THE REAL PRESENCE
The REAL PRESENCE of Christ among us is not only one of the Great Mysteries of Christianity, but It is also one of the great dividing factors among the various Christian, (Ecclesial) communities!
With regard to the Eucharist, there are some who believe in what they call; “transignification”, meaning that the “SIGNIFICANCE” of the bread and wine are somehow changed. In this modality of thinking, the bread and wine remain the same and if so, the very words of our Lord could not be fulfilled, “I will be with you until the end of time”. If it is just a matter of “how” we look at the bread and wine, then the Sacrament of THE REAL PRESENCE is reduced to mere semantics!
Others speak of “Impanation” meaning that somehow Jesus is there in the bread and wine, that He is “among” the elements, thus making them, (the bread and wine), a catalyst, (a “means”), for the transmission of some spiritual presence. Such a “spiritual” presence can be had by simply gathering together “in His Name”, as Sacred Scripture points out so clearly.
Actually the Doctrine held on to continuously throughout the centuries by The Church is called; “TRANSUBSTANTIATION” which means that the actual “SUBSTANCE” is CHANGED INTO THE BODY, BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF THE LIVING LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST! Thus, after the Priest utters the Words of Consecration, there is no bread; there is no wine on the Altar of Sacrifice, but rather ONLY The Real Living Presence of our Lord and Savior!
In the very Gospel, we see that the followers of Jesus heard Him correctly, when He promised to give them His FLESH to eat and His BLOOD to drink saying that it was “intolerable language” asking themselves how “anyone could accept it!”. JN 6:60 well, that question has been “intolerable” for so many Christians since the great Protestant rebellion when so many individuals left The Church to form communities that would be able to “stomach” a lesser interpretation of those Sacred words.
But, the “intolerability” of the words, our Lord and Savior spoke to His followers back then, would lead many into another great error!
Once the bread and wine became mere symbols of the Lord’s presence they had to re-examine the role of the Priesthood itself, once that was put into doubt, of course “how could a mere man forgive sins?!” In one fell swoop the two great SACRAMENTS OF MERCY were obliterated. The Holy Eucharist became symbolic and Confession was seen as no longer necessary, in fact it was considered an abomination to even consider going to a man for the forgiveness of sins, exactly what the leaders of Israel felt about Jesus Himself!! Even though Christ clearly gave His Priesthood the power to forgive sins when He said “RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT, WHOSE SINS YOU FORGIVE WILL BE FORGIVEN THEM, WHOSE SINS YOU DO NOT FOGIVE, WILL NOT BE FORGIVEN”
Once The Holy Eucharist and The Sacrament of Reconciliation were either reduced in stature to being pure symbol or completely unnecessary, it was a natural consequence that any and all Devotion to The Blessed Virgin Mary would be seen as a threat to such teaching. I say that because by understanding Mary as “The Mother of God”, one stresses both the HUMANITY AND DIVINITY of CHRIST, which is exactly what is PRESENT in the Great Gift of THE EUCHARIST! When Jesus used the word; “I” in saying that He would be with us always, He referred to Himself as He was then, is now and forever will be; in other words His very being, GOD AND MAN. “Unless you eat the flesh of The Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you”. Serious words, especially when they come from God Himself! This was no mere “gesture” on the part of Jesus to “think of Him” rather a mandate, “DO THIS” preceded by AMEN, AMEN, which meant LISTEN UP AND GET IT STRAIGHT!
Thousands left Him on that day solely because those words were just too difficult to handle, What Jesus was asking was not only Faith in Him, but Faith in His POWER to give His very Self, for the life of the world! With Christ Jesus, there can be no half measures, it is all or nothing!
As Roman Catholic Christians, we MUST not only be knowledgeable of our FAITH, but we have an obligation before God to be APOSTLES of our Faith! The world needs us to be proactive in the transmission of those truths taught by Christ. Not only is it our duty, it is also our Privilege to witness to the world all that we have received!
The divisions among Christians in the modern world are a scandal to those who know not the Teachings of Christ. It is only by uniting in the Fullness of Faith that will be able to bring to Christ all the various religions of the world. For this to be done it will take courage and great sacrifice among the People of God. Already the battle lines are being drawn, anti Christian rhetoric has increased to a fever pitch, non Christian religions are growing and imposing their beliefs upon so many societies by intimidation and fear and even in our own country it seems to have become ILLEGAL for CHRISTIANS to even mention God in public places!
