Still Running Off at the Keyboard

"ONLY THE UTTERLY OBLIVIOUS CATHOLIC WOULD NOT REALIZE THAT SOMETHING IS DEVASTATINGLY AMISS IN THE CHURCH IN OUR PRESENT DAY"

So begins Erven Park's article in the October "New Oxford Review."

Ya gotta hand it to NOR. Whether you agree with them or not, there's no denying they've got guts. First they took on the document on homosexuality in the seminary, making it clear that Benedict's conclusions were less than satisfactory. Now comes this.

Not only does the article tell the unvarnished truth about the state of the Church, it also talks about Fatima, a subject bound to get you sent to the Outer Reaches of Raddom five years ago. But it gets even worse:

"The "Third Secret" revealed to the Fatima seers speaks of the apostatizing of the hierarchy of the Church, which would unleash deadly consequences on the unsuspecting faithful. ...Sr. Lucia (10-year-old seer Lucia dos Santos) of Fatima repeatedly referenced the coming about of an intellectual atmosphere consisting of a "diabolic disorientation" permeating the works and acts of the Church's leadership.

Yup! It's right there in black and creme.

Park writes further:

The Church's sacred doctrine can only be corrupted by her highest leadership, meaning that the Church's leaders are the logical target of Satan's malice, and pride will be the door by which he enters into them. ...We will thus witness disoriented shepherds leading their sheep on a trek to the abyss.

How does a shepherd spare himself from this disaster when all his peers and superiors become subject to the same testing? When the die is cast in such a manner, the shepherd is on his own and his only secure and rewarding course will be unflinching observance of the constant teachings of the Church. Change or novelty must invoke immediate suspicion and examination. ...

The foretelling of the apostataizing of the Church's hierarchy was contained in the "Third Secret" entrusted to Sr. Lucy by the Holy Mother.

That's not exactly the Third Secret released by John Paul II, is it?

Park goes on to point a calendar at the Council that intersected the key year given by the Blessed Virgin--1960, and with it Cardinal Roncalli, Pope John XXIII--making the Council the great apostasy predicted at Fatima in 1917. Quoting Mario Cardinal Ciappi, personal papal theologian for five popes, and a man who was privileged to read the Third Secret, Park writes:

In a personal communication to a Prof. Baumgartner in Salzburg, Cardinal Ciappi revealed that: "In the Third Secret it is foretold, among other things, that the great apostasy in the Church will begin at the top."

That would certainly be an interesting letter to read!

Lest we become smug and self-righteous, Park adds that

...the deadly crisis in the Church is not without our own personal culpability in the embracing of forbidden liberties and their appended decadence. God's allowance of bad shepherds is a punishment directly related to the disobedience of those claiming to be His followers.

Park's prescription is confronting, and exposing resolutely, the evil wherever it lies. He points our vision to bishops as well as priests, and calls the current crisis "unprecedented." He speaks of "very vocal pastoral concern for their criminal clergy accompanied by disgraceful silence regarding the victims who were assaulted and left to the dumpsters of life, a total reversing of proper moral priorities". He refers to the document on homosexuals as a "studied ambiguity" that "undermines those bishops whose beliefs and efforts may be inclined to upholding the true teaching of the Church.

That is certainly pulling no punches. He doesn't tell us anything we don't already know apart from that Third Secret, but the public telling of it in NOR signals to me that this thinking is going Catholic mainstream. A necessary prelude to effective reform, IMHO, and hopefully sufficiently timely to prevent canonization of any of the participants in this deconstruction of Christianity.

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

CLEVELAND'S FIRST PARISH MERGER

From The Plain Dealer:

The merger of two Catholic churches in Grafton will be the first reduction in the number of parishes in the Cleveland Catholic Diocese since Bishop Richard Lennon replaced Anthony Pilla in May.

Lennon is quoted in the article as saying the merger "has worked well, and is something the church members embraced."

Immaculate Conception and Assumption, a Polish parish, will merge into Our Lady Queen of Peace on October 29. Both parishes were started in the 1800s. A new location will be found and a larger church built. Until then Masses will be said in both locations.

This seems to be following the Fond du Lac model.

Somehow Europe is able to maintain churches that are far older than anything we're talking about here. They speak to the lasting firm foundation of the faith. This is a loss to communities as well since these churches in their architecture alone speak to something greater than man. Will God's presence be erased from the landscape with the demolition of traditional church architecture?
Can we expect that the replacement mega-church will be another cement box where the "stage" replaces the altar? In any case, this demolition is a done deal which appears to have been hashed out in the NCCB meetings some time ago. The model for destruction is in place and the next phase in the demolition of the faith has already begun.

IT'S NOW THURDSAY MORNING AND I STILL DON'T KNOW WHERE TO ATTEND MASS THIS COMING SUNDAY

Breakfast table conversation:

She: "If we have time Sunday, how about we try the church in Broadview Heights?"

He: "I am NOT driving to Broadview Heights for Mass."

She: "Ok, then, we can try St. Mary's."

He: "You know what that's going to be like."

She: "Well, where do you suggest we go for Mass?" (No response) "How about we try a Byzantine church?"

He: "How long does it last?"

She: "I don't know. I've never been to one."

He: "I'm not spending all day Sunday in church."

