What About Papal Infallibility?
October 20, 2015
What About Papal Infallibility?
Pope St Pius X pray for us!
It is important for people, especially the faithful, to realize that it is only under the strictest conditions that the Pope can actually speak infallibly, and that Pope Francis HAS NOT spoken infallibly on any issues and probably won’t. This does not mean that we should not listen to him, because we should. We should try and listen with an obedient disposition, but also realize because he speaks so often and off the cuff that he may err at times. This is why the press office of the Vatican has so often had to give clarifications.
It is also very important to understand that Bishops can and will make statements and possibly even teach heresy. We have seen this lately, especially in Germany! The faithful are NOT bound to follow ANY teaching that is contrary to an already established Dogma of the Faith. In fact, it would be a sin against Faith were the faithful to follow a new teaching that they knew was erroneous. As Catholics we have a responsibility to do our homework and find out what the Church actually teaches ; claiming ignorance is not really an option.
I’m going to get straight to the point. Dogma CANNOT change. All of this synod hoo-haa can do nothing to change what GOD HAS ALREADY REVEALED! God is immutable, He cannot change, and neither can the Truth become something contrary to what it is. Here is an example : someone wants you to believe that a chair is actually a chandelier, and that person has convinced many people in the room with fancy words and tricky philosophies that the chair has somehow evolved into a chandelier. But you know that chandeliers hang from the ceiling and give off light, and you still see people sitting their bottoms on chairs, not chandeliers. This doesn’t mean that the chair is a chandelier. The chair is still a chair even if everyone in the room is now saying that the chair is a chandelier. The Truth is the Truth!
So here goes, I’m going to type it now! Even if the Pope were to try and change the teaching, it wouldn’t, and couldn’t be changed ! There, I said it. The Pope is supposed to be a guardian and protector of the Faith, that is it! If the Pope teaches something contrary to the “constant and very firm” teaching of Jesus Christ through His Church, then we CANNOT follow that teaching, WE MUST STAY FAITHFUL TO CHRIST!
We need to pray for the Pope and the Bishops, especially the Bishops that are spewing heresy ; they NEED our prayers!
Here is a good article written by Father Parochus from the site What’s Up With the Synod? Give it a look
No, the Church is not infallible because the Pope is infallible. It’s the other way around.
One of the more upsetting results of this Synodal chaos is the division it is creating between believing and sincere Catholics. Sadly, one of the more dire results of the last 50 years of non-catechesis has been a grave defect in the knowledge of most of the faithful on the limits and nature of papal infallibility.
Today I received the following note from a friend:
“I am now arguing with my pro-life friends about the petition. They see any lack of papal obedience as shocking and scandalous. Grrrrrrr. Have you written about it? What can I send them to show how wrong they are.”I recommended that she google the terms “papolatry,” that is gaining wide use recently, and the newer and perhaps somewhat more technical term “hypermontanism”. I added, “Ultramontanism = Good. Hypermontanism = Bad.”
In the interests of our charitable duty to instruct the ignorant, WUWTS offers the following brief explanation of the traditional understanding of papal infallibility, from a bona fide member of the clergy. …HJMW
Crash Course in the Church’s Infallibility.
The Church is not infallible because the Pope is infallible.
It is the other way around.
The pope is infallible because the Church is infallible.
Jesus the Divine Teacher continues to teach in this world the “message of truth”, which he originally gave to the Apostles and through them to the world. This is the Deposit of Faith and Morals. It contains primarily supernatural knowledge about God and how to get to Heaven to see and rejoice in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever. This revealed treasure also contains a crystal-clear reaffirmation of the Natural Law of right and wrong, “the observance of which is also necessary for eternal salvation”(Humane vitae). If I turn my back on God the Creator I can’t get to Heaven.
In her constant and very firm teaching the Church is protected by Christ. She will not betray Him or His teaching. She is infallible.
The Pope has the keys. He can even command us what to think. Or rather, he can bindingly declare what Christ has taught, and therefore what God has said, and requires that we believe. But Christ will NOT let His Church be bound into error. So…
When the Successor of Peter, teaching on a matter of Faith and Morals, AS Successor of Peter , binds the universal Church to believe or to absolutely and “definitively ” hold a particular truth, he shares in the infallibility of the Church.
We are only required to believe that the Pope is infallible when all the above conditions are fulfilled. We are very safe in following the teaching of Pope Saint Pius X, in his Catechismo maggiore, that the pope is infallible “only” (soltanto) under those conditions.
From the “Catechismo magiore” of Pope Saint Pius X:
199. Quando è il Papa infallibile?Il Papa è infallibile allora soltanto che nella sua qualità di Pastore e Maestro du tutti i cristiani, in virtù della suprema sua apostolica autorità, definisce una dottrina intorno alla fede o ai custumi da ternersi da tutta la Chiesa.
“soltanto” = “only,” as in, “at no other time or in no other way”.
This means it is impossible for the pope to *bindingly* contradict the constant and very firm teaching of the Church.
But by ambiguity, implication, association, action, or in other ways, the pope can sow doubt. As unfortunately we have been seeing these days.
end of article.
In JM+JT,
Lee
The Resurrection of the Body
October 18, 2015
The Eleventh Article of the Apostles’ Creed
The Resurrection of the Body
The Eleventh Article of the Apostles’ Creed is The Resurrection of the Body. All of us must die because we have sinned in Adam. We as Christians should not fear death because we know that this is just place of testing, it is our exodus before reaching our Heavenly home with Christ, Our Mother, and His Angels and Saints, “Whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die” John 11:26. It is quite simple, when we die, our soul leaves the body.
This is our time of probation and testing in our loyalty to God. Did I take the time that was gifted to me to praise, reverence, and serve God, or did I waste it? I know that I wasted a good portion of my life serving myself and my disordered appetites. It is only because of the prayers of others like my grandmother and mother that somehow I came back to the Church that I had abandoned as a young teenager. Don’t wait 20 years like me! Time is short! God is sooooo merciful and gives us sooooo many chances to turn to Him ; please don’t wait until it is to late. God wants to Bless ALL of His children, but He is a Gentleman ; He won’t come in unless He is invited. Invite Him into your life, and into your families life. Everything we have is from Him, and Him alone, EVERYTHING.
