The Radical Catholic

Heavenly Father,

I thank you for loving me. I thank

you for sending your Son, Our Lord

Jesus Christ, to the world to save and

to set me free. I trust in your power

and grace that sustain and restore me.

Loving Father, touch me now with

your healing hands, for I believe that

your will is for me to be well in mind,

body, soul and spirit.

Cover me with the most precious blood

of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ

from the top of my head to the soles

of my feet. Cast anything that should

not be in me. Root out any unhealthy

and abnormal cells. Open any blocked

arteries or veins and rebuild and

replenish any damaged areas.

Remove all inflammation and cleanse

any infection by the power of Jesus’

precious blood. Let the fire of your

healing love pass through my entire

body to heal and make new any

diseased areas so that my body will

function the way you created it to

function. Touch also my mind and my

emotion, even the deepest recesses of

my heart.

Saturate my entire being with your

presence, love, joy, and peace and draw

me ever closer to you every moment of

my life. And Father, fill me with your

Holy Spirit and empower me to do

your works so that my life will bring

glory and honor to your holy name. I

ask this in the name of the Lord Jesus

Christ.

Amen.

1. If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze! -St. Catherine of Sienna

2. This is the very perfection of a man, to find out his own imperfections. -St. Augustine

3. To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often. -Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman

4. He who climbs never stops going from beginning to beginning, through beginnings that have no end. He never stops desiring what he already knows. –St. Gregory of Nissa

5. Let us begin in earnest to work out our salvation, for no one will do it for us, since even He Himself, Who made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves. -St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

6. It was pride that changed angels into devils; it is humility that makes men as angels. -Saint Augustine

7. To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible. -St. Thomas Aquinas

8. Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you. -St. Augustine of Hippo

9. Pray, Hope, and Don’t Worry
-St. Pio of Pietrelcino

10. You must ask God to give you power to fight against the sin of pride which is your greatest enemy – the root of all that is evil, and the failure of all that is good. For God resists the proud. -St. Vincent de Paul

11. Pray as though everything depended on God. Work as though everything depended on you. -St. Augustine

12. Love to be real, it must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self. -Mother Teresa

13. To love God is something greater than to know Him. -St. Thomas Aquinas

14. We are to love God for Himself, because of a twofold reason; nothing is more reasonable, nothing more profitable. -St. Bernard of Clairvaux

15. It is not hard to obey when we love the one whom we obey. -St. Ignatius of Loyola

16. You cannot be half a saint; you must be a whole saint or no saint at all. -St. Therese of Lisieux

17. The most powerful weapon to conquer the devil is humility. For, as he does not know at all how to employ it, neither does he know how to defend himself from it. -Saint Vincent de Paul

18. Teach us to give and not count the cost. -St. Ignatius de Loyola

19. Charity is no substitute for justice withheld – St. Augustine

20. The source of justice is not vengeance but charity. -Saint Bridget of Sweden

21. Fortitude is the disposition of soul which enables us to despise all inconveniences and the loss of things not in our power. –St. Augustine

22. I know well that the greater and more beautiful the work is, the more terrible will be the storms that rage against it. -St. Faustina

23. Moreover, Christians are born for combat, whereof the greater the vehemence, the more assured, God willing, the triumph: ‘Have confidence; I have overcome the world’ (John 16:33) –Pope Leo XIII

24. Temperance is a disposition that restrains our desires for things which it is base to desire. –St. Augustine

25. Our body has this defect that, the more it is provided care and comforts, the more needs and desires it finds. –St. Teresa of Avila

26. If you would rise, shun luxury, for luxury lowers and degrades. -St John Chrysostom

27. Dost thou hold wisdom to be anything other than truth, wherein we behold and embrace the supreme good? –St. Augustine

28. Let your old age be childlike, and your childhood like old age; that is, so that neither may your wisdom be with pride, nor your humility without wisdom. -St. Augustine

29. God gives each one of us sufficient grace ever to know His holy will, and to do it fully. -St. Ignatius of Loyola

30. Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that thou mayest believe, but believe that thou mayest understand. –St. Augustine

31. Understanding is the sure and clear knowledge of some invisible thing. –St. Bernard

32. Thus understanding and love, that is, the knowledge of and delight in the truth, are, as it were, the two arms of the soul, with which it embraces and comprehends with all the saints the length and breath, the height and depth, that is the eternity, the love, the goodness, and the wisdom of God. –St. Bernard

