Outstanding find Klos. Thank you.

I have this book and several others of his. Haven't had any of them off the shelves for sometime now. I need to open them up again. Thanks for reminding me. I LOVE Father Faber's writings.

Does he have a Cause yet - and if not, why not?

Revealed truth must be taught and defended especially under the regrettable pontificate of "who am I to judge"

One of the worst things anyone can say.

The following statement is disingenuous:
"Revealed truth must be taught and defended especially under the regrettable pontificate of 'who am I to judge'".

Pope Francis was referring to a specific individual and not to the teachings of the Catholic Church when he made that statement.

Only GOD is Truth because He created all the evidence.

Like the rest of us and unlike GOD, Pope Francis' access to the evidence is limited by time and space.

Therefore, Pope Francis has no right to judge; and should not be vilified for humbly admitting that, even as Pope, he is in no position to judge.

You missed the point entirely. Pope Francis must uphold, clearly and boldly, the teachings of the Church. He doesn't. He shades, evades and obscures. In short, he's quick to judge infallible Catholic doctrine as "rigid" and "unmerciful" yet doesn't judge at all obvious errors as falsehood - see Amoris Laetitia or Laudato Si

I did not miss the point.

You hid the context of Pope Francis' off-the-cuff comment ("Who am I to judge?") When, in all fairness, one should take each comment made by any person, including the Pope, case by case. One should also refrain from making scurrilous accusations with the use of blanket statements.

Or don't you understand what it means "to bear false witness"?

Thank you for your reply.

PS

Catholic doctrine is not 'infallible'. And this certainly applies to papal encyclicals such as Amoris Laetitia and Laudato Si.

You are obviously an apologist for liberal theology - you cannot receive Communion in a state of objective mortal sin. That is infallible as it springs from God Himself. And as for Francis the body of his words and writings betray that insidious ideology that seeks to replace truth with falsehood. Do you understand any of this?

I don't believe you understand any of what you've written.

First of all, only GOD is Truth because He created all the evidence. GOD speaks 'in' the evidence. Language is a human invention subject to human error and manipulation. The Catholic Church is in a dialogue with GOD. But the Catholic Church can only speak 'to' the evidence with an admittedly 'fallible' choice of words. Thus, the Dogma (not 'doctrine') of Papal Infallibility is sharply defined by the teaching Magisterium of the Catholic Church, of which the Pope is the sole spokeperson. And 'Papal Infallibility' does not attach automatically to off-the-cuff statements by the Pope or even to papal encyclicals.

Nothing you wrote in your last two posts refers to dogma. And nothing I wrote in reply makes any references to "receiving Communion in a state of objective mortal sin". And with the exception of the canonizations of recent saints, 'Papal Infallibility' has yet to attach to any of the statements Pope Francis has made so far in his pontificate.

So what is your problem?

Thank you for your reply.

I'm printing Bishop Paprocki's decree to study it, but at first glance I would say it deserves our applause and support. By contrast the protests recounted in the New Way's Ministry report are ludicrous--including those of Fr. James Martin (again). I thought Jesuits were supposed to be brilliant. His criticism is fuzzy and disproportionate comparing what Hudson points out in his article as a deliberate and sustained rejection, explicit or implicit of God and the Order of Creation, with an occasional failure to care for the poor, or creation, or to be forgiving. Where is the rigour of thought that once characterized--so we are told--the Society of Jesus? How do Fr. James Schall and Fr. Mitch Pacwa and Fr. Fessio and others put up with this? Long overdue for a house cleaning and restoration.

Christ is in our midst,
rlb+

Excellent article. Ex-communication is ontological first and ecclesiological second. The Church confirms the reality of a person's self-imposed excommunication. One suggestion: we are all bound to a certain ontological trajectory...we are all called to live out the vocation of a Child of God. We can learn about this vocation by studying the saints, partaking of the sacraments, praying the Rosary, daily mass, and conforming our lives more and more to the life of that ultimate Child of God, the Son of God: Jesus Christ.

I loved this article! It was just brilliant!

Unfortunately, many peoples' idea of what excommunication means is still colored by the medieval practice of barring such persons from even entering a church. That practice was long-abandoned; excommunication simply means that one is not admitted to Holy Communion. To sum it up, the purpose of excommunication is not and has never been punishment; it is meant to help the person avoid punishment, of the eternal variety.

Just the one sacrament? I think not.

Excellent presentation, clear logic, undeniable truth. Thank-you.

Careful readers will see that the term "excommunication" is used here very loosely. But few readers are that careful. The word should not be used except when it is strictly, technically correct.

I have seen a "conservative" blogger exhorting his readers to send thanks to bishop Paprocki for "excommunicating all homosexuals."

