You have my Christian love Stcecilias girl, We are all sinners, and I know especially at this time that I am nothing without the grace of God.
I repeat the sins I hate, and I fall under the influence of stubborn sinners, but I repent, like a child repents to parents he loves after deeply hurting them. This is a misery for me. I struggle to live a Catholic life but the only mass and sacraments that are near me are the NO.
Woah. Is it FSSP or what kind of NO? Our NO has gotten
so bad that (supposedly) the Bishop might shut it down (the school was already shut down). It's got good attendance, due to the colleges in the area, but let's just say "no" is a good name for it. I'd rather worship God in a dirt field than at that den of thieves.
But we've got options. I need to get better to take advantage of those options, indeed!
What do I do then?
First I remember that since God has not struck me down at the moment that I have some mercy shown to me and time to profit by, which is time to repent of my sins. God gives all sinners, not just me, time to repent and profit by, but they do not take it.
What I wonder is, will God take extra care of us because we DO repent?
I see that we make the effort to say the rosary and avoid sins, but we lapse into our fallen nature, and without a Catholic civilization to sustain us we lapse often.
Indeed. That's why I try to avoid society. We're like hermits. But that in itself is evil (even says that somewhere in Holy Scriptures, not to have a lot of land and a house far away from others.) So we try to invite people over a lot; give shelter when it's needed. I try to take care of the infirm, but now I feel infirm, so that's failing huge.
After the priest comes, I'm going to drink a Boost and try to go visit some elderly!
We become children of God tempted by the devil like the serpant tempted eve with the apple.
We are not meant for sin, we were bought in the most priceless substance, which is the blood of GOD! We are meant for a place in Heaven, all of our sins are a testament to how we long for the eternal joy of heaven.
But can you take advice from me on this subject, me who is such a novice in the faith who is without access to the sacraments? You can if I were to simply say that GOD is merciful to His chosen.
Has he chosen you?
DO you have the one true faith?
Has he given you the grace to persevere in the faith?
I think I've chosen Him and chase Him and Our Lady against their wishes at times. No, for real. My husband says to chill out, we've got it good, etc, and thinks I'm going to burn the house down with all the votives. I sure don't FEEL chosen sometimes.
But I think, after a fashion, we're ALL chosen at Baptism, but many refuse. (Took me some time to realize that.) Remember somewhere in the Fathers or the Holy Scriptures, it says that the most mercy is given to those who need it the most? I look around and see we have a lot of mercies at this moment in time (who knows about next year, right? When the SSPX kicked Abp Williamson, that became less of an option for us, and we get a little heat for it even though we're Independent). So we live where people have lots of options within a few hours, but the pews aren't filled at most of those parishes, if you know what I mean.
(I pray that prayer to fill the pews; we drag people in if they'll come, but many choose the diocesan parish here, whose priest
wants to go independent — so they don't have to worship "just" one God.
I wonder if your area somehow need less mercies, since you live with only NO parishes around you? I know here, where we have (dwindling but still there) options. Just ten years ago, we'd get 40-50 parishioners every Sunday, and 30 or so on Holy Days of Obligation. Now we're lucky to get 30 for Christmas/Easter; the usual is 10-20. Some people got older or passed, true, but some just feel stressed/bummed out about "the situation" — (my perception only) for Indies, not being part of the conciliar church; for SSPX, I know there's a split; and the poor Anglican ordinariate parishioners are worried about ...
Rome (BXVI quitting; and now Frank).
IF so, he has chosen you, and you are part of the elect to be, and your place is in heaven - only so long as you persevere, and try your absolute hardest to win forgiveness for the sins you have committed, as we all have to.
I know it sounds unusual, but I can spot the :devil2:
HE is real. A saint once said that every soul has a bed of horrible tortures prepared for them in hell, each with our own name on it.
We must be wise therefore, and fight like our life depends on it.
Make sure to say the full rosary every day, because... you have no choice.
I was on two rosaries (including the family one), and I work through the at least the Martyrologium (can't do all the Offices, esp not in Latin, but I like Prima). I just feel real bad missing Mass (any one person not there is
noticeable, but if you look sickly or weak, you feel like it messes things up. I'd look stupid with a walker at my age, which explains why you're not getting up and down and kneeling; but a younger, sickly person gets more attention than the altar, which I fear is a sin ...I mean, it causes people to sin because you distract attention from the altar. I tried sitting in the back two weeks ago, and THAT attracted attention because my whole family was up front.)
But re: this online Mass thing, I just can't with a priest joking about "snot" during Mass, over and over. I don't get that. Are we
supposed to laugh when they crack jokes about "snot"? Seriously, I felt like it was an offense to God (which is why I opened a new tab and came here to ask for another live Mass site).
I suppose it is devilish :devil2: of me to cringe at the laughter and jokes. I felt the evil, indeed. (
IN ME — yes! The guy, this priest, was at least trying to pull off Mass, which is positive. I should have just closed the tab when he started going on about the motu. I felt sorry for him. But then he started joking about "snot", and the laughter was uproarious.)
And the half-hour sermon?
With jokes? Is that common? Even for "reverent" Mass, NO or not?
I suppose I should buck up and alter my standards. I know I would have been slapped for saying "snot" as a kid, and my family doesn't say it even now, so "snot" jokes were def. shocking. And quoting Frank about "no sad saints" was shocking. But I can see how, if he cut that long sermon part out, it would have been a very nice Mass. For real.
Maybe I'm just too uptight. The priests we've had, they sometimes have a funny saying that elicits quiet laughter, but the sermon is short, to the point, and then they get to consecrating. It's all very focused on God and the altar. I'm
not charismatic, at all, but if I focus hard enough on the altar, I feel like the the other side of the altar rail IS Heaven, and I "feel" the historical Church, and I'm so content I don't want to ever leave. (It's just for a moment, of course, and I'm sure the way the altar is lined up helps with that sensation, but I KNOW my mom and g-ma and the Saints and Martyrs are somehow there. I guess I really believe in the Real Presence.) It just doesn't seem appropriate to laugh before such an experience. I can't explain it.
Ora pro me.