33. Listen and attend with the ear of your heart -St. Benedict

34. We judge all things according to the divine truth. – St. Augustine

35. A scrap of knowledge about sublime things is worth more than any amount about trivialities. –St. Thomas Aquinas

36. In so far as divine love beautifies our souls. And makes us pleasing to His divine Majesty, it is called grace; in so far as it gives us strength to do good, it is called charity; but when it reaches such a degree of perfection, that it makes us not only do the good, but do so carefully, frequently and readily, then it is called devotion. –St. Francis de Sales

37. Charity and devotion differ no more, the one from the other, than the flame from the fire. –St. Francis de Sales

38. Devotion is a certain act of the will by which man gives himself promptly to divine service. –St. Thomas Aquinas

39. It is better to say one Our Father fervently and devoutly than a thousand with no devotion and full of distraction. — St. Edmund

40. For I have learnt for a fact that nothing so effectively obtains, retains and regains grace, as that we should always be found not high-minded before God, but filled with holy fear. –St. Bernard

41. We must fear God out of love, not love Him out of fear.
-Saint Francis de Sales

42. Our hearts were made for You, O Lord, and they are restless until they rest in you.
-St. Augustine

43. The fruits of charity are joy, peace, and mercy; charity demands beneficence and fraternal correction; it is benevolence; it fosters reciprocity and remains disinterested and generous; it is friendship and communion: Love is itself the fulfillment of all our works. There is the goal; that is why we run: we run toward it, and once we reach it, in it we shall find rest. –St. Augustine

44. Charity brings to life again those who are spiritually dead. –St. Thomas Aquinas

45. Charity is the form, mover, mother, and root of all virtues. –St. Thomas Aquinas

46. Joy is a net of love by which we catch souls.
-Mother Teresa

47. Joy is very infectious; therefore, be always full of joy. –Mother Teresa

48. Let the brothers ever avoid appearing gloomy, sad, and clouded, like the hypocrites; but let one ever be found joyous in the Lord, gay, amiable, gracious, as is meet. –St. Francis

49. But above all preserve peace of heart. This is more valuable than any treasure. In order to preserve it there is nothing more useful than renouncing your own will and substituting for it the will of the divine heart. In this way his will can carry out for us whatever contributes to his glory, and we will be happy to be his subjects and to trust entirely in him. -St Margaret Mary Alacoque

50. Who except God can give you peace? Has the world ever been able to satisfy the heart?
-Saint Gerard Majella

51. Patience is the companion of wisdom. –St. Augustine

52. Be kind to all and severe to thyself. –St. Teresa of Avila

53. To convert somebody go and take them by the hand and guide them. -St. Thomas Aquinas

54. Be a good child, and God will help you. -St. Joan of Arc

55. To attribute to God, and not to self, whatever good one sees in oneself; but to recognize always that the evil is one’s own doing, and to impute it on one’s self. –St. Benedict

56. This, in short, is the difference between us and others who know not God, that in misfortune they complain and murmur, while the adversity does not call us away from the truth of virtue and faith, but strengthens us by its suffering. –St. Cyprian

57. Nothing appeases an enraged elephant so much as the sight of a little lamb. –St. Francis de Sales

58. When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time. –St. Francis de Sales

59. He who can preserve gentleness amid pains, and peace amid worry multitude of affairs, is almost perfect. –St. Francis de Sales

60. For Faith is the beginning and the end is love, and God is the two of them brought into unity. After these comes whatever else makes up a Christian gentleman. –St. Ignatius of Antioch

61. Faith means battles; if there are no contests, it is because there are none who desire to contend. –St. Ambrose

62. Faith does not quench desire, but inflames it. –St. Thomas Aquinas

63. A faint faith is better than a strong heresy. –St. Thomas More

64. It is not the actual physical exertion that counts toward a man’s progress, nor the nature of the task, but the spirit of faith with which it is undertaken. -St. Francis Xavier

65. The dress of the body should not discredit the good of the soul.  St. Cyprian

66. The purpose of clothing is to keep warm in winter and to cover your nakedness, not to serve your vanity.  St. Cyril of Jerusalem

67. He who is chaste in flesh should not be proud, for he should know that he owes the gift of continence to another. –Pope St. Clement I

68. I thought that continence was a matter of our own strength, and I knew that I had not the strength: for in my utter foolishness I did not know the word of Your Scripture that none can be continent unless You give it. –St. Augustine

69. Great are those two gifts, wisdom and continence: wisdom, forsooth, whereby we are formed in the knowledge of God; continence whereby we are not conformed to this world. –St. Augustine

70. Do not say that you have chaste minds if you have unchaste eyes, because an unchaste eye is the messenger of an unchaste heart. –St. Augustine

71. Let nothing trouble you, let nothing frighten you. All things are passing;God never changes. Patience obtains all thing. He who possesses God lacks nothing; God alone suffices. —St. Teresa of Avila

