It's as if some in The Church have lost a sense of proportion in their attitude towards God. They see themselves almost (a word that I maybe shouldn't even include) as equals with Him. They think of Christ as their 'best friend', in which there is a grain of truth, but not in the sense that He is our 'chum'. He is our Creator, our Ground of Being, from moment to moment, our Judge and our Saviour. We totally need Him, in every conceivable sense; He does not need us, in any way whatsoever. Whatever we have or possess is totally a gift from Him. We are not necessary beings, we don't have to be. Oh, I sometimes feel sorry for myself and feel entitled to better, but I have to remind myself that this attitude is absurd. Gratitude and Awe, we owe Him and maybe a bit of mystification that we should be so fortunate.
Prayers for Pope Francis as he was admitted to hospital. https://aleteia.org/2025/02/14/pope...ily-&utm_content=Newsletter&utm_term=20250214
So sadly true. In my parish, at least, so much of the old reverence has been eroded. Chatter and all manner of noise has taken the place of silence. In recent years, I've often wondered, Why do we fear silence so much?
I can only speak from my experience after my accident. I was in silence especially at night in my hospital beds. Thinking I’m Alone with my thoughts. But through the grace of God, I was not alone. He was there! And so was the devil. It was a battle. Do I blame God , do I stay angry, do I fear? Or do I listen to that still small voice tgat was whispering to me… I love you. Silence I think brings each of us to that point. I’m so grateful that God protected me spiritually to see and feel His love.
Praying now. it looks dark and cold and raining in Rome..goodness does he ever look ill... Not the Rome I expected:
Good post. Same here. I go early to Mass to pray before the chattering classes arrive. It saddens me that they are so careless about reverence to Our Lord.
That silence is indeed precious. No surprise that the devil will go to any length to keep us from ascending to that silence.
The Vatican Press Office has a very bad record on Popes conditions in the past. I would not put it past them to tell people that a Pope was hale and hearty when he was already ten years dead. They seem to think they have some kind of divine right to tell lies. https://www.universityhealth.com/about-us/news-and-media-relations/patient-condition-reports Fair: Vital signs are stable.
I find it confusing that, in the final days of Benedict XVI, they admitted his health condition was serious yet "stable."
I'll continue to pray for his salvation, as I've done since his becoming pope (debatable, but not my pay-grade), but, otherwise, I have higher priorities...
I think that we are, according to Catholic theology, obliged to pray for a pope's salvation and that he be spared a painful death (probably no different to any other soul, I would think), but no more. I, of course, am prepared to be proven completely wrong, if anyone can demonstrate Catholic theology to be otherwise (excluding that universal salvation heresy, of course).
