Francis Berger's Blog, page 97
May 15, 2021
Sunday Mass "Compulsory" Again in Hungary
Excerpted from this article:
From now on, attending Sunday mass will “once again be compulsory” for Catholics, except for the elderly and the sick, who will continue to be exempt, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK) said on Thursday.
The general dispensation from attending mass prompted by the coronavirus epidemic has been discontinued, it said.
The decision was based on the opinion of epidemiologists, with the lifting of coronavirus restrictions and the high rate of the inoculated taken into account, the church leadership said.
At the same time, diocesan bishops have the freedom to introduce different rules based on local needs, the MKPK said. The bishops have asked the faithful to observe social distancing guidelines, wear masks and use hand sanitizers.
None are safe until all are safe.
That they actually believe they still possess some semblance of spiritual and moral authority is beyond laughable.
Note added: I regularly attend Mass at the small Roman Catholic church in my village. Last year, this small village church shut its doors and essentially abandoned its congregation for six months. The closing tested the faith of a few people I know, but it didn't test mine. I am and remain a Christian despite the Church rather than because of it.
From now on, attending Sunday mass will “once again be compulsory” for Catholics, except for the elderly and the sick, who will continue to be exempt, the Hungarian Catholic Bishops’ Conference (MKPK) said on Thursday.
The general dispensation from attending mass prompted by the coronavirus epidemic has been discontinued, it said.
The decision was based on the opinion of epidemiologists, with the lifting of coronavirus restrictions and the high rate of the inoculated taken into account, the church leadership said.
At the same time, diocesan bishops have the freedom to introduce different rules based on local needs, the MKPK said. The bishops have asked the faithful to observe social distancing guidelines, wear masks and use hand sanitizers.
None are safe until all are safe.
That they actually believe they still possess some semblance of spiritual and moral authority is beyond laughable.
Note added: I regularly attend Mass at the small Roman Catholic church in my village. Last year, this small village church shut its doors and essentially abandoned its congregation for six months. The closing tested the faith of a few people I know, but it didn't test mine. I am and remain a Christian despite the Church rather than because of it.
May 12, 2021
"Freedom For" Is Not Freedom For Materialism, Individualism, and Liberalism
This may come off sounding harsh, but I find that most contemporary Christians lack imagination and intuition; this is especially true when it comes to the mysteriously arduous task of conceptualizing spiritual freedom.
The freedom-giving aspects of Christ's earthly mission have been - to use George W. Bush's infamous garbling of two distinct words - "misunderestimated."
Misunderestimated in the sense that the freedom Jesus offers has been both misunderstood and underestimated.
To begin with, any conflation of the authentic spiritual freedom Jesus offers man with some form of perceived materialistic, individualistic, liberal freedom the given world purports to offer is erroneous and off-base.
Worldly freedom based solely on materialism, individualism, liberalism or any other temporal 'ism' is slavery, not freedom. Slavery because all leftist "isms" are opposed to God. As such, all leftist 'isms' are also opposed to freedom. Moreover, they are also opposed to divine potential and spiritual purpose of each unique human person, which means all "isms" are also opposed to man, both individually and collectively.
As Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor lamented, Jesus's mission did not take mastery of people's freedom, but increased it. Put another way, Christ expands rather than restricts freedom; but the freedom Christ expands has nothing at all to do with social status, wealth, politics, hierarchies, and other worldly considerations, all of which lead to slavery if they take precedence over the primacy of the spiritual.
How does Jesus expand freedom? In three distinct ways: freedom from, freedom for, and freedom with.
The first aspect of Christ's mission on earth was to reveal freedom from the sin and death of the objectified, 'given' world.
Once a person embraces freedom from sin and death, he can approach freedom for everlasting life. Once this choice has been made, mortal life transforms and the potential to become free for the purposes of God and Creation become accessible.
Finally, Jesus offers man the potential to be free with God. Being free with God entails the recognition and utilization of the divine aspect of man; the understanding that each person can freely and actively work with God to contribute something unique to Creation, something God alone would not be able to contribute.
Properly understood, Christianity expands rather than restricts freedom. Not the worldly, materialist, anti-spiritual, I-gotta-be-me, amplification-of-false-selves sort of un-freedom espoused by materialism, individualism, liberalism and other anti-God leftist "isms" -- but the Creation-aligned, fully spiritual, divine-personal, I-gotta-be-the-true-me, communication-of-the-divine-self sort of authentic Christian freedom epitomized and exemplified by Jesus Himself.
