Small things like these

 

After all the hype of this film, I got the chance to see it today.

It is set in 1985, which was around the time that I myself came

to Ireland, so I was interested from that angle also.

I did think the film portrayed well the way things were at the 

time, it had exactly the atmosphere that I remember.

 

Other than that, for me the film was in reality about personal 

trauma, rather than yet again more about the harshness of the 

Catholic Church, even though that was obviously the angle of

the Hollywood producers. 

 

Nobody is denying that there was sometimes a lack of charity

in these homes, and the existence of hush money, transaction 

of babies etc; the corruption in Ireland was shocking at the time, 

it was the norm. 

The government, politicians, businesses, Courts,

it was everywhere. 

 

Having said that, of course the Church being Christ's Mystical 

Body should not have acted the same way, I am only saying it 

as it gives the context of the Ireland at the time. 

 

Times were hard for many, and the reason why the girls ended 

up in these places is because their parents forced them there. 

This was clearly depicted in a scene in the film. 

The cruelty was first and foremost from their families who 

disowned them, and if anything, the nuns rescued them, where

would they otherwise be after having been thrown out by their 

family?

 

Furthermore, cruelty and violence towards women who find

themselves with an unplanned and unwanted pregnancy today,

has not diminished, but massively increased. 

They are pushed and encouraged to abort their baby, 

from family, friends and society in general, and from 

"health professionals", without knowing the emotional and 

psychological consequences which of course only comes 

afterwards, sometimes many years after. 

It is impossible to erase from a woman's mind and soul the 

memory of a real human being that she carried inside her, 

and whom she decided to kill. It is engraved in her heart.

Indeed I would argue that the violence towards vulnerable 

persons today is at least as great as before, despite new laws

which seeks to protect, because in practice they are ignored.

 

Anyone in Ireland today who works with children 

(under18 years of age) or vulnerable adults, has to undergo 

training and obtain certificate of completion which

mandates and obliges them under the law

to report to Tusla, (a government body for protection of children) 

suspected cases of mistreatment. 

But this is just another case of ticking boxes. 

 

In real life, in schools and in other institutions, the staff

close their eyes, ears, and especially their mouths.

Just like they said in the film "Small things like these":

"in order to get on in life you have to ignore many things".

 The opposition to anyone who reports a case is instant and severe.

 "Small things like these" ?

 

Cillian Murphy is portrayed as a deep and brooding personality,

but after his comment in relation to the release of this film, where 

he said that the time in Ireland when a woman could not get an 

abortion was like the dark ages, implying that abortion availability

is a sign of great progress and enlightenment, he strikes me as a 

superficial Hollywood pretty boy type. 

 

 

 

What is Baptism?

 

Valid Baptism has a permanent effect on the soul, it embeds 

on it a seal, a hallmark, that never goes away, no matter 

what happens.

The one who has been baptized with water, with the words:

"I baptize you in the Name of The Father, and of The Son 

and of The Holy Spirit" becomes a Child of God.

 

Some might argue that we are all children of God, and it is 

true that we are all His creatures; God created all of us in 

the order of nature, through our parents, 

but Baptism gives us God's supernatural stamp, 

we become sons and daughters of God, brothers and sisters 

of Jesus. The love and fidelity to God Our Father, shown to 

us by Jesus, is implanted in us.

Baptism is necessary to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

 

The Sacrament of Baptism imparts on the baptized God's 

sanctifying grace; Divine Life. 

The 3 Persons of The Holy Trinity is grafted 

into the soul; this imprint grants supernatural strength and 

power which makes us children of God.

 

It washes away sins; for infants we are talking about 

original sin, but in the case of adult baptism it also washes 

away all actual sins committed.

 

The baptized becomes member of the Church, it is

the entrance into the community of the universal Church, and 

all the other Sacraments of the Church depends on this first one. 

 

Baptism is a new birth, a regeneration; the person has been born 

into the world by natural birth parents, now the baptized is being 

born again, in the supernatural order, so it needs another set of 

parents; God parents.

 

The washing with running water which flows, in the same way 

as we wash ourselves, is because the ritual corresponds to 

the natural reality of washing our bodies, as we know it. 

 

Baptism is the visible sign that signifies what it produces and 

produces what it signifies.

 

Baptism is also a public proclamation of faith in Jesus Christ.  

What makes the devil happy

 

The devil's goal is always to break, divide, 

to destroy Love; The Source of Life, 

and instead to plant resentment,

un-forgiveness, jealousy, anger, etc.

The ways and methods to obtain it are many, 

but, as is well documented in The Bible;

the "love" of money and earthly possessions seems

to be the biggest stumbling block, which hinders 

and prevents us from inheriting the Kingdom of

God. This "love" is not love, of course, but 

prioritizing, putting in front of the rest, and it is 

a veritable stumbling block, a hindrance, and it 

always hurts pure unconditional Love, from 

where we all have our origin.

Because we can not follow two opposite masters

at the same time, we have to choose one.

