FORGIVENESS
Another face of mercy is consolation. “Comfort, comfort my people” (Is 40:1) is the heartfelt plea that the prophet continues to make today, so that a word of hope may come to all those who experience suffering and pain. Let us never allow ourselves to be robbed of the hope born of faith in the Risen Lord. True, we are often sorely tested, but we must never lose our certainty of the Lord’s love for us. His mercy finds expression also in the closeness, affection and support that many of our brothers and sisters can offer us at times of sadness and affliction. The drying of tears is one way to break the vicious circle of solitude in which we often find ourselves trapped.
All of us need consolation because no one is spared suffering, pain and misunderstanding. How much pain can be caused by a spiteful remark born of envy, jealousy or anger! What great suffering is caused by the experience of betrayal, violence and abandonment! How much sorrow in the face of the death of a loved one! And yet God is never far from us at these moments of sadness and trouble. A reassuring word, an embrace that makes us feel understood, a caress that makes us experience love, a prayer that makes us stronger… all these things express God’s closeness through the consolation offered by our brothers and sisters.
Sometimes too, silence can be helpful, especially when we cannot find words in response to the questions of those who suffer. A lack of words, however, can be made up for by the compassion of a person who stays at our side, who loves us and who holds out a hand. It is not true that silence is an act of surrender; on the contrary, it is a moment of strength and love. Silence too belongs to our language of consolation, because it becomes a concrete way of sharing in the suffering of a brother or sister.
"Apostolic letter Misericordia et misera"
- Pope Francis
#FORGIVENESS
Another face of mercy is consolation. “Comfort, comfort my people” (Is 40:1) is the heartfelt plea that the prophet continues to make today, so that a word of hope may come to all those who experience suffering and pain. Let us never allow ourselves to be robbed of the hope born of faith in the Risen Lord. True, we are often sorely tested, but we must never lose our certainty of the Lord’s love for us. His mercy finds expression also in the closeness, affection and support that many of our brothers and sisters can offer us at times of sadness and affliction. The drying of tears is one way to break the vicious circle of solitude in which we often find ourselves trapped.
All of us need consolation because no one is spared suffering, pain and misunderstanding. How much pain can be caused by a spiteful remark born of envy, jealousy or anger! What great suffering is caused by the experience of betrayal, violence and abandonment! How much sorrow in the face of the death of a loved one! And yet God is never far from us at these moments of sadness and trouble. A reassuring word, an embrace that makes us feel understood, a caress that makes us experience love, a prayer that makes us stronger… all these things express God’s closeness through the consolation offered by our brothers and sisters.
Sometimes too, silence can be helpful, especially when we cannot find words in response to the questions of those who suffer. A lack of words, however, can be made up for by the compassion of a person who stays at our side, who loves us and who holds out a hand. It is not true that silence is an act of surrender; on the contrary, it is a moment of strength and love. Silence too belongs to our language of consolation, because it becomes a concrete way of sharing in the suffering of a brother or sister.
"Apostolic letter Misericordia et misera"
- Pope Francis
#FORGIVENESS
❤2
MILAGROS
"a family of workers, whose father is unemployed, laments the imminent danger threatening one of their eight children, a little six-year-old boy, Daniel B... is in a very bad way. Sick with infectious cerebro-spinal meningitis, he is delirious and struggles with the anguish of approaching agony. The hospital doctor has warned his mother (...) that (...) the next day she will have to be told that her son is dead. "Desolate, the poor mother entrusts her grief to excellent neighbours (...) who come up with a brilliant idea: "Madam, if you wish, we will send a telegram on your behalf to a holy priest in Italy to ask him to pray for the dying child and bless him". The mother agreed and the telegram was sent at 1.30 p.m. full of hope. At 3pm, Mrs. B... was in hospital. Daniel has a fever of 41°. He is struggling with convulsions. The nun on duty begged his mother to leave, wanting to spare her the pain of seeing her son die. But she stayed... At 4 pm, the fever dropped to 37°C. There was a lull. The child rests. He is saved. The message reached its address and Padre Pio's prayers had already brought the dying child back to health (...) "The next morning, the doctor who was looking after the child, seeing Daniel's mother arrive, exclaimed: "I don't understand anything, but your son is not only saved, he is cured! Nevertheless, I want to keep him under observation for a few days. Mrs. B..., moved by her immense joy, went to her friends who had had this happy inspiration, and they gave her the life of this religious saint to read; the book had his photo on the cover. Mrs. B... returns with her son carrying the book and places it on the child's bed. The child looks up. "Listen, mum, I know this priest. He came to see me twice already this morning... He started singing so I wouldn't be scared... And then he left through the door you come in through when you come to see me. "The mother quickly replied: "How can you expect, my son, that a priest who lives miles away from here has come to see you? But, at the boy's insistence, his mother was forced to admit the truth. She was unaware that Padre Pio possessed the inexplicable gift, given to certain saints, of bilocation. And for the sake of her little dying child, Padre Pio had made a journey of more than 2,000 km at the speed of thought... "Daniel B... is so healthy that his parents decide to take him out of hospital before the date prescribed by the doctor, because it must not be forgotten that his father is unemployed and that the expenses are too much for the marriage. Faced with this magnificent gift from heaven that gives them back their son, these good people reflect. They had not enjoyed the grace of Christian marriage: the following 19 March, they asked a priest to bless their marriage. They had found the way to true happiness, which is that of Christian truth. Since then, Daniel has been doing very well. His father says that his liveliness and vitality are a testimony to his regained health. And from time to time, Daniel whispers to his mother: "You know, Mom, when I grow up, I'm going to be a priest. When I grow up, I will be a priest
(...) We can see once again how this miraculous healing obeys, so to speak, the laws of these cases: the power of prayer and the sincerity of faith moved God to intervene by means of a double miracle (inexplicable healing and bilocation), Padre Pio being the intercessor between the faithful and God and also God's "instrument" for this circumstance. And also other characteristics: the obvious and immediate fruits of the miracle (the physical healing of a man condemned by medicine) were accompanied by spiritual fruits: for all, a deepening of faith (the parents marry religiously, the child thinks of becoming a priest). Like all the miracles in Padre Pio's life, this one is situated in a supernatural or religious perspective, while at the same time restoring the disrupted natural order"
"Padre Pio The Capuchin of Stigmata" - Yves Chiron
#MIRACLESANDPROVIDENCE
"a family of workers, whose father is unemployed, laments the imminent danger threatening one of their eight children, a little six-year-old boy, Daniel B... is in a very bad way. Sick with infectious cerebro-spinal meningitis, he is delirious and struggles with the anguish of approaching agony. The hospital doctor has warned his mother (...) that (...) the next day she will have to be told that her son is dead. "Desolate, the poor mother entrusts her grief to excellent neighbours (...) who come up with a brilliant idea: "Madam, if you wish, we will send a telegram on your behalf to a holy priest in Italy to ask him to pray for the dying child and bless him". The mother agreed and the telegram was sent at 1.30 p.m. full of hope. At 3pm, Mrs. B... was in hospital. Daniel has a fever of 41°. He is struggling with convulsions. The nun on duty begged his mother to leave, wanting to spare her the pain of seeing her son die. But she stayed... At 4 pm, the fever dropped to 37°C. There was a lull. The child rests. He is saved. The message reached its address and Padre Pio's prayers had already brought the dying child back to health (...) "The next morning, the doctor who was looking after the child, seeing Daniel's mother arrive, exclaimed: "I don't understand anything, but your son is not only saved, he is cured! Nevertheless, I want to keep him under observation for a few days. Mrs. B..., moved by her immense joy, went to her friends who had had this happy inspiration, and they gave her the life of this religious saint to read; the book had his photo on the cover. Mrs. B... returns with her