What does it profit the Jews to have a non confrontational friend, yet lose their soul?

In the September 18^th edition of the Vatican Insider there was published an article entitled: “Pope Francis and the Jews: the first six months”.  In this article we hear how the Jewish people just love Francis.  In an attempt to show you the reader how it is I think I want to take a look at this article and provide commentary as it comes to me: [My Comments]

Ever since the Second Vatican Council brought to the forefront of the Catholic conscience its ineradicable fraternal relationship with Judaism and the Jewish People [Lets assume they are ignorant of Trents recognition of the Jewish people, but didn’t just pander but called them to accept their messiah as well], each subsequent papacy has nourished this awareness with words and deeds.[Lets get this straight, it is only subsequent to the Papacy that we see the Jews as elders and worthy of dignity through words and actions?  Smells like Vatican II spirit.]

John XXIII was the driving force behind the creation of a Vatican II “document on the Jews” that evolved into much wider interreligious and ecumenic application, “Nostra Aetate”. [I know this is pulling threads but there is no ecumenism with the Jews, even with the protestants for that matter because they practice a different faith.  Its really only with the Orthodox and oriental Churches in which ecumenism exists.  The rest can be said to be interreligious dialogue.]

As Papal Nuncio in France, Bulgaria and Greece, Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli had experienced the horrors of the Shoah and acted to save Jewish lives [An honorable thing, now will the Jews recognize this of Pius XII or continue their slander].  His historic encounter in 1960 with the Jewish historian and Holocaust survivor, Jules Isaac – who presented John XXIII with his manuscript on “The teaching of contempt: Christian roots of anti-Semitism” [wow, can you say the pot calling the kettle black.  Lets us a false understanding of the faith and apply it to persecutions, then lets make people feel bad that they make any links to the matter]– strongly reinforced the Pope’s determination to cancel the infamous accusation of “deicide” [Did or did the Jewish leaders at the time of Christ call for Christs death? The person that read this was obviously oblivious to the documents from Vatican II where the charge is actually issued] and by a new focus on the brotherly roots of the two religions, permanently change the course of Catholic-Jewish relations.  “Nostra Aetate” was the outcome and has become the premise for all subsequent steps towards reconciliation [Yet this presupposes that the Pope and the Church still seek for the Jews to recognize that their covenant is abrogated and that they must recognize Jesus as the Messiah and their God.  Yet when will this occur?  When was the last time you heard a pontiff or even a local ordinary, in charity, tell the Jewish people that they are called to conversion?].

Mutual respect for the other’s religious identity [Exxactly what do we respect about Talmudic Judism? That they have a lineage?] has – though sometimes with difficulties – been maintained as a cornerstone for this evolving history.  The Church’s attempts to convert Jews in past centuries, with repeated recourse to humiliation, brute force and persecution throughout Europe, were permanently overturned by this new document [Excuse my language for a moment. What the hell are they talking about? The church cant and did not attempt to convert people through humiliation, brute force or persecution.  To do so invalidates the very conversion.  If a person, lets say even a member of the clergy applied such tactics to induce conversion they did so on their own and they were ignorant of the faith to begin with.]

In barely a half year into his papacy, Pope Jorge Maria Bergoglio has already won the hearts and minds of many skeptical Jewish religious leaders.

Dr. Riccardo Di Segni, the Chief Rabbi of Rome known for his very cautious attitude toward interreligious dialogue and his insistence on mutually recognized limits, said, “This Pontiff does not cease to surprise.” He noted that while Francis’ words are not new but, rather, inherent to Christianity as confirmed by Vatican II [When you hear this you should immediately ask yourself did Vatican II change anything?  Did it even claim the authority to do so?  What is he really surprised at with this new approach?], “It is the force with which he expresses them and his capacity of communicating them that is astounding.”

He was referring to an article written by the Pope in which Francis declared that “since the Second Vatican Council we have rediscovered that the Jewish People are still for us the holy root that produced Jesus”[Again this just shows the deficiency by which the Holy Father received his training.  Anyone familiar with Church history would know this rediscovery is mockery to actual historical occurances].  He also stated that despite the horrors inflicted on the Jewish People by the Shoah, “God never abandoned his covenant with Israel [Which is a true to the extent that he held up his end but the Jewish people rejected their own covenant which was then abrogated as per Paul in Hebrews.  This isn’t a matter of trying to make the Jews feel good.  This is a matter of truth and actual church teaching.  Its like we have become obsessed with making everyone feel good where they are at that to even call them to a conversion is inconvenient and too hard to do.] , and notwithstanding their terrible suffering over the centuries, the Jewish People have kept their faith [What faith do they hold?  Is it a true faith?  Is it the same as what Christ himself fulfilled? This is what will drive a man mad.].  For this, we will never be sufficiently grateful to them as a Church, but also as human beings. In the persistence of their faith in the God of the Covenant, they summon all, including us as Christians, to recall the fact that we are awaiting the return of the Lord as pilgrims, and must therefore always remain open to Him and never retreat from what we have already achieved.” [But we are retreating from that what we received.  We are terrified from the hierarchy on down to proclaim anything but good about others and what they believe.]

During his first official meeting with Jewish leaders represented by a delegation of the International Jewish Committee for Interreligious Consultations (IJCIC) last July, Francis said, “Because of our common roots, a true Christian cannot be anti-Semitic [Just restating Catholic teaching from the beginning…Pius XI also made this clear before WWII but do we hear about that?].” 

