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Eternal Rest Grant Unto Them Oh Lord, May Perpetual Light Shine Upon Them, May They Rest In Peace. Amen. May Their Souls And The Souls Of All The Faithful Departed Through The Mercy Of God Rest In Peace. Amen
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12 KNOW THE TRUTH
Catholic Voice
20th November 2020
And You Shall Know The Truth, And The Truth Shall Make You Free! What Is Truth?
John Lacken
We must never tire of praying and offering sacrifices for our Irish bishops most especially when it seems that they are failing us. St James tells us that the reason we ask for things and do not receive them is because we ask for the wrong reasons. We ask to satisfy ourselves. The reason we should pray for our bishops is because we seek the Glory of God and because we realise that God is not glorified as He ought to be glorified when our Catholic churches are closed to the public for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and when Catholics are forbidden from receiving Holy Communion on the tongue which is according to the norms of the Catholic Church. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen The title of this article comes from St John’s Gospel. The first part is from chapter 8. This is the chapter where the woman caught in adultery is brought before Jesus. Later, Jesus is teaching in the temple and the Pharisees accuse Him of not telling the truth. Many of the Jews believed in Jesus on account of His replies to these Pharisees and it is to these believing Jews that Jesus addresses the words “And You Shall Know The Truth, And The Truth Shall Make You Free!” (John 8:32) The second part of the title is Pontius Pilate’s question to Jesus when Jesus tells Him: “Thou sayest that I am a king. For this was I born, and for this came I into the world; that I should give testimony to the truth. Every one that is of the truth, heareth my voice.
Pilate saith to him: What is truth?” (John 18:38) There is a lot of talk these days about confusion in the Catholic Church. It is my view that there is no confusion within the Catholic Church, properly understood, because the Catholic Church is indefectible, i.e. is incapable of teaching falsehoods. The reason that many people including baptised Catholics may be confused is because they are not fully conversant with exactly what the Catholic Church teaches. They have not been properly catechised and they have not taken the time themselves to study official Catholic Church teaching. St Paul, when writing his letter to the Galatians says: “I wonder that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ, unto another gospel. Which is not another, only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach a gospel to you besides that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema. As we said before, so now I say again: If any one preach to you a gospel, besides that which you have received, let him be anathema. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? If I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ. For I give you to understand, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.
For neither did I receive it of man, nor did I learn it; but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Galatians 1:6-12) The difficulty for those who do not take the time to study official Catholic doctrine is, how will they know if someone is preaching a different gospel? If you don’t know the original teachings, how will you know if someone has changed them or if they are teaching something different? The answer is, you cannot know. Therefore it is very important for Catholics to continue studying the Catholic faith until the end of their days. For those who have the responsibility of passing on the faith to others, I am thinking particularly of Catholic parents, then the duty to know the Catholic faith is obligatory because the salvation of the children God may choose to send you, in ordinary terms, is dependent on you fulfilling your duty by seeing to it that your children are properly catechised. The doctrinal teachings of the Catholic Church come from God and the duty of Popes, Cardinals and Bishops is to defend the Doctrine of the Faith. They are the guardians of the Deposit of Faith and they have also been entrusted by God with the command to teach the Catholic Faith in its fullness to the whole world. “And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
20th November 2020
Catholic Voice
What are Catholics to do when someone in authority in the Catholic Church contradicts Catholic Church teaching? St Paul tells us to ‘let him be anathema’. We should not listen to them or follow them but we will not know that what they teach is false unless we have studied our Catholic faith. In his letter to the Romans St Paul tells us the following about homosexual relations.
KNOW THE TRUTH 13
There’s a Place for Us Homosexuality in the Divine Plan of Redemption Jesus said to those who would stone her: “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.”
“Because that, when they knew God, they have not glorified him as God, or given thanks; but became vain in their thoughts, and their foolish heart was darkened. For professing themselves to be wise, they became fools. And they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of the image of a corruptible man, and of birds, and of fourfooted beasts, and of creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up to the desires of their heart, unto uncleanness, to dishonour their own bodies among themselves. Who changed the truth of God into a lie; and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
Jesus said to the woman: “Woman, where are they that accused thee? Hath no man condemned thee? Who said: No man, Lord. And Jesus said: Neither will I condemn thee.”
