, `I will condemn you out of your own mouth, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

John.8: 16 Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone that judge, but I and he who sent me.

Acts.10: 42 And he commanded us to preach to the people, and to testify that he is the one ordained by God to be judge of the living and the dead.

GOD’S NECESSRY JUSTICE

Matt.7: 13-27 “[13] “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. [14] For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
[15] “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. [16] You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? [17] So, every sound tree bears god fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. [18] A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus you [and our God] will know them by their fruits. [21] “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ [23] And then will I declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from me, you evildoers.’ [24] “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; [singular] [25] and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. [26] And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;
[27] and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it.”

1 King 26:26 “ And God will reward every one according to his justice, and his faithfulness”

Deut.32: 35 Vengeance is mine, and recompense, for the time when their foot shall slip; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and their doom comes swiftly

Nah.1: 2 The LORD is a jealous God and avenging, the LORD is avenging and wrathful; the LORD takes vengeance on his adversaries and keeps wrath for his enemies.

Deut.30:19 “I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live”

John.16:8 And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:

Rom.1: 32 Though they know God’s decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them but approve those who practice them.

2Cor.11: 15 So it is not strange if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Rev.2: 23 “and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”

1 Peter 1: 17 “Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, “

Matt.19: 17 “And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, [KNOW &] keep the commandments.”

Rom.2: 13 “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

Matt.23: 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others

God’s incomprehensible Divine Mercy

Exod.20: 6 but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments

Exod.33: 19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you my name `The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.

Num.14: 8] If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land which flows with milk and honey

Ps.145 Verses 17 to 18 “The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings. He is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.

Heb.6: 10 “For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.”

Matt.5: 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Matt.9:13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke.1:50 And his mercy is on those who fear him [“fear” here has two meanings: it means to be in Awe of God, as well as to actually fear Divine Justice; what we actually DO deserve] from generation to generation.

Rom.9 Verses 15 to 16 “For he says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So it depends not upon man’s will or exertion, but upon God’s mercy.

Eph.2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us,

Jas.2:13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; yet mercy triumphs over judgment

The corporal works of mercy is as follows:

To feed the hungry;
To give drink to the thirsty;
To clothe the naked;
To harbour the homeless
To visit the sick;
To ransom the captive;
To bury the dead.

The spiritual works of mercy are:

To instruct the ignorant;
To counsel the doubtful;
To admonish sinners;
To bear wrongs patiently;
To forgive offences willingly;
To comfort the afflicted;
To pray for the living and the dead.

Preforming the works of Mercy is a way that we can make amends for our sins and the Temporal Punishment all sins accrue; and thus enhance our chances of attaining Heaven..

FROM THE BOOK: The Four Last things

By Father Martin von Cochem, O.S.F.C. [1899-1900]

Divine Justice & what to expect from Hell

“How terrible would thou be if a mad dog were suddenly to spring upon thee, pull thee to the ground, and begin to tear you apart with its teeth. Do not imagine that the devil will fall upon you with less fury” [page 145]

“The devil will brand all reprobate with the mark of shame on their foreheads, or that part of the body with which they sinned, in order that all the shameful deeds that they have perpetuated in their lifetimes will be known” ….. [page 150]

Jer.23: 40” And I will bring upon you everlasting reproach and perpetual shame, which shall not be forgotten.'”

“Yet be given for the damned of all these pains [the nature of which will emulate what you most fear; what you most dread], that which will give the keenest anguish is being deprived of the vision of God [the Beatific Vision], it will NEVER be given to the damned, to see the divine continence.” [page 154] The extent, and an apt description of the pains and unending ETERNAL suffering exceed the most vivid imagination, and indescribable and incomprehensible.

The FIRES of HELL [page 115]

The first thing we must know is that our sense of touch, smell, sight and hearing, will not only be present; but enhanced, amplified, perfected, and fully, actively and continuously, unendingly engaged.

And YES, the FIRES of Hell are REAL…. [Pages 115-120]

Matt.25:41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels

Matt.3: 1] His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

Matt.7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

Matt.13:40 Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. …. [42] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.

Mark.9:48 where their worm [senses] does not die, and the fire is not quenched.

John.15: 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned

Heb.10:27 but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries

Jude.1: 7 “just as Sodom and Gomor’rah and the surrounding cities, which likewise acted immorally and indulged in unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.”

Heb.6 Verses 4-8 “For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt. For land which has drunk the rain that often falls upon it, and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed; its end is to be burned

Rev.19: 20 “And the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who in its presence had worked the signs by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped its image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with Sulphur”

Rev.20:15 “and if any one’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire”

“In a moment the skin is off, the raw flesh protrudes, blood and matter exclude from the wounds, and the pain goes to the very marrow of every bone. One cannot help but cry out and scream as it has lost one’s senses.” ……. Now imagine if one were sentenced to be burned alive for one’s sins and for all time you stood in the fire, how piteously you would weep and wail, how loudly you would shriek and roar in your agony. ….. A fire that is enclosed burns many times hotter being enclosed. …… THE NEXT REASON THE FIRE OF HELL IS SO HEATED IS THAT IT IS KINDLED BY THE BREATH OF GOD. ……

Isa.30 Verses 27-28, 33 “[27] Behold, the name of the LORD comes from far, burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;his lips are full of indignation,
and his tongue is like a devouring fire; [28] his breath is like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck; to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction, and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle that leads astray. …. [33] For a burning place has long been prepared; yea, for the king it is made ready, its pyre made deep and wide, with fire and wood in abundance; the breath of the LORD, like a stream of brimstone, kindles it.”

It has now been made clear that the damned will be cast body and soul into the awful furnace of hell, into the immense lake of fire, where they will be {forever} surrounded by flames…… Every breath will be the scorching breath of the furnace; these infernal flames will penetrate every portion of the body, so that their will be no part or member, within or without that will not be steeped in fire. How despairing the cries, how agonizing the shrieks that will ascend from this eternal bed of torture.”

END QUOTES from book

ALL of the above address the “Particular” [the immediate] upon death Judgement. But there will also be a second Judgment termed the “General Judgment”; which while affirming the Particular Judgment; will do so in a most public fashion, wherein every Soul will know the Divine Decision of the Particular Judgment, and WHY that Soul had chosen for themselves Eternal Heaven or Eternal Hell.

Even knowing the fate of our life’s “loved-ones” will not destress us even if these loved ones choose for themselves Eternal Hell, because we will understand the perfect Justice of our God, and agree with His Judgment. This second Judgment; “the General Judgment”, will come at the so called “End Times”, and will not change the outcome of the 1^st. Particular Judgment.

1390. Will our bodies share in the reward or punishment of our souls?
Our bodies will share in the reward or punishment of our souls, because through the resurrection they will again be united to them.

1391. When will the general resurrection or rising of all the dead take place?
The general resurrection or rising of all the dead will take place at the general judgment, when the same bodies in which we lived on earth will come forth from the grave and be united to our souls and remain united with them forever either in heaven or in hell

CCC #1023 Those who die in God’s grace and friendship and are perfectly purified live forever with Christ. They are like God for ever, for they “see him as he is,” face to face:

By virtue of our apostolic authority, we define the following: According to the general disposition of God, the souls of all the saints . . . and other faithful who died after receiving Christ’s holy Baptism (provided they were not in need of purification when they died, . . . or, if they then did need or will need some purification, when they have been purified after death, . . .) already before they take up their bodies again and before the general judgment – and this since the Ascension of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ into heaven – have been, are and will be in heaven, in the heavenly Kingdom and celestial paradise with Christ, joined to the company of the holy angels. Since the Passion and death of our Lord Jesus Christ, these souls have seen and do see the divine essence with an intuitive vision, and even face to face, without the mediation of any creature.

[Purgatory] Duration

http://newadvent.org/cathen/12575a.htm#I

“The very reasons assigned for the existence of purgatory make for its passing character. We pray, we offer sacrifice for souls therein detained that “God in mercy may forgive every fault and receive them into the bosom of Abraham” (Apostolic Constitutions); and Augustine (City of God XXI.13, 16) declares that the punishment of purgatory is temporary and will cease, at least with the Last Judgment. “But temporary punishments are suffered by some in this life only, by others after death, by others both now and then; but all of them before that last and strictest judgment.” End Quotes Catholic Encyclopedia

So the Souls both on earth and in Purgatory at the End Times will endure sufficient suffering while on earth to have repaid in full, the Temporal Punishment due to their sins.