 

Those who have a lively and authentic faith in God,

trusts God, who commands us to put Him first, 

quite literally and concretely; to trust in His providence

and to put Him before all other things.

We still have to take care of the rest, we have duties, 

obligations, work, studies, etc. which we have to

carry out with care, if we did not, we would not 

render to God nor Caesar what belongs to each of them.

 

The immorality around anything to do with money

is so ingrained and accepted, we accept this corruption

because it seems to be the norm, in Ireland anyway.

We even laugh at it, as if it doesn't really matter, 

but the truth is that we sell our souls to it, we loose 

the possibility to inherit the Kingdom of God, 

if we take this route.

 

"When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because 

he had great wealth."

 Matthew 19:22

 

But it is not only about having accumulated wealth throughout

a lifetime, which makes it so hard to let go of it, also those who 

have not acquired any wealth can be equally trapped in the 

adhesion to a belief that the only value there is can be measured 

in monetary terms and possessions. Even a poor person might be 

obsessed by money; thinking about it, his lack of it, jealous of 

what the others have, of greed, of meanness, this is equally

poisonous to his soul as the person who sits and guards his pot 

of gold.

To have good morals means doing the right thing in any given 

situation, because all our actions have consequences, even the 

smallest ones. What about faithfulness and loyalty? Do we treat and respect 

others the way they deserve? The ones that were always putting 

us first? Or do we only take into consideration our own selfish

wishes, what suits us best, regardless of what is right?

 

The truth is that God provides; through human beings, who

He made in His Image, He dwells at the center of our being, 

and with our cooperation through the use of our willpower,

He acts through us.

 

Without a shred of false humility I say that I am a poor sinner,

the only thing that I had, and still have, is an unfailing belief 

and trust in God.  

Regarding money; I always detested having anything to do with it.

I did not put it first, but to this day I have always had more than I 

ever needed, and in proportion to my growing faith and trust in God, 

the financial and material aspects of my life have fallen beautifully 

into place by itself, with very little contribution from me.

 

"Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away 

in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much 

more valuable than they?"

Matthew 6:26

 

God did it all.

 

 

Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort

 

This French Saint who lived in the 17th and 18th Century was 

born in Brittany, which to this day, remains as one of the French 

regions with strongest adhesion to the Catholic Faith.

 

Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort was a student at the 

Jesuit Thomas Becket College  in Rennes,  followed 

by studies at the Sorbonne University in Paris, then he 

completed his many years of theological studies at 

Saint Sulpice, also Paris, 

where he was ordained priest in 1700.

He is considered to be the pioneer of the field of 

Mariology;

insisting that we have to go to Mary, 

the Mother of Christ, 

Mother of God, who brings us to Christ Himself. 

 

That just like in the natural order of things a child

has a mother and a father, 

in the divine and supernatural sphere, we have 

both a Mother and a Father. 

 

His faith, and the way he lived it out, led him to 

give away his belongings to beggars, so he would quite 

literally depend on God to provide for his survival.

 

This radical spirit manifested itself in an appearance 

of poverty, ragged clothes etc, and he wasn't always 

welcomed by the 

episcopal authorities for this reason, he was mistrusted 

because he fell outside the parameters of the norm of 

what was seen as respectability, 

in fact he had no interest in that at all.

 

Judging others, something which Our Lord Jesus Christ 

forbade us to do, has always been present in the Church, 

from the very beginning, it started with Our Lord Himself, 

who was judged and condemned to death on a Cross; 

He who was totally innocent.

 

Father Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort led a vagabond 

life style, he totally identified with the poor, sick and those 

shunned by society, just like Jesus Himself did. 

 

The power of his preaching brought thousands back to the 

faith, but it also aroused jealousy and fear, and there were 

attempts to kill him.

 

His most famous written works include "True devotion to Mary",

"The Secret of Mary", and "Love of Eternal Wisdom", and

"Preparation for Total Consecration".

 

Myself being on a search to deepen, learn, understand more 

about my own Catholic faith, to which I had converted as an 

adult, to this end set out to participate in retreats in France,

and it was only during these, I found that they were based 

on the teachings of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort. 

 

I can say for sure that this did indeed have a profound effect 

on me, my life, my faith.

 

Later on again, pushed by an internal inspiration to do more 

for the Church, to engage myself more, I felt called to 

join the Legion of Mary.

 

And again, it was only after having done so, that I realized 

that, although the Legion was founded and built by the 

person of Frank Duff,

it was the teachings of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de 

Montfort which was it's spiritual inspiration and base.

 

A total surrender to the will of God, a complete dependence

on His providence for us, Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de 

Montfort used the word "slave" to describe our relationship

with Our Saviour. 

"Slave" in the loving sense that we totally belong to Him, 

we are loved by Him, we are redeemed by Him.

 

Devotion to the Mother of God, daily recitation of the Rosary,

frequent Communion and Confession, reading the Word of God,

meditating on it.

