Sunday, October 27, 2013
Monday, October 21, 2013
Thursday, September 26, 2013
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Wednesday, September 4, 2013
"Homosexuals hurt themselves."
Pictured, Albrecht Durer, "The Men's Baths"
"In his most powerful statements to date on issues involving sexual morality, Pope Benedict XVI said homosexuals end up destroying themselves so the Church has a duty to speak out on moral issues that affect the very spiritual and physical lives of man.
"In seeking to emancipate himself from his body (from the 'biological sphere'), [man] ends up by destroying himself," the pope told cardinals, archbishops, bishops and members of the Roman Curia last week in a traditional meeting overlooked by most of the world's press. "Against those who say that 'the Church should not involve herself in these matters,' we can only respond: does man not concern us too? The church and believers must raise their voices to defend man, the creature who, in the inseparable unity of body and spirit, is the image of God." - World Net Daily
Most homosexuals will fail to see the compassion in the Holy Father's words, as they fail to understand the teaching of the Church as regards homosexuality, in both the Catechism and various episcopal statements on the problem so mysteriously prevalent in contemporary times.
Many gay people would assert that homophobic tendencies in culture, and society are what hurts homosexual persons. Evidence of discrimination, gay bashing, and alienation would be their criteria in support of this claim.
When AIDs first appeared in the early 1980's, there was a huge denial amongst most gays that there could be any relationship to homosexual sex, and if there was, conspiracy theories abounded as to who was really infecting people. Gradually, places of free-range sex were closed, gay bathhouses were closed down, and gay public sex meeting places were policed. Homosexuals themselves began a campaign for safe sex, such as condom distribution and use, mutual or group sex that did not involve penetration or sharing bodily fluids, etc.
With the advent of new medications, persons with HIV found they could live longer and healthier. The plague mentality waned, and many, especially the young, thought the worst was over, or at least, the disease became more manageable. Sex gradually became freer and more unsafe, and infections once again began to rise.
Most likely, this will be what public opinion will assume the Holy Father is referring to - destruction of gay persons through STD's. I highly doubt the Holy Father was being so simplistic and superficial in his statement.
So how does a homosexual destroy himself? We concentrate all of our values upon the here and now. Hence, HIV and AIDS aside, if we look for how a homosexual can destroy himself, we may find other more obvious means, when we examine the lifestyle and values of gay culture.
As a sex based lifestyle, gay culture exalts physical beauty to the point of idolatry. Almost every attractive male becomes a sexualized, or romanticized object. Homosexual literature and publications are the clearest example of this predacious inclination, pornography is normative in the homosexual subculture. In this sense, homosexuality debases and dehumanizes sexuality. This erotic 'love' withers the soul, and diminishes the human spirit.
Depression, chemical dependency, compulsive behaviors often accompany this disintegration - even in the best of homosexual persons - the most balanced and functional. The widespread use of anti-depressants and prescription sleep aids may often take the place of drug abuse or alcoholism, yet there remains the underlying problem. Again, societal marginalization or prejudice may be claimed as the reason for this psychological imbalance - what they like to refer to as homophobia. Yet, even in a perfect world of total acceptance and all that goes along with that, such as gay marriage, adoption of children, freedom to be promiscuous, etc. - even in this situation, there would remain an underlying, fundamental discontent. That is because homosexual sex is intrinsically disordered, no matter how romanticised or emotionally captivating. And the acts are DOA - dead on arrival - they are always unproductive ( not life generating), except in the sense of selfish sensual gratification.
Ultimately, and this is controversial, homosexuals destroy themselves the more they force their lifestyle choice upon the public, disrupting the common good. Nature rebels against any perversion, and there is inevitably a natural consequence, even chastisement, for sin . The Church warns against any discrimination or persecution of homosexual persons, and has spoken out against these evils and resulting violence. The Church compassionately invites homosexual persons to conversion of life, to share fully in the sacramental life of the Church, and thus to inherit eternal life.
Which leads me to the conclusion that the Holy Father, when saying homosexuals destroy themselves, he must ultimately be referring to one's eternal salvation. All the evils I refer to are nothing compared to the loss of one's immortal soul.
Of course, I'm just a blogger, and I've only read an article about what the Holy Father said, I do not know his mind, nevertheless this is my take on his statement. Although I do believe, one's active rejection of the teaching of the Church and the commandments, while embracing and advocating an illicit lifestyle, for the sake of some semblance of happiness in this life can indeed result in the loss of heaven and the pains of hell for all eternity. In this sense, even the successful, happy and well adjusted homosexual can destroy himself.
(from the blog "Abbey Road" http://abbey-roads.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2006-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2007-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=50 )
Pictured, Albrecht Durer, "The Men's Baths"
"In his most powerful statements to date on issues involving sexual morality, Pope Benedict XVI said homosexuals end up destroying themselves so the Church has a duty to speak out on moral issues that affect the very spiritual and physical lives of man.
