Blog Flos Carmeli English Version: BEHIND THE RESIGNATION ... Dom Fernando Rifan

Sunday, February 24, 2013

BEHIND THE RESIGNATION ... Dom Fernando Rifan

BEHIND THE RESIGNATION ...

Reverend Bishop D. Fernando Rifan cumpliments the Pope

who supported him all the time to lead the clergy and faithful of the

Apostolic Administration Saint John Mary Vianney as the

Shepherd of such Traditional Catholic Personal Prelazia

Campos - RJ Brazil

The Church is full of mysteries, the Church itself is a mystery in comparison with a sacrament. One thing is what this represents to be, another thing it is what this really is. And the Church, like His Divine Founder, has its divine and human sides. Divine in their institution, doctrine and saving grace that given us, and human in its members, often sinners, she "is at once holy and always in need of purification" (LG 8).

It happens to people that is not always imbued with the spirit of Faith to speculate the problems of the Catholic Church, people who is too focused on his human and organizational and structural part, forgetting the divine part, which is much more important, and the presence in it of its Founder, assisting it through the Divine Holy Spirit. But already for two thousand years, it "continues its pilgrimage amid the persecutions of the world and the consolations of God" (LG 8).

Then, what's ultimately is behind the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI. Besides the visible reasons, appointed by the Pope himself - "forces no longer enough, vigor of body and spirit, due to old age" - there are other hidden factors. All are curious and I'm going to reveal what is really behind the attitudes of the Pope.

Is only able to give up this position of magnitude importance and influence who, looking beyond the human perspectives, has a deep faith in God, the divinity of his Church and the assistance of the One which the Pope is the representative on earth 'trust Holy Church's solicitude for her Supreme Pastor, Our Lord Jesus Christ "(Benedict XVI).

The faith is the basis of hope and confidence, and behind this resignation there is a clear sublime trust in God: The barque of Peter will never sink in the stormy sea, nor depend on us for that, "...and.the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Mt 16, 18). Behind this waiver, we see a great love for God and his Church, "a decision of great importance to the life of the Church," as he said.

The Pope has declared his act as "a detachment of high office and influential position, saying he was just a "humble servant", a deep humility from his site, judging himself not necessary and recognizing his own weakness and inability of body and spirit to properly exercise the Petrine ministry, by asking his forgiveness - "I ask forgiveness for all my shortcomings."

Alongside the heroism of Blessed John Paul II to take personal suffering to end, we have the great heroism of Benedict XVI to resign for love of the Church, to avoid any suffering for it. In the early Church, in time of persecution, there were Christians who decided to stay where they were and face martyrdom. Example of fortitude.

There were other Christians who, fearing persecution and their perseverance, decided to flee persecution and seek refuge in the desert to pray and do penance, away from the world. Example of humility.

There were saints in both positions, some of those were brave, while some withdrew. Heroism of fortitude and heroism of humility, fruits of Faith Church made them heroes of the Faith!

* Bishop of the Apostolic Administration of St. John Vianney

http://domfernandorifan.blogspot.com.br/

http://www.adapostolica.org

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Prayer to Our Lady of Mount Carmel

“Blessed Virgin of Mount Carmel – Be our constant hope. Mary, perfect disciple of the Lord – Make us also faithful to him. Mary, Flower of Carmel – Fill us with your joy. Virgin Mary, Beauty of Carmel – Smile upon your family Sweet Mother of Carmel – Accept me as your child. Holy, Mother beyond compare – Remember your children forever. Holy Virgin, Star of the Sea – Be our beacon of Light. Protecting Veil – Shelter us in the mantle of your love. Mary, conceived without sin – pray for us who have recourse to you.”

Prayer to Saint John Mary Vianney for the Religious Vocations

Almighty and merciful God, who didst make Saint John Marie Vianney admirable in his pastoral zeal and in his constant love of penance, grant us the grace, we implore Thee, to win for Christ, by his example and intercession, the souls of our brethren, and to attain with them everlasting glory—O, Saint John Marie Vianney, incomparable laborer in the field confided to thee, obtain for the Church the realization of Jesus’ desire. The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few. Pray to the Master of the harvest to send faithful laborers into His vineyard. O, Saint John Marie Vianney ! Intercede for the clergy. May thy patronage, and thy prayer multiply the real vocations to the priesthood. May the Holy Ghost grant thee emulators; may He give us Saints! Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.

SEVERAL TIMES we have suggested that the reader might be surprised at the great emphasis given to a devotion as apparently simple as the Brown Scapular. But one of the most interesting testimonies to the importance of the Scapular devotion today has so far been scarcely mentioned. In the pages of an ancient history of the Carmelite Order (written in mediaeval Latin by a forgotten writer named Ventimiglia) the author of this book found the following account: Three famous men of God met on a street corner in Rome. They were Friar Dominic, busy gathering recruits to a new Religious Order of Preachers; Brother Francis, the friend of birds and beasts and especially dear to the poor; and Angelus, who had been invited to Rome from Mount Carmel, in Palestine, because of his fame as a preacher. At their chance meeting, by the light of the Holy Spirit each of the three men recognized each other and, in the course of their conversation (as recorded by various followers who were present), they made prophecies to each other. Saint Angelus foretold the stigmata of Saint Francis, and Saint Dominic said: "One day, Brother Angelus, to your Order of Carmel the Most Blessed Virgin Mary will give a devotion to be known as the Brown Scapular, and to my Order of Preachers she will give a devotion to be known as the Rosary. AND ONE DAY, THROUGH THE ROSARY AND THE SCAPULAR, SHE WILL SAVE THE WORLD." Since he was gathering material for a book on the Scapular Devotion, the present writer was deeply impressed on finding this story in Ventimiglia's History . . . and he was especially impressed by the prophecy of St. Dominic. Yet that prophecy appears nowhere in the past sixteen chapters which (with the exception of Chapter Fifteen and a few paragraphs referring to Fatima) were for thirteen years the total of this book . . . unchanged through several printings totaling more than 70,000 copies. St. Dominic's "prophecy" was omitted repeatedly, through all those printings and years, despite the fact that the author came later to know that today a Chapel, on that very street comer in Rome, commemorates the meeting of St. Dominic, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Angelus as described by Ventimiglia. Therefore, why the omission? Why were not the words "Through the Rosary and the Scapular She will save the world" (Taken from the Book The Sign of Her Heart by John M. Haffert)