Update on Fr Dickson

Father knows of all who are praying for him and is very grateful.

He remains very, very ill. 
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, Medical staff -apparently running out of options- are strongly hoping the new antibiotics they are trying him on prove effective.

Let's please continue to pray and offer sacrifices...

An update about Father

Father 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.

Needless to say, he remains terribly ill, and prayers are of paramount importance...

Prayers for Fr Dickson

I 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.

However, I now urgently ask your prayers for Father Dickson: he is currently in hospital, seriously ill with pneumonia.

I will keep you as updated as possible.

Many thanks,

Andrew.

One Answer Fits All?

In today’s Culture of Death & Destruction Catholicism gives one answer to many pastoral situations in regard to receiving the sacraments:

“I am divorced and civilly married to a new spouse…may I go to Holy Communion?”

“I am cohabiting because I think it is as good as marriage…may I go to Holy Communion?”

“I am in a homosexual relationship…may I go to Holy Communion?”

 “I am contracepting…may I go to Holy Communion?”

“I am living a transgender life…may I go to Holy Communion?”

The answer Catholicism gives is this: 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.

Sadly, it seems we are now expected to give a different answer: 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.”

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 -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.

Sadly, what we are seeing in the Church today, on the pretext of ‘accompanying people”,  is the eradication of Catholicism in pastoral practice by what I call ‘pastoral sentimentality’: tending to feelings at the expense of applying doctrine. Pastoral Sentimentality is where Doctrine is left intact but also left aside 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. 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), 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.
 
It is not Francis faithful Catholics must fight but Moral Relativism and Situation Ethics. 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 here https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/the-city-gates.cfm?id=1410 :

“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.

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.”

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 “a millstone placed around their necks and be thrown into the sea” (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.

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 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” (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.

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: ignoring Truth in so-called ‘pastoral practice’ where any lifestyle goes. Well-meaning 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.

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.

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.

Urgent Prayer Request -updated

Of your charity, please pray for a young pro-life Doctor who has suffered a catastrophic stroke and been declared unlikely to recover. At the moment it appears she is being sustained only by mechanical ventilation ('life support'). I have asked God for His graces of strength, hope and peace for Doctor R., her family, and her friends, and for the graces of insight, skill and compassion for the health professionals who care for her. Let us commend Dr. R to the care of Our Blessed Lord and to the intercession of Our Lady, Health of the Sick. Thank you for your prayers.

UPDATE. I am informed that the good doctor has died without any recovery. Please pray for her soul and for the comforting of her family and friends. 

Reflections On Fatima

Those who know me well know that I am very attached to the shrine of Lourdes, having been called to love the Blessed Virgin in her love for humanity ever since seeing “The Song of Bernadette” when I was an 8 year old nominal Anglican. Its message is much the same as Fatima: “Penance, Penance, Penance. Pray to God for the conversion of sinners”. I grew frustrated with those who would not travel to Lourdes because Fatima seemed so much more exciting with its ‘Miracle of the Sun’; I felt they sought the miraculous more than hearing the message, and sought earthly peace more than peace with God. But today we celebrate Fatima, and it is right that we note that while Lourdes is known as “Land of the Gospel”, this applies equally to Fatima, and on the say that Jacinta and Francisco are canonised, it is right that we recall Fatima in a blog posting.

Fatima is a call to trust in the mercy of God by returning to Him via penance, for Our Lady said, "Men must amend their lives, and ask pardon for their sins. . . . They must no longer offend Our Lord, Who is already so much offended." As Sr. Lucia is said, "The good Lord is allowing Himself to be appeased."  The message of Fatima is indeed one of peace for the world, but peace in grace of God and not merely the absence of war, and that peace is obtained by the amending of our lives by the grace of God. What strikes me today about the message of Fatima is the symbolic place of Lucia, Jacinta and Francisco.

Lucia was to stay on earth and promote the message of Our Lady, which has as a central core the recitation of the daily Rosary. This prayer, so reviled by many Protestants, is entirely scriptural and Gospel-centred. Its prayers (the Our father and the Hail Mary) are taken from the texts of the Gospel; its mysteries are the Person and the Mysteries of Christ our saviour, from the Incarnation to the Ascension. To learn to love Our Lord one need do no more than contemplate Him and his Life in the company of His Blessed Mother by the reciting of the Holy Rosary. Thus, Lucia shows us the necessity to meet Christ in the scriptures and live in the company of His Holy Mother, whom all generations are to call Blessed.

