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| Americans are in ‘delusional psychosis’ and policing each other, psychiatri |
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Posted by: Stone - 12-02-2020, 10:12 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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COVID-19: Americans are in ‘delusional psychosis’ and policing each other, psychiatrist warns
‘We don’t need a police force. We don’t need a secret Stasi to go after the neighbor that isn’t wearing his mask on a park bench. We have families who are willing to do that.’
Mark McDonald - The Epoch Times / YouTube
November 28, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — America is on the verge of being “lost” because many of its citizens are suffering from a “delusional psychosis” and so fearful that they are turning on each other to enforce “nonsensical” coronavirus restrictions, a California psychiatrist has warned.
“We don’t need a police force. We don’t need a secret Stasi to go after the neighbor that isn’t wearing his mask on a park bench. We have families who are willing to do that,” Dr. Mark McDonald said last month during a summit on the virus.
“We have office workers [who] will come by and mace you if you are not wearing a mask, and no one will come to your rescue. In fact, they’ll probably applaud it.”
A child and adolescent psychiatrist in private practice in West Los Angeles. Dr. Mark McDonald made his remarks during the virtual Truth Over Fear Summit organized by Catholic broadcaster Patrick Coffin.
The “driving force of the coronavirus pandemic and the hysteria” around it is fear, McDonald said at the summit. This fear has now “grown and become so entrenched that it has reached a state of what I would call delusional psychosis. A delusion is a fixed false belief that is contrary to reality,” he added.
“Fear has become a new virtue. Never before in the history of this country have we told people that fear is good,” or to “settle into” those fears and allow them “to control and constrain your life,” said McDonald, who spoke at the American Front Line Doctors White Coat Summits in July and October.
Moreover, Americans “who are either afraid, or who have been fed lies and misinformation for months now, have grown to not only feel afraid, but also to believe that what they are being told is true, which is primarily that all of us are at equal risk of catching a virus and dying from it,” McDonald said.
“This is demonstrably untrue. It is a lie, in fact. And we’ve known that it’s a lie for about six months, and yet people have come to believe it.” While there was “a lot of infection” from the coronavirus, there was “very, very little death or hospitalization outside of very specific populations,” McDonald said.
“Less than one percent of the population accounts for over 90 percent of all the deaths,” which occur in people “over age 70, mostly over age 80, with at least two and a half to three comorbidities, according to the CDC,” he added.
“Other than that group of people, we really are not at risk of hospitalization or death in any meaningful way from this virus, certainly less than we are of standard influenza.” Most disturbingly, the pandemic “hysteria” has reached the stage of “going beyond fear, going beyond the crazy itself, to what I would call group control,” he said.
As a result, Americans are policing themselves to such an extent that governments have “dialed down” enforcement of ongoing lockdowns and restrictions by “multiple notches,” he observed.
He related personal incidents as examples.
During a recent flight on Delta Airlines, a “furious” flight attendant “castigated me” for drinking water for more than three minutes, and continued to “hound” him throughout the flight, McDonald related.
When the plane reached its destination, McDonald was “escorted off” and interviewed by a station manager. Two weeks later, he received a letter from Delta banning him from flights “in perpetuity,” or until the airline withdrew its mask mandate.
Moreover, McDonald was later told by the person he was traveling with that “all the passengers erupted into applause” after he was escorted off the plane, because “their anxiety was relieved by me being punished for not appropriately wearing the mask as requested, as demanded.”
During another flight, McDonald went to the galley for some water, and an attendant on her break offered to get him some, but was berated by an on-duty flight attendant for not wearing a mask. “This colleague attacking colleague, passenger attacking passenger” is a “type of behavior I’ve never, ever seen before. I was stunned,” McDonald said.
“So the end result of this: what appears to me is a country which is using its own citizens as a de facto police force, very similar to communist China, that has a social point system in place where neighbor informs on neighbor, family informs on family,” he said.
“This has a terribly damaging effect on our society.”
He said that while misinformation is a root cause of the pandemic hysteria, Americans are also at fault for their “laziness” about educating themselves.
When the pandemic was first declared, McDonald had “patience” with people because they were “confused” by all the conflicting information, but his sympathy has run out.
“There is readily available information on all platforms of the Internet, social media that any reasonably intelligent and literate person can find and evaluate and critically analyze,” he said.
So widespread and so rooted is this delusional psychosis that “when I leave my home or leave my office every day, I have to prepare myself for the inevitable experience of what I would call the ‘outdoor insane asylum,’” McDonald said.
The experience “reminds me of my time that I spent in residency where I would go through a locked unit door, the door shut behind me, and I’d have to remind myself that anyone not wearing a badge behind that door is crazy,” added McDonald.
“Now I have to do the same when I’m out in public, because my assumption is that any person that I run into is insane.”
McDonald also warned things could get much worse.
“With a positive outcome in the election, with the removal of those who wish to destroy the country and the election of those who wish to preserve it, we have a fighting chance, but we need a virtuous populace as well, not just a virtuous governing body,” McDonald said at the summit, which took place a few days before the election.
“We need a people who believe in and cherish freedom as a virtue, rather than fear. Never before in the history of this country has fear been enshrined as a virtue. If it stays this way and we don’t address it and redress it, we are lost.”
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| UK approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, will begin roll out |
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Posted by: Stone - 12-02-2020, 10:06 AM - Forum: COVID Vaccines
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BREAKING: UK approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, will begin roll out next week
U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, described the news as 'fantastic' and that 'It’s the protection of vaccines
that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again.'
The U.K. has announced that it has formally approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for Covid-19 and will begin administering the vaccine next week.
A government announcement published this morning stated:
Quote:The Government has today accepted the recommendation from the independent Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to approve Pfizer-BioNTech’s COVID-19 vaccine for use. This follows months of rigorous clinical trials and a thorough analysis of the data by experts at the MHRA who have concluded that the vaccine has met its strict standards of safety, quality and effectiveness.
The Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations (JCVI) will shortly publish its final advice for the priority groups to receive the vaccine, including care home residents, health and care staff, the elderly and the clinically extremely vulnerable.
U.K. Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, described the news as “fantastic” and that “It’s the protection of vaccines that will ultimately allow us to reclaim our lives and get the economy moving again.”
Reports suggest that hospitals in the north west of England will be among the first to begin administering the vaccine, which needs to be stored at -70°C. Last week it was announced that the U.K. army was taking over a section of a sports stadium in the west of England in order to carry out a mass vaccination programme, with as many as 110,000 people expected to receive a vaccine at the venue every week.
Will those who refuse a vaccine face penalties?
U.K. Health Secretary, Matt Hancock, said that it was not part currently part of the government’s plan to introduce “vaccine passports” in order to allow individuals who have received the vaccine the ability to access places such as pubs, restaurants and places of worship.
