Fr. Seamus O'Kielty: May He Rest In Peace

Yesterday, the world lost a great man while heaven gained a great treasure. Yesterday, the world became much poorer in persons to lead the way while a man's status went from earthly denizen to saintly legend. Yesterday, Fr. Seamus O'Kielty passed away into the sleep of peace. He was eighty-eight years old, as Irish as they come. His life encompassed more adventures than could be written about in a book, but I will do him a slight service by summarizing: ordained a priest in 1954, he entered missionary service to Africa, Bolivia, Tanzania, later finding himself a Navy chaplain, filling various roles where sacrifice and threats to his life was the norm. He retired from the Navy in 1995, and entered the life of a parish priest in the Patterson, NJ Diocese. He joined the Christendom College Community in 2002 as an assistant chaplain, and, in his opening homily to the Christendom College Community, was recorded as saying, “I want to die here because people at Christendom College will pray for me when I am gone.”

People who know me will know that I am not one to jump on the bandwagon of assuming that everyone goes straight to heaven when they die. Most people will need time in Purgatory before an eternity spent in heaven before the Awesome and Incomprehensible Mystery of the Divine. I also believe that there is no insignificant number of people who will miss the mark entirely and will go instead to hell. Fr. Seamus O'Kielty is one of a very few number of people that I do believe stood an incredible chance of going to heaven directly, or else needing very little purgation before proceeding to his eternal reward in the Eternal Banquet Hall.

In light of the fact that he was human like all the rest of us, I am asking for your prayers for this good and holy priest. We don't know for certain that he is in heaven, and lacking certain knowledge, all we can do is storm heaven with prayers for his quick admittance into heaven. We should do this same favor for all of our loved ones.

I give you an example: Imagine, if you will, passing through the veil of death as we will all do. You are standing before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ, the Lord of all Life, and He shows you His hands and side, gouged with the nails and spear, and He says, "This is what I have endured out of My Love for you. How have you shown Me your love?" As your life flashes entirely before your eyes and His, you know that your life is not what it should have been. In an instant, you see all of the missed opportunities to gain graces, and that heaven was within your grasp. All of the good and bad deeds of your life are placed in the scales and you are found wanting, but not damned. The judgment is rendered not by the Just Judge but by you yourself; you see that you are unworthy of passing through the gates of heaven, and you willingly subject yourself to the painful yet purifying fires of Purgatory, because that would be better than to attempt to enter heaven with any small smudge of sin on your soul.

When you enter the purgative realm, you look back at earth, and you see something: your family believes that you're in heaven, and they are throwing a party. No one is praying for you at all; you can see them just on the other side of a thin veil, and you shout, "Pray for me!" No one hears you; you're dead. Your time could be shortened by their prayers, and you know this; if only they knew this, surely, they would be praying for you! This process could be aided by their intercession. Instead, you are hearing eulogies of how nice of a guy you were, and how they are all certain that you're enjoying a drumstick with St. Peter right now, or playing in the Happy Hunting Grounds with your dog that also died.

In the same way that a prisoner in our system of justice could have their sentence shortened by the pleading of those outside of the prison system, your sentence to Purgatory could be lessened by those whom you have left behind. Imagine in our system of justice if people clamored for the quick release of the prisoner numbered in the tens. The judge might think to himself that the sentence could be lessened a little. Imagine again that same system with hundreds of people asking for mercy on the poor wretch; his time would be lessened even more. Now, imagine the effect of thousands; tens of thousands; hundreds of thousands; millions. The poor prisoner would be released very quickly from his sentence and pronounced a just man. His freedom is guaranteed; his happiness is beyond words! The imagery is quite analogous for Purgatory and the souls trapped therein.

This image is why I don't immediately canonize Fr. O'Kielty immediately, although it is my supreme hope that he is already in heaven! Instead, I beg for your prayers for this humble servant of God. While I do believe that he could have made it all the way home on his deathbed, I do not know with certainty that he did enter heaven straightaway, and I will probably never know unless granted a special grace by God, and so I would be doing a very dear friend a disservice to not beg for prayers. If he is already in heaven, then the prayers that I'm pleading for him would be applied by the Just Judge to others suffering.

In your kindness, please remember the soul of Fr. Seamus O’Kielty in your prayers, especially to the Mother of God, Mary Immaculate. If anyone will get him into eternity quickly, she will. Fr. O’Kielty, a Navy Chaplain, had a very great love for his Admiral, who was Jesus Christ, and he also loved his Admiral’s mother. That relationship can only help him get into the Eternal Feast sooner, so please make intercession to the Admiral’s mother to get her favorite Irish priest into heaven.

