The Spiritual Works of Mercy

• instruct the ignorant
• counsel the doubtful
• admonish the sinner
• bear wrongs patiently
• forgive offenses willingly
• comfort the afflicted
• pray for the living and the dead

Being a child of the 1970s, I never memorized the works of mercy.  Perhaps if I had I would have noticed that another answer to the false mercy of the Jesuit Liberal Calvinists would be the first three Spiritual Works of Mercy- at which far too many Jesuit schools are woefully inadequate.

In their rush to "Academic Freedom" under the sexual revolution, they exceed at the last four- but utterly ignore the first three.  And yet, the first three are precisely how we should be showing mercy to the unrepentant.

If there was one thing I could ask Pope Francis about

It would be this question "Is the law not also a part of mercy"?

From his closing comments to the synod, in which he was rather harsh with those who follow the law "The Church’s first duty is not to hand down condemnations or anathemas, but to proclaim God’s mercy, to call to conversion, and to lead all men and women to salvation in the Lord (cf. Jn 12:44-50)."- Pope Francis conclusion to the 2015 synod

I see repentance as necessary for mercy. Justice, repentance, and Mercy, the human trinity.

The way this is shown is in the eternal call to conversion- a person who doesn't know his sin is a sin can't convert. The reason for the condemnations and anathemas is precisely the call to conversion.

If you are looking for more of my evolving thoughts on this subject, use the labels to find other related posts.

On Bullying | Spiritual Friendship

On Bullying | Spiritual Friendship:



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Funny, I never thought of this before- but sometimes, the lie of sexual orientation is merely giving in to years of abuse from homophobes or heterophobes.

Since my comment to Spiritual Friendship didn't post- I may have been banned there- here is a synopsis of my thoughts upon reading this topic.

I could have written this post.  But with nearly 20 years advantage in maturity on the author, my story ends very differently.  In 2000, at age 30, I was diagnosed with High Functioning Autism Level 1, formerly known as Asperger's.  Before that, the bullying never made sense to me.  I was interested in dating women, I had no idea why they called me fag and queer.  Why, in the cruel middle school game of Smear the Queer, I was always the queer.

I now know.  Any kid with strange mannerisms, who doesn't quite get social niceties, is queer.

Sexual Orientation is a myth.  It is the myth of the bullies.  Accepting the label is giving in to the bullying.

And that is why I am often seen as opposed to gays, as "living in a different reality"- because I do not accept the myth of sexual orientation.

The Bishops Take on Porn

Pornography is a problem often overlooked in American society and is the part of the sexual revolution that has infected the brains of just about everybody under 40 years old. As usual, the Bishops are a half century late tackling this issue- but at least they ARE tackling this issue. I suggest that pornography is more than just the obvious- Romance Novels are as much porn as Hustler, fanfic on the internet is often quite nearly as pornographic as anything found in an x rated video. The idea that this is only a male problem is ridiculous.

The problem with the law of scarcity

The real problem with the law of scarcity is in the difference between the word "want" and the word "need".  God provided us with a planet that has all the natural resources we need to feed, clothe, and shelter 80 billion people, if we work for it and distribute those goods fairly and equitably.  And most importantly, if we distribute the work equitably.

There can never be enough for want however- want is psychological, and the infinity of human want is greater than the infinity of God himself.

I am not a Theologian, I just play one on the Internet

And thus, for once, I really want some theologians to comment on this, wherever you find it.

Sin, Mercy, and Justice are the trinity of the human mind.  We worship, as Catholics, the Trinity of God the Father, God the Son, God the Spirit.  But we act in a fallen mortal world- a world where Original Sin is a scientifically proven fact by preponderance of evidence (ok, the science is theology, and since a few atheists follow me, I'm sure they will disagree with that, but I'd ask them before they jump on that if they've ever acted against personal conscience- doing something they knew was wrong and justifying it afterwards).  And where there is sin, there is need for mercy.  Where there is mercy, there is also a need for justice.  These three concepts are so intertwined that (with apologies to Kasper the friendly Cardinal, who I know believes differently) they cannot and should never be separated.

Luke 17:1-10 tells us that we should forgive the repentant.  But what are the repentant, if not those who seek to do something to repair the temporal effects of their sin, who seek justice for their own crimes?  And are not these the very people who deserve mercy the most?