In keeping with his informal, iconoclastic style [Notice that the author sees no issue in writing about a pontiff pointing out that the Pope uses heretical styings.  Pray tell where are we headed when those in the Vatican Insider make iconoclasm a new treddy pick for the church?], the Pope walked in, unannounced, causing a stir among the delegates milling around the room.  Rabbi Noam Marans, the American Jewish Committee’s director for Interreligious Relations in the U.S., later summed up the general reaction. “Pope Francis is unassuming, unscripted, warm.  It is a religious experience to be in his presence”.  

INTERVIEW WITH RABBI DAVID ROSEN:   

An in-depth conversation with Rabbi David Rosen, AJC’s International Director of Interreligious Affairs, reveals the essential traits of Pope Francis that are winning worldwide Jewish support and hopes for what the future could bring.

“There has never been a Pope with as deep an understanding of Jews as Pope Francis” [A poor opinion based on what?  Personal feelings, his approach to the Jewish people?] states Rabbi Rosen candidly.  “Of course Pope John Paul II had a unique childhood experience of the Jewish community in Wadowice.  But by the time he was a priest, there was little living community left to talk of, so his engagement was not as a developed adult.

Francis, on the other hand, has not only nurtured lifelong friendships with the Jewish community in Buenos Aires, with whom he has had “a vibrant interaction”, says Rabbi Rosen, but has co-authored a book with an Argentinian rabbi, Abraham Skorka, “thus addressing issues face to face with Jewish self-understanding and experience.  This profoundly shapes his sensitivity and his commitment to the Jewish-Christian relationship.” [Maybe someone should ask the Holy Father in another wide ranging interview whether or not Jews are still called to conversion?]

Rabbi Rosen points to Pope Francis’ “remarkable capacity to communicate his profound humanity in simple and sincere gestures.

Comparing the communicative genius of Pope Wojtyla with that of Pope Bergoglio, Rosen says, “John Paul II was a master of dramatic gestures but these were often novel and challenging. Francis’ brilliance”, he continues,  “lies precisely in his simplicity – which paradoxically has a dramatic impact and has endeared him to the world.” [Remember they love the iconoclastic styles]

David Rosen notes that “the Jewish response has been remarkably warm.” 

“In substance”, says AJC’s Interreligious Director, “he is the self-same continuity of his predecessors.  However he has also built upon his predecessors in relation to the Jewish People.

“Benedict XVI was the first to invite Jews to attend his Papal installation and the Jewish presence at Francis’ inauguration was even more significant and extensive. [Did this invitation have a reason to it other than good will?]

“His public comments to the Jewish representatives at his inauguration, his letters to the Chief Rabbis of Rome and of Israel, his reference to Jewish historic commitment and triumph over persecution in his media interviews – all have deeply impressed Jews worldwide and in Israel that Pope Francis is a profoundly genuine friend of the Jewish People.

Asked what he sees as the main avenues for a revitalized cooperation between Jews and Catholics now and in the future, Rabbi Rosen observes that while the major theological issues of the past have been mainly addressed, and although the discussion can never be exhausted, the Jewish side is now focused on practical things to be accomplished together. [In other words more dialogue without a purpose.  If there is no call to conversion amongst all this good will what does it profit them?]

 “Above all there is an enormous educational challenge” says Rabbi Rosen.

 “While the teaching of the Magisterium towards Jews, Judaism, and Israel are overwhelmingly positive, there are many parts of the Catholic world where pre-Conciliar attitudes still prevail and where anti-Judaism if not anti-Semitism is still to be found [It should have been asked what exactly is meant by this? I myself stand firmly against the Jewish religion that is now held because it is a false religion.  I don’t hate the people that perpetuate the Talmudic rite, but neither do I say silent on the matter.  So too whenever a person holding this faith brings up anti-Semetism they must really be asked what they mean by this.  I wrote on this a few posts back to clear up the real issues.].  This is especially so in many parts of Latin America where, other than in the main cities of Argentina and Brazil, Jews often hardly feature at all on the ‘Catholic radar screen’. [Don’t even know what this means]

“Surely here a Latin American Pope can play a very special role and exert initiative.

“Remarkably, the teaching of Nostra Aetate and of the Magisterium following on therefrom are not an obligatory part of the syllabus for the formation of priests everywhere [Because to document is merely a pastoral letter on how some thought at the time it would be best to approach other religions.].  Addressing this should be a minimal educational responsibility on the part of the Church to its own teachings – not to mention how Jesus and his contemporary Jewish brothers, followers and opponents are presented (or not presented) in sermons in many places especially at Easter time. The Church could do so much in educational terms. [AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!! If your eyes don’t begin to bleed you have no soul!]

“There is of course a parallel challenge on the Jewish side, but it is not a symmetrical one and Jewish approach has and is changing in response.

 “However the onus is first and foremost on the Christian side. [To deny Christ?  To condemn people that didn’t follow the faith and were reprimanded already for it at the time they lived?  The onus is not on us, but on the Jewish people that deny Christ as their God out of ignorance.}

 “Perhaps this is substantially a consequence of historical power, but the Church is the one here with the most terrible tragic record.  It is a record that still has to be addressed.  In truth, it has already been addressed, but the problem is that not everyone in the Church knows this yet! [Strawman, and the Vatican Insider is happy to publish it.  Souls are perishing and the Jews are concerned with apologies for things that have been condemned? AHHHHHHHH!!!]

 “Beyond this specific responsibility, we have already begun to work and dialogue together on common challenges of our times – social, scientific, environmental, etc., above all, concerning the sanctity of human life and combating dehumanization in its various forms.  Here there is unlimited scope to do more and more together for the benefit of humankind as a whole.”[What does it profit a man to solve all the worlds whoas but lose his soul?]


PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for Francis at every opporutunity.  Pray for Your own Priests!  But Trust in God!  And never lose faith in His Holy Spotless bride the Church!