Perhaps it’s time for all who call themselves Christian to stand up, throw political correctness out the window, trampling the ways of the world underfoot and take a good hard look at The Work of the Holy Spirit throughout the 2,000 years of Christianity and finally, get together for a change! How about fighting the true threat among us of a Godless society, how about making Christ PRESENT by becoming the very Gift we receive each week in The Most Holy Eucharist. Let us unite into ONE BODY, THE MYSTICAL BODY OF CHRIST! As the ugliness of materialism, atheism, and secularism deteriorate the very moral fabric of our Country and society let us, The People of God BE, THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD, let us be as Christ, a REAL PRESENCE IN THE WORLD!
The Shadow Priest
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters,
When I see the upheaval taking place in this great Country of ours I am dismayed, but I must admit also a bit angered. For years our Christian Morals and Principles have been attacked and ignored and now it has been summarily declared by someone who is supposed to be “our President” that we are “no longer” a Christian Country. Well it is apparent to we who know and Love our Country that He is most certainly governing as one who belongs to a place devoid of Christian beliefs. It seems to be the agenda of the present administration to create a country of its own making, one that is unrecognizable to those of us who call ourselves Christian.
As one law after another is passed and our freedoms gradually slip away into oblivion, America sleeps and the Christian Churches remain silent. Giving in to a Social Gospel, the Christian Religions have replaced the Gospel of Virtue with the gospel of activism, an activism not flowing from the Love of God, but squeezed out of each citizen through the force of law. No longer is giving to the poor an effect of Love, rather it has become a mandate of the state, a state which seeks to replace God with itself.
What we are witnessing is the fall of our great Christian civilization through a systematic destruction of our democracy and our economy. Both must die in order to create a “new Order” As the president says, “the fundamental transformation of our society” How proud those who propose this “change” are to use the word “Progressive” and yet for years they hid in the shadows, fearing the light of day until now, when society has become numb with “political correctness”, and infused with a false “racism” founded not on the true feelings of our Good People, but on a manufactured perception of racism based on innuendo and false accusations!
How many Pastors and Cleric’s have failed in their obligation to enlighten the People of God to the Truths of The gospel, and instead have filled their faithful either with apathy or anger based on a false sense of entitlement! Where is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?!? Where are the True Spiritual Leaders who rather than concern themselves with filling their coffers will stand up for the truly oppressed, the unborn and our elderly! Why are they silent? What do they fear? Why is their sense of Justice so selective? Any coward can get behind a crowd that is riled up, but it takes a true man of God to move the people to the fullness of Truth, not just picking and choosing what feels good, or what is popular or even that which is politically correct!
Where is the Presence of Christ? It is disingenuous for anyone to call themselves a “spiritual leader” and then to conform themselves and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the standards of the world. How dare anyone call themselves a leader and then preach in ways that divide the People of God by race! They are wolves in sheep’s clothing they prey on the innocence of the sheep, filling them with hate and prejudice!
Why are we, The People of God putting up with those who comport themselves in this way, why are we not denouncing them as traitors to the Gospel message? Traitors to Christ and traitors to We the People! How long are we going to sit in silence? What are we waiting for? Soon it may be too late. We must rise up and let our voices be heard, not the voices of the self proclaimed religious leaders with a humanistic agenda, leaders who do more promoting of themselves than the Gospel Truth, so called leaders who by playing the race card fill the people with prejudice and hate! Let us return to the Truth, let us return to The Gospel of Jesus Christ, let us return to the sanity of a Faith filled People. Let us return to a country founded and grounded in God our Most Loving and affectionate father. Let us fearlessly shout from the rooftops that Salvation is not nor ever can be given by a government, but by the only One with the Power to Save, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is Truly The One we’ve been waiting for!!
When I see the upheaval taking place in this great Country of ours I am dismayed, but I must admit also a bit angered. For years our Christian Morals and Principles have been attacked and ignored and now it has been summarily declared by someone who is supposed to be “our President” that we are “no longer” a Christian Country. Well it is apparent to we who know and Love our Country that He is most certainly governing as one who belongs to a place devoid of Christian beliefs. It seems to be the agenda of the present administration to create a country of its own making, one that is unrecognizable to those of us who call ourselves Christian.
