"CUM GRANDE HUMILITATE!"

"Preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary, use words."

A special "Thank you!"
Goes out to
John Michael Talbot
for giving us permission
to use his song on our
"Come to the Quiet"
You Tube Video
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Showing posts with label Portiuncula. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Portiuncula. Show all posts

Thursday, October 05, 2023

The Synod Of Synodality: The Vatican Embraces Liberation Theology

 




By Chris Dickson, F.L.A.

I am appalled by the naivete of our Church being duped into anti-Christian communism. Liberation theology is a threat to free society by its undermining of the Church and its Magisterium through attempting to redefine moral issues (changing the Gospel to support theology opposed to shaping theology as a result of the Gospel.)

Ignorance is not bliss and unless we familiarize ourselves with the dangers, then future generations will demand answers as to why we threw away our freedom in lieu of communism.

To quote Gustavo Gutierrez (the "father" of liberation theology,) "There is no evil in being subversive, struggling against the capitalist system...Liberation leads to reinterpreting the Gospel...As I have witnessed the power of Marxism to provide motivation for a life of service where none existed before, I have come to a new appreciation of this part of my own history. I cannot settle for any story of America that fails to give a central place to this vision."

Again, Roger Garaudy (one of France's foremost Marxist intellectuals) wrote, "Socialism is a traditional stage in the passage from capitalism to communism." Also, "When the established order involves such injustice that millions of men are exploited, oppressed, mutilated, and humiliated by this order, a revolution, even armed revolution, can be less costly and in the long run less 'violent' than this established disorder, which has become pure violence. Of this, incidentally, many Christians are today becoming conscious, including, for example, even priests and bishops in Latin America."

Charles E. Curran, no longer permitted by the Church to teach moral theology at Catholic universities, has stated,"Questions arise in the light of both the importance and the limitations of Scriptures. In the light of the most striking development has been the emergence of dissent within the Roman Catholic theological community from the teachings of the hierarchical magisterium on specific moral issues."

One cannot help but feel an air of approval when local archdiocesan newspapers print articles written by these people. Already we have seen a swing by our priests and educators away from the Church's doctrine of "norma normans non normata"(the Scriptures being the norm above all other norms by which all norms are taken) and are thus shown to question the Scripture's relevance in our daily lives.

Perhaps we need to seek the definition of a couple terms which seem to have taken on good and bad connotations in complete reversal of their intended meanings:

First of all, the term orthodoxy means "right praise," or consistency with the faith of the Church as embodied in Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, official teachings and the liturgy.

Liberation theology, on the other hand, is defined as a new type of theology which emphasizes the motif of liberation in both Old and New Testaments and which reinterprets all doctrines in terms of that motif. Forms of liberation theology include Latin American, black and feminist.

Jesus "liberated" all of us from the bonds of oppression. Rather than reinterpreting the Gospel, perhaps we would be better served to "live it." This idea may not be popular with some in the Church today, but by returning to the basics of our faith, we will be truly liberated through the instruction of Sacred Scriptures if only we would accept Jesus as the catalyst of our lives.


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Suffer To Be Ruled

 


"The horse is a noble and useful creature; for in his swiftest course he suffers himself to be ruled, and turned hither and thither, backwards and forwards, according to the will of the rider; so likewise should it be with the servant of God, who should suffer himself to be ruled, guided, turned and bent, according to the will of his superior; nay, of all others, for the love of Christ.

Little Flowers of St. Francis
PART FOUR
Chapter V
Of Holy Patience


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Mocking The Poor



Once blessed Francis had gone to the hermitage of the brothers near Roccabrizia to preach to the people of that region. Now, on the day of the sermon, a poor, miserable and sick man came in search of him. Blessed Francis was moved by his distress and spoke to his companion of his poverty and sickness. His companion answered him: "Brother, it is true, he is very poor, but perhaps there in no other man richer in desire in all providence than he." The saint chided him for having spoken so uncharitably, and the brother admitted his sin. Blessed Francis then said to him: "Are you willing to perform a penance I shall give you?" "Gladly," he said. "Well, take off your tunic and go throw yourself half clothed at the feet of the poor man; tell him how you have sinned against him, and ask him to pray that God may forgive you." The brother went and did what blessed Francis had prescribed...


