Ijournal entry 073117 #30. July: Month of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord. The Rule of St. Benedict. Quotes by Pope emeritus Benedict XVI, St. Alphonsus Liguori, and Henri Nouwen. Article: "Talking in Church: Where's the Fire?", by Sr. Lisa M. Doty, FdCC. Article: "On the Need to State the Obvious", by Nicholas Senz. YouTube video: Novena to St. Ann with Fr. Cedric Pisegna, Day 1.
"Over time the Church gave Her blessing to the devotion by approving societies like the Missionaries of the Precious Blood; enriching confraternities like that of Saint Nicholas in Carcere, in Rome, and that of the London Oratory; attaching indulgences to prayers and scapulars in honor of the Precious Blood; and instituting commemorative feasts of the Precious Blood, Friday after the fourth Sunday in Lent and, since Pius IX, the first Sunday of July. 6
Sadly, however, the feast was removed from the church calendar in 1969, the argument being that the cultus of the Precious Blood is included in the Mass and Divine Office of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Nevertheless, it is still laudable and salutary to continue to see the month of July as dedicated to the Most Precious Blood, just as Blessed Pope Pius IX intended it to be"
Info from this site:
www.tfp.org/july-month-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-our-lord/
Sadly, however, the feast was removed from the church calendar in 1969, the argument being that the cultus of the Precious Blood is included in the Mass and Divine Office of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). Nevertheless, it is still laudable and salutary to continue to see the month of July as dedicated to the Most Precious Blood, just as Blessed Pope Pius IX intended it to be"
Info from this site:
www.tfp.org/july-month-of-the-most-precious-blood-of-our-lord/
The Rule of St. Benedict
"If anyone while occupied in any task, whether in the kitchen, or store-room, or in his service, or in the bakehouse, or garden, or in any other craft or place, shall commit any fault, or break anything, or lose anything, or fall into any transgression whatever, and do not come at once before the abbot and community, confessing and making satisfaction of his own accord for his offence, but it become known through another: let him undergo greater punishment. But if it be a matter of a secret sin of the soul, then let him reveal it only to the abbot, or to a spiritual father who knows how to cure his own wounds and the wounds of others without disclosing and publishing them."
MC= Reading this rule reveals the truth in action regarding a couple of scripture passages. Also it is clearly seen how blest we are to have the availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation right at our fingertips. We have the opportunity to confess and make satisfaction all the days of our lives. For the day will come it will be paid for in the afterlife business is not taken care of here and now. Let us celebrate God's great mercy.
"If anyone while occupied in any task, whether in the kitchen, or store-room, or in his service, or in the bakehouse, or garden, or in any other craft or place, shall commit any fault, or break anything, or lose anything, or fall into any transgression whatever, and do not come at once before the abbot and community, confessing and making satisfaction of his own accord for his offence, but it become known through another: let him undergo greater punishment. But if it be a matter of a secret sin of the soul, then let him reveal it only to the abbot, or to a spiritual father who knows how to cure his own wounds and the wounds of others without disclosing and publishing them."
MC= Reading this rule reveals the truth in action regarding a couple of scripture passages. Also it is clearly seen how blest we are to have the availability of the Sacrament of Reconciliation right at our fingertips. We have the opportunity to confess and make satisfaction all the days of our lives. For the day will come it will be paid for in the afterlife business is not taken care of here and now. Let us celebrate God's great mercy.