As one law after another is passed and our freedoms gradually slip away into oblivion, America sleeps and the Christian Churches remain silent. Giving in to a Social Gospel, the Christian Religions have replaced the Gospel of Virtue with the gospel of activism, an activism not flowing from the Love of God, but squeezed out of each citizen through the force of law. No longer is giving to the poor an effect of Love, rather it has become a mandate of the state, a state which seeks to replace God with itself.
What we are witnessing is the fall of our great Christian civilization through a systematic destruction of our democracy and our economy. Both must die in order to create a “new Order” As the president says, “the fundamental transformation of our society” How proud those who propose this “change” are to use the word “Progressive” and yet for years they hid in the shadows, fearing the light of day until now, when society has become numb with “political correctness”, and infused with a false “racism” founded not on the true feelings of our Good People, but on a manufactured perception of racism based on innuendo and false accusations!
How many Pastors and Cleric’s have failed in their obligation to enlighten the People of God to the Truths of The gospel, and instead have filled their faithful either with apathy or anger based on a false sense of entitlement! Where is the Gospel of Jesus Christ?!? Where are the True Spiritual Leaders who rather than concern themselves with filling their coffers will stand up for the truly oppressed, the unborn and our elderly! Why are they silent? What do they fear? Why is their sense of Justice so selective? Any coward can get behind a crowd that is riled up, but it takes a true man of God to move the people to the fullness of Truth, not just picking and choosing what feels good, or what is popular or even that which is politically correct!
Where is the Presence of Christ? It is disingenuous for anyone to call themselves a “spiritual leader” and then to conform themselves and the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the standards of the world. How dare anyone call themselves a leader and then preach in ways that divide the People of God by race! They are wolves in sheep’s clothing they prey on the innocence of the sheep, filling them with hate and prejudice!
Why are we, The People of God putting up with those who comport themselves in this way, why are we not denouncing them as traitors to the Gospel message? Traitors to Christ and traitors to We the People! How long are we going to sit in silence? What are we waiting for? Soon it may be too late. We must rise up and let our voices be heard, not the voices of the self proclaimed religious leaders with a humanistic agenda, leaders who do more promoting of themselves than the Gospel Truth, so called leaders who by playing the race card fill the people with prejudice and hate! Let us return to the Truth, let us return to The Gospel of Jesus Christ, let us return to the sanity of a Faith filled People. Let us return to a country founded and grounded in God our Most Loving and affectionate father. Let us fearlessly shout from the rooftops that Salvation is not nor ever can be given by a government, but by the only One with the Power to Save, Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, Who is Truly The One we’ve been waiting for!!
Monday, August 2, 2010
“BE NOT AFRAID”
So we are told in Sacred Scripture, do not fear those who can destroy the body but rather fear those who can destroy the soul. We must seek always to recognize the hypocrisy of the world, with its passing promises of transitory glory, beauty and wealth replacing it with the Truth of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is only one True WORD OF GOD, all others had man as their sole origin, It is in the Old and New Testaments that we can see, hear, grow and learn the very Heart of God, for even though those who wrote the Sacred Scripture were but mere men, its Author is God Himself.
When you stop to think of it, of all the Christian communities on the face of the earth, we, as Catholics proclaim both the New and Old Testaments every single day of the year on every continent on the face of the Earth. It is awe inspiring to note that we as a people of God are a part of so great an Institution given to us by God Himself, a God Who is our most Loving and Affectionate Father. That He would Love us so much that rather than leaving us orphans of Eve, He deigns to make us His adopted sons and daughters Through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
Could the mind of man conceive of so great and wondrous a mystery!?! You and I, through no merit of our own have been promised a Divine Heritage, giving us the very Right to heaven!
But I would do The Divine Mercy a grave injustice if I would fail to mention The Gift that surpasses all the gifts of Created Reality, The most Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Loving and affectionate Father outdid Himself, surpassing every gift even all of them combined when He created She who would be The Mother of God and through Divine Benevolence be given to us as our Mother in Faith.
We celebrate the Birth of our Beloved Mother Mary, as a Universal Feast day celebrated with solemnity by not only Catholic Christians, but by everyone who calls themselves Christian, since it is THROUGH HER that we have SALVATION Itself!! God took from Her the very flesh He used to Redeem us, the very Flesh that He gives to us as our Food in The Most Holy Eucharist! Whether we like it or not it is impossible to Love Our Lord and Savior, the way He wants to be loved, but through Her.