"In seeking to emancipate himself from his body (from the 'biological sphere'), [man] ends up by destroying himself," the pope told cardinals, archbishops, bishops and members of the Roman Curia last week in a traditional meeting overlooked by most of the world's press. "Against those who say that 'the Church should not involve herself in these matters,' we can only respond: does man not concern us too? The church and believers must raise their voices to defend man, the creature who, in the inseparable unity of body and spirit, is the image of God." - World Net Daily
Most homosexuals will fail to see the compassion in the Holy Father's words, as they fail to understand the teaching of the Church as regards homosexuality, in both the Catechism and various episcopal statements on the problem so mysteriously prevalent in contemporary times.
Many gay people would assert that homophobic tendencies in culture, and society are what hurts homosexual persons. Evidence of discrimination, gay bashing, and alienation would be their criteria in support of this claim.
When AIDs first appeared in the early 1980's, there was a huge denial amongst most gays that there could be any relationship to homosexual sex, and if there was, conspiracy theories abounded as to who was really infecting people. Gradually, places of free-range sex were closed, gay bathhouses were closed down, and gay public sex meeting places were policed. Homosexuals themselves began a campaign for safe sex, such as condom distribution and use, mutual or group sex that did not involve penetration or sharing bodily fluids, etc.
With the advent of new medications, persons with HIV found they could live longer and healthier. The plague mentality waned, and many, especially the young, thought the worst was over, or at least, the disease became more manageable. Sex gradually became freer and more unsafe, and infections once again began to rise.
Most likely, this will be what public opinion will assume the Holy Father is referring to - destruction of gay persons through STD's. I highly doubt the Holy Father was being so simplistic and superficial in his statement.
So how does a homosexual destroy himself? We concentrate all of our values upon the here and now. Hence, HIV and AIDS aside, if we look for how a homosexual can destroy himself, we may find other more obvious means, when we examine the lifestyle and values of gay culture.
As a sex based lifestyle, gay culture exalts physical beauty to the point of idolatry. Almost every attractive male becomes a sexualized, or romanticized object. Homosexual literature and publications are the clearest example of this predacious inclination, pornography is normative in the homosexual subculture. In this sense, homosexuality debases and dehumanizes sexuality. This erotic 'love' withers the soul, and diminishes the human spirit.
Depression, chemical dependency, compulsive behaviors often accompany this disintegration - even in the best of homosexual persons - the most balanced and functional. The widespread use of anti-depressants and prescription sleep aids may often take the place of drug abuse or alcoholism, yet there remains the underlying problem. Again, societal marginalization or prejudice may be claimed as the reason for this psychological imbalance - what they like to refer to as homophobia. Yet, even in a perfect world of total acceptance and all that goes along with that, such as gay marriage, adoption of children, freedom to be promiscuous, etc. - even in this situation, there would remain an underlying, fundamental discontent. That is because homosexual sex is intrinsically disordered, no matter how romanticised or emotionally captivating. And the acts are DOA - dead on arrival - they are always unproductive ( not life generating), except in the sense of selfish sensual gratification.
Ultimately, and this is controversial, homosexuals destroy themselves the more they force their lifestyle choice upon the public, disrupting the common good. Nature rebels against any perversion, and there is inevitably a natural consequence, even chastisement, for sin . The Church warns against any discrimination or persecution of homosexual persons, and has spoken out against these evils and resulting violence. The Church compassionately invites homosexual persons to conversion of life, to share fully in the sacramental life of the Church, and thus to inherit eternal life.
Which leads me to the conclusion that the Holy Father, when saying homosexuals destroy themselves, he must ultimately be referring to one's eternal salvation. All the evils I refer to are nothing compared to the loss of one's immortal soul.
Of course, I'm just a blogger, and I've only read an article about what the Holy Father said, I do not know his mind, nevertheless this is my take on his statement. Although I do believe, one's active rejection of the teaching of the Church and the commandments, while embracing and advocating an illicit lifestyle, for the sake of some semblance of happiness in this life can indeed result in the loss of heaven and the pains of hell for all eternity. In this sense, even the successful, happy and well adjusted homosexual can destroy himself.
(from the blog "Abbey Road" http://abbey-roads.blogspot.com/search?updated-min=2006-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&updated-max=2007-01-01T00:00:00-06:00&max-results=50 )
Some saints did it. Remember the story of St. Francis who threw himself into the thorn bush and rolled around in his effort to resist temptations against chastity?
Many today mock the very idea of praying and fasting and doing violence to oneself to drive away any sort of disordered passion.
I found the story of another extraordinary saint who resisted temptations to lust to a heroic degree...
Venerable John the Much-Suffering pursued asceticism at the Kiev Caves Lavra, accepting many sorrows for the sake of virginity.
The ascetic recalled that from the time of his youth he had suffered much, tormented by fleshly lust, and nothing could deliver him from it, neither hunger nor thirst nor heavy chains. He then went into the cave where the relics of St Anthony rested, and he fervently prayed to the holy Abba. After a day and a night the much-suffering John heard a voice: “John! It is necessary for you to become a recluse, in order to weaken the vexation by silence and seclusion, and the Lord shall help you by the prayers of His monastic saints.” The saint settled into the cave from that time, and only after thirty years did he conquer the fleshly passions.
