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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 - 09-26-2023, 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
- Replies (7)
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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
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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.
![[Image: Haas-internet-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Haas-internet-810x500.jpg)
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
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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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| Fr. Hewko: Bishop Schneider's Commentary on the Validity of Francis as Pope |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-21-2023, 02:14 PM - Forum: Sedevacantism
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Fr. Hewko references the following Commentary by Bishop Schneider:
On the Validity of the Pontificate of Pope Francis
![[Image: d3d86f2f48540c3d2981a4a3a34044b0_L.jpg]](https://remnantnewspaper.com/web/media/k2/items/cache/d3d86f2f48540c3d2981a4a3a34044b0_L.jpg)
The Remnant Magazine | September 18, 2023
There is no authority to declare or consider an elected and generally accepted Pope as an invalid Pope. The constant practice of the Church makes it evident that even in the case of an invalid election this invalid election will be de facto healed through the general acceptance of the new elected by the overwhelming majority of the cardinals and bishops.
Even in the case of a heretical pope he will not lose his office automatically and there is no body within the Church to declare him deposed because of heresy. Such actions would come close to a kind of a heresy of conciliarism or episcopalism. The heresy of conciliarism or episcopalism says basically that there is a body within the Church (Ecumenical Council, Synod, College of Cardinals, College of Bishops), which can issue a legally binding judgment over the Pope.
The theory of the automatic loss of the papacy due to heresy remains only an opinion, and even St. Robert Bellarmin noticed this and did not present it as a teaching of the Magisterium itself. The perennial papal Magisterium never taught such an option. In 1917, when the Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici) came into force, the Magisterium of the Church eliminated from the new legislation the remark of the Decretum Gratiani in the old Corpus Iuris Canonici, which stated, that a Pope, who deviates from right doctrine, can be deposed. Never in history the Magisterium of the Church did admit any canonical procedures of deposition of a heretical pope. The Church has no power over the pope formally or judicially.
The surer Catholic tradition says, that in the case of a heretical pope, the members of the Church can avoid him, resist him, refuse to obey him, all of which can be done without requiring a theory or opinion, that says that a heretical pope automatically loses his office or can be deposed consequently.
Therefore being it so, we must follow the surer way (via tutior) and abstain from defending the merely opinion of theologians (even be them Saints like St. Robert Bellarmin), which says that a heretical pope automatically loses his office or can be deposed by the Church therefore.
The pope cannot commit heresy when he speaks ex cathedra, this is a dogma of faith. In his teaching outside of ex cathedra statements, however, he can commit doctrinal ambiguities, errors and even heresies. And since the pope is not identical with the entire Church, the Church is stronger than a singular erring or heretical Pope. In such a case one should respectfully correct him (avoiding purely human anger and disrespectful language), resist him as one would resist a bad father of a family. Yet, the members of a family cannot declare their evil father deposed from the fatherhood. They can correct him, refuse to obey him, separate themselves from him, but they cannot declare him deposed.
Good Catholics know the truth and must proclaim it, offer reparation for the errors of an erring Pope. Since the case of a heretical pope is humanly irresolvable, we must implore with supernatural faith a Divine intervention, because that singular erring Pope is not eternal, but temporal, and the Church is not in our hands, but in the almighty hands of God.
We must have enough supernatural faith, trust, humility, spirit of the Cross in order to endure such an extraordinary trial. In such relatively short situations (in comparison to 2000 years) we must not yield to a too human reaction and to an easy solution (declaring the invalidity of his pontificate), but must keep sobriety (keep a cool head) and at the same time a true supernatural view and trust in Divine intervention and in the indestructibility of the Church.
+ Athanasius Schneider
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| Biden unveils massive govt work program to fight global warming |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-21-2023, 06:59 AM - Forum: General Commentary
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Biden unveils massive govt work program to fight global warming
Biden's climate corps will hire 'diverse generation' of 20,000 Americans to 'tackle climate change'; no work experience required
Fox News | September 20, 2023
President Biden is planning to sign an executive order Wednesday to establish a federal workforce training and service initiative as part of his administration's efforts to fight climate change.