Bishop Paprocki, is defending the Faith and not changing the image of the Church = Christ Truly a faithful Apostle. May the Holy Spirit daily fill his heart with the Fire that will spread the fulness of the Lord's teachings.

Present day Apostles and priests who change the Image of the Vatican

Vatican cardinal
--- Cardinal Francesco Coccopalmerio:
-- 'Amoris Laetitia' allows some remarried to take Communion

- Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia ---Vatican Pro-Life Academy.

NEWS ABORTION, CATHOLIC CHURCH, HOMOSEXUALITY Mon Jul 10, 2017 - 5:56 pm EST
Vatican pro-life academy head defends pro-abortion member by saying he’s not pro-abortion

Blaming “media misinterpretations,” Paglia said there is “practically nothing” accurate in allegations that Biggar is “in favor of abortion

Paglia said this despite the fact that the University of Oxford professor stated rather unequivocally in that 2011 dialogue with pro-infanticide ethicist Peter Singer that a preborn baby is “not … the same kind of thing as an adult or a mature human being” and therefore does not deserve “quite the same treatment.”
At that time, Biggar said, “I would be inclined to draw the line for abortion at 18 weeks after conception, which is roughly about the earliest time when there is some evidence of brain activity, and therefore of consciousness,” as reported by Standpoint Magazine.

Archbishop Paglia also overlooked Biggar’s statement one year later when he was the keynote speaker for an event at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. “It is not true that all abortion is equivalent to murder,” Biggar said.

----Fr. Antoni Spadaro ---(mouth piece of Pope Francis)
Under Spadaro’s direction, La Civiltà Cattolica has consistently asserted during and after the Synod of the Family that the Church is evolving toward allowing Communion for the divorced and remarried.

1 - Cardinal Reinhard Marx of Munich, Germany

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, president of the country’s bishops’ conference, said, “We are not just a subsidiary of Rome,” and the synod on the family “cannot prescribe in detail what we have to do in Germany.” This is of particular concern, given that the majority of German bishops wish to allow holy Communion to remarried divorcees, a banned practice, but one bishops already turn a blind eye to, especially in many German dioceses, but also in others.

2-Bishop Robert McElory --- San Diego, California

Calls upon his priests in his diocese to welcome the active LGBT community.
Calls upon his priests to consider allowing divorced and remarried to approach Holy Communion.

3-Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin – Newark,New Jersey

Welcomes gay activists to his cathedral. Presents himself as their brother.
Did not the Lord Jesus say that His brother, His sister, His mother is one who does the Will of the Father.

The gay activists community are not doing the Will of the Father. If the Cardinal accepts them as they are, is he doing the Will of the Father? If not, then the Cardinal is falsely attributing his role as –brother.

4-Bishop Patrick McGrath, Bishop of San Jose, Ca.

He tells practicing homosexauls will not be refused the Sacrament of Holy Communion.

He tells practicing homosexauls will not be refused a Christian burial as long as they request them in “good faith”. Is his notion of good faith in accord with the Lord Jesus who says to repent and go sin no more. Or is his notion that of “ones good conscience” that says if I believe it is okay, then I can do it”

5-Cardinal Blasé J. Cupich - Archdiocese of Chicago

He proposed a pathway based on “ones good conscience” homosexuals should receive Holy Communion based on ---“they have to follow their conscience.”

The Cardinal will host a Pro-gay journalist at the Chicago Theology on Tap – Summer 2017.

6- Jesuit Fr. James Martin – Pro-gay – is named by Pope Francis as a consultant to the Vatican.

July 6, 2017 (LifeSiteNews) – Jesuit Father James Martin, who Pope Francis recently made a consultant to the Vatican, said on Good Morning America that he likes the "born this way" message of Lady Gaga.

The song "Born This Way" is widely used as an anthem for the LGBT lobby. It features lyrics like "No matter gay, straight, or bi / Lesbian, transgendered life / I'm on the right track baby / I was born to survive" and "a different lover is not a sin."

"I was born this way" is repeated about 30 times throughout the song.

Archbishop Chaput’s words about Fr. Martin’s book

“In his recent book Building a Bridge (HarperOne), Father James Martin, S.J., calls the Church to a spirit of respect, compassion and sensitivity in dealing with persons with same-sex attraction. This is good advice. It makes obvious sense. He asks the same spirit from persons in the LGBT community when dealing with the Church. Father Martin is a man whose work I often admire. Building a Bridge, though brief, is written with skill and good will.

But what the text regrettably lacks is an engagement with the substance of what divides faithful Christians from those who see no sin in active same-sex relationships. The Church is not simply about unity – as valuable as that is – but about unity in God’s love rooted in truth. If the Letter to the Romans is true, then persons in unchaste relationships (whether homosexual or heterosexual) need conversion, not merely affirmation. If the Letter to the Romans is false, then Christian teaching is not only wrong but a wicked lie. Dealing with this frankly is the only way an honest discussion can be had.”

