1. Charity, the love of God and neighbour.
When Christ used the word 'love,' He meant Charity, which is a theological virtue that only God can infuse on a soul. Charity is completely unattainable by mere human means. It cannot, even, be explained by any one with ten doctorate degrees. It's meaning is hidden and known only to those who have it.
Since Easter, the Liturgy had been teaching that Charity is infused, only, to those who have perfect repentance, and perfect Faith. Only then will God infuse, first, the power to love neighbour, the first part of Charity. And much later on, the power to love God, the second part of Charity. Both must come directly from God.
2. Love of God is required for salvation.
To deserve everlasting life, not only must the soul repent perfectly as taught in the New Testament; not only must the soul have perfect Faith by knowing all the things Christ said and did. The soul must, also, have received from Christ the power to love one's neighbour. St. Thomas wrote that this is the minimum requirement of all men for salvation.
All those who desire to be saved must find out, therefore, if they have Charity. And Jesus told St. Peter what Charity is required for laypeople and priests, what charity is required of bishops and what charity is required of a Pope. He gave the answers, Himself, to the three questions He asked Peter; 'Simon, son of John. Do you love Me?
3. Peter's answer was; 'Yes, Lord. You know that I love You.'
Peter, you have just denied Me three times on Good Friday, and you say you love Me. You got the idea of 'love' wrong.
'Peter, to prove that you love Me, first feed My lambs. Lambs are souls who have begun repenting, or souls who have begun to have Faith. Spiritual babes. As St. Paul wrote, these must be fed with milk. And Peter have not done this since they have not been sent out to preach. They had only dry runs but not real preaching that would begin, only, after Pentecost. No preaching is effective without the preacher having the theological virtue of Charity infused by God, wherewith he loves neighbour and God.
Christ continues. 'Peter, this first proof is for lay people and priests. You must produce proof of Charity reserved for bishops.' So 'feed my sheep.' Sheeps are souls more advanced in the spiritual life. Spiritual adolescents. Peter had not done this because he will still preach after Pentecost. So he cannot really prove that he love Christ.
Peter was, now, being made a Pope. So Christ gave him his ultimate obligation; 'Feed My sheep.' It sounds similar to the second. And it is similar but he had to feed the sheep perfectly.
4. What is 'to feed the lamb and the sheep.'
What is it to feed? The difference between the two is only in the amount of 'feed. '
St. Thomas of Aquinas writes that 'to feed' is to do the following;
first, to support those repenting and believing so that they do not regress and fall,
secondly, to provide earthly sustenance to those who are in need,
thirdly, to teach the repentant and believer the next step forward towards Charity,
fourthly, to teach and help them to resist the devil,
fifthly, to correct the wanderer, or fraternal correction.
Note, that all laymen, priests, bishops and the Pope must do all the five above, but in different degrees according to their abilities. Of course, parents can do less for their children than what priest and bishops can do for the children.
The obligation towards neighbour is for all those who come in contact with those who wish to prove that they love God. The Pope cannot feed, teach and correct the sheeps around the world. But he must direct his bishops to do so. While the bishops must direct his priest to do the five things above. And the priest must direct parents to do these things to their children. And parents should instruct their children what to do with their brothers and sisters. They all must teach one another how to feed each other spiritually and physically.
5. Who are the lambs and the sheep?
Those who have begun their repentance, who have begun their life of Faith and who have started their life of Charity. Those who have not done these are not lambs and sheep according to the definition given by Christ, Himself, in the parable of the Good Shepherd.
The obligation towards those who are not lambs and sheeps is to pray for their conversion. Conversion being a work of God and is done through the corporal works of mercy.
6. Proofs that one loves God.
Before we face Christ in judgment we must be certain we love God, a gift infuse in our souls by the Holy Spirit. Christ said; 'by this man will know that you are My disciples if you love one another.' The power to love one another comes from the Holy Spirit that is given to us by Christ on Easter when He breathed on His apostles saying 'receive the Holy Spirit'. The power to love God comes on Pentecost Sunday when the apostles received the Holy Spirit in the form of tongues of fire.
For most of us, whether we are Pope, bishops, priests, religious, laymen, the sign that we love neighbour and God is if we 'feed the lamb or the sheep of Christ' as defined above. .
7. Who will teach us to love. The Holy Spirit. The Church can only teach the proper disposition all must have to be worthy to receive such supernatural gifts.
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
THE CHASTISEMENT IN PERSPECTIVE = Tuesday of 7th Easter Week.
1. The Church after the Council of Trent
The existence of the Catholic Church must take a continuous path without any break or cut. What happen is that the continuity was broken.
Church history could not pin point when it happened. There should have been continuity in the transfer of knowledge of Catholic truths in the Catholic Church from one generation to the next. Bishops and priest should evangelise perfectly their generation hoping that their generation can transmit Catholic knowledge to the next.
The transfer of Catholic knowledge from one generation to the next must emphasise the importance of grace in the transfer because Catholic truths cannot be learned by the next generation without the help of grace. Thus those in-charge in the transfer of knowledge, the Pope, bishops and priest must point the importance of grace. Without grace, the commands and teachings of Christ in the New Testament cannot be known and cannot be obeyed; these two are the elements of Faith, the Catholic Faith.
If the devil is bright enough, he will see to it that grace is neglected in the evangelisation and conversion of souls. Everything else can be kept, just forget the grace. And the shepherds of the Church, the bishops, were neglectful.
Martin Luther was used by the enemy to raise doubts in the importance of grace. Luther cut off the umbilical cord of the evangelization of the Church. The work of the church had no source of grace.
From Luther's time, through the Council of Trent, the institutional church deteriorated. Trent was meant to repair the damage done by Luther. It did repair the damage but the next generation of bishops and priests failed to follow up the repair job.
At the time of Pope John XXIII, he read the treatise on 'The Five wounds of the Church,' and he saw that the institutional church was bleeding to death. Thus he summoned Vatican II to try to stop the bleeding of grace. Vatican II started well with brilliant head of committees. But after John passed away, the henchmen of the devil took over the Council and opened and added more wounds. The 'good cardinals' put up a very good fight. But they were the minority; the rest of the electors were just a crowd swayed by the wind.
There was no hope for the institutional church. The vineyard had been devastated by hogs.
What does Christ do when the vineyard had been devastated and is not producing grapes? He gives the vineyard to others who will care for it.
2. Is this a catastrophe for the true Church?
No! This is just the institutional church, the external organisation of the Church that is affected. These events are God's usual tests that are meant to divide mankind into two groups. The men of the world. And the men of God. With the men of the world hating the men of God. Christ said; 'the world will hate you' because you are not of the world. Because I set you away from the world referring to His followers.
These are the two groups; those who love the world vs those who love God. St. Augustine wrote that those who love the world are totally unable to love God. And those who love God will hate the world. 'Hate' as in Christ's command 'unless you hate father, mother and your own life.' This is not a mere emotional hate. It is an act of the mind and the will.
God tests mankind in many ways by using the devil, the world and the flesh, the catechism states. God uses these three to test mankind; for each man to know the state of his soul; and to help the good pass the test and progress spiritually.
Specifically, He allows the devil to tempt those who follow Christ. He even gives the devil special powers to tempt mankind as He allowed the devil to tempt Job. St. Gregory the Great described the whole process in which God uses the whole world to test mankind. Some of these test are called trials and suffering. Notable among them are chastisements, like the Corona virus, tornadoes, floods, wars, famine and plaques; chastisements that seems to be occurring at the same time or often one after the other. God is insistent because this generation, that failed to receive the continuity of the Catholic Faith that broke even before the Council of Trent, is running out of time for repair.
3. The Divine Judge.
All men will be judged individually before a God who knows all things. All cases will be reviewed. There will be only one Judge, Jesus Christ. There will be no hearing because the Divine Judge knows all the cases perfectly. There will be no defence lawyer. In fact, each man will face this Divine Judge just to hear the sentence.
All those who started wars, those who committed injustices, who killed babies, and all those who have disobeyed God's commands, those who stopped the Masses, etc. will be judged and sentenced for all eternity. Either to eternal happiness or eternal suffering.
And the Liturgy today shows us the basis of the Divine Judgment and where we stand?
4. The world and those 'consecrated in the truth.'
Chastisements are, first, a reminder that souls are in the state of sin and, therefore, needs to repent. Secondly, it is an occasion for man to progress in the spiritual life by passing the test. If he fails the test he will regress and commit more sins. The results of the test will show whether a soul loves God or loves the world. If they die, those who love God goes to heaven and those who love the world will go somewhere else. One's reaction to chastisements will dictate where one's soul will go in death.
The Gospels of the Masses these days shows that those who love the temporal things of the world are in big trouble. While those destined to go to heaven are taken away by Christ 'out of the world' to be 'consecrated in the truth,' i.e. they spend their lives knowing what Christ said and did when He was on earth.' That is acquiring the theological virtue of Faith.
5. The reactions to the chastisement and test.
The chastisement and the test show whether a person loves God or the world, keeping in mind what St. Augustine wrote; 'he who loves God hates the world. And he who loves the world hates God.
Some are reacting positively to the test thus passing the test. The chastisement is benefitting them. News show many had confessed that their lives have improved spiritually; some shows the desire to continue the present lockdown situation. There is an evident desire to progress to the love of God.The moment a soul passes the test, he can return back to normality because the test is over.
The news, also, show that many are reacting negatively to the test. Instead of improving spiritually in their lives, there is an urgent desire to return back to a worldly way of life, immediately. And they do it with violence. This is the consequence when one fails the test. In which case more severe chastisement awaits them. The reason they failed is their 'inordinate love for the world,' as St. Augustine would describe it. This is a sure sign they do not love God. Their souls are in danger in death.
In short, the chastisement was meant to elicit a spiritual response, not a worldly or medical response. A spiritual response, like repentance, shows the soul pass his test. A mere worldly response shows the soul is a lover of the world.
6. Those who passed the test.
The Gospels since Easter up to now, show that for a soul to deserve attaining everlasting life, they must have Charity, i.e. supernatural love of God and neighbour. Up to the 7th weekday Easter, the Gospels had been explaining Charity because we need grace to understand it and put it into practice. And as Pope Benedict mentioned in his 'Caritas Est' most Catholics do not understand Charity as well practiced by St. Vincent de Paul and Mother Teresa.
Well, Christ, also, mentioned these days there will be a waxing of Charity. We should expect it, so the greater need to explain it since it shows in the results of the present tests going on, from the pandemic, to the tornadoes, floods, fires, and communist take over of many US states.
The good results of the test shows a tendency, though slight, towards Charity or love of neighbour. Hardly the love of God, which is reserved for a very few, like St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi whose feast we commemorate this season.
