A Matter of Conscience ...

The Church was founded by Christ to change people and make them saints, and not to be changed to accommodate the caprices and whims of some people ...

"Don't try to get the Church to bless your evil and perversion ... "

XXX Sunday in Ordinary Time – A

Ex 22:22-26, 1 Thes 1:5C-10, Mt 22:34-40

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"

And we do know the answer, like the man who asked the question, we know that:

"You shall love the Lord, your God,

with all your heart,

with all your soul,

and with all your mind.

This is the greatest and the first commandment.

The second is like it:

You shall love your neighbour as yourself."

We know it, at least theoretically.

But, in reality of the daily life … it's a little bit different, more complicated, and not only because we have a problem in loving our difficult and nasty neighbour, but even more … because we don’t know what it means to love. Yes, in reality we do not know ...

Our concept, our notion of love was -and constantly is- shaped by the soapy Hollywood movies and films, by sweet romantic poetry, by emotional excitement and not by the cross.

When St. John says that God is Love it doesn’t mean at all that God is a romantic Lover. When Jesus -in today's Gospel- says that the most important commandment is the obligation to love God and love the neighbour, He is not telling us that we have to be emotionally involved or engaged in affective relationships with God or people. NOT AT ALL!

It is quite easy to love God—He is up there, somewhere in His heaven and doesn’t seem to bother us too much. We can formulate an idea of Him and love that idea. It presents us with few difficulties. But we do love God … yes we do love Him for ourselves, because it is so good to feel it, because it makes me feel so good … But, in reality this is not the LOVE Jesus is talking about.

Much harder is to love not an idea but a person. Much harder is to love a person who fails to meet up with our expectations, one who challenges our assumptions, one whose ugliness is more than skin deep.

But then we have to show that our love is more than skin deep. But we have to show that the love is not emotional, or affective, exciting and romantic … Where do we find this kind of LOVE? Certainly not in Hollywood movies but on Golgotha, in the Passion and death of Christ. This is the deepest and the ultimate LOVE STORY.

A journalist visiting Africa watched an attractive young nun dressing the wounds on a man with gangrene in his leg. The journalist was appalled by the wound but was full of admiration for the young nun who seemed to show no disgust as she was cleaning the suppurating wound. "I wouldn’t do that for £10,000." said the journalist. "Neither would I," said the nun, "I do it for love of God and the true love of man."

Somebody asked me the question:

I realize that the love God provides is not the same as "human love" all the feelings stuff. How do we get to know God's love for us?

What do you think, what should be the answer?

My answer is:

God so loved us that He gave His Only Begotten Son for our salvation.

The biggest expression of God's love for us is the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

There's is no bigger love than to give someone's life for the friends ....

The Holy Spirit given to us in Baptism, is the LOVE OF GOD ...

The next visible sign of God's love is the Eucharist ...

The Church, the Sacraments,

We have to see and recognize this LOVE where it is ... means in God, in Jesus Christ and in the Sacraments ...

God certainly doesn't love us in an emotional, superficial and whimsy way :-).

Michael Voris - AP Interview

Some links about Synod:

l http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/09/synod.html

l http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/1350897?eng=y

l http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/10/magister-pitched-battle-on-mad-monday.html

l http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.ca/2014/10/blue-thursday-orthodox-counter.html?m=1

l http://www.buzzfeed.com/lesterfeder/conservative-cardinal-who-clashed-with-pope-francis-confirms#46ur0it

l https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishops-revolt-against-synod-manipulation-only-3-in-ten-support-kasper-prop?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=0411b197a0-LifeSiteNews_com_Intl_Headlines_06_19_2013&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0caba610ac-0411b197a0-326191970

l http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/18/catholic-bishops-gays_n_6008300.html

29 Sunday in ordinary Time – Year A

Is 45,1.4-6 ; 1Thes 1,1-5b ; Mt 22,15-21

Give to God what belongs to God

In today's Gospel, did Christ call for conformity and blind agreement towards illegal and illegitimate political power? After all, the Roman emperor was not a legitimate ruler of Palestine. The Romans were the occupants and imposters. What mean the words, "repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar"? Is Christ preaching (?) that we have to pay the taxes to an illegal political power, and in this way is He urging us to conformism and blind obedience? Does He even oblige us to pay taxes?

I think that in today's Gospel there is not at all a question about paying taxes and political issues. Christ doesn't want to be mixed or involved in any political issue and do not want to get involved in politics because this is not the purpose of His mission. He rather asks us to note that since we are so diligent in fulfilling our civic duties, why then do we forget so often and so easy about our duties towards God? His evasive answer is neither encouraging to conformity, nor provoking to a rebellion against the government (even illegal and illegitimate). No He is far from all this political playoffs.

Of course, we do not have to live a life isolate and alienate of worldly and political affairs, because we do not live on the moon or in the desert, because we are the members of a human society, each human society is inherently political (as Plato says "man is a zoon politikon - social animal") . But that's not the purpose of Christ's statement. If we were to translate His words into contemporary language, they would be: "Do not neglect your civic and social responsibilities, be anxious about your earthly life (render unto Caesar that, what belongs to Caesar), but above all do not forget about your obligations and duties toward God, about your eternal life, about of your soul (Give to God what belongs to God)."And I, do I really give to God what belongs to Him?

