Homosexual Madness - Is It Affecting the Church?

Campaigns supporting the homosexual lifestyle and 'rights' seem to be all the rage these days. In a world gone mad, this biologically and morally repugnant type of 'relationship' is being touted as just another type of loving union. Yet we, of the Catholic faith, have always had an unbroken line of teachings that prompt us to love the sinner but hate the sin. We are encouraged to make judgments, every day, about actions - all the while not judging the souls of others. So what's going on with some prominent figures in the Catholic landscape?

It has just been announced that the LGBT crowd will be allowed to march under a banner, for the first time in the 250 year history of the St. Patrick's Day parade in NYC. Although these groups have never been prevented from marching, the fact that they are now able to further, and ever more obviously, flaunt their deviant lifestyle is abhorrent. It's small comfort that pro-life groups will also be allowed to march under a banner as well. Yet Catholic League's Bill Donohue seems blasé.

"Never in the history of New York’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade have homosexuals been barred from marching, anymore than pro-life Catholics have, but in both cases they were not permitted to have their own unit. I have been assured that the rules have been formally changed to allow both of these groups, as well as others, to march under their own banner. That being the case, there should be no controversy. One would hope that all the new entries will conduct themselves in a manner that honors St. Patrick, lest another round of controversy emerges."

Since when are the LGBT advocates and pro-life champions of equal moral heft?

Timothy Cardinal Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York appears to be unconcerned as well. He will carry out his plans to act as Grand Marshall of the parade.

I found encouragement, however, from the reaction of Monsignor Charles Pope of the Archdiocese of Washington. He penned quite the post on the diocesan website, concerning both the St. Patrick's Day Parade and the Al Smith Dinner. Sadly, and rather discouraging, his piece was promptly taken down. It was fortunate that he had given LifeSiteNews permission to share his piece as well. Along with a screenshot of the original entry, BuzzFeed also shared his words. And faithful words they were!

Concerning the Al Smith Dinner he lamented, “...we are being asked to raise toasts and to enjoy a night of frivolity with those who think it is acceptable to abort children by the millions each year, with those who think anal sex is to be celebrated as an expression of love …”

He added, ‘...the St. Patrick’s Parade is becoming of parade of disorder, chaos, and fake unity. Let’s be honest: St. Patrick’s Day nationally has become a disgraceful display of drunkenness and foolishness in the middle of Lent that more often embarrasses the memory of Patrick than honors it.’

His admonition to 'cancel the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the Al Smith Dinner and all the other “Catholic” traditions that have been hijacked by the world’ is sound on the face of what they have become.

Catholics, faithful to the teachings of Holy Mother Church gain sound advice as he added, "Enough now, back to Church! Wear the purple of Lent and if there is going to be a procession, let it be Eucharistic and penitential for the sins of this age."

What we appear to have here, is a failure to communicate Christ's true teachings, on the part of some, and the silencing of those who seek to uphold it. Perhaps I'll wear purple this Lent - especially on Saint Patrick's day. It's only right to offer reparation for the sins of this mad, hypersexualized world.

As Msgr. Pope ended his thoughts, "For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world!"

UPDATE: Msgr. Charles Pope addresses the question,  What happened to the St. Patricks Parade Post?

Screenshot and quotes from Msgr. Pope's article.

Novena to Saint Afra - Martyr for Conversion

As the wife of a convert, I have an affinity for the saints tasked with converting souls for the Church Jesus brought to us in His human role. During our lives, we are all in need of conversion from our sinful ways, as well. Two obvious favorites, Saint Monica and Saint Augustine, quickly come to mind. However, there are other, less commonly known saints to petition as well. One example is Saint Afra whose feast day is August 5th. How fitting, then to pray for the intercession of this former pagan for the next nine days.

This former barmaid and prostitute's character was so nefarious that she was instrumental in the corruption of many youths in her city of Augsburg, in Bavaria. Yet Divine Grace triumphed when this most wretched creature was brought, from the very lowest abyss of disrepute, to the glory of martyrdom.