 

Us Catholics are lucky to have Saints; by their application

of the Word into their daily lives they were sanctified, and 

this is the very goal of all Catholics; our personal sanctification.

The implementation of the teachings of Jesus in our 

personal lives, in order to improve ourselves, 

and to come closer to the presence of God. 

Others will follow, because then it will no longer be we who live, 

but the One who is much much greater that any of us, who lives.

 

 

 

 

Before we are tolerant we need to know what we are tolerant of

 

I have heard many Catholics, and priests too, praising 

muslims for their faith and great devotion, and their 

supposed high moral standards.

I can only think of one possible reason for this; 

total ignorance of islam.

 

The beginning of islam is in Judeo-Christianity, a 

schismatic group created their own sect in 629 in 

Syria, a deeply Christian country, and had been 

for 600 years.  

When the fierce and violent band of Arabian tribes 

of fanatic desert soldiers; the Saracens, managed to 

take advantage of the end to war between the Roman 

and Persian empires, they took control over Syria, 

took possession of this newly invented religion as a 

powerful tool of subjugation and control in their battles, 

and thus spread and enforced islam on the countries

of Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and many North 

African countries which were all Christian, (Catholic).

Under their regime of brutality and terror they imposed 

this newly invented sect, a political system:

made up of stories and  legends, 

on these Christian regions.

 

They believed that the second coming of Jesus would 

take place when they had taken full control of Jerusalem, 

but as that never came to pass, they extended it to world 

domination; when the entire world is under control of 

islam, then the Saviour would come back.

 

So islam is a Messianic religion, but it's goal is political, 

and it's methods and ways are violence, oppression and 

the death penalty for non-submission and apostasy.

We only need to look at how they treat their women, and 

note how their supposed high morals have no foundation in reality; 

it is a ceaseless orgy of sexual indulgence; even their heaven

consists of that; sexual satisfaction without end, the higher 

spiritual realm is non existent. 

Their model Mohamed was immoral on all

the levels, adherents imitate their leader.

They advanced militarily, a political war machine, and 

on this note, the Christian crusades which we are being 

condemned so much for, 

was a taking back; a recovery, of Christian territories,

not new conquests.

 

Since Arab countries became rich due to the oil, 

they have made their way into western society like 

never before; because nothing speaks louder than 

money in countries that have lost interest in their 

christian heritage, like ours. 

The Arabs have bought up much in Europe and 

elsewhere, and with possession and money comes 

worldly power and influence.

 

The western world has lost faith in their 

own religion; Catholic Christianity; the only true one, 

the word RELIGION comes from the Latin

Religio which means "rebinding, reconnecting to God", 

no other belief system has the power or the means to 

reconnect people to God, only Jesus Christ;

The Only Son of God,

True God and True Man; 

the Word made Flesh, 

The Second Person of the Holy Trinity,

He came down to our level, in order that those amongst 

us who believe in Him can live with Him in Heaven.

Throughout the history of the Catholic Church the Saints have cried out in alarm against the dangers of Islam since Islam's foundation in the 7th century, Catholics fought against it, because force is the only thing that islam understands.

 

Today, however,  western governments allow hordes of 

muslim immigrants to settle in our countries, they are 

invited in and even encouraged to come, in vast numbers, 

none of us ordinary citizens can really understand or explain 

why this is so, we can only confirm that it is the case.

 

As their expressed goal is to destroy Christianity and our 

western culture which is founded upon it, we don't need to 

be experts or scientists to figure out what the consequences 

will be. Almost every day there is a Catholic Church being burnt

somewhere.

The western world has left all common sense behind, 

it is committing suicide.

 

 

 

Courage is needed

 

I am not in a position to pass judgment and to criticize, 

I know what I am; a miserable sinner, and in a glass house 

one can't throw stones. 

We are all in this position, none of us can throw stones.

God alone can judge.

But I feel strongly about the One Holy Catholic Church; which is the guardian and treasurer of the full knowledge of God, and about us mere humans.

 

When I pray the Rosary and come to the Crucifixion of 

Our Lord, I am struck by the unfailing truth in Jesus's cry 

to the Father: 

"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do".

 

Sin is knowing what is right and wrong and deciding to do the wrong, anyway. 

 

But first of all knowledge comes from having received information from a trusted source, in order to form an informed conscience. 

That then becomes the frame of reference for everything we think, say and do.

Because if nobody tells us, how do we know? 

 

I grew up in a post-christian former protestant country, 

and although baptized in the Norwegian Lutheran church, 

I received no instruction from anyone, not even from my 

mother, who was a believer, and very sparsely in connection 

with my conversion to the Catholic Faith.

 

Ignorance is a dangerous thing, one is unable to make good decisions.

And then, always, sooner or later, we suffer the consequences of those bad decisions.

 

Also, paradoxically, it can often be that very suffering that 

brings us close to Him who suffered for us, who even died 

a terrible death for us.

