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| Ontario town proposes bylaw banning any communication that could ‘offend’ LGBT individuals |
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Posted by: Stone - 4 minutes ago - Forum: Socialism & Communism
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Ontario town proposes bylaw banning any communication that could ‘offend’ LGBT individuals
The proposed bylaw comes on the heels of the Million Person March which gathered Canadians across the country against LGBT indoctrination.
![[Image: Million-Man-Ottawa-4-1-e1695811431368-810x500.png]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Million-Man-Ottawa-4-1-e1695811431368-810x500.png)
Million Person March in Ottawa on September 20, 2023
Campaign Life Coalition
Sep 26, 2023
WATERLOO, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Just days after the Million Person March against LGBT propaganda in schools swept the nation, the town of Waterloo, Ontario, is considering a bylaw prohibiting any communication on municipal property that could make LGBT-identifying people “feel harassed.”
On Wednesday, September 29, Waterloo Regional Councillors will vote on a bylaw to ban any communication on publicly-owned property which could make someone who identifies as LGBT “feel harassed,” “offended” or “troubled.”
“In other words,” Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) President Jeff Gunnarson wrote, “if this passes, the #1MillionMarch4Children will never again be permitted to take place in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, on the grounds that certain people may ‘feel’ offended, based on their ‘gender identity,’ ‘gender expression,’ or ‘sexual orientation.'”
Under the proposed bylaw, activities which are considered prohibited include, “communicating, causing or permitting communication, with any person in a way that causes the person, reasonably in all the circumstances, to feel harassed.”
Communication is considered “words spoken, written, or recorded electronically or electro-magnetically or otherwise as well as gestures, signs or other visible representations.”
Furthermore, the bylaw defines “harassed” as including but not limited to “feeling tormented, troubled, worried, plagued or badgered; or experiencing objectionable or unwelcome conduct, comment, bullying, or actions that could reasonably cause offense or humiliation, including conduct, comment, bullying, or actions because of race, religious beliefs, color, disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income, family status, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation.”
Those who violate the bylaw will be removed from municipal property and could face a fine of up to $250.
According to CLC, the region also plans to encourage Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge, Elmira and other smaller towns to adopt the same policy.
“I believe this will make the #1MillionMarchForChildren a prohibited activity that cannot be repeated in the future,” Gunnarson warned.
The proposed bylaw comes just a week after parents and children gathered outside the nearby Kitchener City Hall to peacefully protest LGBT indoctrination in schools as part of the Million Person March.
The Million Person March against LGBT indoctrination in schools gathered Canadians of all races and religions in cities across the country, with thousands gathering in downtown Ottawa outside Trudeau’s office.
Exclusive footage from LifeSiteNews shows at least 3,000 pro-family Canadians having gathered near Parliament Hill at the Ottawa protest, rivalled by an estimated 350 counter-protesters. Numbers of pro-family Canadians swelled to at least 5,000 before the march began.
The protest, organized by Muslim Canadians, had adopted the slogan, “Leave our kids alone,” specifically in regard to gender ideology, age-inappropriate sexual content in school libraries, and LGBT propaganda.
Ironically, the proposed bylaw began in 2021 as a way to combat ” “Islamophobia” and “street-harassment.” However, it has now morphed into a law to ban protests headed by Canadian Muslims.
“Without the ability to publicly protest LGBT indoctrination in schools, it’ll be that much harder to protect their (Muslim) children from sexual brainwashing and gender ideology,” Gunnarson warned.
To respectfully tell Waterloo councillors your opinion regarding the proposed bylaw, please contact:
Karen Redman
Regional Chair
Phone: 519-575-4585
Email: KRedman@regionofwaterloo.ca
Doug Craig
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3402
Email: DougCraig@regionofwaterloo.ca
Robert Deutschmann
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3408
Email: RDeutschmann@regionofwaterloo.ca
Jim Erb
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3411
Email: JErb@regionofwaterloo.ca
Sue Foxton
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3407
Email: SFoxton@regionofwaterloo.ca
Michael Harris
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3409
Email: MHarris@regionofwaterloo.ca
Chantal Huinink
Councillor
Phone: 226-753-7234
Email: CJames@regionofwaterloo.ca
Jan Liggett
Councillor
519-575-4404 ext. 3404
Email: JLiggett@regionofwaterloo.ca
Dorothy McCabe
Councillor
Phone: 519-747-8700
Email: DMcCabe@regionofwaterloo.ca
Joe Nowak
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3405
Email: JoNowak@regionofwaterloo.ca
Natasha Salonen
Councillor
Phone: 226-751-3775
Email: NSalonen@regionofwaterloo.ca
Sandy Shantz
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3410
Email: SShantz@regionofwaterloo.ca
Berry Vrbanovic
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3403
Email: BVrbanovic@regionofwaterloo.ca
Kari Williams
Councillor
Phone: 226-752-5243
Email: KariWilliams@regionofwaterloo.ca
Pam Wolf
Councillor
Phone: 519-575-4404 ext. 3413
Email: PWolf@regionofwaterloo.ca
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| Meat From Animals Vaccinated With mRNA Vaccines May Soon Make Its Way Into the US Food Supply |
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Posted by: Stone - Yesterday, 09:35 AM - Forum: Health
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Meat From Animals Vaccinated With mRNA Vaccines May Soon Make Its Way Into the US Food Supply
A growing list of food sources, including shrimp, pigs, and beef, are being targeted by mRNA gene therapy technology, and the risks are entirely unknown.
