A Treasure To Be Shared

[6 minute read] A recent incident involving a Florida Catholic priest and a bully would-be communicant has set forth a reminder that adequate formation in the Faith is a never ending necessity. https://www.ncregister.com/cna/florida-priest-charged-for-biting-arm-of-woman-he-says-was-desecrating-eucharist Communion on the tongue emphasizes docility and therefore reception. In order to receive (the Body of Christ), one renders oneself vulnerable, receptive. Kneeling in adoration is an appropriate accompanying posture for the creature encountering his Creator. In the Eucharist, as at His incarnation, birth and crucifixion, Jesus makes Himself vulnerable and allows Himself, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, to be subject to humans, those (with the exception of His Immaculate Mother who was spared from Original Sin by a singular act of God) Jesus came to rescue from sin and death. Should we not acknowledge the sublime reality of Jesus' humility by adopting the approach of Jesus ...

Uncle Joe by Gilbert A president who...  during a state-of-the-union address, no less, decries a national court for its correction of a previous court's egregious decision that violated the dignity of life and which has led to tens of millions of deaths of unborn children; creates a mess of a national border and contributes to the ills of society by allowing innumerable ne'er-do-wells to enter a country to assault and rape young women; enables violent immigrants to go on murderous rampages that fracture families and impose misery on communities; enables lazy non-citizens to abuse social programs while homeless citizens starve in the street; is incompetent in ways that undermine order and good government; is condescending and hostile toward those who hold traditional commonsensical values; is a habitual liar and routinely pays mere lip service to issues of justice; has ruined a national economy; ... might well be called a son of perdition. Such a man can hardly be called a faith...

Magisterium AI (Beta), an artificial intelligence tool, provides the following responses. https://www.magisterium.com/ What are the criteria for determining if the Pope is wrong? The criteria for determining if the Pope is wrong are as follows: The Pope can commit sin and must seek forgiveness in the Sacrament of Penance like any other person. Infallibility does not prevent him from sinning [1]. The Pope is not infallible in everything he says and does. The Holy Ghost was promised to make him infallible only in matters of faith and morals for the whole Church [2]. The Pope's opinion on any subject deserves great respect due to his learning, experience, and dignity [2]. When the Pope speaks ex-cathedra, he must meet certain criteria to speak infallibly. These criteria include speaking on a subject of faith or morals, speaking as the Vicar of Christ and to the whole Church, and indicating by certain words, such as "we define" or "we proclaim," that he intends to s...

A lot of folk might be thinking that it's high time to put the boot to certain people and things. Correctio filialis Confusion reigns in many precincts of the Church. Confusion has become the go-to destination for a theological and spiritual vacation. As a former outsider who sought refuge in the Catholic Church, was received into the Church during the looney 1980s, and who loves the papacy, current events are not earth nor faith shattering. No sinful relationship can ever be blessed. Period. Attempts to twist the Church's ageless teaching are not so much unsettling as they are an annoyance. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption; but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. And let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and es...

Mickey Sean Winters [ 3 minute read ] Hey Doris, how is it that you always manage to arrive at the beginning of the Gospel, crochet your way through the homily until the Lamb of God, and then vanish right after Communion? Is there some kind of dispensation I don't know about? Mickey, I guess you'll be adding one more item to your confession today, eh? That of cutting in line, aka elbowing one's way in, aka jumping the queue. Have you enrolled your daughter in catechism class? What is catechism?! That's a program to help you mentor your child in the Faith and provides support for your child to help educate her allegedly Catholic parents. Are you new here at Saint Gregory's? You're a regular? It's just that you seem so unfamiliar with the prayers and responses. Ohhh,... you were speaking in tongues. Maybe try sticking to the script. Little Mickey really seems to enjoy causing a commotion during the consecration. That must be frustrating for you and your husban...

[ 5 minute read ] CCC975 We believe that the Holy Mother of God, the new Eve, Mother of the Church, continues in heaven to exercise her maternal role on behalf of the members of Christ. Pope Saint Paul VI, CPG § 15 Errant Catholic clergy are nothing new. Errant worldly Catholic laity? Same. There is no shortage of both. Some eras seem saturated with wicked people in the Church. Who's judging? History. Repentant sinners trying to do their best to change? That's one thing; a good thing. Obstinate sinners? Let's call them out and pull the plug on bad behaviour and end the free reign of the heterodox. The Prophet Ezekiel reminds us: (T)he word of the Lord came to me: “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you shall give them warning from me. If I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, in order to save his life, that wicked man shal...

[ 6 minute read ] Mean-spirited name calling is a cheap retaliatory ploy that exposes the indecent character of the utterer. What does a faithful Catholic do when a supreme pontiff resorts to name calling and to making derisive comments undeserved by those he has vaguely targeted? You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well. - St Matthew 5:38-40 True - there are times when we must tell it like it is, levelling correction in no uncertain terms with precision and appropriate charitable vigor for the good of souls. And... there are times when silence is the prudent option. What about a priest or a bishop or a pope who tends to splatter his words with diarrhetic force instead of engaging in constructive measured exchanges? Deliver me, O Lord, from evil me...

[ 11 min. read ] UPDATE : 26may2024  https://cruxnow.com/church-in-the-usa/2024/05/vatican-reverses-dismissal-of-nun-in-fort-worth-diocese The latest news has hit the airwaves. The nuns of the Most Holy Trinity Monastery in Arlington, Texas, issued a defiant three-page statement Wednesday (see below) in which they said that Bishop Olson does not have the authority to close off their monastery and that their chapel remains open to the public. - NCRegister https://www.ncregister.com/cna/texas-carmelites-defy-bishop-s-order-to-close-their-doors-to-the-faithful Oh dear. The monastery is open to the lay faithful; not so much to the Bishop. Bishop Olson may have forgotten that it is never a wise course to go up against a group of nuns, especially Texas nuns. Just sayin'. The nuns' statement, with interjections. http://www.carmelnuns.com/ STATEMENT BY THE REVEREND MOTHER PRIORESS AND CHAPTER MONASTERY OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY DISCALCED CARMELITE NUNS  5801 MT. CARMEL DRIVE  ARL...