 

But Catechism is crucial, the passing on of dogma and truth 

of authentic Catholic teaching, not open to personal interpretation or subjective opinions. 

 

These days I am hugely encouraged to hear small children talk about the faith, it shows that it is alive and even coming back stronger than in recent decades, where liberalism (accepting everything) and a reticence to teaching morals, reigned.

 

Morals, personal behavior, is number one; "it starts with me". 

I have spent years learning about the faith, deepening it, 

learning more, and going more frequent to confession, getting 

feedback from the priest.

 

The priesthood is a miracle, a supernatural gift. 

I pray for priests, and I pray for more and more vocations to the priesthood.

I pray that the courage they need to go back to preaching morals will be revived in them, and not to be cowed down by those who say that priests have no authority to teach morals after all the scandals and cover- ups of same.

 

They DO have the authority, it comes from Jesus Himself. 

They must preach, they must not be afraid.

 

Stopping preaching sexual morality caused the legalization 

of abortion, and abortion is the cause of spiritual, psychological and mental collapse of societies.

We are called to love everybody, and a fundamental obligation of love is informing and warning those we love.

 

All parents knows that; we love our children, and for this very reason we teach them things that sometimes they do not want to hear, but we do it out of pure love.

 

And it is the same for priests, with the difference that they are spiritually responsible for a large number of souls.

 

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

FEAR

 

Catholic teaching says that all fear, 

with the only exception of fear of offending God, 

comes from the devil.

Fear has many degrees; from faint uneasiness, anxiousness,

nervousness, fear, to panic and full blown terror.

So why do we say that it comes from the devil?

Because it prevents us from trusting in God, who is in 

reality and truth always present and ready to help us, in any 

situation, if we allow Him access, but us being afraid is a solid 

barrier.

The devil wants us to worry, as that will assure us being on his 

side.

And the pharmaceutical industry profits hugely from the 

population living in anxiety, likewise therapists and counselors.

 

The problem is not the feeling of fear. Because it is NORMAL 

to feel fear when there is a danger, either to us personally or to 

someone we love. 

It is also NORMAL to feel stressed in situations when there is 

a lot at stake for us personally, for example before and during 

important interviews and performances.

But nowadays many people think that they suffer from anxiety 

when they experience these normal, passing, feelings. 

It is the interpretations and diagnosis of these, both by the 

medical profession and therapists, which poses the problem, but

before a person arrives there, what brought him there?

 

His own high esteem in which he holds the doctor, his belief in 

their capacities to cure whatever it is,

because he himself sees it as a problem, something that 

"shouldn't be there".

It is the world that tells him that these feelings are an illness 

which has a medical solution. They tell you that you 

"have anxiety", you "suffer from anxiety", in the same way as 

you would suffer from a physical condition. 

In reality, it is just life.

There are exceptions which are medical, and need 

medical supervision and control, but the vast majority 

of people being put on "medication", are not dealt with 

properly from the beginning. 

These medications always have side effects, they can 

cause long term damage and they reduce your quality of 

life.

And the therapist is capable of saying anything, listening 

to you they will interpret and "diagnose" everything you say, 

label you as suffering from anxiety because you experienced 

feeling of fear in situations where it was totally normal to 

feel fear.  

A doctor can say to a young teenager, an only child, who had 

just lost her mother to suicide, that she had 

"hormonal imbalances", 

prescribed a drug that was supposed to rectify it, but which 

made her very sick, she put on a ton of weight, and in the 

end she was diagnosed with cancer. 

The drug had in the meantime been taken off the market, as 

it had been proven to cause cancer.

This girl was used as a guinea pig, without knowing it. 

I know this case, and many other instances, this is just one.

This is the reality of medicine.

Despite this, most people have an unfailing belief  in doctors, 

it is their trust and belief in them that brings them to them in 

the first place. 

And most doctors feel that they should give their patients 

something, since they are present in their office.

 

But there is something that WE can do, consciously, when we 

are experiencing fear, when we feel overwhelmed by it, or tense 

in body and spirit because of a stressful situation; we can surrender 

and trust in God, and that is the meaning of the prohibition of fear 

in the authentic living out the Catholic Faith.

 

Faith, Belief, Trust comes first, then knowledge comes, which 

enables us to surrender to Him who is much greater than us, and 

who unfailingly helps and assists in proportion to the degree of 

trust and surrender to Him.

This is not a way of evading the fear, or of cutting ourselves off 

from feeling it, on the contrary; it is a way of fully accepting it, 

stopping the resistance to it (which is the unwillingness to accept ) 

and in so doing, handing it over, in trust, 

to Jesus Christ; true God and true Man. 

The way to God is through ourselves, it is by going inside.

 

Most people spend their lives looking for happiness in the world;

the right job, the right partner, the right house, car, holidays etc. etc.

They always find that that happiness is short lived, the void comes 

back, the nagging feeling of lack of fulfillment that will not go away.

But if you earnestly seek what will truly make you happy, 

you will find it.