Epoch Times via Archive.ph [Slighly adpated - not all hyperlinks included below]| September 25, 223
Shrimp have become the latest addition to a growing list of food sources targeted by mRNA gene therapy technology. An Israeli company seeking to bring mRNA vaccines to shrimp farming has raised $8.25 million from a group of venture capitalists to promote and improve animal health in marine species through its orally administered RNA-particle platform.
ViAqua, a biotechnology company, created an RNA-based vaccine product that uses ribonucleic acid interference (RNAi) to manipulate gene expression in shrimp. RNAi is a biological process where RNA molecules are used to inhibit gene expression or translation by neutralizing targeted mRNA molecules.
The vaccine comes in the form of a coated feed supplement designed to enhance resistance to white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)—a viral infection that causes an annual loss of about $3 billion and a 15 percent reduction in global shrimp production. ViAqua suggests RNA molecules can inhibit the expression of genes that cause disease with every meal containing its coated product.
According to a 2022 proof-of-concept study, the nanovaccine was roughly 80 percent effective in a lethal WSSV challenge model and exhibited excellent in vivo safety profiles. Yet the risks of altering gene expression in shrimp and the effects of consuming vaccinated shrimp are unknown.
"Oral delivery is the holy grail of aquaculture health development due to both the impossibility of vaccinating individual shrimp and its ability to substantially bring down the operational costs of disease management while improving outcomes," said Shai Ufaz, CEO of ViAqua in a press release. "We are excited to bring this technology to market to address the need for affordable disease solutions in aquaculture."
ViAqua plans to begin production in India in 2024 and believes its technology has numerous applications in aquaculture and beyond, according to their press release.
mRNA Vaccines Are Already Used in Pigs
The aquaculture industry is not the only market being targeted with mRNA vaccines. Genvax Technologies, a startup creating mRNA vaccines for animals, in 2022 secured $6.5 million in funding to develop a self-amplifying mRNA (saRNA) platform that allows for rapid development of a herd or flock-specific vaccine matched 100 percent to the circulating variant at the root of a disease outbreak.
Genvax’s technology involves inserting a specific transgene or “gene of interest” matched to the variant strain into the platform. The saRNA then generates an antibody response without requiring the whole pathogen to be matched to the circulating strain.
In April 2022, Genvax was awarded a $145,000 grant by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research to develop an saRNA vaccine for African swine flu (ASF) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. ASF is a highly contagious virus with a 100 percent swine mortality rate but has never occurred in the United States.
According to a 2022 paper published in eClinicalMedicine, saRNA technology uses lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) to encapsulate saRNA. When injected as a vaccine, the LNP encapsulation facilitates “endosomal uptake and release into the cytoplasm of target cells in vivo.” This novel technology has “significant and previously untested potential” to be used in drugs and vaccines.
Genvax isn’t the first company to harness mRNA technology in pigs. Merck, in 2018, introduced SEQUIVITY, a “revolutionary swine vaccine platform” that uses RNA particle technology to create “customized prescription vaccines against strains of influenza A virus in swine, porcine circovirus (PCV), rotavirus and beyond.”
SEQUIVITY uses electronic gene sequencing to generate RNA particles that, when injected into an animal, provide instructions to immune cells to translate the sequence into proteins that act as antigens, similar to how the COVID-19 vaccine causes the body to generate spike proteins. The idea is that the animal’s immune system, when challenged with the actual live pathogen, will recognize the antigen and elicit an immune response.
According to Merck, their RNA participle technology allows for the development of a “safe and flexible” custom swine flu vaccine in only eight to 12 weeks compared to traditional vaccines that take years to develop.
Although it is claimed vaccines utilizing RNA technology are safe and effective, studies appear to be scarce with little to no research to determine what effects consuming pork from vaccinated pigs may have on the human body.
mRNA Vaccines in Cattle Raise Concerns Among Producers
According to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, mRNA vaccines are currently not licensed for use in U.S. beef cattle. The vaccines are being developed to treat and prevent diseases in cattle, whose meat could make its way to the dinner table.
Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund United Stockgrowers of America (R-CALF USA), a national, non-profit organization with more than 5,000 members dedicated to ensuring the continued profitability and viability of the U.S. cattle industry, has raised concerns over using mRNA vaccines in cattle.
In April 2023, R-CALF USA met with medical doctors and a molecular biologist regarding the status of mRNA injections in the global protein supply chain. Veterinarian Max Thornsberry reported that some researchers have found that mRNA and its coded virus could pass to humans who have consumed dairy or meat products from an mRNA-injected animal.
Mr. Thornsberry raised concerns about the full impact and unknown long-term effects of consuming meat from animals injected with mRNA vaccines and called for more extensive research. Although the United States has not yet approved an mRNA vaccine for use in cattle, the country is increasing imports of beef from other countries that either vaccinate cattle with mRNA vaccines or plan to.
“This points to the urgent need for MCOOL (mandatory country of origin labeling),” Mr. Thonsberry said. “Consumers deserve the right to choose whether to consume beef from a country where mRNA injections are being given to cattle, and the only way they can have that choice is if Congress passes MCOOL for beef.”
