Consecration to Maria: it is late, but not too late
A careful reconstruction of the messages and letters of Sister Lucia assists us in understanding that the Consecration of Russia to the Sacred Heart of Mary may be late in coming, and that therefore the errors of Russia have been spread throughout the world, but at the same time, it may still succeed in diminishing this time of trial.
The people, the Pope, and Mary: the consecration rejoins together heaven and earth
With last Friday’s solemn Act of Consecration, after an intense penitential liturgy in which the Holy Father asked God's forgiveness in the name of all, there was a "rejoining" of Heaven and earth. The Church, the world, Russia, and Ukraine are now the property of Mary, who approaches the throne of God as our Advocate. The Act performed yesterday - the Consecration, the Communion with the bishops, the historical reasons - matches the modalities requested by Our Lady. And it is from this objective fact, with the invitation to return to God, that we must start again.
The virtue of hope
A virtue is called theological because God is the object to which it adheres. The object of Hope is eternal happiness, to which all other things are ordered. Faith precedes hope, and hope precedes charity, but it is by charity that faith is brought to perfection.
The palliative Church
If the palliative society in which we live is one that intends to eliminate pain and thus anaesthetise citizens, the palliative Church dominant today is a Church that pacifies consciences, that abolishes the term sin. It is a Church obliged to get along with the world. As we have seen in these two years of pandemic.
Convent shut down after nuns refuse covid vaccine
The Benedictine Monastery of Santa Caterina in Perugia is being shut down. In February they received an unexpected Apostolic Visit, which has now been followed by the transferal of 5 nuns. The motive? “The visitor found all aspects of our monastery in order, with the exception of the fact that we have not been vaccinated,” stated the Mother Superior, Mother Caterina to the Daily Compass, as she confirmed the truth behind the indiscretions circulating in the ether. “I was informed of the impromptu visit by Bishop Bassetti, who was, however, unaware of the motivations behind such sudden interest. The decree underlines what is stated as my inappropriate behaviour: should I have obliged my Sisters to perform an act against their will, risking denunciation?”
Francis’ reform: evangelisation before doctrine
With the new Apostolic Constitution “Praedicate Evangelium”, Francis intends to alter the Roman Curia, diminishing the importance both of the role of Secretary of State and the function of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (which will be re-entitled as a Dicastery), and will delegate to himself the control of the new Dicastery of Evangelisation, which will precede all others in order of importance. However, to consider evangelisation as a precedent to doctrine, not necessarily connected to it in any fundamental way, represents a serious problem.
Abide by God
For Israel and the Church, the recognition of the one and only true God depends on a very specific historical event, the Exodus. As Christians we have experienced that only Christ can free us from sin. Loving God above all else is the just response to God's love, and means living according to both the theological virtues (faith, hope, charity) and religious virtues (adoration, prayer, sacrifice, vows and promises).
I believe in one God
The first article of the Creed presumes that God exists and also affirms the uniqueness and unity of God. This avoids two errors: polytheism and dualism on the one hand and monism on the other. The first commandment is the correlative of this article of faith: "You shall have no other God before me".
That “we” which invalidates Baptisms
Invalid Baptisms and sacraments also in the diocese of Phoenix, where a "creative" parish priest had decided to baptise with the formula "We" instead of "I". A substantial difference because it is not the community that baptises, but Christ Himself. These are the rotten fruits of the liturgical creativity of priests who appoint themselves lords over the sacred. But it is the faithful who pay the price.
Aggression and defence: what doctrine says about war
What does the Social Doctrine of the Church have to say about war? There is no right to a war of aggression, and even a war of defence is subject to very demanding criteria. War of aggression is always to be condemned and the right to legitimate defence is always to be confirmed. However, the latter must be proportional and there must be "well-founded conditions for success" in order to continue fighting.
Preserve, deepen and transmit Revelation
The Magisterium, which adds nothing extra to Revelation, takes two forms - Ordinary and Extraordinary - using two methods: solemn and non-solemn. The theme of infallibility concerns both the faithful ("in credendo") and the Pope ("in docendo"). This is when even the Ordinary and Extraordinary Magisterium becomes infallible.
Between virus and war, God takes us to the secret place of conversion
Lent begins and the proclamation of the Gospel takes us from where we are, to lead us to a secret place where we can know the secret of the Father, the place of prayer and fasting to which we are called to present the bulwark of faith against the brute violence of war. Many are afraid of dying, as with the virus, and so they run away, far away, like the prodigal son. Thus, in an instant, it is no longer the virus, but the brother who has become the enemy to fight, the brother who did not think and act like us. Without God, man is always at war with a scapegoat on whom to pour out his frustration, pain and anger at the failure generated by sin, since a divorce is consummated because of the same sin that instigates a war.