Biden's so-called American Climate Corps will, according to the White House, mobilize "a new, diverse generation" of more than 20,000 Americans who will be trained and put to work on conservation, clean energy and environmental justice projects. The ultimate goal of the program is to pave the way for members of the corps to find jobs in the public and private sector.
"The American Climate Corps is a new initiative that will… work on a wide range of projects that tackle climate change — including restoring coastal wetlands to protect communities from storm surges and flooding, deploying clean energy, managing forests to improve health and prevent catastrophic wildfires, implementing energy efficient solutions to cut energy bills for hardworking families, and more," the White House said.
"All American Climate Corps programs will be paid experiences that adhere to a common set of programmatic standards, and provide pathways to high-quality employment opportunities in the public and private sectors," it continued.
The White House added that no prior experience is required for climate corps applicants.
In addition, the White House announced that, in conjunction with the federal effort, five states — Arizona, Utah, Minnesota, North Carolina and Maryland — are moving forward with their own climate corps.
Those state groups will work with the American Climate Corps as "implementing collaborators to ensure young people across the country are serving their communities, while participating in paid opportunities and working on projects to tackle climate change."
"Today’s historic action to put an American Climate Corps into motion is a clear demonstration that the Biden administration knows there are more ways they can leverage executive power to lead an all out mobilization of our government and society to stop the climate crisis," said Sunrise Movement Executive Director Varshini Prakash, who joined the White House on a press call for the announcement.
"Young people everywhere should feel empowered by this victory and continue demanding the change we need," Prakash continued. "We’re often asked how President Biden can win the support and enthusiasm of young people. He's gotten our attention. Keep going."
The announcement Wednesday comes days after the Sunrise Movement led a coalition letter of more than 50 environmental activist groups calling on Biden to establish a climate corps.
And it also comes shortly after Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., penned a letter alongside dozens of fellow Democratic lawmakers to the president, similarly calling for the immediate establishment of a climate corps. The pair also reintroduced their Civilian Climate Corps for Jobs and Justice Act.
"As members of Congress who have led on various legislative proposals for Civilian Climate and Conservation Corps, we support your administration in taking executive action and will continue to fight for additional resources from Congress," they wrote.
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| Why do the good suffer? – Fr.M.Kolbe |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-21-2023, 05:57 AM - Forum: Resources Online
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Why do the good suffer?
by Fr. M. Kolbe
Taken from here.
The day before yesterday someone asked me this question:
“The good usually suffer and the bad often do well. Where is the justice here?”
– The Lord God is infinitely just?
– He is.
– Otherwise He would not be God. – So the Lord of God for every
good deed He rewards and every evil deed He punishes. No deed, no word, no thought escapes His judgement.
– Is there a man in the world even the worst who would never do anything good?
– There is no such person.
– After all, everyone sometimes does his duty well, or shows mercy to his neighbour, or does something else good. If this man lives so badly that he deserves hell after death, when will the Lord God pay him some good for it… When?
– In that world.
– But there only hell awaits him.
– So here on earth
– Then is there any man even the best, who would never do anything wrong?
– There is no such man.
– Rightly, even a righteous person “seven times a day” falls. So if the Lord God wants to shorten the time in purgatory, or to give someone heaven at once, where will the levelling of accounts take place?
– Aha, that’s right…
– Exactly, the Lord God shows a special love to those whom He is already punishing in this world, because in Purgatory there is only punishment and long and heavy punishment, and in this world by voluntarily accepting crosses we deserve even greater glory in Heaven; hence the proverb “Whom God loves, He scourges”.
– So there is nothing to envy those bad people who are doing well; yes, they should be very afraid, because perhaps this is the payment for the little good they have done in life.
Knight of the Immaculate, February 1924
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| Go Fund Me for Family Whose Young Mother Passed Away September 17, 2023 |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-19-2023, 10:07 AM - Forum: Appeals for Prayer
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In your charity, please consider helping the family of Mary O'Brien, who passed away at age 31,
leaving behind a husband and three young children.
