tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6418329558116690582024-03-19T04:54:54.004+00:00Catholic Collar And TieThis is a blog written by the man in the street for the man in the street; we are not presenting authoritative or ‘academic papers’ but sharing our thoughts and views, faithful to the Magisterium of today and yesterday (we hope!) Comments made and Posts to which we link are not necessarily supported by the authors of this blog, nor are the posts of either blogger the responsibility or views of the other!Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.comBlogger362125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-66191144546246922782020-03-27T20:17:00.000+00:002020-03-27T20:17:07.536+00:00Knocking on Heaven's Door...<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">In
explaining the importance of the Holy Eucharist to converts and to Catholics
who don’t fully appreciate It, I would always be at pains to say something
along the lines of the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">The
Supreme and Most Wonderful Sacrament is the Holy Eucharist (Holy Mass and Holy
Communion), and for three main reasons: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">[i]
It is Jesus Christ our Lord and God Himself.</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";"> We know this from Christ Himself
for He said: “I am the living bread that has come down from heaven. If anyone
eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread I will shall give for
the life of the world is My flesh…Whoever eats My Flesh and drinks My Blood lives
in Me, and I in Him…As I draw life from the Living father, so whoever eats Me
will draw life from Me“ (John.6v51-57). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He fulfilled this promise of giving us His
Flesh to east at the Passover when He took bread, blessed it, broke it and said,
“Take, eat, for this is My Body (Luke 22v19). <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Holy Eucharist, being Holy God Himself, is thus the power-source of
all the other Sacraments and the origin -and goal- of our entire existence. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">[ii]
It is Christ’s Saving Sacrifice on the Cross made present to us</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">, for Christ said, “This is My Body <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">given
up</i></b> for you...My Blood <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">which is shed</i></b> for you”
(Lk.22v19-20). So, as Saint Paul tells us, “When you eat this Bread and drink
this Cup you are proclaiming the Lord’s death” (1.Cor.11v26). St Paul said, “We
preach a crucified Christ” (1 Cor.1v23), and we preach not only by words but in
our actions in the holy liturgy, where we mystically proclaim/announce/show the
separation of Christ’s Body and Blood on the Cross by the separate consecration
of the bread into His Body and of the wine into His Blood: “whenever we eat
this Bread and drink this Cup…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">[iii]
It brings Heaven to earth</span></i></b><span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">.
Since the Holy Eucharist is God and wherever God is Heaven is, whenever we come
to Mass we are coming to Heaven, there to love and be loved by Holy God in the
presence of all the angels and saints<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>-and of all those who have died and are with God. Now, since Holy Mass
is Heaven on earth, we do not need to die to go to Heaven -we only need to come
to Mass, and since to come to Mass is to come to Heaven, to absent ourselves
from Mass is to absent ourselves from heaven<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>–and who wants that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">You
know, there is room for seeing Holy Mass as the door to heaven. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">How sad that at this time of the Covid-19
pandemic we find ourselves locked out of our Church’s and literally knocking on
heaven’s door.<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b></i>Without meaning
to, what the Church has done is to say ‘No entry to Heaven here today”. Let us
pray that the pandemic ends soon, with lives saved and the grief of those who
have already lost loved ones assuaged by communion with God.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">Post
Script:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Verdana","sans-serif";">As
a former nurse educated in nursing way back in the 1980’s how can I not say ‘thank
you’ to all those in the acute areas of health care receiving patients with
Covid-19: Accident and Emergency rooms; Intensive care units, and medical wards
dedicated to Covid-19 patients. We must thank our paramedics, consultants, ‘junior’
doctors, anaesthetists, nurses, Health Care Assistants, pharmacists, cleaners,
porters, ward clerks, dieticians, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>psychologists, psychotherapists, chaplains and
a whole gamut of dedicated staff who are working in these highly stressful
areas -and not only those but staff throughout our NHS. I shall offer private
Masses for and end to the pandemic, the relief of patients and of family suffering,
for the staff giving the care, and for the governments, advisors and scientists
working to control and overcome this exceptional situation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-1475360348807972552019-12-24T15:15:00.002+00:002019-12-24T15:15:32.662+00:00Tomorrow is At Hand...<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Tomorrow we celebrate a great event; the birth of God-made-man
in the flesh of Blessed Mary, Ever-Virgin. It is a great thing we do, to
celebrate His birth, but I would prefer that these celebrations were nine
months earlier, that we might be reminded that life begins not at birth but at
Conception. For nine months Our Lord was hidden from view in the womb of the Virgin,
for it was truly God who was living and growing there; uniting to the Divine
nature the nature of Man, that man might be redeemed by the Divine: “Unto us a
child is born; a son is given…and His name will be Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty
God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9v6), thus dear St Joseph was
told, “…do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are name Him
Jesus, for He is the one who is to save His people from their sins.” (Matthew
1v20,21). The depths of this great Mystery of the Incarnation may never be fully
grasped in this world. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">We may wonder too that the very DNA of Mary, Mother of the
God-man, will taken up into heaven when her own life was over; that her Divine
Son would welcome her into heaven in full recapitulation of all that was done by
Adam and Eve from the very beginning, saying as He receives His Holy Mother: “At
lasts this is flesh of My Flesh; Bone of My Bone”. No wonder the angels bow
down as she enters heaven, for the flesh and blood she gave to Christ is now assumed
into heaven -and His bodily glorification is somehow more complete, with every
shred of His DNA being glorified.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sadly the word around us does not recognise the great Mystery
that is brought before us on Christmas Day: the birth of the Man-God. For the
worldly soul, Christmas may be acknowledge as having come from Christianity,
but has become for them no more than a celebration of family and a time of
jollity. We Catholics on the other hand, rejoice that the uniting of the nature
of man with the Divine Nature makes mankind children of God; the family of God.
We Catholics therefore go beyond jollity to exultation and deep spiritual joy. For
we shall look upon the crib and remember why Our Lord came to us: This is how
much He loves us: that he <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>came to a
suffering, dying world as one of us; came to suffer and die <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">with</i> us and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for</i> us, that He <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>may rise again
and make death the door to eternal contentment and joy. As we gaze upon the
representation of this in our family or parish crib, lets us remember that in
the shepherds the poor are promised riches beyond all telling; the Magi given
sight of Divine Wisdom; Wisdom beyond the learning of this world; a wisdom that
the masters of this age do not know, while the star which lit up the sky to
lead them is but a pale reflection of His Divine light which resides in the heavenly
City; the New Jerusalem; “The city has no need of the sun or of the moon to
shine in it, for the glory of God illuminates it. And the Lamb is its light.”
(Revelation 21v23)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-40514618390624092402019-12-12T16:42:00.000+00:002019-12-25T01:08:02.730+00:00Back to the Future for Renewal of the Church<br />
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">Bishops and parish pastors each have their own vision for a ‘renewal’ of
their Diocese or parish. In our own Diocese we have gone from erecting ‘Pastoral
Areas’ with one Bishop to establishing to ‘Parish Partnerships” with his successor
–partnerships which, even after a five year project, turned about to be little
more than re-organising the boundaries of the ‘Pastoral Areas’ and renaming them
‘Parish Partnerships’ -especially since we had already been directed to share
resources between parishes when we were Pastoral Areas. In reality, neither Pastoral
Areas nor Parish Partnerships were anything more than a reorganising of boundaries
and the encouraging of cooperation between parishes as the number of those attending
Mass, seeking baptisms and marrying declined while the number of parishes and convents
closing increased. In fact, the programmes we have put in place over the years have
been nothing more than a way to manage decline, not a way to build and renew.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">As long-time readers of this blog will know, I have always said that the
programme which needs to be put in place is a return to the teaching of the Catechism
in the schools and from the pulpit; ensuring the liturgy is celebrated according
to the rubrics, and a promoting of authentic lay ministry via the Legion of
Mary (which focuses on the Spiritual works of Mercy) and the SVP (which focuses
on the Corporal Works of Mercy). I do not want to abandon that programme, but something
needs to precede it: spiritual renewal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">It is past time to have all parishes re-establish weekly Benediction of
the Blessed Sacrament and a daily Rosary before Holy Mass. Any renewal that
does not place Christ and His Holy Mother at its heart is bound to fail, for Christ in
the Eucharist is the source and summit of the entire Christian life, and therefore
essential in bringing about true renewal. Once renewal of the spiritual life
and doctrinal formation of the people has taken hold we can refocus the people
of God on those ministries upon which we will be judged according to Mathew 25:
the spiritual and corporal works of mercy –easily achieved by establishing the
Legion of Mary and SVP in every parish. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #555555; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; letter-spacing: 0.25pt;">This all sounds like a return to the past doesn’t it? Perhaps it is, but
the path we took in 1965 to create a bright new future has not worked: it
precipitated a rapid decline in marriages, baptisms, and priestly and religious
vocations. Some folk –lay and ordained- profess the renewal brought about by Vatican
II has been a great success. What they mean is we have created inauthentic
roles for the laity wherein they ape their shepherds by a myriad of committees
and groups wherein they engage in parish management and pastoral care (shepherding).
As a result, we have brought about in the people of God a feeling (or belief?)
that to be one of the sheep in God’s flock is just not good enough. Truly, the
only way forward for the renewal of the Church is the go back for the sake of
the future: back to correct doctrinal formation; back to a liturgy focused on
the propitiation of God and the demonstrating of his triumph rather than continue
a liturgy that focuses on celebrating and affirming the people, with the re-establishing
of the SVP and Legion of Mary so that the people of God can make The Faith
their own by the living out of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy and thereby
grow in holiness ready for the event of Matthew 25.</span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-28625498597342381422019-10-25T15:17:00.000+01:002019-10-25T15:17:33.300+01:00Staying Sane Re. The Amazon Synod<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">If reports are correct -and we have no reason
to think they are not- the ordination of women as deacons and the ordaining of
viri probati, as well as the adding of pagan ceremonies to the Sacred Rites, are
all proposed by the Fathers of the Amazon Synod. If those suggestions are accepted
by Francis we will be in a situation worse than at the time of the Protestant
Revolt, for Luther, Zwingli, Henry VIII, at least had the integrity to
establish their own communities distinct from Christ’s Catholic Church rather
than deface it. In my lowly opinion, if Francis’ follow-up document does follow
the false lights presented by Lucifer and his minions (and as yet we can still
hope and pray he does not), we do not -and should not- follow it, because we do
not have to follow error and/or deviations from the Deposit of Faith.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Since it is generally accepted that Pope
Francis was validly elected, does that mean he must be blindly followed< No.
