We are called to be those saints

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Rob2

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Some thoughts from our parish priest at this morning’s Eucharist - - - - - - - - - - - -

In every crisis within the Church , and the Church has been in crises throughout her history , God raises up saints .

At the time of the Reformation which swept through Europe God raised up saints .

One of them was St Robert Bellarmine whose feast we celebrate today .

In our present time the Church is going through a crisis because of the scandals connected to some of her ministers . (The first time I have heard our priest refer to the scandals ) .

God will raise up saints .

We should not look at those saints as distant , as somewhere far away .

We are called to be those saints .
 
Dear Rob2,

Thanks for the thoughts…it is important for all priests and people in the Church to pay attention to God, in every country and at every time in human history. The present crisis in the Catholic Church is a very serious one, and so each of us needs to examine our own conscience as members of Christ’s Body, His Church.

The sins of those guilty are terrible but every offense against God weakens the Church. All of us need to pray fervently to the Holy Spirit to know our sins and repent of them with the firm resolution to ask continually for grace, to seek earnestly for grace not to sin again, and to avoid the near occasions of sin, and to persevere in knocking on the door that God will open to us the holiness to which we are called. Without Him we can do nothing! Jesus told His disciples and we hear him speak to us those words in Jn 15:5.

Yesterday’s Gospel continues to ring in my ears:
…He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
> take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it. (from Mk 8: 27-35)
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We are living in a time, when God and His Mother are ignored by many. We are living in a time when “self” is loved by many to the contempt of God. We are living in a time, when not only is the word “sin” heard rarely but even the word “imperfection” is rarely heard as well. God is Holy and He has told us to “Be Holy” as He is Holy.

Saints of the past can help us to see more clearly God’s Will and help us begin to turn toward holiness. Yesterday, I spent time again reading and pondering St. Louis De Montfort’s treatise on “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin”, Chapter 7, paragraphs # 257 - 265. In paragraph 257, St. Louis wrote:
…here are some very sanctifying interior practices for those souls who feel called by the Holy Spirit to a high degree of perfection. They may be expressed in four words, doing everything through Mary, with Mary, in Mary, and for Mary, in order to do it more perfectly through Jesus, with Jesus, in Jesus, and for Jesus.
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He continues in paragraphs #258 - 265 to explain further. I encourage anyone who is serious about holiness to ponder yesterday’s Gospel and to consider the words of St. Louis on how to live the Truth we hear from Jesus.
 
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Dear Rutherford2

Your brief reply: “What’s the Truth?” reminds me of Pilate’s words to Jesus. Jesus is God’s Truth, His Son, the Word Made Flesh in the womb of Mary. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, for all Who believe in Him. These words are recorded in the Gospel of John:
The Trial before Pilate. Then they brought Jesus from Caiaphas to the praetorium. It was morning. And they themselves did not enter the praetorium, in order not to be defiled so that they could eat the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring [against] this man?” They answered and said to him, “If he were not a criminal, we would not have handed him over to you.” At this, Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your law.” The Jews answered him, “We do not have the right to execute anyone,” in order that the word of Jesus might be fulfilled that he said indicating the kind of death he would die. So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?” Pilate answered, “I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?” Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants [would] be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here.” So Pilate said to him, “Then you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.

Pilate said to him, “What is truth?” (Jn 18: 28 - 38)
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You identify yourself as a Buddist on your profile, so I’m not sure if you’ve ever read the Gospel according to St. John. By God’s Grace, may you listen, hear and ponder the Truth Who is Jesus speaking to you through His words recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Thanks for your reply.
 
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Well said, Rob2.

It’s easy to treat faith like a “bare minimum” – a box or a list item you check off if you went to mass on Sunday and “met the requirements” – doing only what’s just getting by. I’ve definitely fallen into this. But it’s not enough, we shouldn’t lower the bar.
 
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