Transcription
Welcome again, everybody, and a very, very special welcome to those of you who aren't here present. I really appreciate having you here for the mass and for the talk, deeply appreciated.
Greetings also to the readers and promoters of the Curate's Diary, and greetings to our YouTube family. And sincere thanks to those who have been praying for my ministry, and also for those who have been praying for my full recovery from the hip operation.
And guess what? I think I got a wee blessing during the mass today. I believe I got a wee blessing. I'm not totally sure, but I believe I got a wee blessing in the middle of the mass today.
One thing that I've been conscious of, and this is usual after a hip operation, one leg ends up a bit longer than the other. And then you have to go for physiotherapy to get your body to readjust, uh, so that the two legs will feel the same length. And [clears throat] even yesterday at mass, yesterday morning, I mentioned it to the people there. And last night I was researching on the internet to see what sort of physiotherapy I'd need to do. And [laughter] in the middle of the mass today, just at the consecration, I suddenly realized I was feeling comfortable. I found it be uncomfortable during mass that one leg was longer than the other. And at the consecration today, it suddenly struck me I was feeling comfortable and that both legs were reaching the ground at the same pressure.
And you may have even noticed my stepping down after communion there onto the tiles. I was wondering, was it that the thicker, was it the thicker carpet beneath me was creating the im, the impression, uh, that my legs had stabilized? But when I stepped down on the tiles, it was the same. There's still a little bit of healing to go on down there, but praise God, and praise God for all his blessings. And I do believe I've had a few blessings along the way. So sincere thanks to those of you who have been praying for my ministry.
Pope Leo, one of the first things he said in his first public address, and it's repeated in that, um, Vatican document on the titles of our Blessed Mother. Uh, Pope Leo said, "Our Mother Mary always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love." Isn't that beautiful? Our Blessed Mother always wants to walk at our side, to remain close to us, to help us with her intercession and her love.
And yet now [snorts] we have prominent, even Catholic journalists, God love them, claiming that Pope Leo and the Vatican are removing Mary, launching an assault on Mary. For example, John Henry Weston has run a video entitled "Removing Mary: The Vatican's Assault on Mary." I'm sure some of you have heard of John Henry Weston before.
>> Yes.
I've mentioned before about how he was a great man for twisting the truth, and to do so in a way that people wouldn't be able to spot he was doing it. LifeSite News recently let him go, and thank God they did for LifeSite News. He's gone. Sad. [snorts] It's sad. Pray for him. He's gone.
And another of his videos that he has launched, uploaded recently, um, was "Pope Benedict: The Final Pope?" [snorts] And when you compare the two titles, there's a certain irony. He's, um, he's claiming some visionary, I must give a talk on visionaries sometime soon, but he's, he's claiming that some visionary had claimed that Pope Benedict will be the last pope, and he's, he's acting on that. But on the one hand, he's implying that Pope Benedict may have been the last pope, and now he's, he's also claiming, uh, that the Vatican is removing Mary and launching an attack on Mary.
And you know what? In the recent document that the Vatican has brought out on our Blessed Mother, the strongest criticisms in it of titles of Mary that have been used in the past, guess who they're by? Cardinal Ratzinger, who became Pope Benedict. The strongest criticisms in the, the, the book of certain titles of Our Lady are quotations from Cardinal Ratzinger a quarter of a century ago.
And then we have another series of what you might call relatively right-wing, uh, Catholic news agencies. Of all crowds, EWTN was on the law of good, but they're there. Guess their heading, "The Vatican Nixus Use of Cormpeics." Catholic, the Catholic News Agency. Guess their title, "The Vatican Nixse of Cormpeics." Same title. The National Catholic Register.
>> [snorts]
Guess their title, "The Vatican Nixes Use of Core Redemption, Core Redemptrics." The three of them have the same title. Now, I've operated in the past and on the internet that I believe nothing unless I see it on two or three reputable. I, I don't believe anything just on one website, on one video. I have to see it on two or three. And here we have no less than three that we would have looked upon in the past as reputable.
Now, if you check the meaning of the word "nix," we don't use it that much here in Ireland. Semly used a lot in America. You will find that it means vetoes, rejects, spurns, declines, dismisses, refuses, prohibits, forbids, prescribes. And not merely is the word "nix" not in the Vatican document. Not one of those other words are in it either. Not one of them or anything similar to those words in it. And here we have three that we would have looked up to in the past, Catholic news agencies, coming out with that title.