R-CALF USA plans to develop a policy direction for the organization at an upcoming meeting, but “strongly reinforces the need for mandatory country of origin labeling” of beef immediately so that American consumers will know if the beef they are buying comes from a country that is using the controversial mRNA technology in their cattle.
In an op-ed posted on its website, R-CALF USA CEO Bill Bullard said the organization has been attacked for its position and accused by pharmaceutical-backed publications of "fearmongering and misinformation."
“Iowa State University researchers submitted a multi-year research project to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to test a cattle mRNA vaccine system for bovine respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection,” Mr. Bullard said.
“According to the submission, researchers planned to test the mRNA on cattle during the second year of the project with a completion date of 2026. It would be naïve not to assume that such a research project signals an effort to obtain approval for mRNA injections in U.S. cattle,” he added.
Mr. Bullard encouraged others not to “simply trust the pharmaceutical companies and the government” and says his organization “intends to learn the truth by continuing to disclose differing scientific findings, seeking more research into the long-term effects of mRNA injections for cattle, and demanding more transparency from pharmaceutical companies and the government."
Meanwhile, the organization has stated it believes people have a right to know whether the meat they consume has come from animals injected with mRNA technology.
Several states have already drafted or proposed legislation seeking to require the labeling of products derived from animals administered mRNA vaccines, including Tennessee, Idaho, Arizona, Texas, and Missouri.
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| The Horror! A Buenos Aires journalist describes Bergoglio |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-25-2023, 05:40 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
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The Horror! A Buenos Aires journalist describes Bergoglio
![[Image: bergoglio.jpg]](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Xhqvmt3fInI/UUDijj6ccvI/AAAAAAAANV4/qByf3cLIY_o/s400/bergoglio.jpg)
The Archbishop of Buenos Aires kneels down to receive the "blessing"
of Protestant ministers and Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa - Buenos Aires, 2006
Rorate-Caeli | March 2013
We have many friends around the world, including in the dear Argentine Republic. And we asked a cherished friend, Marcelo González, of Panorama Católico Internacional, who knows the Church of Argentina as well as the palm of his hand to send us a report on the new pope. Here it goes:
The Horror!
Of all the unthinkable candidates, Jorge Mario Bergoglio is perhaps the worst. Not because he openly professes doctrines against the faith and morals, but because, judging from his work as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, faith and morals seem to have been irrelevant to him.
A sworn enemy of the Traditional Mass, he has only allowed imitations of it in the hands of declared enemies of the ancient liturgy. He has persecuted every single priest who made an effort to wear a cassock, preach with firmness, or that was simply interested in Summorum Pontificum.
Famous for his inconsistency (at times, for the unintelligibility of his addresses and homilies), accustomed to the use of coarse, demagogical, and ambiguous expressions, it cannot be said that his magisterium is heterodox, but rather non-existent for how confusing it is.
His entourage in the Buenos Aires Curia, with the exception of a few clerics, has not been characterized by the virtue of their actions. Several are under grave suspicion of moral misbehavior.
He has not missed any occasion for holding acts in which he lent his Cathedral to Protestants, Muslims, Jews, and even to partisan groups in the name of an impossible and unnecessary interreligious dialogue. He is famous for his meetings with Protestants in the Luna Park arena where, together with preacher of the Pontifical House, Raniero Cantalamessa, he was "blessed" by Protestant ministers, in a common act of worship in which he, in practice, accepted the validity of the "powers" of the TV-pastors.
This election is incomprehensible: he is not a polyglot, he has no Curial experience, he does not shine for his sanctity, he is loose in doctrine and liturgy, he has not fought against abortion and only very weakly against homosexual "marriage" [approved with practically no opposition from the episcopate], he has no manners to honor the Pontifical Throne. He has never fought for anything else than to remain in positions of power.
It really cannot be what Benedict wanted for the Church. And he does not seem to have any of the conditions required to continue his work.
May God help His Church. One can never dismiss, as humanly hard as it may seem, the possibility of a conversion... and, nonetheless, the future terrifies us.
✠ ✠ ✠
A reminder of the words of St. John Eudes - 'bad priests [and most certainly bad popes] are a direct punishment from Almighty God':
Excerpt from The Priest, His Dignity and Obligations, Chapter 11 - Qualities of a Priest
Bad Priests are a Sign of God’s Anger
The most evident mark of God’s anger and the most terrible castigation He can inflict upon the world are manifested when He permits His people to fall into the hands of clerics’ who are priests more in name than in deed, priests who practice the cruelty of ravening wolves rather than the charity and affection of devoted shepherds.
Instead of nourishing those committed to their care, they rend and devour them brutally. Instead of leading their people to God, they drag Christian souls into hell in their train. Instead of being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, they are its innocuous poison and its murky darkness.
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| Catholic hospital slammed for naming euthanasia doctor as palliative care director |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-24-2023, 06:06 AM - Forum: Health
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Catholic hospital slammed for naming euthanasia doctor as palliative care director: ‘Hired a murderer’
'I can't believe that the Catholic institution which runs Catholic hospitals in Ontario would hire a public advocate and practitioner of euthanasia,' Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition said.