Why? Because a pope is as much bound by Sacred Tradition as we are –if not more
so, for he is supremely called to defend and promote it. To act in such a way
as to suggest that all his predecessors were wrong and he is right would be to demonstrate
an arrogance of diabolical origin. After all, the gift of infallibility is
granted to the holder of the papacy for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">holy</i>
performance of his office -the defence and promotion of the faith: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">the Holy Spirit was not promised to the
successors of Peter that by His revelation they might make known new doctrine,
but that by His assistance they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound
the Revelation, the Deposit of Faith, delivered through the Apostles</i>” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(Pastor Aeternus #6).</i> If a Bishop of
Rome uses his office to alter the Church in her teachings, disciplines and
worship to his own tastes rather than to defend and promote the Faith of the
centuries, he is not doing his job and as such, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cannot access the gift of infallibility given by God</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for the right use</i> of the office, which
is to “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">inviolably keep..the Deposit of Faith
delivered through the Apostles”</i>. We do not have to accept any teachings of a
pope, synod or Council if they deviate from the faith of the centuries -just as
the Church did not have to follow Liberius. Francis will not doing his job if
he allows pagan worship to be adopted into the liturgy, or allows the
destruction of the key sacrament for accessing the sacraments (Holy Orders) by ordaining
women and viri probabti, and we do not need to follow him on such a path. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Where does all this leave us? Can we simply
elect another Pope and forget about Francis? Not at all; he remains our supreme
pastor on earth. But we don’t owe him <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">unquestioning
obedience:</i> we obey our superiors obedience “in all that is not sin” (cf. USA
Baltimore Catechism #3, Answer 1259, and UK Penny Catechism Answer197) and it
is surely sinful to allow pagan rites into worship and to alter the divine
constitution of the Church in the Sacrament of Holy Orders.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">It seems clear that Francis himself accepts
that we are not obliged to follow him if he (or anyone else) teaches contrary
to the Deposit of Faith, for he says false teachers “separate themselves from
the community”: (<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amoris Laetitia #297</i>,
“Naturally, if someone flaunts an objective sin as if it were part of the Christian
ideal, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">or wants to impose something other
than what the Church teaches, he or she can in no way presume to teach or
preach to others; this is a case of something which separates from the
community (cf. Mt 18:17). Such a person needs to listen once more to the Gospel
message and its call to conversion”</i> [italics mine]<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">.</i> What is the way forward if a pope himself deviates from the Faith
and thereby separates himself from the community? One can only make some
suggestions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">First, pray for his recognition of Christ the
True Light and his ability to recognise Lucifer’s false lights for what they
are, for if/when he <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">impose[s] something
other than what the Church teaches,</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">he
can in no way presume to teach or preach to others; he needs to listen once
more to the Gospel message of conversion.</i> That message is not altered by a
God of surprises”, for God is unchanging and has no surprises up His sleeve:</span><span style="font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> “</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever”
(Heb.13v8); “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change..” (Jas.1v17); "Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it;
you shall not add to it nor take away from it" (Deut.12v32). There is no
God of surprises; that is a ruse to have us accept new teaching contrary to
what was handed on from the beginning “God is not man, that he should lie, or a
son of man, that he should change his mind” Num.23v19. “Behold, I have taught
you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye
should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it” (Deut.4v5)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Second, give the pope what we might call a ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">discriminating obedience</i>’ in his changes
to doctrine, liturgy and discipline for we have a moral right to refuse
obedience to that which is sinful. By such ‘discriminating obedience’ we do not
enter into formal schism, so we shall not be cutting ourselves off from the
Vicar of Christ and Holy Mother Church. If the worst happens and we fall into material
schism, we can remember that it is schism from a Church defective in its
teaching and disciplines, while we remain in Communion with Holy Mother Church throughout
the ages.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Third, wait patiently for God to give Holy
Mother Church a shepherd after His own Heart; a new Elijah to fight against
idolatry, and a new Josiah; a new Deuteronomic reformer of discipline and
worship to re-form the law and liturgy according to what went before the emergence
of Modernism and its resurgence and empowerment in the middle of the 20<sup>th</sup>
Century.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Fourth, learn your Faith from the documents
and Catechism of the Council of Trent. For children use the Baltimore Catechism
in the US and the Penny Catechism in the UK. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Five, try to attend the Traditional Form of
Mass where the liturgy is free from Father’s (or the liturgy committee’s)
idiosyncrasies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Saint Joseph, Protector of the Church, pray for us.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Saint Boniface, pray for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-64744249068159344212019-10-21T20:35:00.004+01:002019-10-21T21:58:14.849+01:00'pachamama' thrown in the river<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Applause, admiration and prayers of blessing for those who took the
symbol of the pagan goddess ‘mother earth’ from the Church of St Maria
Traspontina and dumped it in the Tiber (see link below)</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym48el2-tUs"><span style="color: #38761d; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ym48el2-tUs</span></a></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Now that it has gone it seems the Vatican press office is
able to admit it was a symbol of “life…and mother earth”. Prefect of
Communications Paolo Ruffini provided the initial response, saying that the
idols represent life and Mother Earth — exactly.<u1:p></u1:p> The response shows
the Vatican just doesn't get it (<b><i>c<u><a href="https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-pachamama-drowned" target="_blank"><span style="color: #38761d; text-decoration: none; text-underline: none;">f Much Militant here video 2:25 seconds to2:35 seconds).</span></a></u></i></b></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">The displaying of pagan idols in the
house of the One True God during the Synod was a signal that paganism is likely
more respected by our shepherds than Catholicism. Such a thing is nothing less
than diabolical; it is the honouring of demons: <i>“Am I saying that
either the idols or the food sacrificed to them is anything? No, I am not. That
food is really sacrificed to demons and not to God” (1 Cor.10v19-20).</i> What
is worse is that the same shepherds display another copy of that idol in the
hall where they deliberate how to take the Gospel to pagan peoples, and it
seems another is placed in St Peter’s.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Forget about honouring other
religions; that is not what we are about; we respect <i>the people</i> of
other religions, but we cannot respect a religion that is not of God. if the
idols of other faiths is to be respected, why did Elijah smash the idols, and
why did Boniface chop down a sacred oak? We cannot fall into the trap of
respecting paganism. Indeed, God sent us into the world to replace other
religions with the Gospel, not to honour them.<u1:p></u1:p></span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">We desperately need synod prelates
with the wisdom and courage of Elijah and Josiah to get the Church back on
track. If they want to reach pagan peoples, we ought to do what the Church did
so successfully for 2000 years: preach the Gospel unadulterated, and offer
worship that is entirely Catholic, not polluted with paganism. It seems to me
that we lost people from the Church in the Amazon when we stopped sending
missionaries with the Gospel in their hearts and instead sent missionaries with
social-work in their heads, preaching an earth-bound salvation by social liberation,
and not salvation from hell by liberation from paganism and sin.</span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-76563431885797110692019-10-18T15:19:00.001+01:002019-10-18T15:19:52.214+01:00Francis' Amazon Synod<br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">I have not written
posts for a long time and cannot say when I will do another, not only because
my health status depletes my energy levels but because in today’s Church there
seems to be nothing but to comment on but damaging change, especially
noticeable in the Synod on the Amazon where paganism is being applauded and accommodated.
While our battle is “not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities,
powers and rulers of this dark age” (Eph.6v12), yet in temporal terms we are doing
battle with the Church’s highest-ranking shepherds. Sadly, this has to include
Pope Francis,</span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: .25pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-themecolor: text1;"> whom the secular
world has embraced because they see in him what many Catholics see, that is, an
accommodation to the ways of the world: re-marriage after divorce (</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">here</span></u></i></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: .25pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-themecolor: text1;">), the anti-life practices of contraception (<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>here</u></i></b>) and homosexual acts (<b><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>here</u></i></b>) and even of paganism by
seeking to the give the Church an Amazonian face (</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">sinodoamazonico #7, here).</span></u></i></b><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: .25pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-themecolor: text1;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">This accommodation of secular ideologies and
paganism is supremely regretful since the eternal welfare of souls is at stake.
I </span><span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; letter-spacing: .25pt; line-height: 150%; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-GB; mso-themecolor: text1;">cannot help but call to mind two texts from
Holy Scripture that our shepherds seem in need of re-hearing and taking to
heart. One is an instruction: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and
forever. Do not let yourselves be carried be carried away by all kinds of
strange teachings” (Heb.9v13). The other is a warning: “Woe to you when the
world speaks well of you, for that is how they treated the false prophets”
(Lk.6v26). Those who were elevated by Francis to the Episcopacy, the
Cardinalate or to high rank in Rome might well be troubled in heart these days;
they may be concerned that they were elevated because they are seen as men who
will not rock the Francis boat; men who do not fully adhere to the faith of the
Centuries but are willing to adapt it (or even dispose of it) in order to gain
the favour of the world -or perhaps just to feel themselves enlightened beyond the
men of the past whose office they inherited; ‘Gnostic’ men with special insight
and knowledge.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">The buzz words of today’s episcopacy and the
Synod -dialogue, listening and accompanying- are falsely applied to the Church’s
mission. “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dialogue</i>” has no place in
Catholicism because we were not commanded to “Go, dialogue with all nations”
but to “Go, teach all nations” (Matt.28v19).if they accept it, alleluia! If
they do not, we don’t then syncretise The Truth with error; darkness with The Light;
poison with The Food that leads to eternal life. Amazon Synod Fathers please
take note: we are not meant to modify the Church according to pagan cultures
but to replace paganism with Catholicism by authentic evangelisation: the faithful,
unadulterated preaching of the Gospel. Paganism has nothing to add to the
Divine Revelation given us by God Himself. If there are elements of the Faith
that God has seeded in the ways of pagan religions they are there so that we
can bring those seeds to fruition by showing how they prepare them for the
Gospel, not so that we can adopt them. We have to be like St Paul and say “you
are ignorant of the very thing you worship--and this is what I am going to
proclaim to you” (Acts 17c23). Paul did not say let us add the unknown god to
The Way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">As for “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">listening”</i>,
what see in Rome today is not genuine ‘listening’ but selective hearing; those
of us who defend the True and Traditional Faith handed on through the centuries
are not ‘listened to’ but dismissed; regarded as rigid and perhaps mentally ill
and (<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>here</u></i></b>).