It is this blessed Mother who is the very reason that we will one day be able to stand before the throne of God with confidence, for it is the knowledge of Her as gift that reveals to us the Heart of God as Father, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. It is the knowledge that She stands at our side as she stood at the foot of the cross that gives us the courage to stand before the leaders of this world, proclaiming the full and unabashed gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ without excuses, making no apologies for Its Truth. It is this Woman of the Ages who intercedes for us, procuring the Graces that we need to become Christ to the world!
It is This Great Gift, MARY who teaches us so much about Her Son, in doing so She helps us to understand Him, to Love Him and to Serve Him in those who surround us. It is She who opens the eyes of the indifferent, enflames the Hearts of the tepid and awakens sleeping Faith in the souls of those called to proclaim His Holy Name!
It is time to rise from our slumber, take upon ourselves His most Holy Yoke, a burden essential to the Salvation of Mankind! But do not be afraid, it is light, due to the fact that not only has our Beloved Lord shouldered it Himself, but He has already won for us the battle. We must fight my Brothers and Sisters, we must Fight for the Unborn, for the weak among us, for those whose voices are silenced by age or discrimination of any kind. We must take our place at the foot of the cross along with Mary as our guide and Protectress, we must defend the GOD GIVEN RIGHTS of human life from the moment of conception to a natural death. We must instruct those among us so that being aware of the Teachings of Christ those who consider themselves leaders will be humble SERVANTS of the people enacting laws that are Just, founded on true Christian principles.
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus through Mary, can we let even one more day go by and remain indifferent to the voices of the millions of children that cry out to us from the abortion mills? Can we allow elected officials to make any laws that not only fund but promote such a heinous attack on our innocent children in the womb of their own mothers? Can we remain silent before laws that steal from our elderly their right to life, liberty and the continued pursuit of happiness!?
Let us take our RIGHTFUL place, along with the great leaders of The Church throughout the ages in defense of the poor, the unborn, the elderly, the sick, those rejected by a society that values only transitory beauty! Let us recognize that we need the so called “unproductive” those who have been judged as having a quality of life not worth living! We need them in order to see our own deformity, our own ugliness, our own shortcomings, our own prejudices, our own pride. It is our privilege to stand up and speak out for the poor, the marginalized, the unborn, the elderly, the sick and those rejected by society.
In other words IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE AND DUTY to BE CHRIST TO THE WORLD.
So we are told in Sacred Scripture, do not fear those who can destroy the body but rather fear those who can destroy the soul. We must seek always to recognize the hypocrisy of the world, with its passing promises of transitory glory, beauty and wealth replacing it with the Truth of The Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is only one True WORD OF GOD, all others had man as their sole origin, It is in the Old and New Testaments that we can see, hear, grow and learn the very Heart of God, for even though those who wrote the Sacred Scripture were but mere men, its Author is God Himself.
When you stop to think of it, of all the Christian communities on the face of the earth, we, as Catholics proclaim both the New and Old Testaments every single day of the year on every continent on the face of the Earth. It is awe inspiring to note that we as a people of God are a part of so great an Institution given to us by God Himself, a God Who is our most Loving and Affectionate Father. That He would Love us so much that rather than leaving us orphans of Eve, He deigns to make us His adopted sons and daughters Through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ!
Could the mind of man conceive of so great and wondrous a mystery!?! You and I, through no merit of our own have been promised a Divine Heritage, giving us the very Right to heaven!
But I would do The Divine Mercy a grave injustice if I would fail to mention The Gift that surpasses all the gifts of Created Reality, The most Blessed Virgin Mary. Our Loving and affectionate Father outdid Himself, surpassing every gift even all of them combined when He created She who would be The Mother of God and through Divine Benevolence be given to us as our Mother in Faith.
We celebrate the Birth of our Beloved Mother Mary, as a Universal Feast day celebrated with solemnity by not only Catholic Christians, but by everyone who calls themselves Christian, since it is THROUGH HER that we have SALVATION Itself!! God took from Her the very flesh He used to Redeem us, the very Flesh that He gives to us as our Food in The Most Holy Eucharist! Whether we like it or not it is impossible to Love Our Lord and Savior, the way He wants to be loved, but through Her.
