17/10/2024

Thoughts prompted by the mass-readings for today's date as displayed on Universalis.com and the life and times of a newly designated Cardinal. 

I am not claiming for myself anything but humanity and thus, as are we all, a sinner. 

Many of us of my generation who have tried to follow the revelation of himself made to the world by Jesus have had it thrust into our faces that the religions which bear the name of Christ and into which we we have been born by the providence of God are today and always have been "Idols" that by creating for themselves institutions based on their consensual opinions became mirror images of the only people ever condemned by Jesus, and thus have Pharisaical feet of clay.

Today Jesus mourns that the guardians of the Covenant IAMIAM made with his people, the Jews, have manipulated his revelation into the lip-service of "whited sepulchres". He "mourns" because although God is immutable the Word Incarnate is "true man" and can thus experience and display all human emotions. Emmanuel is with us to bring salvation to sinners not to "cancel", a word of our times, sin as do the professional preachers locked into what they call "the signs of the times" and in reality is the " kingdom of this world" that was denied by Jesus before Pilate, its then representative on Earth.

The Resurrection is the ultimate purpose of Jesus' being, but his living body from womb to the grave is IAMFATHERSONHOLYSPIRIT's witness to us that there is no condition of being human being, sin excepted, that is not known through truly human experience by our God.

St Paul, whose letters to those "who have not seen but are blessed by belief" and St John remain the chief "targum" of the life and deeds of Jesus of Nazareth, today tells the Ephesians that we have all been blessed with "spiritual" gifts that enable us to become and remain the spotless ones known and created by God.

The Institutional Church, which, although fragmented has never been deserted by the Holy Spirit, even though she ignores him more often than follows, ensures today that all her ministers (even Cardinals and Bishops) will at least hear "the word of the Lord" and remember that the Liturgical event at which they are presiding is taking place because we can only regain our freedom from sin through the blood of Christ and that every generation and individual has to answer for their own sin and for not  challenging the sin of the World, the Culture of our Times.

Dear Lord, You know that I realise that I am as nothing before you but by your care, your Love for me, I can grow free from the tangles of memories that have been the many sinful moments of my life. You know that these words are not meaningless platitudes but mean exactly what they say. With your grace I can live up to them but only if  I am as truly honest as I think I am now. Help me Lord, Jesus. You know that I am truly horrified by the way that your straight forward condemnation of bodily sin is being twisted into the nonsense that I have read and heard spouted by Bishops and Abbots who have convinced themselves that it is they and not You who teach your people how to behave on Earth.  I pray that these thoughts and prayers can become part of the prayer of all of us who know that our spiritual self needs to dominate our bodies and will be supported by Mary and all the Angels and Saints of Heaven. May St Ignatius too keep the "fierce leopards" who guarded him on the way to Rome in his prayers and may our souls and those of all repentant sinners receive the pardon that you have won for us all. Amen.