EWTN’s Spiritual Resources Site Offers Comfort and Hope in Troubled Times

Plus, EWTN’s Expanded Triduum and Easter Schedule

              
 Irondale, AL (EWTN) – To meet the spiritual needs of people during these troubled times and in the future, EWTN Global Catholic Network has launched a new Spiritual Resources site, www.ewtn.com/resources,

“Our newly created Spiritual Resources site provides people with a vast array of tools for coping with the coronavirus pandemic,” said EWTN Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Michael P. Warsaw. “But this resource is not just for today’s pandemic. All of us face troubled times at points in our lives and, when we do, we search for answers. In those times, EWTN is always there proclaiming the Word of God, which alone can provide the comfort and hope people are seeking.”

On EWTN’s Spiritual Resources site, users will find Daily Mass and Scripture readings, live adoration from the U.S., U.K. and Poland, prayers and devotions specific to this time, a summary of the special pandemic indulgence, a place to enter prayer requests, a Mother Angelica Live video on overcoming fear, homeschooling resources, coronavirus updates from EWTN News, and more.

To find EWTN television in your area, please go to https://www.ewtn.com/tv/channel-finder. For all the many ways to access EWTN, please go to https://www.ewtn.com/everywhere.

For your convenience, below is EWTN’s expanded Triduum and Easter Sunday schedule of Masses and a few important devotions. For the complete schedule, please click https://www.ewtn.com/tv/schedule/united-states/2020-04-09. (Note: Events are subject to change so please check back for updates.)

Holy Thursday:

*Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper From Rome: 12 p.m. ET
*Choral Meditations and Solemn Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 5:30 p.m. ET, live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
*Mass of the Lord’s Supper: 10:30 p.m. ET, live from Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA.


Good Friday:

*Walk the Way of the Cross: San Giovanni Rotondo: 10 a.m. ET
*Stations of the Cross During the Pandemic of COVID-19: 2 p.m. ET
*Choral Meditations and Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: 2:30 p.m. ET, live from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
*Choral Mediations and Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion: 6 p.m. ET, live from Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA.
*Way of the Cross From Rome: 8 p.m. ET
*Celebration of the Lord’s Passion from Rome: Live at 12 p.m. ET and Midnight ET


Holy Saturday:

*Way of the Cross From Rome: 5:30 a.m. ET  (Encore from Good Friday)
*Veneration of the Shroud: 11 a.m. ET, live from Turin, Italy.
*Easter Vigil Mass From Rome: 3 p.m. ET
*Easter Vigil Mass: 8 p.m. ET, from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
*Easter Vigil Mass: 11 p.m. ET, live from Christ Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA. (3 hours)


Easter Sunday:

*Solemn Mass of Easter Sunday From Rome: 5 a.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET (75 min.)

*Urbi Et Orbi: Message and Blessing - Easter: 6 a.m. ET and 8 p.m. ET (Estimated times since this airs after Easter Mass. Encores at 3 a.m. ET and 7 a.m. ET, Monday, April 13.)

*Sunday Mass: 8 a.m. ET and Midnight ET, from Our Lady of the Angels Chapel in Irondale, AL with the Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word. (80 min.)

*Easter Sunday Mass: Noon ET, from the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. (65 min.)
Louisville Chorus - In Exaltation: 1:30 p.m. ET and 11:30 p.m. ET

*Sunday Vespers With Benediction: 6 p.m. ET, from Our Lady of the Angels Chapel with the Franciscan Friars of the Eternal Word. 

Photo Caption: To meet the spiritual needs of people during these troubled times and in the future, EWTN Global Catholic Network has launched a new Spiritual Resources site, www.ewtn.com/resources. The site provides people with a vast array of tools for coping with the coronavirus pandemic, including Daily Mass and Scripture readings, live adoration, prayers & devotions specific to this time, a place for prayer requests, a Mother Angelica Live video on overcoming fear, homeschooling resources, and much more.

