Mass for th Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden???

  • Thread starter Thread starter yorkieville
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
Personally, I am not opposed to this. After all, we are supposed to love our enemies and overcome evil with good.

Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” No, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
(Romans 12:19-21 RSV)

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
(Matthew 5:43-45 RSV)

"But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from him who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to every one who begs from you; and of him who takes away your goods do not ask them again. And as you wish that men would do to you, do so to them. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the selfish.
(Luke 6:27-35 RSV)
 
This morning, after I finished my Sacristy duties, prior to Mass, I sat and thought about the day, my husband ad I were asked to become Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

And never, in our Vows, did we say, “Well, we’ll serve at this mass, but we won’t serve at this mass”.

I sat up, until around 2:15 this morning, thinking, praying.

So, on Thursday morning, my husband and I will serve at the Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden. And, we will serve Our Lord, most humbly, because it is a true honor to serve Him.

I do pray, in his dying moments, Osama Bin Laden, accepted Christ as his Savior.

For the person that wrote something to the effect that I think I am special because I rise at 5:30 to prepare for mass. No, I do not think I am special. I have a debilitating nerve disease, and it requires me to rise early to begin medications, so that I am able to stand on my feet.

In all honesty, I think I am blessed, because I spent 2 years in bed, unable to stand on my feet.

I do not pray for healing, I offer my pain up for the souls in Purgatory.

If I am honest, I think I am more upset, because my Pastor, objected to saying masses for a young woman, that he banned from our church.

So, if I may ask, please pray he has a change of heart.

My age is going to show here, but when, did the Catholic Church begin to ban people from the church, simply because the priest does not like them?

When a person is depressed, isn’t that when our priests are supposed to reach out to them? Isn’t that when they need their church, the very most?
 
yorkieville said:
This morning, after I finished my Sacristy duties, prior to Mass, I sat and thought about the day, my husband ad I were asked to become Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

And never, in our Vows, did we say, “Well, we’ll serve at this mass, but we won’t serve at this mass”.

I sat up, until around 2:15 this morning, thinking, praying.

So, on Thursday morning, my husband and I will serve at the Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden. And, we will serve Our Lord, most humbly, because it is a true honor to serve Him.

I do pray, in his dying moments, Osama Bin Laden, accepted Christ as his Savior.

For the person that wrote something to the effect that I think I am special because I rise at 5:30 to prepare for mass. No, I do not think I am special. I have a debilitating nerve disease, and it requires me to rise early to begin medications, so that I am able to stand on my feet.

In all honesty, I think I am blessed, because I spent 2 years in bed, unable to stand on my feet.

I do not pray for healing, I offer my pain up for the souls in Purgatory.

If I am honest, I think I am more upset, because my Pastor, objected to saying masses for a young woman, that he banned from our church.

So, if I may ask, please pray he has a change of heart.

My age is going to show here, but when, did the Catholic Church begin to ban people from the church, simply because the priest does not like them?

When a person is depressed, isn’t that when our priests are supposed to reach out to them? Isn’t that when they need their church, the very most?
Click to expand...
God bless you! I will pray for you and for your priest and the young lady with depression.
 
yorkieville said:
This morning, after I finished my Sacristy duties, prior to Mass, I sat and thought about the day, my husband ad I were asked to become Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

And never, in our Vows, did we say, “Well, we’ll serve at this mass, but we won’t serve at this mass”.

I sat up, until around 2:15 this morning, thinking, praying.

So, on Thursday morning, my husband and I will serve at the Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden. And, we will serve Our Lord, most humbly, because it is a true honor to serve Him.

I do pray, in his dying moments, Osama Bin Laden, accepted Christ as his Savior.

For the person that wrote something to the effect that I think I am special because I rise at 5:30 to prepare for mass. No, I do not think I am special. I have a debilitating nerve disease, and it requires me to rise early to begin medications, so that I am able to stand on my feet.

In all honesty, I think I am blessed, because I spent 2 years in bed, unable to stand on my feet.

I do not pray for healing, I offer my pain up for the souls in Purgatory.

If I am honest, I think I am more upset, because my Pastor, objected to saying masses for a young woman, that he banned from our church.

So, if I may ask, please pray he has a change of heart.

My age is going to show here, but when, did the Catholic Church begin to ban people from the church, simply because the priest does not like them?

When a person is depressed, isn’t that when our priests are supposed to reach out to them? Isn’t that when they need their church, the very most?
Click to expand...
I think that you are quite correct when we say that we have to pray for a lot of people either dead or alive. It is hard to pray for the ones that we do not like, but they are the ones that need our support the most. The Beatitudes are a clear example of religious cultural statement that does not go well with the present western culture, they do not really say “happy are those…” (except in poor translations), they really say “blessed are those…”. Being happy or content is not to be the goal in this world.
 