From the GoFundMe page:
Quote:Mary O'Brien (31), beloved wife of Timothy O’Brien and mother to three young children, passed away on September 17th. Mary lived out every day the Gospel of love of God and neighbor in her selfless and wholehearted dedication to her family and each and every person she met. To be in Mary’s presence was to be in the presence of someone whose whole life was a joy. And she never failed to share that joy, be it through a kind word, a helping hand, or her happy smile.
Married since 2018, Timothy and Mary had recently relocated their family from Connecticut to rural New Hampshire in August 2023. Just weeks after moving into their new home, Mary suffered a sudden and catastrophic stroke on September 14th. She was airlifted to Beth Israel Medical Center in Boston, where she received treatment in the following days. Timothy never left her side in those hours until her passing from this world to the next, ensuring that she received the Last Rites and abiding by her to the end.
We ask that you lend support to the O'Brien family in this time of tragedy. Your aid will assist in payment of the extensive medical bills and ensure support for their children—Timothy (3), Jehanne (2), and Louise (10 months).
Mary set a beautiful example of storing up treasure in heaven; in death as in life, she is an inspiration to all of us to do the same. Thank you for your support and please know of our gratitude and prayers for you and your loved ones in return.
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| St. Alphonsus Liguori: Daily Meditations for Sixteenth Week after Pentecost |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-19-2023, 09:01 AM - Forum: Pentecost
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(Ep. Ephesians iii. 13-21)
Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them unto the end. Jesus, knowing that the hour of His death was at hand, wished to leave men the greatest proof of His love by leaving us Himself in the Holy Eucharist. He loved them unto the end. That is "with an extreme affection," says St. John Chrysostom.
I.
Jesus, knowing that his hour was come ... having loved his own ... he loved them unto the end (Jo. xiii. 1). Let us consider the love of Jesus Christ in leaving us Himself in the Most Holy Eucharist: He loved them unto the end. That is, according to St. John Chrysostom, "with an extreme affection."
St. Bernardine of Sienna says that the tokens of love which are given at death make a more lasting impression on the mind, and are more highly esteemed. But, whilst others leave a ring, or a piece of money, as a mark of their affection, Jesus has left us His entire Self in this Sacrament of love.
And when did Jesus Christ institute this Sacrament? He instituted it, as the Apostle has remarked, on the night before His Passion. The Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, and giving thanks, broke and said: Take ye and eat: this is my body (1 Cor. xi. 23-24). Thus, at the very time that men were preparing to put Him to death, our loving Redeemer resolved to bestow upon us this gift. Jesus Christ, then, was not content with giving His life for us on a Cross: He wished also, before His death, to pour out, as the Council of Trent says, all the riches of His love, by leaving Himself as our food in the Holy Communion. "He, as it were, poured out the riches of His love towards man." If Faith had not taught it, who could ever imagine that a God would become Man, and the food of His own creatures? When Jesus Christ revealed to His followers this Sacrament which He intended to leave us, St. John says that they could not bring themselves to believe it, and many departed from Him, saying: How can this man give us his flesh to eat? ... This saying is hard, and who can hear it? (Jo. vi. 53-61). But what men could not imagine, the great love of Jesus Christ has invented and effected. Take ye and eat: this is my body (1 Cor. xi. 24). These words He addressed to His Apostles on the night before He suffered, and He now, after His death, addresses them to us.
II.
How highly honoured, says St. Francis de Sales, would that man feel to whom a prince sent from his table a portion of what he had on his own plate! But Jesus gives us not a portion of His own food but His entire Body and Blood in the Sacrament of the Altar. "He gave you all," says St. John Chrysostom, reproving our ingratitude: "He left nothing for Himself." And St. Thomas teaches that in the Eucharist God has given us all that He is and all that He has. Justly, then, has the same saint called the Eucharist "a Sacrament of love, a pledge of love." It is a Sacrament of love, because it was pure love that induced Jesus Christ to give us this gift and pledge of love; for He wished that, should a doubt of His having loved us ever enter into our minds, we should have in this Sacrament a pledge of His love. St. Bernard calls this Sacrament "Love of loves." By His Incarnation the Lord has given Himself to all men in general; but, in this Sacrament He has given Himself to each of us in particular, to make us understand the special love He entertains for each of us.
