Wednesday, February 28, 2007

2007 Stigmata Watch of Brother Elia

Brother Elia has been suffering from alleged* stigmata each year during the final days of Lent. It begins on Wednesday evening, the beginning of Jesus' passion prior to Good Friday, when the pattern of the crown of thorns appears on his head. Then the lashes appears on his back followed by his face covered in blood on Good Friday.
Brother Elia resides in Naples, Italy and founded the Apostles of God religious movement. His fame has spread throughout Italy and the rest of Europe (and now the United States and the world) of his miraculous healings and stigmata. He is often compared to Padre Pio, the Capuchin monk, that suffered the stigmata the last 50 years of his life. The Vatican has remained silent thus far, but not because of doubt.

Officially, the Vatican has refused to comment, but one source said the silence was "actually because we are not sceptical". ... Yesterday (Monday) was supposed to be a chance for as many as 10,000 people, including visitors from Britain, to meet Brother Elia, 45, at the headquarters of the Jesuit movement in Naples. Now that Lent has begun, time is running out to see him before he takes to his bed over April to undergo his annual torment. Instead, his appearance was cancelled at the last minute by the Catholic Church, which is growing increasingly fearful about the rapid spread of Brother Elia's fame.

"We had to turn away 33 coaches of people," said a spokesman for the Apostles of God... ... "The whole of the south of Italy wanted to see him, but an order came down from the regional church that the permission for the meeting had been withdrawn." The Vatican is reported to have asked Brother Elia not to give interviews or to hold any public religious services until it has made up its mind on the veracity of his stigmata. "For the last four years, the Vatican has sent doctors to his bedside over Easter to find out whether he really does show stigmata. Some of them said he did, others said he didn't so we still do not have a conclusion," said the spokesman. Doctor Carlo Marcelletti, one of Italy's foremost heart surgeons who witnessed his suffering last year, said the phenomenon was "scientifically inexplicable". ... Brother Elia claims to have had his first vision of the Virgin Mary at age seven and claims he can talk to angels. ... His followers swear to his healing powers, and thousands queue outside his monastery from 3am every weekend. "The number of visitors keeps rising," said Silvano Lorenzoni, mayor of Calvi.

St. Padre Pio had the stigmata on his hands and feet and suffered daily for this. He was known to have the ability read hearts, communicate with angels, bilocate, levitate, and perform many miracles.
Some of the same is being said of Brother Elia.
* (3-3-2008 AD) I am not doubting the stigmata, just want to be accurate in the assesment in accordance with the stance by the Vatican. Personally, I hope this is true and look forward to finding more information regarding this soul.
To read the article click here.
To read more about St. Padre Pio click here.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007

Motu Proprio Grapevine

The latest and greatest on the liberalization of the Pre-Conciliar Mass/motu proprio. Or as I like to call it, the SSPX Death Watch. The following was reported in the Mexican periodical, Milenio.
Benedict XVI decrees the return of Latin Masses. The Pope has decided to sign and publish the text with an illustrative note written by liturgical experts and theologians 7-February-07 Pope Benedict XVI took the decision of publishing the motu proprio decree on the liberalization of the Tridentine Mass, the ceremony in Latin according to the Missal of Saint Pius V, that is, the pre-Conciliar Mass, which was celebrated up to 1962, with the priest turned towards the east, popularly defined as with the back [of the priest] turned to the people. The Pope decided to sign and publish the text along with an illustrative note written by liturgical experts and theologians. The news comes from Rome and was confirmed yesterday in the Sacred Halls. In fact, the definitive text of the Motu Proprio was handed to the Pope in late January by the Ecclesia Dei Commision, the Vatican organ charged with examining dealings with the Lefebvrists. Not all clerics are pleased with the measure, particularly the French Episcopal Conference. The Tridentine Mass will not be obligatory, but the priests who wish to celebrate according to the old rite will now be able to do it, without asking permission to the diocesan bishop, as before. The decision of the Pope seems guided by common sense, because it ensures sobriety and spirituality.
That should keep all you pseudo-sedevacantist, err, traditional Catholics, preoccupied until Easter of course. (Hat Tip: RORATE CÆLI) UPDATED: For the latest news on the motu proprio for the week of April 16 click here.