Saint Francis of Assisi
Legend of Perugia - 89

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Monday, October 02, 2023

"Rebuild My Church"

 


When Saint Francis heard those words from the mouth of the Lord, speaking through the San Damiano crucifix in a small, dilapidated church, he took them to mean simply rebuilding that little church outside Assisi. It was in the Portiuncula that he founded the Friars Minor; there that he clothed Clare in the religious habit and began the Order of Poor Clares; and there that Francis yearly gathered the friars in chapter to discuss the rule and renew their dedication to the Gospel life. And it was at the Portiuncula where St. Francis died in 1226.

That first tiny Portiuncula, a holy place and the center of St. Francis’ activity, will be recreated here on The Immaculate Conception Cemetery in Jerusalem, Ohio as a grace-filled haven for quiet meditation and Eucharistic Adoration. Nestled in a grove of trees visitors will be invited to “come and spend an hour with the Lord” in prayer.

This small chapel will be completed in the Fall of 2024, like St. Francis’ 13th-century original, it will become a place of adoration, conversion, and prayer. The simple beauty of the small stone structure will reverberate with the power of the Lord’s presence. The stillness, imbued with the peace of the Lord’s tender concern, will draw visitors in and focuses attention on the Eucharistic Lord.


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Saturday, December 17, 2022

St. Francis of Assisi Made the First Christmas Creche

 

The Christmas Creche at the 
Franciscan University of Steubenville 
(adjacent to the Port)

Francis observed the birthday of the Child Jesus with inexpressible eagerness over all other feasts, saying that it was the feast of feasts, on which God, having become a tiny infant, clung to human breasts. Pictures of those infant members he kissed with thoughts filled with yearning, and his compassion for the Child flooded his heart and made in stammer wordes of sweetness after the manner of infants.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, Second Life - 199


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Friday, October 08, 2021

Can You Catch The Wind?

                       


A brother came to Abba Poemen and said, "Abba, a variety of thoughts are coming into my mind and I am in danger!" The old man took him out into the air and said, "Open your robe and take hold of the wind." The young brother answered, "No, I cannot do it." The old man said, "If you cannot do it, neither can you prevent those thoughts from entering into your mind. What you should do is stand firm against them."

Sayings of the Desert Fathers


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The Two Small Coins Of St. Francis

 


Body      /     Soul

Christ's Poor One, Francis, possessed nothing but two small coins (Mark 12:42) which he could dispose of with largesse and charity: his body and his soul. But those two mites he offered to God continually, for the love of Christ; he seemed always to be immolating his body with rigor and fasting and his soul with the flame of desire: his body, a holocaust outside in the court of the temple; his soul, incense offering in the inner temple.

Saint Francis of Assisi
St. Bonaventure, Major Life
Chapter 9


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Who Or What Is The Leper In Your Life?

 

                       


Among all the unhappy spectacles of the world  Francis naturally abhorred lepers; but one day he met a leper while he was riding near Assisi. Though the leper caused him great disgust and horror, nevertheless, lest like the transgressor of a commandment he should break his given word, he got off his horse and prepared to kiss the leper. But when the leper put out his hand as though to receive something, he received money along with the kiss. And immediately, mounting his horse, Francis looked here and there about him; but though the plain lay open and clear on all sides, and there were no obstacles about, he could not see the leper anywhere.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano - Second Life
Chapter V


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Monday, October 04, 2021

Concealed by a Veil, Meaning Revealed


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The Catholic Church vs. Liberation Theology


by Chris Dickson, F.L.A.



I am appalled by the naivete of our Church being duped into anti-Christian communism. Liberation theology is a threat to free society by its undermining of the Church and its Magisterium through attempting to redefine moral issues (changing the Gospel to support theology opposed to shaping theology as a result of the Gospel.)

Ignorance is not bliss and unless we familiarize ourselves with the dangers, then future generations will demand answers as to why we threw away our freedom in lieu of communism.

To quote Gustavo Gutierrez (the "father" of liberation theology,) "There is no evil in being subversive, struggling against the capitalist system...Liberation leads to reinterpreting the Gospel...As I have witnessed the power of Marxism to provide motivation for a life of service where none existed before, I have come to a new appreciation of this part of my own history. I cannot settle for any story of America that fails to give a central place to this vision."