It is this blessed Mother who is the very reason that we will one day be able to stand before the throne of God with confidence, for it is the knowledge of Her as gift that reveals to us the Heart of God as Father, Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. It is the knowledge that She stands at our side as she stood at the foot of the cross that gives us the courage to stand before the leaders of this world, proclaiming the full and unabashed gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ without excuses, making no apologies for Its Truth. It is this Woman of the Ages who intercedes for us, procuring the Graces that we need to become Christ to the world!
It is This Great Gift, MARY who teaches us so much about Her Son, in doing so She helps us to understand Him, to Love Him and to Serve Him in those who surround us. It is She who opens the eyes of the indifferent, enflames the Hearts of the tepid and awakens sleeping Faith in the souls of those called to proclaim His Holy Name!
It is time to rise from our slumber, take upon ourselves His most Holy Yoke, a burden essential to the Salvation of Mankind! But do not be afraid, it is light, due to the fact that not only has our Beloved Lord shouldered it Himself, but He has already won for us the battle. We must fight my Brothers and Sisters, we must Fight for the Unborn, for the weak among us, for those whose voices are silenced by age or discrimination of any kind. We must take our place at the foot of the cross along with Mary as our guide and Protectress, we must defend the GOD GIVEN RIGHTS of human life from the moment of conception to a natural death. We must instruct those among us so that being aware of the Teachings of Christ those who consider themselves leaders will be humble SERVANTS of the people enacting laws that are Just, founded on true Christian principles.
My Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ Jesus through Mary, can we let even one more day go by and remain indifferent to the voices of the millions of children that cry out to us from the abortion mills? Can we allow elected officials to make any laws that not only fund but promote such a heinous attack on our innocent children in the womb of their own mothers? Can we remain silent before laws that steal from our elderly their right to life, liberty and the continued pursuit of happiness!?
Let us take our RIGHTFUL place, along with the great leaders of The Church throughout the ages in defense of the poor, the unborn, the elderly, the sick, those rejected by a society that values only transitory beauty! Let us recognize that we need the so called “unproductive” those who have been judged as having a quality of life not worth living! We need them in order to see our own deformity, our own ugliness, our own shortcomings, our own prejudices, our own pride. It is our privilege to stand up and speak out for the poor, the marginalized, the unborn, the elderly, the sick and those rejected by society.
In other words IT IS OUR PRIVILEGE AND DUTY to BE CHRIST TO THE WORLD.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
World Youth Day 2008
I was blessed to have been asked to accompany a group of youth from the United States of America to the 2008 World Youth Day held in Australia. In all the years of my Priesthood it is not often that I have had so many opportunities to BE A PRIEST!
There are aspects of the Priesthood that have a certain preeminence, First and foremoast the Celebration of the Holy Mass, (The Confection of the Holy Eucharist), bringing the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Living Jesus Christ to those who seek to know and love Him. To actually Con-Celebrate The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass with our Beloved Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI beckons the heart to the very dispositions of Christ, Priest and Victim, moving us to a humble awareness of the great gift that we Priests have been given of being an "Alter Christus", an "Other Christ".
Second only to the Mass, is the Reconciliation of the people of God, The Sacrament of "Confession". So many of the Priests I met, were overjoyed, not only to be a part of such a magnificent and life changing event, but having the opportunity to fulfill their Vocation by bringing the Peace of FORGIVENESS to so many souls, it was almost overwhelming!
While hearing confessions, often times into the early hours of the morning, just the knowledge that thier sins were not only forgiven, but forgotten moved many of the youthful penitents to tears of joy, and I must confess I saw many Priests moved as well.
World Youth Day is so much greater than the individual stories of conversion and fervor that are almost countless in number. The real miracle is the fact that our Beloved Holy Father Benedict XVI could draw so many youth from all continents of the earth to gather in one mind and one heart, that One Faith, One Church, One Spirit could witness to the world with such force and irresistibility the Truths of the Holy Gospel.
What are the Fruits of World Youth Day? Well, our youth are our future, they are the very hope of the Church and the World. For our Youth to experience the compassion of the Church, for them to know the forgiveness and Mercy of God our most Loving and Affectionate Father, is absolutely essential if they are to ever see the world in its proper perspective.
In this day and age, there are so many political liberal leaders as well as many so called "teachers" who seek to convince our youth that thier "salvation" comes not from God, but from a humanistic view of life. The "self" becomes, according to the progressive liberal agenda, the all encompassing purpose of exestence. Helping others has value because it "feels good" or they even goes so far as to try to convince us that Government must take the place of Religion thus mandating how we are to live as a people dedicated not to God but rather to the state. What ever happened to doing good simply because it is good?