Jacinta is known for her prayer and sacrifices for the Holy Father, to whom the vision was given of the Holy Father in prayer with all the people. She reminds us of the need to maintain out union with the Vicar of Christ on earth, and of the need to pray for the conversion of sinners, something with which she was said to be obsessed.

Francisco, who once, when missing, was found praying, said, “I was thinking of God who is so sad because of all the sins: if only I could comfort him!”, is known for his desire to console the Heart of Jesus, which is supremely found in this world in the Most Blessed Sacrament. As Francisco said after having received his first (and last) Holy Communion, “When will you bring me the Hidden Jesus again?” He is said to have exclaimed, “Soon Jesus will come and take me to heaven with Him and then I shall always be able to comfort Him.”

Thus we can see in the Fatima the whole of the Gospel message: first of all, modelling our lives upon that of the Good Lord whom we meet in scripture (and which we pray by/in the holy Rosary) with the living out of the Gospel by a life of prayer and penance; second, devotion to the Lord’s most Holy Mother who accompanies us in meeting Her Divine Son when we recite the Rosary; third, loyalty to the Vicar of Christ, and of course, adoration and worship of the Heart of Jesus in the Most Holy and Blessed Sacrament.

May Our Lady of Fatima intercede for the Holy Church of Her Divine Son, that we may remain faithful to His teaching and the living out of His Commands by the grace of the Holy Ghost who is given to us.

Clergy Take Care; Laity Beware

This post is to compact the previous post, ‘Laity Beware’ and to underline the fact that since I have contacts the length and breadth of the country via Catholic organisations and social media, it is not advisable for readers to enter into speculation as to the Diocese, parish and individuals concerned. In brief the facts of my post were as follows:

• ‘X’ was a long-standing catechist under two former parish priests

• ‘X’ had taught the children that although it was allowable to receive Holy Communion on the hand the norm is to show God respect by receiving on the tongue, offering this to the children as something they might like to do for God. In ten years no child had declined, but some parishioners were unhappy that the norm was being presented.

• ‘X’ met with their new pastor and was told to continue his/her preparations for providing the First Communion preparation course but then had his/her initial meeting with parents cancelled from the pulpit without explanation on the day the meeting was announced in the Bulletin.

• ‘X’, on querying this with the pastor after Mass, was told the pastor would ‘get back on that’, but didn’t do so.

• ‘X’ was covertly excluded from the First Communion preparation programme, only discovering it had actually begun when the children were presented at Sunday Mass some weeks later.

• To avoid public dispute and wounding of the pastor, ‘X’ wrote to him privately, asking the reason for his/her furtive exclusion and having his/her first preparation meeting publicly derailed at Mass. ‘X’ received a reply of three to four lines saying ‘your concerns have been noted’ but making no response to those concerns.

• When at an open meeting of the parish a parishioner stated the pastor had been ‘receiving hassle’, the pastor said it had all come about because he had spoken to ‘X’ (naming ‘X’) about First Communions saying to continue on but had now decided that ‘was not for the best’.

• The Bishop was present at this open meeting and did not defend the good name of ‘X’ at any point. His only comment was that ‘more people need to be involved now’, thereby allowing the impression that ‘X’ had been monopolising lay roles. 

‘X’ felt as though s/he had been on the receiving end of prejudice and poor handing by the clergy, thus the stated purpose of the post remains: to advise clergy taking up new appointments -and Bishops who make those appointments:

Pastors should take a year or more to get to know the personalities in any new appointment so as to avoid making changes on the strength of tittle-tattle (be it from teachers, medics or other persons who, despite having professional qualifications, remain subject to the self-interest we call sin). Failure to do this means the pastor can be being drawn into personality clashes and/or attempts by individuals to achieve prominence/dominance (the need to be ‘big fish’ -but in a very small pond!)

Bishops should avoid being drawn into such dynamics early on and becoming the proverbial sledgehammer.

Bishops and Pastors might ask themselves if those who have the pastor’s ear have a history of complaining about former pastors, as it may indicate they are now taking the opportunity with a weaker pastor, to monopolise lay roles themselves and to re-make the parish to their own liking, thereby making of the pastor (at worst) their puppet, or at best their obedient child/servant, with consequential removal of his integrity.