The Failure of Modernism

To many non-Christians and liberals the examples of the 20th century should show the failure of modernism. Two world wars, Communism, Nazism, The Carter and Clinton administrations, and the persecution of Christians. The Times of London makes this point:
We live in an age when modernists regard religion with something approaching panic. It is like the Devil’s attitude to Holy Water. The world needs religion to address the moral issues. In the advanced societies it is these moral issues that now mock us. Europe and North America are hugely wealthy regions, but they are morally impoverished. Broken families, drugs, booze, youth gangs, crime, neglect of children and the old, the sheer boredom of shopaholicism, terrorism, the inner-city slums, materialism itself, are all the marks of a global society in decline. Societies can be judged by their care for children. Social education must start in the family and must have a moral basis. Children need to be taught to distinguish between right and wrong.
Secularism, liberalism, communism, and socialism among many others have shown that when puting 'man' at the center instead of God, you create havoc and destroy the proper order of the Universe. To read the rest of this article click here.

The Catholic Church is Not a Social Agency

As difficult as it is for some to believe, Pope Benedict XVI exclaimed that "(T)he Church is not an international organization, (the Church) is not an executive body or an organ of power. Nor is she a social agency (although she does undertake social work), but a spiritual body." I know, I know, Dorothy Day and her cult following are all in an uproar but what do you expect from emotional people that let their feelings rule rational thought. To read the article click here.
Friday, February 23, 2007

2007 Houston's Coalition for Life Benefit

The Houston Coalition for Life is a 501c(3) organization that is engaged in saving the lives of innocent unborn children. Last night they held their annual benefit dinner to assist them battling the leading procurator of killing unborn children, Planned Parenthood. Over 600 Houstonians gathered at the Crown Plaza Hotel to listen to Ambassador Alan Keyes provide the keynote address.
Ambassador Keyes spoke eloquently about the foundations of the United States and how it is being undermined by those that want to remove God as well as to violate the condition of human life. He touched upon the US Constitution and how we are in a war, not a battle, a war for the soul of this country. Proclaiming that the 2008 election campaign will be the biggest turning point in American history which will determine whether we as a nation will embrace the culture of life or the culture of death. Ambassador Keyes was on top of his game as he held all those in attendance with his riveting speech about defending the moral values of America and how it is under assault by those that choose self over God. He certainly got his message across and probably set the tone for the Houston Coalition for Life chapter for the rest of the year.
(for the record, I am paraphrasing Ambassador Keyes speech and have not taken verbatim his exact words, but essentially the message itself.)
To learn more about Houston Coalition for Life click here.
To learn more about Ambassador Alan Keyes click here.
To read about Ambassador Keyes website, Renew America, click here.
To read Ambassador Keyes World Net Daily column click here.
To schedule Ambassador Keyes to speak click here.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Non-Viable Baby Girl Still Lives

Pro-choice? Probably means a woman's choice to either kill or not kill her unborn baby.
A tiny baby girl born at just over five months has defied medical expectations by surviving, in a case that reinforces arguments against gestational abortion laws, the Daily Mail reported earlier today. Amillia Taylor was born at a Miami hospital one month earlier than the date considered viable for most babies, at just 21 weeks and six days gestation. She weighed less than 10 oz and was just nine ½ inches long. Babies born earlier than 25 weeks are generally classed as medically “non-viable,” while just half of the babies born at 25 weeks manage to survive. Abortion legislation often relies on that cut-off to determine when abortions can no longer be carried out, with the procedure commonly permitted up to the 24th week. Amillia is the youngest known baby worldwide to survive premature birth, although medical advancements continue to improve the chances of early survival for infants who leave the womb ahead of schedule. The survival of such a young baby undermines justification of later-term abortions considered acceptable because the child is too immature to survive outside the womb. As well, improvements in preterm care have led to difficult questions about the treatment of late-term babies who survive abortion attempts, since there is often no difference in the physical development of a child born alive after an abortion attempt and a child born early through premature delivery.
For more information from LifeSite.net click here.

Changes at CF for Lent and Beyond

Just a quick posting to give everyone of some changes arriving to my blog for Lent. These changes will be implemented on or before Easter Sunday. To tell you the truth, I'm still figuring out this HTML thing and redesigning the entire blog. The only hint I'll offer is that it'll be the same 'theme' and one or two new 'additions' to the blog itself.

It's not anything to get excited about nor anything world changing, just evolving my blog to something different, and hopefully better.

What I will say that the focus will move towards a historical interpretation of current affairs. Yeah, it's pretty vague, but we're not really sure how to describe it just yet.

God bless, remember your obligations as Catholics during Lent, and pray well.