“I want to die here because people at Christendom College will pray for me when I am gone.” Let’s honor his wishes and get him into heaven!

Source: https://www.christendom.edu/2019/02/18/remembering-fr-seamus-okielty-a-priest-for-64-years-an-irishman-forever

I finished the Harry Potter books...

I finally finished all seven of the Harry Potter books, and I do have a few things to say about them.

1. Intended audience: I don't know for sure what age range J.K. Rowling intended the books for (according to this Stack Exchange post, she didn't know herself).  From my own personal point of view, I wouldn't let anyone read them who is under 21.  My reason is simple: Harry & Pals are not very good role models.  If you give them to a kid who is Harry Potter's age, the actions will be thought of as coming from peers, which means that it is OK to do.  In some cases, Harry is heroic, and in other cases, his friends are the noble ones while Harry is basking in a pool of his own whining.  The older the child is, the greater chance he has to appreciate the difference between acceptable behavior and unacceptable behavior.

2. The amount of smooching: When I was 14, I was not allowed to kiss girls, and my sister was not allowed to kiss boys.  This wasn't because my parents were mean, it is because they actually cared.  They didn't want me to develop ties of affection to someone when in reality I was much too young to actually understand what those ties of affection mean.  At 14-17, all kissing would do is arouse the baser passions.  Maybe there are children out there whose parents raised them the right way to understand what kissing means, but I suspect that they are few and far between.

3. Good vs Evil: This concept is native to children.  The good guys win, and the bad guys lose; maybe the bad guy gets the upper hand every so often, but they never win in the long run.  While the Harry Potter books certainly stick to the tried and true method, there are a number of situations where good and evil are not very clear cut, and a young person who does not have a close connection with his or her parents to ask them to clarify what is good or evil in this or that instance might lose track of it.

4. Magic: Enough has been written in other places to caution parents whose children have overactive imaginations to avoid these books.  Magic is real, the devil is real, and young people who seek magic will find it in the wrong places.  Also, while shouting spells from the first or second year books might be cute, it is not cute in the least to hear anyone shouting out the torture or killing curses from later books.

This is just off the top of my head, but these sum up my main reasons for never giving these books to young kids.  The mind and conscience isn't developed enough to handle the stories, characters, plot or actions well enough.  Kids who have a good relationship with their parents and bring them questions might be allowed to read them, but that would be the call of the parents.

Anywho...

Divine Mercy Daily: See The Human Race

Then Jesus said to me, Look and see the human race in its present condition. In an instant, I saw horrible things: the executioners left Jesus, and other people started scourging Him; they seized the scourges and struck the Lord mercilessly. These were priests, religious men and women, and high dignitaries of the Church, which surprised me greatly. There were lay people of all ages and walks of life. All vented their malice on the innocent Jesus. Seeing this, my heart fell as if into a mortal agony. And while the executioners had been scourging Him, Jesus had been silent and looking into the distance; but when those other souls I mentioned scourged Him, Jesus closed His eyes, and a soft but most painful moan escaped from His Heart. And Jesus gave me to know in detail the gravity of the malice of these ungrateful souls: You see, this is a torture greater than My death. Then my lips too fell silent, and I began to experience the agony of death ...(Diary, 445).

Inspiring Quote for September 27th, 2015

   “The superior man is distressed by the limitations of his ability; he is not distressed by the fact that men do not recognize the ability that he has.”

― Confucius 

Inspiring Quote for June 10th, 2015: Manners...

   “ Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use. ”

― Emily Post 

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 295: See The Human Race

Then Jesus said to me, Look and see the human race in its present condition. In an instant, I saw horrible things: the executioners left Jesus, and other people started scourging Him; they seized the scourges and struck the Lord mercilessly. These were priests, religious men and women, and high dignitaries of the Church, which surprised me greatly. There were lay people of all ages and walks of life. All vented their malice on the innocent Jesus. Seeing this, my heart fell as if into a mortal agony. And while the executioners had been scourging Him, Jesus had been silent and looking into the distance; but when those other souls I mentioned scourged Him, Jesus closed His eyes, and a soft but most painful moan escaped from His Heart. And Jesus gave me to know in detail the gravity of the malice of these ungrateful souls: You see, this is a torture greater than My death. Then my lips too fell silent, and I began to experience the agony of death ...(Diary, 445).

