Anyone Who Had a Heart...

Torch of The Faith News on Thursday 20 August 2015 - 21:05:24 | by admin

The BBC's entertainment correspondent Colin Paterson has described Cilla Black's funeral in the following terms: ''A Cliff Richard solo performance, Christopher Biggins taking Holy Communion and a bishop ordering Paul O'Grady to say three Hail Marys - Cilla Black's funeral had the lot.''

In our previous article, we pointed out that Christopher Biggins was a public promoter of 'gay pride' and had contracted a homosexual civil partnership with another man. We also noted that Paul O'Grady, a patron of the Peter Tatchell Foundation, was known throughout the world for his risque, drag act 'Lily Savage' and for attending gay clubs in London with Cilla Black. Bishop Williams gave Holy Communion to Mr. O'Grady, followed by a reassuring pat on his left arm.

Sadly, it would appear that our concerns about reverence, reception of Holy Communion and grave public scandal were well founded.

Mr. Biggins concluded his reading from Sacred Scripture with the words: ''We will always love you Cilla.'' Newspapers report that Bishop Williams said ''Well done Christopher.''

Whilst Holy Communion was distributed during the Requiem Mass, Cilla Black's secular song Anyone who had a heart was played as 'Communion Music'. Thousands of people lining the local streets are said to have sung along to this as it was piped out by loudspeakers.

Many faithful Catholics have had their hearts broken today by the treatment of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and the actions of Bishop Tom Williams of the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

The congregation were said to have laughed out loud a number of times during the Mass. They did this when Cliff Richards suggested that Cilla Black had ''beautiful legs'' and also several times during Paul O'Grady's 'Final Tribute' from the church's ambo.

Paul O'Grady used his opportunity to speak of ''hell-raising'' with Cilla Black for two decades. Mainstream media sources report that he then turned to ''apologise'' to Bishop Williams; who, ''to the delight of the chuckling congregation,'' quipped that Mr. O'Grady should say ''Three Hail Marys.'' Remember, this was a Requiem Mass being offered by a bishop of Christ's Church.

Mr O'Grady also spoke of introducing Cilla Black to things in New York like, ''bars, burlesque shows and nightclubs with such reputations that taxi drivers were always unsure'' (about dropping us off).

He even spoke of a guardian angel, ''complete with hooves, horns and a tail.''

The mainstream media and local culture is full of this information about the liturgy tonight.

Readers, we can write no more about these things tonight. We are living through a great apostasy. Perhaps it is the Great Apostasy prophesied in both Sacred Scripture and Tradition. All we can do is implore you to please make reparation for the things we have described here today and to pray for the Archdiocese and the City of Liverpool. 

Bishops of England and Wales: You have a duty to correct your brother in the episcopate. As these scandals are public, your correction needs to be also. You have vocations as Priest, Prophet and King.

Please, do not leave everything up to the laymen.   

0

Please Continue to Pray for the Archdiocese of Liverpool

Torch of The Faith News on Thursday 20 August 2015 - 11:48:32 | by admin

Auxiliary Bishop Tom Williams of Liverpool

Like most people from Liverpool, we were deeply saddened to hear of the recent death of one of the city's most beloved daughters, Cilla Black. We well remember watching her on telly as youngsters; and also seeing her mum, Mrs. Priscilla White, sitting near to us on the bus along Scotland Road (''Scottie''), back in the 1980's. We ask you to pray with us for Cilla Black's immortal soul; and for her family and friends to be comforted in their grief.

It is primarily up to the bishops and priests of the Roman Catholic Church to ensure that: God is honoured by reverently offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass according to the rubrics; that people are helped to make worthy Communions and to understand the teachings about reception - and non-reception - of Holy Communion; and that people are aided in their grief by being given both the full beauty of the Sacred Liturgy and the full truth of the teachings of the Church.

By their actions, bishops must never undermine priests who are trying to uphold the Church's law and disciplines. Bishops and priests also have a duty to protect the faithful from scandal and to ensure that non-Catholics receive a true impression of the beliefs and practices of the Church. For all of these things, and for the souls in their care, bishops and priests will have to give an account before God at the end of their lives. Clearly, they need our prayers.