72. “Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace.  The gift of grace increases as the struggle increases.”  St. Rose of Lima

73. “I distrust a charity that costs nothing and does not hurt.” Pope Francis

74. “Let no one mourn that he has fallen again and again: for forgiveness has risen from the grave!”  St. John Chrysostom

75. “Mary, who is the Virgin Most Pure, is also the Refuge of Sinners.  She knows what sin is, not by the experience of its fall, not by tasting its bitter regrets, but by seeing what it did to her Divine Son.” Venerable Fulton Sheen

76. “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort.  You were made for greatness.”  Pope Benedict XVI

77. “To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it.” G.K. Chesterton

78. “A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God.” St. Faustina

79.“Know that the greatest service that man can offer to God is to help convert souls.” St. Rose of Lima

80. “To be tempted is a sign that the soul is very pleasing to the Lord.” St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina

Today, 03/21/2020 we face an extraordinary time and situation. Unprecedented in the history of the world. Never before had mankind experienced anything like Coronavirus19. In the past, when we faced something like this as a world of humans, travel, and communication were in no way as developed as today. This is both a blessing and a curse. The Chinese plague has now covered almost the whole world.

This is an unprecedented time in the history of the world. God made you to be here at this time and place. He has some specific work for you, something that He made before the world for you, and you alone to do. There is nothing random about you being born and alive today. You are here for a reason, to be a saint. God created you to be a saint, but not just any saint. These are very extraordinary times, and you are called to be an extraordinary saint.

People a thousand years from now will look back at the history of this time and say, how did they manage to keep their faith, help their brothers, and pray? Mass was suspended, churches were closed, the faithful could not receive the Sacraments, how did they become saints?

This is our time, our call, our work. To become the saints we were created to be. To set the world on fire with our love for our brothers and sisters.

Let everyone who sees us, knows us or encounters us in this time of disruption and worry know we are Christians by our love and compassion.

Today is the Feast of St. Francis of Assie. But I have this story about St. Pio (Padro Pio). So I thought everyone might like this, also it is supposed to be spread throughout the world to help all with their faith in Almighty God.

 

Over the years, stories of the extraordinary miracles of St Padre Pio have spread from east to west, transforming the hearts and minds of many who hear of his phenomenal gifts, graces, powers, and unwavering faith.

But one story remains unsung: the story of St Padre Pio and young Brian.

This moving story was originally written by the late Anne McGinn Cillis in her book excerpt, Brian: The Marvellous Story of Padre Pio and a Little Anglican Boy.

McGinn was one of Padre Pio’s spiritual daughters and a Canadian Catholic writer.

The power of relentless prayer

Young Brian was born to John and Maureen, a married Anglican couple living in Liverpool, England. Shortly after his birth, Brian was baptized a Christian in the Anglican church. He was always a joyful and vibrant child.

However, when Brian was two years old, life took an unexpected turn for this family.

During a two-week family vacation, Brian began looking fatigued and weak. Eventually, the cause of Brian’s declining health was discovered: Brian had leukemia and only 6 months left to live.

Distressed and filled with utter anguish, Brian’s mother turned to prayer and frantically began asking her friends to pray for her son.

After praying the ‘Our Father’ and learning how to say the ‘Hail Mary’ for the first time, Brian’s mother made one final plea.

“Pat,” she said to an old girlfriend, “is there ANYBODY else we can pray to, as well?”

“Pray to Padre Pio,” she said. It was 1971, and even though Padre Pio had died in 1968, stories of his miracles were spreading like wildfire.

“Who is Padre Pio?” Maureen asked. But her friend simply responded, “Just pray”.

Despite barely knowing anything about Padre Pio, Brian’s family turned to this great saint, stigmatic monk and miracle-worker, desperately seeking his powerful intercession.

The Mysterious Visitor

One night, Brian received an unexpected visitor. As the weeks passed, Brian repeatedly spoke of an unknown man regularly visiting him. But no one saw a man.

Eventually, Maureen was contacted by her good friend’s brother, Eddie, who was a seminarian from the Oblates of the Virgin Mary at San Vittorino near Rome. He heard about Brian’s mysterious encounters and wanted to speak with the child.

“Brian, perhaps you should ask the man his name the next time he comes,” Eddie once told Brian.

And so, he did.

One day, Brian’s mother asked her son about whether he discovered the stranger’s name and Brian responded, “Oh yes … He said that his name is Padre Pio.”

“He has a long brown dress on, and he has holes in his hands and his feet,” Brian explained.

From this point onwards, the beautiful aroma of incense permeated their entire house.

