The Longest Night

Posted on by charliej373

full moon on longest night

I don’t really want to write anything until after Christmas. Maybe just a few notes to tide you over.

In the last month I have spoken to about a dozen people I much respect who have had their faith shaken badly by events of this last year. Some have abandoned faith almost altogether, hanging on only by a thread – hoping that something will spark new hope and new resolve in them. One of the easiest ones to deal with is my friend, Kassi Marks, of Texas. I mention her publicly only because she has now spoken of what happened on her own Blog. Kassi is a deep, profoundly pro-life lawyer. She has spent years writing against Texas’ hideous “Advanced Directives” law, which allows hospitals to take control away from patients and their families in life and death situations with no right of appeal. She has fought the Texas Catholic Bishops’ Conference, which supports this law in direct contravention of Catholic teaching. (I should note that the Conference is the political, rather than a doctrinal, arm of the Bishops, but boy, is it offensive to see any Bishops formally undermining Catholic teaching in any venue. Small wonder their credibility is at an all-time low and still sinking.)

Kassi’s case is easy for me because she has not given up on God. She has converted to Russian Orthodox. Her fine, legal mind decided that if settled doctrine can be changed at a pontiff’s whim, or if it can contradict prior settled teaching, it cannot be reliably true – and, thus, it cannot be God’s Church. I told her if I believed that to legitimately be the case, I would have to agree with her. But despite the histrionics of some Bishops (including the Bishop of Rome) who want to replace 2,000 years of Magisterial teaching with what they believe to be their own sovereign will, I am convinced that this trial, too, will pass. Kassi has found a place where she can keep faith in God even as her faith in the Catholic Church has been shaken. Sadly, I have encountered many others I care about who question whether there is any abiding truth at all – or whether God really is. While I sympathize with those who are shaken, who feel betrayed by too many of those they trusted to be guardians and defenders of truth and the faith, I could NEVER join their ranks.

I told you on the old website – and on this one as well – that we were headed for a “global civil war fought on cultural lines.” I was saying the same thing a quarter of a century ago to my Priests – and in my private writings to them. I told you that this would be the worst crisis in the history of civilization. The only thing worse will be when we approach the actual end. As recently as a few years ago on these sites, I was mocked by many for stating it in such bald terms. The process was rickety. I made a couple of flubs along the way, but I told you true on the fundamental heart of the matter – and even the harshest of my old critics would have a very hard time explaining why we are not already in a global civil war fought on cultural lines. The crisis has not degenerated into the worst ever yet, but the battle lines are almost fully revealed.

But I also told you something else, quite forcefully: that this is NOT the end, that God is NOT done with us, that the only reason for me to tell you of the Storm at all was so that when it came you would have confidence that I had also told you true that all this darkness is only prelude to our renewal in God. And I told you to prepare for these times, not by stockpiling and hoarding, as if you could become an island and sit out the troubles that would come upon all mankind – but by this simple formula: Acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around you. No matter what happens around us, we can keep faith. Each of us has to choose in this great winnowing. God calls us to participate with Him in resurrecting the culture.

I am convinced that we now enter a year of judgment. It was no coincidence, I don’t think, that we had a full moon on the longest night of the year. The winds and waves have risen, but they are not yet howling with wild abandon. Don’t be surprised when they do. People still ask me occasionally about specific scenarios. Who cares whether it is by fire or ice that we are humbled? That is just a detail. The reality is that we will be humbled. So I have a few things to ask those who follow this website.

Make your stand both with charity and unshakeable resolve. If your faith is shaken, you may have entered the dark night of the soul. You can still acknowledge God (even when you don’t feel Him), take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around you. Both St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Calcutta struggled with this darkness most of their lives, as their private writings later revealed. But they lived their faith despite that interior darkness. That is absolutely heroic – saintly, you might say. You know, however much you are shaken, that that is the only path to joy, the only path that builds up those around you, the only path that can give your children a hope and a future. Ask both St. Therese and St. Teresa to pray for you and help you to get up off your mat and walk when you get discouraged.

When the darkness comes fully, the people who will be most distressed will be those who have done the most to summon it. Those who now think themselves masters of the universe have no clue how to survive without services – and servants – at their beck and call. The time will come when they will be baffled and in terror of what they have called down upon all of us – and they will come to you for help and succor because, even though you, too, are in need, you will be in better shape than they are. Will your resentments – and your own needs – prevent you from ministering to them? How will you bring them back to the path of faith if you behave as these heathens among us do, with resentment, malice, and low cunning? I do not say to let them govern your assemblies; they have shown they cannot safely be entrusted with authority. Rather, treat them with charity as the supplicants that, soon enough, they will become. Show them a better way – the way of faith, family and freedom. Treat them as brothers if they can accept it. If they spurn your help even then, then shake the dust off your feet in witness against them – but not until you have offered the better way. These things you must do when you, yourself, are in need and in fear.

Do not be quick to condemn a Bishop or a Priest. Yes, we have more corruption and loss of faith than perhaps at any time in Church history. But neither you nor I can pilot this ship. It is the Lord, Himself, who left that to the hierarchy. If a cleric rejects the Gospels of Christ, let him be anathema to you. Treat him as the irrelevant dandy that he is by ignoring him. But do not treat all clerics as corrupt because some are. Even now, there are heroes rising among the clergy. Some who wear the collar are good men who are peacetime consiglieres in a time when war has come. These are not bad men. Do not treat them as if they were. Help build each other up as brothers in the Lord – including (and maybe even especially) those who have taken religious orders. When you find an honest cleric, let your heart overflow with reverence for, obedience to, and love for him. In a time of great corruption in Israel, Jesus told His followers to do what the authorities commanded, but not what they did. He was speaking of the law of Moses. We have the Gospels and the ancient Magisterium. This is what the Church says. Do this and you will endure and give heart to those around you.

If your friends and your family don’t have faith, have faith for them. If they don’t make reparation, make reparation for them. When they are completely shaken and trembling with fear, you put on the confidence that is from Christ, confidence that abides even amidst terrifying times. In September of 1917, Our Lady said at Fatima that many go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. Let us all endeavor to be spiritual philanthropists, so that none lack people of faith praying for them.

I am sorry I am not saying this as well as I had hoped. I think we are entering what may prove to be the longest night in the history of Christendom. As people panic at the strife that comes upon the world, carry the light of Christ with you to light the way of both you and your panicked neighbors. Gather and worship in your parish churches with confidence that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, as He has promised. Be watchful for those around you who need an encouraging word or gesture, and ask the Lord to inspire you to give that encouragement effectively. Remember that fear often presents as anger, so respond to the actual need rather than the stated complaint.

A little over 2,000 years ago, wise men came from a far country, following the light of a star that carried them to the Lord of the Universe, hidden in vulnerability in a crib. It was surely a long, dark journey. In spite of the darkness, wise men still follow that light.

356 thoughts on “The Longest Night”

  1. No need to apologize, Charlie. You have written well of what we all must surely carry in our hearts as we have gathered here in these recent years, especially:

    “If your friends and your family don’t have faith, have faith for them. If they don’t make reparation, make reparation for them. When they are completely shaken and trembling with fear, you put on the confidence that is from Christ, confidence that abides even amidst terrifying times. In September of 1917, Our Lady said at Fatima that many go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. Let us all endeavor to be spiritual philanthropists, so that none lack people of faith praying for them.

    I am sorry I am not saying this as well as I had hoped. I think we are entering what may prove to be the longest night in the history of Christendom. As people panic at the strife that comes upon the world, carry the light of Christ with you to light the way of both you and your panicked neighbors. Gather and worship in your parish churches with confidence that you will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living, as He has promised. Be watchful for those around you who need an encouraging word or gesture, and ask the Lord to inspire you to give that encouragement effectively. Remember that fear often presents as anger, so respond to the actual need rather than the stated complaint.”

    (Time for a little Mother Superior counsel, reminding us to hang tough as we seek and work for the dream of a New Beginning…)

    Liked by 12 people

    1. Mother knows best… it IS a dream that will need all the love we can give… Love and Prayers for you, Dear Friends, and our families in this community of faith. Have a Merry, Hope-filled, Holy, Peaceful, Meaningful Christmas!