son carrying the book and places it on the child's bed. The child looks up. "Listen, mum, I know this priest. He came to see me twice already this morning... He started singing so I wouldn't be scared... And then he left through the door you come in through when you come to see me. "The mother quickly replied: "How can you expect, my son, that a priest who lives miles away from here has come to see you? But, at the boy's insistence, his mother was forced to admit the truth. She was unaware that Padre Pio possessed the inexplicable gift, given to certain saints, of bilocation. And for the sake of her little dying child, Padre Pio had made a journey of more than 2,000 km at the speed of thought... "Daniel B... is so healthy that his parents decide to take him out of hospital before the date prescribed by the doctor, because it must not be forgotten that his father is unemployed and that the expenses are too much for the marriage. Faced with this magnificent gift from heaven that gives them back their son, these good people reflect. They had not enjoyed the grace of Christian marriage: the following 19 March, they asked a priest to bless their marriage. They had found the way to true happiness, which is that of Christian truth. Since then, Daniel has been doing very well. His father says that his liveliness and vitality are a testimony to his regained health. And from time to time, Daniel whispers to his mother: "You know, Mom, when I grow up, I'm going to be a priest. When I grow up, I will be a priest
(...) We can see once again how this miraculous healing obeys, so to speak, the laws of these cases: the power of prayer and the sincerity of faith moved God to intervene by means of a double miracle (inexplicable healing and bilocation), Padre Pio being the intercessor between the faithful and God and also God's "instrument" for this circumstance. And also other characteristics: the obvious and immediate fruits of the miracle (the physical healing of a man condemned by medicine) were accompanied by spiritual fruits: for all, a deepening of faith (the parents marry religiously, the child thinks of becoming a priest). Like all the miracles in Padre Pio's life, this one is situated in a supernatural or religious perspective, while at the same time restoring the disrupted natural order"
"Padre Pio The Capuchin of Stigmata" - Yves Chiron
#MIRACLESANDPROVIDENCE
❤1
VARIOUS ARTICLES
"All sin, indeed, presupposes a great error in the understanding, without which it would be psychologically impossible. As we have already said in speaking of the ultimate end of man and of human acts, the proper object of the will is good, as that of the eyes is colour and that of the ears is sound. It is psychologically impossible for the will to throw itself into the possession of an object if the understanding does not present it to itself as a good. If it were presented to it as an evil, the will would reject it immediately and without hesitation. It happens, however, that the understanding, when contemplating a created object, can easily become confused in the right appreciation of its value, by discovering in it certain aspects flattering to one part of the human compound (e.g., to the body), even though, on the other hand, it sees that it also presents aspects which are objectionable from another point of view (e.g., that of morality).
The understanding vacillates between the two extremes and does not know which card to take. If it succeeds in dispensing with the clamour of the passions, which want at all costs to tip the scales in their favour, the understanding will rightly judge that the moral order is a thousand times preferable to the flattery and satisfaction of the passions, and will present the object to the will as something evil or inconvenient, and the will will will reject it with energy and promptness. But if, blinded and darkened by the impetus of the passions, the understanding ceases to notice those reasons of inconvenience, and fixes itself more and more earnestly on the flattering aspects for the passion, there will come a time when the erroneous and mistaken appreciation will prevail in it that, After all, it is preferable in the present circumstances to accept that object which is so seductive, and, closing his eyes to the moral aspect, he will present that sinful object to the will as a real good, that is to say, as something worthy of being desired; And the will blindly throws itself upon it, giving its consent, which will definitively consummate the sin. The understanding, obscured by the passions, has made the fatal mistake of confusing an apparent good with a real good, and the will has freely chosen it by virtue of that great mistake.
It is precisely this psychology of sin, based on the defectibility of human understanding in the face of created goods, which is the profound reason for the intrinsic impeccability of the blessed in heaven. By contemplating face to face the divine essence as infinite Truth, and by possessing it fully as supreme and infinite Good, the understanding will be fully immersed in the ocean of Truth, and there will be no loophole through which the smallest error can infiltrate. And the will, in its turn, will be totally submerged in the beatific enjoyment of the supreme Good, and it will be psychologically impossible for it to desire any other complementary good. Under these conditions, sin will be psychologically and metaphysically impossible, as it would be in this world too if we could see with all clarity and serenity of judgement the infinite distance between the absolute Good and relative goods. Sin always supposes a great ignorance and a great initial error, since it is the height of ignorance and error to exchange the infinite Good for the fleeting and transitory enjoyment of a perishable and expiring good such as that offered by sin."
"Moral Theology for Laymen" - Father Royo Marín
#VARIOUSARTICLES
"All sin, indeed, presupposes a great error in the understanding, without which it would be psychologically impossible. As we have already said in speaking of the ultimate end of man and of human acts, the proper object of the will is good, as that of the eyes is colour and that of the ears is sound. It is psychologically impossible for the will to throw itself into the possession of an object if the understanding does not present it to itself as a good. If it were presented to it as an evil, the will would reject it immediately and without hesitation. It happens, however, that the understanding, when contemplating a created object, can easily become confused in the right appreciation of its value, by discovering in it certain aspects flattering to one part of the human compound (e.g., to the body), even though, on the other hand, it sees that it also presents aspects which are objectionable from another point of view (e.g., that of morality).
The understanding vacillates between the two extremes and does not know which card to take. If it succeeds in dispensing with the clamour of the passions, which want at all costs to tip the scales in their favour, the understanding will rightly judge that the moral order is a thousand times preferable to the flattery and satisfaction of the passions, and will present the object to the will as something evil or inconvenient, and the will will will reject it with energy and promptness. But if, blinded and darkened by the impetus of the passions, the understanding ceases to notice those reasons of inconvenience, and fixes itself more and more earnestly on the flattering aspects for the passion, there will come a time when the erroneous and mistaken appreciation will prevail in it that, After all, it is preferable in the present circumstances to accept that object which is so seductive, and, closing his eyes to the moral aspect, he will present that sinful object to the will as a real good, that is to say, as something worthy of being desired; And the will blindly throws itself upon it, giving its consent, which will definitively consummate the sin. The understanding, obscured by the passions, has made the fatal mistake of confusing an apparent good with a real good, and the will has freely chosen it by virtue of that great mistake.
It is precisely this psychology of sin, based on the defectibility of human understanding in the face of created goods, which is the profound reason for the intrinsic impeccability of the blessed in heaven. By contemplating face to face the divine essence as infinite Truth, and by possessing it fully as supreme and infinite Good, the understanding will be fully immersed in the ocean of Truth, and there will be no loophole through which the smallest error can infiltrate. And the will, in its turn, will be totally submerged in the beatific enjoyment of the supreme Good, and it will be psychologically impossible for it to desire any other complementary good. Under these conditions, sin will be psychologically and metaphysically impossible, as it would be in this world too if we could see with all clarity and serenity of judgement the infinite distance between the absolute Good and relative goods. Sin always supposes a great ignorance and a great initial error, since it is the height of ignorance and error to exchange the infinite Good for the fleeting and transitory enjoyment of a perishable and expiring good such as that offered by sin."