Tradition holds that Saint Afra and her entire family, as well as her three servants, were converted by the holy bishop, Saint Narcissus. It appears that, for the rest of her life, she recollected and was tortured by her past crimes against God. This lead her to liberally give to the poor, who sometimes refused her charity because they considered it the wages of sin. She would then fervently pray to God for remission of her offenses and beseech them to accept her gifts.

Saint Afra was arrested during the persecution of Diocletian, and brought before a judge, named Gaius, who said to her: “Come now, sacrifice to the gods; it is better to live than to die amid torments.”

Saint Afra replied: “The sins which I have committed before I knew the true God are sufficient; wherefore I cannot now do that which thou commandest. I never will do so: it would be adding a new insult to my God.”

When the judge ordered her to repair the temple, she answered, “My temple is Jesus Christ, whom I have continually before mine eyes, and to whom I every day confess my sins. Since I am unworthy to offer him any other sacrifice, I am anxious to sacrifice myself, in order that this body, with which I have offended him, may be purified by torments; this reflection shall make me suffer most willingly.”

Some accounts relate that Saint Afra was martyred by being burned alive, while others say she was beheaded. Her feast day is August 5th. Read more of her story at Catholic Saints and Catholic Answers.  

Feel free to leave your intentions in the combox. Start on Sunday, July 27. Will you join us in praying this prayer as well as an Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be for the next 9 days?

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          Prayer to Saint Afra for Conversion - Daily for 9 Days beginning Sunday, July 27

Lord Jesus Christ, most merciful Savior of the World, we humbly beseech you, by your most Sacred Heart, that all the sheep who stray out of your fold may one day be converted to You, Shepherd and Bishop of their souls, Who lives and reigns with God the Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit, world without end. Amen.

Saint Afra, pray for the conversion of souls. Saint Afra, we beseech you to intercede on behalf of [mention your intention]. Saint Afra, pray for us! 

Say the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.

A Fool's Paradise or Sin Makes Us Stupid

"We've been living in a fool's paradise", declares Lee of the sweetly nuanced Swiffer commercial. She and husband, Morty, have endeared themselves to television viewers - waltzing in their kitchen and discovering the dirt of which they were formerly unaware. My husband sometimes calls me 'Babe' (Morty's term of endearment), to hint at our goal to be that couple as we age.

In the same way Lee speaks of the hidden dirt her new cleaning gadget has helped her find, we can speak of the hidden sins that we gloss over. During an online retreat I recently heard the good Fr. Ripperger, FSSP say, "sin makes you stupid" - and so it does. Whether it's difficult to discern (like the dust on Lee's kitchen floor), or glossed over by carelessness or habit - we all have sins that, if laid bare, would alarm us.

Sin Makes Us Stupid

To elaborate on this point, lets think about the types of sin: Original Sin, Venial Sin, and Mortal Sin. Original Sin is an effect of the fall of our First Parents. Although not an actual sin that we have committed, it has an actual effect on us - a lack of Grace. If not washed away by Baptism, it causes a lack of subordination to God and therefore makes it difficult to do good. With Original Sin has come sickness and death of the soul.

Venial sin involves matters that are not seriously sinful but can certainly act as the gateway to serious sin. When we mortally sin, we disengage from God - we turn our backs on Him and willfully do evil. This serious sinfulness makes us more prone to evil and it becomes difficult to do good. Our passions are disordered and the control that we have over the flesh is diminished. Therefore we are more and more likely to give in to disordered appetites. This, in turn, darkens our intellect - blinds it to the sin committed. This blindness is our punishment - the resulting cycle of sin makes us more and more stupid...too stupid to be fully aware of the dire straits we are in. The further we fall into sin, the more fixated we become on the created things to which we are attached. Our lower faculties win out with our desire for sinful pleasures. We find that we have an inability to concentrate on spiritual things: even meaningful prayer becomes extremely difficult.

