June 2017: What is our Focus?

Recently We were asked an honest question, which We answered, concerning how we could judge that the man claiming to be pope in Rome was actually not the Pope. Then another question came in and We found ourself in an indirect debate with two people, who wrote a book, who We stated at the beginning We never intended to debate. This is really unimportant, but this distraction led Us to consider where our focus should be.

The matter of Pope Michael and the condition of the Church has already been presented. True, if asked an honest question, We will answer it and clarify points, but the case has been presented.

In today's Gospel (this is written on the Ascension) we read: “And he said to them: Go ye into the whole world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark 16:15)

Our focus is on preaching the Gospel, not on debating who the Pope is or the current condition of the Church.

Basically we have all taken our position on the condition of the Church and are acting accordingly. If something prompts us to reconsider, then we follow the basic rules of thinking properly and sort things out.

And what is the Gospel? It is the good news that Jesus has come to show us the way to heaven. Take a look at the Vatican in Exile website. What is the main focus of the website and of the Olive Tree that has grown from it? What are we preaching there? In the April Olive Tree there was an article, The Essential Building Blocks of the Spiritual Life. This article is so important for us all to apply a fifth H to it, take these things to heart. This is what we need to preach, those things that will inspire and help us to become saints.

While everyone else is wasting time in useless debates and trying to defend their position on the crisis and confusion in the Church, we should spend our time on becoming saints ourselves and helping others towards sanctity. A lot of these things are a waste of time.

And I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will give you a heart of flesh. (Ezechiel 36:26)

We first read this many years ago in Saint Bernard's De Consideratione, which was written to a former subject, who had been elected Pope. We have considered this principle for some years and decided We do not want spiritual heart disease. Notice that God does spiritual heart surgery on us, removing our hard heart and replacing it with a soft heart that is in conformity with His holy will. Let us check in to His hospital.

And consider, we do not win people to Jesus Christ by debate. We knew this going into this exchange and only continued for a time, because we thought the third party was being honest. We cut off the exchange, when We realized that this person was being used to continue a debate and had no intention of considering things honestly. We made a statement that a certain principle had nothing to do with things, and they came back asking about that very principle as if we had said nothing. A debate with a fool is a debate between fools.

The good news, is that we realized something that we had not realized before, which we wrote up. This is the only good thing to come out of all of this, except to realize that many have hard hearts and are also hardened in their errors and only wish to defend the indefensible. As We said in a video some time back, they are inconsistent.

We need to consistently preach the Gospel, not debate the condition of the Church. The Church will not improve, until we do.

And so let us keep our focus where it should be. Let us become saints. Let us check into God's hospital and let Him work in our hearts. And then let us be an encouragement to others to follow our example. Let us recall that we preach far more by our example than we ever can by our words. Conversion is a grace from God, not the conclusion of a successful debate.

Oremus,

+Michael pp