Tense and fierce was the struggle upon the thorny way on which the monk went to victory. Sometimes the desire took hold of him to forsake his seclusion, but then he resolved on still greater effort. The holy warrior of Christ dug out a pit and with the onset of Great Lent he climbed into it, and he covered himself up to the shoulders with earth. He spent the whole of Lent in such a position, but the burning of his former passions did not leave him. The enemy of salvation brought terror upon the ascetic, wishing to expel him from the cave: a fearsome serpent, breathing fire and sparks, tried to swallow the saint. For several days these evil doings continued.
On the night of the Resurrection of Christ the serpent seized the head of the monk in its jaws. Then St John cried out from the depths of his heart: “O Lord my God and my Savior! Why have You forsaken me? Have mercy upon me, only Lover of Mankind; deliver me from my foul iniquity, so that I am not trapped in the snares of the Evil one. Deliver me from the mouth of my enemy: send down a flash of lightning and drive it away.” Suddenly a bolt of lightning flashed, and the serpent vanished. A Divine Light shone upon the ascetic, and a Voice was heard: “John! Here is help for you. Be attentive from now on, that nothing worse happen to you, and that you do not suffer in the age to come.”
The saint prostrated himself and said: “Lord! Why did You leave me for so long in torment?” “I tried you according to the power of your endurance,” was the answer. “I brought upon you temptation, so that you might be purified like gold. It is to the strong and powerful servants that a master assigns the heavy work, and the easy tasks to the infirm and to the weak. Therefore pray to the one buried here (Moses the Hungarian), he can help you in this struggle, for he did greater deeds than Joseph the All-Comely” (March 31).
The monk died in the year 1160, having acquired grace against profligate passions. His incorrupt relics rest in the Caves of St Anthony.
We pray to St John for deliverance from sexual impurity.
(from one of my favorite blogs "Mystagogy" http://www.johnsanidopoulos.com/2013/07/saint-john-much-suffering-and-recluse.html )
This is very good: Fr. Paul Check on why chastity is an essential virtue for those with same-sex attraction—and for all Christians.
Fr. Paul Check is the director of Courage. Catholic World Report has an excellent interview with Fr. Check on homosexuality, identity and the grace of chastity. I will post some important points below.
Yesterday I touched on identity and 'causation' - Fr. Check does too in this interview.
On the recent decision by the Boy Scouts to allow openly homosexual scouts, but not leaders?
"Nothing is outside god's providence."
We have to return to that kind of thinking of the early Christians, knowing full well that the current culture will be hostile. It gives us a spirit of purpose. We know it will be hard. Chesterton said, “Christians go gaily into the dark.” Now maybe we have to change that to “Christians go cheerfully into the dark” because of the way that word has been distorted, but Chesterton was right. A down-faced, angry Christian fulminating at the world is not going to be a good instrument of evangelization. We need that trust and confidence in God that St. Thérèse had and showed us so magnificently. We need that now and to try to live it, and we can! God’s grace will make it possible. - Catholic World Report.
Fr. Paul Check is the director of Courage. Catholic World Report has an excellent interview with Fr. Check on homosexuality, identity and the grace of chastity. I will post some important points below.
Yesterday I touched on identity and 'causation' - Fr. Check does too in this interview.
The Catechism describes the same-sex inclination as objectively disordered. Now, we need to be plain, those words fall very hard on some ears because when they are heard it immediately sounds as if, or can sound as if, we are talking about a person—that a person is somehow disordered, not whole, not complete. But from the context of the Catechism, we can see that is not what is being said at all. What is being said is that the appetite, the erotic attraction to a member of the same sex, is out of harmony with human nature, it is misdirected. And because it is misdirected, and because we live in a world governed by cause and effect, then perhaps with some careful reflection we might be able to ascertain what it is that has caused that disordered attraction.
On the recent decision by the Boy Scouts to allow openly homosexual scouts, but not leaders?
My first concern is the boys who self-identify as “gay” or “homosexual.” And the question is: why are they doing that? If we go back to our prior discussion about identity, the Church is reluctant to label people in this way, and I think we want to do anything we can to avoid encouragement of that label, particularly for adolescents. The teenage years are a period of discovery and adventure in a certain sense and a time of coming to know oneself. And that has to be guided properly so that self-entanglement doesn’t take place. Many different things are happening at this age and it seems, at best, premature in that stage of development for someone to take a label for himself that is not reflective of his entire being.
[...]In Veritatis Splendor, Blessed Pope John Paul II says that we are in some degree changed by our actions, although we have a fixed human nature. The more a young person self-identifies, the more he is already making a choice in order to firm up that identity in his mind. The better hope is to caution a great reserve in this and to charitably and prudently establish trust with the young person and see what may lie behind the same-sex attraction, so that very real help can be given. But encouragement to act out, even if it is just self-identification—certainly encouragement to act out sexually—is not going to be good, but is going to reinforce what is in fact a false identity which can only lead them to unhappiness. The point is that the same-sex attraction or desire can never be acted upon consistent with our human nature and therefore it will always put the person at cross-purposes with himself or herself.
"Nothing is outside god's providence."