She: "Well, where do you want to go?"

He: "I'll either go to Holy Family or to the church we went to last Sunday."

She: "If you're going to Holy Family, I'll go with you. If you're going to the church we went to last Sunday, maybe I'll go to a Byzantine Mass. So are you?"

He: "I don't know. I'll decide when I see what time I wake up on Sunday."

S-i-g-h !

TANTRA, TAROT, AND THE HOLY GUARDIAN ANGEL

Chaos magician Phil Hine reviews SEX, MAGIC, TANTRA & TAROT by Christopher S. Hyatt and Lon Milo Duquette (Grand Master of Ordo Templi Orientis). From the review:

Sex Magic, Tantra & Tarot was formerly known as ‘The Way of the Secret Lover’. Like Secrets of Western Tantra, it draws heavily on the symbolism of the Tarot, the work of Aleister Crowley, the rituals of the Golden Dawn and other ‘standards’ of the Western Esoteric Tradition in order to provide a framework for progress and development. A central theme here is that the Holy Guardian Angel can be identified with the so-called ‘Secret Lover’. (Emphasis mine - ct)

"The Way" Hmmm. Strange, don't you think, that John Paul II's favorite theologian would write a forword (now afterword in the latest edition) for a book about the tarot? Especially when that favorite theologian had his own favorite medium who listened to angels.

Brings to mind Fr. Andrew Greeley's book ANGEL FIRE which was about an interaction with an angel, complete with sexual overtones. It was disturbing when I read it several years ago, and that's probably why I remember it.

I see that Greeley has a new angel book out--CONTACT WITH AN ANGEL. Looks like he travels further down the road he started with ANGEL FIRE, but since I haven't read it, I can only make the assumption based on the excerpt at this website.

Guardian angels are getting around! And they are getting a whole new image.

O.T.O. researcher P. R. Koenig places angelic sexual contact within Manicheanism:

In Manichaeanism matter is seen as evil, the world a place of decay. Although many Manichaean scriptures enjoin asceticism (no meat, sex, or marriage), there are some that preach the opposite. It is a firmly held tenet in all Manichaean doctrine, however, that angels may copulate with spiritual rulers called Archons to lose their evil restrictions; through the unification of good with evil, souls are cleansed, and what remains over may be "given to all the species of the Earth."

Heresy, it seems, never dies, and so the question remains on the table--How does one make contact with and listen to angels and avoid making contact with the angels of the Satanists? What is the criteria of separation, if there is one? When we pray to angels, which angels respond? We have the names of only four, as Fr. Euteneuer explained.

According to "An Introduction to Chaos Magick" by Adrian Savage, Crowley:

...proclaimed the goal of the Magician to be "the attainment of the knowledge and conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel," the fulfillment of his "true will," and the realization of his own divinity.

We have chaos within Roman Catholicism. Is it chaos magick derived from these forbidden practices?

I think any Catholic who messes around with angels in the present climate of occultism that America and the web provide, had better beware, particularly in the light of the ideas that have crept into Catholicism via the monastic orders and orders of women religious, where witchcraft and Gurdjieffian spirituality can be found.

An article by Mary Drahos titled "Angels of the New Age Kind" describes the disguises that angels come in today:

Many New Agers say that their angelic informants tell them that, through the ages, people have had a very false impression of fallen angels. Lucifer, for example, "has been identified in our mind as the devil, instead of an aspect of God dedicated to our growth by helping us strengthen our spiritual muscles," we are told. He is the "Light Bearer" who teaches about the necessity of life's dark side.

This reminds us of the words of St. Paul, "Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. It comes as no surprise that his ministers disguise themselves as ministers of the justice of God. But their end will correspond to their deeds" (2 Cor 11:14-15).

Satan and the other fallen angels are very smooth con artists. Satan can assume an air of sanctity and act as though his were the noblest of motives-- a real gentleman, as Shakespeare put it.

She also outlines the criteria of discernment:

We can discern New Age angels by applying Jesus's classic test, "By their fruits you shall know them." The kingdom of darkness is always in opposition, camouflaging its intentions. Evil spirits are sent in the guise of good angels.

A typical New Age view is that "Our angels tell us the future is now," we read in a New Age book authored by Alma Daniel, Timothy Wyllie and Andrew Ramer. "Talking with our angels, connecting with the divinity within us, elevates our personal awareness, which in turn improves our lives and circumstances."

By contrast, good angels know that only through Jesus is our salvation assured and our perfection in God possible when our earthly life ends. Angels work diligently, leading us to an ever closer union with Our Lord and Savior.

Judging by fruits is always in season, but it leaves us vulnerable up front. We can't know the fruits without first experiencing the deception. Best to leave unfamiliar spirituality alone until all concerns are satisfied. Praying to angels is a help to the spiritual life, not a necessity. Stay with the tried and true Tradition of the Church down through the ages, and shun novelties like the Cabbala and contacting your Guardian Angel. We know about Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael. We know we have a guardian angel, but not the angel's name. Take it at that and leave it at that. As every mother tells her child, "Better to be safe than sorry."

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

FROM THE MAILBOX, THE HLI NEWSLETTER

[And how timely it is considering the stuff I've been blogging!]

