[bluecross]

Just said ‘No’ this morning and deactivated my @medjugorjeuk Twitter account.

Closed the door on my crown-of-stars blog last month as well.

But still posting items on my website: themedjugorjewitness.com

Heaven is weeping here today. It hasn’t stopped raining all morning.

But it was forecasted. Hoping the forecast on the Irish referendum isn’t as accurate.

One of my young grandsons came to visit me yesterday. He’s at that age (almost three) where his favourite word is “No”. When I would say “yes” he would respond with “No”. But when I would switch to saying “No”, he would say “Yes”. Contrary, to say the least. I wonder how many voters in Ireland today will switch from “Yes” to “No” or vice versa?

[bluecross]

Coincidence or Godincidence?

Today’s first reading from the letter of St James 5:9-12 (7th week, Ordinary Time, Year 2, Friday) relative to this thread and some of the posts?

Do not make complaints against one another, brothers, so as not to be brought to judgement yourselves; the Judge is already to be seen waiting at the gates.

For your example, brothers, in submitting with patience, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord; remember it is those who had endurance that we say are the blessed ones.

You have heard of the patience of Job, and understood the Lord’s purpose, realising that the Lord is kind and compassionate.

Above all, brothers, do not swear by heaven or by earth, or use any oaths at all. If you mean ‘yes’. you must say ‘yes’; if you mean ‘no’, say ‘no’. Otherwise you make yourselves liable to judgement.

[Prodigals]

Prodigals, I was troubled by . . . .

I think that Fr. Svet's talk reinforces my point.

I am to show mercy to my brothers and sisters by admonishing them of their sin. I am not to do so in sanctimony fueled by a sense that I am better or holier than they are, and therefore I may speak to the sinner's punishment ("judge") because of his sin. God alone can give sentence. Indeed, if my love for my brother is pure, I pray that God in His mercy and compassion will blot out his offense, and cleanse him from his sin as Christ did with the adulterous woman and the repentant thief on Calvary.

My reprimand of him for his sin must be given in humility and borne out of my love for him as my brother in Christ, and that in this love I want the best for him. I pray that my advising him of his sin will allow the Holy Spirit to show him his error, and allow him via his free will to confess and repent of it. If I vengefully thrust his face in his sin (as Fr. Svet's suggests) then I am no better than a Pharisee.

My problem with the "ex-priest" is not so much that he is an ex-priest (demonstrating bad discernment of his life path), but rather that now that he has made the decision to vacate the "in Persona Christs capitis" role he still wants to be our shepherd and teach us theology. Here's a guy who couldn't accurately discern his role in life who now wants to still be our 'expert' theologian. Making it worse, it is erroneous theology he is offering.

Problems arise when in speaking about homosexuality a pope says "Who am I to judge?" If he means "Who am I to pass sentence on this sin?" then the pontiff is completely correct.

However, without further clarification, the imprecision of the statement allows the world's media to place their own interpretation on it that the pope is admitting that he doesn't know if homosexuality is sinful or not because he will not "judge" it. If this is truly what the pope meant, then he is at odds with Church doctrine, and worse he is guilty of the sin of spreading false doctrine. In an older, harder, more unforgiving age the spreading of false doctrine was known as heresy and those who were guilty of it were known as heretics. But let's be merciful and not go there and pray that Francis is just a poor wordsmith.

To conflate real mercy with confirming another in their sin by your own silence is itself sinful and destructive to the health of our faith.

My comment "You should know that" was only a gentle reminder of an important element of our faith that plays directly into this discussion.
I'm sure you knew it, but just didn't remember it at that moment. 'Senior moments' happen to the best of us . . .

Peace.

[Maryh]

It's the most beautiful day here BC.
Brilliant sunshine yet breezy. 17 C.


Your little grandson sounds like a hoot! Sure he will have plenty of bold moments. I have a little nephew
who is going through his rebellious phase too. Trying to discipline is sure not easy.

That's a co-incidence alright!
Today's refrain also is 'The Lord is compassion & Love'


So many today are voting with their understanding of what compassion and love is; the yes voters too
probably think they are doing likewise. Voting yes for compassion. They may even have way more compassion in their heart than
me; God only knows.
I'm just after voting No.

What God told me today is how He's the vine-dresser; if we don't allow him to prune us; we will end up
growing over anything and each other; eventually choking each other.
(This was a co-incidence for me as someone who was asking me to vote yes; almost choked me to death once
in a 'play' fight. Let me tell you it was not fun.)