Proverbs 28:13 "He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, But he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion" |
🌒"In the course of the book "Songs of Songs",2 different Hebrew words are used to indicate ‘love.’ First there is the word dodim, a plural form suggesting a love that is still insecure, indeterminate and searching. This comes to be replaced by the word ahabà. By contrast with an indeterminate, ‘searching’ love, this word expresses the experience of a love which involves a real discovery of the other, moving beyond the selfish character that prevailed earlier. Love now becomes concern and care for the other. No longer is it self-seeking, a sinking in the intoxication of happiness; instead it seeks the good of the beloved, it becomes renunciation and it is ready, and even willing, for sacrifice”. Pope emeritus Bebedict XVI
🎾 "There is no prayer more agreeable to God, or more profitable to the soul, than that which is made during the thanksgiving after Communion. It is the opinion of many grave writers (Suarez, Cajetan, Valentia, De Lugo, and others), that the Holy Communion, so long as the sacramental species lasts, constantly produces greater and greater graces in the soul, provided the soul is then constant in disposing itself by new acts of virtue". By St. Alphonsus Liguori
🍊 "Sometimes we experience a terrible dryness in our spiritual life. We feel no desire to pray, don't experience God's presence, get bored with worship services, and even think that everything we ever believed about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is little more than a childhood fairy tale. Then it is important to realise that most of these feelings and thoughts are just feelings and thoughts, and that the Spirit of God dwells beyond our feelings and thoughts. It is a great grace to be able to experience God's presence in our feelings and thoughts, but when we don't, it does not mean that God is absent. It often means that God is calling us to a greater faithfulness. It is precisely in times of spiritual dryness that we must hold on to our spiritual discipline so that we can grow into new intimacy with God". By Henri Nouwen
🎾 "There is no prayer more agreeable to God, or more profitable to the soul, than that which is made during the thanksgiving after Communion. It is the opinion of many grave writers (Suarez, Cajetan, Valentia, De Lugo, and others), that the Holy Communion, so long as the sacramental species lasts, constantly produces greater and greater graces in the soul, provided the soul is then constant in disposing itself by new acts of virtue". By St. Alphonsus Liguori
🍊 "Sometimes we experience a terrible dryness in our spiritual life. We feel no desire to pray, don't experience God's presence, get bored with worship services, and even think that everything we ever believed about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is little more than a childhood fairy tale. Then it is important to realise that most of these feelings and thoughts are just feelings and thoughts, and that the Spirit of God dwells beyond our feelings and thoughts. It is a great grace to be able to experience God's presence in our feelings and thoughts, but when we don't, it does not mean that God is absent. It often means that God is calling us to a greater faithfulness. It is precisely in times of spiritual dryness that we must hold on to our spiritual discipline so that we can grow into new intimacy with God". By Henri Nouwen
USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops ) "Even before the celebration itself, it is a praiseworthy practice for silence to be observed in the church, in the sacristy, in the vesting room, and in adjacent areas, so that all may dispose themselves to carry out the sacred celebration in a devout and fitting manner"
At church one Sunday recently, there was a lady present with her three boys. My seat is always in the back, so they were not seated in front, thank you Jesus, but how sad that such behavior occurs in the house of God period! The ages of the boys appeared to be between 9 and 13. The boys were constantly talking all throughout the Mass. The mother or guardian was also from time to time talking along with them. At the consecration the boys could be heard talking, and at the point when the priest sang the "through you, with you, and in you", at that important part of the Mass, they were laughing about something. It didn't seem to be because of the priest's singing, but maybe due to the up and running conversation they were having. One of the boys left the pew for the bathroom.
Not sure the reaction of the people that were sitting beside them, because they were not in my view. They were in very last row, as opposed to me being in the next to last row. It was not for me to turn around, but to keep my peace and try to focus of what was happening in the Mass. Sometimes people are oblivious to the inappropriate church behavior around them, or even their own, because it is the "anything goes" mentality floating around. The liberal attitude: "God will understand" can result in being presumptuous about the gift of grace and can be abused.
Trying to base my standard of behavior on the words and behavior of the saints, and those with authority expressing views consistent with honoring and reverencing God as He most certainly deserves. Some in past generations have left and have been good examples in regards to talking in church, obedience, dress, and reverence. Attending Catholic school years ago when the sisters and nuns ruled the roost, pulled ears and punishments were dolled out to make sure the message was clear about church behavior. When we talked, misbehaved or was guilty of chewing gum in the classroom that was a no no, so you know it was even more so when this type of behavior occurred inside the church. Now the obvious is no longer obvious, Lord have mercy.
Finding the article being served up in this Ijournal entry as the potato dish, one that was sitting in my archives for a couple of years now, appears to be in sync with "Divine Timing. Rediscovered one day after the church experience, facilitated this Ijournal entry. Hopefully what is read may be a good tool to help get the point across to those with ears, people who care to hear and listen and follow suit, letting the truth set them free. For in many instances, finding myself chained to ingrained behavior that is so hard to let go of and succumbing to not changing. and let the light into darken areas of understanding. Lord God, please help us all.