At these End Times, in the General Judgment, in emulation of Jesus Christ who rose from the from the dead on the Third day, NOW in His GLORIFIED and perfected in every way, body, so too shall all Souls be reunited with their NOW perfected bodes [of note this will include greatly enhanced knowledge, awareness and sensitivity of our mortal senses, so that Heaven can and will be all- the- more enjoyable [John 15:11]; and similarly Hell will be all the more severe and excruciating.]

So that dear friends is what lies ahead of us. We cannot claim NOT to be aware of it, NOR will there be any “Yea Buts” accepted; so choose well and choose now.

Isa.55 Verses 6 to 9 “[6] “Seek the LORD while he may be found, call upon him while he is near; [7] let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that he may have mercy on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. [8] For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways, says the LORD. [9] For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

Choose now, and choose wisely dear friends,

Pray very much!

Patrick

“Living and Walking in the Spirit” {reblogged from topetychus}

New post on THE TRUTH

Living and Walking by The Spirit.

by topetychus

If you cannot overcome sin, how can you overcome Satan?
Don’t you know that it is sin that breaks the hedge of Grace that is around you and causes Satan, the serpent to strike you?
If you cannot rebuke sin, how can you rebuke Satan?

Don’t you know that if the Name of Jesus cannot dethrone sin in your life, it cannot dethrone anything else in your life?
Don’t you know that if your faith must move mountain, it must first move you to live an obedient life to GOD?
It is to the extent that you have put your flesh “under”, that you have become an overcomer, and YOU ARE NOT A CONQUEROR by merely mouthing off words.

YOU MUST CONQUER THE god SELF.
Christianity is dying to self.

You don’t continue to live in the flesh and be claiming Grace has done it all.

If you indulge self, you indulge sin; you indulge Satan.

Living a life of sin is inadvertently glorifying Satan.
Grace hasn’t come to absorb us of all responsibility, rather Grace is the divine empowerment to live according to the will of GOD.

And HE says, “…work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is GOD who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure”.
Grace never said, I’ve done it all for you, go and be idle.

Grace said,”your sins are forgiven, GO AND SIN NO MORE”.
Grace has done a lot for mankind, but the singular most powerful work Grace did on our behalf was to break the hold of sin over our lives, EMPOWERING us to sin no more.
#Until We Come To The Unity Of Faith

READ YOUR BIBLE, MEDITATE, PRAY, & OBEY GOD…Kuorire

~Kenny K’ore

White Martyrdom: What is it and WHY is it? another I AM a Catholic shared Lesson by Patrick Miron

“White Martyrdom “….. WHAT and WHY is it?

Another I AM a Catholic shared Lesson

By Patrick Miron

Not widely known, is the fact that in the 20^th Century the RCC has seen more true Martyrs than in the previous 19 centuries of our existence. So what I am about to share might seem to some. A bit inconsequential?

A former mentor of mine; Father John A. Hardon S.J. [died in December of 2000], is quoted as teaching:

“Unless we recover the zeal and the spirit of the first century Christians [who were /are the first Catholics], _____ unless we are willing to do what they did and to pay the price that they paid [giving their very lives in the most brutal fashions: the Lions dens, the “rack”, boiled alive in oil, and even crucifixions]. The future of our country, the days of America are numbered.” And all we have to do is COMMIT to doing and knowing God’s Perfect Will for each of us.

Were Father alive in our present times and circumstances, he might amend his prophesy to include “white” Martyrdom. …… WHY?

Not being able to judge the interest level of what is currently taking place in our RCC, I will reference a number of articles that give a fuller “picture” of the current situation, with site access information and only brief comments.

I was inspired to write and share this information because of its historical significance. ….. Not only is there a battle currently ranging within the RCC; it has ascended to an outright public war, which has now soared into a public war for souls. This war has escalated to the point that factual [by definition] heretics are using this “H” term for Traditional, humble, adjudicated and justified teachers of our Catholic Faith who insist that what God, the bible and Sacred Tradition proclaim cannot be changed by popular opinions, under the guise of it actually being “GOD’S Merciful Will.”

Moral truth can never be subjective, and is far more than an optional selective to be peddled because it’s easier, and it’s what “the people want,” and are clamoring for.

Mercy, even well intended mercy, can never hold sway over-Objective Moral truths. [Romans 13:1-2]. To paraphrase my much respected Archbishop Fulton Sheen: “A lie remains a lie, no matter how many accept it, and the truth, remains the truth no matter how many reject it.”

But before I address as briefly as I am able this current unfolding danger which all Christians, and certainly, all Catholics, NEED to be aware of; allow me to first address the title issues of what is “white martyrdom” and why does it exist in a highly signifient manner today?

“White Martyrdom” refers to Souls that freely give their “all”, in a literal, but unbloody manner to Christ, through service through His Church. These souls are commonly belittled, chastised, ridiculed, mocked, derided, and even at times demoted. Their names are dragged through the mud or worse. ….. That such could and is happening in a religion founded on LOVE is in itself inexpressingly sad. [Romans 5: 7-10] …. That it originates at the highest levels of our Church governance is shocking and scandalous, but needs to be exposed for what it is. WRONG! Objective Moral teachings are being challenged & proposed through the lens of Progressive -liberalism as an acceptable subjective [personal] option, stamped with duplicitous and secretive approval [in the foot notes , but NOT the teaching document] at the highest levels of Church governance. And those brave enough [or in a position not to be threatened with removal from their present post] are being brashly, brutally and very publically persecuted.

“The animosity toward the four Cardinals coming from the Pope and his closest collaborators was expected. That is why the letter to the Pope containing the “dubia” [Latin for “DOUBTS] was signed by three retired Cardinals and Cardinal Raymond Burke, who has already been removed from his Vatican post. “For good reason,” Vatican sources told LifeSiteNews, others who supported the letter could not sign on for fear of losing their positions.” END QUOTE

https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/new-american-cardinals-question-the-dubia-submitted-to-the-pope-by-four-cou

Much more on this soon.

So now unto the Why? The absolute need for “White Martyrs.”

This is far less complex. White Martyrdom exist because EVIL exist and must be confronted. To do otherwise is not a legitimate option. It is a frightful attempt to escape the evitable consequences of our own making; or our unwillingness to be put at self-risk; or to confront something at some cost to ourselves that we are unwilling to pay. While each of us has a moral responsibility to preserve OUR Faith; it is those willing to become true Martyrs for THEE-Faith, that have sustained it and permitted continue over the ages. Once again nothing short of a willingness to give their all, is called for to insure Christ promise that the GATES [plural] of Hell shall not prevail. [Mt. 15:18], and once again God has raised up men to answer this call.

While they have yet to suffer Blood-martyrdom, they a\re in the throes of “White Martyrdom”; which is every-bit a similar sacrifice.

Thank God, that some are brave enough, BOLD enough, and willing to pay what- ever the price may be, to do Good, to confront evil, to do what is morally correct. To do what God would have each of us do.

Now, here as brief as I can make it is what is taking place [shockingly in a very public forum], as historical Vatican protocol and policies long in place have been utilized and seemingly, in specifics, denied.

[1] Pope Francis ordered two Synods on the matter of “marriage and the family.”

[2] Earlier this year [2016] the summation and results of this endeavor was released in the Papal document entitles: “ Amoris Laetitia” …. https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.htm …… Go to chapter 8; footnote #’351

“In certain cases, this can include the help of the sacraments. Hence, “I want to remind priests that the confessional must not be a torture chamber, but rather an encounter with the Lord’s mercy” (Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium [24 November 2013], 44: AAS 105 [2013], 1038). I would also point out that the Eucharist “is not a prize for the perfect, but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak” (ibid., 47: 1039). [This is footnote 351.]”

The Controversy at the Heart of Amoris Laetitia

By Dr. Jeff Miru

https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/articles.cfm?id=674

“Admission to Communion is specified only in this note. But the note serves to clarify that, at least in some cases, Pope Francis foresees admission to Communion to be possible (as it would be if the decision were based only on the question of whether the sin is mortal or venial). In passing, let me also mention that Cardinal Schönburg’s insistence that the Holy Father is referring only to Confession in this note is not tenable given the specific mention of the Eucharist.

Here we are, then, in this spacious and even strikingly beautiful document, right back to the Church’s sore spot: Communion for those who are divorced and remarried without benefit of annulment. This is certainly at least a small part of the Pope’s pastoral approach, as highlighted in this footnote, which specifies it as possible.