At 1.00pm today, Auxiliary Bishop Tom Williams will offer the Requiem Mass for Cilla Black, at St. Mary's Church in Woolton.

The 'Order of Service' for this Mass has been made public via the website of the BBC. From this the general public are told that, after the entrance hymn and 'greeting' by Bishop Williams, there will be 'opening words and musical tribute' in the form of Sir Cliff Richard singing Faithful One.

In the Liturgy of the Word, the first reading from Sacred Scripture is replaced with a recitation, by Cilla's son Robert, of Henry Scott Holland's secular poem, Death is Nothing at All.

The Second Reading, from the Book of Wisdom, will be delivered by the famous TV celebrity, and 'gay pride' promoter, Christopher Biggins. Mr. Biggins is publicly known to have contracted a homosexual 'civil partnership' with another man.

During the Communion Rite, Cilla Black's Anyone Who Had a Heart will be played as 'Communion Music'.

After Holy Communion, Cilla's son Ben will read It was Beautiful While it Lasted, from Rabindranath Tagore.

There will then be a 'Final Tribute' from Cilla's friend Paul O'Grady. Mr. O'Grady is perhaps more widely known around the world for his risque, drag queen act as 'Lily Savage' - and for the fact that he used to attend gay clubs in London with Cilla Black. He is also a patron of the Peter Tatchell Foundation.

The 'recessional music' at the end of the funeral is taken from The Long and Winding Road by The Beatles.

We know from personal experience that there are many funerals in the Archdiocese of Liverpool where the Catholic Faith is not being expressed in the following of rubrics or in the content of homilies. We also know from personal experience that there are clerics in the Archdiocese of Liverpool who have told lapsed Catholics the cruel lie that they can go to Holy Communion at funerals, without first going to Confession.

Nobody wants to speak or write critically at a time of grief or mourning. However, love for Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and for souls requires that the truth be upheld. It is often forgotten today that one of the Spiritual Works of Mercy is to correct those in error.

All observers and attendees at Catholic funerals have the right to receive the full beauty and truth of Catholic Liturgy and Teaching. They also need to know that one must be in the state of grace to receive Holy Communion worthily. In Catholic teaching, it remains a grave public scandal for those who are living in and/or publicly promoting objectively sinful practices to take a prominent part in the Sacred Liturgy. Public scandal would only be increased if such persons were to be given Holy Communion without repentance. 

As we say in the title for this piece, please continue to pray for the Archdiocese of Liverpool.

Please also pray for the immortal soul of Cilla Black and for her family and friends at this time of grief. May they find the peace which only the fullness of Christ's Truth can impart.

0

Signal Graces - Blessed Father Martin Martinez Pascual - Viva Cristo Rey!

Torch of The Faith News on Wednesday 19 August 2015 - 00:48:45 | by admin

We've just this hour finished watching the dramatic movie about the Mexican Cristeros War, For Greater Glory - The True Story of Cristiada. To be honest with you, we found the final credits, which show actual photographs of the beatified martyrs from that period, to be the most inspirational part of the whole film. Perhaps Andy Garcia is just a tad 'too cool for school' as General Enrique Gorostieta - but then that's showbusiness! 

After the movie finished, I was telling Angie about an amazing young priest, who had been martyred during the Spanish Civil War. Like the Cristero martyrs, he had used his last breath to proclaim, ''Viva Cristo Rey!'' For the life of me, I couldn't remember his name - it has been some time since I read about him and middle age has its effects - but I'll never forget the images of his final moments: as the pictures here show, one looks at him and sees Our Lord Jesus Christ.

With the help of the search engine, we quickly discovered that we were speaking of Blessed Father Martin Martinez Pascual, a Diocesan Worker Priest of the Sacred Heart.

During the anti-Catholic persecution by the Communists in the era of the Spanish Civil War, Fr. Pascual was hiding out in a cave. He discovered that his dad had been arrested and was being questioned by a committee. The 25-year old priest left his hiding place to try and save his father. However, the committee discovered that he was a priest and immediately took him out to be shot.

Just before Fr. Pascual was executed, a Republican, called Hans Guttman, took a couple of photographs of him. In those closing moments of his life, Fr. Pascual left a timeless witness to the Truth of the Catholic Faith and to the love of Jesus Christ; and an important lesson on how Catholics should face persecution and death. That this is a gift and work of grace can be seen clearly in his smile, stance and eyes: there is such a thing as the grace of martyrdom, granted to those who need and ask it.