Jesus' statement that we have to give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar is certainly not demanding that His disciples should always be subjected to any political and even tyrannical power. Sometimes it is just immoral to submit to the illegal and illicit political power. Especially when the government enters into the prerogatives of God, trying to put a man on the place due to God alone. How many examples in our recent history do we have, when human laws are in stark contrast to divine law (eg. God's fifth commandment to not kill and the human "right" for abortion!!!). Respecting human rights (which are only and ONLY!!! conventional), we must always remember that it is more than that. Above the conventional human rights there is the RIGHT of a well-formed conscience, or objective natural law, Divine law inscribed in the human nature: "You will not kill, you will not commit adultery, you will not steal …"

In my everyday busy life, do I not forget about this what belongs to God?

Is not so, that I am more diligent in giving to Caesar even what he should not have, while I don’t give to God what belongs to Him?

Advice for the Pope in Light of the Synod - Crisis Magazine

Advice for the Pope in Light of the Synod - Crisis Magazine

Letter of a priest ...

The Holy Father has been very good in lecturing priests and telling us what to do. We are to go out into the world and “make a mess.” We are to “smell like the sheep.” We are to welcome all with compassion, forgiveness and mercy. We are to be good and kind pastors who administer the sacraments with care and concern. We are to seek out the poor, castigate the rich, side with the unfortunate, heal the sick, support the immigrants and reach out to the lowly. We are to welcome the divorced and remarried, not judge those with same sex attraction and open the doors of the church to all with a warm hearted and affirming form of evangelization by attraction.

...

However, I can only do this if the timeless truths of the Catholic faith are firmly defined and defended. The dogmas, doctrines and disciplines of the Catholic faith are the tools of my trade. They provide the rules for engagement, the playbook for the game, the map for the journey and the content for the mercy and compassion I wish to display. The historic teachings of the Catholic faith, founded on the teachings of Christ the Lord, revealed by divine inspiration and developed through the magisterium of the Catholic Church provide the method for my mercy, the content for my compassion and the only saving truths I have to share.
This is teamwork Holy Father. I can only do the job you want me to do if you do the job you have been called to do. With the greatest respect and love, please don’t feel that it is your job to tinker with the timeless truths. If my job is to be the compassionate pastor for those in the pew and beyond, then your job is to be the primary definer and defender of the faith. I can’t do my job if you don’t do yours.
More ... on http://www.crisismagazine.com/2014/advice-for-the-pope

15 October - Saint Therese of Avilla - vision of Hell – shocking therapy …

It's frustrating how blindly people are following for example the dietitian's advices and how stupidly –at the same time- they are rejecting much more important advices of Jesus. This is the most frustrating how blind people are, how blind and senseless … and when it comes to the final stage of their life, the only one who is responsible is …. Obviously God !!! He is to be blamed, He is to be accused, He is to be condemned for the catastrophe in my stupid life …

I don’t know why I see it in such a terribly dramatic way?

And what is more frustrating is the fact that seeing it in this way, I am living in the middle of all this and doing nothing !!!! or almost nothing. I have to smile nicely, to be polite, to not be judgmental, not offensive and to be kind … whereas inside everything is shouting: "wake up, we all are going to hell !!!!!!"

Yes, certainly God is in charge, but He gave us a free will and a responsibility for what we are doing and choosing … and it is true that somehow by this crazy Synod "the truth is being brought forward but much harm has already been done." This is the most frustrating moment in all the story … harm is done with a smile and kindness, harm is done in the politically correct way, the people are guided to hell with a smile and in a "Hallmark nice way", and they follow it like a blind sheep … happy and almost delighted …

This was the situation of St. Theresa of Avilla, who until the certain moment in her Carmelite's life (some 20 years after entering convent) was living a very worldly life … it was just the vision of hell thatshocked her deeply and converted her.

(http://catholiclane.com/st-teresa-of-avila/)

I wish sincerely for all and every Christian to have this grace to experience the vision of Hell … Maybe it's a shocking therapy, but better a shocking therapy then final and eternal damnation …

Pro-family Catholics reject Synod mid-way report, calling it ‘a betrayal’

Note: Voice of the Family, a coalition of 15 international pro-family groups, released this Monday morning. 

The Extraordinary Synod on the Family's mid-term report is nothing short of a "betrayal" of Catholic and family values, says an influential pro-family group.

Mincing no words, Voice of the Family's British spokesperson John Smeaton said that "those who are controlling the Synod have betrayed Catholic parents. The Synod’s mid-way report is one of the worst official documents drafted in Church history."

more ...

XXVIII Sunday in Ordinary Time – A

Isaiah 25, 6-10a;

Psalm 23;

Philippians 4, 12-14, 19-20;

Matthew 21, 1-14

The invited were not worthy ...

How many times have I been invited to the feast, the Holy Eucharist? How many times Lord has sent me His servants with an invitation? I always found some kind of excuses......? It was usually something more important to do, I was tired, I had no time or simply I did not want to accept the invitation... For the repeated invitations I reacted with growing impatience, I explained to others and to myself, that after all I am a free man, that I had time later at the older age, that God doesn’t coerce me ... and so on, etc..

Do I realize Whom I continually refuse? Constantly finding excuses do I really choose what is better, what is more important, what is more valuable...? Do I realize that eventually I will not be invited to the most important feast in eternity, or maybe I will become regarded as unworthy and kicked out?

God does not get tired repeating invitations, but when continually ignored, He will certainly not force anyone. I decide whether to accept the invitation or reject and ultimately I should not blame anyone when I don't find myself among the feasting in the Kingdom of Heaven. I will be the only responsible for it, constantly rejecting invitations- I will condemn myself for the "weeping and gnashing of teeth."

How long can I ignore the invitation of God...?

God constantly invites me.

Why do I constantly underestimate him?