"Moral Theology for Laymen" - Father Royo Marín
#VARIOUSARTICLES
❤2
RELIGIOUS ARTICLES
"self-deprecation is often just another manifestation of narcissism. In reality, the opposite of narcissism is not self-loathing, but rather a balanced self-esteem. This means that the healing of narcissism requires an education in a healthy and balanced love of self. Moreover, this "love of self" ("self-esteem", as we would say today), is the measure indicated by Christ to be taken as a reference when it comes to loving one's neighbour: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself". The Gospel speaks to us of self-denial and self-forgetfulness as a condition for following Christ. But in order to be able to do this, it is necessary to be grounded in a living and actual experience of the value we have in the eyes of God. Let us not forget that self-esteem does not come from doing a lot of things, nor from achieving success, nor from physical appearance... etc.; but from knowing that we are loved. Undoubtedly, in our culture, one of the main reasons for the lack of self-esteem is the crisis of the family, together with the lack of awareness of the personal and unconditional love that God has for us. For this reason, the proclamation of God's infinite love for each person is called to be the backbone of the evangelisation of young people. Young people, or rather - let us all look at ourselves in this mirror - each one of us present here, suffer greatly from the fluctuation of our feelings. We run the risk of judging ourselves according to the judgement of others, of sinking because of a comment or a failure?
It is a real drama when our moods resemble the ups and downs of the stock market or the roller coaster! How can we find a stable, solid and firm emotional point?
The answer, again, lies in the Redemption brought about by Jesus Christ. The value of man is great, like that of the very blood of Christ. When we are tempted to belittle or self-deprecate ourselves, it is time to remind ourselves that "God does not make rubbish"; even if we are sometimes tempted to see ourselves that way when we look in the mirror. God has given his life for each one of us; for you, for me... sometimes I think I am the centre of the universe, and other times I perceive myself as pure waste.
Our self-esteem cannot depend on whether others speak well or badly of us. Not even on whether things go better or worse for us.... Undoubtedly, we will always value the positive comments of others, and we will rejoice in our achievements and small triumphs; but the real and ultimate consideration of the value of our life cannot be based on this. Otherwise, we would be - as we so often observe in this narcissistic culture - "beggars of affectivity", instead of "called to love".
Christ crucified is the exact measure of what each of us is worth to God. It is not a matter of understanding it only in theory, but of interiorising and personalising it, making it our identity card. Without this faith, self-denial would be literally impossible, and we would be condemned to the slavery of narcissism. Self-denial and self-forgetfulness, in the sense in which they are preached by Christ in the Gospel, presuppose self-love. Whoever has the experience of being loved unconditionally by God, finds himself, and it is then that he can forget himself in every relationship with others. But, beware, not out of a desire to despise oneself, but because he feels himself overflowing with appreciation and awareness of the unconditional love received from God".
"The discarding of abortion" - Monsignor José Ignacio Munilla.
#RELIGIOUSARTICLES
"self-deprecation is often just another manifestation of narcissism. In reality, the opposite of narcissism is not self-loathing, but rather a balanced self-esteem. This means that the healing of narcissism requires an education in a healthy and balanced love of self. Moreover, this "love of self" ("self-esteem", as we would say today), is the measure indicated by Christ to be taken as a reference when it comes to loving one's neighbour: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself". The Gospel speaks to us of self-denial and self-forgetfulness as a condition for following Christ. But in order to be able to do this, it is necessary to be grounded in a living and actual experience of the value we have in the eyes of God. Let us not forget that self-esteem does not come from doing a lot of things, nor from achieving success, nor from physical appearance... etc.; but from knowing that we are loved. Undoubtedly, in our culture, one of the main reasons for the lack of self-esteem is the crisis of the family, together with the lack of awareness of the personal and unconditional love that God has for us. For this reason, the proclamation of God's infinite love for each person is called to be the backbone of the evangelisation of young people. Young people, or rather - let us all look at ourselves in this mirror - each one of us present here, suffer greatly from the fluctuation of our feelings. We run the risk of judging ourselves according to the judgement of others, of sinking because of a comment or a failure?
It is a real drama when our moods resemble the ups and downs of the stock market or the roller coaster! How can we find a stable, solid and firm emotional point?
The answer, again, lies in the Redemption brought about by Jesus Christ. The value of man is great, like that of the very blood of Christ. When we are tempted to belittle or self-deprecate ourselves, it is time to remind ourselves that "God does not make rubbish"; even if we are sometimes tempted to see ourselves that way when we look in the mirror. God has given his life for each one of us; for you, for me... sometimes I think I am the centre of the universe, and other times I perceive myself as pure waste.
Our self-esteem cannot depend on whether others speak well or badly of us. Not even on whether things go better or worse for us.... Undoubtedly, we will always value the positive comments of others, and we will rejoice in our achievements and small triumphs; but the real and ultimate consideration of the value of our life cannot be based on this. Otherwise, we would be - as we so often observe in this narcissistic culture - "beggars of affectivity", instead of "called to love".
Christ crucified is the exact measure of what each of us is worth to God. It is not a matter of understanding it only in theory, but of interiorising and personalising it, making it our identity card. Without this faith, self-denial would be literally impossible, and we would be condemned to the slavery of narcissism. Self-denial and self-forgetfulness, in the sense in which they are preached by Christ in the Gospel, presuppose self-love. Whoever has the experience of being loved unconditionally by God, finds himself, and it is then that he can forget himself in every relationship with others. But, beware, not out of a desire to despise oneself, but because he feels himself overflowing with appreciation and awareness of the unconditional love received from God".
"The discarding of abortion" - Monsignor José Ignacio Munilla.
#RELIGIOUSARTICLES
VARIOUS ARTICLES
"From Father Faber, who cannot be described as poorly illustrated, we quote here a precious passage about his famous compatriots Milton and Byron. This is what the great English writer said in one of his most beautiful letters:
I do not understand the strange anomaly of people of the drawing-room, who quote with praise such men as Milton and Byron, while at the same time showing that they love Christ and place in Him all hope of salvation. Christ and the Church are loved, and those who blaspheme them are praised in society; impurity is thundered and spoken against as hateful to God, and a man whise life and works have been saturated with it is celebrated. I cannot understand the distinction between the man and the poet, between the pure and the impure passages. If a man offends the object of my love, I can receive from him neither comfort nor pleasure, and I cannot conceive how can we like the works of the enemies of our Saviour while having ardent and delicate love for Him. Intelligence admits distinctions, but the heart does not. Milton (cursed be the memory of this blasphemer!), spent a great part of his life writing against the divinity of my Lord, my only faith, my only love; this thought poisons me. Byron, trampling under foot his duties to his country and all natural affections, shamefully stooped, dressing crime and unbelief in beautiful verse. The monster who placed (dare I write it?), Jesus Christ on a level with, and as a companion of, Jupiter and Muhammad, is to me nothing but a fierce beast, even in his purest passages, and I have never regretted having thrown into the fire at Oxford a beautiful edition of his works in four volumes... England does not need Milton. How can my country need a policy, a courage, a talent, or anything else that curses God; and how can the Eternal Father bless the talent and work of him who in prose and verse has disowned it?""
"Liberalism is sin" - Father Félix Sardá y Salvany
#VARIOUSARTICLES
"From Father Faber, who cannot be described as poorly illustrated, we quote here a precious passage about his famous compatriots Milton and Byron. This is what the great English writer said in one of his most beautiful letters:
I do not understand the strange anomaly of people of the drawing-room, who quote with praise such men as Milton and Byron, while at the same time showing that they love Christ and place in Him all hope of salvation. Christ and the Church are loved, and those who blaspheme them are praised in society; impurity is thundered and spoken against as hateful to God, and a man whise life and works have been saturated with it is celebrated. I cannot understand the distinction between the man and the poet, between the pure and the impure passages. If a man offends the object of my love, I can receive from him neither comfort nor pleasure, and I cannot conceive how can we like the works of the enemies of our Saviour while having ardent and delicate love for Him. Intelligence admits distinctions, but the heart does not. Milton (cursed be the memory of this blasphemer!), spent a great part of his life writing against the divinity of my Lord, my only faith, my only love; this thought poisons me. Byron, trampling under foot his duties to his country and all natural affections, shamefully stooped, dressing crime and unbelief in beautiful verse. The monster who placed (dare I write it?), Jesus Christ on a level with, and as a companion of, Jupiter and Muhammad, is to me nothing but a fierce beast, even in his purest passages, and I have never regretted having thrown into the fire at Oxford a beautiful edition of his works in four volumes... England does not need Milton. How can my country need a policy, a courage, a talent, or anything else that curses God; and how can the Eternal Father bless the talent and work of him who in prose and verse has disowned it?""
