Marilyn Remmel: Home Alone?
Message 423 Christania
From: Teresa Benns
Date: Sun Oct 5, 2003 8:46 pm
Subject: Re: Dishonesty: The danger of self-importance
Dear Christania,
Below are my responses to unsolicited e-mails I received from someone I
believe is working in concert with "[email protected]". They make a good prelude to a project that will be posted here soon. Unfortunately the individual is now blocking my e-mails so will not accept a reply.
Before reading these and the final one with my response, please keep one
thing in mind here. In the matter of Church teaching, no one has a right to his/her own opinion. We are no one. As Jesus told St. Catherine of Siena: "I am everything, and you are nothing." Had the book and other essays written before and after been based on my own opinion they would be worthless. I think I have gone to great lengths to prove exactly the opposite in presenting only the teaching of the Catholic Church. Catholic sense is only as good as the doctrinal soundness of those preserving the faith and passing it on in words and actions to their children. That soundness was in tatters 100 years ago and more. I think it is safe to say then that sensus Catholicus has not existed for a very long time, and can be revived only by the pope and a resultant (truly) Cathoilic restoration of the Church.
In defense of the Faith,
Teresa Benns
Dear Miss Benns
I don't know how you have come to your position but I am sure you have done so with a great deal of research and have concluded that your research supports the election of a "pope," because "someone has to do it."
Yes I put the words in quotation, and you have heard them before, numerous times.
Your book I have on hand. Whether I want to read it I don't know. I just know that your jurisdiction proposals are for naught. You cannot self-subscribe this position from nowhere and create if out of "select" canons and quotations. The "sense" of the True Church is missing when ecclesiastic rule is missing.
If you realized what a ridicule you make of such activity, you would abandon it. But you don't realize the ridiculous and are very serious. This is tremendously dangerous—for you—as you may have heard the New York conclave tell Mr. Bawden. I'm sure they had no truck with the likes of self-papal elections and told you and Mr. Bawden the same thing mentioned here. I don't need to put my oar in the water. Except for one thing. I am vintage age. I am much older than all of the New York crowd, both the papal lover and the sedevacantists, who debated him. He cannot see the light either.
Since I am older than you and Bawden, this becomes a key feature in my argument, which previous generations ought and most of the time do, pay attention to. I was able to by-pass much of the modern instruction occurring in the Catholic schools in the 1940-s and 1950s. We learned a Catholic Sense but more importantly, this catholicus sensus was given to us by the Sacrament of Confirmation, when Confirmation was administered by real bishops who were not schismatic reproductions from Lefebvre or Thuc. This makes people like me more than just True Catholics. It makes us lucky enough to have received ALL the sacraments during the time when bishops had jurisdiction and were not wandering episcopals. It put the true indelible mark on us,and imbued in us the wisdom, knowledge and understanding
which finds papal aberrations not merely offensive, but it is that, too. It is to us to see you close enough to being outside of Christ's Plan as possible. Chesterton reminded the world that "nothing is farther from the truth as when it is nearly true." That's you and Bawden he was speaking of. That is the main thing that Confirmands had before Pius XII died. True sensus catholicus. It is the one thing you both are missing.
I wish I could give it to you. Without it you spin your wheels in vain looking for answers. There are no answers. No restoration. No "recovery" by electing "popes" and wandering bishops. It is truly too bad that just a simple understanding and belief does not overcome you, but it cannot until you abandon bad will. It takes good will to realize that we must accept the Will of God as He is in charge of seeing His church eclipse. You will not be appointed or self-appointed to change scripture.
So I attempt to remind you that only good will will turn your head the other way. From whence your belief system came from I don't know. I just know it was flawed and crippled. And Bawden's was apostate and heretical. As St. Thomas More to Roper, during his heresy period, "we shall just have to wait until your head spins around again. You would not have survived the Spanish Inquisition."
Unless it does, you are in danger of losing your souls. This is playing with fire, and is a real occasion of sin.
Marilyn Remmel
Dear Marilyn:
As Rev. Demaris explained in his They Have Taken Away My Lord what we are not able to receive sacramentally, God in His mercy will grant to us
spiritually if we but ask Him. In any event I was confirmed before the
commencement of Vatican II, so it is possible I received valid Confirmation.