This, of course, brings us to the second of the “two things” I mentioned which raise questions. We must now recover that final clause in the last sentence of the very long passage above. Under the conditions he has outlined (which are excellent conditions), Pope Francis concludes: “there can be no risk that a specific discernment may lead people to think that the Church maintains a double standard.” But every Catholic in the entire world, on either side of this question, knows that this statement is extraordinarily wide of the mark. For even if every priest fulfilled the Pope’s high expectations in this process of accompaniment and discernment (and experience suggests the opposite), it is in fact impossible to prevent people from thinking the Church maintains a double standard, when the normal rules are in fact suspended, at least in some cases and perhaps more often than not.

It is inescapable that the Church’s ministry in this matter will be, at best, uneven. There will be scandal, not just in the minds of some, but in actual fact.” END QUOTES

https://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/papa-francesco_esortazione-ap_20160319_amoris-laetitia.htm

An article worth reading

Another important bit of information:

https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/04/08/amoris-laetitia-chapter-accompanying-discerning-and-integrating-weakness/

Amoris Laetitia, chapter 8 – Accompanying, discerning and integrating weakness

So here then is a clarification of this now infamous FOOTNOTE #351, which supposes some right, some authority to change what God Himself teaches in the bible ————– , and what has for 2,000 + years been our Sacred Tradition and Teachings on the Sacrament of Marriage, and what constitutes a mortal sin. Both of which are called into question [now changeable?????] at the option of the Christian-divorced & remarried and their Confessor-priest. As some sort of valid option, based on their personal feelings on the issues.

The long held position on Marriage and Divorce-remarried has always been considered a Mortal sin by the Catholic Magisterium.

1John.5 Verses 16 to 17
[16] If any one sees his brother committing what is not a mortal sin, he will ask, and God will give him life for those whose sin is not mortal. There is sin which is mortal; I do not say that one is to pray for that. [17] All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which is not mortal”

So the reality of Mortal sin is solidly biblical. Christian marriage; then divorce and then a remarriage is an intrinsic evil {everyone ought to know this], hence one is such a state of life is denied due to being objectively in Mortal sin, from the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist. Confession, because true forgiveness requires TRUE repentance, which in these cases mean a separation, OR choosing to live as “brother and sister” without the sexual benefits of a valid sacramental-marriage. …. The Eucharist, because one MUST be in the “state of God’s grace” [without any unconfessed or unforgiven mortal sins].

I will add here that similar to Saint JP II’s Infallible teaching on a male only priesthood being IMPOSSIBLE to change ………

[https://w2.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/1994/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_19940522_ordinatio-sacerdotalis.html];

….. as it is a Sacrament instituted by Jesus Christ therefore ONLY Jesus Christ; NOT the Pope, not the Magisterium is able to change it; so too the nature of sin, and the obligations, consequences and conditions of a Sacramental marriage are also IMPOSSIBLE to change on the whims; even if grounded on the “good intentions,” of very misguided mortal men.

John.20 Verses 19 to 23

[19] On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” [20] When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. [21] Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” [22] And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. [23] If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

Jesus’ teaching on Marriage:

Matt.5 Verses 31 to 32

[31] “It was also said, `Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ [32] But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.” ….. Jesus teaches that adultery is a MORTAL sin.

Haydock’s Catholic Bible commentary on verse #32

“Ver. 32. Excepting the cause of fornication. A divorce or separation as to bed and board, may be permitted for some weighty causes in Christian marriages; but even then, he that marrieth her that is dismissed, commits adultery. As to this, there is no exception. The bond of marriage is perpetual; and what God hath joined, no power on earth can separate. See again Matthew xix. 9. (Witham) — The knot of marriage is so sacred a tie, that the separation of the parties cannot loosen it, it being not lawful for either of the parties to marry again upon a divorce. (St. Augustine, de bon. conjug. chap. vii.) (Bristow)”

Solidified by 2,000 years of history and practice; Catholics and Christian’s who choose for whatever reason to divorce their spouse from a Sacramental marriage, simultaneously choose for themselves the single life. Until their spouse dies. Remarriage is not an option without great penalties. The Church does OFFER a process of a possible [by no means automatic] annulment proceeding that if granted, enables remarriage.

So what’s the state of the battle today?

Many Cardinals, Bishops and Priest have requested a clarification of footnote #351.

The two opposing positions are:

[1] That “AL” NOW permits the Divorced & remarried access to both Confession {and one assumes here absolution while STILL living in Mortal sin; based on that persons personal understanding that what they have done is [subjectively], NOT a Mortal SIN BECAUSE they chose to think it so. “Truth” can only be Objective; never subjective.

…… And access to the Eucharist as they are no-longer in a state of GOD’S grace due to Moral sin and hence ineligible for this angst Sacrament, based on a priest agreeing with them constructed on what heretofore were invalid conditions.

[2] The opposition view, held by the Catholic Magisterium for 2,000 years is that such is an impossibility

Based on Biblical evidence, Sacred Tradition, Canon Law, and the Teachings in a precise and specific manner of prior Popes; and Magisterium approved and unchangeable DOCTRINES of the RCC, which are unchangeable/ PERIOD!

Such positions are being viewed as “rigidity”, “legalism,” and even “nit-picking”; and certainly, unmerciful and lacking charity. All the while Ignoring that GOD”S Mercy cannot override God’s necessary Justice.

Truth cannot be changed on the whims of lust and desire.

From our Catholic CATECHISM

1631 This is the reason why the Church normally requires that the faithful contract marriage according to the ecclesiastical form. Several reasons converge to explain this requirement:

– Sacramental marriage is a liturgical act. It is therefore appropriate that it should be celebrated in the public liturgy of the Church;

– Marriage introduces one into an ecclesial order, and creates rights and duties in the Church between the spouses and towards their children;

– Since marriage is a state of life in the Church, certainty about it is necessary (hence the obligation to have witnesses);

– The public character of the consent protects the “I do” once given and helps the spouses remain faithful to it

2390 In a so-called free union, a man and a woman refuse to give juridical and public form to a liaison involving sexual intimacy.

The expression “free union” is fallacious: what can “union” mean when the partners make no commitment to one another, each exhibiting a lack of trust in the other, in himself, or in the future?

The expression covers a number of different situations: concubinage, rejection of marriage as such, or inability to make long-term commitments. All these situations offend against the dignity of marriage; they destroy the very idea of the family; they weaken the sense of fidelity. They are contrary to the moral law. The sexual act must take place exclusively within marriage. Outside of marriage it always constitutes a grave sin and excludes one from sacramental communion

And from the Code of Canon Law

CHAPTER IX.

THE SEPARATION OF SPOUSES

Art. 1.

DISSOLUTION OF THE BOND

Can. 1141 A marriage that is ratum et consummatum can be dissolved by no human power and by no cause, except death END QUOTES

So this sets up the current enbattlement of differing views.

Based on creating worldwide mass confusion [and thus interjecting personal choice as being presumably granted], intimated by the duplicitous manner this “New [impossible though it is] Way” was introduced via a footnote, is being hailed in some places as a “NEW Teaching.” ….. Yet it was never expressed in the body of the text, [not that such would have changed its authority], within the lengthy document itself. We see here a fully planned ambiguity to give the author an avenue of deniability, which interestingly Francis choose not to avail himself of, and simultaneously “giving” proponents of this advocacy issue, some grounds on which to base their rejection of 2,000 year old Doctrinal, unchangeable though they are, defined truths.

Cardinal Kasper: Can the ‘remarried’ now receive communion? ‘Yes. Period.’ https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/cardinal-kasper-amoris-laetitia-changes-everything-on-communion-for-remarri

Does Pope Francis support the Kasper proposal? [YES!]

https://www.lifesitenews.com/opinion/does-pope-francis-support-the-kasper-proposal-what-really-happened-at-the-s

So what we have here are not merely opposing personal views; rather we are witnessing an attempt by our Pope and his carefully chosen cohorts to rewrite 2,000 years of Divinely Inspired Biblical teaching on both the very nature of sin [mortal sin and its subjective culpability], and Sacramental marriage as it has always been understood, defined, and declared as a Doctrine of the RCC.

Recently a group of four Cardinals, for the most-part untouchables by the Powers that Be [a real threat for a great many others of like mind; but fearing severe-reprisals based on our Popes past history of same], who in conscience could not tolerate the intentional ambiguity of the document on marriage; following long historical practice, initiated the following action:

[1] They issued a five point questions [dubia] based on the bible, Sacred Tradition, The Magisterium, & Canon Law. This was done is September of 2016.

This action was done in full accord with in place procedures and processes.