      Liked by 16 people

      1. God bless us, every one. Merry Christmas to all and may peace reign in our hearts through this storm as we await the long-anticipated Triumph.

        Liked by 9 people

  2. Charlie, you may say that these words aren’t up to your regular standards, but I think they are excellent “how to do this” down-to-earth advice. I was particularly struck by your words for how to handle myself if/when faced with someone who used to rule in arrogance but is now lost and at sea. Wise words, to care deeply even while establishing clear borders with them. I also believe as you do that 2019 will be momentous. I pray now that all of us will simply acknowledge God, take our own next right steps, and remain always a beacon of hope in the darkness.

    Liked by 19 people

    4. You beat me to it, Steve.
      Charlie wrote: “I am sorry I am not saying this as well as I had hoped.” I was thinking Huh? Where does that leave me? I couldn’t write a piece like this in my most optimistic dreams.
      Thanks, Charlie! This one hit me right in the gut. I needed that. 🙂

      Christmas Blessing to everyone here. I love you all.

      Liked by 7 people

    5. Yes, I echo what SteveBC and Beckita already said. Charlie, you said it all with this:

      “If your friends and your family don’t have faith, have faith for them. If they don’t make reparation, make reparation for them.”

      That hit home to me. Because, frankly, I’ve been pretty negligent about that. So that’s something I’ll take forth into this coming year, which here in Ireland marks the actual introduction of the satanic legislation to permit the killing of the holy innocents. They were rushing before Christmas to get it done. Yeah, really. Truly, irony is lost on them, but let’s pray and act – in the spirit of what you wrote – that they not be lost.

      Anyway, it’s already Christmas Day over here and I’m not long back from the Night Mass, which we culminated with a spirited Hallelujah chorus. We’ll do the same again in the morning. I’ve just blessed the house with Holy Water and now finishing off a can of the Blessed Brew (let the reader understand) before bed.

      A happy and blessed Christmastide to all. J.

      Liked by 7 people

  4. Charlie, I appreciate very much your interrupting the lovely Joseph reflections with this stark reminder of the reality some of us are facing. I hesitated to post anywhere in your recent blogs what some in my circle are responding to in recent days. For those who are aware of the sentencing hearing in Boise, Idaho, on December 20 (the longest night of the year), I was there with friends from my little community in Oregon.

    The Idaho Statesman report (which has been picked up by various media) was accurate, although it summarized rather than reported word for word some of the most shocking evidence gathered by the police detective, who calmly laid out the evidence in response to questions from the special prosecutor. The defense attorney did not dispute the evidence; the purpose of the hearing was for the judge to determine (actually, announce) the sentence. After carefully weighing all of the evidence and various other factors (he explained his reasoning to the audience), he pronounced the sentence: 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Dark to light. It was necessary for us who had come as friends and supporters of the priest (whom we knew and cared for in both the Diocese of Boise and in the Diocese of Baker, where he had once served) to know the peril into which his soul had fallen through his own incremental choices over time. We had no idea of the true nature of his involvement in the crimes during the months since his arrest on February 2, 2018. Now we know what is at stake for him in the last years of his life.

    Taking the next right steps, one of my roles now, I feel, is to help people here in my Oregon parish not to despair; not to lose faith; to cling ever more closely to the Church, her teachings, her sacraments; and to pray for this priest (who will be laicized) with greater knowledge, that he will return to the Lord wholeheartedly before his death.

    Some of you might be facing similar things in your own parishes and dioceses; we can support one another in TNRS and ASOH.

    There’s so much more I could say, but I’ll leave it unsaid for now.

    God bless and keep you, friends ~
    Sister Bear

    Liked by 16 people

          1. Ooo…now I want Sr. Bear to be canonized just so we can have a St. Bear in the litany! That would be so cool! (Not to worry, Sister…we can wait a long time…but it would delight children a hundred years from now – as well as all your friends (hopefully) in heaven then!

            Liked by 9 people

              1. But even you have to admit it would be so cool. I would love to be the first to declare St. Bear my Patron Saint! (By the way, quite a few actual saints spent many years, decades even, trying to pass the “naughty or nice” test).

                Liked by 4 people

    2. Reading this and many like stories of our times, I have often come back to St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and what he recommended and the meaning. For me I think it reads: excommunication.

      Though, harsh in the Church’s eyes, is this not what is needed to purify our faith(ful)? I think this is the best, definitive way for the Church to demonstrate teaching.

      Catholic Study Bible

      1 Corinthians 5:1-5

      1 It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father’s wife.

      2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.

      3 For though absent in body I am present in spirit, and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment

      4 in the name of the Lord Jesus on the man who has done such a thing. When you are assembled, and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,

      5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.

      1 Corinthians 5:13

      13 God judges those outside. “Drive out the wicked person from among you.”

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      1. Sean, I seem to recall that you are a retired police officer. God bless you and your work.

        In this case, I realized soon after the sentencing hearing that the civil authorities were God’s publicly visible instruments of Rescue for this man’s soul ~ should he now choose to fully cooperate with the Lord in the continuing Rescue. Dark to light. It was hard but necessary.

        My guess (reasonable speculation) is that cyber information found in this case also helped law enforcement to investigate and arrest 363 criminals in Brazil in mid-May. Thank God for the honorable men and women in law enforcement. May the Lord keep them true and safe.

        Liked by 8 people

    4. Dear Sister, I pray daily the for ur Archdiocese, the Lady of Fatima prayer sent our by our archbishop. I am glad to hear from you that justice was served; prayers for his conversion.🙏🏼
      Ongoing prayers for all Sisters and for all our priests to be faithful.
      Blessed Christmas, katey in (western) OR
      💕🙏🏼🎶🌟🎄🕯🌹

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you, Katey. On the morning after the sentencing, my friends and I attended Mass at St. Mary’s in Boise. At the end of Mass, the priest offered kind words about the one who will now be in prison and then led us in praying the Fatima prayer. It was so fitting:

        Oh My Jesus, forgive us our sins,
        save us from the fires of Hell and lead all souls to Heaven,
        especially those who are in most need of Thy mercy.

        Amen.

        ❤

        Liked by 7 people

    5. God bless, Sr. Bear. I once knew a locally prominent official who was much respected who was caught collecting child pornography. It shocked and horrified all of us who knew him. He stipulated to the charges and was candid about it. Of course, he became an instant pariah. There was a woman who was (and is) a very dear friend of mine who, while shocked by the events, chose to minister to him. She remained his friend and called on him regularly – including, occasionally, for professional advice. She is such an honorable woman, with an impeccable reputation…and with this charity of heart that did NOT approve of the offense, I came to see how truly noble my friend’s soul is. God chooses the opportunities for service He will present to us. We choose whether or not to take up the mantles He lays before us. Thank you for taking up a hard mantle while maintaining a clear-eyed assessment of the stakes.

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      1. After processing our new and terrible knowledge for a couple of days, I recognized that God lovingly created this man’s soul and has never stopped loving him. It helped me to step back from the shock and grief of losing the public image of the man and all of the genuinely helpful things he has done throughout his long priesthood, and to consider his soul, the grave danger of which had been hidden from all but a few. That is what I am praying for: his immortal soul. This man is in the last years of his earthly life. The Lord wants him to turn around completely and wholeheartedly and come home for eternity. The Lord can work out the details of Purgatory, etc.

        Liked by 8 people

        2. And truly both sinners and addicts of all kinds often both need to hit bottom before their defenses and denials are broken and they can be made open to repentance. I will pray for him. What is his name?

