Message to The Stressed from Covid-19

I cannot recommend more the following letter I received from our Chaplain where I am employed. It reminds me of Pope St. JPII!

April 19, 2020 Divine Mercy Sunday
Dear Marian Sisters and Brothers,

Happy Easter! I write this letter to you from our Chapel in the Rectory and am entrusting each one of you to Jesus through the intercession of His Blessed Mother. He is Risen! Today, He brings to us the fruit of His passion, death and Resurrection … Mercy. Blood and water poured forth from the heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, soak it in on this beautiful feast day.

I chose to write a letter, and not record a video because the exercise of putting thoughts to paper allows a person to really pour himself into the message. And writing a letter before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament creates an intimate space for both you and me. As I write each sentence to you, the Lord is able to interact with me and what you read reflects my own relationship with Jesus; this relationship is the foundation for my priesthood. But the context for which the relationship gets to bear fruit is with those Jesus has allowed me to serve, you. Therefore, this letter is not stagnant. It isn’t meant to be read in a vacuum. It’s an organic expression of yours and my participation in the Mystical Body of Christ that surpasses time and space. Prayer for each other is the vehicle for service. We are connected by the Holy Spirit, the Love of Jesus. So, my brother, my sister in Christ, let me serve you now.

How are you doing? I hope you are doing well and if so praise Jesus. But if you are struggling know you are not alone. Whether it be a physical, emotional or spiritual pain, I hurt with you; offer it to Jesus. What has you anxious? What robs your hope? What thoughts of fear or anger occupy your mind? What is the source of your frustration, your restlessness, your uncertainty? What makes you feel not needed, alone, loss of purpose? These questions may not have solutions until this tragic situation is resolved. Or maybe you don’t want a “fix” but rather just to express your pain and be heard. Know that Jesus hears you! And it is in His words we find comfort:
“It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” Deuteronomy 31:8
“Cast all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you.” 1Peter 5:7
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand.” Isaiah 41:10

There is definitely a great “desolation” on our community, state, country and world. St. Ignatius describes desolation as: feelings of anguish, loneliness and despair. There is a feeling that hope has been lost, God is far away, and it will never end. However, he goes onto say that feelings don’t always reflect reality. In desolation, God is very close to us, even if we can’t “feel” His presence. Hope is still rooted in Jesus and is attainable. And most importantly, St. Ignatius tells us that desolation always ends! So today be uplifted! Be filled with joy, because Jesus offers us His mercy. The Catholic Encyclopedia describes mercy as the virtue which allows us to have compassion for another and to alleviate their misfortune. Jesus’ mercy is more active in today’s world than ever before because we are in greater need of it. Jesus tells St. Faustina “proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy…My daughter, have fear of nothing; I am always with you. You are my dwelling place and constant repose”. It is so easy to be hurt with our circumstances today, but remember that God is still in control and even more so, is with us.

Right now, our boat is being tossed about by the waves of the world’s storm. The effects of the virus and the shutdown rage against our meager vessel and it seems like Jesus is asleep. We fear drowning, just as the Apostles feared it (Matthew 8: 23-27) and we cry out to Jesus to save us. “Jesus wake up…don’t you care we are drowning?” The Good Lord looks at us mercifully. He senses our fear, He knows we are empty and at our wits end. His heart feels the anguish that overwhelms ours and He is moved with compassion. With a gentle reproach He strengthens us, “Why are you afraid? Don’t you know I am with you?” His face is all tenderness. Mercy and empathy radiate out of him and we can see ourselves reflected in His eyes as He gazes on those He loves most. But then His face changes. There is resolute purpose. The tenderness in His eyes is gone and all we can see is a fire that blazes. Before we know what to think, Jesus has turned to face the raging waters assaulting our boat. He seems to have become larger than life and with a voice that could tear the sky in two, He says to the storm, “QUIET, BE STILL!” All becomes calm, all is peaceful. God’s Spirit is on us and all is in harmony. We feel joy return and we wonder how we ever could have doubted. We look at Jesus and see Him peering at us, holding us in His gaze…He says our name, and we know He will be with us always. This is the Lord of Mercy…trust in Him.
I miss you all and am looking forward to the day we can all be together again. Until then, know of my continued prayers. Please, email me or leave a voicemail if you need prayers or support. Also, keep an eye on our live streamed masses, daily email hugs and confession opportunities for support and for reception of God’s merciful grace!