We have to want to live chastely, cheerfully, and joyfully. The problem of pornography and the problem of contraception are things that are wide-spread within the Catholic community, including Mass-going Catholics. We have to examine our own conviction that chastity is essential for the joy of human relationships. We cannot expect that other people are only going to do what we say they should do, such as, “Don’t marry someone of the same sex.” We can hardly expect to be a compelling voice if we are not already convinced of the veracity of all that the Church teaches us, so we have to live that virtue cheerfully and joyfully. And if we do, other people will see it and be attracted to it.
We have to return to that kind of thinking of the early Christians, knowing full well that the current culture will be hostile. It gives us a spirit of purpose. We know it will be hard. Chesterton said, “Christians go gaily into the dark.” Now maybe we have to change that to “Christians go cheerfully into the dark” because of the way that word has been distorted, but Chesterton was right. A down-faced, angry Christian fulminating at the world is not going to be a good instrument of evangelization. We need that trust and confidence in God that St. Thérèse had and showed us so magnificently. We need that now and to try to live it, and we can! God’s grace will make it possible. - Catholic World Report.
Eduardo Verastegui:"Yes to Christ, yes to purity, yes to chastity, and yes to God."
The actor revealed that it has been a decade since he made a vow to abstain from sex and he says it has been the best time of his life!
He confessed to Agencia Mexico:
The actor revealed that it has been a decade since he made a vow to abstain from sex and he says it has been the best time of his life!
He confessed to Agencia Mexico:
“It has been 10 years since I made the promise to live in chastity and it’s the decade in which I have been most productive, with things that one way or another have helped other people. It’s been the happiest years of my life, in which I’ve had the most peace, happiness, and harmony and in which the most positive things have happened in my family.”
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
As a virtue
Chastity is the virtue which excludes or moderates the indulgence of the sexual appetite. It is a form of the virtue of temperance, which controls according to right reason the desire for and use of those things which afford the greatest sensual pleasures. The sources of such delectation are food and drink, by means of which the life of the individual is conserved, and the union of the sexes, by means of which the permanence of the species is secured. Chastity, therefore, is allied to abstinence and sobriety; for, as by these latter the pleasures of the nutritive functions are rightly regulated, so by chastity the procreative appetite is duly restricted. Understood as interdicting all carnal pleasures, chastity is taken generally to be the same as continency, though between these two, Aristotle, as pointed out in the article on CONTINENCY, drew a marked distinction. With chastity is often confounded modesty, though this latter is properly but a special circumstance of chastity or rather, we might say, its complement. For modesty is the quality of delicate reserve and constraint with reference to all acts that give rise to shame, and is therefore the outpost and safeguard of chastity. It is hardly necessary to observe that the virtue under discussion may be a purely natural one. As such, its motive would be the natural decency seen in the control of the sexual appetite, according to the norm of reason. Such a motive springs from the dignity of human nature, which, without this rational sway, is degraded to brutish levels. But it is more particularly as a supernatural virtue that we would consider chastity. Viewed thus, its motives are discovered in the light of faith. These are particularly the words and example of Jesus Christ and the reverence that is owing to the human body as the temple of the Holy Ghost, as incorporated into that mystic body of which Christ is the head, as the recipient of the Blessed Eucharist, and finally, as destined to share hereafter with the soul a life of eternal glory. According as chastity would exclude all voluntary Carnal pleasures, or allow this gratification only within prescribed limits, it is known as absolute or relative. The former is enjoined upon the unmarried, the latter is incumbent upon those within the marriage state. The indulgence of the sexual appetite being prohibited to all outside of legitimate wedlock, the wilful impulse to it in the unmarried, like the wilful impulse to anything unlawful, is forbidden. Moreover, such is the intensity of the sexual passion that this impulse is perilously apt to bear away the will before it. Hence, when wilful, it is a grave offence of its very nature. It must be observed too, that this impulse is constituted, not merely by an effective desire, but by every voluntary impure thought. Besides the classification already given, there is another, according to which chastity is distinguished as perfect, or imperfect. The first-mentioned is the virtue of those who, in order to devote themselves more unreservedly to God and their spiritual interests, resolve to refrain perpetually from even the licit pleasures of the marital state. When this resolution is made by one who has never known the gratification allowed in marriage, perfect chastity becomes virginity. Because of these two elements — the high purpose and the absolute inexperience — just referred to, virginal chastity takes on the character of a special virtue distinct from that which connotes abstinence merely from illicit carnal pleasure. Nor is it necessary that the resolution implied in virginity be fortified by a vow, though as practised ordinarily and in the most perfect manner, virginal chastity, as St. Thomas following St. Augustine, would imply, supposes a vow. (Summa Theologiæ II-II.152.3 ad 4) The special virtue we are here considering involves a physical integrity. Yet while the Church demands this integrity in those who would wear the veil of consecrated virgins, it is but an accidental quality and may be lost without detriment to that higher spiritual integrity in which formally the virtue of virginity resides. The latter integrity is necessary and is alone sufficient to win the aureole said to await virgins as a special heavenly reward (St. Thomas, Suppl., Q. xcvi, a. 5). Imperfect chastity is that which is proper to the state of those who have not as yet entered wedlock without however having renounced the intention of doing so, of those also who are joined by the bonds of legitimate marriage, and finally of those who have outlived their marital partners. However in the case of those last mentioned the resolution may be taken which obviously would make the chastity practised that which we have defined as the perfect kind.Monday, September 2, 2013
Impure Thoughts
Many dangers are likewise forthcoming from our prurient thoughts, especially when we dwell too long on certain ideas that might excite concupiscence or do not suppress certain others immediately. Resist beginnings as all spiritual writers encourage for too slow of a response to impure thoughts can be venial sin and dwelling and taking delight can be serious sin, which Our Divine Teacher so strongly advised against: "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Therefore, the very same precautions for roving eyes apply to a wandering mind.