Tito the Norman, defender of the Faith

Friday, February 16, 2007

Vendredi Gras! Sweep the Leg Johnny.

And the devil whispered in his ear, "You have a problem with that?!" Johnny said, "No sensei." Some weekend fun for all my avid readers! Be patient with the pedestrian begining portion of this video. Is that Dee Snider of Twisted Sister fame in the crowd? Look for many cameo's in this video. Warning: Dancing sirens in skimpy clothing comes up towards the end of the video. For a better video feed click here.
Thursday, February 15, 2007

The Fruits of Archbishop Fiorenza

Most Reverend Joseph A. Fiorenza, Archbishop Emeritus of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, recently had a mandatory retirement last year. His term in my archdiocese witnessed the transformation of the Diocese of Galveston-Houston into an archdiocese that was recognized by Pope John Paul II. In recognition of the rising status of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, legend has it that His Holiness words to Archbishop Fiorenza was (paraphrasing here), 'yes, Houston needs a new Cathedral'. Or something along those lines. Well, the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart is currently being built right next to the current building under the personal guidance of his excellency, Archbishop Fiorenza. I must say that whomever picked the design, I'll give credit to Archbishop Fiorenza here, it was an excellent choice. Keeping to the traditions of the Church while mixing in the best of post-Christian design, the city of Houston will be proud of its greatest (new) landmark in this cathedral. Avoiding the mistakes of Cardinal Mahony's abomination of innovation in Los Angeles, the Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart will grace the Houston skyline. Thusly adding a certain sense of sophistication to the ever-growing rich character of Houston. Archbishop Fiorenza's legacy will well be established at the completion of this magnificent structure in the heart of Houston. As far as discernible numbers to measure the success of his excellency's reign, I was only able to research a pamphlet from Crisis magazine called 'The State of the Catholic Church in America, Diocese by Diocese' by the Reverend Rodger Hunter-Hall and Steve Wagner.

So without further delay I have pulled out the highlights as well as the lowlights concerning our great Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Remember, these rankings were compiled by these two authors based on the actual number of Catholics, number of ordinations, and the number of converts. I have pulled only the extreme most rankings for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston as pertaining to the top ten best and/or worst, wherever we fall in. So here are the cold, hard statistics as follows:

The Worst Dioceses - Ratio of adherents per Priest. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston ranked 169 out of 176. One (1) Priest per 10,170. Fastest Growing Dioceses, 1995-2000. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston ranked eight (8) out of 176. 89% increase in total numbers. The average rating of all categories from 1995 to 2005. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston dropped from 76 to 100 out of 176. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston is the sixth (6) largest diocese in America out of 176. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston has the worst ordinations of all 176 dioceses of America in 2005. (to be fair we are tied last with about ten other dioceses).

Anyhoo, the Most Reverend Daniel N. DiNardo succeeded his excellency last year with great fanfare. I've personally met his excellency, read his many statements, and have listened to many of his speeches and talks as well as heard from many others close to him of his modus operandi. Archbishop DiNardo seems very orthodox in his Catholicism, for instance he voted for all the proposed amendments to the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) translation of the Order of Mass (all passed except the consubstantialis, which his excellency argued for while Bishop Trautman rebuffed him arguing that us American Catholics were to stupid to understand consubstantialis - final vote 81 for, 109 against). I also want to add that the good Archbishop DiNardo is an ardent liturgist that has made it clear to all parish priests that liturgical purity is one of his highest priorities in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Thus he joins a growing chorus of bishops in the United States for a reform of the reform of Vatican II. Not necessarily rejecting Vatican II, but perfectly implementing what Vatican II was all about, a return to the early Church to better engage the post-Christian world. Thus the gross miscalculations of many misguided clergy and laity in incorrectly implementing these 'reforms' will be turned back. And the correct implementation of Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes will bring a springtime in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. A boom in vocations and a rise in conversions to the Bride of Christ.

To read my posting on Vatican II click here.

To read the Curriculum Vitae of Archbishop Fiorenza click here.

To read the Curriculum Vitae of Archbishop DiNardo click here.

To read about the new Co-Cathedral of the Sacred Heart click here.

To read Lumen Gentium click here.

To read Gaudium et Spes click here.

To read The State of the Catholic Church in America, Diocese by Diocese click here. (Hat Tip: The Cafeteria is Closed)

To read Built on a Rock's posting on this study click here.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

MSM Double Standard on Christianity

(it takes about 10 seconds for the video to begin, I'm still looking for a better video, if you know where I could get it please post a comment as to where it is, thanks!)

