He’s on a roll don’t miss these either:
Mission:
That future priests in young Churches may be ever more seriously formed culturally and spiritually in order to evangelize their respective countries and the whole world.I can’t crawl inside your life and know about the specific Catholics you are referring to that are going through the motions. Maybe they ARE going through the motions. It’s certainly possible. But as someone on the “inside” there are some things I think should be taken into account. I am on our Church’s RCIA (RCIA classes are the classes taken by those coming into the Catholic Church or my Catholics who just want to know more about their faith) team and I do hear from other Catholics on the Sonlight forums that avoid LLL like the plague. I often run across Catholics who freely and openly admit to me (because I am “safe”) that they happily play dumb for any non-Catholic Christian/Protestant who asks them about their faith. Yep. You heard me right. They actively avoid talking about their faith with non-Catholic Christians/Protestants. So let me tell you a little bit about what I see from this side of the Tiber.
I am NOT saying that all non-Catholic Christians/Protestants are like this but I will tell you that in the vast majority of cases, the only reason I get questioned about my faith is so that the other person can cultivate the opportunity to fix it. I wish I could say that these sorts of things were uncommon but they aren’t. At least half of those in my RCIA class have family who are apoplectic about their conversion. I see it all the time in the Spitfire Grill as well. Those who convert lose friends and family. They are subjected to email campaigns from church members and intrusive home visits demanding an “explanation.” One member of the
Spitfire Grill was told by her pastor that their joining the Catholic Church amounted to an unforgiveable sin and they would NEVER be able to repent. I live in an area that was severely affected by a recent natural disaster. We took in many refugees from the hardest hit areas in our area. Our church does not have the facilities to actually provide shelter (by law….we’d be willing to try and make it work but the Federal government won’t allow it). So instead of providing shelter, our church worked to provide supplies to other shelters. Our church took a pick-up load of supplies to a local church (not a small one) for them to distribute. The people that were about to unload the supplies asked where they came from. When they discovered they were from the local Catholic Church, they refused to take them. This church also refused to allow a Catholic clergyman from our parish to minister to those sheltering in their church….even though given the demographics of the population it is likely that there were Catholics in there. On this very thread we heard how a family member got angry and said that the Catholic Church didn’t believe in the resurrection. My children have been told that they worship candles. Many homeschool groups are closed to Catholics. And then there are oodles of websites and organizations dedicated to saving Catholics from eternal damnation. (Google “Whore of Babylon” and see what comes up.) Time and again when I am teaching in RCIA, I hear from the students “You should hear what my [relative] says about THAT! She/he thinks I am going to hell and told me so too.”
and feel like this:
Of course some of us are just wearing feathers, doing our best bird impression, and chanting “Here kitty, kitty….” 
but I digress….
Now besides feeling like the conversation is nothing but a set-up for converting you from the clutches of Rome, there is the sheer magnitude of what you’ve got to know to be ready for even the most basic challenges to your faith.
Consider what the implications are for unity in the Catholic Church. When was the last time you had to answer for the Salem Witch Trials? Probably never or certainly not regularly. After all, that was THEM and not your church. But when you are Catholic and you are ONE with those who came before you, you are answerable for the Crusades, and the Inquisition, and selling indulgences. Think about this, all the questioner has to do is come up with a few facts (often wrong) about these events and then sit back and say “well what about that? What about the Crusades…huh?”
How are YOU on Crusade history? Good enough to spot erroneous information? Can you name them all? Put them in historical context? Sort the good from the bad? Provide proof? On the spur of the moment? Can you do that for the Inquisition? The Reformation in Europe? In England? Offer support or context for the accusations made against the Church in South America? Galileo? The task is really quite daunting and the burden of proof is always placed on the Catholic.