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    6. Dear Sister – I am saddened by your shock. I understand how it feels to find out that someone you knew and respected and cared about – that that person was someone else entirely. Personal betrayal is a cross and many in the church – and in the world – bear it these days. It isn’t an intellectual pain. It is a wound to the heart and to the ability to trust. For my career I worked in psychiatry and saw many patients who were affected by molestation. The extent of the devastation cannot be exaggerated. Many chose suicide rather than living in emotional agony. I say these remarks so that you and your sisters may first direct your empathy and your prayers to the actual innocents/victims of these monstrous sins. Then in christian charity remember the perpertrators. Charlie underlines the darkness and directs us to soldier on. It is an ugly fearsome time. Still I think we are here on purpose and are given what we need to continue. I am not special or strong – still I have my responsibilities and mission. With JMJ direction and graces I will persist and I will pray. Come Lord Jesus. amen

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Thank you, Jane. I completely agree with you about the need to direct empathy and prayers primarily to the actual innocents/victims. In cases like this, countless victims are caught up in the world-wide vastly lucrative evil of child pornography created in various places, with real children ~ innocents who suffer greatly. Videos and other images are then distributed repeatedly over the Internet ~ for much money, of course.

        Our friend’s supporters knew very little of the details until the sentencing hearing last week. He was involved not in creating but in receiving the images. The vile enterprise would not exist without the customers, who share grave culpability. In all cases, but overtly in this case, the evil one played a major role. “Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle . . . .”

        Learning some (but not all) of the details of our friend’s involvement was sickening and, indeed, makes us weep mainly for the children. Dear God in Heaven, rescue them and help them. And that’s why I readily accepted the judge’s issuing a long prison sentence. The man will die in prison for his deeds.

        What I’ve had to work through is to begin to see his soul through God’s eyes,

        Liked by 4 people

        2. My brother worked as a psychologist in the prison system many years ago studying and treating “lifer” pedophiles.
          One of the hurdles that he had to contend with is that these men actually believed that they “loved” their victims and it was societies view that was wrong about them and their relationship with the child and that one day they would understand this. He told me that the perversion corrupts several areas of thier worldview and leaves them in a state of denial or confusion of reality. It could be said that these men then live a “double life”; one seemingly normal and respectable, the other; hidden and perverse but still very “real and good” to them.
          And here you have the paradox as to what “truth” these men hold and how God will judge their hearts. If a phsycologist is called upon to study and council such a disorder, is it then a form of mental illness and/or addiction? If so, then we must grant some leniency towards them in how they will be judged in the next life while still protecting potential victims from thier delusions of love and disorder in this life and demand this behavior to always be a perverse and unacceptable one.

          Liked by 3 people

          1. So true, Phillip. Statistics show that many a child sexual abuser, both clergy and non-clergy, was wounded as a child by sexual abuse that went unaddressed and, therefore, unhealed.

            Sr. Bear, there were various videos produced and shown during the time leading up to the canonization of St. André Bessette. One which I have looked for and cannot relocate was an interview with a distant relative of St. André named Brother Fernand Bessette, CSC. Br. Fernand spoke of the powerful intercession of St. André in Br. Fernand’s prison ministry work. Through tears, Br. Fernand spoke of the heartache of the sexual abusers coming to terms with the gravity of their sins and striving against the odds to be set free. In light of his witness, I will be sending St. André to remain by your side, interceding in this current work to which you have been called.

            Liked by 2 people

            1. Beckita, I really appreciate this information about St. André Bessette and his relative, Brother Fernand ~ intercession even more appreciated.

              Also, responding to Phillip’s thoughtful comment above, while I concur with almost everything, and I think I know what you mean in your last sentence, I don’t think it’s up to us to “grant some leniency” or not to grant leniency as to how someone will be judged in the next life. The judgement of a soul at death, with more or less leniency, truly is up to God, who knows everything. Also, while the field of psychology can be valuable and helpful, many psychologists are not well versed in the realities described in Ephesians 6:10-17 and elsewhere.

              Blessings, friends, on this Holy Christmas Day.
              ❤

              Liked by 4 people

              1. St. Andre’s feast day will soon be here: January 6th, Sr. St. Bear (tee hee). As soon as I “met” him through one of his distant cousins who was the pastor in my parish during some of the years when I was on staff, directing music ministry, Blessed Andre – at the time – became a fast friend. (Yes, I am one of those nuts who thinks of saints as friends who are as real as the friends we have on this side of the veil.) The compelling witness to the power of his intercession by his cousin Br. Fernand is why I remembered to send him to you.

                Agree about too many psychologists who either don’t know and/or care about the passage from Ephesians. I was most blessed in my healing days as the serious wounds inflicted in childhood came to the fore about 50 years ago. The psychologist with whom I worked was a deeply spiritual man of Episcopalian faith who sprinkled many doses of scripture into our sessions. (He sent out his word and healed them;
                he rescued them from the grave.                 Psalm 107:20) We are in dire need of therapists of great faith. Johnnette Williams (formerly Benkovic) has, over the years, featured some dynamic Catholic therapists on her program, Women of Grace. One of them developed this resource for people wishing to seek help from a Catholic therapist.

                Liked by 1 person

                1. I met an older gentleman at my mechanic who met St. Andre back in the day. He had eye sight issues that were instantly healed. My mechanic introduced me to the gentleman. I could not help but touch his shoulder and pray that some of his grace would rub off on me. Many a time I have been to visit the Oratory up in Montreal and prayed for the intercession of Saint Andre while leaning over his heart. St. Andre, pray for us. St. Joseph, most chaste heart, pray for us.

                  Liked by 3 people

                  1. SO beautiful, Doug. My old friend, Dave, who – in his eighties – climbed atop the church steeple to do some finishing work on our newly built church, slipped and fell. The ambulance was called, Dave was taken to the ER and released without serious injury. When I saw him and asked him how he survived everything so well, he began to tell me about his distant relative who he had known and, often, visited when the cousin was alive. Dave, in prayer, turned to this cousin whenever Dave needed help. His cousin was known, at that time, as Blessed Andre. Dave lent me a copy of the biography about Alfred Bessette’s life and I so love the simplicity and deep faith of this man as well as the relationship he fostered with with St. Joseph.

                    Liked by 2 people

              2. I guess leniency was a poor choice of words and I did not use it as if that should be how we need to treat the crime. God judges the heart and it is a mystery to us how such a man can live with himself in such a moral dichotomy. I used it more as a point towards their crimes possibly coming from a broken mind and by a phsycologists understanding of what it can be like to be such a person and how if they are mentally ill, have some lesser culpability when it comes to thier final judgment. ( and depending in it’s severity, legal judgement).
                In the case of the priest, with great power comes great responsibility but also great temptations from the enemy. His position screams for justice and I count myself lucky not to be among those the enemy seeks with vigour to corrupt as I am ordinary and worthless in the eyes of men. Scandal always carries a greater effect than just the secret sin and with this effect, the bigger they are the greater the scandal. But like Charlie said of his colleague, our external behavior towards a sinner to out them as a pariah will not reward us in the next life as much as the way the woman he knew choose to mentor the fallen official with God’s mercy.
                Jesus said that for Judas, it would have been better if he had never been born as he knew he would betray Him. Dispite this and according to the Mystic Mary of Agreda, both Jesus (and Mary) counciled Judas in this regard even though He knew he would betray Him. A great mystery indeed but Jesus was to fulfill “all righteousness” as was His nature to do so. And not only was it His nature to show Judas love and mercy but He also died on the cross for him too, an act of our God being fully Himself Who can neither deceive nore be deceived.

                Liked by 3 people

                1. I really appreciate this clarification, Phillip (1st paragraph), and your continuing thoughts. They ring true.

                  God bless you, your passengers, and your fellow parishioners in your driving and drumming ministries. ❤

                  Liked by 3 people

              3. The Armor of God… I love this Bible passage. I ran a 40 days for life prayer campaign f/o an abortion clinic, I had posted this verse just inside the door adjacent to the ‘sign in’ sheet and requested everyone to pray before and after witnessing. It is a wonderful prayer opportunity evangalising one and all.

                Catholic Study Bible

                Ephesians 6:10-17

                10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

                11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

                12 For we are not contending against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

                13 Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

                14 Stand therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness,

                15 and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace;

                16 besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the evil one.

