Pope Francis prays as he leads the Lenten penance service in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican March 29, 2019. (Credit: Remo Casilli/Reuters via CNS.)
ROME - Jesus does not view sinners as transgressors who must be punished according to the law, but as people in need of hope and freedom from sin, Pope Francis said.
“It is Jesus who, with the power of the Holy Spirit, frees us from the evil we have within us, from the sin which the law could impede but not remove,” the pope said in his homily March 29 during the annual Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica.
After the homily and several minutes of silent reflection and prayer, the pope removed his liturgical vestments and walked toward one of the wooden confessionals; he kneeled before a priest to confess.
The sound of sacred music, interspersed with moments of scripture reading and quiet reflection, filled the basilica while Francis and dozens of priests and bishops listened to confessions.
In his homily, the pope reflected on the Gospel reading, in which the Pharisees brought a woman accused of adultery and attempted to trap Jesus by asking him whether she should be stoned according to the law of Moses.
“Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her,” Jesus replied.
Citing St. Augustine, the pope said once those who sought to stone the woman left, only Jesus and the woman remained, “mercy with misery,” because in his eyes, “that woman, that person” was what was of value.
“For him, the sinner comes before the sin,” the pope explained. “I, you, each one of us come first in the heart of God: before mistakes, rules, judgments and our failures.”
However, Christians must keep in mind that, without the love of God, evil cannot be overcome. Thus, the sacrament of reconciliation, the pope said, is the gift that helps “make room for the Lord, who forgives and heals.”
Forgiveness, he continued, “is a new beginning” and not “a photocopy which is identically reproduced in every passage through the confessional.”
“Receiving pardon for our sins through a priest is always a new, distinctive and unique experience,” the pope said. “We pass from being alone with our miseries and accusers, like the woman in the Gospel, to being raised up and encouraged by the Lord, who grants us a new start.”
Francis invited Christians to contemplate the image of Jesus crucified on the cross as a reminder that Christ did not point fingers at those who were sinful, but instead stretched out his arms and bore the weight of those sins upon himself.
The heart of the sacrament of reconciliation, he added, is “not the sins we declare, but the divine love we receive, of which we are ever in need.”
“We may still have a doubt: ‘Confessing is useless, I am always committing the same sins,'” the pope said. “The Lord knows us, however; he knows that the interior struggle is difficult, that we are weak and inclined to fall, that we often relapse into doing what is wrong. So, he proposes that we begin to relapse into goodness, into asking for mercy.”
Any good parent knows that the more we love our children, the less we tolerate.
My four-year-old is currently having trouble understanding this concept. “Oh,” she responded yesterday, after I chided her for speaking rudely to her brother. “I guess you don’t love me, because you’re punishing me.”
“It’s because I love you that I’m correcting you,” I answered.
She knitted her brow in confusion. She was apparently still holding fiercely to the belief that anyone who loves her must accept her as she is, without question or criticism.
Our world today is much like my four-year-old. We live in a society that demands acceptance, and even encouragement, of gravely immoral choices. It is a society that requires tolerance of actions that on the surface appear harmless, but in actuality, hurt either the self or others and often, both.
In such a setting, our little ones grow up to be teenagers and adult children, who, sadly and rather often, make choices that we know will hurt them or others. And so, as good parents, we assert our displeasure with what we know will very likely damage them.
Still, when our children grow up, it is at times tempting to fall silent in the face of their perilous decisions. After all, they now have much more control over our relationship. At best, chiding our adult children might result in an ugly argument. At worst, they may threaten to cut us out of their lives indefinitely.
It’s frightening. What will they do? How will they react? Will they completely disregard our concerns? Will they turn away from us? To be honest, it’s sometimes alluring to keep the temporal peace and say little – or even nothing – when we see our loved ones walking the path to peril.
But, better parents than us have demonstrated that keeping quiet in such situations is not what good parents do.
At Fatima, our Blessed Mother did not stay silent. Ever the perfect mother, she saw her children on the road to perdition and, precisely because of her great love for us, she came to warn us of where our behavior would lead should we stay on the path we were following. Her warnings were an act of maternal mercy, for she knew that our Lord could no longer tolerate our very weighty sinfulness.
Her urgent desire to save our souls is evident in the fact that she showed mere children a vision of hell. Indeed, she pressingly cautioned, “If they do what I tell you, many souls will be saved…But, if they do not stop offending God, another even worse war will begin.” She went on to briefly assert that peace would come if her maternal requests were followed, but then she gave far more details about the terrors to come if they were not.