Those who <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">are </i>listened to by Rome are
those willing to modify (and thereby destroy) the Church in her structures,
disciplines, teachings and liturgies by accommodating paganism and modern
ideologies –a natural consequence of believing that Christ is not God-made-man -for
if Christ was not God when He walked the earth, why listen even to Him? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">Then there is the idea of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“accompanying”</i>; of walking with those who
live a life Traditionally seen as a life of sin. How do we accompany someone
who lives in sinful ways? To accompany rather than challenge them is to affirm
them in their sins and put their salvation at risk by making their sins appear
acceptable or even good: more holy than even a sacramental state. We are not
called to accompany but to correct; with gentleness and respect sure, but also
with clarity and conviction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%; mso-themecolor: text1;">I am praying the prayer to St Michael and my
Rosaries for the Synod, that the hearts and minds of our shepherds may love Truth,
seek Truth, live Truth and advance The Truth. This world is filled with false
lights where truth is distorted as it was in the Garden of Eden when the devil
took the truth that man is made in the image and likeness of God and distorted
it by presenting the tree of good and evil as a way of becoming more like God. It
was this distortion and manipulation of the truth which caused man to fall into
hell. Please God our shepherds do not do the work of the devil all over again
by syncretising the Truth with the errors –the ideologies- of the modern world
and of paganism.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-86547917101254231402019-06-22T15:10:00.003+01:002019-06-26T03:10:53.041+01:00Congratulations and God Bless...updated<br />
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Andrew and
Stephanie taking their vows before Our Blessed Lord…2.35pm 22nd June 2019</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">May God grant you, Mr and Mrs McDowell, His greatest graces </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">today</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">and in all the days to come.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Father Dickson</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3VgkBMnZg6W0VXtDsfHUaBIONU4XSCnyhLWrFa5WenLHNxjtyKOag_LQmWvxPiMXp2Vlh9K_z0eFCvR2_7LOuU6vADsPeMc3JEyW9mpi4zdpMWvF_u0eJU6S9HMHCtHecmacLvSO7zWK/s1600/Trad+Catholic059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1163" data-original-width="1600" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv3VgkBMnZg6W0VXtDsfHUaBIONU4XSCnyhLWrFa5WenLHNxjtyKOag_LQmWvxPiMXp2Vlh9K_z0eFCvR2_7LOuU6vADsPeMc3JEyW9mpi4zdpMWvF_u0eJU6S9HMHCtHecmacLvSO7zWK/s320/Trad+Catholic059.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMSh2tDwgiUkCV2A1VX8ql1dCL2IR6dpVWgKsstEeqy4uhFVLPQYgpnufaWkmNhAQQkIwKwxB0K27PmdtmifEGtpjyrhWiUJLlVMk7cBiU3l23dddBi9rJuLAk8UedcNVAEZfpHk04Jl7/s1600/New+Mr+%2526+Mrs060.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1163" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQMSh2tDwgiUkCV2A1VX8ql1dCL2IR6dpVWgKsstEeqy4uhFVLPQYgpnufaWkmNhAQQkIwKwxB0K27PmdtmifEGtpjyrhWiUJLlVMk7cBiU3l23dddBi9rJuLAk8UedcNVAEZfpHk04Jl7/s320/New+Mr+%2526+Mrs060.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Dear Andrew and Stephanie,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">A wedding day is a
great day; a day where two people say to one another, “I trust you with all I ever was, all I am, and all I ever will be.” Today you your make
each feel like the most important wonderful person in the world; you must do the same
tomorrow, and the day after that, and all the days to come. While today you are
the centre of attention from your new spouse; from your family and from your
friends, remember today is not really your day at all;<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> it is Holy God’s day</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">since
it is His sacrament you have entered, and for His purposes</i>. I pray for His
blessing upon your future life together; upon on all the new life He
may bring into the world through you, and upon the families through you which
you yourselves came into the world.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Remember that you are
not creating a world made for two; you are adding a new branch to two family
trees, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">but you are a branch, not a new
plant</i>. Be prepared to seek help and support from your families when you
need it, for you can never expect one person (your spouse) to be the answer to your
every need -no one can be that for us but Holy God alone. As Saint Augustine
said, “You have made us for yourself O Lord, and our hearts are restless ‘<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">till they rest in Thee</i>”.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Remember too however, that while you will seek
the support of your families when you need it, you also need boundaries to
ensure support is given only when asked for, or only when you have accepted an offer of support. otherwise that support can become intrusion, even interference. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I really wanted to include
a nice, romantic note, and the first thing that sprang to mind was “Today, all
your dreams come true” –but my head wouldn’t let me say that without adding “tomorrow,
the nightmare begins”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>- the reality of life's daily
drudgery; of going to work and coming home to the paying of bills, the taking
out of the trash, the repairs, the cooking, the cleaning and the nappy changing
–and the even more difficult task off living together in give and take. All of
which is followed by more work; more bills, more house cleaning, more give and
take etc. What an adventure you are embarking upon! Bear in mind that once the romance of today wears off and the reality
of everyday life sets in, <i>you have God working with you</i>. Life is not easy for
anyone; we all take up our cross daily to follow the Lord, and marriage brings
its particular difficulties and blessings as you seek to live with one another’s
strengths (which can support you but can also overpower you) and flaws (which
can drain you). You are jigsaw pieces that can never fit perfectly because each
of us is marred by the defects that flow from the original sin, so bear with
one another; be kind, be patient. Keep in mind that in all the “better or
worse, richer or poorer, sickness and health”, Holy God is with you, and will
fill your journey with His grace. Cooperate with that grace day by day by
giving Him first place in your lives, for in marriage you provide
the conditions in which your spouse’s spiritual life can thrive or depart, though your
first responsibility is to save your own soul. Put the Lord at the centre of
your life, your marriage and your family life. Pray together every day, and receive the
Sacraments regularly. I pray that God bless you with health, happiness and holiness
–today, and all the days to come.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">P.S. I know I haven’t
prayed for health and </span><i style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">wealth</i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">; but I
do pray for “enough to get by” as my mum would say, since “it‘s hard for the
wealthy to enter the Kingdom of heaven”. (Mark 10v23).</span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms", sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">“Build your treasure in” (Matt.6v19,20). Stay
strong in The Faith.</span></div>
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Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-57633159705122905022019-06-19T22:11:00.000+01:002019-06-21T13:41:51.982+01:00From Andrew: News of an upcoming Wedding...mine!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_zUHEqEvDC6zKmqYFZGSzalIdm2KIfeAApWbTqcArC8gSh_p2n8AcEBbuGTUzNfEXiFsdGYfFGybNi5RD2dtkTdU2xZBowwjNowb3-7sF4BnORCQizP8cb8mObkqACgOhEaaZuxoS4W9/s1600/IMG-20190619-WA0000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd_zUHEqEvDC6zKmqYFZGSzalIdm2KIfeAApWbTqcArC8gSh_p2n8AcEBbuGTUzNfEXiFsdGYfFGybNi5RD2dtkTdU2xZBowwjNowb3-7sF4BnORCQizP8cb8mObkqACgOhEaaZuxoS4W9/s320/IMG-20190619-WA0000.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Our E.F. Betrothal (engagement) ceremony; June 9th 2018)</span></i></div>
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I am writing to share some happy news with you. This past year and a half has been very eventful for me, encompassing both sadness and joy. I have become engaged to Stephanie Hogan (that's us in the picture above) which is a joy; embarked upon a new career, which is a challenge, and recently relocated to the South of England, 300+ miles away from family and friends, which has brought some sadness. Still, it has reminded me of how much love an affection I have enjoyed during my life -and am still privileged to have. It is sad that many of my friends and family are unable to join us for the wedding due to the distance, but I know they hold us in their hearts and prayers, and I look forward to celebrating the Holy Sacrifice with them all in Durham a fortnight after the wedding (post honeymoon!)</div>
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On the topic of 'joining us'...I extend an invitation to both Masses: our Nuptial Mass and the Mass in Durham for our intentions. While every Mass is a public event, Stephanie and I warmly invite you to join us. For those who are unable to attend the wedding, the parish live-streams all its Masses so here is where you can join us on-line: <a href="https://www.bournemouthoratory.org.uk/live-feed/" target="_blank">https://www.bournemouthoratory.org.uk/live-feed/</a></div>
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The details of our wedding are below. We humbly ask your prayers for our needs and intentions, and for our loved ones both near and far. We shall be praying for you too, that the Lord will sanctify us all and lead us all to the eternal enjoyment of the Beatific Vision.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSikAJD3hRbWCQsrVgnXTlW7fwzHW_xJKSd2kYPHXN_w6S5EF2_suZamyBLPRCYktLTYd7dCkNaHMx-EXnl-3EB6XeM9b44GKU0cQU5K5zXb7Mp-cNHU7nOCZ5CEQyFl_kLd8HzdM68hQa/s1600/Holy+Sacrifice+-+Frs+Dickson%252C+Brown+and+Phillips.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1078" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSikAJD3hRbWCQsrVgnXTlW7fwzHW_xJKSd2kYPHXN_w6S5EF2_suZamyBLPRCYktLTYd7dCkNaHMx-EXnl-3EB6XeM9b44GKU0cQU5K5zXb7Mp-cNHU7nOCZ5CEQyFl_kLd8HzdM68hQa/s400/Holy+Sacrifice+-+Frs+Dickson%252C+Brown+and+Phillips.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Nuptial Solemn Mass </b></span><b style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif;">in the Extraordinary Form</b></div>
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Saturday 22nd June 2019 at 2:30pm</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">at the Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Richmond Hill, Bournemouth, BH1 1BZ</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><b>Sung Mass in the Extraordinary Form</b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: medium;">Followed by a small buffet</span></i></div>
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Saturday 6th July 2019 at 12 noon</div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">at Sacred Heart and English Martyrs Catholic Church,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Dunelm Road, Thornley, County Durham, DH6 3HA</span></div>
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Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-55380304530717250272019-03-07T19:45:00.000+00:002019-03-07T19:45:14.456+00:00A Good Lent, Bishops, Priests and Laity<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">It has long been my practice on
Ash Wednesday to preach about making Lent a time of real change. For too many of
us Catholics Lent has become what is has for secular folk: giving something up for
Lent only to take it up again afterwards. It’s like bracing ourselves for six
weeks than letting go. The aim of spiritual renewal has gone for too many
Catholics. Have we not all heard folk say “I’m trying to be good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for Lent</i>”? That is not a bad aim, but it
is woefully inadequate and a wrong use of the sacred season. I have preached
that when we get to the end of Lent we should have new habits: more patience,
more prayer, more charity; less gossip, less greed, less selfishness. We should
be changed people at the end of Lent, and that change should be a lasting
change, otherwise we have had a bad Lent. Sadly, that change rarely comes
about. I have never hidden the fact that I aim to get to the end of Lent more
patient, more generous, more humble, more prayerful, more affirming of folk and
more careful with my tongue: it is all too easy to sit with a group of people -even
fellow priests- and complain about one’s Bishop, or the Pope, or the belligerent
parishioner. We call it “sounding off in a safe place”, but that is nothing
more than a justification of and a re-labelling of the sin of detraction. Since
this is a sin into which I have fallen, I have had to find ways to avoid it and
correct myself. Thus I give penitents the advice that if they are in a
conversation where detraction is taking place to simply say “Well I can’t say