Cristiano said:
I think that you are quite correct when we say that we have to pray for a lot of people either dead or alive. It is hard to pray for the ones that we do not like, but they are the ones that need our support the most. The Beatitudes are a clear example of religious cultural statement that does not go well with the present western culture, they do not really say “happy are those…” (except in poor translations), they really say “blessed are those…”. Being happy or content is not to be the goal in this world.
Click to expand...
Thank You.

You are correct, it is easy to pray for the people we like, it is hardest to pray for those we dislike. And you are quite correct, the people we dislike need our prayers, the most.

So, on Thursday morning, my DH & I will offer up our most sincere prayers, for the Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden.

And you are quite correct, being happy or content is not our goal in this world.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God

I pray to bring peace between my Pastor and this young woman. They once were friends, and while they may never be so again, banning her from the church is extreme.

My DH & I are friends with our Pastor, in and outside of church, and we have tried to discuss a reconciliation, but to no avail.
 
yorkieville said:
I pray to bring peace between my Pastor and this young woman. They once were friends, and while they may never be so again, banning her from the church is extreme.

My DH & I are friends with our Pastor, in and outside of church, and we have tried to discuss a reconciliation, but to no avail.
Click to expand...
What purpose does it serve to keep bringing up this supposed banishment? Priests do not ban people from Mass, even those priests who live in “the real world.” If there’s anything amiss in your parish then bring it up (rather than the upcoming Mass intentions) with the bishop.
 
Let us leave the issue at hand, and in peace. God blesses those who make gigantic, difficult leaps in the spirit. We’re all called to radical sacrifice for the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. They will know us by how much we have loved… 🙂
 
GloriousOrder said:
Let us leave the issue at hand, and in peace. God blesses those who make gigantic, difficult leaps in the spirit. We’re all called to radical sacrifice for the Holy Name of Jesus Christ. They will know us by how much we have loved… 🙂
Click to expand...
Yeah, do you think the Holy Spirit is at work here?
 
runningdude said:
Please, PLEASE, PLEASE do not report this kind of thing to the news media. They would totally blow it out of proportion and do nothing but cause scandal.

Catholics pray for people, sometimes unpopular people, sometimes evil people, sometimes for questionable political reasons. We shouldn’t turn prayer into scandal.
Click to expand...
Totally agree.
 
yorkieville said:
This morning, after I finished my Sacristy duties, prior to Mass, I sat and thought about the day, my husband ad I were asked to become Extraordinary Ministers of the Eucharist.

And never, in our Vows, did we say, “Well, we’ll serve at this mass, but we won’t serve at this mass”.

I sat up, until around 2:15 this morning, thinking, praying.

So, on Thursday morning, my husband and I will serve at the Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden. And, we will serve Our Lord, most humbly, because it is a true honor to serve Him.

I do pray, in his dying moments, Osama Bin Laden, accepted Christ as his Savior.

For the person that wrote something to the effect that I think I am special because I rise at 5:30 to prepare for mass. No, I do not think I am special. I have a debilitating nerve disease, and it requires me to rise early to begin medications, so that I am able to stand on my feet.

In all honesty, I think I am blessed, because I spent 2 years in bed, unable to stand on my feet.

I do not pray for healing, I offer my pain up for the souls in Purgatory.

If I am honest, I think I am more upset, because my Pastor, objected to saying masses for a young woman, that he banned from our church.

So, if I may ask, please pray he has a change of heart.

My age is going to show here, but when, did the Catholic Church begin to ban people from the church, simply because the priest does not like them?

When a person is depressed, isn’t that when our priests are supposed to reach out to them? Isn’t that when they need their church, the very most?
Click to expand...
Prayer works. It’s nice to see the Holy Spirit at work.

I will keep you and your husband in my prayers.
God bless

jesus g
 
yorkieville said:
So, on Thursday morning, my husband and I will serve at the Mass for the Repose of the Soul of Osama Bin Laden. And, we will serve Our Lord, most humbly, because it is a true honor to serve Him

I do pray, in his dying moments, Osama Bin Laden, accepted Christ as his Savior…
Click to expand...
Spoken like a true Catholic! I am humbled by your reply and I will have you in my intentions on Thursday at our Mass of the Ascension in the EF.