The World is starving for TRUTH and something solid and real to grasp onto. I found answers to ALL of my questions here in the Catholic Church. The answers to life’s biggest and toughest questions are found in the writings and the “constant and very firm” teaching of Jesus Christ taught through His Church. You will find the Truth in the Holy Scriptures and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and also in the great writings of the Fathers of the Church, and from the writings of Saints like St Teresa of Avila, St John of the Cross, St Alphonsus Liguori, St Louis Marie De Monfort, Venerable Fulton Sheen, Servant of God Father John Hardon S.J., Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity, and so many more.
Back to The Resurrection of the Body. Once again, we must always be prepared for death because God keeps the time of our death hidden from us. This helps us to have a healthy respect and fear to always try to serve God a little better and a little more. It also helps to give ourselves over many times in life to God’s will and Providence until He calls us to our eternal destiny.
Speaking of eternal destiny, after death we are immediately judged and God will reveal the results of our eternal destiny to us. This is the Particular Judgement that we learned about a few posts back. The body will stay in the earth until the General Judgement.
The Glorified Body
This is the part that I have been trying to get to in this post. Learning about the Church and all She teaches is an amazing journey of wonder and awe. This topic absolutely excites me more than any other. I am fascinated by the topic of The Glorified Body. The topic of Our Mother Mary and this topic are probably the two that I love to read about, pray, meditate, and study the most.
At the General Judgement our earthly bodies will be reunited with our spiritual souls and joined together once more. If we died in a state of grace then we will rise up like Jesus did on Easter Sunday; Glorious, Glorified, full of Brightness and Splendour, and we will be adorned with our merits for all to see!
This may bring us to wonder what kind of qualities does one with a Glorified Body have? I love this part!
Impassibility: immunity from pain, suffering, sorrow, and death (no more aches or pains, and ALWAYS happy)
Subtility: freedom from all physical barriers to movement. Body and soul in PERFECT unison
Agility: the ability to move at the speed of light, totally at the command of the will ( for those who want to visit Saturn’s moons like me, well, we will be able to do this and ALOT more!)
Brightness, Clarity, or Splendour: extraordinary beauty, shining with the radiance of the sun Matt 13:43
Note: To remember the 4 qualities of a Glorified Body I use the acronym ISAB (Impassibility, Subtility, Agility, Brightness). It’s simple but little memory tricks like this really help with catechesis.
Now come on people, doesn’t this excite you? This is what we have to look forward to! This is what God has planned for us, He wants us ALL to be in friendship with Him so that He can share Himself and this awesome destiny with us. We have to be BIG PICTURE CATHOLICS! We must look at the end-game!
In JM+JT,
Lee
ROSARY CRUSADE on OCTOBER 7 !
October 6, 2015
Rosary Crusade
Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7
This October 7 in the year 2015 AD we will be setting out once again on a ROSARY CRUSADE ! I believe that the times that we are now living in are perhaps some of the darkest times in the history of the World! Over 42 MILLION OF GOD’S CHILDREN A YEAR killed in abortions ; there are only 319 million people living in the U.S. I don’t think that there could possibly be a time in the history of the World where there were more corrupt governments than there are right now. How could any civilized person ever watch those Planned Parenthood videos and defend that demonic organization? It’s just lie after lie after lie!
Right now as I type this a Christian genocide is taking place at the hands of muslims all around the World, especially in the Middle East. A Christian dies for their Faith EVERY 5 MINUTES! Christians are being crucified, chopped up, raped, sodomized, enslaved, and tortured just for being Christian! Muslims are doing this to our Christian brothers and sisters and many of the World’s leaders are turning a blind eye, especially in the United States. Instead, islam is being held up by some leaders as being a peaceful religion. IT IS NOT! “Mohammed and his little helpers” only bring death ; JESUS BRINGS LIFE!
Moving on to the Church now ; the abuses are absolutely staggering! Liturgical abuse, doctrinal abuse, spiritual abuses left and right, the list goes on. We have Bishop against Bishop, and Cardinal versus Cardinal. The pillar of civilization itself, the family, is being attacked by Bishops and Cardinals within our very Church’s Walls! The same men who should be defending the family and God’s Revealed Truth are trying to tear it down! We aren’t talking about just a few Bishops, Cardinals, and priests, but MANY ; almost ENTIRE BISHOPS CONFERENCES are trying to destroy the Church under the guise of tolerance and mercy. The Radical Homosexual machine has bashed through the gates of the Church and has entered into it’s very heart like a cancer. No human power can turn back what has happened. Satan and his demons are running rampant! Without God, we are doomed!
But there is HOPE! We have very powerful weapons at our disposal. We have God’s Word! We have Mighty Angels that are fighting for us, and with us, right now! We have an Army of Saints that hear our prayers and are fighting along side of us! We have the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacraments of the Church! We have amazing Sacramentals (Holy Water, Brown Scapular, Crucifixes, Blessed Objects) given to us by Our Lord and Our Mother! Don’t forget, we have each other; WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER! We have Our Blessed Mother, and the MOST POWERFUL ROSARY! We have JESUS’ WORD ; in John 14, [18] He said, “I will not leave you orphans, I will come to you.” We have to TRUST in JESUS! We trust in you Jesus! We KNOW that Jesus has already won the war, but we are here on Earth to do battle right now! God has chosen us for these very times. We are called to be Saints!
We MUST pray and fast for a turn around in this World! We are praying this Rosary Crusade for an END to ALL ABORTION ; we are praying this Rosary Crusade for PEACE in the WORLD, especially the Middle East ; we are praying this Rosary Crusade for the SYNOD on the FAMILY! JOIN US! We will be praying the ROSARY CRUSADE between Noon and 3 pm on OCTOBER 7 ; please post on Facebook, Twitter, EVERYWHERE! WE NEED SPIRITUAL WARRIORS TO JOIN US IN OUR CRUSADE!
Here is a short excerpt from TFP Student Action on the history of October 7 and the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary and the Victory at Lepanto :
“Pope Pius V, a Dominican prelate before his elevation, did what Catholics have always done in times of acute danger: fly into the arms of the most powerful Mother of God. As a follower of Saint Dominic, he knew the most effective means of imploring her help was through the recitation of the Holy Rosary. He ordered all monasteries and convents in Rome to increase their prayers for the impending battle and organized rosary processions in which he, as sick as he was, participated.
As the Christian fleet sailed toward the great clash of cultures (The Cross and the crescent), Mass was celebrated and the rosary recited daily on each vessel. This heartfelt request for divine assistance resulted in a crushing defeat of the Ottomans(muslims) at Lepanto that ended their dominance in the Mediterranean.