In our own way, we each are blinded to some degree in regards to something. It doesn't matter who, or if everyone is doing what is not appropriate, we all will be judged individually and called to give an account. So it it is to have the view of black or white, right or wrong. If one deems it appropriate and right to talk any time it so pleases one in church, and lead by a bad example to others, then it is their right to do so. May it be a case of: "they know not what they do". But the day will come when the truth will be very clear, and consequences for the small and the great will have to be atoned for. If this appears as nonsense, then go right ahead and dismiss it and in peace, let the dust fly from your feet. Saying one thing to those with ears and an open heart that is no way hardened, if you know better, please do better.
Such a scandal when children aren't properly taught and schooled, and as a result mimic the bad behavior they are exposed to. One may be talking before, during, and after church but not at the consecration, but a child isn't mature enough or virtuous enough, to decipher the most extremely inappropriate time of the Mass to be talking and fooling around. They see others talking in church, so they figure it's ok, no matter when. How sad, because what will they be able to teach their own kids, barring a true conversion miracle? Also sometimes it's nit just kids but all ages guilty of behaving inappropriately at the most inopportune times of the Mass.
Something that was read a long time ago is coming to mind, it's attributed to the wisdom of St. Jean Vianney. It can be applied across the board to parents and friends alike, maybe you might think so to.
"If the parish priest is a Saint, his people will be holy;
If the priest is holy, but not yet a Saint, his people will be good;
If he is good, his people will be lukewarm,
and if he is lukewarm, his parishioners will be bad.
And if the priest himself is bad, his people will go to Hell.
[This is presuming they follow after such a priest.]"
Please people, let us self evaluate and make the necessary changes in our lives that will glorify God more and more. It's to and not feed and placate our passions, nor medicate our self wills to our satisfaction. To God be the glory.
At church one Sunday recently, there was a lady present with her three boys. My seat is always in the back, so they were not seated in front, thank you Jesus, but how sad that such behavior occurs in the house of God period! The ages of the boys appeared to be between 9 and 13. The boys were constantly talking all throughout the Mass. The mother or guardian was also from time to time talking along with them. At the consecration the boys could be heard talking, and at the point when the priest sang the "through you, with you, and in you", at that important part of the Mass, they were laughing about something. It didn't seem to be because of the priest's singing, but maybe due to the up and running conversation they were having. One of the boys left the pew for the bathroom.
Not sure the reaction of the people that were sitting beside them, because they were not in my view. They were in very last row, as opposed to me being in the next to last row. It was not for me to turn around, but to keep my peace and try to focus of what was happening in the Mass. Sometimes people are oblivious to the inappropriate church behavior around them, or even their own, because it is the "anything goes" mentality floating around. The liberal attitude: "God will understand" can result in being presumptuous about the gift of grace and can be abused.
Trying to base my standard of behavior on the words and behavior of the saints, and those with authority expressing views consistent with honoring and reverencing God as He most certainly deserves. Some in past generations have left and have been good examples in regards to talking in church, obedience, dress, and reverence. Attending Catholic school years ago when the sisters and nuns ruled the roost, pulled ears and punishments were dolled out to make sure the message was clear about church behavior. When we talked, misbehaved or was guilty of chewing gum in the classroom that was a no no, so you know it was even more so when this type of behavior occurred inside the church. Now the obvious is no longer obvious, Lord have mercy.
Finding the article being served up in this Ijournal entry as the potato dish, one that was sitting in my archives for a couple of years now, appears to be in sync with "Divine Timing. Rediscovered one day after the church experience, facilitated this Ijournal entry. Hopefully what is read may be a good tool to help get the point across to those with ears, people who care to hear and listen and follow suit, letting the truth set them free. For in many instances, finding myself chained to ingrained behavior that is so hard to let go of and succumbing to not changing. and let the light into darken areas of understanding. Lord God, please help us all.