.For the person that wrote something to the effect that I think I am special because I rise at 5:30 to prepare for mass. No, I do not think I am special. I have a debilitating nerve disease, and it requires me to rise early to begin medications, so that I am able to stand on my feet…

I understand your feeling as this is a reflection of my own experience (I too have an illness with these effects and which in all probability will carry me home to wherever my destination will be:))
 
GloriousOrder said:
What a passive-aggressive attitude! “No, you didn’t offend me - but I DID watch 3000 people burn to death in pain and agony”. This is the epitome of manipulation. There are Jews who saw more than 3000 people go up in smoke in Auschwitz, but they found it in the depths of their souls to forgive the Nazi criminals. You may not offer this Mass in your heart for bin Laden’s soul because you can’t do it, but you CAN serve at this eternal, holy Mass just to say “I forgive you”. Forgive 70 x 7 times, at the very least, so you can be forgiven.

Whether you had or have family members in domestic service is irrelevant. This is a huge tactic people tend to use (not just Americans): “well, I’ve got family members in the army, so don’t be critical of War X or Operation Y, because you’re attacking their honour”, implicitly. Let human honours be cursed, and worldly medals and virtues be banished to Hell.

What will happen when God demands the 10 billion dollars you owe Him personally? Will He find you at the bottom of the steps of His palace, wringing Osama’s neck for 100 dollars? Osama has no debt with you, only with God. Don’t act as if you’re personally insulted, as if your honour is the highest and noblest thing in the world. God’s honour, glory, power, empire, and majesty reign forever. The Book of Revelation is a good antidote to this sort of pride. He will take the martyrs from under His holy high altar in Heaven, and they shall praise His Name, and beg for justice - that God’s glory may be fulfilled. It is, perhaps, likely that Osama will burn under the stern gaze of the martyrs, but who knows what contrition was in his soul as the final bullets traveled those few feet toward his sacred, immortal person?

GOD is looking for you to serve this Mass for YOUR OWN SOUL’S SAKE. I doubt bin Laden is much of an issue to Him anymore. He has entered beyond the gates of eternity, and now proceeds where he deserves to proceed. In your life, you must count yourself lower than dust in matters like this. God has put it into your heart to be an altar server all these years JUST FOR THIS ONE MOMENT. He wants to see that you won’t run away just because you happen to vehemently disagree with the priest. It doesn’t matter about bin Laden; this situation, as it is, is about you and your will. God wants to observe you here, to see if you really do understand how worthless your own sense of honour and patriotic pride is. Leaving this Mass and resigning is a sign that you want to be pleased, that you want to increase. Let Him increase.

This is very sentimental and schmaltzy, even for someone who is justified in being sorrowful. As much as you are deeply wounded by the events of that black day, you cannot continue rubbing it into us and yourself. It would have been ideal for a Mass to be offered for bin Laden while he was alive, of course, but that time is past. Did you ever offer a Mass, an Offertory, or a Holy Communion for his salvation? If so, then you have a right to be angry… if you never thought to do so, then attend this one in reparation for your lack of charity to bin Laden while he was alive.

God wants right reason to prevail in us: for all the faculties and appetites to be reigned in. This is the way it was in Eden, before this mess started. Allowing your will to be controlled by irascibility, rather than the intellect, is a terrible problem. Be rational, and detach your own self from the situation. Look at this from the vantage point of almighty God.

We’re not asked by our Lord to do the hard thing - He commands us to do it in the strongest terms. For those too lukewarm to offer one celebration of the Holy Mass for an evil sinner, He may say “I vomit thee out of my mouth, because thou art neither hot nor cold”. Don’t think you’re just and righteous because you get up ‘early’ every morning to serve at Mass. Perhaps you don’t feel that way, but it’s certainly the feeling I’m getting from your posts: that you’re entitled to be angry, and to boycott the Mass simply because you’re an important sacristan, and the priest has to listen to you.
Click to expand...
I’ve disagreed with many of your posts but this one brings tears to my eyes. Bravo! :clapping:
 
Blessing those who curse you, praying for your persecutors, loving your enemies etc. is one of the hardest teachings that Our Lord commanded, who can accept it?

I myself, miss more then hit, but I would attend a mass for Osama. But I would seethe during the mass, and I am sure God would use it as an opportunity to humble me. We are all sinners, and we all have merited eternal damnation.
 
I didn’t know that, but it would make more sense that he would have been Eastern Orthodox. But my point remains the same - at that time, it would have been unthinkable for an American Catholic or Orthodox Priest, to offer a public Mass/Divine Liturgy for an enemy of the United States who was responsible for many deaths, even when that person, having the indelible mark of Baptism (which, in the EO Churches, I understand happens immediately prior to Chrismation, but correct me if I am wrong), would (arguably) be more “entitled” to one than a non-Christian.
pinay said:
Hope you didn’t wager too much money… several historians still believe that Cardinal Bertram offered a requieum mass for Hitler on May 6, 1945.
Click to expand...
I think, though, the prevailing claim is that (a) he had ordered a Mass for all the Germans who died in WWII (which could include Hitler, I suppose) and (b) that he died before the Mass could be held. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adolf_Bertram Of course, only God and the Cardinal would know for sure, but I would be surprised that, even if Card. Bertram did so, that it would have been publicly announced.
 