EWTN Global Catholic Network, in its 38th year, is the largest religious media network in the world. EWTN’s 11 global TV channels are broadcast in multiple languages 24 hours a day, seven days a week to over 350 million television households in more than 145 countries and territories. EWTN platforms also include radio services transmitted through SIRIUS/XM, iHeart Radio, and over 500 domestic and international AM & FM radio affiliates; a worldwide shortwave radio service; one of the largest Catholic websites in the U.S.; electronic and print news services, including Catholic News Agency, “The National Catholic Register” newspaper, and several global news wire services; as well as EWTN Publishing, its book publishing division. 

Notice to Catholics from the Diocese of Norwich, CT

Reposted from: https://www.norwichdiocese.org/Stay-Informed/All-Diocesan-Articles/ID/3084/General-Dispensation-Granted-and-Precautions-Taken-in-Response-to-COVID-19coronavirus 

General Dispensation Granted and Precautions Taken in Response to COVID-19(coronavirus)

 Posted on March 12, 2020 in: News

The following is a summarized version of a letter emailed to the clergy of the Diocese on Monday March 9th. 

In light of the general concern about the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus), Bishop Michael R. Cote has granted a general dispensation from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass for those who are ill or experiencing symptoms of illness. Anyone experiencing symptoms are not obliged to attend Mass, and out of charity they ought not attend. 

As a reminder, the precautionary measures that were put in place at the beginning of the flu season are still in effect.

• The Sign of Peace and the distribution of the Precious Blood are suspended until further notice. 

• Communicants may be encouraged to receive in their hands rather than on the tongue. However, as has been made clear by the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments in its Instruction Redemptionis Sacramentum (25 March, 2004) “each of the faithful always has the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue” (n. 92)

Public Masses ARE NOT being cancelled at this time

Bishop Cote has asked that you join him in praying for an end to this illness around the world as well as for those who are suffering with it.

Should you have any questions regarding these precautions at Mass or other parish events please speak with your pastor.

The Diocese of Norwich is continually monitoring this developing situation, consulting with health care professionals and experts when appropriate. We will update you as changes warrant. 

The youth have spoken...dear God help us all

What hell will Pope Francis unleash on us now that he's heard from our  the youth? ("our youth" would be Catholic, but this Vatican initiated conference didn't ask only its Catholic youth...oh no! The Church wants protest, pagan and atheist youth to tell the Church how it should proceed.) By all means, let the non-Catholics dictate what the Church should do. 😕  

What did the youth complain about say they needed from Christ's Holy Catholic Church? 

*less moralism (those pesky Ten Commandments just won't go away! We want our sex, birth control and gay marriage supported by the Church, etc.) 

*women's equality (we know what this means, we want women priests!) 

*more accompaniment (when we hear this, its 99% of the time used to "accompany" someone IN their sin, not out of it-that would hurt their feelings-see below) 

*more welcoming & merciful Church (don't hurt anyone's feelings by telling them their sins will lead them to eternal damnation)

Quote: VATICAN CITY (AP) — Young Catholics told the Vatican on Saturday they want a more transparent and authentic church, where women play a greater leadership role and where obeying "unreachable" moral standards isn't the price of admission.
In a fascinating final document from a week long Vatican-initiated conference, 300 young people from around the world joined by 15,000 young people online gave the older men who run the 1.2-billion strong church a piece of their collective mind.
They urged Pope Francis and the bishops who will gather at the Vatican in the fall to back their recommendations that church leaders must address the unequal roles of women in the church and how technology is used and abused. They warned that "excessive moralism" is driving faithful away and that out-of-touch church bureaucrats need to accompany their flock with humility and transparency.
"We, the young church, ask that our leaders speak in practical terms about subjects such as homosexuality and gender issues, about which young people are already freely discussing," they said.
Among the participants, however, there was no consensus on hot-button issues such as church teaching on contraception, homosexuality, abortion or cohabitation. The document said some young people want the church to change its teaching...[clipped] 

This isn't news to anyone. We see it among the adults in and outside the Church so no one should be surprised our youth are spouting the same nonsense. 