So i ask myself, Have i always allowed God to prune me. Probably not always; because pruning would be something
painful. Yet, without him, we can do nothing.
So there are many others who probably would not allow God to prune them with his truth neither.
Knowing this helps me try to be more tolerant and 'bear with' others when i really don't feel like it.

Whatever the result; i think many people could end up being in a lot of pain.
We're going to get pruned big time.

God, all-powerful, please do something! Look down from heaven and see what's happening to this vine.
Psalm 80: 14

[Prodigals]

I'm sorry i didn't mean to refer to going up to communion as going up for 'it'.
People go up to receive Our Lord.

Sadly not all of them, Maryh. I teach on the doctrine of the Real Presence. You'd be surprised about some of the stuff people think about the Eucharist.

[Prodigals]

Could all the people reading this please spare a prayer for Ireland ?

Isn't it interesting to note that everyone who is for abortion has already been born?
Hmmmm . . .

[bluecross]

I think that Fr. Svet's talk reinforces my point.

Really?

[Maryh]

I think it's difficult to assume we can always be 100% certain of people's intentions based on their
style of communicating.

I think its important to be a guiding light to others, even if they don't want to hear it.
It is wrong to assume the authority or a representative of Jesus & lead people down dark roads.
Jesus wasn't softly softly or pussy footing around with people in many instances as well.

Many times; its easier to just let things slide, and put up with things 'for peace sake'.
But peace at any cost is no peace at all. Its not everyone's natural instinct to be assertive and to know their rights and be
outspoken.
It takes enormous courage, wisdom & strength to stand up to evil & expose evil doing. I think it is part of love to instruct, correct, rebuke.
I think it could actually become a 'sin of omission' if you don't expose full truths and warn others.
It says it in the bible.
Actually going along like a fish downstream is the default position;
Then you may find yourself singing 'kum by ya' with a brood of vipers...What then?
Bring your children along too & let them get eaten alive? I don't think so.

[bluecross]

But first we start with oneself.

Get that sorted, or even started, and then we may become more compassionate to those who sin against us.

But as the Medjugorje visionaries say so often. Conversion is a daily obligation that continues for a lifetime.

Nothing wrong with singing ‘kum by ya’ even with a brood of vipers. It’s giving praise and witness to the Lord, not the vipers. It may even protect us from the vipers!

[Merlorrich]

Just said ‘No’ this morning and deactivated my @medjugorjeuk Twitter account.

Closed the door on my crown-of-stars blog last month as well.

End of an era Bluecross

Isn't it interesting to note that everyone who is for abortion has already been born?
Hmmmm . . .

True Prodigals, but the only answer I have is to pray for those people

I think it could actually become a 'sin of omission' if you don't expose full truths and warn others.

The priest said something similar at mass this morning. Btw it was 23C where I am.

God Bless us ALL, everyone

[Maryh]

Update: #dogsatpollingstations is trending on twitter.
All the vote yes people are turning their affection to dogs.
Someone once said how 'Anywhere animals are worshipped there will be human sacrifice'. So true!

People are reacting in an aggressive fashion towards the placement of statues of Our Lady at polling stations.

Many people have been left off registers and its causing uproar!

People are dismayed that bible's are there too.
This is the worst paper for pro-choice propaganda but anyway;
here's the link: It reminds me of today's mass reading about swearing oaths.
http://www.thejournal.ie/referendum-bib ... 2-May2018/

[bluecross]

For secularists and non-believers, the Bible represents a challenge to consciences. That’s why they don’t want to see it at polling booths. Even unopened it confronts the conscience.

The word of God is something alive and active: it cuts like any double-edged sword but more finely: it can slip through the place where the soul is divided from the spirit, or joints from the marrow; it can judge the secret emotions and thoughts. No created thing can hide from him; everything is uncovered and open to the eyes of the one whom we must give account of ourselves. (Hebrews 4 : 12)

[stunnedbyit]

What a sad, but expected result. Amazing to think that people will actually be out in the streets "partying" today.
I still can't understand how the same people who voted yes would be the same who would be outraged by the murder of a 1 week old baby.
It is like saying that murder is only permissible in a certain location. I see no logic in it. And Catholics are the ones who are supposed to be dim!

[bluecross]

Today’s Gospel reading according to Mark 10:13-16 (7th week, Ordinary Time, Year 2, Saturday) on the day following the Irish referendum.