+JMJ+

Absolute Joy! Absolute Happiness! Absolute Love!

Is only found in giving ones self over to Christ our Lord through his Mother!

+ JMJ +

August 27, 2013: Quick look at the Missal

Today is the feast of St. Joseph Calasanctius.  He was canonized as a confessor of the faith.  Heres what my Missal says of him:

“ St. Joseph Calasanctius, a Spaniard of noble family, famous for his charity towards children, founded the Piarists, or the Order Clerks Regular of the Poor Schools of the Mother of God for the education of you. He Died at the age of 92 A.D 1648.”

Modern day Piarists. Notice the plad neckline the Rev. Father sports in the middle.  I know I'm knit picking, but really?

I thought it was important to take note of this day for a couple reasons.

1.  Common core implementation is going forward as quick as they can get it to go.  I urge all of you to make yourselves aware of the matter.  Below you will see a short introduction on this topic and why it needs to be stopped.
2. The Communion verse for todays liturgy reads as follows: “Suffer the little children to come to Me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Not being a Father there is no way that I can understand the magnitude of this command.  Jesus tells us we must be like little children if we are to enter the kingdom of heaven, yet we sometimes put this off to the side and don’t delve too far into it because it’s a weird thought.  But let us remember a child is completely dependent on his parent to fulfill his needs.  Which brings me to last week ends Gospel were Christ reminds us not to be worried were we will get our food or clothing, for God provides for the birds of the air and the lilies of the field.  Do we take a moment during our busy day to recognize our dependence on him, our absolute dependence on him for every breath, every movement?  And do we then come to him like a child with unconditional love and thanks for this gift of life?  I too often fail here. 

I must learn to trust him more and myself less. Or as the Blessed Baptist put it I must decrease and he must increase.  Until others see Christ in me, his meekness, his mercy his dependence on the Father, I cannot hope to attain heaven.  Yet in his response to St. Peters question of “Then who can be saved?” Christ reminds us of our dependence on him, saying, “With men this is impossible: but with God all things are possible.”

Thanks be to God for his Grace and Mercy in a world set on self-dependence.

No Fear

So the Holy Father is foregoing a number of security measures during his trip to WYD over the next week.  Is anyone else just a little more concerned on the matter?  Maybe I’m just a worry wart
.

h/t Terrence Berres too funny

Im not sure if there is a reasoning behind him foregoing the security, perhaps it has to do with his his trust in providence.  Maybe he just wants to be closer to people.  I think both are admirable and commendable.  Having said that I am just a little afraid for him in this situation.   Rio is not Madrid as could be seen in the overpowing of the crowd to get to the Fiat the Pope was riding in (that’s right a Fiat, I guess safety has a name and its submission to God’s will literally. 

I just hope that he recognizes that he is no longer just the Bishop of little ole Buenos Aires but the supreme pontiff over the whole church.  His safety is important to all of us.  Please say a prayer for his and everyone’s safety at WYD.

+JMJ+

Begging the question again and again and again….

There are a few great joys in my life.

Daily Mass at the Gesu with Jesuits (from time to time frustrating, but St. Stans daily masses are at 12pm)

Eucharistic Adoration at Mary Queen of Heaven or St. John the Evangelist

A solid beer

But I would be remised to not say I don’t love watching and listening to The Glenn Beck Program every weekday.  It’s like an addiction, he delves into technology, politics and the occasional spiritual bit.  Glenn is an apostate Catholic, now referring to himself as a Mormon.  In general, as I have said in the past, I think he is a decent person with a good heart, but as Chesterton says, “a heart in the wrong place”. 

People along the lines of Beck or Rush Limbaugh appeal to many Americans because they speak to their crowd appealing to the common denominators.  Specifically speaking they appeal to the ideals of America in how they were founded and the culture that developed around it. 

Well every once in a while Mr. Beck will get into an emotional mood and start down the way mixing his religious views with his American views (which is common in Mormonism, mind you they see the US constitution as a divinely inspired document).  Today was no different and I figured I’d run through a couple things that were said and add my own commentary to it. The context of the words spoken is in a dialogue with a protestant pastor from Washington state. So enjoy:

“We all wanted America to succeed and we all believed in America, but it is so troubling at this time.”

- First I think it is reasonable to want America to succeed since most of us were born and grew up here.  We have attached a certain fondness to the American way of life, the flag stands now for something greater then a bobble on ones desk.  We attach meanings to this country, freedom, the American Dream and the joys of Capitalism.  All of these things are neutral and shouldn’t offend anyone.  There might well be many people in other countries that attribute such things to their own homelands.  Yet I don’t really believe in America like Mr. Beck does.  To him America is a country set apart by God with divine providence as its guide.  To me America is a great country but if tomorrow it would all come to an end like Rome did during St. Augustine’s time then oh well.  America has no divine promise of prosperity.  Mother Teresa reminded people of this when she said a country where mothers kill their own children will not survive.  I dont know whether or not abortion will ever be ended in this country but I know that the contraceptive mentality will not end.  It is this contraceptive mentality, which even Catholics can fall into with NFP, which really destroys life on a generational scale making abortion look like child’s play. 