[2]The pope declined to respond; refused to clarify his intent.

[3] After a reasonable time [mid -November] with no reply, the four Cardinals, attempting to fulfill their obligatory roles as both papal advisors, and as Shepherds of Souls ,choose to take the matter public as it affects literally the salvation of many souls worldwide, For them this was a GRAVE moral responsibility.

[4] The new “prochoice-[remarriage & OK communion]” advocates of which there are many, including a number of whom were just last week promoted to Cardinals have taken to slander, name calling, and other derogatory and unbecoming [in charity] remarks made very publicly; making even more serious and grievous their actions by being within the ranks of the Episcopate.

Here’s a summary of today’s four “White Martyrs” each uniquely qualified by virtue of education, experience and background, to take this action on OUR behalf.

Cardinal Walter Brandmüller, 87 years old, continues to be one of the leading voices critical of proposals stemming from the Vatican’s Synod on the Family that critics say risk subverting Catholic teaching on the sacraments and morality.

He was one of five cardinals who contributed to the 2014 book Remaining in the Truth of Christ, which criticized Cardinal Walter Kasper’s proposal to open up Communion to civilly divorced and remarried Catholics.

The president emeritus of the Pontifical Committee for Historical Sciences gave an interview in 2014 where he stated that pastoral work can in “no circumstances … be in contradiction with doctrine.” He also stated during this time that a valid marriage between a baptized man and a woman that has been consummated “is indissoluble: Only death can part them.”

In a 2015 interview, Brandmüller criticized what he called a “perverse lust for self-destruction” that he saw in the liberal agenda among Germany’s bishops, stating that the self-destruction comes about “by undermining the procreation of life in different ways and in putting into question the natural sexual identity of man and woman.” The Cardinal openly stated that same year that those who advocate for changing Catholic teaching on marriage are ‘heretics,’ even if they are bishops.

Cardinal Raymond Burke, patron of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta, has been an outspoken champion of the Church’s pro-life and pro-family teachings, especially as articulated by Popes Benedict and John Paul II.

Burke was demoted by Pope Francis in 2014 from being the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s highest court, due to what critics said was his uncompromising defense of Church’s teaching on life and family issues.

In his commitment to defending the sacraments while holding fast to the Church’s teaching against abortion, the Cardinal has frequently insisted that persistently pro-abortion Catholic politicians be denied Holy Communion, as stated by Canon law.

He has called fighting the all-pervasive ‘contraceptive mentality’ “essential” for restoring the culture of life, has defended parents as the primary educators of their children, and has strongly defended marriage as the sacred union of one man and one woman.

Burke has urged Catholics on numerous occasions in the past two years to brace for martyrdom in the face of growing opposition to the Church’s clear teachings on marriage and the family.

Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, 78 years old, who was tasked by Saint Pope John Paul II more than three decades ago with founding an institute to study marriage and the family, has been a respected leader in reinvigorating the life and family movement within the Church.

In 2008, Caffarra gave an interview in which he spoke about a letter he had received from the last Fatima seer, Sister Lucia dos Santos, concerning the final battle between God and Satan. When the Cardinal wrote to Sister Lucia 36 years ago asking for her prayers as he began the process of founding the institute, he never expected a reply. Instead, the seer responded with a message of profound significance.

States Caffarra: “In [her letter] we find written: ‘The final battle between the Lord and the reign of Satan will be about marriage and the family. Don’t be afraid,’ she added, ‘because anyone who operates for the sanctity of marriage and the family will always be contended and opposed in every way, because this is the decisive issue.’ And then she concluded: ‘However, Our Lady has already crushed its head.’”

The Archbishop Emeritus of Bologna has called the Pope’s exhortation Amoris Laetitia ‘objectively unclear,’ noting how fellow bishops have conflicting interpretations of what it means

Cardinal Joachim Meisner, former Archbishop of Cologne, has never minced words when it comes to preaching the Gospel truth about life and family issues.

In 2005, before Cologne hosted World Youth Day that same year, Meisner compared abortion to the Nazi holocaust in his sermon for the January 6 commemoration of the Epiphany. He stated that “first there was Herod, who ordered the children of Bethlehem to be killed, then there was Hitler and Stalin among others, and today unborn children are being killed in their millions.” END QUOTES

POPE FRANCIS QUOTES ON THOSE HE SEES AS BEING “LEAGELIST”

[ 1 ] http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pope-francis-be-true-witnesses-not-pure-legalists

[ 2 ] https://cruxnow.com/church/2016/04/11/pope-francis-again-blasts-moral-legalism-by-religious-leaders/

[ 3 ] http://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathyschiffer/2014/06/pope-francis-rigid-traditionalists-and-cafeteria-catholics-arent-really-catholics/

These men of God, only trying to fulfill their grave-obligations both to our Pope as Advisors, and for us a Good Shepherds have been singled out as some sort of subverting clique for attempting to uphold God, His bible, and His Inspired long define Doctrines..

Pope Benedict XVU predicted a smaller and more Orthodox and pious Church. It seems to be happening before our very eyes IF we are paying it attention?

[ 1 ] http://aleteia.org/2016/06/13/when-cardinal-joseph-ratzinger-predicted-the-future-of-the-church/

[2] http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/03/the-church-will-become-small-and-will-have-to-start-afresh/

My dear friends, God just recently gave America a reprieve [a MORAL issue; not a political one]. Surely He COULD do the same for His Church. Pray and sacrifice very much!

“The animosity toward the four Cardinals coming from the Pope and his closest collaborators was expected. That is why the letter to the Pope containing the “dubia” was signed by three retired Cardinals and Cardinal Raymond Burke, who has already been removed from his Vatican post. “For good reason,” Vatican sources told LifeSiteNews, others who supported the letter could not sign on for fear of losing their positions.

Belying the animosity directed at the four Cardinals asking the Pope for clarification on Amoris Laetitia, their letter was the kindest and most humble expression of concern. “Compelled in conscience by our pastoral responsibility and desiring to implement ever more that synodality to which Your Holiness urges us, we, with profound respect, permit ourselves to ask you, Holy Father,” is how the Cardinals began their question. Addressing the Pope as the “Supreme Teacher of the Faith,” they asked him to “resolve the uncertainties and bring clarity, benevolently giving a response to the ‘dubia’ that we attach to the present letter.” END QUOTES

We are speaking here of what kind of future we are going to leave our kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. Act NOW while time permits us too. AMEN! This is not a unique occurrence within our Chruch.

“The following words of Saint Basil the Great, addressed to the Latin bishops, can be in some aspects applied to the situation of those who in our days ask for doctrinal clarity, including our four cardinals: “The one charge which is now sure to secure severe punishment is the careful keeping of the traditions of the Fathers. We are not being attacked for the sake of riches, or glory, or any temporal advantages. We stand in the arena to fight for our common heritage, for the treasure of the sound faith, derived from our Fathers. Grieve with us, all you who love the brethren, at the shutting of the mouths of our men of true religion, and at the opening of the bold and blasphemous lips of all that utter unrighteousness against God. The pillars and foundation of the truth are scattered abroad. We, whose insignificance has allowed of our being overlooked, are deprived of our right of free speech” (Ep. 243, 2.4).”

Within the past few day’s Cardinals Pell and Burke were removed from the Curia’s office of Divine Worship; completing the near-total purging of this important office, and we MIGHT expect that sooner than later, Cardinals Sarah [Prefect for the office of Divine Worship] and Muller [Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith] also may be removed from their offices of influence as the y are also visages [in power and authority] of Catholic Orthodoxy. The purge is ongoing; this is a fearful time for those humble, courageous and brave enough to boldly proclaim God’s Truths. Let us PRAY mightily for them, for our Church, for our faith and for our children. And YES, especially for our Pope and his cohorts who perpetuate these actions; this disinformation. ….. May GOD help them and us. Amen!

At this point it would seem THEY might be in more need of prayer than are we.