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 294: Even Greater Pain

When I came for adoration, an inner recollection took hold of me immediately, and I saw the Lord Jesus tied to a pillar, stripped of His clothes, and the scourging began immediately. I saw four men who took turns at striking the Lord with scourges. My heart almost stopped at the sight of these tortures. The Lord said to me, I suffer even greater pain than that which you see. And Jesus gave me to know for what sins He subjected Himself to the scourging: these are sins of impurity. Oh, how dreadful was Jesus' moral suffering during the scourging! (Diary, 445).

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 284: The Powers of Darkness Flee

When I entered the chapel for a moment, the Lord said to me, My daughter, help Me to save a certain dying sinner. Say the chaplet that I have taught you for him. When I began to say the chaplet, I saw the man dying in the midst of terrible torment and struggle. His Guardian Angel was defending him, but he was, as it were, powerless against the enormity of the soul's misery. A multitude of devils was waiting for the soul. But while I was saying the chaplet, I saw Jesus just as He is depicted in the image. The rays which issued from Jesus' Heart enveloped the sick man, and the powers of darkness fled in panic. The sick man peacefully breathed his last. When I came to myself, I understood how very important the chaplet was for the dying. It appeases the anger of God (Diary, 1565).

Sedevacantists really know how to push my buttons...

People who claim the Pope is not the Pope based on how they feel, or the writings of some people who have some sort of secret knowledge, really know how to set me off. To me, this whole thing stinks of Gnosticism, which states either that you can't know or that there is secret knowledge, and it is only through the secret knowledge that the truth can be found. This is not how God works. He sent His Only Son to reveal the truth, not to set up some sort of cult where you only get in by secret handshake.

What I'd like to know is, who is the true Pope if Pope Francis is not he? Pope Francis and his predecessors were all the elected in the right way, and you can trace his primacy all the way back to St. Peter. You can find this information pretty much anywhere; there is no hiding of it, there's no secrecy, there's no hidden agenda. The current antipopes have no lineage, have no authority, and therefore should not be followed.

The only thing I'm speaking of here is the legitimacy of Pope Francis. If you don't like him, that's fine. He is still the Pope, and as such, we need to love him. We need to obey him in all things that are not sin. Just because you don't like what he says or you don't like him as a person doesn't make him a heretic, or a fake Pope, or for that matter not the Pope. If you denounce the Vicar of Christ, doesn't that mean you denounce Christ? If you say the Pope Francis is not your Pope, doesn't that put you outside of the Church, the one true Church established by Christ, outside of which there can be no salvation?

If you don't like what Pope Francis says, then you should discuss it, question it, investigate it, find out what he means. You shouldn't simply denounce him. Pray for him that he be preserved from error, and make sure that you don't speak ill of him or the authority in the Church in such a way as to cause scandal. God has given us the Authority in the Church in the same way that He has given us parents. If your parents are not good parents, they are still your parents, and they are to be respected and obeyed as such, in all things that are not sinful.

Think about it.

Inspiring Quote for March 6th, 2015: Learning...

“There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves.”


― Will Rogers 

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 223: Only With Your Help

Today, I heard these words: You see how weak you are, so when shall I be able to count on you? (Diary, 722).

Without special help from Me, you are not even capable of accepting My graces. You know who you are (Diary, 738).

My daughter, you have not offered Me that which is really yours. ... Daughter, give Me your misery, because it is your exclusive property (Diary, 1318).

*Diary passages with bolded words are Jesus speaking

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 185: Be Not Afraid

Today, I have heard these words: My daughter, delight of My Heart, it is with pleasure that I look into your soul. I bestow many graces only because of you. I also withhold My punishments only because of you. You restrain Me, and I cannot vindicate the claims of My justice. You bind My hands with your love (Diary, 1193).

Today I heard a voice in my soul: Oh, if sinners knew My mercy, they would not perish in such great numbers. Tell sinful souls not to be afraid to approach Me; speak to them of My great mercy (Diary, 1396).

*Diary passages with bolded words are Jesus speaking

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 184: Our Duty

December 16, [ 1936]. I have offered this day for Russia. ... After Holy Communion, Jesus said to me, I cannot suffer that country any longer. Do not tie my hands, My daughter. I understood that if it had not been for the prayers of souls that are pleasing to God, that whole nation would have already been reduced to nothingness (Diary, 818).

