Vain and Repetitious Prayer

Are vain and reptitious prayers as discussed in Matthew 6:7-8 against Catholic prayer practices such as litanies or the rosary?

Medjugorje: The Video They Don´t Want You To See

I don´t think that there is any clearer evidence than this video that the "apparitions" are not from God.

Medjugorje

Medjugorje

For any that don’t know Medjugorje is a small village in Bosnia where the Blessed Virgin Mary has allegedly been appearing over the past 25 years with a total of over 35,000 individual apparitions and messages. Millions of people have visited this place (most of whom probably against the Church’s strict teaching, although most likely without realising it).

I’ve written this blog to discuss the Church’s position on Medjugorje and how the faithful should react to it according to the Church’s teachings - if there are errors please correct me and I will be more than happy to make any necessary changes.
 

So is the Virgin Mary really appearing at Medjugoje?

Perhaps a little disappointing to hear but the answer today is maybe yes, maybe no. As faithful Catholics it is not our job to judge the worthiness of apparitions since only the Church has this authority.

Therefore those who believe it ardently and those who have large doubts should both do so with care, particularly in how they present the alleged apparitions to other. Those who believe it should NOT preach it as though it were a truth, for example they should make clear that the "apparitions" have not been verified by the Church, and in the future should be prepared to humbly reject their own private view should the Church condemn the apparitions at some point in the future. Conversely, those who do not believe in the alleged apparitions should also be open to the Church’s authority on the matter. Although at no point in the future will anybody ever be required to actually believe the apparitions since the Church can only declare that apparitions are “worthy of belief” and as such can never be declared as Dogma but rather fall under the category of private revelation. Examples of apparitions deemed worthy of belief include Fatima, Lourdes and Knock.

Are Catholics allowed to make pilgrimages to Medjugorje?

Yes and no, it would depend on what you mean by pilgrimage. Any Catholic is free to make a pilgrimage to any Catholic parish in the world and therefore Catholics are free to travel to Medjugorje. According to the Church a pilgrimage can be made to Medjugorje in the same way as you would take a pilgrimage to your own local Church, another Church in your own city or any other city for that matter – in the eyes of the Church there is nothing “special” about Medjugorje, it is simply a parish like any other and Catholics are free to visit.

Whilst Catholics are free to travel to any parish this free however comes with certain conditions so as not to place our own authority on these matters above the Church.

1)      First of all, since the Church hasn’t made a decision on the alleged apparitions no pilgrimage can be organised at a parish or diocesis level and can only be of a private nature. This means that Medjugorje should never be mentioned or promoted in an official way and as such should never be mentioned during homilies, the Mass etc. to do so would be a grave disobedience against the Church.

2)      Any pilgrimage made to Medjugorje cannot be made should it be an affirmation that the Virgin Mary is indeed appearing there as the Church has not made a decision on the events and we do not have the authority to declare it worthy of belief, only Holy Mother Church does. In the same vain it is also worth nothing that a pilgrimage cannot be made to investigate and see if it is indeed true or not, again we do not have this authority.

3)      The journey should only be based on prayer and the Sacraments and be unrelated to the alleged private apparitions that are taking place – making a pilgrimage on the basis of the Virgin appearing is not allowed if your visit is an affirmation that she is appearing. Doing this can cause great confusion within the Church and can cause divisions among the faithful.

I’ve already booked my trip, what should I do?

Go but with great caution and not allow yourself to be swept up by events there. Certainly you’ll encounter a great number of believers there, maybe some with great conversion stories or possible miracles, but remember that this doesn’t prove there is any supernatural Marian related activity (we should remember that even the devil himself can perform miracles).

In any case the place is holy because the sacraments are celebrated there with frequency. Before departing read up on the issues, read the local Bishop’s pronouncements (links below) regarding these matters and just be on your guard reminding yourself of the Church’s authority on determining the events. Go and enjoy your trip, pray, be open to the Lord, but remember the rules that the Church has put in place regarding pilgrimages and adhere to them. They are there for a reason.

