Pope Francis: Letter to all Catholics.......

[BarbTherese]

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/20/pope-calls-catholics-uproot-culture-death-unprecedented-letter/

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 Excerpt: "For as Saint John Paul II liked to say: “If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he wished to be identified” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 49). To see things as the Lord does, to be where the Lord wants us to be, to experience a conversion of heart in his presence. To do so, prayer and penance will help. I invite the entire holy faithful People of God to a penitential exercise of prayer and fasting, following the Lord’s command.[1] This can awaken our conscience and arouse our solidarity and commitment to a culture of care that says “never again” to every form of abuse."  Read entire text on above link

 

My Archbishop has resigned and Pope Francis has accepted his resignation.

I am not going to spend hours on my knees because I know myself and when the initial honeymoon period with sorrow and revulsion extreme emotions pass, as they will and in fact come and go, I will not keep my resolution.  I would become covered in guilt and really force myself to do it, then follows depression, after which complete abandonment of my resolution.......then guilt and so on and so forth.  Rather I plan to choose a prayer daily (browse on the net for it) and a simple daily penance.  I am confident such as I can live with that - the alternative just could betray spiritual greed/pride.............but not necessarily so.  Similarly, a humble attitude might reveal humility.........or it may reveal spiritual pride or even deception.  An example of why we cannot judge!

When I choose for myself a formal prayer off the internet, most often I will alter it to meet my own needs.  It is only for personal private use and therefore is ok.  Another way is simply to talk with The Lord.  Another way is a Hail Mary daily into the Rosary for abuse crisis thread  in Open Mic.

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Penance in a very simple way could be to choose one of:  one sugar instead of two with coffee or tea.  No more chocolate.  No more icecream.  Do some kindness deliberately each day ........etc............nothing dramatic.  I try to be a follower of the Little Way of St Therese of Lisieux as a way to the Core and Heart of Jesus.  St Therese wrote:

 "When I speak of mortification (or penance  HERE), I don’t mean the kind the kind of penance practiced by saints. There are great souls who practice every sort of mortification from childhood, but I am not like any of them. All I did was to break my self-will, check a hasty reply, and do little kindnesses without making a fuss about them—and lots of similar things."

CCC 2558 "WHAT IS PRAYER?

For me, prayer is a surge of the heart; it is a simple look turned toward heaven, it is a cry of recognition and of love, embracing both trial and joy. (St Therese of Lisieux).

 

 

Edited August 21, 2018 by BarbaraTherese

[Guest]

Just watched a media report on the letter by Pope Francis.  What the secular world and media and even some 
Catholics (sometimes being secularised without realising it) do not realise that without prayer and penance effective action will not be possible - we desperately need the guidance and support of The Holy Spirit through prayer and penance - the whole Church united in prayer and penance.

First Letter to Corinthians Chapter 12: "Now you are the Body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another. If onepart suffers, every part suffers with it; if onepart is honored, every part rejoices with it."

 

[Ash Wednesday]

I woke up this morning and just felt a mixture of anger and disgust. Today I guess I feel angry that after what happened in 2002, it's like nothing was learned.

Just getting up and leaving the Church or closing the wallets isn't going to make anything better if there is no prayer. 

I have been doing a 54 day rosary novena that started out for personal intentions but it also corresponds with the one going on for our nation that started on the feast day of the Assumption. 

[Kateri89]

6 hours ago, Ash Wednesday said:

I woke up this morning and just felt a mixture of anger and disgust. Today I guess I feel angry that after what happened in 2002, it's like nothing was learned.

Just getting up and leaving the Church or closing the wallets isn't going to make anything better if there is no prayer. 

I have been doing a 54 day rosary novena that started out for personal intentions but it also corresponds with the one going on for our nation that started on the feast day of the Assumption. 

I’m finding myself either having a hard time sleeping or else having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning because of how heavily this all has weighed on my heart and mind and I’m not even an abuse victim.  I can’t imagine how they’ve suffered all these years.  I had been going to daily mass until all of this happened but haven’t since.  I did make myself go to mass for the Assumption and on Sunday but that’s it.  I have to say, no atheist or non-Catholic could’ve shaken my faith more than the clergy have.  I go through periods of intense doubt and despair followed by occasional moments of conviction and hope.  Prayer is necessary but I’m having a tough time even starting to pray.  Hopefully when I go to adoration today Jesus will help me.  I will also pray for all of you here and of course for everyone affected by this.

[Ash Wednesday]

I don't think I have ever seen such dark times in the Church in my lifetime. The backlash from this will also be very severe. Some of it is deserved, but there will also be a lot of attacks on the innocent priests and people that had nothing to do with this. I was reading an atheist's blog where they pretty much said you can't call yourself a Catholic anymore, because doing so means you enable the crimes that have been committed and that the Church should be eradicated. The more that comes out, the more there will likely be more hate crimes against priests in response like the one this week in Indiana.

The left defended Islam and had muslims' backs in times when there was backlash against acts of terrorism. You think they'll do the same for innocent Catholics? I doubt it. And on the flip side there's the far evangelical right, I'm sure they'll get in on the fun, too. Good times.

The faithful that had nothing to do with this will have to try to go about this on our own -- betrayed, abused and abandoned by most of our "shepherds" in one way or another. 

But I suppose a lot of the prophecies in the bible and things that Jesus foretold are coming to pass. “When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Even Marian apparitions like Akita and comments by the likes of Sister Lucy of Fatima did indicate that things would get really, really bad.

 

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The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, and bishops against other bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their Confreres. The Church and altars will be vandalized. The Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.  

-Our Lady of Akita (approved apparition)

 

[KnightofChrist]

Until Pope Francis actually takes the action needed against these wicked men who rape young men and boys, I, Don't, Care, About, His, Words. Too many of these people who covered up the abuse are his friends and he does nothing but offer words. Blah blah blah bling bling blah de blah blah.

Edited August 22, 2018 by KnightofChrist

[little2add]

16 hours ago, Ash Wednesday said:

The backlash from this will also be very severe. Some of it is deserved, but there will also be a lot of attacks on the innocent priests and people that had nothing to do with this.

I’m afraid your right, the darkness is growing and gaining  strength ...