 

Do not ever let fear paralyze you, because that is what fear 

does best.

When we are nervous, we often can not even speak coherently, 

our brain does not function normally. 

This is unacceptable.

We have the Source that gives life to the world available to us,

it demands our interest and learning. It is often, paradoxically,

when we are most afraid, that we loose the capacity to hold on to

the fear, the mind let go of the grip on it, we surrender, and we see 

that it was ourselves that maintained the fear. We kept feeding 

this beast of our imagination by our repetitive thoughts, maybe 

of what was said to us, e.g.: 

"I am suffering from anxiety, I am anxious, I am afraid", etc, etc.

The devil thrives on all the attention he gets like this. 

It is we who are doing it. The devil is also in us, doing everything 

to disturb our peace and trust in love and goodness: God.

Jesus, I trust in You.

Fear; just go away, I am not interested in you.

https://www.catholicdoors.com/prayers/novenas/p03530.htm 

 

 

 

 

ONE HOLY CATHOLIC CHURCH

It is true that we must be aware of the heresies and wrong 

teachings which sometimes comes from the top in the church, 

we must hold on to the truth, and never let ourselves be let astray 

by modifications or false teachings.

It is in expressing what is wrong and why, that we maintain 

the truth. 

But shouting, revolting, protesting unceasingly against our 

current pope, is not Christ-like, and it is Christ we are supposed

to imitate.

And calling for, even expecting, a schism in the Catholic Church, 

is completely contradictory to the spirit of Christ. 

Having a great intellectual understanding is great, but the 

understanding has to descend into the heart, body and soul.

 

We are called to imitate Our Lord, 

Our Lord who was humble and gentle at heart. 

Yes, He overturned the tables in the temple in rage, when He 

saw how they abused it, but it was by telling us to pick up our 

crosses and follow Him, if we want to be His disciples, that He 

showed us the hidden spiritual way that leads into the 

Father's presence:  "I must do the Father's will".

It is in contradiction to the ways of the world, which is how

we were told to live as Christians.

This is how the Church has produced so many saints and martyrs.

For by our own will it would not be possible; for nobody wants 

to suffer, no matter what kind of pain.

Accepting the pain; personal, physical, emotional, psychological, 

familial, social, political, ecclesial.

Yes, it is painful to have a pope who does not appear to care about 

the church, and who systematically spreads confusion every time 

he says something.

But reacting by calling for schism is not the catholic way.

Monseigneur Lefebvre did not, he was excommunicated for having

gone against the pope, he spoke out against the modern mass after 

Vatican 2 and he saved the Traditional Mass, but as far as I know he 

did not call for a schism, rather he said, correctly, that the new 

modern vatican 2 church was in nature schismatic, as the rite

of the Mass was altered, and anyone that has changed 

from attending the modern Mass to the Latin Mass can confirm this. 

 

Nevertheless we are a suffering Church, and the attacks against her, 

often comes from within. 

The thousands of children and other vulnerable people that has been 

sexually, physically and emotionally abused from within the ranks of 

the clergy and religious is only one example.

There has been terrible popes in the past, the Church's history is full 

of saints and martyrs and really good people, and likewise devious and 

unholy clergy, who cared more about political power than the Church.

Right from the beginning Christ was betrayed and denied, Judas and Peter.

 

Marriage divorce is not allowed by the Church, when a couple marry it 

is for life, no matter what happens. 

This is totally radical as well, because it implies accepting pain. 

If, or when, it arrives, human instinct will always seek a 

way out, but the divine way is to not do that. 

If one of the spouses turns out to be an abusive alcoholic, for example,

it is an opportunity for sanctification for the other.

Indeed, in some orthodox churches the spouses exchanges crosses 

during the wedding ceremony.

 

And it is the same for us laypeople in regard to the clergy; we are 

aware of their failings and weaknesses, but we do not shout for a divorce.

We hold on to the truth, and we live our faith in mind and body.

We know that there was abuse within the church  also at the the time of 

Martin Luther, with the Indulgences, but Luther was a schismatic who

wanted out, so he used this as his ticket out. It was about himself, 

not about Christ.

I would say the same about Enoch Burke, who protesting about 

something totally legit, made everything about himself, acting like 

the true protestant that he is, he personifies it, along with the rest of 

his family. He has no humility. 

Yes, the courts are corrupt, because the world is corrupt, the world 

is full of liars, this is nothing new, it has always been like that.

Enoch Burke is not going to change anything in the world by staying 

in prison, what he is looking for is a hero status. He is not catholic, 

ok, but there seems to be many catholics who admire him. He is not 

helping the concern we all have about transgenderism by his obstinate 

behaviour.

 

 

 

 

God is good, and we must align ourselves to Him.

 

There is a belief among many Catholics that it is not important if others 

are of different religions, as long as they are nice and good people, 

it doesn't matter, what counts is that they are "good", because "there

is only one God".