Again, Roger Garaudy (one of France's foremost Marxist intellectuals) wrote, "Socialism is a traditional stage in the passage from capitalism to communism." Also, "When the established order involves such injustice that millions of men are exploited, oppressed, mutilated, and humiliated by this order, a revolution, even armed revolution, can be less costly and in the long run less 'violent' than this established disorder, which has become pure violence. Of this, incidentally, many Christians are today becoming conscious, including, for example, even priests and bishops in Latin America."

Charles E. Curran, no longer permitted by the Church to teach moral theology at Catholic universities, has stated,"Questions arise in the light of both the importance and the limitations of Scriptures. In the light of the most striking development has been the emergence of dissent within the Roman Catholic theological community from the teachings of the hierarchical magisterium on specific moral issues."

One cannot help but feel an air of approval when local archdiocesan newspapers print articles written by these people. Already we have seen a swing by our priests and educators away from the Church's doctrine of "norma normans non normata"(the Scriptures being the norm above all other norms by which all norms are taken) and are thus shown to question the Scripture's relevance in our daily lives.

Perhaps we need to seek the definition of a couple terms which seem to have taken on good and bad connotations in complete reversal of their intended meanings:

First of all, the term orthodoxy means "right praise," or consistency with the faith of the Church as embodied in Sacred Scripture, the Fathers, official teachings and the liturgy.

Libertaion theology, on the other hand, is defined as a new type of theology which emphasizes the motif of liberation in both Old and New Testaments and which reinterprets all doctrines in terms of that motif. Forms of liberation theology include Latin American, black and feminist.

Jesus "liberated" all of us from the bonds of oppression. Rather than reinterpreting the Gospel, perhaps we would be better served to "live it." This idea may not be popular with some in the Church today, but by returning to the basics of our faith, we will be truly liberated through the instruction of Sacred Scriptures if only we would accept Jesus as the catalyst of our lives.


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A Time To Become Holy

 



Picture

"Be Holy for I Am Holy."



We are in the middle of a crisis of faith...

Advent is a time for us to seek holiness. Holiness is not something that is meant to be had by the few. It is meant for you and me! It is meant for all of us! In 1 Peter, God tells us to “Be holy for I am holy.” Would God instruct us to be something that is impossible for us to accomplish?

Certainly not! We see in Psalm 51 how we are to become holy through a broken and contrite heart. So how do we obtain a broken and contrite heart? St. Francis of Assisi showed great insight here by telling his followers that he preferred absolutely nothing to preaching repentance and penance, which was considered folly at that time because the fear and love of the Lord had died out in the world. The same can be said of our modern, Post-Christian world as well.

So how do we grow in holiness? We grow in holiness by accepting the Father's love and seeking His forgiveness. The closer we grow with the Father, the more we become like Jesus, and like Jesus, our hearts must first truly burn with a desire to grow in holiness. This is impossible without first surrendering our lives to God just as Jesus surrendered his to the Father.


We should frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation...Advent is a time to reflect on our status as prodigal sons and daughters of the Most High. Just as the prodigal son, we too must eventually come to our senses. Today's modernist society too often justifies sin or else denies it completely. Rampant drug and alcohol abuse, disrespect for adults and for one another, malicious gossip, cheating on our income taxes, refusing to forgive others, sexual depravity and Abortion have become society's new norm. We are in the middle of a crisis of faith in Jesus Christ. It's very easy to allow ourselves to become discouraged by all the negativity, but we must realize that the people are hungry. The people are hungry for the truth. They desire more out of life than simply wandering aimlessly about, day in and day out, in total hopelessness. They want to find joy. But there can be no joy separate from holiness!


Don't expect holiness to happen overnight...To grow in holiness, we must first return to regularly receiving the Sacraments and the first step to returning to the Sacraments is an examination of conscience; the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Just as the prodigal son returned to his father and begged forgiveness for his sins, we must also return to the Father and beg his forgiveness for sinning against Him. St. Francis of Assisi tells us that we should frequent the Sacrament of Reconciliation at least once a month. Why is that so important? Well, it helps us see our sins and seek God's mercy by experiencing His tender love for us. We can never hope to grow in holiness without the Sacrament of Reconciliation for if we are truly going to get serious about coming to our senses and receiving the Father’s love, then we will first go to Him with broken and contrite hearts and confess our sins to Him, not just during Advent, but at least once a month. Why is that? Because it helps us to see our sins, to seek God’s mercy, and to experience his tender love for us.