By the way, thanks for letting me know about Cardinal Bertram! Imagine serving an archdiocese in the disputed region between Germany and Poland during both World Wars, and having the courage to speak out against the Nazis throughout! I’m surprised he hasn’t been considered for beatification.
 
gurneyhalleck1 said:
Namwalker, awesome post. You hit the nail on the head dead center. It’s amazing the priorities that there are out there. Of all the suffering people who need our prayer intentions. Of all the victims of genocide in Africa and mass rape, of all the Christians in the Middle East being slain by Muslims and harrassed, of all the starving kids in the world, all the immorality in our country, all the terrorism, all the unemployed, all the uninsured and homeless, and we’re wasting one minute to pray for this diabolical heathen that tried to destroy our very democracy and the principles of freedom. I agree with you. I guess we need to pray for Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Edie Amin, Pol Pot, Napoleon, the ethnic cleansers of Serbia, Mussolini, and every other dictator and mass murderer while we’re at it. What is this world coming to? Why waste our valuable time with this.

Thanks for your post!
Click to expand...
I must say I agree. While I do agree that Christ commanded us to pray for our enemies, I think we can all pray for Bin Laden without making the extra effort to offer a Mass for him. Praying for him I think is appropriate, offering a Mass I think is a little far over the line. I think offering this Mass is an example of misplaced priorities at best. There are plenty of others that we should be offering Mass intentions for. To offer one for Bin Laden, at worst, suggests an ulterior political motive when one could be offered for so many other people as gurneyhalleck1 just posted.

I think those offering this Mass for Bin Laden need to reevaluate their priorities. Pray for Bin Laden? Sure, we need to pray for EVERYONE including our enemies. Offer a Mass for everyone? It simply can’t be done, so let’s offer Masses for people who have not lived their life based on a hatred for our holy faith, which Bin Laden most certainly did. Just my :twocents:
 
yorkieville: Just curious as how you did at Mass:shrug:

God Bless you and your Family…

jesus g
 
Let me put this a little into perspective for those who keep insisting that we can’t have a Mass offered for the repose of the soul of an evil person.

How many times at Mass have you, during the Prayer of the Faithful, heard the intention “For our political leaders”? Or more specifically, for our president? I’m willing to bet that if you attend Mass regularly that you have heard these prayer intentions many, many times. You probably responded “Lord, hear our prayer” to them as well.

Well, think about it. Obama, our current president, is supportive and actively promotes the wholesale slaughter of innocent unborn children - the most defenseless of us all. This is but one of the many evils that he has been pushing on the American people. Abortion is a heinous crime and I’m not sure that Osama is responsible for any more deaths than Obama considering that so many thousands of the unborn are murdered each day in the United States. Think about it. How many people died in the WTC attack? I’m not justifying that, of course, but I’m putting it into perspective. The number of people who died that day don’t even match the number of babies who die every day in this country thanks to laws that legalize and encourage abortion. Remember, Obama fully supports these laws!

Now, after that stop and ask yourself something. Are you going to get up and walk out of Mass the next time you hear the lector or priest say “For our president, that he may have the wisdom to lead this country in the right way, let us pray to the Lord”? Think about it.

In regard to how the Mass intention was done, I would have to say that the person marking the intention did it improperly. For purposes of good taste, it should have been put down as a special intention.
 
Please keep all responses within the limits and boundaries of Catholic law and teaching or some posters will be hearing from me.
 
FromTheAshes777 said:
Sure, we need to pray for EVERYONE including our enemies. Offer a Mass for everyone? It simply can’t be done…
Click to expand...
Thanks be to God, it can be done! The grace and mercy of Our Lord are infinite.

If I offer my reception of Holy Communion, for example, for the repose of my father, for those suffering from SSA, for the priests in my local area, for the children in my care and for their families, for my ex-husband’s conversion, for my son – no matter how many people I add to the list, the graces poured out by God never diminish. It is not through my efforts and merits that these prayers and offerings are made effective – it is through the merits of the Son.

As Blessed Teresa of Calcutta said, “To God, nothing is small. The moment we have given something to God, it becomes infinite.”

We need to learn to be generous with our prayers and with offering up every moment of our lives to God as a prayer.

So, yes, we can offer Mass for EVERYONE – because **God is big enough **to shower His blessing and mercies on everyone for whom we ask.

Gertie
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top