Oh, how ardently does Jesus Christ desire to come to our souls in the Holy Communion! This vehement desire He expressed at the time of the institution of this Sacrament, when He said to the Apostles: With desire I have desired to eat this Pasch with you (Luke xxii. 15). St. Laurence Justinian says that these words proceeded from the enamoured Heart of Jesus Christ, Who by such tender expressions, wished to show us the ardent love with which He loved us. "This is the voice of the most burning charity." And, to induce us to receive Him frequently in the Holy Communion, He promises eternal life -- that is, the kingdom of Heaven -- to those who eat His Flesh. He that eateth this bread shall live forever (Jo. vi. 59). On the other hand, He threatens to deprive us of His grace and Paradise if we neglect Communion. Except you eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, you shall not have life in you (Jo. vi. 54). These promises and these threats all sprung from a burning desire to come to us in this Sacrament.
Spiritual Reading
"THE CHARITY OF CHRIST"
Why does Jesus so ardently desire that we should receive Him in the Holy Communion? It is because He takes delight in being united with each of us. By Holy Communion, Jesus is really united to our soul and to our body, and we are then united to Jesus. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me and I in him (Jo. vi. 57). Thus, after Communion, we are, says St. John Chrysostom, one body and one flesh with Jesus Christ. Hence St. Laurence Justinian exclaims " Oh, how wonderful is Thy love, O Lord Jesus, Who hast wished to incorporate us in such a manner with Thy Body that we should have one heart and one soul inseparably united with Thee!" Thus, to every soul that receives the Eucharist, the Lord says what He once said to His beloved servant Margaret of Ypres -- "Behold, my daughter, the close union made between me and Thee! Love Me, then, and let us remain forever united in love; let us nevermore be separated." This union between Jesus Christ and us is, according to St. John Chrysostom, the effect of the Charity of Christ towards us.
But, O Lord, such intimate union with man is not suited to Thy Divine majesty. But love seeks not reason; it goes not where it should, but where it is drawn. St. Bernardine of Sienna says that, in giving Himself for our food, Jesus Christ loved us to the last degree; because He united Himself entirely to us, as food is united to those who eat it. The same doctrine has been beautifully expressed by St. Francis de Sales: "No action of the Saviour can be more loving or more tender than the institution of the Holy Eucharist, in which Jesus, as it were, annihilates Himself, and takes the form of food, to unite Himself to the souls and bodies of His faithful servants."
Hence there is nothing from which we can draw so much fruit as the Holy Communion. St. Denis teaches that the Most Holy Sacrament has greater efficacy to sanctify souls than all other spiritual means. St. Vincent Ferrer says that a soul derives more profit from one Communion than from fasting for a week on bread and water. The Eucharist is, according to the holy Council of Trent, a medicine which delivers us from daily faults, and preserves us from mortal sins. Jesus Himself has said that they who eat His Flesh and drink His Blood, which is the Fountain of life, shall receive permanently the life of grace. He that eateth me, the same shall also live by me (Jo. vi. 58). Innocent III teaches that by the Passion Jesus Christ delivers us from the sins we have committed, and by the Eucharist saves us from committing others. According to St. John Chrysostom, the Holy Communion inflames us with the fire of Divine love, and makes us objects of terror to the devil. "The Eucharist is a fire which inflames us, so that, like lions breathing fire, we may retire from the altar, being made terrible to the devil." In explaining the words of the Spouse in the Canticles: He brought me into the cellar of wine; He set in order charity in me (Cant. ii. 4), St. Gregory says that the Communion is this cellar of wine in which the soul is so inebriated with Divine Charity that she forgets and loses sight of all earthly things.
