Legend and myth....

Although this piece was written nearly eighty years ago, I think it even more appropriate for this age in which we live. Distortion of the truth and outright lies have become the order of the day relative to the politics of this nation and the world. We have a president, legislators and judges who seek to destroy the foundational principles on which this nation was built, disregard for the sanctity of human life, the promotion of disordered lifestyles as 'normal' and acceptable, and within that ideology a great hostility toward Christianity--in particular the Church. Where many Protestant denominations continue to line up behind these new 'norms,' accepting the disordered on false premises, the Catholic Church continues to stand--increasingly alone and under pressure--against these abominable and heretical distortions of truth.
Silence is no longer an option. Prayer is our most formidable weapon against evil--but we cannot be silent any longer...we must stand with truth.
"There is Legend and there is Myth. Legend is a story told for beauty and edification; it does not pretend to be a true story, it only says that its morals are true. But all Legends, or very nearly all, have in them a valuable core of historical truth. A man is a thoroughly bad historian who despises legend and will not accept it as one of the sources of history. Myth is a false story which is put forward as true. Being a lie, it does harm always and should be eradicated. To create and accept myths is a universal failing of the human mind. Of this evil, as of all evils, the Faith is the best solvent. There was never a time or place when more numerous or more monstrous myths were swallowed whole than the time and place in which we live; and that is because they have not the Faith.--Hilaire Belloc, Essays of a Catholic (1931);Tan Books/Publishers, Rockford, Illinois.

Hidden and obscure...

"I am only that which I am before God."
--St. Francis of Assisi



"A hidden and obscure life affords great security to those who sincerely desire to love God. Our Divine Master Himself deigned to teach us this by His own example, for He spent three and thirty years in the obscurity of Nazareth and the workshop of a humble carpenter. In imitation of their Divine Model, many saints withdrew into the desert and lived in remote caves to escape the esteem of men. The desire to put ourselves forward and merit the plaudits of men, to be regarded as very successful in our undertakings, is, according to St. Vincent de Paul, an evil which causes us to forget our God; it vitiates our holiest actions and more than anything else impedes our progress in the spiritual life."
--The 12-Steps to Holiness and Salvation (From the works of St.Alphonsus Liguori),[adapted from the German of Rev. Paul Leick by Rev. Cornelius J. Warren, C.SS.R., 1986].

It is difficult to leave 'the world' per se, yet daily, we must find our own desert or cave in which to contemplate our God--looking inward toward Him who Is and abides in us if we seek first Him. We cannot be temples of the Holy Spirit if we are occupied and preoccupied daily with the world in the material sense.
Engage we must this world, that we can be witnesses to the Truth--yet we must have a contemplative life to persevere in this.

All are necessary...

Then will the words that are written be fulfilled: "Death has been swallowed up in victory" 1 Corinthians, 15:54.
Reflection: At the scene of the first murder of Abel by Cain, the soil "opened its mouth" to swallow Abel's blood (Gen.4:10-11). At the scene of the final victory of life, it is death itself that will be "swallowed up in victory."
God is in the business of destroying death, and that is why His people work on behalf of life.
Prayer: Lord, continue to give us consolation amidst a Culture of Death, that this evil will not last forever, but will be swallowed up in victory.
--Fr. Frank Pavone, Pro-Life Reflections for Everyday (2009).

"No single person or group has a monopoly on the defense and promotion of life. These are everyone's task and responsibility."
--Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae (1995).

The One True Faith : Mary and the Eucharist

The Church...

Christ-centered
The Eucharistic presence of Jesus, body, blood, soul and divinity.

Marian
Mary, venerated, honored (not adored)as the Mother of God,
our Mother,
and Mediatrix of all grace through her Divine Spouse.

Spirit-driven
By the power of the Holy Spirit in Charity and Truth,
through the Chair of Peter.

The Church
Instituted by Christ
for the salvation of the world.

There is no other....

The Christ...

Daily, we have the choice of whether to serve God or, the culture of the world. Jesus tells us we must serve God. Jesus is God made man. The Roman Catholic Church is the only Church that holds the fullness of the Truth. Therefore, daily commit to Christ...or sure death by immersing yourself in the culture.
There remains much rebellion against the Truth. There is a powerful force working in the world to eliminate the Truth--the Christ. But in the end, most assuredly, when He comes,
'at the name of Jesus every knee shall bend...'--or be cast into eternal fire.
We must choose--obedience or rebellion?
Obedience is the easier, softer way-because one always knows the truth and the path to take. The Church has given us this concise framework for living a holy life for over 2,000 years. And we know that as Christ told his Apostles--'the gates of hell shall not rail against her.'
In the end, the Church may be a remnant--perhaps she already is...but those who remain faithful will continue to proclaim the Truth, in season and out of season--for the truth is obedient to The Truth--Jesus, the Christ....Alleluia!

The Great Equalizer