Saturday, January 19, 2013

Your Will Above All Else, My Purpose Remains: The Art of Losing Myself to Bring You Praise

I love this week's readings.  After the adoration of the sweet God child, dependent upon our Blessed Mother and St. Joseph for nourishment, Christ begins his ministry curing the sick and driving out demons.

The readings remind us that Christ bequeaths us this power in his One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Since the children share in blood and Flesh, 
Jesus likewise shared in them, 
that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, 
that is, the Devil, and free those who through fear of death 
had been subject to slavery all their life. 
Surely he did not help angels but rather the descendants of Abraham; 
therefore, he had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way, 
that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest before God 
Because he himself was tested through what he suffered, 
he is able to help those who are being tested
.

The power to resist, combat and drive out demons comes through Sacraments of the Catholic Church, and only through the Sacraments of the Catholic Church.  Bishops and priests can use the power or ignore it.

What the world is experiencing now are the consequences of the ordained who ignore, obstruct and thwart it.    What a test, eh?

As Christ was going from town to town throughout the whole of Galilee preaching and driving out demons each day this week, I was struck by the contrast.  It seemed to be all around me.  It was brutal.

Late last week, one of the detractors of the Catholic Church who frequents our comments section (whose sad afflictions have led him on a crusade to blaspheme the power Christ bequeathed to us on earth - His Mystical Body - as demonic) said something so profoundly stupid that it illuminates the power the devil currently has over his captives.

Joseph produced a torrent of excuses for his conduct which included an explanation that he was saved because, he 'accepts the sacrifice' and everyone who 'accepts the sacrifice' is saved.

I couldn't have been any more wigged out by his predicament if Joseph tried to convince me his car is a spaceship that flies him to the moon.

The sacrifice is the very thing Joseph does not 'accept'. You can't 'accept the sacrifice' if you reject It and devote yourself to blaspheming It.

There is only one Sacrifice. The Oblation of Christ is the Sacraments and Sacred Liturgy of the Roman Catholic Church.  It is inseparable. Christ cannot be divided from Himself and His Salvific Act.

Let us be on our guard while the promise of entering into his rest remains,that none of you seem to have failed. For in fact we have received the Good News just as our ancestors did.But the word that they heard did not profit them,for they were not united in faith with those who listened.

Early in the week a friend who for many years has permitted the demon of the victim mentality consume her took me on a tour.   This kind and caring soul suffers bouts of rage and anguish which she medicates with alcohol and prescription drugs.   By no means is she ignorant of the power in the Eucharist and Sacraments, but she is drawn to self-pity and hatred like a moth to the flame.  She lights the torch and invites others to gather around those flames while she burns herself with memories and rage.

People who are hurting are attracted to people of faith because they see our endurance, joy, peace, surrender but they know not the Source.

 Every person who has experienced abuse needs to tell their story, do what they can to protect others from an abuser, receive affirmation, kindness, mercy - but ooooohh, how the demons flock to obstruct, twist, contort and empower their own momentum.  It deserves its own post, but suffice it to say, it all comes down to the obstruction of the authentic healing from Christ in the Sacraments of the Catholic Church.

Attempts to lead a suffering soul to the Source can't involve enabling, can't involve egotistical use of the situation to flatter ourselves into the role of the healer.   When a person hangs their recovery upon you, they never proceed to Christ.   Ultimatums and insults follow every attempt to move them beyond watching and listening to hours of their self-destruction.  I'm at a loss for what to do next, if anything.

Another man contacted me this week to tell me of his own abuse at the hands of the screwball priests and women who obstruct the power of the Sacraments in our local parishes.  More about this later, but his story is the same old.  Seeking true and authentic conversion through obedience to the teachings of the Catholic Church and the Sacraments of Penance and Holy Communion, he was accosted by parish thugs.   Seeking relief from Chancery wizards was as fruitful as talking to his refrigerator.  Scandalized, he fell away from the very source that Christ is teaching us about this week in the Scriptures.

Near the end of the week, I had an experience with a homeless man who stands in the recesses of the rectory on Isabella Street.  I pass the man to and from Mass.  His face is weathered and he is always smoking a cigarette talking to someone he sees beside him.  I'm a little afraid of him.   He is not a happy camper.  Often uses the "F" word when carrying on a conversation with his invisible friend or foe.   I've often wondered whether he is mentally ill, whether there's something spiritual going on.  Maybe even his guardian angel keeping him company in the streets of Boston.

This week, he yelled as I walked by "Hey, you've got to fight those devils".    I looked around me and thought, "Whoah baby... God only knows what he sees!!".

I'll tell you something.  As God is my witness, I ran like the dickens up the stairs of the Church and inside, to share in the Flesh, Body and Blood, the price of my soul's salvation, the power that overcomes the power of death of a soul.

Don't ever let anyone rob you of It.

In 1931, the magnificent prophet Venerable Fulton Sheen predicted that "in 50 to 100 years, there would only be the Catholic Church and paganism, we would be left to fight the battle alone, and we will".

It's going to be a hell of a ride.  Let's pray for eachother.






4 comments:

Kd said...

Excellent close, praying for each other, I'm in! Prayer is all we have and it's Everything!

Anonymous said...

The "demon of the victim mentality" has infested our culture to a frighting degree. I've known many people like your friend and I can affirm it is exactly how you describe it. I've learned to help in good faith as much as possible and then walk away. Once the dependency takes hold it gets really ugly and as you know it is only enabling at this point.

TTC said...

Thanks. Dependency is a good word for it. I'm going to write about it when I have some time. You'd be surprised how many people google subject matter and find their way to a post dealing with things we write and talk about -- and we hopefully help.

We're not talking about somebody who goes through something traumatic and painful and needs our support when going through the healthy stages of grief.

Nor are we speaking about a suffering person sincerely trying but needs our compassion and empathy for extended periods of time.

I don't want to scandalize or discourage people who are doing healthy things to heal and need compassion.

We are talking about self-destruction and complete dysfunction and despair.

They won't and don't do healthy things. All their relationships are broken, they seldom leave the house or accept invitations to socialize outside of the house, they talk and live as though they are on the brink of death day after day for years, they are emaciated, their mood swings are dramatic melancholy and rage - and there is nothing one can say or do to get them to let go, forgive, seek and find Christ, live in a relationship with Him or a real relationship with another human being.

When there is no attempts to make progress, you can't let it go on in perpetuity. You have to draw boundaries.

Pray for her - and me. I think I'm going to look for a few books and send them along.

TTC said...

Thanks KD - God Bless you.