To celebrate Our Lady’s intercession, the Church has designated October 7 as the Feast of the Holy Rosary and Saint Pius V added Help of Christians (Auxilium Christianorum) to the Litany of Our Lady (Loreto). Similar acknowledgement to the Blessed Virgin’s intercession through the rosary were made when John Sobieski forced the Turks to lift the Siege of Vienna in 1683 and after the victory of Prince Eugene of Savoy at Temesvar in his successful campaign to remove the Ottomans from Europe in the next century.
While the din of battle gradually diminished at the bloody waters off Lepanto, Saint Pius V was going over accounts in the papal apartments with Bartolo Busotti, his treasurer. Suddenly, he arose with his face radiant with joy and announced, “Let us go and thank God, for this moment our fleet has defeated the Turks.” Human agency brought news to Rome two weeks later.”
Interesting note: Andrea Doria, one of the three principal admirals of the fleet had an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in his cabin!
See you on the battlefield!!!
In JM+JT,
Lee
Sacred Heart of Jesus have mercy on us!
Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us!
Our Lady of Victory pray for us!
Our Lady of the Rosary pray for us!
The Tenth Article of the Apostles’ Creed
September 26, 2015
The Forgiveness of Sins
The Tenth Article of the Apostles’ Creed
We are going to take a look at The Tenth Article of the Apostles’ Creed, “ The Forgiveness of Sins ” . Jesus means “Saviour” ! The Second Person of the Divine Trinity became man to save us from sin. No one is forgiven of any sin except through the merits that Jesus won for us on the Cross ; those merits He won for us have been personally entrusted to be dispensed through the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. The treasury of Christ’s Divine Graces are ALL dispensed through the Catholic Church. We learned earlier that the Church is the Universal Sacrament of Salvation ; that does not take away at all from the fact that the Church is also the Universal Sacrament of Penance. Jesus made sure to reveal to us how He would like for the Church to dispense His graces ; through the Holy Mass, Sacraments, prayer, and charitable works of the faithful. The Church is open to ALL who seek mercy and forgiveness. It is also important for each of us to ask the question “what we as human beings needed saving from?” Also, what EXACTLY did Jesus save us from? He saved us from eternal death in Hell ! This is the TRUTH!
God is merciful and wills that all turn to Him for friendship. He forgives those who ask for forgiveness and those who make an effort at true repentance. No matter who you are, or what you have done, Jesus died for you and welcomes you back into friendship with him. Not only that, but Jesus transforms people from sinners into Saints if you participate with His grace! Sinners truly make great Saints !
I am no Saint, but I can honestly say that Jesus has TRANSFORMED me into a new, and better person than I used to be! I am living proof of Jesus’s Divine Mercy! I thought that God didn’t care about me because of how sinful I was ; I was so wrong! I had left the Church for 20 years, how could I come back? Well, He welcomed me home like the prodigal son and has continued to bless me ever since. I cannot say enough about how pleased God is to welcome a prodigal son or daughter home ; He is waiting to throw you a huge party right now! Heaven REJOICES when a sinner who has been living in sin turns to God, asks for forgiveness, and takes steps to sin no more! He helps us all through the journey of life with His Sacraments and Holy Mass. When I first came back to Church after 20 years, I would have to go to Confession 3-4 times per week and give humiliating confessions. Eventually the Divine Graces from going to the Sacrament of Confession, and attending Holy Mass, and actually having the will to want to change, transformed my life and my thinking! I want to please God now, not just myself. That doesn’t mean that I don’t still sin and make mistakes, of course I do, just ask my wonderful wife 🙂 .
In ending I have to say that Our Lord died on the Cross and established the Church on Earth to save us from Hell. In dying on the Cross, He entrusted to the Church the instruments and channels of mercy that are necessary in order for man or woman to enter into Heaven.
May Almighty God protect us from the World, the devil, the heretics, and ourselves!
In JM+JT,
Lee
ROSARY CRUSADE
September 15, 2015
Rosary Crusade
Today, Sept 15 on this Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and the Seven Sorrows of Mary let us join together between Noon and 3 pm and storm Heaven with prayer and roses four our Most Immaculate Mother!
Rosary Crusade
Today we will all pray for peace in the World, an end to abortion, and a return to moral values throughout our countries and communities. Believe me, Our Mother is listening and with us ! Let us unite within the Mystical Body of Christ and the Church and pray one the powerful prayers in existence. Many thousands have responded and replied to the call for a Rosary Crusade! Will you join us?
Right now we are in a battle for our very souls and lives, I kid you not! The Rosary is the most powerful weapon that we have for hand to hand combat with the enemy. Imagine thousands armed with Rosaries united in prayer! We know that Jesus already won the war, but we still have battles to be fought in the here and now! Join us brothers and sisters! We fight for the salvation of souls! We have Jesus and His Most Immaculate Mother leading the charge into battle ; how glorious to fight along side the King and queen of Heaven! We will pray and fight!
In JM+JT,
Lee
Church and State
August 10, 2015
Church and State
Church and State
We often hear people talking about this idea of Church and State. I hear it in main stream media, I hear it when people are talking about politics, morality, and marriage…The common belief seems to be that Church and State are to be completely separate from one another. That’s not the case at all actually ! In fact, It’s the State that is supposed to stay out of the Church, not the other way around. I have tried to explain this to some secular friends on occasion and I usually get looked at like have 3 heads. In a perfect sort of World one would hope that the Church and State would compliment one another, but that is not usually the case unfortunately. More and more with less Catholics in the pews, and the rampant increase in secularism and moral relativism, the Church and State are in direct opposition to one another.
We need to look at the FACTS! The Church was founded by God, and the State is a man made. The Church’s job deals with the Eternal Salvation of mankind, and the State deals with temporal issues. This must be understood ; The Church’s authority comes from GOD and ALWAYS SUPERCEDES the authority of the State.
Obedience to Legitimate Authority
Since Apostolic times the Church has always commanded the faithful to follow and obey the civil authority. The civil authority gets its authority indirectly from God. Remember when Pilate was speaking to Jesus here in John 19:[11] Jesus answered: Thou shouldst not have any power against me, unless it were given thee from above. We also see St Paul in his Letter to the Roman in chapter 13:[1] Let every soul be subject to higher powers: for there is no power but from God: and those that are, are ordained of God. So we see here from Holy Scripture that as Catholics we are to follow the laws of the civil authorities and to respect them also.