................................................................................... www.hli.org
The Three Flames of Divine Love

Every year on the 29th of September the Church commemorates the three angels whose names have been revealed to us in Scripture for our consolation: Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. There is a fourth angel whose name is also revealed, Lucifer, but for a different reason: to warn us clearly about all his works and empty promises. When God unmasks the identity of angelic beings in the public revelation of the Church it is because He wants us to know something about them that will assist us on the road to Heaven - or give us sufficient warning.

The blessed archangels are three flames of divine love and grace because of their burning desire for our eternal salvation. They exist to lead us to heaven, and their Hebrew names reveal their respective roles.

Michael is the exorcist angel. His name in Hebrew is a rhetorical question: "Who is like unto God?" Christian tradition tell us that he stood up in the assembly of the angels when Lucifer proclaimed his desire to set up his throne there, and in astonishment at the hubris of such a rebellious act uttered that question before casting the devil out of heaven. It's kind of like the cop who says to a bully, "So you think you're above the law, do you?" and then tosses the guy into the clink never expecting an answer! Michael helps us in our constant spiritual warfare against the forces of evil. He is especially good when we call upon him in times of temptation and confusion. He always comes. He appears in the Book of Daniel and the Book of Revelation where we see his humble magnificence.

Gabriel is the evangelist angel. He is revealed in the Book of Daniel and in the Gospel of Luke bringing the good news of Christ's Incarnation to the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation. Gabriel's Hebrew name is "Strength" or "Strong One of God" to remind us that belief in Jesus is the strength of our souls. Gabriel and his angels assist us in our personal understanding of the faith and in our sharing of it with others. Parents and teachers will find great assistance in Gabriel for their necessary tasks of teaching children and others the faith, and priests and religious can look to him with confidence when seeking to become dynamic preachers and communicators of the things of God.

Raphael appears only in the Book of Tobit which is such a rich source of knowledge about this angel. He is the healing flame. His Hebrew name is "Health" or "Healer of God" because he healed Tobit of his blindness and exorcised the spirit of Asmodeus from Sarah, a spiritual healing. Raphael comes to our aid in times of sorrow, weakness, woundedness and in times when we need patience. He accompanied Tobias on his journey to meet Sarah, so Raphael is also traditionally considered the patron saint of travelers and married couples. Those who are eager to find a spouse will appreciate this luminescent spirit as a ready helper in need.

Truly we don't pay enough attention to the archangels whose radiant love is burning incandescently around us at every moment of our waking and sleeping. Of course we can't see those divine flames with our eyes. It takes faith to see them. With faith we know that these strong, ravishing spiritual beings drive away evil by their very presence and exist only to serve us.

Imagine the potency of a hydrogen bomb bound up in a magnificent, living, intelligent being whose one desire is to make sure we get home safely - I mean our Heavenly Home of course. They have come from there and know how to lead us back.

Sincerely Yours in Christ,

Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President, Human Life International

IS THERE NO STOPPING THE MILINGO SCANDAL MACHINE ?

From the website:

WASHINGTON, September 27 (UPI) — A Roman Catholic archbishop, whom the Vatican says has been excommunicated, Wednesday rejected the Holy See's disciplinary action.

"We do not accept this excommunication and lovingly return it to His Holiness, our beloved Pope Benedict XVI, to reconsider it and withdraw it and join us in recalling married priests to service once again," said Emmanuel Milingo, the Catholic Church's former leader of its Zambian parishes.

UPDATE ON THE THOMASINE CHURCH BLOG

Mar Didymos explains more about the Church here, including the following, which would appear to be the Gurdjieffian method of thought control:

By studying our own minds, we know exactly what emotive buttons to push in others. It is merely a matter of timing, distancing, posturing, and positioning. We allow them to fall into the veritable trap of their own Ignorance which is brought on by Arrogance. These are the “Dark Forces,” the “Demons of the Labyrinth,” or the “Wicked Ones” spoken of in the Hymn of the Pearl.

I guess now we know what the labyrinth business is about. Programming.

The website also tells us:

- These techniques are highly effective yet when practiced improperly, the Initiate can harm himself mentally. In order to avoid these kind of dangers, these practices are kept "secret" outside the teacher-student relationship.

- ...our primary focus is the practice of rigorous meditative techniques...

- ...a Thomasine Initiate attains a state of focused awareness.

- Once you can experience this state you can understand why most Masters have gained enlightenment experiences after having empowered the mind in this way.

If you read through his blog on "Knowledge or Ignorance?" you will get some idea as to the relationship of the Gnostic groups to Catholicism. His many references to the Tridentine Mass used by Gnostics are interesting.

He also refers to the Tridentine in the blog titled "Neo-Gnostics And Their Identity Crisis". Here he explains that:

- The two basic goals of gnosticism and traditional or Pauline Christianity, are mutually exclusive let alone the problem of conflicting cosmologies and resultant theologies.

- The focus of gnosticism according to [the earliest Christian texts] is the seeking and attainment of self acquaintance. It is direct and experiential knowledge of ourselves which brings us to salvation.

- Within the Gospel of Thomas and the Hymn of the Pearl there is verbiage which can be confused as being similar to that of prevailing religious ideations. This is simply not true. They really describe how the universe is constructed in a strikingly similar fashion to what is posited in "M Theory/String Theory."

