Can I please have your prayers and advice?

For the past day or so I've been rather frustrated and extremely disappointed. I have been engaging people in dialogue. Some of them are atheists that hate you and me for the Truth. Others are Catholics thinking of leaving the Church. And others are Protestants insulting the Truth that we hold dear.

On the Catholic Community Forum I was insulted and told I display "contempt, pride, and disobedience."

After all of this I am questioning whether I have made a difference through my Internet work on my blog and on the Forum? Our Lord said that not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the Kingdom of Heaven but only those that do the Father's Will. Am I doing the Father's will here? Am I truly doing His will? I am trying and I just pray that I am doing His will.

I have really been thinking about this lately. And today I read that I display disobedience and pride. I have tried to live humbly this whole past year. In essence, I was told by being called prideful that this past year was a failure.

But, that is worked out now. I forgave that person and she issued an apology. I am thankful to move on.

But, the world really saddens me because it saddens Our Lord. People just don't care. He died on a Cross with unbearable pain and love for each of us. The King of Kings was mocked and beaten with a rod. He was insulted and led off to be Crucified. The man of love who forgave sinners and healed the sick became the man of sorrows.

A few days ago I ran across the horrible site, God is 4 Suckers. I tried desperately to bear witness to the light. I am trying to just sow seeds of faith. And for that I am insulted and ridiculed. I am turned away and pushed aside. For they do not just hate Jesus Christ but all that love Him including myself. But, what hurts me is they hate My Master and Lord. One point I asked them for proof God doesn't exist. After all, atheists claim such a lie. They refused to answer. Of course, because there isn't any! They asked for proof that He does exist and I said this:

I can not prove God’s existence with science because God is above science. Science and creation all point to God but can not explain Him 100%. No one can know God 100%. You have to look at the big picture. And you have to understand love. Then you will truly know God. I speak from experience.

Earlier I said this:

I’ll come right out and say that I can not prove God with science. God is above science as he is the creator of everything. Aside from the great proven miracles of the Eucharist, Marian apparitions, incorruptible saints, miracles proven through the intercession of saints, and others I can offer no proof.

I will let you know that through faith you receive proof. If you honestly believe and trust Jesus then you will receive the proof and feel His presence. I’ve heard this time and time again from atheists that convert to the Catholic Church.

I am not desperate for a crutch. God is my Creator and Master. He is a friend, the greatest of them all. Someone that loved me so much He died my death. Quite honestly if Heaven was not possible I would still praise God. If I knew for sure that I was going to hell no matter what, I would still give Him glory because He is my Creator. Those are my honest words.

I don’t look at life negatively. Just because one thinks about death it doesn’t make life negative. There are countless positive things each day.

For that, they created a post calling us cannibals. They just don't love. This is the real problem in our society - a lack of love. I have discovered that honest love and humility are always lacking in an atheist.

I believe they have banned me from commenting there now. If you do comment there, use caution. Don't speak too fiercely but with "veiled" words because their comment policy is against those that believe in spreading the Gospel.

So, tonight I found two more blogs from Catholics that are thinking of leaving the Church for Episcopalians. Is the entire world turning away from Christ? I ask for your prayers for the bloggers from One Foot in the Boat... and Ramblings from the 4th. Please go there and just be a witness for Jesus Christ and the truth of Our faith. Please help them. Please!

This comes after finding several blogs attacking the Church and Catholics on our policy for condoms. The world just continues to sin and pull further away for Our King! O, how it hurts me! How it hurts to see that Cross and know they tell him each day: "Jesus, I don't care what you did for me." It hurts to know that some people don't love Him. I just pray that they see the Truth so that on the last day we all may be together forever with Him, who is the Light of the World.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light. The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world came to be through him, but the world did not know him. John 1:1-10

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Excommunications

L'Excommunication de Robert le Pieux (The Excommunication of Robert the Pious), a painting by Jean-Paul Laurens.

What is Excommunication?