That being said, the Church is the moral authority, not the State, and the Church reserves the right to pass judgement on the justice of civil laws. What I am about to type is VERY IMPORTANT so TAKE NOTE : In conscience, a Christian may not obey a civil law that his conscience, enlightened by faith, tells him or her is contrary to the law of God!
This should bring to mind the many battles that faithful Shepherds are waging with the secular powers in the times that we live in now. Take a look at the Western World, especially in Canada and the US ; there is so-called same sex “marriage,” divorce (by the way, Catholics cannot divorce, it is a civil fabrication), the right to proper Catholic education, the sanctity of unborn human life, contraception, parents rights, and end of life issues like euthanasia, which is actually murder. We as Catholics, or any people of good conscience for that matter, should resist these laws ; they are unjust and go against God’s Divine Law. These laws are opposed to the dignity and respect due to human persons and life and are not binding in conscience. I urge you to NOT compromise with such laws. We must resist these unjust laws peacefully, but with zeal! So many souls are at stake.
We need to look at three amazing Saints who loved God and their country, but were unwilling to compromise their God given rights. Two of these Saints are St Thomas a Becket and Saint John Fisher. They defended the Laws of their Church and paid the price with their lives! They chose God over compromise! Today, we need more Saints like these. Another Saint that we can look to today is St Thomas More. This bit copied from wiki about St Thomas More : Thomas More ” was an English lawyer, social philosopher, author, statesman and noted Renaissance humanist. He was also a councillor to Henry VIII, and Lord High Chancellor of England from October 1529 to 16 May 1532.
More opposed the Protestant Reformation, in particular the theology of Martin Luther and William Tyndale. He also wrote Utopia, published in 1516, about the political system of an ideal and imaginary island nation. More opposed the King’s separation from the Catholic Church, refusing to acknowledge him as Supreme Head of the Church of England and refusing to acknowledge Henry’s annulment from Catherine of Aragon. Tried for treason for not taking the Oath of Supremacy, More was convicted and beheaded.
Pope Pius XI canonised More in 1935 as a martyr of the schism that separated the Church of England from Rome; Pope John Paul II in 2000 declared him the “heavenly Patron of Statesmen and Politicians. ” It must be stated that St Thomas More’s last words before he was executed were ” the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” Let those be our words as well !
May Almighty God Bless us and protect us from the World, the devil, and ourselves!
In JM+JT,
Lee
An Introduction to Totus Tuus by Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus
July 26, 2015
An Introduction to Totus Tuus by Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus
St Louis Marie de Monfort and Consecration to Jesus through Mary
Hi Everyone, I hope and pray that all are having a blessed and safe summer season. Our family has had many blessings and a few trials as of late, so I am not posting as much as I would like to ; I apologize for this, but I assure you that this site is here to stay. I appreciate all the feedback and comments from all over the Catholic World. Never could I have ever imagined that this little site from Canada would have so many visitors from so many places. All for the praise of God’s Glory! That’s my little adaptation to St Ignatius of Loyola and Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity. Oh ! By the way, Pope Francis can you please look at Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity’s cause for canonization! I doubt he will ever see this but who knows :-).
Once again I would like to welcome back our guest contributor Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus who serves at the Secretariat of State’s Section for the Relation with States at the Holy See (Vatican). Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus is a diplomat of the Holy See and he has a Ph.D in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University (my kind of teacher), and a Licentiate in Canon Law. We are in very good company here folks, I hope we are paying attention. Monsignor’s posts couldn’t have come at a better time ; Thank you Monsignor. God’s timing is unbelievable, He is never late. Please keep Monsignor Kolfhaus in your daily prayers. Now more than ever we need to pray for our priests ! Our Lady of Mount Carmel pray for priests !
This post is a small segment from his book called Totus Tuus Maria an Introduction to Our Lady Following the Spiritual Teaching of St. Louis Marie Grignon de Monfort
“There is only one tragedy,” said the French poet Léon Bloy, “and that is to not be a saint.” Becoming a saint is indeed our life’s goal; we are created for this. God has called the universe into being so that man might exist. He has breathed His breath into Adam and Eve, making them the progenitors of His family. In order to fulfill His plan, He sent His own son, born of a woman (cf. Gal 4:4). He was crucified to free us from our sins, and He rose again that we might also live. Yes, the Father sent us the Son, who continues to be present in the Church throughout time, so as to give Him brothers and sisters. All that is, the whole cosmos, and all that God has done and continues to do, exists in order to make saints. Yes, only in them, the children of the heavenly Father, does the universe find meaning for its existence. As St. Paul states, “For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Rom 8:19).[1]
The world needs saints. Without them, without men and women for whom it was made, it loses its most fundamental sense. Holiness, the life of God’s children in communion with Him, is the goal of our entire existence; it is the goal of the whole cosmos. Indeed, there is no greater sorrow than to not become a saint. The success of all Nobel Prize winners and politicians, the glamour of Hollywood celebrities, and the victories of Olympic athletes wane in the light of even a single saint, as unknown and hidden as he might be. That is why our world needs one thing above all else: holy men, women, and children who give God first place in their lives, and who give order and meaning not only to their own lives but to the whole of creation as well.
It is the tragedy of our time that the saints are often caricatured as bigots and pious actors, as people who do not know life and thus cannot enjoy it. The saint seems to be the moralizing ascetic, unworldly pariah, or naive dreamer. How wrong this is! Saint Teresa Benedicta a Cruce (Edith Stein) wrote to her sister, “By the way, it is my conviction that it is not necessary for a saint to renounce all wishes and hopes of the world. Quite the opposite: man is in this world to live, and he is supposed to accept all the beautiful things that are given to him with gratitude.” If holiness is the goal of our being, then the saints are indeed the ones who know this world and can rejoice in it because they have found the meaning for their existence and are aware of it. They are the ones who are truly happy in this world and in the next. The Latin word “beatus,” blessed or saint, indicates this: sanctity is a synonym of true and lasting happiness for which God has created us. In order not to lose sight of this goal, the world needs saints, men and women who have both of their feet on the ground but who have their gaze directed to heaven.
In essence, all men long for sanctity, for communion with God for whom they were created. A deep longing burns in all of us to understand the deepest roots of our being and to encounter the One who is Love. To love and to be loved – that is, in full offering, which is in God and possible for Him – is the deepest human longing; it is the fulfillment of that which we hope for as happiness and beatitude. The human heart is too large to be filled with anything less than God.