As the text in the image below explains, the execution squad asked if Fr. Pascual wanted to face away from their rifles. He said no; all he wanted was to bless those who killed him and pray that God would not hold his death against them. Then he shouted, ''Viva Cristo Rey!''

As we read the account of Blessed Father Pascual's life and last hours, it suddenly hit us that he was martyred on this very day - 18th August - in 1936.

By faith we believe that this is too much to be a mere coincidence. We believe that this is a signal grace. Indeed, it filled us with Christian joy. There is a tradition which holds that Our Blessed Lady promised signal graces to those who prayed the Holy Rosary each day. Regular readers might recall that a similar thing happened to us when we watched a DVD of the 3rd Secret of Fatima on 13th July this year.

Perhaps the Lord is teaching us, and by extension others who read this blog, that whilst persecution is indeed closing in, there is a way yet for faithful Catholics to fight the atheistic Communism - and indeed the darker spiritual and temporal powers which lie behind it - that appears to have taken over even the highest levels of the Church and society in our day.

As a New World Order of atheistic socialism gains control, the way of the Cross, rather than of dark violence and hatred, will be open to the remnant who wish to follow closely in the footprints of Our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ: for we must understand that this evil is, by now, too grave and powerful to be beaten by human means or weapons.

Grace, Love, Sacraments, Sacrifice and Prayer will be of more benefit than any amount of aggression in the storm ahead of us. Whilst it can be too easy for each of us to give into fear and anger through our concupiscent passions and wounds, let us remember that the Way of the Cross, and the strength to carry it, is primarily a gift; and not something to be gained merely by gritted teeth and clenched fists. Fr. Gary Dickson has written and taught beautifully on similar lines this week (see Catholic Collar and Tie on our Links Page).

We are now into the trying season of the open heart and the bent knee before the Crucifix. Perhaps not all will be called to be martyrs. All will be called to be faithful. We each need to ask that Our Lord Jesus will give us what we each need, at the time when we need it, and leave the rest to Him. May Christ sustain us in the depths of His Love.

Blessed Fr. Martin Martinez Pascual reminds us by his eyes, his smile and his last words, that only the love of Christ can sustain each of us and defeat the Evil One and his cruel minions. One looks to Fr. Pascual and sees Our Lord Jesus Christ. May he intercede for each one of us in the days ahead; and may we each cultivate devotion to him.

Let us thank God for this amazing signal grace of reading about him on his very feast (in the new calendar)!

Viva Cristo Rey!  

0

Please Pray for the Reconversion of Ireland

Torch of The Faith News on Tuesday 18 August 2015 - 12:03:42 | by admin

Thankfully, the Mayo countryside is still dotted with many way-side shrines. Most of these are still well cared for by local people. This little shrine near Swinford is one of our favourite places on this earth; and we visit it almost every summer. It is a great comfort to see the little red light glowing before the Sacred Heart as one drives along the narrow country lane towards it.

In our last post, we mentioned the kindly gentleman who gave us red prayer cards promoting consecration to the Precious Blood. The prayer is reproduced below. Please join us in praying this for the reconversion of Ireland.

Consecration to the Precious Blood

O Precious Blood of Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I consecrate myself and all the days of my life to your love and worship. I place myself and my loved ones in a special manner under Your powerful protection, begging that Your blessing may always rest upon us.

Most Precious Blood, be our light in darkness, our strength in temptation, our consolation in sorrow, our passport to Heaven, and the eternal Object of our praise and love. Amen.

Angie: pictured a few years ago by another of our favourite shrines in Co Mayo.

0

Over the Sea to Ireland - Part 2 of 2

Torch of The Faith News on Tuesday 18 August 2015 - 11:41:03 | by admin

The silence of the Heavenly Visitors during the Apparition at Knock intrigues us. We are still amazed by the fact we picked up back in early June: On the 21st August, 1879 - the very day that Our Lady appeared at Knock, facing silently towards the southeasterly direction of both La Salette and Rome (although Her eyes gazed towards Heaven) - a solemn, papal coronation of Our Lady, and a consecration of the Basilica, was taking place in La Salette. 