“Pastor Hutchinson has the truth and America needs to listen because he is being lead by the spirit”

- I want to give you as the reader some background here.  Mr. Beck though not an outward anti-Catholic clings to the typical list of lies told about the church (ie: inquisitons, crusaides, evil Popes, burning of witches), so he is not interested in hearing a Catholic view point of authority.  The few Catholics that he has had on only addressed things vaguely.  But back to the statement.  The claim that Pator Hutchinson has the truth might well be true to a degree.  It is Catholic teaching that other religions might well hold to Catholic truths and proclaim them loudly, yet such truths are not their own but they are first Catholic truths.  Second it would be a falsehood to say that this protestant pastor/laymen has the truth since he rejects the whole of Christian truth.  Now the question of whether someone is worthy of being listened to because they have the “spirit leading them”.  One has to ask what authority does Mr. Hutchinson have in the so called church?  Who gave him authority?  Is it because people like what he says because he challenges them?  Is it because he proclaims Christ crucified for all?  And what with the lead by the spirit comment?  What spirit?  If he has the truth then why would Beck not leave his Mormon beliefs and embrace Protestantism?  If he is lead by the spirit can he err?  Will the spirit allow him to err when he is giving his teachings?  Just like with all protestant beliefs there is a lack of substance to what they proclaim.  Their stances might well be emotional and appeal to the masses, but they lack an objective presentation of the faith that can be traced all the way back and that can be supported with evidence.  One has to ask both people two questions by what objective authority do you preach?  What objective reason do we have to believe that every book in scripture is actually infallible?

Tired of heresy yet? James 5: 19-20

+JMJ+

Mary, Statues, Veneration and Adoration

Hey, Sorry I was a little late on responding.  I got tied up at work for a while longer than I hoped

Your question of in practice we make both concepts appear the same might just look so to an outsider but there is context.  First Bowing and praying to the statue is a confused saying.  The statue in itself is just a statue.  Just like when Christ references Moses in Numbers 21:8-9 in John 3:14 where Moses creates a serpentine figure and fixes it to a pole with the intention that if the people looked upon the figure, which by itself is just material not worth any veneration nor adoration of any sort, and are to be healed by it.  Now what are they healed by? The figure or the thing which it represents which is the foreshadowing of the son of man taking on the sins of the world and being lifted up on the crossSecond we don’t pray to statues or icons of Mary the saints or even to a picture of the Blessed Trinity.  Pictures, statues and icons are Holy images because of what they represent, what they call into mind.  In themselves they are not holy any more than Elijah’s material and dead bones in 2 Kings 13:14 or the objects that touched Paul and were venerated in Acts 19:11-12. So too its not the cape of Jesus nor Peter who healed the people that touched them but the thing that lies behind them, that is Gods Grace. If someone kneels or prays before an image that doesn’t mean that they adore the image. For instance when Jacob bows before Esau or Abraham bows before his companions at Mamre in Gen 18:2, Lot in Genesis 19:1. Any bowing that is done is done in a manner of reverence for the person (ie: honoring the person for who they are in Christ), not that we adore them and especially we don’t adore the image for the image helps us to call into mind the greater reality that lies behind itFor example have you ever looked at a picture of someone you love and kissed the picture?  You don’t  love the plastic and paper nor the ink that produced the image but the thing it represents. Venerating a statue of Jesus or any Saint which includes the Blessed Virgin calls into mind the person, who they were, what they did in Christ. And simply put why do we do this?  Because in these things we give glory to God.  Just think about it.  Why is Mary important, why

in here magnificat does she declare that all generations shall call her blessed?  Here blessedness is because of Christ, because from all time he thought of his mother and he practiced the 5^th commandment to a greater degree than anyone else.  So too we are called to imitate Christ in all things.  Did he adore Mary? No shes a creature, he is the eternal word, the logos, of the father.  In following Christ we recognize and come to love his Mother who he formed, who he choose among all to be his mother, the one who suffers along (not greater than or apart from) with Christ because of what God wanted of her as stated by Simeon in Luke 2:25-35.  If we are part of his body as we are once we are brought in by baptism then she is in a mystical sense our own mother and this is what the Church recognized from the very beginning, her role being of amazing importance in salvation history. Her be it done to me according to your word, her ability to do so is only by His grace, but she having free will submitted it to him, undoing the sin of the first women, the reversing of the Garden story.  So too Paul reminds us that being one Body we cant say to one part of the body I don’t need you, and death he also tells us doesn’t separate us in Christ. If the confusion rests in the times spent before a statue or a picture I can also help you with that.  Mary, as I have said before is our Mother we love her and like a child they have a father and a Mother.  We love to run to her that, she being righteous like James 5:16 says, she may seek his mercy for us, not because we cant go to him directly (because we do that constantly and especially when we receive him Body Blood soul and Divinity in the Blessed Sacrament which being him we do adore). But because the more help we can get the better off we are being sinners and all.  Consider that we spend the majority of the sacred liturgy kneeling, bowing and so forth before a crucifix, now in all reality how much time is spent before an image of Mary is most likely less.  But lets say for arguments sake that someone does spend a lot of time in front of a statue of Mary or a favorite saint.  The reason why the saint or Mary specifically is important is because of Christ.  For instance we can go to se the Grave of Leonardo DiVinci or we can go see his great works like the Mona Lisa.  Generally, and I could be wrong, more people go to see his great paintings then himself.  Does that mean that they think less of him then of his works of course not, it was he that made it in the first and in showing love for the work, as in showing love for the work of his creation Be it Mary, the saints or even a wonderful sunset to a lesser degree we glorify him and our actions whether amazement, kneeling or bowing before the beauty of the representation speaks to the one who is the cause in the first.

Finally all people who assist at the Holy Sacrifice adore Christ in his Eucharistic form.  The way that we do so is generally through prayers of adoration be it mental or vocal.  Sometimes we just behold him who is the way the truth and the life as Mary does when she sits at his feet doing nothing and Martha is frustrated by her inaction.  Every action has an intent just as veneration and adoration do.  Both are different things and might well look like the same thing to someone without the context or knowledge of the intent which in itself is in the person’s heart.  If someone adores an image or a creature they are wrong and should be called out on the carpet just as much as people that create their own personal understandings of the Trinity or Christ violate the one true God and need to be called out as Matthew 18:15-18 tells us.  But it is the Church that is the pillar and foundation of the truth that defines this, and explicitly teaches the difference between veneration and adoration as Luke 10:16 teaches along with many other examples like why are there 27 books that constitute the time after the Birth of Christ.