"Liberalism is sin" - Father Félix Sardá y Salvany
#VARIOUSARTICLES
❤1
JUAN MANUEL DE PRADA
"Bernanos said that democracy is a political form whose philosophical foundation is "indifference between the true and the false" and whose practical aim is "economic dictatorship, hoping to be, in the future of universal dirigisme, something even worse". And, as if to confirm this devastating definition by Bernanos with practical examples, the governor of the Bank of Spain has appeared, spouting the whole catechism of universal dirigisme (...) he has recommended, in order to reduce excessive temporary contracts, "to make permanent contracts more attractive, preventing their excessive protection from continuing to encourage temporary employment and discouraging the creation of stable jobs". Here (...) he uses a textbook logical fallacy, not without a touch of cheek, to which demagogues frequently resort, sometimes with success. It is to present the cause of an evil as its remedy, in the malicious and sardonic manner of the blind bastard in Lazarillo de Tormes, who, after disqualifying the protagonist by pouring a jug of wine over him, mocked him by applying wine to his wounds and saying mockingly: "What do you think, Lazarus? What made you sick makes you well and healthy". (...) he claims that, in order to encourage permanent employment, the best thing to do is to avoid its "excessive protection"; in other words, he proposes that dismissal should be made cheaper (even cheaper!) and that the worker should be stripped of legal guarantees (even more!). It is as grotesque as saying that, in order to promote marriage, it is best to avoid its "excessive protection"; to do this, adultery is decriminalised, divorce is promoted and spouses are exempted from their reciprocal duties. It is obvious that this is a gross fallacy; but the fact is that this, exactly this, was done to destroy marriage, and people took the bait so richly.
(...) he no doubt thought that a fallacy which has been so successful for demagogues on previous occasions would also work on this occasion; but for such a gross fallacy to work it requires, in addition to corrupt people who no longer distinguish true from false, a baiting tidbit to obfuscate it (thus, to destroy marriage, the tidbit of sanctifying the weaknesses of the flesh was offered); (...) he forgot - he forgot - that it is a gross fallacy. ..) he forgot - perhaps too much urged by universal dirigisme - to offer the tidbit to disguise his crude logical fallacy.
At another point in his speech, (...) he resorted to sophistry, defending the "adaptation of wages" to the specific conditions of each company; or, in other words, that wages should not be fixed by agreement, but should be determined at each moment, depending on the situation of the company. Here (...) he slips in a more sibylline sophistry, as he starts from a plausible premise to justify the lowering of wages; however, he evades the logical conclusion required by justice: if a worker agrees to reduce his wages when the company he works for is making a loss, he must in return share in its profits when it is making a profit. (...) However, it ignores this requirement of justice by claiming that wages should be "adjusted" when the company is in difficulties, but not when it is in a better position. In short, what it proposes is that the worker should suffer the losses and not enjoy the benefits (...)".
"Falacias y sofismas" - Juan Manuel de Prada
#CHESTERTONCASTELLANIJMPRADA
"Bernanos said that democracy is a political form whose philosophical foundation is "indifference between the true and the false" and whose practical aim is "economic dictatorship, hoping to be, in the future of universal dirigisme, something even worse". And, as if to confirm this devastating definition by Bernanos with practical examples, the governor of the Bank of Spain has appeared, spouting the whole catechism of universal dirigisme (...) he has recommended, in order to reduce excessive temporary contracts, "to make permanent contracts more attractive, preventing their excessive protection from continuing to encourage temporary employment and discouraging the creation of stable jobs". Here (...) he uses a textbook logical fallacy, not without a touch of cheek, to which demagogues frequently resort, sometimes with success. It is to present the cause of an evil as its remedy, in the malicious and sardonic manner of the blind bastard in Lazarillo de Tormes, who, after disqualifying the protagonist by pouring a jug of wine over him, mocked him by applying wine to his wounds and saying mockingly: "What do you think, Lazarus? What made you sick makes you well and healthy". (...) he claims that, in order to encourage permanent employment, the best thing to do is to avoid its "excessive protection"; in other words, he proposes that dismissal should be made cheaper (even cheaper!) and that the worker should be stripped of legal guarantees (even more!). It is as grotesque as saying that, in order to promote marriage, it is best to avoid its "excessive protection"; to do this, adultery is decriminalised, divorce is promoted and spouses are exempted from their reciprocal duties. It is obvious that this is a gross fallacy; but the fact is that this, exactly this, was done to destroy marriage, and people took the bait so richly.
(...) he no doubt thought that a fallacy which has been so successful for demagogues on previous occasions would also work on this occasion; but for such a gross fallacy to work it requires, in addition to corrupt people who no longer distinguish true from false, a baiting tidbit to obfuscate it (thus, to destroy marriage, the tidbit of sanctifying the weaknesses of the flesh was offered); (...) he forgot - he forgot - that it is a gross fallacy. ..) he forgot - perhaps too much urged by universal dirigisme - to offer the tidbit to disguise his crude logical fallacy.
At another point in his speech, (...) he resorted to sophistry, defending the "adaptation of wages" to the specific conditions of each company; or, in other words, that wages should not be fixed by agreement, but should be determined at each moment, depending on the situation of the company. Here (...) he slips in a more sibylline sophistry, as he starts from a plausible premise to justify the lowering of wages; however, he evades the logical conclusion required by justice: if a worker agrees to reduce his wages when the company he works for is making a loss, he must in return share in its profits when it is making a profit. (...) However, it ignores this requirement of justice by claiming that wages should be "adjusted" when the company is in difficulties, but not when it is in a better position. In short, what it proposes is that the worker should suffer the losses and not enjoy the benefits (...)".
"Falacias y sofismas" - Juan Manuel de Prada
#CHESTERTONCASTELLANIJMPRADA
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"Eclecticism takes its name from a Greek word meaning "to choose". So the eclectic is one who takes a little from here and a little from there. The eclectic is a person who does not choose a single system or a single school, but takes from each one what he likes. So there were eclectics who combined stoicism with scepticism, or with Aristotelianism. The combinations can be many, since the eclectic feels authorised to take from each system what he likes best or what convinces him most. As when the grandmothers of yesteryear used to make those blankets of many colours, which were only a union of scraps of other blankets.
Although it is true that in the eclectic attitude there is a certain part of truth, since the philosopher must search for the truth and sometimes it happens that a school has found valuable things. Then the philosopher can take them, assimilate them. But the difference between the true philosopher and the one who is just a vulgar eclectic, is that the philosopher builds a coherent world view, in which each truth found has its place and its natural function. He does not make a blanket of multicoloured patchwork, but a uniform and finished work of art. Like the goldsmith who, from many pieces of gold, after melting them down, makes a single marvellous piece, in which it is no longer possible to distinguish the original pieces, because now they all form a single, harmonious piece of art.
[Eclecticism] becomes an equivocal activity when we want to build an ethical or religious system using the bricks of the building, contradictory things. Then we become incoherent beings, who go through life proclaiming sometimes no, sometimes yes, when faced with questions of the utmost importance.
An example of healthy eclecticism? A good example would be that effort of parents in the education of their children which is summed up in that phrase we have all heard at some time or other: dedicate yourself to following only good examples; that is to say, look around you and take for your own life only those examples of correct conduct. Or when parents say to their children: take the good and leave the bad. That would be an example of healthy eclecticism, because what is basically sought is that the child or adolescent takes a little from each person he meets, but as long as the "little" he borrows is positive for his own formation as a person".