                17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

                Liked by 2 people

        3. Dear Sr. Bear, I join you in prayer for all victims of such horrific crime and sin. I also join with you in prayer for Tom. I think it is truly the next right step. Abuse does leave unimaginable pain and wounds in the heart, mind, and soul of the victim. As devastating as it is to the victims, those who love them, and all who trusted people who they believed were trustworthy, true healing for all is possible. Including Tom, and anyone who is guilty of such abuse. I pray that God will grant them the grace of true contrition. I may not have committed those sins, but I am surely one who is in need of that grace too. We all are. I think this is what Jesus is asking of us how-to not only for our own sins but for those we find it so difficult to forgive or to pray for. You are right-Jesus has never stopped loving Tom. I think of Our Lord in the Cross. I think of all of the sin He saw and experienced in His Agony. In that, He saw what Tom would do, and how it would affect those around him. Perhaps He also saw that His suffering and death would obtain for you the grace to pray for the victims of abuse and those who perpetrate it. That in 2018, your suffering and prayers for victims and for Tom would help obtain healing for victims and genuine repentance for him. I think the fact that your heart has been moved to pray in this way consoles the Heart of Jesus and that of our Blessed Mother, who also has such love for children and for priests. God bless you.

          Liked by 2 people

          2. I agree with Beckita, KMA: So beautiful and true.

            Just to clarify again, the evidence shows that Tom was guilty of participating in Internet child porn mainly as a customer rather than as a producer; there doesn’t seem to be provable evidence that he abused children in person. I think this is an important distinction ~ not because participating in Internet porn is less bad than direct child abuse, but because those involved can more easily think they’re not harming real children. Well, yes, they are. Most of us cannot truly comprehend the magnitude of the industry and the dark depths to which it leads all involved. God, help us.

            That said, it was important for me to step back and try to regard Tom’s soul as God would. God, help us!

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            1. Thank you for that clarification, Sr. Bear. I thought that was the case. Our culture is so saturated with impurity we need God’s intervention to open our eyes. As a religion teacher of grades K-6, I am astonished to see the eye rolls of these little ones in our discussion of purity and modesty. It breaks my heart. In almost every arena of society, the sexualization of children has become the norm and we don’t even see it. It’s the old frog in a pot of water analogy that must have begun before the disaster of the 60’s. In fact, it is true of all ages. It’s particularly vile when children are affected.
              I will continue to pray for all, and for you, Sr. Bear. It seems to me that God has already helped you to see Tom’s soul through His eyes. That is a great gift. Let’s pray for each other to remain faithful and willing to be the hands and heart of Jesus and Mary in our beloved Church.

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      3. Amen, Jane.

        Our church has a group of women who gather on Thursdays in an hour of prayer, Adoration, and reparation for our priests, living and deceased. Together we also pray for the victims of abuse and for reparation for the crimes of abuse committed by the clergy.

        ❤

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        2. God bless you, Jen, and the women who gather to pray. You are light in this darkness. Both victims and priest abusers need our love and prayers. I’m SO supportive of the efforts to care for the victims. At the same time, if we withhold our love from the guilty priests – even as we hold them accountable – we open ourselves to un-forgiveness born of anger evolving into resentment which deeply hurts our own souls. May Divine Mercy lead us, one and all, to healing and freedom.

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        3. That’s so wonderful, Jen! An amazing priest died recently– he was over 100 years old. He had been with the Sister Servants in Birmingham. They run a fabulous retreat center there. One of the Sisters told me that the only time Fr. Lambert had cried during a homily was when he was relating that in all his many years he had never been asked to say a Mass for a deceased priest.

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          1. That is strikingly sad, Kim.

            I do love our ministry and the prayers we pray. I will share one that moves me each and every time we pray it together:

            A Prayer for Priests

            Keep them I pray thee, dearest Lord,
            Keep them for they are Thine;
            Thy priests whose lives burn out
            before thy consecrated shrine.
            Keep them for they are in the world
            though from the world apart;
            When earthly pleasures tempt, allure –
            shelter them in thy Heart.
            Keep them and comfort them
            in hours of loneliness and pain,
            When all their life of sacrifice for souls
            seems but in vain.
            Keep them and remember, O Lord,
            they have no one but thee.
            Yet they have only human hearts,
            with human frailty.
            Keep them as spotless as the Host,
            that daily they caress.
            Their every thought and word and deed,
            Deign dearest Lord, to bless. Amen.

            – Anonymous

            ❤

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    7. My heart aches. I know that this is the plan for the evil one to cause many to lose faith in the Church. I know that this does not represent the Church and this is a plot of the evil one to discredit the Church. Well, I love my church and I firmly believe that God will send a special saint to aid it. He is faithful and will not abandon us or the church. May God have mercy on this priest and all of us!

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      1. Amen, Doug. Such heartfelt and wise words. And that special saint-in-the-making who God is sending – even now – is each and every one of us. Oh, we need leaders in every age and time, yet, it is the embrace of the salt-of-the-earth kind of holiness on the part of all believers, in solidarity, which will build God’s Kingdom on earth that it may flourish again. And it will.

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        1. Amen Becks! It would be too easy to walk away. I view my relationship with the Church the same as my marriage. I have taken a solemn vow to be faithful through thick and thin when I said “I do” to God in confirmation. As in marriage, I am sealed with an indelible mark on my soul. In the scriptures in 2 Timothy 2:, it says “if we remain faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot deny himself”. That is a sign of true faithfulness in marriage of Christ and the church. How can I not live my life to strive for this same faithfulness? Our Lord is so merciful. I put my trust in him that he will steer the ship right. He has to and will!

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  5. Thank you Charlie, for these excellent words. I will remember them and try to live them often in the weeks and months to come. Thank you for reminding me to be a lighthouse for others. I will do the little bit that I can do, in the hope it will help someone else. God Bless You Charlie and all here. Merry Christmas to all my brothers and sisters here.

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  6. Thanks for the words of encouragement, Charlie. The scandal that continues to rock the Church has hit me hard. If it wasn’t for my deep faith and great priests I have in my life I don’t know if I would stay sane.

    We certainly are living in dire times and need to stick together and rely on Jesus for everything.

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  8. Thank-you, Charlie! Yes, praying!
    Did you see what Bishop Robert Barron wrote today? It is the strongest I have ever read by him and he is beating the drum in concert:
    “But Mary, as both the true Ark and the Queen Mother of Israel, is also a fighter. Israel frequently brought the Ark into battle with them, and the king of Israel and his queen mother were warrior figures. Mary is all about spiritual warfare against powers and principalities.
    This terrible crisis we’re passing through in the Catholic Church has been a diabolical masterpiece. it undermines the work of the Church in practically every way. So what do we do? Get in the army of Christ the Warrior-King and Mary the Warrior-Queen. Enter into the great spiritual struggle. And fight to set things right—not with the puny weapons of the world but with the weapons of the Spirit.”

    Praying for our families, our country, our Church: in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, through the hands of our warrior Queen Mother, Mary! Amen, Amen! St.’s Michael, Rafael & Gabriel, pray for us! 🗡 ⚔️

    God bless all here – Blessed Christmas!
    Katey in Oregon

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      1. Jacquie, the Bishop’s Advent Reflections. He sends out reflections every year in Advent and Lent and I almost didn’t sign up because I thought “more of the same.” Ah, but I was so wrong! So glad I did sign up. Mary, the Warrior-Queen, indeed!
        God bless you! katey

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      2. Jacquie, you can sign up for a daily reflection on the Gospel by Bishop Barron. It comes to your email each day.
        https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/blog/free-daily-gospel-reflections-from-bishop-barron/5315/

        Thank you Charlie for this reflection. Our family has hit a hard part of the journey, battling for our children’s hearts against the lies of the prevailing culture. So, my husband and I will start this new year with more prayer, more fasting, and more sacrifices as we continue on.

        God bless all here with a Christmas of light and love.

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  10. Thank you Charlie for this thoughtful piece of instruction and advice at this point in time. So many people do not think that they need to repent or make amends to God. It just makes me feel so sad and I will continue to pray for all of us. The gift of faith is so precious. It breaks my heart to see people lose it. May God bless and protect us we move into this Long Night.