In our own way, we each are blinded to some degree in regards to something. It doesn't matter who, or if everyone is doing what is not appropriate, we all will be judged individually and called to give an account. So it it is to have the view of black or white, right or wrong. If one deems it appropriate and right to talk any time it so pleases one in church, and lead by a bad example to others, then it is their right to do so. May it be a case of: "they know not what they do". But the day will come when the truth will be very clear, and consequences for the small and the great will have to be atoned for. If this appears as nonsense, then go right ahead and dismiss it and in peace, let the dust fly from your feet. Saying one thing to those with ears and an open heart that is no way hardened, if you know better, please do better.
Such a scandal when children aren't properly taught and schooled, and as a result mimic the bad behavior they are exposed to. One may be talking before, during, and after church but not at the consecration, but a child isn't mature enough or virtuous enough, to decipher the most extremely inappropriate time of the Mass to be talking and fooling around. They see others talking in church, so they figure it's ok, no matter when. How sad, because what will they be able to teach their own kids, barring a true conversion miracle? Also sometimes it's nit just kids but all ages guilty of behaving inappropriately at the most inopportune times of the Mass.
Something that was read a long time ago is coming to mind, it's attributed to the wisdom of St. Jean Vianney. It can be applied across the board to parents and friends alike, maybe you might think so to.
"If the parish priest is a Saint, his people will be holy;
If the priest is holy, but not yet a Saint, his people will be good;
If he is good, his people will be lukewarm,
and if he is lukewarm, his parishioners will be bad.
And if the priest himself is bad, his people will go to Hell.
[This is presuming they follow after such a priest.]"
Please people, let us self evaluate and make the necessary changes in our lives that will glorify God more and more. It's to and not feed and placate our passions, nor medicate our self wills to our satisfaction. To God be the glory.
Please, please, please, if it so pleases you, by God's grace, read this article. If the Holy Spirit is allowed to work in souls, blessed be God, if not, blessed be God, for it may be that Romans 9:18 is in action
"Talking in Church: Where's the Fire?", by Sr. Lisa M. Doty, FdCC
Info from this site: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Talking-in-Church-Wheres-the-Fire-Lisa-Doty-02-25-2011
Info from this site: http://www.patheos.com/Resources/Additional-Resources/Talking-in-Church-Wheres-the-Fire-Lisa-Doty-02-25-2011
"Reverence and courtesy should not be the first things to disappear after Ite missa est. A recent morning became one of those frustrating days at Church. In truth, the Mass itself was beautifully reverent, and the small Parish of Saint Joseph's started off well. As people arrived for the daily Mass, they were welcomed with a recording of Gregorian chant, playing softly in the background.This was the new pastor's doing. In order to increase the people's awareness that they are in the presence of the Lord, that they are entering a sacred space, he has supplied this solemn and lovely reminder. The recorded chant has been a simple and effective measure.
But, old habits die hard. No sooner had the priest concluded the Mass and made his way out of the sanctuary and into the sacristy, then the place of prayer turn into the equivalent of a clamorous parish hall pancake breakfast. Small groups formed here and there; people pausing in the pews for some small chit-chat before starting their busy week. This happens on a regular basis, but this particular morning was the worst I have ever witnessed, and the noise became a challenge to those of us attempting to offer prayerful thanksgiving or intercession.
When this happens, I try to find that quiet inner-space to offer reparation for the lack of reverence. Usually, the talkers don't stay long, getting on with their rushed lives. But this morning, it was a never-ending beehive of noise.
It appears my frustration is shared by others. In the National Catholic Register,Pat Archbold writes something many of us would love to say, but never would: "For the Love of God, Shut Up!" He makes the case for a "real active participation . . . fostered by silence, glorious and heavenly silence," recognizing that we can find other places and ways to be "community" for one another. He shares a remedy the new pastor of his parish asks of the people: "If the Church is not on fire, you should not be talking." In reclaiming the sacred space, it is important -- for ourselves, our neighbors, and for God -- that we understand why silence is so important in a church setting, and try to practice it.
🤐We collect ourselves in our Thanksgiving: Recollection. Silence after mass is a time of spiritual grace. St. Alphonsus Liguori said,
There is no prayer more agreeable to God, or more profitable to the soul, than that which is made during the thanksgiving after Communion. It is the opinion of many grave writers (Suarez, Cajetan, Valentia, De Lugo, and others), that the Holy Communion, so long as the sacramental species lasts, constantly produces greater and greater graces in the soul, provided the soul is then constant in disposing itself by new acts of virtue.