Rather than commenting on the impact such a move might have on individual freedoms, Hancock said that the reason it was not part of the government’s plans is that “while we know that this vaccine protects you from getting ill with Covid, we don’t yet know how much it stops you transmitting Covid until we’ve rolled it out broadly.”
On Monday Nadhim Zahawi, the recently appointed health minister overseeing the COVID-19 vaccine rollout in England, said that the government was “looking at” vaccine passport technology and that he expected that restaurants, bars, cinemas, sports venues and other venues would want individuals to demonstrate that they have been vaccinated.
While Zahawi said that he thought it was right that the vaccine should be voluntary, he also stressed that the government would support businesses in implementing technology to verify proof of vaccination.
“People have to be allowed to decide for themselves whether they want to be vaccinated or otherwise,” he told the BBC.
“But, I think the very strong message that you will see, this is the way we return the whole country, and so it’s good for your family, it’s good for your community, it’s good for your country to be vaccinated. And, ultimately people will have to make a decision,” he continued.
“I think that in many ways, the pressure will come from both ways, from service providers who'll say, 'Look, demonstrate to us that you have been vaccinated'. But, also, we will make the technology as easy and accessible as possible.”
In July, Boris Johnson referred to opponents of vaccines as “nuts.” Matt Hancock has called on politicians to “stand shoulder to shoulder” against those who “are threatening lives” by opposing vaccines. Leader of the House of Commons, Jacob Rees-Mogg, recently described “anti-vaxxers” as “nutters.”
Speaking yesterday in the House of Commons, Steve Baker, vice chair of the Covid Recovery Group of Conservative party rebels who opposed new government coronavirus regulations, drew attention to the threat of implicit coercion of those who refuse a COVID-19 vaccine.
“It’s not enough merely to refrain from coercing people, the government’s also got to pay attention to implicit coercion - that is, if the government turns a blind eye to allowing businesses like airlines and restaurants to refuse to let people in unless they’ve had the vaccination. The government’s got to decide whether it’s willing to allow people to discriminate on that basis,” he said.
Baker made the comments while interjecting a speech by Sir Desmond Swayne MP, who comically remarked that use of such implicit coercion would be “vaccinationism.”
Ethical and safety concerns
Dr. Michael Yeadon, who “spent over 30 years leading new [allergy and respiratory] medicines research in some of the world’s largest pharmaceutical companies,” and retired from Pfizer with “the most senior research position in this field,” wrote in an October article:
There is absolutely no need for vaccines to extinguish the pandemic. I’ve never heard such nonsense talked about vaccines. You do not vaccinate people who aren’t at risk from a disease. You also don’t set about planning to vaccinate millions of fit and healthy people with a vaccine that hasn’t been extensively tested on human subjects.
Yeadon said that “the drive for a universal vaccine has 'the whiff of evil' which he 'will oppose … vigorously.’”
Mere days after Pfizer announced its new “90% effective” coronavirus vaccine, reports emerged about “severe” side effects volunteers for the vaccine trial experienced, including fevers and headaches.
Dr. Helen Watt of the Anscombe Bioethics Centre in Oxford, England, last month told the Catholic Herald that the Pfizer vaccine “makes no use of a foetal cell-line in the production process itself, and no use in the design,” but that “[o]ne of the confirmatory lab tests on the vaccine did sadly involve an old foetal cell-line.” The Children of God for Life organization says that the Pfizer vaccine is tested using the HEK 293 cell line, which is derived from kidney tissue taken from a healthy baby who was aborted in the Netherlands in the 1970s.
Infectious diseases specialist and professor of medicine at the University of Toronto Dr. Andrew Morris told the National Post that there are a number of questions still to be answered about the Pfizer vaccine.
In October American pediatric doctor and infectious disease specialist Dr. Cody Meissner, who serves on a U.S. Federal government committee, raised concerns regarding COVID-19 vaccines for children, saying that since the virus’ effect on children is so “mild” the government had better be “very sure about safety of a vaccine.”
In a July debate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., nephew of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy and an American environmental attorney and author, singled out Pfizer as one of several vaccine producers with a record of incurring criminal penalties for their products.
Kennedy noted that four of the leading developers of coronavirus vaccines, Glaxo, Sanofi, Pfizer, Merck, are “convicted serial felon.”
“In the past 10 years, just in the last decade, those companies have paid 35 billion dollars in criminal penalties, damages, fines, for lying to doctors, for defrauding science, for falsifying science, for killing hundreds of thousands of Americans knowingly,” Kennedy said during the debate.
“It requires a cognitive dissonance for people who understand the criminal corporate cultures of these four companies to believe that they’re doing this in every other product that they have, but they’re not doing it with vaccines.”
Kennedy has been outspoken in outlining reasons for concern about various vaccine projects, including those that receive funding from Gates. Kennedy has been raising awareness about children injured by vaccines since before the coronavirus outbreak.
Kennedy’s organisation, Children’s Health Defense, reported last month:
Quote:…the New York Times pointed out that Pfizer’s data — delivered in a news release, not a peer-reviewed medical journal — “is not conclusive evidence that the vaccine is safe and effective, and the initial finding of more than 90 percent efficacy could change as the trial goes on.”
…Fast Company reported on the development by reminding readers that the Pfizer vaccine, if approved, will be the first to use “an as-yet-unproven technology platform that relies on something called messenger RNA, usually shortened to mRNA.”
Moderna is also working on an mRNA COVID vaccine. In May, Children’s Health Defense reported that clinical trials for Moderna’s vaccine had a 20% “serious injury rate” in its high-dose group.
In September, Bill Gates told CNBC that Pfizer was leading the race among the coronavirus vaccine developers to gain an emergency use license. Pfizer is one of 15 companies that has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to “to accelerate the development, manufacture, and delivery of vaccines, diagnostics, and treatments for COVID-19.” The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation also provides funding for Pfizer for its injectable contraceptive product “Sayana.”
In an April 9, 2020 article, Kennedy wrote: “Vaccines, for Bill Gates, are a strategic philanthropy that feed his many vaccine-related businesses (including Microsoft’s ambition to control a global vaccination ID enterprise) and give him dictatorial control of global health policy.”
A December 2019 article in Scientific American described the vision of Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers for embedding vaccine records “directly into the skin” of children.
“Along with the vaccine, a child would be injected with a bit of dye that is invisible to the naked eye but easily seen with a special cell-phone filter, combined with an app that shines near-infrared light onto the skin. The dye would be expected to last up to five years, according to tests on pig and rat skin and human skin in a dish.”
The development of this idea, which the article proudly noted avoids using “iris scans” that might violate privacy, was “funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.” It “came about because of a direct request from Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates himself, who has been supporting efforts to wipe out diseases such as polio and measles across the world.”
In April 2020, Gates speculated, “Eventually we will have some digital certificates to show who has recovered or been tested recently or when we have a vaccine who has received it.”