But what is a saint? There are many unfortunate misunderstandings that distort the image of true sanctity. Sanctity is not a question of moral over-achievement or, even less, philistine philanthropy. To be holy, is – even before we start with our laborious task – a gift from God. “In baptism the Lord, as it were, sets our life alight with what the Catechism calls sanctifying grace. Those who watch over this light, who live by grace, are holy” (Benedict XVI, September 24, 2011). This task of our lives consists in saving that grace and increasing it. Yes, Baptism makes us Christian and demands of us that we live like Christ, that is, that we be saints.
St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort understood this truth and did all he could to remind us of this glorious and great calling to sanctity. His “True Devotion to Mary,” which quickly became known as the “Golden Book,” is nothing other than a manual for becoming a saint. Louis-Marie Grignion is convinced that being a saint means living in the grace of Baptism, following Christ as a Christian. Who would be better suited to guide this journey than Mary, who – as a good mother – knows how she can help her children to live day by day as sons and daughters of Christ, and how to become ever more like her Son?
In this sense St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort writes that saints are formed in Mary. In her, the greatest miracle happened: God became man. In her, as in a living tabernacle, Christ can be found. Everyone who trustfully consecrates himself to her will be formed in the image of the God-Man. She is, St. Louis-Marie writes, the easiest, quickest, most secure, and most perfect way to become a saint. Consecration to the Mother of God as a conscious renewal of one’s baptismal vows was always highly recommended by the Church. St. Maximilian Kolbe declares, “Undoubtedly, all saints must be formed by the hands of the Virgin Mary. Why? Because all graces flow through the hands of this Most Holy Mother.” The Curé of Ars is firmly convinced that all the saints, without exception, “have a great veneration for the Virgin, since no grace comes down from heaven, except through her very hands.”
The Statue of Our Lady of Quito (Ecuador) depicts the Mother of God as if dancing on the devil in the form of a snake, while crushing its head, as foretold in the first book of the Bible (cf. Gen 3:15). It is indeed extraordinary to depict the Our Lady dancing. What does this image want to tell us? She who is “full of grace” defeats evil effortlessly and joyfully. It is God’s grace in Mary’s life, as in ours, which works great things, if we only declare our fiat with the Virgin of Nazareth. It is all about following Jesus by the hand of His Mother, Mary. Even if we are not spared the Cross, it is not a life of sadness and despair that awaits us, but a life of true joy and hope. Consecrating oneself to Mary means making reference to the image of Quito, that is, being led by this dance, which begins in this world, but already follows the melody of something that is not of this world. This is the core message of the “Golden Book”: whoever consecrates himself to Mary, as carefree as in dancing, will make quicker and easier progress in the spiritual life and in the struggle against one’s faults, as with any other form of piety. Consecration to Mary is, as it were, the prelude to a dance in a truly Christian life, in which three steps are repeated over and over again, and which the Mother teaches her children: to know Jesus, to love Jesus, and to serve Jesus. Veneration of Mary is not by any means secondary and, as some think, not even really necessary. No! “Being Catholic means being Marian” (Pope Benedict XVI, May 28, 2011).
Time and again voices are heard which criticize consecration to Mary as an exaggeration or see in it nothing other than sentimental piety. “De Maria numquam satis,” the Church replies. There can never be enough said about Mary; she can never be honored enough. To God belongs our worship. Mary is and always remains a creature, but she is the masterpiece of the Divine Artist, who mirrors His perfection as nothing and no one in the entire universe. Mary is that which no other creature can say about itself: daughter, mother, and spouse of God. She is the only one who can call God “my child”! Consecrating oneself to Mary means nothing other than entering this dynamic of love and following the logic of the Incarnation. The saints have never feared to exaggerate veneration of Mary. Those who have consecrated themselves to the Mother of God call themselves – as if competing with one another – children of Mary, her servants, her slaves, her own property. Saint John Eudes says, “If I were to know someone who loves Mary more than I do, then I would hasten to that person – even hundred miles I would hasten – to learn how the Mother of God can be loved even more.” Impressed by the Virgin Mary’s beauty, Padre Pio, too, did not hesitate to declare, “Ah, my beautiful mommy, my dear mommy,… Jesus was right… Yes, you are beautiful… without the faith, men would call you a goddess… your eyes are more radiant than the sun… you are beautiful, mommy, it is my honor to love you.”[2] Consecration to Mary is not “Catholic kitsch” or a questionable form of piety, but the imitation of Christ through the hands of His mother, who safely guides anyone who entrusts himself to her. Therefore, the strong Catholic conviction is, “Servus Mariae numquam peribit,” that is, “a servant of Mary will never perish.”
St. Louis-Marie leads whomever wishes to consecrate himself to the Mother of God, and through her to her Divine Son, over thirty-three days toward the consecration. During this time, the faithful must decide to turn away from sin and strive to learn to love Jesus and Mary more. The fruit of this endeavor is supposed to be the conscious renewal of one’s Baptismal vows, a complete giving of self to Jesus through Mary. The present work hopes to trace the steps of St. Louis-Marie Grignion and help the reader prepare himself for the consecration to Mary. In a conscious effort, the thirty-three days of this consecration have been reduced to twelve: three should serve as an in-depth examination of conscience and a renewal of life, and nine should serve as a novena to directly prepare for the consecration and to present the most important stages of Mary’s life to the faithful.
At the end of the first three days a thorough confession is recommended, in which one tries to look deeper into his life than in a typical confession. Hence, it is suggested to answer the questions of the examinations of conscience in written form and to prepare an in-depth confession with these written notes, perhaps even of one’s entire past life. At the same time, one’s gaze must be directed toward the future along with the question of fighting one’s central flaw more effectively. The firm will to repent and concrete resolutions for the spiritual life are fruit of the first three days.
Each day of the Novena as a preparation for the consecration consists of two parts: one concerning prayer and one concerning reading. The part concerning prayer should serve as an opportunity to become closer to the Virgin Mother by meditating on her life and by entrusting oneself to her in prayer. To this end, the most common Marian prayers have been chosen in order for the faithful to acquire an array of prayers during this time. The principal part concerning prayer is one decade of the Rosary that should be prayed slowly and while meditating upon the images, which means meditating upon each mystery with one reason and heart. Obviously, it can be useful to pray the whole Rosary every day, but beginners in the spiritual life especially should avoid pushing themselves too hard. Someone who has never has done sports cannot run a marathon. However, one who trains regularly and proceeds with reasonable steps can perform excellently without risking bruises or sprains. The same is true of the spiritual life, in which it is not principally our own doing and working, but the effective grace of God.