No, it’s not enjoyable to chide our children, but good parents know that it is necessary.
Long before our Blessed Mother, our Father in heaven showed His loving intolerance of His children’s dangerous choices. From the Garden to Gomorrah, God demonstrated his detest for sin and, specifically, His children losing their souls to it. From Mount Sinai to today, He sets limits and boundaries for us. As children, we’re tempted to cry, “That’s not fair! That’s not love!” Indeed, our world today resists in such a way, insisting that a loving God doesn’t punish His children or chain them within boundaries.
But, a good friend of mine responds to that rather succinctly. Our world insists we must be tolerant, and certainly some degree of this is important. “But,” she adds, “we cannot tolerate sin. To do so is to tolerate souls right to hell.” And that, we know, is not love.
What the world doesn’t see – and what we often miss – is that establishing limits is a loving thing to do, and that sometimes punishments save us from a worse fate.
Because of their great love for humanity, our Lord and Blessed Mother don’t shirk these sometimes-unpleasant duties that come with parenthood. Yes, they know that we might turn away. They realize we might rebel. Surely, they are saddened that we might ignore their parental advice completely. But they advise and admonish anyway, because the risk to our souls is too great not to do so. And the rewards to our souls, should we heed their warnings, are too marvelous to keep us from.
It’s trying work, this constant vigilance over not only our own souls, but others’, too. Through the messages of Fatima, however, Our Lady showed us that it is a necessary parental task.
As for my daughter, I am still working to help her understand on some basic level that because I love her, I want heaven for her – and that means that I cannot tolerate anything that would lead her to hell. With persistent prayer, let’s hope that our world will begin to understand this, too.
Hello friends, In light of the latest demoralizing views/laws enacted against the poorest and most vulnerable in our society...the unborn, those born after unsuccessful abortions, those infants in the womb with Down Syndrome or with serious health complications...Fr. Al's and the Sisters of Mary's life's work pierce hope and light in the darkness. God's love shines through in the saving of children's lives, even in the most desperate of situations.
A documentary not to be missed, "The Unfinished Symphony" Saturday on EWTN 3/16, 6pm ET. Watch or DVR it, so worth watching. Fr. Al died of ALS on March 16, 1992 and he is the founder of World Villages for Children, having taken in orphaned boys and girls, completely abandoned and from the poorest of the poor, and these children now served in 7 countries.
Youtube clips can be found under The Unfinished Symphony / Fr. Al Schwartz.
Fr. Schwartz, pray for us...for our leaders, our country, law-makers, Congress men and women, for all who have deviated from God's truth or do not know God, and for all who are standing in the way of harm in defending the rights of all human beings, born and unborn...we pray for a return to purity of heart and repentance. We fervently implore your help and prayers as you contemplate the Face of God in all His Glory! Jesus, we trust in you. Please save souls.
When Jesus first asked me to form a cult of women espoused to purity, I googled the word purity of course. I came to the site for Our Lady of America. As God would have it, I soon met the current leader of the foundation Alan Langanbac, who vacations just up the street from our then vacation home near the Canadian border.
So we now have 'The Pure in Heart' young persons group Women Espoused to Purity; and Our Lady of America which predates the other two.
I have also visited the foundation community of Pure in Heart which started in Dublin Ireland. Very impressive group of young people. I believe they were inspired in Medjugorje.
Jesus and Mary can only tell the truth. They can only lead us in the truth. They are pure. Jesus is pure Truth. He is our Healer and Savior. I am thrilled to see Our Lady of America coming to visit Boston and the Pure in Heart community.
Margaret of Souls for Jesus
Our Lady of America's traveling image will be in Boston
Thursday March 14th- Sunday March 17th.
We want to make sure you're aware of every opportunity!
Thursday March 14th, 2019 -Pure in Heart Boston(St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine, 1105 Boylston St. Boston, Ma.) will have the Image on display during our meeting. Rosary begins at 6:30 in the upper room.
Friday March 15th, 2019 - 40 Days for Life will have Our Lady's image front and center at Planned Parenthood (1055 Commonwealth Ave Boston, Ma.) Hours that need coverage: 3pm, 4pm, 5pm
Saturday March 16th, 2019 - 40 Days for Life will have Our Lady's image front and center at Planned Parenthood (1055 Commonwealth Ave Boston, Ma.) Hours that need coverage: 1pm, 2pm, 3pm, 4pm
Sunday March 17th, 2019 - 40 Days for Life will have Our Lady's image front and center at Planned Parenthood (1055 Commonwealth Ave Boston, Ma.) Hours that need coverage: 7am, 8am, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm
Pure in Heart is happy to announce that the traveling image of Our Lady of America is going to be in the city!