When once I asked the Lord Jesus how He could tolerate so many sins and crimes and not punish them, the Lord answered me, I have eternity for punishing [these], and so I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation. My daughter, secretary of My mercy, your duty is not only to write about and proclaim My mercy, but also to beg for this grace for them, so that they too may glorify My mercy (Diary, 1160).

*Diary passages with bolded words are Jesus speaking

Inspiring Quote for January 19th, 2015: Complacency

  “The tragedy of life is often not in our failure, but rather in our complacency; not in our doing too much, but rather in our doing too little; not in our living above our ability, but rather in our living below our capacities.”

― Benjamin E. Mays

Divine Mercy Daily, Day 183: The Fruit of Begging

On the First Friday of the month, before Communion, I saw a large ciborium filled with sacred hosts. A hand placed the ciborium in front of me, and I took it in my hands. There were a thousand living hosts inside. Then I heard a voice, These are hosts which have been received by the souls for whom you have obtained the grace of true conversion during this Lent. That was a week before Good Friday (Diary , 640).

Then suddenly I saw the Lord, who clasped me to His Heart and said to me, My daughter, do not weep, for I cannot bear your tears. I will grant you everything you ask for, but stop crying. And I was filled with great joy, and my spirit, as usual, was drowned in Him as in its only treasure (Diary , 928).

*Diary passages with bolded words are Jesus speaking

Inspiring Quote for November 9th, 2014: Faith

   “Have no fear of moving into the unknown. Simply step out fearlessly knowing that I am with you, therefore no harm can befall you; all is very, very well. Do this in complete faith and confidence.”

― Pope John Paul II 

Inspiring Quote for September 29th, 2014: Love

   “It is easy to love the people far away. It is not always easy to love those close to us. It is easier to give a cup of rice to relieve hunger than to relieve the loneliness and pain of someone unloved in our own home. Bring love into your home for this is where our love for each other must start.”

― Mother Teresa

Inspiring Quote for September 25th, 2014: Persistence

   “Keep on going, and the chances are that you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I never heard of anyone ever stumbling on something sitting down.”

― Charles F. Kettering 

SYMBOLON: THE CATHOLIC FAITH EXPLAINED

Inspiring Quote for September 23rd, 2014: Aging

   “It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams.”

― Gabriel Garcia Marquez 

Inspiring Quote for September 22nd, 2014: Lessons

   “Have you learned the lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you? Have you not learned great lessons from those who braced themselves against you, and disputed passage with you?”

― Walt Whitman

Dear coffee...

My dearest Java,

How do I love thee?  Thou art black and beautiful, so I love thee with Biblical words.  Thou are good with half-and-half, cream, milk, sugar, honey, maple syrup, maple sugar, agave nectar, or coconut cream, so thou art good mixed.  More than all of these, I love thee straight, as long as the barista is good, the roaster is good, and the beans are good.  If not, thou needest a little decking out with the aforementioned accessories.

However, my dearest one, here is where I must introduce a strain into our relationship.  This past week, as we gained more and more exclusivity, I realized that I need to introduce a third person into our relationship.  Now, I love monogamy; I think you know this.  But, in the interest of not crashing or dying, I think our relationship has to be polygamous.  I need to spend more time with my old flame.  She's also dark and luxurious; her name is Sleep.  When I fold into her arms, nothing else matters.  She's fantastic in her time, as you are fantastic in yours.

I have found that on occasion I can substitute you for her.  This often comes at a price that I am willing to pay.  However, it is not often the case that I can substitute her for you.  This means that I do value you as an individual, and that I am not giving you up.  Your soda cousins aren't quite as effective as you are, so you will always be my first love.  Your energy-drink cousins are just crazy; I prefer to spend my time with you rather than them; there's no telling what they will ask me to do.  I will also admit to spending time with your far-distant cousins which promise zen and harmony, but they did nothing for me.  I also love your sister, tea, but she requires a much more tender preparation, so we don't hang out much.

Anyway, I just thought that I needed to define how we stand after this past week of frequent use.

Love always,
Anthony

Inspiring Quote for August 30th, 2014: Tact

   “Tact is the ability to tell someone to go to hell in such a way that they look forward to the trip.”

― Winston Churchill

Inspiring Quote for July 22nd, 2014

   “Blessed is the servant who loves his brother as much when he is sick and useless as when he is well and can be of service to him. And blessed is he who loves his brother as well when he is afar off as when he is by his side, and who would say nothing behind his back he might not, in love, say before his face.”

― St. Francis of Assisi