Yes, there is only one God, it is Jesus Christ, it is not Mohammed

or Buddha or anyone else.

Saying this phrase to anyone of a different religion or no religion in an effort 

to be "inclusive", "tolerant", "non-jugdmental" is heresy and apostasy 

against the catholic religion, it is the breaking of the very first 

commandment, which says:  

 

"I am the Lord thy God: thou shalt not have strange gods before me."

 

For the "god" of Muslims (Mohammed), the "heaven" of Buddhism 

(Nirvana), the protestant revolt and heresies of Martin Luther and 

King Henry VIII, etc have nothing in common with the Catholic Faith.

The true Catholic Faith is the objective truth  about God and us, and 

everything else is false and leads to perdition of souls.

It reveals lack of knowledge of the catholic religion, those who say 

this have not been catechized according to the doctrine of the catholic 

faith, which is codified and specific, not bland nor general nor open 

to subjective interpretations.

For if all religions are equal, and even the absence of religion is 

equal to a religion, that logically would mean that the catholic religion 

has no intrinsic value in itself, just a question of cultural preference and 

what we are used to;

 "I was raised like this, so that is what I do, you can do what you do, 

and it is both equally good", etc.

 

It is not true, because there is only One God The Father, 

One God The Son, One Holy Spirit; The Holy Trinity; 

Three Persons of The same Substance.

Only One Person; Jesus Christ who can save our souls.

 

It is true that it is important to be good, but what is good?

Jesus said that no-one is good:

"Why do you call Me good?" Jesus asked him. 

"No one is good but One-God"

Mark 10:18.

 

The awareness of one's own lack of true goodness, is the reason

why we have the Sacrament of Confession, also called the Sacrament 

of Reconciliation; a good Confession reconciles us to God. This fact is 

not a small and insignificant detail, we are talking about being reconciled 

with God!

Because we are all sinners, which we confess with our lips at the beginning 

of every Mass.

But so many, even Catholics, now believe that they do not need to go 

to a priest to confess their sins.

It is true that it is highly uncomfortable, and can even feel frightening, to 

go into the Confessional and tell the truth about one self, even our innermost 

thoughts, but nothing, absolutely nothing of value is obtained without pain and 

effort and personal work, and in relation to God; Trust in Him. 

Trusting and Believing. His will, not mine.

 

One of the differences between Catholics and protestants is that

protestants believe that faith alone will save them, but Catholics believe 

that faith also requires work, and that the work is continuous.

It is much more demanding to be Catholic, but we are not here to live an 

easy life, nor a life of comfort.

 

In modern parishes there is little mention of sin these days, it is as if they 

avoid mentioning it, for FEAR of offending or displeasing, thus aligning 

the Church with the world, and emptying out it's divine principles. 

Any FEAR, apart from the fear of offending God, comes from the devil. 

  

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and 

of a sound mind."

(2 Timothy 1:7)

 

And

 

(Romans 12:2) says 

"Do not be conformed to the world"

 

The conformity to the standards of the world, has been the Church's 

down fall. The answer to the old "oh, what can we do to bring people 

back into the church?" is; nothing!, just get out of the way, and let 

Christ reign in His Church, through the transmission of the 

Catholic Doctrine. 

Christ is King, nobody else.

 

It wasn't even the horrific scandals of the sex abuse and pedophilia, 

but the way the bishops conformed to the ways of the world by covering 

it up, that inflicted so much harm. 

The abuse of young children was everywhere, the majority 

of which was carried out in families, and in every organizations and 

associations that exists which has children in it, because children are, by 

their very nature, vulnerable, unless they are protected, of course.

So why is it that in France, the Traditional Church parishes, which are 

transmitting the pure, unchanged, unmodified teachings of the Catholic 

Faith, are growing, where every Sunday they are filled with young people, 

young couples with children, young adults, whose priests are for the most 

part also young, and whose seminaries are full?

 

It is because people want what is true and real, they seek what will 

render them strong in order to be able to continue living in an evil world. 

A world where "good" people, often highly respected, people who 

have power and authority over others, lie and deceive on a daily basis.

They might have a veneer of "goodness"; a good image, but their hearts 

are evil; they lie and deceive you without any hesitation or second thought.

 

The Catholic Faith is radical, it is not wishy-washy, it is not: 

"everything goes, do what you want, follow your heart, God loves everyone, 

do not judge, there is only one God, he is the same for all of us, everyone is 

going to heaven", etc, etc.

 

It is demanding to be able to call oneself a Catholic, and it produces the 

opposite to what is produced by trying to make it "attractive" according to 

worldly standards.

Demanding that we go to regular Confession, that we do not dare to present 

ourselves for Holy Communion unless we have gone to Confession if we are 

in a state of mortal sin, makes people taking the faith seriously. It produces 

what it set out from the beginning to produce; a life united to God.

 

I know women, both in Ireland and in France, who are unable to receive 

Holy Communion, because they are living with their partner as man and 

wife, without being married.

