Stuck in a bad parish?

[johnstown_johnn]

IMHO, it is those dissenters, whose intention was to block the inspiration of the Holy Spirit during VII.

People who have promoted schism in the ONE, Holy and Apostolic Church.

Those that are in trust and authority have to be the agents of the “smoke.” That likely must mean those in high places in the Church and in the Vatican as well.

Bad parishes? Some are outrageous.

 

[Joysong]

Those that are in trust and authority have to be the agents of the “smoke.” That likely must mean those in high places in the Church and in the Vatican as well.

Bad parishes? Some are outrageous.

Then that would mean that Jesus’s words were false; i.e., that the gates of hell would never prevail against His church?

The so-called bad parishes are never able to accomplish their destruction of the Living Mystical Body of Christ’s Church. Those who are most up in arms, of course, are the pharisaic ones who live only by self-interpreted rubrics and use these to persecute the humble faithful who simply go to Mass to worship God. They lay guilt trips on others in the same manner as those in Jesus’s day, which tore at His sacred heart.

Yet even in Christ’s day, they did not prevail, and for their obstinence, Jerusalem was destroyed. It is good to recall how Jesus wept as He looked over the city, knowing the coming destruction, for He did not will it … He came to save. However, as He said, the ‘righteous ones’ killed the prophets who brought the truth.

Lk. 13:34 Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent to thee, how often would I have gathered thy children as the bird doth her brood under her wings, and thou wouldest not? 35 Behold your house shall be left to you desolate.

Smoke is merely smoke. It cannot destroy, as fire does. Those who THINK it can are the very ones who get alarmed over SMOKE, which is not, I repeat NOT the essence of liturgy, but only the accidents. If he can alarm everyone over ‘smoke’ the devil can be mischievous, but never prevail.

 

[johnstown_johnn]

All I can do is shake my head in disbelief.

 

[lovealways]

Hang in there my friend in Christ. i have and am currently going through similar types of feelings about being one of the only ones who really wants to worship Christ with love and truth. many write that one should stick it out where they are and realize that others in the parish are at a different stage of spiritual development.

But, this does not help out the faithful person who truly seeks a significantly deeper relationship with Jesus. At times it might even comprimise some of their faith because they may feel like they are the only one who is seriously striving to be perfect as the Father is perfect. At times i think one must focus on oneself in trying to grow in Holiness. This may mean looking for situations in which the faith can grow. The Apostles were OF ONE MIND living in common.

Lovealways

 

[Joysong]

Just then Much-Afraid looked up at the cliffs above her head and started with surprise and delight. In a tiny crevice of the rock, where a few drops from the trickling waterfall could occasionally sprinkle it, was a single plant. On the stem was one flower, blood red in color, which glowed like a lamp of fire in the early rays of the sun.

Much-Afraid stared at it for some moments, noticing the wall which completely imprisoned it, the minute aperture through which it had forced its way to the light, and the barren loneliness of its surroundings. Its roots were clamped around by sheer rock, its leaves scarcely able to press outside the prison house, yet it had insisted on bursting into bloom, and was holding its little face open to the sun and burning like a flame of joy.

“What is your name, little flower?”

A little whisper rustled from the leaves, “My name is ‘Bearing-the-Cost’ but some call me ‘Forgiveness.’

She gazed at the little flower and said again, “Why call you that?”

"I was separated from all my companions, exiled from home, carried here and imprisoned in this rock. It was not my choice, but the work of others who, when they had dropped me here, went away and left me to bear the results of what they had done.

I have borne and have not fainted; I have not ceased to love, and Love helped me push through the crack in the rock until I could look right out onto my Love the sun Himself. See now! There is nothing whatever between my Love and my heart, nothing around to distract me from Him. He shines upon me and makes me to rejoice and has atoned to me for all that was taken from me and done against me. There is no flower in all the world more blessed or more satisfied than I, for I look up to Him as a weaned child and say, Whom have I in heaven but Thee?"
From Hinds Feet on High PlacesIn reflecting, we need to realize our duty to bloom in unpleasant surroundings, love and worship Our Lord in spite of obvious imperfection, and rejoice that our hearts do not succomb to the pressures to become cynical, angry and morbid as a result of all that we see. St. Paul tells us "rejoice always, again I say “rejoice!”

 

[TOP]

So, then, just what is that “smoke” of Satan?

The smoke is the blindness that is caused by sin. Just happens to be alot of smoke nowadays. Tim

 

[ncjohn]

In reflecting, we need to realize our duty to bloom in unpleasant surroundings, love and worship Our Lord in spite of obvious imperfection, and rejoice that our hearts do not succomb to the pressures to become cynical, angry and morbid as a result of all that we see. St. Paul tells us "rejoice always, again I say “rejoice!”

This reminds me of the Serenity Prayer, especially this “expanded” version of it:

God, give us grace to accept with serenity
the things that cannot be changed,
Courage to change the things
which should be changed,
and the Wisdom to distinguish
the one from the other.

Living one day at a time,
Enjoying one moment at a time,
Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,
Trusting that You will make all things right,
If I surrender to Your will,
So that I may be reasonably happy in this life,
And supremely happy with You forever in the next.

Amen.

“Accepting hardship as a pathway to peace,
Taking, as Jesus did,
This sinful world as it is,
Not as I would have it,”

Whether we want it that way or not, there is such a thing as “reality”. And we have to deal with reality whether we want to or not. We can choose to whine about it, or we can choose as the flower in the rock, to find God in it and trust that He “will make all things right.”

Yes, we should change the things we can, but we must also have the wisdom to accept those we can’t change and learn to trust. The actions of others can’t steal our faith or our peace unless we allow them to.

Peace,

 

[Joysong]

Excellent and well said, ncjohn! God bless you!

:clapping:

 

[daeve]

Yes, definitely do stop discussing others confessions. And yes, for the future, that is something that St. Paul has certainly written on.

And you’re right…it is a sin to receive communion in the state of mortal sin. But confession is a private thing and shouldn’t be discussed outside of the confessional.

 

[marty30]

And you’re right…it is a sin to receive communion in the state of mortal sin. But confession is a private thing and shouldn’t be discussed outside of the confessional.

Says who? I understand that the preist is not to talk about any ones confessions but who says those who confess cannot discuss their confession experience with others. If one is not sure about certain things and they want guidance from a trusted friend about confession in general or their confession in peticular then is that wrong? And if it is by whos authority? Is it a Church teaching, if so where?