Why is it ok for the media, such as John Whiteside at Blue Bayou on the Chron.com website, to post and say hateful and bigoted remarks about Christianity, but when it's anti-Semitic or racist a huge firestorm erupts.

Please explain this to me. The Mainstream Media (MSM) has a double standard that it's ok to say hateful and bigoted remarks about Christianity, but it's off limits for everything else. This has to be addressed so as to reveal the hostility that people like Katie Couric, Rosie O'Donnel, Barbara Walters, and the rest of the MSM talking heads are bigots.

For the original from Hot Air click here.

For the previous posting on this topic click here.

To read why John Whiteside contributes to anti-Christianit bigotry click here.

The New York Times tries to defend these bigoted bloggers, for the story click here.

Brent Bozell of NewsBusters chimes in here.

The second anti-Christian bigot on Democrat John Edwards presidential campaign quits, for the LifeNews.com story click here.

For some background on the two anti-Christian bloggers on John Edwards presidential campaign see below.

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

My Votes for the 2007 Catholic Blog Awards

The Catholic Blog Awards are upon us once again and for the second straight year I failed to make any categories. I didn't submit my blog for any category, but this pretty much tells me that we have a rich and diverse Catholic blogosphere that I enjoy surfing from time to time. Here are my votes for the Catholic Blog Awards: Best Apologetic Blog - RORATE CÆLI, good stuff, if only they would do less traditionalist postings, they would be almost perfect. Best Blog by Clergy/Religious/Seminarian - Domine, da mihi, hanc aquam!, He would sometimes lead our Eucharistic Adoration while he was down here in Houston. Great guy, but even better priest! Best Designed Catholic blog - Built on a Rock *, moving to WordPress has done wonders to his look. Should I move there as well? Best Group Blog - The Lair of the Catholic Cavemen *, hide the kids and peruse at your leisure. Best Individual Catholic Blog - The Curt Jester *, hands down the most creative blogger on the internet with wit to spare. Best Insider News Catholic Blog - Whisper in the Loggia, the best insider information in the Catholic blogosphere. Best New Catholic Blog - A Catholic Mom in Hawaii, sweet, Catholic, and well done. My favorite of the new blogs out there. Best Overall Catholic Blog - The Curt Jester, hard to touch this guy with his humor and orthodoxy combination. Best Political/Social Commentary Catholic Blog - Relapsed Catholic, if only she would stop posting vile videos and blogging noir 60s flicks she would be one of my most favorite. Best Written Catholic Blog - Evangelical Catholicism, say what you want, at least they cite their stuff. Funniest Catholic Blog - Relapsed Catholic, dry humor, I swear she must be of English descent. Most Spiritual Blog - A Catholic Life, good stuff for the growing young adult Catholic. Smartest Catholic Blog - The Curt Jester, I couldn't agree more. Great minds think alike.

* tough call in these categories, could have gone to others, most notably the The Cafeteria is Closed (arguably the best of the rest if not in the top-ten of all blog categories).

Click here to submit your own votes.
Monday, February 12, 2007

The Education of Bigots

Mr. John Whiteside continues to defend his bigotry towards Catholicism in his Chron.com blog, Blue Bayou, as if it were everyday language. Here he finds himself among the old southern bigots of a bygone era. Denying that they are bigots. People such as Mr. Whiteside are pretty common in the world, especially in the blogosphere. For instance take the two new John Edwards presidential campaign alleged 'Catholic' bloggers in Amanda Marcotte and Melissa McEwan, click here for their bigoted statements. They've opened their mouths again yesterday, at least Amanda Marcotte did with the following diatribe:
"The Christian version of the virgin birth is generally interpreted as super-patriarchal," . . . "where god (sic) is viewed as so powerful he can impregnate without befouling himself by touching a woman, and women are nothing but vessels."

If that wasn't enough, take a look at these nuggets of wisdom from sbh of Rational Rant:

". . . I'd prefer to believe that the majority of Roman Catholics aren't hate-filled antisemitic homophobic bigots of the Catholic League stripe."

"Church is once again mired to her hips in this moral filth."

"Apparently it is all right for them to say any evil or disgusting thing they like about people they oppose for whatever reason"

"I know for a fact that Custos Fidei is full of crap on this point."

"It is thus Custos Fidei who comes off in this as ignorant, misinformed--or a liar."