(richardblanchard27@yahoo.com)

Some of your news is past-tense. For instance, that "Theology on Tap" session in Chicago, with Cardinal Cupich himself, Father Thomas Rosica, and pro-gay journalist Michael O'Loughlin as featured speakers, took place 10 days ago, on Monday, 10 July 2017.

I do not understand --- "some of your news is past-tense." Clarify?

Taking a moment to read the decree is interesting as it is a statement of do's and don'ts without the supporting reasons that does share nor teach the revealed truth that must be taught and defended. One may assume that the Bishop assumes that the supporting rationale has both been taught and learned by his flock, our brothers and sisters in Christ for which the Bishop is more or less correct.

For those of the modern Methodist or Episcopalian traditions, two of the many Protestant traditions, the decree would do little if anything other than reinforce their historical perspective, their perceived arrogance of the RCC

The RCC has been charted to be the brightest light on the highest hill as only she has the complete trinitarian foundation of natural, revealed and reasoned laws and tradition to be taught, learned, defended and reduced to practice for the salvation of all men including the Christian traditions whose lights are lower and not as bright but on the same hill, then there are the christian traditions that are straddling the valley that may be leading some to the light on the hill while leading others astray.

One may go on and on but this will suffice for the moment......please share where I have erred in my thoughts as I am neither as well taught nor leaned as many within this forum.

The Pope only emphasizes one part of the truth. In doing so he turns the truth into a lie. I find it reprehensible.

Thank you, Mr.Byblow, for casting a brilliant light on the subject of 'excommunication' in the Catholic Church and on the Creator and His order of creation.

Only GOD is Truth because GOD created all the evidence. GOD speaks to us 'in' the evidence. The Catholic Church is in a dialogue with GOD and can only speak 'to' the evidence.

Genesis 2:19. "So the LORD God formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each living creature was then its name."

Language is a human invention, subject to human error and manipulation. So when Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church, He ordained her with the authority to inform conscience.

Matthew 16:18-19. "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

The Catholic Church is unarmed and is not a credible threat to the human rights to life, liberty or property. So unlike the State, which has the authority to command obedience through the legitimated use of force under human laws, the authority of the Catholic Church is limited to the authority only to inform conscience. 'Excommunication' is an expression of the Church's authority, which was ordained by GOD (ie Jesus Christ).

We often forget that Jesus Christ, who remained a Jew all His life, founded a Church and not a religion. And Jesus Christ asked His Father to send the Spirit to His Church to help guide the apostles. So anyone who denies the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, blasphemes against the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 12:31-32. "Therefore, I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against the holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come."

Same-sex attraction is a disorder, not a sin. The willful act of sodomy, however, is a sin that can be forgiven only when repented. But blasphemy against the Catholic Church is a sin against the Holy Spirit that cannot be forgiven even by virtue of the Holy Sacraments as administered through the Catholic Church.

Again thank you, Mr. Byblow.

This is a powerful article. And i am going to share something deeply personal, and i can not say it is even rational when placed in context with the rest of my beliefs.

As a Christian, i followed the rules about sex. In fact, maybe i followed them too closely. I eventually found myself in a position where i could not engage in intimacy with a woman because dotting all the i's, crossing all the t's made it impossible to be intimate.

I am now 45, and still single. And now too inflexible to adapt to co-habitation with any one.

And there is a certain amount of derangement that i experience in this condition. I envy the homosexual, lesbian or queer that has a relationship, because i feel like my sin in not coupling, in not expressing that part of human growth, is so much greater than theirs in coupling errantly. I have still committed the greater sin by shutting my life off from any one who may have loved me.

Does this make any sense?

There is still love to be had, at any age. Forty-five is not too old to learn to live with someone you love.

Your fundamental mistake is believing that "my sin in not coupling".. Jesus did not couple, nor did Paul. Virginity is holy and good. The fundamental evil belief in modernity is that one must have sex to experience human growth.
God bless, Michael

Also, there is a movement called MGTOW (Men going their own way) who would love to be in your position considering that hundreds of thousands of men have been divorced rape by feminism in the court systems. God has saved you from much suffering. Be thankful
God bless, Michael

Yes, i have heard of MGTOW, and it an absolutely infernal apostasy aimed at self eradication.

I certainly have my issues, but supporting MGTOW is not one of them!

Michael, thank you for pointing out that i don't really have it as bad as i sometimes get inclined to believe. And i still have family that look up to me for guidance. I get lonely sometimes, but i'm not alone.

