On the 13th October (the anniversary of the ‘Miracle of the Sun’ of Fatima) Our Lady delivered her third and final message to Sister Agnes. It is the most chilling and contentious of the three messages received, not least because it points to an internal crisis within the Church.
The Catholic faithful are generally well-acquainted with the Marian apparitions at Lourdes and Fatima, and the messages given to these simple, saintly youths (Bernadette Soubirous, Francisco and Jacinta Marto and Lucia dos Santos). In my experience, far fewer Catholics (even very devout practising Catholics), have heard of the apparitions of Our Lady of Akita, in Japan to Sr Agnes Sasagawa, in 1973.
Under the banner of “digital violence” the Church is acknowledging that while new digital technologies have in many ways opened up possibilities for progress in communication, entertainment, trade, etc. it has simultaneously created new and almost unlimited opportunities for criminality, exploitation and manipulation of the public.
Because the language of “human rights” has been specifically invoked as a justification for much of the embrace of Gender theory (we think for example of the slogan “Trans rights are human rights”) it is especially critical for the Church to offer a correct anthropology, one that affirms the fundamental goodness of the human person as an embodied being created by God with innate sexual difference: “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen 1:27).
Last week I introduced the Vatican’s latest document on Human Dignity, Dignitas Infinita. Infinita explains that all human rights, and above all else the right to life as the most basic and fundamental of human rights, are not conditional. They come from God and therefore are not bestowed upon us by any human authority, neither can they be revoked by any human authority.
Last Monday was therefore a most fitting date for the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith to release its Declaration on Human Dignity, entitled Dignitatis Infinita. As it is far too long to reproduce entirely, below is a selection of some of the key passages from this document which I’ll present over the next few weeks, together with some of my own commentary.
The idea behind tithing is that ten percent of one’s earnings/produce was considered a sufficiently substant contribution without it being overly burdensome.
The basic principle of subsidiarity is that in the natural social order, matters ought to be handled by the most immediately localised, competent authority. To frame it differently, we could also say that our duty of care is proportionate to our proximity to the situation. This principle is neatly summed up in the old adage “Charity begins at home”.
Some parishioners have asked why the sign of peace disappeared this Lent. I thought it might be helpful to offer an explanation and a bit of background to this ancient liturgical action, so that the meaning and symbolism of the sign of peace can be properly understood.
Mercy and compassion towards one’s neighbour are the virtues that prompt acts of charity and generosity particularly towards those who we see in great need.
Abstinence refers to refraining from eating meat (with the exception of fish/seafood). Fasting means limiting one’s food intake to no more than one normal sized meal and up to two small snacks which put together would not amount to a full meal.
Beginning on Saturday 3rd February I will be introducing a Saturday morning Mass at St Patrick’s Lilydale. This is, firstly, because there are apparently very few local options for a Saturday morning Mass; secondly, because the Saturday morning Mass is generally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary and I would like to encourage in a particular way the ‘First Five Saturdays’ devotion given by Our Lady at Fatima.
One of the few hymns that is specifically intended for Advent is “O come, O come, Emmanuel.” This hymn has a fascinating history with roots that go back to the Church’s ancient liturgy, to at least the 6th century.