tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72632392024-03-28T15:23:32.174-04:00"In the Breaking of the Bread" BLOGLuke 24:35 + Jesus Christ is Lord, the One Saviour of the world + known to us "in the breaking of the bread". Jesus is our joy! See how a full and meaningful human life is compatible with and actually enhanced by living with faith in God through Jesus Christ.Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.comBlogger203125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-18424748363460588552024-01-20T21:31:00.002-05:002024-01-20T21:31:56.633-05:00When we die... what happens to us then? Why do we pray for the dead?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: x-large;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: x-large;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFw1JG0qXZISe3EirfX4gHTH7Qv6WAi-JgdEF_bnw_7hLNZVs8bRmF2FpALrFsvJOngpAj5n9zYoJ_x1qdAGnRXYdJQMIPs3rSWYKy2JwdLHcMHVulj_JanMsDQFbHKl-cjA2bMbGyuspyT0HW9-OVjDOuNvtLWmk9CZ5S3WXSVdJOXEcvZ-eIw/s293/Jesus-sinners-11.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="293" data-original-width="172" height="293" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicFw1JG0qXZISe3EirfX4gHTH7Qv6WAi-JgdEF_bnw_7hLNZVs8bRmF2FpALrFsvJOngpAj5n9zYoJ_x1qdAGnRXYdJQMIPs3rSWYKy2JwdLHcMHVulj_JanMsDQFbHKl-cjA2bMbGyuspyT0HW9-OVjDOuNvtLWmk9CZ5S3WXSVdJOXEcvZ-eIw/s1600/Jesus-sinners-11.jpg" width="172" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: x-large;"><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400; font-size: x-large;">There is life after death... but what is it like?</span></b></div></span></b><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">As Catholic and Orthodox Christians, as well as the various "Protestant, Evangelical, Baptist, or Pentecostal" denominations; we all believe that human life continues beyond death into eternity with God or away from God. Our eternal destiny depends a great deal on our own will, on whether or not we are willing to accept God's love, and to accept his love on his terms.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">It is an indication of this faith in the eternal life that God wants to give us that we pray for the dead. Why do we pray for the dead? It's just in case they might have a little bit of "unfinished business" to attend to... any hesitation to let themselves be embraced by God's brilliant and intense love... so our prayers and offerings of Holy Mass are an encouragement and spiritual help for them. If they don't need it, then of course they will simply pass it on to some other poor soul who needs it.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">What prompts me to write is the awesome mystery of what happens to us when our spirit leaves behind our mortal body, much as we put aside our clothing when we prepare for sleep at night. Over the years I've been disturbed to discover that many people don't really believe that anything happens to us when we die or understand it, or if they do, they don't much know what to do about it. Equally serious is the fact that people not only consider ending their life prematurely, before their natural time to die, but in some cases actually take measures to end their life of have someone end it for them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Canada is now almost leading the world in extending "MAiD" - medical aid in dying - to almost anyone who wants it. It began with allowing it for people just about at the end of their life anyway but who are in great pain or suffering, physically, or psychologically, or both. Gradually, the barriers have been pushed further and further back, until it is conceivable that one day anyone will be able to ask to be killed just because they are tired of living. This is pretty scary....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">What is truly sad and tragic is that, in all likelihood, most of those who have asked for MAiD, or who are planning to do so, probably wouldn't do it if they knew that someone cared for them, and that their condition is not a burden others are unwilling to bear with them; in solidarity with them out of love. We all need to be reassured at times that we are loved; this is our human condition, to be uncertain. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I suppose if I am miserable to everybody during my lifetime, there may not be anybody willing to show me that they care for me when I become terminally or seriously ill. Still, a truly loving person may still show that they care even for a miserable, grouchy, uncaring, hard-hearted person. Some people truly are that loving; their life is so full of love, that they have to pour it out on others. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">What is truly evil and may actually be criminal is the possibility that health care institutions may look upon killing people as economically advantageous... to get rid of people who are suffering and lingering in order to free up their bed and room in the hospital or other institution. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">I don't know how you were raised - with faith or not - or what kind of life you have lived, or what sort of challenges you have faced, what pain and suffering you have endured, but still, it won't hurt for me to share a few thoughts with you, and who knows, you may find them helpful.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Our mortal flesh, our human life in the body, is amazingly resilient... just think of all that we go through in life and survive; as your oved ones may have done their whole life long. Yet, when it comes right down to it, our life is also quite fragile. When enough pressure is put on our life, it simply stops.... All that we have become, on the inside, is what we call the soul or spirit. When we die... what happens to us then?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Many if not most scientists today, as brilliant as they are, deny the existence of our soul simply because they can't "observe" it, measure it, demonstrate or "prove" that it exists. They track all of our speaking, behaving, and acting to activity - the firing of neurons - in the brain. So for them, whatever doesn't track to the brain and show the firing of neurons isn't real and doesn't exist.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">However, other scientists - especially neuroscientists - have begun to demonstrate that some of who we are and what we do is not at all related to activity in our brain... it remains quiet and "dark" with no synapses firing; yet a lot is going on inside us. They have observed that when we decide NOT to do something, the brain is quiet and dark. THAT decision doesn't come from our brain but from elsewhere outside our flesh. We who believe know where such decisions come from... they come from our will, our mind, our soul.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">It is in our soul that God comes to dwell with us in Spirit. God our Father created our soul in the image and likeness of God... our soul is spirit as God is spirit, as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are spirit. They are divine spirit and we are human spirit. Our soul has an "empty place" deep within us that God designed for Him to come and dwell within us. We are most fully alive, most fully human, most fully ourselves when we welcome God within us. That is why Holy Communion is such an awesome gift, a priceless gift.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">So, where is your departed loved one now, their soul, their spirit, all that they came to BE by the time they drew their last breath on this Earth? The Bible tells us that God receives our soul when it must leave the body behind. Our soul is, in a way, naked or unclothed anymore with its flesh, and in his goodness God provides a "heavenly habitation" for the soul while it must wait for the FINAL RESURRECTION when God will raise up our mortal bodies to be like his own in glory. If you are interested you will find many quotes from the Bible about this</span> <a href="https://www.openbible.info/topics/glorified_bodies"><b>HERE</b></a>.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">So we have God's word on this... nothing is lost when we die... because all that we have become is precious in God's eyes and He welcomes us into his radiant presence to share eternal life with God, the Most Holy Trinity. We have trouble understanding who and what God is because God is so different.... One single Divine Being who is so full of life that there are actually Three Divine Persons living in intimate community, family, unity and communion of love - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father sent the Son and the Son accepted to go, to come down among us when Mary replied to the Archangel Gabriel: "I am the handmaid of the Lord. Let it be done to me according to your word." Luke's Gospel chapter one verse 38. That's when the Son took on flesh and became Jesus.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">We celebrate that moment every year on March 25th, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. That's coming up again in this New Year 2024, just next March 25th. Happy Feast Day!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Allow me to close with a suggestion. All the above being true, you can continue to be "in communion" with your departed loved one in the spirit, that is, deep within yourself. We're talking about deeper than feelings, deeper than thoughts, way down deep at the centre of who you are, where God comes to be with you... it's in that place that we taste the goodness of God, that we know we are loved, that we know we are united to those we love and can never be separated from them... regardless of how we may "feel".</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">This "communion of saints" is too deep, too mysterious to capture or put into words, really, and our mind cannot grasp it nor control it, but we can gently allow ourselves to enter into it. It is the Holy Spirit who carries us there and who instills divine peace into us, no matter what may be going on up on the surface of our awareness... loss, grief, fear, regrets, guilt, anxiety, concern, desperation... and all sorts of "negative" thoughts and emotions... or even the positive ones... peace, love, hope, faith, consolation, joy, enthusiasm.... All of these of which we "are aware" happen, we could say, "on the surface" of our lives. God "moves" within our soul "in the depths".</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">We are complex beings living on many levels and dimensions all at the same time, and it's okay. We don't have to understand it all and we certainly don't need to have it all "under control". Life is an adventure to be lived, not a problem to be solved.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">So, if you have recently lost a loved one who has died and left this mortal existence, my sincere sympathies on your loss, and please know that every day we pray for the departed souls and their intentions and all your intentions as well every time we approach the Altar for Holy Mass....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Peace to you all and your families, and may you have a peaceful entry into the Season of Lent in just four weeks. May the Word of God which we will hear during the next couple of weeks bring you much consolation and hope.</span><br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2024 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2024 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-37354758942213472352023-12-23T15:28:00.008-05:002024-03-28T15:23:01.151-04:00Pope Francis, representing Jesus the Good Shepherd, is authorizing the giving of blessings even to those who are in "irregular situations" as individuals or as couples, but without it resembling a marriage ritual - Isn't this confusing? If confusing; to whom is it confusing?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharu8inJOYzgm9l2kNvMhD_j7J0_m6_bBkZY8PpIbh3Rm4v2t9ZK8vWQPG7OENteslL-Fahdtiqky2pK6cv1it597YJ-Xv8-msaMR9Qm00oaZh4XZJySbiS5QasrdFxjE1KRwts8VGC65S1Qq7JBCUW41wYboptxjZvEJT_Z2Hhyphenhyphenv9vPNUJaM2_g/s1024/Pope-francis-10-tips.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1024" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEharu8inJOYzgm9l2kNvMhD_j7J0_m6_bBkZY8PpIbh3Rm4v2t9ZK8vWQPG7OENteslL-Fahdtiqky2pK6cv1it597YJ-Xv8-msaMR9Qm00oaZh4XZJySbiS5QasrdFxjE1KRwts8VGC65S1Qq7JBCUW41wYboptxjZvEJT_Z2Hhyphenhyphenv9vPNUJaM2_g/s320/Pope-francis-10-tips.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />On December 18th, 2023, in an audience with Víctor Manuel Card. Fernández, Prefect, and Mons. Armando MATTEO, Secretary for the Doctrinal Section of the <span face="Tahoma, Verdana, Segoe, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 14.6667px;">DICASTERY FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH, Pope Francis signed the following document in several languages: </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p align="center" style="background-color: white; font-family: Tahoma, Verdana, Segoe, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;">Declaration </span></b><b style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><i><span style="font-size: medium;">Fiducia Supplicans </span></i></b><b style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings</span></b></span></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> </span>Now, people are wondering and sending me questions and statements about what this really means and how it will play out in reality among us flawed human beings. Here follows an email exchange I have been having with one such seeker of the truth, goodness, and beauty of God. My reply is followed by the seeker's commentary and questioning.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">The document itself in <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_en.html"><b>ENGLISH</b></a>.... and in <a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_ddf_doc_20231218_fiducia-supplicans_fr.html"><b>FRENCH</b></a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;">Home page of the <a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/romancuria/en/dicasteri/dicastero-dottrina-fede.index.html"><b>Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith</b></a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdppXic6EyaI-_oFgTkpYOF9arwS2uLHbu9WsnEbQ_1-wkTDCH7vNKj9P4dwOubzrBk1hCmjSRhFdi5vEX5TJgJbruKJ6oQ0L0obV8eZgSgQjv2PcST7K42IDiXMn_iyBrNpMrSyvKMKsnrPpH72-5IlBRFgchSTj3Opyh4u1U7BcXbjUb1hyKVQ/s275/Jesus-attractive-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdppXic6EyaI-_oFgTkpYOF9arwS2uLHbu9WsnEbQ_1-wkTDCH7vNKj9P4dwOubzrBk1hCmjSRhFdi5vEX5TJgJbruKJ6oQ0L0obV8eZgSgQjv2PcST7K42IDiXMn_iyBrNpMrSyvKMKsnrPpH72-5IlBRFgchSTj3Opyh4u1U7BcXbjUb1hyKVQ/s1600/Jesus-attractive-2.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">First of all, the best we can do is to prayerfully read the actual document itself. You will find links to the document in English and in French up above. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My initial reply in this dialogue exchange and reflection.... </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">We can be too quick to jump to conclusions and not take the time to understand what exactly is intended by these declarations and decisions by Pope Francis and the Vatican dicasteries.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>What is a blessing?</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I understand blessing first of all in its fundamental sense: to say good words. Jesus clearly expects us to do that unconditionally for anyone and everyone we meet, even enemies, and perhaps especially to enemies and those we may consider "unclean"; which is something Jesus reproached the Pharisees for refusing to do.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>The spiritual dimension of a blessing</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">On a more spiritual or mystical level, to bless someone is to believe that when we do or say good to someone, God himself is the One who truly blesses. Every human being, even criminals, have a right to be blessed because God wants to bless them. A blessing is never an approval of sin, but aimed at the soul in order to lift it up closer to God.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">In this particular case, people in irregular situations are already suffering to various degrees in their persons. The simple fact that they seek a blessing from the Church or from a priest, deacon, or bishop indicates that they in some true sense are calling out to the Lord. We have no grounds upon which to withhold a blessing from anyone who asks, no matter their condition. That is why Pope Francis keeps repeating that we should not subject them to exhaustive moral scrutiny and examination before even considering their request, or go so far as to subject them to a humiliating moral examination and judgment of their life and conditions as the Pharisees did. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">From the "ivory tower" and "glass castle" of their wealth, prestige, power, and authority; the Pharisees looked down upon people as "lesser human beings" and, for the most part, as "ritually unclean", that is, as not observing every last one of the 619 laws, rules, and prescriptions and interpretations of the commandments and prescriptions given by God to Moses for the people to observe in order to be righteous before God. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Now, when a soul is asking for moral guidance or confession, well, that is clearly something else. Then we are certainly obliged to guide them through an examination of their conscience based on divine revelation and all that God wants them to know; so that they can adjust themselves and begin taking steps towards aligning themselves with God's will. They may not always be able to go the full distance all at once or even in their lifetime, but may be able to make progress over time, one step at a time. No one has any right to impose the full journey instantaneously on demand on anyone... the journey is intended by God to take a lifetime, whether that turns out to be long or short. No one has the right to insinuate themselves in between God and a soul... that territory belongs to God alone.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Blessings as sacraments</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">On a sacramental level, the blessing of couples as couples, especially in a ritual resembling marriage, can clearly only be given to a man and a woman, and even then, under the right circumstances and personal dispositions.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I find it sad when people at any level of status or condition in the Church react with great indignation to Pope Francis' determination to get the Church to stop being so judgmental, so Pharisaical, and turn around and become more pastoral in order to welcome people in their simple requests for a blessing. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Jesus will one day return on the clouds <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2025&version=NRSVCE">as Judge to separate the sheep from the goats</a>, but in the meantime, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010&version=NRSVCE">He presents Himself as the Good Shepherd</a>. Every time Pope Francis calls on us to welcome people, regardless of their life situation, and in this case to give a blessing, he also makes it clear that for couples in irregular situations (still bound before God by a previous marriage, or both of the same gender, as in two men or two women, and so on), the blessing cannot resemble anything like a marriage ritual. He cannot make it clearer than that. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">We have no right to tell anyone that they don't belong and can't have access to God's blessing and mercy. Jesus keeps the door to Himself open, and no one has the right to slam it shut in anyone's face, no matter their condition or situation. Jesus made this clear to Sister Saint Faustina Kowalska when He made her the "Secretary of Divine Mercy" and told her how much his merciful love wants to pour itself out into souls; they have only to ask. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">However, none of us has the authority to change God's original plan for marriage and family. One husband married to one wife is God's ideal plan for the procreation and parenting of children. There is some wiggle room, as there was for Mary, who became pregnant with the Son of God by the action of the Holy Spirit. Joseph still married her, after the angel Gabriel told him the child was from the Holy Spirit, and he served Mary well as a good husband and Jesus as a "foster father". Joseph was the only earthly father that Jesus knew and loved. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">All this huffing and puffing by ecclesiastics and even lay people who take it on themselves to criticize and even condemn Pope Francis smacks of clericalism and moral superiority and is light years away from anything resembling humility; which is the only way to approach Almighty God. Such people show nothing but contempt for souls and the suffering of humanity and expose themselves as living in some kind of glass castle or ivory tower. They feel called to act as the great defenders of morality, the ten commandments, and the dignity of the Church and of God Himself, but they are deluded. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">God can and does take care of Himself and of his truth and doesn't need champions. It is enough for us to do as Jesus did and to teach and proclaim the truth, simply, and peacefully; letting people take it in and take the time they need to assimilate it and integrate it into their way of living and behaving towards others over their lifetime. Proclaiming the truth does not exempt us from the obligation to obey Jesus' command to love one another and to extend his mercy to others. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">It is wrong and might even be mortal sin to try to pound moral principles into people's hearts, minds, and souls as a complete package that they must absorb in its entirely NOW because WE DEMAND IT. Treating people this way objectifies them, reducing them to objects who must receive our demands. We then have no respect for the dignity God our Creator has given them as human beings. To make such declarations and demands with everyone on every occasion, every circumstance, at all times and in all places, is a pretence of moral righteousness. It puts obstacles in front of people as pre-conditions to receiving any and all services or blessings. This I believe is the entire point of Pope Francis' campaign to get the Church to become more pastoral, more welcoming, more humble like our Master the Good Shepherd; that is, to get out of the way of people seeking God and let them go to Him.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">The Most Holy Trinity know in their infinite wisdom that human souls come only with great difficulty to the full knowledge, acceptance, and living of the truth, of goodness, and of beauty, and as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Peter%203&version=NRSVCE">St. Peter wrote in his letter</a>, what appears to us as delay is God's patience shown to souls. He "wants none to perish, but all to come to repentance." Great will be the shock of those with rigid, judgmental minds when they draw their last breath and come into the overwhelming radiance of truth, goodness, beauty, justice, and mercy of the Love of the Most Holy Trinity. That first entry into God's Presence will be terribly embarrassing for many who are so convinced of their moral high ground in this life. That is why our merciful Father provides for the possibility of purification in Purgatory.... Thanks be to God for that. I will quite likely need it, and you may need it too. </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The original query from a devout Catholic seeking clarity in these confusing times:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">According to the latest document from the Vatican, under certain conditions couples in “irregular” (sinful?) situations and same-sex couples could receive blessings, provided these blessings don’t give the appearance of sacramental matrimony.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Since the publication and promulgation of this document, cardinals, bishops, even entire episcopal conferences have stated that they will not implement such blessings.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> This brings to mind two approved apparitions and their prophecies – Fatima and Akita:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> From Fatima: Sr. Lucia of Fatima told Cardinal Carlo Caffarra that a "decisive battle between the kingdom of Christ and Satan will be over marriage and the family."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">From Akita: On October 13, Mary then warned of the impending dangers for the Church.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">"The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Folks – these prophecies have come true!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> Let us pray many rosaries of repentance and for the Holy Spirit to send us courageous cardinals, bishops, and priests who will lead us to our salvation by “preaching the Gospel in season and out of season” (II Tim 4:2).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dialogue partner's reply to my response as above to the original quwry, eagerly seeking the truth and what is right and in accord with God's will:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Whatever is intended by Pope Francis in this or other writings/speeches he has made, there is almost always great confusion; his remarks, while well intentioned, can be taken many ways, and those include by enemies WITHIN the Church! Lest we forget, Pope Paul VI had proclaimed that the smoke of Satan has entered the Church.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">I’m absolutely sure that the Blessed Mother revealed the prophecies to Srs. Lucia and Agnes for our edification and salvation. Well, here are the facts - cardinals and bishops ARE against each other; the issue of homosexuality has been in the background for a long time, including so-called “gay marriage”. Couples living together (“irregular situations”) without the sacrament of matrimony are living in sin. That is the teaching. It is the duty of every baptized Catholic to pray, regularly receive the sacraments, and encourage everyone to do the same. That is also the mission of the Church.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">While the document takes great pains to differentiate a blessing from an endorsement of these “couples”, it is not clear what the purpose of this blessing is - a call to repentance?.../why people in such situations seek a blessing? Confusion!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Fatima and Akita are approved apparitions; the BVM does not lie! Sorry Gilles, but I strongly disagree. I continue to pray for all of the ordained.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - </div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My further reply, also seeking God's will for us all: </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">I frankly enjoy these dialogues with you, because you never lack for an expression of conviction. Still, on this Earth, I believe that none of us are capable of comprehending, let alone giving appropriate and just expression to, the complete and full wisdom of the Most Holy Trinity. The best we can do is mutter partialities, like the "ligue du vieux poêle" who make hockey commentaries fun.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>The social upheaval of the 20th century</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">In our societies that were not devastated as were the "theatres of war" during WWII - there emerged a generalized selfishness due to the sudden prosperity of the 1950's, which we must remember was a result of society's mobilization for world war. This sudden prosperity creared a disparity between our society's values and the new "lifestyles of prosperity", which in turn caused a crisis in parenting. The new generations may not have understood it, but they observed the prosperity which came out of the business of killing people in war. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">We can understand how the young would have trouble with this disparity between responsible values their parents tried to pass on to them from the past and what they now saw as at times reckless living due to prosperity in the present. It would be untrue and unjust to shift the entire blame to these youth for becoming part of what is now seen as their irresponsible "teen age" demographic. These rapid changes were accompanied by the cultural, psychological, societal, and spiritual "explosion" of the 60's - this would include what is still called the "sexual revolution", which is ongoing today all over the world. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">All this upheaval ushered in what we could call a carefree abandon of morality and bold exploration of human boundaries inherent in civilized societies until then. Going beyond the boundaries, demolishing them, and substituting other values or even anti-values went on</span><span style="color: #3d85c6;"> </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">throughout the 70's, 80's, 90's and even until today. Many are those who have lost any bearing to the truth or any moral compass, and legion perhaps are those who never had the benefit of even hearing about a moral compass or direction, meaning, or purpose for their life.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>The outbreak of scandals in the past three decades</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">However, much of what we have seen of scandalous sin in recent decades was already there to some degree, but was hypocritically hidden behind carefully starched collars and fine lace. Divine Providence has allowed the past century to happen for God's divine kind purposes. One reason people rebelled against the morality of their parents and society is because until then it had been imposed, without much room for questioning or understanding. You recall how in the 1950's we had to render our memorized catechism answers, complete with correct punctuation. Questions were not allowed, and understanding was deemed unnecessary. Only blind obedience was required. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">This entire approach to the education and formation of the young and of evangelization was wrong. God does not impose his will on us; that is not his way. The ways of the Lord are not our ways. Rather, his ways are more like the behaviour of the farmer who watches and waits for the crop to arise on its own. It is true that obedience is the highway to communion with the Most Holy Trinity, but God wants our obedience to be not blind, but freely and gladly given, and with increasing understanding. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>The authoritative Church past did not help people face life's challenges with free will </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">In times past, the Magisterium behaved much like a hammer, and when you're a hammer, everything becomes a nail. For centuries, the documents emerging from councils were long lists of condemnations to hell. In Québec, if people have abandoned the Church, it is manifestly because for centuries the Church failed to mentor people toward love of God; failing to direct people to grow to moral maturity and learn to make their own right choices, attitudes, and behaviours, as well as works. For this to have happened, it would have been necessary for the Church to accept the risk that people would make mistakes, which God does with us.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">When you apply unrelenting pressure, you prepare the way for an inevitable explosion. This is a law of nature. </span><span style="color: #3d85c6;">No matter what stance a pope takes, there will always be plenty of those around who will misinterpret and wreak havoc; which is the way of the enemy of humanity, ever ready to exploit us at our weakest point.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Thankfully, the landscape of the Church was not entirely bleak. There were some religious teachers and some pastors with greater maturity, autonomy of mind, understanding and wisdom of heart; who did in fact mentor other religious, pastors, and also parents. They taught them not only to understand the Word of God and the Church's teachings and Tradition, but also to apply the truth to life and to think and take responsibility for themselves. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>Reality is complex and we need to let Jesus be Lord </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">As usual, this discourse cannot but go around in circles unless we admit that the reality is far more complex than can be delineated in a few paragraphs. For my part, I cling to the belief that the Lord Jesus is not on vacation, nor asleep; nor has he retired or quit. He remains Lord of Lords and King of Kings, but also the Good Shepherd. Both are true: God's divine justice and his divine mercy. His mercy is just and his justice is merciful. We cannot attempt to have one without the other.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">One thing seems certain: there is no going back to a Church with which the Pharisees would have been most comfortable or would have admired - a Church wherein the "righteous" from on high in their ivory or glass towers and rich palaces condemn all the "unclean" - and see themselves as superior to the rest of humanity, "the great crowd of the unwashed". Jesus died to manifest the hollow emptiness of that attitude and approach, and I believe He will not tolerate his Church emulating or trying to go back to that hypocritical backwardness.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>God wants all to be saved and we had best not hinder his efforts</b></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Yes, Pope Francis is trying to convey to both clergy and laity alike, to unbelievers and atheists, and to all, that God is both just and merciful - that Marriage is only between one man and one woman for life in all fidelity and chastity - but that all those unable or unwilling to enter into that mode of living still remain children of God, whom He loves, and for whom Jesus died and rose again. Therefore, all can approach in their search for God and seek a blessing, or guidance, or confession, or Christian initiation. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><b>We may fool humans for a time, but no one can fool God </b></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">If any attempt to approach with a false conscience or in a futile attempt to extract from the Church anything for which it has no authority to grant; then they may fool humans for a while, but they will never be able to fool God. When the ultimate and terrifying moment comes for us to find ourselves face to face with the Almighty, the Creator of the universe; then all pretense will fall away, and the soul will find itself irremediably naked before the Divine Scrutiny, which is both just and merciful. What will happen then will depend a lot on the soul's disposition. If it still refuses to bend to the Divine Will, it will opt for hell with all the rebellious angels and other human souls in that frame of conscience.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">If it accepts to humbly bend to and make room for the Divine Will but is still too embarrassed to endure the intense and radiant Divine Love, it will opt to remove itself for a time from that blazing light and heat and find refuge in Purgatory; for as long as it takes for it to fully embrace the Divine Will, Truth and Goodness, Justice, Mercy, and Love.</span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">For those who are already there, they will hear: "Beloved of my Father, enter into your divine inheritance. Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into your Master's Joy." </span></div></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">As my lively dialogue partner has indicated, we had best pray to God - and ask our Blessed Mother Mary to intercede for us sinners, for all of humanity - so that we may all come to the knowledge and love of God. </span></div><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">See 2 Peter 3:8-10; Ephesians 3:19-21; 4:13-16; 1 Timothy 2:1-6</span></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2024 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2024 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-51147639065366922402023-06-19T13:05:00.001-04:002023-06-19T13:05:30.761-04:00Jesus sends us out to "make disciples".... In the face of the world as it now is, how exactly do we do that? <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlDRNlGqm3RLlXhGqjaOLj9t2IyXv9cAbVfDcRqu7gQ5MdWKg_knBR_Cus8rfnTTX9yoP5awrt5Dli7CbQHOwsB6zmcdJ2cVe2sdiP_6_JbCF5WXjazT-MhESmMX8M0LxDLC-SXGLHH1Mls0wTJ7LhwMKiPfImxZtO6l7SE2RigtcL71dFuVsbA/s251/Jesus-walking-on-water-5-772510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="201" data-original-width="251" height="201" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXlDRNlGqm3RLlXhGqjaOLj9t2IyXv9cAbVfDcRqu7gQ5MdWKg_knBR_Cus8rfnTTX9yoP5awrt5Dli7CbQHOwsB6zmcdJ2cVe2sdiP_6_JbCF5WXjazT-MhESmMX8M0LxDLC-SXGLHH1Mls0wTJ7LhwMKiPfImxZtO6l7SE2RigtcL71dFuVsbA/s1600/Jesus-walking-on-water-5-772510.jpg" width="251" /></a></div><br />How do we go out and "make disciples" in our world in 2023?</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Chand Barkat, a persecuted Christian now living in Canada </span></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> In reflecting on this question, I'd like to relate a glimpse of the life story of a devout Roman Catholic Christian man I have come to know these past ten years. He works in our residence as a kitchen aid and sometimes assistant cook. He is in his sixties, is married, and has six grown children. Until last year, he enriched our lives by labouring joyfully at our service five days a week, from Monday through Friday. Last year, as he began to receive pensions, he cut back his work to half time, coming in two days one week and three days the next. His joy is so infectious, that we miss him on those other days, just as previously, we missed him on the weekends. </span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span><span> </span><span> Chand Barak's story is relevant to our question because he is a remarkable witness to the Good News by his attitude and behaviour as well as by what he likes to tell. In the early years of our acquaintance, I simply assumed that he was a remarkable and unique individual, </span></span>but that his story could not be imitated and therefore was not all that relevant for the issue at hand.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> You will find at</span> <a href="https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a9aa4.html">this link a record and summary of his case</a> <span style="color: #38761d;">as a persecuted Christian in Pakistan in the early 1990's, dated from mid-1994. However, this account does not tell how Chand's story unfolded, but which he has related on a number of occasions. As indicated in the record, the judge wanted to release him, but under the threats from his persecutors, the judge was loath to release him and suffer along with him the wrath of the mob. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> The judge informed him that he would be released late at night or early in the morning, but that he would need help to be taken to a safe refuge. Help was found and in time Chand found refuge in the house of some missionaries who arranged for his safe departure from the country and travel to Canada as a refugee. In time, he was able to obtain similar help for his wife and six children, and they all found refuge here among us. He was generously helped by his local Pastor, Fr. Paul Pomkoski of St. Brendan Parish in the Rosemont district of Montreal, and finally able to obtain gainful employment. His wife and children, as they were able and desired, were also able to find work and are doing well. </span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> </span><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">Chand Barkat, a missionary disciple </span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> Chand does not proselytize nor go around proclaiming the Good News; so, how could he be a missionary disciple? The answer is both complex and simple. It is complex in that he "effects a jolly demeanour", to quote Kris Kringle in "Miracle on 34th Street" the 1993 movie. Here is a brief story which perfectly expresses this. One day, while still in Pakistan, he was approached by a small gang who threatened to kill him and demanded he hand over all his personal effects. </span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> He smiled at the ruffians and gladly emptied his pockets, treating them like long-lost relatives, to whom he was eternally grateful for the privilege of handing over to them all his effects. Grumbling, they took his effects, threatened to kill him if he reported this, and turned to leave. Chand called after them, "Wait. Wait." He said. "You forgot my wedding ring; here it is." Saying this, he pulled off his wedding ring and extended it to the leader, with a broad, warm, and sincere smile.</span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> So far, the story is complex due to this extraordinary warmth and compassion of this man even for his enemies. Now, the story becomes simple. So, the leader of the hoodlums barks to him, "What is the meaning of this? Why are you handing us your wedding ring?" Chand answered, "But you told me you needed everything I possess, and you forgot about my wedding ring; so, here it is. I give it to you gladly. You obviously need it more than I do." </span><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> Dumbfounded, the leader stood there for a moment. He asked Chand, "Why are you behaving like this towards us?" Chand gently explained, "I am a Christian; so you are my brothers. In Jesus Christ, I am so rich, that I don't need anything. That is why I am so glad to share with you everything that I have, including my faith." Then, the leader, turning to his comrades, ordered them to return everything to their victim. Chand accepted to receive back his personal effects as graciously as he had accepted to surrender them. Herein is the simplicity of Chand's Christian witness: Jesus Christ alone is his treasure, and all other things are of lesser value and importance and subordinate to this "one thing necessary". </span><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span><span><span><span><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #38761d;">The relevance of Chand Barkat's testimony for us missionary disciples </span></b></div><div><b><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> Having known Chand now for almost ten years, and having heard innumerable stories of his encounters with people in surprising circumstances and a variety of places all over the world, I can attest to the genuineness of his character and behaviour. This man is in a constant state of joy, and it all exudes from within, rooted in his personal relationship with the Most Holy Trinity, and his undying gratitude for the multiple ways in which Divine Providence has cared for him and his family, and also touched the hearts of many of his enemies, but more importantly, of all those he encounters. <br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> Even as he meets people in airports and other places, Christians of various denominations ask him to come and share his testimony with their congregations. When he apologizes for being a Roman Catholic and of a different Christian tradition; they want him to come all the more to speak to their members and their families. They even pay for his travel expenses and accommodations. </span><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span><span> </span><span> When he and his family, relatives, or friends travel and they encounter all sorts of restrictions, Chand gently says to them, "Wait here. I'll go and speak to them." Even in Germany, where people are so strict on timeliness and rules, when Chand approaches them explains his situation, and places himself at their mercy, people generally make an exception for him and allow him to pass. He of course warmly expresses his gratitude to them and may even express his wish for God's blessing on them. </span><br /></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> So, what do I take away from Chand's example in seeking an answer to our question: <b>"</b></span></span><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><b>How do we go out and "make disciples" in our world in 2023?"</b> There is a word from Jesus that comes to mind and may be applicable to me, to us in some situations: "O you of little faith. Why did you doubt?" Like Peter walking on the water towards Jesus, we become distracted by the force of the wind and we take our eyes off Jesus and begin to sink. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span> </span><span> We also, due to our human condition and mortal insecurities, cling to our meager worldy goods, even when we profess to live according to the evangelical counsels, and in so doing, we turn our gaze again away from the Lord Jesus; whom we profess to be our only treasure. </span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><span><span> </span><span> It seems that, in order to become fully activated as Jesus' missionary disciples in our world today, we need to daily let go of whatever we hold in our hands, minds, hearts, or souls; so as to cling to Jesus alone, and only Him. This attitude becomes real moment by moment as we accept to endure all things, to let go of all things, to trust in Him in all things, </span></span></span></span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;">and </span><span style="color: #38761d; text-align: center;">to love all others at all times, in all places, and under all circumstances. This, of course, is humanly impossible; all the more reason, then, to cling to the Lord and continually offer Him our poverty that He might fill us with his riches, and offer Him our weakness and frailty, that He may bring to bear the fullness of his power to save in and through us.</span></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian witnesses and writers in reflecting on life, encounters, and various situations, in a desire to enhance our understanding of what it means to be a missionary disciple of Jesus Christ at the service of the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-47464436761662255082022-12-14T22:39:00.006-05:002022-12-16T15:55:08.568-05:00How can we understand how well or poorly our Church in Montreal is dealing with complaints?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPImSyr3s1DAPtYRbD1d9D7ODu4jL2NPrOUoK2R80-oq395w0sz_crQ-MAzbAjRbHWqq-yia0Zp1uRYiu54yiLHBS1RlhGYcglrjl0NBQvGFBnmjQIOPiwap503QPMCzrh5KiS_44u3CXwHp4W75jrVNXlkt0ziVBRp9cL0x6SyPaF3fT0X4/s423/131001%20Mass%20in%20Capernaum%20web.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguPImSyr3s1DAPtYRbD1d9D7ODu4jL2NPrOUoK2R80-oq395w0sz_crQ-MAzbAjRbHWqq-yia0Zp1uRYiu54yiLHBS1RlhGYcglrjl0NBQvGFBnmjQIOPiwap503QPMCzrh5KiS_44u3CXwHp4W75jrVNXlkt0ziVBRp9cL0x6SyPaF3fT0X4/s320/131001%20Mass%20in%20Capernaum%20web.JPG" width="254" /></a></div><br />From the start, dear reader, please allow me to identify myself as a
retired priest in Montreal who is still active in ministry. What you find here are my "musings" as a Roman Catholic man of retirement age who also happens to be a priest. I no longer have any "mandate", nor title, nor any authority within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Montreal, beyond my occasional ministry here and there. However, as a citizen, I am entitled to my opinions like any other citizen, many of whom are not shy to broadcast their views, whether well informed or not. These days, I
am receiving notes from friends and people who know me, along with
quotes from the media such as:<p></p>
<p align="center">--------------------------------------<br />
</p>
<p>Articles reporting on inaction by the Archdiocese of Montreal<br /><br />
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-archdiocese-slow-to-act-on-meddling-in-abuse-investigation-ombudsman">https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/montreal-archdiocese-slow-to-act-on-meddling-in-abuse-investigation-ombudsman</a></p><p><b>"<a href="https://plus.lapresse.ca/screens/0108e7b4-08e8-4a7a-b766-51b443b98b8a__7C___0.html?utm_content=email&utm_source=lpp&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=internal+share">MAUVAISE FOI</a>"</b> - par Isabelle Hachey - La Presse+ </p><p>« C’était devenu inacceptable », dit la juge Capriolo en claquant la porte</p><p><a href="https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/grand-montreal/2022-12-12/archidiocese-de-montreal/c-etait-devenu-inacceptable-dit-la-juge-capriolo-en-claquant-la-porte.php">https://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/grand-montreal/2022-12-12/archidiocese-de-montreal/c-etait-devenu-inacceptable-dit-la-juge-capriolo-en-claquant-la-porte.php</a> </p>
<p align="center">--------------------------------------</p>
<p align="center"><b>What are we to make of all this noise?</b><br />
</p>
<p></p>
<p>I sympathize with all those who feel this way: <br />
</p>
<p></p><blockquote>"It's frustrating to read this news. What is it going to take to
light a fire under the comfortable pew? When will the penance be served
? These were not only sins in the theological sense, but crimes in the
legal sense."</blockquote><p><a href="https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/convicted-pedophile-stripped-of-priesthood-by-montreal-archdiocese-1.5157636#:~:text=Convicted%20pedophile%20stripped%20of%20priesthood%20by%20Montreal%20archdiocese,-Daniel%20J.&text=Catholic%20priest%20Brian%20Boucher%20has,the%20Town%20of%20Mount%20Royal.&text=Montreal%20priest%20Brian%20Boucher%20was,sentence%20for%20sexually%20assaulting%20boys.">Convicted pedophile stripped of priesthood by Montreal archdiocese</a> | CTV News - </p><p></p><blockquote>"It's unacceptable for an institution that is
at the cornerstone of the foundation of Montreal
and of Quebec, with a worldwide reputation of trust, faith and love, to
be so lazy in the reparation of its own legacy."</blockquote><p></p><p></p><div align="center">-------------------------------------- </div>
<p align="center"><b>Wait just a minute here... let's step back to see the "big picture", shall we?</b><br />
</p>
<p>Sadly, these are merely the cracks indicating the current condition
of our beloved Church in the Diocese due to aging, multiple departures
of staff for various reasons - better pay "in the world", retirement,
disenchantment, Covid-19 complications, fear
of being unfairly judged in the media, etc. etc. - such that those who
remain "in the breach" are frankly overwhelmed. They are doing their
best, but obviously, at times their best is "not good enough" for the
critics and bystanders of this world. Anyone can tear down the reputation of another person or of any group or organization; that's easy to do... all you have to do is repeat a rumour or misinformation often enough and it acquires the appearance of truth. Much more laborious is the task of the truly effective investigative journalist, who appear to be a dying breed.</p><p>Then, these days we also find slowness to return to live participation in the Sunday Liturgy
on the part of many of "the faithful" who, not least due to lingering
fear of the SARS-Cov-2 virus, are reluctant or slow to return to their
church or categorically staying home to watch
on a screen. Again, as a dear friend would often say in such
situations, and with great compassion and sincerity: "I feel your pain."
<br />
</p>
<div align="center"><b>Sometimes the Church leads... other times, she has to "catch up"....</b><br />
</div>
<p>Add to the current challenges of our Diocese the advent of the
ombudsman, which from an ecclesial point of view - even from a worldly
point of view - has been a revolutionary move in the best possible way
of looking at it. However, what needs to be understood
at the outset, is that the presence and function of a good ombudsman is
bringing to the Church the highest <u>administrative</u> standards of our
modern society. Lest it be forgotten or neglected, let us remember that
much of the social progress in western civilization
was initiated and pushed forward by members of the Church. Even the
scientific revolution was mostly "carried" by Catholic priests,
religious, and laity. However, it is public knowledge, clearly seen from following the labours of Pope Francis, that in terms of administrative practices, the RC Church has only lately been able to "catch up" to developments in secular society. </p><p>For centuries in Québec education and health care were provided entirely by religious organizations: Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, and others. Had it not been for these generations of generous and dedicated people who worked for little or nothing; the population would have had no schools, no hospitals, no social services of any kind. It is only in the past few generations that governments took these over. </p><p>Here's a question. Where is the deep gratitude of a people, of a nation, for those on whose shoulders we now stand, live, and breathe, enjoying the rights, freedoms, and duties that are now ours? A people or nation incapable of gratitude towards those who have gone before is doomed to end badly. <br />
</p>
<p>It was a very responsible and courageously selfless move for our Diocese to hire an ombudsman. It is a good thing, yes, but keep in mind that these
administrative standards to which the ombudsman now holds the Diocese did not "fall from the sky" into our society,
but were developed over decades and, for certain administrative
principles, over centuries. As these administrative
principles and practices developed - often driven by the profit
principle in tandem with progressive social pressures - as well as in the course of the social and political revolution of the past six decades; all the institutions and people
pushed, coerced, and carried by these changes and social evolution had TIME TO ADAPT.