Brian’s deepened faith & the shining locket

For a young boy, Brian’s growth in faith was tremendous: he developed a powerful devotion to Our Lady and the Crucifix–two of St. Pio’s great devotions.

“Mommy, I love you more than anybody else in the whole world,” Brian once told his mother, “But I love My Lady even more.”

One day, with the permission of Brian’s parents, Eddie took the child to a Franciscan Monastery. The moment Brian saw a large Crucifix in the corner of the Church, he was drawn to that very spot and began to contemplate the mysteries of Christ’s Passion in detail.

“When those evil men crucified Jesus, Eddie, did they go around to the back of the Crucifix, and knock the nails over, just to make it hurt more?” Brian asked.

For a three-year-old, Brian could grasp the cruelty of Christ’s agony with such detail–a gift given to certain mystics throughout the centuries. Brian was completely wrapped in God’s love.

On another occasion, Maureen’s friend, Pat, gave little Brian a plastic statue of Our Lady of Lourdes that was filled with holy water. Soon after, Brian asked his mother for the golden locket around her neck so that he could put it around the neck of the statue.

“Mommy, please give me that locket. I want it for My Lady,” Brian said.

The golden locket would usually sparkle during the day and glow during the night.

Despite Brian’s father’s many attempts to move the statue around the room to assess whether it was merely the way the light hit the locket, it would always shine.

Brian put to the test

One day, Eddie decided to put Brian to the test by showing him two pictures of Capuchin friars and an image of Padre Pio to identify whether or not it was Padre Pio visiting the child.

Brian did not recognize the two Capuchin friars presented before him, but as soon as he stumbled upon the image of St Padre Pio, he was filled with immense joy: “That’s the man, Eddie! That’s the man who comes to see me! That’s Padre Pio!” he exclaimed.

One day, when Brian was with Eddie, they came across a family who had been praying for Brian. Unknown to anyone else in the room, a seventeen-year-old girl who heard of Brian’s story quietly thought to herself, “If he really is seeing Padre Pio, have him kiss the Crucifix.”

And for no reason at all to anyone present in the room, Brian went to the table, picked up the Crucifix and kissed it.

Young Brian’s fearlessness in the face of death

Brian was a beacon of hope and source of inspiration to many other fellow children battling leukemia.

His steadfast strength and perseverance shocked his doctors. One doctor said, “Mrs. D., something or someone is keeping the child alive. He certainly should be dead.”

During Brian’s final weeks, he distributed hundreds of Miraculous Medals to those around him.

For young Brian, death was merely the gateway to the shores of eternity. The more the three-year-old boy’s health deteriorated, the closer he felt to Christ and the more passionately he spoke about Our Lady.

“Mommy, you are going to have to ask God for another little boy,” Brian once said, “Padre Pio has told me that he is coming very soon now to take me to My Lady.”

When little Brian was on his agonizing death bed in his last days, one of his final requests was that the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes be moved closer to where he could see her.

Falling on her knees and totally surrendering to God’s will, Brian’s mother said, “Jesus, if You really want him, then I give him to You. But just give me a sign!” Just after, two beams of light converged on Brian, who took his last breath and died peacefully.

Although young Brian’s life was short, this small boy reached the heights of holiness at the young age of three.

Through Brian’s miraculous encounters with St. Padre Pio, this child developed a profound appreciation of Christ’s sacrifice for us on Calvary and sought constant protection under the mantle of Our Blessed Mother.

In the words of Anne McGinn Cillis, the original author of this powerful story, may little Brian’s story “go forth, throughout the entire world, in all languages, as a testimony in these wicked times, of faith in miracles, of swift answers to prayer, of the efficacy of devotion to the great Mother of God and as a pledge of the undoubted existence of a luminous hereafter.”

 

I hope you enjoyed this and my God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit bless and keep you.

 

pro Gloria Dei

I ran across this creed, completely by accident, on twitter. Someone asked why the Athanasian Creed was dropped from being recited at Mass. At the time I had no idea what the Athanasian Creed even was, had never read it or anything about it.

Apparently, before the 1968 changes to the Mass, this creed was recited during Mass; according to the source I have. A good article about this is at: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02033b.htm

Here is the creed. On just a very rudimental reading, not really studying it in any detail, it really sounds like something we should recite at Mass. Although it does have the flavor of Vatican II, which is good.