Some will say: "I do not communicate often; because I am cold in Divine love." In answer to them Gerson asks: Will you, then, because you feel cold, remove from the fire? When you are tepid you should more frequently approach this Sacrament. St. Bonaventure says: "Trusting in the mercy of God, though you feel tepid, approach: let him who thinks himself unworthy reflect that the more infirm he feels himself, the more he requires a physician." And St. Francis de Sales writes: "Two sorts of persons ought to communicate often: the perfect, in order to persevere in holiness; and the imperfect, to arrive at perfection."
Evening Meditation
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE PASSION OF JESUS CHRIST
I.
In resisting our enemies in our spiritual combats it is of the very greatest benefit to anticipate them in our meditations, by preparing ourselves to do violence to them to our utmost power, on all occasions when they may suddenly come upon us. Thus the Saints have been able to preserve the greatest mildness, or at least not to reply by a single word, and not to be disturbed, when they met with a great trial, a violent persecution, a severe pang in body or in mind, the loss of property of great value, the death of a much-loved relative. Such victories are ordinarily not acquired by anyone without the aid of long discipline, without frequenting Sacraments, and a continual exercise of Meditation, Spiritual Reading, and Prayer. Therefore these victories are with difficulty obtained by those who have not taken great heed to avoid dangerous occasions, or who are attached to the vanities or pleasures of the world, and practise very little mortification of the senses; by those, in a word, who live a soft and easy life. St. Augustine says that in the spiritual life, "first pleasures are to be conquered, then pains"; meaning that a person who is given to seeking the pleasures of the senses will scarcely resist a strong passion or a temptation which assails him; a man who loves the esteem of the world will scarcely endure a grave affront without losing the grace of God.
It is true that we must look for all our strength to live sinless lives, and to do good works, not from ourselves, but from the grace of Jesus Christ; but we must take great care not to make ourselves weaker than we are by nature, through our own fault. The defects of which we take no account will cause the Divine light to fail, and the devil will become stronger against us. For example, a desire to make a parade of our learning or our rank, or vanity in dress; the seeking of any superfluous pleasure; resentment at every inattentive word or action; a wish to please everyone though to our spiritual loss; neglect of works of piety through the fear of man; little acts of disobedience towards our Superiors; little murmurings; trifling but cherished aversions; trivial falsehoods; slight attacks upon our neighbour; loss of time in gossip; or the indulgence of curiosity -- in a word, every attachment to earthly things, and every act of inordinate self-love, can help our enemy to drag us over some precipice; or, at least deprive us of that abundance of Divine help without which we may find ourselves in utter spiritual ruin.
II.
We grieve when we find ourselves so dry in spirit and desolate in prayer, in our Communions, and in all our devout exercises; but how can God give us to enjoy His presence and loving visits while we are niggardly and inattentive to Him? He that sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly (2 Cor. ix. 6). If we cause Him so much displeasure, how can we expect to enjoy His heavenly consolations? If we do not detach ourselves from everything earthly, we shall never wholly belong to Jesus Christ, and where shall we look for protection? Jesus, by His humility, merited for us the grace of conquering pride; and by His poverty He merited strength for us to despise earthly goods; and by His patience, constancy in overcoming slights and injuries. "What pride," writes St. Augustine, "could have been healed, if not healed by the humility of the Son of God? What avarice, except by the poverty of Christ? What anger, except by the Saviour's patience?" But if we are cold in the love of Jesus Christ, and neglect to pray continually to Him to help us, and nourish in our hearts any earthly affection, with difficulty shall we persevere in a holy life. Let us pray. Let us pray always. With prayer we shall obtain everything.
O Saviour of the world, Thou art my only hope! By the merits of Thy Passion, deliver me from every impure desire which may hinder me from loving Thee as I ought. May I be stripped of all desires that savour of the world; grant that the only object of my desires may be Thyself, Who art the sovereign Good, and the only Good that is worthy of love. By Thy sacred Wounds heal my infirmities; give me grace to keep far from my heart every love which is not for Thee Who deservest all my love. O Jesus, my Love, Thou art my hope! O sweet words! sweet consolation -- Jesus, my Love! Thou art my hope!
