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Words in the Heart

12/27/2014

1 Comment

 
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Here I am in North Carolina 
at a small parish for Christmas with 12 other family members.
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The Mass at the seminary is extremely formal with the pews filled with seminarians in black clerics and Vietnamese Sisters in black habits and a few lay people in the back.  The lectors and acolytes are seminarians practicing so there is an odd feeling of tension coming from their own knowledge and ours that they are being judged. As a result, coming to the parish it seemed to me as the parish Mass is like a hearth vs. the seminary being like boot camp!


(As explained in the beginning of my December 18th Blog, what will follow each blog for a while are excerpts from a series of alleged locutions or what I call “words in the heart” from the year 2008.  I am presently re-reading them and praying with them.  If this is the first time you are reading these, please go back to Dec. 18, 2014 and take in what I wrote about why Catholics should not ever claim that such locutions are “infallible,” but only possibly from God, and worthy of being taken seriously simply as being true in themselves unrelated to their possible source.)

May 14, 2008
More about the Moral Law

Holy Spirit:

We (the word “we” here refers to the Holy Trinity) need the moral law because humans are so greedy about trying for heaven on earth in following their illusions that worldly goods will make them happy, such as stolen possessions or the pride of fame.
Just the same, it is not as if once someone sins we give up on them and totally
reject them. No. We let them live in the consequences of their wrong choices.
The “righteous” want to see a clearer punishment, such as the immediate
destruction of the body of the sinner. This is because the “righteous” are tempted
and jealous of the seeming good the sinner got by breaking the code. The
“righteous” then feel frightened that the other sinners “got away with it.”
In this way, concupiscence in some (greed for bodily satisfactions such as lust,
gluttony, possessions) and pride, in others, make a vicious circle.
Both the concupiscent and the proud are motivated by fear: fear of not
having enough, leads to covetousness. The fear of being a wretched coveter instead
of a proud Stoic (self-sufficient person) leads (the self-righteous) to sins of anger and desire for vengeance, and trying to be victorious through denunciation.

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Do you see how Jesus tried to unmask these double evils by condemning greed and lust but also condemning self-righteousness?
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What is the way out of the circle? “Perfect love casts out fear.” (1 John 4:18)
By offering you the perfect love of the Trinity and, through the centuries, the comfort of the love of your spiritual mother, Mary, and the model of so many saints and Holy Communion ( communion with us) we try to reach into you to open the
knots of fear. As our love finds a place in you, we build a well in the depth of you in which to gradually pour in grace which, over time, overflows so you can love your neighbor as yourself.

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You see? When your well of love is fuller you can love yourself and reach out to your neighbor with loving concern as you see them grabbing out of fear and judging out of fear. It takes a long time to work out. The process is called “life.” It is our “job” and our joy to see how to overcome the obstacles in you that come from original sin, childhood wounds, social formation, and your “fright-ful” choices.
“But, be of good cheer for I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
May 15, 2008
The Family

Holy Spirit:

Out of individualism, you think too much as if each individual has to have every virtue to be complete, whole and perfect. Your critical eye focuses on each one in a family and you think about each ones defects and your mind works on how you would like each one to be. The same with your family in the Church.
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               Painting by Nathan Green
You have not really understood the mystical body image we gave you inScripture. (Jesus is the head. You are the body or the idea that a hand is not a leg.) It would be better if you look at each one and be grateful for every virtue, talent and good personal way each one has, and see how it contributes to the family and other places this person is: school, work, Church. They need the help of the Spirit to perfect those qualities to bring them under the umbrella of love. In their areas of defect, when some capacity is needed by the Spirit, they need to call for help on those who are better in this area and to seek Divine help. But they don’t need to berate themselves constantly for not being everything. That comes from a proud, competitive, envious, spirit. This teaching is part of the goal we have for greater appreciation for your own gifts and the gifts of others. It will take away tense striving and make “the burden light.” You will be without so much tension to be perfect in a worldly way. The fierce desire to control others and yourself must give way to giving yourself and others to us in prayer and becoming encouragers and affirmers of the others.
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1 Comment

GOD ALONE!  SOLO DIOS BASTA!

12/18/2014

2 Comments

 
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FORWARD

Nine days before Pentecost I prayed a novena to the Holy Spirit each day. In the middle of the night after the Pentecost Liturgy I woke up suddenly at 1:30 AM. It seemed as if the Holy Spirit was speaking to me in my heart.
Since I believe that these are true, I am placing them before the reader. However, it is important that you know that in the tradition of the Roman Catholic
Church of which I am a member, there is no obligation to believe in the validity of any visions or words, audible or “in the heart.” Such phenomena come under the title “Private Revelation.” Approval of such by Vatican authorities means only that they contain no doctrinal errors or viewpoints dangerous to the faith, not that they are considered to be certainly from God. In any case, private revelation never has the status of Biblical Revelation. For example, Catholics are not required to believe the messages given even in approved apparitions such as those at Lourdes or Fatima.

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A distinction is also made between messages allegedly given to an individual for their own use and general messages designed to reach the public. Recipients of messages supposedly from God or others not on earth are always subject to the judgment of a spiritual director. Clearly, however, a message such as “God loves you dearly,” is less questionable than one such as 
“Tomorrow leave our familyforever and go to Jerusalem!” And both of these also differ greatly from ones such as “Tell, the world, the second coming will be in the year 2000!” 
Another important note: there are at least two types of visions given to humans: 1) apparitions – these are experienced as outside of the viewer, just as we see natural objects and the people around us. 
2) interior visions – these we see within the mind but they are strong, strong images, not like floating, fleeting images from memory or imagination. The same distinctions can be made between audible words that sound as if coming from without, and words inaudible to the ear but seeming to form themselves within the mind.

