Bishop Stephen Gardiner who helped Henry VIII destroy the Catholic Church in England so long under the protection of Saint Thomas Becket, Henry plundering and destroying the tomb of Saint Thomas as a symbol of the Catholicism he hated, later repented and sought to restore the Catholic Church in England under Queen Mary. He died before Queen Mary and therefore he did not live to see the failure of the attempted restoration as a result of Mary’s death and the accession of Bloody Elizabeth. As he lay dying he purportedly said something in his grief that I think gets at the heart of what sickens the modern world: Erravi cum Petro, sed non flevi cum Petro. (Like Peter I have erred, unlike Peter I have not wept.) Sin remains sin, no matter what the world in its folly calls it. Sin without repentance leads to damnation in eternity and endless evil in this world, something the Middle Ages knew well and our Modern World has almost completely forgotten.
Thought For The Day
- Donald R. McClarey
Donald R. McClarey
Cradle Catholic. Active in the pro-life movement since 1973. Father of three, one in Heaven, and happily married for 43 years. Small town lawyer and amateur historian. Former president of the board of directors of the local crisis pregnancy center for a decade.
The first step in getting out of trouble is realizing that you’re actually in trouble.
Instead of acknowledging sin and weeping for the punishment that it merits, we acknowledge a universal forgiveness and do not worry about the the sin.
This heretical forgiveness without repentance has been in the works for a long time and keeps getting stronger. Why weep for your sins if He doesn’t care about them? It’s theological communism. If all are paid the same wage, despite their works, why work? If all men are saved, despite their works…
Bloody Elizabeth. For me, I refer to her as ‘Bloody Bessie’.
Supposedly Henry VIII asked for a rosary on his death bed and prayed the rosary for forgiveness. Henry was the worst King of England having at least 57,000 of his subjects executed.
[…] Families Pray to This Little Girl From Louisiana for Miracles – Natl Catholic RegisterSin without Repentance Leads to Damnation – Donald R. McClarey, J.D., at The American CatholicHow to Keep God Present Before the […]