Yet all hope is not lost! There are some young people (thanks be to God!) who accept all the Church teaches and simply want the Church to proclaim Her teachings "more forcefully" and to "better explain" the teachings!

... or better explain it; others accept the teachings and want the church to proclaim them more forcefully.
But overall, the young people concluded, the church often comes off as too severe and its "excessive moralism" often sends the faithful looking elsewhere for peace and spiritual fulfillment.[clipped]  

For the life of me, I can't believe anyone today thinks the Church is "too severe" in this day and age. Would love to send these people back a few centuries - (or even decades for that matter!) for a comparison of the Church then to now! 😇

"The young people also made it clear that they love their technology and the church must get hip to that or lose relevance." [clipped]

Telling the post Vatican II Church it "must get hip" is mind blowing. 

We've got clown Masses, liturgical dancers bouncing around, female altar servers, parades of "Eucharistic ministers"(let's face it, they really aren't "extraordinary" at this point), rock-n-roll Masses, gay pride Masses and assorted pagan's mixing it up at our Masses since Vatican II. 

What these youth want is Protestantism, not Catholicism. 

God help our youth, I weep for them. 


In Christ, 


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 


Sources: 

https://www.middletownpress.com/news/world/article/Youth-give-pope-piece-of-their-mind-call-for-12778590.php

https://churchpop.com/2015/09/19/27-fascinating-photos-of-pre-vatican-ii-catholicism/

St Pio of Pietrelcina Relics in Connecticut

The relics of St. Pio of Pietrelcina are coming St Pio Parish, 355 Foxon Road --Route 80, East Haven.

The schedule of services are as follows:

Tuesday, March 20
4:00pm: the relics arrive. Veneration of the relics will be available until 6:30pm.

Wednesday, March 21
7:00am: available for veneration until 4:30pm.

5:00pm: Mass offered Archbishop Leonard Blair. 

The relics will leave St. Pio after the Mass.

++++
Paul A. Zalonski
Catholic Connecticut
255 Foxon Hill Road
East Haven, CT 06513-1216 USA

Email Paul: CatholicCT@gmail.com

Follow Paul on Twitter @CatholicCT
Connect with Paul on Facebook "Catholic Connecticut CatholicCT"

Deacon goes to the dogs

 St. Rose of Lima Eddystone, PA's mission statement...

And here is their deacon providing his version of a "spiritual experience"...

Deacon Anthony Dilenno 

I'm not sure what is sadder...the fact that this deacon wore a dog mask for Mass... 

...or the stupidity of the people on social media cheering him on. 

Really people? Gushing about a deacon giving a homily at Mass... in a dog mask? 😒

I'd be weeping. 

Why are people saying "that's great" and "I may start coming to church with this guy"? This guy? What about the guy who DIED FOR YOU, YOU FREAKING MORON!

These people are so incredibly stupid its painful to witness.

If you go to Mass and aren't overwhelmed by the FACT that GOD is there, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity why in the world would you be thrilled to see a man in a dog mask? 

Do you not see how far you've fallen? 

God help you. 

To the people of this parish, this is what Mass is supposed to be about:

In Christ, 


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 




Sources: 

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10209072715529932&set=a.1047714728000.6898.1679660840&type=3&theater

More: http://www.fox29.com/sports/praying-for-an-eagles-victory-deacon-wears-underdog-mask-during-mass#/

http://www.stroseoflimaparish.net/

Death and funerals

Sorry to have been away from my blog for so long. 

After suffering the sudden tragic death of my 20 year old nephew in late September things have been very difficult. 

While the rest of my family and friends cling to "he's with the angels and our Lord now and at peace"...I know what the Catholic Church has always taught about those who die unbaptized and outside the Church. There is little comfort for me in those words. 

While I have Masses said for him and pray for his soul, I can't help but feel my failure. I took time for granted with him, I thought I would have more time to reach him with the Faith. I did not have that time. I have to live with that. It's a horrid lesson to learn, but one now written deeply within my own soul that I will carry with me for the rest of my life. 