Then Mr. John Whiteside chimes in with this well-informed comment:

"Honestly, it didn't make much sense to me, and surrounded by an ad hominem attack as it was, it was pretty hard to take seriously."

My posting was an ad hominem attack. So quoting Mr. John Whiteside is considered an ad hominem attack. Let's take a closer look at what he had to say. But I need to remind my readers that Mr. Whiteside did not object to Mr. sbh's 'ad hominem' attacks on Catholicism nor on me.

Number one: “Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, who often can be found saying nasty things about gay people and warning that the Jews run Hollywood” Unsupported evidence. And if you were to find these ‘allegations’, I’m sure you would have to edit his comments about the Jews and explain that ‘Church teaching’ says nasty things. Again a double standard in the media, specifically you. Number two: “Criticizing the Catholic Church or its beliefs is not "anti-Catholic bigotry.”

Because you say so makes it so? So if I were to deny that the holocaust actually occurred I wouldn’t be called a bigot? Your logic is irrational and contradictory. It’s irrational because you are unable to step away from your comments and see it for what it is, bigotry and hate. It’s contradictory because you equate the difference between hate speeches that if it’s Catholicism its ok, but if it’s Judaism it’s not ok. Number three: “if a church is going to act like a political action committee, those activities are a valid target of criticism.”

The Church does not act like a political action committee. Just because you disagree with the teachings of the Church doesn’t give you the pretext to ‘assume’ it is acting like a political action committee and then run your diatribe of hate and bigotry. You create a straw man argument so as to excuse yourself from being called what you are, an anti-Catholic bigot. Number four: “bunch of scary lunatics,”

That pretty much explains itself. Though you were quoting your alleged Catholic friends you followed up by explicitly affirming it with the following statement… “The Catholic League is a political group that represents a pretty extreme fringe” Number five:

"Toward a kinder, gentler oppression. Your November 14, 2006 posting in Blue Bayou where you viciously attacked the Catholic Church. The following statements are taken directly from this abomination of a posting… “More accurate terms would be insulting, callous, or degrading.”, “And that's what makes the document being discussed so awful.”, and your condescending tone is pretty indicative of where you stand in your bigotry here, “The insult comes from hearing bishops call this "welcoming." It's anything but. . . . And it's horrifying to think that some of these bishops are proud of their supposed compassion.” Number six: Another of your infamous postings titled, A modest marriage proposal. Full of said comments… “(T)he religious right scare-fest that took place last weekend.” I’ll stop here because I haven’t begun yet on your own independent blog getting your various hate-mongering comments towards the Catholic Church. It never ends.

"Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you. "You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men.

--The Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 5:11-14

Amen.

Both sides of the political spectrum agree that the Edwards bloggers are bigots, yet Amanda, Melissa, and John are crying wolf. For this story by NewsBusters.com click here.

For the Catholic League response click here.

For an excellent roundup of the fall-out from the Edwards presidential campaign click here for the Curt Jester and here for Michelle Malkin.

For the previous posting about Mr. Whiteside click here.

SECOND UPDATE: Melissa McEwan has finally resigned from the liberal Edwards presidential campaign. For the story click here.

Hot Air has more to say here.

FIRST UPDATE: Amanda Marcotte has resigned, unrepently, but has resigned. For this story from LifeNews.com click here. Now if only Mr. John Whiteside would recant his religious bigotry the world would be a better place for practicing Christians.

David Freddoso at the National Catholic Register has an excellent article on this, click here.

Brad Warbiany at the The Liberty Papers has an excellent article on this, click here.

Froma Harrop at RealClearPolitics has an excellent article on this, click here.