I know the rules of law. I also know that jurisdiction is of Divine Law, and
therefore cannot be toyed with by Traditionalists as it has been. If you wish to state your case you will need to rely on far more than valid Sacraments and "true" Catholic education. Catholic education in this country was deficient in the 1930s, and there is reason to believe that the Sacraments administered by certain priests and bishops clear back to the 1800s in this country could be suspect.
The good will you mention comes from fervent prayer and study, not just
infused wisdom, piety, etc... Pope Pius XII calls what you suggest as God's
will "quietistic passivity." The Vatican Council and several papal encyclicals written pre-1958 condemn the premises you set forth about the papacy, and Catholic history itself condemns them.
I am gratified that you are concerned about Pope Michael's soul and my own. Catholics must be concerned for each other's souls. We are concerned about countless souls like your own who even 75 years ago and more were being taught a superficial faith in Catholic schools and Churches. All this is easy enough to discover from books printed in that era. This is why no St. Bernard, St. Catherine of Siena or St. Dominic appeared on the scene to fight for the Church in the 1960s.
For the past 25 years I have done all in my power to discover the truth and
lead others to it. I have exhausted every avenue research-wise to demonstrate the truths of faith. Because I have arrived at certitude in the manner prescribed by the Church, I have no qualms about my position. But at the same time, I am always open to correction provided it is based on these same truths taught by the Church. We cannot attempt to correct each other based only on opinion: we must be armed with the truths of faith. It is not enough to accuse someone of apostasy and heresy — a very grave charge — you must positively demonstrate it from such works as The Catechism of the Council of Trent or The Sources of Catholic Dogma and so forth.
If you can overcome your repugnance long enough to read the book, I will be happy to answer any questions.
May the Holy Ghost guide you,
Teresa Benns
Message 424 Christania
From: Teresa Benns
Date: Sun Oct 5, 2003 9:50 pm
Subject: Final reply from Marilyn and my comments
BennsTere@a... wrote:
Dear Marilyn:
As Rev. Demaris explained in his "They Have Taken Away My Lord," what we are not able to receive sacramentally, God in His mercy will grant to us spiritually if we but ask Him. In any event I was confirmed before the commencement of Vatican II, so it is possible I received valid Confirmation.
You did. But in spite of all the Sacraments protection is only assisted, not guaranteed, and you well know that, too. Many have fallen away as we have seen. The whole world, and they have abused the gifts which come with it, Understanding and Wisdom. Knowledge does not come without these.
I know the rules of law. I also know that jurisdiction is of Divine Law, and therefore cannot be toyed with by Traditionalists as it has been.
I don't recommend toying with it as it has been by others, either.
If you wish to state your case you will need to rely on far more than valid Sacraments and "true" Catholic education. Catholic education in this country was deficient in the 1930s,
Yes, I know, it was deficient even farther back. I have documentation
showing that the Turning of the Tides of education was occurring in
1905. Pius X was aware prior to 1903. Cardinal Manning cautioned that
the "Catholic nose is feeble" in 1870. Abbe Roca was twisting the
doctrines in 1830. The Freemasons go back to 1730. But our holy
scholars were aware of all that. These and other scholars like them had
a better chance of pointing out the problems of vacancy in the
papacy—but they didn't do it—because they can't write canon law by
themselves either.
and there is reason to believe that the Sacraments administered by certain priests and bishops clear back to the 1800s in this country could be suspect.
However, no one can go there. To "elect a pope" does not address hidden
intentions. It is a different subject. Where invisible intention
exists, the Church supplies the deficiency. To start on that path takes
one all through the entire history of the Church, perhaps even through
the times of the Early Fathers. There is no doubt that men being what
they are, deficiency of intention can always be present. But Our Lord
guaranteed the matter and form--not the intention--for validity.
The good will you mention comes from fervent prayer and study, not just infused wisdom, piety, etc... Pope Pius XII calls what you suggest
I don't suggest anything of the sort, at least not by that name. I am
as militant as can possibly be, against heresy and error. However,
taking up the scepter is another thing.
as God's will "quietistic passivity." The Vatican Council and several papal encyclicals written pre-1958 condemn the premises you set forth about the papacy, and Catholic history itself condemns them.
I set no "premises" forth other than what Vatican I states.