anything because I have my own faults”, which might prick the conscience of
those in conversation with us. And when we have had the misfortune to fall into
detraction with the crowd we should quickly find something for which we can
affirm the person whose reputation we have just damaged, so that some kind of
reparation can be made. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Priests can often become
victims of calumny and detraction from their parishioners (and sometimes
brother priests) whose theological positions they do not share. Meanwhile the
bishops and the Pope can be victims of calumny and detraction from the priests
(and some laity). Today I am not only thinking about encouraging the laity to
grow in virtue, but about the kind of Lent we need from our Pope and Bishops who
all too easily harm the reputation of Traditional priests whose theological
positions they are irritated by. So it seems to me the kind of Lent we need
from the Bishops comes down to one thing: a return to upholding the doctrine of
The Faith rather than espousing the ‘values’ of the world, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the celebration of liturgy that puts God
at the centre rather than the affirming and the uplifting of the people. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I have watched some videos on
YouTube recently that show how very disturbed many Catholics are and what little
hope many have of the Church getting out of her current crisis of faith. Why? Because
they see Pope Francis as a abandoning Tradition with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Amoris Laetitia,</i> abandoning the Divine Command to teach and baptise
all nations and as having stacked the College of Cardinal-Electors with men of
his own ilk; men who are <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">willing to support Holy
Communion for those in the adulterous situation of civil ‘remarriage’ after
divorce; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">willing to allow the recent
summit on sex abuse to be used only as a (necessary) means of tackling the
failures of presbyter-priests when in fact it was homosexual predation of
seminarians and young priests by an Episcopal-priest (a cardinal) that brought
abuse back into the headlines; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">willing to say that all
religions are willed by God and that anyone can be saved as long as they are
following their paganism sincerely; <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">willing to promote liturgy that
affirms the folk and seeks to give them emotional uplift rather than give
praise, adoration and propitiation (appeasement) for sin to Almighty God). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">It occurred to me that a number
of cardinals and Bishops created by Francis may now be questioning their own
Catholicism; that they may well be asking themselves: <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Am I
only a Bishop/Cardinal because I have been judged far enough away from the
Deposit of Faith to carry on the legacy of discontinuity with our sacred
history</i>? <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Do I really want to meet God
as a man removed from the Gospel of Christ and distanced from the Apostolic
Deposit of Faith God called me to defend and promote?” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Similarly, priests might be asking if they
were advanced to ordination by their Bishop because they were seen as men sufficiently
distanced from the Deposit of Faith. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If cardinals,
Bishops and priests are asking such questions, then Lent is a great opportunity
for change and re-conversion. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">These are not easy days for
anyone in the Church. All of us need to be changed people at the end of it. Whether
Pope, bishop, priest or layman, we all need to grow in virtue by trying during
this Lent to eradicate our faults and build their opposite virtues. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We also need to recommit
ourselves to the Deposit of The Faith as defined by the Council of Trent. Why
Trent? Because Trent defined The Faith without ambiguity when it was under
attack at the Protestant Revolt, and therefore the Council in light of which we
must read the decrees of Vatican II so as to discern the continuity and
discontinuity with The Faith contained therein, so as to abide by the
continuity and discard the discontinuity. If today’s crisis has any cause -other
than the wickedness of the devil which is at the core of all sin and division-
it is that for the past 50 years the Church has read and implemented Vatican II
the wrong way round: promoting the discontinuity and abandoning the continuity
contained therein so as to garner favour from the contemporary age. </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Lord, help us all, especially
those who govern and who are people of influence, to desire Truth; seek Truth,
love Truth and live Truth -so that virtue may grow and charity abound. Per
Christum Dominum Nostrum. Amen. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-19579676287114146882019-02-04T10:54:00.003+00:002019-02-04T10:54:50.935+00:00The War Against The Unborn<br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Pregnant
mothers are the concern of Pro-life people everywhere; pro-lifers seek to help the
mother find a better solution for themselves and their child than abortion, and to help post-abortive mothers to overcome the trauma of their abortion. </span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Many post-abortive
mothers deeply regret their abortions; many 'chose' abortion because they felt trapped by their circumstances
and <i>felt they </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">had no choice</i> but to
abort their babies (so ‘freedom of <i>choice</i>’ and the ‘right to <i>chose</i>’ are not
honest slogans). Thank God there is a place where post-abortion regret can become a
healthy sorrow which is understood and absolved: the Christ's Catholic Church. While the Church is passionately pro-life, she is also passionately
caring toward those who have taken the step of aborting their child or
children, and offers absolution/forgiveness and healing (in that order) to those who have made such a
choice. There are many ministries today that help such mothers find that
healing, such as <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="http://www.rachelsvineyard.org.uk/" target="_blank">Rachel’s Vineyard</a></u></i></b>. It would be shameful for any Catholic
not to hold out the hope of emotional/psychological healing and the forgiveness
by absolution for any mother who has accessed abortion. But it is equally wrong for legislators to give men and women the impression that abortion is OK by passing laws which
allow it. Too many women and men
have been swayed by the fact that “this is legal so it must be OK”. That is no
different to saying, as many did 200 years ago, that “Slavery is legal so it must
be OK”. Only after mothers have accessed abortion do they experience the trauma,
depression of regret and the feelings of guilt so often brought on by abortion,
or simply the feeling of being somehow blocked in life. Yet the war against the
unborn goes on by those who promote abortion.</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">New
York Governor Andrew Cuomo is reported
to have said, “I’m here to represent all the people and the constitutional
rights and limitations for all the people, not as a Catholic.” <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(<a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/gov.-cuomo-justifies-legalizing-abortions-up-to-birth-im-not-here-to-repres" target="_blank">SeeLifesite News here</a></i></b>). <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an
odd statement: he thinks unborn children (some of whom receive life-saving
operations while still in the womb) need no representation against those who
would take their life for reasons such as inconvenience to one’s career; the hiding of an illicit affair, or financial struggles. Apparently, if money is short;
if you don’t want your husband or your lover’s wife to find out about your
affair, or if you don’t want to miss out on that promotion or business trip, it
is fine to kill your child –even up to the point of birth in some cases.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">This
is the attitude one detects in Virginia’s Governor Ralph Northam who is
reported to have suggested that a proposed bill allowing abortion up until the
moment of birth would also allow doctors to refuse to resuscitate an infant
born alive after a failed abortion "if that’s what the mother and the
family desire." <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">(<u>S<a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/virginia-gov.-supports-infanticide-of-babies-born-alive-after-failed-aborti?utm_source=LifeSiteNews.com" target="_blank">ee Lifesite News here</a>)</u></i></b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">What
a horrific, Nazi-style society we in the West have become under the guise of women’s
rights. What right does <i>anyone</i> have to kill children? I am horrified, outraged
when fellow clergy abuse children, and most folk share that outrage. Yet many
if not most of those same folk would support the killing of children just
because of their location: they are inside the womb not out of it; out of sight is, apparently, out of consideration. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">Yet if we fail to respect the humanity and dignity of the
unborn we can never respect the humanity and dignity of the born; if we
can kill innocent children in the womb, how are we ever going to justify the
right to life for anyone? What foundation is there for social justice if we can take innocent life with abandon? Our right to a fair wage, to good working
conditions, to good health care, good education, good housing, the right to freedom from
violence and oppression, all depend upon us being alive to access those rights -and we cannot defend these rights for anyone is we don’t uphold the right to
life for everyone regardless of their location. After all, the only difference between the born and unborn
is their location: inside the womb or outside the womb. That said, Mr Northam
does appear to want us to have the right even to kill the born “if that’s what
the mother and family want”.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">In
these days when science has the standing that it does, there is no logic to the
slogan “My body, my choice”, for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">it is not her body she is aborting</i>:
the child <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">has his own DNA from the moment
of conception; his tubal heart beat begins to beat at around day 18; his
fingers and toes are present from around day 56</i>. Fundamentally, he has his own
body and his own right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Pro-abortion
language is too often a a smokescreen, for both embryo and foetus simply and correctly describe a stage of human
life: foetus, embryo, baby, infant, teenager and adult are all stages of human
life. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Yet
human babies can be killed at will. What a Nazi society the West has become. This is not
progress. This is the Culture of Death at its worst: the killing of children;
the ultimate in child abuse which harms not only the child but the mother too (often physically as well as psychologically).</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">The West has become pro-abortion not for women’s rights, but to allow for sex without
responsibility; we have a culture of hedonism which seeks pleasure by drink,
drugs, and sex with abandon, -for which the unborn child pays with his life, and
for which the mother will often find herself depressed, guilt-ridden and
blocked. We must always seek to console and support; to heal and help the
mothers, and protect and promote the life on the unborn child. This must not be
a war on mothers -the pro-abortion folk are fighting that war. Our must be a
war for the healing of those harmed by the Culture of Death; for the healing of
post-abortive mothers and the protection of the unborn child. Never judge the mother; seek to heal her soul and mind, and always protect the unborn child.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-48528716193065194502018-11-22T19:01:00.001+00:002018-11-22T19:01:20.914+00:00Youth Synod: Where have All The Father’s Gone?<br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Not all of the
prelates we have today are true fathers of the flock of God. Rather than defend
and promote the Gospel some seem keen to follow the ways of the world; for
example, those who were eager to include the LGBT acronym in the documents of
the synod. Where did this loss of good fathers begin? In my opinion it has to
be traced back to modernism and its infiltration into Vatican II. It took hold
when the Fathers changed the order of the purposes of marriage from procreation
as its primary end to the building up of the couple. Although Vatican II tried
to avoid speaking about a primary and secondary end (purpose) of marriage, it
can be said not have achieved this since it stated, “Marriage to be sure is not
instituted solely for procreation; rather, its very nature as an unbreakable
compact between persons, and the welfare of the children, both demand that the
mutual love of the spouses be embodied in a rightly ordered manner, that it