I do hope this helps, and feel free to ask more questions on this topic or anything else at your wish.  The following link might also be helpful:

Have a great day

+JMJ+

http://www.thecatholicanswerman.com/id54.html

http://www.catholic.com/tracts/do-catholics-worship-statues

http://orthodoxinfo.com/general/icon_faq.aspx

My take on the Good Popes speech today

My take on the Good Popes speech today

Not that it matters but I have a take on todays speech, not particularly important that it is coming from me, nor do I think I have a new great take on anything but here it goes my comments in [Red Brackets]

As you know, there are various reasons why I chose the name of Francis of Assisi, a familiar figure far beyond the borders of Italy and Europe, even among those who do not profess the Catholic faith. One of the first reasons was Francis’ love for the poor. How many poor people there still are in the world! And what great suffering they have to endure! After the example of Francis of Assisi, the Church in every corner of the globe has always tried to care for and look after those who suffer from want, and I think that in many of your countries you can attest to the generous activity of Christians who dedicate themselves to helping the sick, orphans, the homeless and all the marginalized, thus striving to make society more humane and more just.

But there is another form of poverty! [say it aint so! Sr. Campbell would disagree, afterall the only reason to be Catholic is to give the poor free things and blast Congressman Ryan for proposing that government is not the only solution to poverty.  But never mind shes a glorified social worker, with one of those modern habits [?] But then again the US bishops are also complicit in not being able to see their over compensating of programs on the government dole, but w/e]

It is the spiritual poverty of our time, which afflicts the so-called richer countries particularly seriously [this is exactly what I thought he meant when he talked about the need for a poor church]. It is what my much-loved predecessor, Benedict XVI, called the "tyranny of relativism"[h/t Ratzinger  :-)  ], which makes everyone his own criterion and endangers the coexistence of peoples [now if he were a little more confrontational he would trace this to protestantism, but maybe one day he will, I will give him the benefit of the doubt here]. And that brings me to a second reason for my name. Francis of Assisi tells us we should work to build peace. But there is no true peace without truth! [this might be, but it probably is not, a reference to Francis meeting the Sulton to seek peace by his conversion] There cannot be true peace if everyone is his own criterion, if everyone can always claim exclusively his own rights, without at the same time caring for the good of others, of everyone, on the basis of the nature that unites every human being on this earth. 

One of the titles of the Bishop of Rome is Pontiff [this deserves a thumbs up after all he has only lately been referencing his role as Bishop of Rome, that isnt bad in itself] , that is, a builder of bridges with God and between people. [Another reference to Jacobs ladder, slightly veiled of course] My wish is that the dialogue between us should help to build bridges connecting all people, in such a way that everyone can see in the other not an enemy, not a rival, but a brother or sister to be welcomed and embraced! [Love thy Brother as you love yourself] My own origins impel me to work for the building of bridges. As you know, my family is of Italian origin; and so this dialogue between places and cultures a great distance apart matters greatly to me, this dialogue between one end of the world and the other, which today are growing ever closer, more interdependent, more in need of opportunities to meet and to create real spaces of authentic fraternity. [Of course there is inauthentic fraternity where we build the city of God without him (ie: Babal), we are interdependent now indeed but we should work to be connected in the faith in Christ in communion with Peter.  That is the goal, unity the way Christ wished.  But realize that being united doesnt preclude having different nations with different views, for even under the Holy Roman Empire there was unity but distinctiveness, kind of like the Blessed Trinity]

In this work, the role of religion is fundamental. [Being fundamental it is a conerstone, not just an add on] It is not possible to build bridges between people while forgetting God. [AMEN!] But the converse is also true: it is not possible to establish true links with God, while ignoring other people.  [Matthew 25: 31-46] Hence it is important to intensify dialogue among the various religions, and I am thinking particularly of dialogue with Islam.  At the Mass marking the beginning of my ministry, I greatly appreciated the presence of so many civil and religious leaders from the Islamic world. And it is also important to intensify outreach to non-believers, so that the differences which divide and hurt us may never prevail, but rather the desire to build true links of friendship between all peoples, despite their diversity. [The court of the gentiles?  This is something Benedict would talk about from time to time as well.  Its not about blurring thing but defining how we can work together and build peace in Christ as he said before]

Fighting poverty, both material and spiritual, building peace and constructing bridges [Pontifex]: these, as it were, are the reference points for a journey that I want to invite each of the countries here represented to take up. But it is a difficult journey, if we do not learn to grow in love for this world of ours. Here too, it helps me to think of the name of Francis, who teaches us profound respect for the whole of creation and the protection of our environment, which all too often, instead of using for the good, we exploit greedily, to one another’s detriment. [Watch the Captialists whine, watch the commies take this to mean the Earth over people!]

Franciscus

Address to the Diplomatic Corps

March 22, 2013

Response to Mick Krever's CNN article (in which I go line by line again)

So, this is another line by line response to more ignorance spewed by ignorant media types and katholics.  Please CNN find an editor that actually knows the faith so they can edit out the slanders and misunderstandings perpetualted in this work and others on the topic.

