Portsmouth Roman Catholic

The reason that Jerome is quoted by those seeking to undermine the Church with a false interpretation of Scripture is a quote "Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ"   I tried to find the quote, but Jerome was in so many disputes with others over Mary ever a Virgin, The Resurrection, the fallen angels being saved by taking human bodies, that I decided to leave it to scholars.   Some contend that it was a remark made during a dispute with someone over a correct interpretation of scripture.   It could be so, but the point is no matter how often we read scripture, if our interpretations are wrong, then we are still in ignorance of the true Christ, as over 25,000 Protestant sects and denominations proves.   I am sure that someone will have said before me that 'Ignorance of the Mass is ignorance of Christ'  or perhaps 'Ignorance of the teachings of the Church' is ignorance of Christ'   We must know in what context Jerome wrote these words before we take

"What sin have I committed if I follow the judgement of the Churches.   But he who brings charges against me for relating in my preface to the book of Daniel, the objections that the Hebrews are wont to raise against the story of Susanah (Dn 13), the Song of the Three Children {Dn3: 29-68) and the story of Bel and the Dragon (Dn 14} which are not found in the Hebrew volume, proves that he is just a foolish sycophant"  Letter of St Jerome to Rufinus  In 401, after Councils in Rome, Hippos and Carthage where the Church had ben debating what scriptures should be used in the Churches, it was decided to use the Greek translations of the Old Testament which contained books that the Hebrew volume did not, and also omitted certain stories within books.    What sin have I committed if I follow the judgement of the Churches" What is cleat from the above is that Jerome was not responsible for the content of scriptute.   What is also clear is that Jerome did not disagree wit

When I first stood up in front of the people of my parish to talk about this, I was applauded off the altar.   Yes, Catholics from Poland and Eastern Europe, from Asia and Africa. were pleased to hear that there were people in England who wanted like themselves to teach their children about Mary.  Those of us who lived through the reforms of the seventies and eighties have quite a tale to tell about schools being visited by 'experts' and told that 'childish devotions' must stop.   Indeed, Mary must stop.   Of course, people who already prayed to Mary could continue, the idea of an all embracing and tolerant parish, but little must be taught to children in the schools.   But there is a deep connection between Mary and the Blessed Sacrament and soon there was a denial of the Real Presence.   I remember asking a catechist if she taught the Real Presence.  "O, No, they are too young to understand"     In my eighties, I am still trying to understand.   What I am pa

I have written profusely about how the Early Church saw Mary as the new Eve, the new Mother of a new people Christ would create - Christians.    The final and overwhelming proof comes in Revelations 12, the story of the Dragon and the woman giving birth. " And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars, she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery.    And another portent appeared in heaven, behold a great red dragon; with seven heads and tens horns, and seven diadems upon his heads.   His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven, and cast them to the earth.   And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to bear a child, that he might devour her child when she brought it forth.   She brought forth a child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but the child was caught up to God and to His throne, and the woman fled into

FELDKIRCH, Austria, February 21, 2020 ( LifeSiteNews ) — The Austrian diocese of Feldkirch is taking a father of six to court for refusing to pay the Church tax. The father, who remains anonymous, argued that he could not pay the tax in good conscience because of the diocese’s involvement in the promotion of homosexuality and gender ideology. As reported by faithful Catholic news website  kath.net , the father pointed out that employees of the diocese took part in an event celebrating homosexuality. He also mentioned that the diocese, bordering Switzerland, puts too much emphasis on pastoral care for homosexuals. Gender ideology has taken over the diocese, according to the father. At the same time, openly Christian associations like “Teenstar” receive no support. The first hearing in court took place on Tuesday, February 18. The diocese “remained firm and did not want to hear theological objections and reasons” for the man’s refusal to pay the Church tax, kath.net wrote. The nex

WHAT DOES THIS REDEDICATION OF ENGLAND AS THE DOWRY OF MARY MEAN?    IN 1381 ENGLAND WAS DEDICATED TO MARY AND SET APART FOR HER AMONG THE NATIONS AND NAMED THE DOWRY OF MARY.    WE HAD MANY NATIONAL SHRINES TO OUR LADY IN ENGLAND, WALSINGHAM BEING THE MOST POPULAR , BUT THERE WAS ALSO ONE IN BASINGSTOKE.   BUT WHAT WAS THIS DOWRY TO BE OFFERED MARY.    IT WAS NOT TH E FIELDS AND THE HILLS, BUT THE FAITH THAT PEOPLE HAD IN THE INTERCESSION OF MARY WITH HER SON.  THEY STOPPED DURING WORK IN THE FIELDS TO SAY THE ANGELUS, THEY TALKED AND PRAYED TO MARY, THEY WERE DEVOTED TO HER.    THAT WAS THE DOWRY.  AND THE CALL OF THE REDEDICATION IS FOR A RETURN TO THAT FAITH.   THE BISHOP WILL BE REDEDICATING ENGLAND AND HIS DIOCESE AT THE CATHEDRAL, IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK US TO REDEDICATE OUR PARISH AND OUR FAMILIES HERE AT ST JOSEPHS. SOME WILL  SAY 'WELL THAT WAS IN MEDIEVAL TIMES.  DEVOTION TO MARY WAS NOT IN THE EARLY CHURCH'   ONE OF THE MOST EXCITING THINGS TO HAPPEN TO ME WAS TO FI

"I suspect for many of us as Protestants the Roman Catholic devotion to the Virgin Mary is one of the mysteries of why Roman Catholicism has developed the way it is. And in a sense, what we can say is, Mary is simply a special case of the saints. If there is a hierarchy in heaven, then surely if there are saints up here, Mary is even a little further up. Mary is the one who surely will have influence over her Son, and not only that, Mary’s a mother. Mothers are always more sympathetic. Well, maybe not always. But in this case, Mary as the mother is going to be more sympathetic to us than Jesus will be. Now see again, just seemed to make sense to people, the sympathy of a mother. There came to be a story in the middle ages, after our time, but illustrative of this point, and the story was told in the middle ages that when Mary came into heaven Juesus greeted her and said, “Oh Mother, I’m so glad you’re here. I will divide my kingdom with you, and I will be the King of Righteousn

If the evidence of the early Church, the evidence of the Bible, and the Proclaiming of Mary by so many saints through the ages, does not convince Rebellious Catholics of the place of Mary in Salvation History, then surely the testimony of the Mother of God herself should move their hearts. Although what was called 'childish devotions' were removed from Catholic Schools and the excuse was they were immature, showing an amazing lack of humility from the perpetrators, surely the appearance of Mary to the humble Bernadette at Lourdes should move them.   Certainly those opposing devotion to Mary in the Church, have found difficulty in opposing such devotions at Lourdes.  They work in the background undermining at a Parish level devotional practices, but they do not want to be noticed too much.    They do not oppose them, except when they have  a sympathetic priest, but visits to pilgrim shrines are not a priority. So as I wrote in my last blog that Mary was Full of Grace at the