CATHOLIC FAMILY LIFE MESSENGER

Catholic
Family Life
MESSENGER
Volume I No. 1
January 2007

To receive Divine Mercy, we must ask for it.

IS THIS MORE CHURCH STUFF?

Yes, but this one has backbone, is neither warm-and-fuzzy, nor wishy-washy, nor touchy-feely, but has a lot of meat and much less potatoes, is about important matters, and is for all people of good will who wish to reason things out. Most importantly, it is for people who want the correct teaching of the Catholic Church presented by those who believe in and are trying hard to live it. All other people, including those who have their heads in the sand, or who feel sinless and “know” that they are going to Heaven, should seriously consider unsubscribing as soon as possible before the next issue is published. The editor and advisors of Catholic Family Life Messenger (CFLM), imperfect as they are, have tried very hard to make this report as informative and useful as possible.

SO, LET US BEGIN…

With some hard questions, in addition to some other informative stuff: Such as, Ÿ Do we have the right to correct anyone (from priest to pope) in the Church? Ÿ Do our rights include speaking-up against error? Ÿ What is hypocrisy? We will always reference our important statements from Sacred Scripture, Apostolic Tradition, and the Church’s Magisterium; however, feel free to question anything stated herein, or make up some questions of your own for future issues.

WHAT SHOULD YOU OR I DO if someone wrongs us in any away?

The best thing to do is what St. Matthew says in Chapter 18: 15-17:

“If your brother [or sister in Christ] sins [against you], go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that every fact may be established on the testi­mony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church. If he refuses to listen even to the church, then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector.” (NAB)
Some people seem to use this advice backwards. They assume that every rumor is true and the accused is automatically guilty. If we are going to judge the accused without facing him or her and without objective evidence, we will be judged with prejudice also. Did Jesus not say: “Do unto others as you want them to do unto you”? Most people take the lame way out and never properly judge people’s actions or speech. However, as indicated above, we are obligated to correct our brothers and sisters in Christ, including the clergy, on serious matters, such as faith, morals, and liturgical abuses, but we must try to do it the proper way; otherwise, we will have to answer to God for it.

WHAT ARE OUR RIGHTS and obligations in the Catholic Church when we witness error?

The short answer comes from many moons ago by a good pope (Saint Felix III) when he said:

“Not to oppose error is to approve it, and not to defend truth is to suppress it; indeed to neglect to confound evil men when we can is no less a sin than to encourage them.”

Some Romans have a way with words. Don’t they? Additionally, more comprehensive answers come from another good pope, Pope John Paul II: “THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL CHRIST’S FAITHFUL:

Canon 211: All Christ’s faithful [Catholics] have the obligation and the right to strive that the divine message of salvation may more and more reach all people of all times and all places.
Canon 212: §1 Christ's faithful, conscious of their own responsibility, are bound to show Christian obedience to what the sacred Pastors [Bishops], who represent Christ, declare as teachers of the faith and prescribe as rulers of the Church.
§2 Christ's faithful are at liberty to make known their needs, especially their spiritual needs, and their wishes to the Pastors of the Church.
§3 They have the right, indeed at times the duty, in keeping with their knowledge, competence, and position, to manifest to the sacred Pastors their views on matters which concern the good of the Church. They have the right also to make their views known to others of Christ's faithful, but in doing so they must always respect the integrity of faith and morals, show due reverence to the Pastors and take into account both the common good and the dignity of individuals.
Canon 213: Christ's faithful have the right to be assisted by their Pastors from the spiritual riches of the Church, especially by the word of God and the sacraments.
Canon 214: Christ's faithful have the right to worship God according to the provisions of their own rite approved by the lawful Pastors of the Church; they also have the right to follow their own form of spiritual life, provided it is in accord with Church teaching.
Canon 215: Christ's faithful may freely establish and direct associations which serve charitable or pious purposes or which foster the Christian vocation [to live as Catholics] in the world, and they may hold meetings to pursue these purposes by common effort.” Emphasis added. (The Code of Canon Law. © 1983)

WHAT IS A HYPOCRITE?