Then there are those who go to website like
this pick up a few quotes from encyclicals that they’ve never read and demand that we defend them. When was the last time you were called to account for a letter your pastor wrote 25 years ago? How about 250 years ago? Do you have all those letters? Read them all? Can you place them all in historical context? Can you explain the purpose for them being written? What was it in response to? Can you explain the changes in language and practice that relate to appropriately interpreting the meaning of those letters?Or they learn what the Catholic Church teaches from websites like
this and then the Catholic must first correct the incorrect statements of Catholic belief or complete those that are partially stated with official church documents. Only to have the questioner walk away and declare that they talked to a Catholic for [x] length of time and they never used the BIBLE! Maybe they’ll even say it to our face. If they say to us that their church strives to be just like the Church of Acts, and we say but we have writings from the early church and they would disagree here, here, and here then we get the same accusation.Then there is the questioner who has spent the entire conversation hammering away at the “You worship statues and dead people/Mary worship” lines, only to walk away and announce that Catholics never talk about their relationship with Jesus!!
When the Pope fails to stop people in the
Philppines from crucifying themselves, he is not strict enough. But let them declare that marriage is permanent and that remarried Catholics must abstain from Eucharist and he is outrageously out of line.As a Catholic, you end up defending every crazy thing that someone’s aunt’s cousin’s priest said or did. You get to defend your faith from accusations made by people who say they were a
priest (or nun or whatever) but were not. If you use the Catechism to show that the priest was wrong or out-of-line, then you get accused of not using the Bible. If you manage to balance the Bible and the Catechism sufficiently to make your point; then, you are the exceptional Catholic and they still believe all of the rest of them are wrong or “going through the motions.”Now please let me be clear, I am NOT offended by the questions you’ve asked. I believe that if I am going to claim a different sort of unity exists in the Catholic faith, then I am going to have to take the good with the bad. That means I get to talk about the Inquisition and the Crusades….although I am not particularly knowledgable about either. I believe that if I am going to claim that Jesus is really and truly present in the Eucharist and that it makes a difference, my non-Catholic Christian/Protestant brothers and sisters in faith can justifiably hold me to a higher standard. If I am going to claim papal infallibiblity, then by golly I am going to have to answer for 500 year old encyclicals so that means I need to own them and read them. And the Dogmatic Constitutions, and their source documents, and the early church fathers etc.
I am only trying to illustrate that:1. Catholics by and large have learned that Protestants/non-Catholic Christians want to hear about our faith for only one reason. It happens often enough that you enter such conversations with a great deal of caution.
2. Once you engage in the conversation, you can find yourself in WAY over your head even if you know the FAITH….simply because so many other issues are regularly the topic of conversation. And if you answer one question, the questioner immediately moves to the next accusation.
And that’s why you may find that even the devoutly practicing Catholics that you know may be reluctant to open up about Jesus. If you want to hear what they really think, I would suggest asking in such a way that demonstrates good faith. (Not saying that you wouldn’t be asking in good faith otherwise….only that it might be necessary to break through some previous bad experiences) If you want to hear about their relationship with Jesus, ask if you can go with them to Mass. Take them out to eat afterwards and ask them about the symbolism. Why did they do this? What did that mean? They may not be able to answer it all, but I suspect they they will be more open about their faith under such circumstances.
“
Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: ‘Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.’ For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy.”
Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.
and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice.”
Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.
To meditate on:
O God, how generously Your mercy is spread everywhere and You have done all this for man. Oh how much You must love him, since Your love is so active on his behalf. O my Creator and Lord, I see on all sides the trace of your hand and the seal of Your mercy, which embraces all created things. O my most compassionate Creator, I want to give You worship pm behalf of all creatures and all inanimate creation; I call on the whole universe to glorify Your mercy. Oh how great is Your goodness, O God! (1749)
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.
Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:
Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.
Thought for the day:
“If souls would put themselves completely in my care, I myself would undertake the task of sanctifying them, and I would lavish even greater graces on them. There are souls who thwart My efforts, but I have not given up on them; as often as they turn to Me, I hurry to their aid, sheilding them with My mercy, and I give them the first place in My compassionate Heart. (59)
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.
Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, “Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart.” Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father’s favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion.”
Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son’s Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.
The Church has enriched the celebration of the Feast of Divine Mercy with a plenary indulgence. The reception of a plenary indulgence is always predicated on what is known as “the usual conditions.” In short, in addition to perform the indulgenced act you must also receive Holy Communion, be completely penitent and detached from sin, pray for the Holy Father, and have received sacramental confession within about 20 days before or after the indulgenced act. I won’t go into any more depth on the topic of indulgences at present but I did want to point out…..
That an integral part of celebrating the Feast of Divine Mercy is receiving some mercy yourself in the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). So perhaps today is a good day to begin making a thorough Examination of Conscience in preparation for that, and spend some additional time examining your conscience with the Corporal and Spritual Works of Mercy focusing particularly on sins of omission is a good idea. (Please note that this is 100% my personal opinion and not based on any official church recommendation of which I have awareness.)
“Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,
I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy.“
Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.
Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.
To think about today:
…I demand from you deeds of mercy which are to arise out of love for Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it.
I am givin you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbor: the first–by dee, the second–by word, the third–by pryaer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this mean a soul glorifies and pays revereence to My mercy. Yes, the first Sunday after Easter is the Feast of mercy, but there must also be acts of mercy…even the strongest faith is of no avail without works. (St. Faustina’s Diary para. 742)
If a soul does not exercise mercy in some way, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgment. (para 1317)
The Corporal Works of Mercy:
1. Feed the hungry.
2. Give drink to the thirsty.
3. Clothe the naked.
4. Shelter the homeless.
5. Comfort the imprisoned.
6. Visit the sick.
7. Bury the dead.
The Spiritual Works of Mercy:
1. Admonish sinners.
2. Instruct the uninformed.
3. Counsel the doubtful.
4. Comfort the sorrowful.
5. Be patient with those in error.
6. Forgive offenses.
7. Pray for the living and the dead.
Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendor,
Radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!
Rejoice, O Mother Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Savior shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
Echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!
My dearest friends, standing with me in this holy light,
Join me in asking God for mercy,
That he may give his unworthy minister
Grace to sing his Easter praises.
V: The Lord be with you.
R: And also with you.
V: Lift up your hearts.
R: We lift them up to the Lord.
V: Let us give thank to the Lord our God.
R: It is right to give him thanks and praise.
It is truly right
That with full hearts and minds and voices
We should praise the unseen God, the all-powerful Father,
and his only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
And paid for us the price of Adam’s sin
To our eternal Father!
This is our passover feast,
When Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
Whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.
This is the night when first you saved our fathers:
You freed the people of Israel from their slavevry
And led them dry-shod through the sea.
This is the night when the pillar of fire
Destroyed the darkness of sin!
This is the night when Christians everywhere,
Washed clean of sin
And freed from all defilement,
Are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.
This is the night when Jesus Christ
Broke the chains of death
And rose triumphant from the grave.
What good would life have been to us,
Had Christ not come as our Redeemer?
Father, how wonderful your care for us!
How boundless your merciful love!
To ransom a slave
You gave away your Son.
O happy fault, O necessary sin of Adam,
which gained for us so great a Redeemer!
Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God
To see Christ rising from the dead!
Of this night scripture says:
“The night will be as clear as day:
IT will become my light, my joy.”
The power of this holy night
Dispels all evil, washes guilt away,
Restores lost innocence, brings mourners joy;
It casts our hatred, brings to us peace, and humbles
Earthly pride.
Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth
And man is reconciled with God!
Therefore, heavenly Father, in the joy of this night,
Receive our evening sacrifice of praise,
You Church’s solemn offering.
Accept this Easter candle,
A flame divided but undimmed,
A pillar of fire that glows to the honor of God.
Let it mingle with the lights of heaven
And continue bravely burning
To dispel the darkness of this night!
May the Morning Star which never sets find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star, who came back from the dead,
And she his peaceful light on all mankind,
Your Son who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
Amen.