🤐We assist our neighbor's prayers: Respect. What happened to recognizing that others might be praying and wanting to take advantage of this grace-time in silence before the Lord?
Help others grow in renewed awareness that until they exit the church they are still in the True Presence of Jesus. By simply saying, "Hey, let's talk outside . . . there are people praying before our Lord," you witness to your love of God and neighbor, and that small prompting will inspire others into this same consideration.
🤐We praise God: Thanksgiving. What better time is there, than when Christ is closest to us in our Communion with the Blessed Sacrament, to give thanks for the many ways He has blessed us?
🍄St. Faustina Kowalska said that she received a private revelation from Jesus who told her:
My great delight is to unite myself with souls . . . When I come to a human heart in communion, my hands are filled with graces which I want to give to souls. But souls do not pay attention to me: they leave me to myself and busy themselves with other things. They do not recognize love. They treat me as a dead object.
🍄St. Teresa of Ávila said:
There is no other time than thanksgiving after Mass when we can so easily enrich our soul with virtues, or so rapidly advance to a high degree of perfection.
🍄Pope Benedict XVI, too, reminds us, "The precious time of thanksgiving after communion should not be neglected."
Let us ask the Lord to help us to desire to grow in union with Him, that we may be reminded of His desire to be with us. And, maybe the next time we receive Him in Communion, we might spend a few moments in silence, nurturing this union with our God. And then, just maybe, we may truly see our Church ‘on fire'."
But, old habits die hard. No sooner had the priest concluded the Mass and made his way out of the sanctuary and into the sacristy, then the place of prayer turn into the equivalent of a clamorous parish hall pancake breakfast. Small groups formed here and there; people pausing in the pews for some small chit-chat before starting their busy week. This happens on a regular basis, but this particular morning was the worst I have ever witnessed, and the noise became a challenge to those of us attempting to offer prayerful thanksgiving or intercession.
When this happens, I try to find that quiet inner-space to offer reparation for the lack of reverence. Usually, the talkers don't stay long, getting on with their rushed lives. But this morning, it was a never-ending beehive of noise.
It appears my frustration is shared by others. In the National Catholic Register,Pat Archbold writes something many of us would love to say, but never would: "For the Love of God, Shut Up!" He makes the case for a "real active participation . . . fostered by silence, glorious and heavenly silence," recognizing that we can find other places and ways to be "community" for one another. He shares a remedy the new pastor of his parish asks of the people: "If the Church is not on fire, you should not be talking." In reclaiming the sacred space, it is important -- for ourselves, our neighbors, and for God -- that we understand why silence is so important in a church setting, and try to practice it.
🤐We collect ourselves in our Thanksgiving: Recollection. Silence after mass is a time of spiritual grace. St. Alphonsus Liguori said,
There is no prayer more agreeable to God, or more profitable to the soul, than that which is made during the thanksgiving after Communion. It is the opinion of many grave writers (Suarez, Cajetan, Valentia, De Lugo, and others), that the Holy Communion, so long as the sacramental species lasts, constantly produces greater and greater graces in the soul, provided the soul is then constant in disposing itself by new acts of virtue.
🤐We assist our neighbor's prayers: Respect. What happened to recognizing that others might be praying and wanting to take advantage of this grace-time in silence before the Lord?
Help others grow in renewed awareness that until they exit the church they are still in the True Presence of Jesus. By simply saying, "Hey, let's talk outside . . . there are people praying before our Lord," you witness to your love of God and neighbor, and that small prompting will inspire others into this same consideration.
🤐We praise God: Thanksgiving. What better time is there, than when Christ is closest to us in our Communion with the Blessed Sacrament, to give thanks for the many ways He has blessed us?
🍄St. Faustina Kowalska said that she received a private revelation from Jesus who told her:
My great delight is to unite myself with souls . . . When I come to a human heart in communion, my hands are filled with graces which I want to give to souls. But souls do not pay attention to me: they leave me to myself and busy themselves with other things. They do not recognize love. They treat me as a dead object.
🍄St. Teresa of Ávila said:
There is no other time than thanksgiving after Mass when we can so easily enrich our soul with virtues, or so rapidly advance to a high degree of perfection.