Our Lady of America appeared to a young nun in the United States. The nun’s name was Sister Mary Ephrem (later Mildred Neuzil)
On September 26, 1956, Our Lady appeared to Sister and called her children in America to dedicate their lives to her purity. She said:
"My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children in America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son."
Our Lady has become the patroness of Pure in Heart America. This year during the March for Life Pure in Heart consecrated the organization to her protection. We invite you to visit this image while it is here and prayerfully consider offering an hour of your time. The image can be venerated at two locations: St. Clement Eucharistic Shrine and at Planned Parenthood.
By Fr. Paul John Kalchik Part I of this article
reviewed the lingering mystery of Our Lady of Guadalupe and science's
inability to explain its miraculous nature. Let's now move on to the
phenomenal, earth-shattering, rock-solid proof of the Faith that is the
portrait of Our Lady of Las Lajas. If you have never heard about this
apparition before, don't feel bad, as many evil men and women over the
past three centuries have worked hard to play down and eliminate from
general knowledge this apparition.
This is not like Our Lady of Fatima, where only the message
remains but no physical miracle still exists. The image of Our Lady of
Las Lajas is rock solid! And no amount of time will erase it. Let me
explain.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Las Lajas
The image of Our Lady of Lajas and devotion to this image dates back
to the year 1754. That was the height of the Enlightenment and when many
Illuminati pranced the palaces of Europe's capitals, slapping one
another on the back. They slapped one another on the back as their
takeover of the world was in the bag!
The sheer stupidity and arrogance of Europe's kings and queens is
remarkable. They fully embraced the lie that science disproved God's
existence as it gave them license to live lives of dissipation. But by
their welcome of these learned men into their courts, they also welcomed
their own deaths and the dissolution of monarchal rule. They did not
carry the thought to its logical conclusion: "Since God does not exist,
God-ordained monarchies should not exist as well."
What power can we use immediately from the "everlasting" miracle of Our
Lady of Lajas? This image is composed of the rock of the grotto
itself! It is not just some surface rock discoloration, but the rock
itself is pigmented feet deep, into the heart of the mountain
itself. Cores have been taken.
This image of Our Lady holding Jesus, flanked by Her companions St.
Francis and St. Dominic, is in its pristine rock-solid glory, an
argument against all the atheists, Freemasons, devil worshipers and
such, who like to prance the courts of our modern capitals, slapping one
another on the back, congratulating each other, saying, "We have this
game all in the bag" or, "Science proves there is no God, science proves
there is no truth, science proves nothing really matters, except
power! Therefore step aside all weaklings, we the enlightened have the
might and the right to rule!"
Las Lajas Sanctuary in Ipiales, Colombia
Let's pause to check on whether or not you are still on board. Mary
is our five-star general and she has given us some very powerful weapons
to win this battle. And to review for just a moment, she has given
humanity two "everlasting portraits" of Herself to use for our own
individual spiritual fortification but also for our use in bringing down
the fortifications of the atheists, devil worshipers, Freemasons and
the like.
Miraculous image of Our Lady of Las Lajas
If you look closely at our enemies and their fortifications, their
bulwarks are fundamentally constructed with stones of pseudo-science,
which are held together by shameless arrogance for mortar. Culturally
the footings for these bulwarks were initiated during the Enlightenment,
which was not really enlightened.
Today, in this new millennium, which is also not enlightened, the
bulwarks of the enemy appear phenomenally tall and grand. But, the
stones of these fortifications are only held together by the weak mortar
of arrogance. Show true humility to the face of arrogance and the
stones of these bulwarks will tumble.
Take this to heart: Show true humility to the face of arrogance and
the stones of these bulwarks will tumble, the stones of pseudo-science,
false religions, neo-paganism and their like.
And you might ask at this point where do the first real skirmishes
begin for the troops in this battle of battles. Right in your own home!
This is no surprise. All of us have families which to varying degrees
are fractured and divided by the lies! No family can sit down to an
evening meal without escaping the hateful influences of the devil, who
has taken control of our culture and society at large. "Oh Dad, do I
really have to go to Church with you on Sunday morning, we have a big
game in the afternoon and I have to rest up for it! Our team winning the
game is more important than Church!" or, "Mom, I've had sex with my
boyfriend a couple of times now, he is so in love with me, but it's all
good, we've been using protection" or, "Dad, do you mind, but this
Sunday I would like to go with my girlfriend to her church, she says
that they have some really cool music. You know how boring the music
scene is at Saint James!"