This morning I attended another funeral and will be attending yet another funeral Mass this evening. Two in one day. 

Death seems to have a foothold around here lately and all I am doing is going from one funeral to another. 

What doesn't seem to change is that people want so desperately to believe that when a person dies, they are suddenly perfect and worthy of Heaven merely because they died. Didn't matter how they lived their lives, death in its self seems to make a person worthy of Heaven is the theology too many people cling to. 

Who started this nonsensical idea? Must have been the devil himself. 



In Christ and still in mourning, 


Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



image: https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/Article/TabId/535/ArtMID/13567/ArticleID/22189/Planning-and-Understanding-the-Catholic-Funeral.aspx

Catholic body prayer?

Why do the Catholic laity insist on adding things to the Mass that aren't there? And why don't priests correct them? 

Coming into the Church from Protestantism, I had a very clear (and apparently wrong) idea that Mass was Mass, and it would be the same at any Catholic parish I attended. I wanted order, uniformity, a truly universal Church where all Masses were alike. I wanted the Catholic Church I had fallen in love with- the one that didn't resemble Protestantism where everyone did their own thing because everyone is their own pope. 

I expected priests to follow the same rubrics in all parishes and I expected the laity to follow the instructions set down in the missal for Mass. The missal isn't complicated. The readings are there and it tells you when to stand, sit or kneel. Easy-peasy right? Not for some folks.

What the missal never says is to hold hands or lift your hands in the air during the Our Father (except for the celebrants of the Mass- but I am talking about the laity). My interpretation (for what its worth) is that if it doesn't say "do this...", you don't simply stick something in there you want to do. Others see things differently and have decided to either hold hands, stretch out their hands like the priest, or combine the two as we see here from St. Raymond Parish, Philadelphia from earlier this month.

I know why I used to lift my hands in the air when I was a Protestant during services. It is a verse from the New Testament (there are several other verses as well, some in the Old Testament) and encouraged by the ministers to join them in raising our hands (the only 'priesthood' is among all the believers). This was done to show the congregation was the same as the minister- mere believers. Ministers were nothing special.

1 Timothy 2:8 "I will therefore that men pray in every place, lifting up pure hands, without anger and contention."

But that isn't how a Catholic Mass works...or so I thought when I first became Catholic a decade ago. The missal said "stand" and I stood, the missal said "sit" and I sat, the missal said "kneel" and I knelt. The missal never said "hold hands" or "raise your hands in the air" etc., so I didn't, but others do. I don't get that. 

What are these people trying to do? Put their own personal stamp on the Mass? By gesture attempt to show the priest he's nothing special, that they are all equally members of the 'priesthood' as happens in Protestantism? Or maybe they just want to let Protestantism creep into the Mass?

The USSBC statement reads: 

"Q: Some people hold hands during the Lord's Prayer, while others hold their hands out like the priest.  Is there a prescribed posture for the Our Father?A: No position is prescribed in the Roman Missal for an assembly gesture during the Lord's Prayer."

To a person who likes order at Mass, this is chaotic and in some cases actually causes division in some parishes between the hands clasped in prayer folks 🙏, the raise your hands in the air folks 🙌, and the hold hands folks, and the hold hands while raising them in the air folks.😕 

When Canon Law states: 

Can.  907 In the eucharistic celebration deacons and lay persons are not permitted to offer prayers, especially the eucharistic prayer, or to perform actions which are proper to the celebrating priest.

I guess I'm a dope, but to me that means I don't get to raise my hands in the air, as that is proper only to the priest. To others Canon 907 has nothing to do with the Our Father at Mass or any hand position. 

With no clear direction from our Bishops, we get confusion in the pews with everyone doing their own thing. No unity in this prayer at the moment. 

The Bishops/priests could at the very least tell people to put their arms down, even if the hand holding continues.  

