thank you for the explanation

Remember, the Sun is always shining!

Noelfitz,

Generally speaking, confession is not popular in the US.  But maybe this is a "relative" measure.  In my area, confessions are held usually for 30 to 45 minutes once a week on a Saturday, and if you go then, you will see only a handful of people 50+.  No one is beating down the doors of the confessional.  Some churches have now gone to offering confessions only every other week.  In my book, this is not a sign of popularity.

Lpioch and Bhokuto

thank you for your posts. 

I gather that confession is as popular in the US as it is in Ireland.

God bless,


NoelFitz.
_________________________________________________
In necessariis, unitas; in dubiis, libertas; in omnibus, caritas.
_________________________________________________

Noel, I saw an article by Pope Benedict XVI advising all Catholics to avoid the trap of materialism. All that you mention in your concern about low attendance is confirmed by the current news from Ireland that the country is enjoying the greatest surge of wealth it has ever known. It does not seem that poverty should be a requirement of the faith, although the Pope is saying that pursuit of wealth will diminish your pursuit of faith. Ireland makes the majority of it's wealth from tourism I am told, now there is surprising interest in Ireland from travelers the world over. It is a great temptation to reject poverty when treasures and riches are so close at hand. Materialism also leads one to reject moral relationships in marriage and a general rejection of principles relating to faith since the wealth gives a person the [false] sense of security. This seems so elementary, although it is specifically the fault of Ireland and the USA as well. Materialism is decaying society in many nations. My sense is that we need to pray for poverty, humility and chastity as all faithful religious pray for without ceasing, especially in the consecrated communities.

A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.

Sir Noel, Yes it is true USA and Ireland share identical problems due to globalization, in fact the entire world is becoming linked in an extraordinary way through technology. Even our enemies share the same internet connections and cell phone towers. I was last week purchasing a Biasi water boiler from Ireland on the internet to be shipped to my home in USA. It seems amazing and at the same time ordinary due to globalization. Homes in my area are inflating in cost to 450,000 American dollars which is out of reason for many. Gasoline is inflating to 3.25 dollars/gal. People here are feeling the pain of inflation, the poor are suffering more than ever.

We need God to provide now more than ever for our welfare as I am certain that He will as He has promised so. Yet many materialists who are greedy for a windfall inflate the cost of everything.

Many years ago the threat was communist or nazi or socialist, now the threat is materialist. Even the communists have abandoned communalism for materialism.

To remain a Catholic in the face of all this temptation requires as Pope John Paul 11 said, "White  martyrs of the faith" which are men and women willing to suffer a bloodless martyrdom for the sake of the kingdom. The "Red martyrs die a bloody martyrdom"

We of the 21st century who hold fast to the faith are the White Martyrs of the Catholic church and as you may see even in Ireland, some will be chosen by God to become Red Martyrs of the faith.

A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.

Sir Noel had me thinking, but I wasn't sure...

Remember, the Sun is always shining!

Possibly, we should discuss the hour of death. For some it is in an instant, but we can't be sure of exactly what takes place. Time is of no concern to God. The instant of our death could be rendered into another lifetime of awareness for those who knew not what they were doing. Others realize in their later years the errors of their youth and repent and turn to the Lord. I believe the parable of the workers in the vineyard could apply here as it does also to keepers of the Jewish faith and the arrival of the new stewards. They shall all be paid the same wage-eternal life or eternal damnation.

And then there is Mary...our mother

Remember, the Sun is always shining!

although Irelands problems is imported where as the U.S problem is home grown. 

where is it imported from? America?

Remember, the Sun is always shining!

when it comes to how many people will make it to heaven I know two things. ( as pertains to d in the post above).

  II) what I feel

It is not my place to worry about what is out of my control.  It is not my place to jusge others.

I am not the savior only his instrument, he does the real work, I need to focus on doing his will. If all are willing he will save all.  All will not be willing.