American writer: “No matter what, I’m still Catholic”

By Mick Krever, CNN

Mary Elizabeth Williams thinks the Vatican is strict, dogmatic, and backward-looking [blah, blah blah, in other words she remains ignorant of their “faith” and loves the world oh so much.  Nothing new here more statements made to divide people]. She is also a committed Catholic [So she hates what the Church teaches but she continues to profess the Faith?  What does she profess?  The Church isn’t a denomination but the only Church Christ established with his authority to teach.  Catch that His authority, not a man’s authority].

With so much scandal [the homosexual priests getting in in the first place is a scandal that they did disordered things only follows, they need repent as the rest of us and be faithful to the teachings of Holy Mother Church] and conservatism on the key issues of today [Those meanie conservatives always standing in-between you and continued debauchery, and building Sodom and Gommorah all over again, what a pity], it is not unreasonable to ask why progressive Catholics stay in the Church [This is how you know the person completely lacks knowledge of the faith.  The Church is neither conservative nor progressive, she like her divine spouse is eternal her truths aren’t judged by todays ideology, but todays ideologies are indeed judged by the Church who has Authority from the Blessed Trinity to do so.  There is no such thing as a progressive or conservative Catholic, only orthodox or heterodox].

“I think to be questioning, and to call out hypocrisy, and to illuminate injustice when you see it is about as Christ-like as you can get,” Williams told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour on Tuesday.[Ok so….the teachings or the people are wrong…come on you don’t understand the faith….infallibility is not impeccability].

After Pope Benedict XVI announced his resignation earlier this month, Williams, a writer, penned an op-ed titled “No matter what, I’m still Catholic.” [Could have been more honest saying “No matter what I am not going to learn the whys for the whats, but will continue to fight against a personally perceived injustice”]

“What I would hope, and what I think we see based on just the stepping down of this pope, is that the Church realizes that it is in a moment of extreme crisis,” [First things shes got right thus far…applause is due] she said. “I don’t expect to see gigantic change, but I do expect to see a message that says, ‘Our priorities are going to be different from now on.’” [On what, the teachings are the teachings, and don’t change…I think you confuse the Catholic Faith with Protestant sects that don’t have authority in the first place to make doctrinal statements].

As cardinals begin to gather in Rome to elect a new pope, Williams says she is hoping for more consistency between the Vatican and the reality of life for the billion-plus Catholics around the world [In other words don’t just be in the World, but be of it, after all truth is what you make it…right?  I mean truth is subjective…wait truth took on flesh dwelled, was crucified and resurrected, so no actually it is objective whether or not you like it doesn’t matter].

“What we see in parishes across the world, certainly I see it in my own parish, is so different from what we hear coming out of Rome,” [Again the same misunderstanding that authority to teach does not rest in her subjective mind, but in the Keys granted to Peter and the Bishops in union with him.] she said, which she described as “very strict, very dogmatic, and a very backward-looking worldview.” [See first memo above]

As a child, Williams recounted, she fought and lost a battle to become an “altar girl.” [Appealing to emotions over authority nice…touché.  But just because she was denied makes no difference. No one has a right to be an Altar anything].

“When I now go to my church and I see girls up there on the altar,” [See indult.  This is a misunderstanding, because the altar server is not ordained but is the helper of the Alter-Christos, usually the first step in promoting a boys vocation to the priesthood]. she said, “that to me represents an understanding, and a little bit of progress.” [No progress because the altar server is not ordained and is a discipline that can be changed if necessary like fish on Friday or even celibacy.  For instance some dioceses still ban “altar girls” and have actually seen increasing vocations since…but no correlation im sure….right].

It is progress she has not seen reflected by her pope. [Misleading statement again, CNN please hire someone who knows the faith to edit for misunderstandings]

“We live in a different world now,” [See we really can’t believe what they did before they didn’t have the knowledge we have today.  We are so smart be even kill children calling them embryos to confuse, contracept ending the lines of future generations and creating a misunderstanding of the biological reason for the marital act, and so forth.  The world is always changing and the Church is there to call it back to the teachings the Creator gave his people, not the other way around] she said, “and I think that the Church has revised itself philosophically in the past, [where?] There’s no reason that it can’t revise itself philosophically in the future, [On what?] and take an attitude that’s just more encompassing.” [On what…come on we know the talking points]

It is important, she believes, for Catholics to keep up their pressure on the Church’s leadership to change. [Christ didn’t set up a democracy, but gave to Peter the Keys to loose and bind, to teach all nations.  But to you no authority is given but obedience to Christ who is the Church necessary].

“We need,” Williams said, “to have people understand that for a lot of us, Catholicism isn’t about towing some backwards-looking line. [No its more like hey I’m ok your ok, we are all ok.  Let’s all be joyful hold hands and believe whatever makes you feel good…what that’s Protestantism…ah  you’re an Episcopalian] It’s about living a faith that is about service, and is about love, and is about compassion.” [Love demands obedience, “If you love me you will keep my commands]

                                                                                                   +JMJ+

Responding to a "Bad Catholic" given the stage

This is a response to Nicole Pandolfo on her article published in the Washington Times on February 23rd, 2013 entitled: Is 'bad Catholic' the new Catholic?

If you are not in the mood for an honest Catholic take on dishonest closet protestants don't read any farther because this posting will attempt to (in all due charity) address the article line by line calling into question the dissidents reason for even calling themselves Catholic in the first place when really they fail to even attempt to live out the faith and actively destroy the faith handed down from God himself in the second person of the Blessed Trinity.  So enjoy and be not afraid to blast me, but mind you charity and humility doesn't mean you allow error to exist and allow people to walk all over you, those are sins in themselves:

WASHINGTON, D.C., February 24, 2013 — By dogma standards, I am a terrible Catholic...