- What one can clearly see is that Illuminist teachings with its goal of enlightenment, gnosis, or illumination are not deity dependant.

Hmmm. Sort of like "You certainly will not die! No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad", I guess. A lot of folks still hanker after taking the trip.

I'm surprised there was nothing about the Enneagram in the Thomasine Church website.

THE ARCHBISHOP, THE SEER, THE EXCOMMUNICATION

CRUSADE AGAINST CLERGY ABUSE

That link came from this press release. Ironic that it talks about Bishop Lennon. Use your own judgment whether this is true of not.

THE THOMASINE CHURCH

I've researched and written a lot about Martinists. Recently, in looking at the Wikipedia entry for Martinism, I noticed one of the orders listed that I hadn't taken note of before--"Mar Didymos of the Thomasine Church".

It's difficult to tell form the homepage what religion is being promoted. According to the website, "The Thomasine movement began in Edessa, in Eastern Syria near the upper reaches of the Euphrates valley. The Thomasine Church is the modern manifestation of the ancient Thomasine Movement and its Teachings. The Teachings were preserved and encapsulated in the Gospel of Thomas, The Hymn of the Pearl and the Book of Thomas the Contender."

The picture, in any case, reminded me of a similar picture I had seen on an equally incomprehensible website. Are Martinists and Essenes related?

The "Seekers" link on the homepage brings up "Our Philosophy" where I learned that "Through directly experiencing the Supreme or Transcendental Light, God, Allah, Tao, Nature, one may attain Illumination or Awakening." Does that mean that they are a branch of Islam?

The "Thomasine Creed" page told me they "seek the annointing of the Mother, the Holy and Comforting Spirit, who is the front (sic) of all wisdom." Would they honor Mother Bitterlich of the Opus Angelorum, one wonders? Did they get their ideas about awakening from the same source that Gurdjieff encountered and adopted?

The "What" page explains, however, that "The Thomasine Church does not ascribe to any belief. The Thomasine Church is Illuminist in philosophy with a focus on hesychasm; an inward-looking mystical practice. Direct experience and knowledge is what is considered paramount and the cornerstone of our work." That would be what makes it Martinist, I guess.

The "Sacraments" page is informative. The Apolytrosis is a Cathar sacrament. So is the Bridal Chamber which the website claims is necessary for the "healing, repair, and reintegration" that will address the human need to "once again become whole and thereby acquire the qualifications to attain the Kingdom." The webpage doesn't indicate whether this is a sexual rite or not in the Thomasine Church. Stephen Hoeller describes these sacraments here, referring to the sacrament of the Bride-Chamber as the "Sacred Wedding (Hieros Gamos)" and indicating that it "united the soul in a final union with the Twin Angel or Deific Double and similarly also unites the soul with God in the Fullness (Pleroma)." Would the Twin Angel be the Holy Guardian Angel?

In the "Presbyterate", women are referred to as "Illuminated Mother".

Healing is one of the gifts of illumination".

On the "Theological Education" page behind the "Initiates" button, I learned that "members should have a thorough and highly developed theological education." How one is supposed to get that in a church that espouses no doctrine is not explained.

The church is ecumenical, of course.

The Druid Way fits into their plan. They oppose "fundamentalist Christian theology" on ecology.

They have an "HIV/AIDS ministry", and an "International Women's Network" that features Mary Magdalene and the egg on the webpage.

This is a most interesting webpage. They have a Rose Cross Society "dedicatd to the research and preservation of ancient texts, concepts, and methods of Illumination."

There is also an "Order of Friars Marcionite". A friar is expected to be "honest and accepting of his sexuality and already living the virtues of a celibate life." The daily schedule is given, and I note that during Vespers they have "devout reading of Holy Scripture (Lectio divina)". Fr. Karl Mark - +Mar Synesius - is the Master of the Order of Friars Marcionite, and there is a picture of him on the webpage.

Behind the "Resources" button, the "Patriarchs of the Thomasine Church" include Jesus, Mar Thoma, Mar Addai, and Mar Mari, some men who have been associated with Churches of the Catholic communion. His Beatitude +Mar Didymos is the current Patriarch. The website explains that he was raised Roman Catholic. The church is "based upon primitive Christianities' teachings found within the Gospel of Thomas exclusively."

The +Mar Didymos was born December 29, 1967 in Kearny, New Jersey according to the "Aeropagus" webpage. Archemandrite of the Aeropagus is a woman, +Marta Theodora.

Their Canon Law, a pdf file. Item No. 21, "Marital Status of Clergy" explains that "Moral indiscretion of single clergy that has become public knowledge and separation or divorce of married clergy (provided that such was not due to marital infidelity on the cleric's part) does not necessarily bar one from the exercise of clergical (sic) function..."

Entry No. 42 indicates that "only square (cubic) altars may be used.

When I accessed the website on Sept. 13, 2006, the "OFM Application" link on the Resources page went to a pdf file. Today it brings up a "Page cannot be found" message. The application was interesting because it asked for the candidate's religious background, including the dates of his Baptism and Confirmation, his current parish, current diocese, and pastor's name. It also wanted to know if the candidate was a convert to Catholicism, if he had ever been married or attempted marriage, and whether the marriage had been annulled by the Roman Catholic Church. It wanted to know "How did you learn about Our Lady of Spring Bank Cistercian Abbey?" Odd.