Goblintrain, you have followed God by not engaging in sex with others. God bless you.
It may be tough on you when you are looking for intimate love. But, you have not lost "human growth" by not engaging in sex acts that are contrary to God will.

I recommend that you seek a Catholic Psychiatrist - one who actually follows Catholic dogma - and go over your situation with him.

Hang in there brother. Spend time in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Talk to Jesus and let Him guide you.

God bless you!

No. It doesn't. You need to find an intelligent, wise confessor.

Don't believe it for a second.

No, it sounds like a gay propaganda post. It is intended to mock Catholic truth.

I am actually quite shocked. This is not the spirit of Catholics that i have had such good dialogue with over the years at this sight. Is this what you really think? I am posting this to mock your beliefs? Look at the history of my posts. I agree with you on 99% of everything the staunchest Catholics here do. If i am mocking you, i am really mocking myself! I am not even Catholic, and yet you are people that i choose to confide in -and that is for the quality of thinkers that i find here. Something has to give here, and i think my backbone is about to snap, i have given so much! Am i really some kind of infidel for voicing the demons that i confront? In my own defense i am not. I ask you to re-examine what i wrote. I am asking for guidance. I am not trying to set any one up.
If you read any more than that into it -this is your problem, not mine!

Never let combox voices be your understanding of ANY group.
Do find yourself a priest who is also a counselor and talk it through. I pretty much guarantee you that it's not Christian morality that has caused you this pain, but something underneath that you haven't worked out yet. And I say that as a guy who married at 29 and never had sex before then (though several years of that were, admittedly not due to my virtue). So I know a bit of what a struggle it is and can promise you that it, in the absence of other problems, does not scar your soul.

Manualman please define "combox" voice? My gut is you are referring to just any given general answer on an open forum. If it is, there is a lot about Catholicism i don't understand, but i have read my Bible, and i have been through a good number of religious classes -though admittedly the years are not as fresh on me as they used to be.

I just didn't want you to be too hurt and/or horrified by any individual poster's comments. God bless.

Thank you for that umbrella of protection Manualman.

a·ver
əˈvər/Submit
verbformal
past tense: averred; past participle: averred
state or assert to be the case.
"he averred that he was innocent of the allegations"
LAW
allege as a fact in support of a plea.

I am always learning new words from my Catholic brethren! :)

I am shocked you are spewing this silliness.

The clarification of the connections between the various forms of sins of the flesh in the article is very good .

The Holy Father's words on compassion / need to 'accompany ' if understood from that view point is an area that all Christians can also contribute , to varying degrees .

The desire to disengage from any form of lies in this areas and the spirits that then get invited in with the lies - the prayers of those who keep to the narrow path of holiness likely would serve to bring freedom to many others .

In simillar manner , greed too as a form of lie that one can be happier by coveting after and taking what is not one's own , where as , The Lord wish to bless those who ask of Him of greater things for His Way - may there be many who find the desire to find freedom from all the spirits of lies and evils , to become agents of deliverance for others too .

Hopefully , The Church would focus more on this area of spiritual warfare ,
its interrelated aspects and the young might not find same too difficult to take in .

God bless !

I agree with your thorough analisys. We can't twist the truth in order to be coincident with our earthly desires. Nowadays people like to have it all at once. That is not Catholic thinking.

The Catholic church doesn't provide any objective truths. Merely unfounded assertions.

It is self evident homosexuality is abnormal and wholly unnatural.

Except that many many animals practice homosexuality. So that fact alone refutes your argument that it is not natural.

Aside from it being a naturalistic fallacy ie "if it is not natural it is not good". You have no business telling consenting adults what they can do with their bodies especially when it harms no one.

Driving cars and flying planes is not natural but I guess you have no problem with those activities.

Leviticus also mentions not eating shellfish and not wearing garments of mixed fabrics.

Hypocrites like yourself ignore those instructions.

Religion is the abomination that poisons the mind and divides humanity. The sooner we get rid of it the better of we will all be.

YOU DON'T NEED RELIGION TO BE GOOD.

Those that claim they do are the truly immoral ones.

many animals practice...
If you wish to be an animal that is your choice. I prefer to be a human made in the Image of God and not compare myself to animals.
Comparing humans to animals justifies Hitler's, Stalin's, Mao's and Pol Pot's behavior. Survival of the fittest.

It also anthropomorphizes animals.

It doesn't matter what you "prefer". The fact is that we are all biological creatures. Animals in fact.

Don't you remember that lesson in school. Animal, vegetable or mineral. Don't you remember which one you are. No. I guess you must've been home schooled. I suppose you know the bible back to front.

I guess we won't be waiting for the likes of you to invent the new iPhone now will we.

You probably believe in the "firmament" because the bible says so. Lol.