In fact, the document states, "Mary and devotion, which Mary's motherhood engenders, is presented here as a treasure of the Church. The piety of the faithful people of God who find in Mary refuge, strength, tenderness, and hope, is not presented here to correct it, but above all to appreciate, admire, and encourage it." Isn't that something very different to nixing? Um, it's presented as a treasure of the Church to encourage it. The one thing we're advised about is that there's a few words that maybe they're not the best words to be using, but far worse, would you believe they're worse? Far worse is that each of them create the impression that Pope Leo and the Vatican, Cardinal Fernandez, that they're after doing something new and that they're attacking our Blessed Mother now, and no realization, no re, and it's in the text. It's in the document, the quotations from Cardinal Ratzinger from 1998 and 2002. And yet here they are presenting it as if this is something Pope Leo and Cardinal Fernandez are after doing now, creating the, the impression that Pope Leo and Cardinal Fernandez have introduced some new restrictions when they have not introduced restrictions at all, but merely repeated criticism of a couple of titles made a quarter of a century ago by Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict.
Do you know what I call it? Utterly inexcusable. It is a sin against the Holy Spirit. Not merely have they sinned against the truth, our Blessed Mother, the Pope Leo, Cardinal Fernandez, but even more so, they have sinned against the people of God who will have the misfortune to believe what they have said. And I don't know how many other, um, reporters around the world have picked up on what they've said and repeated what they have said. They have sinned. To my mind, it's part of the sin against the Holy Spirit.
And the question is, how possibly could he get it so wrong? And I have a theory about that. Things have been happening in America which no Christian, no true follower of Jesus should approve of, no true follower of Jesus should turn a blind eye to. And sadly, within the conservative wing of the Catholic Church in America, there has been a great tendency not just to turn a blind eye, but to condone and even approve some things that should not be accepted by any true follower of Jesus Christ. And you know what that does to a person? When a person accepts, remains silent about, condones, imp, or approves that which is not of God. What does it do to the relationship with the Holy Spirit?
>> Destroys it.
It clouds our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Clouds relationship with the Holy Spirit. And again, where people twist things, proclaim as true that which is not true. Not merely is there, um, does it cloud their relationship with the Holy Spirit, but it even leads to a situation where they're no longer able to recognize the truth. And I would sadly say John Henry Weston has reached that stage. Now, I'm not saying that everybody in EWTN has reached that stage. There's good in EWTN as well as, uh, they do need to deal with whatever has arisen that led to that title. But we are all called to lead, uh, people to the fullness of truth.
But first, let us think of all the wonderful titles of our Blessed Mother that are fully approved by the Church. Mary, Mother of God. Mary, our Heavenly Mother. Mother of Mercy. Mary, Help of Christians. Mary, our Advocate. Our Lady of Perpetual Help. Our Lady of Good Success. Mother of the Church. A whole range of titles, and a number of them, um, in, in the document.
So, given the range of titles that are fully acceptable and promoted, how can any true Christian claim that the Vatican is removing Mary or launching an assault of Mary or nixing devotion to Mary? Will not the true Christian, I'm sure it applies to everybody here. Are you not glad that the Vatican has given us guidance? Shouldn't that be the position of every true Christian? Will not the person who truly loves Mary not be anxious to ascribe to Mary, our beautiful Heavenly Mother, the most appropriate titles possible? As the Vatican document states, "The Mother of the faithful people of God," there's another title for her repeated in the document itself, "is viewed with affection and admiration by Christians because, since grace makes us like Christ, Mary is the most perfect expression of Christ's actions that transforms our humanity. She is the feminine, man, manifestation of all that Christ's grace can accomplish in a human being." Isn't that beautiful? She is the most perfect, the feminine, um, she is the feminine manifestation of all that Christ's grace can accomplish in a human being. Will not the person who loves Mary not desire to use the most appropriate titles possible for her? And if that involves readjusting the words we use, will we not readjust the words we use?