May the Lord of all Consolation bless you abundantly!

Fr. Dom

Comments

This video of a young boy twerking at Pride has homophobes outraged | Gay Star News

DANCING WITH MR. D: This video of a young boy twerking at Pride has homophobes outraged | Gay Star News : 'via Blog this'

Are We in a War?

Power Line POSTED ON NOVEMBER 22, 2020 BY JOHN HINDERAKER IN DEMOCRATS , LIBERALS , SOCIALISM FIGHTING WORDS, BY DAVID HOROWITZ Our friend David Horowitz wrote this essay, which he titled “Fighting Words.” It is a call for freedom-loving Americans to fight back against the totalitarian Left. By now it should be obvious – even to conservatives – that we are in a war. It is a conflict that began nearly fifty years ago when the street revolutionaries of the Sixties joined the Democrat Party. Their immediate goal was to help the Communist enemy win the war in Vietnam, but they stayed to expand their influence in the Democrat Party and create the radical force that confronts us today. The war that today’s Democrats are engaged in reflects the values and methods of those radicals. It is a war against us – against individual freedom, against America’s constitutional order, and against the capitalist engine of our prosperity. Democrat radi...

Libido Redux Explained

When I read for the first time Pope Paul VI's 1972 “Smoke of Satan” homily, I was intrigued by his reference to the human sex drive as one way Satan can seek the ruin of souls. The sexual decadence of popular culture—in music, television, and videos—is only the most obvious manifestation. But let us consider from the standpoint of Catholic moral teaching the evils of fornication, adultery, cohabitation, divorce, bearing children outside wedlock and homosexual sex. Controlling these sins, living chastely, is a basic Catholic moral value. But I blog on these because, even as the social and economic results from these practices becomes ever more obvious and serious, priests and laity seem determined to ignore talking of them. No parish today seems willing to admonish or rebuke someone because of sexual misconduct, this in spite of the reality that it is precisely these sins that are wreaking havoc throughout society. Just what are social consequences of uncontrolled libido? For...

On the Spirit of the Liturgy

Defending the papacy of Benedict XVI vs . the New York Times (!), Randall B. Smith has written : Like his predecessor before him, Benedict effectively carried on the authentic reforms of the Second Vatican Council, as opposed to the false “reforms” that so often led the Church astray in the post-conciliar period. A cardinal archbishop told an audience recently that the liturgy was so abused in the early seventies when he was in seminary that the faithful seminarians would say about the ersatz masses being done by their elders: “Everything in them changes but the bread and wine.” Benedict, by contrast, did a great deal to help realize the original intentions of the liturgical reformers. Given that the lex orandi (the law of praying) is intimately intertwined with the lex credendi (the law of believing)—which is another way of saying that what we pray is what we believe—reforming the liturgy has always been an absolutely essential way of helping...

VATICAN III?

New York Times best-selling author and Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Regina Brett has issued a call for Vatican III . She says the Church needs true renewal. I agree that She does need true renewal, the best explanation of which is set down in Vatican II's call to personal holiness, yet to be acknowledged by a majority of Catholics in the U.S. at present (hence the Year of Faith!). Brett writes: " Instead of renewing our faith by returning to the fundamentals of church teachings, why not open our minds to a new church? It's been 50 years since Vatican II renewed the church and helped it face the modern world. The world has only gotten more modern. The Catholic Church hasn't." Just how will this produce true renewal? The New Evangelization is about true renewal, and the first step toward personal holiness. She also recites the familiar " God speaks, not only through popes, bishops and priests, but through ordinary p...