Sometimes I wonder, why is it that politicians seem to have success mostly when they promise to feed us or to insure us from cradle to grave, even dictating who gets the right to live and die, based on ones usefulness or productivity!
Even our very principles and work ethic have suffered at the hands of so many who seem to foster class warfare rather than the unity of this great Nation. Why should anyone expect those who have struggled to make a life for themselves, once thy have achieved thier goals, to give what they have earned to those who have not?
Is not Charity a Virtue? Is it not something that we as individuals should strive to achieve? Is it really the job of the government to force us to give? Is that the kind of society we want? Was that the intention of our forefathers who established this great Country on Christian Principles? Should we be forced into a secularistic goodness? There is no virtue in "having to give", it is only in the true and free expression charity that it has its value. There was a time in this Country when people refused any kind of "hand out" simply because they had human pride, the dignity of working for the bread thay eat. Even in Sacred Scripture it states that one should earn the bread they eat, that one should be worth thier wages!
World Youth Day brought us back to the very roots of our humanity. It was a cry to People of good faith to re-evaluate what the "world" offers and to see what Christ Jesus offers us through His Passion, Death and Resurrection! It was an invitation to open the "self" to the true Spirit of Christ, not the spirit of Huminism and self indulgence, but to work for a world of self giving and sacrifice, a world that is just and humane, respecting the Rights of the Individual, a world that, imbued with the Love of Christ Crucified can fill the heart and mind of each and every Person with the True Perfection of Love, Divine Love!
World Youth Day was a cry of Love to the world to stand up and be counted as the People of a Loving and Affectionate God. Let us never allow any government to dictate to us the direction that Charity must take, for that is the job and duty of Faith! But what we can do for our Government and Beloved Country is to put those in public office who reflect our "Christian values" and ranther than get in the way of Religion, do what our Constitution mandates, PROTECT OUR FREEDOM OF RELIGION so that we may Profess and practice the Faith of our Founding Fathers, a Faith grounded on the very teachings of Christ our Lord!!
There are aspects of the Priesthood that have a certain preeminence, First and foremoast the Celebration of the Holy Mass, (The Confection of the Holy Eucharist), bringing the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of the Living Jesus Christ to those who seek to know and love Him. To actually Con-Celebrate The Holy Sacrifice of The Mass with our Beloved Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI beckons the heart to the very dispositions of Christ, Priest and Victim, moving us to a humble awareness of the great gift that we Priests have been given of being an "Alter Christus", an "Other Christ".
Second only to the Mass, is the Reconciliation of the people of God, The Sacrament of "Confession". So many of the Priests I met, were overjoyed, not only to be a part of such a magnificent and life changing event, but having the opportunity to fulfill their Vocation by bringing the Peace of FORGIVENESS to so many souls, it was almost overwhelming!
While hearing confessions, often times into the early hours of the morning, just the knowledge that thier sins were not only forgiven, but forgotten moved many of the youthful penitents to tears of joy, and I must confess I saw many Priests moved as well.
World Youth Day is so much greater than the individual stories of conversion and fervor that are almost countless in number. The real miracle is the fact that our Beloved Holy Father Benedict XVI could draw so many youth from all continents of the earth to gather in one mind and one heart, that One Faith, One Church, One Spirit could witness to the world with such force and irresistibility the Truths of the Holy Gospel.
What are the Fruits of World Youth Day? Well, our youth are our future, they are the very hope of the Church and the World. For our Youth to experience the compassion of the Church, for them to know the forgiveness and Mercy of God our most Loving and Affectionate Father, is absolutely essential if they are to ever see the world in its proper perspective.
In this day and age, there are so many political liberal leaders as well as many so called "teachers" who seek to convince our youth that thier "salvation" comes not from God, but from a humanistic view of life. The "self" becomes, according to the progressive liberal agenda, the all encompassing purpose of exestence. Helping others has value because it "feels good" or they even goes so far as to try to convince us that Government must take the place of Religion thus mandating how we are to live as a people dedicated not to God but rather to the state. What ever happened to doing good simply because it is good?
Sometimes I wonder, why is it that politicians seem to have success mostly when they promise to feed us or to insure us from cradle to grave, even dictating who gets the right to live and die, based on ones usefulness or productivity!