The word is often misunderstood and its misuse can be sinful for us and cause scandal to others. Example: when we accuse others of being hypocritical as a way to divert attention from the truth they have spoken. For those who are guilty, below is the correct meaning of some basic words: “Hypocrisy is a lie by which a person pretends to be virtuous in order to win the esteem of others. [N.B.: A person who speaks the truth but fails in some personal way, is not a hypocrite but is probably in need of Confession – as is the person pretending to be virtuous.] Flattery is the insincere praise of a person or thing with the hope of gaining praise for one’s self in return. Boasting is a form of deceit in which a person claims to have qualities that are not actually possessed.” (John A. Hardon, S.J, The Question & Answer Catholic Catechism, 802)

As others do for us, so should we do for them... by

reading their unclear writing more than once.

HOW DID WE BECOME FREE? Did it just happen by magic?

Did you ever think about the passion and Crucifixion of Jesus Christ? Why did He choose to have His head, feet, hands, life, and heart pierced for your sake and mine? When I pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, before the words “Eternal Father, I offer you the body and blood…”, I say the following on the appropriate mystery:

The First Passion Mystery:

The piercing of the HEAD of Jesus,

to free us to OBEY with Him.

The Second Passion Mystery:

The piercing of the FEET of Jesus,

to free us to WALK with Him.

The Third Passion Mystery:

The piercing of the HANDS of Jesus,

to free us to WORK with Him.

The Fourth Passion Mystery:

The piercing of the LIFE of Jesus,

to free us to LIVE with Him.

The Fifth Passion Mystery:

The piercing of the HEART of Jesus,

to free us to LOVE with Him.

HEAVEN IS THE MAIN TOPIC, FOR THE NEXT REPORT…

God willing. By the way, some people say “There ain’t no Heaven” while others say “Like Heaven there ain’t” or that everyone is going there. Some other people say the same things about Hell. What does each of us believe? Do we know the latest and official (correct) teaching of the Catholic Church on these topics? We should know, or we could be in for a life-size bummer. Also, why do only 25% of Catholics attend Mass? Why is truth more important than my personal feelings on any issue? Do you have any suggestions on topics for future issues? AND, but of course, all appropriate letters or questions to the editor regarding any aspect of this report will be seriously considered for publication if accompanied by your name, phone number, and city. If you wish to remain anonymous, your personal ID will not be used. Please make letters factual and to the point. So, go for it, voice your opinion in a reasonable way. There is hope here.

This whole report could have been written in a SUMMARY form; such as:

In our efforts to fulfill our obligations and to use properly our rights as Catholics, we ought to do our utmost to remain orthodox (correct) by obeying God as taught by Apostolic Tradition, Sacred Scripture, and the official teaching of the Magiste­rium of the Catholic Church. Also, we must reject any position or practice by anyone, clergy or laity that is not in agreement with these truths; vigorously defend, with charity, the Catholic Church from attacks, both from non-Catholics and from Catholics; and expose the erroneous teachings and actions that are taking place in our lifetime. We must always remember that while we may always judge the public actions of others, we may never take the place of God and judge their intentions. If some do not “feel comfortable” with the complete and official teachings of the Catholic Church on any issue, they should inquire further from those who believe in it, instead of from those who try to undermine it, including some of the “brightest theologians”. It is true, “being bright does not necessarily make one right.” Consider where a third of the “brightest” creatures have been residing for the longest time; they are still roaming the world today for “pigeons” to devour. In closing, we have two questions for the retired cardinal of D.C. and others like him: Did Jesus, Mary, and Joseph feel comfort­able in the stable and during the flight to Egypt, or when Jesus was crucified for us? How about aborted babies, did they feel comfortable?

SO, HOW DID WE DO with the first issue?

If you know anyone who might like to receive a copy of this informative report, or if you do not wish to receive it in the future, or to request additional information, or for any questions, comments, or corrections, feel free to contact the editor (Carmelo Fallace, who is, unless otherwise noted, solely responsible for this report) at: CFLM@OPTONLINE.NET (Upper case or lower case fonts for emails work the same, in case you were wondering.) or, write to the editor at P.O. Box 115, Lake Grove, NY 11755, or if you prefer, call him at (631) 235-7297.

ONE MORE very important item: If you have not received this report by email, please help us to cut costs with the next issues by sending us your email, or let us know if you should like to receive it by regular mail. We will not give out your personal ID to anyone. Please let us hear from you with how, and if you wish to receive these reports.
It seems to most of us that more space is definitely needed for the next report. What are we to do?

Feel free to copy this entire report or to request hard copies for distribution

Oh Mary conceived without sin, help us to ask Jesus for Divine Mercy

Copyright 2007