7. Those who failed the test.
They did more evil instead of repenting. Further chastisement awaits them. Without improving in their way of life they are, instead, rushing towards enjoying the world. Heads of states that rule with their unenlightened and illogical minds. Bishops who cancel all religious obligations. Oligarchs who earn from the chastisement. Abortionist who killed more babies. And those who go insane due the lockdown. So the need to open up immediately.
When religious nuns and brothers in monasteries are unable to rise to the supernatural level and yet continue to live a spiritual way of life, they tend to go insane. The lockdown is like a clausura; people who live natural lives in an monastic environment as observed during a lockdown, will go insane. Those who fail the test should be released before they get worse psychologically.
8. Conclusion
Chastisements or tests usually happen to individuals or small groups and periodically. But today's chastisement and test is world wide. It affects all sectors, all religions, all races, all businesses, all nations, all ages. It can only be done by an All powerful true God, whose description can only be the God of the Catholic Church. And He means business. What is He trying to say? We don't know. But we better have a Love of God and our neighbour in our hearts..... and not a love for the world.
The existence of the Catholic Church must take a continuous path without any break or cut. What happen is that the continuity was broken.
Church history could not pin point when it happened. There should have been continuity in the transfer of knowledge of Catholic truths in the Catholic Church from one generation to the next. Bishops and priest should evangelise perfectly their generation hoping that their generation can transmit Catholic knowledge to the next.
The transfer of Catholic knowledge from one generation to the next must emphasise the importance of grace in the transfer because Catholic truths cannot be learned by the next generation without the help of grace. Thus those in-charge in the transfer of knowledge, the Pope, bishops and priest must point the importance of grace. Without grace, the commands and teachings of Christ in the New Testament cannot be known and cannot be obeyed; these two are the elements of Faith, the Catholic Faith.
If the devil is bright enough, he will see to it that grace is neglected in the evangelisation and conversion of souls. Everything else can be kept, just forget the grace. And the shepherds of the Church, the bishops, were neglectful.
Martin Luther was used by the enemy to raise doubts in the importance of grace. Luther cut off the umbilical cord of the evangelization of the Church. The work of the church had no source of grace.
From Luther's time, through the Council of Trent, the institutional church deteriorated. Trent was meant to repair the damage done by Luther. It did repair the damage but the next generation of bishops and priests failed to follow up the repair job.
At the time of Pope John XXIII, he read the treatise on 'The Five wounds of the Church,' and he saw that the institutional church was bleeding to death. Thus he summoned Vatican II to try to stop the bleeding of grace. Vatican II started well with brilliant head of committees. But after John passed away, the henchmen of the devil took over the Council and opened and added more wounds. The 'good cardinals' put up a very good fight. But they were the minority; the rest of the electors were just a crowd swayed by the wind.
There was no hope for the institutional church. The vineyard had been devastated by hogs.
What does Christ do when the vineyard had been devastated and is not producing grapes? He gives the vineyard to others who will care for it.
2. Is this a catastrophe for the true Church?
No! This is just the institutional church, the external organisation of the Church that is affected. These events are God's usual tests that are meant to divide mankind into two groups. The men of the world. And the men of God. With the men of the world hating the men of God. Christ said; 'the world will hate you' because you are not of the world. Because I set you away from the world referring to His followers.
These are the two groups; those who love the world vs those who love God. St. Augustine wrote that those who love the world are totally unable to love God. And those who love God will hate the world. 'Hate' as in Christ's command 'unless you hate father, mother and your own life.' This is not a mere emotional hate. It is an act of the mind and the will.
God tests mankind in many ways by using the devil, the world and the flesh, the catechism states. God uses these three to test mankind; for each man to know the state of his soul; and to help the good pass the test and progress spiritually.
Specifically, He allows the devil to tempt those who follow Christ. He even gives the devil special powers to tempt mankind as He allowed the devil to tempt Job. St. Gregory the Great described the whole process in which God uses the whole world to test mankind. Some of these test are called trials and suffering. Notable among them are chastisements, like the Corona virus, tornadoes, floods, wars, famine and plaques; chastisements that seems to be occurring at the same time or often one after the other. God is insistent because this generation, that failed to receive the continuity of the Catholic Faith that broke even before the Council of Trent, is running out of time for repair.
3. The Divine Judge.
All men will be judged individually before a God who knows all things. All cases will be reviewed. There will be only one Judge, Jesus Christ. There will be no hearing because the Divine Judge knows all the cases perfectly. There will be no defence lawyer. In fact, each man will face this Divine Judge just to hear the sentence.
All those who started wars, those who committed injustices, who killed babies, and all those who have disobeyed God's commands, those who stopped the Masses, etc. will be judged and sentenced for all eternity. Either to eternal happiness or eternal suffering.
And the Liturgy today shows us the basis of the Divine Judgment and where we stand?
4. The world and those 'consecrated in the truth.'
Chastisements are, first, a reminder that souls are in the state of sin and, therefore, needs to repent. Secondly, it is an occasion for man to progress in the spiritual life by passing the test. If he fails the test he will regress and commit more sins. The results of the test will show whether a soul loves God or loves the world. If they die, those who love God goes to heaven and those who love the world will go somewhere else. One's reaction to chastisements will dictate where one's soul will go in death.
The Gospels of the Masses these days shows that those who love the temporal things of the world are in big trouble. While those destined to go to heaven are taken away by Christ 'out of the world' to be 'consecrated in the truth,' i.e. they spend their lives knowing what Christ said and did when He was on earth.' That is acquiring the theological virtue of Faith.
5. The reactions to the chastisement and test.
The chastisement and the test show whether a person loves God or the world, keeping in mind what St. Augustine wrote; 'he who loves God hates the world. And he who loves the world hates God.
Some are reacting positively to the test thus passing the test. The chastisement is benefitting them. News show many had confessed that their lives have improved spiritually; some shows the desire to continue the present lockdown situation. There is an evident desire to progress to the love of God.The moment a soul passes the test, he can return back to normality because the test is over.
The news, also, show that many are reacting negatively to the test. Instead of improving spiritually in their lives, there is an urgent desire to return back to a worldly way of life, immediately. And they do it with violence. This is the consequence when one fails the test. In which case more severe chastisement awaits them. The reason they failed is their 'inordinate love for the world,' as St. Augustine would describe it. This is a sure sign they do not love God. Their souls are in danger in death.
In short, the chastisement was meant to elicit a spiritual response, not a worldly or medical response. A spiritual response, like repentance, shows the soul pass his test. A mere worldly response shows the soul is a lover of the world.
6. Those who passed the test.
The Gospels since Easter up to now, show that for a soul to deserve attaining everlasting life, they must have Charity, i.e. supernatural love of God and neighbour. Up to the 7th weekday Easter, the Gospels had been explaining Charity because we need grace to understand it and put it into practice. And as Pope Benedict mentioned in his 'Caritas Est' most Catholics do not understand Charity as well practiced by St. Vincent de Paul and Mother Teresa.
Well, Christ, also, mentioned these days there will be a waxing of Charity. We should expect it, so the greater need to explain it since it shows in the results of the present tests going on, from the pandemic, to the tornadoes, floods, fires, and communist take over of many US states.
The good results of the test shows a tendency, though slight, towards Charity or love of neighbour. Hardly the love of God, which is reserved for a very few, like St. Mary Magdalene of Pazzi whose feast we commemorate this season.
7. Those who failed the test.
They did more evil instead of repenting. Further chastisement awaits them. Without improving in their way of life they are, instead, rushing towards enjoying the world. Heads of states that rule with their unenlightened and illogical minds. Bishops who cancel all religious obligations. Oligarchs who earn from the chastisement. Abortionist who killed more babies. And those who go insane due the lockdown. So the need to open up immediately.
When religious nuns and brothers in monasteries are unable to rise to the supernatural level and yet continue to live a spiritual way of life, they tend to go insane. The lockdown is like a clausura; people who live natural lives in an monastic environment as observed during a lockdown, will go insane. Those who fail the test should be released before they get worse psychologically.
8. Conclusion
Chastisements or tests usually happen to individuals or small groups and periodically. But today's chastisement and test is world wide. It affects all sectors, all religions, all races, all businesses, all nations, all ages. It can only be done by an All powerful true God, whose description can only be the God of the Catholic Church. And He means business. What is He trying to say? We don't know. But we better have a Love of God and our neighbour in our hearts..... and not a love for the world.
Sunday, May 24, 2020
ASCENSION of Our Blessed Lord.
1. The Gospel.
'And the eleven disciples went away into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.' Jesus, always, chooses a mountain whenever He plans to teach His disciples supernatural truths. He excludes those still in the natural level. And His was a closing speech because He was leaving them to return to the Father.
Christ was leaving to perfect the Faith of His disciples. As long as they can see Him corporally, their Faith was imperfect. To perfect their Faith, they must believe in Christ even if they do not see Him.
But Christ promised He was not leaving them because He was going to send His own spirit, the Holy Spirit to be with them in a superior way. They will still have the presence of Christ in the Spirit.
2. Minimum requirement to go to heaven after we die.
The minimum requirement for all Christians to go to heaven is presented in the Liturgy, from Ash Wednesday to Ascension. Namely, first; a soul must live a perfect life of repentance according to the New Testament. Secondly; a soul must live a life of perfect Faith knowing everything that Christ said and did according to the New Testament. And thirdly, the soul must receive from God the beginnings of Charity, i.e. the power to love on'e neighbour.
The above paragraph is the minimum requirement for any Christian soul to receive a favourable judgment from God. Popes, bishops and priest, aside from receiving from God the power to love one's neighbour must have the added to power to love God which they received on Pentecost to qualify for their jobs.
So today, the Liturgy has presented what is required to be saved as presented in the Liturgy, the official teaching instrument of Holy Mother the Church.
3. The official apostolic Commission
The apostles have just received, on Easter, the power to love their neighbour. They will receive the power to love God on Pentecost Day yet. So Christ prepares them to start loving their neighbour. And what is love of neighbour? To teach their neighbour how to go to heaven.
So having received the power to love one's neighbour when Christ breathed on them, Christ commands His apostles to teach their neighbour how a soul is saved. How? 'Their neighbours should be baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
And note carefully; to teach their neighbours all whatsoever Christ have commanded. And teach them how to observe them. Whatever Christ have commanded are learned from the Gospel. But those command cannot be understood without the grace of God. Graces that are available through prayer, fasting and prayer.
Now we have a problem. The Apostolic Commission states that the apostles must, also, teach their neighbour 'how to observe those commands.'
While the commands of Christ are found in the Gospel but can be understood only with the help of grace attainable through prayer, fasting and good works. 'How to observe those commands' are not written down in scriptures. Though Christ taught 'how to observe those commands,' to the first Christian communities. They were not written down by the Evangelist because they were too long that it cannot be contained in all the libraries of the world.
