Cardinal Caffarra: Satan is Hurling at God the “Ultimate and Terrible Challenge”

[Memaw]

You’re a convert aren’t you memaw?

Nope, I was born and raised a Catholic by a very saintly Mother. I survived the troublesome 70’s and 80’s because I belonged to Catholics United for the Faith and I taught CCD for a very holy and faithful Parish Priest that kept us on the “straight and narrow,” My first husband was a convert and a VERY enthusiastic one. I took instructions with him and the priest was fantastic!! He died a year later in an accident and I am forever thankful for his conversion. My second husband was a convert too and he died peacefully with the Sacraments from heart failure. What made you think I was a convert? I do believe tho that sometimes Converts set us Catholics to shame. We take our faith for granted, they are in love with it. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Randolph]

Nope, I was born and raised a Catholic by a very saintly Mother. I survived the troublesome 70’s and 80’s because I belonged to Catholics United for the Faith and I taught CCD for a very holy and faithful Parish Priest that kept us on the “straight and narrow,” My first husband was a convert and a VERY enthusiastic one. I took instructions with him and the priest was fantastic!! He died a year later in an accident and I am forever thankful for his conversion. My second husband was a convert too and he died peacefully with the Sacraments from heart failure. What made you think I was a convert? I do believe tho that sometimes Converts set us Catholics to shame. We take our faith for granted, they are in love with it. God Bless, Memaw

Memaw… Thank you for sharing your personal story. I have many friends who are Catholic converts. I must confess that it is a privilege for me to know them. I have learned so much from them. The clarity in their reasoning and in their faith, and the good Christian examples set by them are quite a beautiful sight to see. Each of their road to conversion is quite unique and amazing.

 

[Memaw]

Memaw… Thank you for sharing your personal story. I have many friends who are Catholic converts. I must confess that it is a privilege for me to know them. I have learned so much from them. The clarity in their reasoning and in their faith, and the good Christian examples set by them are quite a beautiful sight to see. Each of their road to conversion is quite unique and amazing.

Now in my “Old Age” I spend a lot of time watching EWTN and listening to our local Catholic radio station. I love Journey Home and Catholic Answers live. God Bless, Memaw

 

[CactusVsBaloon]

Nope, I was born and raised a Catholic by a very saintly Mother. I survived the troublesome 70’s and 80’s because I belonged to Catholics United for the Faith and I taught CCD for a very holy and faithful Parish Priest that kept us on the “straight and narrow,” My first husband was a convert and a VERY enthusiastic one. I took instructions with him and the priest was fantastic!! He died a year later in an accident and I am forever thankful for his conversion. My second husband was a convert too and he died peacefully with the Sacraments from heart failure. What made you think I was a convert? I do believe tho that sometimes Converts set us Catholics to shame. We take our faith for granted, they are in love with it. God Bless, Memaw

I just assumed you were because you applied the “Amen” to a post.
Most people I’ve met doing that is protestants and mostly evangelical christians.

I didn’t mean to offend.
Thank you for sharing your story with me. God bless you.

 

[Memaw]

I just assumed you were because you applied the “Amen” to a post.
Most people I’ve met doing that is protestants and mostly evangelical christians.

I didn’t mean to offend.
Thank you for sharing your story with me. God bless you.

Absolutely no offence taken, as I was rather flattered you thought that. I admire many converts. Their love for the Faith is contagious. I use ‘Amen’ as a way of saying I believe it. God Bless, Memaw

 

[Filius_Prodigus]

Nothing happens without God’s permission.

This is a challenge to us.
Pray for the Holy Spirit and use the weapons at our disposal: the Mass and the Rosary.

And keep your ears perked for God’s calling: youth pastoring, volunteering for the poor, religious life, or whatever is brought to your attention.

 

[lynnvinc]

While it is true that many people are involved in having abortions or in homosexuality, it seems to me the Cardinal is missing “the elephant in the room” re anti-creation and the devil.

Even for those not involved in such sins, nearly all of us, however, are involved in harming and killing people through our contributions to global warming and thereby our contribution to the annihilation of much of human life and others of God’s creation if we persist down a “business-as-usual” path.

While we should immediately cease and desist from abortions and homosexuality (and other such obvious sins), we should also put forth efforts to reduce our contributions to global warming, at least in ways that save us money or don’t cost much.

It’s sort of like we have this blind eye to our own sins, or something. I don’t really expect people will do the right thing in a timely enough fashion. It seems we are headed for the “End Times” brought about by our own sinfulness. Though I suppose we could also “blame it on the devil.”

 

[pnewton]

While it is true that many people are involved in having abortions or in homosexuality, it seems to me the Cardinal is missing “the elephant in the room” re anti-creation and the devil.

I don’t thing so. It is simply not possible to address every harm to society in every sermon. Not all sin would fit into his sermon. He is telling us to focus on these great sins, but only the sin, and the one behind the sin, that is, Satan. If we are like doctors in a hospital, we must love and care for the patients that are the most affected by these two diseases.

 

[Randolph]

I don’t thing so. It is simply not possible to address every harm to society in every sermon. Not all sin would fit into his sermon. He is telling us to focus on these great sins, but only the sin, and the one behind the sin, that is, Satan. If we are like doctors in a hospital, we must love and care for the patients that are the most affected by these two diseases.

pnewton… I agree. Global warming/climate change is a worthy topic of another debate.

 

[lynnvinc]

I don’t thing so. It is simply not possible to address every harm to society in every sermon. Not all sin would fit into his sermon. He is telling us to focus on these great sins, but only the sin, and the one behind the sin, that is, Satan. If we are like doctors in a hospital, we must love and care for the patients that are the most affected by these two diseases.

I do agree that abortion is a much graver sin that an individual contributing to GW. It’s just that ultimately (within a 100 years or so) GW could amount to a much larger “anti-creation” issue of wiping out much of creation, since so many of us are contributors, assuming we stick to the business-as-usual path.

OTOH, if a much larger number of people started having abortions instead of children or became homosexual (not having children)…which is partly cultural/social and not entirely biological…then those two issues might become more anti-creation than GW.

I think the main problem is that we don’t like to consider our own sins and short-comings, but prefer to look at the much worse sins of others. As in, well, what about Hitler killing 6 million compared to my somewhat profligate inefficient non-conservative use of things God has granted me.

Maybe it’s the Devil goading us on by making us think, Oh I’m not doing much harm compared to those abortion and homosexual folks. Look at the plank in their eye compared to the tiny speck in mine.

 

[johnnyc176]

Many Popes up to and including Pope Francis have warned against the attack on the family…

ncregister.com/blog/evinger/fr.-hardon-teaches-families-to-fight-for-survival

The Catholic family in super-developed countries like the United States is on trial for its existence. This is not my personal opinion but the measured judgment of the Vicars of Christ. One modern pope after another keeps warning the faithful about the deadly struggle going on in the world today, between Christ, the Light of the world, and Satan, the prince of darkness, and the main focus of this struggle is the FAMILY.

Of course there are those who are tied to their personal political ideology and don’t want to acknowledge this but it has been plainly spelled out for us.

“Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing and health care. … But being ‘right’ in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life.”

“Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the ‘rightness’ of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community” (“Living the Gospel of Life,” 22).

“Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties? “If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away”. - Pope Francis