Orans position (hands raised in the air): 

"Among the laity this practice began with the charismatic renewal. Used in private prayer it has worked its way into the Liturgy. It is a legitimate gesture to use when praying, as history shows, however, it is a private gesture when used in the Mass and in some cases conflicts with the system of signs which the rubrics are intended to protect. The Mass is not a private or merely human ceremony. The symbology of the actions, including such gestures, is definite and precise, and reflects the sacramental character of the Church's prayer. As the Holy See has recently pointed out, confusion has entered the Church about the hierarchical nature of her worship, and this gesture certainly contributes to that confusion when it conflicts with the ordered sign language of the Mass."

If all that hand-holding, arms in the air stuff isn't bad enough, where does it stop? We all know from history that the progressives in the Church never stop pushing the limits and often reach into new age areas for their next gimmick- like sand in the holy water fonts during Lent.😩  

But about those assorted positions for prayer...what if a dozen people decided they wanted to lay prostrate during the Our Father? Or worse, assume some loony yoga position? Since the USSBC states "no position is prescribed" what's to stop the next new thing from making its way into our Mass? 

Don't laugh! It could happen! 

From the Society for the Propagation of the Faith the Mission Office of the Archdiocese of Chicago I found some instructions on numerous different types of prayer, including the new to me "body prayer". 

Quote: One way to think about the many different types of prayer is to look at it as a kind of communication with God. There are different ways to communicate with God.  Consider these types of prayers:

Rote Prayers: These are prayers that you memorize and repeat.  These are prayers that the church tradition has passed down for many years.  Sometimes they are said over and over so that the meaning goes far beyond just the words.  With rote prayers we are telling God that we believe.  The Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be and Creed are examples of this.

Spontaneous Prayer: These are prayers that come straight from the heart.  The words are all your own.  When you pray this way you can tell God about what ever is on your mind. Sometimes you will say thank you, sometimes pray for someone you know or sometimes you want to ask for something.

Meditation: This kind of prayer involves our imaginations. When you meditate you envision yourself there with Jesus.  You need to focus your thoughts on the scene or story.  You could also meditate on the life of a saint or another event in your life where God spoke to you. 

Contemplation: This is a difficult form of prayer!  It requires you to only think about God.  You need to not only focus your mind, but you focus only on God!  Go somewhere quiet and sit comfortably, then think “I am in the presence of God.” (it really is difficult) 

Body Prayer: This kind of prayer uses your whole body posture.  The way we move also comunicates with God.  Some people like to kneel, some like to dance, and some like to walk (in a labrynth).  This helps you to think and pray about how God is a part of your life.  Give this one a try, look at the example below! [end quote]

Source: http://www.wearemissionary.org/old-mca/mitc/catholic-causes/

This Catholic "body prayer" is quite similar to what I see at my local Novus Ordo Mass during the Our Father! So is all this hand-holding, hands in the air stuff during the Our Father what the Archdiocese of Chicago calls "body prayer"? 

Is "body prayer" with all these assorted prayer positions as seen in the diagram the next craze to infiltrate the Novus Ordo Mass?😞 As if the hand holding and hands in the air wasn't bad enough. Now we've got "body prayer" diagrams (why encourage the ding-bats?). You just know some flake is going to do this stuff at Mass (probably a liturgical dancer). It's only a matter of time. 

My deepest prayer and solution for all this nonsense happening at Mass is to simply put away the Novus Ordo Mass and return to the Tridentine Mass. 🙏

Please Lord, have mercy on us!


In Christ, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



Links: 

http://catholicphilly.com/2017/08/news/local-news/local-tolton-ambassadors-spur-devotion-for-saintly-black-priest/

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/order-of-mass/liturgy-of-the-eucharist/posture-during-the-eucharistic-prayer-and-our-father.cfm

https://www.ewtn.com/expert/answers/orans_posture.htm

http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__P38.HTM

http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/the-mass/upload/praying-with-body-mind-and-voice.pdf 

What's up with Life Teen Catholic Youth Ministry?

