Here are the posts for Holy Saturday, and the source for the Vigano letter.
Christ’s Descent Into Hell According To Blessed Ann Catherine Emmerich
Christ Descended Into Hell And Rose Again On The Third Day | Fr John Hardon
Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano’s Good Friday 2023 Message
Source
https:// catholicfamilynews.com/blog/2023/04/07/abp-vigano-on-good-friday/
© 2023, Anthony Stine. All rights reserved. You may reuse or copy this post by giving credit and providing a link.
There is no trace in the Fathers of the Church of the Ignatian use of imagination in prayer & meditation, which Fr. Hardon discusses & which was part of his training. In fact, they warn against such imaginative activity as a delusion and a snare.
Hi John,
Think about this :
Imagination : The cognitive process of Mind which elaborates a new idea, concept, or image .
So…. where did Einstein get E = MC 2 ?
It had to be a “new” idea, an evolved concept, and likely associated with some image .
Since all good things come from God , the “new” and “novel” ( as do not contradict His Word ) are good and from God . In other words, everything material created by man is a good gift given by God , but man often takes credit for the idea or the concept . In better language man gives a man the credit. AND,obviously, dependent upon the heart or motivation, it might be “bad” .If one has an image of sex , a perversion, its obviously a temptation of evil – if one has an image of sex , as a life giving union of two becoming one , it can be beautiful to reflect on man’s participation with the creator to bring forth life , an inspiration of love.
All that to say, much of meditation reaches into the realms of imagination . It is prayer .
AND Who or what is being listened to by the conversation.. Maturity in the spiritual presumes the prayer can discern , BUT anyone can get fooled at any time . Since prayer is an essential , it certainly needs to be taught more about , BUT , modernists have a very difficult time to believe there is any worry – their fooled from the start as they dismiss Satan , his demon bro’s, and hell in an eagerness to go there ?
Blessed Easter, HE IS RISEN , Raphael
. . . hence the IRREFUTABILITY of the DAILY
Rosary. Jesus, Mary, AND Joseph [ in his “silent”
raising of Jesus with Mary) CANNOT lie
or deceive.
IGNATIAN discursive (proceeding by argument or
reasoning) meditation [in the context of PRAYER
time] is meant STRICTLY for use of THE GOSPEL
ACCOUNTS [prepared for the evening BEFORE the
actual meditation next morning ].
Here the person-at-prayer is asked to place him
or herself WITHIN the Gospel scene CHOSEN, by
him or her, to be meditated on . . using one’s
IMAGINATION, of course . . for one’s next hour
of prayer, of meditation.
Since the Gospels are the “Father’s account &
“description” of the Son [ through the Holy Spirit
inspiring the Evangelists —Matthew, Mark, Luke,
and John] no part of the Gospels are WITHOUT
the Presence of Jesus. Hence, SACRED Scripture.
So, the person-at-prayer [through his or her imagination]
takes careful note of his/her chosen scene: where; when;
who; what said; what not said; what done; what not done . .
etc.
DURING the meditation one takes careful note of ANY
PERSONAL “REACTIONS” to what comes to light . .
strong attraction to . . strong repulsion from. THESE are
the moments —according to St. Ignatius —MEANT FOR
the person at prayer . . not to run from or overlook, but
to return to and STAY WITH . . until the meaning and
message FOR THE PRAYING PERSONS is acknowledged
and taken to heart by them. Prayer time is then concluded,
with a “colloquy” —a prayer to Our Lord, committing to Him
to apply [interiorly and practically that same day] the
message received during that meditation. A prayer or
aspiration of thanksgiving closes the hour.
[ Ver. Bishop Sheen was VERY good at this, for example,
his Characters of the Passion book.]
John H., are you A SCHOLAR in Patristics and methods of
prayer, e.t. St. Dominic’s promotion of the Rosary (1209)
and the Carthusians before that; the Imitation of Christ by
Thomas à Kempis; Fransiscan prayer; Carmelite prayer;
Ignatian prayer . . through the ages?
Sorry to say, John, but there are CENTURIES between
the Fathers of the Church and God raising up Ignatius of
Loyola [study his conversion experience in the cave at
Manresa] to counter the Protestant Revolt in the 1500s.
A whole new era is European history! . . needed a
correspondingly competent leader to be raised up by
God to deal with the loss of Faith and rampant errors
spreading across all Europe and beyond.
And that man was the Basque soldier Igño of Loyola
castle. And a ROUGH “make-over” did he have to
go through . . BUT leaving a powerful “weapon” for
all generations even up until today: the 30-day
retreat with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius.
“In fact, they [ Fathers ] warn against such imaginative
activity as A DELUSION AND A SNARE” . . a totally
unsupported —and, therefore, unjustifiable —conclusion
because of lack of historical evidence. In other words . .
sorry John, but you have IMAGINED your conclusion
. . a “delusion and a snare” ??
Well, a Blessed Easter to you anyway! “Christ IS Risen
as He said, Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!!
P.S. Fr.Hardon, SJ, is one, good, Jesuit, a true Son
of Ignatius, worthy of St.Ignatius’ original members
of the Company of Jesus.
Thoroughly versed in the History of the Church, in
the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, and in the Church’s
Sacred Deposit of the Faith [ check out his Catechetical
Course at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in
Lacrosse, Wisconsin under Leo Cardinal Burke ]
Fr.Hardon’s Catechetical activity at the Shrine is anything
but “imaginative” or “delusional” or “a snare”.
In fact it’s the opposite. It is ONE URGENTLY NEEDED
PROGRAM to help TODAY’S layman and laywoman
[ . . and Priests too! ] return to the SOLID teachings, practise,
and Worship of the Catholic Church.