Athanasian Creed,

Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic Faith. Which Faith except every one do keep whole and undefiled, without doubt, he shall perish everlastingly. And the Catholic Faith is this, that we worship one God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity. Neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the Substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost. But the Godhead of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Ghost is all One, the Glory Equal, the Majesty Co-Eternal. Such as the Father is, such is the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father Uncreate, the Son Uncreate, and the Holy Ghost Uncreate. The Father Incomprehensible, the Son Incomprehensible, and the Holy Ghost Incomprehensible. The Father Eternal, the Son Eternal, and the Holy Ghost Eternal and yet they are not Three Eternals but One Eternal. As also there are not Three Uncreated, nor Three Incomprehensible, but One Uncreated, and One Incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty, and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet they are not Three Almighties but One Almighty.

So the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet they are not Three Gods, but One God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son Lord, and the Holy Ghost Lord. And yet not Three Lords but One Lord. For, like as we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every Person by Himself to be God and Lord, so are we forbidden by the Catholic Religion to say, there be Three Gods or Three Lords. The Father is made of none, neither created nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone; not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Ghost is of the Father, and of the Son: neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding.

So there is One Father, not Three Fathers; one Son, not Three Sons; One Holy Ghost, not Three Holy Ghosts. And in this Trinity, none is afore or after Other, None is greater or less than Another, but the whole Three Persons are Coeternal together, and Coequal. So that in all things, as is aforesaid, the Unity in Trinity, and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He, therefore, that will be saved, must thus think of the Trinity.

Furthermore, it is necessary to everlasting Salvation, that he also believe rightly the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right Faith is, that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and Man.

God, of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and Man, of the substance of His mother, born into the world. Perfect God and Perfect Man, of a reasonable Soul and human Flesh, subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His Manhood. Who, although He be God and Man, yet He is not two, but One Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into Flesh, but by taking of the Manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by Unity of Person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one Man, so God and Man is one Christ. Who suffered for our salvation, descended into Hell, rose again the third day from the dead. He ascended into Heaven, He sitteth on the right hand of the Father, God Almighty, from whence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead. At whose coming to all men shall rise again with their bodies, and shall give account for their own works. And they that have done good shall go into life everlasting and they that have done evil into everlasting fire. This is the Catholic Faith, which except a man believe faithfully and firmly, he cannot be saved.

Things the Devil doesn’t want me to do. Or what causes the most spiritual opposition in my life.

1) Knights of Columbus activities. Pretty much anything I do with the Knights. Even if it is something as simple as transcribing the minutes from the last meeting, all the way to a major event. Especially the weekend of the Rosary before Mass.

2) Praying the Novena; Nine Sundays in honor of the Divine Child Jesus.

3) Prayer and Adoration offered as intercession for certain individuals; specifically, when offering for our next Bishop, my sister-in-law and her boyfriend, and now even for my wife and kids.

4) Prayer and praise groups.

The spiritual opposition has changed since I first realized what it was and what was going on. When that happened I got really angry and took some drastic action. Since then the spiritual attacks have become much more subtle, subversive.

But whether it is an all-out frontal assault, or, as Saint Teresa of Avail says in her Inner Castle, the little annoying lizards, not too gross or bad when there are only one or two, but when they come from, many. many are coming and soon you are covered with thousands of tiny demons. It is still a spiritual assault. Ment to strangle you spiritually and render you useless in the service of God.

For a long time, I was embarrassed by the moral teaching of the Catholic Church. Like many people, maybe most Catholics, I made excuses for our moral teachings and at other times outright admitted to not believing them. I can recall more than one conversation about the sexual teachings of the Church, as outlined in Saint Pope John Paul’s II’s The Theology of the Body, where I tried to sidestep all the questions, leaving me and the person questioning me both a little frustrated.

Honestly, now I regret all this very much. I underwent a spiritual conversion, really an awaking, then, about three and a half months later I had a moral conversion. Since then I have totally accepted all the teachings of the Catholic Church. The moral teachings outlined in Humanae Vitae and reaffirmed in Veritatis Splendor are timeless and beautiful. I wish someone would have hit me over the head with them 25 years ago and made me learn them, accept them, and believe them then. My life would be much different, although now I see that God is leading me, I often wonder where I would be if I would have surrendered my will to Him back then.

Blessed Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “Moral principles do not depend on a majority vote. Wrong is wrong, even if everyone is wrong, and Right is right even if no-one is right.”

Really, I don’t see how I could not have believed the moral teachings before, except for the fact that the Bible has many verses, at least seven or eight, Old and New Testament, that talk about being blinded by sin. At that time I really was in mortal sin all the time. My sin literally blinded me to the moral truth. What I couldn’t understand then, seems painfully obvious now, unmistakable.

