With Archbishop Viganò’s recent allegations of the hierarchy of the Church, we the lay people demand answers. Archbishop Viganò’s letter has disclosed  incriminating information about sexual misconduct, including homosexuality and pedophilia. This sin will not only lead the offenders to Hell, but the fact that their trasgressions have been consistently covered up is what creates this culture of evil within the Catholic Church.

These unspeakable offenses that have been brought to light for the world to see. God will no longer tolerate these heinous acts to take place. I am discouraged with the words of Pope Francis, when he stated, “I will not say a single word on that.” Pope Francis also said, “Read the statement carefully and make your own judgement.”  That is not an acceptable answer from the leader of the Church.

The Church’s teachings are infallible, but it is man that continues to corrupt the true meaning of what Jesus Christ gave us when he instituted the House of God.

^{Matthew 16:18}  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

The enemy is alive and well, and living in the crevices of the Church. The pain of these sins goes back many generations because of the cover-up. The children whose lives have been robbed of their innocence and purity, they are a true sacrifice of these evil devils like McCarrick, who never deserved the title of Cardinal, let alone priest. I pray for all victims to get their justice, and that they see God’s hand on the judgement of these criminals. I pray that the statute of limitations be lifted so that every person who sinned against the innocent pays for their egregious fall from grace, even if the offenders are elderly. I also pray for all good and holy priests to be protected, so that they can continue to lead our flock in the example of Jesus, the greatest of  shepherds.

I have written to the bishop of the Orange Diocese with my great disappointment and confusion. I am a catechist at St. Norbert in the city of Orange, and have signed a petition for the Pope to come forth with an explanation of this big mess that the hierarchy has for years covered up. I thank God that every hidden sin will be uncovered once and for all. I remain a steadfast Catholic, believing God’s judgement will prevail.

Matthew 10:26 “So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered that will not be revealed or hidden that will not be known.”

My letter to Pope Francis:

Your Holiness Pope Francis,

This correspondence is in regards to the allegations of Archbishop Viganò. For years I have admired you and what you have stood for. I was one of those persons that waited in line outside the Vatican for hours to see you, to take a picture of you. I was caught up by your charismatic spirit and was very excited to hear what you had to say.

Now I can only say how confused I am in your response to this matter. We need a directive from you, our Holy Father, and where you stand with all these accusations. Your Holiness, in all due respect, are you going to come forth in the defense of the victims? Where is the mercy that you often speak of? Can you not hear the cries of those in emotional pain cause by men under your leadership?

It takes a lifetime for some of these victims to come to terms with the heinous violations inflicted on them. Your Holiness, you are the chosen of God, and our Lord expects you to do what is right in the eyes of the world. When the Church needs you most, we feel abandoned by your indifference, and how you have avoided the elephant standing in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Though I am just a lay person, I have a voice that can transcend to many because I am a Blogger as well. I pray that our Church rid itself of all malice, and that every offender to be exposed. The victims cry out for justice, and we wait for you to speak on their defense. Save our Church from these evildoers and clean up the house of God once and for all. I implore you to order an independent investigation in this matter so that the truth may be revealed.

In highest respect for your service,

Lynda Ciriza

www.mycatholicrootsareshowing.com

For the past year I have been teaching a group of catechumens. Catechumens are persons receiving religious training before coming into the Catholic Church. When I receive the lesson plan, I do not take it lightly. I study, and I review it until I feel confident to teach the new potential members. I explain the Scripture, give history about the Scripture, and share personal stories. I fear, for my accountability is to God, and want to make certain that what comes from me is from the Lord.

This Sunday, one of the Mass readings was on the multiplication of the loaves and fish from John 6:1-14. In this Scripture many of Jesus’s holy attributes are revealed.  He’s testing his disciples when He asks them how are they going to feed so many. Jesus was training His disciples on the process of miracles. He was teaching them to operate in the supernatural. How do you explain a miracle? We don’t! We believe that it was from God. We learn to trust that all that we have is because He has entrusted us with this. All of our giftings are from Him, and our calling is from Him. That still small voice that tells you to do what’s right is from Him. We cannot take credit, or we might get all puffed up and think we did it on our own. Sorry, it was not you but our Lord that allowed these blessings. The Word of God says that He fed 5,000, but in reality it was more, because the women and children were not included. With 2 fish and 5 loaves of bread everyone ate, with 12 baskets left over. This miracle is the only one that is mentioned in all four Gospels. Why? Because we need it pounded in our brains that God will supply and multiply our every need.