Likewise, the man who seeks to avoid his sin, who claims that it is not sin, and who does no repentance- has not done justice.  And thus, does not deserve mercy.

Using the Year of Mercy Logo above- which I detest, but does include this point- it is not only Christ trying to see through the sinner's eye.  It is also the Sinner trying to see through Christ's eye.  I know many liberal evangelicals and less than orthodox Catholics who only see the first- and forget the second.

Public Health Ignored as HIV Spreads - Crisis Magazine

The real problem with homosexuality- it is a twisted worldview that directly harms homosexuals.



Public Health Ignored as HIV Spreads - Crisis Magazine:



'via Blog this'

Paintings Made By Unborn Babies | Bored Panda

Paintings Made By Unborn Babies | Bored Panda:



'via Blog this'



So much for the "lacks the capacity for consciousness" argument

The Medieval Mind and the Modernist Error |Blogs | NCRegister.com

The Medieval Mind and the Modernist Error |Blogs | NCRegister.com:



'via Blog this'



This is brilliant.  Yes, that is exactly right.  Without morality, without a moral intelligence, a technological intelligence becomes monstrous.

What same sex marriage means to me

The Assault on Parental Moral Authority - Crisis Magazine:



'via Blog this'



I've often been asked why I oppose same sex marriage, because as a heterosexual, what harm does allowing two sodomites or two lesbians get married mean to me?



This is why.  Because same sex marriage isn't about same sex marriage, it's about a direct attack on biological parental rights.  In that, it mirrors its elder brother, no fault divorce, and its elder twin sisters, contraception and abortion.



Dissent from the new order cannot be tolerated- so now the Department of Education gets into the destruction of biological gender act.

Please Pray for a former member of our council

From St Clare Sisters in the Spirit:
-------------------------

Dear friends,

   Please pray for Gary Lane, a parishioner who is dealing with cancer of the throat. He has been a faithful reader for the last couple of years. And let's remember to continue to support Georgette Spacarelli as she goes through 5 weeks of radiation therapy. 

   I have a beautiful Sunday evening prayer which is labeled a "Traditional Jewish Prayer". I always find it reassuring that the best of all faith traditions have so much in common. I feel sure that makes God smile!

    "Grant us peace, goodness, and blessing; life, grace and kindness; justice and mercy,  Our Father, bless us all together with the light of your presence, for in the light of your presence you give us law and life, love and kindness, justice and mercy, blessing and peace.  And in your eyes it is good to bless your people with great strength and peace. Blessed are you, Lord, who bless your people with peace.  Amen." Amen. Amen

Sheila

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He may no longer be our brother in our order, but he is our brother in Christ.

How to Improve Your Mind - Archbishop Fulton Sheen - YouTube

How to Improve Your Mind - Archbishop Fulton Sheen - YouTube:



'via Blog this'



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Liberal Calvinism and the problem of Mercy

I have a problem with the upcoming Jubilee Year of Mercy.

I'm having a bit of a crisis of faith over competing definitions of the word mercy, and the role of repentance in forgiveness when it comes to salvation.

On the one side (one might say the conservative Catholic side), to paraphrase Fr. Robert Baron, Mercy includes Misery.  You don't ask for mercy for q situation that isn't making you miserable; thus, even merely asking for mercy is a form of repentance.  And as we know from Luke 17:1-10, God's mercy for the repentant is indeed boundless- all we need to do is recognize that we have sinned and are sorry for it, and we WILL be forgiven. q=>r=>m

The other side (one might say the liberal form of Calvinism) God's Mercy is also boundless- and unavoidable.  All good dogs go to heaven type.  In this form salvation is unavoidable, heaven is very full, and hell is very empty, because God forgives *everything*, even the previously unforgivable sin of failing to ask for repentance.

The problem is, I see Jesuits in America Magazine and in real life preaching more the second and far less of the first.  They call this being pastoral.  Even the Pope has had harsh words for the Pharisees who insist on repentance first.  But where is the role for evangelization and conversion in the second?, Why would anybody give up the joys of sin, if all sins are forgiven whether we repent or not?

When did the liberal Calvinists take over Europe?  Why do they have so much power in the Curia?  And why is their form "Pastoral"?

Want an excellent Laugh?

The Pope / Useful Notes - TV Tropes:





A great cure for Francis Fanaticism, is to read the St. John Paul II section of this page (along with the rest of the history of "Famous Popes and their TV Tropes")