But later on, the first Holy bishops of the first Christian communities wrote them down for posterity. These holy bishops were called the Father of the Church. 'How to observe the commandments of Christ' as written by the Fathers of the Church is the official interpretation of the commandments of Christ in the New Testament.
4. Christ gave the apostles the command to preach to all nations how souls can be saved, He tells them not to start but to wait for the Holy Spirit who will still give them the power to 'Love God', the second part of the beginnings of Charity. They cannot start preaching without this power because this is the most important commandment of God. So they stayed put, in a lock down and waited for the Holy Spirit. It is only after they received the visible coming of the Holy Spirit, did they start preaching.
Most preachers do not seem to have the Holy Spirit. Neither do the Pentecostals nor the Charismatics.
5. Why is the Catholic Church nowhere in the world today.
Defect in preaching. Nobody had perfect repentance, perfect Faith and the beginnings of Charity wherewith they should have received the breathing of Christ that empowers them to love their neighbour. This is a gift of God. Nobody can attain this through human means.
6.Decription of the Church.
Herein is a description of the true Church of Christ that can be used in checking if our parish, diocese or lay organisation is truly Catholic. They must have perfected their repentance, acquired perfect Faith. And they should have the beginnings of Charity wherein Christ breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. In this way they will receive the theological virtue of Charity that enables them to love neighbour as Christ have loved them.
If all the members of a church have undergone the above three steps, then Christ promised, ''I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' That is the definition of the Catholic Church.
Today's Gospel is the conclusion of St. Matthew's Gospel. It is the last lesson in the Catholic Faith on what must we do to attain everlasting life.
Next Sunday, the spirituality of the Feast of Pentecost must be reached by bishops and priests. Love of neighbour is sufficient for salvation because Christ said that this is similar to love of God. So ordinary laymen would have fulfilled the Charity obligation if they have lived the spirituality of Ascension. But is is better to reached the Pentecost spirituality. Many lay saints reached it, like St.Therese, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Frances of Rome. It is obligatory for laymen to reached Ascension Spirituality but, though obligatory only for priests, bishops and Popes, it is better for laymen to aim at Pentecost spirituality.
'And the eleven disciples went away into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them.' Jesus, always, chooses a mountain whenever He plans to teach His disciples supernatural truths. He excludes those still in the natural level. And His was a closing speech because He was leaving them to return to the Father.
Christ was leaving to perfect the Faith of His disciples. As long as they can see Him corporally, their Faith was imperfect. To perfect their Faith, they must believe in Christ even if they do not see Him.
But Christ promised He was not leaving them because He was going to send His own spirit, the Holy Spirit to be with them in a superior way. They will still have the presence of Christ in the Spirit.
2. Minimum requirement to go to heaven after we die.
The minimum requirement for all Christians to go to heaven is presented in the Liturgy, from Ash Wednesday to Ascension. Namely, first; a soul must live a perfect life of repentance according to the New Testament. Secondly; a soul must live a life of perfect Faith knowing everything that Christ said and did according to the New Testament. And thirdly, the soul must receive from God the beginnings of Charity, i.e. the power to love on'e neighbour.
The above paragraph is the minimum requirement for any Christian soul to receive a favourable judgment from God. Popes, bishops and priest, aside from receiving from God the power to love one's neighbour must have the added to power to love God which they received on Pentecost to qualify for their jobs.
So today, the Liturgy has presented what is required to be saved as presented in the Liturgy, the official teaching instrument of Holy Mother the Church.
3. The official apostolic Commission
The apostles have just received, on Easter, the power to love their neighbour. They will receive the power to love God on Pentecost Day yet. So Christ prepares them to start loving their neighbour. And what is love of neighbour? To teach their neighbour how to go to heaven.
So having received the power to love one's neighbour when Christ breathed on them, Christ commands His apostles to teach their neighbour how a soul is saved. How? 'Their neighbours should be baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
And note carefully; to teach their neighbours all whatsoever Christ have commanded. And teach them how to observe them. Whatever Christ have commanded are learned from the Gospel. But those command cannot be understood without the grace of God. Graces that are available through prayer, fasting and prayer.
Now we have a problem. The Apostolic Commission states that the apostles must, also, teach their neighbour 'how to observe those commands.'
While the commands of Christ are found in the Gospel but can be understood only with the help of grace attainable through prayer, fasting and good works. 'How to observe those commands' are not written down in scriptures. Though Christ taught 'how to observe those commands,' to the first Christian communities. They were not written down by the Evangelist because they were too long that it cannot be contained in all the libraries of the world.
But later on, the first Holy bishops of the first Christian communities wrote them down for posterity. These holy bishops were called the Father of the Church. 'How to observe the commandments of Christ' as written by the Fathers of the Church is the official interpretation of the commandments of Christ in the New Testament.
4. Christ gave the apostles the command to preach to all nations how souls can be saved, He tells them not to start but to wait for the Holy Spirit who will still give them the power to 'Love God', the second part of the beginnings of Charity. They cannot start preaching without this power because this is the most important commandment of God. So they stayed put, in a lock down and waited for the Holy Spirit. It is only after they received the visible coming of the Holy Spirit, did they start preaching.
Most preachers do not seem to have the Holy Spirit. Neither do the Pentecostals nor the Charismatics.
5. Why is the Catholic Church nowhere in the world today.
Defect in preaching. Nobody had perfect repentance, perfect Faith and the beginnings of Charity wherewith they should have received the breathing of Christ that empowers them to love their neighbour. This is a gift of God. Nobody can attain this through human means.
6.Decription of the Church.
Herein is a description of the true Church of Christ that can be used in checking if our parish, diocese or lay organisation is truly Catholic. They must have perfected their repentance, acquired perfect Faith. And they should have the beginnings of Charity wherein Christ breathed on them to receive the Holy Spirit. In this way they will receive the theological virtue of Charity that enables them to love neighbour as Christ have loved them.
If all the members of a church have undergone the above three steps, then Christ promised, ''I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.' That is the definition of the Catholic Church.
Today's Gospel is the conclusion of St. Matthew's Gospel. It is the last lesson in the Catholic Faith on what must we do to attain everlasting life.
Next Sunday, the spirituality of the Feast of Pentecost must be reached by bishops and priests. Love of neighbour is sufficient for salvation because Christ said that this is similar to love of God. So ordinary laymen would have fulfilled the Charity obligation if they have lived the spirituality of Ascension. But is is better to reached the Pentecost spirituality. Many lay saints reached it, like St.Therese, St. Catherine of Sienna, St. Frances of Rome. It is obligatory for laymen to reached Ascension Spirituality but, though obligatory only for priests, bishops and Popes, it is better for laymen to aim at Pentecost spirituality.
Saturday, May 23, 2020
FRIDAY of the 6th Weekday of Easter. YOU SHALL WEEP AND LAMENT. THE WORLD WILL REJOICE.
1. The Gospel.
'You shall weep and lament. The world will rejoice.'
You shall weep and lament for the simple reason that you are not of the world and, therefore, are not enjoying the vast opportunities to entertain the sinful passions and desires the world provides.
The world, like Pinocchio, is enjoying the devil's illusion of perpetual entertainment of which he is the prince.
2. The great divide.
Since the beginning of creation God had been testing everyone. This is reflected in the Liturgy of the Mass in that every Gospel shows the example of two, one who follows Christ and the other does not. Usually the former are the apostles and the latter are the Pharisees. But not all the time but always examples of two, like the believing Peter and the unbelieving Thomas.
The Liturgy of the Mass today is dividing mankind into two again; those of the world and those who believe in Christ. The two cannot be put together. St. Augustine wrote that those who believe in Christ are converted to Christ or tending towards Charity, the love of God and neighbour. While those of the world are converted or tending towards the love of the world. And St.Augustine showed how incompatible the two are; that those tending towards the love of God will hate the world. And those tending towards the love of the world will hate God.
St. Augustine conveniently called those following Christ the City of God. And he called the lovers of the world the City of Man.
From the beginning of creation God had been testing all. From the angels, to our parents, every Pope, bishops, priest, every religious and every living human being. Not for God to find out where they belong because He knows that even from the beginning of creation. But for each living creature to know where they belong and expect the consequence of their choices, either everlasting life in heaven or eternal fire.
God knows where each man will eventually end. But man does not know it. So God gives men signs by which man can know where he is going and make the necessary adjustment as he wish. If he is tending towards the City of man destined for condemnation, he may change his choice and swerve towards the City of God instead.
The Liturgy continuously describes who are on each City so each man can see where he stand at every moment of his life.
3. The Easter weeks.
The Easter week Liturgy had been describing those who love the world and those who have perfect Faith and the beginnings of Charity. 'The world will hate you,'Christ said. 'Because you are not of the world.' Not by our own choice but because 'I have called you from the world.' Why does Christ do that?
The beginnings of Charity is the minimum requirement for a soul to go to heaven. So all who wish to go to heaven must possess this. The higher degree of Charity is to be able to lay down one's life for your neighbour like the martyrs. The former is described as white martyrdom that is meant for most souls. The latter is called red martyrdom that is reserved by God for a select few.
4. On both occasions.
Christ was with His disciples and said He will leave them and go to where they cannot go, referring to His death and passion
Again, Christ was with His disciples and said He will leave them and go to where they cannot go. But He will return and get them. Where their joy will be complete and no man can take it away from them. Referring to His Ascension. Note that Christ was telling them of 'things to come, ' which the Holy Spirit will continue to do.
On both occasion, when Christ leaves and before He returns, the members of the Church will weep and lament. Why?
5. The true Church members will weep and lament.
Because they would be living a life of repentance, being sorry and weeping for their past sins and lamenting that their souls are in constant danger of being lost. It is a situation where there is nothing to rejoice in, until the souls perfect their repentance, Faith and attain the beginnings of Charity in which they will rejoice with a joy 'that no man can take away from them.' That is practically a promise of heaven here on earth.
The weeping and lamenting is during the life of repentance. And in the perfection of Charity of the Church in the martyrdom of many Catholics around the world.
Joy comes with the beginnings of Charity and is sustained even amidst trials and sufferings among the persecuted Church in China, Middle East, Asia, Europe and the US.
The weeping and lamenting continues in the life of Faith and the beginnings of Charity as Peter and Paul remembered their sins of denying Christ and persecuting the Church up to the end of their lives. The life of repentence sustains the growth of Faith and Charity; so it must go hand in hand with Faith and Charity. The soul will weep and lament but will, at the same time, have joy......and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit depending on how the soul progresses in the life of Charity.
The Church is, today, weeping and lamenting with what is happening in the institutional Vatican church. But the true Church is, where she is, is filled with joy amidst the trials meant to perfect the Church.