“Blessed John Henry Newman commented on these unusual sad facts with the following wise and equilibrated affirmation:

While it is historically true, it is in no sense doctrinally false, that a pope, as a private doctor, and much more bishops, when not teaching formally, may err, as we find they did err in the fourth century. Pope Liberius might sign a Eusebian formula at Sirmium, and the mass of bishops at Ariminum or elsewhere, and yet they might, in spite of this error, be infallible in their ex cathedra decision”

“The following words inspired by the Holy Spirit retain their prophetic value especially in view of the spreading doctrinal and practical confusion regarding the sacrament of marriage in our day: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry” (2 Tim. 4: 3-5)”

“May all, who in our days still take seriously their baptismal vows and their priestly and episcopal promises, receive the strength and the grace of God so that they may reiterate together with St. Hilary the words: “May I always be in exile, if only the truth begins to be preached again!” (De Syn., 78). This strength and grace we wish wholeheartedly to our four cardinals and as well as to those who criticize them”

http://www.crisismagazine.com/2016/prophetic-voice-four-cardinals-holy-roman-catholic-church

My dear friends in Christ, WE are witness to the White Martyrdom of four heretofore highly respected Cardinals in our Universal worldwide Catholic Church…… oddly this respect only increases in and through the slanderous persecution they are in; and rightly so. Amen!

Catholics are to continue to honor the chair of Peter, to obey and respect our Pope when he teaches if full accord with defined Doctrine and Sacred Tradition.

11/25/2016

Continued Blessings,

Patrick

“The Revenge of the Bitter Clingers” [reblogged] from Francis J. Beckworth

Despite disagreeing with the title & the fact that F.J.B. missed the point that what took place was a Godly intervention; following much fervent prayer; a Miracle, he nevertheless makes a solid observation IMO.

Revenge of the Bitter Clingers

Francis J. Beckwith

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2016

We should have known that something was up. The Cavaliers captured the NBA championship, the Cubs won the World Series, the U.K. voted to leave the E.U., and Bob Dylan won the Nobel Prize in Literature. This is not an ordinary year.

After the networks declared on Wednesday morning that Donald J. Trump will become the 45^th President of the United States, the words of Nobel’s latest laureate came to mind, “Something’s happening here, and you don’t know what it is, do you, Mr. Jones?”

Like most of those in the chattering classes, I was caught completely off guard by the Trump victory. Almost all of my friends – including many self-identified conservatives – were not supporting Trump. They argued – as I have argued in several places – that there were strong moral and practical reasons not to cast one’s vote for Trump (or Hillary Clinton, for that matter).

We thought that given Trump’s private and public indiscretions, his impulsiveness and unpredictability, and not to mention his not so delicate comments about immigrants, that his election would doom the Republican Party as well as the country. But the fact is that virtually none of us thought we would have to worry about the country, since we also thought that he was unelectable. Boy, were we wrong.

Like Dylan’s “Mr. Jones,” we had no idea what was happening here. My friends and I exist in the cultural equivalent of a guarded and gated community: suburban, professional, highly educated, middle-class, mobile, and cosmopolitan. We are people of means, largely insulated from the everyday lives of most white, religious, non-college educated, working class Americans, the ones whose votes put Trump over the top in Pennsylvania, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

They are the ones about which Barack Obama spoke so condescendingly in 2008 while he was privately addressing a group of donors in San Francisco:

You go into these small towns in Pennsylvania and, like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothing’s replaced them. And they fell through the Clinton administration, and the Bush administration, and each successive administration has said that somehow these communities are gonna regenerate and they have not.

And it’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy toward people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Despite these comments, Obama won a sizeable portion of these “bitter clingers.” They apparently were willing to put up with the elitist insults if it meant better prospects for them and their families. But after eight years, it didn’t turn out that way. They not only became worse off, their concerns about immigration, trade policy, police safety, national security, and religious liberty were uncharitably re-described by their “betters” as mere visceral expressions of xenophobia, fascism, racism, Islamophobia, and hate. One could, of course, always find among these folks those who use language that makes the descriptions seem plausible. But my sense is that among a vast majority of them, these concerns arose from a deep love for their families and their nation.

The only candidate that seemed to address these concerns and to take them seriously was Donald Trump. Sure, he was bombastic, sometimes inarticulate, and used language that was often off-putting, unnecessarily abrasive, and jarringly offensive. But who else were these citizens going to turn to? Hillary Clinton?

Remember, she’s the one who said this about Trump’s supporters at an LGBT rally in September: “You know, to just be grossly generalistic, you could put half of Trump’s supporters into what I call the ‘basket of deplorables.’ Right?…. The racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, Islamophobic – you name it.” By publicly condemning Obama’s bitter-clingers to the basket of deplorables, and delighting in the laughter that followed, Clinton and her adoring audience unwittingly sealed their fate.

Not only that, thanks to Wikileaks, the “deplorables” also got a peek behind the curtain. What they saw were elites – largely from the same schools, the same neighborhoods, with the same income levels, and with all the same friends – using their connections and influence to give Clinton what seemed to ordinary folks to be unfair advantages. When one sees the self-appointed guardians of social justice gaming the system for their friends, while calling you and your neighbors “deplorables” (to say nothing of gratuitous Catholic bashing), indignation seems to be the appropriate emotional response.

We’ll also soon see if Trump will deliver on a couple of things that any serious Catholic must consider: appointments to the Supreme Court and protection of religious freedom, not only in the form of the HHS mandates in Obamacare against groups like the Little Sisters of the Poor, but the more general pressure of the federal government on traditional believers who resist an aggressive promotion of both abortion and understandings of human sexuality intrinsically hostile to their moral theology.

I’m inclined to think he will.

None of this means that I have changed my opinion about Trump and how his personal character and public example may affect the character of the nation’s citizens as well as the trajectory of the Republican Party. But I sincerely hope that I am wrong.

Perhaps the President-Elect’s awareness of the awesome responsibility of the Oval Office, combined with the selection of excellent people in positions of leadership and counsel in his administration, will result in a President Trump less given to the undisciplined exercise of what St. Thomas Aquinas called the concupiscible and irascible appetites.

Who knows? In a year when the Cubs win the World Series and Dylan wins the Nobel Prize, anything is possible. Because all things are possible with God, Mr. Trump, and the nation he will serve, should now be constantly in our prayers.

© 2016 The Catholic Thing. All rights reserved. For reprint rights, write to: info@frinstitute.orgThe Catholic Thing is a forum for intelligent Catholic commentary. Opinions expressed by writers are solely their own.

The Vote 2016: RESULTS by Patrick Miron

The Vote 2016: The Results

The results were far more anti-Clinton {the Democratic Parties agenda}, then it was clear evidence of a pure support of President elect Donald trump.

My dear friends in Christ;

Anyone, ANYONE who thinks prayers do not matter; that God is NOT in charge, or that doubts that the world last night witnessed a Miracle; needs to rethink their position.

Give THANKS to Almighty God and our Blessed Mother who clearly intervened in the outcome; demonstrating once again, Divine Mercy without measure.

The magnitude of the Trump victory, was and is a Victory for America as a Nation, and proffers HOPE for a return to a former-Moral-sanity in America. Long misdirected and legislated immorality has seen, we continue to pray, a meaningful setback.

The war is just begun, as the “popular vote” could yet be with supporters of the “anything goes” agenda crowd, albeit by a slim margin.

This is but the first round; a much needed temporary reprieve that must now be advantaged. President Elect Trump’s choices for high- office is the next hurdle, and will give the world a better understanding of this unfolding miracle.

God has granted US an opportunity to once again make “Moral Issues” a reflection of what America holds dear. Keep praying daily for all of those in positions to affect this agenda.

God Bless America!

And thank you!

Patrick

The Vote 2016: POST Election post by Patrick Miron; November 8th, 2016

The vote 2016

POST ELECTION 2016 [November 8^th, 2016]

No matter who wins, I, and I pray, you too, are also at great inner-peace. If not we ought to be, having done what Jesus would have each of us do.

Today’s readings,[all 3 of them] are another sure sign of Divine Providence in action, have once again assured us that God Knows, and God remains in charge. Which does not mean that “the preverbal “other shoe willnot fall” soon and hard,” It is neither random “luck” nor “coincidence” that these reading were very-long ago scheduled to be shared today.

“Beloved: You must say what is consistent with sound doctrine” [2 Tim 1:8] “For the grace of God has appeared, saving all and training us to reject godless ways and worldly desires and to live temperately, justly, and devoutly in this age, as we await the blessed hope, the appearance of the glory of the great God and of our savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to deliver us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people as his own, eager to do what is good.” [2 Tim 1:11-14]

“Turn from evil and do good,
that you may abide forever;
The just [eventually] shall possess the land
and dwell in it[in peace] forever.”
R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord. Psalm 37: 27-29

“When you have done all you have been commanded, say:
‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done [ONLY] what we were obliged to do.” Luke 17:10

God has never promised that it “WOULD be easy”; rather only that it would be [will be] possible, in, with and through Him! AMEN!