Appended to the prayers and meditations for each day of the Novena is a reading with an excerpt taken from the “Golden Book” by St. Louis-Marie de Montfort. These readings contain a short introduction of the principal idea of the given meditation before the text. At the end of the text, there is a short biographical note of a saint and a prayer. The reading of these spiritual texts does not necessarily have to follow each meditation. It might be recommended to postpone this until another part of the day with time and inspiration. It is very reasonable to pause between the reading of these texts in order to consider and understand the thoughts of the different saints, and to make them one’s own in prayer. It is also recommended to take notes of one’s thoughts and comments in a “spiritual diary.”
This book has no other goal in mind than that of St. Marie-Louis Grignion de Montfort: that is, to be the quickest and most secure way to sanctity. Nevertheless, it simply lends a helping hand in order to deepen one’s spiritual life. The countless hidden treasures that are contained in the Biblical texts and the writings of the saints must be uncovered and appropriated for oneself. One who has already been consecrated to Mary can fruitfully use this novena to prepare for the annual renewal of the consecration and to deepen his spiritual life.
It is left to hope that through this preparation for the consecration many faithful might give themselves generously to the Mother of God, so that she in turn might give our era many saints. This book supports the main principle with which St. Louis-Marie Grignion began his book: “Through Mary Christ came into this world; through Mary He wants to reign in this world!”
May Almighty God Bless us all and protect us from the World, the devil, and ourselves !
In JM+JT,
Lee
[1] English Standard Version.
[2] Padre A, Da San Marco in Lamis, Diario, p. 53: “Ah, Mammina bella, Mammina cara… Aveva ragione Gesù…Sì, sei bella…Se non ci fosse la fede, gli uomini ti direbbero Dea… Gli occhi tuoi sono più splendenti del sole… Sei bella Mammina, me ne glorio, ti amo…”.
Prayer to Jesus for an ever-growing love to his Mother Mary
July 16, 2015
Prayer to Jesus for an ever-growing love to his Mother Mary
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Pray for us !!!
This is a beautiful prayer sent to us from Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus who serves at the Secretariat of State’s Section for the Relation with States at the Holy See (Vatican). He is our guest contributor to Canadian Catechist. We are so very grateful for his wonderful contributions to our little web page. Here is the prayer that the good Monsignor wrote and that I have said myself. You can find his books here.
Prayer to Jesus for an ever-growing love to his Mother Mary
Blessed are You, Jesus, for having Mary!
She, beautiful as the moon and radiant as the sun, is Your Mother.
Her eyes are like those of an innocent child,
Her lips overflow with words of love,
Her radiant smile banishes all shadows of fear and sadness.
How often have You repeated:
“You are all beautiful Mary, no blemish is in You.”
Blessed are You, Jesus, for having Mary!
You are the only Son, that the woman could have chosen,
To be conceived and carried under Her heart,
To nourish You with Her bosom and to caress You in Her embrace.
You have left heaven to live in this earthly paradise;
That You Yourself had prepared.
She is truly Your joy and Your beatitude.
Blessed are You, Jesus, for having Mary!
30 long years You could live in the house of the Virgin
And experience the joy of Her familiarity;
Even though You are the omniscient God, You were pleased,
To be by Her side and to learn from Her.
Yes, because You are the Holy God, You took joy in
Seeing Her virtues day by day
And to marvel at the purity of Her life.
Blessed are You, Jesus, for having Mary!
When You climbed up Golgotha, she was by Your side!
Just as the first man sought companionship,
So You as the new Adam have found a companion
To fulfill Your work of salvation.
As You called for Your Father in the darkness of the cross,
Your Mother was there.
As the devil wounded Your heel, She crushed his head;
Just as a worried woman crushes the head of a scorpion,
That stalks Her child.
And just in this moment, when they took all from You,
You gave to me the most precious treasure of Your life,
By giving me this wonderful woman as Mother.
Blessed am I, Jesus, to have Mary!
Through Her, o God, You became my brother.
With Her, o Lord, You have redeemed me a sinner.
She is, o Jesus, our paradise, our beatitude our true joy.
Both of us – me and You – are truly Her children.
I wished I were You, o Jesus.
I do not long for raising the dead, healing the sick
And walking on water, as You did.
I do not wish to reign over angels and men,
And to judge the nations one day.
I do not want to be praised and exulted
Or worshipped and glorified as God.
No, I just wish to be Jesus,
To love our Mother, as You did.
The two of us are Her children, but only You love Her, as She deserves it,
Only You give Her the honor that fits Her.
I wish, I were You, o Jesus,
To love Her with the infinite power of God,
Who became himself recipient of Mary’s love and tenderness.
I wish I were You, o Jesus,
To crown Her with all the glory of the heavens,
Since whatever I think and say about Her
Is much too little in vision of Her beauty and greatness.
Yes, I wish so dearly to be You, o Jesus,
To never hurt the heart of my Mother by my sins.
Jesus,
You have kept Mary from the sins of the forefathers
And have given Her the plenitude of graces;
You have adorned Her soul with all divine and human virtues
And never allowed for the evil adversary to come close to Her, even though he tempted You
You have died to lead Her, the immaculate one, to heaven without death.
You have raised Her to be queen of angels and men,
To have Her enthroned in eternity by Your side.
How can I not rejoice about all the great, that You have done unto Mary?
Jesus, let me love my and Your Mother, as You love Her.
Give me the crown in my hand that You want to place on Her head.
Speak through my mouth all of the loving words, that You want to tell Her.
Use me as Your means to honor Her the way, that You alone are able to.
Teach me to imitate You in everything fully,
With what You want to make Her happy.
Lend me Your divine heart, to love Mary,
And give Her my heart
That she shall own just as it belongs to You.
Jesus; grant me the great grace to be truly a child of Your Mother.
Amen.
In JM+JT,
Lee
Happy Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel !!!