[Ok so let us begin the critique of this promoted piece.  By the way Washington Times thanks for posting this, I was wondering where the Fishwrappers went when they finished their dissenting pieces.  “By dogma standards” This is a typical avoiding the real issue tactic often brought about by people that are lazy and expect others to be so also.  Dogma means teaching, its not a foreign monarchical term but a term that Christ commanded his followers to teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  She admits from the get-go that she is a terrible Catholic according to the teachings of the church, making one immediately wonder does she try to live out the teachings of the faith.  For I am a bad Catholic indeed by I believe everything the church teaches, yet I fall and often must be reconciled to our Lord.  Let’s see if she tries to live out the faith. I believe in reproductive rights [In other words she believes that all should have access to contraception because the body is your own, and quite frankly you cannot trust God to know what is best for you.  You are the decider of life not Him, for those of you interested in going deeper click here.] legal abortion [child murder because you know it really is inconvienent to realize actions have consequences, and they aren’t really People anyways…wait are they alligators?], gay marriage [state promoted confusion of the purpose of marriage which is the possibility of procreation and bonding], and look forward to women in the priesthood [What is the infatuation with this?  As a man cannot give birth physically, so too a women cannot stand in the son ship of Christ.  This is not to look down on them but recognizing that Men and women have unique functions in the Church which is His and not our own, he set the rules because they are his to set.  The Church is his mail carrier, she cannot change what he he has said because the two are one.  Want to go deeper click here, here and here.] I have lived in sin for going on seven years. [Why would you joyfully admit it?  You know its sin yet you don’t want forgiveness on his terms, only on your own.  You want Easter morning before Good Friday.  This is most definatly a sin against the Holy Ghost because its mocking his mercy.  We need to pray for her conversion this is really sad.] My mother raised me as a single parent, and in my writing both for the stage and page I've exploited my past sexual experiences for artistic purposes. [Some of you might say but St. Augustine admitted to his sexual deviancy  but St. Augustine repented of his sins and confessed that what he did was wrong.  There is no point here where anyone can see she regrets what she did so don’t use that defense.]

                                                                                                                             

I am, no doubt, at the top of the papal naughty list. [What do you think she is trying to do by using the word naughty?  I’ll leave this to you.] But what would Jesus say? [You tell us, after all you have appointed yourself as an authority in the church] While I’m no saint, I’m certainly not the worst of the sinners. [“I didn’t kill anyone you see”, in her mind only Hitler is in Hell.  I would remind her that even Saint Paul saw himself as the Greatest of all Sinners, yet he didn’t wish to sin but fought against it daily, dying to self so that it be no longer he that lived, but Christ that lived in him.  This is the life of a Catholic to take up the cross, not to run away and mock the faith when it’s inconvenient for you] I try to be kind and generous to others, give to the poor, be accepting of my fellowman [We tolerate people not ideas, this is exactly where you misunderstand the faith], fight for what I believe to be good [More subjectivism, you see to her there is no such thing as objective truth.  The Catholic vehemently disagrees for Truth is a Person who took flesh, dwelled among us, died for our sins, and gave authority to oversee the Church he set up to his apostles and their successors until his second coming], and generally do unto others as I would have done unto me [But remember whatever you do to the least of these my Brethern you do to me.  I'm sure she is just confused about children not being people until they are wanted….you generally do…please], which explains the progressive viewpoints I listed above. If Jesus could speak for himself, he might just say us “Bad Catholics,” are doing something right. [But Christ does speak to us but not subjectively.  He says to those he gave the authority to and their successors, “He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects you rejects me and the one who sent me.” Remember to what he told those were following him, “Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day: Lord, Lord, have not we prophesied in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and done many miracles in thy name?  And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity.”]

I grew up in a small town in New Jersey made up of mostly Irish and Italian Roman Catholics [You see she knows cultural Catholicism] - Methodists seemed exotic [Cause being a dissident is not exotic, but natural, it’s natural to go agains the will of God, that’s what he wants after all], and I didn’t meet a Jew until I moved to the city for college. [The cause of all here frustrations…   :-P ]  Thus, while my experience was limited, I did learn to love Catholicism [At least social justice according to the sisters of our lady of the Pants Suite.  Cause the Pre VII Church is just mean, even though I know nothing other than hysterical anti Catholic statements about it]; it’s a gorgeous religion premised in charity and taking care of one another [Forgot that Charity doesn’t eliminate Justice, it’s not charitable to allow someone to maintain an error, it is in fact a sin to remain silent]. Nothing gives me a sense of peace like being in a dimly lit cathedral with burning frankincense. [I don’t have a problem here.  Except she could be speaking like a Buddhist, which of course is intolerant on my part at least to her, but is ultimately heretical, wow I really feel bad for her that she is so utterly confused].

Sure, all those years of CCD [Let’s be honest, CCD = Cut, color and draw] taught me to obsess over guilty feelings [I mean it’s only sin and blocks Gods infinite mercy.  Whoa to those who call good evil and evil good as our Lord reminds us.  Sin kills, guilt is there to remind you to come back, its not a bad thing but a beautiful thing] , but it also taught me to love thy neighbor and help those many less fortunate than myself in any way I could. With an understanding of Catholicism’s kind foundation, it’s truly a disgust to see its subjugation by power hungry patriarchs [Wait so that’s all Peter and his Bishops are are Power hungry Patriarchs, They have authority from Christ to Teach, you do not.  Christ doesn’t promise impeccability but infallibility for his teachings which it is the responsibility of the Holy Father and his Bishops to pass on, not to make you feel good and maintain your ignorance in a world. This alone tells any faithful Catholic that you misunderstand authority] the powers that be prefer a thousand zealots to a billion reasonable practitioners. [He comes with a reaper to separate the chaff and the grain.  Not with a Teddy Bear. No one is guaranteed Heaven.  The path is long and narrow (hard and not for the worldly) and few will find their way.  Second you use the word reasonable.  This is progressive double speak.  There is nothing reasonable about asking one to take up his cross daily, that is a command, and not an easy one.  If those billion people seek salvation they can find it in the teachings of the church.  But what does it profit my brethren if one should gain the love of the world yet lose their soul?  It profits them nothing.  As he says to the rich young man who asked how he might receive eternal life, he says “Keep the commandments”, that’s an order not an option.  Of course we fail but that’s what confession is for so that we may be reconciled] I could be wrong, but I don’t think Jesus would be pleased. [Consider your personal opinion wrong] If Pope Benedict XVI was perfectly fine further isolating modernist Catholics, I pray that whoever is installed as the new pope will feel the exact opposite. [Considering that modernism is a Heresy, consider that St. Pope Pius X is not impressed by your logic]