As Gregory Johnson, the researcher who disseminated this amazing fact, reflected: ''Authentic apparitions of Our Lady are far too rare for this to be a mere coincidence of dates.''

Poor Ireland: How much this former island of saints needs to heed the warnings of Heaven and return home to the secure love of Our Blessed Lady, Her Divine Son and His Holy Church.

In light of the disastrous result in the recent referendum, one would hope that Church leaders throughout Ireland would be calling the people to prayer, penance and active witness.

Instead, we were saddended to learn that parish priests in Co. Mayo, and in other counties too, are raising revenue by letting out their parish churches on Saturday nights for popular singers to hold concerts. Not only that, but they and their bishops have ignored the sincere complaints of faithful lay people. As in the days of Our Blessed Lord, they have turned the Father's House into a marketplace. Instead of an appropriately penitential atmosphere for the country's dramatic loss of faith, a party atmosphere prevails.

Of course, falling revenue in parishes is itself a fruit of falling attendance at Holy Mass. The churches are emptying for Mass, but filling for folk concerts. There is now even a priest touring Ireland to sing at such events himself.

One local lady told us that, 20 years ago, there were 4 priests offering 6 Sunday Masses between them in 2 churches near her home. In those days, every single one of those Masses was packed to capacity. Today, there are just 2 priests, one in his 80's, offering 4 Masses between them; and at each of these, there are swathes of empty pews. This reality is replicated in many parts of post-modern Ireland.

Whilst we were in Co. Mayo, New York's Cardinal Timothy Dolan, fresh from his own extensive round of parish closures in the Orwellian-sounding Making All Things New programme, arrived to inaugurate a new Aer Lingus direct-flight between New York and Knock.

There was a public welcome from Enda Kelly and a televised Mass on RTE from the stark, white interior of the recently revamped Basilica. It seems that, in the midst of all the fanfare, thumbs-up signs and waving, no prelate or priest took the opportunity to rebuke the Taoiseach for his public promotion of sodomy, or frontal attack on the Sacrament of Confession. In 2015, promotion of big business and big government appear to trump morality and truth. 

We made a low-key visit to the Shrine of Knock, later that same day for the Traditional Latin Mass.

There is usually a Traditional Latin Mass, at St. Joseph's Altar in the Old Church at Knock, on the 2nd Sunday of each month at 5:30 pm. As in many places, it is always best to check with the local Latin Mass Society rep before travelling.

It was heartening to note that around 100 people had gathered for the Traditional Latin Mass. These included a good number of young people, aged from their teens to late-twenties. We also took heart to see elderly Irish ladies making their prayerful way along the Stations of the Cross at the sides of the church before Mass started; thankfully, there are still ladies practicing this devotion each day of the week in small churches around Co. Mayo. Perhaps these are the 10 good people in the modern Ninevah.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass was offered by a marvellous young priest from Derry. In his sermon, he drew from Sacred Scripture and the writings of the female mystics to speak of cultivating the desire for Christ in our hearts.

This message was confirmed for us after Mass, when we spent some time praying silently in the Apparition Chapel next door. A kindly gentleman whispered to us that his brother was a priest and gave us some prayer cards promoting consecration to the Precious Blood. He spoke of giving our desire for Christ to Our Lady to bring it to perfection and fruition.

It was lovely for us to pray for, and with, Mum at the very place where Our Lady of Knock, Queen of Ireland, appeared to the humble village parishioners in 1879.

Before leaving Knock, Mum pressed her forehead to the very stones of the original Apparition Gable and we prayed that, if it be God's Will and good for her immortal soul, that Mum be healed of the damage done by the strokes that she has suffered.

Our Lady of Knock - Pray for us!

0

Over the Sea to Ireland - Part 1 of 2

Torch of The Faith News on Monday 17 August 2015 - 13:00:01 | by admin

The Calvary Scene in the Shrine Grounds at Knock

Dear readers, 

We have been over the sea to spend some time with Angeline's parents in Ireland. In our last post but one, we said that we would be taking some time out to immerse ourselves in the writings of St. Alphonsus de Liguori. We did not realize, at that time, that we would be receiving help in Ireland from the writings of one of his own spiritual sons, from the very Redemptorist Order which he founded.