![[Image: Shutterstock_2273222111-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Shutterstock_2273222111-810x500.jpg)
Shutterstock
Sep 22, 2023
KINGSTON, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Catholics are blasting an Ontario Catholic hospital for naming a euthanasia provider as their palliative care director.
Dr. Danielle Kain, a medical aid in dying (MAiD, which in Canada indicates voluntary execution by a medical professional) provider, was appointed as interim clinical director of palliative care at Providence Hospital in Kingston, Ontario on July 1, according to B.C. Catholic.
“I can’t believe that the Catholic institution which runs Catholic hospitals in Ontario would hire a public advocate and practitioner of euthanasia,” Jack Fonseca of Campaign Life Coalition told LifeSiteNews.
“They’ve hired a murderer, for Pete’s sake! I suppose one can guess that the individuals running that institution are Catholics-in-name-only, just like our separate school teachers,” he continued. “Only there to collect a nice paycheck, and don’t give a damn about the faith or the 10 Commandments.”
Originally, Providence Hospital was run by Catholic religious sisters. However, it is now part of 22 healthcare institutions in Ontario under the sponsorship of Catholic Health Sponsors of Ontario (CHSO) that was formed in 1998 to run institutions previously managed by religious sisters.
The nominally Catholic hospital has now hired Kain, who is both a staunch proponent and practitioner of euthanasia.
Kain regularly promotes MAiD on her social media, including X, formerly known as Twitter. On February 5, Kain reposted a thread that read, “Having #MAiD as an option to end suffering in a controlled & supported way is not the same as offering death as a treatment option. #MAiD is a patient-driven choice & their right.”
Kain has also used her social media to argue that all publicly funded institutions, including Catholic hospitals, should be forced to offer MAiD to their patients. Additionally, Kain voiced support for the Effective Referral Policy, which forces doctors who are opposed to euthanasia to refer their patients to another doctor who will give patients MAiD.
However, according to Catholic ethics, referring someone for euthanasia is participating in their death, which is a grave sin.
According to B.C. Catholic, Kain wrote in a 2016 post on X, “Making an effective referral is not an infringement of rights.”
Furthermore, in 2018, Kain and a colleague, Madeline Li, wrote a personal reflection on MAiD in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. The article cited two individual cases in which they were involved in proving euthanasia.
“At the ensuing team debrief,” Kain wrote, “I was struck by how rare it is for health care providers to be so deeply moved together; we realized that a medically assisted death could be both poignant and peaceful.”
However, many Catholics are fighting against Kain’s appointment, including the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians. The federation has appealed to both the CHSO and the local ordinary, Archbishop Michael Mulhall.
The CHSO is responsible for appointing board members and CEOs of each organization. All healthcare institutions which fall under the CHSO’s leadership are bound by the guidelines of the Health Ethics Guide, a 2012 publication of the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada.
According to article 87, “treatment decisions for the person receiving care are never to include actions or omissions that intentionally cause death (euthanasia).”
LifeSiteNews reached out to the CHSO to ask if the organization thinks it could be dangerous to patients to have a proponent of assisted suicide as the director of palliative care.
LifeSiteNews also questioned if CHCO has taken any steps to ensure that Kain will not pressure the hospital to provide MAiD or refer patients for MAiD. However, CHCO failed to respond by time of publication.
Dr. Pascal Bastien, an internal medicine specialist in Ottawa, joined 20 Catholic medical professionals in expressing his concern over Kain’s appointment to Archbishop Mulhall in a June 29 letter.
Bastien was told that the boundaries laid out the Health Ethics Guide would protect the hospital from internal or external pressure to provide MAiD to their patients.
“If we are hiring her, a public promoter of euthanasia, we are falling short in the promotion of Catholic values and the understanding of the human person,” he questioned. “We have already demonstrated in the hiring process that we are not following the Health Ethics Guide.”
LifeSiteNews also reached out to Archbishop Mulhall, but he failed to respond by time of publication.
Fonseca declared that he is “astonished that His Excellency, Archbishop Michael Mulhall, is allowing this five-alarm scandal to continue under his nose, in his diocese.”
“Does His Excellency not care that a person who commits murder and publicly urges other physicians to do the same, is running the palliative care division at his Catholic hospital,” he questioned. “Does he not care for the vulnerable sick and elderly who may be susceptible to euthanasia, with Kain there in charge?”
“The Archbishop must break his silence and end this scandal immediately,” Fonseca declared. [More here.]
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| St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for Seventeenth Week after Pentecost |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-24-2023, 05:47 AM - Forum: Pentecost
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Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost
Morning Meditation
![[Image: ?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3...ipo=images]](https://external-content.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Ftse2.mm.bing.net%2Fth%3Fid%3DOIP.4B1sjnk5o1jLsjhrdLu0-QHaFT%26pid%3DApi&f=1&ipt=f25b69e02b7e2458a61f93fe6e42695a7ccef785999c6e017f619543270268a6&ipo=images)
THE FOLLY OF POOR SINNERS.
The Blessed John of Avila would have wished to divide the world into two great prisons -- one for those who do not believe and the other for those who do believe and yet live in sin! The prison for these last he would call the prison for fools.
I.