Contrary to popular opinion, embracing the expanded freedom Christ offers does not denote arrogance or waywardness; on the contrary, it is a deep expression of love.
Christians misunderstand the expanded freedom Jesus offers. They also underestimate man's potential to access and harness this expanded freedom.
The freedom-giving aspects of Christ's earthly mission have been - to use George W. Bush's infamous garbling of two distinct words - "misunderestimated."
Misunderestimated in the sense that the freedom Jesus offers has been both misunderstood and underestimated.
To begin with, any conflation of the authentic spiritual freedom Jesus offers man with some form of perceived materialistic, individualistic, liberal freedom the given world purports to offer is erroneous and off-base.
Worldly freedom based solely on materialism, individualism, liberalism or any other temporal 'ism' is slavery, not freedom. Slavery because all leftist "isms" are opposed to God. As such, all leftist 'isms' are also opposed to freedom. Moreover, they are also opposed to divine potential and spiritual purpose of each unique human person, which means all "isms" are also opposed to man, both individually and collectively.
As Dostoevsky's Grand Inquisitor lamented, Jesus's mission did not take mastery of people's freedom, but increased it. Put another way, Christ expands rather than restricts freedom; but the freedom Christ expands has nothing at all to do with social status, wealth, politics, hierarchies, and other worldly considerations, all of which lead to slavery if they take precedence over the primacy of the spiritual.
How does Jesus expand freedom? In three distinct ways: freedom from, freedom for, and freedom with.
The first aspect of Christ's mission on earth was to reveal freedom from the sin and death of the objectified, 'given' world.
Once a person embraces freedom from sin and death, he can approach freedom for everlasting life. Once this choice has been made, mortal life transforms and the potential to become free for the purposes of God and Creation become accessible.
Finally, Jesus offers man the potential to be free with God. Being free with God entails the recognition and utilization of the divine aspect of man; the understanding that each person can freely and actively work with God to contribute something unique to Creation, something God alone would not be able to contribute.
Properly understood, Christianity expands rather than restricts freedom. Not the worldly, materialist, anti-spiritual, I-gotta-be-me, amplification-of-false-selves sort of un-freedom espoused by materialism, individualism, liberalism and other anti-God leftist "isms" -- but the Creation-aligned, fully spiritual, divine-personal, I-gotta-be-the-true-me, communication-of-the-divine-self sort of authentic Christian freedom epitomized and exemplified by Jesus Himself.
Contrary to popular opinion, embracing the expanded freedom Christ offers does not denote arrogance or waywardness; on the contrary, it is a deep expression of love.
Christians misunderstand the expanded freedom Jesus offers. They also underestimate man's potential to access and harness this expanded freedom.
Ultimate Value
When God is devalued for the sake of man, man is ultimately devalued.
When man is devalued for the sake of God, God is ultimately devalued.
When both God and man are valued for the sake of each other, the ultimate value of each will be revealed.
When man is devalued for the sake of God, God is ultimately devalued.
When both God and man are valued for the sake of each other, the ultimate value of each will be revealed.
May 11, 2021
A Christian Illustration That 'Works'
I have mixed feelings about modern/contemporary illustrations and paintings featuring Christ and Christian themes. The vast majority I have encountered over the years tend to have a greeting card quality about them.
Nevertheless, I have also come across some illustrations that really 'work'. The illustration below is an example of one of these - at least in my humble opinion . . .
The Hand of God - Yongsun Kim
Nevertheless, I have also come across some illustrations that really 'work'. The illustration below is an example of one of these - at least in my humble opinion . . .
The Hand of God - Yongsun Kim
May 10, 2021
The Other Side Knows Consciousness Is Key
"I'm really excited because, as I just mentioned, we have a new mindset. We have a new social consciousness. People like Greta Thunberg got very aware that something is wrong here in our lifestyles — that either we will have to suffer down the road or our children will have to suffer.
So we are now in a situation where climate change, or the attention given to climate change, provides a higher sensitivity for other deficiencies that we have.