Impure Speech
"The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which defileth the whole body, and inflameth the wheel of our nativity, being set on fire by hell. The tongue no man can tame, an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison. By it we bless God and the Father: and by it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so be." (James 3: 5-12)
No act of impurity is more common than an unchaste tongue. It is a world of iniquity, as the apostle James testifies, set on fire by hell. And it sins often seriously through profanity, obscenity or vulgarities. In today’s world where most social conventions of decency have lost the social graces of yesteryear i.e. acting as a Christian lady or gentleman, many adults perpetrate the basest crudities of sinful speech upon youth and commit, quite often mortal sins because of their unbridled tongues and the accompanying scandals.
Our Lord Himself indicated the reasons why all should avoid giving scandal to His little ones. "See that you despise not one of these little ones." And why? "For I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven," and, furthermore, "of such is the kingdom of God."
Terrible punishment necessarily awaits those who disregard the warning of Our Lord: "He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea." These words of Jesus are to be understood in a literal sense, for they do not refer to spiritual children but to those little beings on the threshold of life, for whom scandal is far more dangerous than it is for others. Several pagan Roman authors have commented upon this very innocence of children. According to Horace, a child at this age is like unto soft wax and easily lends itself to vice; once deformed it cannot be easily restored to the form of virtue. We also remember in the great novels of yesteryear, Charles Dickens relating in "Oliver Twist" about Fagan who taught young boys and orphans off the streets of London how to steal for him, via all kinds of unseemly tactics and behavior that Fagan taught them.
The Roman poet Juvenal, wishing to prevent the scandalizing of young impressionable children, taught that the greatest respect is due to them and that nothing sinful should be done in their presence. We all recognize today that the brunt of the scandal that children are subjected to by adults is the unbridled tongues of the older generation who casually use profanity, obscenity, and vulgarities to accent their speech. Often this is done in anger, frustration, or even to be comedic in order to entice others to pay attention to their infamous conversation.
We are all aware of the three basic kinds of impure speech: profanity, the worst, using God’s infinitely perfect and pure name casually in conversation, with simply the name of God or Jesus Christ to accent their speech or using all kinds of variations of God’s most Holy Names or His Titles with gross irreverences; obscenity, the most offensive, using terminology referring to the sacred parts of the body or the marital act to again accent a point made in conversation; and vulgarities, the rudest, using ‘barnyard’ language of the four letter variety to make a point about what one is expressing.
All of these abominations of speech offend decency’s virtue and Almighty God in serious or venial sins. Commonly, vulgarities are venial sins or even imperfections, if not too course, but profanities and obscenities are often serious sins, especially if they cause scandal to the young and innocent or blaspheme the name of God or holy persons or objects. If done in anger, using profanities, especially, can be serious sins, and also obscenities.
Swearing can involve any or all of the above sinful uses of speech. By swearing is meant the use of holy names of God or holy people or places or things in a solemn declaration in order to confirm or verify what a person is saying. Worse than swearing is cursing which is wishing ill to someone or something by calling upon God’s name or something holy to witness the curse as is the case with workmen who call down evil on the tools they employ or parents in anger upon their children because they aggravate them. The Fathers of the Church used to consider swearing as a sign of perdition, and those who curse others or things are destined to perish (Ps. 36:22); they shall not possess the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:10). Ordinary swearing is a venial sin, provided no serious evil is wished upon one’s neighbor, nevertheless, it is a far greater sin than taking God’s name in vain, because not only is it disrespectful towards God, but an offence against charity. All of this is likewise uncharitable speech and at the worst scandalous because virtually always an audience is present. Now scandal can be direct or indirect. One commits scandal indirectly if one fails to prevent evil when in a position of responsible authority and duty and one should and could do so. In other words, one also commits scandal indirectly when, in spite of one’s desire to prevent it, one is deterred by fear of gossip or what others may think. As Father John Hardon, S.J. often said: "What sins we will commit for human respect." And so here with impure and sinful speech that is scandalous, whenever others that might be harmed from it are present, in particular Christ’s little ones; we are sinning by omission by not speaking up and therefore are lying supine in our own religious tepidity, especially if we are parents, teachers, bosses at work, or simply in a conversation with others and this kind of offensive impure speech arises.
Direct scandal in speech is usually always mortally sinful for it is perpetrated by sinners who either profane the Holy Name of God, curse others or inanimate objects with it or use obscenities to be humorous and belittle the marital act. And it is mortally sinful especially if these perpetrators glory in their wicked deeds and who because of their diabolical perversions try to increase the number of accomplices in their crimes of impure speech in their verbal damnations. Such men respect neither the innocence of character nor the purity of childhood.