The Blessed John of Avila would have wished to divide the world into two prisons: one for those who do not believe, and the other for those who believe and yet live in sin at a distance from God -- the prison for these last he would call the prison for fools. But the great misery and misfortune of these unhappy men is that they imagine themselves wise and prudent, whereas they are the most foolish and the most stupid people in the world; and the worst is, that they are innumerable: The number of fools is infinite (Eccles. i. 15). Some are mad for the honours of this world, some for its pleasures, some for the filthy things of this earth. And such as these presume to designate as mad the Saints who despise the goods of this world to gain eternal salvation and the only true Good, which is God. They call it madness to embrace contempt, and to pardon injuries; madness to deprive themselves of sensual pleasures and to embrace mortifications: madness to renounce honours and riches and to love solitude and a humble and hidden life. But they do not reflect that their wisdom is called folly by the Lord: The wisdom of the world is foolishness with God (1 Cor. iii. 19).
Ah, my Jesus, I am not worthy to be called Thy child because I have so often insulted Thee to Thy face: Father, I am not worthy to be called thy son: I have sinned against heaven and before thee. But I know that Thou goest in search of the lost sheep, and Thy consolation is to embrace Thy lost children. My beloved Father, I grieve for having offended Thee; I cast myself at Thy feet and embrace Thee; I will not depart until Thou dost pardon and bless me: I will not let thee go except thou bless me. Bless me, O my Father, and may Thy blessing give me a great sorrow for my sins, and a great love for Thee. I love Thee, O my Father; I love Thee with all my heart. Do not permit me again to separate myself from Thee. Deprive me of all; but deprive me not of Thy love. O Mary, if God is my Father, thou art my Mother. Do thou likewise bless me. I do not deserve to be thy child; accept me for thy servant; but grant that I may be a servant who always tenderly loves thee, and always confides in thy protection.
II.
Sinners will surely one day confess their folly -- but when? When there will be no remedy, and they will say in despair: We fools esteemed their life madness, and their end without honour (Wis. v. 4). Ah, fools that we have been, we regarded the lives of the Saints as folly; but now we know that we ourselves have been the fools: Behold, how they are numbered among the children of God, and their lot is among the Saints (Wis. v. 5). Behold, how they are already placed amongst the happy number of the children of God, and have secured their lot with the Saints -- an eternal lot, which will render them happy for ever; and we remain among the number of the slaves of the devil, condemned to burn in this pit of torments for all eternity: Therefore we have erred (thus will they conclude their lamentation) from the way of truth, and the light of justice hath not shined unto us (Wis. v. 6). We have erred, and have chosen to shut our eyes against the Divine light; and that which will render us most miserable is that our error will be without remedy as long as God shall be God.
What madness, then, for a vile interest, for a passing vapour, for a brief pleasure, to lose the grace of God! What does a subject not do to obtain the favour of his prince! O God, for a wretched gratification to lose the Sovereign Good, which is God! To lose Heaven! To lose even peace in this life, giving entrance into the soul to sin, which by its remorse will unceasingly torment it, and voluntarily to condemn oneself to everlasting misery!
Would you indulge in that forbidden pleasure if for it you were afterwards to have your hand burnt, or to be shut up for a year in a tomb? Would you commit that sin if after it you were to lose a hundred crowns? And yet you believe and know that by sinning you lose Heaven and God, and are for ever condemned to the fire of hell -- and yet you sin!
O God of my soul, what would have been my lot at this moment if Thou hadst not shown so many mercies to me! I should have been in hell, in that abode of fools like myself. I thank Thee, O Lord; and I beseech Thee not to abandon me to my blindness. I deserved to be deprived of Thy light; but I perceive that Thy grace has not yet forsaken me. I feel that it tenderly calls me, and invites me to ask pardon of Thee, and to hope for great things from Thee, notwithstanding my grievous offences against Thee. Yes, my Saviour, I hope to be accepted by Thee as a child.
Spiritual Reading
THE DANGER TO WHICH TEPIDITY EXPOSES THE SOUL
Jesus Christ enlightens all men -- the true light which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world (Jo. i. 9) -- but there are some He cannot enlighten, because they voluntarily close their eyes to the light, and walk in darkness. They are those who lead tepid lives in the service of God.
A tepid soul is not one that lives in enmity with God, nor one that sometimes commits venial sins through mere human frailty. On account of the corruption of nature by original sin, no man can be exempt from some venial faults. This corruption of nature renders it impossible for us, without a most special grace, which has been given only to the Mother of God, to avoid all venial sins during our whole lives. Hence St. John has said: If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us (1 Jo. i. 8). God permits defects of this kind, even in the Saints, to keep them humble, and to make them feel that, as they commit such faults in spite of all their good purposes and promises, so also, were they not supported by His Divine hand, they would fall into mortal sin. Hence, when we find that we have committed these light faults, we must humble ourselves, and acknowledging our own weakness, we must be careful to recommend ourselves to God, and implore of Him to preserve us, by His Almighty hand, from more grievous transgressions, and to deliver us from those we have committed.