<br />
</p>
<p align="center"><b>A "new standard" of administrative principles and procedures....
</b><br />
</p>
<p>The presence and ongoing role of the ombudsman in the Diocese of
Montreal requires from this same Diocese an administrative response
equal to these secular administrative standards of our modern society.
Unfortunately, this new pressure is being put on the
people, the workers of the Diocese, without allowing them the benefit
of TIME TO ADAPT which have been enjoyed by administrative workers in
business and public organizations for the past several decades. In addition, those who can be entrusted with the burden and responsibility of following up on the complaints received by the ombudsman are not many; they are few, and they already have full time posts requiring their attention, time, and energy. The Diocese has neither the personnel nor the resources of a multinational corporation, but is rather like a small family business struggling to make ends meet week by week, month by month. </p>
<p align="center"><b>The great demographic expansion... and the Church shrinking.... </b><br />
</p>
<p>A century ago the Diocesan Curia - the workers who are the immediate
collaborators and workers of the archbishop - were only a handful at a
time when parish churches saw thousands or tens of thousands of people
every Sunday, each of them contributing their
Sunday offering. Our population exploded with the post-WWII years, and
so did our Church. Many new parishes were established in the 1950's,
1960's, and 1970's. Especially with the aftermath of Vatican Council II
from 1962 to 1965 and the various renewal movements
which followed, the size of the Diocesan Curia swelled as well in order
to respond to new needs and demands. Current conditions require the Diocesan Curia to shrink rapidly, back towards the size it was a century ago before the demographic expansion took place. This in large part explains the delays about which the ombudsman is currently unhappy. Two or three people cannot "handle" many complex cases simultaneously with their already heavy duties. They do what they can over a period of time, as much time as it takes. "When will it be ready? It will be ready when it's ready."<br />
</p>
<p align="center"><b>Urgent and serious cases are being handled fairly quickly, but "historic cases"....</b><br /></p><p>The general population is well acquainted with the trial, condemnation, and imprisonment of an English speaking priest who was later laicized, returned to the state of a layman, for having sexually abused two minors. The Diocese acted quickly, in fact, more quickly than the police initially. From where I stand, having heard of recent actions taken promptly following the reception of complaints, it seems that the Diocese continues to prioritize serious cases. I imagine, considering the complaint of the ombudsman as published in the news lately, that what will take more time is the handling of "historic cases", cases from the past that may or may not have been handled completely or to the satisfaction of the plaintiffs.</p><p>It is also public knowledge that the Archbishop commissioned an exhaustive research of all the files for all cases of abuse going back several decades. It is not rocket science to imagine that satisfaction will no doubt be given, but that it will take the time it has to take, given the Diocese's very limited human and financial resources. It's like the local populations who don't want their neighbourhood church to be sold or demolished, but who have contributed little or nothing to that building's maintenance or repair for the past several decades or in their lifetime. They want the building to continue, but they have no intention whatsoever of loosening their purse strings to make that happen, and prefer to pass the buck.<br /></p><p align="center"><b>The "revolutions" of the 20th and 21st centuries....</b><br />
</p>
<p>Looking back again at our history, as populations shifted, new suburbs cropped up, new
parishes were erected, the population base of older parishes gradually
shrank, along with the Sunday attendance in those older churches. At the
same time, the technological, economic, and
social revolutions which affected us all, and the resulting upheaval in
administrative practices which rapidly ensued, caused our society to
"run far ahead" of where our Church was in terms of administrative
practices, which put the Church on a somewhat parallel
but separate track in terms of office work and the handling of files,
calls, needs, and requests. It was doubtless to be expected, under the
circumstances, that the Diocesan Curia would not be able to deal with
all the internal Church challenges and simultaneously
keep up with the upheaval in administrative changes and developments in
business, government, and society.
<br />
</p>
<p align="center"><b>Since Pope Leo XIII's "<a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/leo-xiii/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_l-xiii_enc_15051891_rerum-novarum.html">Rerum Novarum</a>" in 1891, the Church has championed human development....
</b><br />
</p>
<p>That is why our Diocese - for various human and understandable
reasons - is not yet in sync with the world's administrative
standards, even while the Church "runs ahead" with its high excellence
in the domains of
<b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/doc_doc_index.htm">faith</a></b>,
<b><a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/taglist.chiesa-e-religioni.Chiesa.speranza.html">hope</a></b>, and
<b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/institutions_connected/elem_apost/index.htm">charity</a></b>, such as: the
<b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decl_19651207_dignitatis-humanae_en.html">promotion of human dignity</a></b>,
<b><a href="https://www.humandevelopment.va/en.html">human development</a></b>, <b>
<a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/justpeace/index.htm">justice and peace</a></b>, promotion of
<b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/migrants/index.htm">care for migrants and itinerant people</a></b>,
<b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVKz5pM4geof3NvZO7GOylw">creative forms of economy</a></b> putting the human person in the centre,
<b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/paul-vi/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_26031967_populorum.html">caring for the poor and exploited</a></b>, and
<b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_20150524_enciclica-laudato-si.html">care for the environment</a></b>. Building on the work of his predecessors Saint Pope John Paul II and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI,
Pope Francis set <b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/motu_proprio/documents/papa-francesco-motu-proprio-20190326_latutela-deiminori.html">a new standard for the protection of minors and other vulnerable people</a></b>
for the whole Church
as recently as 2019. Again, though, human nature being what it is, it
takes time for new perspectives, new understandings, new principles, new
standards, and new administrative measures to be not only adopted in
practice, but deeply integrated into our psyches, minds and hearts. <br />
</p>
<p align="center"><b>There is no defence against those who insist on remaining ignorant of the truth, the facts....</b><br />
</p>
<p>There are still those who, simply not knowing much about the Church
from up close, still accuse "the Church" of being "rich" and indifferent
to the poor. Add up the value of all the homes on your street and the
values will add up to such a huge number as
to give the impression that all those who live on your street "are
rich" as well. The Church consists of thousands of parishes where the
people erect, use, and maintain buildings, which seems like a lot of
"riches". In fact, though, most churches barely have
enough resources to pay their priests a basic living, let alone a
reasonable wage. If the Pope is required to use part of the
annual Papal Charities fund to cover his operating deficit, it is only
because reduced attendance and offerings in the prosperous countries and the poverty of churches in other countries reduce or inhibit the regular revenues of local parishes and of their subsequent contributions to the Papal See. Wherever the Church exists, people's salaries and church expenses must still be
paid.
<br />
</p>
<p>What emerges here, I think, is that all too often we can employ two
disparate standards: we justify ourselves with one standard, but then we
hold the Church to a different standard. For example, I don't mind
leaving a $15 tip to the waitress after a $120.00 meal
with a relative or friend, but I may consider $15 far too much
to drop into the collection basket at Church for my Sunday offering. Two
different places; two different standards. Unfortunately, when the
local church pays salaries and expenses,
it is by the same standard from which none of us can escape. The cost of living is the same for everyone.
<br />
</p>
<p align="center"><b>Applying 2 different standards only breeds confusion and ignorance....</b><br />
</p>
<p>The media outlets covering the latest kerfuffle over the ombudsman's
latest report suffer, I believe, from this error of two
different standards. Case in point: "in the world" you apply for a job,
are interviewed at least once, must provide full
c.v. and disclosure, may have the opportunity to negotiate your salary,
then you receive a job description, after which you have periodic
reviews after 90 days, six months, 12 months, and then on an annual
basis. In the Curia, as needs and tasks arose and
developed since the time of the colony, clergy and religious did most of the "heavy lifting", and good lay people who were known or who were looking for work were
taken on. Often, they "learned on the job".
<br />
<br />
To put it simply, until recently, we've not had in the Church the
benefit of such stringent administrative practices, nor detailed job descriptions, as
those current in the marketplace. However, our current
Archbishop, like Pope Francis with his Vatican Curia, saw
the need and began leading the Diocesan Curia into reform. Some 5 years
ago, or so, the Archbishop hired a competent lay woman with experience
in HR - human resources - to start up a department of HR from scratch.
She would have needed an assistant and a secretary,
but all she had was herself... no funds. Well, she's still plugging
away, occasionally is able to get some help, and is slowly putting in
place HR measures and practices. Needless to say, human nature being what it is, there's a lot of resistance, and progress
takes time. <br />
</p>
<div align="center"><b>The Diocese is deeply committed to a process of renewal, which takes time. The critical voices echoed in the media seem to be telling the Diocese: "There is no time. You have no time."</b><br />
</div>
<p>Now, suddenly, under the watch of the ombudsman, there simply is "no
time", because we are being dragged into "today's administrative
standards, ready or not". So, day by day more and more church workers
are being held to the highest administrative standards,
and, quite frankly, many are simply not yet up to the task, at least, not
to the degree to be expected in business or public institutions which have been developing them for decades. A diocese can't just fire everybody
in one fell swoop and start from scratch. There
are also issues of justice and fair treatment of workers to be respected. It looks to me like we are all
being dragged into the 21st century kicking and screaming and holding
on for dear life.<br />
<br />
Maybe this ongoing renewal of our diocese and the stringent demands of the ombudsman will
continue to cost us and "more administrative heads may have to roll", as
it were; who can tell? One media article, perhaps quoting the ombudsman's report, insinuated that the Diocese was using canon law to conceal or protect people against whom there may be a complaint. There again, those who are ignorant of how the Church operates, and who may want to remain ignorant, can't understand that canon law is part of the Roman Catholic Church's "code" of conduct. No diocese, bishop, priest, or baptized person has an "option" of not abiding by canon law, but must live in accord with it. Clergy are strictly held to live and work in accord with canon law. People complain about the delays in civil legal procedures and courts, but they accept that this is the way it is. Well, it's the same with Church canonical procedures.</p><p><b>Jesus continues to offer "eternal life" through his Church.... </b></p><p>In the meantime, in appears to me - I could be wrong - that news
outlets are glad to have one more reason to beat
up on "the church". Any time "the Church" stands out - like at Christmas and Easter - she makes a "good target" I suppose. If there's no "new" news, rehashing "old" news will have to do. For those of us who love the Church, she is our Mother, because through her our God gives us life, a share in eternal life. Jesus defined eternal life this way, according to John the Evangelist: "And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2017&version=NRSVCE">John 17:3</a> </b></p><p>The Church is our mother, and she doesn't need us to add
our own scandalized grumblings and strident recriminations from our
comfortable couches. Frustration can be a profitable thing, if we
interpret it as part of "the cross" that Jesus says
we must all be willing to bear if we would follow Him. As Father John
Walsh of beloved memory used to say and actually wrote: "It may be more
comfortable to watch the parade from the sidelines, but it is far more
effective to join the parade." We'll see how it goes.
</p>
<p align="center"><b>The new policy of protecting vulnerable people is working and continues to be developed....</b><br />
<span lang="EN-CA"></span></p>
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature">We know that in 2019-2020 a priest
was accused, judged, condemned, imprisoned, and laicized for having
sexually abused two minors. In the past two years alone the Archbishop
has brought the diocesan personnel and many priests
through sensitivity training in order to enable everyone to participate
in helping to prevent abuse of any kind from every happening again. Not
everyone has been through the formation yet, but our collection of
parishes, movements, clergy and laity can't be
expected to move "in lock step" like the employees of a large
corporation who are given no choice if they want to keep their salary.
Our Church has salaried people but it also has retired people and
volunteers. </div><div class="moz-signature"><br /></div><div class="moz-signature">The opeating principle of the R.C. Church is "<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+2&version=DRA"><b>good will</b></a>"; like what the angels spoke of to the shepherds guarding their flocks by night in the fields near Bethlehem at the time of Jesus' Nativity, which we are preparing these days to celebrte. The church is not the military on parade. Human nature
being what it is, there will always be risks, but we try to minimize them
and to put everyone involved "on alert", which is a very good
thing to do. In many ways, Montreal is leading the way for other
churches.</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">It is true, as Pope Francis repeats, that
even one single act of abuse is criminal and unacceptable. The Roman
Catholic Church consists of 2,248 dioceses, over 5,600 bishops, over
414,582 priests, and 1.3 billion Catholics worldwide.
Unlike a tightly organized multinational corporation, the R.C. Church
can only move slowly but surely. We have all seen how long it has taken
Pope Francis, with all his determined efforts, to reform the Vatican
Curia, a task which has made much progress but
which continues to this day. Strong decisions are being made, strong measures are being implemented, and strong action is being taken, but the Church is not a police state, civil government, or military.</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div align="center" class="moz-signature"><b>True progress takes time....</b><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">You know the expression well: "Rome wasn't
built in a day." However, those who are disgruntled with the Church's
progress to date - whether they take issue with the Vatican, with the
many dioceses of a particular country, with their
own nation or diocese, or with their own parish - progress takes time. Every time
someone new comes along, they have to be trained and start from scratch. "You can't
turn a ship on a dime."; as the captain of the Titanic discovered to his
discomfiture and to his death.<br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">Much is currently being done, which is good,
but reports say that there remain trouble spots where action may not be happening fast
enough. However, in making these remarks, we are not distinguishing
among the varied levels of complaint - from the
person who doesn't like a priest's tone of voice or the way he looks at them, at the less serious
end of the spectrum, to an actual allegation of sexual abuse, abuse of authority and power, or psychological abuse at the
really serious end.<br />
<br />
I have heard of at least 3 priests recently - good young priests with
fine reputations and who were well loved - against whom there was a complaint, not necessarily
of a sexual nature but perhaps in terms of the treatment of relationships, or simply because they weren't scrupulously
following 21st century administrative procedures. I can tell you that
"a great big hand reached down from the sky and pulled them rapidly out
of both their ministry and residence", basically making them "disappear"
for the duration of the ensuing investigation, whether or not they would later be found guilty. </div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div align="center" class="moz-signature"><b>The process can be merciless... which is difficult for a Church that is a Mother....
</b><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
Should it turn out that they are innocent and were falsely or mistakenly accused, the
damage to their reputation will probably remain irreparable... "the cost
of doing business in this modern age". These modern ultra high
standards are killing for the parish communities
that suddenly find their priest "disappeared" without explanation. We all agree that overt sexual abuse of any kind is intolerable, but some less grave forms of abuse are also reported. Even
if one person or a few people have a legitimate complaint that they
felt mistreated by their priest, the truth often is that all the other
people in the parish may hold the priest in
high regard, appreciate his ministry, and dearly love him. None of this
matters in the face of a complaint, and the priest is "taken out". The ombudsman is watching and waiting. <br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">The rigorous standards which brought us the
ombudsman require confidentiality; such that very little if anything can
be told to the parishioners, lest the identity of the person making the
complaint be revealed. Even in the case of
the priest found to be innocent, when it turns out that he did nothing wrong;
nevertheless, confidentiality requires protection even for the identity
of the one who complained; so, either way, guilty or innocent, the
priest will have to live with the consequences for the
rest of his life... "the cost of doing business in this modern age".
This whole process can be merciless, which is difficult for the Church
to endure; for she truly is a Mother and exists to "give life" and "give
life in abundance" as Jesus promised. The Church
is Jesus' instrument in the world to manifest the "maternal love" of
God his Father by the workings of the Holy Spirit, the "Lord and Giver
of life".
<br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div align="center" class="moz-signature"><b>The latest headlines.... </b><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
The current hullabaloo in the news is primarily about two things. First,
if I understand the situation correctly, there are only 2 or 3 full
time workers at the Diocese who must deal with some or many or all of these
complaints, and they are already overburdened in
their regular functions and duties. The complaints are above and beyond
their regular duties and, probably, "way above their pay grade" to
employ a secular business term. To all intents and appearances, they are good people doing the best they can. In
some cases, the well experienced worker retired
and has been replaced by someone new who has to "learn the ropes",
which takes at least 6 to 12 months. Then, some of these new people
leave to earn more money "in the world", which again requires someone
new to start from scratch. In other words, the Diocese
is hard pressed from within and without, with little relief in sight. Again, it is my impression that all too often, media outlets seem not to care for this depth of facts. Journalism used to pride itself on being "investigative", but now all too often media reports rather resemble gossip sheets that simply pass on whatever reports or claims may be had from whatever sources are available. <br />
<br />
Second, an episcopal vicar, in other words a close collaborator of the
archbishop, has been accused and allegedly messed up. His intentions may
have been squeaky clean - I don't know the details, nobody
except the ombudsman and a few others know - but he allegedly forwarded something
confidential about a complaint to whoever it was he was communicating
with. He allegedly broke the rigid rules of confidentiality and the ombudsman is
ripping mad. We can sympathize. As ombudsman, she has
the task and duty of being the champion of those with a serious
complaint. As a result of these high standards, whether the episcopal
vicar in question messed up or not, "he's gone", "burned", "finished".</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div align="center" class="moz-signature"><b>Apparently, we're "not working fast enough"....</b><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />Third, her other complaint is that the process of handling complaints isn't
going fast enough according to the standard she is putting to the
Diocese. Well, hello! The Diocesan Curia is not a multinational
corporation with a president, 5 vice-presidents, and
an army of department managers with dozens of employees each, all
earning six figures annually, and leaning heavily on the people below them.<br />
<br />
All the clergy earn the same, from the newly ordained to the priest with
50 years of experience, from the newly ordained priest to the archbishop and his auxiliary bishops. In 2022, that was $27,601.46 + an amount
for room - $7,992.19 and board - $6,750.73 plus employer contributions
to the group insurance and pension funds; for
a total value of ca. $45,000.00. Lay people working for the Diocese,
depending on whether they have 1 or 2 certificates, a Bachelor's or a
Master's degree, earn from $33,998 to $40,384.00 plus employer
contributions to the group insurance and pension funds,
putting them roughly on a par with the clergy. It is true that the clergy are better off than their predecessors prior to around 1960 when the first annual salary of $1,000.00 was instituted. Before that, priests only got $1.00 for each Mass they celebrated, period. That was it; apart from anything more that people may have wanted to give them from time to time. In those days, pastors took charge of the Christmas and Easter collections, from which they had to administer the rectory staff and expenses, including food. Despite these figures,
which dramatically increased in recent years to ca. $8,000.00 when I was ordained in 1983, people can still find
better conditions "in the world", and they do, regularly, leave to do that. </div><div class="moz-signature">
<br />
For priests on pensions today, the older their pension is, the less they
currently receive, due to the rapid increases in salary in the 1980's and 1990's, and the less likely they are to earn enough to be
able to live where they would like to live; such that they probably have to settle
for whatever they can afford, like many pensioners in the general population, with the exception of course of those who benefit from family inheritances putting them among those who are
"independently wealthy". As prices continue to rise, the average priest,
like the average lay person, will be able to afford even less.</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div align="center" class="moz-signature"><b>Do you have a right to an opinion if you are "merely a bystander" and don't support the Church?</b><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
Meanwhile, the vast majority of "the faithful" either "watch the Mass"
from the comfort of their home or don't participate at all. We sympathize with and do our best to live in solidarity with, and to support, those who are really poor. No doubt that Jesus still finds among the poor the "widow giving her two little coins" for love of the Church. Among those many people who live well enough, very few
actually loosen their purse strings to contribute to the Church, and
when they do, for most of them, it wouldn't even
cover the tip for a cup of coffee. At the same time, the cost of
repairs and maintenance on church buildings has doubled or more, with
the general result that they cannot be maintained and people who still go to church hope and
pray their church will remain open as long as possible
until the city has to condemn the building as unsafe and order it locked up; as
happened over a year ago with St. Gabriel. Many or most of our
parishes cannot even pay their priest's salary, let alone do
maintenance.<br />
<br />
"In the world", the president and CEO makes a decision and sends it to
his VP's, who in turn lean heavily on their many managers, who then tighten the screws on their dozens of workers. Nope, not here. We're
talking 2 or 3 people IN ALL to handle the complaints coming from the ombudsman! I could be wrong, but this is the way it seems to be to me as I approach my 40th anniversary.</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div align="center" class="moz-signature"><b>Time to "wake up"! </b><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
So, let's wake up and smell the coffee, folks. Let's get real and stop
flying high in the stratosphere with our highfalutin discourses about
"how scandalous it is how the Church is handling or not handling" the wide
spectrum of complaints keeping the ombudsman
busy. The Diocese of Montreal stands with our Archbishop and is
decidedly committed to taking the part of each person with a complaint
of abuse of any kind. That is good, and we stand by this principle and
we stand in solidarity with those who have suffered
at the hands of those who have abused them. We feel their pain and join them in praying to God for their healing, comfort, and satisfaction as they are heard and given the help they need.<br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature"><br />
</div>
<div class="moz-signature">Meanwhile, we give thanks to God for the good people who, because they work for "the Church", endure in the
media a variety of public criticisms, accusations, and condemnations. Nevertheless, they remain faithfully at their posts, for the love of God, for the good of
souls, and for love for their Church. For the
glory of God, they continue to do the best they can, faithfully
supporting our archbishop. </div><div class="moz-signature"><br /></div><div class="moz-signature">Jesus warned us not to expect to be treated any better than He was, the Son of God Himself, Love in Person. See how the apostles / evangelists reported this in <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2015&version=NRSVCE"><b>John 15:18-21</b></a> and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%2010&version=NRSVCE"><b>Matthew 10:22-24</b></a>. Undoubtedly these good
workers will continue to find much comfort in the truth that they are
living squarely in the <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205&version=NRSVCE">8th beatitude</a></b> as reported in his Gospel by <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew%205&version=NRSVCE">Matthew 5:10-12</a>.</b></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-36398541772649367532022-11-07T19:47:00.001-05:002022-12-14T22:42:00.544-05:00What are the acceptable and sinless signs of affection in a relationship? ( Kisses, hugs, touch.....)<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCnjpbQv-5LybA5J_X8nviprQ73MtnGWKdTTMoBHesE-RDBfKddO_NZNbmg7brN_tdbvLvHBS9GFhfG6nr5yl7SzX_8IntRR6nn1Vpsq-N45hPlqspPhtOOrwdQqa1TSmyu3MtFcIUyVlaIDZu9NshPXKSB_DpzO3UTjlc7jLuBQxsBWLmqc/s255/NFP-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="255" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCnjpbQv-5LybA5J_X8nviprQ73MtnGWKdTTMoBHesE-RDBfKddO_NZNbmg7brN_tdbvLvHBS9GFhfG6nr5yl7SzX_8IntRR6nn1Vpsq-N45hPlqspPhtOOrwdQqa1TSmyu3MtFcIUyVlaIDZu9NshPXKSB_DpzO3UTjlc7jLuBQxsBWLmqc/s1600/NFP-3.jpg" width="255" /></a></div><br />Dear young woman,<p></p> <p>You are now asking: "What are the acceptable and sinless signs of affection in a relationship? ( Kisses, hugs, touch.....)"</p> <p>It is less about the gestures and more about what is in the heart, what are the motivations, what is it that we are really desiring, seeking, wanting?</p> <p>When a touch, a hug, a kiss comes toward you, is he coming to "take" something from you, or is he offering something to you? Also, what is it that you want and desire? Is it in accord with God's plan for our happiness? Is it in accord with what God wants for you, what God is calling you to do? <br /> </p> <p>A man and a woman can stand face to face, holding hands. He moves his face a little closer, but respectfully waits. She moves her face a little closer, which he interprets as her willingness to do more; so, he kisses her gently. She receives the kiss also gently. <br /> </p> <p>Then suddenly, to her surprise, he kisses or grabs her more passionately - the male hormones tends to put men into "overdrive" - in a kind of frenzy in which he is no longer in control of his actions and his whole body is driving him towards relief of the pressure he feels... which basically is relieved when his genitals expel the sperm and he then experiences a "rinsing out" of hormones and the pressure is relieved. When husband and wife are intimate, after the man has ejaculated, if he was previously tired, he will often fall asleep then.</p> <p>A woman's problem and challenge is that what began so gently and respectfully has suddenly transformed into something far more passionate, perhaps even, from her point of view, a bit violent, or even very violent. Now she tries to push him away and says "No!" but he doesn't understand, or he thinks she is just playing with him, and so he continues. It becomes a big problem. The reason it becomes so confusing is that the two of them did not talk it out clearly beforehand. In every relationship, these things must be made very clear; otherwise, the risk remains for misunderstanding and misery. <br /> </p> <p>You see, a woman's "weakness" or "vulnerability" is her desire to please. She is afraid to say "No!" to the man she desires when he wants "more" physical affection from her, because she is afraid he will be displeased and may even reject her and look for someone else who will more easily give him what he wants. Woman is afraid of being unloved, of being rejected, or remaining alone, abandoned. That is why it is so important for fathers to love their daughters well; so that they already know they are loved and lovable and don't need to find a boy to love them. What God says to all his daughters is this: <br /> </p> <p style="text-align: left;"><font color="#0000ff"></font></p><blockquote><font color="#0000ff">"Be not afraid. If when you say "No!" to the man you like and he then rejects you and goes away; rejoice, and be glad, for he was not worthy of you. If you had stayed with him, he would only have brought you heartache. Conserve your "treasures" carefully, my daughter, and keep them for the man I your God and Creator, your heavenly Father, have in mind for you, a man truly worthy of you, who will respect you and not try to take from you that which you will freely choose to give him on the day you commit your lives to one another for life, on your wedding day. Then, even after the wedding day, for the rest of your lives together, such a good man will never try to "take" anything from you. On the contrary, he will study you and learn what pleases you and make many efforts to give you tenderness and affection in ways that truly please you and cherish you as his beloved."</font></blockquote> <p></p> <p>I wrote everything I wrote in the last email because the challenge never goes away that the woman and the man experience everything differently. That means you must always be "on alert" to be aware of your dignity, your goals, and your limits. You, each of you, need to explore these things, and to understand more completely what it is that you want in your life. <br /> </p> <p>Do you want to know and to do the will of God? Do you want to love God and to embrace the plan He has for your life? What about your boyfriend? Does he want to know and to do the will of God? Do he want to love God and to embrace the plan He has for his life? <br /> </p> <p>To answer your question in a different way, expressions of affection between boys and girls should never be different than what would be appropriate for brother and sister or for children with their parents and relatives. No one should engage in anything more "passionate" outside of marriage, because the way God our Creator designed woman and man, once the affectionate gestures cross over into passionate embrace, then hormones "take over" and "drive them towards union" and towards the "creation of new life", that is, the fertilization by the man of the woman's eggs. Before marriage, touching, hugging, and kissing must remain gentle, and "brief", so as to avoid stirring up the fires of passion. Once the fire is lit, it is almost impossible to stop. <br /> </p> <p>Women must be very understanding and considerate of men, who are much more easily and much more quickly "aroused" and burst into raging fire. For their part, men must be very mature and disciplined, and learn how to master their own impulses and passions. Otherwise, they are unsafe for the women in their lives, and they will be incapable of being chaste, respectful of their wife, or faithful to her. <br /> </p> <p>You see, we are all affected or "infected" by the thinking, the values, and the behaviour of the world, of the society, of the culture around us. We "swim" in it like fish in the water. We "take in" countless impressions, images, and emotions from this culture, and much of what we "take in" is in accord with pagan values or even total lack of values. One dominant "value" or "negative value" in our culture is "If it feels good, do it." But what often "feels good" to the man does not "feel good" to the woman, which is why there are so many sexual abuse and harassment cases in the courts.</p> <p>If we really want to live life fully and to enjoy the abundance of life God wants to give us, we need to conduct ourselves according to God's standards, and not according to the world's standards.</p><p>On another of my Blogger pages, you will find several articles and links on a wide variety of topics around human sexuality, love, fertility, and happiness - <a href="https://sexfieldhospital.blogspot.com"><b>Field Hospital for Meaning, Purpose, and Fulfillment in Human Intimacy and Sexuality</b></a>. </p> <p>Does this begin to help to clarify this question for you? <br /> </p> <p>If you email me, I will be very happy to respond to you, either of you, or better yet, both of you. You will find a button to easily email me if you go to my <b><a href="https://gillessurprenant.blogspot.com" moz-do-not-send="true">home page </a></b>and scroll down a little or simply go here: <a href="mailto:fathergilles@gmail.com"><b>EMAIL ME</b></a>.<br /> <br /> Peace to you and your families. God is with you; you can trust in Him. You can trust in Jesus, the <a href="https://www.thedivinemercy.org"><b>Divine Mercy</b></a>.<br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div> Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-68834611738428576982022-11-06T23:07:00.000-05:002022-12-14T22:42:39.283-05:00A young woman or young man asks: "How can we conduct ourselves in such a way as to have a chaste relationship before God?"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mebneT-5MYZTrd8sFu_792ux6Azsu10FvCeU9rKBiMw1nnFEPgIEoToqIeQrHCk41fkn_mA7Ki_uEJ8vzD0Ch792k2jDjMxa2ol4C9BNhhJPBZNZjc-XEvVryh6T1S45p6uob-Zu80PSRo7AhbJPGe20M4IihYObTJGYzRSWbvc4xDunYaI/s275/Jesus-attractive-2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8mebneT-5MYZTrd8sFu_792ux6Azsu10FvCeU9rKBiMw1nnFEPgIEoToqIeQrHCk41fkn_mA7Ki_uEJ8vzD0Ch792k2jDjMxa2ol4C9BNhhJPBZNZjc-XEvVryh6T1S45p6uob-Zu80PSRo7AhbJPGe20M4IihYObTJGYzRSWbvc4xDunYaI/s1600/Jesus-attractive-2.jpg" width="275" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />My very dear young woman, here are a few thoughts for you and your boyfriend. My very dear young man, here are a few thoughts for you and your girlfriend.<br /> <p>First of all, I wouldn't be surprised if it is you, the woman, who is asking me this question, and not the man. You are asking "how to conduct yourselves as girlfriend and boyfriend so that your relationship will be a chaste relationship." As you will see, the fact that you, the woman, who is asking this question, this is already an indication of the things I am about to share with you. If the young man is asking me this question; then, I will be very impressed with him, that he would have this capacity to care so much for the other as well as for himself. I will be very interested to continue this as a chat with both of you, you, young woman, and your boyfriend, by email, if this is something you would like to do. You can easily find on my home page, if you scroll down a little, a button for sending me an email. What follows is fairly lengthy, but then your question touches on very deep things. <br /> </p> <p>When I was in high school, a boys only school on our side - the girls were with religious sisters on the other side - some of my classmates wanted to know, at 16 years old, "Brother, how far can we go?" He was asking the question in thinking about going out with his girlfriend.</p> <p>Well, that is a normal question I think for a 16-year-old boy, and perhaps also the girl.</p> <p>However, there is wisdom, I think, in the difference that God our Creator built into women and men. We are definitely made, designed, different, which means that we experience these things differently, and therefore, we react differently.</p> <p>Generally speaking, in the vast domain of human relationships, it is quite true to say that human males, from puberty on, without even thinking about it, just by being male human beings, in approaching their relationships with girls as boys or with women as men, sexual intimacy tends to be quite prominent in their bodies, minds, imaginations, hearts, and perhaps even in their souls. This is primarily because their sexual sensitivity is "on the outside".</p> <p>Human females, on the other hand, while they are also "fully equipped sexually", their sexual sensitivity is "on the inside". That is because God designed the human female to be the "host" of the "new life" that happens when the female's "eggs" begin to "ripen" and descent towards the place where they are likely to meet the spermatozoa contributed by the male. Our Creator designed our human sexuality entirely around this capacity we have to "create new life", which makes us "in God's image and likeness". Therefore, God made woman to be resilient, to "last" through almost any human difficulty or calamity. Think of your own mothers, grandmothers, and aunts. Just ask any woman who finds it hard to lose weight, and she will tell you that this is so. When there is a famine, men will die sooner than women, because God designed women to be able to nurse their babies as long as possible during calamities. <br /> </p> <p>This means, then, that God our Creator designed women "to give life, to nurture life". For this and other reasons, in approaching their relationships with men, just as it is also true for girls with boys, the human female tends to have foremost in her body, mind, imagination, heart, and soul not sexual sensitivity, but rather the relationship itself, in other words, friendship, fraternity, and simple caring about the other. <br /> </p> <p>This is why in the course of the "battles" between boys and girls, men and women, the males tend to be "pushed" by their internal pressures "towards sexual pleasure and gratification"; whereas the females tend to be "drawn" by their need and desire for relationship, for friendship, to simply know from others that they are "lovable" and "loved". No sexual activity is needed for her to be satisfied. All she needs is for him to look into her eyes, to walk with her, to hold her hand, and to chat with her and "talk about a million things". <br /> </p> <p>This continues to be true all through life. In marriage, the woman is called the "bride" and the man is called the "bridegroom". The wisdom contained in these terms already contains the truth that, in God our Creator's design, He has made the female so "rich", so "full of life", so "attentive and giving" of herself, so generous in "all that she says and does for others", that she deserves to be appreciated, valued, defended, cherished, and cared for. Men can very easily be selfish... just look at the world around us and at all the conflicts worldwide and you will see how little men think of woman and children when they make war on one another. So, then, the man is called the "bridegroom" because God designed him to have all he needs in order to appreciate, value, defend, cherish, and care for the women in his life: beginning with his mother and grandmother, his aunts and cousins, his sisters, and all the other females that come into his life.</p> <p>When a husband truly is and truly lives like a bridegroom and "grooms" his wife well, cares for her and cherishes her every single day of their lives; then, his wife notices this and values him in return. She knows she has a real treasure, and she attaches herself to him. When they spend much "couple time" together, chatting, sharing, listening, holding hands, looking into each others' eyes... then they experience a real "fullness of intimacy" in their way of living together and relating to one another, caring for one another, all day and all night, all week long, for their whole lives. Then, the actual sexual intimacy happens very naturally to them. As they pay attention to one another, they give "signals" to one another to "approach", to "come nearer", and if they truly CARE for the OTHER, they pay attention to these signals, and nothing happens that either doesn't want, and there only happens what they both want. This is the perfect "nest" in which new life can be conceived.</p> <p>However, when men don't fully understand or were never initiated or mentored into their identity, place, and role "as a man" in this world; then there is a risk for men, as for boys, to "follow their instincts, their impulses" which, if left unmoderated, ungoverned, makes human males into "big penises on wheels". That is how it happens at parties and on college and university campuses, in workplaces, and anywhere in society that a man "thinks" the woman is "saying yes" when in fact she really wants to "say no". That is how date rape happens, and sexual harassment and violence. The simple fact that a man "finds her attractive" can give him the impression she is "saying yes", but in actual fact, if he bothered to read all the signs and to take the time to find out how she really feels, he would probably find out that at this time, and in this situation, she probably wants to "say no". <br /> </p> <p>A woman's weakness is her desire to please, to give life, to nurture life, to "say yes to life". That is primarily what makes women the "weaker sex"; it is not that she is weak, because as I wrote above, God our Creator designed woman to be resilient. A man's weakness is his inclination to think of himself first, and not to put the other first. When he does that, he can allow himself to be dominated by his "sexual drive" which propels him "towards the goal", which is not the relationship, not the good of the other, but his own satisfaction, to "relieve the sexual pressure" driving him onward.</p> <p>That is why it is so important for parents, for mothers and fathers AS COUPLES to educate and form their children well, both boys and girls, to understand themselves, to understand the purpose of life, to learn how to put others first, to learn how to notice, understand, and "master" within themselves their human drives and inclinations, and also to understand how different these things are in boys and girls, in men and women, and how to take care not to take advantage of others.</p> <p>I have read, for example, that some good fathers take great care to love their girls and to show each of them how beautiful and lovable their are. Some fathers give each of their daughters a beautiful ring on their 16th birthday to demonstrate to her how much he loves her as her father and to let her know, beyond any shadow of a doubt, that she is not only lovable, but lovely, and loved. She no longer needs to try to find from boyfriends this knowledge, because her own father makes it very clear to her that she is "fully equipped" for life, that she holds in herself an infinitely precious treasure, and that she should take care not to "throw it away" to just anyone, but safeguard her riches carefully for the day when she meets a man truly a man and worthy of her, capable to caring for her as a husband should. <br /> </p> <p>In his relationship with his boys, this good father demonstrates and shows them how to respect, love, and cherish the women in their lives, beginning with their own mother, grandmother, sisters, and aunts and cousins. He helps them understand how they must make efforts to "master" their own inclinations in order to "have the freedom" to apply all their resources to love well the women in their lives and truly care for them and cherish them. Only then will they themselves be truly happy. <br /> </p> <p>In the intimacy between a husband and wife, which is the normal context within which sexual intimacy can take place without any dangers to either of them or to their couple relationship, the woman "takes longer" to "warm up" to the intimate encounter; whereas in a way the man is "always ready to go". This is primarily because the male "sexual equipment" is external and generally requires very little stimulation to "get going". <br /> </p> <p>In the long-term relationship between a husband and wife, and between the wife and her husband, this often is where they can experience trouble. The wife simply needs - like the fiancee - to "be noticed, to be appreciated, to be looked into her eyes, to have her hand held, to walk together and chat together, and have the satisfaction of being in a relationship with a man who is truly her friend and shows his ability, willingness, and eagerness to put her good, her well being, her interests ahead of his own". Generally speaking she doesn't need sexual intimacy, and she won't "need it" until they are married and she is "ready to conceive life" and to nurture that life. For a fiancee and for a wife to be truly fulfilled in their relationship with their fiance, their husband, women need their man to demonstrate every day his ability, willingness, and eagerness to "master himself and all his impulses" and to "be there" for her.</p> <p>We men do find our fulfillment and happiness in depth and in a lasting and fulfilling way only when we accept to take our responsibilities, to "master our impulses", to be "masters of our own house, that is, our own self", and when we learn and accept to put ourselves wholeheartedly at the service of those "we think we love, those we say we love, those we want to love". Any man not willing or interested to do that or dedicated to do that is <u><b>not worthy</b></u> of any woman, let alone the one he would life someday to marry. The man who cannot or will not master himself is like all the men worldwide throwing their societies into conflicts and wars, as if they not only don't care but don't even notice how they are plunging their own people, their women and children, into hardship. They see only the so-called values they want to push and are willing to declare war on anyone and everyone who stands in their way. <br /> </p> <p>The man who is truly a man, on the other hand, is like Pope Francis, like a diplomat, like an ambassador, who entirely dedicates himself to the service of others, like Jesus himself, who came that we might have life and have it to the full. Read Jesus' words as recorded by the <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%2010&version=NRSVCE" moz-do-not-send="true">Apostle and Evangelist John in his Gospel</a></b>, chapter 10, where he presents Jesus as the Good Shepherd. <br /> </p> <p>So, my young friend, does this begin to answer your question?</p> <p>If you email me, I will be very happy to respond to you, either of you, or better yet, both of you.</p> <p>Peace to you and your families. God is with you; you can trust in Him. You can trust in Jesus, the <b><a href="https://www.thedivinemercy.org" moz-do-not-send="true">Divine Mercy</a></b>. <br /> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div> Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5018869 -73.5673918999999917.191653063821157 -108.72364189999999 73.812120736178855 -38.41114189999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-19430617941063592512022-09-03T11:35:00.001-04:002022-12-14T22:43:02.917-05:00A simple guide for reading, pondering, and praying with the Word of God in the whole Bible<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_quote"><div class="gmail_attr" dir="ltr"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bmQpKkJWMTDF_ZvKVSH-z0uQyWe01b_e9Lg_ZzyIN6sPY1V0r5QdZYaFIT7SX4xh_vB_7DcnGE7cM5i2aLdtg3nRJDtJGfMHF5ATY_sPKCsxL_DumIg3P-KOcJGAHETHIJPn2yUmiZDnZi-6S9WX9GxHcxIM04E_QTRHiRc0RIsNduxG1p4/s259/Catholic-Tools-19.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="194" data-original-width="259" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2bmQpKkJWMTDF_ZvKVSH-z0uQyWe01b_e9Lg_ZzyIN6sPY1V0r5QdZYaFIT7SX4xh_vB_7DcnGE7cM5i2aLdtg3nRJDtJGfMHF5ATY_sPKCsxL_DumIg3P-KOcJGAHETHIJPn2yUmiZDnZi-6S9WX9GxHcxIM04E_QTRHiRc0RIsNduxG1p4/s1600/Catholic-Tools-19.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br />Dear Reader, if you are reading this, it may be because you are accepting the grace and God's invitation to come closer to Him by reading his inspired Word in the Bible, the Old Testament which is the Jewish Scriptures, and the New Testament, which is the writings of the Apostles whom Jesus commissioned to go out to all the world and proclaim the Good News.</div><div> <p>I'm also glad that you are reading the Word of God in the whole Bible, but you need to remember a few things. You already know that reading the Word of God is not like picking up a book published a few years ago. The oldest parts of the Bible were written down in their earliest versions around 4,000 years ago in other languages - Hebrew, Aramaic - which was Jesus' dialect of Hebrew, and Greek, not modern Greek, but ancient Greek.</p> <p>You may not have the opportunity or means of taking Scripture courses, although at some point later in life you may, but I can tell you a few things that you will find very helpful.</p> <p>All of human history and all of Creation is in God's hands. He inspired various people to understand and tell things to others and eventually to write them down. The long term view of it all is that, after the "fall" or "rebellion" of the angels and then of Adam and Eve, the first human beings, God needed to find ways to "bring them back" to communion with Him. The big problem was that in preferring our own thoughts, or in believing the words of the "stranger" - the "serpent" - we turned our back on what God had said to us about what is real, what is good, and what is deadly.</p><p>The strict condemnation of the use of statues and images in the Torah
related directly to other religions and the fertility cults of the nations and peoples surrounding God's Chosen People, which put them at risk of being affected and drawn in by the rituals and idol worship of their neighbors' religions and cults, such as the fertility cults... God made it clear that we are
to worship only God and Him alone. That was and is the teaching of the Old Testament, the Jewish Scriptures. </p><p>Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God and son of Mary, conceived in her by
the Holy Spirit, is the Living Image of God the Father. Jesus said that