Via Dolorosa: Meditations on the Via Crucis by Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus
July 3, 2015
Via Dolorosa: Meditations on the Via Crucis
by Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus
I would really like to introduce my readers to Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus who serves at the Secretariat of State’s Section for the Relation with States at the Holy See (Vatican). He has a Ph.D in Dogmatic Theology (my kind of teacher) and a Licentiate in Canon Law . His resume goes on and on, and he fulfils so many diplomatic functions at the Holy See ; it’s truly remarkable. He speaks on the radio regularly in Europe, puts on retreats, and has been seen at Steubenville and on EWTN. However, under all of these very impressive titles, degrees, and important positions, I have found a truly humble servant who loves Our Lord, and has a very special relationship with Our Lady. He has chosen to share some of his beautiful meditations and writings with us right here at Canadian Catechist, and we are very honoured and blessed to be in this position ; thank you so much Monsignor! His very profound way of sharing his beautiful spirituality cannot be hidden under a basket. I knew when he sent me his writings and meditations that they would be really great, but I wasn’t expecting for my soul to be touched in the way it was. I am vey pleased to share this with you !
Monsignor’s latest book, which I have read, is a masterpiece on Our Lady and is called : The School of Mary: Meditations on the Mysteries of the Rosary, it was just released last week and can be found here: http://www.amazon.ca/The-School-Mary-Meditations-Mysteries/dp/1621381625
I suggest you pray before reading the meditation below. You can pray a Hail Mary prayer, the Our Father, Glory be, or the Come Holy Ghost prayer! I just suggest that you pray before reading Holy Scripture or spiritual reading in order to open your heart and mind to the voice of God.
From Monsignor Florian Kolfhaus’s book : Via Dolorosa: Meditations on the Via Crucis published by Gracewing
Certainly, there are many ways that lead to God. The greatness and goodness of God can be seen in His creation. His mercy shines in the person of Jesus of whom the Gospels speaks. The Lord Himself speaks to us through His word, through His Church, and through our conscience. But man can indeed ignore all of that. On the subject of error and sin, C.S. Lewis writes, “Its victims seem to see it the least, the more they have fallen into it. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” Suffering that renders us speechless by its injustice burns everything away that is not God. He who suffers then, when no man can help any longer, can only reach out for God. He who suffers experiences in suffering that he is a creature who has not created himself and cannot redeem himself. Indeed, even rebellion, how a good God can allow such pain, is no longer a philosophical question in the hour of need, but a call for a saving hand, which can pull us from the abyss. They say, “Necessity teaches prayer.” And indeed, God is so humble that He does not reproach us when we go to Him, when no one else can help us anymore, when we see no way out, when He is, so to speak, the last choice and there is no other remaining. Oftentimes, we must pass along the painful road to find God, to discover that all the other ways in life were dead-ends.
***
Demons suffer without loving. Angels love without suffering. We men live in this world to suffer and to love. That is our mission. Of course, suffering can lead us to bitterness; suffering without love is hell – in the truest sense of the word. But to suffer and to love are nevertheless a power which can bring heaven down to earth. Suffering and loving means overcoming evil from within, because an evil – suffering – is turned into good. Suffering and choosing to love is to defeat evil with good, to defeat the devastating power of sin and its consequence of death and pain in the world, and to transform it into grace and blessing. The lover who is stricken by the weight of suffering takes on evil and transforms it. He takes it upon His shoulder and goes forward, always in the grace of Christ. He goes up to Golgotha, transforming the cross from a punishment into a sign of life. The bare wooden beams on which the sentenced person is tortured to death become an altar on which the Lamb is slaughtered and sheds His blood for the salvation of the world. Christ did not die the death of a convicted criminal on Calvary, as it may have seemed, but suffered with a human and divine love to the point of sacrificing His life. He is the Lord who handed Himself over to the enemy in order to make His life a sacrifice and to make the corrupter of mankind – in accordance with the Divine plan – the servant of salvation. Victor quia victima. He is the victor because He became the victim, for “the Lamb is stronger than the dragon” (Pope Benedict XVI, December 22, 2005). The devil’s anger nailed the body of Christ to the Cross and pulled His human soul down to the edge of the abyss, where the Lord, who was close to despair, was not even sure about the closeness of the Father: “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” But precisely in this way Jesus has won, and the one who thought to govern Him through pain and fear has lost his battle. In a certain sense, Jesus defeated the devil with his own weapons – or better put – by His love He reversed the blow of the sword and forced the blade into the demon himself. In the deepest moment of His anguish, Jesus loved not only God, but also us sinners – we who do not deserve that kind of love – and He pulled us from the abyss and redeemed us. The fire of His love turned the giving of Himself on the Cross into a sacrifice that reconciled God and men. In this fire, Christ offered His own body and blood to the Father in order to bring about everlasting salvation. In this sacrificial flame that still burns on our altars, His love, which He brought to fulfillment on the Cross, shines forth. We are capable of suffering and loving Christ on earth, and that indeed is the great dignity of the baptized, of which – as some mystics have said – even the spirits in heaven are jealous. We can participate in His sacrifice, as unbelievable as this seems, and add what His suffering lacks in order to complete the power of His grace (cf. Col 1:24). Indeed, He wants us to suffer, to love, and to stand with Him on Golgotha: not as people convicted by an unpleasant fate, but as priests and kings, whose toils and sufferings God accepts as worthy offerings, because they come from people in love. All of this naturally remains a mystery; the more pain and fear darken the eye, the more impenetrable and obscure the mystery seems. To love in these moments – even without feeling it or being aware of one’s own love – disarms evil, which has already become weakened from striking a loving soul. This battle, in which our defeats are turned into victories by grace, can only be fought by the One who has taken all of our life’s burdens upon His shoulders. Only the One who has become a believer in love can be a suffering lover. Everyone who, at the end of the painful road, is asked how he could have climbed this steep path and why he did not remain on the ground after so many falls, since everything seems useless, will answer with St. John: “Credidimus Caritati – we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us” (1 Jn 4:16).
- Station: Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His cross.