6. The world will rejoice.
The City of man is in a constant state of rejoicing because all their sinful desires are entertained by the world whose prince is the devil. And entertaining the desires of the flesh is the devil's most potent instrument in holding on to souls.
There is nothing wrong in some of the innocent entertainments. The sin is in loving the world for these entertainments whose consequence is the hatred of God and neighbour. Anyone who does not love God does not love anybody, neither husband or wife, neither brothers nor sister nor themselves in the right way. Thus the world is filled with hatred, mostly disguissed as natural concerns. As politicians love to say 'for the good of the people.'
7. The institutional Church is in the world, of the world, for the world, and, in fact, has become the world.
'Laudato si' is worship of the world, therefore, hatred of God and neighbour as defined by St. Augustine.
The institutional Church had, for a long time, have, not only descended to worldliness. It has regressed lower to idolatry and down to unnatural sins. The Vatican, in establishing a one world religion, have descended to the paranormal, the occult and the world of demonic spirits.
The shallow rejoicing in the world attracts many souls; while the weeping and lamenting for one's personal sins are repugnant to most souls.
7. God's chastisement.
God's chastisement, like the Corona virus, are meant to separate the two above groups. It is, also, a Divine Test meant for man to see the state of his soul. Chastisements are not medical events. They are spiritual tests of which a spiritual response is expected rather than a mere medical solution.
The Liturgy teaches man what the spiritual test is and at the same time teaches man how to pass his personal, individual test.
A. If during the lock down, closing of entertainments and resultant lack of food, the soul sees it as a reminder to lament and weep over his sins, he has pass his test; he will be saved from both condemnation and the scourge of the virus. His life can return to normal minus all the sins; but with a joy that no man can take away from him.
B. If he fails the test, he will return to rejoicing in wallowing in the sinful desires of the flesh and doing his own will. He will have no joy and consolation given by the Holy Spirit to those who weep and lament. To those who rejoice in a life of sin in the world, Christ says, 'Woe to you.'
'You shall weep and lament. The world will rejoice.'
You shall weep and lament for the simple reason that you are not of the world and, therefore, are not enjoying the vast opportunities to entertain the sinful passions and desires the world provides.
The world, like Pinocchio, is enjoying the devil's illusion of perpetual entertainment of which he is the prince.
2. The great divide.
Since the beginning of creation God had been testing everyone. This is reflected in the Liturgy of the Mass in that every Gospel shows the example of two, one who follows Christ and the other does not. Usually the former are the apostles and the latter are the Pharisees. But not all the time but always examples of two, like the believing Peter and the unbelieving Thomas.
The Liturgy of the Mass today is dividing mankind into two again; those of the world and those who believe in Christ. The two cannot be put together. St. Augustine wrote that those who believe in Christ are converted to Christ or tending towards Charity, the love of God and neighbour. While those of the world are converted or tending towards the love of the world. And St.Augustine showed how incompatible the two are; that those tending towards the love of God will hate the world. And those tending towards the love of the world will hate God.
St. Augustine conveniently called those following Christ the City of God. And he called the lovers of the world the City of Man.
From the beginning of creation God had been testing all. From the angels, to our parents, every Pope, bishops, priest, every religious and every living human being. Not for God to find out where they belong because He knows that even from the beginning of creation. But for each living creature to know where they belong and expect the consequence of their choices, either everlasting life in heaven or eternal fire.
God knows where each man will eventually end. But man does not know it. So God gives men signs by which man can know where he is going and make the necessary adjustment as he wish. If he is tending towards the City of man destined for condemnation, he may change his choice and swerve towards the City of God instead.
The Liturgy continuously describes who are on each City so each man can see where he stand at every moment of his life.
3. The Easter weeks.
The Easter week Liturgy had been describing those who love the world and those who have perfect Faith and the beginnings of Charity. 'The world will hate you,'Christ said. 'Because you are not of the world.' Not by our own choice but because 'I have called you from the world.' Why does Christ do that?
The beginnings of Charity is the minimum requirement for a soul to go to heaven. So all who wish to go to heaven must possess this. The higher degree of Charity is to be able to lay down one's life for your neighbour like the martyrs. The former is described as white martyrdom that is meant for most souls. The latter is called red martyrdom that is reserved by God for a select few.
4. On both occasions.
Christ was with His disciples and said He will leave them and go to where they cannot go, referring to His death and passion
Again, Christ was with His disciples and said He will leave them and go to where they cannot go. But He will return and get them. Where their joy will be complete and no man can take it away from them. Referring to His Ascension. Note that Christ was telling them of 'things to come, ' which the Holy Spirit will continue to do.
On both occasion, when Christ leaves and before He returns, the members of the Church will weep and lament. Why?
5. The true Church members will weep and lament.
Because they would be living a life of repentance, being sorry and weeping for their past sins and lamenting that their souls are in constant danger of being lost. It is a situation where there is nothing to rejoice in, until the souls perfect their repentance, Faith and attain the beginnings of Charity in which they will rejoice with a joy 'that no man can take away from them.' That is practically a promise of heaven here on earth.
The weeping and lamenting is during the life of repentance. And in the perfection of Charity of the Church in the martyrdom of many Catholics around the world.
Joy comes with the beginnings of Charity and is sustained even amidst trials and sufferings among the persecuted Church in China, Middle East, Asia, Europe and the US.
The weeping and lamenting continues in the life of Faith and the beginnings of Charity as Peter and Paul remembered their sins of denying Christ and persecuting the Church up to the end of their lives. The life of repentence sustains the growth of Faith and Charity; so it must go hand in hand with Faith and Charity. The soul will weep and lament but will, at the same time, have joy......and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit depending on how the soul progresses in the life of Charity.
The Church is, today, weeping and lamenting with what is happening in the institutional Vatican church. But the true Church is, where she is, is filled with joy amidst the trials meant to perfect the Church.
6. The world will rejoice.
The City of man is in a constant state of rejoicing because all their sinful desires are entertained by the world whose prince is the devil. And entertaining the desires of the flesh is the devil's most potent instrument in holding on to souls.
There is nothing wrong in some of the innocent entertainments. The sin is in loving the world for these entertainments whose consequence is the hatred of God and neighbour. Anyone who does not love God does not love anybody, neither husband or wife, neither brothers nor sister nor themselves in the right way. Thus the world is filled with hatred, mostly disguissed as natural concerns. As politicians love to say 'for the good of the people.'
7. The institutional Church is in the world, of the world, for the world, and, in fact, has become the world.
'Laudato si' is worship of the world, therefore, hatred of God and neighbour as defined by St. Augustine.
The institutional Church had, for a long time, have, not only descended to worldliness. It has regressed lower to idolatry and down to unnatural sins. The Vatican, in establishing a one world religion, have descended to the paranormal, the occult and the world of demonic spirits.
The shallow rejoicing in the world attracts many souls; while the weeping and lamenting for one's personal sins are repugnant to most souls.
7. God's chastisement.
God's chastisement, like the Corona virus, are meant to separate the two above groups. It is, also, a Divine Test meant for man to see the state of his soul. Chastisements are not medical events. They are spiritual tests of which a spiritual response is expected rather than a mere medical solution.
The Liturgy teaches man what the spiritual test is and at the same time teaches man how to pass his personal, individual test.
A. If during the lock down, closing of entertainments and resultant lack of food, the soul sees it as a reminder to lament and weep over his sins, he has pass his test; he will be saved from both condemnation and the scourge of the virus. His life can return to normal minus all the sins; but with a joy that no man can take away from him.
B. If he fails the test, he will return to rejoicing in wallowing in the sinful desires of the flesh and doing his own will. He will have no joy and consolation given by the Holy Spirit to those who weep and lament. To those who rejoice in a life of sin in the world, Christ says, 'Woe to you.'
Monday, May 18, 2020
Saturday in the 5th Easter week. WHO HATES WHO?
1. Catholics don't think of death. They think of the judgment that follows after death. In fact, they fear the judgment that takes place even before he dies. Christ had mentioned something about being judged while man is still alive.
So Catholics prepare for judgment while they are still alive. And the Liturgy of the Mass, from Ash Wednesday up to Pentecost shows us how to prepare. The way to prepare is taken from the very Words of Christ, Himself.
Ash Wednesday tells us to prepare ourselves for judgment day, by living a life of repentance according to both the New and Old Testament. Holy week tells us to prepare ourselves, further, by a life of Faith. And Easter up to Pentecost tells to prepare ourselves, perfectly, by living a life of Charity. To be truly prepared for Judgment day we must have the theological virtue of Charity.
The Liturgy emphasised the life of Faith because with Faith, it means that we have repented perfectly, in which case our past sins have been forgiven. So, surely, we are not going to hell. But it does not mean that we are going to heaven. But with perfect Faith we will surely receive the virtue of Charity. With Charity, the soul will certainly be worthy of everlasting life in heaven.
The soul who has the beginnings of Charity is assured to go to heaven. So the five Sundays of Eastertide narrates Christ showing the signs that the soul have Charity. The Gospels shows us that obedience to the commands of Christ and the presence of Peace in the soul are two signs that the soul has reached Charity. In today's Gospel, Christ shows us that 'hatred from the lovers of the world' is a sign the soul has Charity. It should make a soul happy to be hated by the worldly people; though it will sadden the same soul since most of those worldly people could be their own loved ones, who could be condemned for this grievous sin.
2. The most certain signs of salvation.
The presence of the theological virtue of Charity in the soul is the surest sign that the soul will receive a favourable judgment from the Divine Judge. And the Gospel today states that a sure sign of the presence of Charity is that 'the world' will hate you, because it has hated Christ before it hated you.
Christ continues; 'if you were of the world, the world would love you. But because ye are not of the world, the world would hate you.' But why would the world hate you? Because 'I have chosen you out of the world.'
3. What is the world?
St. Augustine defines the world as the creation of God that makes up the stars, the mountains, the rivers, the trees and flowers, the lands and the fields. And he wrote that this is the 'good world' that was created by God.
But there is an evil world described as the City of man. This is man and the world that gives him all the sinful pleasures of the flesh. We will use this definition when referring to the 'the world.'
This is the world where every vice is satisfied, where every human whim is satisfied. A world where you can get and do whatever you want. A world of sinful people.
The world is essentially any city or developed province. Its environment is enough to be detrimental to the progress of the spiritual life. It was for this reason that St. John the Baptist preached and baptised in the desert, away from the city and the crowd. Because the crowd and the city are no place to save one's soul. For the same reason Louis Martin, father of St. Therese of Lisieux transferred the family from Lisieux to Alencon because the latter was more 'out of the world.'
4. The world and the soul are at odds with one another because the soul is spiritual while the world is of the flesh. And St. Paul wrote that these two will always be at war with one another.