I mentioned already a lack of inclusion, a lack of social justice, a system that is not necessarily fair in providing everybody with the necessary opportunities. And I think the pandemic has contributed to this new alertness, to this new sensitivity. Some people may say this is inconvenient because we pinpoint weaknesses in our society, but it's a wake-up call to adapt and to make sure that we have better lives. That's what we're fighting for."
- Klaus Schwab, Founder, WEF
The other side understands consciousness is key. It is aiming to instill a completely despiritualized consciousness locked firmly within the objectification of the given world. Once that is achieved, damnation is practically guaranteed.
So we are now in a situation where climate change, or the attention given to climate change, provides a higher sensitivity for other deficiencies that we have.
I mentioned already a lack of inclusion, a lack of social justice, a system that is not necessarily fair in providing everybody with the necessary opportunities. And I think the pandemic has contributed to this new alertness, to this new sensitivity. Some people may say this is inconvenient because we pinpoint weaknesses in our society, but it's a wake-up call to adapt and to make sure that we have better lives. That's what we're fighting for."
- Klaus Schwab, Founder, WEF
The other side understands consciousness is key. It is aiming to instill a completely despiritualized consciousness locked firmly within the objectification of the given world. Once that is achieved, damnation is practically guaranteed.
May 9, 2021
The Science Versus The Sober Peasant Mind
"With a sober peasant mind" is a common expression in Hungary. Sadly, when it comes to anything related to the birdemic, most Hungarians have lost their minds - sober peasant ones included. Of course, the same could be said of nearly any population anywhere in the world.
But it wasn't always this way.
The following clip provides a penetrating glimpse into the sober peasant mind in action against the persuasive arguments put forth by The Science.
Guess which one proved to be right in the end in this particular case.
But it wasn't always this way.
The following clip provides a penetrating glimpse into the sober peasant mind in action against the persuasive arguments put forth by The Science.
Guess which one proved to be right in the end in this particular case.
May 8, 2021
Two Ways; One Choice
I write a lot about choosing to be on the side of God and Creation, but what does choosing to be on the side of God and Creation entail?
What does the choice really mean?
At the macro level, I believe it boils down to not being on the side of the 'given world' - the world the System generates, propagates, and enforces through its ubiquitous mechanisms, its endless machinations, and its counterfeit ambitions to build heaven on earth.
Being on the side of God and Creation is to be on the side of concrete love, genuine freedom, and dynamic creativity. The choice is inspired by the deep understanding that redemption and salvation do not build heaven on earth, but rather align the earth with heaven.
The given world and Creation are two ways about which a single choice must be made, as Nikolai Berdyaev explains below:
There are two ways: one is that of the love of man, which wants to make men happy, to calm and organize them, to build comfortable housing for their neighbors where they will forget their irrational and tragic freedom, will renounce their right to absolute, supra-mundane truth. This is the way of Grand Inquisitor. It leads to the ant hill where there will be neither freedom nor personality.
The other way is the love of God which wants to liberate men, puts truth and super-human values above prosperity and the ordering of life. This is the way of Him who came with words of boundless freedom, and was a reminder that God and freedom and truth are above the well-being and tranquility of men. And we must choose either the philanthropic way of well-being or the God-loving way of freedom . . .
The world is now firmly in the grip of the philanthropic way of well-being. I don't know about you, but I don't sense any authentic love of man behind the current campaign for global welfare. As far as I can tell, the System's current program to establish heaven on earth will bring everything but well-being, comfort, or tranquility.
Put plainly, it doesn't seem like the 'given world' has all that much to give. Nor does it appear to be in much of a giving mood.
Of course, this should come as no surprise. After all, the Grand Inquisitor minced no words about whom he served.
Unlike the love of man, the God-loving way does not promise well-being, comfort, or tranquility in this world, but it does promise freedom and truth.
And a big part of the choice comes down to that.
What does the choice really mean?
At the macro level, I believe it boils down to not being on the side of the 'given world' - the world the System generates, propagates, and enforces through its ubiquitous mechanisms, its endless machinations, and its counterfeit ambitions to build heaven on earth.
Being on the side of God and Creation is to be on the side of concrete love, genuine freedom, and dynamic creativity. The choice is inspired by the deep understanding that redemption and salvation do not build heaven on earth, but rather align the earth with heaven.