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| Abortion chatbot Charley helps women end their pregnancies |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-19-2023, 08:21 AM - Forum: Abortion
- No Replies
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Abortion chatbot Charley helps women end their pregnancies: 'Let's get started'
Chatbot was co-founded by ex-Planned Parenthood leadership — Fox News Digital spoke to the company and to doctors
Fox News [slightly adapted] | September 19, 2023
For those women who are considering terminating their pregnancies, a new chatbot called Charley aims to help them start the process of getting an abortion.
The chatbot, which launched on Sept. 12, is available on Charley’s website, greeting visitors with the message, "Need an abortion? Let’s get started."
On its website, Charley is described as "designed by abortion experts, made for abortion seekers."
One of its co-founders is Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood. Richards "oversees legal, political, and policy matters and leads fundraising efforts" for Charley, according to the chatbot’s website.
Another co-founder is Tom Subak, former chief strategy officer at Planned Parenthood.
![[Image: charley-chatbot-split-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1]](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/09/1440/810/charley-chatbot-split-2.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
A new chatbot called Charley aims to help women start the process of getting an abortion. (Charley/iStock)
Charley isn’t an app — it lives online, on its own website.
While individuals can freely visit the site, the company is also seeking medical providers who will agree to embed the chatbot directly on their own websites, "to meet abortion seekers wherever they are online," said Nicole Cushman, Charley’s New York-based content manager, in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Cushman, who has held leadership positions at Planned Parenthood, said the idea for the chatbot came about after Roe v. Wade was overturned — with the goal of "improving people’s online search experience."
"Our research showed that people were turning primarily to Google for information about abortion options in the post-Roe landscape, and that it was very challenging for abortion seekers to connect to available options," she said.
People "were ending up in an endless Google loop."
"This was particularly the case if they were living in a state with an abortion ban or restriction — they were ending up in an endless Google loop."
![[Image: Cecile-Richards-Headshot._001.jpg?ve=1&tl=1]](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/09/1440/810/Cecile-Richards-Headshot._001.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
One of Charley's co-founders is Cecile Richards, former president of Planned Parenthood. The company is seeking medical providers who will agree to embed the chatbot directly on their own websites. (Charley)
Charley’s creators envisioned a "simple, effective way to pull together information from a range of sources" and "cut through the confusion," Cushman told Fox News Digital.
How Charley works
Unlike large language models like ChatGPT, Charley doesn’t allow people to type questions. Instead, the chatbot uses a "decision tree" format that guides visitors through a series of pre-written prompts, including the desired type of abortion and the date of their last menstrual period.
It also asks for a zip code to determine the specific abortion laws in the visitor’s state of residence.
For example, when Fox News Digital entered a zip code in Ohio, the response was: "Currently, abortion care is legal in Ohio, but only up to 22 weeks. This means that, if you act quickly, you‘ll be able to get abortion care in your state. If you need more time or can’t get an appointment before then, you may still have options in another state."
For abortion seekers under 18 years of age, Charley notifies them whether state law requires a parent’s permission to get an abortion — and also offers assistance for minors to ask a judge for permission to get the procedure on their own.
At the end of the series of questions, the chatbot provides a summary of expected costs, alternate funding options and a directory of resources to find an abortion provider.
"Those resources might include a link to a directory to locate the nearest clinic, a link to telehealth providers — or help lines for legal, medical, financial or emotional support," Cushman told Fox News Digital.
"Our research showed that people were turning primarily to Google for information about abortion options."
The pre-scripted information provided by the chatbot was developed by a team of "medical and legal experts," she added.
Potential risks of the abortion chatbot
Charley is designed as a "triage solution" to provide information and education so that people can make "an informed decision" about their next steps, Cushman said.
"For some people, the next best step may be to make an appointment to see a provider in person, or to call a hotline for more direct support," she noted.
"There’s no harm in chatting with Charley, but it’s not the end of their journey," she also said.