Thankfully our natural light of reason, however diminished, remains with us - giving us a way toward what is right and holy. Although sin darkens our intellect and dulls our senses that judge our sinfulness, with repentance, we can come back to the full light of reason. For this reason, it's prudent to take full advantage of the sacrament of Penance frequently. Holy Mother Church, in the wisdom endowed by Jesus, has given us a perfect way to balance our lives and therefore our souls. Each time we come to Him with the burden of our sins, he presents the perfect means to enhance our holiness, our awareness and our ability to live as we should. We, like Morty, we make dirt (sin) and so must utilize that with which we have been equipped - to make clean what was once dirty. Confession can be the Swiffer* for our souls - cleaning every nook and cranny we are willing to find.

*The Swiffer and Confession comparison is solely mine and not to be confused with the substance of Fr. Ripperger's eloquent message. I have only lightly touched on the wisdom shared in these talks. To hear more from Fr. Ripperger, FSSP click here.

http://www.sensustraditionis.org/webaudio/Sin/Sin.mp3

Our Eyes on the Light

In today's readings the Lord God admonished, "Because the outcry against Sodom and Gomor'rah is great and their sin is very grave", He would go down and see for Himself with an intent to destroy the evil city. We all know what happened next - Abraham incrementally asked for mercy for the sake of fifty righteous citizens, then 40 and so on - all the way down to 10. Due to the persistence of Abraham, God answered that he would reserve punishment, saying "for the sake of ten I will not destroy it".


When we look to the state of affairs in today's society, it's no stretch to see some similarities with Sodom and Gomor'rah and our times. Rampant promiscuity, abortion, same sex 'marriage' - we have it all. And the numbers of faithful appear to be ever dwindling. Yet we all know people who live their lives in Christ-like love and service. We, ourselves try to model ourselves after the saints and live lives pleasing to God. Sometimes it feels lonely to be a part of the few - when the world at large seems to be so contrary to what we believe. It's vital, then, to take our cues from God and not man. If we keep our eyes on the Light and strive for Eternal life, we will find our way to heaven. Hopefully we will also serve as an encouragement to others.

This post is an answer to Jennifer Fulwiler's 7 Posts in 7 Days: An epic blogging challenge - day 7.

Is Someone You Love Poison for Your Soul?

It's evident that I'm not alone in a struggle with someone intimately linked to my life. I have heard many stories portraying similar, unfortunate circumstances. You know, someone in your family or close circle of friends, who persistently goes out of his way to hurt you. I'm not talking about the occasional butting of heads that many of us encounter in our flawed human interaction with other flawed humans. What I'm contemplating is something far more disturbing and difficult to charitably fathom. This type of animosity makes others take notice, their facial expressions revealing their shock - 'what the heck'!? What do you do in such a situation? How long do you persist in trying to make amends? To whom do you go for advice?

What's Going On Here?

I have had a couple such encounters in my life and, in fact, have been struggling with one for over 20 years. In an effort at full disclosure, I must confess to active participation on my part - initially. It’s a case of those reflexive pushing back types of reactions which sometimes make both participants uncomfortable company for anyone who is not playing their flawed game. Either that or observers feel the need to choose sides or make ineffective (and temporary) attempts to settle the matter. If you’re lucky though, after a while, the snide comments and fleeting, glaring stares give way to a desire to wipe the slate clean - so you do. You and this person come to a detente – after all, why waste precious time on disharmony when there’s so much joy to be had? You go to confession, you commune with one another and all seems right with the world. And then…

This Isn’t Going Away, Is It?

Somehow the fleeting peace fails to last and this time, you’re trapped as an unwilling participant in a battle from which you’ve walked away. You have prayerfully discerned that this is a sinful situation – as in occasion of sin – but the other persists in their vitriolic contact. So what to do? Perhaps going to the person in question and having an in-depth conversation will work wonders. But that doesn’t work in the most difficult of such situations. Conceivably the next step is going to someone who knows you both, who can impartially seek a common peace.