"Love for wisdom" - Leonardo Rodríguez
#VARIOUSARTICLES
"Eclecticism takes its name from a Greek word meaning "to choose". So the eclectic is one who takes a little from here and a little from there. The eclectic is a person who does not choose a single system or a single school, but takes from each one what he likes. So there were eclectics who combined stoicism with scepticism, or with Aristotelianism. The combinations can be many, since the eclectic feels authorised to take from each system what he likes best or what convinces him most. As when the grandmothers of yesteryear used to make those blankets of many colours, which were only a union of scraps of other blankets.
Although it is true that in the eclectic attitude there is a certain part of truth, since the philosopher must search for the truth and sometimes it happens that a school has found valuable things. Then the philosopher can take them, assimilate them. But the difference between the true philosopher and the one who is just a vulgar eclectic, is that the philosopher builds a coherent world view, in which each truth found has its place and its natural function. He does not make a blanket of multicoloured patchwork, but a uniform and finished work of art. Like the goldsmith who, from many pieces of gold, after melting them down, makes a single marvellous piece, in which it is no longer possible to distinguish the original pieces, because now they all form a single, harmonious piece of art.
[Eclecticism] becomes an equivocal activity when we want to build an ethical or religious system using the bricks of the building, contradictory things. Then we become incoherent beings, who go through life proclaiming sometimes no, sometimes yes, when faced with questions of the utmost importance.
An example of healthy eclecticism? A good example would be that effort of parents in the education of their children which is summed up in that phrase we have all heard at some time or other: dedicate yourself to following only good examples; that is to say, look around you and take for your own life only those examples of correct conduct. Or when parents say to their children: take the good and leave the bad. That would be an example of healthy eclecticism, because what is basically sought is that the child or adolescent takes a little from each person he meets, but as long as the "little" he borrows is positive for his own formation as a person".
"Love for wisdom" - Leonardo Rodríguez
#VARIOUSARTICLES
VARIOUS ARTICLES
"It is a mistake to talk too much to young people about the virtue of prudence. That is not their virtue. But also, they do not understand that language. Just as it would be a mistake and a lack of discretion to talk to old men of eighty years of age about audacity. The power of youth lies precisely in its boldness, placed at the service of a noble cause. That is what we should be talking about; about risky undertakings, about heroism.
There is a soldier in every young man: as soon as you talk to him about war, his whole soul vibrates. He may overstep the bounds of justice for a moment; but if that happens in the defence of a high ideal, such excesses are equivalent to the inevitable evils of a just war.
It is not human in a bayonet attack to ask of the soldier perfection in self-control. And if in such an attack moderation were demanded of him, he would conclude by feeling himself compelled not to fight. In other words, by making him prudent, we would have made him faint-hearted.
We should not, therefore, speak to him too much of prudence; nor too much of legality.
So let us talk to our young people about fighting generously for the Church. Of scorning dangers, of undertaking arduous enterprises, of sacrificing comfort, expansion, money, and life. Of everything, except prudence."
"Formation of the select" - Angel Ayala
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"It is a mistake to talk too much to young people about the virtue of prudence. That is not their virtue. But also, they do not understand that language. Just as it would be a mistake and a lack of discretion to talk to old men of eighty years of age about audacity. The power of youth lies precisely in its boldness, placed at the service of a noble cause. That is what we should be talking about; about risky undertakings, about heroism.
There is a soldier in every young man: as soon as you talk to him about war, his whole soul vibrates. He may overstep the bounds of justice for a moment; but if that happens in the defence of a high ideal, such excesses are equivalent to the inevitable evils of a just war.
It is not human in a bayonet attack to ask of the soldier perfection in self-control. And if in such an attack moderation were demanded of him, he would conclude by feeling himself compelled not to fight. In other words, by making him prudent, we would have made him faint-hearted.
We should not, therefore, speak to him too much of prudence; nor too much of legality.
So let us talk to our young people about fighting generously for the Church. Of scorning dangers, of undertaking arduous enterprises, of sacrificing comfort, expansion, money, and life. Of everything, except prudence."
"Formation of the select" - Angel Ayala
#VARIOUSARTICLES
SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
"(...) the acquisition of a virtue is not usually achieved by violent sporadic efforts, but by the continuity of the struggle, the constancy of trying every day, every week, aided by grace. "In the battles of the soul, the strategy is often a question of time, of applying the appropriate remedy, with patience, with stubbornness. Increase the acts of hope. I remind you that you will suffer defeats, or that you will go through ups and downs - God grant that they may be imperceptible - in your inner life, for no one is free from such mishaps. But the Lord, who is omnipotent and merciful, has given us the means to overcome. It is enough that we use them (...) with the resolution to begin and to begin again at every moment, if necessary". The soul of constancy is love; it is only out of love that one can be patient and struggle, without accepting shortcomings and failures as inevitable and hopeless. We cannot be like those Christians who, after many battles and struggles, "ran out of strength and lacked courage" when they were already "two steps away from the fountain of living water". To be patient with oneself in uprooting bad tendencies and defects of character, means at the same time to flee from conformity and to accept to present oneself many times before the Lord as that servant who had nothing to pay, in humility, asking for new graces. In our walk towards the Lord, we will suffer many defeats; many of them will not matter; others will, but atonement and contrition will bring us closer to God. This sorrow and repentance for our sins and shortcomings are not sad, because they are sorrow and tears of love (...)".
"Talking to God" - Father Francisco Fernández-Carvajal.
#SPIRITUALPERFECTION
"(...) the acquisition of a virtue is not usually achieved by violent sporadic efforts, but by the continuity of the struggle, the constancy of trying every day, every week, aided by grace. "In the battles of the soul, the strategy is often a question of time, of applying the appropriate remedy, with patience, with stubbornness. Increase the acts of hope. I remind you that you will suffer defeats, or that you will go through ups and downs - God grant that they may be imperceptible - in your inner life, for no one is free from such mishaps. But the Lord, who is omnipotent and merciful, has given us the means to overcome. It is enough that we use them (...) with the resolution to begin and to begin again at every moment, if necessary". The soul of constancy is love; it is only out of love that one can be patient and struggle, without accepting shortcomings and failures as inevitable and hopeless. We cannot be like those Christians who, after many battles and struggles, "ran out of strength and lacked courage" when they were already "two steps away from the fountain of living water". To be patient with oneself in uprooting bad tendencies and defects of character, means at the same time to flee from conformity and to accept to present oneself many times before the Lord as that servant who had nothing to pay, in humility, asking for new graces. In our walk towards the Lord, we will suffer many defeats; many of them will not matter; others will, but atonement and contrition will bring us closer to God. This sorrow and repentance for our sins and shortcomings are not sad, because they are sorrow and tears of love (...)".
"Talking to God" - Father Francisco Fernández-Carvajal.
#SPIRITUALPERFECTION
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Holy Spirit, enlighten the Church at this time, especially all the cardinals you call to take part in the conclave. Grant them wisdom and holiness so that all may cooperate with your inspiration and guidance to elect the next Vicar of Christ, your chosen servant. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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CHASTITY AND MARRIAGE
"There is an element of female psychology that men tend to forget: that state of mind by which women desire what is "free". What is to be understood by this? Let us recall, in order to express it, a revealing page by Gina Lombroso which defines the woman's attitude very precisely, revealing to the man how he must behave in order to respond to the yearnings of the feminine soul. The woman," she writes, "wants nothing more from her husband than something very simple, very modest. She wants to be loved, morally and intellectually, or, rather, she wants to be understood, which, for her, is the same thing, or, better still, she wants to be guessed at; she wants the man to comfort her when she is sad, to advise her when she feels indecisive, to show by a visible sign of recognition that he is grateful for the sacrifices she willingly makes for him, but she wants, above all, that he does all this without her asking him to do so. A gesture, a compliment, a word, a flower, which give the woman the illusion of such recognition, are for her a source of immense joy. On the other hand, the consolation, the advice, the praise, the gift that responds to a direct request lose all value for the woman....