if we have seen Him we have seen the Father. Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies and inaugurated the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God. Since then, we worship only Jesus and
the Father and the Holy Spirit, the one God and Creator of all that is.</p><p>When we Christians make use of icons, statues, and other images of God the Holy
Trinity, the Father, Jesus the Son of God, and the Holy Spirit, these
material representations bring to mind and heart whom they represent,
and our use of them helps us to remember that God is present always, and
so they help us to pray and worship the Lord. We don't worship the
images, but seeing them, we worship God whom they represent. We thank God for these aids to our faith, prayer, and worship. </p><p>
</p><p>As for images and statues of the saints, again these help us to
remember these heroes of the faith, and as we revere or show reverence
before these images and statues, it is whom they represent that we honor
- we don't worship them but God alone - and in honoring them, we also
ask them to pray for us. </p> <p>So, the whole of the Old Testament is all about the trouble God had to take to gradually bring humanity back to himself, beginning with those who were open and willing to "hear" Him and obey Him: Noah, Abraham and his son Isaac and grandson Jacob, to whom God gave the nickname "Israel", which means, "he who is strong with God".</p> <p>Inspired, told, written, edited and re-edited, and passed on over a period of at least 2,000 years, the Old Testament consists of the "<u><b>Torah</b></u>" or "<u><b>Law</b></u>", the first 5 books. Then follow the continuation of the history in what is called the "<u><b>historical books</b></u>": Joshua, Judges, Ruth, the prophet Samuel, the Kings, Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, Tobit, Judith, Esther, and Maccabees. </p> <p>Then there are the "religious" books or "<u><b>wisdom</b></u>" books: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Wisdom, and Sirach or Ecclesiasticus.</p> <p>The final section of the O.T. is the <u><b>prophets</b></u>, divided into the "great" prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, and then the 12 "minor" prophets. Basically, their "books" are much shorter than those of the other 3. The prophets all were called by God and sent to his people before, during and shortly after the "exile" when Israel, the "northern kingdom" and Juda, the "southern kingdom" were conquered and the leaders, the skilled laborers, and the rich people were enslaved and brought into exile in Babylon, which is today Iraq. <br /> </p> <p>So, as you read, ponder, and pray with the Word of God, keep in mind the kind of book you're getting into - Torah, historical, wisdom, or prophetical - and keep in mind what God seems to be saying to his people AT THAT TIME. God kept insisting on the people avoiding "idols" because they were surrounded by people following "fertility cults" where the rituals often included getting drunk and having sexual orgies.</p> <p>What bothered God the most was the way people were showing contempt for others, especially exploiting the poor. Those sins against charity brought God's most severe condemnations and punishments.</p> <p>Now, in Jeremiah 31:31-34 God promised a "<u><b>new covenant</b></u>" and Jesus is the fulfillment of this promise. Under this new covenant, God could "change" his approach to his people who, after 2,000 years were beginning to be ready to hear what God really wanted to say to them and wanted to say to them all along, but they weren't ready or willing yet.</p> <p>The N.T. is just that, what God has always wanted to say to his people, but before, they were so depraved that they couldn't or wouldn't hear it. Even in Jesus' time, only some people "got it" and accepted Him, but many still refused.</p> <p>God has always been love, but authentic love requires a minimum of justice; otherwise, without justice, there can be no love, not really. The "Law" and the O.T. with the 10 commandments are simply the MINIMUM required for human beings to become truly human and avoid becoming perverse and no better than animals.</p> <p>The N.T. goes much further, way beyond the minimum, to the point of forgiving everyone, loving even our enemies, and surrendering our whole life to God with absolute trust in Him for everything. Jesus lay down his life to show us what a truly loving human life looks like, a life putting all its trust in the Father and his love and mercy. Jesus offered his life in order to now make it possible for the Holy Spirit to bring about in us the authentic love that was in Jesus. <br /> </p> <p>So, there you have a workable "framework" to guide you in reading the Word of God. I recommend that each time you reach for the Bible to read it, first ask the Holy Spirit, who is ever with you and within you, to enlighten you and guide you as you read. Then, when you are ready to stop, thank the Holy Spirit for being with you, guiding you, enlightening you, and ask Him to help you through the day to ponder, like Mary did, and "absorb" what you have read, and for the grace to "give God permission" to do all that He wants to do in your life, within you, and through you for others.<br /> </p> <p>Peace to you and your family,</p> <p>Fr. Gilles</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div> </div> </div></div> Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-74203679997227479502022-05-06T13:57:00.001-04:002022-12-14T22:43:52.511-05:00Whirlwind Tour in Spirituality and the Beauty and Meaning of Everyday Life for Us Christians<p>Greetings Dear Friends,</p> <p>Christ is risen, alleluia!</p> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.madonnahouse.org" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="448" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinXT_nD3vLTSzQuIYpoRLxHxZcx-yvYJWN-_y9B-yzm6QRzpYdkTI0dDnnp9qIZBQj3xa0PVRrWf7IeDmCNV04gILEd7aadOi2WRAfvi3cwNkjUzsAFytk4IgJGlD4xKAI2Oe-pNMZ_3xmmnGjQdZZex17h1EbTEUU-lSYsmmcHbF8R_-CQ1I/s320/MHA-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />It's Spring! And Mothers' Day this weekend.... Happy Mothers' Day to our mothers, wherever they may be!<br /> <p></p> <p>Could you use an uplift?</p> <p>I invite you to take a brief "reading tour" of the Madonna House Apostolate, which may actually be for you a "spiritual renewal" and opportunity for you to be graced by God, the Most Holy Trinity. ENJOY!</p> <p><a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://www.madonnahouse.org/tour/" moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.madonnahouse.org/tour/</a><br /> </p> <div class="moz-signature"> <meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="content-type"></meta> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <meta content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" http-equiv="content-type"></meta> <title></title> <div class="moz-signature"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><span> <span> </span></span><i>Pax + Caritas, Fr. Gilles</i></span> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 8pt;"><span> </span></span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"> Fr. Gilles A. Surprenant –<span> </span></span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;">Associate Priest of the Madonna House Apostolate</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><br /> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"> New website Start Page: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://gillessurprenant.blogspot.com" moz-do-not-send="true">https://gillessurprenant.blogspot.com</a> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;">Nouveau site web Point de départ<br /> </span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><br /> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"> <span> </span></span><font size="-2"> </font><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><u><b>Poustinia</b></u><span> </span>- Monday - Tuesday - Wednesday / lundi - mardi - mercredi</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><br /> </span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><span><br /> </span></span></p> <span class="SpellE"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;">Residence</span></span><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;">: 1071 rue de la Cathédrale, Montréal<span> <span> </span></span>QC<span> <span> </span></span>H3B 2V4<span> <span> </span></span>CANADA</span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><b><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 4pt;"> </span></b></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;">Residence<b>: </b>514<span><span> </span></span>864<span><span> </span></span>5600 ext. 618 Mobile 514<span> <span> </span></span>823<span> <span> </span></span>7812 </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 4pt;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><font color="#3333ff"><b><i><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"> "Were not our hearts burning within us as He talked to us on the<span> </span><span class="GramE">road</span></span></i></b></font></p> <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; display: inline; float: none; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span> <p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: #ccffff; color: #336666; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 13pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 9pt;"><font color="#3333ff"><b><i><span> </span></i></b><b><i><span> <span></span></span></i></b><b><i><span> <span> </span></span></i></b><b><i><span class="GramE">and</span></i></b></font><i><font color="#3333ff"><b><span> </span>explained the Scriptures to us?"</b></font> </i> Luke 24:32</span></p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div> <span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2a708b; font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 9pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Segoe UI"; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="moz-signature"> <div class="WordSection1"> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-43149089806701690512022-04-20T22:36:00.007-04:002022-04-23T22:16:32.322-04:00How secular society "views" our efforts in the Roman Catholic Church of Montreal to implement "responsible pastoral ministry" and accountability in our Church's use of its "servant authority" - with attention to protecting, defending, and promoting the safety and rights of all members of the population - especially the most vulnerable. <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: red;">The Roman Catholic Church of Montreal has been going to bold, innovative, and costly lengths in her efforts to implement "responsible pastoral ministry" and accountability in our diocesan Church's use of its "servant authority" - with the explicit intention of </span><span style="color: red;">protecting, defending, and promoting the safety and the rights of all members of the population - and with particular attention to the most vulnerable, such as those who have suffered abuse. </span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">How our secular society "views" our efforts VS what that looks like in the "inside"</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">---------------------- </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdIqDknrI9v2y9817HDp0aRCzGaYDhT2nURNX7OcXAUo0JiySDuZaXREf5PW17OJYiXU6P3qefs-eKsORPRc8xmMbhFl6Oz5rOjtn-pd3ahzn4Be96XrhrW15OMLn1e5uqrCrOZ-wg5JV1urlMdEgsvepxKfZq_Zf-AHPxFuxQYrknfcP48k/s259/Vatican-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="195" data-original-width="259" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicdIqDknrI9v2y9817HDp0aRCzGaYDhT2nURNX7OcXAUo0JiySDuZaXREf5PW17OJYiXU6P3qefs-eKsORPRc8xmMbhFl6Oz5rOjtn-pd3ahzn4Be96XrhrW15OMLn1e5uqrCrOZ-wg5JV1urlMdEgsvepxKfZq_Zf-AHPxFuxQYrknfcP48k/s1600/Vatican-1.jpg" width="259" /></a></div><br />The Press</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Morgan Lowerie of The Canadian Press posted on April 19th, 2022 an article titled <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/8769637/montreal-catholic-church-ombudswoman-details-delays-resistance-to-complaint-process/">"Montreal Catholic church ombudswoman details delays, resistance to complaint process."</a> At first view, the impression given is that the institution of the Roman Catholic Church in Montreal is "dragging its heels" in following through on its commitment to move away from "the way things were done" to doing things with greater responsibility, transparency, accountability, and especially with commitment to take the point of view of vulnerable people, especially those who have suffered any form of abuse.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Perhaps it is inevitable that anyone standing "outside" the local Church would see the situation that way, which is precisely the stance of the Ombudswoman herself, <a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en/file-complaint">Me. Marie Christine Kirouack, Ad.E.</a>. One of the reasons she was chosen for the role of Ombudswoman for the Diocese of Montreal was precisely because she is not a R. C. Christian, and therefore, not part of the R. C. Church of Montreal. She is completely independent and, it is therefore believed, completely impartial. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The models of responsibility and accountability from society's governments</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, from the point of view those on the "inside" of the local R. C. Church, this can at times seem to be a great disadvantage. Our society generally has several "measuring sticks" for honesty, transparency, accountability, responsibility, and many other "values" held by consensus in our society to be important. Such values are important in government in order for the said government to be seen as, and actually to be, true to the population, to whom any government is accountable. Members of the general population, in particular citizens, manifest their satisfaction or lack of it at election time. However, all those who work in public service are directly accountable normally only to their superiors, but only indirectly to the public through people's communications with them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The models </b><b>of responsibility and accountability </b><b>from business, commerce, science, & technology</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In business and commerce, as well as in science and technology, the individuals and organizations which "carry on the activity" are equally accountable to those who own said enterprises, which includes shareholders, but also the employees, without whom there would be no activity. These enterprises are more sensitive to the satisfaction of the general population, which manifests itself through success in the quantity and value of total transactions in the course of the business year and its quarters.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The models </b><b>of responsibility and accountability </b><b>from educational institutions</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In educational institutions as well, the activity carried on in elementary and high schools, colleges, universities, and technical schools also have the means of ensuring that those who carry on the activity do so in a manner sensitive to the expectations of those to whom they offer their services, that is, the student population, which can vary considerably from one year to the next. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The R. C. Church is not at all like government, or business, or commerce, or science, or technology, or even educational institutions</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Unlike all of these other realms of society, the "point of contact" between those who carry on the principal activity for which the institution or agency exists, at the "providing or giving end" on the one hand, and all those at the "benefitting or receiving end" on the other hand, that "point of contact" is comparatively minimal or small or even practically non-existent.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Government services and all the apparatus of its bureaucracy - with its thousands of public servants and employees - are "at work" the standard number of hours every week of the year, with possible exception for reduced hours during summer vacations and statutory holidays. There are constant and unceasing "contacts" between government agencies and "the population" all year round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The same can be said for businesses, commerces, scientific institutions, technological enterprises, and all manner of educational institutions. These all have "business or school hours" and other times during which contact with the public is made possible. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What all these institutions have in common is their ability to implement policies with immediacy and clarity by passing them down the "chain of command" or "channels of communication". They have the liberty and the means to implement "ongoing formation" of employees through statutory formation days by means of the funds generated by their principal activities. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">All of society's institutions and organizations are put together in such a way as to entrust specific functions to specific individuals, such that each worker's "duties" are fairly clearly defined and more often than not restricted to a fairly narrow "corridor" of focus of activity. That makes it fairly easy for these workers to implement policies sent "down from above". These institutions also generally have the means to ensure "quality control" by the appointment of supervisory personnel for this purpose.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>The R. C. Church is very different from all of these</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There was a time, when society was still considered a manifestation of "Christendom", that is, a society principally organized on the principle tenets of the Gospels. The Church's "authority" was generally acknowledged and accepted by the general population, and those who dissented were generally deemed to be in various states of "rebellion" or "heresy" of "disobedience", for each of which states there were very specific "sanctions" or "punishments" or "consequences". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Principally since WW II, the "faithful", that is the "baptized", have questioned and even "walked away" from that authority, and some have even "walked away from God", or at least the "version of God" as presented to them in the R. C. Church. This phenomenon of "walking away" is currently being painfully felt by local businesses who observe their sales volumes shrinking to the benefit of Amazon and other online enterprises. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">However, the key difference between the R. C. Church and the rest of our society's institutions is that the "point of contact" between those providing the services in the Church - the clergy and those assisting them, both employees and volunteers - is comparatively minimal. Those who go to Church on Sunday - in Québec deemed to be around 2% of the baptized - are not there every Sunday. Even when they are there, it is only one hour or less a week. The vast majority of the "clientele" or "membership" have no contact at all with those providing the service except occasionally for baptisms, the other three sacraments of initiation, weddings, and funerals; as well as occasionally for the Anointing of the Sick.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, from the point of view of the clientele or membership, the Church has very little contact with them or means of implementing any policies. This can only be done when people make contact for services or when we manage to reach out to them through social and other media. From the point of view of the workers and their supervisors, the sheer magnitude of the challenge of a severely aging workforce while maintaining services and infrastructure, such as buildings, is so great as to be practically unmanageable, let alone finding time and energy to impart, offer formation for, and actually implement fundamental changes in policy and practice, and for several reasons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>First</u>, </b>the clergy are aging and working well beyond the age of retirement and even working in sickness and disability; moreover, they are almost entirely not being replaced by younger recruits.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Secondly</u>, </b>the attendance rate is so low, that most churches are unable to sustain their very existence, let alone any projects for improvement or expansion. It is the minority of parish churches that have enough people attending, and enough representation from younger generations and families, that they are able to generate such projects. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Thirdly</u>,</b> the rate of contribution of the members is ridiculously low. There is a gap of logic which seems insurmountable between social secular standards in spending and contribution standards within the Church. Most of us go out occasionally to a restaurant. We generally think nothing of giving the 15% tip and those hand held invoice machines even show a choice of 18% now for the tip. This would amount to anywhere from $4 to $20 or more, depending on how many meals we pay for. We don't hesitate to pay such tips but when in Church, for most people their offering hasn't changed from the $2 they thought was generous enough decades ago. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Rare are those who make weekly offerings of $20 to $100. As a result, most parishes cannot even afford the salary of their priest, let alone maintenance and repairs. Most of our churches are so run down they would require millions of dollars of work in order to avoid being condemned by the public health and security authorities in the next few years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Fourthly</u>,</b> the shrinking financial viability of the parishes has also caused the "well to run dry" for the Diocese's Curia and its central governing services. In the 1950's parishes contributed 3% of all their receipts to the Diocese, but parishes at that time were seeing from 5,000 to 15,000 people <b><u>every Sunday</u></b>, including children, youth, and the aged. At Sunday attendance began to drop in the 1970's that 3% "diocesan contribution" was gradually increased to 5%, then to 7%, and finally to 9% in the 1990's. That final measure was almost useless due to the degree to erosion of Sunday attendance. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Fifthly</u>, </b>what this means for the Diocesan Curia is that it no longer has the means to employ all the people it would need in order to adequately serve all the parishes, movements, families, and individual members of the Diocese of Montreal. The personnel it does have are overloaded with duties required of them by the development of all the activity generated by the Church's expansion after WW II when the number of parishes more than doubled. Over the same period, the number of clergy has shrunk and most of these are now aged beyond retirement and health. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Not only that, but it is often a challenge for the personnel that we do have, both aging clergy and laity, to take their weekly day of rest (day off) and annual vacation and annual retreat. Some even find it difficult to take sick days and feel obliged to go on working even while sick or disabled or in varying degrees of convalescence. If women were priests, they would be unable to take maternity leave. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">For the size of operation of our Diocese, our Human Resources department should have a staff of at least 4 or 5 people, but we had only one person for three years and only recently hired a second. Our Office for Pastoral Personnel has a few more people but even they are unable to keep up with the sheer magnitude of the challenges arising from hundreds of priests, deacons, and thousands of lay workers, both employed and volunteer. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Sixthly</u>,</b> all of these conditions make it practically impossible for the Diocese to implement with any efficiency and speed the reforms to which it has committed itself. Valiant efforts are being made, and in particular cases, specific attention is being applied to effectively implement many of the reforms made manifest in the Capriolo Report. However, overall, it will take considerable time for all the personnel in all the departments and in all of the parishes to also integrate all of these principles.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Seventhly</u>, </b>we must keep in mind that the "culture" and "ways of doing" and "mindsets" of the Diocesan Curia took many decades to develop over the past century. It will take at least a full generation, so we're looking at a comple of decades, for the new "culture" and "ways of doing" and "mindsets" of the "new paradigm" to be fully integrated and implemented. It took a century for the reforms of the Council of Trent to be more or less fully implemented, and the reforms of the Second Vatican Council have yet to be "fully implemented" throughout the whole Roman Catholic Church worldwide.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><b><u>Conclusion</u>: </b>If the Roman Catholic Church has not only survived but prospered for two millennia, it is because it follows and observes a timeline that is eminently "human" and which respects the frailties and possibilities of our human nature. In the secular world, governments fall, businesses fail, and all manner of agencies cease to exist. For such reasons, they feel obliged to function on the basis of quarterly reports, even when doing so causes them to lose sight of inevitable developments on the horizon immediately ahead of them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, dear Reader, that is why the Press will continue to suspect that our Church is not progressing "fast enough" with these reforms, which is to be expected from anyone who knows nothing of the way the Church actually is "on the inside". For those of us who are on the inside, we can barely manage to keep up with the regular duties from our call to serve the people of God, both those who are "regulars" and those who merely expect the Church to "be there" when they want or have need of it or when it just happens to be convenient for them - let alone take care of infrastructures - while we continue to age and not be replaced by younger recruits. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">-------------------------------------------</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #ffa400;">Previous posts of interest: It is enlightening and even amazing to see how the Lord our God has been constantly preparing us over time for the trials, troubles, and tribulations awaiting us in the future. Browse the following list of links to posts since this time six years ago in 2016 and see how the key issues of life, both individually and collectively, are brought to our attention when we most need them.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2022/03/everywhere-we-turn-we-see-human.html">Everywhere we turn, we see the human condition in all of its poverty, struggle, anguish, and dissatisfaction; with life and love just out of reach</a>.... March 30th, 2022</div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2022/02/ukraine-russia-europe-nato-usa.html">Ukraine - Russia - Europe - NATO - U.S.A.</a> - February 28th, 2022</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2022/02/note-to-un-regarding-un-nato-usa-russia.html">Note to U.N. regarding U.N., N.A.T.O., the U.S.A., Russia, & Ukraine</a> - February 25th, 2022</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/11/marriage-or-celibacy-what-is-better.html">Marriage or celibacy? What is better, healthier, more likely to lead to happiness: a life with sex or a life without sex?</a> What about contentment versus loneliness? Does human life have a universal purpose and meaning? - November 26th, 2021 </div></div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/08/mercy-or-law-god-or-man.html">Mercy or “The Law” – God or Man?</a> - August 18th, 2021 </div></div><div><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/05/let-us-choose-life-and-every-sunday.html">Let us choose life and every Sunday worship God with gratitude for all He does for us - and avoid scandalizing little ones which is what we do when we stay home.</a> - May 23rd, 2021</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/05/pope-francis-what-on-earth-is-he-doing_12.html">Pope Francis - What on Earth is he doing?</a> - May 12th, 2021 </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/03/response-of-congregation-for-doctrine.html">Response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a doubt regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex.</a> - March 15th, 2021 </div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/03/hail-mary-full-of-grace-lord-is-with.html">"Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD IS WITH THEE..."</a> - March 11th, 2021</div><div><br /></div></div></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/01/a-catholic-wants-to-come-back-to-church.html">A Catholic wants to come back to the Church... Where do you begin?</a> - January 21st, 2021</div></div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/01/entertainment-and-related-industry-vs.html">Entertainment and the related industry vs art that is true and meaningful as well as beautiful and good.</a> - January 8th, 2021</div><div><br /></div></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2021/01/human-sexuality-gift-of-god-which-used.html">Human sexuality - gift of God which, used otherwise skews our vision, but used in accord with His plan, calibrates our vision to blessedness.</a> - January 2nd, 2021</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/11/even-children-are-impelled-by-holy.html">Even children are impelled by the Holy Spirit to go out with Jesus as missionary disciples.</a> November 21st, 2020</div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/10/the-pharisees-sadducees-scribes-and.html">The Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Lawyers are at it again, only this time, instead of going after Jesus it's Pope Francis!</a> - October 22nd, 2020 </div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-covid-19-pandemic-excuse-to.html">The Covid-19 Pandemic - an excuse to strangle the practice of religion?</a> September 21st, 2020</div></div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/09/how-can-high-level-bankers-and.html">How can high level bankers and financiers hold their heads high in public?</a> - September 9th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/08/day-146-of-covid-19-worldwide-pandemic.html">DAY 148 of the COVID-19 WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC in 2020</a> - "Do not be afraid!"- Reflection on the "Law of the Gift". August 4th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/07/it-may-be-legal-but-it-remains-offensive.html">It may be legal, but it remains offensive</a> - the Québec / Newfoundland and Labrador hydro electric agreement and long term contract - July 21st, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/06/abortion-is-failure-of-manhood-more.html">Abortion is a failure of manhood more than a woman's choice </a>- Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist - June 24th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/05/compare-covid-19-to-all-other-deaths.html">Compare Covid-19 to all other deaths worldwide</a> - Day 72 - May 20th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/04/communing-with-god-in-our-everyday-life.html">Communing with God in our everyday life</a> - April 16th, 2020 </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-catholic-view-of-life-and-death.html">A Catholic view of life and death inside a worldwide pandemic</a> - April 4th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-pain-of-not-being-able-to-find.html">The pain of not being able to find a priest</a> - February 15th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-wonder-of-our-vital-human-strengths.html">The wonder of our vital human strengths</a> - January 28th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/01/gods-plan-to-bring-us-into-abundance-of.html">God's plan to bring us into abundance of life</a> - By mere coincidence, today happens to be the Eve of the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, the day the Lord Jesus Christ met him on the road to Damascus - January 24th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2020/01/boeing-737-max-what-about-common-good.html">The Boeing 737 Max controversy - What about the common good?</a> - January 13th, 2020</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/12/a-family-activity-reading-pope-francis.html">A family activity: Reading Pope Francis' Letter "On the Meaning and Importance of the Nativity Scene"</a> - December 15th, 2019</div><div><br /></div></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/11/is-pope-heretic-or-are-we-pharisees.html">Is the Pope a heretic, or are we Pharisees, Sadducees, Chief Priests, Scribes, or Lawyers?</a> - November 25th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/10/green-for-our-environment-but-toxic-for.html">Green for our environment but toxic for human life?</a> - October 19th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/09/canadian-federal-election-guide-for.html">Canadian Federal Election Guide for Roman Catholics and Other People of Good Will</a> - September 22nd, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/09/why-are-some-of-our-beautiful-youth.html">Why are some of our beautiful youth killing themselves or turning violent? We can do a lot!</a> - September 10th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/07/capitalism-to-suck-us-dry-or-to-build.html">Capitalism - to suck us dry or to build us up - it's our choice</a> - July 31st, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/07/hope-through-resistance-in-midst-of.html">Hope through resistance in the midst of troubled times</a> - Could Venezuela's "social meltdown" happen to us? - July 25th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/06/abortion-how-has-it-come-to-this.html">Abortion - how has it come to this?</a> - The way it once was and the way it is now. - June 4th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/05/value-of-life-harm-of-abortion-what-to.html">Value of life - harm of abortion - what to do?</a> - There are different views: society's changing views, "humanistic" views, various religious views, Christian views, and oh yes, what might be God's view? the view of our Creator? - May 25th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/05/christians-like-jesus-christ-have.html">Christians, like Jesus Christ, have always been hated</a> - See the "Letter to Diognetus" from the 2nd century A.D. - May 23rd, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/04/madonna-house-apostolate.html">Madonna House Apostolate</a> - from a visit there - April 10th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/03/homophobia-schmobophobia.html">Homophobia Schmobophobia </a>- A lot has been happening, has it not? March 2nd, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/02/baptism-by-water-and-holy-spirit-what.html">Baptism by water and the Holy Spirit - what difference it makes</a> - February 18th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2019/01/a-girl-boy-wants-to-be-boy-girl-what-do.html">A girl (boy) wants to be a boy (girl) - What do you say?</a> - January 13th, 2019</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/11/why-does-losing-loved-one-hurt-so-much.html">Why does losing a loved one hurt so much?</a> - November 5th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/10/evil-pain-suffering-how-can-these-be.html">Evil, pain, suffering - how can these be God's will for us?</a> - October 24th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/10/we-are-never-far-from-god-in-fact.html">We are never far from God... in fact...</a> - October 17th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/10/on-mission-together.html">On a Mission... Together!</a> - October 9th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/08/the-gates-of-hell-shall-not-prevail.html">"The gates of hell shall not prevail against it (my Church)" said Jesus to Peter</a> - August 17th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/08/to-tattoo-or-not-i-feel-incomplete.html">To tattoo or not... I feel incomplete....</a> - August 5th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/07/anthony-bourdain-suicide-what-but-why.html">Anthony Bourdain suicide - What? But why? </a>- July 17th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/06/not-every-human-relation-or-attraction.html">Not every human relation or attraction need be sexual </a>- June 23rd, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/06/elderly-parents-impatience-or-loving.html">Elderly parents - impatience or loving interest?</a> - June 12th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/05/why-does-god-allow-us-to-be-tried.html">Why does God allow us to be tried, tested, and made to suffer?</a> - See Saint Ignatius of Loyola's teaching on the "Discernment of Spirits" from his "Spiritual Exercises" - May 30th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/04/how-easily-we-misunderstand.html">How easily we misunderstand one another as well as life situations</a> - April 27th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/03/authority-and-service-in-roman-catholic.html">Authority and Service in the Roman Catholic Church</a> - March 13th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/02/what-about-marriage-of-roman-catholic.html">What about Marriage of a Roman Catholic with a Muslim?</a> - February 7th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2018/01/fathers-you-are-vital-males-be-men.html">Fathers - You are vital; Males - Be Men before God!</a> - January 30th, 2018</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/12/where-love-is-god-is.html">Where Love Is, God Is. - On the 1st World Day of the Poor a poor man became a blessing to all who met him in the church.</a> - A World Day of the Poor Story - December 10th, 2017 </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/11/understanding-and-discernment-as-well.html">Understanding and discernment as well as LOVE versus LAW - Understanding, moral development, discernment, and the "Law of Love" - coming to understand the "ways of the Lord"</a> - November 3rd, 2017 </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/08/who-will-defend-innocence-of-our.html">Who will defend the innocence of our children?</a> What about women, men, and the elderly in their dignity? The gift of human sexuality? - August 24th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/04/please-talk-to-me-about-love-mommy-daddy.html">“Please, talk to me about love, Mommy, Daddy.”</a> Children can best receive formation in their affections and human sexuality from their parents. - April 24th, 2017 </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/04/the-suicide-of-loved-one-provokes.html">The suicide of a loved one provokes an upheaval in the survivors. What happens when we die?</a> What comes next? What can we do about death before it happens to us? - April 8th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/03/when-good-person-takes-their-own-life.html">When a loved one dies, our loss plunges us into deep grief. </a>We need God's help to continue caring for ourselves and for others. - March 24th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/02/controversy-and-confusion-over-pope_20.html">Controversy and confusion over Pope Francis & "Amoris Laetitia" Part 2</a> - In more personal settings and situations we need to show more compassion, wisdom, understanding, and counsel. - February 20th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/02/controversy-and-confusion-over-pope.html">Controversy and confusion over Pope Francis & "Amoris Laetitia" Part 1</a> - Many are uncomfortable with God's mercy and prefer to "lay down the law". - February 18th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/02/there-are-more-affluent-than-ever-in.html">There are more affluent people than ever in human history; yet why are they / we so miserable</a>? The original sin as rebellious selfish will still pulls at us. - February 6th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/02/how-do-we-discern-gods-calling-in-our.html">How do we discern God's calling in our daily lives? Q & A</a> - Wanting to "be special" versus giving meaning and purpose to our lives. - February 4th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/01/eroticization-and-unique-developmental.html">Eroticization and the unique developmental process of human persons - part 2 with conclusion</a> - January 18th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/01/pope-francis-vs-critics-mercy-vs.html">Pope Francis vs critics = mercy vs legalism</a> - People have trouble holding to both the truth and mercy as God has always done towards us. - January 18th, 2017</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/11/why-do-people-destroy-plants-torture.html">Why do people destroy plants, torture animals, or hurt other people?</a> - November 27th, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/09/eroticization-and-unique-developmental_9.html">Eroticization and the unique developmental process of human persons - part 2 continuation</a> - September 9th, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/08/when-did-usa-become-ussr.html">When did the U.S.A. become the U.S.S.R.?</a> - August 31st, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/05/eroticization-and-unique-developmental.html">Eroticization and the unique developmental process of human persons - part 1</a> - May 20th, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/04/fatima-church-and-world-standing.html">Fatima, the Church, and the World – Standing Together Before God</a> - April 22nd, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/04/admirable-fidelity-to-jesus-christ-in.html">Admirable fidelity to Jesus Christ in the face of death and the onslaught of the conquering armies of Islam </a>- The converging and intertwining histories of Christianity and Islam - April 5th, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016/03/we-should-not-stay-away-from-our.html">We should not stay away from our assembly as is the custom of some, but encourage one another </a>- March 14th, 2016</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2016_02_28_archive.html">Older posts</a>..... </div></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com1Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-80782607689454566702022-03-30T12:31:00.002-04:002022-04-23T22:16:09.371-04:00Everywhere we turn, we see the human condition in all of its poverty, struggle, anguish, and dissatisfaction; with life and love just out of reach....<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p style="text-align: center;"><b></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_ryqzgYa9sOy6w6LlXzsAZWRMYzGbl0P7PhutSO2I6tq4qmU4CnDolFNmRgTiIGPXWbVBBV2jaReg5CsIfNmpvdM6Sxn7UoGnqPYD779EvVt-199KMtvuMCf7CL07AFg0x_OK7AUyxr4AkVvTYUuyaApyVAUX8QcNp3MhZDENLx7caEZPUQ/s288/Adam-Eve-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="175" data-original-width="288" height="175" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl_ryqzgYa9sOy6w6LlXzsAZWRMYzGbl0P7PhutSO2I6tq4qmU4CnDolFNmRgTiIGPXWbVBBV2jaReg5CsIfNmpvdM6Sxn7UoGnqPYD779EvVt-199KMtvuMCf7CL07AFg0x_OK7AUyxr4AkVvTYUuyaApyVAUX8QcNp3MhZDENLx7caEZPUQ/s1600/Adam-Eve-3.jpg" width="288" /></a></b></div><b><br />What the heck is going on, anyway?</b><p></p><p style="text-align: left;">Everywhere we look in our world, in our life - in the dynamics among nations, in the political arena, in the drama lived out in marriages and families, in churches and faith communities, in our own lives - everywhere human beings are to be found; we see situations and experiences that describe endless permutations of the human
condition after the original sin. In Genesis chapter 3 is related
the temptation and the fall of Eve and Adam. There we find related that moment when God described to
the man and the woman the results, the consequences of their sin,
their rebellion, their decision to stop trusting in God. When you
hammer a nail, it goes into the wood. When you pour water on a
thing, it becomes wet. When you drop a crystal glass on a marble
floor, it shatters into pieces. The human condition is very much
like what we all experience of trouble and dissatisfaction. Here is what Genesis 3 relates.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u><b>The man</b></u> would lose the life of ease he had until
then known in the garden provided by God his Creator. From now on,
in order to live, he would have to obtain his food by the sweat of
his brow. He would have to make constant efforts to cultivate the
earth, but it would resist him and produce thorns and thistles
instead of the good fruits of the earth. In contemporary terms,
man tries to do his work, but the work constantly resists him and
demands more of him, depleting him until there is nothing left of
him; no energy, no time, no life, no spouse, no family, nothing...
but only death. It is a slavery that, unlike the chains of the
past, is cleverly devised to get the man to voluntarily go into
slavery by his own choice. This is the contemporary situation in
most of the Earth, where there is no longer the slavery in chains,
which still exists in other parts of the world. <br />
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"><u><b>The woman</b></u>, perhaps because her entire design
centres around her capacity to conceive and nurture life, she is
closer to her body than is the man. Also, she is more acutely
sensitive to all that pertains to relations with others; also a
feature of her capacity to give and nurture life. She is more
aware of and more sensitive to her own self as well as to others
in what and how they are. Now, Eve also decided to stop trusting
in God; so, for her the consequences were inevitably going to be
that her natural desire for her husband would become exaggerated,
causing her to "cling" to him. However, he would perceive this and
react, in a kind of survival reflex, by dominating her, to protect
himself from this clinging, or "nagging". In addition, her
distrust in God would also alienate her from her own self, her own
body; such that her labour pains would become intensified.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>We human beings have a specific design with "room for God" inside</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Our human condition now, due to the original sin which becomes
actualized in us the moment we are conceived in our mother's womb,
is basically alienation from God and insecurity. Human knowledge
and efforts can never resolve completely or perfectly this human
condition. The man is never satisfied with his work, with the
world as he finds it, and the woman is never satisfied with her
husband and her life as she finds it. It is a vicious circle out
of which there is no escape, but only one solution. That solution
is to restore the lost trust in God, our Creator. This is why Jesus Christ called people to follow Him and learn from Him certain disciplines enabling them to accept to live differently, to live the new life He offers those who accept Him and believe in Him. </p><p style="text-align: left;">These Christian disciplines are merely the ways we
need in order to take back into our own hands responsibility for
our own life, for cultivating our own life, and for reconnecting
ourselves with trust in God our Creator; who is ever present, ever
offering to pour into us the "divine vitality" which is designed
and intended to be the "breath" and "blood" of our life.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Yes, we need to be loved, but first and foremost, by God our
Creator, and at every moment of the day and of the night;
constantly. To turn aside and expect to be loved by anyone else
can only end in failure, because all human beings are contingent,
imperfect, and incapable of fulfilling our infinite capacity and
need for life and love. Disconnected from God, we are like a
beautiful chandelier without electricity. Only God, the Most Holy
Trinity, is worthy of our trust, because God is our origin and our
eternal destiny. We have been designed to receive into ourselves
the indwelling Presence of the Most Holy Trinity, without whom we
remain empty and cold. <br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Who or what is God?</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">God is already complete and has always been complete and
sufficient from all eternity. There was never any need for growth
or testing in God. Jesus of Nazareth, a Jew of Galilee in Palestine two millennia ago, revealed that God is a trinity, a community and communion of divine Persons. From all eternity the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit have been a completely fulfilled and vital community
of love. They are love; they don't have or give love, they ARE
LOVE. We, on the other hand, are contingent beings. We begin as
nothing and slowly grow and develop. We need to be constantly
tested in order for the tests to shake us from the impulse to
relax our efforts and try to be "just carried" by someone else,
like the baby we once were. <br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Living a human life is work, requires deliverate effort freely made</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Only by our constant efforts to live, to strive, to create, to
give, and to love are we able to take responsibility for our life
and live it more fully. The only effective "fuel" for these
constant efforts to live and love is the divine life and vitality
of love which is God. God is our fuel, our food, our life, our
love. No one else. To expect any other human being to love us,
give us life, fulfill us, make us happy, is both unfair and
impossible. No one can possibly ever meet our unlimited need and
infinite capacity for life and love; no one except God. To expect
this of any human being is to do them violence. <br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Eve is no more to blame than Adam</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Why did the tempter approach Eve and not Adam? We think it was
because Adam heard directly from God not to touch the "tree of the
knowledge of good and evil" or he would die. Eve had not yet been
created. Adam later told Eve about this, but she did not hear it
from God himself. The tempter considered her position a little
weaker because of this; so, he probed that weakness.</p><div style="text-align: left;">Why did the woman and the man both find it attractive to seek out
the "knowledge of both good and evil"? It can only be because they
thought they were missing something, that they thought they were not
entirely lovable in God's eyes; that they needed to do something to
become more lovable, more acceptable to God. It was and still is a
lie. God already loves us perfectly because God can only love
perfectly; the Holy Trinity, the 3 divine Persons ARE love. The
ocean doesn't have wet, it is wet. (From the film "Nikki and the
Perfect Stranger". I will send you links to these wonderful films
which explore what it would be like to have a visit here and now
with Jesus.) God doesn't have love, God is love.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>To focus on myself or on others? That is the question. </b></div>
<p style="text-align: left;">When I focus on myself, how I feel, what I have and don't have; I
remain isolated within myself. When I turn my focus away from
myself to the other, I can see who and what the other is, what he
is trying to do, what are her fears, hopes, struggles,
aspirations, weaknesses, and strengths. If I study the other, I
can discover in what ways the other needs to be loved; then, I can
apply myself to love him or her in this way, putting myself at the
service of the other out of love, pouring my vitality out in a
flow of love. </p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Love cannot be kept; it can only be given</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Love's satisfaction is in the very act of love, of
giving itself, of pouring itself out. Trying to get love, to have
love, to hold onto love is like trying to hold water with a sieve.