The second step in growing in holiness is by returning to the Eucharist. We must never separate the Eucharist from our daily lives or our daily lives from the Eucharist. Jesus satisfies our hunger for him by giving us his Body and Blood, just as we must satisfy His hunger for the souls of the poor, the marginalized and the oppressed by becoming Eucharistic for the people.

Don't expect holiness to happen overnight. Most of us become overwhelmed and discouraged if we don't see ourselves become holy right away. Remember, the saints were first sinners, some of them great sinners. It took many years for the saints to become holy as they were prone to the same trials and failures that we experience in today's world. The important thing is that we persevere, realizing that the Father loves us unconditionally.




Chris Dickson is the Servant General of the Franciscan Lay Apostolate (F.L.A.) Located at the Portiuncula Franciscan Hermitage and Retreat Center in Jerusalem, Ohio, next to the Immaculate Conception Cemetery. The F.L.A. follows the Medieval Penitential First Rule of the Third Order of St. Francis, dated 1221 A.D., placing themselves under Holy Obedience to the Bishop of Steubenville and Fr. Timothy Davison of the Catholic Churches of Monroe County, Ohio

Pace e Bene!

 



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October 4th, the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi



The larks are friends of daylight and shun the shadows of twilight. But on the eve that St. Francis passed from this world to Christ, just as twilight was descending, the larks rose up to the roof of his cell and began circling it with clamor of wingbeat and song. No one knew if they were singing with joy or sadness, for their voices were filled with joyful tears and sad joy, as if they were orphaned children weeping and singing their father into heaven. The city guards who were keeping watch were filled with wonder and they summoned others to witness the sight.

Celano - Treatise on the Miracles


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Sunday, October 03, 2021

The Transitus of St. Francis of Assisi (October 3, 1226 A.D.)

 



Then he (St. Francis) asked the Brothers to read the passage of St. John's Gospel which begins: "Before the paschal feast began" (John 13:1); only a partition of flesh now separated him from his Beloved and he would listen to the beat of his voice in the Gospel phrases. All God's mysteries had been finally accomplished in him and he died quietly, praying and singing the psalm. His holy soul was freed from his body and absorbed in the abyss of eternal glory.

Saint Francis of Assisi
Bonaventure, Minor Life
Chapter VII

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Saturday, September 25, 2021

"Listen" And "Silent" Are Spelled With The Same Letters

 


Photo of the Pond at the Portiuncula Hermitage in Jerusalem, Ohio

 "At certain times the blessed and venerable father Francis left behind the crowds of the world that were coming together daily with the greatest devotion to hear and see him, and he sought out a quiet and secret place of solitude, desiring to spend his time with God and to cleanse himself of any dust that may have clung to him for his association with men."


Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER I


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From A Hovel

 



"From a hovel one ascends more quickly to heaven than from a palace."


Saint Francis of Assisi
Celano, First Life
CHAPTER XVI


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Self Annihilation And Charity Lead The Soul





 Jacapone da Todi (Jacapone Benedetti)

(1230-1306)

An early companion of St. Francis of Assisi



Love beyond all telling,
Goodness beyond imagining,
Light of infinite intensity
Glows in my heart.

I once thought that reason
Had led me to You,
And that through feeling
I sensed Your presence,
Caught a glimpse of You in similitudes,
Knew You in Your perfection.
I know now that I was wrong,
That that truth was flawed.

Light beyond metaphor,
Why did You deign to come into this darkness?
Your light does not illumine those who think they see You
And believe they sound Your depths.
Night, I know now, is day,
Virtue no more to be found.
He who witnesses Your splendor
Can never describe it.

On achieving their desired end
Human powers cease to function,
And the soul sees that what it thought was right
Was wrong. A new exchange occurs
At that point where all light disappears;
A new and unsought state is needed:
The soul has what it did not love,
And is stripped of all it possessed, no matter how dear.

In God the spiritual faculties
Come to their desired end,
Lose all sense of self and self-consciousness,
And are swept into infinity.
The soul, made new again,
Marveling to find itself
In that immensity, drowns.
How this comes about it does not know.



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Friday, September 24, 2021

The Real Presence

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Father Stan Fortuna, a Franciscan Monk, during the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at a Franciscan University of Steubenville Youth Conference. Catholics believe in the Real Presence: the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, present in the Holy Eucharist.


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