All this may seem very complicated. Perhaps it is. But nothing will change it, because that is the deep nature of woman. There is nothing left for the husband to do but make his choice. No husband can choose: he must, to a certain extent, become a soothsayer and learn to read his wife's soul without her having to spell to him. This sense of gratuitousness must, so to speak, become second nature to the husband, enabling him to initiate, at the desired moment and without being asked, the necessary gesture. It will be for the wife the tangible proof of his fervour, and nothing can ever produce greater joy for the woman than this divining fervour. The woman will see in it the certainty of the love of which she is the object, and at the same time she will find happiness".
"Courtship and Happiness" - Paul Eugene Charbonneau
#CHASTITYANDMARRIAGE
"There is an element of female psychology that men tend to forget: that state of mind by which women desire what is "free". What is to be understood by this? Let us recall, in order to express it, a revealing page by Gina Lombroso which defines the woman's attitude very precisely, revealing to the man how he must behave in order to respond to the yearnings of the feminine soul. The woman," she writes, "wants nothing more from her husband than something very simple, very modest. She wants to be loved, morally and intellectually, or, rather, she wants to be understood, which, for her, is the same thing, or, better still, she wants to be guessed at; she wants the man to comfort her when she is sad, to advise her when she feels indecisive, to show by a visible sign of recognition that he is grateful for the sacrifices she willingly makes for him, but she wants, above all, that he does all this without her asking him to do so. A gesture, a compliment, a word, a flower, which give the woman the illusion of such recognition, are for her a source of immense joy. On the other hand, the consolation, the advice, the praise, the gift that responds to a direct request lose all value for the woman....
All this may seem very complicated. Perhaps it is. But nothing will change it, because that is the deep nature of woman. There is nothing left for the husband to do but make his choice. No husband can choose: he must, to a certain extent, become a soothsayer and learn to read his wife's soul without her having to spell to him. This sense of gratuitousness must, so to speak, become second nature to the husband, enabling him to initiate, at the desired moment and without being asked, the necessary gesture. It will be for the wife the tangible proof of his fervour, and nothing can ever produce greater joy for the woman than this divining fervour. The woman will see in it the certainty of the love of which she is the object, and at the same time she will find happiness".
"Courtship and Happiness" - Paul Eugene Charbonneau
#CHASTITYANDMARRIAGE
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Forwarded from Nuestra Señora de la Cristiandad - España
Oremus pro pontifice nostro Leone.
Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.
Dominus conservet eum, et vivificet eum, et beatum faciat eum in terra, et non tradat eum in animam inimicorum eius.
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RELIGIOUS ARTICLES
One day Jouffroy, a famous professor at the University of Paris, faced with the spectacle that the world offered him, seeing people who obeyed nothing but pleasure and interest and applauded vice, exclaimed: "There are no men!
Our century has given itself entirely to the pleasures of the flesh. Everyone and everywhere aspires to luxury, to well-being, to entertainment.... The children of the 20th century aspire only to enjoy, to enjoy more and more. In this atmosphere saturated with sensualism and frivolity, souls do not live; they vegetate and die in the end because they cannot breathe the pure air of the summits. They do not think that impure vice debases and degrades them.
Where can we find men who are truly masters of their actions, who have deep-rooted convictions, who know how to be faithful to them... and who do not shrink from sacrifice for the triumph of an idea?
Be men! And what do we need to be real men? To achieve this we need a strong will, capable of undertaking serious work for the reform of defects and the acquisition of virtues. This is what is lacking in a great number of our young and old. They have been made men of letters, men of science, men of career, which was undoubtedly a good thing, but we have forgotten to make men of character. In them intelligence has been developed, but the will has been left aside and the young have not been prepared for the struggle of life, and what is lacking is not instruction, but education, a thorough religious training, the moral strength which vitalises and ennobles peoples and individuals and preserves them from bloody revolutions and irremediable decadence, for as we read in the Proverbs: "Virtue ennobles peoples, while sin makes them miserable"."
"The Path of Youth" - Dr. Benjamin Martin Sanchez
#RELIGIOUSARTICLES
One day Jouffroy, a famous professor at the University of Paris, faced with the spectacle that the world offered him, seeing people who obeyed nothing but pleasure and interest and applauded vice, exclaimed: "There are no men!
Our century has given itself entirely to the pleasures of the flesh. Everyone and everywhere aspires to luxury, to well-being, to entertainment.... The children of the 20th century aspire only to enjoy, to enjoy more and more. In this atmosphere saturated with sensualism and frivolity, souls do not live; they vegetate and die in the end because they cannot breathe the pure air of the summits. They do not think that impure vice debases and degrades them.
Where can we find men who are truly masters of their actions, who have deep-rooted convictions, who know how to be faithful to them... and who do not shrink from sacrifice for the triumph of an idea?
Be men! And what do we need to be real men? To achieve this we need a strong will, capable of undertaking serious work for the reform of defects and the acquisition of virtues. This is what is lacking in a great number of our young and old. They have been made men of letters, men of science, men of career, which was undoubtedly a good thing, but we have forgotten to make men of character. In them intelligence has been developed, but the will has been left aside and the young have not been prepared for the struggle of life, and what is lacking is not instruction, but education, a thorough religious training, the moral strength which vitalises and ennobles peoples and individuals and preserves them from bloody revolutions and irremediable decadence, for as we read in the Proverbs: "Virtue ennobles peoples, while sin makes them miserable"."
"The Path of Youth" - Dr. Benjamin Martin Sanchez
#RELIGIOUSARTICLES
SPIRITUAL PERFECTION
An hour of prayer without a thought of God. I hardly noticed, the time passed. The clock struck five o'clock and I had already been on my knees for an hour... And the prayer? I don't know... I didn't pray. I was thinking about myself, about my personal sufferings, about the memories of the world. And Jesus? And Mary? Nothing... I have nothing but selfishness, little faith and a lot of pride... I think I'm so important, I think I'm so important! Poor thing, insignificant dust in the eyes of God! Since you do not know how to draw fruit from prayer, learn to humble yourself before Him, and then you will do better before men. Lord, have mercy on me... I suffer, yes..., but I would like my suffering not to be so selfish. I would like, Lord, to suffer for your pains of the Cross, for the forgetfulness of men, for my own sins and those of others..., for everything, my God, but for me... What do I matter in creation; what am I before You... What does my hidden life represent in the infinite eternity... If I would forget myself, I would be better off, Lord. I have nothing but a refined self-love, and I repeat again, a lot of selfishness. I will try with Mary's help to make amends. I will make a resolution that every time a memory of the world comes to disturb me, I will turn to You, Virgin Mary, and pray a Hail Mary for all those in the world who offend You. Instead of meditating on my sufferings..., to meditate on gratitude, to love God in my own miseries. I will persevere in prayer, even if I waste my time.
