More Darkness

My encounter with a family member who is so misguided saddens me today. She has had a tough life living with polio losing a brother to Aids almost 20 years ago when my mom was dying. I saw him at my Mom's funeral and before that my mom had mentioned he had an encounter with a man, whether he was truly gay or Not in my eyes was never really determined but you could see the disease that had taken over his body I know he had a very rough death. He left a beautiful wife and 2 lovely daughters all grown up now. Several times on Facebook my cousin, who is the sister has endorsed the gay lifestyle and she is such a Supporter of our current president. We challenged her about this president before he was elected but things brought up just didn't make sense. Yesterday she posted a picture of the president extending the Medal of Freedom and also the famous picture of the soldier kissing the girl, next to this picture was a picture of 2 military guys kissing and 2 military women kissing under the title of God's Photo... I sent her a message that I would have to delete her because of this endorsement of this lifestyle I told her it had saddened me. I gave it some time probably not enough though and deleted her. At first she said she would remove the posts but when she saw I had deleted her she retracted. I mentioned that she is friends with my girls and I know this is out in the world but to have my own family members post this was disturbingand being a mom I try to shield them no matter how old they are. I told her endorsing this is against my Catholic views and religious upbringing. She states that she accepts my views as a good Christan should and as far as my children they are adults and she isn't influencing them,( how wrong she is) she states that she is sure they watch the news and they know what is going on in the world. They aren't being educated by her. She also says that there needs to be tolerance of each other as long as she wasn't hurting anyone else. And Then she brings her brother into the subject saying in capitals, remember one thing her brother was gay and yes he is in Heaven and she will always defend him. I responded that this wasn't about her brother, but about the pictures that I don't need to tolerate. Then she states she isn't changing her views for anyone and that her Christian family cannot accept her the way she was, as she does me. So what I get out of this is that her views are more important than our relationship. There are too many Catholics out there in name only, who choose to ignore the true teachings of the Catholic Church. Yes prayers are much needed for those that do not really see that wrong is wrong and wrong is not right. Saint Michael the Archangel Defend us in battle Be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil May God rebuke him we humbly pray And do thou, O prince of the heavenly host By the power of God, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits Who wander through the world For the ruin of souls Amen We unite our prayers for those who are blind to the real truths, for those whose hurts make them see with Clouded eyes and hearts.

The People In Darkness...

Dear Sisters in Christ,

I just returned from my nieces wedding in Chicago.  I came back with some pictures, an extra pound or two and a very heavy heart.  My dear niece who I babysat, chased around the yard, watched in her First Communion, and Confirmation, had a pagan wedding ceremony.

You see this child of God has many friends who are gay and she simply can not accept the church's stand on Gay Marriage (A misnomer if there ever was one!!).  So, she went looking for a 'faith' that would explain same sex attractions as normal.  The first reading for her ceremony, came from an essay on how the human souls were all united at one time, but those that followed one god, separated into souls that had male to male attractions, another god, female to female and yet a third male-female.  All perfectly normal and ordained by the gods.

I laid my head on my daughter's shoulder as I witnessed this and prayed fervently for the soul of my niece and new nephew-in-law.  My older brother who has devoted his entire being to God from the time he was a teenager told me that he has never prayed so hard in his life.  My younger brother needed to get up and leave the room for a time, so distressed was he by this ceremony.  My faithful sister, whose daughter this is, just asked as all to keep praying for her.  She implored me again to keep praying as I left her today.

One of the things that I prayed for was protection for all the Christians in room from the demons attached to this ceremony.  After reading Ransomed From Darkness by Moira Noonan, it has become very clear that we must do all we can to keep ourselves holy and not give the demons a foothold into our souls.  The malevolence of the first reading was like a dark cloud hanging over the wedding party and spreading its dark tentacles into the pews (the room was set up as a quasi-church).

Most of us have spent some time in the darkness of the world living as we wanted and not as God would have us live.  We understand the allure of finding a 'worldview' or religious philosophy that corresponds with our own desires.  Why follow an ancient Church that has all these..'Thous Shalt Nots' when all we want is what we want?

It wasn't until each of us had the Holy Spirit awaken His gifts within us that we started to see the Truth and the Wisdom of our Mother the Church.  From there, one can't help to fall in LOVE with the God that loved us first to the last drop of His blood.  Intellect and reason as we read faith texts may have sparked our interest, but the burning love we have for the Trinity is what keeps us faithful.

Long ago, 'The People in Darkness had see a great Light...' , but it appears that we are again living in very dark times indeed.

So, I will pray for my beautiful niece, made in the image and likeness of God.  I will ask the Lord to put a person in her life that will lead her back to the Light.  I asked Our Lady in particular to take her under her maternal protection and lead her back to the source of all goodness, her divine son.

Dear sisters, as you pray, please pray for my niece and for all our family members who live in darkness.  May our prayers fly up to heaven where the source of all good will hear them.  The darkness in the whole of the world will be dispelled with but one ray of His divine light.

Despair is of the devil. I remain hopeful in Our Lord.

"I have spoken these things to you so that you shall have peace in me. You shall have suffering in the world, but take heart, I have overcome the world."  John 16:33

SHARING OUR GIFTS

An exercise that we worked on yielded more than any of us could have imagined.  We are truly blessed to know, study and love one another.  Our diverse group has been brought together for the Glory of God.  