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  11. I try to look to the simple truths that are almost self-evident and cannot be denied. I was blessed with a course of studies, much self-selected in my early 20’s that showed me the complete teachings of the Catholic Church and the Magisterium and so when Vatican II began to be misrepresented it was easy to stay aloof from that. Having been to the seminary for the first three years of high school, I had seen the other side enabling me better to keep a proper perspective. I never insist on knowing all the answers and am comfortable with the many mysteries. I only need to be certain of enough to recognize the guidance of the Holy Spirit. When things started to be revealed of the corruption that had grown in the Church, it was easy to see that my faith was based on what I knew to be true and was not based on any clergy. It made me sad to see the changes and degradation even at the local level. I left one parish because of blasphemous practices until the Holy Spirit very soon let me know directly that I needed to go back and be a witness. I never fought with anyone but steered things in the proper direction as I was able. It was very sad and difficult in the beginning but it got better as things began to improve. If you are totally shaken so as to lose faith by the scandals in the Church, then your faith is based on people and not on the truths of the faith. I don’t know exactly how the Church is and will continue to be protected from the gates of Hell prevailing against it with even Pope Francis appearing to engage in confusing and questionable practices and opinions but I put my TRUST in God that it will always be accomplished. I see no answers in the Eastern Orthodox Churches, they have a different set of problems all their own the least of which is they don’t have any infallible guide but have to trust in their common understanding and acceptance of Tradition without it clearly being defined by a common authority. They even to a higher degree must put their trust in their clergy.
    Just some thoughts I wish to share. I have no claim to any truth but offer this for consideration.
    May the Holy Spirit continue to guide us and protect, lead us to all holiness and truth as we continue to support each other in this community.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. I am so glad I am a convert in so many ways. I was won by the central truths of the Church which I had to study for myself, rather than complete reliance on the men of the Church. I am very much aware and deeply respectful of the genuine faith of our many brothers who are not in communion with the Church – for I was once one of them. I see how many use both this Church and other Churches as mere social clubs – and how many long for something true, something reliable. Some of our clerics have chosen to give the children of the faith rocks instead of bread…but there is bread aplenty available. This crisis is NOT about the quality of the bread, but of the lack of fidelity of its stewards.

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    2. So much wisdom here, just a sojourner. I am especially impressed by how you listened and responded: “I left one parish because of blasphemous practices until the Holy Spirit very soon let me know directly that I needed to go back and be a witness.” I would imagine we all have practiced the TNRS message beofre being drawn to this community, just as you did when you went back to the parish. Here, Charlie has repeatedly brought the message’s value to the fore, giving us a common language so that, together, via Charlie’s writing and in our pondering and discussing, we have been on a path of toughening up – in the best of ways – as we’ve been spiritually and mentally preparing to continue listening and responding to the Holy Spirit that we may BE Christ’s LIGHT in the darkness, for St. Augustine said: “Become what you receive.”

      Come anew, Holy Spirit, to each one of us by the powerful means of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Our Lady Mother of the Eucharist and and Your well-beloved Spouse!

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    1. Interesting Susan. I had been planning a piece entitled, “The Body of Christ is Not Invulnerable – But it is Invincible.” Central to the imagery in it is the faithful as antibodies which repeal foreign objects which wound the body and white blood cells which repel internal invaders. I will probably still run that piece soon – but you used some of the very imagery that has been much on my mind of late for it. Our peculiar connection continues – and I thank God for it.

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        1. WOW, Susan and Charlie! Love this.

          I just read your wonderful piece, Susan. Thank you so much for sharing. Absolutely hope-filled is all of it and saturated in God’s Glory. Thanks to Our Lady, many are they, lights shining from homes and places of worship all over the world, who have responded to our Mother’s cries to work, pray and sacrifice for all Her children so that the lost and broken have a change of heart. Many, many are they who committed to Our Lady’s Army and spent much of their lifetime doing what She asked of us and who have gone Home, still interceding with us and for us if we but ask. Many, many are they, continuing to age, who carry on in these efforts.

          Blessed are all who have given their fiat and received the privilege of taking their wee place in the Holy Heel of She, the One Who God ordained to c-r-u-s-h the head of the serpent. Surely Holy Spirit was in the Fire of that Star over Bethlehem, the same Fire which electrified and galvanized the Apostles at Pentecost (and US in our sacramental life for this time – NOW) with abundant grace to proclaim God’s Kingdom, the same Fire which will, in the Illumination of Conscience, cleanse and refine the interior of each one who humbly receives and submits to God’s Love in the purifying grace which will pour forth in this great act of God’s Mercy.

          I can hardly wait. For me, it is anticipating a mini-purgatory. Some speak of great fear and trepidation concerning meeting Love Himself as the Just Judge in the Illumination of Conscience. Pondering how the Illumination shall be a purgatorial time, I rather reflect on the understandings given to St. Catherine of Genoa as she conveys the h.a.p.p.i.n.e.s.s. of the souls in purgatory in her treatise, Fire of Love!: Understanding Purgatory: “Believe no happiness can be found worthy to be compared with that of a soul in Purgatory except that of the saints in Paradise. And day by day this happiness grows as God flows into these souls, more and more as the hindrance to His entrance is consumed. Sin’s rust is the hindrance, and the fire burns the rust away so that more and more the soul opens itself up to the divine inflowing.”

          Oh I have sins for which I have felt shame, a shame which dissipates in Christ’s Death on the Cross. We all have a sin history and in those sins that we may have buried in denial, justification and/or fear, the Illumination will be hard, sobering, painful – but that’s not all it will be… it *must* also be as St. Catherine conveys: the hindrance, sin’s rust, to God’s full entrance into our souls will be burned, consumed in the Fire of His Love! I ponder how this Illumination will prepare us to properly enter the Era of Peace, just as purgatory prepares us for the great Wedding Feast of Heaven.

          I am one who has continued to believe there will be this discrete event which some call the Warning while others refer to it as the Illumination of Conscience. It seems to me we NEED it. Too many hearts are either stubbornly hard or lukewarm, apathetic, lazy. The election results which Charlie named with the suburbanites flipping to vote for those who foster the too often Godless agenda is but one signal of this vast harvest of souls which Jesus is yearning to save and set free. Smiling, now, as I recall my times shared with the Servant of God Maria Esperanza when she just beamed as she spoke of this event in the gentlest way: a moment of Great Light.

          May the Light of this Silent Night fill us anew with the Holy Spirit’s Fire and may the Silence of this Longest Night, of which Charlie writes, not overwhelm us. No need to tremble in fear. God has a Plan to warm the chill and thaw the frozen hearts… and He’s infusing us with His Love to help Him get the job done. What more could any of us want for Christmas. Is this not the very best gift?!!!: To answer that Voice in the distance, the call in this night, as the Spirit enfolds us in His Breath that we may speak of the Light… Can you hear it?
          “Rumors of a dawn so embracing,
          Breathless love awaits darkened souls,
          Soon will we know of the morning.”

          Liked by 8 people

          2. Beckita, did Maria Esparanza tell you much about the warning or illumination of conscience? I have been reading some things on it from various apparitions and I can see the mercies of God in what I have read.

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            1. Only in general terms, Doug, which were similar to what the girls at Garabandal relayed from Our Lady. It’ll be tough to experience as we see ourselves in the Light of God – what we have done and what we have failed to do. At the same time, it will be a great gift to see what needs correcting.

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              1. Well, if you are sincerely in the will of God, I expect it will be joyful. I don’t expect that if we repented and amended our ways that this will be a negative experience. For me, I anticipate more of what I should have done or should be doing (sins of omission which translates to lack of proactive love) rather that the things I have done wrong. I would like to talk about this more in the future.