Continued Blessings,

Patrick

Mary’s Holiness comes Wholly from Christ …. Reblogged

The Splendor of Mary’s Holiness Comes Wholly From Christ

The “splendor of an entirely unique holiness” by which Mary is “enriched from the first instant of her conception” comes wholly from Christ: she is “redeemed, in a more exalted fashion, by reason of the merits of her Son.” (CCC 492)

BY SHAUN MCAFEE 11/04/2016

Image credit: Ralph Hammann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

– Image credit: Ralph Hammann, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Upon converting to the Catholic Church, a huge stumbling block was the dogmas regarding Mary. Not only did they not make sense, but frankly, I didn’t want them to be true. I think most Protestants feel that way. When they hear a good argument, it can challenge their beliefs and if their life is based on those beliefs, this new truth can alter everything.

Such is the nature of conversion. It’s expected. It’s supposed to change your life! Lukewarm conversions stay lukewarm. But a good argument can cause anyone, lukewarm, cold, or hot, to reconsider their religion or at least plant seeds of doubt.

Eventually, I got over my fear of Mary. I guess that’s what I’ll call it. Someone wisely said, “Don’t worry, you can never love Mary more than Jesus.” I didn’t want anyone to be on par with or exceed the apparent glory deserving of Jesus, God’s Son. But Mary, like Jesus, continues to grow with me in knowledge and in devotion. I am better equipped year after year to defend the resurrection, and yet be completely compelled to love Him. With Mary, I continue to be amazed much the same that I grow in love with her, and I develop better understanding of the Church’s teaching on her.

So one of those topics is the sinless soul of Mary. This was a tough one to get through. Every Protestant can recite Paul’s words to the Romans, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (3:23). You can’t really look at those words, on first examination, not mince the universality of them. “All” is all. Right? Then there is John 1:8, “If any man says he has no sin he is a liar and the truth is not in him.” I guess I can get childish and say, “yeah but Mary is a woman.” I’m just kidding. But really, these were stumbling blocks for me.

In the process of navigating this teaching, one of the arguments I heard from Catholic friends was that the angel Gabriel tells Mary she is “full of grace” and that means she is sinless. Okay, there’s something to think about. There are online resources still available that argue for this position, with good arguments, but there is one particular theologian who disagrees to an extent. Thomas Aquinas addresses this in his Summa Theologiae, with very convincing acumen.

But in fact, the argument stems from a question regarding Jesus: “Is the fullness of grace proper to Christ?” In other words, Thomas is asking, “Is Christ the only one who is full of Grace?”

If you’ve never read the Summa you need to know that Thomas dissects everything, and has a flow of logic that builds a philosophical foundation, point by point. So for Thomas, this is not a mere ‘the Bible says this’ or ‘this Greek word means that’, but rather this is an argument of what actual can belong to a thing, and what can belong to a person.

Thomas tells us that we must consider grace in two ways: first, on behalf of grace itself, and second, on behalf of the one that grace is given. On the first, “fullness of grace” is attainted when the limit or excellence of grace is achieved and this is by essence or by power. In this regard, Jesus is truly the only human being who is full of grace because, by his essence, he is and commands grace at once. On the second, a subject (a person) may be “full of grace” inasmuch as their condition allows. For example, limited in how much grace God allows one to have (Eph. 3:8). In this way, grace is not proper to Christ, but proper to those whom grace is communicated to (the rest of us).

With that set-up, Thomas explains which category Mary is in and why:

The Blessed Virgin is said to be full of grace, not on the part of grace itself — since she had not grace in its greatest possible excellence — nor for all the effects of grace; but she is said to be full of grace in reference to herself, i.e. inasmuch as she had sufficient grace for the state to which God had chosen her, i.e. to be the mother of His Only-begotten. So, too, Stephen is said to be full of grace (Acts 6:8), since he had sufficient grace to be a fit minister and witness of God, to which office he had been called. And the same must be said of others. Of these fulnesses one is greater than another, according as one is divinely pre-ordained to a higher or lower state.

Read this in Tertia Pars, Question 7, Article 10 at New Advent.org.

To make this as simple as possible, Thomas is saying that Mary’s nature was gifted by God to be completely full of sufficient grace. She was full of grace as a recipient, but not as a giver. Each of us, like Stephen, can be “full of grace” to the limit and purpose of our condition (Act 6:8). What enables that fullness, for those who are not God, which is all of us, is our cooperation with grace. Mary, uniquely, happened to be so cooperating and so full, that she was withheld at the same time from original (the full part) and actual sin (the cooperating part). It’s mind-boggling, but it is sound theology.

There are great arguments to prove our Marian dogmas, and when we use them, we need to be sure they are used correctly. Simply saying that “the Bible says Mary is full of grace”, ergo she is sinless, does not cut it. Yes, this verse points to her uniqueness, but in the ways you and I are uniquely limited in grace (again, double read Ephesians 3:8), Mary is full of grace in reference to herself, which is ultimately in reference to her Savior — which is exactly how she references Him: “my spirit rejoices in God my savior” (Luke 1:47) END QUOTES

Catholic Hirearachy Speaks out on Vote 2016 {Reblogged|

Voting for pro-aborts is ‘incomprehensible:’ fearless bishops and priests speak out

2016 Presidential Election , Bishops , Catholic , Pro-Life Message ,Pro-Life Voting

Editor’s Note: If you are aware of any additional strong statements to add the list below, please send them to pcraine@lifesitenews.com.

November 4, 2016 (LifeSiteNews) – Catholics voters frequently find themselves wishing more clergy, especially bishops, would speak out on the crucial nature of voting for life on Election Day instead of often enduring a prevailing silence on obvious pro-abortion candidates and party platforms.

The recent resurgence of the late Mother Angelica’s simple advice on voting for life, in the form of a re-released viral video, shows the hunger Catholics have for guidance.

When priests and prelates do speak out to remind Catholics of their responsibility to vote for life, it gains attention and very often appreciation.

In two cases with priests, these messages went viral as well.

Here we present some of the best comments we’ve seen from bishops and priests this election season on the urgent need to vote pro-life.

Phoenix cathedral rector’s warning gets over 900,000 views

Father John Lankeit

The rector of Sts. Simon and Jude Cathedral Rector in Phoenix gave an early October homily that went viral, with 924,000 views on Youtube to date, showing the flawed reasoning and grave moral dangers of supporting a pro-abortion candidate.

“Suppose a candidate for president promoted a policy that would make it legal for someone to kill a black person if that black person created a hardship for them getting the education they desired,” Father John Lankeit said. “How many of you would be comfortable voting for that candidate?”

“One party favors open borders, the other party favors law and order,” he said. But “suppose a candidate for president promoted a policy that would make it legal for someone to kill a Hispanic person if the presence of that Hispanic person made it more difficult to pursue one’s career of choice. How many of you would be comfortable voting for that candidate?”

“There is a candidate, in this 2016 race for president, who along with that candidate’s political party does, in fact, sanction the killing of blacks and Hispanics in the situations previously described under one particular condition,” Father Lankeit continued. “That that black person or that Hispanic person is still in his or her mother’s womb.”

“Your soul will be in grave danger” if you vote for a candidate and party that are committed to expanding abortion on demand, “especially if you present yourself for Holy Communion after casting such a vote with the full knowledge of what you’re doing.”

Priest says voting for abortion candidate ‘incomprehensible’

Father Mark Goring

Father Mark Goring made a video message in August explaining the culpability of Catholics who support pro-abortion Catholics in an election, stating, “The blood of these unborn children is on your hands if you vote for and support an aggressively pro-abortion politician.”

A lot of Catholics do so, the director of the Catholic Charismatic Center in Houston, Texas, said, something he finds “incomprehensible,” making them “stupid Catholics.”

“These Catholics don’t realize that by voting for an aggressively pro-abortion politician they share the responsibility for the death of these unborn children,” Father Goring said.

Portland archbishop: Voting for life ‘foundational’

Archbishop Alexander SampleJan Bentz / LifeSiteNews

Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon, told LifeSiteNews recently that “all candidates are flawed in some way or another,” and it boils down to “what their stance is in the life issues, which is the foundational stance in every election – the respect for the dignity of human life.”

“According to the teachings of the Church – on the moral issues – that form and shape the culture in the society in which we live, we need to be guided by the teachings of Christ and the Church on moral issues,” Archbishop Sample stated. The lack of perfect candidates diminishes neither the imperative to actually go and vote nor the reflected discernment of the Catholic voter, he explained.

New York bishop: Abortion support ‘sufficient’ to disqualify candidate

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center, NY

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre, New York, said recently in a letter to parishes that the fact a candidate supports abortion is sufficient reason alone to disqualify them from getting a Catholic’s vote.