Add to this the fact that good and evil are always at odd with one another. And so the good souls and the evil souls will always be at odd with one another; the evil always attacking the good. The soul that has reached the spirituality of Easter, i.e. having reached Charity, is a holy soul. Evil cannot stand such a soul. Evil will attack such soul at every opportunity. Evil men, like the devil hates good souls for the mere reason that the haters are evil and they hate the good. For no other reason, though publicly they will a hundred different rationalisation.
5. Be sure you are good.
So, it would be really nice for a soul, if during his lifetime worldly people, in some visible way, hates him. It is a sign the attacked soul has charity and is prepared to face his Divine Judge after death. Donald Trump should be happy because his case is classical worldly people hate him for very specific good that he does. Nobody seems to hate him for siding with the third sex.
6. St. Thomas wrote;
The evil worldly will always attack those who are worldly because evil cannot stand another evil. That is why drug cartels fight each other.
The good does not hate anybody because they have the spirit of Charity enabling them to love God and neighbour,....even one's enemies. Loving one's enemies together with being hated by the worldly are signs of the presence of theological Charity in one's soul.
Evil hates those with Charity. They just cannot help hating them. But the less evil, like those who love the things of the world, also, hate those with Charity because those with Charity seems to condemn them, even without doing so, for loving the world over and above God. This is condemnable because this. precisely is the essence of sin, 'aversio Dei, conversio ad creaturam.'
Everybody who prosecutes hate crimes are really lovers of the world and hate good people, themselves. Prosecuting hate crimes are cover ups for they persecuting others so that they themselves can enjoy the world. Prosecuting hate crimes is really love for evil. All evil people hate each other. Only the good love the good and they, too, love the hater but not their hatred.
7. The Division.
The world had always been divided between the good and the evil. St. Paul described them as those who live by the flesh and those who live by the spirit. And God, always, gives men tests so man can know on which side he belongs. So when man dies he knows where he is going. To be rewarded in heaven or punished in the fires of hell. God gives men this test, precisely, so that man can change the direction he is going during his life.
Chastisements, like the Corona, is an example of a chastisement that is at the same time a test. The chastisement shows the present state of the soul of man and at the same time gives him the chance to change his direction by giving the right response to the test. The chastisement gives a hint on what is the way to pass the test.
The chastisement is directed to the pagans for them to see the irrationality of their religion and switch to the rationality of the true religion. Otherwise they fail the test.
It is directed to the Protestants for them to think and see how they have distorted the teachings of Christ and return to the true interpretations of Christ's words as written down by the Fathers and doctors of the Church. Chesterton and Neuman were able to resolve this issue as Anglicans by themselves, pass their test and were converted.
The chastisement is directed to the Catholics for them to see that they have not repented and, therefore, are not Catholics so they can proceed towards repentance and continue until they receive the virtue of Faith from God thus passing their test.
The present chastisement is meant to reveal if a person is a believer or a lover of the world. The news clearly show that most people are lovers of the world, and are, therefore, subjects of the devil who rule their hearts. This is what makes them hate the good for being good.
So Catholics prepare for judgment while they are still alive. And the Liturgy of the Mass, from Ash Wednesday up to Pentecost shows us how to prepare. The way to prepare is taken from the very Words of Christ, Himself.
Ash Wednesday tells us to prepare ourselves for judgment day, by living a life of repentance according to both the New and Old Testament. Holy week tells us to prepare ourselves, further, by a life of Faith. And Easter up to Pentecost tells to prepare ourselves, perfectly, by living a life of Charity. To be truly prepared for Judgment day we must have the theological virtue of Charity.
The Liturgy emphasised the life of Faith because with Faith, it means that we have repented perfectly, in which case our past sins have been forgiven. So, surely, we are not going to hell. But it does not mean that we are going to heaven. But with perfect Faith we will surely receive the virtue of Charity. With Charity, the soul will certainly be worthy of everlasting life in heaven.
The soul who has the beginnings of Charity is assured to go to heaven. So the five Sundays of Eastertide narrates Christ showing the signs that the soul have Charity. The Gospels shows us that obedience to the commands of Christ and the presence of Peace in the soul are two signs that the soul has reached Charity. In today's Gospel, Christ shows us that 'hatred from the lovers of the world' is a sign the soul has Charity. It should make a soul happy to be hated by the worldly people; though it will sadden the same soul since most of those worldly people could be their own loved ones, who could be condemned for this grievous sin.
2. The most certain signs of salvation.
The presence of the theological virtue of Charity in the soul is the surest sign that the soul will receive a favourable judgment from the Divine Judge. And the Gospel today states that a sure sign of the presence of Charity is that 'the world' will hate you, because it has hated Christ before it hated you.
Christ continues; 'if you were of the world, the world would love you. But because ye are not of the world, the world would hate you.' But why would the world hate you? Because 'I have chosen you out of the world.'
3. What is the world?
St. Augustine defines the world as the creation of God that makes up the stars, the mountains, the rivers, the trees and flowers, the lands and the fields. And he wrote that this is the 'good world' that was created by God.
But there is an evil world described as the City of man. This is man and the world that gives him all the sinful pleasures of the flesh. We will use this definition when referring to the 'the world.'
This is the world where every vice is satisfied, where every human whim is satisfied. A world where you can get and do whatever you want. A world of sinful people.
The world is essentially any city or developed province. Its environment is enough to be detrimental to the progress of the spiritual life. It was for this reason that St. John the Baptist preached and baptised in the desert, away from the city and the crowd. Because the crowd and the city are no place to save one's soul. For the same reason Louis Martin, father of St. Therese of Lisieux transferred the family from Lisieux to Alencon because the latter was more 'out of the world.'
4. The world and the soul are at odds with one another because the soul is spiritual while the world is of the flesh. And St. Paul wrote that these two will always be at war with one another.
Add to this the fact that good and evil are always at odd with one another. And so the good souls and the evil souls will always be at odd with one another; the evil always attacking the good. The soul that has reached the spirituality of Easter, i.e. having reached Charity, is a holy soul. Evil cannot stand such a soul. Evil will attack such soul at every opportunity. Evil men, like the devil hates good souls for the mere reason that the haters are evil and they hate the good. For no other reason, though publicly they will a hundred different rationalisation.
5. Be sure you are good.
So, it would be really nice for a soul, if during his lifetime worldly people, in some visible way, hates him. It is a sign the attacked soul has charity and is prepared to face his Divine Judge after death. Donald Trump should be happy because his case is classical worldly people hate him for very specific good that he does. Nobody seems to hate him for siding with the third sex.
6. St. Thomas wrote;
The evil worldly will always attack those who are worldly because evil cannot stand another evil. That is why drug cartels fight each other.
The good does not hate anybody because they have the spirit of Charity enabling them to love God and neighbour,....even one's enemies. Loving one's enemies together with being hated by the worldly are signs of the presence of theological Charity in one's soul.
Evil hates those with Charity. They just cannot help hating them. But the less evil, like those who love the things of the world, also, hate those with Charity because those with Charity seems to condemn them, even without doing so, for loving the world over and above God. This is condemnable because this. precisely is the essence of sin, 'aversio Dei, conversio ad creaturam.'
Everybody who prosecutes hate crimes are really lovers of the world and hate good people, themselves. Prosecuting hate crimes are cover ups for they persecuting others so that they themselves can enjoy the world. Prosecuting hate crimes is really love for evil. All evil people hate each other. Only the good love the good and they, too, love the hater but not their hatred.
7. The Division.
The world had always been divided between the good and the evil. St. Paul described them as those who live by the flesh and those who live by the spirit. And God, always, gives men tests so man can know on which side he belongs. So when man dies he knows where he is going. To be rewarded in heaven or punished in the fires of hell. God gives men this test, precisely, so that man can change the direction he is going during his life.
Chastisements, like the Corona, is an example of a chastisement that is at the same time a test. The chastisement shows the present state of the soul of man and at the same time gives him the chance to change his direction by giving the right response to the test. The chastisement gives a hint on what is the way to pass the test.
The chastisement is directed to the pagans for them to see the irrationality of their religion and switch to the rationality of the true religion. Otherwise they fail the test.
It is directed to the Protestants for them to think and see how they have distorted the teachings of Christ and return to the true interpretations of Christ's words as written down by the Fathers and doctors of the Church. Chesterton and Neuman were able to resolve this issue as Anglicans by themselves, pass their test and were converted.
The chastisement is directed to the Catholics for them to see that they have not repented and, therefore, are not Catholics so they can proceed towards repentance and continue until they receive the virtue of Faith from God thus passing their test.
The present chastisement is meant to reveal if a person is a believer or a lover of the world. The news clearly show that most people are lovers of the world, and are, therefore, subjects of the devil who rule their hearts. This is what makes them hate the good for being good.
Friday, May 15, 2020
Thursday of the 5th Easterweek. SALVATION, from a birds eye view.
1. The Plan of salvation from a worms view.
'I am a worm and no man,' says the Psalm. So let us first view the plan of salvation from our point view. And this is what we discussed in the last post, taken from Ash Wednesday up to the fifth Sunday in Eastertide. It will still end on Pentecost.
We wrote, 'why the Catholic Church cannot be found these days;' because the power to be able to rise from the natural level and go up the supernatural level was omitted in the Plan of Salvation. Therefore, the institutional church remained in the natural level, from long before the Council of Trent up to the present day of the Corona virus which is primarily a wake up call for the totally unspiritual catholic hierarchy.
The true Catholic Church is in the supernatural level. Having remained in the natural level, the present institutional church cannot be found in the present Vatican church, in most of the present dioceses and parishes. Look for it yourselves.
Then we mentioned the fact that God, personally, intervened to continue helping the Church exist. How? The Gospel of the Mass today, Thursday of the 5th Easter week, describes it.
2. The Gospel.
'As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Continue in My love.'
'If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His Love.
'Keep My commandments that you may abide in My love; and that your joy might be full.'
We have mentioned that the worms eye view of salvation is what the Liturgy taught us from Ash Wednesday, and the lesson will end on Pentecost.
Today the Liturgy teaches us exactly the same plan of salvation from a worms view but presented from a birds eye view. They are the same identical plan. This latter is deeper, more difficult to understand; and like all deeper truths simpler to understand if taken with some degree of Faith. It explains what was written in the previous post; in salvation, God chooses the evangeliser, He chooses the Pope and bishop to lead the soul, and He chooses the soul to be saved.
In the present Corona virus pandemic, it is like saying; God chooses what virus to send, He chooses the countries that will be affected, He chooses the people to be infected, and He chooses the persons who will die or stay alive.