In the same month Gates told the Financial Times that “normalcy only returns when we’ve largely vaccinated the entire global population.” During the interview Gates interrupted his own reflections on the wide-ranging impacts of the coronavirus crisis, saying “you don’t have a choice,” although it is unclear exactly what he meant by the comment.
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| Johns Hopkins University censors lecturer, responds with critique ignoring CDC data |
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Posted by: Stone - 12-02-2020, 09:29 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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Johns Hopkins University censors lecturer, responds with critique ignoring CDC data
‘Now everybody is sure Johns Hopkins is hiding something,’ commented former statistician William M. Briggs.
Dr. Genevieve Briand during a Nov. 13, 2020 Johns Hopkins University Advanced Academic Programs lecture.
JHU Advanced Academic Programs / Youtube screen grab
December 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — Johns Hopkins University’s censure of a critical analysis of U.S. COVID-19 death statistics by one of its own senior lecturers, which it deleted from its website, has huge gaping holes, leaving key points of the analysis unrefuted.
Johns Hopkins University (JHU), the renowned school in Baltimore, took aim at their own Dr. Genevieve Briand, assistant director for MS in their Applied Economics program who examined death stats in the United States for 2020 and previous years, and pointed to evidence that COVID-19 is not as dangerous as it’s generally portrayed.
An article by Yanni Gu that relayed key points of her analysis was deleted by JHU for “being used to support false and dangerous inaccuracies about the impact of the pandemic,” as the JHU Newsletter stated on Twitter.
The newsletter replaced the article, which can be found on the Internet Archive, with an Editor’s Note that attempted to refute what it described as “dangerous inaccuracies.”
The note claimed that Briand “trivializes the repercussions of the pandemic” by presenting COVID-19 deaths as a percentage of total U.S. deaths.
“This evidence does not disprove the severity of COVID-19; an increase in excess deaths is not represented in these proportionalities because they are offered as percentages, not raw numbers,” the note continued.
In her presentation, however, Briand’s key point was to spotlight remarkable statistics from the three weeks of April 2020 with the year’s highest number of COVID-19 deaths, showing that the rise in COVID-19 deaths almost exactly mirrored the decrease in other leading causes of deaths.
Graph depicts the total decrease in deaths by various causes, including COVID-19. Courtesy of Genevieve Briand
SOURCE: Courtesy of Genevieve Briand
Briand pointed out that this corresponding decrease in non-COVID death numbers appears to signify that deaths actually caused by non-COVID diseases were instead labeled as caused by COVID-19.
“The COVID-19 death toll is misleading … deaths due to heart diseases, respiratory diseases, influenza and pneumonia may instead be recategorized as being due to COVID-19,” said Briand.
JHU attempted to address this point, saying, “However, COVID-19 disproportionately affects those with preexisting conditions, so those with those underlying conditions are statistically more likely to be severely affected and die from the virus.”
Their comment did not address the possibility that people with these pre-existing conditions may have either died from other causes that coexisted with COVID-19, or that another illness was mistaken for COVID-19, such as the flu.
In fact, the CDC’s own data on COVID-19 deaths dismantles JHU’s claim. The CDC data, strikingly, refuses to single out COVID-19 as a sole cause of death for any 2020 death tally. Instead, it bundles COVID-19 with the flu and/or pneumonia, leaving the actual cause of death undetermined.
William M. Briggs, a former statistician and professor at Cornell University with a PhD in Mathematical Statistics, noted, “In early summer CDC stopped separate counts of flu + pneumonia because, we suppose, of the difficulty telling these deaths from doom deaths.”
Yanni Gu, in her summary of Briand’s analysis, made this critical point: “The CDC classified all deaths that are related to COVID-19 simply as COVID-19 deaths. Even patients dying from other underlying diseases but are infected with COVID-19 count as COVID-19 deaths. This is likely the main explanation as to why COVID-19 deaths drastically increased while deaths by all other diseases experienced a significant decrease.”
Another possible explanation for the corresponding decrease in deaths by non-COVID illnesses is that COVID-19 patients may have displaced patients of other diseases in the hospital.
In the case of recorded decreases in deaths by diseases such as heart disease and cancer during the peak death period of 2020, it is at least plausible, if not likely, that individuals who would ordinarily die of these diseases at a hospital and therefore have their cause of death recorded, instead died at home. This is evidenced by a reported spike in at-home non-COVID deaths, as well as by marked decreases in diagnoses, referrals, and treatment for diseases other than COVID-19.
The JHU Editor’s Note also called out Briand’s statement, quoted by Gu in her article, that all of this “points to no evidence that COVID-19 created any excess deaths. Total death numbers are not above normal death numbers.”
JHU countered, “This claim is incorrect and does not take into account the spike in raw death count from all causes compared to previous years. According to the CDC, there have been almost 300,000 excess deaths due to COVID-19.”
Briand, in her presentation, actually does acknowledge a spike of death numbers during 2020 that is higher than spikes in the previous years she highlighted. In this sense, her claims appear to be contradictory.
The explanation is that Briand makes this statement in the context of other measures of data. At the end of her presentation, she highlighted the points that the average number of deaths per week in the U.S. revealed by the data, 60,000, is normal, and that deaths by leading non-COVID diseases were shown to decrease during the peak death weeks of 2020.
So while the data does show a spike of “excess” deaths in 2020, Briand’s claim that these particular measures do not point to evidence that COVID-19 created excess deaths appears to be entirely valid, and supported by statistics of the CDC itself.
Commenting on the deletion of Briand’s analysis, Briggs used hyperbole to drive home the absurdity of JHU’s censorship, and their desire to maintain a robust fear of COVID-19.
“Ninety percent of the population is racing in every direction like extras in a Toho Godzilla movie, only in masks. Johns Hopkins thinks this level of abject irrational terror is just about right. Besides, everybody knows science means only (having) one unchangeable opinion on every matter.”
He noted the difficulty in drawing a definitive conclusion about the death statistics, but admitted the possibility that deaths can be misattributed to COVID-19. “All this is very tricky,” said Briggs.
It is doubtful whether JHU succeeded suppressing its own senior lecturer’s research, as the deletion of the article has only drawn more media attention to it, boosting the publicity of the article.
“If it weren’t for the censorship, I wouldn’t have got the dozens and dozens of requests to look at it,” he noted. Now everybody is sure Johns Hopkins is hiding something. Hilarious.”