At the time, they did not realize what they were doing, due to the modern 

Church's failure to make this clear, and to talk about sin, but by the time 

they do understand, the relationship has already been like that usually for years, 

and their partner is not likely to want to make any changes, thus rendering 

themselves unable to present themselves at the banquet of the wedding feast 

of the Lord; Holy Communion.

This is a great sadness for those who knows what the Mass is.

 

God Is, Was, Will Alway Be, I Am, He is Alive, and He gives Himself 

freely and fully to anyone who seeks Him sincerely, but just like in any 

Personal relationship, it must be reciprocal in order for it to be a genuine 

relationship; we need to be active participants and give ourselves as well, 

and if we think about it, it is really logical and common sense. 

That is why we can not be Catholic unless we obey God's commandments 

and Catholic doctrine, it is WE who must align ourselves to HIM, conform 

to His ways,because as He Himself is unchanging and unchangeable, it does 

not work the other way around.

 

It is demanding to be Catholic, it takes self control and awareness, 

we must be willing to suffer, to sacrifice, to be treated unfairly, to be rejected, 

to be betrayed, to be mocked and ridiculed, to be in constant readiness

to die, not to be afraid to die, to be willing to die for the ones we love, willing 

to die for our faith;

this is what the Catholic Church is all about, this is why she has produced so 

many Saints, her only goal is to make us holy, like God is Holy,

and to save our souls after our death. 

 

It does not suffice to be "nice", according to each own's definition of 

"niceness".

 

There is good in everybody, no matter what belief or non belief, there 

is a human universal capacity for goodness, along with the universal 

human capacity for evil.

It is a question of awareness, being awake, and applying our free will;  

the willpower; the POWER of our will, to our daily lives.

Because the 7 deadly sins, the basic barriers (original sins), pop their 

head up daily: pride, envy, laziness, greed, lust, gluttony, anger.

 

It is not a question of "judging" people of different religions or non 

religions, we judge no person.

But we do not worship the same God as them, because the god of 

mohammed, the god of buddha, the god of materialism, etc, etc, 

is not our God. 

In order to reach the top of the mountain, a hiker needs to already 

have the physical condition required, which didn't fall 

from the sky, he obtained it by training and he strengthened, maintained 

and improved it by regular exercise.

We are often amazed at the capacities of athletes; what is actually possible 

to be achieved humanly. But again; this did not come and install 

itself all by itself, it was done through desire, efforts and not least:

the perseverance of the person, through the application of his 

OWN WILLPOWER.

 

Being Catholic is the spiritual equivalent to the hiker who desires to reach 

the summit. 

Modernism in the church is at it's very last legs; it has produced less and 

less Catholics;

"You will recognize them by their fruits"

Matthew 7:20 

If it does not have some degree of difficulty or challenge for us, if there 

is no personal sacrifice in living our Catholic faith, then we are doing it wrong.

For as the famous Irish Father Brian d'Arcy once said:

"if it isn't difficult, what's the point?"

 

 

 

 

Death; the only remaining taboo

 

 

 

The reason that many catholic prayers reminds us of our own physical death

is not because we are gloomy and do not enjoy life; it is because the awareness

of us passing from this life to the next, is necessary for balance in our earthly 

life, and for psychological and mental balance and well being. It helps us to 

embrace life with openness and confidence, and to always see the larger picture.

 

It is a fact that for many, it is only when they realize that they are "on the way 

out", that they remember the things they have done that have hurt others, and 

they die in fear, because their own conscience tells them that there is a judgement 

coming, this is why regular use of  The Sacrament of Confession is so necessary 

during our life time.

 

Some people, former Catholics, and also protestants, like to amuse themselves 

with joking about  "Catholic guilt" as if it is a mental illness, when the truth is 

that it is about being aware of the things we do that are not good; not for us, 

not for others, and most of all; for us who believe: they hurt God, with whom 

we want to be in relationship with. Awareness and honesty is indispensable. 

It is not about whipping ourselves into an everlasting guilt trip, it is about 

seeing and feeling sufficient remorse and pain to be motivated and find the 

will to change and improve ourselves.

If we say; "but, sure, God loves me and forgives me anyway," that is much 

less likely to produce real change.

 

I heard someone say that they did not want their grandchildren to see them

after they had died, because it "would leave a trauma".  They said that having

seen their own grandparents layed out in the coffin, had left "a trauma" on 

them when they were young, and they did not want that for their own 

grandchildren.

But there is a difference between the pain and grief we experience when 

loosing a close one, which is natural, healthy and necessary; an integral 

part of life and not "a trauma", albeit it being painful.

 

A trauma, strictly speaking, is something deeply disturbing, which has 

the capacity to create lasting disturbances in the psyche, because it was 

something that ought not to have happened.

 

Although it is traumatic for a young child to loose a parent while they are 

young, we do know, and we expect, our parents and our grandparents to die

at some stage, it is sad, but it is normal, life goes on.