And these are just a few tame examples, names withheld, of today’s fractured Catholic families.
Winning this battle begins at home with the conversion of all members
of one's own family! Dads need to talk to their children about the
truth of the Faith. Moms need to share with all their children the
blessings of being a mother and the important role of motherhood for the
future of this world.
Grandpas need to talk to their grandchildren about the blessings of
keeping all of God's law. Grandmas need to shower that unconditional
love upon all their grandchildren, as well as their prayers. Families
are the fundamental unit of the Church, and the foot soldier who has a
strong, faith-filled, totally Catholic and apostolic family, will ensure
the victory of the battle for their community and for the world.
Secondly, after the home front has been won over, the next front to
conquer in this battle is at work. All work venues these days are
populated with many atheists, agnostics and worse. You can quickly
recognize these enemy agents by their arrogance; they reek from it as
they pontificate at the water cooler.
They know everything about everything talk endlessly about things
like population control, sex, global warming, sex, hate crimes, sex,
money, sex, video games, sex, hot Netflix shows and, of course, sex. And
much, much worse, and with less than gentlemanly or ladylike language.
The footsoldier who is serious about winning this battle will bring
the fight, and the light, into work with him or her. Take out the
eternal photos that Our Blessed Mother has given us for the battle and
talk with your co-workers about them.
But do not be afraid. The Blessed Virgin Mary is our general, and She has this all under control.Tweet
"My friend, I've just learned something very interesting. Have you
ever heard about the story of Our Lady of Las Lajas, we'd say Our Lady
of the Rocks, in Columbia? Mary actually left a picture of Herself as
well as Saints Dominic and Francis in rock, many feet deep. Scientists
can't explain how it got there, it’s not painted on, and the color goes
many feet deep into the rock? It really makes you think, doesn't it?"
And so forth. The battle will be won by winning as many souls as
possible from the hands of the enemy. So, troops, "Do not be
afraid." Engage the enemy as the battle must be won! And it will be won
in the battlefield of the home and in the battlefield of the office.
Let me remind everyone that it's crucial for those in combat to stay
close to the commander in chief at all times. Say your Rosary daily,
receive the sacraments of the Church regularly, avoid any and all sin
— and pray. And then pray some more!
The first fruit of prayer is peace. Hearts will not be converted by
any footsoldier if the soldier does not demonstrate by their actions the
true peace that comes from God and is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Pray,
offer penance as a sacrifice for the conversion of souls and then pray
some more.
The problem with these immortal, malignant enemies is that simple
arm-to-arm combat will not vanquish them. But do not be afraid. The
Blessed Virgin Mary is our general, and She has this all under
control. She has the big spiritual guns, and she will be more than happy
to assist you as a foot soldier in your own personal struggles and
skirmishes in this epic war, in your home, at work and in your
community.
Jesus said, "Do not be afraid; I am with you until the end of the
age" (Matthew 28:20). Might Jesus be saying to us now, "And if you
forget what I look like, please look to My Mother; I have left
everlasting pictures of her to remind you of all my promises. She is
with you as well."
I have not been stirred by a testimony like this maybe ever. Our society has come up with so many exceptions to the Truth of the Law of Love passed on to us by Jesus that I never thought I would hear a story where a couple, a family actually brought the light of Christ into the abyss of darkness we as a society have settled for. This woman and her husband have broken all the barriers of resistance to why each life is sacred from conception to natural death. It is uncomfortable to listen but it is important to hear every word she has to say. God is so powerfully with us.
“Dear children, I call you the apostles of my love. I am showing you my Son who is the true peace and the true love. As a mother, through the mercy of God, I desire to lead you to Him. My children, this is why I am calling you to reflect on yourselves, starting out from my Son, that you look to Him with the heart and that you may see with the heart where you are and where your life is going. My children, I am calling you to comprehend that it is, thanks to my Son, that you live – through His love and sacrifice. You are asking of my Son to be merciful to you and I am calling you to mercy. You are asking of Him to be good to you and to forgive you, and for how long am I imploring you, my children, to forgive and to love all the people whom you meet? When you comprehend my words with the heart, you will comprehend and come to know the true love and you will be able to be apostles of that love, my apostles, my dear children. Thank you.”