Even our very principles and work ethic have suffered at the hands of so many who seem to foster class warfare rather than the unity of this great Nation. Why should anyone expect those who have struggled to make a life for themselves, once thy have achieved thier goals, to give what they have earned to those who have not?
Is not Charity a Virtue? Is it not something that we as individuals should strive to achieve? Is it really the job of the government to force us to give? Is that the kind of society we want? Was that the intention of our forefathers who established this great Country on Christian Principles? Should we be forced into a secularistic goodness? There is no virtue in "having to give", it is only in the true and free expression charity that it has its value. There was a time in this Country when people refused any kind of "hand out" simply because they had human pride, the dignity of working for the bread thay eat. Even in Sacred Scripture it states that one should earn the bread they eat, that one should be worth thier wages!
World Youth Day brought us back to the very roots of our humanity. It was a cry to People of good faith to re-evaluate what the "world" offers and to see what Christ Jesus offers us through His Passion, Death and Resurrection! It was an invitation to open the "self" to the true Spirit of Christ, not the spirit of Huminism and self indulgence, but to work for a world of self giving and sacrifice, a world that is just and humane, respecting the Rights of the Individual, a world that, imbued with the Love of Christ Crucified can fill the heart and mind of each and every Person with the True Perfection of Love, Divine Love!
World Youth Day was a cry of Love to the world to stand up and be counted as the People of a Loving and Affectionate God. Let us never allow any government to dictate to us the direction that Charity must take, for that is the job and duty of Faith! But what we can do for our Government and Beloved Country is to put those in public office who reflect our "Christian values" and ranther than get in the way of Religion, do what our Constitution mandates, PROTECT OUR FREEDOM OF RELIGION so that we may Profess and practice the Faith of our Founding Fathers, a Faith grounded on the very teachings of Christ our Lord!!
Friday, August 7, 2009
Universal "health" care?
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE?
Before I comment on the ABOMINATION that is being forced upon the People of God called “Universal health care”, let me first APOLOGIZE for the silence that took place before the election with regard to what we all knew would be the state of affairs if certain persons would be elected. Perhaps it was fear of retribution; maybe even a fear of losing our tax exempt status as a Church, regardless, any thinking person could see clearly that many of those running for elected office were preaching policies in direct defiance to the teachings of Christ and His Church!
Well, the time of fear is over, no longer will we as Roman Catholic Christians remain silent! All too long we have seen a constant attack by our elected officials on the unborn, who, by the way, are the very FUTURE of our Country!
It is clear that since the evil of abortion never "seemingly" effected anyone personally, it was easy to ignore it, or to cover the horror of the slaughter of our children with the false self justification of being “compassionate” or that such a decision was “personal” and a “choice”. But if by “choice” you mean choosing HEAVEN or HELL, then you’re absolutely correct!
Again, I beg your forgiveness, for if we, the people of God, would have stood up with Moral Authority clearly stating without hesitation the SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE IN ALL ITS STAGES, we would not be in the predicament that we find ourselves at the present moment!
Mother Theresa of Calcutta warned us CLEARLY that a society that did not respect life from the moment of conception would not respect life at all!! I am appalled at the audacity of our elected officials to think that they would, in a FREE Country such as ours even suggest that our elderly citizens are a BURDEN and that “they”, government officials, could have the capacity to be able or even qualified to counsel our BELOVED, PRECIOUS AND TREASURED SENIOR CITIZENS, with regard to “end of life decisions!!!!
My Beloved Sons and Daughters, it is my responsibility as Priest to DEFEND the innocent to PROTECT the Poor and to be the CHAMPION of the weak. I cannot and will not remain silent! You, both the Elderly and the Unborn are in the exact same boat, and are my responsibility, if no one else, it is I who must stand up against all odds to defend you, protect you and to serve you! It will never be the job or right of the government to tell anyone whether or not you are “worthy” of a medical procedure, or if an operation should or should not be done based on whether or not you are a PRODUCTIVE member of society! It has never been the power of the government to legislate the “quality” of human life! And yet there is at the present time in The United States of America a clear and unabashed movement toward such power!
For many years now, ABORTION has been forced upon us by a liberal Supreme Court, and a constant barrage of propaganda has convinced our people that it is a “right”. We cannot keep making the same mistake! Soon, if we do not stand up for life, it will be the “right” of those who are “productive members of society” (the government) to make END OF LIFE DECISIONS REGARDING THOSE OF US WHO THEY FEEL ARE NO LONGER PRODUCTIVE OR COST EFFECTIVE.