“Support of abortion by a candidate for public office, some of whom are Catholics, even if they use the fallacious and deeply offensive ‘personally opposed but …’ line, is reason sufficient unto itself to disqualify any and every such candidate from receiving our vote,” Bishop Murphy wrote in the October 24 letter. “Let me repeat that: Support of abortion by a candidate for public office, some of whom are Catholics, even if they use the fallacious and deeply offensive ‘personally opposed but …’ line, is reason sufficient unto itself to disqualify any and every such candidate from receiving our vote.”

Bishop says pro-abortion Catholics are Pharisees

Bishop David Kagan of Bismarck, North Dakota

The Catholic bishop of Bismarck took to Twitter and his diocesan website this month to give Catholics clear guidance on voting in accord with Catholic principles.

“Pro-abortion Catholics are saying that some human beings do not have an inviolable right to life like they were given,” Bishop David Kagan recently tweeted. “Stupid! Not Catholic.”

“The hypocrisy of the Pharisees is mirrored by so-called Catholic politicians who claim to be good Catholics and vote for abortion,” Bishop Kagan also tweeted.

“A properly formed Catholic conscience does not contradict the defined truths of our Catholic Faith in matters of faith and morals,” the bishop said in a statement this month. “The Catholic Church’s teachings are the means for us to properly form our consciences so that we seek always what is objectively true and good.”

Kansas bishops: Abortion should be at ‘forefront’ of voters’ minds

Catholic bishops of Kansas

“All Catholics have a moral obligation to keep [the] human rights catastrophe” of abortion “at the forefront of their minds when voting,” Bishop John Brungardt of Dodge City, Kansas, said in a video released in September by the four bishops of Kansas. “In our country, over one million unborn children are killed by abortion every single year.”

Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Bishop Carl Kemme of Wichita, and Bishop Edward Weisenburger of Salina joined Bishop Brungardt.

The bishops told voters to “place special emphasis on those issues where Catholics must speak with a unified voice because of the reality that certain laws directly contradict Church teaching, the natural law, and the good of society.”

Other priests stand up for life

Other priests have spoken out strongly about voting for life as well.

Father Stephen Imbarrato

“Really, how dare anyone say — I don’t care, laity, priest, bishop — that all issues are equal?” Father Stephen Imbarrato, a priest associate at Priests for Life asked during a recent homily broadcast on EWTN. “That we adhere to some consistent life ethic as a reason to regulate murder at the beginning and end of life is just another issue facing our society?”

“As important as all the non-negotiables are, and they are non-negotiables, we now have seen others try to make the list include all issues, Otherwise known as this ‘consistent life ethic,’ the ‘seamless garment,’ so to speak,” he said. “As much as we need to be mindful of the poor, and many other social issues…the fact is that marriage and moral experimentation do supersede all other social issues. “But the even plainer fact is abortion is the pre-eminent and defining issue of our day and supersedes all other issues.”

“Over a hundred twenty thousand babies die from abortion each day worldwide,” Father Imbarrato stated as well. “This is such a river of blood, such an affront against God, the author of life, that there can really be no issue more important or demanding greater or immediate attention.”

Father Michael OrsiAmerican Life League

Father Michael Orsi, a Naples, Florida, priest and former Ave Maria Law School chaplain, delivered a fiery message about the need for pastors to have the courage to speak up o political issues from the pulpit or risk losing their very churches at a September 10 National Day of Remembrance for Aborted Children event, listing the sanctity of life among the issues.

“Your churches may be closed anyway,” he said, “because if a certain party gets elected, this certain party said, if the churches do not agree with our interpretation of women’s reproductive rights, they’ll just have to change their doctrine.”

“If a certain party gets elected,” Father Orsi continued, “I can assure you what kind of judges are going to be on those appeals courts,” noting the judges would be issuing decisions on whether the government may force churches and religious institutions to pay for abortion, contraception, and abortifacient drugs.

Father Orsi, also the host of a weekly pro-life cable television program, said in a subsequent message that if the U.S. continues on its current patch, citing Hillary Clinton’s that the unborn children have no rights, “we’ll soon be confronting the open practice of infanticide.”

Father Christopher Pollard

Father Christopher Pollard, pastor at St. John the Beloved Catholic Church, said in a piece this month for Catholic News Agency that this year’s election was a choice between two different poisons, stating, “Vote because it will bring about the better outcome. And for heaven’s sake, if you do cast a ballot, do not use it to promote abortion.”

Follow for real-time election night updates.

“If you have ever done so, please repent,” the Diocese of Arlington priest wrote. “The punishments for those who deliberately kill the innocent, from which God will not be able to spare the impenitent, do not expire after three days or three months or three years or ever.”

Priests for Life National Director Father Frank Pavone has been highly active throughout promoting the message of voting pro-life. He told LifeSiteNews earlier this fall that whether a candidate supports abortion should determine a person’s vote in and of itself.

Father Frank Pavone

“There are certain positions that a public official takes which disqualify them from public office,” Father Pavone said. “Abortion is a disqualifying position. To be in support of the killing of innocent children disqualifies you. It doesn’t matter how good you are on other issues. It really doesn’t matter because you have undermined even your position on those other issues.”

The national pro-life leader is active in advocating for life in every election cycle, and this year is no exception, while in addition he is serving in the Catholic Advisory Committee for the Trump campaign. Priests for Life released a guide this fall comparing the two major parties’ platforms and where they came down on the life issue.

“An issue is an issue in the first place only because life matters,” Father Pavone said. “If life doesn’t matter, you don’t have any issues. So poverty is important because it’s the life of the poor person that matters. Unemployment is important for the same reason. Protecting people from terrorism is importan end quitest because people have a right to live. It all comes down to the right to life.”END QUOTES

Ridding Ourselves of “SELF” another I AM a Catholic shared Lesson by P. Miron

Ridding ourselves of “Self”

Another I Am a Catholic shared-Lesson

by Patrick Miron

Having just passed “All saints Day”, which is followed by “All souls Day”; I find it a difficult task not to at least briefly reflect upon the “Four Last things” …. Death, Judgment, hell or Heaven; although this is not the primary subject of this reflection.

I’ve had the topic heading on my desk now for a month or so; not knowing just how to proceed. Today a series of Mass readings and other such reflections have given be some insight on how to continue. What I am going to share are a number of those reflection’s, so the “by Patrick Miron” will be more along the line of a facilitator; than an original author.

It is my prayerful hope that you will find one of more of them to be of spiritual benefit to you.

Objectively speaking, America {and many other countries as well} have succumbed to a self-inflicted plague, that I shall term “MEISM.” It’s ALL about Me! A natural consequence of which is a malaise a sickness that has no evident vaccine on the horizon. This was caused both of sins of omission as well as sins of commission. Driven by pride {Satan’s most utilized tool}, it’s easy to actually convince oneself that we Do know more, that we Do know better than God and His Catholic Church.

One of the most disturbing, and destressing facts of recent years elections, is the large numbers of self- identified Catholics, {historically 50+%} who freely choose to support legislated abortions, same sex “marriages” and even transgender mandated bathrooms and locker- rooms.

Have we forgotten Sodom & Gomora; can the present legislated-immorality of today’s America; encouraged, supported, or merely accepted in silence be any greater than the moral depravity of those LOST cities? … That more than HALF of the USA’S Catholic population; can somehow justify to themselves that ANY factor, or personal agenda issues, can supersede the Legalized and Tax-payer funded MURDER of the Holy Innocents; is itself, a hell-worthy condemnation. And WE who simply “look the other way”; who make little or no efforts to change and challenge the culture; are WE any better than those who vote into high office these A-moral [without ANY mortal foundation} candidates?

We choose for ourselves where we will spend Eternity. God’s Mercy is Great but NOT infinite!

Anyway, here are a number of reflections that I feel compelled to share with you.

FROM today’s 1^st Mass Reading

1PHIL 3:17—4:1

Join with others in being imitators of me, brothers and sisters,
and observe those who thus conduct themselves
according to the model you have in us.
For many, as I have often told you
and now tell you even in tears,
conduct themselves as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Their end is destruction.
Their God is their stomach;
their glory is in their “shame.”
Their minds are occupied with earthly things.
But our citizenship is in heaven,
and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
He will change our lowly body
to conform with his glorified Body
by the power that enables him also
to bring all things into subjection to himself

FROM THE BIBLE:

Heb.6: 10 “For God is not so unjust as to overlook your work and the love which you showed for his sake in serving the saints, as you still do.”

