Autonomy vs. Saving Souls
(all emphases savestmary's)
(all emphases savestmary's)
The Nicene Creed states that whoever wishes to be saved must, above all, keep the Catholic faith. For unless a person keeps this faith, whole and entire, he will undoubtedly be lost forever. The Church teaches that God is the final judge of a person's salvation. Since the Lord gave St. Peter the keys of the kingdom, the power to bind and to loose, then we must obey the teachings of the Church. In order to do so, every person must be steeped in the teaching of the Church. We must never back off, deny, or water down the keeping of the Commandments as the Church interprets them.
The Catholic Church teaches that people may come together as a parish and have available a church whereby they can worship God in the proper way through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The effective way this happens is through stability of that group and that structure. Primarily, souls are saved by this action of the Mass with the priest as the leader of the sacrifice because of his sacramental gift he receives in the Holy Orders. The worship is strengthened by the Sacrament of Penance and a strong devotional life. When someone attacks this primary duty to worship properly, that person must be opposed, be he bishop or governor.
True Catholics always face this dilemma: to play it safe and risk the salvation of souls or to profess and defend the true Faith and church at the risk of our very lives. This is exactly what the Catholic Church teaches. When we confront a person who has a false concept of autonomy--which means he professes to believe he is the last word on everything that the Savior and thus the Church teaches--we justly and righteously protest that false pretense of power because that person is not teaching the Truth. Autonomy belongs to God alone and anyone who tries to usurp God's domain is offending against the First Commandment and it is a sin that has consequences in every part of man's existence.
When we see a place like St. Mary's giving honor and glory to God, resisting and refuting every every temptation to give into the popular and false type of living, we can never give in. It is the Holy Spirit through the intercession of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and all the angels and saints who sustain us. St. Paul to the Ephesians and the Malagans:
So stand your ground with truth buckled around your waist, and integrity for a breastplate, wearing for shoes on your feet eagerness to spread the gospel of peace and always carrying the shield of faith so that you can use it to put out the burning arrows of the evil one. (Ephesians 6:14-16)More to come on thie subject of highest importance.
Praise be Jesus Christ!
Now and Forever.
Fr. Jerome Charles Romanowski
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SEPTEMBER 2ND:
Happy Birthday to our holy and beloved pastor, Fr. Jerome Romanowski!!!
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Happy Birthday to our holy and beloved pastor, Fr. Jerome Romanowski!!!
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While cleaning the other day, we found this old bulletin from the fifth Sunday of Lent, which we found to be somewhat prophetic. This was, of course, only shortly before Bishop Galante's announcements were made as to the churches he wanted to close. We've included this piece from Fr. Romanowski for your perusal.
Passion for the Truth
(again, all emphases ours)
(again, all emphases ours)
The Church must pursue the Truth in every aspect of her life. There can be no compromise. In following this path, the Church follows Jesus, the Lord who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. As followers of Jesus, even more precisely, members of the Mystical Body of Christ, we can do no less.
The example of the saints illustrates this point perfectly. They were always asked to stop demanding so much of themselves and others. St. Thomas More could have done what the majority of nobles and bishops had done in England and conceded the power of ruling the Church to King Henry the Eighth. That was the popular stance to take. Some advised him to just superficially agree, go along, but not really give consent within the conscience. This proposal was intolerable to the heart of a saint and St. Thomas More sacrificed all his possessions and worldly stature because he had a passion for the Truth.
This decision has to be made everyday in the life of the twenty-first century. The moral climate is such that we must hold forth against easy solutions. In the Sacrament of Matrimony there can be no easy way out. The vow must be lived up to. The easy way out must be avoided. Heroism is asked for by the Church. It must be pursued. This is the way of the Lord, the way of the Blessed Mother of God and all the saints. The battle is against the devil. Knowing that he exists is the first step in knowing the Truth.
The Holy Spirit speaks to the pure of heart. The Lord Jesus emphasizes that need in order to see the Truth. In the sixth Beatitude he tells us: "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God." (St. Matthew 5:8)
The whole season of Lent is to remind us of the mystery of the Cross. When embraced with our Blessed MOther there at the foot of the cross we experience the Passion of Jesus to some extent and that unveils the pure grace of the Almighty beckoning us to live a life of holiness.
In Jesus' Name,
Fr. Jerome Charles Romanowski, Pastor
The example of the saints illustrates this point perfectly. They were always asked to stop demanding so much of themselves and others. St. Thomas More could have done what the majority of nobles and bishops had done in England and conceded the power of ruling the Church to King Henry the Eighth. That was the popular stance to take. Some advised him to just superficially agree, go along, but not really give consent within the conscience. This proposal was intolerable to the heart of a saint and St. Thomas More sacrificed all his possessions and worldly stature because he had a passion for the Truth.
This decision has to be made everyday in the life of the twenty-first century. The moral climate is such that we must hold forth against easy solutions. In the Sacrament of Matrimony there can be no easy way out. The vow must be lived up to. The easy way out must be avoided. Heroism is asked for by the Church. It must be pursued. This is the way of the Lord, the way of the Blessed Mother of God and all the saints. The battle is against the devil. Knowing that he exists is the first step in knowing the Truth.
The Holy Spirit speaks to the pure of heart. The Lord Jesus emphasizes that need in order to see the Truth. In the sixth Beatitude he tells us: "Blessed are the pure of heart for they shall see God." (St. Matthew 5:8)
The whole season of Lent is to remind us of the mystery of the Cross. When embraced with our Blessed MOther there at the foot of the cross we experience the Passion of Jesus to some extent and that unveils the pure grace of the Almighty beckoning us to live a life of holiness.
In Jesus' Name,
Fr. Jerome Charles Romanowski, Pastor