grow and ripen. Therefore, marriage persists as a whole manner and communion of
life, and maintains its value and indissolubility, even when despite the often
intense desire of the couple, offspring are lacking.” (Gaudium et spes, #50),
This appears to place both ends on an equal footing, but it begins by demoting
procreation as the primary end of marriage, preferring to speak first of the growth
and ripening of conjugal love, and the communion of life, only then does it
progress to speak of marriage as a procreative reality. The 1917 Code of Canon
Law (from which many students learned their theology prior to the Council since
the Code is formed to protect the living out of Catholic Doctrine), is in
contrast to that statement and to the 1983 Code which takes up the language of
Vatican II:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1917 Code: Canon
1013 <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">§1. The primary end
of marriage is the procreation and education of children; its secondary end is
mutual help and the allaying of concupiscence.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">§2. The essential
properties of marriage are unity and indissolubility, which acquire a
particular firmness in Christian marriage by reason of its sacramental
character.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">1983 Code: Canon
1055 §1. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The marriage
covenant, by which a man and a woman establish themselves a partnership of
their whole life, and which of its own very nature is ordered to the well-being
of the spouses and the procreation and upbringing of children, has, between the
baptized, been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">While the
Traditional Code places the procreation of children first the 1983 Code begins
with the well-being of the spouses and progresses thence to the procreation of
children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The elements of the
doctrine of marriage are not changed, but their order is, and this is
significant since it is brings with it a distorting of God’s plan: the
well-being of the spouses being placed before the couple’s primary blessing and
duty to engage in the procreation of children (Gen1v28). This is the work of
the devil. His clever tactic has always been the same; don’t try to ditch the
Truth, just distort it. For example, God made man in His own image and
likeness, and Satan used that truth against man: “if you eat you will be like
God in knowing right from wrong”. One can imagine Adam and Eve reasoning that
if God made them to be like Him it cannot be wrong for them to enhance that by
eating of the fruit whereby they “will be like God in knowing good and evil” (Ge.3v5). But it was wrong. The devil
successfully took a truth and distorted it, and he did the same with the
modernists who took their ideas with them into Vatican II. In relation to marriage it seems precisely their
placing of the relationship before procreation that provided the
opportunity to call for the allowing of contraception, presumably to ensure the
marriage relationship was fitting for the procreation of children.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">From a secular
point of view this placing of the marriage relationship first makes sense: if
the marriage is not good children are brought into a situation of disharmony,
stress, or even psychological/physical violence of one spouse toward another,
so the quality of the marriage must be the first priority. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">But we are not secular people</i>, and ought to follow God’s plan first
(though NOT to the exclusion of secular considerations); we simply need to get
back to putting procreation first. When people see themselves as marrying
primarily (even if not exclusively) as a fulfilling of their own needs for
companionship, fulfilment and/or affirmation, then when the drudgery of daily
duties, the stresses of bills, work deadlines etc come into play dissipating
the romance, the marriage can be experienced as dead; as no longer fulfilling,
and divorce seen as the answer. The idea of following a vocation as a means of seeking
one’s personal fulfilment/affirmation is erroneous, since vocations are first
and foremost a call to serve God, not self, yet this idea of a vocation being
about one’s fulfilment is rife and has affected the priesthood too: a man may
be perfectly adequate at carrying out his priestly duties but become somewhat
personally unfulfilled and seek to leave the priesthood to find that personal
fulfilment and affirmation elsewhere. Thus marriages and priestly vocations
fail because those entering into these states are placing their own needs
before the vocational duty of serving God. It is good and perhaps ideal if one’s
vocation is personally fulfilling and affirming, but it is not essential for
the service of God –which involves the carrying of a cross.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The formation of Catholic
clergy in the error that the quality of the marriage relationship is primary
has also provided the opportunity to say that if the relationship is primary
and not procreation, then ‘marriage’ between persons of the same sex is
acceptable since relationship is the core aspect. We thus have a Church where
priests of both ranks (episcopal and presbyteral) are in favour of the use of
contraception (with the natural corollary of abortion when contraception fails)
and same-sex relationships, are all said to be I conformity with the Lord’s Gospel
and plan for marriage. Thus the so-called Synod on the Youth dabbled with the using
and thereby authenticating ‘LGBT’ as an ontological reality and thus align the
Church with the LGBT agenda. It appears from the scandal of bishops abusing
their power to have seminarians ‘share their bed’ arises from clergy who have
been malformed on sex, sexuality, marriage and personal fulfilment. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/16/us/cardinal-mccarrick-abuse-priest.html" target="_blank">Reportsof an American Cardinal’s alleged sexual misconduct with seminarians</a> was not, after all, a case where two seminarians in an all-male environment
fell into a same-sex attraction contrary to their natural pre-seminary desires (such
as is said to happen in male prisons where released
prisoners revert to heterosexual experiences after release), but a situation
where one who had power over the life of another is <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/abuse-allegations-against-cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-credible-98933" target="_blank">(credibly)</a></u></i></b> alleged
to have used that power over them for his own ends.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">It would be easy to
lay the blame for the Synod’s flirtation with LGBT ideology solely on Pope
Francis due to his ambiguous leadership on moral issues, but this would be too
narrow: until all the Fathers of today’s Church come back to the received Tradition from their theological ramblings and take up the task of recovering authentic teaching on
marriage and sexuality (as well a return to good catechetical teaching and transcendent
liturgy) the rotting of the Church from the inside will be impossible to stop. <span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-31300843300750852712018-10-22T11:47:00.001+01:002018-10-22T11:47:08.278+01:00On The Synod<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I promised blogs on
Sunday Mass readings, but I thought I should first say a few words about the
2018 Synod on youth, and what I expect from it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, as a faithful
Catholic what I expect is direction on how to hand on to the youth the Deposit
of Faith received from Christ and His Apostles. I think we have failed to do
this for decades. Catechesis for children went from study of the catechism scaffolding
upon which to build) to a fluffy Christ who just loves everyone, while out seminaries
taught real call to conversion from sin because God loves everyone ‘wherever
they are at’. What we have in the Synod then is a group of souls who do not
appear to be well formed but think that to love the sinner is to celebrate and welcome
the sin or, at the very least, tolerate it. It does not bide wel for the souls
of the youth or the participants of the synod.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Many today repeat
Our Blessed Lord’s advice “Do not judge” (Matt.7v1), even among the highest of
ecclesiastics, but they do so without any reference to His related injunction
“When you judge…” (Jn.7v24). So while as a faithful Catholic I expect the synod
to affirm the fact that God loves all people and calls them to Himself by a
life of virtue, as a realist what I think what we will get will be a
demolishing of Catholic moral teaching in order to become ‘relevant’ to, and ‘inclusive’
of, today’s pagan world. The members of the synod talk about listening to the youth,
but the youth are not well formed, if indeed they are formed at all. It is a
sad thing that young people from Australia have felt the need to write to the
Synod all-but correcting them, rightly saying that the youth cannot help form
the Church until the Church forms them. Their excellent letter states:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 42.55pt; margin-right: 47.3pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“We can’t hope to take shape amidst confusion
over issues such as contraception, sexuality, communion for divorcees and
non-Catholics, married priests and female ordination. Such confusion is borne
from senior prelates purposefully employing ambiguous language when addressing
such issues, even in the face of Christ’s teachings, the Church Fathers and the
clear dogma of the Church. Such ambiguity is neither charitable nor desired by
the youth and needs to be addressed by this Synod.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 42.55pt; margin-right: 47.3pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“Some of the Synod Fathers wish to avoid a Church
of ‘rules’ which fail to encourage a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
However these rules lead us to Christ, they always have. We need the Church to
explain why and how this is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; margin-left: 42.55pt; margin-right: 47.3pt; margin-top: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“When the Church eschews the truth for
policy-speak, young people are left with only superficial banalities to express
their beliefs. Deliberately unclear words are, ironically, relied on and
repeated with rigidity. The Church should not discourage young people following
its rules in love, nor its priests from teaching them.” <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/200-youths-write-to-youth-synod-we-dont-want-to-shape-church-we-want-church?utm_" target="_blank"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u>(see LifeSite News, here)</u></i></b>.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In light of the
2015/15 Synods we may well see the current Synod walk down the road of pagan
sexuality rather than Gospel virtue, <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/youth-synod-group-calls-church-to-attend-to-realities-of-gay-marriage-surro?utm_" target="_blank">LifeSite News</a></u></i></b> reporting that
Cardinal Maradiaga of Honduras is asking that the Church pay more attention to
homosexuals and the “realities” they face, specifically mentioning “marriage,”
surrogate pregnancy, and adoption, and Pope Francis again claiming that too
many Catholics (I assume he means Traditionalists) are ‘rigid’, see <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-again-condemns-rigid-christians-along-with-people-paid-to-give-bad-new?utm_%20402358309" target="_blank">LifesiteNews:</a></u></i></b> “Be careful around those who are rigid,” he said. “Be careful
around Christians –be they laity, priests, bishops– who present themselves as
so 'perfect,' rigid. Be careful. There’s no Spirit of God there. They lack the
spirit of liberty…”. And thank God for that -who wants to be liberated from the
Gospel? Who wants to be liberated from the salvation it brings? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And may I note an
assumption Francis makes? He states that Traditionalists see themselves as
perfect, but I think the Confessional is more frequently visited by the Traditional
Catholic who knows how imperfect he or she is; it is modern liberals who have
abandoned the Confessional and appear to think they are doing well because they
are involved in social justice, environmental issues, immigration issues, and
the promotion of inclusion of those who are in public adultery or living out disordered
sexuality. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">By calling for
liberty in morality one would only be asking the Church to play ‘footloose and
fancy-free’ with Divine Revelation; thus as faithful Catholics we may rightly
ask Francis to positively re-label ‘rigidity’ as ‘Commitment’, and the ‘rigid
person’ as ‘committed; loyal’. That would, of course, be dangerous, because
such positive labels show the modernisers to be lacking in commitment and in loyalty
to the Gospel. We can only pray for the Synod members to hold fast to the
teaching of the Ten Commandments and the Tradition handed on through 20
centuries of faith, rather than fall into being those who forget that “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today
and forever; do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings</i>” (Heb.13v7-9).