Rev.2: 23 “and I will strike her children dead. And all the churches shall know that I am he who searches mind and heart, and I will give to each of you as your works deserve.”

1 Peter 1: 17 “Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one’s works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning, “

Matt.19: 17 “And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.”

ABORTION IS A DIRECT VIOLATION OF GOD’S 5^TH COMMANDMENT!

Philippians: 2: 3 to 4 “Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others”

FROM Saint John Paul II

“Freedom consist not in doing what we like, but in having the RIGHT to do as we OUGHT/” Emphasis mine

FROM Pope Benedict XVI

“Help each other to live and to grow in Christian Faith so as to be a valiant witness for the Lord. Be UNITED, but not closed. Be HUMBLE, but not fear, be SIMPLE, but not naive. Be THOUGHTFUL, but not complicated; enter into dialog with others but be YOURSELVES.”

FROM the “Bread of Life Booklet for November 4^th, 2016

“Many people desire to get their bodies in shape. They want to feel good and look good. Having a healthy body is a good thing; but it’s not the only thing. The reality is that our bodies will die. {Genesis 3:19} Whether youe body is healty, sickly or infirm you can join your body to the body of Jesus hanging on the Cross. Now your suffering is united to His. …………… How should WE live to make our bodies and souls live with Jesus forever? WE make our bodies {& our minds and hearts} enemies of THIS world.”

FROM an unknown author

“In every lie; there is an element of truth” ….. {“A partial truth is still a lie!”}

FROM the book: “33Day’s to Morning Glory”… a self -retreat

Quoting saint {Mother} Theresa of Calcutta {day 16-17}

[Our Lady] was the first person to hear Jesus cry “I THIRST” {John 19:28} with St. John and I am sure Mary Magdalen. Because Our Lady was there on Calvary, she knows how deep, how real is His longing for you …………. Her role is to bring you face to face with the love in the heart of Jesus crucified………. I {Jesus} have asked you, they {John and Madelyn} have asked you, and My Mother has asked you. Will you refuse to do this for Me? …….. to take care of them and bring them to Me?

FROM me

Most of us “Die” to Live; when we out to live in order to Die united to Christ.

It seems to Me, that we can either choose to play now and suffer later; OR to PRAY, and sufffer now and assure our Eternal Life in heaven.

There are no “free-rides”

FROM Father John A. Hardon’s Prayer book

From the Stations of the Cross: the 1^st Station: Jesus is Condemned to Death

“Jesus, hearing His sentence, has only one resolve at heart: to compete His mission in spite of all of the repugnance’s of nature.

Should I, His companion, abandon my resolutions in order to follow my whims? I desire to be perfect, a saint and an apostle according to my vocation. For love of God alone, I will become indifferent to everything {this is the cure to America’s self- inflicted plague}. A man of eternity, yet doomed to die, I am impatient to fulfill my mission: to glorify God and to save my soul. Since I am on the road to heaven, I MUST {emphasis mine} ascend by Calvary, which is the only way there.” {Amen!}

Matt.10:38 “and he who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”

Matt.16:24 “Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

The Four {unavoidable} LAST Things ………………

Death

Judgment

Hell or

Heaven

Pray much and make heaven, not Purgatory your lives’ goal!

God Bless you,

Patrick

Proselytism vs. Evangelization {reblogged}

Proselytism vs. Evangelization

Eduardo J. Echeverria

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016

In a recent interview arranged by Fr. Antonio Spadaro, S.J., the editor of La Civiltà Cattolica, prior to the trip to Sweden for an ecumenical gathering anticipating next year’s 500th anniversary of the Reformation, Pope Francis expressed something that he has voiced several times during his pontificate: “to proselytize in the ecclesial field is a sin.” He added: “Proselytism is a sinful attitude.”

This is strong language and deserves careful attention, because many think the pope is saying the Catholic Church should no longer evangelize other Christians. That’s a large question that would take extensive treatment. Here, I’m going to limit myself to the “ecclesial field,” in the pope’s phrase, of ecumenical dialogue. Unfortunately, Francis did not define what he means by proselytizing, and did not distinguish it from evangelizing. He simply states that proselytism as such is a sin. But he doesn’t tell us why. Nor does he distinguish between unethical and ethical means of proselytizing.

It helps to turn to a document produced by a working group organized by the Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches: “The Challenge of Proselytism and the Calling to Common Witness.” The group formulated some basic points about what would constitute improper “proselytizing” in an ecumenical context:

1. Unfair criticism or caricaturing of the doctrines, beliefs, and practices of another church without attempting to understand or enter into dialogue on those issues.

2. Presenting one’s church or confession as “the true church” and its teachings as “the right faith” and the only way to salvation.

3. Portraying one’s own church as having high moral and spiritual status over against the perceived weaknesses and problems of other churches.

4. Offering humanitarian aid or educational opportunities as an inducement to join another church.

5. Using political, economic, cultural, and ethnic pressure or historical arguments to win others to one’s own church.

6. Taking advantage of lack of education or Christian instruction, which makes people vulnerable to changing their church allegiance.

7. Using physical violence or moral and psychological pressure to induce people to change their church affiliation.

8. Exploiting people’s loneliness, illness, distress or even disillusionment with their own church in order to “convert” them.

Pared down for present purposes, only point 2. raises fundamental ecclesiological questions (the rest may be accepted as unethical means, without any theological difficulty). The ecclesiological question has to do with the unity and diversity of the one Church.

The pope and Protseant clergy in Sweden — The pope and Protestant clergy in Sweden

In an ecumenical dialogue, we must avoid the following either/or dilemma in answering this question:

either affirming that the Church of Christ fully and totally subsists alone in its own right in the Catholic Church, because the entire fullness of the means of salvation are present in her (Lumen gentium §8; Unitatis redintegratio §§3-4; Ut Unum Sint, §14), and then implausibly denying that Orthodoxy and the historic churches of the Reformation are churches in any real sense, such that there exists an ecclesial wasteland outside the Church’s visible boundaries;

or affirming that they are churches in some sense, in a lesser or greater degree to the extent that there exists elements of truth and sanctification in them, but then accepting ecclesiological relativism or pluralism – meaning thereby that the one Church of Christ Jesus subsists in many churches, with the Catholic Church being merely one among many churches.

Clearly, the Church regards non-Catholic Christians as belonging, imperfectly, to the household of faith, i.e. the Catholic Church, and hence she speaks of them as “separated brethren,” brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Indeed, the Church expresses its identity as the one Church of Christ by establishing a relationship of dialogue with these churches. Dialogue means we all learn from each other and don’t dismiss each other out of hand. We must still speak the truth, in love (Ephesians 4:15) in our search to realize a fuller unity.

“With non-Catholic Christians,” the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith states, “Catholics must enter into a respectful dialogue of charity and truth, a dialogue which is not only an exchange of ideas, but also of gifts, [indeed, a dialogue of love (John Paul II, Ut Unum Sint, §§28, 47)], in order that the fullness of the means of salvation can be offered to one’s partners in dialogue.

In this way, they are led to an ever deeper conversion in Christ.” (“Doctrinal Note on Some Aspects of Evangelization”) This is receptive ecumenism at its best. It is the fruit of an ecumenism of encounter and spiritual friendship.

In this ecumenical dialogue, “above all, there is [1] listening, as a fundamental condition for any dialogue, then, [2] theological discussion, in which, by seeking to understand the beliefs, traditions and convictions of others, agreement can be found, at times hidden under disagreement.”

This second dimension includes ecumenical apologetics. Such apologetics and receptive ecumenism are not at odds. It is best illustrated in a book such as Matthew Levering’s Mary’s Bodily Assumption.

Furthermore, “Inseparably united with this is another essential dimension of the ecumenical commitment: [3] witness and proclamation of elements which are not particular traditions or theological subtleties, but which belong rather to the Tradition of the faith itself.” This third dimension flows from the Catholic conviction that the entire fullness of the means of salvation is present in the Catholic Church.

“In this connection,” the Congregation adds, “it needs also to be recalled that if a non-Catholic Christian, for reasons of conscience and having been convinced of Catholic truth, asks to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church, this is to be respected as the work of the Holy Spirit and as an expression of freedom of conscience and of religion. In such a case, it would not be a question of proselytism in the negative sense that has been attributed to this term.”

This is the essential difference between negative and positive proselytism, the latter – as the Church clearly teaches – being an integral aspect of evangelization, even in the “ecclesial field.”

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