 

What a healthy and holistic approach they had before when wakes were 

the norm; 3 day long sometimes, when the body, exposed in the open 

coffin, allowed for everybody to come and say farewell individually 

and to pray together for the deceased, and then stay around with the 

family, neighbors and friends, to talk, eat, have a drink, cry, tell stories, 

laugh. Nothing more natural than that, people got the opportunity to 

process the death that had taken place.

Death is part of life, when someone we knew well dies, it is also for us 

a timely reminder that one day it will be us.

 

 

 

Natural, Supernatural

 

The higher, supernatural life, springs out of; emerges from, 

life lived in accordance to the commandments and teaching 

of Jesus Christ, which must necessarily take place in our life 

lived in our bodies, in our minds, in our psychology, our 

emotions.

The supernatural life is not found in a different, separate, 

other sphere than the one we already find ourselves in. 

We can not find God by looking into the sky.

 

"They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly 

two men dressed in white stood beside them. Men of Galilee," they said, 

"why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has 

been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you 

have seen Him go into heaven"

Acts 1:10- 11

 

So when people say that they are pagans and live according to nature; 

the science of nature; the science of the body, and they think that this 

is somehow in contradiction to faith in God, they are mistaken, 

because this is the very material; the tools we have, to work with and 

put the religion into practise. 

It is illogical to believe that, because God Himself came down to earth 

and became one of us; a human being, with all the aspects of human nature, 

apart from sin.

He was fully human, and fully God. 

The supernatural is not in conflict with the natural, it superimposes it. 

 

Those who seek God with all their heart and all their strength, will find Him.

 

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door 

will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7, NIV

"Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, 

and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:7, NLT

 

Actively personal seeking is a requisite, you will rarely stumble upon God 

by accident. But that does happen now and again though, when God might 

reveal Himself  to people that are even strongly opposed to Him, like what 

happened to Saul on the road to Damascus.

 

"Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the 

Lord, went to the high priest  and asked letters from him to the synagogues 

of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or 

women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone 

around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice 

saying to him,  

“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”

And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”

Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard 

for you to kick against the goads.”

So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to 

do?”

Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be 

told what you must do.”

 And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice 

but seeing no one.  Then Saul arose from the ground, and when his eyes 

were opened he saw no one. But they led him by the hand and brought 

him into Damascus.  And he was three days without sight, and neither 

ate nor drank."

 Acts 9, 1-9

 

To find God we need to go into the wilderness; the wilderness of our 

existential loneliness.

We are in the world, but we are not of the world, and our destination is 

in the next world. In this world we are only passing through. 

We need to disengage from the world, to pull back from it,  in order to 

be able to look at what is in our minds and hearts.

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of 

your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what 

is good and acceptable and perfect."

Romans 12:2

The "world" is channeled mainly through mass media, it "informs" us what 

is true, what is going on, what is good and normal, and what is bad, and so 

on.

Studies shows, which corresponds with my own impression, that appr.

70 - 80 % of people live in consensus with the world. They believe in 

the government, the media, the popular opinions on any given subject,

all this is their external guide that they adhere to.

 

Even when when there is cognitive dissonance, when it goes against

their own values and common sense, for example that

marriage between two people of the same sex is marriage, 

that killing your unborn living baby, up to 9 months of gestation 

is totally acceptable and even healthcare, or 

the massive pressure and threats they used to force the population 

to take an experimental injection, a vaccine, against a virus that posed 

no threat to them, as the experts all explained openly it was an influenza 

that was not dangerous for healthy people,

the sexualizing of young children carried out in the school system, 

the normalisation of transgenderism, 

the encouragement of small children to "question" their sexuality, and 

if they "think" that they are not the gender that they are born with, they 

are encouraged and referred to clinics to get surgery done. 

These are things that are actually taking place, and has been happening for 

a long time already; this is what people are being brainwashed into accepting 

as normal, this madness comes from the government, the same government 

that people trust and believe in. And vote for.

 

But

"We know that we are from God, and the whole world lies in the power of 

the evil one."

1John 5:19

 

This state of affairs could never have come about if there was enough people 

who sought God.

Enough people willing to disengage from their cultural conditioning, to look 

inside themselves, change, convert.  

This can only happen inside the person, driven by their own will and desire.

It can not be imposed.

Neither is it the easy option, because it is the opposite to the ways of the world.

"You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The 

highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose 

that way."

Matthew 7:13 NLT

 

But it is worth it, because when you find God, you also find your real self.

 

You are completely unique, there is only ONE of you. 

 "For you created my inmost being;
    you knit me together in my mother’s womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
    your works are wonderful,
    I know that full well."

 Psalm 139:13-14

 

"Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this 

world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over 

to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” 

John 18:36

 

After Jesus had healed the man (Matthew 8,3) of leprosy, He commanded 

the man to not tell anybody, but to only show himself to the priest.

"Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show 

yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony 

to them.” (Matthew 8,4)