Parents and teachers frequently exhibit virtually no care for the moral upbringing and preservation of the children’s innocence in their embrace by the prevention of impure speech in their midst today. Too often the parents themselves are the vile perpetrators themselves with these infamous unbridled tongues. What wonder, then, that children fall so easily as they proceed along the journey of life where they are continually exposed to the temptations of Satan without any spiritual protection from parent, kinfolk, teacher or vigilant adult. Again the pagan Roman poet Juvenal reprimands the danger of bad domestic example that corrupts children more quickly and thoroughly because of parents and relatives are endowed with the fullest authority in the home. For what son or daughter does not wish to act and speak as his father or mother who themselves taught the little ones to speak from the start. Frequently, no later remedy is of any purpose for such a wayward child because the sinful vice of an evil tongue has become second nature.
The heavenly advice of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior and the Word of God, ought to guide us in all our speech so that it is chaste, pure and reverent and charitable: "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
(Matt. 12: 34-34)
Our holy Catholic Faith impresses upon us still more emphatic reasons for "chaste reverent speech." St. John Chrysostom, the great Christian preacher of the fourth century, who spoke to the people of his day in the homely language of everyday life, and moved so many hearts and minds said in one of his sermons: "Thou hast a spiritual mouth, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ponder well the dignity of that mouth of thine. Thy dwelling place is heaven. Thy conversation is with the angels. Thou art deemed worthy of the kiss of the Lord in Holy Communion. By so many and so great things has God adorned thy mouth– with hymns, the hymns of angels; he has adorned it with more than angels’ food– with His Kiss, with His Embrace. And darest thou speak ill?"
(taken from http://theorthodoxromancatholic.com )
Many dangers are likewise forthcoming from our prurient thoughts, especially when we dwell too long on certain ideas that might excite concupiscence or do not suppress certain others immediately. Resist beginnings as all spiritual writers encourage for too slow of a response to impure thoughts can be venial sin and dwelling and taking delight can be serious sin, which Our Divine Teacher so strongly advised against: "You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart." Therefore, the very same precautions for roving eyes apply to a wandering mind.
Impure Speech
"The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity. The tongue is placed among our members, which defileth the whole body, and inflameth the wheel of our nativity, being set on fire by hell. The tongue no man can tame, an unquiet evil, full of deadly poison. By it we bless God and the Father: and by it we curse men, who are made after the likeness of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so be." (James 3: 5-12)
No act of impurity is more common than an unchaste tongue. It is a world of iniquity, as the apostle James testifies, set on fire by hell. And it sins often seriously through profanity, obscenity or vulgarities. In today’s world where most social conventions of decency have lost the social graces of yesteryear i.e. acting as a Christian lady or gentleman, many adults perpetrate the basest crudities of sinful speech upon youth and commit, quite often mortal sins because of their unbridled tongues and the accompanying scandals.
Our Lord Himself indicated the reasons why all should avoid giving scandal to His little ones. "See that you despise not one of these little ones." And why? "For I say to you, that their angels in heaven always see the face of My Father Who is in heaven," and, furthermore, "of such is the kingdom of God."
Terrible punishment necessarily awaits those who disregard the warning of Our Lord: "He that shall scandalize one of these little ones that believe in Me, it were better for him that a millstone should be hanged about his neck, and that he should be drowned in the depth of the sea." These words of Jesus are to be understood in a literal sense, for they do not refer to spiritual children but to those little beings on the threshold of life, for whom scandal is far more dangerous than it is for others. Several pagan Roman authors have commented upon this very innocence of children. According to Horace, a child at this age is like unto soft wax and easily lends itself to vice; once deformed it cannot be easily restored to the form of virtue. We also remember in the great novels of yesteryear, Charles Dickens relating in "Oliver Twist" about Fagan who taught young boys and orphans off the streets of London how to steal for him, via all kinds of unseemly tactics and behavior that Fagan taught them.
The Roman poet Juvenal, wishing to prevent the scandalizing of young impressionable children, taught that the greatest respect is due to them and that nothing sinful should be done in their presence. We all recognize today that the brunt of the scandal that children are subjected to by adults is the unbridled tongues of the older generation who casually use profanity, obscenity, and vulgarities to accent their speech. Often this is done in anger, frustration, or even to be comedic in order to entice others to pay attention to their infamous conversation.
We are all aware of the three basic kinds of impure speech: profanity, the worst, using God’s infinitely perfect and pure name casually in conversation, with simply the name of God or Jesus Christ to accent their speech or using all kinds of variations of God’s most Holy Names or His Titles with gross irreverences; obscenity, the most offensive, using terminology referring to the sacred parts of the body or the marital act to again accent a point made in conversation; and vulgarities, the rudest, using ‘barnyard’ language of the four letter variety to make a point about what one is expressing.