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| December 2nd - St. Bibiana |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 12-02-2020, 12:36 AM - Forum: December
- Replies (1)
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Saint Bibiana
Virgin and Martyr
(† 363)
Saint Bibiana was a native of Rome, born in the fourth century, the daughter and sister of martyrs. Flavian, her Christian father, was apprehended during the reign of Julian the Apostate, branded on the face as a slave, and banished to Toscany, where he died of his wounds a few days later. Her mother, Dafrosa, was beheaded two weeks later. Their two daughters, Bibiana and Demetria, after the death of their parents were stripped of all they had in the world, and then imprisoned with orders to give them no food. The Roman praetorian offered them rewards if they would abandon their faith, and threatened a cruel death if they would not conform, but they replied courageously that the goods and advantages of this world had no attraction for them, and that they would endure a thousand deaths rather than betray their faith and their Saviour. Demetria, after having pronounced this ardent defense, fell to the ground and expired at her sister's side; she is inscribed in the Roman martyrology on June 21st.
The officer gave orders that Bibiana be placed in the custody of a woman named Rufina, who was commanded to corrupt her or mistreat her. But the martyr made prayer her shield and remained invincible. Enraged at the courage and perseverance of the young virgin, the persecutor ordered her to be tied to a pillar and whipped until she expired, with scourges tipped with leaden plummets. The Saint underwent this punishment cheerfully, and died at the hands of the executioners. She was buried by a holy priest at a site where afterwards a chapel and then a church were built above her tomb. In 1628 the church was splendidly rebuilt by Pope Urban VIII, and in it he placed the relics of the two sisters and of Saint Dafrosa, their mother.
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| Jesuit parish creates new lay ministry to squirt hand sanitizer before Communion |
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Posted by: Stone - 12-01-2020, 09:09 AM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Spiritual]
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Jesuit parish creates new lay ‘ministry’ to squirt hand sanitizer before Communion
At St. Raphael the Archangel parish, the pastor, joined by hand-sanitizing 'ministers,' dons a face mask and a face shield to deliver Communion into parishioners' hands.
RALEIGH, North Carolina, December 1, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) — The Jesuit pastor of St. Raphael the Archangel parish in Raleigh, N.C. has recruited special “ministers” from among the lay faithful to assist him by sanitizing the hands of communicants prior to receiving the Eucharist in the hand.
Father Phil Hurley, S.J. has instituted a number of “Ministers of Hand Sanitizer,” who, following him around the church as he distributes Communion to the faithful, squeeze a dollop of sanitizer into the communicants’ hands before Fr. Hurley will offer them Communion, again into their hands. He does this while suited up in a face mask and a visor. The measures implemented by the pastor are supposedly an attempt to safeguard parishioners from the material threat of COVID-19, even while the innovations may pose a threat to spiritual devotion and reverence of the Eucharistic Lord.
The Jesuits USA East Province, who posted the above tweet, referred to the newly created “ministry” as an adaption to “the pandemic.” The idea of sanitizing people’s hands before Communion and priestly masking measures was the fruit of “months of planning by the church’s leadership to reopen for in-person services,” according to the parish’s pastoral associate for liturgy and music, Jeff Rice.
While St. Raphael parish might be unique in offering a new order of sanitizing “ministers,” the parish is far from alone in implementing regulations that are innovative and profane. Bishops and bishops’ conferences around the globe have been busy handing down proclamations denying the faithful Communion on the tongue and kneeling while demanding social distancing and the use of face masks.
A recent study from Denmark has concluded that wearing a face mask to stop the spread of COVID-19 is, in fact, ineffective. The study threw up some interesting and unexpected results, including that within the group which wore the mask “exactly as instructed,” as opposed to those who did so only “predominantly as instructed,” a greater percentage were infected. This is the exact opposite of what the legacy media have repeatedly reported to expect from “proper” use of face coverings.
Beside the debate over the effectiveness of face masks stands the much more controversial practice of mandating reception of Communion in the hand. Prominent figures in the Church, such as Raymond Cardinal Burke and Bishop Athanasius Schneider, have spoken publicly about the gravity of this matter. According to an instruction of the Congregation for Divine Worship to the USCCB, “[t]he faithful are not to be obliged to adopt the practice of communion in the hand. Each one is free to communicate in one way or the other.” Clearly, then, mandating reception of Communion in the hand is a violation of Church norms regarding the Eucharist.
With the above having been said, Bishop Schneider goes farther, instructing the faithful on the worthiness of receiving Communion on the tongue and the profaneness of receiving in the hand. Not only is there mounting evidence for why Communion on the tongue is safer and more hygienic than hand reception, contrary to the instructions given by some bishops, but moreover, there is a much greater chance that, by receiving Communion in the hand, one will accidentally and unwittingly drop (or otherwise lose) particles of the precious body of Christ. In addition to this, the auxiliary bishop of Astana, Kazakhstan warns of the opportunity for malefactors to commit sacrilege against the Eucharist by being more easily able to steal the host. The occasions of “irreverence” and “sacrilege” can be greatly mitigated by adopting the universal norm of distributing Communion onto the tongues of the faithful.
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| December 1st - St. Eligius or Eloy |
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Posted by: Elizabeth - 12-01-2020, 01:08 AM - Forum: December
- Replies (1)
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Saint Eligius or Eloy
Bishop of Noyon
(† 665)
Eligius, born near Limoges in the late sixth century, was in his childhood so skilled in manual arts, that his father decided to place him as an apprentice under a silversmith of Limoges. In a few years he had no rival in the art of metalworking. His piety and virtues recommended him still more highly than his talents; his frankness, prudence, gentleness and charity were admired by all.
The king of France, Clotaire II, heard of him, sent for him, and commanded him to make a golden throne adorned with jewels. For that purpose the king provided a large quantity of gold and precious stones, and with the materials given him Eligius made not one, but two magnificent thrones. Struck by the craftsman's rare honesty and ability, as well as by the overpowering beauty of his work, the king appointed him royal goldsmith for his kingdom, and kept him in his palace. Until then, the Saint had liked luxurious surroundings, but now, touched by a particular grace, he began to live in the midst of riches as a poor disciple of Jesus Christ. His greatest pleasure was to make beautiful reliquaries for the Saints. But best of all he loved the poor, and the treasures which passed from his hands into those of the indigent could scarcely be counted. When strangers asked to see him, they were told to go to a certain street and stop at the house in front of which a crowd of beggars was waiting; that would be his house. He would wash their feet, serve them with his own hands, take the last place at table, and eat only their leftovers. When Saint Eligius had no more money, he would give away his furnishings and his very cincture, his cloak and shoes.
The friendship of the Saint with King Dagobert, successor to Clotaire II, has become legendary. One day Eligius came to the king and said to him, My prince, I have come to ask a favor of you: give me the terrain of Solignac, that I may make a ladder by which you and I can both ascend to heaven. The king willingly consented, and the Saint built a monastery. Neither one became a monk, but Saint Eligius loved to visit the religious and spend a few days with them from time to time, to be edified by their regularity.
Saint Eligius was finally obliged to accept a nomination to the episcopal see of Noyon. His life as a bishop was the continuation of his good works. He possessed the gift of miracles; he cast out demons and cured the sick by a simple word or the touch of his hand. By a special gift of God, he found the bodies of Saints long honored, but whose burial places were unknown. It is he who found the sacred remains of Saint Quentin, the illustrious martyr, those of Saint Piat at Seclin, and of Saint Lucian at Beauvais; for all of these he himself made beautiful reliquaries. He died in 665, regretted by all.