"The Spirit of Vatican II"

My advice to one confronted with doubt sown by those who make reference to “correct interpretations of Vatican II” is to reflect closely upon the words of John Paul II: With the Council, the Church first had an experience of faith, as she abandoned herself to God without reserve, as one who trusts and is certain of being loved. It is precisely this act of abandonment to God which stands out from an objective examination of the Acts. Anyone who wished to approach the Council without considering this interpretive key would be unable to penetrate its depths. Only from a faith perspective can we see the Council event as a gift whose still hidden wealth we must know how to mine . In short, it is this abandonment, this interpretive faith perspective that is woefully lacking in many who would offer to explain what the Council taught in “the spirit of Vatican II.” Watch here to see what abandonment looks like!

Tolkein, Paul VI, and the Devil

In 1941, Tolkien wrote a masterful letter to his son Michael, dealing with marriage and the realities of human sexuality. The letter reflects Tolkien's Christian worldview and his deep love for his sons, and at the same time, also acknowledges the powerful dangers inherent in unbridled sexuality. From the letter: This is a fallen world…. the dislocation of sex-instinct is one of the chief symptoms of the Fall. The world has been 'going to the bad' all down the ages. The various social forms shift, and each new mode has its special dangers: but the 'hard spirit of concupiscence' has walked down every street, and sat leering in every house, since Adam fell….The devil is endlessly ingenious, and sex is his favorite subject. He is as good every bit at catching you through generous romantic or tender motives, as through baser or more animal ones. Tolkien advised his young son that the sexual fantasies of the 20th century were demonic lies, intended to ensnare u...

Dancing With Mr. D: Grooming the Little Children

A former pro-transgender activist said she regretted her previous work in pro-transgender activism, adding she felt she was "indoctrinated" on gender ideology in an interview with Fox News Digital. "I started to realize that what I had been doing at my job at the LGBT Center, it was grooming," Kay Yang, a former employee of a location in New York, said. Grooming in this context means "to get into readiness for a specific objective." Kay works as a 'deprogrammer' to help parents and children who have been 'indoctrinated' by the 'cult-like' transgender agenda. Yang herself previously went by they/them and worked as a 'trans educator' in schools for years. Listen to her testimony.

What [the] Hell???

Dr. Kreeft has dashed off a worthy piece for Christians to muse: Hell PETER KREEFT The hell with hell! says the modern mind. Of all Christianity's teachings, hell is certainly the least popular. Non-Christians ignore it, weak Christians excuse it, and anti-Christians attack it. Some, like Bertrand Russell in his famous essay "Why I Am Not a Christian", argue that because Jesus clearly taught it, he was not a good moral teacher. (Russell's essay, by the way, makes fine devotional reading for a Christian. My college roommate was about to lose his faith until he read it; he said to me, "If those are the arguments against Christianity, I'd better be a Christian.") Why do we believe there's a hell? Not because we're vindictive. "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord." Why, then? Simply because we've been told, by Christ himself. There's a popular fallacy that Jesus spoke only comforting words and that...

On the Gender Identity Phenomenon

“When will the Catholic Church come into the twenty-first century?” is a sentiment often expressed in the media these days, suggestive of a set of issues that are known to Christians : same-sex “marriage,” contraception, and divorce (to name only a few). Because the teachings of the Church on these subjects are at odds with the increasingly secular culture, non-Catholics—and even many Catholics—are left frustrated, even angry as to why the Church doesn’t finally come to the same conclusions as does the secular worldview. Historically, since the Enlightenment western secular culture has presumed (erroneously) that we are progressing slowly toward a perfected humanity. They believe that, given enough time, willpower, money, technological advancements, and scientific breakthroughs, it is believed that we will be able to dig our way out of our brutal past pockmarked by wars, poverty, disease, and social injustice to arrive at a just society. Another presumption ...

Search This Blog