I fear that we have Become Prisoners of a Great Lie. But no matter how High the Walls, how strong the Chains, How Alert the Guards we can, none of us ever be held captive unless we permit ourselves to be so. For our hearts and Spirits are forever free unless we wish it otherwise.
Jesus was not nice--in my reading of the scriptures. He called out hypocrisy and reprimanded even His own disciples with harsh words. He was compassionate and He took pity on the people but I dont think Caiphas would have described Him as nice. CS Lewis in the Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe has Lucy asking Mrs Beaver if Aslan is nice. Mrs Beaver says something like oh no no. Aslan is not nice. But he is good. To my mind that is a big big difference !!
Whether or not you like Bishop Barron's style, he does nail it. When confronted by suffering, our gaze should always return to our Crucified Lord! God, in Jesus, innocent and pure, has suffered more than any creature since the first day of creation. How often the saints and Our Lady have directed our gaze toward the Passion of Christ! Safe in the Flames of the Sacred Heart!
It's funny how less than an hour after posting the above, I came across this early message from Mary to the visionaries in Medjugorje. They were complaining of suffering at the hands of the authorities. That day on the mountain of apparitions the crowd is more numerous than ever. When the children reach the usual place and begin to pray, the Virgin appears to them immediately. On that occasion, she invites everyone to believe: “There is only one God and one faith. Believe firmly and do not be afraid of anything! " But during that apparition the visionaries also have a particular vision. The visionary Marija recalls: “Over the years, Our Lady has shown us Jesus suffering several times, especially on Good Friday. But the first time was the day when the communists brought us the visionaries to the psychiatric hospital of Mostar a few days after the beginning of the apparitions. They mistreated and frightened us by threatening that we would stay there in the asylum. It was very hard for us. In the evening, during the apparition, we protested to the Madonna: ‘We can not do it anymore! Why all these sacrifices and these sufferings? '. Then Our Lady showed us the suffering Jesus, all bloody, with a crown of thorns and with a disfigured face, and told us: ‘As he did, so offer yourselves too!’ Since then we have never protested but we have always offered to God with love every sacrifice and suffering thinking about how much Jesus has suffered for us, for our salvation “. Safe in the Refuge of the Immaculate Heart!
No I am not writing him off or anything like that. I am referring to his style of delivery which personally don't like - can't put my finger on it. I have never listened to a full broadcast of his.