Excommunication is defined as "An ecclesiastical censure by which one is more or less excluded from communion with the faithful. It is also called anathema, especially if it is inflicted with formal solemnities on persons notoriously obstinate to reconciliation. Two basic forms of excommunication are legislated by the Code of Canon Law, namely inflicted penalties (ferendae sententiae) and automatic penalties (latae sententiae). In the first type, a penalty does not bind until after it has been imposed on the guilty party. In the second type, the excommunication is incurred by the very commission of the offense, if the law or precept expressly determines this (Canon 1314). Most excommunications are of the second type" (Modern Catholic Dictionary by Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.)

Through excommunication, the most serious of all penalties, the excommunicated person is forbidden to "...have any ministerial participation in celebrating the Eucharistic Sacrifice or in any other ceremonies whatsoever of public worship,to celebrate the sacraments and sacramentals and to receive the sacraments, to discharge any ecclesiastical offices, ministries or functions whatsoever, or to place acts of governance (Canon 1331)" Excommunication, aside from those involved in abortion, applies to priests that reveal the sins of penitents (Canon 1388), people that throw away the consecrated bread or wine or keep them for sacrilegious purposes (Canon 1367), or for a heretic, apostate, or schismatic (Canon 1364).

Similar to excommunications are anathemas. See Overheard in the Sacristy for more information. The following is an excerpt from that aforementioned blog:

Ceremony:

While "minor excommunication" could be incurred by associating with an excommunicate, and "major excommunication" could be imposed by any bishop, "anathema" was imposed by the Pope in a specific ceremony described in the Pontificale Romanum. Wearing a purple cope (the liturgical color of penitence) and holding a lighted candle, he, surrounded by twelve priests, also with lighted candles, pronounced the anathema with a formula that concluded with the phrase:

"Wherefore in the name of God the All-powerful, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of Blessed Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the saints, in virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth, we deprive (Name) himself and all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord, we separate him from the society of all Christians, we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth, we declare him excommunicated and anathematized and we judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobate, so long as he will not burst the fetters of the demon, do penance and satisfy the Church; we deliver him to Satan to mortify his body, that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment."

The priests responded: "Fiat, fiat, fiat" (Let it be done), and all, including the pontiff, cast their lighted candles on the ground. A notice is sent in writing to the priests and neighboring bishops of the name of the one who has been excommunicated and the cause of his excommunication, in order that they may have no communication with him. Although he is delivered to Satan and his angels, he can still, and is even bound to repent. The Pontifical gives the form for absolving him and reconciling him with the Church.

The Formula Rite of Excommunication

“[Name of the person], led by the Devil, having abandoned through apostasy the promise he had made at his Baptism, has not feared to ravage the Church of God, steal Church goods and violently oppress the poor of Christ. In our concern over this, we do not desire that he perish because of any pastoral neglect of our own. For before the dread Judgment seat, we will have to render an account to the Prince of Shepherds, Our Lord Jesus Christ, in accordance with the terrible warning the Lord Himself addresses to us with these words: If thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thy hand (Ez 3: 18). Therefore, we have canonically warned him once, twice, a third and yet a fourth time so that he might conquer his malice, inviting him to amend himself, make reparation and penance, and reprehending him with paternal affection. But he – o woe! – despising the salutary admonitions of the Church of God, which he has offended, and led by the spirit of pride, has not wanted to make any reparation 

“The precepts of the Lord and of the Apostles speak clearly about what to do with such prevaricators. For the Lord says: Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offends thee, cut them off and cast them from thee (Mt 8:18). And the Apostle advises: If any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or a server of idols, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner: with such a one, do not so much as to eat. (1 Cor 5:11) And John, the favorite disciple of Christ, forbids that one should even greet one who is wicked: If any one come to you and bring not this doctrine, do not receive him into the house, and greet him not (2 Jn 1:10). 

“Therefore, carrying out the precepts of the Lord and of the Apostles, let us take from the body of the Church with the iron tongs of excommunication this putrid and incurable member who refuses to accept the remedy, so that the rest of the members of the body may not be poisoned by such a pestiferous disease. He has despised our admonitions and our repeated exhortations; having been warned three times, according to the precept of the Lord, he would not amend himself and do penance; he has not reflected upon his guilt, nor has he confessed it; neither has he presented any excuse through a third party, nor did he ask for pardon. But, with his heart hardened by the Devil, he continues to persevere in the same evil as before, according to the words of the Apostle: The impenitent heart stores up to itself wrath for the day of wrath (Rom 2:5). 