I looked up Our Lady of Spring Bank Cistercian Abbey and discovered the Lazer Monks.

Our Lady of Spring Bank Cistercian Abbey is Catholic, and located in Sparta, Wisconsin. So are the Friars Marcionite and the Cistercians sharing facilities?

On Sept. 15 I emailed the Thomasine Church asking for the location of Our Lady of Spring Bank Abbey, how many priests and monks are in residence, and when the abbey was founded, but got no answer. On September 19 I again emailed the Thomasine Church with the same questions and received a response from +Mar Didymos telling me that "Our Lady of Spring Bank is not affiliated with us." Strange, since the application with that monastery name was part of their website. The rest of my questions were not answered. I sent a third email asking for the location of the Order of Friars Marcionite, the name of the monastery, and how many monks and priests are members of the order. Mar Didymos responded that the Friary is in Barrie Ontario and that he would pass my request to Fr. Karl Mark. That was the last I heard from them. The "From" line of this email came from <"Mark E. Bober">

Mark E. Bober turned up as the "Worshipful Master Elect of Lehigh Lodge No. 326 who will give a presentation on Freemasonry, Martinism and Hermetic Christianity" at the AlliedMasonicDegrees.org website.

Ecclesia Gnostica in Nova Albion also discussed Mark Bober.

On Sept. 15 I also emailed Our Lady of Spring Bank Monastery to inquire if a priest named Fr. Karl Mark was associated with their Abbey. I received no answer. I again emailed them on Sept. 19, but again received no answer. Lastly I emailed Barbara Blaine at SNAP to request any information they might have on the Friars Marcionite, but received no response from SNAP either.

Lastly I tried Mark E. Bober at BishopAccountability.org. He was not there. However Marjan L. Bober of Camden, New Jersey is there and has been sued. Marjan L. Bober concelebrated a solemn liturgy of thanksgiving with Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio at Our Lady of the Lakes Church on October 21, 2001.

Today the incriminating application has apparently been removed from the Thomasine Church website, so who knows what these monks are up to.

THE VIBRATING AND CLUSTERING IN CLEVELAND CONTINUES UNINTERRUPTED BY A CHANGE IN COMMAND

I wonder if Bishop Lennon has visited our Cleveland mystic yet?

THEODORE MEISNER AND HOLY SPIRIT MONASTERY

While I'm on the subject of channeling angels and the angelology of Fr. Francis (see below), another interesting aspect of Holy Spirit Monastery comes to mind. I blogged about Ted Meisner and his relationship with Holy Spirit Monastery before.

Meisner has his own Hermitage in the Marketplace dedicated to Sophia, the Holy Spirit. In that website you can read about the Sacred Heart. Let's look at a couple of paragraphs from Meisner's study:

The activation of your Sacred Heart is the final step in realizing our oneness with God and all beings. It is our primary function. Once realized, we will know that all thoughts are shared, and we will then joyfully lend our Self to the highest service of humanity. This cannot be achieved with the physical heart, and very little with the spiritual heart, our energy heart. Even while we are living in our spiritual heart we are still attached to the world that we have created in our imagination, the world of fear, which is and never has been the real world in the Heart and Mind of God. Our Lord wants us to know life in the upper heart, “the Sacred Heart.” It will not lead us astray. To arrive at our “sacred heart” we only need to make a shift in our perception, our awareness



We have seen pictures of the “Sacred Heart of Jesus” showing the physical heart with a Divine Flame above it. The Divine Flame is the actual Sacred Heart, while the lower portion is a symbolic representation of what is normally called the spiritual heart or the chakra heart. The Sacred Heart is often envisioned as a threefold flame, and each flame is symbolic of the attributes present in a person whose heart has opened fully. The first flame is blue, which is the color of empowerment or courage. The second is yellow, which is the color of wisdom. The third flame is pink, which is the color of unconditional love.

Now let's turn to James Twyman's "Sacred Heart Lessons" that I've blogged about before:

The activation of your Sacred Heart is the final step in realizing your oneness with all beings. This is, in fact, its primary function. Once realized, you will know that all thoughts are shared, and you will then joyfully lend your Self to the highest service of Humanity. This cannot be achieved with the lower heart, the subtle or second we have mentioned. It is still linked to the world you created in your imagination, but which has never been real in the Heart and Mind of God. Do you understand the difference? Until now you have chosen to live within this dream, and the function of the lower heart is to lead you away from one world into the next, the world of shadows and mists into pure Light. Once there, the upper, or Sacred Heart, becomes your guide. It will not lead you astray, for once it has opened then you will be free in a way that you cannot imagine now. Once you learn to live within the Sacred Heart we share, then you will realize that you stand beside me, and the world of dreams will be healed.

And,

Today's goal is to awaken, then initiate your Sacred Heart. Let's begin by identifying its position. You have perhaps seen pictures of the "Sacred Heart of Jesus" showing the physical heart with a Divine Flame above it. The Divine Flame is the actual Sacred Heart, while the lower portion is a symbolic representation of what is normally called the "Heart Chakra."

Notice anything? Neo-Cathar James Twyman and Ted Meisner seem to have been taking lessons from the same source.

