 Image from the TV show "Peaky Blinders" There used to be a time where every man dressed like the man in this photo. To work, to walk, to shop, and they would put on their best for Sunday. A time where it meant something to be a real man. A time with true masculinity and true femininity. A time where people had respect for not only themselves but for their society. Now you cannot even tell who is a man. Where did it go? Effeminacy. People are afraid. Afraid of doing what is arduous and difficult. Afraid of overdressing, especially for Mass. Afraid of having to learn how to tie a tie, fold a pocket square or iron a suit. They are afraid to come off as pompous and prideful compared to those who do not dress well. They do not want to be pompous and prideful, but our culture judges those who dress well as so. There are other reasons to dress well. Other reasons to be a man. For family. For tradition. For respect. For modesty. For reverence. For God. Where have these gentleman gone?
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 I was reading Padre Pio’s meditations on the agony in the garden and he pointed out that Jesus took the blows of Divine Justice for the offenses for our sins on the Cross. I simply cannot comprehend this act. We gravely offend God with our sins every day and deserve the punishments of Hell and the blows of Divine Justice and righteous punishment upon us, yet we do not get it. Instead, the Almighty and Omnipotent God humbles Himself by becoming man and suffers with obedience on the Cross as we strip Him, beat Him, whip Him, and crucify Him.
 Why is the divorce rate so high? The simple answer is that it is our culture and it’s lack of belief in God, yet a more complex answer is needed if we are to stop it. I have been pondering this question for quite some time now and I believe I have somewhat of a sufficient answer. First we have to make the statement that intercourse is to make children and further bond a couple in marriage. In a society that uses sex for everything from advertising to a recreational activity, this marital act is all but only for when you are serious and want children.
In The Summa Theologiae, written by St. Thomas Aquinas, the question as to whether God’s existence is self-evident is addressed. St. Thomas essentially makes the distinction between whether His existence is intrinsically self evident or if it is self evident to us. Aquinas says if one were to understand what the subject and predicate is in the statement, “God exists,” then it would be self evident, but otherwise it would not be.
 Why “Ad Orientem”? “Ad Orientem” means “To the East” and is an extremely old early Church practice where the priest and the lay faithful face the Altar which is to the East. This is highly symbolic because Christ will come from the East in the final days, and the East, ever since early Christianity was symbolic of Christ Himself. Why do many parishes choose not to do this? (Even if the Church is built facing another direction, the priest can still face the altar and look at the Crucifix). The argument against this is that the priest has his back to the people, causing a disconnect during the Mass. I have two counter arguments to this objection.
 During WWII many European Churches were completely destroyed by battles. Among the ruins, Catholics on all sides continued to have Mass. Today the same is happening in a less obvious way. Our Churches are hit with the bombs of modernism and we are fighting battles to retain the few Catholics that are left. The number of Catholics attending weekly Mass is going down rapidly from 50 years ago. Society wants nothing to do with God, as it always has, but now it is influencing the faithful. Parishes are being flooded with liturgical abuse and irreverence. We are losing more and more people. Most only come for Christmas and Easter and receive communion out of ignorance after skipping so many Masses. Parishes are shutting down almost daily. Seminaries are almost empty. My own parish has lost many.
All sin is an offense against God and a rejection of his perfect love and justice. Yet, Jesus makes a distinction between two types of sins. We call the most serious and grave sins, mortal sins. Mortal sins destroy the grace of God in the heart of the sinner. By their very grave nature, a mortal sin cuts our relationship off from God and turns man away from his creator.
 This video explains everything that I wrote below. The video is NOT necessary to watch if you are going to read the following article. God Bless! -Catholica Romana
Why God became man? An answer from the Church Fathers, by Catholica Romana
Irenæus: Why Verbum caro factum est? In Irenæus Against Heresies, Book V, Irenæus says that the Word had to become flesh, “for in no other way could we have learned the things of God, unless our Master, existing as the Word, had become man.” (The Writings of the Fathers 526) In order that we physically hear the Word, we must hear it from another human, and this makes logical sense. In order for our redemption, He gave His soul for our souls and His flesh for our flesh. God was incarnate so that we might be in communion with His immortality |
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