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  13. Yes many people are disappointed in the Catholic religion. To understand why I think a quote from what Chicago’s Cardinal Bernardin once admitted is appropriate. It goes something like this: Bernardin’s confessor once asked him(he was a bishop at the time I think) whether he loved the Church more than Jesus. He related that the question got him thinking and the question changed his life. You mentioned in one of your posts that at a 2003 American bishops conference only two bishops even mentioned Jesus. If a priest or bishop loves the Church more than Jesus it may be a form of idolatry no matter how orthodox he may be.
    On focustvonline.com Father Anthony Odiong relates good naturedly how he was “happily priesting”
    seven years after ordination. Yet he felt something was missing. An elderly woman told him in so many words that he didn’t know Jesus well enough. Father Anthony took her words to heart and began spending much more time with Jesus. After nine months father felt he knew Jesus and had a relationship with him. Now nothing was missing and his ability to be a spiritual father to his parishioners took off.
    There’s a relatively new book by a Benedictine monk(nameless) called “In Sinu Jesu” which gives us locutions from Jesus. The book has an Imprimatur and Nihil Obstat. The theme of the book is that
    priests should get to know Jesus through prayer, adoration, etc. and all else will be taken care of. Catholicism at its best isn’t about a religion with a set of prohibitions, regulations, practices, rituals, saints and prayers. It is about a person-Jesus Christ who is love incarnate. The other things are guidelines and means to know, love and serve Him. The Catholic Church has “the fullness of grace”. Ultimately, the Church in all its grandeur, beauty, truth and the rich history that it presents isn’t enough for our hearts. Only Jesus can satisfy the heart. According to statistics from the Chicago archdiocese, of those confirmed at the age of 12 or 13 by the age of 21 only 15% remain practicing Catholics. Very sad. It maybe that those who prepare youth for confirmation are mostly unable to impart the love of Jesus to them, but only some degree of knowledge of the Catholic faith. That’s not enough for their hearts. I believe that someday a renewed Catholic Church will present Jesus with much more love than it does today.

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    1. In Sinu Jesu is a gem, Vyto. Interesting thoughts you share. Truly, placing God as our first Love enables all our loving – of His Church, our families, our friends, our work, everything – to become rightly ordered.

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  14. Although very dark days are ahead, i’m having my share of experiecing them, I try to bear in mind the words of Our Lady ,,, One day through the Scapular and the Rosary I will save the world.

    Christus Vinci

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  15. I looked up consigliere: an adviser, especially to a crime boss.
    Goodness, God protect such priests; both those who seek the other’s conversion, and those who need conversion, too.

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    1. I have been – and remain – private consigliere to many…but no crime bosses that I know of. But the use of this word was an allusion to the original “The Godfather,” where Vito Corleone makes the distinction between wartime and peacetime consiglieres to soften the blow of relieving his son of such duties as wartime came. A peacetime consigliere may be a very good man, but not suited to the vicissitudes of war. I just do not want us treating the poor and very decent peacetime consiglieres among us with the sort of harshness we do actual aggressive evil-doers. We need to protect the former – for there will be a time of peace again after the storm – and we will have need of them.

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  16. Good stuff Charlie.

    The Dark Night stuff is not pleasant, it feels like “sinners in the hand of an angry God’ dangling “above”* the abyss with the recognition that we have no power. We do have The Lord who saved us and He is all we have;. Malachi gives a riveting account in his “Dr. Bones and Mr. Snatch” section where God reduced Dr. Bones (an ordained Priest, btw) to nothing but “I believe, help me in my unbelief!”. I guess a simple, “I know how you feel, what you are experiencing” will be a help towards cementing their faith. Its is SCARY. it is also, imho needed. God is maturing His. This is part of it.

    Have you noticed how “The Storm” is now common parlance within the secular/political? Heck, even the damned Meryl Streep tweeted that “there is a Storm coming, we all feel it”

    I am somewhat mystified (respectful, mind you, but mystified) by the Churched (Protestant, Catholic..) need to have faith in institutions. Granted, God ordains them and properly ordered institutions are worthy of our trust. Yet, they are not God, they are not the risen Lord.

    I do pray that the cream of your Catholic institutions rise to the top of the hierarchy. The world will need that blessing soon enough.

    Grace and Peace.

    t

    *its not really ‘above’ its dangling between “is” and “not is”, “form” and “not form” , “thought” and “not thought” its all around and “no where” and we have no power but the love of our Lord who has saved us from that.

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  17. ” Our Lady said at Fatima that many go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. Let us all endeavor to be spiritual philanthropists, so that none lack people of faith praying for them.”

    For the past few years, I have found myself awaking at 0300 am praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. My basic prayer intentions are as follows: Eternal Father, I offer this Chaplet of Divine Mercy for:

    [The conversion of sinners, everyone who is going to die in the world today, for all the holy souls in purgatory and grace to bestowed upon all those who are suffering]

    I think this pretty much rounds everyone up. If anything might be added please do…

    Like many, I have been down in the dumps lately, struggling with my status of life and praying a lot of whoa is me’s. I have momentary pauses realizing I am in the best spiritual shape of my life, my Pastor has commented on such, but I need to get back into shape physically. Further, though I am gainfully retired (big part of the problem) I realize and pray for a job, a job which I will enjoy which will allow me to work and pray.

    I have since purchased (a Christmas gift from my Aunts) a large painting of my Avatar (the Angelus prayer image) and have placed prominently on my Living room wall. I love it as it demonstrates the life I wish to lead, though maybe not that labor intensive.

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    1. Have you thought of volunteering for a worthy organization, such as the Knights or another faith institution, Sean? Prison ministries, relief organizations…they abound and always need help. The pay stinks, but the rewards are incredible. A priest friend once needed me to drive us to a meeting he had set up with some friends of his about 50 miles away. He was startled when he looked at my battered, old truck. “Will this make it?” he asked. I grinned and said, “Being a prophet does not pay NEARLY as well as people think, but yes, it will make it.” Even so, he was glad to drive the next time we had a mutual errand to run together.

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Thanks Charlie. Yes, I do volunteer with the Knights of Columbus, (past Grand Knight #194) it was the organization which propelled me back into the Faith. Interestingly, when I reverted back into the Church, my penance for my reconciliation was to volunteer.

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    3. Dear Sean,
      When I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, I ask all of the holy souls in purgatory to pray for all of the dying souls. I have heard the souls in purgatory can do nothing for themselves but can do much for others.

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  18. Charlie: A sober but very important message. Even in the past few weeks there seems to be more disturbance and shaking than we have seen before. The Church, politics, the economy, even the weather have become increasingly unsettled.

    Your words are so timely. Christmas is the celebration of the birth of the light that will lead us through this darkness. It is also the celebration of what one yes to God, by a teenaged girl, living in poverty, in a conquered land, in a desolate part of the world, can do to change everything. Mary is our perfect example of someone taking the next right step.

    Thank you for your faithfulness.

    A blessed Christmas to you, your family and to all here.

    JT

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  20. Charlie, you give light in the dark. Thank you for efforts to bring us hope. I found this piece to be very insiteful and helpful as I have loved ones who have created their own rules; baptized Catholics who do not understood their gifts from God. The gift of their Baptism and the Sacraments that Christ gave to us. I make a lot of requests on their behalfs to Christ and Mary.

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  21. As one who sits among a family with “no faith”, who are spiritually, financially and emotionally bankrupt–I know my calling–even though this entire past year I have asked that this “chalice” pass me by (I don’t suffer well, but I’m working on it). With much prayer, fasting and sacrifice, I have been able to take the next right step (after getting off the floor). I know Our Lord, Our Mother and my Guardian Angel have been there with me all the way because I have such peace in my heart and a confidence that dumbfounds me at times. God is good, so good and I know that I would be utterly lost without my faith, hope and TRUST in the Lord. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Charlie and all here. Come oh Holy One, Come soon. A Blessed and Holy Christmas Eve everyone.

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    1. Here’s an important prayer that Servant Fr. John Hardon wrote:
      Teach me, my Lord, to be kind and gentle in all the events of life, in disappointments, in the thoughtlessness of others, in the insincerity of those I trusted, in the unfaithfulness of those on whom I relied.
      Let me put myself aside, to think of the happiness of others, to hide my pains and heartaches, so that I may be the only one to suffer from them.
      Teach me to profit by the suffering that comes across my path. Let me so use it that it may mellow me, not harden or embitter me; that it may make me patient, not irritable; that it may make me broad in my forgiveness, not narrow, proud and overbearing.
      May no one be less good for having been a fellow traveler in our journey toward eternal life.
      As I go my rounds from one task to another, let me say, Jesus I Love You! Jesus I Trust in You!
      May my life be lived in the supernatural, full of power for good, and strong in its purpose of sanctity. Amen.