Here is how it happened.

Having been called over to Ireland, we were getting settled into the guests' bedroom, which we stay in most summers, at Angeline's parents place, out in the beautiful wilds of Co. Mayo.

Fr. Peter Byrne (CSSR)

There we discovered that Angeline's mum, Jeannie, had kindly left us a pile of little booklets written by the Irish Redemptorist missionary priest, Fr. Peter Byrne (CSSR). She actually met him, during one of our visits in 2009, whilst walking around the grounds of Knock Shrine. Alas, that summer we had caught up with her just a few minutes too late to see him!

Jeannie also has an image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on the wall in that spare room. Of course, this has been a historically important devotion of St. Alphonsus' Redemptorists: In 1866, to fulfill the wishes of Pope Pius IX, two Redemptorist Fathers, Marchi and Bresciani, brought the original, sacred and miraculous image to the church of St. Alphonsus (Alfonso) in Rome. One year later, an authentic copy was taken to the Irish Redemptorist monastery in Limerick; where a subsequent mission for local men bore incredible fruits in the formation of a massive Confraternity. Interestingly, Canon Michael Culhane who received my parents and I into the Catholic Church in Liverpool, came from Limerick and he hosted the Perpetual Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, with traditional Benediction, every Wednesday evening of the year in the parish on Merseyside. Such traditional devotions had helped my late father to encounter and enter into the truths of the Catholic Faith, in the late 1980's.

Having recently spent several weeks wading through St. Augustine of Hippo's heavy-duty, thousand-plus-page tome, The City of God against the Pagans, it was refreshing to rediscover the simple, but deeply spiritual, little booklets of Fr. Peter Byrne.

Although a number of Redemptorists seem to have lost the plot and ended in Modernist dissent in recent times, we are pleased to say that those booklets of Fr. Byrne present the truths of the Faith, and defend true marriage and family life, in an accessible, beautiful and memorable manner. He is clearly a man of deep faith and prayer.

During our break, we have enjoyed reading copies of Fr. Byrne's booklets: The Sun Never Sets - The Perpetual Help Story, Life Stories, The End Time, The Last Word, The Home Does It and Ireland Come Back Home to the Faith.

Fr. Byrne has been such a prolific writer, that these represent only a small selection of his many booklets. Since coming home, we have discovered copies of his booklets Family Prayers and The High Noon of God in my late Dad's extensive library; and we will be starting on these soon!

By God's grace, we were able to kneel as a couple before Jeannie's image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in our room in Ireland. We seem to have received special graces from Her; and would like to recommend this devotion to all Catholics to help them to keep the Faith in these difficult and testing times. Perhaps we should ask for Her to take over at the forthcoming Synod.

As we drove back across Ireland to catch our return ferry from Dublin, I began to share something with Angie and Mum from Fr. Byrne's writings.

I cannot now recall which title it came from, but he was explaining how he has a vivid memory of following his parents' footprints through the snow to Holy Mass as a young boy in Ireland.

Fr. Byrne noted that, although his parents and their footprints are long gone from this earth, the memory of them remains. He is grateful to them for leading him to Holy Mass to adore God.

In a similar way, I am grateful to my own late Dad, who led Mum and I to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, after his own search and conversion.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass

Those who know us well know that the distressing attacks on the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, during my time at Ushaw Seminary in the 1990's, have left me with deep scars in mind and soul.

As I shared Fr. Byrne's account of following his parents' footprints to Mass, I received something of a healing grace.

I have always found it very hard to cope with the fact that the attacks were made on the very Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, by those who should most have loved this mystery. It seemed as though some irreparable damage had been done.

As I spoke of the melting footprints, it suddenly came to me that Our Blessed Lord Jesus is still there. The Holy Mass will always be the centre of all that is in this world. It is the awesome, beautiful and majestic mystery at the heart of all. It can neither be destroyed, nor truly harmed, in Its essence. I had known this in my intellect, but speaking of Fr. Byrne's memory, something healed in the heart.

As I write this, I realise that this is because the Holy Mass is Love. God's Love. Yes, Love truly is the most powerful force there is in the universe.

Here at last is the one invincible and unbreakable thing in this world. The one thing that lasts.

Unimaginable beauty, mystery, truth. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

What fools are they who try to oppose or to destroy this infinite mystery. What fools to promote sacrilege through Synods, interviews, speeches and writings.

They destroy only themselves.

Yet even their sacrilegious attempts at destruction could be forgiven by the love of Christ, if they would just desist and repent.

For a long time after Ushaw, I have suffered because of the destructive attacks on the Mass and Real Presence by priests, seminarians, liberal lay-people and even Protestant guests at the seminary, back in those dark days.

I have not been able to endure what they did to Our Lord Jesus Christ or to His greatest gift to us all. This evil has threatened to destroy me and my family for far too long.

Fr. Byrne's account of the footprints - and my sharing of it on the way home - brought something to light. As the footprints of those good people melted from this earth, so too shall the evil attacks on the Holy Mass; and indeed so shall those who perpetrate them. Good and bad people, like good and bad times, come and go.

The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass remains. Unimaginable beauty, mystery, truth. The centre of all that is in this world. The one invincible thing. Love at the heart of all. The one thing that lasts. The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.    

0

Silent Ischaemia - Please Pray for Fr. Gary Dickson

Torch of The Faith News on Sunday 16 August 2015 - 16:30:33 | by admin

Please join us in praying for Fr. Gary Dickson who has had to have four stents fitted in hospital to help the blood to flow to his heart.

We are sure that readers will agree that Fr. Dickson is one of the most courageous and prophetic witnesses to Christ's truth in these difficult times. He and Andrew McDowell have that rare gift of being able to express hard-hitting truths in a charitable manner via their Catholic Collar and Tie blog.

In his latest post, Father writes with his usual candour: ''Thank you, everyone for your prayers. Keep them up if you want to keep me on my feet!''

Well, we all do want to Father, so let's get praying! May Our Lady give him Her special blessing for the feast of the Assumption!   

0

St. Alphonsus de Liguori - Pray for us!

Torch of The Faith News on Monday 03 August 2015 - 10:48:42 | by admin

St. Alphonsus de Liguori, that great Doctor of the Church, left a legacy of lucid teachings on spirituality and the moral life.

We've had unread copies of his classics The Incarnation, Birth and Infancy of Jesus Christ, The Passion and the Death of Jesus Christ and The Glories of Mary in our book collection for years.

With all that is happening in the Church and society in these times, we are going to take a few days away from blogging to give us chance for a bit of rest and spiritual nourishment by immersing ourselves in some of the treasures of St. Alphonsus.

We've a spot of gardening to catch up with too!

We'll hopefully be posting articles again in a few days. 

May God bless each of you in the meantime.

In Christ

Alan and Angeline. 

0

Being Frank with Jehovah's Witnesses

Torch of The Faith News on Monday 03 August 2015 - 08:58:30 | by admin

The Jehovah's Witnesses have been doing large-scale, door-to-door proselytizing in and around Merseyside in recent days. They are preparing for a massive three-day convention, to be held this coming weekend in Liverpool. Although their previous event last year pulled an average of 7,000 visitors on each of the days, there has been little attempt to reach out with the Catholic Faith locally.

Over the years, our family has found the writings of the great Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary, to be a good source of assistance when giving Catholic apologetics - dialogue if you will - to Jehovah's Witnesses.  

Frank Duff was keen for his Legionaries to 'reason gently' with the Jehovah's Witnesses; and to use the opportunity to present to them the doctrines of Catholicism. He acknowledged the fact that many in this sect were intelligent and sincere seekers of the truth. Certainly, we have met some very hard-working, honest and generous Jehovah's Witnesses. Frank Duff explained that Catholics ought to feel sorrow that such good-willed people are in error and leading others into it with them. He reminded Catholics that we have an apostolic duty to get in touch with Jehovah's Witnesses, to talk with them lovingly and try to make an impression on them about the True Faith.

Perhaps over the years, with the zeal of converts to the Catholic Faith, my late Dad and I were a little too heated when we presented the errors of the Jehovah's Witnesses to those who came to our front door.