It’s not easy being religious in a city like New York [wasn't easy for him to take up the cross in Jerusalem either], where ashes on my forehead at lent elicits the type of gawking one would expect if I had excrement smeared across my face. [What was the purpose of the ashes if you refuse to repent in the first place?  You contradict yourself at every step] Being religious is decidedly not cool, and complicate that with philosophical discrepancies between yourself and your religion’s establishment, and that makes for one extra-guilty Catholic. [The religion that is established by Christ is his Body the Church given the authority to speak for him.  You must choose between being in the world, but not of it; or being in the world and of it, it is not forced on you or anyone.  But you must choose your path, and you have our prayers but don’t complain that it’s hard, of course it is, Earth is not our home but our testing ground.  Our goal is Heaven and it is a race as Paul tells us so run to win].

I happen to live in close vicinity to a church where the priest in charge shares many of my unorthodox views [Yippee a dissident Priest, I mean hey he said it right so it’s ok then…right?   Right? Im not actually going to dig any deeper then possible that takes effort and I have no time for that when I can spend my time tanning or fornicating], to the dismay of some in his congregation [I would say, I mean the reason why one goes to the Church is for Christ and his teachings, not for Father dissidents personal feelings]. Attending mass in this priest’s congregation is the first time that I truly felt I fit in both in regards to my spiritual self and my political self. While you won’t see two men getting married in that church, you certainly won’t hear a lecture about why two men in love is an abomination [Although you know that the Church teaches it, yet for fear of the world we won’t talk about it.  Much easier to put nails into Christ then to be crucified yourself, that’s just not your thing after all.  A dead body floats downstream, a living one goes against the flow, mind you].

You also won’t hear lengthy homilies about how we should crusade against a woman’s right to choose like you would in my hometown. [Choose what to murder a child that is distinct from herself.  Life is either sacred or it isn’t.  Those children that are killed are either people or alligators.  A person is a person no matter how small, how quickly we forget things for convenience sake] Maybe if abortion isn’t right for you, or even Catholics in general, that doesn’t mean it’s not right for the rest of the populace that lives within the same national boundaries as you do. [What makes a toddler a person then, if they can’t make it on their own without your help?  Ultimately you distance yourself from the real question of life and who should and who should not obtain it based on personal preference.  Why is what Hitler did to the Jews, Gypsies, Catholics and Protestants wrong if you can decide who is worthy and not worth of life?  Are you the creator, did you make yourself?  When a child is conceived they are alive, it’s not a mass of cells that will remain such but a living person growing just as you and I grow throughout our lives until our bodies start to break down]

As if it weren’t enough to struggle with faith and doubt within myself, it’s a daily struggle within my environment. Visitors to my apartment see several art pieces relating to Our Lady of Guadalupe and a crucifix nailed firmly above my bed. [But even if you had the actual tilma or a piece of the true cross that will not save you.  We do have relics and sacramental but these things are not superstitious objects to be adored, for that belongs to Christ alone.  Why would you feel awkward?  The purpose of being Catholic in the first place is to bring all into the faith, and the faith is everything because Christ is everything to us.  Our faith not only talks about social justice but contraception, abortion and authority, etc.] Telling a hipster you believe in Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is like telling them you don’t believe in evolution … but the thing is, you do [Ok so someone is ignorant of the church’s teachings on creation, why be afraid to charitably correct them. that is your responsibility and mine, which is hopefully what I am doing throughout this article]. I do. We do. There are many of us out there, perhaps we’re even a majority, and if the Catholic Church wants to keep us around, then it needs to acknowledge we exist. [Thing is he has addressed people like you over and over again click here for a taste.  The Church is not a democracy but the final authority as Christ says “But if thy brother shall offend against thee, go, and rebuke him between thee and him alone. If he shall hear thee, thou shalt gain thy brother. And if he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more: that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may stand. And if he will not hear them: tell the church. And if he will not hear the church, let him be to thee as the heathen and publican.  Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.”]  It seems like you and I do have faith that they will. But for now, when someone asks, “What religion are you?” I’ll continue on with the same explanation as always: “I’m a Catholic, but the ‘Nuns on the bus’ kind.” [The sentence should read “I pick and choose what I wish to believe, you see Im rally a protestant but don’t have the honest integrity to admit it”]

-             End of Story    -

So I know that is a very blunt response to your article and who know whether you will read this, but if you do you need to know that we are praying for your conversion because each of us need conversion to the Lord every day, just as we must take up the cross every day.  Holy Mother Church loves you, but you must learn to be honest with yourself and the church.  The faith is not yours or mine to pick and choose from, for the teachings are that of Christ and you as a Catholic, especially holding yourself out as one are bound by Christ himself to follow because he puts authority in his name over you and I.  I will pray for you always. 

+JMJ+