“Go, And Now Sin No More.” By John Cassidy
For this cause God delivered them up to shameful affections. For their women have changed the natural use into that use which is against nature.
We must pray for the conversion of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin and we must write to him asking him to correct his false public utterances.
And, in like manner, the men also, leaving the natural use of the women, have burned in their lusts one towards another, men with men working that which is filthy, and receiving in themselves the recompense which was due to their error.” (Romans 1:21-27)
But we must also promote Catholic Church teaching on human sexuality and clearly show that it is because the Catholic Church truly loves those with same-sex attraction that she calls them, as she calls all others, to live chaste lives.
When Archbishop Diarmuid Martin states publicly that both civil unions and marriage are ‘right’, he is publicly contradicting Catholic Church teaching because he is saying something that is demonstrably false. If Catholic teaching on marriage and human sexuality is true, then civil non-marital sexual unions, regardless of whether they are heterosexual or homosexual in nature, cannot also be right.
With this in mind, Lumen Fidei Press announces the publication of our latest booklet ‘There’s A Place For Us’.
As Archbishop Charles Chaput puts it: “If the Letter to the Romans is true, then persons in unchaste relationships (whether homosexual or heterosexual) need conversion, not merely affirmation. If the Letter to the Romans is false, then Christian teaching is not only wrong but a wicked lie. Dealing with this frankly is the only way an honest discussion can be had.”
Written by John Cassidy, a man who lived the homosexual lifestyle for many years and found it wanting, this booklet seeks to reach out to those struggling with same-sex attraction to help them to see the wisdom and beauty of Catholic Truth on human sexuality. True happiness is found by striving to conform one’s life to the teachings of Jesus Christ which He entrusted to the Catholic Church and which she proclaims with clarity. All are called to live in chastity regardless of their sexual attractions. This testimony does not shirk away from difficult Catholic teachings but shows with piercing clarity why the Church teaches as she does in the area of human
16 SAINT TERESA OF AVILA
Catholic Voice
20th November 2020
Stories of Saint Teresa Of Avila Extract from ‘The Consolations of Purgatory’ by Rev Father H Faure S.M. Don Bernardin of Mendoza, a Spanish gentle man, wishing to give proof of his devotion to the Blessed Virgin, offered to give St. Teresa a house which belonged to him near Valladolid if she would found a convent of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. “To tell the truth,”; says St. Teresa, “I was not very willing to establish a convent at so great a distance from the city. But the offer was made with so good a will, and to so good an end, that I was unwilling to deprive this young gentleman of the merit which he might derive from his generosity.
St. Teresa immediately began her journey, without any preparation, and arrived at Valla dolid on the Feast of St. Lawrence. After such arrangements had been made as were absolutely necessary that they might be able to observe enclosure, the Holy Sacrifice was offered. “When the priest came forward to give the Communion, with the ciborium in his hand,” writes the Saint, “ at the moment I received the Sacred Host, that gentleman appeared to me standing at the side of the priest, with a radiant and joyful countenance. He thanked me for having delivered him from purgatory, and then straightway ascended into heaven. “Great is the mercy of Our Lord, and won derfully acceptable is any service rendered to His Blessed Mother.”
“About two months afterwards he fell so suddenly ill that he St. Teresa was favoured with was deprived of the use of many other visions relating his speech, and was unable, to the souls in purgatory, and therefore, to make his gives the following account of confession, although he gave some of them: many proofs of contrition for “I heard of the death of a his sins. He died in a short Carmelite Father, who had time at a great distance from formerly been Provincial of this the place where I then was. Our province, and at the time of his Lord told me that his salvation death was Provincial of another. had been in great danger, that He I had had correspon dence with had had mercy on him on account him, and he had been very kind of the service rendered to His to me. The news of his death, blessed Mother in giving that house therefore, caused me great distress. to found a monastery of her Order, Although he was a man well known but that he would not be delivered from for his virtues, I was anxious about the purgatory until the first Mass should be salvation of his soul, for he said there.” St Teresa of Avila - Francois Gerard (1770 - 1837) had been Superior for twenty years, and I am always afraid for those who have been “The grievous sufferings of this soul were so continually placed in authority over others. I went sorrowfully to present to me that, though I wished to found a house in the oratory, and implored Our Lord to accept the little Toledo, I would not begin for the present, but hurried on good I had ever done for the benefit of this friar, and to the utmost of my power the foundation in Valladolid. by virtue of His own infinite merits to deliver his soul I could not put my design into execution as soon as I from purgatory. While I was offering this prayer with wished, for I was obliged to stop for some days at St. all the fervour of which I was capable, I saw this soul Joseph s at Avila, which was on my way.” arise from the earth, and ascend to heaven in a transport of joy. Although the Father was advanced in years, he “Our Lord said to me one day, while I was at prayer in had the appearance of a man of about thirty years old, that monastery: ‘Make haste, for that soul is suffering and his countenance was resplendent with light. This vision, though of very short duration, filled me with exceedingly.’”
