08/0802024

Today the life of St Dominic is celebrated by the Catholic Church so the Church in today's Liturgy celebrates its own foundation on St Peter, by Jesus .

The Church that St Dominic was born into and of which he became a stalwart was not the Church, that a thousand years before his lifetime, had hidden from Pagan persecutors and  in support of which many had died rather than apostatize.

The Church in St Dominic's times was engaged in its own persecution of non-Catholics, a "Crusade" against heretics; this was open warfare against those who would not bow down to the secular power of the Hierarchy and many were being slaughtered in the name of Papal authority. 

Did any of the Church of those days question this non-Christian sign of the times.?

The Order of Preachers founded by St Dominic is still with us and enjoys in its "poverty" the accumulated wealth of centuries. The Order is the owner of huge, almost empty, property throughout the world and as is also true about the other "Catholic Orders" the few remaining Friars viewed as shareholding owners are amongst the wealthiest individuals living today.

This is a non-Christian sign of our own times.

"Thou art Peter and on this rock I will build my Church"."Get thee behind me Satan". In both  sentences Jesus is speaking to the worldly institution that his Church very soon became. Bearing  Jesus' words in mind we have to interpret "the signs of the times" in our own age.

Our Church has lost its public moral authority. In many European countries clergy are shunned and castigated by their former parishioners. The pseudo-victory of "the devil, the world and the flesh" reveals that the Petrine foundation has got it as wrong as did the covenant breakers to whom Jesus revealed the Way. the Truth and the Life. 

Jesus cannot abandoned us but the fact that "My Kingdom is not of this world" has never been acted upon as if it were as foundational as the presentation of the Keys reveals that, yet again, we humans have not lived up to the trust that Father, Son and Holy Spirit has in us. 

"Woman behold your son, son behold your mother". John took Mary into his own home and with and by the Crucified Jesus a new Holy Family was formed. The Mystical Body of Christ that is certainly not of this world is the prayerful community formed by us in our own private rooms as together we can pray "Our Father" as taught by Jesus .

 We know that we are in communion with all the souls on Earth, in Heaven and In Purgatory who know that Jesus has defeated sin, even though the signs of our times seem to deny this,  and that sinners are forgiven as soon as they reach out for forgiveness by opening their souls to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The authority given to Peter, does not exclude the Church of the New Holy Family, Jesus, Mary and John. Jesus did tell Peter to be mindful that what he intended for John was not Peter's to know or even question but there is no question that Our Lady and the other women remained  along with John by choice  to the bitter end on Calvary outside the city walls. The criminals and soldiers remained by force and involuntarily also witnessed the death of God Incarnate.

Dear Lord, may this day become sinless for me. Guide my thoughts that I may remain true to you and your word. Help all your priests be true to their calling and give them the grace to avoid giving scandal to their flocks. I need to feel secure in your Love and peaceful in my heart for I hope to come to the end of my life in the honesty that is always aware of my sins and of the vastness of your Mercy without which I would be nothing. Help me Lord. Amen