Is the Rosary on the Coast initiative just Triumphalism
When you really appreciate what the Catholic Church is, when you really appreciate the role of God as Father, you know that you are part of a family. And when you examine the history of the Church and realise the great love and devotion that was shown to Mary from earliest time, the great procession in the 4th century when she was at Ephesus declared the Mother of God we know that this was what the Holy Spirit and Jesus wanted for her. And the Church had no hesitation in calling her the Mother of the faithful and the Mother of the Church, You see no family is complete without the Mother, for a Father is seen as the judge and the disciplinarian of the family. Hence Jesus has a role of judging the living and the dead. So we can often approach him with guilt for the lives we live. A mother however is the one who never judges you, who just wants to hug you and keep you safe and that has been the role of our Mother Mary in the Church. She is there to guide you and bring you back to the family.
What terrible damage was done therefore to our young people when wicked men blasphemed her and drove her out of the hearts of the young. "O these childish devotions" they cried. And when Mary was gone the soft centre of the Catholic Faith went missing. We did not just lose our young people, we destroyed them. As we travel from parish to parish there is one observable fact. That where devotion to Mary has returned there is a growing number of young men devoted to Mary and entering the seminaries. I remember some years ago marvelling at the fact that in Belgium there were nine diocese and one seminary. And of the 35 young men in that seminary 17 came for the Diocese of Namur where many young people were practicing the Faith. It is sad that the Bishop of that Diocese Bishop Leonard when he was made a Cardinal was treated with abuse by the students of the University of Louvaine, and indeed his faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus caused him to be persecuted by prostitutes and gays.
On this topic girls especially need Mary as their model for so many of them as a result of the changes in the 70's are brought up in single parent homes without a father to make a fuss and call them his princess. A part of them remains unloved but who in the Church is following the teachings of Jesus and taking their unhappy lives seriously.
The only chance our young people have is a return of their Mother Mary. That would take an honest appraisal of the last 50 years. But we also have two opportunities coming up in the future.
The firs is an initiative called the Rosary on the Coast. Many Catholics are now facing persecution in their work places but the Church has become a weak and feeble institution which no one pays the slightest attention to. We must ask Mary our Mother to move priests and bishops and laity to listen to Mary. When did you last hear a sermon on the position of the Church on Abortion. The excuse is that we may upset someone. Yes, but when I some time ago was allowed, a rare thing, to do something and gather money for SPUC, I always apologised first to anyone whose I would hurt and pointed out that they were as much victims as their babies. Jesus in his teaching never held back. Good humble sermons are always appreciated even on that subject. I was once told I was always telling people what to do, yes I suppose they are right, and I have no apologies - I follow Christ.
The Rosary on the Coast is therefore an opportunity to turn again to Mary in the Rosary. It has nothing to do with ecumenism, Protestant ecumenists who are sincere will respect Catholics living up to their faith, they will not object. What they do object to is Catholics sasing one thing when they know they believe somethng else. Ecumenism must be based on respect for the right of someone to believe what he or she believes We are not telling Protestants "Hey look at us we are better than you" We are gathering there for Catholics and the Catholic Church to ask Mary's protection.
What terrible damage was done therefore to our young people when wicked men blasphemed her and drove her out of the hearts of the young. "O these childish devotions" they cried. And when Mary was gone the soft centre of the Catholic Faith went missing. We did not just lose our young people, we destroyed them. As we travel from parish to parish there is one observable fact. That where devotion to Mary has returned there is a growing number of young men devoted to Mary and entering the seminaries. I remember some years ago marvelling at the fact that in Belgium there were nine diocese and one seminary. And of the 35 young men in that seminary 17 came for the Diocese of Namur where many young people were practicing the Faith. It is sad that the Bishop of that Diocese Bishop Leonard when he was made a Cardinal was treated with abuse by the students of the University of Louvaine, and indeed his faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus caused him to be persecuted by prostitutes and gays.
On this topic girls especially need Mary as their model for so many of them as a result of the changes in the 70's are brought up in single parent homes without a father to make a fuss and call them his princess. A part of them remains unloved but who in the Church is following the teachings of Jesus and taking their unhappy lives seriously.
The only chance our young people have is a return of their Mother Mary. That would take an honest appraisal of the last 50 years. But we also have two opportunities coming up in the future.
The firs is an initiative called the Rosary on the Coast. Many Catholics are now facing persecution in their work places but the Church has become a weak and feeble institution which no one pays the slightest attention to. We must ask Mary our Mother to move priests and bishops and laity to listen to Mary. When did you last hear a sermon on the position of the Church on Abortion. The excuse is that we may upset someone. Yes, but when I some time ago was allowed, a rare thing, to do something and gather money for SPUC, I always apologised first to anyone whose I would hurt and pointed out that they were as much victims as their babies. Jesus in his teaching never held back. Good humble sermons are always appreciated even on that subject. I was once told I was always telling people what to do, yes I suppose they are right, and I have no apologies - I follow Christ.
The Rosary on the Coast is therefore an opportunity to turn again to Mary in the Rosary. It has nothing to do with ecumenism, Protestant ecumenists who are sincere will respect Catholics living up to their faith, they will not object. What they do object to is Catholics sasing one thing when they know they believe somethng else. Ecumenism must be based on respect for the right of someone to believe what he or she believes We are not telling Protestants "Hey look at us we are better than you" We are gathering there for Catholics and the Catholic Church to ask Mary's protection.
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