![[Image: Tom-Subak-Headshot.jpg?ve=1&tl=1]](https://a57.foxnews.com/static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2023/09/1440/810/Tom-Subak-Headshot.jpg?ve=1&tl=1)
Tom Subak, former chief strategy officer at Planned Parenthood, is also a co-founder of Charley. Security and privacy has been an area of "heightened concern" among people searching for abortion care online, a content manager from the company shared with Fox News Digital. (Charley)
At some points during the chat, Charley may quickly hand off the visitor to an external resource — for example, if she is experiencing a medical emergency or potential pregnancy complications, Cushman noted.
She also said, however, that not all pregnant women require in-person care before seeking an abortion.
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| Archbishop Viganò urges Bishop Strickland to exercise his episcopate ‘to the point of heroism’ |
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Posted by: Stone - 09-18-2023, 09:31 AM - Forum: Archbishop Viganò
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Archbishop Viganò urges Bishop Strickland to exercise his episcopate ‘to the point of heroism’
‘Our Lord will judge us, not those who abuse their power to destroy the Church and persecute Her good Pastors,’ Archbishop Viganò said in an X post about Bishop Strickland.
![[Image: Carlo-Maria-Vigano_3-810x500.jpg]](https://www.lifesitenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Carlo-Maria-Vigano_3-810x500.jpg)
LifeSiteNews
Sep 15, 2023
(LifeSiteNews) — Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò took to social media on Thursday to encourage Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler, Texas, to continue his “heroic” ministry despite reports that the latter will soon be asked to resign from his position by Pope Francis.
“Eleven years ago, on this very day of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, I had the honor of informing Msgr. Strickland – as I was then Apostolic Nuncio to the United States – that Benedict XVI had appointed him Bishop of Tyler,” Archbishop Viganò posted on X, formerly Twitter.
“The time has come to rediscover the sense of the ‘fullness of the Sacred Order’ by exercising the Episcopate to the point of heroism: Our Lord will judge us, not those who abuse their power to destroy the Church and persecute Her good Pastors,” continued the archbishop.
Keeping his comments brief, Archbishop Viganò concluded his words of encouragement with a quote from Scripture: “Proclaim the Word, insist at the proper and untimely time, admonish, rebuke, exhort with all magnanimity and teaching” (2 Tim 4:2).
Archbishop Viganò’s defense of his brother bishop comes just three days after The Pillar reported that Francis met with Vatican officials last weekend to float the idea of requesting the outspoken prelate’s resignation as bishop of his Texas diocese.
Bishop Strickland and his diocese have been the subject of much scrutiny among the Catholic media ever since it was revealed that he was subject to an apostolic visitation in June 2023. His visitation was conducted by two retired bishops: Bishop Dennis Sullivan of Camden, New Jersey, and former Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, Arizona.
Bishop Strickland, 64, is well known among LifeSite readers for his unequivocal defense of Catholic teaching, teaching that is often cast in confusion by papal statements or messages.
The Tyler bishop’s more public positions on moral and doctrinal issues include urging Francis to deny Holy Communion to former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi over her support of legal abortion, accusing the pope of a “program of undermining the Deposit of Faith,” and condemning the prominent pro-LGBT “blasphemy” of Father James Martin, S.J.
He has also been notably forthright on moral controversies in U.S. politics and culture, including the Biden administration’s spying on Catholics and public displays by self-described “Satanic” groups. This summer, he spoke at a protest against the Los Angeles Dodgers’ hosting an anti-Catholic drag queen troupe called the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence,” who style themselves as grotesque nuns.
But the apostolic visitation is believed to have been particularly prompted by a May 13 X post in which he explicitly stated: “I reject his [Pope Francis’] program of undermining the Deposit of Faith.”
READ: Bishop Schneider: Future popes will thank Bishop Strickland for his fidelity to the Catholic faith
Bishop Strickland has received support from other prominent bishops in addition to Archbishop Viganò since the news that he may be asked to resign broke, including a personal letter of commendation from Bishop Athanasius Schneider that LifeSiteNews published in full earlier this week.
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