I am gratified that you are concerned about Pope Michael's soul and my own. Catholics /must/ be concerned for each other's souls. We are concerned about countless souls like your own who even 75 years ago and more were being taught a superficial faith in Catholic schools and Churches. All this is easy enough to discover from books printed in that era. This is why no St. Bernard, St. Catherine of Siena or St. Dominic appeared on the scene to fight for the Church in the 1960s.
For the past 25 years
For the past 55 years I have seen people inventing their own ways, and
for twelve years before that I knew what it was to be a Catholic
I have done all in my power to discover the truth and lead others to it.
There is plenty you can do about teaching (and being repulsed for doing
it) without being "celebrated" for your attempts at papal elections.
The obligation to teach the Faith to the world is the most honorable
task. There is a line in Song of Bernadette that applies to your
papal method:
Sr. Mary Therese to Sr. Mary Bernard:
"Why do you limp? Limping gains sympathy from the other sisters. Is
that it? I have known you for many years. In the outside world you
were celebrated. Here you are a nonenity. You find that difficult to
bear don't you? The temptation to cling to your eminence is undoubtedly
too strong for you. ...I have tried to believe you...but I cannot."
What is it you don't believe?
"What everyone else is willing to believe.... Many agree with
you....But I do not. What do you know of suffering? In all our sacred
history, the chosen ones have always been those who have suffered. Why
then should God choose you? Why not me? .I know what it is to suffer,
look at my eyes, they burn like the very fires of Hell. Why? Because
they need sleep and rest, they need rest which I will not give them.
My throat is parched from constant prayer. My hands are gnarled from
serving God in humiliation. My body is pain-wracked from stone floors,
because I know it is the only true road to Heaven. And if I, who have
have tortured myself cannot glimpse the blessed Virgin, how can you, who
have never felt pain dare to say you have seen her? ...If only I could
find evidence, if only you could give me some proof, maybe then I could
believe you. Maybe then these monsters of doubt and hate would stop
consuming my very soul. For the love of God, Sister, give me some proof."
Sr. Mary Bernard: I wish I could help you.....but maybe I can help
you...
Sr. Mary Therese later, "Oh God, I have tried to storm the Gates of
Heaven, by _sacrificing myself. _[let's substitute: "by electing a pope, to serve You, O Lord, not for myself, but for You]. I know now that we must be chosen, that we must be graced as You have graced _this child_ [let's substitute "these glorious teachers of Thy Holy Church"]. I have
persecuted _her_ [let's substitute: "You, and Thy laws given us by our Doctrinists and Popes"] and did not believe _her_ [let's substitute: "Thy Will--Thy eclipse, Thy vacant Chair"] because I was filled with hate and envy. God help me to serve _this chosen soul_ [let's substitute "Thy Holy Laws as regarding Thy Church's succession and jurisdiction"] for the rest of my life.., God help me, ..., God help me..."
I have exhausted every avenue research wise to demonstrate the truths of faith. Because I have arrived at certitude in the manner prescribed by
The Church does not "prescribe you—or anyone. You are not chosen. Not
apostolicly succeeding anyone! For that alone you invent your own
dangerous ground.
the Church, I have no qualms about my position. But at the same time, I am always open to correction provided it is based on these same truths taught by the Church.
Consider then your correction is not given to you to have. You have
stolen it.
We cannot attempt to correct each other based only on opinion: we must be armed with the truths of faith. It is not enough to accuse someone of apostasy and heresy — a very grave charge — you must positively demonstrate it from such works as "The Catechism of the Council of Trent," or "The Sources of Catholic Dogma" and so forth.
As stated, and as you know well yourself, there ARE NO WORKS which are in the negative. Which leaves us with a very interesting playing
field. Open to those who would invent their own solutions.
If you can overcome your repugnance long enough to read the book, I will be happy to answer any questions.
There is another line from Bernadette herself—for those who resist—which I paraphrase: "I am afraid only of bad Catholicism."
May the Holy Ghost guide you,
Rather than the deploy Deceptive Stratagem No. 28, the loving and
God-like closing, after going against His laws and rules, seek something
else:
Humility, the thing that is the most difficult the more intelligent the mind. And you are greatly intelligent, a condition often seen as an impediment to the truth.
I think we have exhausted this matter, Sr. Maybe seeing the movie would
help.
Teresa Benns
Ciao!