The second reading was from  Ephesians 4:1-6

Brothers and sisters:
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace:
one body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.

This is a recipe for living. The first part of the instruction is to be humble. I asked the students in class, “What is humility?” The answer that came from one of the students was filled with godly wisdom. He said, “Every day I pray for humility, because I want to excel in my job.”  It the second ingredient is  gentleness, and you must first be humble to be gentle. Then the third part of the recipe is patience. How do we attain patience? Patience is what builds our character. As grown as I am in the Lord, I still have a long way to master patience. The last part of the recipe is love. We will never fully succeed in our calling without the love of God. When we love we have peace.

I love to sleep, but in order for me to attend daily Mass, I must be up by 5:45 AM to make the 6:15 AM service. Breakfast is my favorite meal, but I put it off for another hour so that I can stay after Mass for Adoration. Adoration is being in the presence of God. I pray, I write my Blog, and I pray more. It is through this training that I am moving up in the ranks of His mighty army. Experiencing the powerful move of God in my life has left me yearning for more, I can’t get enough. I hunger for His presence, and when I miss Mass, I feel a void.

Our minds are more alert when we are learning and teaching.  Why? Because the Lord is entrusting us with more classified information. We need this type of tactical training to teach God’s truth and shine His light in the darkness that covers this world.

When people are steeped deep into sin we are to  pray for them right? But if the sin continues, it is our responsibility before God to warn them. The way of the world would be to just shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh, well, that’s on them, who is it hurting?” This subject of sin lies heavy on the hearts of believers because we know better. We are never to condemn a sinner, but to expose the sin.

A few weeks ago it was revealed to me that a friend’s younger daughter was involved in a sin of debaurchery. I prayed about warning her, but felt inadequate as how to approach this delicate matter. The young lady is a millennial, so I knew that a text message would be the best means of reaching out.

At last Sunday’s Mass, ” Amazing Grace”  was the closing hymn.  This was when the Lord instructed me as to how to handle the matter.

The author of the song “Amazing Grace,” (John Newton) was one of the worst sinners. He was captain of a slave ship and we can only imagine what scenarios took place on those long voyages, and the sin that was on that man’s heart. It was through the grace of God that in his transformation, he wrote “Amazing Grace.” This hymn transcends many religions and can be heard at  funerals and church services. As I sang the song,  tears filled my eyes for this girl, and I knew what I had to do.

After Mass, Mike and  I went home and had breakfast. The thought of this young woman consumed me, so I could not help but to think that she may have sold her soul to the Devil. I talked it over with Mike and he advised me to leave it alone. Under normal circumstances, I follow the wise counsel of my husband, but this was different. I prayed more, seeking confirmation from God, then I opened my Bible, and this is the verse the Lord gave me:

Ezekiel 3:18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood.

I knew that this was from God and I followed with a simple text message: “Amazing Grace read the words to the song.” A few minutes later came a rude and disrespectful reply. I responded, “I was being obedient to the Lord, you will never hear from me again.” Ten minutes later came another response telling me that God is strong in her life and to mind my own business. I did not respond because my work was done, as she had been warned. The rest is between her and God. I continue to intercede on her behalf, and  know that one day she will have a testimony like the one of John Newton. John Newton was thirty-nine years-old when he received  his real calling. For the next forty-three years of his life he preached the Gospel of Christ.

All we need to do is follow the Ten Commandments, written by the hand of God: nothing has changed with Him.

My Prayer:

Dear Lord, you know the heart of a lost soul, I beg you to send your Hound of Heaven to liberate those who are deep into sin. It is only through Your amazing grace that these persons can change. You are the Maker and Finisher of lost souls, so bring them to the foot of your cross, and surround them with people who will convict them in a loving manner. Dear Jesus, save their souls from the pit of the abyss. Amen