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| Canadian doctor: ‘Lockdowns are draconian…no basis in evidence-based med |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-30-2020, 06:22 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Secular]
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Canadian doctor doubles down: ‘Lockdowns are draconian…no basis in evidence-based medicine’
'I take the Hippocratic Oath extremely seriously. The first line is do no harm, and that is what motivated my presentation'
Dr. Roger Hodkinson in an Oct. 2018 video
ALBERTA, Canada, November 30, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – A Canadian doctor who caused a firestorm of controversy earlier this month after blasting government-imposed COVID-19 measures at a public city meeting in Alberta is not only doubling down on his comments but is going even further.
“I take the Hippocratic Oath extremely seriously. The first line is do no harm, and that is what motivated my presentation,” Dr. Roger Hodkinson told The Epoch Times in a Nov. 24 interview in reference to a Nov. 13 speech he made to Edmonton city councilors in which he called it the “greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public” that lockdowns and masks were being used in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19.
“If I see something going on that’s harmful, I feel as a physician that I’m obligated to stand up and say something,” he added before going on to call lockdowns that are spreading across Canada “draconian.”
Dr. Hodkinson, CEO and Medical Director of Western Medical Assessments, laid out his credentials at the beginning of his Nov. 13 presentation to city council.
“I’m a medical specialist in pathology which includes virology. I trained at Cambridge University in the U.K. I’m the ex-president of the pathology section of the Medical Association. I was previously an assistant professor in the Faculty of Medicine doing a lot of teaching. I was the chairman of the Royal College of Physicians of Canada Examination Committee and Pathology in Ottawa, but more to the point I’m currently the chairman of a biotechnology company in North Carolina selling the COVID-19 test,” he said.
“The bottom line is simply this: There is utterly unfounded public hysteria driven by the media and politicians. It’s outrageous. This is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on an unsuspecting public.”
“There is absolutely nothing that can be done to contain this virus,” he said, adding: “This is not Ebola. It’s not SARS. It’s politics playing medicine and that’s a very dangerous game.”
Hodkinson called using masks to prevent the spread of the virus “utterly useless,” noting that “there is no evidence base for their effectiveness whatsoever.”
“Paper masks and fabric masks are simply virtue-signaling. They’re not even worn effectively most of the time. It’s utterly ridiculous,” he said.
The doctor’s comments on the ineffectiveness of masks is backed by recent peer-reviewed research that found that wearing a face-mask did not have a significant effect on the spread of COVID-19.
Hodkinson told The Epoch Times that government measures — lockdowns, restrictions on private gatherings, mask mandates— to try to stop the spread of the virus, from which the vast majority of people infected with it recover, do more harm than good.
“All of this is draconian … first of all because they have no basis in evidence-based medicine, and secondly because of horrendous consequences of that action,” he said.
“We’re talking, of course, about an enormous number of businesses—ferocious, hardworking, entrepreneurial people who are seeing their dreams disappear. We’re talking about delayed cancer investigations and treatment. We’re talking about cancelled surgeries. We’re talking about suicides and drug addiction,” he added.
“The consequence of all these measures is, and has been, absolutely catastrophic.”
The doctor said that the position he now backs regarding COVID-19 aligns with the Great Barrington Declaration, signed by almost 50,000 medical practitioners and medical and public health scientists, who have raised “grave concerns about the damaging physical and mental health impacts of the prevailing COVID-19 policies.”
“Coming from both the left and right, and around the world, we have devoted our careers to protecting people. Current lockdown policies are producing devastating effects on short and long-term public health. The results (to name a few) include lower childhood vaccination rates, worsening cardiovascular disease outcomes, fewer cancer screenings and deteriorating mental health – leading to greater excess mortality in years to come, with the working class and younger members of society carrying the heaviest burden. Keeping students out of school is a grave injustice,” the declaration states.
The declaration was authorized and signed in Great Barrington, Massachusetts on Oct. 4, by Dr. Martin Kulldorff, a professor of medicine at Harvard University who is a biostatistician and epidemiologist with an expertise in detecting and monitoring infectious disease outbreaks, Dr. Sunetra Gupta, a professor at Oxford University who is an epidemiologist with expertise in immunology, vaccine development, and mathematical modeling of infectious diseases, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a professor at Stanford University Medical School who is a physician, epidemiologist, health economist, and public health policy expert who focuses on infectious diseases and vulnerable populations.
Hodkinson said that his position on COVID-19 has resulted in an inordinate amount of negative attention where many have challenged his statements and even questioned his credentials. The doctor said in a Nov. 29 interview with Anna Brees that he has even received “death threats.” He added that nothing was going to stop him from telling the truth about COVID-19.
Social media has cracked down on those who attempted to share the doctor’s message online as well as news agencies that were attempting to report on his words.
On Nov. 30, Youtube removed from LifeSite’s channel a video of the doctor’s speech and then slapped LifeSite with a penalty of not being able to upload videos for a week and issued the first of three strikes. If LifeSite commits two more offenses that result in strikes, it will lose its YouTube channel permanently. The video can be found on LifeSite’s Rumble account here.
Some Canadians have decided to resist the lockdowns that are spreading across the country in reaction to the so-called second wave of COVID-19. Last week an Ontario restaurant owner defied the Ford government lockdown order and kept his Adamson BBQ diner open. Police showed up and arrested Adam Skelly, taking him away in handcuffs. On that same day, Ontario Independent Member of Provincial Parliament Randy Hillier organized and attended an anti-lockdown protest outside the provincial legislature that was attended by an estimated 700 people. Police charged Hillier for organizing the event under the Reopening Ontario Act. He could face a fine of up to $100,000 and a year in jail.
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| News Reporters Stalk Christians Worshipping at Church to Enforce COVID Mandates |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-30-2020, 06:17 PM - Forum: Pandemic 2020 [Spiritual]
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DYSTOPIAN: News Reporters Stalk Christians Worshipping at Church to Enforce COVID Mandates
Doesn’t get much more Orwellian than this!
Big League Politics | Nov 30, 2020
A reporter with the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBC) posted a video of herself stalking Christian church attendees on Sunday in order to enforce COVID-19 mandates against the followers of Jesus Christ.
Georgina Smyth, an Australian reporter working for BBC News Vancouver, stalked over 60 Christians, who she claims are in violation of an edict banning church gatherings.
“I counted more than 60 people inside this church in Chilliwack, a bold breach of PHO orders to suspend gatherings due to record high Covid cases. Another church nearby was visited by RCMP. Unfortunately both religious leaders decline to speak with us on camera,” Smyth wrote in her tweet.