Clearly there is no new teaching to be found; no ‘God of Surprises’, no matter
how many times we are told there is. It seems that many of our shepherds (and
sheep) are being carried away from the Divine Revelation by the novelties of
today’s pagan society; by those who “follow their own desires” and “look for
teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear.”
(2.Tim.4v3). Perhaps there are some shepherds who are happy to hear (or to be) such
teachers, because it allows the living out of unnatural proclivities? Let us stay
rigid (committed and loyal) Catholics; let us continue to speak the Truth which
is Christ Himself (Jm.14v6) and not try to remake Him into a God of Surprises
who, rather than being “the same today, yesterday and forever”, is submissive
to and tossed about by man’s changing ideologies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background: white; color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Let us pray for the
Synod and for our shepherds, that the Holy Spirit will take their good intentions
with their compassion for those who feel marginalised and focus them on helping
the youth by a strong defence and promotion of the Gospel and its unchanging
teachings; let us pray that they will have the courage and the will to present
these teachings to the youth and the world with compassion and understanding,
but with a firm yet kindly challenge. Let us pray that they do not fall prey to
the enemy who seeks to make moral truth abhorrent and have our shepherds propagate
his lies about what is good, beautiful and true. If our shepherds do not listen
to the Holy Spirit and uphold established Catholic morality they are going to
lead the youth down the road to perdition. As the above letter indicates, even
good Catholic youth have seen that. I recommend their letter to readers -and to
our prelates, especially those attending the synod.</span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-87067375024254764812018-09-10T13:29:00.000+01:002018-09-10T13:29:09.201+01:00Sorry For The Dearth of Posts<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">I am sorry that there are so
few postings for such a long time. I often get the urge to write a post but to
be honest, the first obstacle to writing any posts was that they would probably
be so negative in these days of scandal and self-destruction of the Church that
they would not edify the reader or the writer. A second reason was that, as regular
(or once-regular) readers of the blog will know, I developed some serious
health issues over the last 12 months, and I don’t think it is good to blurb
about them on a blog which is not meant to be a personal diary but a commentary
on things Catholic.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif";">That said, I do feel ashamed of
the fact that I have not contributed anything to the Catholic blogosphere for a
long time now, so I have tried to come up with a way of contributing to
Catholic life without contributing to its self-destruction or my own
ill-health. If I can I will post some short reflections on the Sunday Mass readings,
so that I am at least offering some kind of spiritual food to Catholics. I may
write on other topics as the notion takes me, but no promises… one such topic
has been requested: what kind of things did I say in homilies at weddings and
funerals that I might be able to share? What will come first I do not know; reflections
on the Sunday readings or the homilies for weddings and funerals. Maybe not
knowing will bring you here again...<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br /><br />
Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-23249545427014412412018-05-27T13:55:00.003+01:002018-05-27T17:58:49.486+01:00The Irish Vote<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Sadly the people of Ireland have
voted for the killing of unborn children. I know the ‘hard cases’ always get
publicity, but the answer to these hard cases should not be “Kill the children!”
but “Help the mothers!” (to overcome their difficulties). Ireland’s maternal
death rate being one of the lowest in the world, it had the opportunity to
remain a light to the world, but has become yet another country to align itself
with the Culture of Death & Darkness purveyed by the Prince of Darkness. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The source of the vote for change
was not so much the pro-death politicians or the physicians, or even the people
of Ireland: two things lie at the root of the Irish vote to kill: [1] a kind of person-centred psychology which purveys relativism by saying “do
whatever is right <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">for you</i>”; along
with a script(!) which says “don’t follow any ‘scripts’ that others write for
you; be your own Adult”, and [2], the failure of the Catholic Church to
uphold the Gospel. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The window John XXIII opened to let
in a bit of fresh air was not the opening of a window but the tearing down of
a wall, leaving the Church open to a hurricane. And what a hurricane it was,
gaining its foothold at the Second Vatican Council. From the time of the Council
it appeared to many that it was a case of “All change” –and who can blame them?
Almost everyone knew the saying “<i>It’s the Mass that matters</i>” for the Mass is
the very source and summit of our lives being as it is [a] the making-present the
Saviour in His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity; [b] His Saving Sacrifice on
Calvary made present to us, and [c] Heaven on earth (for where God is, heaven
is). The Mass is the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">only</i> thing this
side of heaven that gives perfect praise and thanksgiving to God while making
perfect propitiation for our sins. Its Rites were carefully preserved over
1,500 years to enshrine its supremely sacred realities -<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">so “if we can change the Mass, we can change anything”.</i> And not just
anything but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">everything</i>: the way we
worship (liturgy); what we believe (doctrine) and how we behave (disciplines) –creating,
in essence, all-but a new faith system.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">From the days of the Second Vatican Council
we have had voices calling for the sort of things the Church has always
shuddered at: contraception; Holy Communion for those in formal adultery and
more. The abortion vote in Ireland is a consequence of the Church taking an almost
‘about face’ turn in worship (where it is in fact a literal about face!); and about face in doctrine
and an about face in discipline, leaving all things to be seen as open to change (<i>yet </i><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">not all change is good –some change is malignant</i>).
Sadly, then, it is a failure of the Church over the last 60 years that has
taken Ireland from an alignment with Christ the Light of the World to an alignment
with the Prince of Darkness and his Culture of Death; a culture which seeks to
end <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">people</i> rather than <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">problems</i>. It cannot be any one else but
Satan who is at the root of this extensive rejection of life and light. How sad
that he has had so much help from so many that he has deceived even those who should have known better (those in the upper <span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">echelons</span> of the Church) for 50 years plus…<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<br />
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<i><u><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Post-Script: <o:p></o:p></span></u></i></div>
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</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I do hope that there is no harsh judgement
of the women and men who chose to abort their children when they feel faced
with overwhelming difficulties and their internal and external resources to
cope are virtually nil, for in reality they have been led to think abortion is
just another aspect of health care and probably not told about the many post-abortion
problems to be faced, of which problems there is growing evidence (cf.</span> <b><i><u><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.deveber.org/womens-health-after-abortion/" target="_blank">deVeber Institute for Bioethics and Social Research</a></span></u></i></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">), to say nothing of the physical riks to the mother attached to
abortion (<b><i><u><a href="https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/abortion/risks/" target="_blank">cf. NHS</a></u></i></b>). It is my hope that these parents find the care
they need from services such as Rachel’s Vineyard, which offers post-abortion
healing to post-abortive mothers and fathers. Let us not blame the women and
men who have been deceived; they need our care and healing touch. Rather, let
us blame the one who deceived them –the Prince of Darkness- and his
collaborators in the Church. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-28828262606573376452018-05-25T18:37:00.001+01:002018-05-25T18:37:47.625+01:00God made him that way?<br />
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/god-made-you-gay-did-pope-francis-just-tell-the-lie-of-the-century" target="_blank">Lifesite News</a></span></u></i></b><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> carries
an article by Doug Mainwaring in which he relates that a homosexual man has
reported that in a private conversation with Pope Francis the Pope told him
“God made you gay”. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><u><a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/21/europe/pope-francis-gay-comments-intl/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a></u></i></b> adds to the story: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">‘Describing his encounter with the Pope to CNN, Cruz said:
"You know Juan Carlos, that does not matter. God made you like this. God
loves you like this. The Pope loves you like this and you should love yourself
and not worry about what people say…”</span> <span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
Pope's words would amount to a significant departure from the teaching of the
Roman Catholic Church, which considers homosexuality "objectively
disordered" and contrary to God's law.’ Vatican spokesman Greg Burke told
CNN on Monday: "We do not normally comment on the Pope's private
conversations." <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">People may take this as an
affirmation of the gay lifestyle by the Pope, but it is not -because it cannot
be. It is not wrong for Francis to say to a homosexual ‘God loves you’, for
God loves everyone He creates, <i>but it must be followed with ‘But He calls you
to a life of virtue, just as He does everyone else.’</i> However, if what Francis said was ‘God
made you gay’ he errs in fundamental moral theology, for to say ‘God made you
that way’ is to say God positively created someone with what the Church calls an intrinsic disorder. Further, it implies that Mr. Cruz is not called <i>to battle
against</i> a disoriented proclivity that arises from original sin, since God
deliberately or at least <i>knowingly</i> created that disorientation within him –and is
it not Apostolic teaching God temps no one to sin (cf.Jas.1v13)?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Trebuchet MS","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It seems to me the Vatican Press
Office must either deny the Pope said made this statement to Mr Cruz or clarify the Pope's words. If the Vatican
Press Office continues to hold to its line that it 'does not comment on the Pope’s
private conversations', then I grinningly await the day a faithful Catholic
has a private conversation with Francis and emerges saying “The Pope
said the best thing Catholic folk can do in this time of doctrinal and
liturgical disorder/crisis is to return to the Catechism of the Council of