So I'm on Twitter when I see Ryan Fitz retweet a Creaky tweet about Catholic Life Teen Youth Ministry that caught my eye. 

Something about the Virgin Mary and "poop" to be specific. Be prepared, I'm gonna get all fire and brimstone in this post. 

Before I click on the blog post "Seeing Beyond the Poop: Mary’s Perfect Love" by RACHEL PENATE, I go see what "Life Teen" is all about. 

Our Mission"As a Eucharist-centered movement within the Roman Catholic Church, Life Teen leads teenagers and their families into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ and His Church. With the Blessed Virgin Mary as our intercessor and guide, Life Teen seeks to unleash the fullness of the Sacramental power present within the young Church."

That part sounds great, so I clicked on the video...

...and I was more than a bit disappointed. As a convert to the Catholic Church, seeing anything remotely Protestant-like used to bring anyone (especially our youth) to a deeper understanding and love of our Faith is very bothersome to me. We are Catholic, we don't need Protestant gimmicks! Folks, this is NOT what Catholicism is supposed to look like. This is not the Catholicism of our great Saints and the Apostles in the Bible. This is what happens when Catholic clergy think they need to be "hip" and mimic Protestant mega churches and televangelists to keep the attention of Catholic youth. Life Teen claims their mission is "Eucharist centered"...I have to ask after watching that video, just what do they believe the Eucharist to be?

"When the Eucharist is being celebrated, the sanctuary is filled with countless angels who adore the divine victim immolated on the altar." ~ St. John Chrysostom 

From watching the video, this screenshot (below) seems to be a Mass (I hope it's not,and if anyone knows for sure please share). But if it is...

...Mass is NOT a rock concert. Put your arms down, shut up, get on your knees and worship God the way the King of Kings is supposed to be worshiped! These youth sadly seem to have little idea what they are participating in. It's all about the happiness they feel, the joy, the music and holding hands and swaying back and forth. Isn't this fun?! Shout if you love Jesus! Woohoo! 🙌

The Mass IS Calvary. Does anyone seriously think, if they traveled back in time, that this is how they would act on Calvary while Jesus was nailed on the cross suffering for our sins? If you wouldn't behave like this THEN don't do it at Mass now! 

"At the Last Supper, on the night he was betrayed, our Savior instituted the Eucharistic Sacrifice of his Body and Blood. He did this in order to perpetuate the sacrifice of the cross throughout the centuries until he should come again, and so to entrust to his beloved spouse, the Church, a memorial of his death and resurrection: a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a paschal banquet in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us" (Sacrosanctum Concilium 47)

Before anyone gets on my case about shredding Catholic youth ministries, I am all for it. I love to see Catholic youth get together for love of their Faith. That's great, I'm not criticizing everything in the video. But lets keep it Catholic. Authentic Catholicism, not to ever be confused with Protestantism- who reject the Eucharist as the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. When you blur the lines you get folks leaving the Church because hey, they're all the same right? The Church had no problem before the spirit of Vatican II came along, raising Catholic kids who stayed in the Church and became Catholic adults - without all the hands in the air and Kumbyah moments. Okay, enough about the video.

I clicked back to the "poop" post and read in part...

"Even the Poop - Have you ever felt as though you can’t relate to Mary because she is so perfect?
Being a mom has taught me that Mary actually doesn’t mind all of our “poop.” Before my daughter was born, I probably changed a total of three diapers, and each time I gagged a whole lot. I was a little bit surprised upon spending the first few days with my little girl that I didn’t care one bit about her poop. It was still poop, it was still gross, but it was somehow different – she was my daughter. Mary looks at all the “poop” in our lives – those dumb situations we often weasel ourselves into – and she

doesn’t bat an eye. It doesn’t bother her, but (the best part is) she doesn’t leave us in our filth. She sees the messiness in our lives, and with her assistance, she offers us a change of heart and practice.