Yes, I know, I am going all over the place with this post, but, just one more little rant. Reading the Bible I came upon Matthew 5:14-16  and then I read Matthew 16: 15-20. Now, if you take Jesus at his word, and not call Him a lier, then there is only one conclusion you can draw from these verses. The Catholic Church was founded by Jesus, set on the Rock, Peter the first Pope, and Pope Francis is his direct successor. The Catholic Church is the Church Jesus founded, or you are calling Him a liar. Plain and simple.

Frequent Confession

An observation from the other evening, honestly, this is an observation I have had almost three or four times a month for at a year or more. That confession, penance, or reconciliation, whatever you call it, is not well attended by average church-going Catholics. The laity who sit in the church for Mass every Sunday, and most Holy Days, do not, as a whole, frequent the sacrament of confession. I know that for many years I was like this, going years between confessions. Not only that but to be completely and brutally honest about everything, I may never have made a really good confession, my entire life, confessing all know mortal sins. Until October 2016.

Only after my experience with the risen Jesus on Monday, October 3, 2016, did I begin to realize the necessity and urgency of complete, or as completely as you can remember, and frequent confession. Since then I have heard more than one Priest say, “one unconfessed mortal sin will send you to hell for eternity.“ Jesus himself, speaks more about the reality of hell and the eternal suffering of souls than it is spoken of in the Old Testament.

So, while on pilgrimage or retreats I hear much about frequent and sincere confession, and it is offered almost constantly, at home our parish priest never speaks about this. In fact, he has discouraged me, and others, from what he terms, “to frequent confession.” I have even had another priest, now retired, tell me, “anyone who goes to confession more than once or twice a year is probably scrupulous.” So, for me, I usually drive an hour to another parish and kneel in the confessional there two or three times a month. Which is fine for me, it is inconvenient but not impossible. I just wonder; however, about people who can’t drive, or who don’t have cars, or who don’t have a way to seek out other options for confession. I personally know two people who have left the parish over the issue of confession.

At my parish and most places in the Diocese, I think, you never hear the reality of hell preached on Sunday, or even at daily Mass. If hell is never spoken, then sin is probably spoken of even less and the sacrament confession is never spoken of in a homely. At my parish, Father is in the confessional one hour week or by appointment in his office. My experience has been that it usually takes a week to ten days when you call and try to make an appointment with him. In casual conversation with the parish secretary, Father’s office is not over-run with parishioners seeking confession by appointment and my experience is there is never a line for confession at the regular times.

Of course, if you don’t preach it, no one will come. However, I have heard other priests say that if you preach sin and reconciliation then there will be lines at the confessional. Yet, I still hear priests complaining that they sit in the confessional and no one comes. Well, I might ask, when was the last time you preached about sin, hell, or confession?

If you are at all interested in the state of your immortal soul, then frequent confession is absolutely necessary. Here are some, not all, but some quotes from the Holy Father and the Bishops on their feeling about frequent confession. And I will leave you with this; Bishop Fulton Sheen once said that no man can survive in this modern world without frequent confession. St. John Paul II often went to confession two or three times a week as did St Teresa of Calcutta.

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“especially prayer sacrifice and the sacraments…In this respect, the false reformers of former days are even surpassed by their modern followers. These letters, wearing the mask of religiosity, discredit and dispose of these means of salvation, especially the two sacraments which cleanse the penitent soul from sin and feed it with celestial food. Let every faithful pastor, therefore, employ the utmost zeal in seeing that the benefits of such great value be held in the highest esteem. Let them never permit these two works of divine love to grow cold in the hearts of men.” (Pius X, encyclical Editae steppe, May 26, 1910)

“Since the opinions expressed by some about frequent confession are completely foreign to the Spirit of Christ and his immaculate Spouse and are also most dangerous to the spiritual life, let those, therefore among the younger clergy who make light of or lessen esteem for frequent confession realize that what they are doing is alien to the Spirit of Christ and disastrous for the Mystical Body or our Savior.” (Pius XII, encyclical Mediator Dei, November 20, 1947)

“Stirred by the example of the Cure’ of Are, let all directors of souls see to it that they devote themselves generously and be equipped with the proper knowledge to this duty of such great importance, since it is here particularly that the divine mercy emerges victorious over human malice, and here that, freed from their sins, men are reconciled with God. These same men should also remember the ‘with very serious words’ our predecessor of happy memory, Pius XII, reproved the opinion of those who belittle the frequent use of the sacrament of Penance when it is a  matter of venial sin…And likewise, we are completely confident that priests, before others, will faithfully obey the prescription of canon law which commands them piously and at definite times to receive themselves the sacrament of Penance which is so necessary for the attainment of holiness. We are esteem for and make use of those urgent exhortations which this same predecessor of ours more than once imparted ‘with sorrowful soul.’ “ (John XXIII, encyclical Sacerdotii nostril primordial, August 1, 1959)