🍄Pope Benedict XVI, too, reminds us, "The precious time of thanksgiving after communion should not be neglected."
Let us ask the Lord to help us to desire to grow in union with Him, that we may be reminded of His desire to be with us. And, maybe the next time we receive Him in Communion, we might spend a few moments in silence, nurturing this union with our God. And then, just maybe, we may truly see our Church ‘on fire'."
"On the Need to State the Obvious", by Nicholas Senz
Info from this site: http://www.crisismagazine.com/2017/need-state-obvious
Excerpts:
"The task of any Old Testament prophet could well be summed up by the phrase “stating the obvious.” The kings and people of Israel had been given the Law of Moses and knew full well what their obligations were, yet, as we all do, they routinely fell short of them, and even worked against them. The prophets were called upon by God to state the obvious to Israel, and they were usually thanked for their efforts by being murdered. Few occupations are as dangerous as the prophetic, precisely because they tell people what they already know but don’t want to hear. A small mistake at the beginning will lead to a large problem farther on, as Aristotle noted. A deviation of one degree at the start will create an obtuse angle after a while, leading us in the opposite direction of where we ought to be going. Course corrections can still be made, but it sometimes requires stopping our momentum, turning around, and back tracking. Stubborn creatures that we are, most of us would rather keep going in the wrong direction than have to tear up all of our work and start over—which is not a bad definition of the modern notion of “progress.” To state the obvious, to state the principle that set us on our way in the first place, is necessary if we are to turn away from the shiny objects that distract us and reach our intended destination.
With this all having been said, it can be hoped that the following words will not be summarily dismissed as “obvious,” but can serve as a reminder of what we are about in the midst of all of our battles—in other words, what we are fighting for. God created human beings to enter into loving communion with him, to be incorporated into Christ and transformed by the grace merited by his passion, death, and resurrection into adopted sons and daughters of God, that we might become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is our end, our purpose, our reason for being.
To aid us in reaching that end, Christ gave us the Church, founded on the pillars of the apostles, who charged their successors the bishops to carry on the task appointed to them by Christ: to teach, govern, and sanctify his people—to lead them into the truth and protect them from error, to order the affairs of the community, and to dispense the sacraments, the means of grace—the gift of God’s own life.
We need this because we are fallen creatures, with a tendency to sin, to put ourselves before God, our own desires before God’s desires for us, our own thoughts before God’s thoughts. Our wills, intellects, and passions are disordered, and need the help of God’s grace to be brought back into harmony. Ideally, we would know the truth of things, desire the good, and choose the means to achieve it, thus living out God’s love. This is the task of our everyday lives. This is the outline of our situation—all points that are or should be “obvious” to us. These are the stakes over which we fight our internecine quarrels. We battle over doctrinal formulations because words matter: they shape our thoughts which guide our actions. The truth sets us free, and error enslaves us to a false view of the world. We battle over Church discipline because the rules we set for ourselves are a reflection of what we understand to be true about reality and good for human beings, so that some disciplinary changes could in fact be reflective of a false view of the world, and thus would not be in accord with the love of God. We battle over the celebration and reception of the sacraments because they are our sources of divine life, the medicine that heals our souls. And like any medicine, if taken incorrectly, they can actually do us harm—if taken while not in the state of grace, if celebrated in inappropriate ways that drive people away from the Church rather than drawing them to it, and so on.
Let this serve as a reminder to all. To those who roll their eyes at the “liturgy wars,” or eschew doctrinal discussions as needless hair-splitting, or are all too willing to throw virtuous babies out with disciplinary bathwater, remember the stakes involved: nothing less than the salvation of souls. Watering down the truth and relaxing certain disciplines will have the same effect on our spiritual health that a crash diet and no exercise will on our physical health: it will leave us malnourished and atrophied. Likewise, let those whose fight for truth and virtue remember that pride is at the root of all sin and a danger to us all, and that they must take care not to put their own self-satisfaction in their position overwhelm their regard for their neighbor’s well-being and salvation, that truth expressed without charity will bear no fruit in another’s life, that rituals and disciplines practiced without form or devotion really can become vain repetitions—in short, that while “Pharisee” can be a lazy charge, it can also be an accurate one.
This may seem obvious, but someone has to say it."
