O Christian, Know Thyself

Not all of you know the mysteries of the theological virtues.  Theological means related to God, and virtues mean a power to act.  In the above paragraph you observed how the intellect functions and how the free will functions.  Every normal human being has his intellect and free will performing on natural objects nearly all the time. Besides that, the intellect and will can also be concerned with God as our creator and judge, the One who will punish us or reward us in all justice. That knowledge and willing remains merely in the natural order of created activity.  Without supernatural elevation, man in the natural order, can never know God in Himself, as He is a supernatural being.  The question comes up!  Just how can man know God in Himself as a supernatural being? That is possible only if God elevates him in such a way that the intellect can know God with a supernatural (finite) activity known as divine and Catholic faith.  The same is true of the will.  Once it is elevated it can desire God as He is, supernaturally, and he can love God as He is, supernaturally.   He can know God just as God know Himself, and here is the mystery of Beatific Vision, the viewing of God supernaturally. The elevated man is raised by the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity to act divinely. 

These supernatural virtues come with sanctifying grace for the first time at baptism, and if they are lost, they are gained again by the Sacrament of Penance, received actually or in desire. 

After receiving Holy Communion the Catholic knows by faith that Jesus is in him, really, truly and substantially.   Jesus remains in him as long as the species of bread (and wine) are not digested.  After they are digested Jesus is no longer present in the person: Body, Soul and divinity, really, truly and substantially.  Hence, the normal Catholic makes great use of the minutes after receiving Holy Communion to talk, heart to heart, with Jesus.  Jesus, forgive me.  Jesus give me all the gifts and graces I need to make it to heaven.  After about fifteen minutes following the reception of Holy Communion, the Catholic goes on with his life of prayer and work as usual. 

O Christian, do you not know that you are the temple of God?  We are told by God through St. Paul the following: 

“Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you.  But if any man violate the temple of God, him shall God destroy.  For the temple of God is holy, which you are.”  

I Corinthians 3, 16 &17

Catholic Churches and the hearts of Catholics have Christ in them as in a tabernacle, Body, Soul and divinity, really, truly and substantially.  That explains the great reverence that Catholics have in a Church where the Blessed Sacrament is present and in the heart when the Blessed Sacrament is present after Communion.  In our times, because there are only three priests, there are very few places where the Blessed Sacrament is present.  That absence makes some people lonesome and fearful.  Prospective converts say I cannot get along without the Mass and Holy Communion, so I will not become a Catholic with you until you have a Catholic Church in our town. 

Those people do not know the mystery of the indwelling of the Holy Ghost in the souls of all those who have sanctifying grace.  We turn our ear to Christ, John 14, 23 &24: “If any one love me, he will keep my word.  And my Father will love him and we will come and make our abode with him.  He that loveth me not keepeth not my words.”…and will not have God abiding in him. 

Consider what is involved in, “make our abode with him.”  As long as one has sanctifying grace the Holy Ghost (together with the Father and the Son) abides in the soul really, truly and substantially. From the time one is baptized until his death (if he commits no mortal sin) the Christian has the Holy Ghost residing in him continually (without missing a moment) really, truly and substantially.  He is there just as He is in heaven. 

We must strain to make this mystery more fully understood.  There is a Christmas song (in the English speaking world) which goes as follows: I shall be home for Christmas, (even if I am absent)…if only in my dreams.  The family rejoices in those kind wishes, but think if that person really walks into the house for Christmas.  Then he is not there merely in his dreams, but he is there really, truly and substantially. 

How shameful it would be if a Catholic were so poorly instructed that he was entirely unaware of this divine presence (this real, true and substantial presence)!  He does not know what a terrible and dreadful loss he encounters the moment he may fall into mortal sin.  He not only loses the divine presence in his soul, but he also loses the most wonderful theological virtue of charity, and later quite generally also hope and faith. 

In order to bring this doctrine home it can be helpful if We make a prayer (conversation) with the Holy Ghost. 

An act of faith  is an activity of the elevated intellect, with the functioning of the theological virtue of faith: O God I believe in Thee with my elevated intellect by  means of a supernatural act of knowing Thee, now in a dark manner.  I know that if I persevere in sanctifying grace unto death that this same supernatural vision of Thee, will make it possible for me to view Thee in heaven, clearly, “face to face” forever without alteration.  In a finite manner I will view Thee in Thy divine essence as Thou doest view Thyself, in an infinite manner. 

An act of hope is an activity of the elevated free will, with the functioning of the theological virtue of hope:  O God, I hope in Thee with my elevated free will by means of a supernatural act of desiring Thee in Thyself.  This desire for Thee (with the desire for all the means of grace to attain Thee) will continue until death if I persevere in the state of sanctifying grace.  In heaven my desires will be changed into the peaceful possession of all the desires that I had in this life. 