Ted Meisner has a ministry to Hispanic immigrants. Would those be illegal immigrants, one wonders?

In any case, Meisner has an interesting past which you can read more about here. I've been told by one source that the case was settled out of court, but haven't located anything online to confirm that yet.

Meisner claims an association with Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery.

La Ermita formally came into existence December 27, 1994 when its founder rededicated his life to Sophia, the Holy Spirit, before the Abbot of Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery and some members and friends. He is known as a hermit in the marketplace, a man who desires to integrate, well, the life of contemplative prayer with daily living in a world of work and problems.

(Hmmm. Gurdjieff's Fourth Way does something very similar. Well, anyway...)

I emailed Fr. Thomas Francis to see if this is true. He responded:

I am a personal friend of Ted's for over 20 some years. NO, he is NOT associated with this monastery in any formal way. He only came here to make his dedication, and I was one of those attending. All I know of his past was that he was a member of the Resurrection Fathers, a Polish community, and had been a missionary in Bolivia. I think he got in trouble with the Panzer government.

I wonder if Meisner also talks to his Holy Guardian Angel like Fr. Thomas Francis does?

In any case, he thinks the Holy Spirit--Sophia--is a woman--the Blessed Mother:

Mary, because of her Immaculate Conception, has become intimately one with Sophia, the Holy Spirit. Even though in this so-called ‘incarnation’ we have two persons and two natures (this is not the same as above), this union of Sophia with Mary was so perfect, so bonding that Mary and Sophia have become inseparable. They are one in love and functions. They both are birthing and nurturing. They both hold the same titles within the Church. Both are considered as giving birth to the Church, nurturing and forming it.

Scripture tells us that we are living in the age of Sophia, and the Church tells us that we are living in the age of Mary. Both are true, because both are the same. Both are preparing and working hard at preparing the Father’s children, their children, for the coming of their Son. Both are present in the world today, and Mary, who seems to be appearing all over the world at a rate unheard of in the history of the Church, is that visible presence of Sophia speaking to the world.

Considering that the Blessed Virgin is the spouse of the Holy Spirit, he has just made a lesbian of her. Not to mention that he has also called her God. Was that a gift from his Guardian Angel, one wonders?

What do you suppose his Hispanic immigrants are making of that?

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

CONTACTING THE GUARDIAN ANGEL...CONNECTING THE DOTS




* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
All emphasis in the following quotes is mine - ct.

In addition to the strictures listed in the letter of Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger issued in 1983, the current Vatican document added the following norms:

The theories which derive from the alleged revelations of Gabriele Bitterlich concerning the work of the angels, their personal names, their rank and function may no longer be either taught or in any way, either explicitly or implicitly, made use of in the organizational structures of the Opus Angelorum or in any cult or in prayer or in spiritual formation or in any public or private spirituality. The use and the dissemination of books and other writings which contain the above-mentioned theories is forbidden both within the above-mentioned organization as well as outside its formal structures. ("Fidelity" July/August, 1992. This was the second attempt by the CDF to reign in Opus Angelorum, after the 1983 attempt failed.)

Based on 80,000 pages of private revelations that a pious woman by the name of Gabriele Bitterlich allegedly received from heaven, the Opus Angelorum was founded in Austria in the years shortly after the Second World War. Attracted to the various retreats and days of recollection sponsored by the OA, the unsuspecting faithful are led more and more deeply into a spirituality which is quasi-Masonic in its degree-based structure--from the promise to the guardian angel at the lower end to the angelic consecration in the middle to the consecration of atonement at the upper level. The goal is to become an "alter angelus." ("Fidelity" July/August, 1991)

The number of families in the Parents' Association for Opus Angelorum Victims has risen to 30. And although Rome issued a decree concerning the OA in June 1992, the problems have not yet been solved, inasmuch as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith did not ban the Opus Angelorum as the organisation's opponents had hoped. ("The Tablet", 30/05/1998 - no longer online, but evidence that the article exists can be found in their index. Article title "The angel sect's web" by Heiner Boberski. I should have rechecked the date earlier. There has not been silence since 1992 as I had thought.)

From visions she had had, Gabriele Bitterlich (1896-1978), a Tyrolean housewife who originally came from Vienna, and is greatly venerated by the organisation as "The Mother"... (ibid.)

That these inspirations were of a supernatural nature is not very plausible, as there are indictions that spiritism and esoteric literature, above all occult Jewish cabbala teachings, played a certain role in the Bitterlich family. Some of "Mother" Gabriele's angels bear the names of cabalistic Sefirot... (ibid.)