V.: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You
A.: Because by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world
Everything goes black. I stumble and trip. One of the soldiers clutches me and holds me up cursing in order to keep me from falling. It is not pity, no. Even my executioners, who made a game of striking and humiliating me at the Praetorium, want to finish it. I cannot go any further. Only the sheer strength of the Roman, who will not release his grip of my arm, supports me. He holds me like an animal. He spits at me, disgusted by my wounds. If it were his decision, he would exterminate this piece of filth here and now. Why this big scene for a simple Jewish criminal? He yells to his comrades to fetch a man from the crowd to help Me. They bring a stranger to my side under the wooden beam, one who has given up on protesting against it. He does not bow voluntarily under My cross; he curses this day, the Romans, and Me. We are like two oxen yoked under the same plough. I sense his bitterness, his pain, and his anger. It is unjust to make him carry the cross. But is it not the same for Me? He is innocent. Am I not innocent as well? The soldiers push us further. The weight on my neck has become lighter, while it rests heavily on his. Eventually, he will throw down the cross and go his own way; I will be nailed to it. He will live; I will die. I alone hold the whole universe on My shoulders but could not carry this cross alone. I need him. I need you! Who told you that you must do it by yourself? When my strength fades, how could I expect you not to be crushed under the cross’ weight? He accompanies Me for a short while, and with these steps he shares not only My burden, but also My lot. Does he know how much he is helping Me? Does he know how much it means to Me, that he goes along this Way of the Cross? Where are My friends, the ones who should understand what I am doing here and help Me? A stranger comforts Me more than they do, because he is present and shares My pain. He is moved neither by faith nor by piety, for neither love nor pity he is by My side, and yet he helps Me. He helps Me despite being forced. Would you carry My cross if you had not been forced to carry it? Would you be so close if sheer violence had not cast you under the same yoke? Trust Me, I do not want to see you suffer, but still, you ease my burden. You scream, you curse and rebel, that all of this be loaded upon your shoulders, and at the end you are silent, full of defiance and bitterness. But still you have helped Me more than any of My friends. Do you think that you have no other choice? I turn My head and seek a gaze, I seek your gaze. There is only a hand’s length between our faces, shoulder-to-shoulder we carry the same weight. Now you are closer to Me than anyone else. There was only one moment, but he sees and understands. His muscles flex and his step follows My struggling steps. Would we have become friends if it were not for this cross? Suddenly, everything changes: it is no longer the blows of the soldiers that urge him on, but his pity; not violence, but love. You are clinging to my cross. You cannot throw it down, as much as you convulse against it. I plead with you, let it be done to you. I need your help, and I yearn for your love. Despairingly, you ask, “Why me?”, and wish that everything had happened differently. You would not remain a spectator by the wayside like so many, but go with Me. I would not have been able to endure it if you had turned and gone your own way. If I were to tell you that it was election and not damnation, would you believe me in this instant? Believe me, I did not want your pain, but it has to be so, in order for you to be with me. Why do you not turn your head and look at Me? Do you not realize that you are closer to Me than ever before? I know how hard it is. If you could only fathom that you were not a victim of blind fate, but chosen and loved. Trust me: when you are at the end and look back, you will understand it all.
More to follow soon ! Please get yourself a copy of this beautiful book at your nearest Catholic Bookstore or right here . I am sure Branches Catholic Bookstore will have these stocked soon!
In JM+JT,
Lee
The Catholic Church
June 26, 2015
The Catholic Church
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica – Bernini’s Baldacchino. This bronze canopy is located directly under the dome of St. Peter’s and marks St Peter’s tomb underneath.
The Ninth Article of the Apostles’ Creed continued…
The Catholic Church established by Christ is also known as the “Universal Sacrament of Salvation“. All saving grace makes it way to humanity in and through The Catholic Church as a result of Christ’s passion and death on the Cross. Whoever is saved receives the graces necessary to become holy and reach Heaven through The Catholic Church. Do not be deceived, The Catholic Church is the chosen instrument of God Himself! Do you hear me my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ? Do not be deceived by soul destroying moral relativism that is corrupting our World. There is no second or third way into Heaven, there is only the Catholic way! The Catholic Church has EVERYTHING we need to help us along on our journey to our ETERNAL DESTINY. Eternity is a really long time even though it is outside of time. This is why Jesus left us with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (daily Mass is available to most), prayer (our Father, Hail Mary), His Mother Mary (now our Mother), Confession (I try to go at least every 2 weeks, sometimes more), the Sacrament of Matrimony ( Trinitarian), Baptism (Faith, Hope, Charity), Confirmation (strengthening), and Anointing of the Sick (physical and spiritual healing). Christ and His Church meet us at every step of our lives, from birth to death. As Catholics we have so many tools in order to help us on our way.
The Catholic Church is necessary for salvation! Jesus very clearly declared that no one can be saved except through faith and Baptism. Here is from St Mark’s Gospel in chapter 16:[16] “He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be condemned.” We also read in Lumen Gentium 14 Christ’s affirmation “the necessity of the Church which men enter through Baptism as through a door“.
Ordinary and Extraordinary Magisterium
The Catholic Church utilizes two ways to teach and safeguard the Truths handed down by Christ to His Apostles’. We have the ordinary Magisterium of the Church which is Her day to day universal, worldwide teachings on faith and morals. These are TRUTHS to believed and laws to be obeyed. These TRUTHS and laws are not optional by the way. Some good examples of the Church’s teachings that fit into the category of ordinary magisterial teachings are the Church’s solid stance on the evils of abortion, contraception, and euthanasia. These TRUTHS have not been solemnly defined, but the content (doctrine) of these TRUTHS is fixed. Our consciences are bound to believe these Truths.
The extraordinary Magisterium is the exercise of the Church’s teachings in a very exceptional and defined way. Not only is the content fixed, but we also have a fixed and defined statement that cannot be changed. Therefore, the content and definition are fixed when we are talking about the teachings from the extraordinary Magisterium. An example of an ordinary teaching becoming a part of the extraordinary Magisterium of the Church is in 1854 when Pope Pius IX solemnly declared our Mother Mary’s Immaculate Conception in the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus . The extraordinary Magisterium’s declarations’ are made in the form of ex cathedra pronouncements, or also known as “from the Chair of Peter“. They can also come from solemn declarations made through Ecumenical Councils (these must be approved and ratified by the Pope). We must note that these DOGMAS/ DOCTRINES are binding on ALL the FAITHFUL. We cannot pick and choose which teachings suit our fancy, or which teachings the World agrees with. We are bound as Catholics to follow, live by, and believe the infallible dogmas of The Catholic Church.
So, in the case of the ordinary Magisterium we understand that the content of the teaching is fixed but it’s language, or definition is still not solemnly defined. In the case of an extraordinary Magisterial teaching, the content and defined language are both fixed and cannot change. Yes, both ordinary and extraordinary teachings must be believed.
We will look at infallibility in the next post
May Almighty God bless us and protect us from the World, the devil, the heretics, and ourselves !
In JM+JT,
Lee
ps The Church needs Saints ; don’t be afraid to be one !