Sunday, February 11, 2007

The Ignorance of John Whiteside

John Whiteside is an obscure liberal blogger from the Houston blogging scene who runs By the Bayou. Recently he was picked up by the left-leaning newspaper Houston Chronicle, the only newspaper in America's 4th largest metropolitan market, to run a blog on the Chron.com website named aptly enough, Blue Bayou. What makes Mr. Whiteside receive my attention is his ignorance of our beautiful Catholic faith. Since Mr. Whiteside decided to exercise his First Amendment rights, I to will exercises this God-given right bestowed upon this great nation. For the record, the Houston Chronicle does state that Blue Bayou author John Whiteside is a reader offering his own perspective on a subject that interests him. The posts and opinions are his own and are not edited by the Chronicle. He is solely responsible for the content of this blog. As are mine. Recently John Edwards, no relation to yours truly, hired on two anti-Catholic bloggers to be members of his campaign. This created an uproar within Catholic circles, as it should have, about the anti-Catholic statements and past of these two Judas'. Well, Mr. Whiteside decided to jump into this brouhaha and give his uninformed and uneducated opinions of this matter. Mr. Whiteside in his high profile blog in the Houston Chronicle makes five (5) assertions, the first two being incorrect. His first assertion on his blog is as so: Criticizing the Catholic Church or its beliefs is not "anti-Catholic bigotry." Mr. Whiteside believes that criticizing Catholicism is not bigotry. So criticizing Jews and Muslims are not off limits as well. Such as denying the Holocaust or accusing Mohammad of raping non-Muslims. Let's see how far this goes, yet Mr. Whiteside's 'logic' seems to say that anything attacking the Catholic Church is fair game. He accuses the Church as acting as a political action committee. Because the Catholic Church teaches timeless truths in Catechesis and during Mass, among many places, he thinks that the Church is ok for criticism. He fails to find a line between the teachings of the Church and political activism. His 'anger' is not justified by this skew line of thinking. Thus he is correctly named as 'ignorant' and uninformed. His bigotry is pretty apparent. His second assertion is as so: The Catholic League speaks for a fairly small number of American Catholics. The Catholic League is the largest Catholic civil rights organization in the United States. Because several of his alleged 'Catholic friends' state that the Catholic League is a "bunch of scary lunatics," is not investigative reporting nor accurate reporting for that matter. Granted that Mr. Whiteside is not a reporter, due to the high profile of the Houston Chronicle, he gets added attention to his bigoted diatribes towards the Catholic Church, he should be a bit more responsible about his blogging. His other three (3) assertions are non-sequitors to this posting, though he should take heed to his own assertion about 'rude' and 'crappy' reporting. It's the pot calling the kettle black. Finally Mr. Whiteside should just keep his mouth shut when wandering into hot religious issues where he has zero knowledge in and contributes to the 'rude' and 'crappy' reporting he so loathes. May God have mercy on his soul. To read Mr. Whiteside's diatribe against Catholicism click here. To view his other blog click here.
Saturday, February 10, 2007

Reconstructing the Temple in the 21st Century

Which is a pretty bad idea if you want to invoke the wrath of God. The first Temple was built in 996 B.C. and destroyed in 587 B.C. by Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon to crush the Jewish revolt. The second Temple was built in 530 B.C. and destroyed again by Emperor Titus (no relation) in A.D. 70 to crush another Jewish revolt.
This was foretold by Jesus:
Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down." As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age?" And Jesus answered them, "Take heed that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, `I am the Christ,' and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take place, but the end is not yet. --Holy Gospel of St. Matthew 24:1-6
Catholic Tradition states that Jesus is the new (third) Temple. And any reference to a material 'third Temple' is just a sign of the second coming of Christ. Though Protestants make the third Temple a significant portion of their theology, Catholics say it only in passing. Thus why many Protestants are pushing for the rebuilding of the third Temple. Thinking they can manipulate events to 'force' the return of Jesus. How mistaken they are.
You cannot tempt God.
Emperor Julian of the Roman Empire, commonly known as Julian the Apostate, being the last pagan ruler of Roman Empire knew very well how to undermine Christianity. He set about in A.D. 363 to rebuild the third Temple in order to mock the Christians of Palestine. His contemporary, the last great pagan historian, Ammianus Marcellinus, described Emperor Julian's attempt at rebuilding the third Temple by commissioning a Project Manager in Alypius. Even when an earthquake struck, Alypius pushed on with Emperor Julian's project:
Though Alypius pushed the work forward energetically and though he was assisted by the governor of the province, frightful balls of fire kept bursting forth near the foundations of the temple and made it impossible for the workmen to approach the place, and some were even burned to death. And since the elements persistently drove them back, Julian gave up the attempt.
'Frightful balls of fire kept bursting forth near the foundations of the temple', secular revisionist historians downplay the significance that God was involved by pushing their theory that Christian arsonists were involved. Nonetheless, the point is made that you cannot tempt God and get away with it.
So the many Protestant Christian's that are funding and pushing for the building of the third Temple are they themselves playing with 'fire', pun intended.
To read the homilies of St. John Chrysostom regarding the second coming click here and here.

Get my CVSTOS FIDEI blog posts feed

Blog Archive

A highly modified template. Powered by Blogger.

Google Analytics