“it is very desirable for bishops and other pastors of souls to promote zealously more frequent use of the sacrament of Penance, and to promote extraordinary works of penance for the sake of expiation and impetration…” (Paul VI, apostolic constitution Paenitemini February 17, 1966)

“Therefore, religious, (teaching sisters included) in their desire to strengthen in themselves union with God, should strive to receive the sacrament of Penance frequently, that is twice a month. Superiors, on their part, should encourage this frequency and make it possible for the members to go to confession at least every two weeks and even oftener if they wish to do so.” (Sacred Congregation for the Religious, Decree on Confession for Religious, December 8, 1970)

“His Holiness also wishes to recall the attention of all—priests, religious, and faithful—the frequenting of this sacrament. There are people, unfortunately, who set little store by frequent confession: but this is not the mind of the Church. The new rite, too, recommends frequent confession, presenting it as a renewed commitment to increase the grace of Baptism, and as an opportunity and a stimulus to conform to Christ more closely and to become more and more docile to the force of the Spirit. (Letter of the Secretary of State, Cardinal Jean violet, to the 26th Italian National Liturgical Week, which opened in Florence on August 25, 1975)

“We believe that conditions in the Church today—in your own diocese and elsewhere—are ripe for a more diligent and frequent use of the sacrament of Penance…Not without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit was this practice introduced in the Church. (Paul VI, address to the bishops of New York State during their ad limina visit, April 20, 1978)

Be radical, crazy, absolutely madly (in the crazy, out of your mind, completely irrational insane way) in love with Jesus Christ. God in infinite, the Absolute, the First and Last, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God loves us infinitely. The only reasonable response to this infinite Love is radical, crazy, absolute love. It is really crazy to love the relative, transitory things of the world with infinite love, in what can only be called idolatry, as it is to Love the Absolute prudently and practically. 

Judas was faced with the real presence of Jesus, God, and man, and he chose to reject Jesus. Judas loved practically and prudently, the way the world says we should; and when it called for radical love and sacrifice, he showed total and infinite love for the world. In the presence of Christ, this prudence is madness. The sacrifice of Christ, God Incarnated, on the cross demands from us nothing less than total, absolute, infinite love, adoration, and devotion. This explains and makes rational the radical, totally irrational love and devotion shown by martyrdom, saints, and all holy people who have given their lives over the centuries for Christ. All the Saints lived this. Heard of any ‘crazy’ Saints that did totally insane things for the Love of God, guess what, they were the sane ones.

What does Christ ask of us, nothing! We are free to choose Him or not, we are free to love Him, or not. Jesus loves us, offers us eternity in total bliss, in unity with The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. How can we refuse his love, such infant goodness, and love. He gave everything to save me from my sins and reconcile me to Himself. How can I offer him less than myself, totally. Everything I have is nothing. The only thing I can offer Jesus that has any worth is my free will. To freely join my will to the Divine Will.

Now there are seven precepts or the Catholic Church. These are the minimal things you do to be Catholic, really to be truly Christian. We should do more, clearly, as I said above, saints certainly do. But this is the minimum. They can be found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Five are in paragraph 2041-2043 and the other two are paragraphs 1031 and 905. They are:

1) Attend Mass on Sunday and holy days of obligation, and rest on those days from our usual work.

2) Confess our sins to a priest at least once a year.

3) Receive Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist at least once a year, during the Easter season.

4) Observe the days of abstinence and fasting.

5) Contribute to the support of the Church.

6) Obey the laws of the Church concerning matrimony.

7) Participate in the Church’s mission of evangelization of souls.

So, how radical are you? Did you eat meat last Friday? Did you eat at all last Friday? When was the last time you miss a meal? Or is giving up your Starbucks coffee a real hardship? How often do you go to the hospital to visit the sick, the prison, or the homeless shelter? When was the last time you had a homeless person over for supper?

Do something the world considers radical, crazy, for God, and He will make radical changes in your life.

Veni Creator

Come, O Creator Spirit blest!

And in our souls take up your rest;

Come with your grace and heavenly aid,

To fill the hearts which you have made.

Great Comforter! To you we cry,

O highest gift of God Most High!

O Fount of Life! O Fire of Love!

And sweet anointing from above.

You in your many gifts are known,

The finger of God’s hand we owe;

The promise of the Father, thou!

Who does the tongue with power endow.

Kindle our senses from above,

And make our hearts overflow with love;

With patience firm and virtue high,

The weakness of our flesh supply.