It's impossible. The only way to be full of love and never run out
of love is to love, to give love away. That is impossible unless I
am constantly connected to the River of Love, which is God. <br />
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">You already know that as a mother or father, knowing how obviously
dependent and helpless your child is from the moment of conception
and birth. That poverty pulls love and caring out of you, and you
find great satisfaction and pleasure loving your child; even to
the point of exhaustion. Slowly, the child is developing a
capacity to emerge as an individual, independent, and
enterprising. This process will take at least 18 years or more
before their autonomy is sufficient for them to go out on their
own. The challenge then is to trust them and let them go as the
new way to love them. <br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>The human person is constantly changing; relationships never quite "catch up"</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Along the way your manner of relating them is constantly
changing, because they are constantly changing, and you never seem
to quite catch up to the "new them", because the one you think
they are today is actually the one you thought they were yesterday
or last week or last month or last year. Today, they are quite
different yet again... fetus, baby, toddler, little child, child,
older child, pre-teen, pubescent child, young teen, older teen,
transitional adult, young adult, adult, midlife adult, etc.... <br />
</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">If you are a parent with young children, it would not be surprising that at the end of a day of pouring yourself
out to your little children, that you would feel a need for someone
else to take care of you. As a priest, I get to feel like that
too. That's why I can say this, which may be difficult for you to
hear or read, dear reader, but this is a "child's reflex", not a position of
adult autonomy; it is a "passive reflex", not an "active reflex".
<br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>It is always "up to me" to decide to "care for myself"</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Look at it this way. My life - body, mind, heart / psyche, and
spirit / soul - is like the baby I once was. Then, it was Maman
who took me up and cared for me in all my needs, more or less
perfectly. Providing the care was sufficient, I would smile back
at her, and she was content. (This relationship of care provider to infant is also the "theoretical model" adopted by Psychotherapist Dr. Jeannine Guindon, Ph.D., foundress of the <a href="http://www.ifhim.ca">Institut de Formation Humaine Intégrale</a> in Montreal QC Canada. She founded a new helping profession called "psycho-education" or "psycho-educator".)</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">But now, I am no longer that baby, but my organism, my life, is
as it were like that baby, because someone needs to take care of
it. That someone is me. Once I became independent of Maman and
Papa, it fell to me to care for myself in at least as good a
manner as the care I had received from them. My "life" will only
look back at me and smile when my care for my life is sufficient
for it to be content. No one else can provide that for me; it is
up to me to provide that for myself, somehow. <br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>Self care is most effective and satisfying when it does not deprive anyone else</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">I need to care for my life on my own time, and in a way that does
not put a burden on anyone else. Mostly, I need to care for myself
between my two ears, in the way I choose to think about all these
things and about my life and caring for my life. Even in the very
midst of caring for another, a child or children for instance,
within myself I can maintain a "sanctuary" of space in which I am
selecting my attitudes and interior dispositions in such a way as
to be "kind to myself" without depriving others of any good thing.
<br />
</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b>I am not a victim of my attitudes, but rather a "surfer of life"</b></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">The biggest most dramatic difference I can make for myself is,
for example, when I notice anxiety rising within me, to
acknowledge it, recognize it, understand where it's coming from,
know that I can handle it, and put it aside; replacing it with
deliberately connecting with God... welcoming God's love and
vitality like exposing myself to the warmth and light of the
sun.... This is only one example, but there are countless ways in
which I can manage my life better by noticing, acknowledging,
resolving now or putting aside to resolve later, and turning to
God to be replenished here and now. <br />
</p><p style="text-align: left;">To employ a different analogy, it is true to say that I am not a "victim" of my attitudes, but rather a "surfer of life". My surf board is the meaning and purpose I wish to "give to my life", and with both feet firmly planted on this surf board, I see waves coming, position myself, keep my balance, and "ride each wave" for all the vitality, pleasure, and satisfaction it can afford; as I make my way along the beach.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49RtKj7q2FIRDaZ_W0uxEeYLAvrjMm1UZln9a3SYeAcGuqEDKJiFE17CLAUbaX5Ww_wQ8kNX7f6rn4bxgwomZ9UDP2YStGiRabyXWWw9m2oQkTzWP_wsY1nin9fPhT-nzpTwcs9NOlwnI9lrIEeaImdWKSAinZDl1WJ8D5RVXNKX1du7UxCo/s715/ride-the-wave-t-shirt2.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="715" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh49RtKj7q2FIRDaZ_W0uxEeYLAvrjMm1UZln9a3SYeAcGuqEDKJiFE17CLAUbaX5Ww_wQ8kNX7f6rn4bxgwomZ9UDP2YStGiRabyXWWw9m2oQkTzWP_wsY1nin9fPhT-nzpTwcs9NOlwnI9lrIEeaImdWKSAinZDl1WJ8D5RVXNKX1du7UxCo/s320/ride-the-wave-t-shirt2.gif" width="320" /></a></div><br />Turning to God, opening myself up to God who is ever here,
welcoming and receiving from God are so many elements of a way of
living which is a kind of skill or practice, which can be learned
easily enough because God is ever here and eager to fill me,
refresh me, renew me, and love me. <br />
<p></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Needless to say, it has been a life long challenge to learn to
care well for my life, because that life is constantly changing
with the times, as I age, with each new challenge, in each new
situation, and also with the grinding routine of the repetitious
demands of each repeated day and each repeated night.</p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-62005824821269775242022-02-28T14:24:00.001-05:002022-04-21T16:44:52.934-04:00Ukraine - Russia - Europe - NATO - U.S.A.<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsrX0x8aaGU_C6gKkJ_XZMc_jSwXCLK4myFVuvafVqkgQWc5cY8cPc_6fBVOiz7CP1IUo5wHgQFZsOf5Y4sdZDrhOB06kA6BtYbXY8Na09cGUc9E3x99vuV6tjr-CFh49Y2q4yAwqapoPR9ptDnepLjwsm9t3f4qsrXSbI0jkWedCeXE-VwtI=s299" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhsrX0x8aaGU_C6gKkJ_XZMc_jSwXCLK4myFVuvafVqkgQWc5cY8cPc_6fBVOiz7CP1IUo5wHgQFZsOf5Y4sdZDrhOB06kA6BtYbXY8Na09cGUc9E3x99vuV6tjr-CFh49Y2q4yAwqapoPR9ptDnepLjwsm9t3f4qsrXSbI0jkWedCeXE-VwtI" width="299" /></a></div><br />Cordial Greetings and Respect to all at N.A.T.O.<br /> <br /> As I understand the history of the past century, both the U.N. and N.A.T.O. came into existence in the context of the post-WW II world and the intensifying Cold War.<br /> <br /> 1989 saw the beginning of the dismantling of the U.S.S.R. and the liberation of many of the nations previously dominated by the Soviet Union. Some of these have subsequently engaged freely in relations with Russia, with formal or informal ties. <br /> <br /> Meanwhile, despite the dismantling of the U.S.S.R., the U.S.A. and N.A.T.O. did not really "step back" or dismantle the "demonstrations of force" put in place during the Cold War and which, after the end of the Cold War, did not really make sense any more. It is understandable that mutual mistrust would continue for a while, but what actually happened is much worse. <br /> <br /> Is it not true that Russia has complained for many years that these "shows of force" on the peripheries of Russia's borders by the U.N., N.A.T.O., and the U.S.A. have not been significantly reduced? In fact, is it not true that military installations and shows of force - particularly by the U.S.A. - have actually increased? Many excuses have been employed, but always with the same effect, which is to continue the pressure on Russia on all sides. <br /> <br /> The Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962 was all about the U.S.S.R. in effect saying to the U.S.A. "You continue your shows of force along our borders with your military presence; very well, now how do you like it when we take steps to do the same along your borders?"<br /> <br /> In effect, the world has basically extended indefinitely into the future measures taken during the Cold War and which no longer make sense. Those who have seized power are obviously reluctant to let go of power, especially the U.S.A.; regardless of the effects they are having on other nations. Regardless of the apparently peace loving words expressed by American statesmen towards other nations in general and in Eastern Europe in particular; their political and military actions and the actions of their multinational corporations do anything but promote peace. The growing presence of U.S. military around the borders of Russia have done nothing but provoke the "sleeping bear". <br /> <br /> In 1945-46 England, France, Russia, and the U.S.A. assembled together in Nuremberg, Germany, judged 22 Nazi leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity; most of whom were convicted, and many executed. In succeeding decades, some nations have continued to commit "crimes against humanity"; yet these nations have not been brought to justice. <br /> <br /> Consider how the U.S.A. invaded Iraq on the pretext of weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be false. With the removal of Saddam Hussein, Iraq was plunged into chaos, and various groups previously kept in order by Saddam Hussein found themselves free to conduct their policies of aggression against others. For example, almost all the Christians who had lived in relative peace for millennia were intensively persecuted and most of them left the country. <br /> <br /> In a post cold war world, both Russia and the U.S.A. have "meddled" in the affairs of other nations, such as Afghanistan and Syria to name only these two, and at times committed crimes against humanity, but neither of them have been judged for these crimes. No one has brought them to justice. <br /> <br /> There is no denying that there is a centuries long close relationship between Ukraine and Russia. The belligerent insistence of the U.S.A. that Ukraine be introduced into NATO has been done under cover of benevolence, in the name of peace, for the sake of security for all Europe, and other high sounding words. In actual fact, though, this intrusion by the U.S.A. in the affairs of Ukraine in particular and Europe in general has done nothing but stab at one of Russia's most sensitive spots. This is deliberate provocation, and we can only ask "Why? What is the U.S.A. trying to accomplish?" Even Ukraine has consistently told the U.S.A. in effect to shut up and back off, but America is not very good at listening. America insists on the world treating Russia as if there have been no changes since the disintegration of the U.S.S.R. <br /> <p></p> <p>It seems obvious that these past few years, Russia's invasions of parts of Ukraine have been acts of frustration with the lack of listening or respect on the part of N.A.T.O. and the U.S.A. towards Russia and its own legitimate security concerns. Why is it that Russia is constantly treated as an enemy of humanity and that no consideration has been given to Russia's legitimate concerns regarding its own security? Nevertheless, it is true to say that if Russia is a bully; then it's not the only bully on the block. <br /> </p> <p>The U.S.A. goes about intruding, sometimes violently, in the affairs of other nations; whether invited to do so or not, going so far as to topple governments overly loyal to their own people but resistant to the promotion of "American interests", that is, the interests of American capitalistic multinational corporations, the same ones dominating the lobbies in Washington. I believe there is a long list of nations in which the U.S.A. came apparently to aid and build up democracy, but in their wake left those nations no longer able to support their own populations and crushed under national debts to the World Bank encouraged by the U.S.A. The signs pointing to U.S.A.'s colonial ambitions are indisputable. <br /> <br /> Why do the U.N., N.A.T.O. and the U.S.A. continue to be "asleep at the switch?" It's only a question of time before the whole world stands up as a single man and shouts: "The emperor has no clothes!" <br /> <br /> Respectfully, <br /> <br /> Gilles Surprenant, Montreal QC CANADA</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">-----------------------------</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">POSTSCRIPT - Thursday, April 21st, 2022.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">After over 8 weeks of Russia's "war on Ukraine", it would seem that the West's fears concerning Russia have been proven to be well founded. However, Russia's current faults do not negate the faults of all the other national players on the world stage. There is very little, if any, "moral high ground" here. As long as nations pursue what they narrowly perceive to be their own interests, with disregard or even contempt for their neighbours' legitimate concerns; peace will elude humanity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">World leaders may very well have their fingers on "the switch", namely, the "switch triggering their weapons" which they may contemplate using against their neighbours. My use of the word "switch" was not this meaning, but rather the "switch" which turns on the lights enabling us to recognize one another as all sharing the one common home of the natural environment on Planet Earth. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Pope Francis is right on the money to call on the leaders of the world's nations to adopt a perspective on their neighbours that recognizes their humanity, and that we are all "brothers and sisters" in the one human "family", and that we need to cooperate if we are to make any progress in promoting the "common good" in a way that benefits all; especially the most vulnerable, excluded, and discarded. Gilles Surprenant</div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"></p><center style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"></center><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px;"></p><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;"><b style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></b><p style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div><div class="moz-signature"><div class="moz-signature"><div class="moz-signature"><div class="moz-signature"> </div> </div> </div> </div> Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-33936008884516915472022-02-25T13:40:00.006-05:002022-04-21T16:43:58.916-04:00Note to U.N. regarding U.N., N.A.T.O., the U.S.A., Russia, & Ukraine<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvjnosTr-sAwz7nQStszyOxslF8q1sR_y8d9qoQGKfx3-LHKQizk-fI_IRk-04n-M50oLTXO67tBVJvvyI0E_pV2s4CsEWGoVQKz5RXa1aRTMlNEU7_XC2nkHpeR2zTENcokn86E3v8hvLClzscxHB9n7e2657uNbSO3OiHYh_p4wYfMYf_-s=s299" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvjnosTr-sAwz7nQStszyOxslF8q1sR_y8d9qoQGKfx3-LHKQizk-fI_IRk-04n-M50oLTXO67tBVJvvyI0E_pV2s4CsEWGoVQKz5RXa1aRTMlNEU7_XC2nkHpeR2zTENcokn86E3v8hvLClzscxHB9n7e2657uNbSO3OiHYh_p4wYfMYf_-s" width="299" /></a></div><br />Note to U.N. regarding U.N., N.A.T.O., the U.S.A., Russia, & Ukraine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Cordial Greetings and Respect to all at the U.N. and N.A.T.O.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why is it that Western nations automatically situate themselves on what could be called the "moral high ground"; as though they are automatically morally superior, regardless of their actual declaration, actions, and behaviours on the world stage? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I understand the history of the past century, both the U.N. and N.A.T.O. came into existence in 1949 in the context of the post-WW II world and the Cold War.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">1989 saw the dismantling of the U.S.S.R. and the liberation of many of the nations previously dominated by the Soviet Union. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since then it is true that both Russia and the U.S.A. have "meddled" in the affairs of such countries at Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, and other Middle East nations. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Meanwhile, despite the dismantling of the U.S.S.R., the U.S.A. and N.A.T.O. did not really "step back" or dismantle the "demonstrations of force" put in place during the Cold War and which, after the end of the Cold War, did not really make sense.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Is it not true that Russia has complained for many years that these "shows of force" on the peripheries of Russia's borders by the U.N., N.A.T.O., and the U.S.A. have not been significantly reduced?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Cuban Missile Crisis on 1962 was all about the U.S.S.R. in effect saying to the U.S.A. "You continue your shows of force along our borders with your military presence; well, how do you like it when we take steps to do the same along your borders?"</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In effect, the world has basically extended indefinitely into the future measures taken during the Cold War and which no longer make sense. Those who have seized power are obviously reluctant to let go of power. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In 1945-46 England, France, Russia, and the U.S.A. together judged 22 Nazi leaders accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity; most of whom were convicted, and many executed. In succeeding decades, some nations have continued to commit "crimes against humanity"; yet these nations have not been brought to justice. In light of the excesses committed by the Nazis from 1933 to 1945, these judging nations did consider themselves standing on the moral high ground, but is that still the case?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Consider how the U.S.A. invaded Iraq on the pretext of weapons of mass destruction, which turned out to be false. With the removal of Saddam Hussein, Iraq was plunged into chaos, and various groups previously kept in order by Saddam Hussein found themselves free to conduct their policies of aggression against others. Almost all the Christians who had lived in relative peace for millennia were intensively persecuted and most of them left the country. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In a post cold war world, both Russia and the U.S.A. have "meddled" in the affairs of other nations, and at times committed crimes against humanity, but neither of them have been judged for these crimes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It seems obvious that these past few years, Russia's invasions of parts of Ukraine have been acts of frustration with the lack of demonstrations of respect on the part of N.A.T.O. and the U.S.A. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why is it that Russia is constantly treated as an enemy of humanity and that no consideration has been given to Russia's concerns regarding its own security? Why have Russia's stated concerns about its own security never been taken seriously? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why are the U.N., N.A.T.O. and the U.S.A. "asleep at the switch?" </div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">"Those who ignore history are condemned to repeat it." credited to Winston Churchill</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">-----------------------------</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">POSTSCRIPT - Thursday, April 21st, 2022.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After over 8 weeks of Russia's "war on Ukraine", it would seem that the West's fears concerning Russia have been proven to be well founded. However, Russia's current faults do not negate the faults of all the other national players on the world stage. There is very little, if any, "moral high ground" here. As long as nations pursue what they narrowly perceive to be their own interests, with disregard or even contempt for their neighbours' legitimate concerns; peace will elude humanity. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">World leaders may very well have their fingers on "the switch", namely, the "switch triggering their weapons" which they may contemplate using against their neighbours. My use of the word "switch" was not this meaning, but rather the "switch" which turns on the lights enabling us to recognize one another as all sharing the one common home of the natural environment on Planet Earth. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pope Francis is right on the money to call on the leaders of the world's nations to adopt a perspective on their neighbours that recognizes their humanity, and that we are all "brothers and sisters" in the one human "family", and that we need to cooperate if we are to make any progress in promoting the "common good" in a way that benefits all; especially the most vulnerable, excluded, and discarded. <span> Gilles Surprenant</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2022 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2022 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-67551706834379473702021-11-26T03:41:00.001-05:002021-11-26T03:41:12.621-05:00Marriage or celibacy? What is better, healthier, more likely to lead to happiness: a life with sex or a life without sex? What about contentment versus loneliness? Does human life have a universal purpose and meaning?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5K5cWM2VZJulaK3mU62N9vTdY0ScLqLPUyTdsw5quE3GhodfUJa1Jw9UzY8dACz4zY8p8-j99MqftL9VogqJsskWdKzNoWCH48g5E4azrOqRB6ovtwKGuMk7RE9dGdiX441k-w/s277/Adam-Eve-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5K5cWM2VZJulaK3mU62N9vTdY0ScLqLPUyTdsw5quE3GhodfUJa1Jw9UzY8dACz4zY8p8-j99MqftL9VogqJsskWdKzNoWCH48g5E4azrOqRB6ovtwKGuMk7RE9dGdiX441k-w/s0/Adam-Eve-5.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><br />Marriage or celibacy? What is better, healthier, more likely to lead to happiness: a life with sex or a life without sex? Does human sexuality have any bearing on loneliness, contentment, peace and serenity, and joy? Are there any other factors at work? Are there any other factors stitching all these elements together?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are as many views as there are human beings living and breathing on the Earth at any given time, I suppose. What is most likely to bring clarity is what we know most definitively from the domain of science from publicly verified sources, whose findings have been universally corroborated and verified as true and reliable. The picture would not be complete without also taking into consideration the findings, confirmed repeatedly through various times and places, cultures and societies, by those that have been universally upheld by their contemporaries as "holy" or "wise", the "enlightened" and "saints", who had the courage and determination to pursue in practical ways and with perseverance the principles they discovered themselves and those they received from the "wise" and the "saints" who preceded them.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Form these generally accepted and trusted sources, several operating principles have, over the centuries and millennia, been clearly established as universal, verifiable, and everywhere applicable. Let us list them, in no particular order.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>1. Marriage, Children, and Family</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The most basic and fundamental human institution is that of marriage, that is, the lifelong union of one man with one woman, for the purpose of their mutual aid in the course of their life times, in their pursuit of procreating and raising children and the establishment and maintenance of a family, for the most part in collabortion and solidarity with other families, generally in social groupings known as clans, tribes, extended families, peoples, and nations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>2. Celibates as complements and supports to Society</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOInLe-XKGNvAYJVUJHK2CLC1qTj_f3GRy_6FHnlydFjivyVSKPXjfCweQT5nn7_Pkwai4yXQHx2UKUvYgIj4u-LW-oKU89vvDwfnFxieqfleg2o1pYvMhNCfdNxocLbw1XCrUbg/s259/Jesus-attractive-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="259" data-original-width="195" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOInLe-XKGNvAYJVUJHK2CLC1qTj_f3GRy_6FHnlydFjivyVSKPXjfCweQT5nn7_Pkwai4yXQHx2UKUvYgIj4u-LW-oKU89vvDwfnFxieqfleg2o1pYvMhNCfdNxocLbw1XCrUbg/s0/Jesus-attractive-1.jpg" width="195" /></a></div><br />In almost every time and place, in just about every society, there have always been individuals, both men and women, who for various reasons did not become a couple with a counterpart of the opposite sex and gender, but who - either by choice or necessity - lived alone, often in isolation, but generally in some form of solidarity, with the rest of their society. These celibate men and women generally lived as hermits, or else within the circle of a larger community of clan, village, tribe, or people, and who often offered some sort of service or help to their society, and which enabled them to sustain themselves.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>3. The resolution of conflicts and works of peace towards the common good </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Very diverse societies, cultures, times, and places all seem to afford examples of arrangements, either formal or informal, whereby the majority of the population develop into couples with families, and at the same time a small number of celibates live "on the fringe" or even in the "heart" of their society. These celibates may be among the "ruling class" or simply be considered to dwell among the "servant class" or more remotely on the "fringes" or "peripheries" of their society. Whenever such a celibate acquires truly and justly the good reputation of being "holy" or "wise", "enlightened" or "saints", people in need of their guidance or help would go out to them with various requests. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The more these requests obtained satisfactory resolutions, the more "beaten" the path to that celibate's door became. Peace and serenity, practical advice and counsel, and even healings and miraculous interventions have been widely documented as experienced and verified by people who have had recourse to such celibate men and women. Occasionally, the celibate or hermit would come into the heart of the society in the face of some grave conflict in order to bring counsel and resolution to those locked in apparently unsolvable conflict. As a reward for their labours, these advocates of peace were either thanked or persecuted and killed, depending on the quality of openness and welcome their words found in the hearts of those in conflict. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>4. What about human sexuality and the sexual "appetite"?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">University degrees are not needed for anyone to come to the realization that our various human appetites are never fully satisfied. We are drawn to food because our mortal body requires the regular replenishment of "fuel reserves" in order to sustain itself and function optimally according to "normal parameters", to take an expression from the Star Trek "universe". We also have normal appetites for water and other forms of drink, for water to wash and bathe for cleanliness, for clothing to protect the body from variations of cold and heat, and for shelter from the elements and protection from predators and other dangers. We have appetites for pleasant sights and sounds, for smells and touch sensations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The human "sexual appetite" is universally recognized as one of our most powerful, if not our most powerful human appetite. Among all our appetites, some are oriented towards survival and the maintenance of our physical life and existence; while others are rather oriented towards learning, diversion, entertainment, and pleasure. We don't need music to survive, but it greatly enhances the quality of life and may even contribute to the peace and ultimately, to the survival of a people. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>5. What about human sexuality and clear communication, health and mutual respect?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There exists a superabundant store of knowledge touching on human sexualty and the human "sexual appetite" to draw the certain conclusion that this unique human appetite is fraught with challenges and dangers, both for individuals and for others whose lives are "touched" be each individual man and woman. At the "dark end of the spectrum", we have come to learn about the many infections and sexually transmitted diseases that are related to the unrestricted engagement in sexual practices. As long as a human couple made up of one man and one woman remain faithful to each other and refrain from engaging in sexual activity with anyone else, they generally remain free from such threats to their health and life. Sexually transmitted infections and life threatening diseases are generally known to be the result of "serial sexual activity", or the unfettered sexual activity of people with a limited or unlimited "series of partners", of either the opposite or their own sex and gender. These are serious threats not only to individuals but also to the entire fabric of human society. For this reason, both civil and religious authorities have not only the right but the obligation to propose and impose sanctions on their constituents with rapport to any sexual activity outside the confines of each individual couple. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The dimension of clear and honest communication between men and women generally, but in particular with rapport to the human sexual appetite and legitimate sexual activity within the confines of the human couple and family, has been found to be at the heart of all sexual activity and restraint. These principles are not only relevant to health and survival, but they are most pertinent to good order, peace and serenity, and that contentment which permits happiness in this mortal and brief existence. A life without mutual respect quickly degenerates into a miserable existence when added to all the other challenges of survival and the simple maintenance of life, health, security, and peace. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">At the heart of all distress related to both desired and unwanted sexual behaviour and activity is the great challenge of engaging in clear communication while simultaneously avoiding misinterpretation of one another's intentions. In particular, many women who later claim to have been violated by a man related how they were initially interested in the exchange of low intensity forms of affection, but how at some point the man's advances became too suddenly more intense or beyond the normal limits of low levels of affection. At that point they would have said "No." or would have tried to get up or withdraw themselves, or push away the advances that were no longer wanted. Sadly, the man either did not hear or perceive the change in them or the withdrawal of their consent, or else that man chose to ignore this change, deciding to pursue to the ultimate conclusion the satisfaction of his sexual appetite with callous disregard for the respect due to that woman or for the change in her intentions or consent. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>6. What about the human sexual appetite makes it so beautiful or misleading and dangerous?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It is well known by all who have ever engaged in sexual activity, but also can be known by those willing to learn from their elders, that once the sexual appetite is aroused, the faculty of our human will remains free only for a brief and limited time. The further "in" one goes in the pursuit of satisfaction of this sexual appetite, the degree of freedom in our human will experiences simultaneous and opposite reduction. In other words, the more one is "sexually aroused" the less one is free to slow down or stop. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is where the logic of the married couple becomes more and more apparent. The man and woman to become friends and, over a period of time which becomes courtship and leading to engagement, which then prepares them to enter into marriage, this couple is constituted by one man and one woman to come to know each other more and more truly and more and more intimately. They learn to verify one another's signals and intentions, learning especially from their failures if misinterpretation, and in such ways having their own impressions, interpretations, and judgements "purified" by the other through an intricate and never ending process of mutual knowledge and understanding. Such a couple become very refined in their ability to "read" one another's needs, desires, wants, intentions, hopes, and aspirations.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As some put it, each of them pass through the stages of primary school, high school, college, university, post-graduate studies, post-doctoral research, and life-long learning and expertise in the knowledge of their partner, friend, and spouse. With time, it becomes more and more unlikely that either of them would misinterpret one another's "sexual signals", which allows them to show one another more and more "mutual respect" and "mutual love and devotion". The very intense experiences of sexual arousal with the release of all the powerful related hormones all become highly disciplined by the ways in which they have come to know, love, and respect one another, and to put themselves at the service of one another for the greater good of their couple and family. In other words, the sexual appetite is more and more "tamed" and "domesticated" and made to "serve" the other and the couple, as opposed to remaining an unbridled "wild thing" interested only in the pursuit of its own selfish desires.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In any event, the sexual appetite in itself is hopelessly "handicapped" and unable ever to attain anything resembling contentment or satisfaction. No man can ever reach in himself deep and lasting satisfaction for his sexual appetite; nor can any woman by herself either. The simple reason for this is that the ultimate and lasting satisfaction of the human sexual appetite lies not in its use, but rather beyond itself; that is, in its contribution to the "higher" and "deeper" purpose of the human relationship itself. To put it simply, the sexual union of a married man and woman with each other, with each successive "union", "cements" them to each other. At the same time, all that they live together and for each other in the course of every day and night, builds up their friendship and relationship of love; so that when they do come to the preliminaries and intensity of sexual union, it is truly a celebration of all that they have become for one another and together. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Their married life becomes a beautiful and harmonious tempo and "dance" between living and celebrating, serving and embracing, giving and receiving. It is the strength of their love in mutual service and devotion that "protects" them from the potential ravages of the otherwise "unfettered" sexual appetite. Such married couples, as they become devoted parents, enter into the paradox of experiencing deeper and deeper meaning and satisfaction in the "spending" of themselves and "pouring themselves out" in loving service to each other and to their children. They find "rest" in each other's arms when they are able to be together in recognition and celebration of all that they are becoming for each other, for others, and together. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Having seen all this as it unfolds and applies to each mutually faithful, respectful, and devoted married couple of husband and wife, we can see how the same factors would be found to apply in reverse for all human beings who engage in sexual activity outside the context and protection of the married couple. Without the mutual knowledge of one single life long partner, it is impossible to ever sufficiently know others or their intentions or true desires; which exponentially increases the likelihood of misreading and misunderstanding one another's behaviours, words, facial expressions, "signals", and intentions. To this same extent then are increased the likelihood of misinterpretation, misunderstanding, and violation.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">People who have no knowledge of or no interest or motivation in attenuating or controlling or restraining their sexual impulses and appetites are for these very reasons "dangerous" in their potention for not perceiving, misreading, or intentionally ignoring the intentions of their chosen sexual "partner" who is much more likely to become "prey" or "victim". This is why such people with unbridled or unfettered sexual appetites are generally categorized as "sexual predators". </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>7. What about human sexuality and society?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Human sexuality is rather uniquely situated in that it is oriented towards the continuation and survival of our entire human species, by the function of human reproduction, and the necessary complementary function of the raising, education, and formation of the children who - from the moment of their birth and separation from their mother - live and exist in a relatively helpless and dependent state until their maturity and independence can be established. In some societies, boys and girls are deemed fully mature and independent as soon as they can survive on their own and contribute to the sustenance of their immediate collectivity, their family or clan or village. This has been observed to happen as soon as shortly after the transformation that occurs at the time of puberty. Boys and girls as young as 12 or 13 would assume their place in their society and even be given to each other in marriage.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">For any family or other social grouping or community to function optimally for the common good of the whole collectivity and the personal good of all that collectivity's individuals, all children must be taught and formed to understand and discipline their sexual appetite, and to learn how to see how it relates to the entire range of their human emotions. As well, they must learn to better know and understand themselves in all these intricate dimensions of human life, how to relate to others with respect, and how to give their assent to the "social contract" whereby they will assume their part in contributing to the common good; while also giving meaning and purpose to their own life. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b>8. What about the universal human experience of loneliness?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">Dr. Jeannine Guindon, Ph.D, foundress of the Institut de Formation Humaine Intégrale de Montréal and of the social service field of "psycho-education", while doing all that she did to establish her method of formation in Montreal, Québec, Canada; also conducted over several decades a study of the stages of human development, otherwise called the seasons of human life. Avoiding starting out with premices or biases or scientific theories; she simply interviewed people at various ages, asking them what was happening in their life. What were their satisfactions and dissatisfactions, desires and frustrations, accomplishments and failures. What failed to satisfy and what brought meaning and purpose to their lives? Over time she found a certain confirmation of established psychological and social theories, namely, that human beings go through certain "stages in life". We pass from one stage to the next over a period of a few years, and how this varies from one person to another establishes each transition as potentially taking place within the range of a decade, that is, from the middle of one decade to the middle of the next; for example, sometime between the age of 26 and 35 we find "turning 30". Dr. Guindon touched on these seasons of life in her foundational work on <a href="https://www.renaud-bray.com/Livres_Produit.aspx?id=212727&def=Etapes+de+la+rééducation(Les),GUINDON,+JEANNINE,9782890921924">the stages of re-education</a> whereby people are helped to better understand themselves and take responsibility for their lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">To sum up the two stages of turning 30 and 40, Dr. Guindon found that after setting out in life from 16 to 25, people almost universally experienced "increasing dissatisfaction" with what they have lived and experienced by the time they approach 30, that is, somewhere between 26 and 35, depending on whether they arrive at this "earlier" or "later". As she "distilled" people's comments, she was able to draw out a common thread, and she described this dissatisfaction as the person <b>"experiencing a call to go deeper"</b> into their life, or into <u>the meaning and purpose they wish to give to their life</u>. She gave to this particular decade and its "calling" to us as a <b><u>"call to interiority"</u></b>. In other words, all that motivated the young adult entering into their 20's was no longer sufficient to sustain a high degree of satisfaction. Superficial or material goals were no longer enought. Their human spirit craved deeper objectives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The person who successfully navigates this stage of "turning 30" and does attempt to "go deeper" in their quest to give meaning and purpose to their lives are able to experience a new level or degree of satisfaction in the meaning and purpose of their lives. They are now fully qualified to experience and sense a new dissatisfaction, a new calling. Having progressed and ventured into deeper realms of their human existence, these people begin to sense deep within their accomplishment a troubling unease. They begin to feel lonely beyond the normal human experience of loneliness at certain times. This new experience or sensation of loneliness comes and is felt as "embedded" within the satisfaction and the felt accomplishment in giving their chosen meaning and purpose to their lives. Their appetite for meaning and purpose, for fulfillment and happiness, remains unabated, not fully satisfied. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">They remain lonely. What does this mean? What is a happily married person, in a happily married couple, to make of this loneliness within the very depth of their deep mutual love and happiness? Dr. Guindon found that this new development, this new depth of dissatisfaction represented the coming to more acute awareness of our individuality as human beings. We are each separate individual human beings, like separate "bubbles" of human existence, unable to "merge" into one another. No one can enter into me to see and feel what it is like to "be me" on the inside. Nor am I able to enter into the other to see and feel what it is like to "be them" on the inside. We are each of us alone. I am alone.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">There is no final remedy for this condition, but it is not a curse. Dr. Guindon discovered that people do not experience this isolation and feeling of loneliness as a curse. On the contrary, she found that there is within this sensation of loneliness a new human "calling" and she termed it as the "call to solitude". This human call to solitude, somewhere between 36 and 45 years of age, is a blessing, or a wonderful opportunity to more fully and deeply accept and embrace the truth of what and who we are as humans.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">The person who at turning 30 accepted to respond to their "call to interiority" and who now at turning 40 experiences this novel degree or depth of loneliness and accept and embrace it as a "call to solitude" find that there is unleashed within them a new "surge" of energy that is released by the new clarity with which they understand and deliberately, freely embrace their unique human life and common condition.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>9. What about the celibate and the universal human experience of loneliness?</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67yGLRUlZUJ9cxmKkODxCI0VlYQyqIgse8hCdIYLKDFwwCFFn28QF-ct91mJOiGORTDMF00kmOTxrk8WF0OC-17NKROodfgg2-Svp1s5e0hny7dwDndASG8aCCBjZUg5lTqhYBQ/s423/131001+Mass+in+Capernaum+web.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="423" data-original-width="336" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi67yGLRUlZUJ9cxmKkODxCI0VlYQyqIgse8hCdIYLKDFwwCFFn28QF-ct91mJOiGORTDMF00kmOTxrk8WF0OC-17NKROodfgg2-Svp1s5e0hny7dwDndASG8aCCBjZUg5lTqhYBQ/s320/131001+Mass+in+Capernaum+web.JPG" width="254" /></a></div><br />What both the married person and the celibate need to understand in order to experience greater freedom in life and better opportunity to embrace their life and condition and take effective steps to give greater and deeper meaning and purpose to their lives, is that we human beings have within us two operative "wills" or "centers of identity". To put it in the religious or theological terms employed by Saint Paul the evangelist, which he received from his Hebrew culture and Jewish religious tradition, we human beings are composed of "flesh" and "spirit". In modern terms, we are "body" and "mind" or "body" and "spirit", "body" and "soul". Our body self experiences within itself its own "logic" and orientation; while our mind, spirit, soul lives at a different "level" or "dimension" of life, and the two remain somewhat insulated or separate from one another. This insulation or separation accounts for much of the unfolding of human misery in this mortal human condition and existence.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%206%3A19%2CGalatians%205%3A17%2CJames%204%3A1%2C1%20Peter%202%3A11&version=NASB">Saint Paul, Saint Peter, and Saint James all greed</a> to this "diagnosis" of our human condition about the "war" between these two human dimensions and "wills" within us. The celibate who ignores this opposition and takes no measures to "set up camp" in the domain of the spirit will find his life careening out of control; such that an appropriate caricature for his life might be that he is thinking, feeling, for a man, like "a big penis on wheels". The man who thinks, acts, and lives out of the "will" or "appetite" of his penis and all of his body sensations centered around his genitals will never experience any depth of satisfaction or fulfillment. He will be perennially frustrated in his desire to give higher or deeper meaning and purpose to his life. Even the married man who has equally failed to set camp in his spirit will be unable to attend rightfully or properly to his wife. Thinking only out of his own sexual appetite he will never be able to consider his wife as a separate human being with her own life, feelings, and purpose, but will be trapped and condemned to ever see her only through the think lens of his sexual appetite. He will never be able to consider her anything more than an object for his satisfaction, but that satisfaction will be forever frustrated and postponed in his inability to see her as a person.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The only way for human beings to bring order into their lives between these two "wills", between their spirit / mind / will and their flesh, is to set camp in their spirit, and from there to "regulate", subdue, "bridle", and discipline their sexual appetite, and taming it, make it serve the meaning and purpose they want to give to their life. For the married man, he must give up his human sexuality, put it at the service of his wife, and each day renew the selfless gift of himself to his wife out of selfless love for her, to serve her and respect her, to cherich her as his friend and partner and as the mother of their children.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That is the definition of chastity for the married man. For the celibate, chastity is defined and experienced as reducing to the state of "unemployment" of his genitals, but simultaneously recruiting to the service of love of neighbour all the faculties and energies of his "capacity for affection", laying aside any personal seeking for affective satisfaction. Instead, the celibate enters into a life of selfless service, in which in the very service and encounter of others, he will find affection in the very giving of human warmth, caring and service to others. He can only receive affection in the giving of it, and never in the "taking" or "grabbing" after it. By gently and kindly acknowledging the "murmuring" or "complaints" and "arousals" of his sexual apparatus - from the genitals all the way to the brain by way of his emotions - the celibate deliberately "starves of his attention" all the clamoring and noise coming from his human flesh and sexual appetite, gradually subduing all those "voices" with the mastery of a "benevolent ruler" totally devoted to ruling his "subjects" with wisdom and expertise for their good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">All of this has been expressed from a man's point of view, which I am. I gather that the basic principles also apply for women, but in light of their different but complementary nature, they would express the understanding and application of these principles in a different but complementary fashion. I look forward to reading a similar reflection from any number of my sister human beings.</div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-39869300809075631632021-08-18T12:52:00.007-04:002021-08-30T12:00:43.187-04:00Mercy or “The Law” – God or Man?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.3in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1TZekfVtmB3N4mJFOnTdtVJxZf5lVdlaocmVCTtjp_W9rBmbsJJceHjvyigdQoWATRygFZxLEogObzjadS2iWONbcEoRv6-rTxtaG46sBOtqtORsw3zjz3V7Wdl0JAE-oeMV5g/s1024/Pope-francis-10-tips.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1024" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl1TZekfVtmB3N4mJFOnTdtVJxZf5lVdlaocmVCTtjp_W9rBmbsJJceHjvyigdQoWATRygFZxLEogObzjadS2iWONbcEoRv6-rTxtaG46sBOtqtORsw3zjz3V7Wdl0JAE-oeMV5g/s320/Pope-francis-10-tips.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><br /></span><p></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I am writing to you,
directors, staff, associated contributors, and volunteers working together at
and for EWTN and Catholic Media on the topic of Pope Francis in general, and in
particular, regarding the critical stance being taken most notably from what
could be called an “elite sector” in Western society. This criticism may best
be symbolized in the title question “</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA;">What about Pope Francis vs His Critics – Mercy or
“The Law”?”</span><span lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Almost from his very first
day in office, Pope Francis has enthralled many while also irking others. Born
17 December 1936, Jorge Bergoglio lived and served as a Jesuit, mostly in
Argentina, for 55 years until his election as Bishop of Rome, the 266<sup>th</sup> Roman
Pontiff, the 265<sup>th</sup> successor of Saint Peter, on March 13<sup>th</sup>,
2013, just two weeks after Pope Benedict XVI’s historic resignation on February
28<sup>th</sup>. He immediately manifested preference for the poor, the
suffering, the marginalized, and those who are neglected, abandoned, and cast
aside.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Then, just two and a half
years later, Pope Francis inaugurated t<span style="background: white; color: #202124;">he Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, a period of prayer from 8
December </span>2015, the
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, to 20 November 2016, the Feast of
Christ the King. During this time Pope Francis called on all the clergy to
extend God’s mercy to the faithful, encouraging people to trust in God’s mercy
and come back to the reception of the sacraments. He made it easier for priests
to show mercy over making strict applications of the law. He also created
numerous opportunities for the faithful to obtain plenary indulgences.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Ever since then, in particular, a resistance movement has arisen among
both laity and clergy, including prominent bishops and even cardinals, that is
highly critical of Pope Francis, going so far as to hold him as incompetent and
in contempt of his role as Pope. As we step back to take a wide view of the situation,
what becomes most apparent is a series of parallels with the People of Israel,
the Apostolic Age, and Church history.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">While they were in the desert and on the way to the Promised Land, the
People of Israel complained about their harsh conditions and on numerous
occasions declared loudly and long that they were much better off in Egypt,
asking Moses to bring them back. They preferred going back into slavery rather
than rough it for a while on the way to the fulfillment of God’s promises to
them. They preferred the familiar to following God.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Much the same happened during the Apostolic Age. Even as Saint Paul
brought the Good News to the pagan world and welcomed many converts to faith in
Jesus Christ, there was no lack of Jewish Christians who not only wanted to
keep the practice of The Law, but also insisted that all male pagan converts be
circumcised and obliged to follow all the demands of The Law as well. They
preferred a familiar Moses to following Jesus.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Paul called those people “Judaizers” and “circumcisers” and denounced
them for preferring the old life of law and order rather than following Jesus
and putting their trust in Him. They preferred the familiarity of The Law to
this new adventure of trust in God’s mercy and they were loath to no longer
live by their own will but in God’s love and mercy with trust in the Holy
Spirit. They were afraid to leave the familiarity of “The Law”.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This same tension persisted throughout the history of the Church founded
by Jesus Christ on his Apostles as well as the history of the People of Israel.