[snorts] And we have one tremendous example of a person readjusting the words they're familiar with and the words they're using. Anybody have to guess who it is? None other than Pope St. John Paul II. In at, in his earlier years, he had used the, the title, um, Mediatrix of All Graces, uh, I think it was seven times. And then he asked Cardinal Ratzinger, got Cardinal Ratzinger's advice on the subject. And Cardinal Ratzinger's reply was, "The precise meaning of these titles, the Mediatrix of All Graces and Corredemptrix, is not clear defined doctrine and divine faith belongs to the *posetum fidei*, that is, that the divine revelation conveyed in scripture and the apostolic tradition. However, it is not clear how the doctrine expressed in these titles is present in scripture or in the apostolic tradition."
What did John Paul then do? To the best of my knowledge, he stopped using those titles. He had used them before. Cardinal Ratzinger kept the verdict, and but then accepting Cardinal Ratzinger's verdict, he never used them again, to the best of my knowledge. And shouldn't that be our attitude? That if the titles we are using is in any way imperfect, we have a whole range of titles which are perfect.
Later, in 2002, Cardinal Ratzinger publicly declared, "The formula *corredemptrix* departs too, too great an extent from the language of scripture and of the Fathers and therefore gives rise to misunderstandings. Everything comes from Christ, as the Letter to the Ephesians and the Letter to the Colossians in particular tell us, and I quoted those passages last Sunday. Mary too is everything that she is through Him. The word *corredemptrix* would obscure this origin." So anything that's in the document is based on the verdicts given by Cardinal Ratzinger. And to in some way imply that Pope Leo or Cardinal Fernandez are now nixing established and accepted titles is totally wrong.
Now, I remember a dear old lady, you know, a, a lady of very simple faith, a poor, a lady from a poor background, and she used to say, "Jesus is the front door to heaven, and Mary is the back door." [laughter] Now, I never contradicted her. A dear lady from a poor background. I wasn't going to challenge her, and I'm sure Jesus didn't challenge her, and her Blessed Mother didn't challenge her. But theologically, what she was saying was quite wrong. There is no back door to heaven. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." Our Lady is not the back door. But what does she do? She directs us, and she helps us to the front door. That's what she does. She directs us to Jesus, in whom alone is salvation found.
Now, there has been a failure in the Church. A failure to help people come to a lived experience of Jesus coming alive in their hearts. The indwelling Jesus. Come to a lived openness and experience of the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. So there is a gap, and there is a failure within the Church which has a sort of, uh, created the, the situation where there is that gap. And well-meaning people [snorts], they know there's a gap there, and they seek to fill it. And they seek to fill it by ascribing to Mary, sometimes titles that are not the most perfect possible. And that's understandable. But we're all called to people, lead people to the fullness of the truth. Jesus can come alive within us. Transform us from within. The Holy Spirit can come alive within us and transform us from within. But guess what? A Blessed Mother can be a wonderful, loving mother to us, but she cannot come alive within us. She can be a wonderful, wonderful loving mother, but it is Jesus and the Holy Spirit who can come alive within us.
And St. Thomas Aquinas was big on that, and St. Thomas is quoted in the document considerably. Um, "Only God, not being a creature, can reach the most interior part of us without violating our freedom and identity." And the document picks up on that and says, "Only God reaches our inmost center to bring about elevation and transformation when He gives Himself as a friend." And quoting St. Thomas, "No creature can confer grace." And St. Thomas, who repeats this when speaking of the sacraments, he says, "Only God produces the interior effect of the sacrament, first, because God alone can enter the soul wherein the sacramental effect takes place. The grace that is an interior effect of the sacrament comes from God alone." And the document picks up on that again and says, "Neither friendship with Christ, nor the twin Trinitarian indwelling can be conceived to be something that comes to us through Mary or the saints, but Mary desires this good for us, and she asks for it together with us."
Now, the document, it gives one superb example or proof that Mary cannot be the Mediatrix of All Graces. Anybody guess what is? Mary could not have been the Mediatrix of the graces she herself received. Not possible. It states she, the first redeemed, could not have been the Mediatrix of the grace that she herself conceived. This is not a minor point, since it reveals something eternal. Even in Mary's case, the gift of grace precedes her and comes from the absolutely free initiative of the Trinity in view of Christ's merits.
But meanwhile, you take the case of a person who has an objection to marriage. There's even some Catholics have an objection to Mary. Do you know that? Take the case of a person who has an objection to Mary, or the, a non-Catholic Christian who just have never learned about Mary. And you tell them, and when they, they, they share with you their experience of Jesus coming within them, and you tell them that Mary is the Mediatrix of All Graces. Not very helpful, is it?