The video can be seen here:
Quote:I counted more than 60 people inside this church in Chilliwack, a bold breach of PHO orders to suspend gatherings due to record high Covid cases. Another church nearby was visited by RCMP. Unfortunately both religious leaders decline to speak with us on camera. @cbcnewsbc pic.twitter.com/076COasRbX
— GeorginaSmyth (@GeorgieSmyth) November 29, 2020
A different church in the Canadian province of British Columbia was fined $2,300 for holding illegal worship services over the weekend.
“This is probably ground zero for the churches standing up. There is a movement afoot to ensure that more churches also start to defy Bonnie Henry’s orders.” said Kari Simpson, who is protesting the government persecution of Christians.
Simpson is up in arms about Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry’s decision to ban church gatherings but keep liquor stores open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. These rules and regulations make no sense, and the public is slowly becoming enraged as a result.
Big League Politics has reported on the war against Christianity in Canada, which predates the COVID-19 pandemic by a wide margin:
Quote:A Christian pastor named David Lynn was arrested and charged with disturbing the peace with “derogatory comments” on Tuesday for preaching the word of God on a street corner at Church-Wellesley Village in Toronto, ON.
After the disciple of Christ was harassed by a group of unruly protesters, he was hauled off in handcuffs by law enforcement because preaching the Gospel was considered to be a criminal violation.
The LGBT mob cheered on as the man was dragged away in handcuffs, a sign of things to come if their perverse agenda continues unabated…
“It’s unfortunate that I am subject to this kind of discrimination and bullying and marginalization simply for saying God loves you, there is hope for you, I accept you and tolerate you. I shouldn’t be in this position, I didn’t do anything illegal,” Lynn said following his arrest. He is now out on bond.
Lynn was shown on the video saying frequently that “God is love,” and that he doesn’t hate anyone. This didn’t stop the police from apprehending him anyway.
“I didn’t know this was the start of the pride month…I didn’t say anything specific to the LGBTQ community, it’s all on live stream,” he said to reporters.
Lynn believes that the LGBT protesters and other hostile anti-Christians throughout his country want him to “stay in the closet” about his Christian beliefs. His arrest will send a chilling effect to others who want to preach the word of Christ in the liberal-dominated country.
“It looked as though they had an event waiting for me, and they had some form of hatred against me,” Lynn said.
Lynn is now banned from being anywhere near the areas of Bloor Street, Yonge Street, Carlton Street and Jarvis Street on conditions of his bond. He is also banned from being near any Pride event, as he is now a second-class citizen in globalist-occupied Canada.
Meanwhile, the legislature is working to expand laws against free speech, with the “Prohibiting Hate-Promoting Demonstrations at Queen’s Park Act, 2019,” being considered by Ontario lawmakers. It would ban any demonstration, rally or other activity that is deemed hateful by the government from being permissible on legislative grounds. If you don’t think that will apply to Christian speech, just ask David Lynn.
The war on Christianity is a massive part of the globalist agenda. After they have criminalized the truth of Jesus Christ in Canada, they will set their sights on the United States.
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| Method of Hearing Mass Spiritually for the Absent |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-29-2020, 02:49 PM - Forum: When there is No Priest
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The Angelus - March 1981
METHOD OF HEARING MASS SPIRITUALLY FOR THE ABSENT
Those who sorely miss attendance at daily Mass during Lent, and especially those who do not even have Holy Mass available to them on Sundays and Holydays, may derive great spiritual benefits from the following devotion, taken verbatim from a pre-Vatican II missal.
It often happens that Christians from being at a distance from a church, from illness, or from other unavoidable impediments, may be unable to hear Mass on Sundays and holydays of obligation. Causes may excuse bodily presence, but do not dispense us from uniting ourselves in spirit to those who actually enjoy the happiness of being in God's holy temple.
The Sundays and feasts are instituted by the Church, that we many render unto God, in a solemn form of divine institution, that worship which we owe Him every moment of our lives. This worship is the Mass; and it is offered for us even when we are not actually present. But to enjoy the benefits which it procures, we must, by a spiritual Communion, become partakers of the altar from which we are temporarily banished. Excite a desire of visiting the House of God and, choosing a proper time, let the whole family kneel before a crucifix, a statue of the Blessed Virgin, or a pious picture. Then, transporting themselves in spirit before the altar where Mass is being celebrated, let them endeavor to follow the service there performed.
FORM OF MAKING A GOOD INTENTION BEFORE HOLY MASS.
(TO BE USED WHEN ONE IS HINDERED FROM GOING TO CHURCH.)
I believe, Lord Jesus, that in the Last Supper Thou didst offer up a true Sacrifice; I believe it because Thou hast made it known to us through the Catholic Church, which from Apostolic times has constantly taught the same to us. Since Thou didst command the Apostles, and the priests ordained by them, to do the same till the end of time, I therefore offer to Thee, with the priest, this Holy Sacrifice of the Mass (which I believe to be one with that offered on Mount Calvary) to Thy honor and glory, in acknowledgment of my most bounden service, in thanksgiving for the innumerable benefits which Thou has conferred upon me and upon the whole world, in satisfaction for my sins and the sins of all mankind, and for obtaining the grace of perfect contrition for my sins. I also offer to Thee this Holy Mass for my friends and benefactors, for those for whom I am bound, and for whom Thou wilt me to pray. I also offer it for my enemies, that they may be converted, for all the faithful departed, particularly for my parents and relatives, and for the welfare of all Christendom.
PRAYERS DURING THE TIME OF DIVINE SERVICE.
(FOR THOSE WHO ARE HINDERED FROM ATTENDING HOLY MASS.)
I. Heartfelt desire to participate in the Holy Sacrifice.
Most Holy Trinity, God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost and almighty Source of all things; my best Father, my merciful Redeemer, the Fountain of my sanctification and happiness, I, Thy most unworthy creature, venture to appear before Thee, to show to Thee, my true God and Creator, all honor, adoration, and trustful submission; to thank Thee for the innumerable benefits which I have received from Thee, to praise Thee for Thy glory (for I am created for Thy praise); to implore Thy mercies, and to appease Thy justice, because I have so often and so grievously sinned against Thee. All this I cannot do in a worthier and more perfect manner than by hearing, with faith and devotion, Holy Mass. For in that Holy Sacrifice is offered to Thee the most sublime Sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, the most efficacious Sacrifice of supplication and propitiation, the most worthy Sacrifice of salvation for the living and dead. But because I cannot this day be present bodily at Holy Mass, I will, at least in spirit, place myself before the altar where Jesus Christ, in an unbloody manner, offers Himself, O Heavenly Father, to Thee. With this glorious Sacrifice I unite my present prayer; I fervently desire, united with the Son of God, in the strongest manner to praise, love, supplicate Thee, O Heavenly Father, to repair all the wrong and shame that I have wrought, and completely to accomplish all that can be accomplished by the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. To this end give me Thy divine grace, and grant that I may perform all this with sincere devotion. Amen.