Jesus calls us all to put our trust in God the Father and in Him, his Son, whom
the Father sent into the world. Being baptized, receiving the Holy Spirit, and
living a new life required leaving behind everything of the old way of living,
including habits of sin. During the first millennium, countless people,
including Emperor Constantine, uncertain of being able to follow the Gospel
thoroughly, delayed being baptized. Later on, it was the Sacrament of
Confession that people delayed until their death bed, when the forgiveness of
sins could only be given once in a lifetime as a “second chance” after Baptism.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">God in Jesus Christ offers humanity a new life of communion in the Most
Holy Trinity; so why would we want to go back to a life of slavery under the
scrutiny of The Law which no one was able to observe perfectly anyway? It can
only be the allure of control, or of the illusion of control. It doesn’t take
long before those who prefer to have everything “under control” try to “take
charge” rather than obey and put their trust in God.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The religious leaders of Jesus’ day, as those who preceded them also
did, stood firmly on The Law because it gave them control over the people and
the affairs of the Temple. They could judge who was faithful and who was not,
who were the pure and impure, and rule their society accordingly. They didn’t
have to rely on God.</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> <span style="background: white; color: #202124;">It
also hearkens back to the day when the people demanded of Samuel a king like
the other nations all around them. God replied to Samuel that it was not the
prophet that the people had rejected, but they were rejecting God as king over
them in preference of a human king. It has always ever been about control.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is not a small thing to call into question the Bishop of Rome at any
time in the history of the Church. It is even bolder if not arrogant to do so
in our time; when the popes have been men with incredible credentials,
experience, and wisdom. In the face of all these detractors, I feel rather
powerless. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Who am I, anyway? I'm nobody, with no
doctorate but only a B.A. in English literature with double minor in philosophy
and theology 50 years ago, a civil and also an ecclesiastic Bachelor of
Theology., and an M.A. in Pastoral Studies, General Ministry 40 years ago, a
retired priest doing part time ministry in Montreal, Québec. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I know that
saints and servants of God like Catherine de Hueck Doherty, the Foundress of
the Madonna House Apostolate, would react strongly to those who criticize and
spread doubt about the Pope. They would declare loudly that "the voice of
the bishop is the voice of God". If, as his detractors claim, Pope Francis
is the product of a false or flawed election, if he is either incompetent or
stupid, if he really is leading the Church and the world astray; then Jesus has
gone on vacation, or is asleep as He was on the boat, or has resigned as Lord.
These scenarios are unthinkable. It would be to claim that Jesus is no longer
faithful to his promise as recorded by St. Matthew at the end of his Gospel;
that He would be with us until the end. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It could be
said that the trend to denounce Pope Francis is rooted at least in part in a
white elite – both clerical / religious and lay / secular in the U.S.A. deeply
invested in their long experience of power, influence and control as churchmen and
churchwomen in their society; as well as having a long history as a nation of
dictating to the whole world what is required of them in order to align
themselves correctly with “American interests”. Pope Francis challenges them,
as Jesus did, and they hate him for it. In this sense, they are doing to Pope
Francis exactly as the Jewish religious leaders did to Jesus in his day. Why
people anywhere have uncritically joined this trend, I don't know and can't
understand, but perhaps it's not for me to know. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">All
this confusion and controversy around Pope Francis has to do, at least in
part, with the possibility of admitting to Holy Communion people whose marriage
situation is irregular. As I understand it, Pope Francis wants us to get close
enough to people to "get dirty", that is, to be affected by their
struggle in order to come to understand their plight more closely,
specifically, and intimately. Only then can we bring some clarity from the
Gospel to them and help them learn to discern God's will for them. This process
of discernment cannot be done in a "cookie cutter" kind of way, but
only one unique person at a time. We are not to tell people what to do or have
the temerity to claim to discern for them or on their behalf, but what God does
expect us to do, in charity and humility, is to help them become more familiar
with and understanding of the Scriptures, our faith Tradition and the teaching
of the Church since the Apostles, and to help awaken their conscience to discern
God’s will. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In some
cases, such as when a party has been abused or victimized by a divorce, that
is, abandoned by their former spouse, and they clearly bear no part of
responsibility for the divorce; if the person is manifestly being called by the
Lord to Communion and have a great need of the Bread of Life, a pastor could
very well receive them after a good confession. Of course, the pastor would
have to do all he can to help the person take the steps necessary for them to
have their status clarified or regularized, such as through the nullity
process, but this is not always possible for people, for one reason or another,
or their life situation may not afford enough time. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It seems as
though it is due to such cases that Pope Francis wants us to understand the
Church more as a field hospital than a museum or an organization for the
rewarding and acknowledgement of the worthy. As pastors, we are called to serve
people personally, one person at a time, rather than "rule from on
high" and try to make sweeping policies. We are not to “parade in public”
as the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes, lawyers, and priests did in Jesus’ day,
and strutting about lording it over ordinary people, most egregiously the poor.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Those who
take objection with Pope Francis want a universal "one size fits all"
moral policy, perhaps so as to avoid the trouble of "getting dirty"
by getting “too” close to people and their miseries. I believe many of them are
sincerely troubled by the state of the world, of society, and of the suffering
of souls, and they want to help, but they are impatient with this personal pastoral
approach. They are highly resistant to and intolerant of Pope Francis’ unrelenting
insistence that we all “go to the peripheries” where people are judged,
condemned, pushed, isolated, relegated, and abandoned by our obsession with law
and order. We demand an expedient universal and legal solution; maybe afraid people
might abuse God's mercy and try to enjoy grace and sin simultaneously. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I believe
that Pope Francis trusts us to have more judgment than that and he expects us
to discern such cases of abuse and to personally warn people to repent such
attitudes and behaviors. It seems clear enough from Pope Francis' preaching and
talks that he is more than well versed in our Catholic tradition and moral
teaching and never provides shadows or opportunity to misinterpret God's will
or his laws. On the contrary, Pope Francis is known for giving very practical
counsel in his homilies, talks, and encounters.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I believe one
reason that Pope Francis irks many is precisely because he is addressing our
inclination to be parsimonious with God's mercy; whereas God in Jesus is
extravagantly generous with his mercy. The sincerity and authenticity of Divine
Mercy as Jesus revealed Himself to Saint Sister Faustina is such that his voice
would shame anyone trying to abuse his mercy, so warm and personal is his
invitation to come to Him. God is quite capable of scrutinizing souls and He
doesn't need us to probe people's consciences. The “scrutiny” of the Holy
Spirit, reaches deeply into human spirits and consciences, for the Spirit is
(Heb 4:12-13)</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">“penetrating</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"> indeed, (and) the word of God is living and
active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing until it divides soul from
spirit, joints from marrow; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of
the heart. And before him no creature is hidden, but all are naked and
laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account.”<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It is
sufficient for us to declare the Good News, all of it, to allow ourselves to be
touched by the miseries and troubles of souls, and let the Holy Spirit do the
rest. God's ways are far above our ways, and He is patient towards souls so
that they might repent willingly and enter into his love and mercy. There are
those who are impatient with the Lord's ways as they are with Pope Francis, and
they would want to "lay down the law". </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This is how I
understand the controversy between mercy and laying down the law. Pope Francis'
call for us to "do mercy" and "bring God's mercy" to people
and to the world in no way trumps or cancels the moral law or the Church's
tradition. They are both essential and complementary. As a Church for centuries
we were simply too heavily leaning on the side of law and order, with abundant
threats of hell fire, and without mercy. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">While it may
be true that people generally have lost a sense of sin as such, they are not
without having troubled consciences. They tend to know when they are being too
selfish or unkind to others, when they have “messed up” and are not their best
selves, and even when they may not be honest and true towards God. When we walk
kindly with people and show them that we genuinely love them and are worthy of
their trust, all the painful truth tends to come out. I don't think we will
help souls is we demand the Pope apply generalizations about morality and the
conditions of souls in a “one size fits all” manner more suited to the
marketplace. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The more we
encourage doubt about the moral leadership of Pope Francis; we will actually do
more harm to souls. His entire approach is to call everyone, from the most
learned to the least, to understand and to practice the discipline of
discernment. It is the only way for people to find their way to God; lest we
intrude between souls and God pretending we know better than souls how to
discern the will of God for them.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">When pastors
tried to do that in the past few centuries, they merely succeeded in showing
people that their clergy were unworthy of trust. For generations clergy would
not let people discern in their own consciences, not trusting them to do it. It
was felt that only those well versed in moral theology could discern what is
right and wrong in specific instances. People were taught to go ask the pastor,
rather than use their own judgment. We can see today the result in the almost
universal abandonment of the Church by people in many places.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">When we take
too much place in people's interior lives, we actually move in on the private
place within souls that the Most Holy Trinity reserve to them. That is a
serious offense against souls and against God, and I believe it is this danger
that has been troubling me about this whole controversy over Pope Francis'
pontificate. Our distrust of Pope Francis reveals our unwillingness to fully
trust in God and his reign in hearts, minds, and souls. We don't trust that God
is managing very well; so we feel He needs us to step in and make things clear.
This controversy isn't really about Pope Francis, but about us and our
unwillingness to really trust in God and obey Him even in these matters. We are
unwilling to be lambs as Jesus was, with complete trust in his Father. As we
have clung for centuries to our hegemony over the entire world; so now we want
to push the Lord aside and take over management of the Kingdom of God.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This
worldwide controversy is about power and influence, prosperity, affluence,
wealth, and control. By analogy, nations like the U.S.A., Canada, and the other
G7, and even China; all carry the conviction that their understanding of the
world and the way things should be is the only way. They are blind to how they
"shout over" the voices of the poor, little, and less powerful
nations; like rich, healthy, and powerful people do over the timid voices of
the poor, convinced that they know better. This is the cause of many conflicts
worldwide.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">All the
while, all too often, leaders of nations and rebellions are blind, as we are
blind to the ways in which we exploit the poor and enjoy too much of what the
Creator intends for all to enjoy. I've heard Raymond Arroyo and other
commentators on EWTN and other mass media criticize Pope Francis, and they
seemed to me to be the picture of this blindness of the affluent, blinded by
their own self interest and that of their class. </span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In all of
this, I don't hold myself guiltless; on the contrary, I struggle with being a
citizen of this nation in Canada that continues arrogantly in its
self-assurance to enact policies and behaviors that remain to this day very
much in the "colonizing" mentality of the first Europeans who came
here and had a "free for all" with the abundant resources they saw in
this land, among which native peoples trod with reverence. Since then we have
very irreverently trodden down on them in our greed to grab all the goods that
we can as quickly as we can.</span><span style="background: white; color: #202124; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Among those who go with
this currently trending discourse that is critical of Pope Francis; it is felt
that his insistence on extending the mercy of God to contemporary society
coincides with a failure to clarify the moral demands of the divine law as
revealed in the Scriptures. This trend in the broader Catholic culture seems to
look nostalgically to the anathema statements of many of the councils which
preceded Vatican II and regrets the “softer approach” taken since Vatican II in
an effort to present the Good News to contemporary society in a manner which
can capture the mind and heart of people much as Jesus did during his brief
ministry on Earth.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This line of thinking goes
something like this: <i>“What is the use of proclaiming God’s mercy to
people who have no sense of sin? Convinced as they are that they have no sin,
they have no sense of being in need of God’s mercy.”</i> This view is held
to show the need to proclaim loud and long the Decalogue, the Ten Commandments,
and to make practical applications to ceaselessly denounce all contemporary behaviors
that go against God’s law, much as the religious leaders did in Jesus’ day. It
is felt that people can only begin to understand their need of God’s forgiveness
and mercy once they realize they are breaking God’s law. So, all those who hold
this view are understandably critical of Pope Francis, in part due to the fact
that they do not understand what he is trying to do or why he is trying to do
it. They want the highest voice in the Roman Catholic Church to never tire of
proclaiming the demands of moral law and consequences people must expect to suffer
for each transgression.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pope Francis is not of the
view that the Church needs to “lay down the law” so that people can come to
realize that they are breaking it. On the contrary, Pope Francis is of the view
that the Holy Spirit is already at work in people’s spirits and consciences,
and they already have a sense that all is not well in the kingdom of Denmark. Human
beings today, as in all generations, realize full well that, for all their
posturing and demands, they are not satisfied or at peace or entirely happy.
Something is missing in their lives. Pope Francis teaches and models St.
Ignatius’ method of discernment of spirits to help people learn to distinguish
the voice of God.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pope Francis’ view of life
and of ministry, of the Church’s mission, is that we must follow in the steps
of Jesus and “go out to the peripheries” in order to encounter people up close,
to walk with them, get to know them, and as they discover that we are genuinely
interested in them and their welfare; they will open their minds and hearts to
us, much as Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman did with Jesus. Only then, only
once they put questions to us, can we find words to speak the good news to
them, as is done by good Christians everywhere.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">The Holy Spirit at work in
them will draw them to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking through us, but only
once they know that we truly love them. The first thing people need is the love
and mercy of God, and for many if not most people, they will only get their
first glimpse of God’s love and mercy when we show them God’s love and mercy by
loving and having mercy on them ourselves. People only need to be exposed to God’s
life-giving love and mercy once in order to be touched by God. Only then can
they want to know what God wants and how they can please Him. Only then will
morality and a moral life make any sense and seem good to them.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Our Church took the “law
and order” approach for centuries, and for the most part, it produced people
who were literate to some degree in Christianity but who did not know God or
his love and mercy. Once the trials and temptations of modern progress came,
they did not last, like the seed thrown among thorns or in rocky soil. Not
having root, they dried up and left the Church or the faith or God. Look at
Quebec and Ireland, among other places, even including the U.S.A. Jesus did not
form disciples by preaching morality but by loving them. He called them to
follow Him and showed them how to love and care for the sheep. He corrected
them in very personal ways and was patient and understanding with them to the
end, showing them love to the point of death.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">There is one author who has
known Jorge Bergoglio personally, and who understands the depths of Pope
Francis’ theology and pastoral approach and who has been able to trace his
interior and ecclesial itinerary and demonstrate with specific applications in
real instances what it is that Pope Francis has been doing since his election
and how and why he is calling us to join him in this approach or mercy to
people today.<span style="background: white; color: #202124;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">In “<b><u><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7263239/3986930080907563163?hl=en"><span style="color: blue;">The Great Reformer</span></a></u></b>. (2014) Francis and
the Making of a Radical Pope” Austin Ivereigh traces Jorge Bergoglio in his
journey through life, vocation, and ministry, drawing out the unifying threads
whereby God formed him to become the universal pastor needed by our Church
today. Ivereigh is a Catholic “British writer, journalist, and commentator on
religious and political affairs who holds a doctorate from Oxford University.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">His work appears regularly
in the Jesuit magazine America and in many other periodicals.” He published a
sequel in 2019 titled “<b><u><a href="https://draft.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/7263239/3986930080907563163?hl=en"><span style="color: blue;">Wounded Shepherd</span></a></u></b>. Pope Francis and His
Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church”. In this second work, among other
things, the author addresses Pope Francis’ statements, actions, and positions
that became controversial in the media or for Catholic critics or both. He
explains with great insight what the Pope is doing and why he is doing it; as
well as why he generally does not rebut his critics directly, but takes note of
them and on occasion says something about those situations when and where he
thinks it is appropriate. In this sense, Pope Francis deliberately walks in the
steps of Jesus who was also generally “silent as a lamb before its shearers”.
As a man of discernment, he ever seeks to do everything for the glory of God.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">It would be wise for those
who are critical of Pope Francis to read these two volumes before continuing to
lead people to join them in doubting the Pope’s reliability. It is ironic that,
as a Jesuit, Jorge Bergoglio is far better educated and far more deeply formed
and spiritually mature than the vast majority of us, and even than his fiercest
critics. It very much seems a case of the more ignorant being critical of one
who is far wiser, precisely because they are not capable of understanding him,
his approach, or his motives. That is what happened to Jesus and how He was
treated by the religious leaders of his day, who were also far less intelligent
and far less “formed spiritually” than Jesus, and hence quite incapable of
understanding Him. Ultimately, this is a question of humility, docility,
willingness to learn, and willingness to listen and obey; as Jesus did his
Father.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">This seems to be the
inevitable pattern of the original sin, that we human beings, creatures who are
the works of God’s hand, turn around in judgment and accuse our Creator,
precisely because we cannot reduce Him to the narrow confines of our understanding.
Since He doesn’t fit our categories; therefore He must be wrong, He must be
guilty. Pope Francis doesn’t fit our categories; so he must be wrong and
incompetent.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">My distinct impression is
that Pope Francis has more confidence in us than we are willing to have in him.
He knows that there is already sufficient record of God’s laws in human culture
and society, in terms of the Ten Commandments, but in other terms as well. What
is most lacking is sufficient tangible and personal, up close demonstration of
God’s infinite love and mercy. Jesus seems to agree because He troubled Himself
to form and establish Saint Sister Faustina Kowalska as “his secretary of
Divine Mercy” for the world in the 1930’s.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">What seems obvious in Pope
Francis’ approach as Bishop of Rome and universal Pastor is that, in his view,
looking at the Church in the world as a whole, we clergy are far too inclined
to “lay down the law” from the comfort of our residences, as from behind our
fortresses, rather than get “out there” where we are most likely to “get dirty”
and “take on the smell of the sheep”. Were we to really walk with people –
those farthest away from God and the Church especially – and genuinely listen
to them and care for them; they might meet Mercy.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.3in;"><span face=""Calibri","sans-serif"" lang="EN-CA" style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-CA; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">
</span></p><p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .3in;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">Pope Francis is calling on
all the clergy, all the missionary disciples, and all the laity of the Church
to “go out to the peripheries”, to find the lost sheep, to care for those
“beaten up and left for dead at the side of the world’s roads”, “do mercy”, and
become God’s mercy for them. Once they are touched by the love and mercy of God
and discover that He is real and that He truly loves them; their spirits will
perceive the Holy Spirit and want to know all that pleases and all that
displeases Him, all that promotes life and all that harms life. Of course, we
must all continue to preach the Good News and to proclaim God’s law and explain
it on a regular basis, but our focus is not to be on “laying down the law”, but
rather on becoming and doing Divine Mercy. Rather than try to “line
people up in the sights” of our “morality guns”; we are called by the Lord
Jesus to approach people humbly and with open faces, empty hands, and broken
hearts. <o:p></o:p></span></p></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Combermere, ON K0J 1L0, Canada45.362927 -77.61844900000001217.052693163821154 -112.77469900000001 73.673160836178852 -42.462199000000012tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-843077753793041692021-05-23T00:36:00.002-04:002021-05-23T00:37:37.044-04:00Let us choose life and every Sunday worship God with gratitude for all He does for us - and avoid scandalizing little ones which is what we do when we stay home.<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b>YEAR OF THE COVID-19 WORLDWIDE PANDEMIC</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d; font-size: large;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pIGD-AcH3macHuJDzo57cw9kdJA0rIzALQtSI1nw5LETyCaLKQWKFMzpAG6Qdu8DwL17KWjGzaFRGkq9M7jVzAUdQQPR6ssldzlfrptF7UA_9EYbr8SBzjng44IAah_GKeQAbA/s272/Masks-distance-in-church.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3pIGD-AcH3macHuJDzo57cw9kdJA0rIzALQtSI1nw5LETyCaLKQWKFMzpAG6Qdu8DwL17KWjGzaFRGkq9M7jVzAUdQQPR6ssldzlfrptF7UA_9EYbr8SBzjng44IAah_GKeQAbA/s0/Masks-distance-in-church.jpg" /></a></div><br />As soon as churches open up again, I think it would be a matter of life or death for us all to make a point of making time to go to church together all of us, particularly families with children, little ones, teenagers, and young adults. Worshipping the Lord and taking the whole of the Lord's Day to rest is not a suggestion from God, but it is the 3rd commandment. These are serious truths, that if we go against them, we do ourselves mortal harm, to our spirits and to our whole lives, as well as to all those we influence by example through our decisions, words, actions, attitudes, choices and behaviours.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">God doesn't need our worship, but if we don't give it to him, we are harming ourselves. We cannot take anything away from God, but we can choose to live and have more life or we can choose to die and waste away... the choice is ours every day of our lives. Thankfully, as Pope Francis keeps repeating, God never tires of forgiving us. To this we too can give witness by accepting what God offers.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">One of the greatest obstacles the enemy of all mankind puts in our spirits is the impression that even thinking about going to church is a burden, a chore, stealing or wasting time to do more important things like rest. The danger of these thoughts and feelings is that the enemy is a liar, Jesus told us, and the father of lies. His favourite trick is to slip these dark thoughts into our minds in such a way that we have the impression that these are our own thoughts, feelings, opinions, and convictions.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">The truth is that the more we turn to God and make a point of putting our trust in the Lord, and not in ourselves, then the more God can refill us again and again with his Holy Spirit and give us the vitality we otherwise lack. Our very breath comes to us from God, the Source of all life. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Jesus wasn't kidding or speaking symbolically when He said that unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood we HAVE NO LIFE within us. In Reconciliation God restores our loving relationship with the Father and fills us anew with his life and vitality, and in Holy Communion, Jesus gives us a TRANSFUSION of the divine life He has with the Father in the Holy Spirit. These realities may be spiritual and often invisible to our senses, but they are more real than what we can see.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Take great care, dear Parents, not to scandalize your children by harming them with contradictions. On the one hand you are telling them how important it is to receive God's life and love in Confession and Holy Communion, but then, by not going on Sunday to church, your actions will tell them the opposite, that it's not important at all, and that anything and everything else is more important than God. Such actions on the part of too many parents cause their children to learn to distrust God and to no longer believe in Him and then to close their minds, hearts, and spirits to Him. The divine life bleeds out of their souls and they begin to die a long and lonely dying....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Jesus warned us not to scandalize the little innocent ones, because their angels are constantly standing in the Presence of God.... Let these words not frighten you, but rather strengthen your resolve to ask Almighty God to help you and your spouse make the resolution to go to Church to worship the Lord. Let it be a resolution to go together and manifest your gratitude for his countless blessings and the strength you need to get through the hard times. Thank Him as well for the ability to really enjoy the good times. Make Sunday worship part of your Sunday ritual and custom and remain faithful to it. </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;">You can expect the enemy to try to discourage you, because he seeks to destroy the children of God and keep they out of heaven for all eternity. However, the tougher the resistance within you and the countless obstacles the enemy throws onto your path, <b><u>all the more</u></b> go in the <b><u>opposite direction</u></b> of the temptation and go... go... go.... I am eternally grateful to my parents for going to Church with us all my growing up years into young adulthood until I left home and beyond. They never stopped....</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: red; font-size: large;"><b>Peace to you all, and Blessed Solemnity of Pentecost! </b></span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-11067140015235601842021-05-12T00:21:00.001-04:002021-05-31T19:00:26.159-04:00Pope Francis - What on Earth is he doing?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoMente6vAEEBZhX-zAlDSasFxlqx46F_Sa2hDzaAE_qVgy1D5TtQN-9YqrtDVJjY0G50x8O6LpubjaTbuwGoWBLhH3vY8QgPR0BepETIPYwmtxfgSRJ13sdsrPzoCgJ349IADQ/s278/Francis-10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmoMente6vAEEBZhX-zAlDSasFxlqx46F_Sa2hDzaAE_qVgy1D5TtQN-9YqrtDVJjY0G50x8O6LpubjaTbuwGoWBLhH3vY8QgPR0BepETIPYwmtxfgSRJ13sdsrPzoCgJ349IADQ/s0/Francis-10.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #38761d;"><br />Christ is risen, alleluia!</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">There is so much controversy and confusion surrounding polemics around the pandemic and vaccines that it is hard to find the truth. I have read reliable testimony that many of the stem cells used in research were not from aborted babies at all but were taken ethically from ordinary people... all human beings have stem cells.... There are also innumerable other controversial issues surrounding Pope Francis that he really does merit a closer look and a great deal of reflection and introspection....<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">It is true to say that Pope Francis is, at first view, very confusing; that is, until we realize what it is that he is actually doing.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Jesus is a human being, now risen from the dead and at the Father's "right hand" in heaven. He is also the only-begotten Son of the Father, which makes Him infinitely rich, wonderful, deep, and attractive. No single pope could ever completely represent Him. Jesus seems to have been pleased to allow his chosen popes to represent "something" of Him in each generation....<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope Pius XII represented Jesus in his scholarly, rabbinical dimension... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope John XXIII represented Jesus in his human, grandfatherly dimension, but also as a reformer... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope Paul VI represented Jesus in his thoughtful, prayerful dimension, and as a "man rejected"... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope John Paul I represented Jesus in his warm attractive dimension, and as one who died young... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope John Paul II represented Jesus in his outgoing missionary dimension, and as a bold lover of God... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope Benedict XVI represented Jesus in his authentic one-on-one dimension, and as brilliant teacher... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope Francis is representing Jesus in his fierce dedication to sinners, the poor, the outcasts, as a fearless reformer, and as a joyful man of peace close to the ordinary people... among other things....</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">All these wonderful popes have been gifts of God to his Church and to humanity, bringing nobility and profound qualities of humanity to be "put on display" before all of humanity. All of them have been authentic and faithful witnesses to Jesus, "the way, the truth, and the life", adhering closely to the Word of God, the Tradition of the Faith, and the teachings of the Magisterium. I would challenge anyone to prove any of these bishops of Rome as defaulting in any of these respects. Pope Francis, in particular, is probably one of the best formed of all these popes, having been schooled as he has in Saint Ignatius of Loyola's </span>"<b><a href="https://www.discerninghearts.com/catholic-podcasts/fr-timothy-gallagher-discernment-of-spirits/">Rules for the Discernment of Spirits</a></b>".<br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">If you are interested, Dear Reader, I would highly recommend as the absolute best biographer and "interpreter" of Pope Francis Austen Ivereigh, who has known him personally since the time he was a bishop in Argentina. He has published three authoritative "biographies" of Pope Francis:</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">2014 -</span> <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Great-Reformer-Francis-Making-Radical/dp/1627791574" moz-do-not-send="true">"The Great Reformer" Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">2019 </span>- <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Wounded-Shepherd-Francis-Struggle-Catholic/dp/1250119383" moz-do-not-send="true">"Wounded Shepherd" Pope Francis and His Struggle to Convert the Catholic Church</a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">2020 </span>- <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Let-Us-Dream-Better-Future/dp/1982171863/ref=pd_lpo_14_img_0/137-3379954-1182941?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1982171863&pd_rd_r=6eff0838-c351-427d-8929-48f88207dd1d&pd_rd_w=EkVi4&pd_rd_wg=kr9NJ&pf_rd_p=55ea5ed7-d8ce-4183-b0cf-37e635680f3e&pf_rd_r=1SGEAYA419TYJYZ8KY8J&psc=1&refRID=1SGEAYA419TYJYZ8KY8J" moz-do-not-send="true">"Let Us Dream" The Path to a Better Future</a> <span style="color: #38761d;">- the author is actually Pope Francis because these are all his words, but Austen worked with the Holy Father in a close dialogue to help the Pope develop this text.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">You know, my genuine impression is that Pope Francis is giving us a taste of exactly what it was like for people - religious leaders as well as ordinary people - when they encountered, saw, and heard Jesus. Jesus definitely comforted the disturbed and disturbed the comfortable, much as Mother Teresa and all the saints have done in every age.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Our western world definitely has a strong bias in favour of the wealthy, influential, and powerful, which explains why such a large segment of the world population is confined irremediably to the peripheries of life. It was exactly so in Jesus' day too. As Jesus put the sinners, tax collectors, prostitutes, lepers and other "undesirables" front and centre - and why the religious leaders ground their teeth at Him; so too does Pope Francis do this. This is the principal reason why he is so hated, misunderstood, and maligned worldwide, and especially in the U.S.A., the most favoured nation on Earth with one of the greatest gaps between the wealthy and powerful and the rest of society.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">When in 2004 I was on a 4-month sabbatical in Chicago, at a market at a booth I met a representative of a sort of association representing what they call the "working poor". These are people who don't want welfare and hold 1 or 2 or 3 jobs but still can't afford proper health insurance. At that time they numbered 75 million, which was around 22% of the population. I was shocked to discovery that what we take for granted here, in Canada, as a normal family home and life - in the U.S.A. for a family to live as an ordinary family here lives - the couple both need professional salaries in the six figures. This is due to the high cost of health care, among other things, such as the high cost of legal fees. People are constantly at risk of being sued by some shark out to destroy them or seize their assets. Only the poor don't need to worry too much about lawyers, but if they get sick, then they lose their homes and they're out on the street, literally. Pope Francis preaches against financial and economic interests that treat people as disposable.<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Pope Francis doesn't put people from the peripheries into the centre for political reasons or to make any points. He does it because Jesus did it and calls us to do the same. When I was in seminary, our professor for the mission of the Church told us that all of our Church history, the Magisterium, the Scriptures, Canon Law, and Jesus Himself all make the same point, namely, that we cannot "be Church" without all categories of the poor and discarded in our very midst, in the very centre of us. Without them, all we can be is a variety of "country clubs" of those who are young, beautiful, talented, well established, comfortable, healthy, and successful. I was shocked, and quite frankly, this truth continues to be very shocking, and this is one of the reasons why they felt that Jesus had to be killed, He had to disappear. It is the principal reason they hate Pope Francis, though they may deny it or not even be conscious of it.</span></p></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0Montreal, QC, Canada45.5016889 -73.56725617.191455063821152 -108.723506 73.811922736178843 -38.411006tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-87512413082061929132021-03-15T19:29:00.004-04:002021-03-24T00:46:57.017-04:00Response of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a doubt regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex <p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: medium;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5K5cWM2VZJulaK3mU62N9vTdY0ScLqLPUyTdsw5quE3GhodfUJa1Jw9UzY8dACz4zY8p8-j99MqftL9VogqJsskWdKzNoWCH48g5E4azrOqRB6ovtwKGuMk7RE9dGdiX441k-w/s277/Adam-Eve-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ5K5cWM2VZJulaK3mU62N9vTdY0ScLqLPUyTdsw5quE3GhodfUJa1Jw9UzY8dACz4zY8p8-j99MqftL9VogqJsskWdKzNoWCH48g5E4azrOqRB6ovtwKGuMk7RE9dGdiX441k-w/s0/Adam-Eve-5.jpg" /></a></div><i>Artistic rendering of Adam and Eve</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180; font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i><b>Responsum of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith to a dubium</b></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180; font-size: medium;">regarding the blessing of the unions of persons of the same sex </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><i>March 15, 2021</i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">TO THE QUESTION PROPOSED: </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">Does the Church have the power to give the blessing to unions of persons of the same sex?</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">RESPONSE:</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">Negative.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/03/15/210315b.html"><b>Go here to read the concise and articulate Explanatory Note</b></a> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">---------------------------------------------------------------- </span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><b>Article of Commentary on the Responsum ad dubium,</b></span> 15.03.2021</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">The new statement of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is a response to a question – in classical terms, to a dubium – occasioned, as is normally the case, by pastors and faithful who require clarification and guidance concerning a controversial issue. When questions are triggered by problematic assertions or practices in important areas of Christian life, an affirmative or negative response is provided, along with a statement of the reasoning that supports the response presented. The purpose of such interventions is to help the universal Church to respond better to the demands of the Gospel, to settle disputes, and to foster healthy communion among the holy people of God.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">In the present case, a disputed question has arisen in the framework of the “sincere desire to welcome and accompany homosexual persons, to whom are proposed paths of growth in faith” (Explanatory Note), as indicated by the Holy Father Pope Francis at the conclusion of two Synodal Assemblies on the family: “so that those who manifest a homosexual orientation can receive the assistance they need to understand and fully carry out God’s will in their lives” (Apostolic Exhortation Amoris laetitia, n. 250). These words are an invitation to evaluate, with appropriate discernment, projects and pastoral proposals directed to this end. Among these are blessings given to the unions of persons of the same sex. It is therefore asked whether the Church has the power to impart her blessing: this is the formula contained in the quaesitum.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">The answer - the Responsum ad dubium – is explained and motivated in the attached Explanatory Note of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, dated February 22, 2021, to the publication of which Pope Francis himself has given his assent.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">The Note is centered on the fundamental and decisive distinction between persons and the union. This is so that the negative judgment on the blessing of unions of persons of the same sex does not imply a judgment on persons.</span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2021/03/15/210315c.html">Go here to read the brief Commentary on the Responsum ad dubium</a> </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">TO UNIONS</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="color: #800180;">BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS</span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><i><span style="color: #800180;">June 3, 2003 </span></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">INTRODUCTION</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">1. In recent years, various questions relating to homosexuality have been addressed with some frequency by Pope John Paul II and by the relevant Dicasteries of the Holy See.(1) Homosexuality is a troubling moral and social phenomenon, even in those countries where it does not present significant legal issues. It gives rise to greater concern in those countries that have granted or intend to grant – legal recognition to homosexual unions, which may include the possibility of adopting children. The present Considerations do not contain new doctrinal elements; they seek rather to reiterate the essential points on this question and provide arguments drawn from reason which could be used by Bishops in preparing more specific interventions, appropriate to the different situations throughout the world, aimed at protecting and promoting the dignity of marriage, the foundation of the family, and the stability of society, of which this institution is a constitutive element. The present Considerations are also intended to give direction to Catholic politicians by indicating the approaches to proposed legislation in this area which would be consistent with Christian conscience.(2) Since this question relates to the natural moral law, the arguments that follow are addressed not only to those who believe in Christ, but to all persons committed to promoting and defending the common good of society.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><span style="color: #800180;">... <i>text continues... </i></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><b><span style="font-size: medium;"><a href="https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20030731_homosexual-unions_en.html">Go here to read the complete text of these Considerations</a> </span></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"></div></div></div></div><p></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span lang="EN-US"><b style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; text-align: start;"></p></span></div><span lang="EN-US"><!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com000120, Vatican City41.902916 12.45338913.592682163821152 -22.702861 70.213149836178843 47.609639tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-55038473327387085962021-03-11T01:52:00.008-05:002021-03-24T00:46:40.477-04:00"Hail Mary, full of grace, the LORD IS WITH THEE..."<p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b></b></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><p style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p style="font-size: medium; text-align: left;"></p><p style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaw55Q4FLE5HqkPZVoRb2wnpnElS59vPuXUWrW1oW93Q6jWzBbmSwPyjS61McIH9TsBfO-wjzzU-_90e_8sFPCExq5a3ErPm47zzw1pZumXhYvShOJhTS2M-Qsb9e27K6nLDAzQ/s1800/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_top_4x6.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlaw55Q4FLE5HqkPZVoRb2wnpnElS59vPuXUWrW1oW93Q6jWzBbmSwPyjS61McIH9TsBfO-wjzzU-_90e_8sFPCExq5a3ErPm47zzw1pZumXhYvShOJhTS2M-Qsb9e27K6nLDAzQ/s320/Our_Lady_of_Guadalupe_top_4x6.jpg" /></a></b></span></div><span style="font-size: large;"><b><br />"THE LORD IS WITH THEE!"</b></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"> <span>It was the Archangel Gabriel who came from Heaven to the young maiden Myriam of Nazareth - she who would come to be known to us as the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Mother of Jesus and of his Church and of all Christians - and in bringing her his "Annunciation", Gabriel announced something of the Divine Will and of Divine Revelation. Gabriel declared to Mary, in current commun English usage: "Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee (you)...." So what did it mean, exactly, that the Lord is with her?</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.”[b] 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?”[c] 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[d] will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her." <span> </span><span> </span>Luke 1:26-38 (All quotes from NRSVCE) </span></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><b>God our Creator is present and active at human conception. </b></span></span></span></p><span>God Himself has revealed to us what happens at the moment of our conception in our mother's womb, and this is true for every human being, found in </span></span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Jeremiah+1&version=NRSVCE"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Jeremiah 1:4-5</span></b></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">:</span></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span>"4 Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, <br /></span><span>5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,<br /></span><span>and before you were born I consecrated you;<br /></span><span>I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span>We know that we are conceived in the moment of union by our mother with our father, and this Word of the Lord gives us a glimpse at the moment our immortal soul is created by the hand of our Creator God.... We owe our existence as an invaluable gift to the planned cooperation between God our Creator and our human parents. This means that we are all intimately related to God our Creator even from before we are conceived in that God loves us and desires that we come into existence even before we do so. We already have a Father in Heaven who loves us and desires us. This is no negligible matter but a wondrous one.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b00fe; font-size: large;"><b>However, we must all contend with the "original sin"</b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b00fe;">While it remains true that we have a loving Father in Heaven, we must all of us contend with the disastrous consequences of the original sin. We are not conceived into a perfect and harmonious relationship with our Creator God, but in a state of rebellion and distrust. As we grow up and older we do not spontaneously trust in God and love Him but instead we spontaneously distrust God or are afraid of Him or simply ignore Him at best or hate and despise Him at worst. Actually, perhaps being indifferent to Him is much worse. In any event, it is because our Creator God is our loving Father that He has not abandoned us but has sent his only-begotten Son into the world as one among us in order to be our Saviour.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b00fe;">In the case of Mary, we know through Divine Revelation and the teaching of our Church that at the moment of her conception she was granted the privilege of exemption from the dark consequences of the original sin committed by our first parents, the first human couple Adam and Eve. This divine privilege was granted by God to Mary in anticipation of her vocation, her future role and mission as Mother of God, and this gift has been called the "Immaculate Conception" by Pope Blessed Pius IX December 8th, 1854 in his Encyclical "</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #2b00fe; text-align: left;"><span><a href="https://www.papalencyclicals.net/pius09/p9ineff.htm"><b><span style="color: #9fc5e8;">Ineffabilis Deus</span></b></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">" and then less than four years later at Lourdes the Blessed Virgin Mary confirmed this privilege when she identified herself, saying, "I am the Immaculate Conception." This statement caused clerics of the day to become distraught as they failed to understand how Mary seemed to confuse her identity with the privilege granted her by God. So this means then that Mary from even before her conception was granted by God a very special and privileged relationship of intimate love with our Heavenly Father. The Lord, our Father, was truly "with her" all along and continued to be "with her" even until now. Pope Saint Pius X reaffirmed the dogma of the Immaculate Conception 50 years later in his Encyclical <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/pius-x/en/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-x_enc_02021904_ad-diem-illum-laetissimum.html"><b>"Ad Diem Illum Laetissimum."