For Real -Do you ever feel undeserving of Mary’s attention and love?
Me too. But the good news is this: By simply being her child (despite any insecurity or impurity), Mary loves us. My daughter hasn’t done much of anything to win my love. She poops, she sleeps, she does smile, but she also has a terrifying scream. There has been no conversation, no plea in which she’s vied for my attention or poetically tried to win me over. She is my daughter regardless of what she has, says, or does. And, I love her intensely. Mary’s love for us is even deeper than this, and thank goodness for that! Because, my insecurities and impurities are overwhelming sometimes and a life in which we need to constantly prove ourselves is exhausting. We don’t need to prove anything to Mary. Her love is unconditional." 

Horse-hockey! 

Really? "Mary looks at all the “poop” in our lives – those dumb situations we often weasel ourselves into – and she doesn’t bat an eye. It doesn’t bother her..." Maybe I am wrong here, but is "poop" supposed to be sin? If so, then the author is wrong. Any time we sin it bothers Mary because it hurts her Son and separates us from God! Duh! How anyone can say that the Holy Virgin Mary, the Mother God "doesn't bat an eye" when we sin is beyond me. But hey, maybe the "poop" the author is talking about is not sin. To be honest, its hard for me to tell from her post just what she is talking about by "those dumb situations we often weasel ourselves into". Like what? The author doesn't tell us so we are left guessing. 

'There are many who arrive at the faith, but few that are led into the heavenly kingdom.' -Pope St. Gregory the Great, Doctor and Father of the Church

All this "unconditional love" talk can be misleading. No one should confuse "unconditional love" with a free pass to sin -which is a mistake most Protestant groups make. Does Mary love us? Sure! Doesn't Jesus? Sure Jesus loves us and we are sinners, but he didn't come so we could stay in our sin and end up damned. That's the link that is missing in all this "poop" talk. Sin leads to Hell. I sincerely hope no Catholic of any age, actually believes that Mary "doesn't bat an eye" at people in sin. 

Read what the Virgin Mary, the Holy Mother of God told Saint Bridget of Sweden about sin: 

'They pierce his side when they have the intention of persevering in sin. 
I tell you truly, and you can tell this to my friends, that in the sight of my Son such people are more unjust than those who sentenced him, worse enemies than those who crucified him, more shameless than those who sold him. A greater punishment is due to them than to the others. . . 
Pilate sentenced him due to fear, in accordance with the petition and intention of others. These people sentence him for their own advantage and without any fear, by dishonoring him through sin that they could abstain from, if they wanted. But they neither abstain from sin nor are they ashamed of their already committed sins, for they do not take into consideration their unworthiness of the kindness of the one whom they do not serve.' -Our Lady, 'The Revelations of St. Bridget of Sweden'

Anyone still think Mary "doesn't bat an eye" at sin?

I think our youth and their parents need to learn more about the reality of hell and understand that they might very well end up there if they insist on following heretical nonsense because it gives them the warm-fuzzies. 

'Meditate on the horrors of Hell which will last for eternity because of one easily-committed mortal sin. Try hard to be among the few who are chosen. Think of the eternal flames of Hell, and how few there are that are saved.' - St. Benedict Joseph Labre

The confused author goes on to say: 

"There is nothing we can do to lose her favor as her children. Even when we don’t deserve it. I think of my own mom who always stood right by me in the mess I made but then pointed me to something greater. I want to be just like that – always there by my daughter’s side guiding the way; always there with her while she chases her dreams, even running right by her side if necessary. This is Mary, Our Lady. She has hope for our future and is always leading us back to the One — the only One — who has the power to fulfill our every hope and desire."

That my friends is NOT the Gospel message. Jesus is NOT there to "fulfill our every hope and desire." Sure, He's got the power, but the author is being misleading here. Jesus came as our SACRIFICE, our SAVIOR. He is not our genie in a lamp to grant us wishes so all our hopes and desires are *poof* magically given to us. 