I must work for the salvation of all and pray for the salvation of all, not because all will be saved, but because that is the master work and what he wishes his servants to be about doing. 

Doing the will of my master must be enough; I must try not to concern myself with my apparent success or failure.  Is my country going ‘to hell in a hand basket’ perhaps, but my nation, my continent, my family and my friends are not the whole of humanity and if necessary I will ‘hate’ all of them in order to be his disciple.  Certainly I will hate their sins along with my own. 

Love, must by the guiding force, love of God and love of neighbor,  I will not judge who deservers love, that is the place of my master , whom I trust to help me in guarding my heart. 

To specifically engage the question.  I don’t know, nor is it my business to know.  And just because I perceive many sinners tells me nothing.  If 99% of Irishmen are hellhound today , perhaps 99 % went to heaven 200 years ago.  My perception tells me nothing about the true number of souls that enter the abyss or the heaven.

I must trust in him, I must work like everything depends on me I must pray like everything depends on him.  He will see that his work is done.  I must focus on him and be at peace as the maelstrom of the world rages around me.

Have no fear.  Love all.  Be for him.

Noel, I have found that acknowledging miracles and gifts given to us by God is a means to increase and strength in faith. I know this is hard to do sometimes as it is also possible to attribute miracles to coincidence. A miracle or gift from God can be recognized by preceding incidents or coincidental happenings. Once they are received, the strengthening of faith is inevitable especially when we give thanks to God for the gift.

Example, I was diagnosed with throat cancer a year ago and surgically had it removed, then chemotherapy, then radiation. Finally the cancer team said I still have a small amount of residual cancer in my throat and the surgeons wanted to slit my throat to remove the lymph node containing what they presumed to be cancer.

I agreed to the surgery, then went to my parish priest for annointing and sacrament of the sick. The operation was done then to slit my throat and surprise to me another priest Father Damian came to annoint me for the sacrament of the sick. My lymph node was sent to pathology for introspection and the report came back to the surgeons: there was no cancer to be found in my neck or lymph node!!!

Coincidence or gift from God? You decide. For my part I gave thanks for a miracle. I am certain "something" has happened for you as well, Noel. Perhaps you are still deciding coincidence or gift?

When I feel all alone in my faith because there are few at mass or all my friends have become protestant or no one will support my life in any way, I think about the verse from Scripture, "I was appalled because not one would defend me, so my own right arm brought about the victory"

When we[you and I] meet Christ face to face, how much more sweet will be the triumph if we arrive at his gate through tremendous trial and suffering? How much more delightful the meeting of friends [as He called us] than if we made our way through a veritable desert of humanity to reach our final destination which is a face to face meeting with Christ our Savior. He will be pleased to say that He acknowledges our suffering united to His and we will become like Him.

Without trials and suffering our salvation means very little. I know this sounds like a cop out on reality, yet this is what the Saints and Martyrs suffered for. They prayed for suffering so that they could unite it to Christ's suffering therefore to become more like Him.

It is not easy to suffer anything let alone poverty, being alone in your faith, dispised for your beliefs, set about by men and women who want nothing more than to take advantage of you. I can tell you Noel, I do not enjoy suffering, I only pray that my suffering will bring fruit to my faith and joy to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart.

I have never accused you of anything.  If you think I have, please copy and paste the post where you were accused.

Right. You see we had this cowardly liar named Royal on the site who attacked lpioch.  She said she liked Scott Hahn's writings and he accused her of being unfaithful to her husband, if you can imagine such insanity.  Then, when offered the chance to apologize like a real man, he would not, and so he slunk off and has been trying to come back with another identity. Of course we will find out sooner or later no matter what identity he assumes, so even when he lies and claims he has never been on the forum before, like he did when he tried to call himself Saint Sebastian, we find out pretty soon.

Like I said, the rest of us find this to be the behavior of a low-life creep. And I just wondered if you would agree that such behavior is deplorable.