</b></a> </span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;">"Venerable Brethren, </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Health and the Apostolic Blessing. </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">An interval of a few months will again bring round that most happy day on which, fifty years ago, Our Predecessor Pius IX., Pontiff of holy memory, surrounded by a noble crown of Cardinals and Bishops, pronounced and promulgated with the authority of the infallible magisterium as a truth revealed by God that the Most Blessed Virgin Mary in the first instant of her conception was free from all stain of original sin. All the world knows the feelings with which the faithful of all the nations of the earth received this proclamation and the manifestations of public satisfaction and joy which greeted it, for truly there has not been in the memory of man any more universal or more harmonious expression of sentiment shown towards the august Mother of God or the Vicar of Jesus Christ."</span></blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Clerics wondered "How can Mary say she is conception?"</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">When Bernadette Soubirous reported to the clergy the name that her "Lady" had given herself, they were perplexed. Their first and most obvious objection was that conception is an action; so the lady could not possibly take the name of an action. In </span><a href="https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?id=6547"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">his final writings</span></b></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> before his arrest by the Nazis on February 17, 1941, Father Maximilian Maria Kolbe OFM continued his long reflection on Mary, who identified herself to Saint Bernadette as "The Immaculate Conception". His insight was about the unique and God-given relationship between the Holy Spirit - "</span><a href="https://saintmaximiliankolbe.com/who-are-you-o-immaculate-conception/"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Uncreated, Eternal Immaculate Conception</span></b></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;">" between the Eternal Father and the Eternal Son in the Most Holy Trinity - on one hand, and on the other hand, Mary of Nazareth as the "created Immaculate Conception". He saw this relationship as a spousal relationship, in which Mary was granted as a privilege the name of her Spouse.</span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span>From the very beginning, then, Mary was a privileged "work of the Holy Spirit" from the moment of her own conception immaculately in the womb of her mother Saint Anne. The Holy Spirit continued to dwell in Mary as in a Temple made "by God's hands" and so God was "with Mary" all along. It is our understanding from Jesus' own testimony and teaching that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are always one in all things. So, God was "with Mary" all along; while particular "roles" of each Divine Person were highlighted at different moments in Mary's life. Mary existed in the love of the Father from all eternity. She came into existence "under the bright shadow" of the Holy Spirit who remained with her; until the moment of this Annunciation, when the Son of God became more manifest.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The Father, the Holy Spirit, and now, the Son Eternal Word</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span>So, we now see how the Father was always "with Mary", and the Holy Spirit was also always "with Mary", and now, finally, the Eternal Word, the only-begotten Son of the Father, also came to be "with Mary" at the moment she gave her affirmative reply to the Archangel Gabriel: </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1&version=NRSVCE"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"></span></b></a></span></span></p><blockquote><span><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1&version=NRSVCE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></a><blockquote><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1&version=NRSVCE"><span style="font-family: arial;"><b></b></span></a><blockquote style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+1&version=NRSVCE"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">“Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”</span></b></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Luke 1:38</span></span></blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: medium;"></span></blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe; font-size: medium;"></span></span></blockquote><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></span><p></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The extravagant generosity of Almighty God to humanity</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span>This reflection brings us to realize that humanity stands abundantly blessed in the presence of Almighty God our Creator. Not only do we have an Eternal loving Father in the Heavens, but we also have a brother and Saviour in his only-begotten Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ; moreover, since the day of Pentecost, we have all been brought - along with Blessed Mary the Immaculate Conception - into the Family of God the Most Holy Trinity by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit into all those who believe in God and in the One whom He has sent into the world. In addition, in the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Lourdes, of Fatima, and of many other places of her visitations as decreed by God, in Mary then, we also have a Mother, we continue to receive her as a gift from God, Queen of the Apostles, of Martyrs, and of all the Saints, the "Women clothed with the sun..." as she appeared to Saint Juan Diego on the outskirts of Mexico City in December, 1531.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12&version=NRSVCE"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"></span></b></a></span></p><blockquote><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Revelation+12&version=NRSVCE"><b><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">"12 A great portent appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars."</span></b></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Rev 12:1</span></span></blockquote><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span></span></span></p><blockquote><blockquote><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span>Here are only a few of the gentle, gracious, and heart-rending words addressed by Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego:</span></span></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">“Know for certain, least of my sons, that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God through whom everything lives, the Lord of all things near and far, the Master of heaven and earth. It is my earnest wish that a temple be built here to my honor. Here I will demonstrate, I will exhibit, I will give all my love, my compassion, my help and my protection to the people. I am your merciful mother, the merciful mother of all of you who live united in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who seek me, of those who have condfidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping, their sorrow, and will remedy and alleviate all their multiple sufferings, necessities and misfortunes.” </span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><a href="https://queenoftheamericasguild.org/history-of-the-apparitions/"><b>https://queenoftheamericasguild.org/history-of-the-apparitions/</b></a></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Benedict XVI stated: “When the Virgin of Guadalupe </span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">appeared to the native Indian Saint Juan Diego, she spoke </span><span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">these important words to him: </span><a href="http://kofc.org/en/resources/our-lady-of-guadalupe/guadalupe-story.pdf"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>“Am I not your mother? Are </b></span></a></span><a href="http://kofc.org/en/resources/our-lady-of-guadalupe/guadalupe-story.pdf"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b><span>you not under my shadow and my gaze? Am I not the </span><span>source of your joy? Are you not sheltered underneath my </span></b></span></a><span><a href="http://kofc.org/en/resources/our-lady-of-guadalupe/guadalupe-story.pdf"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><b>mantle, under the embrace of my arms?”</b></span></a><span style="color: #2b00fe;"> Shrine of the </span></span><span style="color: #2b00fe;">Aparecida, Brazil, May 13th, 2007</span></blockquote><span style="color: #2b00fe;"></span><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span></span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>So, the Lord is "truly <u>with</u> Mary"</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The Most Holy Trinity - the Father and the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit genuinely also want to be "with us" as well. To this end, God sends Mary, now and again, to Earth with the same simple message of God's invitation to us human beings to open our minds, hearts, souls, and bodies to the loving, forgiving, merciful, life-giving presence and action of God within us; so that, "with God", we may work together to advance God's work of salvation among human society, from one person to another, one family to another. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #2b00fe;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; text-align: center;"><div style="color: black; font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></b><p style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-5159513574232056492021-01-21T21:41:00.001-05:002021-07-19T05:54:00.114-04:00A Catholic wants to come back to the Church... Where do you begin?<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMFAMoczBrwb_53D2qiBdKcUPXjYp5iMjUV18YSdYSr4KXPIn8nZsDRmVP-Akx8Z6604IV2Wcs0nALKqEbHhx-bOixnS5_DtmctC3M2sEUZ5GXWUi4PyShwTAI8t5OQj7RnBbUw/s1600/Jesus-walking-on-water-5-772510.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_6920408959466902674" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDMFAMoczBrwb_53D2qiBdKcUPXjYp5iMjUV18YSdYSr4KXPIn8nZsDRmVP-Akx8Z6604IV2Wcs0nALKqEbHhx-bOixnS5_DtmctC3M2sEUZ5GXWUi4PyShwTAI8t5OQj7RnBbUw/s320/Jesus-walking-on-water-5-772510.jpg" /></a></div><p></p> <p align="left"><span style="color: #800180;">You're a Roman Catholic who simply walked away, or were in some way hurt or turned away, or who may actually have been "drawn" by God to other churches for a number of years. Now, you have begun to feel dissatisfied with your isolation or with various points and elements in those various Christian churches or "exotic" religions, and, ironically, you feel drawn - again by the Lord - to have another look at the Roman Catholic Church.</span></p> <p align="left"><span style="color: #800180;">Where do you begin?</span></p> <p align="left"><span style="color: #800180;">Well, a good place to start would be of course to ask God to guide you as you try to follow his calling and to continue to do your best to walk in the steps of Jesus. Then, as you continue to pray in this way every day, even several times a day and night, take a step. Visit a Catholic church, or if your city is in lock-down and the churches are closed, visit nearby R.C. parishes via their websites. In addition, you can visit Pope Francis via the Vatican website, and through various Catholic news outlets, you can "listen in" on Pope Francis' homilies and read his writings.</span></p> <p align="left"><span style="color: #800180;">You could then take a more personal step by getting in touch with your local Parish and then your Parish Priest. If you don't like the reception you get, shake the dust off your feet and try another parish and another priest until you find the "one" to whom the Lord is guiding you; where you feel welcomed, respected, and where you sense you can bring your questions and not be given a "bum's rush". <br /> </span></p> <p align="left"><span style="color: #800180;">During this exploration, you will also benefit from praying every day, often during the day - which just means "visiting with God" within your spirit - and opening the Word of God in the Bible to "listen" to the Lord speaking. It is, after all, his millenially inspired and "living Word". You can also explore various additional sites and resources on the Internet. <br /> </span></p> <p align="left"><span style="color: #800180;">So here are a few links which will help you find additional resources for your ongoing study, reflection, and prayer; as, like Mary the Mother of Jesus, you "ponder" the "things of the Lord and his ways" and allow the Most Holy Trinity to continue to guide and form you from within. Here now is a link to my "<b><a href="https://gillessurprenant.blogspot.com" moz-do-not-send="true">Home Page</a></b>" on Blogger leading to a number of other pages. I regret this somewhat "impersonal" or distant connection, but those Blogger pages provide a good overview of the essentials of the Christian faith and life in response to the Lord Jesus' call in the Roman Catholic Tradition. This is not exhaustive, because after all, this Tradition has been developing for two millennia. Also, most Catholics take a lifetime to become more personally connected with the Most Holy Trinity by faith through Jesus Christ, and over time, more intimately familiar with all the riches of what God is offering to humanity through his Church in Jesus and the Holy Spirit. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">The Pillar, Heart, and Soul of discipleship in Jesus is of course the Most Holy Trinity, God Himself. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">God manifests his presence and ongoing creative and life-giving action in Nature or the Universe, sometimes called the "Book of Creation"; so we do well to walk outside, look up at the stars, and contemplate the wonders of Creation. This is also done by scientists and us who read their work as they contemplate the intricacies of biology, astronomy, and so on. As we explore we can "wonder as we wander" and send up glory, praise, and thanks to God our Creator.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">The Father manifests his will in his Son Jesus as <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16&version=NRSVCE" moz-do-not-send="true">He founds his Church on Simon Peter, aka "Petros"</a> which in Greek means "Rock" or, in American English, "Rocky". There is only one Church as testified in the Nicene Creed, which is common to all principal Christian denominations. Our RC Tradition witnesses to the Church as the "Mystical Body of Christ" of which He is our "Head". Where He has gone first, we hope to follow, that is, through death and resurrection. </span></p><p><span style="color: #800180;">So the Church is all those who have been baptized, in whom the Holy Spirit has come as in a temple with the Father and the Son, and begun the work of sanctification - also called divinization - whereby the Most Holy Trinity distills into a human soul the divine life of the Most Holy Trinity; granting us to participate by spiritual adoption through faith in Jesus in the divine life enjoyed by the Most Holy Trinity - in a partial way for now - but which will become full in eternity, in heaven. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">So the Church is made up of all the baptized, whether we are aware of them or not, whether they belong to "our group" or not, whether on Earth (the Church militant) or in Purgatory (the Church suffering) or in Heaven (the Church triumphant). At the end of time all things will be accomplished in accord to God's holy will and all will be in their proper places in accord with the choices they have made.</span></p><p><span style="color: #800180;">Purgatory will no longer exist, for it is simply the "time of purgation" needed by those souls destined for heaven but who are not yet ready for heaven because something of Earth still clings to their soul; such that they are still in need of God's mercy to set them completely free of mortality or "sinful attachment or inclination"; until such time as there remains in them only the one holy desire given by God, namely, to love God above all things and to love everyone for love of God. <br /> </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180;"><b>The first step is opening your mind, heart, and soul to God; then reaching out to his Church</b></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180;"><b>The next steps are guided by the Holy Spirit and take up the rest of our lives on Earth</b></span></p> <p><b><span style="color: #800180;">RESOURCES and PILLARS FOR THE CHRISTIAN LIFE OF FAITH AND DISCIPLESHIP</span></b></p> <p><b><span style="color: #800180;">The Liturgy of the Hours<br /> The Sacred Scriptures<br /> Prayer: alone, with spouse, with family, with community<br /> The Sacramental Life - encountering Jesus in accord with his wishes through his mysteries<br /> Christian disciplines and resources <br /> </span></b></p> <p><b><span style="color: #800180;"><font>THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS</font> - The Prayer of the Church - for example in the app <a href="https://divineoffice.org/?date=20210121&unique=1611274516.06" moz-do-not-send="true">Divine Office</a> <br /> </span></b></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">The <b>Prayer of the Church</b> - which originated with the "fathers of the desert" who learned the Scriptures by heart and recited them in prayer and fasting to escape the sinful distractions of the big city and await the coming of Jesus in glory or the end of their earthly lives, whichever would come first. Over the centuries this sacred and life giving practice developed into the normal way of daily prayer for clergy - deacons, priests, and bishops - and for religious - all men and women who sought to help each other live the Christian life by turning away from the ways of the world in order to erect a "Christian society" and community, such as in monasteries. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Since Vatican Council II from 1962-1965 in Rome, the Liturgy of the Hours has been renewed in many languages and the laity are invited to pray as much of it as they can; meanwhile the clergy and religious make a life long commitment to pray all the hours daily. You can sign up for it at this link, there is no cost because they work on donations alone, and this link is for today, Thursday. Once you're "in" it, read the brief bio of the saint of the day, Saint Agnes, and then click on the Morning Prayer tab and you will find there a typical "hour" which includes a hymn, psalms, a reading from the Word of God, intentions, the Lord's Prayer, and a concluding prayer and blessing. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Today's Morning Prayer expresses well a key dimension of the life of faith and discipleship in the Roman Catholic Tradition. We understand that Jesus, in Himself as divine pre-existing Son of God and as human son of Mary is in effect and in fact a "marriage" between God and humanity. That is why Jesus refers to Himself as the Bridegroom with his Church (all of us) as his Bride. John wrote that Jesus' first "sign" He performed at the wedding banquet at Cana where he turned water into wine at the request of his Mother Mary. The Wedding Banquet is an image of Heaven where we will be immersed in the joy of the "Wedding Feast of the Lamb of God". DIVINE OFFICE: <a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="https://divineoffice.org/0121-mp/?date=20210121" moz-do-not-send="true">https://divineoffice.org/0121-mp/?date=20210121</a><br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b><font>THE SACRED SCRIPTURES - THE DIVINELY INSPIRED WORD OF GOD</font> - </b>The Bible contains the Jewish Scriptures and the Christian Scriptures - in our day there are many versions available, even on line, such as the <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+28&version=NRSVCE" moz-do-not-send="true">NRSVCE</a></b> - New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition - which is used at Mass in English<br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">The Apostles were the first - actually Jesus was the first as witnessed by Luke in Luke 24:13-35 (Jesus meets the two disciples on the road to Emmaus) - to interpret everything in the Old Testament - the Jewish Scriptures - that applied to Him as the Messiah, the Lord, send by God the Father for the salvation of humanity. Thus began the divinely inspired INTERPRETATION of the Jewish Scriptures as correctly and truthfully applicable to Jesus as Lord and Saviour. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">The initial interpretations, teachings, and writings of the Apostles became the letters, Gospels, Acts, and Revelation of the New Testament. After that first generation, those who followed them came to be known as the "Fathers of the Church" and these continued to "ponder" as Mary did the "ways of the Lord" and to further develop this sacred tradition of divinely inspired interpretation of the Old Testament in light of the New. In their preaching, teaching, life witnessing, writing, and dying, these Fathers of the Church made practical applications of the Word of God to everyday living and faith in action. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">The Church has prepared a banquet of all this sacred Tradition of the Word of God and the teaching, preaching, and witnessing of the Church in the Liturgy of the Hours, and especially in the Office of Readings, which gives us every day a lengthy passage from Scripture (both Testaments) and a second lengthy passage from the Fathers and Saints of the Church. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">In addition, zealous Christians accept the grace offered by God and the invitation of the Holy Spirit to open the Bible every day and "feed on" the Word of God. The Liturgy of the Hours provides a "carefully prepared diet and banquet" from the Lord, and personal reading of the Bible is a more spontaneous initiative and approach. Both are needed: our personal initiative and the guidance God offers us through his Church. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><font><b>PERSONAL, SPOUSAL, FAMILY, AND COMMUNAL PRAYER</b></font> - Praying daily alone, with one's spouse, with one's family, and with one's community of faith. You can check out my various web pages on Blogger where you will find an abundance of resources. Here is Father Gilles' <b><a href="https://fathergilleshome.blogspot.com/p/home-debut.html" moz-do-not-send="true">"Home Page"</a></b> with several links to other pages, some of which also lead to even more pages.... <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Prayer is simply "visiting with God". All the Gospels give witness that Jesus spent a lot of time in prayer with his Father. Jesus' entire life was focused on his Father's love, to do his Father's will, and to commune with his Father. Luke testifies that even at 12 years of age Jesus had a highly developed sense of being called to "be about his Father's business". In the prologue to his Gospel, John declares that "to all who believe in Jesus He gives the power to become children of God. All the baptized are called to remain open to God, to welcome the Most Holy Trinity within them, in their soul, and to be open to communing with the Father, in Jesus, by the Holy Spirit. God grants us to become more familiar, to come to know and to love the Father, and Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit. We can pray to each singly as well as to all three together. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Whenever we address one or more of the saints - Mother Mary, Joseph, Peter, Paul, Agnes, Francis of Assisi, Anthony of Padua, Dominic, Benedict, his sister Scholastica, Brother André, Pope John Paul II, etc.... - we are merely "communing" with our sisters and brothers in Christ, and this "great cloud of witness" amplify our own zeal and love of God and encourage us on our way of faith, hope, and love. All good prayers and hymns addressed to one or more of the saints always end with a doxology, that is, giving glory and praise to the Most Holy Trinity. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Prayer alone can be silent, or include "murmuring" or moving the lips, or voicing out loud, or two or all three of these ways. We can let Scripture lead us into prayer, especially the psalms, but there are hymns also embedded in other sacred Bible books, including the New Testament; such as Jesus' own prayer to the Father in John 17 or N.T. hymns also called canticles, e.g. Phil 2:6-11; Ephesians 1:3-10; Colossians 1:12-20; 1 Peter 2:21-24; Revelation 4:11, 5:9, 10, 12; Rev 11:17-18, 12:10b-12a; Rev 15:3-4; Rev 19:1-7. Of course the most famous and frequently used canticles are the Canticle of Zechariah - Luke 1:46-55; of Mary also called the Magnificat - Luke 1:68-79; and of Simeon - Luke 2:29-32.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Spouses and families need to explore and configure their ways of praying together in such ways as to include everyone, to respect everyone, and to include both silence and oral (out loud) texts and prayers. Different postures can also enhance praying: standing, kneeling, prostrations, sitting, lying down, even walking. Intentions can also be voiced and shared so as to create oneness of mind and heart in making intercession to God. <br /> </span></p> <p><b><span style="color: #800180;"><font>THE SACRAMENTAL LIFE - encountering Jesus in accord with his wishes through his mysteries</font><br /> </span></b></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Jesus fully intended to remain faithful and fulfill his promise - recorded in Matthew 28:16-20 - to remain always with us: "And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age." That is why He initiated immediately or allowed the Apostles to develop in response to emerging needs what are now called the Seven Sacraments. You can find a lot on the Internet from Catholic sources, most of which are good and true, but one must always be vigilant.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>BAPTISM </b>- Jesus clearly commanded his apostles to "make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>CONFIRMATION </b>- After his resurrection, Jesus clearly poured out his spirit, the Holy Spirit, onto his apostles. The Holy Spirit confirmed this divine gift at Pentecost by coming down upon and filling all 120 people gathered to wait and pray for "the promise of the Father". <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>HOLY EUCHARIST</b> - Jesus never intended to leave a "symbolic meal" but literally commanded his Apostles to eat his body "broken for you" and drink his blood "poured out for you" and that they should "do this in memory of me." The Apostles, the authors of the N.T. Letters, and the Evangelists all offer united testimony that they all experienced this gift of Jesus are real, true, authentic, and although illogical from a human point of view, God's wisdom and truth for God's outpouring of his divine life into us who believe and receive Jesus in faith. The N.T. references are too numerous to list here. RC's are under obligation to receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the Easter Season. Since Jesus declared what unless we eat his flesh and drink his blood we have no life within us; it is highly recommended and useful to our soul to receive the Lord at least every Sunday, if not also during the week. During a pandemic such as we now endure, when churches are closed, we are encouraged to welcome the Lord into our soul by way of a <b><a href="https://www.vaticannews.va/en/prayers/the-spiritual-communion.html" moz-do-not-send="true">"Spiritual Communion"</a></b><b>.</b><br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>PENANCE & RECONCILIATION aka CONFESSION</b> - Jesus went about for three years forgiving sins, even that is not what people asked. He was preceded and his way was prepared by his cousin John the Baptist who preached a baptism of water for repentance, declaring that one greater than he was coming after him who would baptize "with Spirit and with fire". Jesus clearly gave the Apostles, in the person of the one He chose to lead them, Peter, the authority to forgive sins or to retain sins. This has always been clearly understood from the time of the Apostles through the time of their successors, later known as the "Fathers of the Church". <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">How this "mysterious encounter" with the Risen Lord Jesus happened and was offered to the faithful evolved over time as the society changed and the needs of the faithful for repentance and forgiveness changed; until this sacrament took its present form around 1200 A.D. In the early Church, for the first half of the first millennium, the confession of sins was made in public in front of the bishop, and the penance was also public; such as wearing sack cloth with ashes on one's head for months or even years, depending on the gravity of the sin and its impact on the community of faith; such as in the case of sexual scandals or offering sacrifice to the Roman gods so as to avoid execution. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Since the 13th century it has been our experience that the Lord Jesus effectively forgives sins, as He once did in Palestine, and also reconciles the sinner to Himself and to the living Body of his Church, through this Sacrament of Reconciliation consisting of confession to a priest, sincere regret and contrition, a firm resolution to repent and live a life of ongoing conversion, a brief, discreet, and respectful dialogue as needed, absolution worded by the priest and given by Jesus, and an appropriate penance for the sake of reparation and some step or steps towards doing the will of God by prayer or action or both. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">RC's are under obligation to confess at least once a year if they have serious sin. However, this sacrament has been experienced universally as a great aid in coming closer to Jesus and opening more widely the gates of our heart to Him and also to forgiving others.</span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Here is Bishop (Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, CA) <b><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcMjLgeWNwqL2LBGS-iPb1A" moz-do-not-send="true">Robert Barron's YouTube Channel</a></b>, where you will find a number of short talks on various topics of interest. He also has his own website and Internet apostolate called <b><a href="https://www.wordonfire.org" moz-do-not-send="true">Word on Fire</a></b> where you will find different resources. <br /> </span></p> <p><b><span style="color: #800180;"><font>CHRISTIAN DISCIPLINES AND RESOURCES </font><br /> </span></b></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>FASTING, PENANCE, ALMS, AND WORKS OF MERCY</b> - Unlike many Protestant denominations which minimize the importance of works and over emphasize the place of justifying faith; the Roman Catholic Tradition has always understood, taught, and preached a proper balance between faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour (by which God justifies us in Jesus' Blood shed) on the one hand, and on allowing this grace of God to unfold and bear fruit, thereby giving honour and praise to God, in a whole variety of practices, such as fasting, penance, and mortification of the flesh, and <b><a href="https://www.archtoronto.org/mercy/Pages/Corporal-and-Spiritual-Works-of-Mercy.aspx" moz-do-not-send="true">works of mercy</a></b> - both physical or <b><a href="https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/jubilee-of-mercy/the-corporal-works-of-mercy" moz-do-not-send="true">corporal works of mercy</a></b> and <b><a href="https://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/jubilee-of-mercy/the-spiritual-works-of-mercy" moz-do-not-send="true">spiritual works of mercy</a></b> - to the benefit of those who receive these acts of love. In 2016 Pope Francis called on all Christians to add an 8th work of mercy: <b><a href="https://www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/eight-works-mercy" moz-do-not-send="true">"Care for our common home"</a></b>. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>PONDERING THE MYSTERIES OF THE MOST HOLY ROSARY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY</b> - Our RC Tradition understands the practice of praying the Rosary of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary and the Life of Jesus to have <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Rosary" moz-do-not-send="true">developed over time</a> from the middle of the first millennium until the middle of the second millennium - over a period of around a thousand years - to the form it has today. Then in 2002 Saint Pope John Paul II published his "Apostolic Letter <a href="http://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/apost_letters/2002/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20021016_rosarium-virginis-mariae.html" moz-do-not-send="true">Rosarium Virginis Mariae</a> to the bishops, clergy, and faithful on the Most Holy Rosary". In this letter he declared the Rosary to be his favourite prayer because in the course of meditating on the Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary - so many windows in the life of Jesus which also includes his Mother Mary - she actually accompanies us and helps us to "contemplate the light shining on the face of Jesus". <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">In the history of the Church the praying of the Rosary with faith, devotion, and trust in God has been the occasion for God to work wonders and miracles, as reported in the Wikipedia article linked above. I was told and later confirmed by research on the Internet that in the mid-1950's the Archbishop of Vienna together with all the bishops of Austria - which since 1945 had been occupied, oppressed, and controlled the the U.S.S.R. - appealed to all the faithful of Austria and all people of good will to unite in pledging to meditate prayerfully the Rosary everyday as an offering to God of one million people united in prayer of the Rosary; as a plea to God through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary to free Austria from the yoke of the U.S.S.R. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">Well, since 1945 the governments of France, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States had divided Austria into for zones of occupation. In the 1950's they talked of re-establishing the independence of Austria, but the U.S.S.R. in particular dragged their feet. In 1954 - the centenary of the Papal Declaration of the God given privilege of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary - the bishops called on the people to pray the Rosary with the intention of reaching one million pledges of daily Rosary praying. Once that goal of one million pledges was achieved and surpassed, on May 15th, 1955 those four occupying governments signed what they called the "Austrian State Treaty"; thereby agreeing to lift their occupation and leave. The treaty came into effect July 27th and on October 25th the country was free of occupying troops. Our Lady interceded with God in response to the people's prayers and God helped the process along which had been stuck and stalled. At the time people were stunned that it actually worked and, especially, that the Soviet Union left. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>LIVES OF THE SAINTS, DEVOTIONS, & SPIRITUAL READING</b> - This whole dimension of R. C. Tradition is our "hall of heroes", the stories of our "elder sisters and brothers in the faith", a "<b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Hebrews%2012&version=NRSVCE" moz-do-not-send="true">great cloud of witnesses</a></b>" that spur us on to victory in the Kingdom of God. Paul in chapter 11 went through the list of the key Israelite witnesses; so in our time, that would include all the martyrs and saints since Jesus' day. We can only be enriched by getting to know them, allowing the Holy Spirit to activate the "communion of saints" to grant us a living connection with the saints - as we have in our own families on Earth - and confiding in them our hopes and fears, needs and aspirations; that they might join us through the communion of saints in presenting to God our prayers for ourselves and others. The various "devotions to the saints" are like a family home having a "rogue gallery of family pictures", and venerating relics of the saints (particles of their bone or clothing or hair) is like families keeping a lock of hair of their children in the family album. Relics are better and more effective "bonds of love" to the saints because the saints are right now alive in God's radiant Presence in Heaven. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><a href="https://aleteia.org/2018/05/21/holy-catholic-pilgrimages-for-your-bucket-list/" moz-do-not-send="true"><b>PILGRIMAGES & RETREATS</b></a> - One can go on pilgrimage as simply as visiting a church or cemetery or monastery or site of supernatural apparitions. A pilgrimage is a journey of faith undertaken by a Christian in order to get in touch with the roots of our faith or with one or more of the saints; for the purpose of growing in faith, in knowledge and love for God, and in personal experience of our faith Tradition and Church. <a href="http://www.itmonline.org/bodytheology/part1.htm" moz-do-not-send="true">Spiritual Retreats</a> are pockets of time during which we stay put in a particular place in an <a href="https://www.thecatholicthing.org/2014/03/02/why-and-how-to-make-a-retreat/" moz-do-not-send="true">appropriate environment</a> where we can remain in safety, in silence, in prayer, and hopefully also in community of faith, and there to experience daily spiritual exercises such as the celebration of Holy Mass, communal prayer, and silent adoration. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>SPIRITUAL ACCOMPANIMENT, GUIDANCE, or DIRECTION</b> - Since the time of the Apostles, as shown by Luke in 24:13-35, Christian disciples have shared their faith and struggles with one another, encouraged one another, and sought the Lord together. This happens in many ways, at many levels, and with varying degrees of competence and authority. There is in Montreal "<a href="https://www.ignatiancentremtl.ca/" moz-do-not-send="true">The Ignatian Spirituality Centre</a>" which offers spiritual accompaniment and formation at various levels of progress in the faith journey. There are throughout the Church many such centres, but one must always remain vigilant to assure that what is offered does not include any admixture of "new age" confusion that only try to take our attention and focus away from the Lord Jesus Christ. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT, COMMITMENT, & ONGOING FORMATION</b> - The Roman Catholic Tradition witnesses to the development of the Church Jesus founded into dioceses under the spiritual leadership, pastoring, and fatherhood of a bishop appointed by the Bishop of Rome, the Pope, and answerable to him. Each diocese is an independent "living cell" of the universal Church, the Body of Christ. However there is a kind of "oversight" exercised by the Pope and his officers to assure that bishops don't stray from the truth or from the essentials of the RC Tradition, Teaching, and Practice. In each diocese, the Bishop ordains and sends out deacons and priests to assist him in caring for the Lord's flock. These are all responsible and answerable to their bishop. No cleric can just "hop" from one diocese to another; they can only move to another diocese with the approval of both bishops. Here is <a href="https://www.diocesemontreal.org/en" moz-do-not-send="true">Montreal Diocese</a>.<br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>FORMATION TOWARDS DISCIPLESHIP & STEWARDSHIP</b> - There is a great variety of materials on the Internet touching on what it means to be a <a href="imap://fathergilles%40gmail%2Ecom@imap.googlemail.com:993/fetch%3EUID%3E/%5BGmail%5D/Sent%20Mail%3E1180?part=1.1.2.3&filename=Disciple_and_Steward.pdf" moz-do-not-send="false">Disciple of Jesus</a> and to exercise good <a href="https://d2y1pz2y630308.cloudfront.net/2117/documents/2018/1/Booklet-StewardshipADisciplesResponse.pdf" moz-do-not-send="true">Stewardship as his Disciple</a>. Another document explores these two dimensions of our faith response to the Lord as "<a href="http://wccsc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Stewardship-through-the-Eyes-of-a-Disciple.pdf" moz-do-not-send="true">Making the Journey of Discipleship & Stewardship</a>". The primary reason why there are such materials is because we can simply benefit from the experience of others, which includes what pitfalls to avoid. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>MISSIONARY DISCIPLESHIP</b> - In his letter "The Joy of the Gospel" Pope Francis wrote about our call as Christians to be "<a href="http://www.vatican.va/evangelii-gaudium/en/files/assets/basic-html/page97.html" moz-do-not-send="true">missionary disciples</a>" and respond to Jesus' call to go out into our world to proclaim the Good News; so that, hearing our words and seeing our example, people who do not yet know God or his love and mercy might look up towards Jesus and "recover their sight". Here is a report on <a href="https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/pope-francis-reminds-us-our-call-be-missionary-disciples" moz-do-not-send="true">what Pope Francis means and how that is essential</a> to our faith response to the Lord Jesus in our own lives. Along these lines, here is a R.C. site that gives witness to <a href="https://divinerenovation.org/" moz-do-not-send="true">what the Holy Spirit is now doing</a>, right now, in R.C. parishes throughout Canada, the U.S.A. and around the world. Here is another, more personal reflection on this topic from the <a href="https://bemissionarydisciples.org/mission/what-is-a-missionary-disciple/" moz-do-not-send="true">Archdiocese of Baltimore</a>. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>CARRYING THE CROSS, PERSECUTION, MARTYRDOM, & FORGIVENESS OF ENEMIES</b> - This is a topic and a basic dimension of the Christian faith and life in the steps of Jesus which is often forgotten or outright avoided by denominations or churches preaching a "<a href="https://intersectproject.org/faith-and-economics/5-critical-errors-of-the-prosperity-gospel/" moz-do-not-send="true">prosperity gospel</a>", which as Saint Paul warned in his letters, is a "<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Corinthians+11&version=NRSVCE" moz-do-not-send="true">different gospel or different Jesus</a>" than the one he preached. Jesus made it abundantly clear - and all the Gospels testify to this truth - that if we want to truly be his disciples, <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+9&version=NRSVCE" moz-do-not-send="true">we must deny ourselves, carry our cross, and follow Him</a>. Moreover, we should not expect better treatment from the world than the treatment He himself got, namely, persecution, false accusation, false condemnation, torture, and death. Some literally follow Jesus in all these steps, but most Christians only do so to lesser degrees. However, there is no avoidance of the cross in one shape or other. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;"><b>THE COMMANDMENTS & THE BEATITUDES</b> - The <b><a href="https://www.vatican.va/archive/ccc_css/archive/catechism/command.htm" moz-do-not-send="true">Ten Commandments</a></b> are the absolute minimum requirements for human beings to live a good life, a life that avoids offending God. However, Christians are called to far surpass this minimum, and in his sermon on the mount, Jesus summed up the new life He has come to offer in God in the <b><a href="http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG0015/_P5I.HTM" moz-do-not-send="true">Eight Beatitudes</a></b>. These give the key points or elements in our new life in Jesus as children of God. There are unlimited reflections and meditations on the Beatitudes in print and on the Internet. Again, we must be vigilant to weigh what we find and, with the help of the Holy Spirit and the Church's teaching, keep what is good and reject what is defective. <br /> </span></p> <p><span style="color: #800180;">God's peace to you and to your family, dear sister, dear brother in the Lord Jesus.... Happy, Healthy, and Holy New Year!</span><br /> <span lang="EN-CA" style="color: #2a708b; font-size: 9pt;"></span> </p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div> Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-90567650009797323582021-01-08T16:03:00.007-05:002021-03-24T00:46:03.115-04:00Entertainment and the related industry vs art that is true and meaningful as well as beautiful and good<p><span style="color: #800180;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #800180;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7slTLocMdsH9j1Yc_GlQXHXYp4pGSKQun1REpn5Y_zSGhJHgiuyPve-kRkgcHwAhtTWekkshSumvK9lNYLQE_c0BUo27sopZFUfZscbP8Vg157t5tfHnkQSwUG2GffUJLXxZQQ/s275/Cirque-du-Soleil-1.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo7slTLocMdsH9j1Yc_GlQXHXYp4pGSKQun1REpn5Y_zSGhJHgiuyPve-kRkgcHwAhtTWekkshSumvK9lNYLQE_c0BUo27sopZFUfZscbP8Vg157t5tfHnkQSwUG2GffUJLXxZQQ/s0/Cirque-du-Soleil-1.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #800180;"><br />Consider for a moment all that is "funnelled" into our senses and memories, minds and imaginations, hearts, souls, and spirits originating in all that has anything to do with what is called the "entertainment industry".... Human beings have manifested a great variety of artistic forms of expression for at least 30 to 40 thousand years. Until perhaps the advent of radio, television, and then the internet; art usually tried to express truth, goodness, and beauty - the "three great transcendents" - which also put human beings in real contact with absolute values and with our God and Creator. </span><p></p><p><span style="color: #800180;">I've never seen a "Cirque du Soleil" performance until just recently thanks to a link sent by a friend.... This "show" recorded in a Las Vegas hotel / casino is
obviously an expert glorification of the human form, of colour and
forms, creative designs, sound and sights, music and harmony, human
dexterity and skill, and risky daredevil feats, but with minimal story
telling and an apparent evacuation of significant meaning or
transcendent values... in other words, pure entertainment.... This begs
the question of anything and everything that is done today and has been
done for the past century or so in the name of entertainment.</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800180;">In Cinema, Theatre, on TV, and on the Internet entertainment is a
general category that increasingly puts on display scenes and activities
we would never tolerate at home in our living rooms or in our churches,
and certainly not if the actors or participants were to be our mothers
and fathers, siblings, or children. All too often what is being "glorified" is a rudimentary, primitive, or "crude" version of some elements of human life that by their very nature are intended to convey meaning and purpose, truth, goodness, and beauty, and to do so in the context of meaningful relationships oriented to their highest possible purpose; which is selfless, self-sacrificial, and self-bestowing love entirely oriented to the good and the final destiny of the other. </span></p><p><span style="color: #800180;">There is a growing consensus that
underneath it all there is a definite conspiracy out of hell to push
completely out of the "screen" or out of our minds, imaginations,
hearts, and spirits any hint of almighty God our Creator or Jesus, his
Son, our Saviour, or the Holy Spirit, or love of neighbour. <br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800180;">All that remains is fascination of the senses... and anaesthesia of
the mind and soul.... For the unwary, watching such spectacles leaves
the senses satiated or saturated but the heart and soul empty and cold
due to allowing one's mind, heart and soul to be distracted for the
awesome presence and life-giving love of the Most Holy Trinity; who are
always present to us.... <br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800180;">It is perhaps on coincidence that the "Cirque du Soleil" was created
in Québec, in a society where the reality and presence of God the
Creator has been entirely evacuated from the public square, along with
any meaningful consideration of the human drama and our ultimate
destiny. <br />
</span></p>
<p><span style="color: #800180;">That is what makes classic novels, stories, by Charles Dickens and films
portraying them, for example, and other creative works of art so