So everybody may really go on with what they were previously doing. Based on the Dogma of Divine Providence, no one can change anything. The virus is a test to see where souls will go; whether the person is going to heaven or to hell. The people who uses the government funds to help feed the hungry go to heaven. The ones who uses the funds to help abortion and bring in illegal immigrants go to hell. It is a matter of using the pandemic to do good or evil.
3. How is a soul saved, from a birds eye view.
First step; God the Father loves God the Son. And God the Son loves a man's soul, even before the soul is born. Clearly, God the Son loves the soul even before the soul does anything good. Even before the soul even exists. God have loved us first. Get that clear.
Second step; with Christ loving us, we receive the power to love ourselves, love God and our neighbour, the way God had loved us. Not the way ordinary man loves. We must love the way God loved us because we have already received the power to love with that Divine way. It is not we who have loved God first. God the Father and God the Son have loved us first. We cannot love God or anybody unless God had loved us first. Husband cannot love their wife, parents their children, children their parents, unless God had loved us first.
Third step; imagine the love God has for you as a spot light. As long as you stay in that spot light, God will continue to love you. He won't stop loving you thus He will continue to give you the power to love God and neighbour, thus you are like a branch attached to the vine and producing 'good fruits' of salvation
Third step; loving you because He has placed you within the spot light He reminds you stay in that spot light, 'Remain in My love.' Don't go out of that round spot light. If you remain within that spot light, I will give you joy and your joy will be complete here on earth and in the next life.
4. 'Remain in My love.'
God have loved you, creature; thus He gave you the power to love God in return and love all your neighbour. Now, Christ warns you to 'remain in My love.' What does it mean to remain in His love. Who does God continue to love? 'I love the humble and I hate the proud. I love Jacob and I hate Essau,' God said.
To remain in the 'spot light' so that God will continue to love you consist in remaining 'humble.' To posses any, or better still, all the 12 degrees of humility. If you are humble, you will be remaining in the love of God. If you remain humble, God will continue to love you thus empowering you to love God and your neighbour continuously and with great joy.
Christ said it in another way; You will remain in My love if you keep My commandments.' The command of Christ is ' to be meek and humble of heart.' All the commands of Christ are acts of humility and charity.
So to remain in the love of Christ, i.e. so that Christ will continuously love you, be humble, obey the commands of Christ or love your neighbour. These mean the same thing.
5. Who do not remain in the 'love of God?'
The proud, those who are disobedient to His commandments as found in the New Testament, those who do not love their neighbour.
When you do NOT remain in 'the love of God,' by being proud, you, on your own, leave the spot light, you leave the 'love of God.' Though God continue to love, His love is no longer on you. You will loose your joy and heaven.
6. What went wrong with the institutional church from, before the Council of Trent, up to the present? They remained in the natural level, they were unable to rise up to the supernatural level, the level of the true Catholic Church. Because they were unable to receive the grace necessary to rise up to the spiritual level. Why? They did not pray according to the teaching of Christ as found in the New Testament. They became self-sufficient, the essence of pride.
In today's Gospel, when does the soul receive the grace that enable them to rise up to the supernatural level? When God loves you....even before you exist. And as God continues to love you as long as you 'remain in His Love.' As long as you remain humble, obedient to Christ's commands and as long as you love your neighbour as explained by St. Thomas of Aquinas, (which is possible only for souls who have reached the spirituality of Easter) you have the grace to remain in the supernatural level. You are a contemplative.
The moment you become proud (consult St. Bernard's degrees of humility and pride) you have not remained in God's love, you loose the grace, you return to earth and become totally ignorant of supernatural Catholic truths. You are a spiritually dead member of the Church. Such members do not go to heaven. They receive greater punishment from God, because 'it whom much is given much will be demanded.'
For God to love you, for God to give you grace that will raise you up to the supernatural level, you don't have to do anything spiritual.
For God to continue to love you, to continue to give you graces, you will have to remain in the love of God by obeying the commandments of Christ as enumerated in the New Testament or to be humble or to love your neighbour as Christ has loved you.
See, everything is God's intervention. And that is how He was doing everything from the very beginning of creation; but which the institutional church forgot, sometime before the Council of Trent......and which the institutional church have not remembered up the very present. Because to remember is, also, possible only with the grace of God, Christ kept on reminding His apostles in these last Gospels.
'I am a worm and no man,' says the Psalm. So let us first view the plan of salvation from our point view. And this is what we discussed in the last post, taken from Ash Wednesday up to the fifth Sunday in Eastertide. It will still end on Pentecost.
We wrote, 'why the Catholic Church cannot be found these days;' because the power to be able to rise from the natural level and go up the supernatural level was omitted in the Plan of Salvation. Therefore, the institutional church remained in the natural level, from long before the Council of Trent up to the present day of the Corona virus which is primarily a wake up call for the totally unspiritual catholic hierarchy.
The true Catholic Church is in the supernatural level. Having remained in the natural level, the present institutional church cannot be found in the present Vatican church, in most of the present dioceses and parishes. Look for it yourselves.
Then we mentioned the fact that God, personally, intervened to continue helping the Church exist. How? The Gospel of the Mass today, Thursday of the 5th Easter week, describes it.
2. The Gospel.
'As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Continue in My love.'
'If you keep My commandments, you shall abide in my love; even as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His Love.
'Keep My commandments that you may abide in My love; and that your joy might be full.'
We have mentioned that the worms eye view of salvation is what the Liturgy taught us from Ash Wednesday, and the lesson will end on Pentecost.
Today the Liturgy teaches us exactly the same plan of salvation from a worms view but presented from a birds eye view. They are the same identical plan. This latter is deeper, more difficult to understand; and like all deeper truths simpler to understand if taken with some degree of Faith. It explains what was written in the previous post; in salvation, God chooses the evangeliser, He chooses the Pope and bishop to lead the soul, and He chooses the soul to be saved.
In the present Corona virus pandemic, it is like saying; God chooses what virus to send, He chooses the countries that will be affected, He chooses the people to be infected, and He chooses the persons who will die or stay alive.
So everybody may really go on with what they were previously doing. Based on the Dogma of Divine Providence, no one can change anything. The virus is a test to see where souls will go; whether the person is going to heaven or to hell. The people who uses the government funds to help feed the hungry go to heaven. The ones who uses the funds to help abortion and bring in illegal immigrants go to hell. It is a matter of using the pandemic to do good or evil.
3. How is a soul saved, from a birds eye view.
First step; God the Father loves God the Son. And God the Son loves a man's soul, even before the soul is born. Clearly, God the Son loves the soul even before the soul does anything good. Even before the soul even exists. God have loved us first. Get that clear.
Second step; with Christ loving us, we receive the power to love ourselves, love God and our neighbour, the way God had loved us. Not the way ordinary man loves. We must love the way God loved us because we have already received the power to love with that Divine way. It is not we who have loved God first. God the Father and God the Son have loved us first. We cannot love God or anybody unless God had loved us first. Husband cannot love their wife, parents their children, children their parents, unless God had loved us first.
Third step; imagine the love God has for you as a spot light. As long as you stay in that spot light, God will continue to love you. He won't stop loving you thus He will continue to give you the power to love God and neighbour, thus you are like a branch attached to the vine and producing 'good fruits' of salvation
Third step; loving you because He has placed you within the spot light He reminds you stay in that spot light, 'Remain in My love.' Don't go out of that round spot light. If you remain within that spot light, I will give you joy and your joy will be complete here on earth and in the next life.
4. 'Remain in My love.'
God have loved you, creature; thus He gave you the power to love God in return and love all your neighbour. Now, Christ warns you to 'remain in My love.' What does it mean to remain in His love. Who does God continue to love? 'I love the humble and I hate the proud. I love Jacob and I hate Essau,' God said.
To remain in the 'spot light' so that God will continue to love you consist in remaining 'humble.' To posses any, or better still, all the 12 degrees of humility. If you are humble, you will be remaining in the love of God. If you remain humble, God will continue to love you thus empowering you to love God and your neighbour continuously and with great joy.
Christ said it in another way; You will remain in My love if you keep My commandments.' The command of Christ is ' to be meek and humble of heart.' All the commands of Christ are acts of humility and charity.
So to remain in the love of Christ, i.e. so that Christ will continuously love you, be humble, obey the commands of Christ or love your neighbour. These mean the same thing.
5. Who do not remain in the 'love of God?'
The proud, those who are disobedient to His commandments as found in the New Testament, those who do not love their neighbour.
When you do NOT remain in 'the love of God,' by being proud, you, on your own, leave the spot light, you leave the 'love of God.' Though God continue to love, His love is no longer on you. You will loose your joy and heaven.
6. What went wrong with the institutional church from, before the Council of Trent, up to the present? They remained in the natural level, they were unable to rise up to the supernatural level, the level of the true Catholic Church. Because they were unable to receive the grace necessary to rise up to the spiritual level. Why? They did not pray according to the teaching of Christ as found in the New Testament. They became self-sufficient, the essence of pride.
In today's Gospel, when does the soul receive the grace that enable them to rise up to the supernatural level? When God loves you....even before you exist. And as God continues to love you as long as you 'remain in His Love.' As long as you remain humble, obedient to Christ's commands and as long as you love your neighbour as explained by St. Thomas of Aquinas, (which is possible only for souls who have reached the spirituality of Easter) you have the grace to remain in the supernatural level. You are a contemplative.
The moment you become proud (consult St. Bernard's degrees of humility and pride) you have not remained in God's love, you loose the grace, you return to earth and become totally ignorant of supernatural Catholic truths. You are a spiritually dead member of the Church. Such members do not go to heaven. They receive greater punishment from God, because 'it whom much is given much will be demanded.'
For God to love you, for God to give you grace that will raise you up to the supernatural level, you don't have to do anything spiritual.
For God to continue to love you, to continue to give you graces, you will have to remain in the love of God by obeying the commandments of Christ as enumerated in the New Testament or to be humble or to love your neighbour as Christ has loved you.
See, everything is God's intervention. And that is how He was doing everything from the very beginning of creation; but which the institutional church forgot, sometime before the Council of Trent......and which the institutional church have not remembered up the very present. Because to remember is, also, possible only with the grace of God, Christ kept on reminding His apostles in these last Gospels.
Tuesday, May 05, 2020
DEATH IS ALL OVER THE PLACE. Tuesday of the 4th Easter Week.
1. Thousand deaths here and there.
World wide it would be more than a hundred thousand deaths during this pandemic. It could be one of us or a loved one. It could be a bishop or a priest. The news showed so many caskets in a USSR burial ground and New York common grave. The lack of a more decent burial ground is immaterial. What is the status of the soul at death is the utmost importance for the Catholic Church.
Almost all the preparations during this pandemic is directed to preserving the lives of the bodies. No preparation is done for the soul before death. In the Catholic doctrine on death, there is nothing a soul can do when he dies since judgment immediately follows. In fact, as Christ said judgment occurs even when the person is still alive. Those who do not believe are already condemned, while those who believe are saved.