      Liked by 10 people

  24. Some more pleasant stories/info and a blast from the past:

    Why are there three different Masses on Christmas?
    https://aleteia.org/2017/12/24/why-are-there-three-different-masses-on-christmas/

    Modern Science Offers Evidence for Christmas Story
    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2018/modern-science-offers-evidence-for-christmas-story

    The Story Behind the Song: I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
    http://www1.cbn.com/story-behind-song-i-heard-bells-christmas-day

    Even kangaroos are having a very ‘hoppy’ holiday
    https://www.circa.com/story/2018/12/22/weird/even-kangaroos-are-having-a-very-hoppy-holiday

    ‘Have yourself an angelic Christmas’–Robert Knight
    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/23/angels-are-sent-to-protect-us-and-they-also-perfor/

    This ‘pilgrim grandmother’ walked 570 miles to pray for families
    http://www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/Americas.php?id=17498

    Christmas Address of President Ronald Reagan, December 23, 1981

    MERRY CHRISTMAS!… GOD BLESS AND SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 9 people

  25. Merry Christmas to all brothers and sisters in Christ. All will be well. God has a plan and He will execute it in the precise manner that He always has. He doesn’t miss a beat. St. Francis used a term I always pondered on… Holy Apathy. He loves us. He provides for us, always has and He will not give up on us. Keep on your armor and fight the good fight. All will be well. Human pride will lower its eyes, the arrogance of men will be humbled. The Lord alone will be exalted, on that day.
    Isaiah 2:11
    Love. I do, Diane

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  26. May God our Father grant us all the holiest Christmas of our lives. I intend to soak up His light emanating from the manger crib. My own interior struggles are so difficult, still being sifted like wheat. It is painful to see how far one can be from perfection. But the Baby in the crib reaches out to us to be embraced and loved and He cares not if we have reached it yet, or so I tell myself. Love is not loved! Let Him make up for all I lack. Happy Christmas to all. I hold you in the embrace and charity of my Christmas Mass intentions.

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    1. Wise insight, Marisa. If we waited until we were perfect to embrace babies, they would all die of loneliness. Embrace the child as you are and endeavor to be better as you stumble forward on this pilgrim journey of life. Heartache will come whatever we do, but the next right step, even when we are broken, opens up the way to the promise of joy.

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  27. Charles,
    Thank you very much for the excellent and necessary spiritual counseling on how to live the Faith, Hope and Charity through the Great Night of Darkness coming upon us. I have taken to heart every word you have written and I will print it out. reread it and pass it on to family and friends at church. God bless you Charlie, Beckita, Brothers, Sisters on ASOH, with a Blessed and Joyful Christmas. I embrace you all in my heart with love and blessings in Jesus and Mary.

    Liked by 10 people

  28. I just came across this statement in the Encyclical “Divini Redemptoris” On Atheistic Communism
    Pope Pius XI – 1937
    “When religion is banished from the school, from education and from public life, when the representatives of Christianity and its sacred rites are held up to ridicule, are we not really fostering the materialism which is the fertile soil of Communism?”

    I find this to be very prophetic of our time. Consider this was written in 1937 prior to kicking God out of our schools in 1964. I believe it was Garabandal that made a prophetic utterance that communism would return prior to the warning it espouses. The encyclical was marvelously written and espouses the deception and false promises that communism uses to trick it’s adherents. Whether Garabandal is believed or not, it is plain to see that the left is on a course leading in the God hating atheistic direction of communisiom which is at the core of its teaching. We are at the threshold of something big in this direction. Maria Esparanza said it would start in Venezuela first.
    Venezuela is the pre cursor to what may be coming here very soon. I endeaver to get my spiritual house in order. Lord have mercy on us!

    Liked by 7 people

  29. Among my early studies, I also studied all the major Christian faiths as well as the non- Christian faiths, not that I had doubts but I wanted to know how it all fits. I learned the basis of each and how they were formed. Although I could not agree with each basis, I could see how each flowed and I learned a respect for their sincerity and could see on the basis of Catholic teaching that God could be leading them to salvation through that path due to their baptism of desire in the case of non-Christians and all who lacked baptism or complete knowledge and belief in Christ. God wishes all to be saved and offers all a means to salvation. Some of the emphasis on conscience today, even among Catholics too often lacks the necessary modifier “right.” I especially noted that converts to Christ’s Church at a mature age were so blessed with the depth of their studies and were among the strongest of Catholics and I almost was envious of their blessings and sincerity. I feel very blessed with the workings of God in my own life despite the resistance I experienced in my in my youth to total commitment and my more sinful times. The struggle never ends but it has gotten better. I have a special appreciation for St. Paul who many seem to miss that before his conversion to Christ was a very devoted follower of God despite his misguided persecution of the early Christians of his day. After his recovery from blindness that served to intensify his interspection and dependency and resulted in an even deeper conversion and dedication to his redeemer. As St. Paul says in the epistle to the Galatians, “No man taught me but Christ Himself.” And it was on this basis that he could claim to be an Apostle.
    I am most appreciative Of you Charlie and of your very important contributions and guidance to us all, a very important living out of your mission to acknowledge god, take the next right step and be a sign of hope to those around you, something we will need even stronger as the storm intensifies and we will be tempted to despair.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. CrewDog, thank you for sending these links. I cried my way through the stories and videos in the first link. Seriously, I cried for like 20 or 25 minutes (I had to read the comments to the video of the little boy and his daddy). Happy tears, but I got a headache anyway. It was totally worth it, though.

      Merry Christmas, CD. 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

  31. Merry, Mary CHRISTmas to You Charlie, Beckita, TNRS and ASOH Family !!! One of my favorite bible verse is Joshua 24:15 “As for me and my house, We Will Serve the LORD”. We remain steady and firmly planted and surrounded in Our Lady’s Mantle of Grace. She IS Our 12 Star General and I am honored to be one of her warriors!! Btw…..since the California wildfires in October, starting from Camarillo all the way into the San Fernando Valley, there on the mountain hilltops you can see the most beautiful green blades of grass starting to sprout!! A sure “Sign of HOPE”. Truly.

    Liked by 9 people

  32. CTH has some Happy Treads & Comments for Christmas 😉

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/12/24/gloria-in-excelsis-deo-2/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/12/24/music-of-the-day-o-holy-night/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/12/24/monday-december-24th-open-thread/comment-page-1/#comments

    Whatever “Goes-Down”, we must protect, inspire and encourage the young &/or weak among us!!

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/12/24/anticipation/#more-157058

    Merry, MERRY! 😉
    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 6 people

  33. Thank you for your “yes” to God, Charlie, and helping us so we might be that sign of hope to someone (or many someones). And thank you Beckita, Steve, etc.

    A neat video…

    Watch “Apollo 8’s Christmas Eve Message [HD]” on YouTube

    Merry Christmas to everyone. And many blessings to all here. 🎄🙏

    Liked by 8 people

  34. How I love this holy blessed family…my family…xozo tnrs asoh….will read hopefully tomorrow. .ugh..crunch time😄 Charlie…we had my kids over last night & I remembered everything u said…didn’t preach, didn’t forwarn..just had a great great time..laughter all night..the wine helped too..lol..😅

    Liked by 8 people

  35. I contemplate sometimes my annual good fortune in celebrating Christmas in the village where I live most of the year. My mother and I drove up from Florida to be here for a few weeks. A wonderful idea.

    This morning we awoke unexpectedly to a slight dusting of snow on roofs and grass. It melted during the day. Late this afternoon my mother and I dressed up in somewhat more formal clothes and opened the door to walk over to our Union Chapel for the 5 pm Christmas Eve service with our neighbors. Lo and behold, there were flurries of snow falling!

    The 5 pm service attracts everyone in the village as well as others from outside who have connections to people here. About 75 to 100 people gather here in the chapel situated in the center of our small village. Someone will get up and read some scripture, then we’ll sing a carol. Then another will read us a poem they have written for the occasion, another carol, and so on until at the end of the half-hour service, someone gets up and declaims “Twas the Night Before Christmas,” and we close with a general “Merry Christmas” greeting of all to all.