significant and meaningful as well as beautiful and "entertaining".... </span></p><p><span style="color: #800180;">So, perhaps we are being given all these challenges as opportunities for us to "keep awake" as Jesus often said, and to become more deliberate in our choices, moment by moment throughout our days and nights, regarding all that "comes our way"; in order be not be passive but rather active in selecting with careful discernment what we "allow through the gates" of our senses into our bodies, minds, hearts, and souls. In this way, we can at the same time be more deliberate in attending to the divine Presence of the Three Divine Persons in the Most Holy Trinity; who in turn are here to help us be more attentive, loving, and caring to one another... and even towards enemies. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-9626841051418538382021-01-02T13:55:00.011-05:002021-09-07T14:19:04.384-04:00Human sexuality - gift of God which, used otherwise skews our vision, but used in accord with His plan, calibrates our vision to blessedness<p><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #38761d;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8wLX3fejzEWba1lLTFALqDw-UWtO8Rjau3eerqPEt6kFRy260NmewOAAl67ycxWQleD5ybLYWjtHTQonDa0SRAuLL-2YjveBnzgnwWLbq9oeSEDvNz7dvt_gP-T7l3zB9eYoWw/s272/Human-dimensions-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha8wLX3fejzEWba1lLTFALqDw-UWtO8Rjau3eerqPEt6kFRy260NmewOAAl67ycxWQleD5ybLYWjtHTQonDa0SRAuLL-2YjveBnzgnwWLbq9oeSEDvNz7dvt_gP-T7l3zB9eYoWw/s0/Human-dimensions-3.jpg" /></a></span></div><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br /> The most casual observer notes that our human sexuality is at the center of life or even dominates our existence on this Earth of Men and Women. In the very midst of this worldwide Covid-19 Pandemic in transition from 2020 to 2021, we can also note developing around us a multiplicity of views, attitudes, "styles", policies, and even definitions of human sexuality.</span><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Facing this veritable chaos, a question demands to be answered by this generation as it has always done to human beings in the past: "Is there or is there not a Creator God?" immediately followed by the further question: "Subsequently, if a Creator God exists; then what about us in regards to Him?"</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">NO, THERE IS NEITHER GOD NOR CREATOR</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">To start off, let's explore what in our day has perhaps become or is becoming the dominant opinion around the world. No, God doesn't exist and there is no Creator. OR There may be a god but he is insignificant. In this category of human perspective, we are all of us - we the human beings living on planet Earth in the Sol star system - alone in life. There is no God, nor any Creator; therefore there is no plan or "design" for our being or for our life.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">All opinions are of equal value and we must at all costs not impose anything on anybody. This position seems inspired by a "utopian" perspective by which one perceives or at least hopes to head towards a society, a world, a humanity in which there would be mutual and universal respect for one another. It is the beautiful dream of a perfect world. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Hold on a minute! Let's wake up from this beautiful dream long enough to observe the reality around us but also the reality animating us within. Unless one is in total denial, one must admit that we are very far from this beautiful utopian dream for humanity and human life. What do we make of human dramas marked by suffering? How do we understand the crimes or faults, the departures from the objectives of this utopian destiny? What do we do with the delinquents who, disturbed, disturb others?</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">There is no avoiding the evidence that in a world without God, without a Creator, there remains only brute force that tries to manage to impose a certain order on this chaos. If the working definition of a god is "an all powerful being"; then in a world without god, the one in charge is the person who manages to impose on others one way or another by imposing on everyone: either by the power of ideas or by power itself. This situation condemns us to live in a whirlwind of opinions, each opinion as valid as any other; but this whirlwind is terrifying and devastating precisely because it is without universal principles, without laws of nature, without fundamental or absolute truths.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">If a single person can't be "right"; then no one can be "right". If there is no truth existing outside of us; then all "truths" can claim to be equally valid, and no single truth can impose itself by its own light. A perspective, a world, a society, a humanity, a universe without god or creator is doomed to perpetual chaos and limitless wars - whether at the level of ideas or that of action.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">YES, GOD EXISTS AND HE IS OUR CREATOR</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">A little depressing this perspective without god, isn't it? It's all the more serious if this is really and without any recourse our only true reality. However, to be fair, let's explore for a moment another perspective - notably the one that affirms that there is God, only one true God, and that He is our one and only Creator.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">By definition, if a god existes, it must be all powerful; therefore it must be the one and only God. Going forward logically, God must necessarily be our Creator and the Creator of the Universe as we know it. Further, it would be illogical to postulate regarding God that He might be "less" than we are ourselves, we human beings with all of our faults.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">For example, God could not possibly be a worse parent than us, than the best parent among us. As a "parent", God must necessarily be more just, more understanding, more patient, more loving, more expert for our formation, and more respectful of our freedom than the best parents are towards their own children.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Another example: God could not be a worse architect than us, than the best architects of all human history. We admire the best, the most beautiful, the most durable structures ever built in human history such as the pyramids, the Pantheon, the Parthenon, and so on.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">In our day, even agnostic and atheist scientists find themselves admitting to the evidence - as they push beyond the limits of human knowledge in the domains of astronomy, astrophysics, biology, and other domains as well - that there is everywhere in the universe such a logic, such structures, such beauty, such complexity, and such a quantity of digital information embedded in the very nature of everything; that the being at the origin of all that exists must necessarily manifest unlimited intelligence, goodness, and extravagant generosity....</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNeKPY0mRuMYff_Xt6bQSYAghyphenhyphenD6hzgpUwQO04YJgXlRyLGM9vv3fXdpANYkLXkn6wqLamnKcF2YdHXu90hzZjrU6HfEQ7Fr6j78RxEm-DwJ37TwMpEWUXz5u3DIe1f46KPYg4A/s256/Human-dimensions-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="197" data-original-width="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyNeKPY0mRuMYff_Xt6bQSYAghyphenhyphenD6hzgpUwQO04YJgXlRyLGM9vv3fXdpANYkLXkn6wqLamnKcF2YdHXu90hzZjrU6HfEQ7Fr6j78RxEm-DwJ37TwMpEWUXz5u3DIe1f46KPYg4A/s0/Human-dimensions-5.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br />GOD OUR CREATOR HAS INSCRIBED HIS DESIGN IN OUR NATURE</span></b><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">According to the best that psychology and biology and other related anthropological sciences have to offer; human beings are not "fully equipped" for life until early adulthood, which does vary from one culture to another. All cultures agree though that human beings before puberty are still children, and the changes initiated in them by the process of puberty are the necessary developments that enable children to transition into adults; which of course would be in accord with their culture and society. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">DEVELOPMENT OF THE BODY IDENTITY</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">During pregnancy, the new human being grows and develops through stages at an exponential rate until all the necessary elements and organs are sufficiently developed for independent biological existence. After birth, during the initial year of life, the baby is all about its skin all over its body and its mouth. Everything goes into the mouth and it just loves being in the water. During this first stage of human growth and development in the world, each person spontaneously acquires and manifests one of two preferred ways of being in the world: passive / receptive OR active / captative. The first waits and expects to receive; while the latter "goes and gets" what it needs and wants. The preference remains with us for life and is by far "easier" for us; while the other "mode" requires effort every time. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">DEVELOPMENT OF THE DOER IDENTITY</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Transitioning into the next phase - roughly between 12 and 30 months - the infant becomes a toddler propelling itself along the floor and through spaces with increasing speed and delight. Simultaneously, the toddler "handles" things, beginning to learn to "do things". The toddler begins to speak with more effectiveness and satisfaction and learns to make use of the toilet and even to leave diapers behind. The toddler begins to learn about rules and ways of being and doing "in this family" and "in this house". </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">During this second stage of human growth and development in the world, each person spontaneously acquires and manifests on a different level one of two preferred modes of living itself: retentive OR eliminative. Initially, this preference arises during the toilet training stage, but it is a mode of living which generalizes itself to most if not all aspects of living: with cleanliness, but also with money, with other material objects, with doors and windows, with speech, and so on. As in the previous stage of development, the preferred "mode" remains with us for life and is by far "easier" for us; while the other "mode" requires effort every time. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDIVIDUAL IDENTITY</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Then, almost as if by magic, somewhere around 30 months - two and a half years of age - the toddler suddenly become an individual: "Me do it." "I can do it." "Let me." Initially, this declaration is more bravado that fact; since the child is merely beginning to learn to do a plethora of actions and tasks. The key here is in the emerging sense of individuality, of personhood, of human identity. This key change is to be heartily welcomed and encouraged. Another extremely important and life-changing development at this stage of life is the child's emerging ability to understand other dimensions of time, namely, the past and the future. Until now, when the parent was not visible or audible, it seemed as though that parent no longer existed. Now the child begins to understand that the parent can be in another room or even out of the house but still exist. The child also begins to understand the delay until tomorrow. The child's life becomes far more complex and of course richer. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">DEVELOPMENT OF THE PSYCHOSEXUAL IDENTITY</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Now that the child has become an individual boy or individual girl, they look upon their parents with new eyes. The boy recognizes that he is like his father but unlike his mother, and he spontaneously wants to "shine" in her eyes. The girl recognizes that she is like her mother but unlike her father, and she spontaneously wants to "shine" in his eyes. Each child senses the same gender parent as "in the way" of their desire as a kind of competitor for the opposite gender parent's affections; which is generally believed to be the irritant at the source of the nightmares that crop up between the ages of 3 and 6. It is believed important for the same gender parent to console the nightmaring child and bring it back to its own bed; in this way developing more intimacy with the same gender parent and dispelling that parent's "threatening" quality. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">It is important for the child's further development to have a clear sense of being "like" one parent and "unlike" the other parent in terms of human sexuality. There is a myriad of variation in the qualities and characteristics pertaining to either gender, and many of these qualities and characteristics can belong to both; being as they are primarily human as opposed to masculine or feminine. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">As it happened during the first and second stages of human growth and development, each person is equipped by virtue of their gender to acquire and manifest now at this stage on a third level one of two preferred modes of being in relation to others: masculine / intrusive OR feminine / inclusive. In principle, this preference emerges gradually from the moment of conception, but it is a mode of living in the dimension of relating to others; which necessarily is affected by myriad other factors, not least of which is the family of origin and its relational and emotional environment. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">As in the first and second stages of human development, the "inherent or preferred mode" remains with us for life and is by far "easier" for us; while the other "mode" requires effort every time. However, if the boy's father is not kind or loving or admirable in any way, he may turn towards his mother and begin to "prefer" her feminine or inclusive mode of relating. Conversely with the girl who may turn towards her father and begin to "prefer" his masculine or intrusive mode of relating. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">The possibilities are almost endless, but one thing seems certain: the most effortless path is that of the child who makes itself at home in its biological gender and embraces it as the preferred way of being and relating to others. Having a solid sense of identify based in its own natural reality brings a sense of peace and greater ease in relating to others and to the world. One can then choose the other mode as and when it is necessary or useful; without losing or clouding one's own sense of sexual identity. Men tend to be more spontaneously intrusive and require effort to be more inclusive; vice versa, women tend to be more spontaneously inclusive and require effort to be more intrusive. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">DEVELOPMENT OF THE PSYCHOSOCIAL IDENTITY</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">As we can see, with the passage of time, the human person develops and emerges from within the original "sprout" which was the newborn infant; at each stage becoming more and more complex and developing more and more characteristics, abilities, skills, dimensions of temperament, colors of personality, preferences, and ways of being in the world and relating to others. By the age of six or so, the child is ready to "launch out into the world" and society. In most societies it is the age to start going to school and often to also begin learning a variety of skills relating to survival, trades, and hobbies. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">It is also the age for participating more actively and energetically in society. Initially, boys tend to gravitate to other boys, and girls to other girls. There is almost always some mixing and matching, but primarily, the boys need one another in order to further develop who they are as boys, just as the girls need one another in order to further develop who they are as girls. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">In their intrusive mode, boys often find fun in "poking" at the girls, teasing them, and generally "getting a rise out of them". Conversely, in their inclusive mode, girls often will "strutt their stuff" in the presence of boys, also teasing them, and generally testing their ability to "attact the boys' attention". </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzngrdgviFduo8aTW7wiTEnYK6Bx6Fl7kc4WcSV6D5HHrt-ONOeAN44kNjGnXEHMrGG_i0AXsB3hpi_Ai8qCabdI0l_x0bY_Av6nrjpEWlKjHdS0HV5-cBDk9TfnN8QsjR1hztfw/s1772/Human-dimensions-8.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1772" data-original-width="1772" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzngrdgviFduo8aTW7wiTEnYK6Bx6Fl7kc4WcSV6D5HHrt-ONOeAN44kNjGnXEHMrGG_i0AXsB3hpi_Ai8qCabdI0l_x0bY_Av6nrjpEWlKjHdS0HV5-cBDk9TfnN8QsjR1hztfw/s320/Human-dimensions-8.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br />THE REVOLUTION OF PUBERTY</span></b><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Not too many would disagree with the observation that puberty effects a veritable revolution in the previously gentle and gradual development of the human being until the age of twelve or thirteen. The age varies in accord with any number of biological and socio-demographic variables, but generally speaking, most boys and girls begin to experience their body producing hormones disrupting their life and further developing physical attributes that until then remained receded or undeveloped. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Boys experience new fascination with girls, experience rushes of masculine hormones in the company of girls, and initially don't know what to make of their newly erecting male member. In the absence of good formation and male mentoring, boys generally have recourse to their peers and to shady sources of information, and in our day - which is not only sad but tragic - to pornography. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">It makes perfect sense in the "grand design" of our human development that puberty and the revolution it stirs up should not happen until now, precisely at that moment when the boy child and girl child are at the apex of their human development and human skills pre-puberty. They are ready for the challenge of this new stage in their development, which becomes clearer when we consider the underlying purpose embedded in these changes.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">THE COMPLEMENTARY CHALLENGES OF MANHOOD AND WOMANHOOD</span></b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">FOR THE BOY / MAN</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">For the boy becoming a man, he won't actually be a man yet for at least a few more years. As this time goes by, the greater challenges of life that yet await him will require him to become capable of mastery over his own life. He will need to be able and willing to control his own impulses; lest he become a criminal, an alcoholic, a libertine, or any other perversion of a male human being obsessed only with his own self and cavalier about everyone else. Such a perverted male human being is a drain on society at best and a dangerous threat at worst. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Many of the current ills of society derive precisely from men who lacked the essential male mentoring that would have put them on the path to further maturation as men and as fathers. In the absence of such male mentoring; they become phantoms of men and a danger to any who approach them. Failing to give the male support needed by their women companions, the children they engender grow up without a proper father and are at risk to become the next wave of irresponsible men and insecure women. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">It's not hard to understand how the period between puberty and adulthood for the young man allows for the passage of sufficient time in order to become "master of his own house", that is, to not only master his own human impulses, but further to develop his ability and willingness to be a good companion and support for the women friendships he develops. All this is in view of eventually finding the right partner for marriage and parenting for family life. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">FOR THE GIRL / WOMAN</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">For the girl becoming a woman, she won't actually be a woman yet for at least a few more years as well. As this time goes by, the greater challenges of life that yet await her will require her to develop her innate capacity to give and to nurture life, which is the peculiar "genius of woman". It is easier for girls in large families to "test their abilities" by helping to nurture and take care of younger siblings. Some girls practice their skills by babysitting their neighbors' children or younger cousins. Unless girls have proper female mentors; they are at risk to enter into a kind of "perpetual adolescence" in which they become obsessed with their own appearance, the satisfaction of their own desires, and get caught up in never-ending competitiveness with their peers. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">A different dynamic which can be equally destructive is that by which woman let themselves be drawn into competitiveness with men on the merry-go-round of careerism in business and public service. As they are forced to enter into male dominated tracks, they can lose sight of their own nature and calling as women; which can be very disorienting and personally destructive. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExDrG7kA6SSQf2jVBlzEt4aFjkWGqdnqe4KYrXIrXlcImyVoqPbrOMYtH0U2z92nW6GC4xLXpQx37oOoOTQblSGA-NifPtw1szVqBcmc9qieoykncQKJMd8xJiqHSKOUboB6cSw/s277/Adam-Eve-5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhExDrG7kA6SSQf2jVBlzEt4aFjkWGqdnqe4KYrXIrXlcImyVoqPbrOMYtH0U2z92nW6GC4xLXpQx37oOoOTQblSGA-NifPtw1szVqBcmc9qieoykncQKJMd8xJiqHSKOUboB6cSw/s0/Adam-Eve-5.jpg" /></a></span></b></div><b><span style="color: #0b5394;"><br />THE MALE / FEMALE COMPLEMENTARITY DESIGNED BY GOD</span></b><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">It is no coincidence that in its western origins marriage has been called "matrimony", which translates literally as "the burden of the mother". It is also why the woman is called the bride and the man is called the bridegroom. The Creator clearly put the focus on the woman who has within her an innate capacity to receive life, to cultivate life, to bring forth life, and to nurture that life to independence. It is a wonderful, beautiful, and extremely fulfilling task, but the Creator designed her to carry out her call and mission in the company of and with the support of her chosen man, her husband, and the father of their children. He is called bridegroom because his calling initially and for the long term is to "groom" or care for his wife, the mother of their children. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Parenting deepens a man's sense of fatherhood by constantly pushing him beyond his limits today to discover wider expanses and depths of meaning and character within himself; that he is then called to manifest in the world in support of his wife and the mother of their children and also to assist her in raising their children and in working with her to mentor them. By supporting his wife, cherishing her and loving her, he demonstrates to all their children what it means to be a man and the inestimable value that the woman their mother has. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Parenting deepens a woman's sense of motherhood by constantly pushing her beyond her limits today to discover wider expanses and depths of meaning and character within herself; which she is called to manifest in the world as she nurtures their children, works with her husband to mentor them, and supports her husband and the father of their children. By supporting her husband, respecting him and loving him as she nurtures and raises them; she demonstrates to all their children what it means to be a woman and the inestimable value that the man their father has. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">The more we study the nature and possibilities of womanhood and manhood, and of motherhood and fatherhood; the more clearly there emerges a distinctive design of complementarity between women and men. While single parent women or men actually do accomplish wonders in single-handedly raising children; nevertheless, even these rely on and benefit from the support and assistance of parents and extended family and even friends and neighbors. If it is true that it takes a village to raise a child; then the presence and active participation of a mother and a father are all the more indicated. In fact, until recently tons of studies had been done on the role of the mother; it is only in the past few decades that increasingly more studies have been done on the role and contribution of the father. The previous conviction that the father's presence and role were superfluous is increasingly being disproven. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">WHAT ABOUT CASUAL OR "RECREATIONAL" SEX?</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">The least that can be said about human sexuality is that it is a power. Like any power, it can be used in accord with its inherent nature and purpose or it can be used in uncharacteristic or unusual ways. Men and women can play at "seducing" others for the perverse pleasure of "conquest" and the associated "pleasure of the hunt". Others may simply opt to indulge in sexual activity for the inherent pleasure of arousal and the related "climax". However, it is not difficult to find consensus on the fact that trivial sex supplies no lasting satisfaction. More significantly, casual sex works against the natural process of human development and maturation; in effect imprisoning the casual sexual activitst in a perpetual state of adolescence, with its incapacity to find or give meaning to life, or to engage in deep relationships. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Life for people on this path is a battlefield littered with casualties and corpses of the vanquished. There are no lasting or deep friendships here, but only the sad companionships of those who share the battle. How do people end up as casualties on such battlefields? It seems to generally begin with the absence of proper mentors and the initially innocent curiosity which, without mentoring, becomes fascination and then obsession. Engaging in sexual exploration "in the shadows" is fraught with danger, all the more so because our human sexuality is a genuine "power" which is by its very nature oriented to the good of giving life. In the original design by the Creator of the marriage between one woman and one man, this power is a mutual giving of life through love, which then extends the life-giving power to all those generated by their union and loving friendship. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">WHAT ABOUT PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL ADDICITONS?</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">In the Creator's original design of human beings in a complementary "dual nature" as woman and men, what emerges as of foremost importance is their mutual ability to "see one another" as persons. This was eloquently and beautifully, artistically expressed by Director James Cameron in his blockbuster movie "Avatar" when he has the Navi people greet one another with the expression "I see you!" as they mutually gaze deeply into one another's eyes. See <a href="https://fathergilles.blogspot.com/2017/01/eroticization-and-unique-developmental.html">here for a reflection on the process of eroticization</a>.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">The trouble with casual sex, sexual play, pornography, and sexual addictions - in fact with any and all uses of our human power of sexuality outside of the loving relationship of husband and wife - is that we risk allowing our eyes and our spirits to wander away from contemplating in love one another's unique personhood and dignity; in order to divert our attention to one another's body parts for the "thrill" that the sight of them can generate within us. By then, the other is already no longer a person with all their dignity, but merely reduced to an object of my desire for my own pleasure. You no longer exist for your own sake or with your own value and dignity, but you are reduced to an object. Herein lies the tragedy.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">As in any addiction, it is very difficult if not impossible for a person to get off that merry-go-round by oneself alone. As pornography has exponentially developed and "infected" tens and hundreds of thousands of people; simultaneously, God has raised up public service minded people to develop and offer <a href="https://fathergillespages.blogspot.com/2021/01/online-helps-to-become-free-of-sexual.html">help for all those who wish to be free of addiction</a> and be restored to the original design and purpose of their human sexuality in the context of a well-balanced sense of identity and dignity. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #0b5394;">WHAT ABOUT GENDER DYSPHORIA OR À LA CARTE GENDER IDENTITY?</span></b></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">It is most reasonable to experience, but also to manifest and express, deep sympathy for each and every person living today who is going through what we might call "gender confusion". I say confusion in accord with what our Creator God has revealed about his "design" for Creation in general and for us human beings in particular. Check this out from the beginning of the Bible in the Book of Genesis.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"> The Book of Genesis chapter 1 verses 26 to 31</span></p><blockquote><span style="color: #38761d;">26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind[c] in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth,[d] and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.”</span></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><blockquote><blockquote><span style="color: #38761d;">27 So God created humankind [in Hebrew: 'adam'] in his image, in the image of God he created them;[in Hebrew: 'him'] male and female he created them.</span></blockquote></blockquote><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><blockquote><span style="color: #38761d;">28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.</span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">So it is quite clear from what our Creator God has revealed to humanity through the People of Israel that human beings are designed by God in two genders: male and female. As male and female we are designed to be complementary, and together, we are created, we exist, we live and move and have our being in the image and likeness of God. Not men separately, nor women separately, but together, we are who and what we are in the image and likeness of God. We have been designed to love as God loves by a total gift of our self to the other, with no thought of getting, taking, or grabbing anything. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">If humanity at this time is going through all this confusion it is simply because we are not born "fully programmed", but must "find our way" into the fullness of life by using all the faculties with which we have been endowed, but not on our own; as though we were personally the beginning and end of all things. No, we are merely another human being to come along, and we have been preceded by many, even countless others. All of these, all of us, have our origin in God, but we also have our destiny in God our Creator; for He has designed us capable of friendship love with Him who made us, as well as with all of our fellow human beings here on Earth. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">If you pay attention to the tons of ink that has been spilled and of saliva that has been expended in the defense of "different or alternative" views of human sexuality that would "discover" or "create" or "set free" or "design" any number of alternative "genders"; what these pretty much all have in common is that they are all "about ME". Now there's nothing wrong with me, in fact, God loves me as He loves you. However, it is unwise to go about living life as though the "ME" in me is the center of the universe and the key to all truth, goodness, and beauty. It is not me, but God who is the source and end of all truth, goodness and beauty. Listen to what Jesus said and still says about that.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">The Gospel of John chapter 14 verses 1 to 11</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">14 “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, so that where I am, there you may be also. 4 And you know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” 6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; but if you do not, then believe me because of the works themselves. </span></p></blockquote><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Throughout human history, the highest ideals have almost always been about selflessness. The heroes have been those who put themselves at the service of others or of the common good, and who even risk or lay down their lives for others. The greatest of these by far is Jesus of Nazareth even for those who do not believe that He is, as He claimed to be, the Son of God. This is all the more a great thing when one considers that Jesus, fully human, is also the Son of God, a divine Person, who existed from all infinity with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and who in time - by the "overshadowing of the Holy Spirit and the humble acceptance of the Blessed Virgin Mary - took human flesh in her and became man. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">By contrast, the "lobbies" that champion alternative sex or genders are for the most part desperate actions taken by people who do not feel at ease in their obvious gender. There are undoubtedly many complex factors causing individuals to come to such a troubling awareness of their unease at being in the gender in which they were conceived and born into this world. While we can and must respect them in their search and show sympathy for their struggle, it makes no sense for us to support their lobbying governments to lay down laws to coerce the rest of society to conform to their "specific interests" and go so far as to forbid anyone with gender dysphoria from obtaining the benign therapy they need and seek in order to find interior peace and harmony. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">Not all those who experience gender confusion or "disagreement" want to remain this way, but many, perhaps even most, would prefer to reconcile themselves with their obvious gender. Science, medicine, and psychiatry have converged to show that people who suffer from gender dysphoria can be treated, and each of the factors leading to their condition can be identified and treated. What is wrong, even ignorant and criminal is for government to prostrate themselves before the "steamroller lobbies" that threaten to cause considerable trouble if they don't get their way. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">These lobbies not only want to stay as they are, but they want to multiply exponentially the "gender categories" and, further still, they demand that society acknowledge these ever multiplying categories as "set in stone" and to modify all social conventions in order to "bend over backwards" to "make comfortable" those building their nests in those categories. The sad truth is that all those who suffer from gender confusion or dysphoria will never find complete and lasting peace in any "à la carte" new definitions of human gender, because these attempt to deny the design inscribed in our humanity by the Creator of us all. Living in denial does not bring genuine freedom or meaning or purpose. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">For millennia people of all nations, tribes, peoples, and cultures carried and transmitted wisdom that they had received from their elders, who had learned this wisdom usually the hard way - through the trials and troubles of life - and they accepted to be "formed" and "educated" by this wisdom. It was always understood that the young need to find their way in life by allowing themselves to be guided by that wisdom of the elders, both women and men. In time, they would find their way. </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">The alternative is the tyrannical rule of countless distinct and irreconcilable individuals, all clamouring to have their way, and all unwilling to make room for anyone else. It is the rule of chaos, not order, and it is the principal factor causing such upheaval in human society the world over now, in the past, and we can expect it to continue to do so in the future. That is, the confusion and even violence will go on until individuals accept with humility to admit that they are not the center of the universe, and that the golden rule of all civilizations is "not to do to others whatever we do not want others to do to us." </span></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">That is version 1.0 of the golden rule. Jesus Christ updated this to a higher and more demanding but more rewarding version 7.0 that goes like this: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule">golden rule</a> of all human societies is mostly a negative perspective - don't do - while others, like the Greek stoics, preferred a more positive perspective - go ahead and do the good to others - while Jesus took it to its logical and extreme conclusion or end or objective : </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #38761d;"></span></span></p><blockquote><span><span style="color: #38761d;">"No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends...." (John 15:13, and) "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the righteous and on the unrighteous." (Matthew 5:44) </span></span></blockquote><p></p><p><span style="color: #0b5394;">The writing is on the wall and is clearly discernible for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear; as Jesus is quoted as having said some two millennia ago. A children's version can be found in the fairy tale "The Emperor's New Clothes". You can find any number of versions on the Internet. Everyone may go along with something that is simply not true, but fictitious, out of fear of what others may say if we disagree; until, that is, an innocent child yells out the truth that everyone knows but is too afraid to say out loud and admit. </span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p></p><center></center><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #38761d;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-34483861911888800672020-11-21T20:58:00.008-05:002021-03-24T00:44:53.953-04:00Even children are impelled by the Holy Spirit to go out with Jesus as missionary disciples<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK2PfssEITPxE8sQ5opua3DAOmPev17cKsRgOECq-GNt4He87SxO3Qdo9XTA4bJIrswHSgj9YtkVYgqJ7bITSyxRAX9g94M64WiQo2bPYCzUiOhR5zkhTuemKOmP1josrxALJqg/s448/Called-By-Name-Sent.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="448" data-original-width="308" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioK2PfssEITPxE8sQ5opua3DAOmPev17cKsRgOECq-GNt4He87SxO3Qdo9XTA4bJIrswHSgj9YtkVYgqJ7bITSyxRAX9g94M64WiQo2bPYCzUiOhR5zkhTuemKOmP1josrxALJqg/s320/Called-By-Name-Sent.jpg" /></a></div><br />We had a wonderful "Parish Vitality" conference today... thanks be to God the Father, Jesus Our Lord, and the Holy Spirit, guiding us.... Archbishop of Gatineau Paul-André
Durocher gave us a wonderful conference based on his 2019 book <a href="https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/called-by-name-sent-in/9782896885602-item.html?ikwsec=Books&ikwidx=0#algoliaQueryId=b1b1cbb58400ec1c141b74bc63dc868f"><b>"Called
By Name, Sent in His Name: Reflections on an Outward-Bound
Church."</b></a> <p></p>
<p>A lovely couple in a local family movement group are parents of a six-year-old
girl. She is so
enthusiastic about God: the Father and Jesus and the Holy Spirit; that she has been talking about God with her classmates at school.
However she has been distressed with meeting fierce opposition
from kids her age who disagreed with her in various ways about
Jesus, saying to her: no he isn't real, or he never existed, or he
isn't God, or you're stupid, and so on. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYpi4-X_WzTDIyAaYO4MPUyUD1dj34DWHFdsP5_0rij3UIOGmBFWV3Gbp7rvPVeIJn5vn2k_VpmhI12XJ6Cg3U54Hc7MWoPhOro9Hay4tYYt4jKPPdW2f_BYhrI0KSX2m3GsCGQ/s357/Child-witnessing-1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="141" data-original-width="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZYpi4-X_WzTDIyAaYO4MPUyUD1dj34DWHFdsP5_0rij3UIOGmBFWV3Gbp7rvPVeIJn5vn2k_VpmhI12XJ6Cg3U54Hc7MWoPhOro9Hay4tYYt4jKPPdW2f_BYhrI0KSX2m3GsCGQ/s320/Child-witnessing-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p>
<p>This little girl definitely has a fiery relationship with God the
Father in Jesus and is filled with burning divine love in the Holy Spirit according to
her age, but she isn't yet fully "aware" of this in herself. As a
result she has not yet learned how to "let God shine" through her
and simply share her joy in peace and love which she knows she is
receiving from God. </p><p>Sooner or later most Catholic Christian parents will experience something similar with their children, either in their childhood or teenage or young adulthood; whenever their offspring become "taken up" with divine love in their own relationship with God. The challenge of
this girl's parents at present is to coach her and help her
understand that she is radiant, filled with the presence
and the love of God; that because of God's presence she is never
alone, but God is always with her, the Most Holy Trinity.</p>
<p>It is not her "job" to convince anyone; so she doesn't need to
argue with her classmates who disagree with her, or to contradict
or disprove what they say to her to oppose or rebut her. All she
has to do is to continue to remain close to God, let God fill her with divine love, and be radiant: sharing with anyone who wants to
listen how she knows Jesus and how she knows that she is loved by
God the Father and by Jesus and by the Holy Spirit... of course,
in accord with her age and ability to understand and to express
what she already knows, feels, and experiences of God and his love
for her and her family. </p>
<p>This child's faith is authentic. Seeing her parents regularly go to confession, now
at the age of six she asked to also have a confession, outside of
and in advance of her preparation process in her parish. She
wanted to meet Jesus in this way now and did not want to wait any
longer. Her parents were supportive, knowing that she understands
and was making a serious request. Thankfully they are connected to
a priest who knows the family and was willing to welcome the
child, to listen to her, and to see whether indeed she was ready
to meet Jesus in Reconciliation; which she experienced as a great
joy. <br />
</p>
<p>There are undoubtedly other children out there who, like this
little girl, have many such experiences of Jesus and the Father
and the Holy Spirit. Any who are impelled by the Holy Spirit to
"go out" to others need to be coached; so they can simply
relate their experiences with others. The "divine fire" wants to
communicate itself to others, but if it is "covered up and
jealously guarded" for too long, or the young are discouraged from sharing their faith out of the fear of the
parents regarding potential opposition or persecution; then the winds of opposition will eventually threaten to snuff it out. <br />
</p>
<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPdyKPq8iMFf7MXPNy5tXdx3fMswx2aMOCqlqqqWmZF0wGqquAfNSTKUmZKi9Ok5cUSudZ6cxWzroATGsf17FCTio9M_Z4XKhvyWYRw9LpTg2NgEHE5ZzQPF9Etl4b189Mz6lfw/s227/Child-witnessing-11.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCPdyKPq8iMFf7MXPNy5tXdx3fMswx2aMOCqlqqqWmZF0wGqquAfNSTKUmZKi9Ok5cUSudZ6cxWzroATGsf17FCTio9M_Z4XKhvyWYRw9LpTg2NgEHE5ZzQPF9Etl4b189Mz6lfw/s0/Child-witnessing-11.jpg" /></a></div>In the case of this little girl, if any of her classmates show interest and
desire to also experience what she has experienced; then she can
propose simple ways for them to open themselves up, to pray and
call on God on their own as well as by praying together. Her parents and other disciple
families they know can help her to learn how to pray with others
and, if they are interested and want help, to lead them by the
hand and introduce them to the Most Holy Trinity; knowing that God
always does the rest and enters into a personal relationship with
those who want this and are well disposed. She also needs to
realize that God always remains mysterious to human beings in
spite of the graced interior experiences of "light, warmth, presence,
peace, love, and joy." It is right and good that God, the Divine Being, remains mysterious; after all, we remain mysterious to ourselves our whole life long. <br />
<p></p>
<p>In a nutshell, I relate this experience of a six-year-old
missionary disciple to illustrate one of our greatest challenges
as a missionary Church, which is to put in place ways, means, and
people to offer coaching in very practical ways to help people in
their desire to actually "go out" to others and let the Most Holy
Trinity "shine divine light" through them to others. It is crucial
to coach enthusiastic disciples in their outreach; lest strong
and protracted opposition snuff out their fiery flame of love and
zeal for God. Too many such flames have already been snuffed out,
but the Holy Spirit is ever ready and eager to fan the flames into
a blazing divine fire within them once again. <br />
</p>
<p>Decades ago missionaries in India were told by devout Catholics
that - although they were following Jesus - they were still going to Hindu or Buddhist gurus because they
taught and coached people "how to pray"; whereas the missionaries
did not do any of that but tended to focus only on liturgy, catechesis,
sacraments, and works of mercy for social justice. This remains
one of our greatest challenges and explains in part why our people
have become "formed" over centuries NOT to GO OUT to others but
only COME IN to their church for nourishment.... As Jesus sent out his disciples "two by two"; so we also need to provide for disciples to have "company on the road" of faith. <br />
</p>
<p>The captain of the Titanic realized more than ever and to a
tragic degree how difficult it is to turn a large ship on the
ocean; so likewise is it difficult now for us to change our
personal and ecclesial ways of being and doing. However, we are
"in the yoke" with Jesus and, by the will of the Father, it is
Jesus and the Holy Spirit who "do the heavy lifting". All we need
to do is to "get with the program" and offer God our weakness,
fragility, sinfulness, resistance, and fear, and the Lord will
continue his work of transformation in and through us; that God
may be glorified in each and every one of us, our families, and
our parish faith communities. Like Peter, if we want to "walk on
the water", Jesus will say "Come!" We are called to "make that
leap of faith and trust." <br />
</p>
<p>Peace to one and all and to your families. <br />
</p>
<div class="moz-signature">
<div class="moz-signature"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;">