Trent and the Tridentine Mass”. I wonder how long it would take for the Vatican
Press Office to deny <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">that</i> had been
said? <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><o:p></o:p></i></b></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-47970523532726295402018-03-31T14:28:00.000+01:002018-04-01T11:13:32.633+01:00How Did Your Lent go, and How is your Triduum Going?<br />
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">I have always told my congregations at the start of
Lent: This is not a time to give up chocolate, sugar or TV; it’s a start, but
lent is a time for giving up sin and building virtues. If we are
short-tempered, we must seek hard to practice patience; if we engage in calumny
or detraction, we must keep a still tongue and seek something good to say about
those we would rather criticise; if we are slothful, we must demand hard work
from ourselves, for if we don’t get to the end of Lent and are not a changed
person. If we don’t more clearly image Christ, we have failed somewhat. So how
did your Lent go? Are you recognisably different now than you were six weeks
ago? Even in some small way, recognisably different? I hope I am, but I doubt
it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">How sad it is that the Easter ceremonies to which
Lent leads are so badly attended these days. The great renewal of the Church we
were promised at Vatican II has never come about; all we can point to is having
more laity engaged in parish and Diocesan-based tasks. Having taken them from
their proper apostolate of bringing the spiritual and corporal works of mercy
to bear in society, we replace them with worker priests, removing both priests
and laity from their authentic, divinely appointed roles. And no mtter how many
ecclesial tasks we give the laity, when the Triduum comes around our Churches
are not filled. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">And yet Holy Thursday encompasses central Mysteries
of The Faith: The Real presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist; the
Sacrifice that saves us, and the sacramental union with God in Holy Communion that
He gives to us, and which comes to us though the priesthood which He ordained
to make all of this preset and possible as a memorial of Him. We claim to
believe that the Holy Eucharist is the Real Presence of God according to His
Word: “I am the Living Bread which has come down from Heaven...”(Jn.6;
Matt.26v26); we claim to believe that the Holy Eucharist perpetuates<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His Sacrifice on the Cross according to His
word: “This is My Body given up for you...My Blood, which is shed for you”
(Lk.22v19-20); we claim to believe the Holy Eucharist brings Heaven to earth
since it brings Christ to earth -and wherever God is, Heaven is, and yet we
ignore the Holy Eucharist on the very day Our Lord gifted It to us as His
presence, Sacrifice and sacrament of unity with Him -and through Him, with one
another. Many seem to have we forgotten that since every Holy Mass brings
Heaven to earth we do not need to die to go to Heaven; we only need to come to
Mass. Indeed to come to Mass is to come to Heaven, and thus to absent ourselves
from Mass is to absent ourselves from heaven –and who wants that?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Good Friday is generally better attended; even many
lapsed folk seem to recognise something special about Good Friday (“God’s
Friday”), and turn up to acknowledge and celebrate His saving Passion. How could
we not? On Good Friday Our Lord stretches our His hands on the Cross to say
“This is how much I love you…will you not stay follow Me? I suffered intense
anxiety in Gethsemane in presenting Myself before the face of My All-Holy
Father carrying the shame of every one of your sins; I suffered the scourging
at the pillar where My skin was ripped by welts embedded with bone, that you
may have forgiveness for your sins of the flesh; My head is crowned with thorns
to obtain forgiveness of your bad thoughts and attitudes; I am struck with
blows and mocked that you might have strength to stand before the ridicule of
the world and proclaim Me; I carry the wood of the Cross that by rising from
falls under its weight of your sins, you may rise from mortal sin and be
strengthened the earthly struggles of life; I endured the suffocation of
crucifixion and the pains of death that you may have forgiveness for all of your
sins and rise again to the life of grace. How can you doubt that I will welcome
you back and forgive all your repented sins? See how much I love you. Who else
has suffered for love of you as I have? I gave you My Life, My Love, My Mercy
–you have prepared a cross for Me. I brought you from slavery to sin to the
heights of grace: you have prepared a cross for me. Come to Me all you who
labour, and you will find rest for your souls. Give me your sins, that I may have
the pleasure of forgiving them. Leave your sins behind; become a new creation
in Me. Come to me, and I will give you rest.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Holy Saturday we rest with Christ and wait to celebrate
our share in His transfigured, Risen Body: we hear Him tell the Story of
Salvation from the Fall to the Exodus and thence to Jerusalem; we recommit
ourselves to Him by our baptismal promises; we welcome Him and heaven onto the
altar; we offer the very sacrifice of His Body and Blood by which we are
redeemed and sacramentally unite ourselves to Him in Holy Communion a spiritual
intimacy greater than the physical union of husband and wife. How could we not
desire to be present with the community on this Most Holy Night which brings
the glorious new day; a day which stretches out before us the glory of heaven
and our share in the eternal life, happiness and peace of the Most Holy Trinity
in the company of saints, singing Holy, Holy, Holy…Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dominus
Deus Sabaoth. Pleni sunt cæli et terra gloria tua.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Hosanna in excelsis!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">PS. Please excuse typing and syntax errors: I cut
and paste too much and cannot type to begin with!</span><span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , "serif"; font-size: 7.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-79129308468532796302018-01-25T11:53:00.003+00:002018-01-25T12:11:59.097+00:00Post bronchoscopy<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">First of all, apologies that comments and assurances of prayers have not been published; I'm afraid I have been feeling very off-colour and low for some time and had not the physical or mental energy to attend to the Blog. But, having promised an up-date after the bronchoscopy
review I think I should carry it through. The reviewing physician says the brushings
taken during the bronchoscopy did not reveal any cancer or bugs, but that they
were unable to see much because of the abscesses (I wasn't able to make much sense of that but her explanation continmued to be vague: "Its simply because the abscesses made viewing things difficult"). Further, she said the Chest X-ray I
had on the day of the review shows that I have not recovered as they expected,
so another CT scan is being ordered, the appointment for which I shall receive
through the post.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">So it seems that I am still progressing towards
health but not there yet. This didn’t surprise me as the bronchoscopy was early
in the year and though the first two weeks post-procedure were OK, the third
week was one of constant haemoptysis (coughing up of blood -my family physician
was unperturbed by this but sent of a sputum sample to check for infection anyway, but no treatment was prescribed as antibiotics are so over-used). Indeed I have remained breathless and extremely low
in energy since my discharge from hospital in December, so considering that and
the haemoptysis the need for another CT of chest did not surprise me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "bookman old style" , serif;">I shall try to do blog posts on topics other than
my health in the future, but I can’t say when or how often since my energy
levels are so very low. Please bear with me. Thank you.</span></div>
Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-91823418217775473632017-12-20T09:58:00.001+00:002017-12-23T11:40:22.215+00:00FR DICKSON: UP-DATE and Summary POST DISCHARGE<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">taking a leaf from Father's book I ask that you excuse any errors in this post as I am writing and posting it in a rush before
attending Mass and continuing my preparations for Christmas... He has seen this post and allowed me to publish it as it is!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">As
you know, Father was admitted to hospital on 17<sup>th</sup> of November with
“a very nasty pneumonia” and discharged on December 11<sup>th</sup>. On
admission a temperature of over 38.5<sup>o</sup>C was accompanied by a high
respiratory rate and a low blood pressure of around 80/60. Intravenous (i.v.)
fluids to raise the blood pressure resulted in marked oedema of the legs and
feet, but successfully raised the systolic pressure to above 100. Additionally,
he was told that “although the white cell Count is high as expected, the cells themselves
are malformed; they look a bit leukaemic, and we don’t know if this predates your pneumonia and
led to it occurring or if it is the result of the pneumonia. We have to wait to
see if the haematology team show concern”. Three days of i.v. Tazocin brought
some positive change to his condition and his vital signs improved, so his
medication was changed to oral co-amoxiclav. Unfortunately this resulted in a
deterioration in his condition, and the i.v. Tazocin had to be recommenced. Culture
and sensitivity of sputum showed Tazocin should have been effective, but it became
necessary to change to seven days of i.v. Meropenem
when a third sputum sample showed he had a pseudomonas infection, which is probably
sitting in the portion of his lungs where Bronchiectasis was noted early last
year. A CT of chest was then taken which showed ‘lung cavities’ (abscess formation).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">From
day three of his admission, heavy diarrhoea began and continued for ten days.
Samples showed he was free from Clostridium Difficil, so the diarrhoea probably
resulted from the heavy use of antibiotics. Sadly, even though Father was never
a big man, his weight has gone from 11 stone (c.155 pounds) to just over 9
stone (c.131 pounds), so he is quite debilitated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His
mood was very low in hospital as all the ‘news’ seemed to be going in the wrong
direction: “you have a nasty pneumonia…the oral antibiotics are not having the
expected effect…your white cells look a bit leukaemic…you have a pseudomonas
infection…you have lung cavities…you need a bronchoscopy so we can determine
what is going on…you need seven days of i.v.’s”. He says his mood was mostly
low as he saw what he (formerly a registered nurse himself) described as
“failures in nursing care and asepsis”, so when it was suggested he could have his
i.v.’s at home from the district (community) nurses or stay in hospital, he
chose to go home. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">For
his discharge the antibiotic was changed from Meropenem, which is given three
times daily, to Ciproflaxacin as this can be given twice daily. These seven
days of i.v.’s have now ended; he has had his midline removed (interestingly,
he says he is not aware of having any pressure applied to the site of insertion
during removal of the line, so he is now watching for bleeding, swelling of the
arm, pain, redness and heat in the arm) and his bronchoscopy was carried out on
18<sup>th</sup> of December, the results of this will be made known to him at
his follow-up appointment on January 22<sup>nd</sup>.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Father
says he will let you know the result of the bronchoscopy when he has it.