Marilyn Remmel
Dear Marilyn:
While you may believe your militancy is a good thing, it obviously is quite
flawed and should be stopped at once. It is strange that you zero in on
humility, of all things. Because we are only proud when we rely on our own
opinions or skewered conception of truth, and do not engage in the very laborious work of discovering what the CHURCH, Herself, teaches on such matters.
Human faith consists of three stages: Consciousness of ignorance, which is an element of natural humility; opening of the mind to the teacher and belief in the teacher. The only true and acceptable teacher granted Catholics by Jesus Christ is the pope. If Catholics doubt the validity of current papal claimants, they need only diligently consult papal documents and conciliar teachings of the past to quickly clear this difficulty. If even then they do not understand and accept the need for a pope and the clear call of the popes to satisfy that need, then they have ventured outside the range of that very voice Christ referred to in the Gospel, where he announced Himself as the Good Shepherd and confidently stated that He knew His own, and they in turn came when He summoned them.
What you are suggesting that I do is fall victim to false humility. As Rev.
Cajetan da Bergamo states in his little work, Humility of Heart this would be a sin."If you possess the talent of teaching, counseling and doing good to the souls of others, and then you retire as if from humility saying, 'I am not good enough,' or...when it is your duty to correct, punish, or exercise authority and you abandon it from motives of humility, this is not true humility but weakness and cowardice, and as far as externals are concerned we must observe the rule of the holy father St. Augustine: 'Lest whilst humility is unduly observed, the authority of the ruler be undermined among those who ought to be submissive.'" St. Thomas teaches that "humility, which is a virtue, is always fruitful in good works."
My humility is not something I can judge, for as Rev. da Bergamo says, "he
who thinks himself humble is no longer so." God and our lawful superiors alone are the judge of this. I act only upon what I know, and I know that the popes for over 100 years have enjoined all to participate in the apostolate of spreading the faith owing to a lack, long ago, of enough priests to spread the Gospel. But at the same time they urge all to do so only under the guidance of the popes. It is clear to me that to ignore this call on the pretext of humility would be a grievous sin of disobedience, and not to heed Pope St. Pius X's call for innovations to solve the problem would be imprudent and slothful. Judge me as you may, but you might want to keep this in mind.
The nun who corrected St. Bernadette believed her to be an attention-hungry malingerer, which is what you are accusing me of being. But somehow you then turn the tables and you are Bernadette, I am the nun. It can't work both ways. Christ gave the Pharisees all the proofs they needed to believe in Him and become His followers. They sneered at Him, mocked Him, tried to trap Him and eventually murdered Him. And even after His Resurrection, they did not believe or understand. Christ Himself predicted that when He returned to earth, He would not find faith, and that is a fact. But His promises that the papacy will last unto the consummation can never fail.
If I am judged as lacking in humility and taking on airs, I seek refuge in
Our Lord who was even accused by His enemies of being possessed. I ask only to suffer with Him in this small way that all that is wanting to His Passion be fulfilled. God's truth will out, even if all my efforts to present it fall into nothingness.
In defense of the faith,
Teresa Benns
Dear Mrs. Benns,
You are right, of course, in identifying the line taken by Remmel with Bob Morris' own ideology.
What I can see, as clear as day - is the utter ridiculousness, the utter conceit, arrogance, nihilism, and Quietism-cum-Supercilious-Know-Nothingism on the part of the lady who wrote you.
Both Morris and Remmel stick up their noses in the air and think no end of themselves. They believe that because they were born, confirmed, etc., before Roncalli commenced his "Roman" (i.e. Neo-Vatican) Circus, they and they alone, as against latter-born Catholics, are true Catholics, that they are therefore assured against a falling away or error - and that they have therefore a monopoly on intelligence, piety and the Faith!
The only difference is that Remmel puts these obscene and pathetic errors in a more arrogant - and malicious - manner than Morris ever did to me...
Both Remmel and Morris suffer from hubris - an exaggerated sense of self-importance - since they self-constitute themselves the privilegensia of Catholicity, so that they grant unto themselves the right to moralistically harangue those whom they perceive as being "inferior" and at the same time, taking care to prevent these targets of their condescension the right to reply to their sublime nonsense... after all, are they not Aristocrats, and so dispensed from the rules that bind mere mortals?
It is best not to waste our time with these tendentious and weird blimps.
Prakash