What, then, are we to understand by a tepid soul? A tepid soul is one that frequently falls into fully deliberate venial sins -- such as deliberate lies, deliberate acts of impatience, deliberate imprecations, and the like. These faults may be easily avoided by those who are resolved to suffer death rather than commit a deliberate venial offence against God. St. Teresa used to say that one venial sin does us more harm than all the devils. Hence she would say to her nuns: "My children, from deliberate sin, however venial it may be, may the Lord deliver you." Some complain of being left in aridity and dryness and without any spiritual sweetness. But how can we expect that God will be liberal with His favours to us, when we are ungenerous to Him? We know that such a lie, such an imprecation, such an injury to our neighbour, and such detraction, though not mortal sins, are displeasing to God, and still we do not abstain from them. Why, then, should we expect that God will give us His Divine consolations?
But some of you will say: Venial sins, however great they may be, do not deprive the soul of the grace of God: even though I commit them I shall be saved; and for me it is enough to obtain eternal life. You say that for you it is enough to be saved. But remember St. Augustine says that "where you have said, 'It is enough,' there you have perished." To understand correctly the meaning of these words of St. Augustine, and to see the danger to which the state of tepidity exposes those who commit habitual and deliberate venial sins, without feeling remorse for them, and without endeavouring to avoid them, it is necessary to know that the habit of light faults leads the soul insensibly to mortal sins. For example: the habit of venial acts of aversion leads to mortal hatred; the habit of small thefts leads to grievous rapine; the habit of venial attachments leads to affections which are mortally sinful. "The soul," says St. Gregory, "never lies where it falls." No; it continues to sink deeper and deeper. Just as mortal diseases do not generally proceed from serious indisposition, but from many slight and continued infirmities, so likewise the fall of many souls into mortal sin follows from habitual venial sins; for these render the soul so weak that when a strong temptation assails her she has not strength to resist it and she falls.
Many are unwilling to be separated from God by mortal sins. They wish to follow Him but, at a distance, and they disregard venial sins. But to them shall probably happen what befell St. Peter. When Jesus Christ was seized in the Garden, St. Peter was unwilling to abandon the Lord, but followed him afar off (Matt. xxvi. 58). After entering the house of Caiphas he was charged with being a disciple of Jesus Christ. He was instantly seized with fear, and thrice denied his Master. The Holy Ghost says: He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and little (Ecclus. xix. 1). They who despise small falls will probably one day fall into an abyss; for, being in the habit of committing light offences against God, they will feel but little repugnance to offer to Him some grievous insult.
The Lord says: Catch us the little foxes that destroy the vines (Cant. ii. 15). He does not tell us to catch the lions or the bears, but the little foxes. Lions and bears strike terror, and therefore all are careful to keep at a distance through fear of being devoured by them; but the little foxes, though they do not excite dismay, destroy the vines. Mortal sin terrifies the timorous soul; but if it accustom itself to the commission of many venial sins with full deliberation, and without endeavouring to correct them, they, like the little foxes, shall destroy the roots -- that is, the remorse of conscience, the fear of offending God, and the holy desires of advancing in Divine love; and thus, being in a state of tepidity, and impelled to sin by some passion, the soul will easily abandon God and lose Divine grace.
Moreover, deliberate and habitual venial sins not only deprive us of strength to resist temptations, but also of the special helps without which we fall into grievous sins. This is a point of great importance that requires very serious attention. It is certain that of ourselves we have not sufficient strength to resist the temptations of the devil, of the flesh, and of the world. It is God that prevents our enemies from assailing us with temptations by which we would be conquered. Hence Jesus Christ has taught us the following prayer: And lead us not into temptation. He teaches us to pray that God may deliver us from the temptations to which we would yield, and thus lose His grace. Now, venial sins, when they are deliberate and habitual, deprive us of the special helps of God which are necessary for perseverance in His grace. I say necessary, because the Council of Trent anathematizes those who assert that we can persevere in grace without a special help from God. "If any one saith that the justified either is able to persevere, without the special help of God, in the justice received; or that, with that help, he is not able, let him be anathema." Thus, with the ordinary assistance of God, we cannot avoid falling into some mortal sin: a special aid is necessary. But this special aid God will justly withhold from tepid souls who are regardless of committing many and fully deliberate venial sins. Thus these unhappy souls shall not persevere in grace.
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST
I.
Let us not lose courage but keep our eyes ever fixed on the Crucified One, because from Him we shall draw strength to endure the evils of this life not only with patience, but even with joy and gladness, as the Saints have done: Ye shall draw waters with joy out of the Saviour's fountains (Is. xii. 3); that is, says St. Bonaventure, from the Wounds of Jesus Christ. Therefore the Saint exhorts us ever to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus dying upon the Cross, if we would live always united to God. "Devotion," says St. Thomas, "consists in being ready to accomplish in ourselves whatever God demands of us."
Observe the excellent advice St. Paul gives us, that we may live ever united with God, and may patiently endure the troubles of this present life: Think diligently upon him that endured such opposition from sinners against himself, that you be not wearied, fainting in your minds (Heb. xii. 3). He says think diligently; for in order to suffer with resignation and peace present troubles, it is not enough to give a hasty glance, a few times in the year, at the Passion of Jesus Christ; we must often meditate on it, and every day turn our eyes to the pain the Lord suffered for love of us. And what were the pains He suffered? The Apostle says: He endured such contradiction. The contradiction Jesus Christ endured from His enemies was such as to make Him, as it had been foretold by the Prophet, the vilest of men, and the man of sorrows, until He died of agony, overwhelmed with insults, upon a gibbet fit only for the most reprobate. And why did Jesus Christ embrace this burden of pain and insult? That ye might not be wearied fainting in your minds; that, seeing how much a God has been willing to endure, in order to give us an example of patience, we might be patient, and endure all to be delivered from our sins.