The Bishop said “Therefore I responsibly call upon those who claim themselves to be “seers”, as well as those persons behind the “messages”, to demonstrate ecclesiastical obedience and to cease with these public manifestations and messages in this parish. In this fashion they shall show their necessary adherence to the Church, by neither placing private “apparitions” nor private sayings before the official position of the Church.” And this is how we should act – with obedience to the Church authorities and remember that our allegiance will always be with Holy Mother Church and the local Ordinary above any seer or alleged private apparition.

How should we respond to firm believers?

With charity and love. They may have indeed had a great conversion to Christ and we should give thanks for this. However if someone preaches the apparition as a fact, that it must be believed or possibly even that it has been approved by the Church (or certainly will be in the future), simply point out that as Catholics we believe that only the Church has the authority to declare whether the apparitions are worthy of believe and it is not their place to decide this. Remind them too that as such they should not preach that the Virgin is appearing there as though it were a truth and that they too should be open to the Church’s final decision and judgement on the matter on the “supernatural” developments. This of course, also applies to any firm non-believers that you may encounter, whom are also numerous.

Do conversions and good fruits mean that Mary really is appearing?

The majority of people that have gone to the place that I know have come back strengthened in their faith, reporting an atmosphere of peace there which they haven’t experienced before. Praise God that their faith has been strengthened! Any step towards God is a great thing. It should be noted that a “feeling” or even a strong conversion is no evidence however that the Virgin is appearing. History tells us as much. We have seen similar things in Garabanchel and Palmar de Troya over the past 40 years and both of these places whilst not condemned have been declared as having “nothing supernatural”. Indeed in the latter example there were huge conversions which unfortunately ended with someone declaring himself the Pope; a disaster for the Church and all those involved which causes a great loss of faith. With this in mind we should all be wary of events at Medjugorje, and not presume that because there are conversions (even miracles – although none have been proven) that this constitutes proof of the apparition.

How should Catholics respond to the messages of the Medjugorje?

Again with great caution since the Church has not made any official pronouncement. It should be noted that no private revelation is ever part of the deposit of faith; it can only help one to lead a more Christian life. There has been no new revelation since the death of the last Apostle and as such the messages of Medjugorje (or any other private revelation) do not add to what Catholics are required to believe. The messages of Medjugorje should be read with caution and never above the doctrine of Holy Mother Church which must always take precedent over personal belief and feelings. If a message of Medjugorje conforms to the Church’s teaching then it is fine, if it goes against the Church’s teaching it should be discarded as heresy. It should also be noted that conformity to the Church’s teaching in some messages in no way verifies the apparitions.

As Catholics we should also be cautious of the huge publicity train that comes from Medjugorje and as there are many half truths and falsehoods that have been told. A perfect example of this would be the "messages", "comments" and "special blessings" from the Pope´s that have never been verified by the Vatican. Their origins are unknown.

Conclusion

As Catholic, faithful to Holy Mother Church, we must proceed as Catholics with great caution regarding Medjugorje, especially since both Bishops (Zanic and Peric) under whose control falls Medjugorje have rejected the alleged apparitions since they were claimed to have begun.

Whether you believe or not they should be humble with regard to the Church’s pronouncement and we must always remember that it is not our place to judge these alleged apparitions and for believers especially not to place their judgement above that of the Church.e

Statement by the Bishop regarding the events at Medjugorje:

http://www.cbismo.com/index.php?menuID=98

http://www.cbismo.com/files/file/ZanicMedj_May1990.pdf

http://medjugorjedocuments.blogspot.com.es/

Fighting Sins of Impurity

Tackling Sins of Impurity

For young men especially sins of a sexual nature are among the most difficult that we face. They are often the most difficult to defeat for many reasons. For example, often it’s a taboo subject and therefore difficult to speak about with fellow Catholics, it is also very personal and can be embarrassing, but also it involves tackling deeply rooted bodily desires and these are often the most difficult to control. Here is some practical advice regarding this subject, and some tips for overcoming them.

1) Stay close to God.

I’m sure you’ve heard this one before a million times. Pray, go to Mass, go to confession etc. but it really does help. We can only overcome this by the freely given grace of God. Particularly important is prayer, each morning, each night and I’d recommend at least some time spent in prayer during the day too. Second of all, read the scriptures! Spend time reading the Bible. The Bible is the Word of God, and by reading it we obtain graces and also get to know Jesus in a real and personal way. If you’re with a partner pray together each time you meet, ask God for purity in your relationship and He will give it you.