<i>Pax + Caritas, Fr. Gilles</i></span></div><div class="moz-signature" style="text-align: center;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="font-family: Cambria, serif; font-size: 11pt;"><div style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: medium;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></span></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-49301774768630227862020-10-22T22:41:00.012-04:002021-03-24T00:44:32.200-04:00The Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and Lawyers are at it again, only this time, instead of going after Jesus it's Pope Francis!<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnbloXIumbegMbCdEhp2CxsDgvKV7_O1XADNY63-2EmVzG2aUZbzcp18Suct8GcOB3HWk9OxIhZn-3qVq4bDDz-TntAXAQpcfeO2nLXz8RQ7l2nPpZKuE4vQpmjf78HXUMjy9mw/s278/Francis-10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------<br /></span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnbloXIumbegMbCdEhp2CxsDgvKV7_O1XADNY63-2EmVzG2aUZbzcp18Suct8GcOB3HWk9OxIhZn-3qVq4bDDz-TntAXAQpcfeO2nLXz8RQ7l2nPpZKuE4vQpmjf78HXUMjy9mw/s278/Francis-10.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="181" data-original-width="278" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDnbloXIumbegMbCdEhp2CxsDgvKV7_O1XADNY63-2EmVzG2aUZbzcp18Suct8GcOB3HWk9OxIhZn-3qVq4bDDz-TntAXAQpcfeO2nLXz8RQ7l2nPpZKuE4vQpmjf78HXUMjy9mw/s0/Francis-10.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />The nitpickers are at it again. This time it's articles covering the launch of a new Italian film on Pope Francis called "Francesco"; only it's not about him but about the many troubles and issues in the world about which Pope Francis cares a great deal such as: <b>"<a href="https://japantoday.com/category/world/Francis-becomes-1st-pope-to-endorse-same-sex-civil-unions">the environment, poverty, migration, racial and income inequality, and the people most affected by discrimination</a>"</b>. He cares about these issues because he cares about people; as well he should as Pope and as well we should, especially those of us who claim to be Christian.<div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJItYLHDYm_3ETzdCuG0kuTg3igOZIEn9RhVTieIWuOryNHd9fTPZokw1tGVIaJaWBfSg7UkDnZPKf2C6GpA6aCXI1rjDqs_jlEv_1vvTbuK_wLTroOBSI5WMwzRRlia2Qo_O5Vg/s272/Adulterous-woman-0.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="272" data-original-width="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJItYLHDYm_3ETzdCuG0kuTg3igOZIEn9RhVTieIWuOryNHd9fTPZokw1tGVIaJaWBfSg7UkDnZPKf2C6GpA6aCXI1rjDqs_jlEv_1vvTbuK_wLTroOBSI5WMwzRRlia2Qo_O5Vg/s0/Adulterous-woman-0.jpg" /></a></div>I don't know about you but I for one am becoming not a little irritated at all those apparently so eager or taking such pleasure in attacking Pope Francis because he doesn't go through a litany of condemnations against every human evil imaginable - especially these people's pet peeves regarding "sexual sins" every time he opens his mouth. For people with this mindset everything has got to be black and white. They would have been the first to throw stones at <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+8&version=NRSVCE"><b>the woman caught in the very act of adultery that the religious leaders brought to Jesus to trap him up over what to do with her</b></a>. John 8 <p></p><p>The Mosaic Law was abundantly clear: such people must be stoned to death; however, not only the woman but also the man. Where was the man? If they caught her "in the very act of adultery" then there must have been a man. Why did they only bring the woman to Jesus? No doubt that the "one" who caught her in the act was the man himself, but on perceiving that one or more witnesses were about to catch them he decided to switch roles to that of accuser. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iDVGk2vBsWg4QgtqUZf_lt_LdNtYW-A072xryFfg_aN6Fx9kweGb5iOBqdsf03zAqPmVaqV2J_uE24Hnn6yVklDfFekzCm_gmDNPIkGNoKznEUExtOAxJklMOuqFswJ8aoISzA/s380/Adulterous-woman-5.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="133" data-original-width="380" height="49" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7iDVGk2vBsWg4QgtqUZf_lt_LdNtYW-A072xryFfg_aN6Fx9kweGb5iOBqdsf03zAqPmVaqV2J_uE24Hnn6yVklDfFekzCm_gmDNPIkGNoKznEUExtOAxJklMOuqFswJ8aoISzA/w139-h49/Adulterous-woman-5.jpg" width="139" /></a></div>Why did the woman not denounce him? Probably because women are more loving than men generally and it appears she chose to face the accusations alone rather than implicate him. Typical feminine selflessness versus typical male selfishness, and we know what the outcome would have been had Jesus not outsmarted the religious leaders who took on the role of Satan, "the accuser of mankind". <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg929rExoz4moiIO5t1d0Yd4Xk5JLJN1vBVUkR1OTNZ8NN-rasIqGbFqdVHIxjnPqCTzGMMR4X7NNiHNb_QoBOb1DTkLjXW97oKhNN46pRaYKaaWj_Sd6obm9mrJl7ejdS1_JfTwg/s275/Adulterous-woman-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg929rExoz4moiIO5t1d0Yd4Xk5JLJN1vBVUkR1OTNZ8NN-rasIqGbFqdVHIxjnPqCTzGMMR4X7NNiHNb_QoBOb1DTkLjXW97oKhNN46pRaYKaaWj_Sd6obm9mrJl7ejdS1_JfTwg/s0/Adulterous-woman-2.jpg" /></a></div>If Jesus knew that one of those accusers was probably the man who committed adultery with her, since Jesus could read people's minds and hearts, why then did He not denounce the man? Instead he just "wrote in the dirt with his finger".... You see what God is like? He doesn't accuse; rather He gives us time to realize our fault so we can have the credit of changing our own mind and heart. John tells that the men - probably reluctantly because they were looking forward to making and example of the woman and stoning her to death - slowly dropped their stones and walked away, beginning with the eldest. Why the eldest? Because they had lived long enough to have realized by now that they were sinners too; whereas the younger men may still have needed to learn this hard lesson. It is much easier to accuse others than to admit our own sins. The truth is very painful; which is why God is so gentle. <p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8o5cTzMGojp8UdDg1tHH4FuiTlbSPkMT53krsIznx8bITwtiqngErlquRksbCPyMkm6Pml4QfpyB5341v2oh2phAv8FYYGBufBWrLBBuHQtNWhWnh8yctVy26CltbiMfGsndgAg/s275/Adulterous-woman-6.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="183" data-original-width="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8o5cTzMGojp8UdDg1tHH4FuiTlbSPkMT53krsIznx8bITwtiqngErlquRksbCPyMkm6Pml4QfpyB5341v2oh2phAv8FYYGBufBWrLBBuHQtNWhWnh8yctVy26CltbiMfGsndgAg/s0/Adulterous-woman-6.jpg" /></a></div>Well the religious leaders were furious with Jesus showing this woman gentleness and mercy, even forgiving her sins, and letting her go in peace. Why did these religious leaders have Jesus killed? Because he had the temerity to act friendly with known sinners when, in their view, he should have been accusing and condemning them. The ones who are most eager to insist on the full measure of the Law being carried out are generally the ones who have the most to hide; so they try to appear just and righteous themselves in the eyes of others by becoming the loudest accusers. <p></p><p>So what as Pope Francis big "crime" this time? It wasn't even anything recent that he said or did, but a remark he made over a year ago in an recorded interview which didn't get televised at the time. This time for the sake of the film "Francesco", since the issue of homosexual unions came up, they used that bit of recorded interview. Here's what he said: <b><a href="https://japantoday.com/category/world/Francis-becomes-1st-pope-to-endorse-same-sex-civil-unions">"Homosexual people have the right to be in a family. They are children of God... You can't kick someone out of a family, nor make their life miserable for this. What we have to have is a civil union law; that way they are legally covered."</a> </b></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMcvxr_t5kN4vwECmyN5XBWwUgM1KwkJgF_dDBHdjsyjPP3lTZ0I1EiZrN_FLVHcw2dyd0f-x5-2S1T1T3fEiRClo1SUHRyfzhUPGxz4Eoqk0Z__JMhCK80ZLADCzjfqkAY9N3w/s299/Francis-7.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvMcvxr_t5kN4vwECmyN5XBWwUgM1KwkJgF_dDBHdjsyjPP3lTZ0I1EiZrN_FLVHcw2dyd0f-x5-2S1T1T3fEiRClo1SUHRyfzhUPGxz4Eoqk0Z__JMhCK80ZLADCzjfqkAY9N3w/s0/Francis-7.jpg" /></a></div>What is so terribly wrong about what Pope Francis said in that previous interview? Those who attack Pope Francis do so because they can't stand the possibility that anyone might "be getting away with anything"... perhaps they might want "to get away with some things" but if they can't; then they don't want anyone else "to get away with anything" either. I won't go so far as to insinuate that Pope Francis' accusers are hypocrites, but it appears they would want the Pope - every time he opens his mouth - to rime off a list of condemnations of people who do all the things that they find bothersome. <p></p><p>There were times in the past when the Church was a lot heavier on the "accusing and condemning" side of things. At the Second Vatican Council, the Holy Spirit reminded the Church that Jesus came to bring the Good News that: </p><p></p><blockquote>"Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. God so loved the world that He gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Those who believe in him are not condemned; but those who do not believe are condemned already, because they have not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment, that the light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than light because their deeds were evil. For all who do evil hate the light and do not come to the light, so that their deeds may not be exposed. But those who do what is true come to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that their deeds have been done in God." <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John+3&version=NRSVCE">John 3:14-21</a> </b></blockquote><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaHNO08vGPtw0tB8UgosYrS87dxGhyphenhyphenS11e4PfkJ2UnMXVihFT58XdYr0K8b-_uRZBypbQUIFM5rpPdh28cjlMcnLdUTEYYH-TwlW_LU7JzGdjmghTABmpdclj6X1Vx_7zb-8m_A/s794/Jesus+in+Nazareth+synagogue.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="794" data-original-width="700" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMaHNO08vGPtw0tB8UgosYrS87dxGhyphenhyphenS11e4PfkJ2UnMXVihFT58XdYr0K8b-_uRZBypbQUIFM5rpPdh28cjlMcnLdUTEYYH-TwlW_LU7JzGdjmghTABmpdclj6X1Vx_7zb-8m_A/w230-h261/Jesus+in+Nazareth+synagogue.jpg" width="230" /></a></div>As a result, since Vatican II the Roman Catholic Church has been rediscovering how to carry on the mission entrusted to her by Jesus, namely, to proclaim the Good News that we are to repent because the Kingdom of God is at hand. As Mark reported it in 1:15, Jesus went about declaring: <b><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+1&version=NRSVCE">"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."</a> </b>Now Jesus did continue to proclaim this Good News in many ways, mostly be telling parables. Why did He do that? Because He knew, as his Father in Heaven knows, that we're a wretched bunch of sinners and we're generally not ready to repent completely... we need more time... until the day when our time is up.<p></p><p>Jesus never went around grabbing people by the scruff of the neck to yell into their faces: "Hey you! Don't you know what you're doing is wrong... it's against THE LAW! You're breaking one or more of the ten commandments; so STOP IT!" Jesus never does that... Satan is the one who goes around accusing everyone. Check out the <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Job+1&version=NRSVCE"><b>Book of Job</b></a> and you will find that it is Satan who does the accusing. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7wrqVQiveWZQXJOSJxWuhUTa4NZG_1sIB7d-6qsVcuFef3enSRi9ksdRQgR4zC7mOeojZiGyzp1T78VcKMRpd30qnAI6DbGTyTu3IkTOLiAJSo_8DgWICXtEiHcx7dkzTBqY5Q/s300/Scribes-Pharisees-Jesus-2.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="149" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG7wrqVQiveWZQXJOSJxWuhUTa4NZG_1sIB7d-6qsVcuFef3enSRi9ksdRQgR4zC7mOeojZiGyzp1T78VcKMRpd30qnAI6DbGTyTu3IkTOLiAJSo_8DgWICXtEiHcx7dkzTBqY5Q/s0/Scribes-Pharisees-Jesus-2.jpg" /></a></div>You might turn around and argue that Jesus did accuse the religious leaders... so what about that? Yes, Jesus did accuse them, but only because they were HYPOCRITES who pretended to observe the Law so that people would admire them, but in their hearts, they didn't really love God and they hated their neighbours and had nothing but contempt for the poor and those who manifested some external signs that they might be in a sinful condition, or at least that they weren't observing the whole Law.<p></p><p>As if that wasn't bad enough, these Pharisees and Sadducees, Scribes and Lawyers made sure to impose the full weight of the Law on the people, especially on the poor and wretched whose hard lives made it impossible for them to keep the whole Law, and they refused to lift a finger to do anything to try to alleviate these burdens on God's people. Well their behaviour really stirred up in Jesus the wrath of God because He is a jealous God out of love and tenderness for his people, much like a mother springs to action whenever her children are threatened with harm. </p><p>Saul was a Pharisee just like the ones who had Jesus killed and he fully approved and supported the stoning of the Deacon Stephen, our first Christian martyr. Saul went on a rampage to wipe out all the Christians he could lay his hands on until Jesus stopped him in his tracks. Once Jesus appeared to Saint Paul and he realized the error of his way of thinking. From then on, Paul preached it is impossible for us to make ourselves just before God by attempting to keep the whole Law. The Good News that Jesus brought is that God offers to CONSIDER US JUST if only we are willing to believe in Jesus his Son and to admit our sinfulness and poverty and do our best to accept his grace to repent, to change our lives, to turn away from our sinful ways and try to live as children of God. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yOC9qEQKrOL_8ZkXFks77Gxj5HP9TGAECg1KCkJcwHzxfrGyI6wSMedM-vNONZitZmvotJlJCafs_39FdOanY4EiHfz64heHnJUoj8lszffqFdW3xHLjQ9msJJXVDtcI4ij_Ag/s277/Jesus-sinners-3.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="182" data-original-width="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2yOC9qEQKrOL_8ZkXFks77Gxj5HP9TGAECg1KCkJcwHzxfrGyI6wSMedM-vNONZitZmvotJlJCafs_39FdOanY4EiHfz64heHnJUoj8lszffqFdW3xHLjQ9msJJXVDtcI4ij_Ag/s0/Jesus-sinners-3.jpg" /></a></div>How do children of God behave? Jesus commanded us to love God with our whole self and to love our neighbor as our self. He even went further and commanded us: <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6&version=NRSVCE"><b>"Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you."</b></a> <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+6&version=NRSVCE"><b>Luke 6:27</b></a> Well, we certainly aren't loving our neighbor or our enemies by going around trying to "pin the tail on the donkey" for everyone who may behave in ways we don't approve or in ways we consider contrary to THE LAW.<p></p><p>Pope Francis' many accusers just can't stand it when he makes statements like the one he said on a plane 3 or 4 years ago in answer to a question from a journalist about homosexual unions: "Who am I to judge?" That one really sticks in their craw because they want CONDEMNATIONS. Actually Pope Francis' stance in the face of homosexuals or anyone else who may or may not be in a state of sin is the correct stance we should all adopt. <b><u>Only God has the competence and clarity of vision to judge justly and mercifully</u></b>. Of course society must have laws and police and courts and judges for the sake of a minimum of law and order. Check out what Saint Paul wrote to the Romans <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans+2&version=NRSVCE"><b>about judging (Rm 2)</b></a>.</p><p>However, when it comes to sexual morality, it's not only sexual behaviours that God would take into consideration but also the lives that people are living. Let's put it this way. A married man who has violent sexual relations with his wife, in effect raping her every time, will be judged far more harshly that two men or two women who are in a long term civil union by which they care for each other with tenderness and do their best to live good lives and possibly raise their children. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzG8zzQNLdN0lVp7paT1boMTzzBSayloJ5EpfkDFoQGolfFSd1FeZKnlag3xvE8vem_CslZE21z9B86LiXyeI7toqBCM8ApCtapBjjh3-J7wc-EKcKfA3QYYAeDF1lkwSa6fwGA/s300/Jesus-sinners-10.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQzG8zzQNLdN0lVp7paT1boMTzzBSayloJ5EpfkDFoQGolfFSd1FeZKnlag3xvE8vem_CslZE21z9B86LiXyeI7toqBCM8ApCtapBjjh3-J7wc-EKcKfA3QYYAeDF1lkwSa6fwGA/s0/Jesus-sinners-10.jpg" /></a></div>No one is condoning expressions of human sexuality that are in discord with God's plan for marriage; however, when God looks at us, He doesn't only see our behaviour, but He looks deeply into our mind, heart, and soul as well as our body. Only God is competent and qualified to judge. We are not to compare ourselves to others or our behaviour to theirs; rather, we are to compare ourselves to Jesus, who is our model. <p></p><p>Take another example. One day the religious leaders disputed with Jesus over what authority he was claiming by teaching the things He taught. He replied with a question of his own, but they refused to answer; so Jesus told them that tax collectors and prostitutes were entering the kingdom of heaven ahead of them. That really stuck in their craw. </p><p><span class="text Matt-21-31" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-NRSVCE-28128" style="background-color: white; font-size: 16px;"><span class="text Matt-21-24" id="en-NRSVCE-28121"></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="text Matt-21-31" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-NRSVCE-28128" style="background-color: white;"><span class="text Matt-21-24" id="en-NRSVCE-28121"></span></span></span></p><blockquote><span><span class="text Matt-21-31" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-NRSVCE-28128" style="background-color: white;"><span class="text Matt-21-24" id="en-NRSVCE-28121">Jesus said to them, “I will also ask you one question; if you tell me the answer, then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. </span><span class="text Matt-21-25" id="en-NRSVCE-28122">Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin?” And they argued with one another, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ </span><span class="text Matt-21-26" id="en-NRSVCE-28123">But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we are afraid of the crowd; for all regard John as a prophet.” </span><span class="text Matt-21-27" id="en-NRSVCE-28124">So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I t</span></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white;">ell you by what authority I am doing these things.</span><span class="text Matt-21-31" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" style="background-color: white;">“Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are going into the kingdom of God ahead of you. </span><span class="text Matt-21-32" face="system-ui, -apple-system, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Ubuntu, Cantarell, "Noto Sans", sans-serif, Arial" id="en-NRSVCE-28129" style="background-color: white;">For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him; and even after you saw it, you did not change your minds and believe him." <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+21&version=NRSVCE"><b>Matthew 21:23-27, 31-32</b></a> </span></span></span></blockquote><p></p><p>Another dimension overlooked by Pope Francis' accusers is that our human society, humanity, isn't identical to the Kingdom of God. Our society is not a theocracy with God as King and everyone on Earth as subjects. Yes, we Christians believe that Jesus is in truth King of the Universe, but not all human beings know or accept that truth yet. Jesus is not the kind of King who goes around clobbering anyone who doesn't kneel down on sight. Remember how He behaved on the day He died? He went quietly, not shouting, not defending himself, quietly, like a Lamb to the slaughter. He loved even his accusers and tormentors and refused to raise his voice against them; letting them have as much time as possible to come to their senses on their own and realize what they had done. </p><p>Islamic countries that abide by Sharia Law from the Qu'ran are in effect theocracies, societies regulated by religious law. If you are caught stealing, they cut off your hand. If you do it again they cut off your foot, and so on. Perhaps Pope Francis' accusers would want him to do something along those lines and condemn all the people whose behaviours these accusers don't like. These are not the Lord's ways.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsDgwCf1yTKdtefJnobfEQ0j20c7R0-Y1Yn3CX1MQ-H0GJiuhOpJ7EEFXpOobvdrRbb-63d7UYGftiTbMksX5d0TbTx8RR5WRxzyZfoZaUecXVzvs12cq_EZFOOSj9tT1j1bWbA/s310/Divine-Mercy-2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="163" data-original-width="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrsDgwCf1yTKdtefJnobfEQ0j20c7R0-Y1Yn3CX1MQ-H0GJiuhOpJ7EEFXpOobvdrRbb-63d7UYGftiTbMksX5d0TbTx8RR5WRxzyZfoZaUecXVzvs12cq_EZFOOSj9tT1j1bWbA/s0/Divine-Mercy-2.jpg" /></a></div>Pope Francis is teaching us that civil society must have its laws for the common good. Under those laws he said that it would be good for two men or two women living together to have a civil union; so that they would be "covered" by civil law, like everyone else who tries to establish and live in a family. <p></p><p>Those of us who claim to be Christians and try to follow Jesus and live as children of God live by a different set of "rules" which are actually more demanding. Jesus came to fulfill the Law by raising it to a higher standard: "Love one another as I have loved you." Are we ready to lay down our lives for those in homosexual households? Or for our enemies? Jesus did. He laid down his life for us, and we're all a pretty rough and tumble bunch of hard-hearted sinners. It's difficult to follow Jesus, in fact, it's humanly impossible; which is why we need to be filled with the Holy Spirit. We cannot save ourselves, but we can accept Jesus as our Saviour, confess our sins daily, and allow the Holy Spirit to fill us and makes us every day a little more like Jesus, a little more like Pope Francis! </p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-66955446582037678612020-09-21T19:19:00.466-04:002021-03-24T00:44:15.186-04:00The Covid-19 Pandemic - an excuse to strangle the practice of religion?<div style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p></div><p><b></b></p><b>Thursday, September 24th - 6:40 p.m. </b><div><b><br /></b><div><div style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNs7DOsUwo_Ra_d_q81rkBG_64oH8jz7O2-_Ik9skbp-ZF-c6kYG-7XZFEfsoAh0GuNZPJNWM_LA3kYmSk3iBStynOKxrLrUeSEbjJb8R1viY4e1fkzMxQ_wXP_4p14yHDfxJzRA/s0/Masks-distance-in-church.jpg" /></div><div>So the meeting will be tomorrow between the reps of the Table Interreligieuse du Québec and the Directeur de la Santé Publique. You know, we many not often say it, but we consistently pray for our governors, for those who hold public office and serve the common good. Well should we pray for them for their burdens of responsibility are often very heavy when they are not crushing. Saint Paul made it clear that, while we have been given a true belonging to the Kingdom of God initiated by Jesus; we nevertheless live in this world and for this reason we have a serious burden of responsibility to daily pray for those who govern us, our families and our communities. So, if you haven't already been doing it, please, join us in praying with sincere minds and enthusiastic hearts for the health, prosperity, and wisdom of our governors and the welfare of their families, not only tonight and tomorrow, but every day let us heartily pray for our political leaders and civil servants in our city, province, and nation. Peace to you and your families. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>Wednesday, September 23rd - 4:20 p.m. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>Well, many people have used up considerable quantities of ink and saliva these past few days about all these developments here in Québec. Finally, there is to be on Friday a meeting of the director of public health in Québec with representatives of the interreligious table in Québec. This will be the first time that a member of our provincial government will exchange words directly with representatives of the R.C. Church in Québec, the AEQ, the Assembly of Bishops of Québec since I don't know when, at least in the last six months. Yet, as Cardinal Lacroix recently explained, since the beginning of the outbreak of the Pandemic in Québec the bishops have tried to speak directly with the government but without success, without so much as a reply to their calls, and messages, and all attempts to communicate.</div><div><p></p><p>The proof came a few days ago with the government's unilateral decision to reduce the limit of the number of people to be allowed to gather for religious services from 250 to 50 and in orange zone to 25 despite the fact that until now no case of infection or contagion has been documented as a result of church Sunday services anywhere in Quebec in any of our churches. If the government had taken into account the actual measures in fact put into place everywhere in Québec in all of our churches they would have realized that there continues to be no danger of propagation in our churches themselves. For them to take it out on the churches and Sunday gatherings is a flagrant injustice and frankly a decision that is incomprehensible.</p><p>We acknowledge with gratitude the sense of social responsibility demonstrated by our government since the beginning of the outbreak of the Covid-19 Pandemic in Quebec. We listened and watched with great interest and assiduity the daily televised conferences by the director of public health and his colleauges. We sympathize with the social pressure that once again weighs heavily on their shoulders and wish to continue to support them as responsible partners. Besides, the bishops and all our churches were among the first to not only follow the public health protocols but in some instances we even anticipated them or surpassed them.</p><p>We call on our governors to target the actual active hot spots of contagion of the virus. If there is some concern over spontaneous gatherings that might take place after certain religious events; well then let's target those and leave Sunday services alone. None of our churches have had after Mass coffee since before the Pandemic outbreak. Since March our churches have actually forbidden such gatherings as those that might take place after Baptisms, weddings, funerals, Confirmations, first Confession, first Communion, and so on. Until recently these religious events were indefinitely postponed.</p><p>So since March there have been no such gatherings neither in our churches nor in our halls or even outside, neither planned nor spontaneously. Until the recent deconfinement our churches rather looked like places haunted only by ghosts where only priests, a few staff and volunteers dared to venture in order to set up and transmit on social media a Sunday or weekday Mass. As for the deconfinement itself, it was done gradually to the point that some churches still haven't reopened. We have only just begun in some places to plan for and allow funerals, weddings, and other sacraments. In any event, whenever such events are held it is always with rigorous implementation of public health protocols.</p><p>Furthermore, each person welcomed into our churches are met by carefully formed volunteers who assure they sanitize their hands and then explain to them where to go and how to maintain social distancing and keeping on their mask at all times while moving about or replying to the few dialogues during the Liturgy, walking in the aisles only in the direction indicated by the arrows on the floor, avoiding the closed benches, only members of the same household being able to sit together, and so on. </p><p>Unlike bars and brasseries and restaurants, our churches don't welcome people who just spontaneously decide to go or who plan to go once in a while. Sunday Mass is an obligation and a necessity of faith for catholic christians because it is an integral part of their life as believers, as it is no doubt also for those who are believers in other religious traditions. The practice of the faith is not a private activity for our citizens but it is an integral part of their social life and of their belonging to our society. Any and all actions which forbid or render impossible the practice of the faith is a serious prejudice against the human and civil rights of every citizen. </p><p>We sincerely and energetically want to cooperate with our governors, but please no longer take any measures which would have as direct effect making it impossible for citizens to practice their faith and, by the same token, strangle to death our churches instead of properly targetting the actual hot spots of the virus and its propagation.</p><p><b>Monday, September 21st, 2020 - 7:12 p.m. Montreal</b><i>.</i> Greetings dear Reader. By now you are no doubt aware of the measures taken yesterday and today to put severe restrictions on religious assemblies all over the province. This morning, <b><u>in a state of shock</u></b>, I first wrote my reflections in French on my <a href="https://lafractiondupain.blogspot.com"><b>blogue of that language</b></a> in order to give expression to the anger if not rage that I felt under the effects of that shock. </p><p>Before I give free rein to my thoughts in English, you may want to read - if you haven't already done so - the <a href="https://evequescatholiques.quebec/sn_uploads/fck/2020-09-21_Les-leaders-religieux-du-Quebec-denoncent-une-injustice_FINAL--ENGLISH-.pdf"><b>media statement of the Assembly of Québec Bishops</b></a> - AEQ - released this morning. It catches the general sense of grave injustice created by the public health's severe restrictions on religious assemblies just published and intended to take immediate effect. Practically speaking, the Bishops of Québec are united in declaring that no changes will be made by any of the churches under their jurisdiction in the direction of further restrictions. They are quite satisfied with the already sufficiently drastic health measures that have so carefully been put into practice in all their churches; that they deem no further restrictions are necessary and that the hot spots of contagion are to be found elsewhere than in churches.</p><p>First, before going any further, let it be eminently clear that we generally are extremely grateful to our governments at all levels, to all our public servants, and to all those at the service of the general population for their devoted service and considerable efforts in promoting and defending the common good and the good health of all citizens in this land. We especially wish to thank and affirm the various agents of the public health system and the provincial leadership for public health for their untiring efforts since the outbreak of this Pandemic in Québec. To all of you, and you know who you are, THANK YOU! </p><p>However, the fact remains that this latest policy of the public health leadership to further restrict religious assemblies throughout the province is a glaring act of public injustice to the point of being scandalous! </p><p>Consider for a moment the general behaviour of citizens in our western democratic societies. Where do you expect to find the greatest contempt for the regulations published by public health authorities? In bars and brasseries or in churches, synagogues, and mosques? After sports events at the emptying of arenas or after religious services at the emptying of places of worship? I have nothing against bars and brasseries or sports arenas and fields as such, having frequented such establishments and places myself.</p><p>The fact remains that no emptying of a church has generated riots in which crowds smash windows and loot businesses as has happened more than once in this city after Canadiens' hockey games. No religious service in western religious traditions keeps people in worship longer than around 60 minutes, unlike the 1 to 3 hours people will generally spend in a bar or brasserie or sports event. No one leaving a place of worship after attending and participating in religious worship is at risk to leave intoxicated or in any other way debilitated or likely to pose a threat to public order and security.</p><p>Since the start of the Pandemic and the subsequent deconfinement you will no longer see gatherings around the coffee urn to chat and share news in the parish hall - there are no longer any spontaneous gatherings - in contrast to the many liberties taken by many citizens all over the province on sports fields and in all kinds of scheduled, planned and spontaneous events, coinciding with the upspike in cases of Covid-19 infections in Québec. In fact our religious leaders are still laboring over when and how to permit funerals, weddings, baptisms and other ESSENTIAL religious celebrations in the lives of people whose only "crime" is to have the audacity to have no choice but be different from general trends by wanting to practice their faith and religion.</p><p>I will be so bold as to declare my sincere belief that no gathering of citizens has imposed the public health measures with more rigour than the religious gatherings for worship of God in our churches since the beginning of the deconfinement: sterilization of hands on entering and leaving and before receiving Holy Communion; wearing of the mask during the entire celebration except for consuming the host; social distancing in the pews and also while moving around; no boiserous singing but only muted singing behind the mask; and no touching of others at the sign of peace. In short, worship has become very muted and subdued in comparison to before the Pandemic. </p><p>A dear friend of mine is on the organizing committee of a Protestant church and, early on before the actual deconfinement was fully implemented everywhere, asked me to send him the protocols drawn up by the Diocese of Montreal, knowing as he did from experience how thorough and stringent our leaders have been in the past and continue to be today; even to the point of going beyond what is expected. He knew that with our protocols his local church would be ahead of the game and find itself well placed to put into place their own protocols for deconfinement.</p><p>As for Catholic parishes in the Diocese of Montreal, I have heard that some churches allow people to remove their mask while seated quietly in their pew, knowing full well that some people - especially the elderly but also those with respiratory restrictions - will breathe more easily without their mask. The only condition very clearly explained and enforced is that people put their mask back on for speaking their parts of the few dialogues during the service and before moving out of their pew for Communion or to otherwise move around.</p><p>From the sanctuary, very well distanced from the assembly, the priest, deacon if any, the reader(s), and singer remove their mask in order to be heard and then put it back on especially when about to move towards others, such as for the distribution of Holy Communion.</p><p>Altar servers have been banished from the sanctuary altogether and the priest alone prepares the offerings and accessories at the altar, first washing his hands before touching anything. The hosts to be distributed as Holy Communion after the consecration are placed before Mass at the end of the altar and far from where the priest will be standing; so that his breath will be a good meter away and not land on them. </p><p>Despite all these measures carefully and strictly observed in our churches, in the past 24 hours or so civil authorities to all appearances casually targetted religious institutions as though churches and other places of worship had been deemed to be burning furnaces of contagion and the hotbeds of irresponsible and revolutionary behaviours. Where are the <b><u>reports</u> </b>of misdemeanours on the part of any churches which supposedly might have failed to observe the protocols of public health? Where are the <u><b>facts</b></u> concerning the infection of members of churches or their personnel or volunteers? <u><b>Which</b></u> are those churches that, if they had cases of infection among their members or personnel or volunteers did not immediately put them in quarantine? Where are the <u style="font-weight: bold;">data</u> to substantiate this drastic claw back in deconfinement drastically reducing the limits for religious assemblies from 250 to 50 and even 25?</p><p>This situation is simply illogical. How are we to understand these restrictive measures targetting with no proven justification all places of religious worship without showing any effort to report facts and draw intelligent conclusions? Is there actual medical surveillance evidence clearly identifying churches as hotbeds of contagion? If not, then on what basis have these restrictive measures been taken? Could there be some hidden, even dark, agenda at work, perhaps even without the overt knowledge of the civil authorities or perhaps subconsciously determined to target and strangle the very practice of religion as such? Such an agenda would be dark indeed.</p><p>One can understand and grant how people for whom the practice of religion might be strange and incomprehensible could in their eyes see the practice of religion as a relic from the past when humanity was given to ignorance and superstition. It may even be that for such a person the practice of religion as such might be considered a dangerous rival to the institution of government for the attention of the population. In other words, certain people might conceive of the practice of religion as a threatening competitor for power in society, or even as an obstacle to governance, as a sort of threat to the effective unfolding of political and social power to govern. </p><p>Notwithstanding some historical social abuses often quoted by the opponents of religion - and these aberrations were for the most part abuses that took place in the political and economic spheres when populations looked to church leaders to protect them from the excesses of exploitation by kings and princes and emperors - the historical record in fact shows that in Christianity - especially in Catholic Christianity - nothing could be further from the truth. Of course wherever you have people you will find differences of opinion. </p><p>However, the fact remains that people who legitimately practice their religion - not those who simply claim to do so while practicing all manner of crime and abuse and violence while claiming to do so in the name of the deity - but those who are actually practicing their religion, and most especially those who are following Jesus and putting into practice his teachings and commands; well, such people are generally among the first to serve public order and peace. Many such people gave their lives during the declared wars of the 20th century and many of their names adorn memorials on the walls of their places of worship. </p><p>We who are citizens of our country here would therefore we well situated to expect from those who hold power and govern the common good to take into account all these facts, the actual facts, and the actual behaviour of all those who continue to have the audacity to practice their faith and religion. Let them abstain from "taking it out on" and targetting religious assemblies of worship in what can only appear to be a vain and misguided attempt to contain the latest new outbreaks of Covid-19 infection. </p><p>The actual causes of new cases of infection are most certainly to be found anywhere else than in our churches on Sunday mornings or Saturday afternoons or even during the week. I cannot speak for synagogues and mosques, but I suspect that their leaders and members could probably have the same assurance. So please, stop picking so randomly and unjustly on your fellow citizens who have the audacity and temerity to insist on practicing their faith and religion.</p><p>Here was the end of my first reflection in French this morning. Then, after a good lunch, conversation with fellow residents, and the opportunity to "take a step back", I added a few more thoughts which follow here below.</p><p><b>13:45... having taken a step back...</b></p><p> If you don't already know it, dear Reader, please let me assure you that we Catholic Christians are pacifists. This morning while still in shock I wrote my consternation at these sudden restrictive measures specifically targetting churches and other places of religious worship. Failing the presentation of any factual evidence to support such restrictions which the public authorities could very well have provided, I could only ask myself a great number of questions on what possible motives might have spawned these drastic measures. </p><p>Normally, the Catholic Christian outlook will give the benefit of the doubt when trying to understand the perplexing behaviour of others before questioning their intentions. At this point there appears to be no reason to believe that the cause is ignorance regarding the reality or identity or nature or behaviours of those folks who dare to practice their faith and religion. </p><p>Having put aside ignorance, at this point we might also put aside malice as potential motivation for these restrictive measures; that is, the deliberate intention of strangling the civil rights of ordinary folks who dare to practice their faith and religion. </p><p>So if it isn't ignorance or malice, one might conceive of unconsciousness or forgetfulness. It could just be an error of perspective, since churches are so many and so different one from the other. Under normal circumstances churches would welcome anywhere from 25 to over 1,000 people at any one time for a single religious service. This might cause churches as such to be a general category that might be difficult to define without giving it greater attention, observation, time, and care. One could see how it might seem easier when under great pressure to just sweep them all away with a single stroke, and "BAM!" Let's impose more restrictions on them all.</p><p>Now, without passing judgment on anyone's intentions, the fact remains that these sudden new restrictions on assemblies for the purpose of religious worship remain incomprehensible, unjust, negatively discriminatory, and indefensible. They are nothing short of a public scandal. However, as it is a normal faculty of human beings to make mistakes from time to time; one can expect institutions governed by human beings to also make mistakes.</p><p>For this reason, we fully expect the public health authority to realize the unintended effects of these sudden and baseless restrictions to limit the number of people to be admitted to worship assemblies, and that it is highly desirable to rescind these new restrictions as soon as possible, even before we get to the days for worship this coming weekend: Friday for Muslims, Saturday for Jews, and Saturday afternoon and Sunday for Christians.</p><p>Here then is a sincere and good hearted plea to all levels of our public health institutions and all of their leaders - particularly at the provincial level - to make a public show of wisdom and solidarity with all of their fellow citizens who dare to practice their faith and religion and whose only "crime" is to insist on practicing their faith and religion publicly and not merely in the privacy of their homes. </p><p>To retract these measures publicly will in no way be an admission of weakness on the part of public health authorities, but on the contrary, will be plainly seen as evidence of wisdom and humility, those qualities that are without doubt most desirable for every person at the service of the general population. Your public stature in our eyes will not be diminished in doing so, but on the contrary, will be greatly enhanced.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></div></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7263239.post-47647880510286473322020-09-09T15:35:00.012-04:002021-03-24T00:43:59.016-04:00How can high level bankers and financiers hold their heads high in public?<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kv0wt3HSUdNqd1kJ2vuzOjXmZI516-PPgvTFDZUEqHkXO6NbdpJLkfWJn0mpaJR8aSvZhUw_DPWKyIRYZRd0uNLp4lTX6qS48AK2He7Y-cMlszaveyNzpH0zQG2yMxOXkuDwAw/s299/Canada-big-banks.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kv0wt3HSUdNqd1kJ2vuzOjXmZI516-PPgvTFDZUEqHkXO6NbdpJLkfWJn0mpaJR8aSvZhUw_DPWKyIRYZRd0uNLp4lTX6qS48AK2He7Y-cMlszaveyNzpH0zQG2yMxOXkuDwAw/s299/Canada-big-banks.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><p><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to bring a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kv0wt3HSUdNqd1kJ2vuzOjXmZI516-PPgvTFDZUEqHkXO6NbdpJLkfWJn0mpaJR8aSvZhUw_DPWKyIRYZRd0uNLp4lTX6qS48AK2He7Y-cMlszaveyNzpH0zQG2yMxOXkuDwAw/s299/Canada-big-banks.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_kv0wt3HSUdNqd1kJ2vuzOjXmZI516-PPgvTFDZUEqHkXO6NbdpJLkfWJn0mpaJR8aSvZhUw_DPWKyIRYZRd0uNLp4lTX6qS48AK2He7Y-cMlszaveyNzpH0zQG2yMxOXkuDwAw/s0/Canada-big-banks.jpg" /></a></div></div><br />I thought I'd open a savings account today until I received over a dozen sheets of paper, printed on both sides, from the bank with more fine print than it would take a lawyer to figure out. When I got to the tables indicating the interest rates, at first it looked really good. If I could manage to put together $5,000 I'd get 5% interest per year, which nowadays is pretty good, right? It seemed too good to be true; so I looked more closely and discovered that, in fact, that was too good to be true.<div><br /></div><div>What is really being offered is 0.05% on a balance of over $5,000. That works out to 5 hundreths of one percent, or, to be even clearer, 5 ten thousandths. So for $5,000 that would amount to total interest per year of $2.50. I had to double check with the calculator, and sure enough, multiply 5,000 by 0.05% and that is what you get, $2.50.<p>It's a joke. The high level bankers are playing with the hard-earned money of the entire population of our countries and making record-breaking profits - I hate to think of how they must be treating their employees - and giving us just about nothing in return, except perhaps some security and guarantee against robbery and fraud. These past decades, banks have made insane profits, which may explain the foolhardiness with which they made speculative investments, some of which caused the financial crisis of 2007-2008. Those who made and promoted those risky investiments obviously didn't care about the people whose money they WERE PLAYING WITH. It was all about GREED and CAREERISM. </p><p>The next step we might anticipate is that banks'll try to convince us that we should PAY THEM for the privilege of allowing them to play with our money, our hard-earned savings. That would be the limit. </p><p>All that is because our entire financial and economic system is based on the principle of debt and credit. When you start out in life you have all your potential before you: youth, strength, ability to learn, ability and willingness to apply yourself to tasks and jobs, and much more. In the eyes of our financial and economic system, all of that - all of YOU - is worth NOTHING.</p><p>You have to take out a loan, to apply for credit, in order to have any value at all, and your value is only as much as you OWE. It's a new or old form of slavery which defines your worth by what value you have to the one who holds over you a debt. That is as close a definition of slavery as I can think of, with the exception of freedom of movement and of speech; although in many places these are limited as well. </p><p>I recall reading somewhere that when industrialists and capitalists of the industrial revolution first offered salaries to workers - a specific wage for a specific duration of time worked - that citizens generally balked at the offer. They were actually offended because common sense told them that this arrangement was nothing more than a volunary form of slavery because their time would no longer be their own and they would, in effect, belong to the owners for the duration of their work period.</p><p>In actual fact, initially and for a number of decades, working conditions grew increasingly horrendous as capitalist industrialist owners of factories put the "squeeze" on workers to extract as much labor and output from them as they possibly could for as little remuneration as they could get away with in return. Typical factory, store, and restaurant workers in the early decades of the 20th century would work six days at 10 to 12 hours a day for $7 a week. It often cost them $6 a week to share a bed with other workers, which left them with only $1 a week to eat, clothe themselves, and buy medicine. Many poor women who were single parents had to "sell" themselves in order to feed their children. </p><p>Original catholic activists like Dorothy Day and Catherine Doherty cried out loud on behalf of the poor. even embarrassing Church leaders - bishops and pastors - to finally come to recognize that the Church was doing NOTHING for the poor and poor workers. Before and after the "Great Crash" of 1929 there was nothing like health care, employment insurance, social welfare, retirement funds, or even soup kitchens. At best there was only a bit of simple neighborly help by those good people willing to notice and bring some limited comfort to the trouble of their neighbours. </p><p>The very first soup kitchens were set up by Dorothy Day at the Catholic Worker New York in 1933 and by Catherine Doherty at Friendship House in Toronto in 1931, in Ottawa in 1936, in Harlem, New York in 1938, and in Chicago in 1941. Those movements rose and fell and engendered many others as social awarness and responsibility grew in the general population of our countries and in other lands as well. </p><p>These prophetic leaders and activists and the movements they generated arose from their faith in Jesus as the Christ, the Lord, and by prayerfully looking to Him, his life, death and resurrection; seeking from the Gospels light that could be shed on the many ethical and social issues of the day that were having deleterious impacts on the lives of the general population: war and peace, wealth and poverty, the privileges of the rich and powerful versus the constraints on the poor and helpless, issues of exploitation and violence, the insensitivity of public and private institutions and of the ordinary citizen to the trials, tribulations, and suffering of the disenfranchized. </p><p>Originally, Dorothy Day was caught up with the work, writings, speeches, and public manifestations by communist and socialist activists, but she shortly experienced a religious conversion and from then on she followed none other than Jesus Christ. Such as the faith and motivation of Catherine Doherty, who unlike Dorothy, followed Jesus Christ from her childhood. Having experienced the "downside" of communism in Russia from 1917 to 1920, Catherine strove all her life to bring the Gospel to bear on the troubles of the poor and oppressed in order to bring a better light to bear on their lives than anything that communists and socialists might claim to bring. </p><p>Catherine read what the popes had been writing since the beginning of the industrial revolution about the plight of exploited workers and she won the approval of popes she met who encouraged her to persevere in her labours. Pope Paul VI even said to her that on her and her work and others like her depended the survival and progress of the Church herself. That is why she became such a thorn in the sides of bishops, cardinals, and priests who had not caught up to the rapidly deteriorating living conditions of ordinary people from the mid-1800's to the mid-1900's. It took time, but church people increasingly became aware and mobilized into action for the poor and dispossessed of the Earth. </p><p style="text-align: center;">-------------------------------------------</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>Health Care</b> - in Canada: Medical Care Act of 1966 - in Saskatchewan 1st provincial hospitalization plan in 1957 - in U.S.A. teachers set up first plan in Texas in 1929; Blue Cross began in 1936 and Blue Shield in 1939; Medicare and Medicaid came in 1965</p><p><b>Employment Insurance</b> - in Canada: Unemployment Insurance Acts of 1940 and 1971 - in U.S.A. the federal-state Unemployment Insurance (UI) Program created in 1935</p><p><b>Social Welfare </b>- in Canada: Social Welfare created in 1940's; in Québec in 1958; in Ontario the first step was the Workmen's Compensation Act of 1914 for destitute persons over 70 - in U.S.A. the National Welfare system was created in 1935; from 1910 to 1915 32 states enacted workers' compensation insurance </p><p><b>Retirement Programs</b> - in Canada: the Registered Retirement Annuity was created in 1957; followed by the Canada Pension Plan in 1965 by Lester B. Pearson - in U.S.A. the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad established in 1884 the first pension plan by a major employer (at 65 workers for 10+ years could retire for 20 to 35% of wages; in 1875 American Express created the first private pension plan for the elderly and disabled; by 1926 there were around 200 private pensions by larger employers. Plans continued to develop in the 1900's but less and less employers offered them since the 1990's. The U.S.A. never developed a country-wide pension plan, reflecting its capitalist foundations and principles. It's every man for himself and every woman for herself. You don't plan, you don't get. </p><p style="text-align: center;">-------------------------------------------</p><p>We have forgotten the original reasons why people were willing to suffer brutality at the hands of police called by the capitalists when workers began to demonstrate in order to convince fellow workers to unite and form unions. They desperately wanted to win the authority to negotiate with the capitalist owners on behalf of the workers in order to seek better hours, safer working conditions, and better pay.</p><p>Human nature being what it is, many unions developed into caricatures of what they were originally intended and designed to be, trying to control plants and production and to dictate conditions to the owners without reference to the costs of production and the profit margins. In the past several decades many factories and businesses have closed or sold out because of unreasonable demands by unions, whose representatives lived on the union dues paid by the very workers whose jobs they destroyed. </p><p>The best balance I have ever seen between workers, owners, and bankers is in the entirely worker owned and operated collection of companies developed originally in the Basque country of Spain in the 1950's by Catholics which has become a multinational corporation. Workers actually own the various companies and the supervisors and managers must report to them. </p><p>Instead of companies being owned by a handful of people, who can sell the company and dismiss the workforce at any time and retire with their profits to the Caribbean, the companies are actually entirely owned, operated, and managed by the workers themselves. We're not talking about communists or socialists here, because initially these were good Catholics and I would suspect that a good number of them still are. They haven't upset political institutions but on the contrary have been the economic and social backbone of their peoples and states.</p><p>No worker loses his or her job unless they don't want to work, and they are evaluated by all the workers at general meetings. No one earns more than 5 or 6 times the one who earns the least. Their collective profits and pension funds are reinvested into more development, education, and savings. They have developed their own university, and all the towns in which they have companies and workers are doing very well because of the great benefits generated by this cooperative movement. This amazing, creative, and cooperative movement is called <a href="https://www.mondragon-corporation.com/en/about-us/">Mondragon Corporation</a>. Check it out. </p><div style="text-align: center;"><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><center></center><div><span style="color: #3d85c6;">My purpose in these posts is to help spread the contributions of a variety of Christian and other writers in a desire to share significant writings that in my estimation contribute to the common good and directly or indirectly give glory to God and extend the Lord's work of salvation to all of humanity. G.S.</span></div><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div><b><span style="color: #ffa400;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></b></div><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"><i style="color: #31849b; font-family: cambria, serif; font-size: 14.6667px; mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"></i></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><b style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: #ffa400;"></span></span></b><p style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="FR-CA" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: black; font-size: 10pt;"><b>© 2004-2021 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC<br />© 2004-2021 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC</b></span><span style="text-indent: 21.6pt;"> </span></span></p><p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 13.2px;"><span lang="EN-US" style="color: black; font-size: 13.5pt;">+ + + + + + + + + + + + </span></p></div></div></div>Fr. Gilles Surprenanthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16055431919615204171noreply@blogger.com1