20th November 2020
Catholic Voice
SAINT TERESA OF AVILA 17
And The Holy Souls In Purgatory joy, and left me without a shadow of doubt as to what I had seen. “I could not, after that, share the grief of many others who mourned for him as a friend exceedingly dear to them. He had not been dead more than a fortnight, and I did not cease to pray and ask others to pray for him ; but, to tell the truth, I could not pray for him with the same fervour as before, for when Our Lord has permitted me to see a soul ascend to heaven, it seems to me that praying for that soul is like offering alms to a rich man. As I was at a great distance from the place where this servant of God had ended his days, it was a considerable time before I could hear all the particulars of his edifying death. Those who were present could not see without admiration the conscious ness which he retained till the last moment, the tears he shed, and the sentiments of humility with which he gave up his soul to God.
“One day, when I was suffering, as I did from time to time, such great pain of mind and body that I could hardly collect my thoughts, I found myself in the chapel of a college be longing to the Society of Jesus. A Brother of the house had died the night before, and I prayed for him as well as I could. While hearing a Mass said for him by one of the Fathers of the Society, I began my meditation, and saw the brother ascending to heaven, accompanied by Our Blessed Lord Himself, who informed me it was by a special favour that He had come to conduct the Brother to the home of the blessed.”
“God enlightened me similarly in the case of a pious Carmelite Father whom I knew to be at the point of death. I was hearing Mass with great attention, when I saw him expire and ascend to heaven without passing through pur gatory., and I was informed afterwards that he had died at the very moment when I had the vision. I was surprised that he should have had no purgatory at all, but I learned that he had been always most “A very holy nun of our Order faithful in observing his rule, had died two days before; the and therefore he had received Office of the Dead was being the special favours granted to recited for her in choir. A sister his Order by the special Bulls was reading one of the lessons, relating to the pains of purgatory. and I was standing prepared to I do not know why this was told say the Versicle. In the middle of me, unless to remind me that it is the lesson, I saw the soul of this nun not the habit that makes the monk, rise from the earth, like that of the but that in order to enjoy all the priest of whom I have just spoken, and graces accorded to the monastic life, it ascend to heaven. This vision was purely is necessary to fulfil all the duties of that intellectual, while in the other state with the greatest fidelity. I had seen the visible form of Our Lady Of Mount Carmel With Brown Scapular the priest; but the one left on “I could mention a great number of other visions of my mind the same impression of reality as the other.” this kind with which Our Lord has been pleased to favour me, but it is unnecessary to say more. I will “In the same monastery another nun had just died a only make this remark that of all these souls, I have young woman of about eighteen or twenty years old, seen only three go straight to heaven without passing a model of fervour, regularity, and virtue. Her life had through purgatory; that of the Carmelite father I have been one long series of illnesses and sufferings borne just mentioned; that of St. Peter of Alcantara; and that with the utmost patience, and I felt sure that, after such of Father Peter Ybannez of the Order of St. Dominic. a life, she would be exempt from purgatory. I was at Our Divine Lord has also condescended to show me office when her body was carried from her Cell about the places that some of these blessed souls occupy in four hours after her death, and I saw her soul in the heaven, and the degrees of glory that they enjoy.” (Life same manner rise from the earth and ascend to heaven.” of St. Teresa).