2) Keep Active

Sins of the body are most likely to happen when you’re not busy. Maybe after school when you’re home alone? Or when you’re relaxing before you go to bed? When you’re watching a movie alone with your girlfriend? Think about when you tend to commit these sins, and then do something during this time preferably outside the house. If it’s with your girlfriend stop watching movies alone together, stop lying down next to each other. Do not be afraid about the impact it will have on your relationship because you‘re doing God‘s will. And hey, what’s wrong with just hanging out with each other in the company of others and outside the home?

3) Tackle the Root of the Problem

Often these problems are so deeply rooted that it will be unable to stop unless you really weed out every part of it. This doesn’t mean you need to become a nervous wreck every time you see a pretty girl on the street, but don’t let your eyes follow them. Try to look at them purely, but if you feel you can’t, simply look away, once they’re gone the temptation will go too so all you’ll really be doing is looking away for a few seconds. Start with the little things, as just mentioned stop looking at girls, stop talking about girls with your friends in this way (do you talk about how “sexy“ or “hot“ girls are? Show respect in your speech), stop watching them on TV, just change the channel, stop looking through pictures of girls on Facebook (yes even the pretty ones!) and try to keep your thoughts pure. When you fall into any of these things, don’t worry it’s not a problem, but once you’ve realised that you’re doing them try to stop and do something else.

4) No passionate kissing

What?!!! Yep! This can be tough, but it’s the easiest way to stop it going any further with a girlfriend. When a man kisses a girl in this way it’s like a switch that tells his brain that more is going to happen. You don’t think this affects you? Well I’m pretty sure most of the times something happens with your girlfriend, this is how it all starts, so be confident in God and give this up.

5) A New Mindset

If you’re in a relationship try not to think in “how far can we go without it being a sin?”  Instead try to think “how pure can we make this relationship?” or if you’re single “how pure can I make my life?” Pray to God and ask Him to show you how, and for the grace to do it. Yes it will be tough, and you might have to give up things you never thought you would, but it will be worth it. Never be afraid about what your partner thinks because if you’re doing it for God, then you have nothing to fear. If they’re not willing to stop? Think about if this is a relationship you really want to be in.

If you’re single perhaps you are having problems respecting you own body and perhaps watching pornography too. The devil is smart and will tempt you in many ways, making everything seem okay, think how many times will you have said to yourself “I’ll just have a look, but won’t do anything else?” or "who does it really hurt?" etc. If you get into this situation try to leave the computer if possible. If not, then remember that you’re not giving up these things for the rest of your life, but only really until the urges go, a minute? Two minutes? It’s not very much when you think about it.. 

6) Learn about It

If you’re serious about anything be it history, art, music, languages you read and learn about them. The same with this. If you’re serious about giving up, listen to talks online, read testimonies, read advice articles, watch videos, talk to people; your friends, other Catholics. There really are so many ways you can learn, and so just take the time to do it.

7) Become a Better Christian

Although it can often seem that it’s impossible and that this is making you a terrible Christian, know that this is not the case. Sins of impurity (while they can certainly leave a lasting impression) only take up a small part of your day, possibly only minutes! So it’s important to still go about trying to lead a good Christian life the rest of the day. With an injury, a doctor will say build up the muscles around it, the same applies here, try and improve all the areas of your Christian life; help out around the home, help people in your parish, give food to the homeless in your area, do all your school/university work etc. This is only a small part of your life, and so strive to give the rest of your day to God.

Finally don’t become dismayed when you fall. There are many people in heaven who have battled exactly the same sins as you have and remember that God loves you exactly the same whether you do it or not, so when you fall go to Him in prayer and “Let Him love you in your ugliness”. It takes most people years to overcome these sins and the important thing is that your heart remains strong. All us Christians, little by little and with God’s help, can overcome any sin no matter how tough it seems at times.

Stay strong and know that anything given up for God, is not really given up.

God Bless,

Paul.