Now, she is a wonderful mother. And to highlight this, uh, the Vatican document, uh, quoted from the apparition in Guadalupe when first she addressed John Diego, "My dearest and youngest son, Joan." Then, when St. John Diego expressed his difficulties in carrying out the mission entrusted to him, Mary showed him the strength of her motherhood. "Am I not here, who am your mother? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?"
Now, Mary does give very practical help. I'll speak more on that on another occasion. And, um, those of you who are get the Curate's Diary, there's a beautiful story in this issue, and I didn't want to go into it today because it was going to make my talk too long, but a beautiful near-death experience of a priest called Father Steven Shire. He's dead now, Lord have mercy. But he had a near-death experience in which he hadn't been to open to God in his ministry. And he had a near-death experience in which he experienced himself being condemned to hell, and then believed that our Blessed Mother cried out for him. And that because of our Blessed Mother crying out, he was given another chance. On the surface, it makes it sound as if our Blessed Mother is more merciful than Jesus. But I'll explain that. I, I'll go over that on another occasion.
Meanwhile, I don't know whether there's anybody watching in who finds it extremely difficult to pray the Rosary. Oh my, I always had difficulties praying the Rosary privately. Always had difficulties keeping my mind on it. And then I developed a little method of praying the Rosary which I called "Miracle Rosary" because it was a miracle for me, miracle in that that was a method by which I was able to keep my mind on the Rosary as I prayed it. And it's available in a small booklet form for just 60 cent each here in God's Cottage, or also on CD. I must next year get it uploaded to the other thing that they can stick in their cars nowadays, memory sticks, whatever. But it's available on CD. Uh, the full four Rosaries, uh, the Miracle Rosary, and, um, it's on sale here for €5, or from my house for €5 plus postage.
But let us pray. Heavenly Mother, we invite you to truly be a mother to each of us and to be a mother to each of our families. Heavenly Father, we hold before you whichever family member we're most concerned about this day. We pray that you will influence that person, that you will help that person become open to Jesus, that you will work in that person's life.
Heavenly Father, we also entrust the roads of Ireland to you. For those familiar with here in Ireland, there have been an unprecedented number of serious accidents in the last eight days. Uncanny. [snorts] Something of the evil one has got into the situation. So, Heavenly Mother, we cry out to you for protection on the roads. Heavenly Father, we cry out to you that whatever is causing all this string of serious fatal accidents, that the roads may be delivered from it.
Lord Jesus, we ask the same. Deliver us, Lord. Deliver our roads from the forces of evil that have got in in the last eight days. We also think of what Christians are suffering elsewhere, and I think in particular where that whole school has been abducted in Nigeria, and I think of the parents of those children. Oh, is it over 300 something? Colossae? Heavenly Father, we cry out to you. We cry out to you for the whole world indeed. That after the consecration of 1984, the world moved in the right direction until the year 2000. And since the year 2000, it has been moving in the wrong direction. We cry out to you for Nigeria, Uganda, Sudan, all these countries, Zimbabwe, all these countries. We cry out to you again for Ukraine, for the Holy Land, the Palestinians, for all the, and for Venezuela. For Venezuela. What is being threatened to Venezuela is not from God. We cry out for Venezuela. We think of those people who were slaughtered in little fishing boats off the coast of Venezuela. Fishing boats that had no ability to reach the United States without getting a refill at least 20 times along the way. We cry out to you.
And we cry out to you for the Catholic media. Lord, grant conversion to the Catholic media where the Catholic media is not speaking truth. And for our own needs, our own intentions, we cry out to you, Lord Jesus. Lord, we hold before you our own families. Whoever it is within our extended family we feel a need to claim for you spiritually and morally, we claim them, Lord, for you and pray to do whatever is in our power. And likewise for whoever it is within our extended family or friends where they're suffering any form of illness, medical conditions, mental conditions, your blessing, Lord. Your blessing. And whatever is.
And we cry out to you as well that Pope Leo may be recognized for the great Pope that he is. And we cry out to you that you will undermine those who are trying to undermine him. For our Church to listen to your voice and walk in your ways with whatever is your number one intention. Now hold it before Jesus as I give the blessing. I'll be available for confessions, and perhaps somebody might like to lead the Rosary.