II. Contrition for sins, with faith and confidence in Jesus Christ, and an offering up of His precious merits.
Holy Father, I confess with sorrow that I have seldom served Thee with an undivided heart, but rather have often offended Thee, and by my slothfulness and neglect have brought upon myself infinitely great guilt before Thee. I therefore take refuge in the merits of Thy Beloved Son, now present upon the altar, Who so freely commends and imparts to us His grace and favor. In the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Jesus offers to Thee, for me, the highest veneration and love, the most perfect praise, the most hearty thanksgiving, and the most kind expiation. For the perfect forgiveness of sins, O Heavenly Father, I offer up to Thee the whole suffering and death of Jesus Christ, which are now, in an unbloody manner, renewed upon the altar. O most benign Father, Thy Son hast suffered and died even for me, a poor sinner. With thankful love I bring before Thee, as a precious and pleasing offering, the infinite merits of His suffering and death. I firmly trust that, on account of this inestimable sacrifice of Thy Son, Thou wilt not regard my guilt, and that Thou wilt increase in me Thy graces. Amen.
O Father of mercies, and God of all consolation, to Thee I turn for help and grace. Graciously look upon my misery and wretchedness, and let my supplications come before Thee. That I may the more surely be heard by Thee, I appear before the throne of Thy grace, which for our salvation, is set up in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, where the innocent Lamb of God is mysteriously offered up to Thee, Holy Father, Almighty God, for the remission of our sins. Regard, I beseech Thee, the innocence of this holy Sacrifice, and for the sake thereof extend to my Thy mercy.
III. Adoration of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, under appearances of Bread and Wine.
O most holy Jesus, before Thee the heavenly choirs kneel and adore; with them I lift my voice and cry: Holy, holy, holy, art Thou, O Lord of Hosts. Heaven and earth are of full of Thy glory. Thou art present, O Jesus, under the appearances of bread and wine. Hear, O hear my prayer! I strike my breast and confess my unworthiness; but with firm confidence I implore Thee, O Jesus, be merciful to me! O most benign Jesus, forgive me my sins! O holy Blood, wash me from my sins! O precious Blood of Jesus, rich in grace, cry out to heaven for mercy upon me! Most holy God, receive this precious Blood, together with the love through which it was shed; receive it as an offering of my love and thankfulness, for the greatest glory of Thy Name; for the forgiveness of my sins; in satisfaction of the punishments which I have deserved; for the washing away of the stains of my guilt, as reparation for all my neglects, and and amendment for all the sins which I have committed through ignorance or frailty; receive it also as a sacrifice for the consolation of the afflicted; for the conversion of sinners; for the recovery of the sick and suffering; for the strengthening of those who draw near to death; for the refreshment, purification, and deliverance of souls of the departed in purgatory. Amen.
IV. Unshaken Confidence in Jesus Christ.
To Thee, O most benign Jesus, I lift up my eyes and my heart. Oh, turn upon me Thy gracious countenance, and Thy true love. Behold, O Lord, my manifest need, and the great danger of my soul. Receive me, O Thou Who art my only true mediator and helper! Be Thou, through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, my salvation, and obtain for me the entire remission of my sins. Oh, represent to Thy Father how cruelly Thou wast scourged, crowned, crucified and put to death for us, and thereby reconcile with the strict justice of God me, a miserable sinner.
Our Father . . . Hail Mary . . .
V. He who asks in the Name of Jesus shall receive.
O Lamb of God, Who didst suffer for us, miserable sinners, have mercy upon me, and offer up to the Father Thy Passion for the forgiveness of my sins! O Lamb of God, Who didst die for us, miserable sinners, have mercy upon me, and offer up to God Thy death in satisfaction for my sins! O Lamb of God, Who didst sacrifice Thyself for us, miserable sinners, have mercy upon me, and offer up Thy holy Blood tothe Father for the cleansing of my soul!
Heavenly Father, I offer up to Thee this precious and most worthy oblation. My sins are more in number than the hairs of my head, but, O just and merciful God, lay this precious offering in the one scale and my sins in the other, and that will far outweigh my guilt. O merciful, O holy God, give me Thy blessing before I end my prayer, and through this blessing let me obtain grace at once to begin to amend my life, and to renounce whatever is sinful and displeasing to Thee. Support me in my weakness; strengthen me when temptations assail me; and let me never forget that Thou art near me.
O precious day! but perhaps the last of my life! O happy day! if it shall make me better! Holy Mother of God, Mary, holy Angels and friends of God, pray for me and lead me in the way of truth. O God, grant Thy love to the living, and Thy peace to the dead. Amen.
ACT OF UNION WITH THE SACRIFICE OF THE MASS, WHEN WE CANNOT ASSIST AT IT.
As I cannot this day enjoy the happiness of assisting at the holy Mysteries, O my God! I transport myself in spirit to the foot of Thine altar; I unite with the Church, which, by the hands of the priest, offers Thee Thine adorable Son; I offer myself with Him, by Him, and in His Name. I adore, I praise, and I thank Thee, imploring Thy mercy, invoking Thine assistance, and presenting Thee the homage I owe Thee as my Creator, the love due to Thee as my Savior. Apply to my soul, I beseech Thee, O merciful Jesus, Thine infinite merits; apply them also to those for whom I particularly wish to pray. I desire to communicate spiritually, that Thy Blood may purify, Thy Flesh strengthen, and Thy Spirit sanctify me. May I never forget that Thou, my Divine Redeemer, hast died for me; my I die to all that is not Thee, that hereafter I may live eternally with Thee. Amen.
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| Fr. Hewko - Regarding Mass Attendance in these Times of Apostasy |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-29-2020, 02:33 PM - Forum: When there is No Priest
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This was originally posted by the member Deus Vult on the 'Archived' Catacombs:
Quote:The first half of this video summarizes the position of by Archbp. Lefebvre regarding Mass attendance as explained by him.
The second half gives examples of Catholics in history who held firm to the principles of the Catholic Church teachings and did not compromise on the Faith.
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| The Power of Prayer: Training in Prayer for the Laity |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-29-2020, 01:42 PM - Forum: When there is No Priest
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Originally posted by the member Hildegard on the 'Archived' Catacombs:
J.M.J.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
Importance of a Training in Prayer for the Laity by Rev. Richard Graef, CS.Sp.