Drive far from us the foe we dread,

And grant us your true peace instead;

So shall we not, with you for guide,

Turn from the path of life aside.

O may your grace on us bestow

The Father and the Son to know,

And evermore to hold confessed

Yourself of each the Spirit blest.

All glory while the ages run

Be to the Father and the Son

Who rose from death; the same to thee,

O Holy Ghost, eternally. Amen

Pray for our next bishop

I live in the Diocese of Wheeling/Charleston, which covers the whole state of West Virginia. Currently, we do not have a bishop. Our last Bishop, Fr. Michael Brandsfield, resigned at the age of 75, as per canon law. His resignation was immediately accepted and an investigation was opened to possible sexual misconduct.

Honestly, this was not surprising, yet we will leave that for a future discussion. What I want to ask everyone right now, who may read this, is to pray for our next bishop, whoever that may be. Long before any of this took place, about six months I think, I was praying at Adoration and I received an overwhelming impulse to pray for our next bishop. At that time this was puzzling. I was not aware Bishop Bransfield was about to retire or that there were any allegations confronting him. Never-the-less, I have learned to follow and not question these promptings during Adoration, so I prayed for our next bishop, and I began to do this regularly. I failed, however, to ask others to pray for the next bishop which was also part of the prompting. Now, let me impress upon you that this prompting was incredibly strong. It is really not even possible to describe how strong the impulse was to pray for the spiritual well being of the man who will be our next Bishop. And yes this prompting continues, as does a significant spiritual attack. It is quite clear to me that we really need to continue praying for this intention.

In late August I shared my experiences with someone who I greatly respect spiritually. Just after that, another member of the Light of Life prayer group expressed the same prompting and requested that we all pray for our next bishop. About two weeks after this Bishop Brandsfield resigned. That was mid-September.

We still do not have a bishop. Arch Bishop Willian Lori, from the Arch Diocese of Baltimore, has been appointed as our temporary Apostolic administrator. In November a very vague prayer appeared in our Parish bulletin for our next bishop and asking God to send us a bishop. I have several problems with this prayer, not the least of which is that it asks for a bishop to be sent to us, which is not what we should be praying for at all. God is not going to leave us without a shepherd. What we should do is assume a new bishop is on the way, and that he should be anointed by the Holy Spirit and be a bishop who will set our Diocese on fire with Divine Love.

Therefore I have composed a prayer, which is now being broadcast on Light of Life radio, for the next Bishop of the Diocese of Wheeling/Charleston. It appears below. I ask everyone who reads this to read it, pray and repost, as often as possible.

Heavenly Father; we humbly ask that You bless our next Bishop, stretch Your hand over him and protect him from all harm. Anoint him with the Holy Spirit so that he will be a holy man after Your own Heart, fervent and zealous for the Truth, who will live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and set the example that we may do the same. Let him enkindle our hearts and every parish of this Diocese with the Fire of Divine Love. In this and all things we humbly submit ourselves to Your Divine Will.

We ask this in The Most Holy Name of Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, ever virgin, St. Joseph her most chased spouse, and all the angels and saints, Amen.

I borrowed the Fellowship of the Unashamed from the book Catholics, Wake Up, Be a Spiritual Warrior by Jesse Romero. I really like Jesse and his preaching. He is a fellow radical Catholic. A man of the Gospel, not a Beared Man of the Gospel mind you, but a true man of the Gospel non the less. You can find much more about this quote below if you follow the link this link: https://www.gospeltruth.net/unashamed.htm

 

“The Fellowship of the Unashamed

I’m part of the Fellowship of the unashamed. The die has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I’m a disciple of Christ, and I won’t look back, let up, slow down, back away, or be still.

My past is redeemed. My present makes sense. My future is secure. I’m finished with low living, sight walking, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tamed visions, mundane talking, cheap living, and dwarfed goals.

I no longer need preeminence, lavish wealth, position, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, or first, or tops, or recognized, or praised, or rewarded. I live by faith, lean on His presence, walk by patience, live by prayer, and labor by the Holy Spirit’s power. My face is set. My gate is fast. My goal is Heaven. My road may be narrow, my way may be rough, my companions few, but my Guide is reliable and my missions clear.

I will not be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, turned back, deluded, or delayed.

I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice or hesitate in the presence of the adversary. I will not negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.

I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, prayed up paid up and preached up for the cause of Christ.

I am a disciple of Jesus. I must give until I drop, preach until all know, and work until He comes. And when He does come for His own, He’ll have no problems recognizing me. I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed.”

 

I may not live this every day, but I pray that I can and I really give it my best. Only my best for Christ!