A good quote to meditate on. Keep the faith!

“The Magisterium of the Pope and of the bishops has no authority over the substance of the Sacraments. Therefore, no synod – with or without the Pope – and also no ecumenical council, or the Pope alone, if he spoke ex cathedra, could make possible the ordination of women as bishop, priest, or deacon. They would stand in contradiction to the defined doctrine of the Church. “It would be invalid,” - Cardinal Gerhard Ludwig Mueller

Think about that when the synod starts spouting heresy and taking the local church in various places into schism.

Propaganda Isn't Necessarily a Dirty Word! Truth vs. Deception!

John Steinbeck wrote The Moon Is Down as a propaganda novel during World War II. (See my original post about it here.) The book was almost immediately made into a film which was released in 1943. I watched the movie last night and in the credits was a note that war bonds could be purchased in the theater. Interesting bit of trivia. 

Monday Meandering Thoughts and Questions

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  Bartolome Esteban Murillo

  I'm currently reading The Life and Glories of Saint Joseph by Edward Healy Thompson, M.A. Despite the lack of information about St. Joseph in scripture, the Doctors of the Church, and many spiritual writers have written widely about this silent saint. We know he was the "son of Jacob" from St. Matthew's gospel which gives us Joseph's natural geneology. St. Luke gives us, on the other hand, his legal geneology as the "son of Heli." Both statements are true. He was the natural born son of Jacob, but the legal son of Heli, as his son-in-law. And who was Heli? According to a number of the spiritual writers who take this view, it was Joachim the father of Mary. The names Heli, Eliachim and Joachim are synonymous in scripture. If this view is correct, and the reasoning presented by the author is convincing, then Jacob and Joachim were brothers, so Mary and Joseph were cousins. The author believes that the reason for St. Luke's geneology was to emphasize Mary's geneology. The book is fascinating and I recommend it for anyone who wants to know St. Joseph better. 

Did the SSPX Really "Cover Up" the Fr. Rostand Case?

We're often given one-sided salacious stories framed in the worst possible light. This is especially true when the source has something to gain from putting the worst construction on the events and then magnifies them. The scandal of SSPX child abuser Fr. Arnaud Rostand is being used, once again, to bludgeon the SSPX. Every reader of the scandal is being led to presume that the leadership of the SSPX covered up Rostand's abuse and moved him around like the McCarrick crowd. After all, that's Fr. Rostand's claim and, of course, this priest abuser couldn't possibly be lying. Remember when McCarrick claimed he was really a good guy and didn't understand why he was being treated so badly? Narcissism is common among both homo and hetero sex abusers. Why would anyone believe anything they said?

God Ordained Science! The "Signs in the Heavens" Lead Us Straight to God!

The scientific facts of astronomy lead us straight to God. Did you watch the solar eclipse with a sense of awe? Listen to this sermon and see how science reveals God. God is the God of science! Those who claim that there is a conflict between religion and science know very little about either religion or science. "Mary reflects the Son." Jesus is symbolized by the sun and Mary by the moon. The moon reflects the light of the sun, like Mary magnifies the Lord. And one little fact of trivia. Many heavenly bodies are named after Jesuit astronomers. Science and the Catholic faith are united because the Creator of the world is the Lord of science. Monks, priests, nuns and Catholic laymen gave us many of the scientific truths we know today. (Check these two sources to be amazed: religious scientists and laymen.) Watch this amazing video and pray for God's great gift to us to be magnified: the faithful and holy priesthood!

 

Never Lose Hope: A Letter from E.B. White

One of the reasons I remain on Facebook despite its censorship and bias is reflected in the beautiful article below that my sister posted on her wall today. In fact, I liked it so much I looked for the source and found the book it came from on Amazon, Letters of Note, compiled by Shaun Usher. Guess what? I ordered the book.

I've always loved Charlotte's Web and The Trumpet of the Swan. Both those children's classics are filled with hope. Charlotte gives Wilbur hope and saves his life. Louis the Swan, born without a voice, finds a way to woo and win Serena as his mate.