Partly, we were concerned that such door-to-door proselytism could lead unwary souls into grave error. We know a gentleman who was a very devout and committed Catholic, who lived with his holy, old Catholic parents. When they died, some Jehovah's Witnesses came to his home, during the time of his deepest grief and caught him up into their movement. He soon stopped going to Holy Mass, next he rejected his Catholic Faith and eventually cut all ties with the rest of his Catholic family and friends. Very sad.

Please pray for this poor man and his family.

Anyway, Frank Duff offered a few apologetic themes which we have found helpful over the years.

Foundations

The first thing is to recall that Jesus Christ founded the Catholic Church on the Apostles; and that She can trace her roots through history all the way back to Him and to them.

This is especially important in light of this forthcoming convention in Liverpool, because it is entitled 'Imitate Jesus'. Christ established the Church that, by Her authority, teaching and sacraments, we might not only imitate Christ, but receive His very life within us. Knowing something of the ancient Pelagian heresy can be helpful here.

The second thing is to recall the fact that the Catholic Church was the context for: the formation of the canon of Sacred Scripture; the authorship of the New Testament; and the authoritative interpretation of the Sacred Scriptures. In short, the Bible is the Church's book. Frank Duff notes that the Jehovah's Witnesses have been historically strong on copyrighting their own materials. He suggests that Catholics should say: ''If the copyright laws had been vested permanently in the Catholic Church, we would be in a position to prosecute you for producing an edition of that book.'' Frank Duff explains that this kind of rhetoric could appeal to them, if gently employed, because the Jehovah's Witnesses understand copyrighting.

This is all important, because the Jehovah's Witnesses have their own version of the Bible. Quite soon, they will attempt to use their version to suggest that Christ is 'a god, but not the God'. Knowing something of the ancient Arian heresy can be helpful here.

The Jehovah's Witnesses will also use proof-texts from their version to try and attack other Catholic doctrines.

By insisting on the point that the Bible is the Church's book, one will avoid bogging down in individual and time-consuming proof-texting arguments. 

In relation to this point, it is also important to draw attention to the fact that scholars of the ancient languages find the JW translation to be, shall we say, somewhat lacking. Here is an opportunity to introduce and explain the formation of your Douay Rheims!

Having established these foundations, it can be helpful to then affirm that all the Catholic dogmas and doctrines can be found in the Sacred Scriptures. This is where the footnotes and cross-references in the Catechism of the Catholic Church are so invaluable.

Founders

We have already established that history proves a traceable lineage from today's pope and bishops all the way back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles.

Whilst there have been a few pretty rum characters to sit on the Chair of Peter down the centuries, it remains the case that Jesus Christ, Who founded the Catholic Church is God and He is without sin. No founder of any other religion claimed to be God, or proved it by miracles and Resurrection.

The Apostles, and the overwhelming majority of popes, have been good and even, at times, holy men. Several were saints. Many made major contributions to Western civilization. We can admit the relatively few failings to the Jehovah's Witnesses as we are Catholics and not Ultramontanes. That gives us a chance to explain that papal infallibility is not the same as papal immutability! With Christ at the helm of the Church, we don't need to cover for the human failings of our leaders. In a certain sense, they even prove the Divine protection over the 2,000 year-old Church! No other institution has come through so many persecutions, or transformed and even survived so many empires.

Frank Duff would have his Legionaries ask the Jehovah's Witnesses if they knew much about their own founders. Did they know about Charles Russell who, Duff asserts, had first joined the 7th Day Adventists when he heard them declare that there was no Hell? Did they know that he left them and later interpreted the Scriptures according to his own conceptions? That he set himself up as the complete authority on the Bible, without reference to it having come down from the Catholic Church, and without any knowledge of Hebrew, Greek or Latin?

Frank Duff asks whether Jehovah's Witnesses were aware that Russell declared that the second coming and end of the world would occur in 1914?

Did they know that Russell's marriage ended in divorce and that he admitted in court that he was a little fond of the ladies? Did they know that, after detailed evidence had been heard, the court suggested that no woman could be expected to put up with the kind of treatment his wife had received?

Frank Duff then asks if they know much about Judge Rutherford, who succeeded Russell as leader. Did they know that he was not really a judge, but was really a clerk of the court who served just four days on the bench in a substitute capacity?