We as a Church not only defend the RIGHTS OF THE ELDERLY AND THE UNBORN, but We Know through the Teachings of Christ Jesus that THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BORN INTO CHRIST JESUS AND HAVE LIVED A LONG AND FRUITFUL LIFE ARE OUR COUNTRYS GREATEST TREASURE!!! We need them! The Elderly, our Senior Citizens are, not only an asset, but our very HOPE, since they are the ones who, through their wisdom, experience and love, are able to teach us and keep us from making the grave and devastating mistakes of so many who have gone before us!
We are the people of the greatest Country on earth, and I believe that it is a singular Grace to be born here in the United States of America, may we, by the lives we live, the choices we make and by our very actions, be WORTHY of the FREEDOMS that have been won for us at so great a cost!
THE SHADOW PRIEST
Before I comment on the ABOMINATION that is being forced upon the People of God called “Universal health care”, let me first APOLOGIZE for the silence that took place before the election with regard to what we all knew would be the state of affairs if certain persons would be elected. Perhaps it was fear of retribution; maybe even a fear of losing our tax exempt status as a Church, regardless, any thinking person could see clearly that many of those running for elected office were preaching policies in direct defiance to the teachings of Christ and His Church!
Well, the time of fear is over, no longer will we as Roman Catholic Christians remain silent! All too long we have seen a constant attack by our elected officials on the unborn, who, by the way, are the very FUTURE of our Country!
It is clear that since the evil of abortion never "seemingly" effected anyone personally, it was easy to ignore it, or to cover the horror of the slaughter of our children with the false self justification of being “compassionate” or that such a decision was “personal” and a “choice”. But if by “choice” you mean choosing HEAVEN or HELL, then you’re absolutely correct!
Again, I beg your forgiveness, for if we, the people of God, would have stood up with Moral Authority clearly stating without hesitation the SACREDNESS OF HUMAN LIFE IN ALL ITS STAGES, we would not be in the predicament that we find ourselves at the present moment!
Mother Theresa of Calcutta warned us CLEARLY that a society that did not respect life from the moment of conception would not respect life at all!! I am appalled at the audacity of our elected officials to think that they would, in a FREE Country such as ours even suggest that our elderly citizens are a BURDEN and that “they”, government officials, could have the capacity to be able or even qualified to counsel our BELOVED, PRECIOUS AND TREASURED SENIOR CITIZENS, with regard to “end of life decisions!!!!
My Beloved Sons and Daughters, it is my responsibility as Priest to DEFEND the innocent to PROTECT the Poor and to be the CHAMPION of the weak. I cannot and will not remain silent! You, both the Elderly and the Unborn are in the exact same boat, and are my responsibility, if no one else, it is I who must stand up against all odds to defend you, protect you and to serve you! It will never be the job or right of the government to tell anyone whether or not you are “worthy” of a medical procedure, or if an operation should or should not be done based on whether or not you are a PRODUCTIVE member of society! It has never been the power of the government to legislate the “quality” of human life! And yet there is at the present time in The United States of America a clear and unabashed movement toward such power!
For many years now, ABORTION has been forced upon us by a liberal Supreme Court, and a constant barrage of propaganda has convinced our people that it is a “right”. We cannot keep making the same mistake! Soon, if we do not stand up for life, it will be the “right” of those who are “productive members of society” (the government) to make END OF LIFE DECISIONS REGARDING THOSE OF US WHO THEY FEEL ARE NO LONGER PRODUCTIVE OR COST EFFECTIVE.
We as a Church not only defend the RIGHTS OF THE ELDERLY AND THE UNBORN, but We Know through the Teachings of Christ Jesus that THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN BORN INTO CHRIST JESUS AND HAVE LIVED A LONG AND FRUITFUL LIFE ARE OUR COUNTRYS GREATEST TREASURE!!! We need them! The Elderly, our Senior Citizens are, not only an asset, but our very HOPE, since they are the ones who, through their wisdom, experience and love, are able to teach us and keep us from making the grave and devastating mistakes of so many who have gone before us!
We are the people of the greatest Country on earth, and I believe that it is a singular Grace to be born here in the United States of America, may we, by the lives we live, the choices we make and by our very actions, be WORTHY of the FREEDOMS that have been won for us at so great a cost!
THE SHADOW PRIEST
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