II.
The Apostle, St. Paul, encourages us, saying: Ye have not resisted unto blood, striving against sin (Heb. xii. 4). Remember therefore, that Christ poured forth for you all His Blood in His Passion through torments, and that the holy Martyrs, after the example of Him, their King, have courageously endured hot plates, and iron nails which have torn open their very bowels; but you have not shed a single drop of blood for Jesus Christ, while we ought to be ready to give our life rather than offend God, and to say with St. Edmund: I would rather leap into a flaming furnace than commit a sin against my God." And thus St. Anselm, Archbishop of Canterbury, said: "Had I to endure all the bodily pains of hell or commit a sin, rather than commit it, I would choose hell."
The infernal lion ceases not through all our life to go about seeking to devour us; therefore St. Peter tells us that, by thinking of the Passion of Christ, we ought to arm ourselves against his attacks. St. Thomas says that the mere recollection of the Passion is a great defence against all the temptations of hell. And St. Ambrose says: "If there had been any better way of salvation for men than the way of suffering, Christ would have shown it to us both by word and example; but now, going before us with the Cross upon His shoulders, He has shown us that there is no better way of obtaining salvation than suffering with patience and resignation, and He Himself has given us the example in His own Person."
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| Pope Francis retires Liechtenstein archbishop, who refused to participate in Synod on Synodality |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-22-2023, 06:15 AM - Forum: Pope Francis
- No Replies
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Pope Francis retires Liechtenstein archbishop, who refused to participate in Synod on Synodality
Pope Francis quickly accepted the customary resignation of the conservative Archbishop Wolfgang Haas upon his 75th birthday, installing a heterodox interim bishop in his place.
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Archbishop Haas of Vaduz, Liechtenstein
Photo by Archdiocese of Vaduz
Sep 21, 2023
(LifeSiteNews [slightly adapted - not all hyperlinks included]) — Pope Francis accepted on Wednesday the resignation of the conservative Church leader of Liechtenstein, Archbishop Wolfgang Haas, while naming a heterodox interim bishop who has been described as Haas’ “polar opposite.”
The Holy See press office announced Sept. 20 that the pope accepted Haas’ resignation shortly after it was submitted, per Church custom, following his 75th birthday.
The Archdiocese of Vaduz, based in the capital of the microstate of Liechtenstein, was created specifically for Haas in 1997 after a “breakdown of relations” within the Swiss Diocese of Chur, which previously included Liechtenstein. As John Allen Jr. noted in the National Catholic Reporter in 1999, Haas was known as a conservative, while Switzerland and its neighboring areas are marked by a “progressive brand of Catholicism.”
Haas met with heated resistance from local “progressive” Catholics since he was appointed Coadjutor Bishop in 1988 by Pope John Paul II, when a few hundred people laid down on the ground in front of the entrance to the cathedral in protest of his ordination.
An outspoken defender of Catholic Church teaching, Haas has recently distinguished himself among the world’s prelates by refusing to have the Archdiocese of Vaduz participate in the Synod on Synodality, which he said “runs the risk of becoming ideological” in his area.
The Liechtenstein-based Association for an Open Church decided to hold their own synodal listening sessions instead, producing a report dismissed by Haas. The document reported that “a change in Catholic sexual morality” is “expected,” and that “Divorced people, queer people, [those living] in cohabitation,” and “people who repeatedly question the order of the church” are “perceived as excluded” from the Catholic Church.
In upholding Church teaching, Haas has been a firm defender of marriage in particular, having canceled a Parliamentary Mass late last year in protest of the Liechtenstein Parliament’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex “marriage.” He had previously protested that “such legal institutionalization is unacceptable for the Catholic Church, both for genuine reasons of common sense and for its doctrine of faith based on divine revelation.”
Earlier that year, Haas declined to attend an annual dinner event with the mayor of Schaan in protest of the mayor’s celebration of a “gay pride” event the day before.
The archbishop is also a supporter of the Traditional Latin Mass, having frequently ordained members of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter.
The Vatican shared Wednesday that the pontiff has named Bishop Benno Elbs, head of the neighboring Diocese of Feldkirch in Austria, as Vaduz’s apostolic administrator sede vacante et ad nutum Sanctae Sedis (“the see being vacant and at the disposition of the Holy See”), who will lead the Archdiocese of Vaduz until the appointment of Haas’ successor, according to Catholic Church Vorarlberg.
In sharp contrast with Haas, Elbs is reportedly an advocate of married priests, female deacons, and the blessing of same-sex couples, and was described as Haas’ “polar opposite” by Traditional Catholic blog contributor Mathew Hazell.
In a comment after his appointment, Elbs said, “We live in challenging times. It is up to us to shape these times. It is with this inner attitude that I would like to begin my service as apostolic administrator in the Archdiocese of Vaduz.”
“Pope Francis means nothing else when he wants to lead the Church on a synodal path: Traveling together, listening to one another, being there for one another, and looking to Christ,” he added.