People were bringing little children to Jesus, for him to touch them. The disciples turned them away, but when Jesus saw this he was indignant and said to them, “Let the little children come to me; do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” Then he put his arms round them, laid his hands on them and gave them his blessing.

[bluecross]

This crazy world that seeks to dismantle and abort the threat of nuclear weapons but celebrates laws to facilitate the abortion of children in the womb.

[stunnedbyit]

Malta next?
Can a tiny nation like Malta resist the tidal wave of pressure from the pro abortion lobby?

[bluecross]

Amnesty International calling for changes in Northern Ireland as well...

Next battlefront in Ireland –– the border issue.

Reckon Pope Francis will not get the best reception either during his upcoming Papal visit.

Europe also seems to be shaping up for some very unsettling and divisive times ahead.

So when did this fragmentation first start to appear in Europe? Was it with the break-up of the Soviet Union?

And look at what happened with the collapse of Yugoslavia. The after-shocks are still being felt.

So maybe the Medjugorje ‘secrets’ are connected to all of these upheavals and eruptions?

Our Lady knows the outcome of poor choices in people’s lives, hence the message of conversion and reconciliation.

Keep the faith and its flame alight!

[stunnedbyit]

I believe Europe's punishment (if there is one) will have an Islamic component to it, i.e. a Muslim majority voting for Sharia. To be honest, part of me feels that Europe would deserve that. A perverted form of liberalization easily opens the door for an even more conservative and fundamentalist ideology to emerge. It's only once this happens that many liberal secularists might start to connect the dots....

[bluecross]

mea culpa...

[stunnedbyit]

BC, you misunderstand me - I'm not blaming Muslims for the ills of the world. I simply believe that "dumping" Christianity will lead to an Islamic Europe, mostly due to demographics and birth rates (also, Muslim women don't tend to have abortions). Do I believe that Islam has some troubling doctrines? Yes. Have I studied the Koran and Hadiths more than the average lay person? Yes.
Knowing some good Muslim people does not demonstrate that Islam is a good ideology. In the same way, knowing some bad Catholics does not prove that Christianity is a bad religion.
And yes BC, I'd let a Muslim doctor operate on my child. I'm well aware that many of them ignore the Jihadist teachings of their Prophet.
To be honest, I believe most of them know little about the Hadiths (thankfully).

[stunnedbyit]

I have a question for you BC. Why does criticism of an ideology irritate you so much? Why is it immoral for someone to have a negative view of an ideology? To judge people on race, nationality or customs is evil - no question. But why is it wrong to judge the moral face of ideologies? Can we not separate the ideology from the people who "belong" to it?

[stunnedbyit]

Actually, I've had enough of the way you shut down debate BC. You are like a forum cop who shouts down anyone who has different views or insights. You are all too ready to believe that someone is either guided by Satan or a right wing xenophobe. You never have trust that people base their views on their own research. I will free this forum of my "poison", and the rest of the forum members can walk on eggshells around you BC.
You claim to have become a better man after your experience in Medjugorje, but I believe that there is also a bully in you. You verbally batter people who have opinions that you dislike, and insinuate that you know their hearts like a modern day Padre Pio.
As I said, I will remove myself from this forum and follow Medjugorje events some other way.
It's a shame that the crushing of free speech (through accusations) is a feature of this forum.....
Addio

[Maryh]

Awwh Don't go SBI. I like when you contribute.

I understand what you mean about people becoming dis-inherited from their lands after turning away from God & God
using foreigners as a punishment in that process. This has been described in the bible.
The issue is about disinheritance & its true Europe is set to become mostly Islamic in many areas even within 50 years time.

Also true that some foreign embassies must issue warning and advisory advice when travelling to certain countries
because of social and endemic problems associated with their cultures. This applies especially to women where certain countries are especially dangerous based on their ideologies.
Many countries are just not safe. Not being to be a racist; but they're just not.

There will be a conflict of interests and ideologies. This is just reality.

[bluecross]

mea culpa...

[Maryh]

But BC,
I really didn't see that SBI was trying to 'hate' or drop poision on Muslims.
Its reality; no need to come down like a ton of bricks.
Its just about the disinheritance of what was once previously Christian countries due
to our turning away from God.

Can't we just give people the benefit of the doubt & try to communicate despite our differences?

God can use any one of us for his purposes. I think we should stop expecting perfection off each other.
We're all only human.