“Wherefore by the judgment of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and Holy Ghost, of the St. Peter, Prince of the Apostles, and of all the Saints, and by virtue of the power which has been given us of binding and loosing in Heaven and on earth that which was divinely entrusted to us, we deprive him [the person is named] with all his accomplices and all his abettors of the Communion of the Body and Blood of Our Lord; we separate him from the society of all Christians; we exclude him from the bosom of our Holy Mother the Church in Heaven and on earth; and we declare him excommunicated and anathematized, as well as judge him condemned to eternal fire with Satan and his angels and all the reprobates. So long as he will not burst the fetters of the Devil, amend himself and do penance and make reparation to the Church which he has offended, we deliver him to Satan for the perdition of his flesh, so that his soul may be saved on the day of judgment."

To this, all the assistants answer: "Fiat, fiat, fiat" [so be it, so be it, so be it]. 

“The Bishop and the assisting priests then cast to the ground the lighted candles they have been carrying. Notice is sent in writing to all the priests in the neighboring parishes, as well as to the Bishops, of the name of the one who has been excommunicated and the cause of his excommunication in order that they may have no communication with him, thus removing them from any occasion of excommunication.” 

Source: Roman Pontifical apud Catolicismo, December 1952

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Susan Tassone is Alive

This morning I received an email concerning this post of mine: Susan Tassone on Purgatory. I received my information for this post from an email from the Yahoo Group that prays for the Holy Souls.

I wrote in that post: "Before she died, an interview was conducted with her about her work to help the souls of those in purgatory. I highly recommend this interview." Today I received an email entitled "Susan Tassone is very much alive!" It was from someone that attends Mass with her. Right now, Susan Tassone is working hard to get donations for poor third world parishes who in turn offer up Masses for your intentions (family members who may be in purgatory).

Please say a prayer for Susan's wonderful work for Christ and for her health!

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Words of Inspiration: June 28, 2006

Blessed Mother Teresa:

"I serve Jesus twenty-four hours a day. Whatever I do is for Him. And He gives me strength."

Padre Pio:

"Each holy Mass heard with devotion, produces marvelous effects in our souls, spiritual and material graces, that we ourselves do not know. For such purposes do not spend your money uselessly, make a sacrifice of it and come here to hear holy Mass."

"It would be easier for the earth to exist without the sun than without the holy sacrifice of the Mass."

Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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St. Irenaeus of Lyons

Double (1955 Calendar): June 28
III Class (1962 Calendar): July 3
Memorial (1969 Calendar): June 28

St Irenaeus of Lyons, martyr, was born around c. 130 AD in Asia Minor and raised as a Christian. He was a student of St. Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. In 177 AD, St. Irenaeus became a priest and eventually became the second Bishop of Lyons following the martyrdom of Saint Pothinus.

St. Irenaeus worked intensely to counter to claims of Gnosticism by basing his arguments on the Gospel of St. John. He also emphasized the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and of Christ's human and divine nature. His most well-known work is "Against Heresies". For his work, St. Irenaeus was murdered for the faith in 202 AD in Lyons, France. In 1562, Calvinists destroyed his relics and tomb. He is a Father of the Church.

Prayer by St. Irenaeus:

Father, give perfection to beginners, understanding to the little ones, and help to those who are running their course. Give sorrow to the negligent, fervor to the lukewarm, and a good consummation to the perfect.

Writing:

"For this is why the Word became man, and the Son of God became the Son of man: so that man, by entering into communion with the Word and thus receiving divine sonship, might become a son of God."

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Protestant numbers are down; Catholics steady

For the first time since the foundation of our country, the United States may have less than 50% of its population as Protestants. From 1993 to 2002, Protestants dropped from 63% of the population to 52% of the population. According to the researchers, it will drop below 50% in the next two years. Catholics remained steady at 25% of the population.

Unfortunately, the number of people claiming no religion has climbed from 9% to 14%. We desperately need to pray that these people see Jesus Christ and see the full truth of the Catholic faith! The number of people adhering to Islam, Orthodox Christians, interdenominational Christians and native-American faiths rose from 3% to 7%. The number of people claiming the Jewish faith remains just below 2%.