The given world and Creation are two ways about which a single choice must be made, as Nikolai Berdyaev explains below:
There are two ways: one is that of the love of man, which wants to make men happy, to calm and organize them, to build comfortable housing for their neighbors where they will forget their irrational and tragic freedom, will renounce their right to absolute, supra-mundane truth. This is the way of Grand Inquisitor. It leads to the ant hill where there will be neither freedom nor personality.
The other way is the love of God which wants to liberate men, puts truth and super-human values above prosperity and the ordering of life. This is the way of Him who came with words of boundless freedom, and was a reminder that God and freedom and truth are above the well-being and tranquility of men. And we must choose either the philanthropic way of well-being or the God-loving way of freedom . . .
The world is now firmly in the grip of the philanthropic way of well-being. I don't know about you, but I don't sense any authentic love of man behind the current campaign for global welfare. As far as I can tell, the System's current program to establish heaven on earth will bring everything but well-being, comfort, or tranquility.
Put plainly, it doesn't seem like the 'given world' has all that much to give. Nor does it appear to be in much of a giving mood.
Of course, this should come as no surprise. After all, the Grand Inquisitor minced no words about whom he served.
Unlike the love of man, the God-loving way does not promise well-being, comfort, or tranquility in this world, but it does promise freedom and truth.
And a big part of the choice comes down to that.
May 6, 2021
Consciousness Will Not Stagnate, But Regress
In one of his more recent posts Bruce Charlton suggested that a major missed opportunity in the further development of consciousness likely occurred at the turn of the millennium:
The trick is that c2000 we were supposed-to recognize that the world was Not objective and external - and that instead we, each and personally, participated in the creating the reality of the world.
We were supposed to recognize that this participation in creating the 'objective, external world' needed to become active.
And that this active participation needed consciously to be chosen.
And for our creative contribution to be Good, entailed that we also chose to be aligned with God's creative destiny.
The problem was and is that failure to choose this active embrace of God and creation led to an evil default - which we see all around us today. Instead of actively/consciously-choosing Good -- Mankind has passively and unconsciously (and in-denial) chosen evil.
Dr. Charlton goes on to describe the failure to choose the active embrace of God and Creation as the failure to grow from spiritual adolescence to spiritual adulthood. Put another way, the free choice to align with God and participate in creation would have been to choose spiritual maturity.
As Dr. Charlton notes later in his post, this failure to choose has consequences.
The most significant of these is the regression of consciousness. The unwillingness to choose spiritual adulthood does not entail that people are allowed to remain in perpetual spiritual adolescence.
On the contrary, the unwillingness to choose spiritual adulthood precipitates a massive regression away from spiritual adolescence to a state I have sometimes referred to as 'slavery consciousness.'
The failure to become active participants in transfiguring the objective, external world opens the door for the objective, external world to actively overwhelm us and degrade us.
Spiritual adolescence is a state of alienation from God and Creation, but it is also filled with the potential for freedom and right choice. Spiritual slavery is an extreme state of alienation with no real potential for freedom or right choice because slavery consciousness severs all meaningful ties to Divine Reality.
People in this mode of consciousness no longer recognize the reality of God or the reality of their own spiritual natures. As a result, they surrender all of their spiritual resources and are rendered powerless against the forces of determination and objectification.
Since slavery consciousness is entirely preoccupied with external forces, it can no longer gauge, let alone use internal, spiritual resources properly. Consequently, people in this mode of consciousness are largely ruled by the forces of 'the given world' because they cannot perceive anything else.
As of now, the masses are either already firmly entrenched or are on their way to becoming firmly entrenched in this form of consciousness.
But what afflicts the masses does not have to afflict the individual person.
Choices can still be made.
The trick is that c2000 we were supposed-to recognize that the world was Not objective and external - and that instead we, each and personally, participated in the creating the reality of the world.
We were supposed to recognize that this participation in creating the 'objective, external world' needed to become active.
And that this active participation needed consciously to be chosen.
And for our creative contribution to be Good, entailed that we also chose to be aligned with God's creative destiny.
The problem was and is that failure to choose this active embrace of God and creation led to an evil default - which we see all around us today. Instead of actively/consciously-choosing Good -- Mankind has passively and unconsciously (and in-denial) chosen evil.