Thank you Jesus for the gift of holy friendships!

iNhISSERVICE

InHisService is our thoughtful historian, tracing the roots of current events to their historical origins. She can see connections between events and with great coherency explain how we got to where we are. 

Faithful to the Magesterium and orthodox in her perspective, InHisService greatly appreciates the WISDOM of the church and can show us the absolute ‘rightness’ of the church’s position on issues of relevance today.

InHisService is extremely thoughtful and reasoned in explaining her views.  Her faithful witness edifies as it teaches and is done without judgment or prejudice of others.  What a gift that is!

A deep spirituality springs from InHisService's obedience to the faith.  She has built her rock on the objective TRUTH of God.  She will be surprised to know that I frequently quote her wise words.

In our group, InHisService exudes a warm maternal supportiveness that very much underpins the moorings of our dynamics.  Gently and with great wisdom, she can bring you back to a salient point in our studies.  I have learned so much from this holy woman!

And the Word was made flesh

The most thought provoking points and insightful comments in our discussions are often made by 'And the Word was made flesh'.  She frequently looks beyond what we have read or discussed to find a deeper meaning.

'And the Word was made flesh' gets ‘fired up’ with a holy zeal when she defends the church, especially when the church is being attacked by the secular world.  She has a great understanding of evil and for the need to be on the offense in this cruel, sinful world we live in.

Some of the most beautiful petitions during our Rosary decades come from this sister in faith. She looks out toward the universal church and offers prayer for those hurting and in peril.

'And the Word was made flesh' is the soul of kindness.  She constantly puts herself last, that others may go before her.  This great humility of hers is one of her most edifying characteristics.  She is humble as our Lord is humble and I strive to follow her example.  Her great thoughtfulness and kindness extends to the gifts she presents us with; rich in meaning and selected with the individual in mind.  What a wonderful witness to Love she is!!

Supportive in all we do as individuals or as a group, 'And the Word was made flesh' goes out of her way to give a kind supportive word to each of our endeavors.  She wants us to succeed and is caring in her comments and sweet gestures.

 

Doallwithlove4god

I haven’t known this sister long and yet her joining in our group has seemed seamless.  She exhibits a great loyalty to the church and to her family.  We have seen her great faith and have been edified by her witness.

'Doallwithlove4God' brings richness to our group in her mature spirituality.  She has ‘walked the walk’ and through adversity become very close to our Lord.  Her example of having trust in God has made me want to be more trusting too.

In telling us about the kind of work she does and how she goes about helping people in financial crisis, 'Doallwithlove4God' reveals her deep caring for people.  Her maternal nature is very evident in the obvious love she has for her family.

I am looking forward to establishing a deeper relationship with 'Doallwithlove4God' as we learn and study together in our Endow group.

Only 1 Holy Spirit

'Only 1 Holy Spirit' is the foundation of our group.  I mean this in a literal sense as she started the ball rolling with Endow, but also in a spiritual sense.  The youngest person in our group, she is probably the most spiritually mature of us.  She understands in a very real way that God exists; that He established a church; and that this church is worth loving,  and defending.

In a way, I think of 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' as a Catholic Encyclopedia.  She has so much knowledge and she always seems to know exactly what you need to hear.  In many ways, she is my spiritual mother.  Her journey has engendered my own.  She is my lightning rod, pointing the way and helping me to get up when I stumble and encouraging me to keep growing in my faith.  I KNOW that I would not be to this point in my faith journey without her.  If my soul is saved, I owe this in no small measure to the GIFT of 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' in my life.  God has seen fit to make us companions and for that I am very, very thankful.

'Only 1 Holy Spirit' is a warrior.  She has a feisty character which is so marvelous that she can brighten a room with her bravado.  And when does this fierceness come out?, when the faith, church or our Lord are being disrespected and trivialized. Her enormous selflessness in the face of our a selfish society is such an enormous witness.  She is my hero in so many ways and I am happy to soldier on beside her.

Once 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' told me that she was afraid that she didn’t know how to love.  This was amazing to me, because everything she does, she does with enormous love.  From the way she offers up her home for us each week, to the careful preparation for our studies, to the arranging of our retreats, to the loving actions and words, this sister in faith shows her love to each of us.  Never have I held out my hand to her that I did not have it grasped in her warm embrace.  I think 'Only 1 Holy Spirit' knows a great deal about love.  I learn how to love better by being with her.

B4God33

B4God33 is faithful and obedient to the Magesterium and the Church.  She believes strongly in the rightness of the church’s teaching and has great depth of knowledge won through her spiritual reading.  Her well-informed comments bring great clarity to subjects being discussed.  She is a valued member of our spiritual sisterhood and we feel her absence keenly when she leaves for the summer.

I find B4God33 to be courageous in her defense of the church.  She knows her faith well and can defend it in a public setting and has.  She lives by the ideals she espouses and shows great integrity.

B4God33 has a deep and sophisticated spirituality, born of time in prayer and a personal relationship with Our Lord.  Her personal insights are so ‘right on’ that they edify all who hear them.

Loyalty is a trait that I truly admire in B4God33.  She is loyal to those she loves and has been extremely loyal to us as a group.  Loyalty is a quality that few people exhibit today in their personal lives.  B4God33's loyalty to the church and its teachings carries through to every part of her life.  Again her deep spirituality informs her inner being and brings out the best of personal qualities; chief among these is her loyalty.