"They will hate you"

"You do not belong to the world." We are Christ's and Christ is God's.

"I have called you out of the world." The "calling out" of God's people is his flock, the Church, sacred to Him and holy for the sake of the salvation of the world.

Our Holy Father Benedict presses forward in his mission to "restore the sacred" in liturgy, the nexus between the sacredness of God in Christ, through the action of the Spirit in the Church, and life. The liturgy is sacred because our worship and meeting with the royal Priest: "The Lord is king; he is robed in majesty."

The spirit of worldly idolatry, of "hate", is cast out by the Holy One, surrounded by His holy people:

"Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, 'Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him.' "

The continuity of Vatican II, with the whole tradition of the sacred, has yet to be fully implemented. The agenda of the destroyers of the sacred, the haters of the Holy One, is now in danger. The worldly reaction of attack, slander and vituperation betray this worldly spirit and agenda.

The serenity and love of Christ, pinned upon the Cross by the hatred of the world, is with all of those who join spiritual forces to restore the sacred together with our Holy Father. "...his disciples asked him in private,' Why could we not drive the spirit out?' He said to them, 'This kind can only come out through prayer.'"

Let His holy Church grow in the holiness of the Spirit, crying out together with Him and all martyrs, "Father, into Thy Hands I commend my Spirit."

((((..)))) mcitl

(Photo by archsculpt of work by Lee Lawrie at Church of Saint Vincent Ferrer, NYC.)