Posted on 09/22/2014 6:55:29 AM PDT by marshmallow
I was on the bus today and on the seat in front of me was a Muslim women in a headscarf with three young boys and a baby, she was gently telling one of the boys to stop sulking, whilst feeding the baby and chatting and laughing with the others. On the sideways row of seats was another mother dressed in western clothes chatting on her phone and rather noisily telling off her daughter for making a mess with the chocolate she was eating. In fact she was more interested in fixing up a date for this evening with a friend. I know I shouldn't have been listening but it was impossible not to. Her shopping seemed to be mainly bottles. The first mother was relaxed with her children and seemed to enjoy them, the other seemed to find her daughter a bit of trial.
I've been thinking about that phrase in the marriage ceremony about 'welcoming children'. It is interesting that so many of the early Fathers speak of hospitality as an important virtue for Bishops, it seems to be one of the virtues our Holy Father wants in bishops and priests, being welcoming.
I went to Bishop Schneider's Mass at Ramsgate some months ago, I was made very welcome by the Parish Priest, as usual and by the other clergy attending and I had several invitations to lunch, which, as I had some parishioners with me and lunch was in restaurants. I refused because I knew some couldn't afford it. My last invitation was from Dominic, the director of music. He invited me back to his parents house but I explained I had five parishioners with me, so I couldn't. His reply, "Oh bring them along, I'm taking the choir anyhow, my mother is used to catering for large numbers!" I think there are thirteen in the family, they are one of those large Catholic families that not only welcome the children God gave them but also their children's friends, and anyone else God sends them. They have certainly had a priest or two staying with them for extended periods. What I love about families like that is the sense of abandonment to God's will, which I am convinced is really behind the Church's teaching, not just on marriage and celibacy but on the spiritual life.
Another of my parishioners met a very nice French girl, who was just different, she took him home to meet her family, her parents and ten younger brothers and sisters, immediately he wanted what they had. He been thinking about becoming a Catholic but it was the encounter with her family that seems to have been main reason for his conversion. They had their wedding a few weeks ago in Paray le Monial, celebrated in the Old Rite by an Archbishop a family friend. In fact both these families are attached to the Old Rite. A real Catholic family is a great evangelical sign when it is truly the 'domestic Church'.
The interesting thing is, of course, that most Catholics have the national average number of children and practically all of the responses to the pre-Synod questionnaire demonstrate that Catholics are really unaffected by Catholic teaching on marriage and sexuality etc, in fact many, including sadly bishops and priests identify, themselves by their opposition to this very teaching.
Having more than the average, 1.7 or 1.8 children, is often the preserve of the wealthy today, the cost for many is prohibitive, or at least frightening. The choice for children is counter-cultural, a choice against many of the values of what has become mainstream western culture. It needs a stable marriage for a start, it also has serious financial implications, it involves the mother choosing not to work, accepting different roles in the family.
For most Muslims, unlike Catholics, it is not a difficult choice, and yet 'welcoming children' has serious political and economic implications. Not welcoming children has meant the necessity of immigration, simply because we are not replacing our population or producing the number of people we need for industry. In fact we tend to treat poorer nations as a source of trained, educated workers in the same way as we might treat the as a source of other raw materials. Not welcoming children has been the cause of gender confusion, the commodification of sexuality, a trivialisation and narrowing of our understanding of the family, and a cruder and rougher society.
I get the impression children are part of our society on sufferance, that they are seen not as the natural result of the love of two people but 'chosen' and 'planned'. Now we can speak of children 'being wanted', as if there is a possibility in God's plan of a child being anything other than a gift or a result of God's good providence. If in our society children were a natural result of the committed love of a man and women, children themselves might grow up with the understanding that they will naturally themselves become parents sooner rather than later. In reality parenthood itself is not now normative, rather than being something which happens in the late teens or early twenties and being the reason for home and family and labour, it is often now the last significant thing that happens before retirement.
Human loving has changed, it is not seen in terms of protecting and nurturing but in terms of personal satisfaction or even personal happiness. Protecting and nurturing is the mark of unselfish adult love. 'Love' in the Gospel is about moving from self to the other, to God and one's neighbour. The family, is or should be the school of loving and a place of human maturing and flourishing.
My hope for the Synod is that it is really about is welcoming children, as important as other issues are, fundamental to everything is children. The fact they they have not figured greatly so far in pre-Synod discussions indicates how the Church has itself become as contracepting as the average Catholic family or the rest of society.
He did so because, when human beings are involved, nothing is certain. It is wisdom in his framing of words. Cardinal Burke has great wisdom and courage.
Quite frankly, anyone can make such assertions, and a team of spiritual directors steeped in the Kasper style of theology, for instance, would lend zero credence to this person's claims.