An act of charity is an activity of the elevated free will, with the functioning of the theological virtue of charity:  O God, I love Thee with my elevated free will by means of a supernatural act of lovingly choosing Thee above all things because Thou art all good in Thyself.  With this action, functioning at the moment of death, it will be firmly set, and it will continue without essential alteration forever. 

Knowing the above mysteries of faith I shall address Thee, O Holy Ghost (together with the Father and Son, present by concomitance following along) as my most dear friend, really, truly and substantially present in my heart.  Keep me from all sin, and assist me in the acquiring of ever more and more sanctifying grace and supernatural merit.  Never permit me to forget Thy holy presence in me.  Amen. 

Baptism Again 

A Lesson in How NOT to Baptize 

If one wishes to learn how not to baptize, simply observe bogus pope John Paul II administering baptism invalidly. 

No Substitute for the Faith

We have before Us a classical example of what is described above. In The Catholic Family News, P.O. Box 743, Niagara Falls, NY 14302, May 2001, Vol. 8, Issue No 5 there is an article entitled Do Not Change the Papacy.  That very lengthy and scholarly article has been authored by the four heavy-weight scholars: Atila Guimaraes, Michael J. Matt, John Vennari and Marian T. Horvat, Ph.D.  Any reader of modern day traditional Catholic literature has met one or more of these first class writers on topics purportedly Catholic.  All of them have the same mantra at the end nearly of every article: “Pray for Pope John Paul II.”  They lead you to undisputed Catholic truths, and then they tell you to follow bogus Pope John Paul II, into his stream of errors, better called heresies and scandals. 

In their article, Do Not Change the Papacy, addressed to John Paul II, the above authors are pleading with John Paul II not to go through with his proposed course of action which is outlined in his recent encyclical: Ut unum sint (That they all may be one).  John Paul II wrote,   “the path of ecumenism is irrevocable” and that it constitutes “a duty of the Christian conscience.”  He goes on and on: “I insistently pray the Holy Spirit to shine his light upon us, enlightening all the pastors and theologians of our churches, that they may seek, together of course, the forms in which this ministry may accomplish a service of love recognized by all concerned.” 

Here is what is at stake.  See it for yourself in the above-mentioned long article.  First We state the truth: 

1. The Pope is equal with all the bishops of the world in the powers of Orders. 
2. The Pope is all alone in infallibility, the power to teach without error.
3. The Pope is all alone in supreme authority over the entire Church. 

Finally, number 3 is made that the Pope no longer holds the supreme authority in God’s Church. The change, to be proclaimed, will make all the groups, equal in authority.  Hence, unity in a chain of real authority will cease.  Hence, every sect will be declared fully in God’s Church without any juridical reference to the Pope.  With that accomplished men will have made the one world religion of atheism. 

We shall now bring you the final words of the authors of Do Not Change the Church: “Most Holy Father, John Paul II, for the love of the Catholic Faith, for the exaltation of Holy Mother Church and to deter the revolutionary and progressivist plan of destruction of the Papal Monarchy, we implore you: Do not change the Papacy.” 

Shame on all of you authors.  You are actually the minions of Satan when you admit that John Paul II, the man that you call the Pope, “can change” the papacy (dropping infallibility and the primacy of jurisdiction) if he so wishes.  You just do not like to have him do it. 

To the readers who are still not one with Us in the Catholic Church please consider the following fact of history.  King Saul by his disobeying God caused God to remove the mantle of authority from his shoulders, and He placed it on the shoulders of the shepherd boy, David.  God never told Saul directly that he was without authority, but He manifested it in the way David took over the rule of the Holy Land.   John Paul II does not know that the mantle of authority never rested on his shoulders, and he does not know that it rests on Our shoulders.  There is no dispute with Us as to traditional infallibility in Us and traditional supreme authority in Us, as it has been since Christ gave it to Peter when he commanded him to feed His lambs (the faithful in general) and His sheep (the bishops). 

To one and all, no matter how much Catholic learning you may have, you can never find the Pope in this world without the operation of the virtue of divine faith – as explained above.  Simply stated We are telling you: “Study on your knees!” 

Decisive Grace 

“Let us bear in mind, however, that a decisive grace is not always attached to a great or difficult action or sacrifice.  It is not always necessary that the abuse of such a decisive grace should be a mortal sin.  The conversion to a Christian life, the call to the religious state, a second conversion to a life of fervor and perfection, final perseverance, and a happy death, - all these extraordinary graces depend often upon some little act of obedience, some slight act of self-denial.  History tells us of great sinners who obtained the extraordinary grace of conversion on their death-bed, because, during life, they had performed some act of charity or virtue.  This single act weighed more in the balance of divine mercy than the enormous load of a long life of sin.  Now, had they not performed that one virtuous act, had they resisted that one grace, they would probably have been lost.  There are examples of persons who were called to the religious life, but who refused to follow the call of God.  They were unwilling to make the sacrifice God required of them.  Afterward, they fell into the greatest crimes, and finally died an unhappy death.” 

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