Of course, if the unbeliever repents while still alive he can still be saved. While, if the believer loses his charity and faith, he can still be lost. The actual state of the soul when death occurs is what matters most. Except that one cannot really prepare at the last hour. It is still possible but almost impossible unless God intervenes.
It does not matter how we die or when we die. But we must die as sheeps of christ.
2. The Gospel for Tuesday of the fourth weekday of Easter.
The Jews have heard the words of Christ and have seen His miracles. That is more than enough to make them believe that Christ was God and man; and therefore He is the Messiah.
But in today's Gospel, the same Jews are still asking for more proofs from Christ that He is truly the Messiah. All the possible proofs had been given them. And Christ said so. He had given them all the possible proofs and they still did not believe.
What Christ had given the Jews is the same that is required from us all to have the proper disposition to receive from God the grace of Faith that leads to everlasting life.
The Jews, still, did not believe. And they were asking for more proofs. Even if Christ gave an eternal list of proofs, the Jews would not believe because the proofs were not the defects. What was the defect? Christ said; 'because you are not My sheep.' If you are not a sheep of Christ, no proof is possible to make you believe.
3. Seminaries and theological schools give ample proofs of Christ humanity and Divinity.
And like the Jews who have receive countless proofs, it is possible that those seminarians who become future priest, bishops, cardinals and even future Popes, do not believe. Not because of the lack of professors, books, lectures, theology degrees, etc. But because they are not the sheeps of Christ.
How come they are not the sheep of Christ? Because you do not hear My voice, I do not know you and you do not follow Me.
4. Who are the sheeps of Christ?
St. Thomas of Aquinas described the sheeps of Christ as those who know all His commandments as enumerated in the New Testament; there are more than 80 of them from the Gospel of St. Matthew, though they can be reduced, to the nearly impossible to define, two general commands of Charity, love of God and neighbour. And they must be observed as interpreted by the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholic Church. These writings are the declared official interpretation of Sacred Scriptures. Scriptures cannot be interpreted in any other way, not even by the Pope.
Like the wise man who built his house on rock, any soul who knows the commandments of Christ as enumerated in the New
testament AND puts them into practice as interpreted by
Tradition is a sheep of Christ.
When they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd they immediately believe with supernatural Faith. Otherwise they will not recognise the voice of the shepherd and will not believe even if the entire Scriptures is read to them and the entire writings of the Fathers is memorised by them.
5. What makes them sheep?
The unbelieving Jews heard and saw what the first apostles heard and saw. How come the Jews did not believe while the apostles believed except Judas. Because God, Himself, open the minds of the believers to believe with supernatural Faith. It is God who infuses the theological virtue of Faith in the soul. Nobody else can do that. Not the seminary professor, not the theologian, not the preacher, not even the Pope. God alone can reveal the truths to the soul. 'It is My Father who revealed it to you.' Christ told Peter upon recognising Him as Man and God.
6.The rewards of the sheeps of Christ.
Christ promised the sheep that they will have eternal life. They will never perish. Neither shall any man or devil pluck them out of My hand. That is an assurance of salvation for all the true sheeps of the true Good Shepherd.
World wide it would be more than a hundred thousand deaths during this pandemic. It could be one of us or a loved one. It could be a bishop or a priest. The news showed so many caskets in a USSR burial ground and New York common grave. The lack of a more decent burial ground is immaterial. What is the status of the soul at death is the utmost importance for the Catholic Church.
Almost all the preparations during this pandemic is directed to preserving the lives of the bodies. No preparation is done for the soul before death. In the Catholic doctrine on death, there is nothing a soul can do when he dies since judgment immediately follows. In fact, as Christ said judgment occurs even when the person is still alive. Those who do not believe are already condemned, while those who believe are saved.
Of course, if the unbeliever repents while still alive he can still be saved. While, if the believer loses his charity and faith, he can still be lost. The actual state of the soul when death occurs is what matters most. Except that one cannot really prepare at the last hour. It is still possible but almost impossible unless God intervenes.
It does not matter how we die or when we die. But we must die as sheeps of christ.
The Jews have heard the words of Christ and have seen His miracles. That is more than enough to make them believe that Christ was God and man; and therefore He is the Messiah.
But in today's Gospel, the same Jews are still asking for more proofs from Christ that He is truly the Messiah. All the possible proofs had been given them. And Christ said so. He had given them all the possible proofs and they still did not believe.
What Christ had given the Jews is the same that is required from us all to have the proper disposition to receive from God the grace of Faith that leads to everlasting life.
The Jews, still, did not believe. And they were asking for more proofs. Even if Christ gave an eternal list of proofs, the Jews would not believe because the proofs were not the defects. What was the defect? Christ said; 'because you are not My sheep.' If you are not a sheep of Christ, no proof is possible to make you believe.
3. Seminaries and theological schools give ample proofs of Christ humanity and Divinity.
And like the Jews who have receive countless proofs, it is possible that those seminarians who become future priest, bishops, cardinals and even future Popes, do not believe. Not because of the lack of professors, books, lectures, theology degrees, etc. But because they are not the sheeps of Christ.
How come they are not the sheep of Christ? Because you do not hear My voice, I do not know you and you do not follow Me.
4. Who are the sheeps of Christ?
St. Thomas of Aquinas described the sheeps of Christ as those who know all His commandments as enumerated in the New Testament; there are more than 80 of them from the Gospel of St. Matthew, though they can be reduced, to the nearly impossible to define, two general commands of Charity, love of God and neighbour. And they must be observed as interpreted by the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholic Church. These writings are the declared official interpretation of Sacred Scriptures. Scriptures cannot be interpreted in any other way, not even by the Pope.
Like the wise man who built his house on rock, any soul who knows the commandments of Christ as enumerated in the New
testament AND puts them into practice as interpreted by
Tradition is a sheep of Christ.
When they hear the voice of the Good Shepherd they immediately believe with supernatural Faith. Otherwise they will not recognise the voice of the shepherd and will not believe even if the entire Scriptures is read to them and the entire writings of the Fathers is memorised by them.
5. What makes them sheep?
The unbelieving Jews heard and saw what the first apostles heard and saw. How come the Jews did not believe while the apostles believed except Judas. Because God, Himself, open the minds of the believers to believe with supernatural Faith. It is God who infuses the theological virtue of Faith in the soul. Nobody else can do that. Not the seminary professor, not the theologian, not the preacher, not even the Pope. God alone can reveal the truths to the soul. 'It is My Father who revealed it to you.' Christ told Peter upon recognising Him as Man and God.
6.The rewards of the sheeps of Christ.
Christ promised the sheep that they will have eternal life. They will never perish. Neither shall any man or devil pluck them out of My hand. That is an assurance of salvation for all the true sheeps of the true Good Shepherd.
Sunday, May 03, 2020
Saturday of 3rd Easter weekday. THE MOST COMMON REASON FOR LOST OF FAITH . "This is a Hard saying.'
1. This is a hard saying.
The commands of Christ in the New Testament are very hard sayings. The Old Testament are easy saying and meant for all to obey. The New Testament commands starts with easy command and gradually become more difficult both to understand and obey. But they are nothing compared to the reward received for obeying them. Besides there is always a super abundant supply of graces for soul to understand and obey those more difficult commands.
2, Today's Gospel.
Christ had just finished the multiplication of the bread miracle and emphasised the need for being spiritual and not just remaining in the natural or corporal level.
After the multiplication of the bread the people were impressed by the miracle and were willing to follow Christ as long as they get free food all the time. Christ tells them that in the New Testament and in following Him, they must always be in the spiritual level.
Christ tells them He does not intent to be feeding them only physically. He is to rise up and feed them spiritually. They must eat His flesh. The crowd could not rise up from the mere physical level and follow Christ to the spiritual level.
They used their inability to understand that caused their unbelief to no longer walk with Christ and return back to their old way of life. From following Christ, they went back to the world. St.Thomas writes, they went back to be subjects of Satan in his kingdom , the world.
3. Christ was faced by two groups of people.
The believers and the unbelievers. The unbelievers stopped following Christ and went back to their former way of life, a worldly life. How come they stopped following Christ? Because they were unbelievers. Why were they unbelievers because they were following Christ for the wrong reason. For food.
Because they were unbelievers they could not understand the spiritual message of Christ on how to eat His flesh. St. Thomas wrote; to understand they must believe. They could not understand how to spiritually eat His flesh because they did not believe. They did not believe because God the Father did not draw them to Christ. God did not draw them to Christ because they were not humble; they had not repented perfectly.
Having either little Faith or no Faith at all they easily found reason to be unbelievers and no longer follow Christ; they returned to following Satan in his kingdom, the world.
Unbelievers find two reasons for not following Christ; first, they do not like what Christ said like prohibition on family planning proclaimed by Pope Paul VI. Or they find the teachings of Christ hard to obey like going home selling all your things and giving it to the poor and then follow Christ. This is the easiest and first command of Christ in the New Testament......which is very hard for the whole mankind. Well, just see the next commandments.
Then Christ looked at the believers and asked them; 'will you also leave Me?' And St. Peter answered; 'Lord, if we leave You, to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life.'
This is the only reason why believers are believers. They follow Christ for only one reason; because they are certain that Christ's words lead them to everlasting life. And no one else is doing that.
If we follow the Fathers and doctors of the Church, it is because they write about nothing else except how to interpret correctly the teachings of Christ on how to attain everlasting life.
4. Almost the whole mankind have abandoned Christ for these two reason; first, they do not like Christ's teachings, so they return to being subjects of the world. Secondly, they find Christ's teachings very hard so they subject themselves to the enslavement of the devil in the world which is much harder.
First, the rule mankind follows these days is 'ME first.' My will first.' God's Will can wait later. An example of the first is the teaching on 'family planning.' Pope Paul VI forbade family planning. This is a teaching of the Church from the beginning because it is a command of Christ. In fact, based on the teaching of Christ, even natural family planning is a sin, which many Catholics do not know. How come Catholic practice family planning and even late-term abortion. Because they like the sin. They do not like the teachings of Christ forbidding family planning and even natural family planning.
The second excuse for giving up one's Faith is more common,
because it is too hard. In fact, all the teachings and commandments of Christ in the New Testament is not only too hard; Christ said it is impossible to learn them, to understand them and to obey them. This was the complain of the apostles. What's Christ's answer? For men it is impossible but not for God. With the gift of grace from God, nothing is impossible.
For only these two reasons, today, there is no Faith in the world as Pope Benedict had previously noted. For many reason, but more commonly for the two above reasons.
