Posted on 08/19/2018 5:30:15 AM PDT by dangus
I prayed, "What are we supposed to do now, Jesus?" The pope was preaching against making theology an idol, condemning the faithful and praising the God-haters. The news was filled with how Cardinal McCarrick had raped children and how his successor Cardinal Wuerl had covered up and reassigned pedophiles. It wouldn't have been as bad if those who seek the Church's destruction were merely delighting in the scandal, but the Washington Post was defending Wuerl, pointing out that he had done the right things sometimes.
"How do we bring people into this Church? Who would want to join us?" I asked God, for without evangelization, the Church will merely age, wither and die.
And what a lost opportunity the present seems! America is waking up to the harm of sexual selfishness, as every news and entertainment company was rocked with revelations that its power brokers all habitually sexually harassed those under him. "No," came the public-opinion verdict, "women shouldn't have to be prostitutes to work in the media!" Imagine that, there actually is a reason for sexual morality and ethics! But instead of saying, "see, this is what we were saying all along," the Church was hobbled by homosexual rapists of tweeners and teens.
At the same time, Europe is pining for its soul, its heritage. But wolfish Church leaders attack those who wanted to reestablish Christendom as the anti-Christ (?!!) After all, these conservative leaders reject the hordes of Muslim invaders (and indeed, there are many invaders among the so-called "refugees"). And so, dangerously, the conservative movement in Europe isn't one of returning to her Christian roots, but of ever-increasing alienation from the Church. And the liberal leaders gain no respect for the Church because of those who betray God-given freedom for socialism. Instead, from Mexico to Argentina to Ireland to Spain, they are emboldened to make war against the Church ever more viciously, demanding of her child sacrifice to their demon gods. (Thank God that for now, at least, Argentina's Senate has rejected abortion, but without continuous miracles, this will last only until the next time the political conservatives stumble in an election.)
I had gotten up early, but I didn't feel there was much I could get done at home productively without waking my family. I realized I could go to early daily mass, and get home before my family needed me. I got to church and found daily mass was now at 7:30, not 7:00. I decided I had to go home. My wife would be stressing about getting my son off to day camp. But I couldn't leave, either. And so I was praying in the parking lot about the future of the Church, and what sort of a Church would be left for my son. I realized I really needed to go to church; for one day, my wife could manage things on her own. But this wasn't a decision of my conscious will, but rather of feet which simply wouldn't head home and instead went to mass.
And so I was in mass, asking, "how Lord? How do we rebuild this Church?"
And there was a reading from the Book of Revelations. "Then God's temple in Heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant was seen within His temple." Ah, yes. The Tabernacle. The bearer of the Eucharist, which was what continually brought me back to/kept me in the Catholic Church. But in general, the Protestants believe in the presence of Christ in the Lord's Supper, even if they believe it's only a re-enactment, even if they believe it's merely mystically present, instead of being physically present.
(Lurkers, I'm not meaning to open a debate on any Protestant beliefs; I'm speaking very generally, and therefore very imprecisely. If anyone feels the need to put a finer point on this, fine, but I'm not opening up the entire thread to controversy; on all matters, please respect that this is a Catholic caucus thread.)
Such a fine theological point seemed a difficult basis for evangelization to Catholicism, when even the Bishops of Germany are concelebrating with consubstantialists. And yet, I fondly remembered discovering the beauty of adoration of the Eucharist, in its monstrance (a typically ornate stand, which presents the communion host). In my mind, I thought of the monstrance where 24-hour adoration is offered locally, how the gold rays make the host look like the shining of the sun. Yes, that's the longed-for country, the land beyond the Shadowlands, that presence with Christ. That's why I'm a Catholic, and yet... But how do you bring people to that? Not by debating theology. Not by pining for Christendom. (And certainly NOT by preaching socialism and its evil ideological materialism, it's divide-and-conquer faulting, it's hatred of the family...)
"A great portent appeared in Heaven," the reading continued, "a woman, clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and on her head a crown of twelve stars." From THIS point, I knew the reading practically by heart, how the woman bore Jesus Christ, who would rule the nations. Of course, THAT'S why the church seems so crowded today! It was the Feast of the Assumption! How did I not know that? I think perhaps God was keeping me from realizing that so the first part of the reading would grab my attention.
