That optimism of Myrna most closely resembles the examples of the charity of the Saints.

Yes, it was you, Myrna.  I stuck with the story as I remember it, but did acknowledge that was a strange name for the boy in the story.

It is my contention that you and Belloc are just from two different generations. When you came along there was still obvious good in America--a pony somewhere.  When Belloc came along, it was pretty much rotten.  Or at least the rot had become the top dog.

Trinity, not sure if its a generation, because my children are in their late 40's and they do not share this attitude that Belloc has.  I also do not see this attitude among the other faithful within our SV group at C.M.R.I. Maybe there are some, but God seems to spare me from meeting or knowing what they think about.  

I came in with Schukart,  but I wasn't there very long before he left.  

You know I prayed for 5 years when I was going to Vatican II, I never left Vatican II to drift in and out of Protestant groups because I knew without a doubt that the truth can only be found within the Catholic church, however I had no idea where the Catholic church was.  So I just stayed within my novus ordo parish.

However,  I began to pray for my children, and still it took 5 long horrible years before God showed me C.M.R.I., I would wonder why He took so long to show me, but now I realize if He showed me any sooner, I would have been exposed to Schukart's strange views, similar to Bellocs.  

He, God, knew that I would not persevere with that, therefore He waited till Schukart was on his way out the door.  

Why me, why was I spared Schukart?  I have done nothing to earn that favor, except to say, I prayed so hard for my children and what I prayed was that God would show our family the Truth.  Therefore I only had to deal with his attitude a few months as did my children, not long enough to harm them, but just long enough to teach to be careful of what people say, just because they are Catholic.  

We get our world view from our parents and peers.  I, too, was spared Schukart.  Looks like God cleansed things before bringing us in.  May He be praised.

  Very cute story. A pessimist is merely an optimist with experience.

  There is a time and place for both optimism and pessimism. "Jesus wept" is probably the shortest line in scripture.

  History shows us that the true saints of God (the ones with the bad news) always met with the most hostility. I still think that "kiss ass saints" are causing the attempted murder of the Church. A Catholic in good standing only 141 years ago would not have to believe in any theories of infallibility or spend any time being perplexed by statements from apparitions that say "only I can save you.". That person would have access to a true mass throughout the world.

 What we have now is is a massive shift from the Catholic faith taught for 1800 years.

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Proverbs 21:16

The man that wandereth out of the way of wisdom shall abide in the congregation of the dead.

Jeremiah 4:22

For my foolish people have not known me: they are foolish and senseless children: they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge

1 Corinthians 14:20

Brethren, be not children in your minds, but in malice be babes; but in your minds be grown men.

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  Sorry, I get angry after seeing a full page (today's paper) advertisement for Medugorje Madness trips/ Devine Mercy Chaplet in the local Wilmington Delaware News Journal paper. These people even have billboards on I-95.
 
http://www.ourlady-de.org/photogallery.htm

   Funny how these apparitions address Catholics as "my children'. Where are the strong masculine saints who dare to speak out against the Fatimization of the Church, 1986 Assisi Paganfest and on and on.

Here is another quote:  "Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn't expect to be paid back"

"kiss ass saints"  sounds a little blasphemous to me, or am I being too pessimist.

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  It is not blasphemous. It is a regular fact of life and human nature to reward those who tell you what you want to hear, as opposed to true Godly saints who speak the ugly truth.

  That should be McCrystal clear even to O'Bummer fans. In today's "Catholic" world, we would make a guy like Gen. Betrayus a saint.

Here is another quote:  "Always borrow money from a pessimist, he doesn't expect to be paid back"

"kiss ass saints"  sounds a little blasphemous to me, or am I being too pessimist.

Sounds blasphemous to me. I'm sure the devil LOVES it when we put such words side by side. Heck, the atheists do it all the time.

As for the saints, I suspect they were the greatest "realists" of all, if by "realist" we mean someone prone to neither the erroneous exaggeration of pessimism nor optimism. I think for the most part they had the one and only correct point of view. Again, NEITHER the error of optimism (falsely exaggerating good) or pessimism (falsely exaggerating bad) but the view, rather, of things how they are in light of eternity.

Really and truly, everything in existence IS imperfect compared to God. Even a human being that is perfect as Adam and Eve before the fall, were only perfect HUMANS... infinitely below God. This is reality, neither falsely dismal nor falsely rosy. The saints merely preferred to go after what is truly the best thing... God Himself. They saw the very real and very true defects of the things and loves of this world, and they saw the very real misery, injustice and ugliness of sin, and they opted for something that is not ugly or unjust... goodness, virtue and the grace of God. They saw that the things of this world were really and truly passing or fleeting, and set their sights on the eternal destination of all of us... the judgment seat of God, and what comes after it, which is the most ultimately sane thing that any one of us can do.

Pessimism and optimism are WRONG. Both are bad because neither agrees with the reality of things as they really, truly are. The optimist lies to himself about how rosy things are, and the pessimist how black they are. But the saints saw things simply as they really were... that men really are flawed and pitiful creatures, infinitely below the Good God, that everything this this world passes away, and that all any one of us will have left ultimately is eternity, whether we've prepared for it or not. They saw that God was infinitely good, and fell madly... or really quite sanely... in love with Him, while the rest of the world only saw the lie of the mud and spittle on the road to calvary, and told themselves He was only a man. But to look at the cross and see not a man, but a glorious and divine King is not optimism, but the truth. It is something quite different from looking at a room full of garbage and seeing instead a room full of gold. One is true, the other a lie.

The saints, for the most part, had a vision of truth, distorted in neither direction. That is the vision WE ought to have... simple truth, unobstructed by lies we would rather tell ourselves. If we had this vision, perhaps all of US would be saints by now. Sadly, because we always twist things to save ourselves, it is something we must all practice at. You know you've hit the mark on obtaining it when you realize sainthood is the one and only rational, sane choice, and the rest as ugly, unjust, repulsive and paramount to eternal ѕυιcιdє.

It is pessimistic to live your life thinking that you simply can't achieve your sainthood, and therefore there's no point in seriously trying. It is optimistic to think that if you don't sincerely try, you will make heaven anyhow. It is simply true that God exists, is Who and what He is, and that He has asked of us what He has... and that while all things we may love in this world will pass away, one day we will come to an eternal destination, after passing before our Judge, which will be forged, so to speak, of the thoughts, words and actions of every moment of our lives... a reward or prison of our own making, which will be ours for all eternity. It is simply true that moment by moment we ARE forging it, for better or worse, by every single thought, word or deed, whether we want to do so or not. And it is simply true that anyone who begins to really know anything about God cannot help but love Him, and see everything in the light of the truth of Him, His will and His perfections. To live in view of the TRUTH is the only sane point of view. Everything else is simply false.

Let us all hope and pray for THAT vision. Since it IS true, it is the only way of looking at things that will end in anything other than disaster, temporary or eternal!