In the story of Pandora's Box, when all the evils are released into the world, one little thing remains -- hope. Let's never forget it!

In 1973, E.B. White wrote the following reply to a Mr. Nadeau, "who sought White's opinion on what he saw as a bleak future for the human race."

"Dear Mr. Nadeau:

"The Flies Have Conquered the Flypaper!" The Human Spirit Can Never Be Defeated by Evil!

One of my favorite books is The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck, a novel he wrote as propaganda for the allies during World War II. It tells the story of a little unnamed coastal coal-mining town conquered by an invading force. The enemy have taken over most of an unnamed country across the water from England. I've always thought of it as a village in France, but it could be one of the Scandinavian countries, Norway, Denmark, or Sweden. Steinbeck interviewed many refugees from those countries and used their stories to develop his plot. And the book is a masterpiece in my opinion in both effective propaganda and literary merit. I've listened to the audio book at least half a dozen times and read it as well.

Despite its popularity in the occupied countries of Europe (It was translated, copied, and reprinted in the tens, perhaps hundreds, of thousands.), Steinbeck was shocked at the criticism at home. He treated the enemy like human beings rather than cartoon villains. Some thought he was "naive" and the book was too sympathetic to the enemy. On the contrary, it shows how people who are basically decent get caught up in evil, often maneuvered like pieces on a chessboard by godless politicians. Haven't we seen that often enough with the treatment of our own children and grandchildren sent off to fight and die in useless foreign wars? Have you read the book or watched the film, 13 Hours, about the Benghazi debacle? Some things never change!

Murdered by Hospice and Hospitals: It's Happening Before Your Eyes!

Sr. Philip Burle, murdered!

I read years ago about elderly patients in the Netherlands who feared they would be euthanized if they went into the hospital. It was a reasonable fear. "Termination of life without request" is not a rare situation. It is increasing in every country that promotes assisted suicide. And too often the deliberate murder of the patient is involved even when they desire to live. 

The Bioethics Observatory of the Catholic University of Valencia has a number of alarming articles exposing the increasing incidence of deliberate euthanasia of patients. You can read some of them here. While the high profile cases make the news, most of those hastened to the morgue are invisible.

Sr. Dede Byrne saw her close friend, Sr. Philip Marie Burle, medically murdered. She vowed to expose what happened and worked with others to create a film outlining the last days of Sr. Philip Marie. Watch the trailer No Mercy: The Catholic Culture of Death. You can also request to join the group, Murdered by Hospice. More and more families are experiencing the government-incentivized murder of their loved ones by stealth euthanasia. Please share information about this documentary with others, especially those with loved ones in nursing homes or hospice. 

More on Dignitas Infinita: Is It the Prelude to the Denial of Hell?

At yesterday’s press conference on “Dignitas Infinita”, I asked DDF Prefect Cardinal Fernández: “If man has infinite dignity, how can he be condemned to the eternal suffering of Hell? And why are original sin and its effects never mentioned in the document?” His response below: pic.twitter.com/6odajldIq7

— Diane Montagna (@dianemontagna) April 9, 2024

(To see the statement enlarged click on it and it will open in a new window. Then click on the text.) 

Years ago on a Cursillo weekend, I spent several hours in the stairwell late at night discussing hell with a young woman who didn't believe there was a hell or, if there was, that no one went there. At the end of the evening, she had changed her mind.

Dignitas Infanita: "as Hollow as a Sounding Brass or a Tinkling Cymbol"

Does Francis respect the human dignity of all,
or are some animals more equal than others?

Another day, another Vatican document. This one says more by its grave omissions than by its content.

The introduction to the article about Dignitas Infanita (DI) at  Voice of the Family offers a sad commentary on the state of the Vatican's pronouncement: 

...the failure of Cardinal Fernandez to identify the worldwide promotion of the contraceptive mentality, as well as its logical extension, the homosexualist agenda, as a grave threat to human dignity leaves the words of his landmark Declaration ringing as hollow as a sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

I agree! Contraception is the root of many of today's sexual sins, which threaten the dignity of everyone, especially our youth. The article goes on: