Commentary by Br. Alexis Bugnolo

It is amazing the sound Catholic doctrine contained in this one short report. But is it horrific the evil things the enemies of Christ and known controlled opposition sources are saying against this totally Catholic exhortation given by Pope Francis.

After nearly 8 weeks, in which the world has seen the effects of the juridically valid election of Pope Francis by the Catholics of Rome, these enemies of Christ has failed to pin one thing on him. So they have resorted to innuendo and now are taking up the narratives of Christ’s enemies and asserting these false claims as true, so as to throw any mud they can against the Vicar of Christ, and by this means destroy the faith of Catholics, the hope in the indefectibility of the Church, and trust in Christ’s High Priestly prayer.

I have omitted in the last 2 weeks my regular article about this, thinking that the enemies of Christ would relent, but no, they become even more vicious. Maike, Yore and Frank Walker have joined their club. I suggest striking these off your list of reliable sources, because no matter how much a man has been a sinner, one should never calumniate him on the basis of his past bad habits, but always judge justly his present actions.

However, as regards the Sacrament of Confession, the current malaise which has sprouted up all over against it, is that confessors and preachers are neglecting to put any emphasis at all on our duty to love God and our duty to be humble. Yes, God always loves, but when we speak of God’s love in that sense, we are not speaking about the love which saves, because that love God has for even the damned in Hell. That love is not sufficient. We need to focus in on the love which saves, which is God’s search for man’s response of a humble love which makes itself known in faith and repentance, not the presumption of being forgiven at any time for anything without these two things.

But repentance is not true, unless it is humble and does not presume, and thus leads the forgiven sinner to acts which remind him of this: which are above all acts of spiritual caution in the future as regards all the occasions which gave birth to or in which there sprouted his sin, and mortification of oneself in all things which brought the soul to tread again on that evil ground.

This is why so many Saints fled, did tremendous penances, fled to the wilderness or joined religious Orders. Without the recognition that the soul cannot be saved except in the prison of spiritual prudence and habitual service, we fool ourselves when we go to confession, thinking we are sorry, but intending to do nothing to cure the root of our disobedience.

Now is the time of Lent and Passiontide is about to begin. We would be truly prudent if we took time to think of these things at length, and reflect on our lives so stained with horrible sins against the love of God which saves.