Info from this site: http://www.crisismagazine.com/2017/need-state-obvious
Excerpts:
"The task of any Old Testament prophet could well be summed up by the phrase “stating the obvious.” The kings and people of Israel had been given the Law of Moses and knew full well what their obligations were, yet, as we all do, they routinely fell short of them, and even worked against them. The prophets were called upon by God to state the obvious to Israel, and they were usually thanked for their efforts by being murdered. Few occupations are as dangerous as the prophetic, precisely because they tell people what they already know but don’t want to hear. A small mistake at the beginning will lead to a large problem farther on, as Aristotle noted. A deviation of one degree at the start will create an obtuse angle after a while, leading us in the opposite direction of where we ought to be going. Course corrections can still be made, but it sometimes requires stopping our momentum, turning around, and back tracking. Stubborn creatures that we are, most of us would rather keep going in the wrong direction than have to tear up all of our work and start over—which is not a bad definition of the modern notion of “progress.” To state the obvious, to state the principle that set us on our way in the first place, is necessary if we are to turn away from the shiny objects that distract us and reach our intended destination.
With this all having been said, it can be hoped that the following words will not be summarily dismissed as “obvious,” but can serve as a reminder of what we are about in the midst of all of our battles—in other words, what we are fighting for. God created human beings to enter into loving communion with him, to be incorporated into Christ and transformed by the grace merited by his passion, death, and resurrection into adopted sons and daughters of God, that we might become “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. That is our end, our purpose, our reason for being.
To aid us in reaching that end, Christ gave us the Church, founded on the pillars of the apostles, who charged their successors the bishops to carry on the task appointed to them by Christ: to teach, govern, and sanctify his people—to lead them into the truth and protect them from error, to order the affairs of the community, and to dispense the sacraments, the means of grace—the gift of God’s own life.
We need this because we are fallen creatures, with a tendency to sin, to put ourselves before God, our own desires before God’s desires for us, our own thoughts before God’s thoughts. Our wills, intellects, and passions are disordered, and need the help of God’s grace to be brought back into harmony. Ideally, we would know the truth of things, desire the good, and choose the means to achieve it, thus living out God’s love. This is the task of our everyday lives. This is the outline of our situation—all points that are or should be “obvious” to us. These are the stakes over which we fight our internecine quarrels. We battle over doctrinal formulations because words matter: they shape our thoughts which guide our actions. The truth sets us free, and error enslaves us to a false view of the world. We battle over Church discipline because the rules we set for ourselves are a reflection of what we understand to be true about reality and good for human beings, so that some disciplinary changes could in fact be reflective of a false view of the world, and thus would not be in accord with the love of God. We battle over the celebration and reception of the sacraments because they are our sources of divine life, the medicine that heals our souls. And like any medicine, if taken incorrectly, they can actually do us harm—if taken while not in the state of grace, if celebrated in inappropriate ways that drive people away from the Church rather than drawing them to it, and so on.
Let this serve as a reminder to all. To those who roll their eyes at the “liturgy wars,” or eschew doctrinal discussions as needless hair-splitting, or are all too willing to throw virtuous babies out with disciplinary bathwater, remember the stakes involved: nothing less than the salvation of souls. Watering down the truth and relaxing certain disciplines will have the same effect on our spiritual health that a crash diet and no exercise will on our physical health: it will leave us malnourished and atrophied. Likewise, let those whose fight for truth and virtue remember that pride is at the root of all sin and a danger to us all, and that they must take care not to put their own self-satisfaction in their position overwhelm their regard for their neighbor’s well-being and salvation, that truth expressed without charity will bear no fruit in another’s life, that rituals and disciplines practiced without form or devotion really can become vain repetitions—in short, that while “Pharisee” can be a lazy charge, it can also be an accurate one.
This may seem obvious, but someone has to say it."
(This was a wonderful novena, the past nine days were a source of many blessings, may you tune in and not be left out)
Novena to St. Ann with Fr. Cedric Pisegna, Day 1
Link to YouTube video
https://youtu.be/RHf_zVAyVzM
Novena to St. Ann with Fr. Cedric Pisegna, Day 1
Link to YouTube video
https://youtu.be/RHf_zVAyVzM