Jesus was tortured and died so we could have eternal life in Heaven with Him, IF we repent of all sin, live our Catholic Faith as it was handed down from the Apostles. Jesus told us to pick up our crosses and follow him. He didn't say He'd give us "our every hope and desire" in this life. If we make it to eternity with Him in Heaven, then and only then will we have "our every hope and desire" precisely because we are in Heaven for eternity with Christ! What more could anyone want? The issue is, very few ever make it to Heaven. Our Catholic youth would do well to understand this and never forget it.

'Woe to you who command others! If so many are damned by your fault, what will happen to you? If few out of those who are first in the Church of God are saved, what will happen to you? Take all states, both sexes, every condition: husbands, wives, widows, young women, young men, soldiers, merchants, craftsmen, rich and poor, noble and plebian. What are we to say about all these people who are living so badly? The following narrative from Saint Vincent Ferrer will show you what you may think about it. He relates that an archdeacon in Lyons gave up his charge and retreated into a desert place to do penance, and that he died the same day and hour as Saint Bernard. After his death, he appeared to his bishop and said to him, "Know, Monsignor, that at the very hour I passed away, thirty-three thousand people also died. Out of this number, Bernard and myself went up to heaven without delay, three went to purgatory, and all the others fell into Hell."' -St. Leonard of Port Maurice

The road to salvation is not easy and along the way Jesus is NOT giving us "our every hope and desire", that is pure Protestantism and no one should be teaching our Catholic youth this heresy! What Jesus gives us in this life is the GRACE we need to get to eternity with Him. What we do with that grace is up to us. 

Our youth don't need gimmicks folks! Just the Truth. Tell the youth the Truth, teach them reverence and holiness and scare the Hell right out of them! Teach them that the Mass is Calvary and how to properly behave, dress and worship. Priests must feed the sheep with what God gave His Holy Catholic Church alone, and for the love of God Himself, quit feeding them Protestantism! It's poison! 

'I truly am supreme charity itself; for all things that I have done from eternity, I have done out of charity; and, in the same way, all things that I do and shall do in the future proceed entirely from my charity. For charity is as incomprehensible and intense in me now as it was at the time of my passion when, through my death and out of exceeding charity, I freed from hell all the elect who were worthy of this redemption and liberation. For if it were still possible that I might die as many times as there are souls in hell so that for each of them I might again endure such a death as I then endured for all, my body would still be ready to undergo all these things with a glad will and most perfect charity. But, in fact, it is now impossible that my body could once more die or suffer any pain or tribulation. And it is also just as impossible that any soul that after my death has been or will be condemned to hell would ever again be freed from there, or would enjoy the heavenly gladness that my saints and chosen ones enjoy at the glorious sight of my body. 
No, the damned will feel the pains of hell in an everlasting death because they did not will to enjoy the benefit of my death and passion and did not will to follow my will while they lived in the world.' - Christ, to St. Bridget of Sweden, 'The Revelations'

In Christ,

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner 



Links: 

http://lifeteen.com/blog/ladys-perfect-love-looks-beyond-poop/

http://lifeteen.com/about/

https://twitter.com/Sir_Creaky/status/887723790343524352

Cardinal Raymond Burke in Connecticut

Comment from one of my blog readers...

Hello Julie:

I just saw a post on Rorate Caeli that I would like to share with you and with all CT residents. It is a tragedy that our diocese and parishes do not tell CT Catholics when Catholic events are being held in the nearby area. I cannot understand why this would be so. It is so frustrating! 

This Saturday, on March 25, 2017, at St. Mary's Church at 178 Greenwich Avenue, Greenwich, CT., there is a very wonderful event going on. Raymond Cardinal Burke will be celebrating a Solemn Pontifical Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, for the Feast of the Annunciation. It is at 11:00.

This is a once in a lifetime event, and I know I will be there. Can you please get the word out, for the starving Catholics in this poor state? If they want more information they can check out Rorate, the Twitter feed, or perhaps call St. Mary's.

Thank you, and God bless!
Kathleen 

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website: http://www.stmarygreenwich.org/ 

Thank you for the heads up Kathleen! :) 

God bless! 

In Christ, 

Julie @ Connecticut Catholic Corner