Part One of the Power of Prayer Series:
Prayer is perhaps one of the most important elements of religious practice. It can substitute for the sacraments (in some cases absolutely), even though in God’s ordinary providence these be necessary for eternal salvation. But nothing else can supply the place of prayer. Hence one of the chief tasks of religious education is training in prayer. And yet no duty is perhaps more casually undertaken than just this. In many cases we Catholics are acquainted with vocal prayer only, and this in set texts and formulas. We are fully acquainted with prayer of petition; we have frequently heard of the prayer of praise, of glorification, of thanks, but scarcely anything of mental prayer. Many, indeed, are in the like case with the new converts in Ephesus mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles: “Paul found certain disciples, and he said to them: Have you received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? But they said to him: We have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Ghost” (Acts 19:1). They had not received Him and they had never heard of Him. Similarly, many of the faithful can say: we have not practiced mental prayer, we never even heard of it. Without mental prayer there can be no interior life. Now all Christians are assuredly called to live such a life and, as a consequence, to foster it. And yet many of the laity hold that such an obligation binds priests and religious only, not themselves. Is it a wonder, then, that the spiritual life of many followers of Christ is so sickly and so superficial? Our religious training is almost wholly confined to instruction on the sacraments; they alone are kept in view. Adults receive a thorough instruction on these before receiving baptism. We are familiar with instruction for First Confession, First Holy Communion and Confirmation. When at all possible, instruction is given also to engaged and married couples. We need not mention the long training which candidates for the priesthood receive before they are ordained.
Instruction with regard to the sacraments is obviously necessary; but it is in fact an instruction which points to the priest. It leads to a certain lack of self-reliance or independence in religious matters. The sacraments are more or less dependent on the priest. BUT WHAT IF THERE ARE NO PRIESTS? That contingency has now become something to be reckoned with. As a consequence church and tabernacles are empty, and the altar has no significance. If the spiritual life of the faithful is made entirely dependent on priests or sacraments and these outer supports are suddenly withdrawn, then there is great danger of a religious collapse on the part of many. People have to be Catholics and remain Catholics even when there are no priests or sacraments; they have to be Catholics not merely in Catholic but in pagan, even hostile surroundings.
Now the person who does not lead an inner life of prayer is practically totally dependent on the help of priest and sacraments, while he who knows how to pray well can for a time do without them and survive a period of emergency or persecution. He knows his way to God; he can keep in constant touch with Him and draw on Him for help. But where will people get help if they know not how to pray and if there are no priests and sacraments at their disposal? In such cases, as experience unfortunately shows, that is the end of religious practice as far as they are concerned, whereas we need not be too anxious about those who can pray properly.
Important and necessary as is a training for reception of the sacraments, a training in prayer is still more important. Here too there is question of doing the one and not omitting the other. It is essential that a proper training in prayer be combined with instruction on the sacraments, not only because prayer can substitute for the sacraments in case of necessity, but also because the sacraments, like the spiritual life as a whole, can properly develop only when based on a solid foundation of prayer. Perhaps it is that the priest’s role is unduly emphasized, and, as a result, his responsibilities and his personal activity loom excessively large. He is minister and dispenser of the mysteries of God (1 Cor.4:1); he distributes sacramental grace to the faithful under his care; he instructs and teaches them; he
places his services at their disposal; he mediates for them. That is his task. But
it is the essential task of the faithful to exploit and make full use of the graces thus distributed.
Basically, each one is the custodian of his own soul. The priest, the minister of Christ, can only reach to a person’s mind and understanding. But the deciding factor in the spiritual life is not the mind but the heart. Whether or not the heart is touched and inflamed depends on the Holy Ghost and the individual soul in the first place, and not on the priest. Priests have as a rule a good deal of work, hard work, to face; but in many cases their efforts are unavailing, the reason being that the impression prevails that they have to do all the work and that success depends on themselves. In fact, however, the priest is only the “friend of the Bridegroom” (John 3:29); he can but introduce souls to the Bridegroom; the final decision rests with those so introduced, and depends above all else on their prayer.
Hence pastors of souls must take pains in the matter of a proper training in prayer.
If only the faithful knew how to pray then the priest’s labour in planting and watering would not fail in the desired increase (1 Cor. 3:7). If his hearers laid the matter to heart (Is. 57:1) God’s words would blaze within as a burning fire (Jer. 20:9)
Where lies the responsibility for training in prayer? First and foremost with the family, the home, and more particularly with the mother. She promotes devotion in the house. Nothing is more disastrous than a failure in the home, especially in the domain of religion. Neglect here can scarcely ever be made good; preachers and catechists, even the best equipped, will scarcely succeed. Hence due attention to young mothers to see they do justice to their consecrated duty in the home would seem to be the most important duty of a pastor. If we have the mothers we have the families too; we have the young people; we have, in consequence, future generations.
If we lose the pious influence over the family then we lose everything. No association, no regimentation, will be effective in the long run.
In the school, we can usually do little more than teach the children their catechism, just as we teach them their poetry. Whether the art of praying can be taught at school, along with the background that makes their prayers real prayer -- that is the great question. It may be that prayer is only learnt in a religious atmosphere of silence and calm such as is found in the quiet of home, quiet cultivated and maintained by the mother for herself and her children. Hence first beginnings in the habit of prayer are made most effectively, if partly unconsciously, at a mother’s knee. At school, in church, where there is question of a large number of children this devout atmosphere of prayer can scarcely be created. And even if in school and church children could be taught how to pray, little would be gained if the home fails to cooperate.
If prayerfulness is missing from the home, if no family prayers are said, no prayers morning or night or at meals; if the parents never say their prayers, never get the children to say theirs – then, despite all that is done by teacher or priest, no prayerful spirit will be developed. And if such a spirit of prayer is not fostered in the home then the children forget even the Our Father and the Hail Mary, just as they forget the poems they learnt by heart. What results can we expect if the family breaks down here? If children from Catholic circles and Catholic families come to school unable to make the sign of the cross or say their Glory be to the Father or their Hail Mary correctly, what hopes can we entertain for the future when Catholic parents adopt an attitude of utter irresponsibility in this matter, saying perhaps to themselves: no need for us to teach our children to pray; our priest is there for that; he is paid for that!
How comes it that so many of our young people abandon to all intents and purposes the practice of their religion as soon as they leave school? They are products of a Catholic upbringing, heirs to century-long Catholic traditions; they have had the benefit of religious instruction for several hours a week for eight full years in Catholic schools, and later in vocational schools. Instead of becoming staunch Catholics, rooted in their attachment to the Church and in the practice of the faith, they have outgrown both. A contrast to what we find in Mission lands where two or three years of catechetical instruction suffice to make quite passable Christians out of people with pagan traditions and living in completely pagan surroundings.
REFERENCE
Graef, Rev. Richard. (1961) The Power of Prayer. London, B. Oates and Washbourne.
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| Catholic History Conferences by Michael Davies |
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Posted by: Stone - 11-29-2020, 12:16 PM - Forum: Resources Online
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Books and conferences by Michael Davies used to be carried in SSPX bookstores for many years before he left the SSPX in 1988. His personal beliefs aside, his lectures and books on Catholic history are excellent.
On the French Revolution
The Background
The Reign of Terror
The Rising of the Vendée
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