Note: Protestants are defined as "all post-Reformation Christian churches, such as Baptist, Methodist and Episcopalian, including Mormons and New Age Spirituality adherents."

Source: NORC at the University of Chicago
Image Source: Believed to be in the Public Domain

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Update on "The Collar"

I have posted before about the new book, The Collar, which is about several men in the seminary. Well, I received this message from the author yesterday:

Hi everyone:

The Collar book tour continued this past weekend with an excellent event in Colorado hosted by one of the five main characters in the book, Father Don Malin.

Today's Washington D.C reading at the C.I.C. (1501 K Street, NW - 202-783-2062) has been postponed by the heavy rains that have deluged the capitol and will be rescheduled for mid-July. I will keep you posted as to the new date.

As always, please keep me posted with any comments you may have about the book especially thoughts about getting the word out there. If you have enjoyed The Collar and think that it's a book others should read --please tell people about it and the website!

Thanks so much!

Jonathan

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Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Memorial (1969 Calendar): June 27
(1955 Calendar): June 27

Today is June 27 and on this day the Church honors Mary under the title of "Our Lady of Perpetual Help". Catholic Fire posted this to describe the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help:

The child Jesus has just seen the angels who have shown him the instruments of his passion. St. Michael the Archangel holds the lance and gall-sop. St. Gabriel the Archangel holds the Cross and the nails. Frightened by the sight, Jesus has run to his mother’s arms so quickly that he almost lost one of His tiny sandals. It dangles from his foot. Mary holds Him lovingly but her eyes look at us - pleading with us to avoid sin and love Her Son.

His hands are in hers to show that, as a child, Jesus placed Himself in Mary’s hands for protection and to remind us that He now has placed into Her hands all graces, to be given to those who turn to His mother and ask.

The star on Mary’s veil shows her to be the one who brought the light of Christ to the darkened world - the beacon that leads the way to Heaven.

The falling sandal symbolizes a soul clinging to Christ by one last thread--devotion to Mary.

The golden background is symbolic of Heaven and shines to show the heavenly joy Jesus and His mother can bring to tired human hearts.

Prayer to Our Lady of Perpetual Help

Almighty and merciful God, Who hast given us a picture of Thy most blessed Mother to venerate under the special title of Perpetual Succor, mercifully grant us to be so fortified, among all the vicissitudes of this wayfaring life, by the protection of the same immaculate, ever-virgin Mary, that we may deserve to attain the rewards of Thine everlasting redemption. Who livest and reignest, with God the Father, in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, Forever and ever. R.Amen.

Prayer Source: 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal

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Microsoft, Warren Buffet, and Gates Foundation on Abortion

According to today's LifeNews Report, Warren Buffett, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway and the second richest man in the world, will donate 80% of his fortune to the pro-abortion foundation set up by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and his wife. Buffett plans to give them 12,050,000 in Class B shares of Berkshire Hathaway. One share sells for $3,000, and this would give the Gates foundation another $37 billion.

The Gates Foundation has given the Planned Parenthood Federation of America almost $12.5 million since 1998. These funds are used to persuade teenagers to support abortion as well as advance abortion in the United Nations. The International Planned Parenthood abortion business has received almost $21 million from the Gates foundation over the last seven years. These funds were used to kill unborn babies in third world countries.

This is horrible, horrible news. I ask you to contact the Gates Foundation and urge it to stop supporting Planned Parenthood and abortion.

Contact:

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
PO Box 23350
Seattle, WA 98102
(206) 709-3140
info@gatesfoundation.org

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The end of trouble at Northern Kentucky University by Sally Jacobsen

Earlier this year, Sally Jacobsen, a British literature professor at Northern Kentucky University, led a group of students in destroying 400 crosses set up on campus to be a memorial for the 43 million unborn children that have been murdered from abortion. She was charged with theft, criminal mischief and criminal solicitation. However, the charges have been dropped!

She has just apologized for her actions and plans to make a donation to a local maternity home that helps pregnant women. Jacobsen is also paying the Northern Right to Life, the student pro-life group, for the costs of the Cross display that was destroyed.

"I apologize to [the group and its members] for dismantling [the display]," Jacobsen wrote. "I did not realize I was interfering with Northern Right to Life's freedom of speech and I deeply regret having done so."

Source: LifeNews

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