"God and my Soul" - Saint Rafael Arnaiz
#SPIRITUALPERFECTION
An hour of prayer without a thought of God. I hardly noticed, the time passed. The clock struck five o'clock and I had already been on my knees for an hour... And the prayer? I don't know... I didn't pray. I was thinking about myself, about my personal sufferings, about the memories of the world. And Jesus? And Mary? Nothing... I have nothing but selfishness, little faith and a lot of pride... I think I'm so important, I think I'm so important! Poor thing, insignificant dust in the eyes of God! Since you do not know how to draw fruit from prayer, learn to humble yourself before Him, and then you will do better before men. Lord, have mercy on me... I suffer, yes..., but I would like my suffering not to be so selfish. I would like, Lord, to suffer for your pains of the Cross, for the forgetfulness of men, for my own sins and those of others..., for everything, my God, but for me... What do I matter in creation; what am I before You... What does my hidden life represent in the infinite eternity... If I would forget myself, I would be better off, Lord. I have nothing but a refined self-love, and I repeat again, a lot of selfishness. I will try with Mary's help to make amends. I will make a resolution that every time a memory of the world comes to disturb me, I will turn to You, Virgin Mary, and pray a Hail Mary for all those in the world who offend You. Instead of meditating on my sufferings..., to meditate on gratitude, to love God in my own miseries. I will persevere in prayer, even if I waste my time.
"God and my Soul" - Saint Rafael Arnaiz
#SPIRITUALPERFECTION
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RELIGIOUS ARTICLES
One day Jouffroy, a famous professor at the University of Paris, faced with the spectacle that the world offered him, seeing people who obeyed nothing but pleasure and interest and applauded vice, exclaimed: "There are no men!
Our century has given itself entirely to the pleasures of the flesh. Everyone and everywhere aspires to luxury, to well-being, to entertainment.... The children of the 20th century aspire only to enjoy, to enjoy more and more. In this atmosphere saturated with sensualism and frivolity, souls do not live; they vegetate and die in the end because they cannot breathe the pure air of the summits. They do not think that impure vice debases and degrades them.
Where can we find men who are truly masters of their actions, who have deep-rooted convictions, who know how to be faithful to them... And who do not shrink from sacrifice for the triumph of an idea?
Be men! And what do we need to be real men? To achieve this we need a strong will, capable of undertaking serious work for the reform of defects and the acquisition of virtues. This is what is lacking in a great number of our young and old. They have been made men of letters, men of science, men of career, which was undoubtedly a good thing, but we have forgotten to make men of character. In them intelligence has been developed, but the will has been left aside and the young have not been prepared for the struggle of life, and what is lacking is not instruction, but education, a thorough religious training, the moral strength which vitalises and ennobles peoples and individuals and preserves them from bloody revolutions and irremediable decadence, for as we read in the Proverbs: "Virtue ennobles peoples, while sin makes them miserable"."
"The Path of Youth" - Dr. Benjamin Martin Sanchez
#RELIGIOUSARTICLES
One day Jouffroy, a famous professor at the University of Paris, faced with the spectacle that the world offered him, seeing people who obeyed nothing but pleasure and interest and applauded vice, exclaimed: "There are no men!
Our century has given itself entirely to the pleasures of the flesh. Everyone and everywhere aspires to luxury, to well-being, to entertainment.... The children of the 20th century aspire only to enjoy, to enjoy more and more. In this atmosphere saturated with sensualism and frivolity, souls do not live; they vegetate and die in the end because they cannot breathe the pure air of the summits. They do not think that impure vice debases and degrades them.
Where can we find men who are truly masters of their actions, who have deep-rooted convictions, who know how to be faithful to them... And who do not shrink from sacrifice for the triumph of an idea?
Be men! And what do we need to be real men? To achieve this we need a strong will, capable of undertaking serious work for the reform of defects and the acquisition of virtues. This is what is lacking in a great number of our young and old. They have been made men of letters, men of science, men of career, which was undoubtedly a good thing, but we have forgotten to make men of character. In them intelligence has been developed, but the will has been left aside and the young have not been prepared for the struggle of life, and what is lacking is not instruction, but education, a thorough religious training, the moral strength which vitalises and ennobles peoples and individuals and preserves them from bloody revolutions and irremediable decadence, for as we read in the Proverbs: "Virtue ennobles peoples, while sin makes them miserable"."
"The Path of Youth" - Dr. Benjamin Martin Sanchez
#RELIGIOUSARTICLES
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VARIOUS ARTICLES
"(...) Napoleon wanted to win the esteem of the Jews and set out to revive the great Sanhedrin, which had not met since the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in the year 70. At his invitation, 71 rabbis and lay people attended on 31 January 1807 in the deconsecrated church of St John in Paris. On 5 February, the Rabbi of Nice, Jacob Avigdor, one of the most prestigious delegates, took the floor, and according to the French historian Francois Piétri: In his speech he thanked the Catholic Church for the protection it has never ceased to give to the persecuted Jews. And he listed a long list of Fathers and Popes who have treated with humanity and accommodated the Israelites expelled and tormented by the civil power of almost all the States of Europe. And he recalled that the only place where the chosen people were never expelled was from the Papal States. At the end of his speech, he urged everyone to give a voice of gratitude to the Church of Rome for the benefits received from the Catholic clergy towards the Jews. The motion was voted on and passed unanimously. And let us remember that this homage was a free and spontaneous initiative that even surprised Napoleon who was at the time in Berlin (...) When the Germans entered Rome on 10 September 1943, they demanded that Rabbi Eugenio Zolli (later converted to the Catholic faith) hand over 50 kilos of gold. They collected 35, and the Pope guaranteed the remaining 15, which were not needed later. In addition, he ordered that Jews be received in all convents to avoid arrest. In Rome alone, in 155 convents, about 50,000 Jews were given asylum. Some 30,000 found refuge in the papal summer residence at Castelgandolfo. And several hundred lived in the Vatican itself. In total 85,000 Italian Jews were saved by the direct action of the Catholic Church. According to the Jew Pinchas Lapide, who interviewed Jewish survivors, in his book Three popes and the Jews, he states that Pius XII contributed substantially to saving 700,000 Jews, and perhaps 860,000, from the Nazis. And he states: The Catholic Church saved more Jews during the war than all other churches, religious institutions or organisations put together. This in contrast to what was achieved by the Red Cross or the Western democracies (...) Albert Einstein, wrote in Time Magazine of 23 September 1940: Universities like newspapers were reduced to silence within a few weeks. Only the Catholic Church stood solidly firm and stood up to Hitler's campaign to suppress the truth. I have had no interest in the Church, but now I have great affection and admiration, because only the Church has had the courage and constancy to stand up for intellectual truth and moral truth. I must confess that what I once despised, I must now praise unreservedly.
Elio Toaff who said in an interview to the newspaper La Repubblica: I will never forget who saved my life when I was a rabbi in Ancona. I lived a hundred metres from the Catholic church, where there was a priest, Don Bernardino, with whom I became friends. Sometimes we would talk and walk together. One morning, on my way home from church, he met me and told me that the Germans were waiting for me in the house and took me to the sacristy, where he hid me, helping to save me. Toaff himself, in his book The Hebrews Saved by Pius XII, tells of another priest, Don Francalacci, who hid and saved his parents, his wife and children, who had taken refuge in Pietrasanta. His whole family was saved by priests. That is why, when Pope Pius XII died, he wrote in the Italian newspapers on 11 October 1958: "More than anyone else, we Italian Jews have had the good fortune to benefit from the great charity and kindness of the Pontiff during the years of persecution and terror, when it seemed that there was no hope for us (...)".
"The courage to be Catholic" - Father Angel Pena O. A. R.
