Are You Awake?

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MariaChristi

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Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Are you Awake – spiritually? Please read this blog entry my husband wrote and pray about it. I’d be grateful to read your comments on the blog. See HERE

If you’d rather comment on this Forum, I can respond here as well. Even if you feel you do not want to comment, I pray you will read it with an open heart, for it really is important for Catholics to awaken at this time in history.

When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?
 
We need more good shepherds. Pray for more faithful priests, deacons, and religious. God have mercy on us. The people perish for lack of shepherds, they starve, the scatter, they die. Your husband’s blog entry is prophetic.
 
Who is your husband to accuse bishops, priests and laity of not doing what we, as Catholics, should be doing? Who died and left him in charge?
 
Tim_D said:
Who is your husband to accuse bishops, priests and laity of not doing what we, as Catholics, should be doing? Who died and left him in charge?
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Did you read the entire blog?Why so angry? We are all being called to be a voice for Christ,priests,deacons,laity alike.Do you disagree with this? Having said that,I for one hunger for a homily that inflames me with a greater lovev for God and his Church.I tire of the soft peddling pablum that passes for homilies these days.Our Priests have become so afraid of angering the laity that they don’t dare speak out on hot button social issues.
If you have been reading the daily gospel readings ,Christ tells Peter repeatedly,feed my sheep,take care of my sheep. We do need to wake up.
 
Tim_D said:
Who died and left him in charge?
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Jesus died and gave us all these commandments:

Matthew 28
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
 
Tim_D said:
Who is your husband to accuse bishops, priests and laity of not doing what we, as Catholics, should be doing? Who died and left him in charge?
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I think it’s more of a general exhortation, such as are found in the Gospels and Epistles. No one is being accused individually.

I agree with the spirit of the essay, though this line was a headscratcher: “Enough building expensive edifices, and filling them with furnishings of gold and velvet and linen lace!” Surely that isn’t such a burning issue compared to the others which the author is addressing? 🙂
 
Casilda said:
Jesus died and gave us all these commandments:

Matthew 28
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
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I suggest you pay a bit more attention; your quote is of the risen Christ speaking to the apostles, the first bishops, before His ascension into heaven. He is not speaking to us, he is speaking to them in their roles as bishops.
 
Jeanne_S said:
I for one hunger for a homily that inflames me with a greater lovev for God and his Church.I tire of the soft peddling pablum that passes for homilies these days.Our Priests have become so afraid of angering the laity that they don’t dare speak out on hot button social issues.
Click to expand...
Perhaps priests view their roles as providing the sacraments to their congregation and being a source for the faith instead of speaking “on hot button social issues” or being the source of “angering the laity.” You complain that Catholics in this country aren’t practicing their faith and somehow think that alienating congregations with threats of hellfire and damnation is the way to inspire people to suddenly become devout?
 
RPRPsych said:
I think it’s more of a general exhortation, such as are found in the Gospels and Epistles. No one is being accused individually.
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Actually, I can’t agree with this. Take this, for example:

“The Catholic Church must wake up! The darkness growing in this country is accelerating, and human persons are being swallowed into it, losing all sense of truth, righteousness, justice – even sanity! And God’s chosen witnesses continue to sleep.”

I’m sure that the many bishops, priests and religious who are in the trenches everyday would not take easy the accusation that they “must wake up” because they “continue to sleep.” The duties of a bishop or priest cause them to often put in more time per week than those who only work 40 hours.

And then there’s this:

“Enough of your CEO concerns…”

A bishop must act as a CEO in order to maintain and guarantee the survival of their diocese. Priests and religious orders must make sure that they are responsible stewards of the parish or the order over which they are in charge. There is a reason why priests must be highly educated. This author sounds like someone who criticizes that of which he is ignorant.
 