Once again, quoting from his website: "Well, I don’t doubt that spiritual beings can take different physical forms when visiting us. With me, however, Gabriel has always appeared as a fairly tall, lanky man – almost awkwardly lanky. He has nut-brown hair that he often wears in absurd styles…but I guess they have different styles in heaven than we do here. When I tease him about it he just gives me a crooked grin. People ask me if he appears with wings. No, but, once when he was very briefly angry with me, he swelled up in a most intimidating fashion. While I don’t recall seeing wings, I felt them in a strange way…but then I was very focused on his rare displeasure with me." http://charliej373.wordpress.com/about/
One who considers such tripe evidence of a "genuine gift of the Spirit" would be wise to revisit God's Word without delay:
"For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders, insomuch as to deceive (if possible) even the elect."
"And no wonder: for Satan himself transformeth himself into an angel of light."
We need to pray for discernment, although in the case of the writer in question, his bizarre statements clearly speak for themselves.
And what truth is that SumProVita?
In other words, he is a nut-bar.
mmmkay.
The Truth taught by the Catholic Church. ;-)
We need to pray for discernment..
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I have to doubt that you have done so given your immediate rejection of the possibility of Mr. Johnson’s gift. What he has written gives NO indication at all that he follows the thinking of Cardinal Kasper or any cleric who would flirt with serious changes. As a matter of fact, he fully supports all doctrine taught by the Church. I have also noted that he supports many of the good bishops and Cardinals that I admire and pray for....precisely because they pursue holiness and give good and wise care to their flock.
I have the truth of the Catholic Church. Would you like to make this more personal than you already have?
Gift??? Seriously??? The man claims to converse with an angel called Gabriel, who appears to him in a variety of goofy hairstyles and a "crooked grin"!!! Enough said.
He is either delusional, a charlatan, or demonically manipulated. Ditto any "spiritual director" who encourages him to publish his blatherings, and a Catholic claiming orthodoxy while supporting such nonsense is also suspect (or perhaps a friend, relative, or the "visionary" himself.)
Over the last week I have written vigorously in defense of the orthodoxy of Pope Francis and Cardinal Dolan
That's all I need to know about Mr. Johnson.
I hear you.
Careful...careful...How is it that YOU know for certain that this man is “delusional, a charlatan, or demonically manipulated?” How is it that you can be so certain that God would not do this? How many have made the same type of judgments regarding the great saints? How can you be so sure that it is mere “nonsense” that has nothing to do with God?
That’s pretty shallow and grossly taken out of context. Read all he has had to say as well as others who comment on the website as well. I admire the calm and firm faith of many of those who comment there.
No it’s not. He defends these two as being “orthodox” Catholics despite their unorthodox comments and actions. I have NO respect for someone who can continue to defend such comments and actions. I have even less respect for someone who can quote such a person to reprimand others and/or accuse others.
He has certainly not defended all they have done. He made it quite clear that there were questions regarding certain statements made. He does not, however, malign them nor judge their motives. He has carefully weighed their statements against the corrupted interpretation of the so-called journalists and the bulk of what they have done, which is solid. It’s of no use to discuss this anymore because you have already made up your own minds....for better or worse. Time will tell as it always does. I will speak no further about it. I will simply leave you with a few of Mark Mallet’s thoughts for today, the feast of our dear, St. Padre Pio:
On this memorial of St. Pio, a man who constantly battled with Satan and those in the Church who opposed his mystical gifts, let us examine our hearts in the light of his wisdom so that we can truly enter the peace of Christ who says again to us today:
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27)
Peace is simplicity of spirit, serenity of mind, quietness of soul, and the bond of love. Peace is the order, the harmony within us. It is the continuous contentment that comes from the testimony of a clear conscience. It is the holy joy of a heart in which God reigns. Peace is the road to perfection—or rather, perfection is found in peace. The devil, who knows all of this quite well, applies all his efforts to make us lose our peace. Let us be on high alert against the least sign of turmoil, and as soon as we notice we have fallen into discouragement, let us have recourse to God with filial confidence and complete abandonment of ourselves to him. Every instance of turmoil in us is very displeasing to Jesus, because it is always connected to some imperfection in us that has its origin in egotism or self love. —Padre Pio’s Spiritual Direction for Every Day, Gianluigi Pasquale, p. 202
May our Father bless you and yours.
The faithful are not required to believe the boasts of someone who claims to commune with an angel (a manifestation sporting a bad haircut and a crooked grin who is reminiscent of a cartoon character!) nor have there been any great saints who have made such ludicrous claims. Very sad that some are credulous enough to be taken in by this sort of nonsense.
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