And still, it persists. In an effort to forgive the seventy times seven Jesus asks of us, you might finally find yourself making another appointment with your parish priest or spiritual director. After thoroughly listening to your distress, the resulting advice might be surprising. If all efforts at peace have resulted in an inadequate outcome; if there simply is no hope for a fruitful relationship, you may simply need to walk away. This isn’t easy – especially if you have close ties to the person in question. How do you walk away from someone who is intimately connected? And how realistic is it to expect for the unrest never to cross your mind or interactions with others who know you both?

So What to do?

I once read some sage advice. Every time that the hurts resurfaces – whether they are remembered conflicts
or new transgressions – say an Our Father for the person causing you pain. When you get to the line, ‘forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’, it’s impossible to hold onto the resentment if you truly mean what you’re praying. After all, don’t we recognize that we aren’t worthy of forgiveness in our own transgressions? Forgiveness comes from the gift of Jesus and His dying for us. It’s not something we earn or are entitled to expect. Rather, it’s a gift of love. Remember Jesus telling us to love even our enemies?

Is this any different than Jesus forgiving those who persecuted him? Didn’t He set a really high bar for us when he lived the example of the ultimate forgiveness? Is it any more difficult than Him saying, ‘they know not what they do’? If we expect to follow Jesus – at all costs – how can we justify holding onto a grudge against those who persecute us? In the same way that we, flawed as we are, find that we need to confess the same sins again and again – that is the way that we must resolve to step aside from the hurt feelings and grudges we might feel toward those who persist in hurting us. Didn’t the Sanhedrin give false testimony against Jesus? Didn’t He have to endure the most excruciating pain, betrayal, and slander – even unto death on a cross? Who then, are we, to expect better than the treatment He received? “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

          "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."
                                                                                                          Matthew 5:44

Father, please give me a contrite heart. Help me to resolve to never sin against you again. Give me true repentance and forgiveness so that I may give forgiveness too! AMEN!

This post is an answer to Jennifer Fulwiler's 7 Posts in 7 Days: An epic blogging challenge - day 5

Also listed at Catholic Bloggers Network - Catholic Bloggers!

Hey Scarlet, Don’t Play Games With Your Soul

You know those little games we tend to play in everyday life? Like when the van is running on fumes because we were tired and had already been to the grocery and the mall and t-ball and Mass and the drug store and we just couldn't bear to pull up to that pump? So we play the ‘can we make it home and back to the pump’ game and most of the time we make it. There are many similar ways that we sometimes often play games in life – at least that’s how I roll. Many of us have those Scarlet O’Hara moments when we resolve to take care of x, y, z – just as long as we can wait until tomorrow. But is playing these waiting games a good idea when it comes to our souls?

I made a little visit to Jesus today. Having taken a long list of intentions from friends and family, I settled in for some time before the Blessed Lord in the Eucharist. As providence would have it, I was the only one there and was blessed with total silence. No clicking Rosaries or rustling pages or squeaking kneelers, no fidgeting teens, and no whispering tots – just Jesus and me! What a treat it was – especially once I realized that I could pray the Rosary and speak those intentions out loud. It felt like such a blessing to have this conversation – not internally, but audibly. And so I communed with Our Lord and let the needs of all of my family and friends flow freely from my lips.

As I was heading home, still basking in the glow, I ruminated about the goings on in our country (and world) these days. Flagrant glee for the murder of innocent babies in the womb, rabid pontificating about deviant lifestyles, upheaval at the Vatican, a government and society quite literally gone mad – all of this is weighing down on the faithful. Questions resonate: But where shall we go? To Whom shall we turn? As the apostles realized, we too have a tangible option. We need not flee in fear nor hide our heads in the sand as if these atrocities don’t exist. Our Lord Jesus Christ is listening. He is biding His time – waiting for us to come to Him with our trepidations, failures, and hopes for a better tomorrow. For now, we have this option, but some day it will be too late. We mustn't toy with this reality.

