Here I am, I only followed what every local Bishop said about Garabanal. I don’t believe I protested louder than their clear prohibitions.
On the Medjugore website over and over they say: “Local Bishop softens up on Medjugorje.” Then I found a complete translation of his sermon given at a Confirmation service.
Code:
I don't see where he "softens up."
IUM, 2012-05-19
The Bishop’s sermon
Brothers and sisters, dear confirmandi!
Babylon. The Bible in the first chapters describes for us a strange undertaking of the citizens: "Let us go build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches to heaven! Let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the earth "(Genesis 11:4). The people, far away from God through original sin, intended to build a city with a tower reaching to heaven. In proud independence from God they were not able to make a rational decision. They began to build: the foundation, bricks, walls, enviable progress. But at a certain time the masons are not understood. They look for bread, and they get a stone instead, a hammer instead of a trowel. Babel or Babylon means confusion, chaos. God was not able to tolerate human conceit and “goes down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men built” and he jumbled their words “so they could not understand each other’s speech”. (Gen 11,5.7).
Sons of the same nation and language, of the same intention and crafts, as one till yesterday, now can not understand each other’s words or signs. Someone might say that this is not a historical fact: how can you build a tower up to heaven? The Bible gives far more instruction on salvation than on historical data. But we do know that a tower of sin in human hearts can be built to the pit of hell. And the more that people think of living without God, of throwing his name out of their system and society, of bypassing God, wanting to create a common union or region, of making a name for themselves in this world, all the more do economic and political accounts embroil them.
- The heaviest blow that strikes the Church is disunity of the faithful, especially fragmenting of its servants. God expects us to everyone dutifully performing his task, and be their responsibility. Who is this elusive and works on his own, by the Church against the Church, this city of Babylon tower. God expects each of us obediently to perform his duty and bear his own responsibility. Anyone who dodges that and works on his own, bypassing the Church, against the Church, is building a Tower of Babel. He can even speak in various languages, but he is not uniting, he is rather tearing down and scattering.
JERUSALEM. In the early days of Christianity the Holy Spirit is revealed not as an invisible power, power from on high, but as a person. Like us, the Holy Spirit through Mary gave Christ, the incarnate Son of God, so we are risen and glorified Christ, together with the Father gave the Holy Spirit through the prayers of Mary, the same apostolic community in Jerusalem.The Spirit: Comforter, Paraclete, advocate, introducer into all truth. At the beginning of Christianity the Holy Spirit is no longer revealed as some unseen power, as strength from above, but as a Person. He is the Father’s and Son’s Gift to the believing world. Just as the Holy Spirit through Mary gave us Christ, the incarnate Son of God, so the risen and glorified Christ, together with the Father, gave us the Holy Spirit through the prayers of the same Mary, in the Jerusalem community of Apostles. He is the Spirit: the Advocate, the Comforter, the Intercessor, the Leader into all truth.
The historical “Apparition” of the Spirit was with an audible “roaring sound” and visible “tongues of fire.” And the consequence of that Apparition was perfect understanding of each other, despite the diversity of nations and languages (Acts 2:2-6). That’s the result of the wisdom of Pentecost. A consequence of this phenomenon was perfectly understand each other, despite the diversity of peoples and languages (Acts 2.2 to 6). That results Pentecost wisdom.
In Babylon the fruit is from the human spirit: incomprehension of speech, breaking down of unity, loss of name, ruin of the city, destruction of the tower. Misunderstanding and chaos! Misunderstanding and fuss!
In Jerusalem the fruit is from God’s Spirit: unification, diversity of human gifts, respect of every language, nation and gift. Understanding and harmony.
All the efforts and services flow into one organism. The Church is put in order like the visible Mystical Body of Christ. Three thousand people were baptized that day. So that day of the Holy Spirit is the supreme sensation of God on earth, the manifestation of God’s power among us humans beings. Only by the power of that Spirit are people able to build “a tower whose top reaches heaven,” that will not be destroyed, and will “get a name for itself,” that will last forever.
- Are we as Christians building a city of unity according to the plan of Christ at the Last Supper when he admonished his apostles: “Till now you have not asked anything in my name”? (Jn 16:24). Are we praying in His name for the gifts of the Third Divine Person, whose primordial attribute is unification and mutual understanding? The Second Vatican Council emphasizes the power of the Holy Spirit, the one who enlightens, sanctifies, vivifies, unites, rejuvenates, teaches and purifies us. The Holy Spirit gives us his seven-fold gifts, the seven basic qualities of his Kingdom.
Whoever says that they renounce the devil, as you, confirmandi, will now say, let them no longer even mention him, either by way of swearing or of cursing. Whoever has the devil in his mouth and on his tongue, will soon have him in his heart.
Whoever says that they believe in God, let them humbly revere him, and not blaspheme!
Whoever respect their body and preserve themselves in chastity and all those with whom they keep company, will have virtue grow in them and yield the fruit of life. Do not live in dire want and misery, but be heroic, chaste and honest, healthy in heart and body, strong in spirit.
Whoever’s heart and hands cleave to earthly things, and forget God, will not go money-grubbing just to have more of it, but will also utilize frauds and defamations and thefts, jumping from bad to worse, to achieve his heart’s desire. .
GETTING RICH, BUT NOT IN GOD. The Acts of the Apostles tell us (5:1-11) Peter exposed the hypocrisy of a husband and wife in the first community. The Bible honestly portrays even the most dishonest actions, wherever they may be.
Ananias, one of the first Christians in Jerusalem, sold a piece of his property and in agreement with his wife brought the apostles only a portion of the money from the sale, the other part he kept for himself, yet he wanted to live from the community table. Peter called him for an interview:
- Ananias, where were you this morning? - I sold my property.
- For how much did you sell it? - For so and so much.
- Did you give all the money for the community purse as agreed? - Yes (but he didn’t. He kept part of it for himself). And Ananias trembled before Peter’s tribunal.
- And how much did you bury in the ground behind the house? Peter looked into the double-dealing eyes of Ananias. - I buried so and so many shekels, stammered Ananias, lowering his eyes in shame.
