Signs in the Heavens

A few years ago we regularly attended Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Tempe, Az.  My mother-in-law drew my attention to Fr. Bonavitacola's recent letter - and I thought I would share it as well. 

Dear Friends,

I hope you noticed that as Pope Francis left our shores a blood moon was rising that quickly went into full eclipse. So often God uses the celestial poetry of the heavenly spheres to get our attention. Think of the Magi and the Star of Bethlehem or the image that John in Revelation saw of a "woman clothed with the sun". It's not so much the movement of the celestial bodies, which occur with regular even though at times rare frequency, but the coincidence with historical events that makes us ponder.

As I watched the eclipse it seemed to be gently showing us that each of us individually and together collectively will be plunged into darkness but that the light would eventually return. The only way to navigate the darkness will be to trust firmly that the light will return. This means trusting God. Trusting that God will see us through the darkness, guide our way through it, provide what we need to endure it and lead us back into light. That is our basis for hope. But we cannot hope nor trust when we are in the midst of the darkness unless we have already learned to do so, lest fear be the basis for the choices we make. Enter the message of Pope Francis to the US.

Pope Francis brought us a message of hope and simple trust in God's plan for our lives and our world. That means trusting God's plan as it has been revealed to us in the Scriptures and imparted by the teachings of the Church. It begins with the trust we learn in our families. If our families are broken and torn apart trust is the last lesson we learn, if at all. That is why strong faith-filled families are essential. The Holy Father issued a clarion call for all of us to strengthen families, which in turn strengthens the Church. He reminded us of all the dangers that our modern world poses for the family and that our only hope of remaining united lies in our willingness to show each other mercy: the very same mercy that Christ demonstrated to us by His willingness to give Himself totally to His Father.

The Church is also giving us the upcoming Year of Mercy as a time to practice mercy. The reason we practice anything is so that it becomes like second nature to us. When we always have to think about the rules of the game our play is weak and uncoordinated. But once we internalize the game's structure we play with ease. Again when dark times come we won't have time to learn the game for we will be in the midst of it. So use this time of preparation wisely.

Our Bishop has issued his own clarion call to the men of our Diocese. "Into the Breach" (www.intothebreach.net) an Apostolic Exhortation by Bishop Olmsted "To my Spiritual Sons in the Diocese of Phoenix" lays down a challenge for Catholic men to step into the ever-widening breach that is causing the collapse of our Catholic culture and families.

Over the years I have come to know our Bishop very well and his deep-rooted faith and love of the Church are always very evident. But I must say this Apostolic Exhortation surprised me. Not so much for its subject matter but for its forcefulness and deep sense of urgency.

From the Exhortation:

"Men, do not hesitate to engage in the battle that is raging around you, the battle that is wounding our children and families, the battle that is distorting the dignity of both women and men. This battle is often hidden, but the battle is real. It is primarily spiritual, but it is progressively killing the remaining Christian ethos in our society and culture, and even in our own homes."

Men please take time to read this and digest the challenge our Bishop lays down.

So celestial signs, a Papal visit and a Bishop's exhortation set the agenda for the upcoming months for the Church in the USA. Hopefully we don't need to be smacked in the head with a two-x-four for God to get our attention. Let he who has ears, hear!

Love, Fr. John B.
http://www.olmctempe.com/letter_archives.php?title=Music-of-the-Spheres-&postmonth=201510&story=1447915868

Photo of the Blood Red Moon over Phoenix was taken and photoshopped by Matt Suess and here is the link to how he did it:  http://mattsuess.com/making-blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-photo-part-1/

In Your Face

Allegedly, the White House plans an "in your face" guest list for Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the USA.  Supposedly a transvestite, a pro-abortion nun and a pro-homosexual marriage priest will be among the guests.  Also, it is said the Vatican is not pleased.  Comments?  Confirmations?  (Sent from my iPhone, more later from me).

Confirmed!

I have found several websites which confirm this "guest list" for Pope Francis' upcoming visit to the White House this week...

The UK Daily Mail reports:

Pope Francis's first visit to the White House next week is shaping up to be a doozy, as President Obama has arranged for several opponents of traditional Catholic teaching to be among those greeting the pontiff.

Francis is known for his tolerance, having urged Catholics against condemning those with non-traditional lifestyles such as homosexuals and pro-choice advocates.

But this may test even Francis's famous papal patience.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3238538/Pope-Francis-d-like-meet-pro-choice-nun-gay-bishop-transgender-woman-eclectic-guests-White-house-reception-week.html

Breitbart.com reports:

In a stunning show of political indecorum, Obama has invited a series of individuals who publicly flout Catholic teaching, including a pro-abortion religious sister, a transgender woman and the first openly gay Episcopal bishop, along with at least two Catholic gay activists.

http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/16/white-house-invites-trio-catholic-dissenters-greet-pope-francis/

The Wall Street Journal reports:

On the eve of Pope Francis’s arrival in the U.S., the Vatican has taken offense at the Obama administration’s decision to invite to the pope’s welcome ceremony transgender activists, the first openly gay Episcopal bishop and an activist nun who leads a group criticized by the Vatican for its silence on abortion and euthanasia.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/vatican-disputes-white-house-guest-list-for-papal-visit-1442533549

Catholic Vote comments:

This is beyond President Obama’s typical Chicago-style politics.  This is beyond the more vile tenets of the Alinsky catechism.  Hell, this is beyond the bozo Soviet nonsense that John Paul II had to put up with.
No, what we have here is special.  We haven’t seen such a raw, naked attempt by a secular head of state to manipulate a pope in centuries. 

https://www.catholicvote.org/the-presidents-plot-to-exploit-the-pope/

I, for one, hope that Pope Francis does not take this sitting down and uses the situation as an opportunity to (tactfully) put President Obama in his place.  President Obama would not (and has not) deliberately invited guests who would be offensive to Islamic leaders who have visited, why this blatant show of disrespect to Catholics?  I would even favor Pope Francis deciding to skip the White House visit and comment to reschedule at a time and under a host who would be more respectful of the Catholic Head of State (the Vatican, afterall, is a nation-state). 

Pope Francis To Come To USA in 2015

It has been announced and confirmed by Pope Francis that he will attend the Eighth World Meeting of Families.  As reported in the National Catholic Register, Pope Francis said:

“I wish to confirm, if God wills it, that in September of 2015 I will go to Philadelphia for the Eighth World Meeting of Families,” he announced at Vatican City's Synod Hall Nov. 17 during his remarks at an international colloquium on the complementarity of man and woman.

The World Meeting was begun by Pope St. John Paul II in 1994 and is held every three years.  

It will be interesting to see what plays out at this meeting, especially after the controversies which came from the recent Synod on the Families, especially the interim report (links found here), which was rejected by most bishops - and the final report (full document here) was quite different.