All of these abominations of speech offend decency’s virtue and Almighty God in serious or venial sins. Commonly, vulgarities are venial sins or even imperfections, if not too course, but profanities and obscenities are often serious sins, especially if they cause scandal to the young and innocent or blaspheme the name of God or holy persons or objects. If done in anger, using profanities, especially, can be serious sins, and also obscenities.
Swearing can involve any or all of the above sinful uses of speech. By swearing is meant the use of holy names of God or holy people or places or things in a solemn declaration in order to confirm or verify what a person is saying. Worse than swearing is cursing which is wishing ill to someone or something by calling upon God’s name or something holy to witness the curse as is the case with workmen who call down evil on the tools they employ or parents in anger upon their children because they aggravate them. The Fathers of the Church used to consider swearing as a sign of perdition, and those who curse others or things are destined to perish (Ps. 36:22); they shall not possess the kingdom of God (1Cor. 6:10). Ordinary swearing is a venial sin, provided no serious evil is wished upon one’s neighbor, nevertheless, it is a far greater sin than taking God’s name in vain, because not only is it disrespectful towards God, but an offence against charity. All of this is likewise uncharitable speech and at the worst scandalous because virtually always an audience is present. Now scandal can be direct or indirect. One commits scandal indirectly if one fails to prevent evil when in a position of responsible authority and duty and one should and could do so. In other words, one also commits scandal indirectly when, in spite of one’s desire to prevent it, one is deterred by fear of gossip or what others may think. As Father John Hardon, S.J. often said: "What sins we will commit for human respect." And so here with impure and sinful speech that is scandalous, whenever others that might be harmed from it are present, in particular Christ’s little ones; we are sinning by omission by not speaking up and therefore are lying supine in our own religious tepidity, especially if we are parents, teachers, bosses at work, or simply in a conversation with others and this kind of offensive impure speech arises.
Direct scandal in speech is usually always mortally sinful for it is perpetrated by sinners who either profane the Holy Name of God, curse others or inanimate objects with it or use obscenities to be humorous and belittle the marital act. And it is mortally sinful especially if these perpetrators glory in their wicked deeds and who because of their diabolical perversions try to increase the number of accomplices in their crimes of impure speech in their verbal damnations. Such men respect neither the innocence of character nor the purity of childhood.
Parents and teachers frequently exhibit virtually no care for the moral upbringing and preservation of the children’s innocence in their embrace by the prevention of impure speech in their midst today. Too often the parents themselves are the vile perpetrators themselves with these infamous unbridled tongues. What wonder, then, that children fall so easily as they proceed along the journey of life where they are continually exposed to the temptations of Satan without any spiritual protection from parent, kinfolk, teacher or vigilant adult. Again the pagan Roman poet Juvenal reprimands the danger of bad domestic example that corrupts children more quickly and thoroughly because of parents and relatives are endowed with the fullest authority in the home. For what son or daughter does not wish to act and speak as his father or mother who themselves taught the little ones to speak from the start. Frequently, no later remedy is of any purpose for such a wayward child because the sinful vice of an evil tongue has become second nature.
The heavenly advice of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior and the Word of God, ought to guide us in all our speech so that it is chaste, pure and reverent and charitable: "You brood of vipers! How can you speak good, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings forth evil. I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."
(Matt. 12: 34-34)
Our holy Catholic Faith impresses upon us still more emphatic reasons for "chaste reverent speech." St. John Chrysostom, the great Christian preacher of the fourth century, who spoke to the people of his day in the homely language of everyday life, and moved so many hearts and minds said in one of his sermons: "Thou hast a spiritual mouth, sealed by the Holy Spirit. Ponder well the dignity of that mouth of thine. Thy dwelling place is heaven. Thy conversation is with the angels. Thou art deemed worthy of the kiss of the Lord in Holy Communion. By so many and so great things has God adorned thy mouth– with hymns, the hymns of angels; he has adorned it with more than angels’ food– with His Kiss, with His Embrace. And darest thou speak ill?"
(taken from http://theorthodoxromancatholic.com )
THE PRAYERS AND SPECIAL INDULGENCES
OF THE CORD OF ST. JOSEPH
OF THE CORD OF ST. JOSEPH
RECITE DAILY SEVEN TIMES THE GLORY BE, TOGETHER WITH THE
FOLLOWING PRAYER, WHICH IS THE PRAYER FOR PURITY
FOLLOWING PRAYER, WHICH IS THE PRAYER FOR PURITY
O GUARDIAN of Virgins and holy Father St. Joseph, into
whose faithful keeping were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence
Itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, I pray and beseech thee by these
dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved from all uncleanness,
I may with spotless mind, pure heart and chaste body, ever serve Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen.
whose faithful keeping were entrusted Christ Jesus, Innocence
Itself, and Mary, Virgin of virgins, I pray and beseech thee by these
dear pledges, Jesus and Mary, that, being preserved from all uncleanness,
I may with spotless mind, pure heart and chaste body, ever serve Jesus and Mary most chastely all the days of my life. Amen.