Tim_D said:
Actually, I can’t agree with this. Take this, for example:

“The Catholic Church must wake up! The darkness growing in this country is accelerating, and human persons are being swallowed into it, losing all sense of truth, righteousness, justice – even sanity! And God’s chosen witnesses continue to sleep.”

I’m sure that the many bishops, priests and religious who are in the trenches everyday would not take easy the accusation that they “must wake up” because they “continue to sleep.” The duties of a bishop or priest cause them to often put in more time per week than those who only work 40 hours.

And then there’s this:

“Enough of your CEO concerns…”

A bishop must act as a CEO in order to maintain and guarantee the survival of their diocese. Priests and religious orders must make sure that they are responsible stewards of the parish or the order over which they are in charge. There is a reason why priests must be highly educated. This author sounds like someone who criticizes that of which he is ignorant.
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Well, the tone is a bit strident, that’s for sure. But then, so was John the Baptist. 🙂 Even St. Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, calls them “stupid”, though I’m sure not every individual Galatian was falling into the errors he described. (Besides, looking at the website, it seems to be a lay ministry of some sort; I’m sure they’re working more than 40 hours.)

If I personally were writing on this topic, I’d adopt a different tone, but then, as they say, “different strokes for different folks”. The Church certainly has room both for St. Jerome and St. Francis.
 
Tim_D said:
This guy ain’t no John the Baptist.
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😉 “Senator, you’re no Jack Kennedy”, eh? Still, I think he wrote with good intentions, and we should appreciate that. Unlike many “lay Catholic” websites, at least he isn’t maliciously attacking particular individuals.
 
Jeanne_S said:
Did you read the entire blog?Why so angry? We are all being called to be a voice for Christ,priests,deacons,laity alike.Do you disagree with this? Having said that,I for one hunger for a homily that inflames me with a greater lovev for God and his Church.I tire of the soft peddling pablum that passes for homilies these days.Our Priests have become so afraid of angering the laity that they don’t dare speak out on hot button social issues.
If you have been reading the daily gospel readings ,Christ tells Peter repeatedly,feed my sheep,take care of my sheep. We do need to wake up.
Click to expand...
Dear Jeanne,

Thanks for your reply. I shall also reply to Tim, but I’m glad you read the entire blog and with an open heart. Many of us hunger as you do for homilies on Sundays to kindle in us the Fire of Love, and hear much less. I pray for especially for Clergy who will preach on Sundays, that they will be open to the Holy Spirit and I pray for the People at Mass to be likewise open to the Holy Spirit. The Church includes all of us. May God through the ower of His Holy Spirit enable us to grow spiritually as He intends us to grow and remain in His Love.
 
Casilda said:
We need more good shepherds. Pray for more faithful priests, deacons, and religious. God have mercy on us. The people perish for lack of shepherds, they starve, the scatter, they die. Your husband’s blog entry is prophetic.
Click to expand...
Dear Casilda,

Thanks for your reply. Yes, we need – absolutely – need good shepherds and we also need - good sheep! 🙂 That does not mean there are not already some good shepherds and some good sheep, but the blog is calling all of us to be more Faithful than we have ever been. The leaders of the Church are important because of the unique roles they have been given in the Church. Without priests we would not have the Eucharist.

The evil one knows this. He is a liar from the beginning and knows that division is a tool he can use. He seeks to devour the sheep by attacking shepherds, and tempting them to be less than their vocation calls them to be; the evil one attacks all of us, seeking to divide sheep from one another and from their Good Shepherd, Jesus… What terrible damage he does, but his time is limited. We need clergy and people growing in holiness, who will resist by God’s Grace all the attacks against God and His Church.

Mary, Mother of the Church intercede for priests and people.
 