5. Consequences.
First, if a soul dislikes one teaching or command of Christ and rejects it, this is equivalent to giving up all the teachings and commands of Christ. The soul ends up completely devoid of knowledge of both the teachings and commands of Christ,i.e. a return to zero knowledge.
If you give up a saying or command of Chris because it is too hard, the soul, also, ends up completely devoid of spirituality; back to zero. This is the common occurrence why everybody had simply become Faithless so suddenly. To die in this state is to lose one's soul.
The commands of Christ in the New Testament are very hard sayings. The Old Testament are easy saying and meant for all to obey. The New Testament commands starts with easy command and gradually become more difficult both to understand and obey. But they are nothing compared to the reward received for obeying them. Besides there is always a super abundant supply of graces for soul to understand and obey those more difficult commands.
2, Today's Gospel.
Christ had just finished the multiplication of the bread miracle and emphasised the need for being spiritual and not just remaining in the natural or corporal level.
After the multiplication of the bread the people were impressed by the miracle and were willing to follow Christ as long as they get free food all the time. Christ tells them that in the New Testament and in following Him, they must always be in the spiritual level.
Christ tells them He does not intent to be feeding them only physically. He is to rise up and feed them spiritually. They must eat His flesh. The crowd could not rise up from the mere physical level and follow Christ to the spiritual level.
They used their inability to understand that caused their unbelief to no longer walk with Christ and return back to their old way of life. From following Christ, they went back to the world. St.Thomas writes, they went back to be subjects of Satan in his kingdom , the world.
3. Christ was faced by two groups of people.
The believers and the unbelievers. The unbelievers stopped following Christ and went back to their former way of life, a worldly life. How come they stopped following Christ? Because they were unbelievers. Why were they unbelievers because they were following Christ for the wrong reason. For food.
Because they were unbelievers they could not understand the spiritual message of Christ on how to eat His flesh. St. Thomas wrote; to understand they must believe. They could not understand how to spiritually eat His flesh because they did not believe. They did not believe because God the Father did not draw them to Christ. God did not draw them to Christ because they were not humble; they had not repented perfectly.
Having either little Faith or no Faith at all they easily found reason to be unbelievers and no longer follow Christ; they returned to following Satan in his kingdom, the world.
Unbelievers find two reasons for not following Christ; first, they do not like what Christ said like prohibition on family planning proclaimed by Pope Paul VI. Or they find the teachings of Christ hard to obey like going home selling all your things and giving it to the poor and then follow Christ. This is the easiest and first command of Christ in the New Testament......which is very hard for the whole mankind. Well, just see the next commandments.
Then Christ looked at the believers and asked them; 'will you also leave Me?' And St. Peter answered; 'Lord, if we leave You, to whom shall we go. You have the words of eternal life.'
This is the only reason why believers are believers. They follow Christ for only one reason; because they are certain that Christ's words lead them to everlasting life. And no one else is doing that.
If we follow the Fathers and doctors of the Church, it is because they write about nothing else except how to interpret correctly the teachings of Christ on how to attain everlasting life.
4. Almost the whole mankind have abandoned Christ for these two reason; first, they do not like Christ's teachings, so they return to being subjects of the world. Secondly, they find Christ's teachings very hard so they subject themselves to the enslavement of the devil in the world which is much harder.
First, the rule mankind follows these days is 'ME first.' My will first.' God's Will can wait later. An example of the first is the teaching on 'family planning.' Pope Paul VI forbade family planning. This is a teaching of the Church from the beginning because it is a command of Christ. In fact, based on the teaching of Christ, even natural family planning is a sin, which many Catholics do not know. How come Catholic practice family planning and even late-term abortion. Because they like the sin. They do not like the teachings of Christ forbidding family planning and even natural family planning.
The second excuse for giving up one's Faith is more common,
because it is too hard. In fact, all the teachings and commandments of Christ in the New Testament is not only too hard; Christ said it is impossible to learn them, to understand them and to obey them. This was the complain of the apostles. What's Christ's answer? For men it is impossible but not for God. With the gift of grace from God, nothing is impossible.
For only these two reasons, today, there is no Faith in the world as Pope Benedict had previously noted. For many reason, but more commonly for the two above reasons.
5. Consequences.
First, if a soul dislikes one teaching or command of Christ and rejects it, this is equivalent to giving up all the teachings and commands of Christ. The soul ends up completely devoid of knowledge of both the teachings and commands of Christ,i.e. a return to zero knowledge.
If you give up a saying or command of Chris because it is too hard, the soul, also, ends up completely devoid of spirituality; back to zero. This is the common occurrence why everybody had simply become Faithless so suddenly. To die in this state is to lose one's soul.
Friday, May 01, 2020
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER. Friday in 3rd Easter Week. FAITH CAN EASILY BE LOST.
1. St. Joseph the Worker.
We have just read in the past Masses what is the 'Work of God.'
'Opus Dei,' in latin. In the Rule of St. Benedict, 'Opus Dei' is the Divine Office; the prayer recited by monks seven times a day starting with Matins and ending with Compline. It is supposed to be the official prayer of the Catholic Church. In the Gospels, the 'work of God' is that 'you believe;' that a soul , through a life of repentance, acquire the disposition to receive the theological virtue of Faith. And upon receiving this virtue from God, the soul's free will cooperates with God's grace to perfect Faith. The 'work of God' is acquiring and perfecting the theological virtue of Faith.
St. Joseph the worker is a feast commemorating Joseph as one who does the 'work of God,' i.e. perfecting his Faith while caring for Jesus and Mary. While physically caring for Mary and Jesus, Jesus, in turn, was perfecting the Faith of Joseph. The fact that Joseph was a carpenter is incidental. What is important is that he was doing a spiritual job, the 'work of God,' i.e. perfecting his Faith. That is what we must imitate in commemorating his feast today.
2. The Gospel.
Christ had arrived into his own country and taught in their synagogue. He taught with wisdom and with mighty works. His town mates wonder isn't this the carpenter's son, whose mother is Mary and his brothers James, Joses, Simon and Judas? Aren't his sister with us.
And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
3. True Faith.
The theological virtue of Faith is acquired directly from God. It goes this way; the soul must learn with mind and heart ALL that Christ said and All that Christ did from Divine Revelation (i.e. from Scriptures and Tradition.) Then God the Father teaches the soul the mystical meaning of all that he had leaned. The Father draws the soul to the Son with this gift. Having learned from the Father, the soul, now, has perfect Faith.
Signs that the soul has perfect Faith is he will receive the theological virtue of Charity from God. And he will not forget anything that Christ said and did. Remember that the last defect in the Faith of the apostles that Christ was correcting on Easter is that they forget what He said that He would rise from the dead on the third day. Forgetfulness. Imagine we who forget half of what Christ said and did. Or worse, we never knew half of what Christ said and did.
4. Obstacles to having the beginnings of Faith and perfecting the same Faith.
The Gospel for today states that Christ could not teach and could not perform miracles in his own town because of their unbelief.
Man needs the grace of God to know the truths and commands of Christ. Upon receiving these graces, God the Father teaches the soul from the first easy truth and command; and progresses in teaching the more difficult truths and commands. God, also, enables the soul to believe the truths and obey the commands.
St. Thomas of Aquinas gives these two ascetical rules;
first, if a soul hears a teaching of Christ and could not understand it and so withholds his belief, Christ will not teach him the next truths. And Christ will withdraw any truths the soul had previously learned. The soul ends knowing nothing. Second, if a soul learns a command of Christ and does not obey it because he does not like it, then Christ will not teach him the next command he needs to obey to progress in the spiritual life. And Christ will remove knowledge and the ability to obey what ever command the soul had previously learned and obeyed. The soul returns to zero.
The above rules are based on what St. James wrote in his letter; that disobedience to one command of Christ is disobedience to all the commands of Christ. If someone disobeys the first of God's 10 commandment by worshipping an idol as the Vatican bureaucracy is doing by worshipping mother earth, the same have also committed adultery, lying, murder, fornication, stealing, etc.
If someone disobeyed the first command of the New Testament which was given by Christ to the young rich man and extensively discussed by St. Pope John Paul II in his splendid encyclical 'Splendor Veritatis,' the same have disobeyed all the commands of Christ in the New Testament, St. James wrote.
St. Augustine added the same principle applying it on doctrines. He who commits a heresy on a doctrine on the New Testament is committing heresy against all the doctrines of the New Testament. This is based on the teaching of St. James that all the doctrines and commands of God are interconnected with one another that going against one is going against all.
5. Conclusion
Because most of mankind do not believe in many of the teachings of Christ and do not obey many of the commands of Christ, Christ cannot teach them anything and cannot perform any wonders......because of their unbelief. And that is the state of the whole world today. Having committed the sin of unbelief, Christ have not taught them anything and Christ have not perform any miracles for them. This explains the almost total ignorance of Catholic dogma and morals among the clergy and as a consequence amongst the laity. Can we blame the rest of the non-Catholic world?
Even if Christ would want to teach mankind dogma and morals He cannot because of the great unbelief. God is not teaching in seminaries and theological schools because of their unbelief. Why? Because of man's prevailing highest degree of pride, God the Father is not drawing any soul to Christ. God loves the humble and hates the proud; He loves Jacob and hates Esau.
With an imperfect Faith or worse with a weak Faith or no Faith such state of Faith can easily be lost. With a mere question from a house maid St. Peter lost his Faith. With a light storm the apostles lost their Faith. With all the prevailing temptations, chastisements, problems, sins, etc, and with a little fear of a microscopic virus, it is noticeable that mankind have lost its Faith. Only perfect Faith enlivened with Charity can survive. And it is a work of God on those who have repented perfectly.
5. Conclusion
Because most of mankind do not believe in many of the teachings of Christ and do not obey many of the commands of Christ, Christ cannot teach them anything and cannot perform any wonders......because of their unbelief. And that is the state of the whole world today. Having committed the sin of unbelief, Christ have not taught them anything and Christ have not perform any miracles for them. This explains the almost total ignorance of Catholic dogma and morals among the clergy and as a consequence amongst the laity. Can we blame the rest of the non-Catholic world?
Even if Christ would want to teach mankind dogma and morals He cannot because of the great unbelief. God is not teaching in seminaries and theological schools because of their unbelief. Why? Because of man's prevailing highest degree of pride, God the Father is not drawing any soul to Christ. God loves the humble and hates the proud; He loves Jacob and hates Esau.
With an imperfect Faith or worse with a weak Faith or no Faith such state of Faith can easily be lost. With a mere question from a house maid St. Peter lost his Faith. With a light storm the apostles lost their Faith. With all the prevailing temptations, chastisements, problems, sins, etc, and with a little fear of a microscopic virus, it is noticeable that mankind have lost its Faith. Only perfect Faith enlivened with Charity can survive. And it is a work of God on those who have repented perfectly.
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