How blessed are we to be Catholic! Everything we need is at our disposal. All we need to do is repent,

confess, adore, and receive. What a wonderful gift we have been given! The only caveat is that no one will (or can) do it for us. There will be no substitutions or pinch hitters. When tumult hits our world and our souls are in turmoil, all we have to do is make sure we're not running on fumes – doing the bare minimum. Let’s not allow our inner Scarlet O’Hara to put off for tomorrow what needs to be done today. Tomorrow may be too late and this isn't a game we can afford to lose. Let’s use the Sacraments. Jesus is waiting in the confessional to hear the repentance of our sins and offer forgiveness. He waits in the Eucharist for us to spend time with and to consume Him - Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity. Face it; we need to fuel up our souls by worthily receiving the Eucharist often – not running on fumes. If we run on empty, the evils prowling the world seeking souls to ruin will have easy prey. Let’s fuel up our souls and make it all the way Home!

Alzheimer’s: Is it Good for the Soul?

Ma Peak

My husband’s sweet little grandmother has progressively lost her short term – and most long term memory. At 97 years young, her past few years have seen her settle comfortably into a new reality. She is no longer telling us that she wants to go ‘home’ – both in the earthly sense and in the eternal sense. Her life has regressed back into infancy, where she eats, naps, and shared smiles with us. A recent development finds her pulling her blanket over her face when she decides that our interaction is over and it’s time for some rest.

Ma Peak is not Catholic and she, along with her dearly departed husband, investigated several churches throughout their wonderfully blessed (five decade) marriage.  But they were always there for us when we had Catholic events going on. While my convert husband’s parents declined such invitations, Ma and Pa where always there – even signing over their permission for their 18 year old grandson to marry his 17 year old bride (me). As with all families, there were disagreements and hurt feelings and all sorts of bumps in the road. This led to the sinful but all too human telling of tales and holding of grudges.

Now that she no longer remembers these events or her reaction to them, I am left wondering: what happens to the sins of those who are no longer able to confess them? Are we somehow still held culpable or is there some way for loved ones to help someone of altered mind attain Heaven? I know that the obvious answer is that ‘with God all things are possible’ and that He ultimately has a plan for all of us. A feeling of responsibility weighs on my mind, however, and I feel compelled to try to find an answer with which I can live. A finely honed conscience can be a wonderful tool for, not only our own salvation, but for helping others.

Here’s what we’ve done so far. When we visit her these days – usually after Mass on Sunday – we share a brief visit including smiles, kisses, and God bless you crosses on foreheads. Then, after her blanket is pulled up over her face, we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet in her presence. I’m not sure what effect this will have on behalf of her immortal soul – but I am sure that acts like this matter. As her family, we are taking this fourth child of ours (Ma) and doing our best to help her achieve unity with the Lord. However God sees fit to apply these supplications, my security in believing in the Communion of Saints gives me the comfort of knowing that we are somehow giving her aid.

For the sake of His Sorrowful Passion...

There’s also a lesson to be learned here. In her new found innocence, Ma is made new. All of her past prejudices, perceived hurts and grudges have been washed away. She has completed the circle of, first forgiving and now forgetting any transgression that may have been stumbling blocks in the past. As a new creation, she has become a child once again. Our ministrations give her immediate comfort and, hopefully, future assistance on her journey. May we also use her gift of pointing us toward forgiving and forgetting – a sort of self-induced Alzheimer's for the good of our souls. What an opportunity - while we still have the presence of mind to seek absolution for our own transgressions.

On this, Divine Mercy Sunday, may we grow in our faithful seeking of forgiveness through the sacrament of penance!