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"(...) Napoleon wanted to win the esteem of the Jews and set out to revive the great Sanhedrin, which had not met since the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in the year 70. At his invitation, 71 rabbis and lay people attended on 31 January 1807 in the deconsecrated church of St John in Paris. On 5 February, the Rabbi of Nice, Jacob Avigdor, one of the most prestigious delegates, took the floor, and according to the French historian Francois Piétri: In his speech he thanked the Catholic Church for the protection it has never ceased to give to the persecuted Jews. And he listed a long list of Fathers and Popes who have treated with humanity and accommodated the Israelites expelled and tormented by the civil power of almost all the States of Europe. And he recalled that the only place where the chosen people were never expelled was from the Papal States. At the end of his speech, he urged everyone to give a voice of gratitude to the Church of Rome for the benefits received from the Catholic clergy towards the Jews. The motion was voted on and passed unanimously. And let us remember that this homage was a free and spontaneous initiative that even surprised Napoleon who was at the time in Berlin (...) When the Germans entered Rome on 10 September 1943, they demanded that Rabbi Eugenio Zolli (later converted to the Catholic faith) hand over 50 kilos of gold. They collected 35, and the Pope guaranteed the remaining 15, which were not needed later. In addition, he ordered that Jews be received in all convents to avoid arrest. In Rome alone, in 155 convents, about 50,000 Jews were given asylum. Some 30,000 found refuge in the papal summer residence at Castelgandolfo. And several hundred lived in the Vatican itself. In total 85,000 Italian Jews were saved by the direct action of the Catholic Church. According to the Jew Pinchas Lapide, who interviewed Jewish survivors, in his book Three popes and the Jews, he states that Pius XII contributed substantially to saving 700,000 Jews, and perhaps 860,000, from the Nazis. And he states: The Catholic Church saved more Jews during the war than all other churches, religious institutions or organisations put together. This in contrast to what was achieved by the Red Cross or the Western democracies (...) Albert Einstein, wrote in Time Magazine of 23 September 1940: Universities like newspapers were reduced to silence within a few weeks. Only the Catholic Church stood solidly firm and stood up to Hitler's campaign to suppress the truth. I have had no interest in the Church, but now I have great affection and admiration, because only the Church has had the courage and constancy to stand up for intellectual truth and moral truth. I must confess that what I once despised, I must now praise unreservedly.
Elio Toaff who said in an interview to the newspaper La Repubblica: I will never forget who saved my life when I was a rabbi in Ancona. I lived a hundred metres from the Catholic church, where there was a priest, Don Bernardino, with whom I became friends. Sometimes we would talk and walk together. One morning, on my way home from church, he met me and told me that the Germans were waiting for me in the house and took me to the sacristy, where he hid me, helping to save me. Toaff himself, in his book The Hebrews Saved by Pius XII, tells of another priest, Don Francalacci, who hid and saved his parents, his wife and children, who had taken refuge in Pietrasanta. His whole family was saved by priests. That is why, when Pope Pius XII died, he wrote in the Italian newspapers on 11 October 1958: "More than anyone else, we Italian Jews have had the good fortune to benefit from the great charity and kindness of the Pontiff during the years of persecution and terror, when it seemed that there was no hope for us (...)".
"The courage to be Catholic" - Father Angel Pena O. A. R.
#VARIOUSARTICLES
VARIOUS ARTICLES
"How far does a player go? Let us take the example of St. Camillus de Lelis. He had a troubled time in his life. All his disorders were the effect of a passion which enslaved him: the passion of gambling.... He gambled away his sword, his cloak, even his shirt. He went so far as to beg in order not to die of hunger, he, the worldly young man that everyone knew! Then he was a bricklayer's labourer. And in hard work, in humiliation, in poverty, God called him. He overcame the passion of gambling, he converted to the Lord, he gave an example of heroic virtues, and in the Franciscan Convent, where he was admitted, he was known by the nickname of "The Humble Brother". Would that many of those who walk the path of gambling would imitate him on the path of life!
Maria Theresa of Austria learned that gambling was going on at the court of Louis XVI and in Marie Antoinette's own circle. Alarmed and with maternal zeal she wrote to her daughter: "If your husband is weak, it does not exempt you from being strong. Your future makes me tremble; gambling brings bad company, enslaves... and ends in ruin. Away with capitulations, my child. It is necessary to uproot the passion". There is no doubt that the passion of gambling brings many worries and cares and ends up enslaving the gambler and bringing misfortune, not only to him, but also to those with whom he lives.
A gambler went every day to a gambling house in the company of a dog called "Filax". Once a friend met him, who, surprised not to see him with the dog, asked him: "What have you done with your faithful "Filax"? -He has very good reasons for not wanting to come with me," replied the player. The last time he came with me he got a fierce beating, and as he has not forgotten the clubs, I have not been able to get him to come. Confess," replied the friend, "that 'Filax' is more sensible than his master, who always returns to the house where he ruins his goods."
"The vices of youth" - Dr. Benjamín Martín Sánchez
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"How far does a player go? Let us take the example of St. Camillus de Lelis. He had a troubled time in his life. All his disorders were the effect of a passion which enslaved him: the passion of gambling.... He gambled away his sword, his cloak, even his shirt. He went so far as to beg in order not to die of hunger, he, the worldly young man that everyone knew! Then he was a bricklayer's labourer. And in hard work, in humiliation, in poverty, God called him. He overcame the passion of gambling, he converted to the Lord, he gave an example of heroic virtues, and in the Franciscan Convent, where he was admitted, he was known by the nickname of "The Humble Brother". Would that many of those who walk the path of gambling would imitate him on the path of life!
Maria Theresa of Austria learned that gambling was going on at the court of Louis XVI and in Marie Antoinette's own circle. Alarmed and with maternal zeal she wrote to her daughter: "If your husband is weak, it does not exempt you from being strong. Your future makes me tremble; gambling brings bad company, enslaves... and ends in ruin. Away with capitulations, my child. It is necessary to uproot the passion". There is no doubt that the passion of gambling brings many worries and cares and ends up enslaving the gambler and bringing misfortune, not only to him, but also to those with whom he lives.
A gambler went every day to a gambling house in the company of a dog called "Filax". Once a friend met him, who, surprised not to see him with the dog, asked him: "What have you done with your faithful "Filax"? -He has very good reasons for not wanting to come with me," replied the player. The last time he came with me he got a fierce beating, and as he has not forgotten the clubs, I have not been able to get him to come. Confess," replied the friend, "that 'Filax' is more sensible than his master, who always returns to the house where he ruins his goods."
"The vices of youth" - Dr. Benjamín Martín Sánchez
#VARIOUSARTICLES
ABORTION
"To revolt against abortion one must first of all revolt against an economic order which is based on the conviction that the best way to count on a cretinised masses incapable of fighting against opprobrious working conditions is to ensure that these masses have few children; because he who has no children to fight for ends up giving up the struggle. To revolt against abortion, it must first be explained to the people that abortion, like all the other rights of the clutch, is a trick of the system to make social injustices less opprobrious. And that the whole ideological underpinning on which abortion rests is ultimately a consequence of the liberal concept of freedom, which exhorts man to get rid of all impediments that hinder or limit the process of strengthening his sovereign individuality."
Excerpted from the article "El fracaso provida" - Juan Manuel de Prada
#ABORTION #CHESTERTONCASTELLANIJMPRADA
"To revolt against abortion one must first of all revolt against an economic order which is based on the conviction that the best way to count on a cretinised masses incapable of fighting against opprobrious working conditions is to ensure that these masses have few children; because he who has no children to fight for ends up giving up the struggle. To revolt against abortion, it must first be explained to the people that abortion, like all the other rights of the clutch, is a trick of the system to make social injustices less opprobrious. And that the whole ideological underpinning on which abortion rests is ultimately a consequence of the liberal concept of freedom, which exhorts man to get rid of all impediments that hinder or limit the process of strengthening his sovereign individuality."
Excerpted from the article "El fracaso provida" - Juan Manuel de Prada
#ABORTION #CHESTERTONCASTELLANIJMPRADA