Did they know that he dissented from much of Russell's teaching and announced that the 'Lord Jehovah' had informed him that God would now communicate His wishes directly through Rutherford?

Perhaps more importantly, did they know that Rutherford predicted that the patriarchs of the Old Testament would come to earth in 1925, to usher in the end of the world? Did they know that he purchased a mansion in California; planted with palms, olives and figs to make the patriarchs feel at home? Were they aware that, the patriarchs having failed to show up, Rutherford moved into the mansion himself in 1931? Did they know that some sincere Jehovah's Witnesses began to object to Rutherford's lavish lifestyle at the mansion and also to the nature of his language? Perhaps a bit tongue in cheek, Frank Duff notes: ''We are not given details as to the language.''

Gold or something less?

One of the key JW doctrines relates to their fundamentalist notion that only 144,000 will be in heaven. The rest of the saved, they suggest will remain on earth. Everyone else just ceases to exist in their reckoning.

Over the years, my dad used to ask the JWs at our front-door: ''What have you to offer me? If my Catholic religion teaches that I can, by Christ's grace and mercy in His Church, get to Heaven; then why should I exchange this for your teaching that I will likely end up on earth for eternity? If my Catholic Faith offers me Gold, why should I accept this lesser thing from you? What have you to offer me, when I already have the best thing there is? Would you take something less from a door-to-door salesman than the thing which you already had?''

It must be said that the JW's at our door always found this unanswerable. Eventually, they stopped coming to our door and went only to our neighbours.

Let us conclude with this thought. Frank Duff lamented the fact that, whilst the JW's were so zealous for the teachings of their sect, many Catholics are luke-warm and lacking in zeal, or sufficient love of neighbour. They just won't lift a finger to help save souls.

As Frank Duff taught his legionaries, it is our apostolic duty to do what we can to help JWs and our neighbours to find the True Faith established by Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Do we want them to have Gold or something less...  

0

Bishop Mark Davies of Shrewsbury Urges Lourdes Pilgrims to Lobby MPs About the Marris Bill

Torch of The Faith News on Sunday 02 August 2015 - 16:00:46 | by admin

We have learned from Fr. Simon Henry's splendid St. Catherine Laboure Newsletter that Bishop Mark Davies - may God bless him - has urged pilgrims in the Grotto at Lourdes, to lobby their MPs about the dreadful 'assisted suicide' Bill. 

In the second half of his homily in the Grotto, His Lordship explained:-

In this place, it is hard to believe back home a law of despair is about to be rushed through Parliament. The proposed law for ''Assisted Dying'' will remove legal protections for the lives of some of the most vulnerable in our land. It is the first step on the road to euthanasia: the medical killing of some of the weakest members of society. By the proposed law, those in our hospitals and care homes will be offered assistance to commit suicide. The very ones who should be accorded the greatest support will be legally offered help towards killing themselves. Conscious of the sometimes scandalous neglect of elderly people in our present health and care provision (see LSE Research Analysis of Health Service date, July, 2015) we can imagine the pressures under which some of the most vulnerable will come if assisted suicide becomes the mindset of British society. We have good reason to fear that the right to die will quickly become the duty to die. And those who should be cherished and cared for will increasingly see themselves as an unwanted burden to society. Pope Francis frequently reminds us how it is the weakest and most vulnerable who can teach us the most important lessons of life. And he warns us that many societies are in danger of discarding them.

We may only have a matter of weeks to make our voices heard before Parliament decides whether a culture of care or a culture of suicide and eventually of killing prevails. Yet here, in the witness of Lourdes, we have something more than our voices. From this wasteland a spring of renewed faith and lived charity has flowed in care for each other and in recognition of what each is worth. It often surprises people that a place filled with so much suffering is not dismal and depressing. Instead, Lourdes is filled with joy precisely because here we recognise the real dignity and the true greatness to which every one of us is called. It was on this waste ground that Saint Bernadette - and now a countless number have come to glimpse anew the greatness and the incomparable worth of every human life. May it always be so for us. Amen.

British readers are urged to please contact your MP and call them to vote against the dehumanizing Marris Bill before September. Overseas readers are encouraged to join in praying against this evil Bill.

Our Lady of Lourdes - Pray for us!

0