To Jesus, through Mary! That is what the Saints told us would preserve the Church in the Last Days. When my faith was more jealous than it has been lately, I've felt an intense relationship to Jesus. I knew Mary was interceding in Heaven, like the rest of the Saints, only closer still to Jesus. But I never had a very personal relationship with her. More often, I found those that did simply a focus for those that reject Catholicism to attack. I could very much explain the biblical basis of Catholicism's unique role for Mary, but that was always more mere intellect. I've loved the mysteries of the Rosary, but experienced her merely as the eyes with which to follow Jesus, not as a heart to be compassionate with.
(And this role is fine, for she never stands in opposition to Jesus. She exists to bring us closer to Him, not to substitute for Him. She wills nothing which is apart from His will.)
Now I understand... this is how we rebuild the Church. This is how we call the masses back to the uh, masses: a love for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The way that occurs to me is why on earth would the Orthodox care to unite with Rome? If Francis lives ten more years he might just create a whole bunch of autocephelous once-Roman Catholic Churches. His determination to devolve authority in the Church and his piling heresy upon heresy might just accomplish that.
So you have freedom to harass everyone here with impunity? Personally, I don’t even look at prot/evangelical threads, much less harass people on them.
Too true, I was fishing on Wednesday and had forgotten that it was the Feast of the assumption. When I emerged from my trailer my friend said :Happy feast day” and I realized that this part of a song had been in my head since I had awoken.
You were chosen by the Father,
You were chosen for the Son,
You were chosen for all women,
And for women, shining one .
God speaks to us through his daughter Mary because she is his shining example of humanity who obediently did the will of the Father, she said YES to God.
I’ve prayed this prayer to the Holy Spirit for years.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
In the last few months I repeat it with this little change.
Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your UNfaithful and enkindle in them the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created.
And you shall renew the face of the earth.
Nope. But people need to understand the caucus rules if they’re going to use them.
To Jesus, through Mary! That is what the Saints told us would preserve the Church in the Last Days.
What did the Prophets preach? What did John the Baptist preach? What did Jesus Preach? What did the Apostles preach? What should we be preaching? Now surely we know they all spoke for God, So what is it?
The whole message of Revelation is the same message. Mountains are falling on them and they still won’t do it.
What does God say on the matter!
God is consistant in his word. What is the big message of his Word?
Jer 23:36 But stop using this phrase, ‘prophecy from the LORD.’ For people are using it to give authority to their own ideas, turning upside down the words of our God, the living God, the LORD of Heaven’s Armies.
Jer 23:37 “This is what you should say to the prophets: ‘What is the LORD’s answer?’ or ‘What is the LORD saying?’
Now, I encourage all to get their Bibles out to read it in context so God can talk to us.
ALL of us, MUST REPENT AND BE CONVERTED TO
CHRIST!
The one supposed link here for is being conservatives. Conservatives value history, we look to history for guidance.
This is not the first time this has happened, it has happened multiple times in the OT and in Revelation,
We act like this is new and WE can fix it.
Our first response should be?
ALL of us, MUST REPENT AND BE CONVERTED TO
CHRIST!
(putting the bait truck with the Jordan sneakers in the middle of the street of Chicago)
Is repenting and turning to God a one time event? How many time did King David repent and turn to God?
We should be thankful that God is shining the light on this. That he loves us enough to show us the sin and turn to him one more time.
What we deserve is smiting.
Now I understand... this is how we rebuild the Church. This is how we call the masses back to the uh, masses: a love for the Blessed Virgin Mary.
To answer your question.
Repentance and conversion to Christ is an ongoing call. Not once or twice.
1 Peter 4:17.
Caucus Bump
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From your vanity article:
“(Lurkers, I’m not meaning to open a debate on any Protestant beliefs; I’m speaking very generally, and therefore very imprecisely. If anyone feels the need to put a finer point on this, fine, but I’m not opening up the entire thread to controversy; on all matters, please respect that this is a Catholic caucus thread.)”
Click on my name at the bottom of this post and read carefully the guidelines, in particular that part about rules for posting threads with a caucus designation.
The Catholic caucus designation has been removed.
....is not going to be very effective.
For salvation, yes.
David repented of his sin, but there’s no mention of him turning to God over and over even whe he did repent of specific sins he committed.
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