Dr. Charlton goes on to describe the failure to choose the active embrace of God and Creation as the failure to grow from spiritual adolescence to spiritual adulthood. Put another way, the free choice to align with God and participate in creation would have been to choose spiritual maturity.
As Dr. Charlton notes later in his post, this failure to choose has consequences.
The most significant of these is the regression of consciousness. The unwillingness to choose spiritual adulthood does not entail that people are allowed to remain in perpetual spiritual adolescence.
On the contrary, the unwillingness to choose spiritual adulthood precipitates a massive regression away from spiritual adolescence to a state I have sometimes referred to as 'slavery consciousness.'
The failure to become active participants in transfiguring the objective, external world opens the door for the objective, external world to actively overwhelm us and degrade us.
Spiritual adolescence is a state of alienation from God and Creation, but it is also filled with the potential for freedom and right choice. Spiritual slavery is an extreme state of alienation with no real potential for freedom or right choice because slavery consciousness severs all meaningful ties to Divine Reality.
People in this mode of consciousness no longer recognize the reality of God or the reality of their own spiritual natures. As a result, they surrender all of their spiritual resources and are rendered powerless against the forces of determination and objectification.
Since slavery consciousness is entirely preoccupied with external forces, it can no longer gauge, let alone use internal, spiritual resources properly. Consequently, people in this mode of consciousness are largely ruled by the forces of 'the given world' because they cannot perceive anything else.
As of now, the masses are either already firmly entrenched or are on their way to becoming firmly entrenched in this form of consciousness.
But what afflicts the masses does not have to afflict the individual person.
Choices can still be made.
May 5, 2021
Yeah, Something Like That
I think this simple painting by Slovakian artist Ladislav Zaborsky visually captures the inner transformation that occurs when a person freely chooses to follow Christ and align with God and Creation. 
May 4, 2021
"Bulletproof Vests": I Wonder How This Will Age
"In the past, we defended ourselves by closing, thereby slowing the spread of the virus. But now we are on the attack. The vaccine is like a bulletproof vest. The virus bounces off of it."
- Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary
If official statistics are to be believed, over four million of my countrymen and women have voluntarily lined up to receive one of the many pecks available in this country. Judging by the number of pecked people I personally know, I am inclined to think the official figures are probably authentic.
To put the pecked number into the proper perspective it is useful to remember that Hungary's population is slightly less than ten million. Four million is nearly half the country, yet our pugilistic prime minister appears intent to keep his "attack" going until every single Magyar citizen submits to the needle. Whether or not that submission remains voluntary is uncertain.
The government here is currently engaged in a full out offensive in order to reach its declared aim of achieving herd immunity in the population. Thus far, the dreaded lockout has been the most effective tactic. Once the government declared that only pecked people would be allowed to go to the movies and visit the zoo, it was off to the races.
Five million is the next big milestone and the government has intensified its efforts. To help reach its objective, it recently announced the peck would be now be freely available to everyone in the 16-18 year-old age group. I imagine the pecking of 12-16 year-olds is just around the corner.
The prime minister takes pride in his "patriotic, Christian" leadership. Five million people is half the country. He had better hope and pray his much-vaunted bulletproof vests don't end up being vests of another kind.
- Viktor Orbán, Prime Minister of Hungary
If official statistics are to be believed, over four million of my countrymen and women have voluntarily lined up to receive one of the many pecks available in this country. Judging by the number of pecked people I personally know, I am inclined to think the official figures are probably authentic.
To put the pecked number into the proper perspective it is useful to remember that Hungary's population is slightly less than ten million. Four million is nearly half the country, yet our pugilistic prime minister appears intent to keep his "attack" going until every single Magyar citizen submits to the needle. Whether or not that submission remains voluntary is uncertain.
The government here is currently engaged in a full out offensive in order to reach its declared aim of achieving herd immunity in the population. Thus far, the dreaded lockout has been the most effective tactic. Once the government declared that only pecked people would be allowed to go to the movies and visit the zoo, it was off to the races.
Five million is the next big milestone and the government has intensified its efforts. To help reach its objective, it recently announced the peck would be now be freely available to everyone in the 16-18 year-old age group. I imagine the pecking of 12-16 year-olds is just around the corner.
The prime minister takes pride in his "patriotic, Christian" leadership. Five million people is half the country. He had better hope and pray his much-vaunted bulletproof vests don't end up being vests of another kind.