Tim_D said:
Who is your husband to accuse bishops, priests and laity of not doing what we, as Catholics, should be doing? Who died and left him in charge?
Click to expand...
Dear Tim,

I’m sorry you seem to have misunderstood the purpose of the blog message. HERE
The first sentence states:
The Catholic Church must wake up! The darkness growing in this country is accelerating, and human persons are being swallowed into it, losing all sense of truth, righteousness, justice – even sanity! And God’s chosen witnesses continue to sleep.
Click to expand...
Thomas addresses the whole Church, in this blog, and each one of us must humbly seek the Truth from God, examining our own consciences to see if we are part of the problem or part of the solution seen in our country today… The Lord Himself in Holy Scripture tells us what we should be doing, particularly in the New Testament:
Ephesians 4:11 -16 … And he gave some as apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming. Rather, living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, brings about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love.
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Christ died that we might all have Life in Him. Living the Truth in Love is possible only by His Grace, and it includes having to say “hard things” sometimes to those we love. Some disciples left Jesus after He spoke about the Bread of Life in John 6. They said, “This is hard saying” and walked away.
The blog is actually calling the Church – all of us – Priests and People together to “take charge” of what Christ has given us. I hope you will find some time to re-read the blog and prayerfully consider its message again – not as accusing but rather as asking all of us to seek the Truth in love and to live the Truth in love by God’s Grace. Thanks.
 
Some Catholics manoeuvre and manipulate when the meaning of Scripture is explained in their parish. Some bishops are so imbalanced that they cannot support pastors who have this wish. Some vulnerable people are on the fringes who get frozen out.

A parish (in a town of 100,000 people) with, not long ago, 1,000 Catholics of some description, now of 300 mass goers, with perhaps 50 active members, is able to form 7 prayer groups in homes (but hasn’t done so yet). Catholics do not need permission under canon law for this but clergy are obliged to foster it.

My parents didn’t teach me to pray. How does a single person know what prayer is when he doesn’t behold it in his sight or hearing from one decade to the next?

I know what Scripture means but how will I gain a crown when there aren’t those who wish to find out?

Don’t Catholics think they need food?

Why aren’t Catholics allowed to relate? Why mustn’t there be actual community in the Church?
 
Vic_Taltrees_UK said:
Some Catholics manoeuvre and manipulate when the meaning of Scripture is explained in their parish. Some bishops are so imbalanced that they cannot support pastors who have this wish. Some vulnerable people are on the fringes who get frozen out.

A parish (in a town of 100,000 people) with, not long ago, 1,000 Catholics of some description, now of 300 mass goers, with perhaps 50 active members, is able to form 7 prayer groups in homes (but hasn’t done so yet). Catholics do not need permission under canon law for this but clergy are obliged to foster it.

My parents didn’t teach me to pray. How does a single person know what prayer is when he doesn’t behold it in his sight or hearing from one decade to the next?

I know what Scripture means but how will I gain a crown when there aren’t those who wish to find out?

Don’t Catholics think they need food?

Why aren’t Catholics allowed to relate? Why mustn’t there be actual community in the Church?
Click to expand...
My dear Vic,

Believe me, my heart goes out to you and to all those who are in anguish with you. Some areas of the world suffer more than others today, but all of us are suffering in one way or another as a result of sin. Some suffer because of their own sins but many suffer because of the sins of others. Only God knows the heart of each person He created and only He will determine the final guilt of all – then we shall all know in the General Judgment.

For now, howevr it remains for us to humbly pray for the wisdom we need from God as we journey towards Him in this world.

I am grateful to belong to several small groups at present. My husband and I lead two Bible Studies on Sundays. One between the 8 and 10 Masses to ponder the Mass readings together. The afternoon study right now is on the Encyclical of Pope St. John Pail II “On the Holy Spirit”. I am also a member of the Legion of Mary. I know there are some groups of the Legion in the UK, you may want to look into that.

There are still some good Bishops and priests and some holy deacons and lypersons that can be found in every part of the world, but it may be as Pope Benedict XVI said some years ago that the Church will grow smaller. Please let us pray for one another and for the Church through Mary our Mother, believing in the Faithfulness of God to His Church.
 
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