At amazon.com: 777 AND OTHER QABALISTIC WRITINGS OF ALEISTER CROWLEY by Israel Regardie

The mysterious Arab Abramelin transmitted to the equally mysterious Abraham of Worms, a nebulous recipe for the compilation of personal rituals that are to lead to a communication/communion with the personal Holy Guardian Angel. By these means one becomes firstly befriended with the Angel and secondly, the master of the demons. The process seems to be reciprocal: Human and Angel become One and together forge a bridge to the divine. ("Ordo Templi Orientis Phenomenon: Smoke gets in your Aiwass")

In 1945, Hubbard became involved with Crowley's acolyte, Jack Parsons. Parsons wrote to Crowley that Hubbard had "described his angel as a beautiful winged women (sic) with red hair, whom he calls the Empress, and who had guided him through his life and saved him many times. In the Crowleyite system, adherents seek contact with their "Holy Guardian Angel". ("Factnet: Hubbard and the Occult")

Scientology seems to be a hybrid of science-fiction and magic. [L. Ron] Hubbard's reflection on philosophy seem (sic) to derive largely from Will Durant's Story of Philosophy and the works of Aleister Crowley. Aleister Crowley is surely the most famous black magician of the twentieth-century. It is impossible to arrive at an understanding of Scientology without taking into account its creator's extensive involvement with magic. ("Factnet: Hubbard and the Occult")

Speaker Martin Huber, who is also the sect commissioner
of the JU (Youth Union) of the county association of
Altoetting and of the JU Upper Bavaria district
association, talked about practices, recruitment methods
and teachings of the groups active here in the region.
Besides Scientology, Thakar Singh, the Bruno Groening
Circle of Friends, and Universal Life, the major highlights
focused on "Engelwerk" (Opus Angelorum), which has
been trying to get a stronger foothold in the Altoetting
area. This secret association represents a danger for young
people, since practices to make people dependent are
used. (German Scientology News, Altoetting, Germany, August 19, 1999, as it appeared on a SNAP survivor's network message board Once again there is some evidence that there has not been silence since 1992.)

Crowley identifies the Empress as the "Great Mother" and indeed on her robe are bees (34), the traditional symbol of Cybele. ("Factnet: Hubbard and the Occult")

These mysteries of the faith found a particular and poignant expression in Mother Gabriele's writings along side her extensive contact with many angels. ("The Work of the Holy Angels and Its Mission within the Church")

Many of those who know the Opus Angelorum will find it difficult to believe that its members have renounced their former beliefs. They suspect that the majority of OA members continue to hold on to the Bitterlich tenets and are sticking to their intention to infiltrate the Church. ("The angel sect's web" "The Tablet", 30/5/1998)

Opus Sanctum Angelorum Days of Recollection Friday, September 15th St. Mary’s, Akron, 4:00 P.m. Holy Hour, Confessions, Counseling 5:30 p.m. Mass followed by a quick dinner snack 6:30 Conference, 7:30 Benediction Closing. Saturday, September 16th St Joseph’s, Cuyahoga Falls, 8:00 a.m. Mass followed by Continental breakfast, 9:15 First conference, 10:30 Holy Hour, Confession , Counsel, 11:30 Lunch $4.00 per person ( reservations required) 1:00 2nd conference, 2:15 Confession, Counsel, 2:45 Closing. Sunday September 17th, St Andrew, Norton, 11:30 Mass followed by light lunch, 12:45 Conference, 2:00 Holy Hour, Confession , Counsel, 2:45 Closing Benediction. For Further information Call Lisa at 330-622-5240 or Reita at 330-688-0196. (Living Bread Radio Community Calendar)

The Deacon I spoke with told me the OA program was being done with "full knowledge of the chancery and the blessing of the diocese" and that the parish is "doing this with the Vatican's blessing".

Gagnon replied that Rome had received "hundreds of letters. It is beyond the power of the Holy See to control."
"They exercise more control over a McDonald's franchise than you exercise over bishops," John Doe snapped.
"That is unfair," said Gagnon. "The church is in a schism. American bishops will not obey the Holy Father where he has sought to intervene. It only makes matters worse."
"Pardon me, Cardinal, did you say schism?" Yes, replied Gagnon. John said, "If we're in a schism why don't you tell the laity?"
"They have no right to know." (Jason Berry, LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION: CATHOLIC PRIESTS AND THE SEXUAL ABUSE OF CHILDREN, p. 338)

Lord God Almighty...!!

Do these dots connect? Form your own conclusions. But before you do, read the material from Fr. Thomas Francis, O.C.S.O., a priest at the Trappist Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Monastery in Conyers, Georgia. Fr. Francis believes he is "God Triune's spokesman for the angels." He believes that the angels "primary job is not to serve as Secret Service agents. It's to serve as spiritual guides--to bring us to God Triune."

Fr. Francis has named his own angel Sophia. His angels "can materialize and de-materialize as they choose".

A review at the website of Fr. Francis' book ANGELS AS SPIRITUAL DIRECTORS tells us that there are "a wealth of angel gifts and angel books at the store" at Holy Spirit Monastery. She tells us that Fr. Francis' booklet:

presents the view that our guardian angels ought to be thought of more as guiding angels, individual spiritual directors, than as mere protectors. Their purpose is to lead us to contemplation of the Triune God who dwells in our hearts....Father Thomas sees our guardian angels as the quintessential spiritual director.

Fr. Francis has also written about "Making Friends with Your Guiding Angel" and a "Method of Prayer with Your Guiding Angel", and he has advice for "being in constant communication with one's angel." She also tells us that "Fr. Francis' interest in the angels really picked up in 1992 when he had an 'angelic experience' while reading Chapters 6 through 9 of the Book of Wisdom."

While you're thinking about Fr. Francis' angels materializing so that you can have a conversation with them, look at the website of the Canonbury Masonic Research Center. Nice angel, isn't it?