Archbishop Haas said in a farewell message upon his resignation, “Looking back on my term of episcopal office, I am well aware of my personal inadequacies, indeed of many shortcomings and limitations. I humbly and trustingly leave the judgment on this matter to the mercy of the just Eternal Judge.”
Haas shared that he plans on spending his retirement in “monastic seclusion.”
“This offers me an increased opportunity to continue to ask for God’s blessing and the special assistance of Mary, the main patroness of our archdiocese. I also promised this to the apostolic administrator appointed by the pope, Bishop Benno Elbs, to whom I wish a good reception and the success of his mission in this country,” Haas wrote.
“Together we want to pray fervently for a replacement pleasing to God for the vacant archbishop’s see of Vaduz,” he added.
In a Sept. 15 letter to Elbs, Haas shared, “As has been the case for years, I will not give any interviews or participate in any media events (press conferences, etc.).”
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| German priests defy Church teaching, ‘bless’ same-sex unions outside faithful cardinal’s cathedral |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-22-2023, 06:09 AM - Forum: Vatican II and the Fruits of Modernism
- No Replies
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German priests defy Church teaching, ‘bless’ same-sex unions outside faithful cardinal’s cathedral
The 'blessings' were an act of protest against Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the Archbishop of Cologne who has upheld Catholic sexual teaching in opposition to the majority of German bishops.
![[Image: Rainer_Maria_Cardinal_Woelki_2014-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Rainer_Maria_Cardinal_Woelki_2014-810x500.jpg)
Rainer Maria Cardinal Woelki
DW News / Youtube screen grab
Sep 21, 2023
COLOGNE, Germany (LifeSiteNews) – In direct contradiction to Catholic moral teaching and sacramental discipline, several Catholic priests attempted to “bless” same-sex unions just outside the ancient Cathedral of Cologne, Germany.
The “blessings,” which took place Wednesday, Sept. 20, were conducted in an act of protest against Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the Archbishop of Cologne who has upheld and defended Catholic sexual teaching in opposition to the majority of German bishops. They voted in March to abandon Catholic sexual morality, including the Church’s universal condemnation of homosexual acts as intrinsically and gravely sinful, approving texts for a liturgical “blessing” of same-sex unions.
At the time, Archdiocese of Cologne officials had to reprimand a priest from Mettmann for conducting a “blessing ceremony for lovers” that included same-sex “couples,” contrary to Rome’s official instructions that the Church can never bless same-sex unions because “God cannot bless sin.”
The crowds that gathered Wednesday waived rainbow flags while around 30 “couples” were “blessed” in defiance of Catholic teaching on marriage. Faithful Catholics were also present protesting the sacrilege, holding a banner that read, “Let’s stay Catholic,” echoing the words of Cardinal Woelki to the Church in Germany.
RELATED: Archbishop of Berlin allows ‘blessings’ of same-sex unions, citing Pope Francis and Abp. Fernandez
The Catholic Church in Germany has seen an ongoing open rejection of moral and sacramental teaching on marriage and sexuality. The “blessings” of same-sex couples in Cologne are the latest act of what Cardinal Gerhard Müller, former prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), has called open schism.
At the fourth Assembly of the German Synodal Way on September 8-10, 2022, in Frankfurt am Main, a large majority of the bishops and laity present voted to approve a text that demands the Church change her teaching on homosexuality. Forty of the 56 German bishops (71%) voted in favor of the text. The document was meant to be submitted to Pope Francis and incorporated into the worldwide synodal process.
READ: German Synodal Way approves text calling homosexual acts ‘not sinful’ and ‘not intrinsically evil’
Entitled “Magisterial reassessment of Homosexuality,” the document includes the following statement: “Same-sex sexuality – also realized in sexual acts – is thus not a sin that separates from God, and it is not to be judged as intrinsically evil.”
The text addressing homosexual acts is thus contrary to Catholic moral teaching and the natural law. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states:
Basing itself on Sacred Scripture, which presents homosexual acts as acts of grave depravity (Cf. Genesis 19:1-29; Romans 1:24-27; 1 Corinthians 6:10; 1 Timothy 1:10), tradition has always declared that “homosexual acts are intrinsically disordered.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Persona humana, 8). They are contrary to the natural law. They close the sexual act to the gift of life. They do not proceed from a genuine affective and sexual complementarity. Under no circumstances can they be approved. (CCC 2357.)
The eight orthodox bishops who voted against the document included Cardinal Woelki of Cologne. According to Woelki, “the problem” with the “synodal path” in Germany “is that for many people it is not an open-ended path at all but a project whose only satisfying result has to be the abolition of obligatory celibacy, women deacons, and the reduction of Catholic sexual morality to the sentence: Between adults, voluntary sexual relations of whatever kind are not to be objected to.”
Members of Germany’s Synodal Way then voted overwhelmingly this spring in favor of a document containing “blessings” for same-sex couples, as well as for the divorced and “remarried,” further putting them in direct opposition to the Vatican and Catholic teaching.
In a March 10 vote, participants of the Synodal Way overwhelmingly approved a text called “Blessings for couples who love each other” in a majority of almost 93%. The combined members voted 176-14, with 12 people abstaining. Among the German Bishops Conference (DBK) members who form part of the Synodal Way, the text was approved 38-9, with 11 abstaining.
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