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Here are the messages starting on May 13, 2008 which I alleged received as though they were meant to be shared with other. To avoid repetition I will not use the word “alleged” in every paragraph. I will assume the reader understands that I do not think I am infallible in thinking it is really the Holy Spirit or other Presences. Note also that when the Holy Spirit says “Us” or “We” I interpret that to mean a reference to the Trinity. Some early readers found that Us and We and Our disconcerting, seemingly more impersonal than I or Me. I wondered if I should substitute the word God for those words as in change a sentences such as “We want you to become more open to Us” to something like God wants you to become more open to God.” I asked the Holy Spirit about this and seemed to get the reply: “No, we want you to become more accustomed to see each member of the Trinity as speaking with one voice for the three, therefore, as We.”

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The words in the title:  “God Alone: Solo Dios Basta”  came to me in Spanish in the song based on the famous lines found in a breviary in the cell of St. Teresa of Avila after her death.
Here is the web-site version in English and Spanish): God alone is enough!

Nada te turbe;
nada te espante;
todo se pasa;
Dios no se muda,
la paciencia
todo lo alcanza.
Quien a Dios tiene,
nada le falta.
Dios basta.
May nothing disturb you!
May nothing  astonish you.
Everything passes.
God does not go away.
Patience
can attain anything.
He who has God within,
does not lack anything.
God alone is enough!
May 13, 2008

Holy Spirit:

To prepare for eternity we want you to appreciate the beauty of creation and life even more, but also to relax your grip on it. Let yourself be wafted a little bit above everything, as if you were levitating.

About the Moral Law

 St. Paul:
“Straight is the gate and narrow the way….” (Matthew 7:14)

Sin seems like liberation but turns to dust. You experienced this. In these times on the globe there is a clearer understanding of this because of the publicly viewed excesses and catastrophic penalties in the flesh. The hope of joy in procreative marital sex has been veiled because of divorce where the children can become pawns. So, the young people don’t feel the secure nest.

There is need for strong open witness about the brambles on the strayed path
and the goodness of the straight path. This is being done in some contemporary
Christian teaching on chastity, where the witnesses are open about their experience. You need freedom in the Spirit to be honest… for the sake of liberation from a society as crazed on this as the pagan societies I preached to. 


To be chaste people have to cleave to Jesus as I did with passionate constant prayer.

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2 Comments

Back in Business

12/15/2014

2 Comments

 
In North Carolina with my daughter for Christmas and back in the parish I was in when I lived here many years ago, I got this neat poetic image seeing the late vocation priest saying Mass:
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One Priest Parish

with Aging Flock
His voice as he sings the Mass
Like the Pied Piper
Enchants his flock
To want to leave the world
And Seek the Master’s Face.

GOOD NEWS FOR GOODBOOKSMEDIA AND MANY MORE!
Goodbooks Media has published a textbook version of Toward a 21st Century Catholic World-View, the book I edited, which you may have heard discussed on the radio show called THE OPEN DOOR or from which you may have read in its still-in-progress illustrated version on the blog page of the same title:
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You can read all about it by clicking on the BOOKS WE PUBLISH page of the same website you are now reading! You can purchase copies from Amazon.
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If you like you could pray for this book.  I am using it for a course by the same name at Holy Apostles College and Seminary.  Last time when I taught the manuscript, there was plenty of thunder, mostly from me, who had to go to confession after every class because of vehemence vs. speaking the truth with love.  If you can’t imagine why, get the book and you will see right away.
From Mark Matuza,  my friend, the contemplative:
“A saint  is a person who tries , with the help of grace, to reveal themselves to themselves . Through progress a veil is lifted off of the original breath of God exposing the love of the Holy Spirit  which shines forth illuminating this image of God within. This is why the saints have a heavenly glow about them. This is why when we are living in a state of grace, people smile and feel joyful in our presence. This is why John leaped for joy in his mothers womb in the presence of Mary and our unborn savior. This is why when we say yes in receiving the blessed sacrament, just as Mary said yes at the annunciation , we receive Christ within us and then we leave through the church doors proclaiming the good news and giving birth to Christ over and over again."
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From now on, at the end of the thoughts of the day or week, whatever, you will find excerpts from a booklet of mine dating back to 2008.  I am starting with the explanation. If you have read this already, since the booklet is also on free e-books on my web-site www.rondachervin.com, just skip the intro and go to the excerpts which you will hopefully find just as relevant on a re-read as they were the first time round:
GOD ALONE! SOLO DIOS BASTA!

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2 Comments

Happy Trails

12/8/2014

1 Comment

 
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Dear friends,
There will be a short hiatus in these messages as I go off to North Carolina from Connecticut for the Christmas break here at Holy Apostles. More pretty soon. Let us all pray for one another. Shalom, Ronda


1 Comment

    Author

    Ronda Chervin received a Ph.D. in Philosophy from Fordham University and an MA in Religious Studies from Notre Dame Apostolic Institute. She is a dedicated widow, mother, and grandmother.
    Ronda converted to the Catholic Faith from a Jewish, though atheistic, background and has been a Professor of Philosophy and Theology at Loyola Marymount University, the Seminary of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is an international speaker and author of some fifty books about Catholic thought, practice and spirituality. One of her latest is LAST CALL, published by Goodbooks Media.
    Dr. Ronda is currently retired and living in Corpus Christi, Texas after her years of teaching philosophy at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut.
    You can contact her via e-mail by clicking here or by emailing [email protected] directly.

    Visit her websites:
    here and here.

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