The Cord of St. Joseph
The devotion to the Cord of St. Joseph took its rise in the town of Antwerp, Belgium, in 1637, in consequence of a miraculous cure effected by the wearing of this precious girdle. At that time there lived there an Augustinian nun of great piety, named Sr. Elizabeth, who had suffered for three years excruciating pains occasioned by a cruel distemper. She had reached such a stage that the doctors, seeing no possible recourse, declared her death to be inevitable and imminent. Sr. Elizabeth turned to Heaven, and having always been particularly devoted to St. Joseph, she asked him to intercede to Our Lord for her recovery. At the same time she had a cord blessed in the Saint's honor, girded herself with it, a few days after, as she prayed before st. Joseph's image, she felt herself suddenly free of the pain. Those who were acquainted with her illness declared her recovery miraculous; an act of authenticity was drawn up with a public notary and the doctor, who happened to be a Protestant, concurred. The miracle was recorded and published at Verona and Rome between 1810-42. During the month of March of the latter year, the Devotion to the Cord came into existence. Cords were blessed in the Church of St. Nicholas, Verona, for hospital patients.
The chapel in the church is dedicated to St. Joseph. Numerous special graces were obtained and the devotion spread to France, all parts of Italy and even to America and Asia. The cord was invoked, not merely as a remedy against physical ailments, but also as a preservation of the virtue of purity.
The devotion to the Cord of St. Joseph took its rise in the town of Antwerp, Belgium, in 1637, in consequence of a miraculous cure effected by the wearing of this precious girdle. At that time there lived there an Augustinian nun of great piety, named Sr. Elizabeth, who had suffered for three years excruciating pains occasioned by a cruel distemper. She had reached such a stage that the doctors, seeing no possible recourse, declared her death to be inevitable and imminent. Sr. Elizabeth turned to Heaven, and having always been particularly devoted to St. Joseph, she asked him to intercede to Our Lord for her recovery. At the same time she had a cord blessed in the Saint's honor, girded herself with it, a few days after, as she prayed before st. Joseph's image, she felt herself suddenly free of the pain. Those who were acquainted with her illness declared her recovery miraculous; an act of authenticity was drawn up with a public notary and the doctor, who happened to be a Protestant, concurred. The miracle was recorded and published at Verona and Rome between 1810-42. During the month of March of the latter year, the Devotion to the Cord came into existence. Cords were blessed in the Church of St. Nicholas, Verona, for hospital patients.
The chapel in the church is dedicated to St. Joseph. Numerous special graces were obtained and the devotion spread to France, all parts of Italy and even to America and Asia. The cord was invoked, not merely as a remedy against physical ailments, but also as a preservation of the virtue of purity.
GRACES ATTACHED TO THE WEARING OF THE CORD
Graces precious to the piety of St. Joseph's servants are attached to the
wearing of this cord. They are:
1. St. Joseph's special protection;
2. Purity of soul;
3. The grace of chastity;
4. Final perseverance;
5. Particular assistance at the hour of death.
wearing of this cord. They are:
1. St. Joseph's special protection;
2. Purity of soul;
3. The grace of chastity;
4. Final perseverance;
5. Particular assistance at the hour of death.
NATURE OF THE CORD AND THE MANNER OF WEARING IT
The Cord of St. Joseph should be of thread or cotton, ending at one extremity
in seven knots, indicative of the Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph. It is worn as a girdle for purity or chastity and humility and around the shoulders for obedience. It ought to be blessed by a priest with the faculties for this blessing. Pius IX approved a special formula for the blessing of the cord of St. Joseph.
in seven knots, indicative of the Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph. It is worn as a girdle for purity or chastity and humility and around the shoulders for obedience. It ought to be blessed by a priest with the faculties for this blessing. Pius IX approved a special formula for the blessing of the cord of St. Joseph.
WHEN YOU RECEIVE YOUR CORD, IT WILL BE A LONG CORD WITH A KNOT AT EACH END.
AT ONE END YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE 6 KNOTS TO ADD TO THE ONE ALREADY THERE. THIS IS THE PART OF THE CORD THAT HANGS FREE AFTER TYING ABOUT THE WAIST OR SHOULDER.
AT ONE END YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE 6 KNOTS TO ADD TO THE ONE ALREADY THERE. THIS IS THE PART OF THE CORD THAT HANGS FREE AFTER TYING ABOUT THE WAIST OR SHOULDER.
CONDITIONS FOR GAINING THE INDULGENCES
1. Be truly contrite, confess and communicate the day of investiture or wearing it for the first time.
2. If possible visit the church of the Association or an other oratory, if not, and to pray for peace between Christian princes or rulers, the extirpation of heresies, and the exaltation of Holy Mother Church.
3. Must be affiliated with the Church of San Rocco at Rome. We do not know how binding this is for Americans or how to contact them. We have provided a link to the Company that distributes the Cord in the U.S. Someone one there may know how to contact that church.
All the indulgences are applicable to the Holy Souls.
2. If possible visit the church of the Association or an other oratory, if not, and to pray for peace between Christian princes or rulers, the extirpation of heresies, and the exaltation of Holy Mother Church.
3. Must be affiliated with the Church of San Rocco at Rome. We do not know how binding this is for Americans or how to contact them. We have provided a link to the Company that distributes the Cord in the U.S. Someone one there may know how to contact that church.
All the indulgences are applicable to the Holy Souls.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)