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

IT'S MONDAY MORNING

and so the question of the day is where am I going to attend Mass this coming Sunday. I have a week to come up with an answer. As I was thinking about it this morning, I have two choices--at least at the moment this seems to be the way it breaks out...

1. I can attend a Mass at a parish that is in communion with Rome that may provide a show in the sanctuary ranging anywhere from something that looks traditional to something that doesn't look even vaguely Catholic. As I walk into the doorway of the church, I have no way of knowing what I'm in for. I may leave the church mildly disgusted, vaguely satisfied, or burning with anger. I'm not likely to leave thinking that I have worshipped God. Or...

2. I can attend Mass at a church that is not in communion with Rome but that provides a Mass that looks Catholic, a homily that sounds Catholic, in an atmosphere that exudes Catholicity. In which case I will leave the church feeling at peace, but will still have failed to worship God.

Either way, I lose.

Sunday after Sunday my husband again has the opportunity to remind me that the words of the Creed--"One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic"--no longer apply to anywhere that he has attended Mass recently.

"The Church is in schism." The laity "have no right to know." But the laity are finding out thanks to an internet that permits the laity to read those documents that used to be stored away in dusty basements out of sight.

Now, where shall I attend Mass next Sunday...?

LIFE IN THE PEWS IN CLEVELAND - SACRED HEART CHURCH

Dr. Thomas Drolesky was scheduled to speak after Mass this morning and I wanted to hear him, so we went there for Mass.

Mass is in Latin. The picture doesn't do justice to the church. It must be an old photo. The new altar is lovely. It's a very pretty church, though not large. The stained glass windows are beautiful. The pews even have seat cushions. The congregation has about 100 families. The church and the rectory are paid for. Amazing that 100 families have been able to do that. Of course there was a Lexus in the parking lot which might help explain why the church is paid for. Some of the congregants travel many miles to be at Mass.

There is a large cry room. When a child started to fuss, the child was taken into the cry room. Children were very reverent and QUIET. It's amazing to see that. I'm so used to something else. Not only were the children quiet, so were the adults. Maybe that's why the kids get the idea.

As we walked into church the rosary was being recited. Following that, the priest announced the feast of the day, and then Mass began. He wore a fiddleback vestment. Haven't seen one of those since I can't remember when.

There were statues in church. The Sacred Heart statue next to the altar was life-size. St. Teresa was also large, though the angels flanking the tabernacle were smaller.

The church has a dress code. I assumed it would and found an old dress put away in a box that served the purpose.

At this church everyone kneels for most of the Mass. Father faced the altar and prayed inaudibly most of the time. The Tridentine was familiar except that a Confeteor was added right before communion. Communion was on the tongue at the altar rail.

The prayers at the foot of the altar following Mass included the prayer to St. Michael just like they used to before the Council. The whole time I was there I had a sense of cleanness and wholesomeness that I can't explain. It just pervaded the place.

The homily was on the third commandment. I can't even remember the last time I heard a homily on the third commandment. Ironically one of the things father talked about was not buying and selling on Sunday. Ironic since Dr. Drolesky was selling his books right after Mass and his talk.

This church belongs to CMRI which I didn't even know existed until after Mass was over. I had assumed it was a St. Pius X chapel. In any case, it looked a lot more Roman Catholic, and sounded a lot more Roman Catholic than some of the Masses I've attended lately.

After Mass the children went to the basement for breakfast and a video, while the rest of the congregation moved upstairs where there is a kitchen and meeting room. Muffins and coffee were served, and we sipped while Dr. Drolesky talked. He opened his talk with some comments about Catholics attacking him. I presume he was referring to the web. He used to write for "The Wanderer", but apparently he isn't welcome there any more. He used to teach political science at the university level, but apparently he isn't welcome there any more either. Yet what he said in this talk was far more Catholic than what I hear from the pulpit most of the time. Unfortunately he is a sedevacantist. If he were not, and if I were sure that this church is not, I'd probably have found my new church home.

Imagine actually being told that the social reign of Christ the King has a right to be recognized by society! Imagine having papal documents quoted. Imagine being told that everything we do must be done with a view to eternity. Imagine being reminded that only Catholicism can make suffering make sense. Those are the things I heard this morning. Sure, I know all those things, but it's very good to hear someone else say them.

He offered another startling comment. In Western Civ. France after the Revolution and America were the first countries not to have a confessional religion. I had never quite thought about it that way before. He said the "M" word that riles up the anti-conspiracy theorists in St. Blogs. More than once. He said something else...once America was Catholic. French Catholic.

Of course Dr. Drolesky is not very happy about the conciliar Church and ecumenism. Well, neither am I.

People at church were very friendly. We talked with one son and his mother who joined to escape the Novus Ordo. My husband talked with a man from our neighborhood. I talked with a former member of my recent parish. Both of us spoke with the priest who has three parishes to take care of, and was going to drive 2-1/2 hrs. across the state to say Mass in another one today. The third parish is five hours away somewhere in Cincinnati. He was not complaining about it.

It's a relief to have good things to say about going to Mass, for a change!

Now I don't know whether CMRI is in communion with the Pope, but I'm guessing it is not. And I'm not inclined to take lightly to being told that I didn't actually attend Mass this morning. So if you're itching to set me straight, don't. I'm in no frame of mind to hear it these days.