Meanwhile please keep up the prayers. <i>Father
says “for my spiritual health rather than my physical health, though both would
be good!”</i>. He is not well but hopeful that the bronchoscopy will provide
for some positive direction in terms of treatment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">At
present he is feeling drained, is breathless on minimal exertion, experiencing some
upper back pain which he thinks may be due to his cough, and having some soreness
around his midline site. That said, he is looking forward to spending Christmas
with his siblings, though he has over the last couple of days notices an increase in breathlessness and sputum production (which is now yellow) so despite his observations being quite stable he has commenced his rescue Doxycycline).</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">His
COPD and bronchiectasis will never resolve, and the damage done during exacerbations tends to bring about permanent structural
alterations in the lung and thus predispose to permanently worsened airflow, so
he will never be as ‘well’ as he was three months ago, but there is every hope
of improvement in his condition as it stands today.</span></div>
Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-4648794284290954232017-12-09T19:04:00.001+00:002017-12-09T19:04:25.127+00:00New Update on Fr Dickson<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Father has been allowed home on intravenous antibiotics, but
remains unwell. Having been admitted
originally with a ‘very nasty pneumonia’ (admitting medic) on top of his
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), two sputum samples showed no sign
of <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i>, this
dastardly bug appeared in sputum No.3. Sadly, it is very difficult if at all
possible to eradicate in COPD patients. Having also suffered some weight loss a
CT of chest was ordered which showed a cavitating abscess on his left lung
base, so a bronchoscopy with washings to determine the causative agent has been
ordered for Friday coming. Meanwhile, as IV antibiotics are the only treatment
that can be given yet, he has been allowed to come home for IV’s via a midline
and to the care of the district (community) nurses, rather than sitting in a hospital
bed. We will up-date you on the
bronchoscopy and Father’s health as and when there are changes.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Sadly, though Father is happy to be home, his kitchen is
somewhat out of bounds since -and despite having had plumbers out to clear it- the
kitchen sink is the seat of a foul stench; one Father has tolerated for over a
year with plenty of Domestos but which is now intolerable in terms of feeling
at ease at home. We will update you
about this too.</span></div>
Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-46077582178973804532017-12-06T21:55:00.005+00:002017-12-06T21:55:53.579+00:00Update on Father<div dir="ltr" id="yui_3_16_0_ym19_1_1512597102653_5151" style="-webkit-padding-start: 0px; background-color: white;">
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Father's scan shows not just bronchiectasis but cavities in the lung. The bugs he has that they know about are not associated with cavity formation so they are now planning a bronchoscopy with washings/brushings. All in all he remains poorly and in need of prayers. He is trying to get home and have the bronchoscopy as an outpatient by continuing his IV's at home -if we can get his temperature to stay down and his oxygen saturation to stay up.</span></div>
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Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-29352061353013599452017-12-05T19:01:00.000+00:002017-12-06T21:56:10.182+00:00Update on Fr Dickson<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Segoe UI, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Father has been on intravenous antibiotics 3 times since his admission and each time they move him to oral antibiotics the pneumonia rages again. They are leaving him on his new intravenous antibiotics (Meropenem) for the whole course. The medics have said they have to do a CT scan and/or a bronchoscopy to see if it is the bronchiectasis or a growth/tumour that is harbouring the pneumonia, as it refuses to give up the fight. He has also developed a rash around his ankles that they are not happy about. There is no sign of discharge, as all in all he remains very unwell.</span></span>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-49590392773844256162017-11-29T16:39:00.003+00:002017-11-29T16:39:55.789+00:00Update on Fr Dickson<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Father knows of all who are praying for him and is very grateful.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He remains very, very ill. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">He was initially admitted with a bad Pneumonia a week and a half ago. Antibiotic treatments have been relatively unsuccessful. Now, having also detected a Pseudomonas infection, </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Medical staff -apparently running out of options- are strongly hoping the new antibiotics they are trying him on prove effective.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Let's please continue to pray and offer sacrifices...</span>Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-18666761612928700992017-11-21T19:06:00.000+00:002017-11-21T19:07:39.587+00:00An update about FatherFather was started on intravenous (IV) antibiotics on Friday and, despite still being very ill, had shown some minor minor improvement and was transferred to a different hospital last night (Monday) and his antibiotics changed to oral. At around 4am this morning he deteriorated significantly and struggled to breathe, and it was discovered that his infection markers (CRP & White Cell Count) had risen again. Further, despite the pneumonia having been hitherto confined to one lung, the other now has 'crackles'. He has since been switched back to IV antibiotics and is being closely monitored.<br />
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Needless to say, he remains terribly ill, and prayers are of paramount importance...Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-91500717078869133392017-11-19T15:42:00.000+00:002017-11-19T15:42:26.724+00:00Prayers for Fr DicksonI offer apologies for the lull in posting in recent months. Father's health has not been so great, and I have been kept very busy by studies.<br />
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<b>However, I now urgently ask your prayers for Father Dickson: he is currently in hospital, seriously ill with pneumonia.</b></div>
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I will keep you as updated as possible.<br />
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Many thanks,<br />
<br />
Andrew.Andrewhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09049074568745678686noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641832955811669058.post-1522077720478706192017-06-02T13:29:00.004+01:002017-06-03T09:27:04.288+01:00One Answer Fits All?<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">In
today’s Culture of Death & Destruction Catholicism gives one answer to many
pastoral situations in regard to receiving the sacraments:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">“I am divorced and civilly
married to a new spouse…may I go to Holy Communion?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">“I am cohabiting because I
think it is as good as marriage…may I go to Holy Communion?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">“I am in a homosexual
relationship…may I go to Holy Communion?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";"> “I am contracepting…may I go to Holy
Communion?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">“I am living a transgender
life…may I go to Holy Communion?”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">The
answer Catholicism gives is this<b>: </b><i>You are living a life contrary to the Truth
(The Faith), so you are called to refrain from Holy Communion until you end
your current lifestyle. Keep praying, keep performing acts of charity, and keep
up acts of self-sacrifice so as to build the grace you need to come home. The
Church will accompany you in this.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Sadly,
it seems we are now expected to give a different answer: <i>You are living a life contrary to the Truth (The Faith), so you are
called to refrain from Holy Communion until you end your current lifestyle. However,
as long as you believe you are at rights with God, you are welcome to receive
Holy Communion.”<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">This
is the kind of answer we now seem expected to give by liberal priests and
Bishops ever since Francis made his famous “Who am I to judge?” statement.
Well, no one asked Francis to judge anyone -<i>but
we did expect him to give the same judgement of a person’s actions that the
Faith has always given: such lifestyles are anathema to God since they
contravene His Truth and thus endanger the person’s salvation; we do not judge
or reject any persons but are obliged to warn them of all we believe is harmful
to them. We do not impose our teaching on anyone (a person’s own ability to
reason should do this), but neither can we approve of contrary lifestyles.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Sadly,
what we are seeing in the Church today, on the pretext of ‘accompanying people”,
<i>is
the eradication of Catholicism in pastoral practic</i>e by what I call
‘pastoral sentimentality’: tending to feelings at the expense of applying
doctrine. Pastoral Sentimentality is where Doctrine is <i>left intact</i> but also <i>left
aside</i> so as to tend to the emotional pain of the person rather than attend
to their supremely important spiritual need. Pastoral sentimentality allows
folk to receive Holy Communion while living a lifestyle that is contrary to the
Truths of The Faith, which is sacrilegious, and we out not to be encouraging
sacrilegious communions. Sadly, ‘Pastoral Sentimentality’ has been the way of
the Church for five or six decades now. It has been the way and teaching of so
many seminary professors, clergy and theologians. <i>Thus today’s problems do not
really stem from Pope Francis; so far, all Francis has done is use his papal authority
to implement it (to the detriment of souls),</i></span><span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;"><i> without trying to formally impose
new teaching. There is a massive deception going on here: leave doctrine formally
untouched but change pastoral practice so that in years to come anew ‘theology’
(heresy) can be promoted based on’ the practice of the Church’. I think we are
only at the beginning of the struggle for the integrity of the Church.</i><br /> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">It is not Francis faithful
Catholics must fight but <i>Moral</i> <i>Relativism</i> and <i>Situation Ethics</i>. However, since Francis is at least tolerating it
if not approving ‘Pastoral sentimentality’ under the label of ‘mercy’, we must
if necessary confront him, which he says himself he values, as reported by Catholic
Culture <b><i><u>here <a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=1410" target="_blank">https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=1410 </a></u></i></b>: <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">“It’s
good to be criticized. I have always liked this.” That’s good to know. What a
relief to think that all those stories we’ve been hearing—about the Vatican
officials called in for tongue-lashing because they had expressed criticism of
the Holy Father, the staff members of the CDF summarily dismissed for the same
reason—must be wrong. And the angry speeches to the Roman Curia must have been
misreported and/or misinterpreted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">But
that’s not all. Pope Francis went on to tell the religious superiors: “And when
criticisms make you grow, I accept them, and reply.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">We
must be grateful that Francis has not formally taught any heresies, but we
cannot be pleased that in today’s Church today the living out of the Faith is
thrown away and lifestyles tolerated (if not actually promoted) that are
contrary to The Truth –which is a following of the Father of Lies as opposed to
the following of Truth. The world speaks well of those who accept its ways, but
“woe unto you who the world speaks well of” (LK.6v26) –indeed it would better they
have “<i>a millstone placed around their
necks and be thrown into the sea</i>” (Lk.17v2). I think that if we did this,
we’d have very few clergy left in the Church from top to bottom, and I suspect few
in the pews too, since for many today the common good and social equality is
all that seems to matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">We
are asked to accept ‘pastoral sentimentality’ as a gift of mercy from the ‘god
of surprises’ –but there is not such god. The Blessed Trinity proclaims “I am
the Lord, I change not” (Mal.3v6), while St Paul tells us God is “the same
yesterday, today and forever” (Heb.13v8). We must then, refuse to accept “the god
of surprises”. Scripture says: “<i>I am
astonished how quickly you are deserting the One who called you by the grace of
Christ, and are turning to a different gospel which is not even a gospel. For
some people are troubling you and trying to distort the gospel of Christ. But
even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one
we preached to you, let him be anathema</i>” (Gal.1v6-8). We must not follow
the new god and the new gospel and thus become anathema to Almighty God by
casting away His Truth. We all have enough sins to be ashamed of -sins which arise
from our weakness and concupiscence- without adding to them the deliberate
choosing of lifestyles contrary to The Truth, thereby choosing instead to
follow the father of lies. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Let
us pray and make sacrifices that the Church may return to the living out of the
Gospel. Currently, the Church is paying hypocritical lip-service to the Gospel
by saying one thing while doing another. If anyone is the hypocrite Pope
Francis so deplores it is those who say the one thing while doing another: <i>ignoring Truth in so-called ‘pastoral
practice’ where any lifestyle goes. </i>Well-meaning<i> </i>seminary professors and ‘pastoral priests’ of both presbyteral &
episcopal rank have surely sown darnel among the Lord’s crop. But we must not
fear: the avenging angels are coming; the darnel will be rooted out and God’s Eternal
Truth will once again flourish. Just be prepared to be the Sword of Truth that
the angels wield; be prepared to speak up for the Truth and point out the
errors you see around you in gentle, respectful but firm and clear manner. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , "sans-serif";">Sadly,
while the Church is in a bad sate, but there may be more to come: St Thomas
tells us the punishment for sin is more sin: (Summa, Q.87#2) “Sin can be
[accidentally but not essentially] the punishment for sin…” so we may as yet
have to drink to the dregs the poisoned chalice we have fermented over the last
50 years. One day, however, that poisoned chalice will be dry and we will once
again drink from the water which flows from Christ and wells up to eternal
life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "trebuchet ms" , sans-serif;">Allowing
a soul to live contrary to the Truth is dangerous to those who live that way -and
to those who affirm it: they are like physicians who for fear of hurting the
patient, reassures them that the malignant tumour is a only benign growth and
leaves them to die from it. They are negligent, and perhaps even malignant forces
who teach the new gospel of the god of surprises.</span></div>
Fr Dicksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11702725497183621855noreply@blogger.com10