    People slowly file out onto the road, which has parked cars all around. Most of us walk a block or two to the home of the family who is hosting the annual Christmas Eve party. Egg nog, of course, a dining table filled with ham and rolls and crackers and shrimp and desserts of various kinds. 60-80 people fill the first floor of the brightly lit, warm home, talking and laughing, catching up with each other on events of the previous year and plans for the next. This year was the second time that a new family, here only for their second year, hosted this party. The host called everyone to attention and had us all toast to neighbors and community, in appreciation for how his family and he have been welcomed into our community.

    After a time and a couple small cups of wine, my 94 year old mother decided she and I needed to gather our coats and hats and walk each other through the cold darkness of a still and quiet December evening back to our home.

    Merry Christmas to all those reading this blog, a Sign of Hope, where a similarly close community is slowly growing together. May all of you and your families and friends have a blessed Christmas Day and joyful New year.

    Liked by 11 people

      1. Well, Linda, I’m not a saint yet, but I will add my prayer for you to all the other ones you are receiving from so many others who care for you. Are we not all bathed in prayers these days? Let’s hope so. 🙂

        Liked by 4 people

      1. In a way you’re right, Doug. I felt that passing that on to everyone here might help generate more such places and moments in our country and around the world, simply by showing that in at least one place, it is not just possible but actually happening. Since it is happening here, it can happen elsewhere, too. 🙂

        Liked by 3 people

  36. Contemplated “The Longest Night” on what can best be described as the longest walk this Christmas Eve. Sadly, not a critter was stirring from the lower fork on Yavapai lands all the way to Cougar Bluff.

    Had sparce patches of peace, but mostly images of various folks popping in and out of my head. Rapids. Careening canoes. Various degrees of human suffering and misery. My own little skiff battered and beached at the crossing.

    On the way back, I decided to cut the course diagonally to my point of embarkation. At about the midpoint, –– and long having since given up on seeing anything else breathing, –– I finally spotted this pair. A magnificent sire and mare. Just have a look:

    I recognize the stallion but hadn’t gotten ’round to giving him a name. Not quite the season, but also looks like the mare is carrying. She looks like the horse I once dubbed “Blondie” because of her beautiful blond mane, but I couldn’t (or wouldn’t) get close enough to verify. One of the rare times I didn’t feel a need to get up close.

    Just a couple of wild horses, but they looked so magnificent and regal making their way across that stretch of desert. Everything was right at that moment, and I’ve endeavored to live that moment ever since. Praying that each knows that moment.

    A very Blessed and Merry Christmas to All.

    Liked by 9 people

      1. YAY! Mick, this stone is very powerful. As a vehicle of grace, it is very helpful in curbing sinful habits. It has been a great blessing to me and my family.

        Liked by 3 people

  39. Merry Christmas Friends! God bless you all now at Christmas and throughout whatever comes our way. Thank you, Charlie, for a great post. Love all of you.

    Liked by 4 people

  40. Several mentioned Mary at Fatima reminding us that many go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. She also said that more go to hell due to sins of the flesh than from other causes so in this sad culture let’s pray more for sinners, not forgetting our own need for purification.

    Liked by 3 people

  44. This past year has definitely been a struggle; I found myself questioning whether any of us will ever move forward, as backtracking to faith & virtues is no longer a option that humanity as a whole wants to embrace.

    The only way forward is through the ruin & chaos ahead of us. We haven’t hit bottom yet, but looking at the state of the world, it’s in the near future. China “the poor pretender” is definitely showing their arrogance & true colors by the day, especially with this Huawei incident.

    Merry Christmas to everyone and I pray for the gifts of faith & trust in God for all.

    Liked by 2 people

  45. Merry Christmas and a blessed new year to everyone here. I am praying for all of you. Pray and don’t worry! All will be well. When the going gets tough, the tough get going, and they bring the not so tough along for the ride.

    Liked by 4 people

  46. MILINET: Christmas Stories From Wars And Warriors – 25 December
    =================
    VIDEO: “The West Wing” – In Excelsis Deo

    THE FIRST AMERICAN CHRISTMAS–Gen George Washington
    http://www.americanrevolution.org/delxing.php

    A Civil War Christmas story–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    http://www.militarytimes.com/story/life/2015/12/21/this-christmas-story-comes-from-the-civil-war/77722876/

    Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce of 1914–TIME
    http://time.com/3643889/christmas-truce-1914/

    VIDEO: An incredible Christmas story from WWII

    An unforgettable Christmas Eve midnight Mass during the Korean War
    https://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/an-unforgettable-christmas-eve-midnight-mass-during-the-korean-war-1.385850

    Christmas Eve at Khe Sanh–Cpl Dennis M Manion, USMC
    https://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/christmas-eve-khe-sanh

    A General Mattis Christmas Story
    http://www.txdevildog.com/a-general-mattis-christmas-story/

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 4 people

        1. 4 generations and beyond! Merry Christmas BD! Could you like talk up a storm to Sr. Millie and have her get after the rest of the heavenly intercessors so we can get the statue AT LONG LAST processed and enthroned in the Shrine? Give it all ya got, BD. We NEED OLA.

          Liked by 4 people

          1. Hi Beckita. We very much need OLA. Sr. Millie told me directly the statue of OLA would be enshrined in the Basilica one day even if it becomes necessary that a faithful remnant carries the Statue of OLA to the burned out ruins of the Basilica. Now that is determination and commitment! We can all personally assist this effort by turning away from sin and once America begins to turn away from sin, the Enthronement will happen just as promised.

            God Bless both you and Father on this Holy Day of Christmas.

            Liked by 3 people

            1. Amen, BD! And, of course, in addition to our own turning from sin, and living the counter virtues of our sins, is the constant plea of she who bore Him in her womb with Love beyond all telling. It’s a plea which Charlie has reechoed in this very piece: “If your friends and your family don’t have faith, have faith for them. If they don’t make reparation, make reparation for them. When they are completely shaken and trembling with fear, you put on the confidence that is from Christ, confidence that abides even amidst terrifying times. In September of 1917, Our Lady said at Fatima that many go to hell because they have no one to pray for them. Let us all endeavor to be spiritual philanthropists, so that none lack people of faith praying for them.” May Sr. Millie be praying for us and with us at ASOH.

              Liked by 1 person

            2. Hey, BD… Do you remember back maybe 12 or 13 years ago, when a statue of Our Lady of America was available for a short time? I’ve always wondered if they’ll ever be available for purchase again.

              Like

              1. Happy New Year Mick! The only statues I remember were some small OLA statues that a woman from California donated but that was back in the late 1980’s. (That’s before you were even born Mick). I would have liked to had one but they had already been spoken for.

                Sadly I started losing contact with Sister Millie around the mid 1990’s. Her health was deteriorating badly and the Nun she lived with became ever more protective of Sister Millie. I remember dropping off a stack of OLA pamphlets that I had printed for them. That was in 1995. Shortly after that it became impossible to contact Sister Millie directly and life just moved on.

                I am gladdened to see the OLA message rising miraculously from the ashes. But I also remember Sister Millie telling me that because of the poor spiritual state of our country, the message of OLA wouldn’t become widely known until the chastisement was upon us. God Bless to All.

                Liked by 2 people

                2. Wow, BD… what Sister Millie told you certainly turned out to be true. I wish there were statues, but I’m glad to have an O.L. of America medal for each member of my family. (P.S. Your comment about when I was born had me laughing up a storm.) 🙂

                  Like

  50. All CHRISTMAS .. now & then:

    MILINET: Christmas Stories From Wars And Warriors – 25 December
    =================
    VIDEO: “The West Wing” – In Excelsis Deo

    THE FIRST AMERICAN CHRISTMAS–Gen George Washington
    http://www.americanrevolution.org/delxing.php

    A Civil War Christmas story–Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
    http://www.militarytimes.com/story/life/2015/12/21/this-christmas-story-comes-from-the-civil-war/77722876/

    Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce of 1914–TIME
    http://time.com/3643889/christmas-truce-1914/

    VIDEO: An incredible Christmas story from WWII

    An unforgettable Christmas Eve midnight Mass during the Korean War
    https://www.stripes.com/news/veterans/an-unforgettable-christmas-eve-midnight-mass-during-the-korean-war-1.385850

    Christmas Eve at Khe Sanh–Cpl Dennis M Manion, USMC
    https://www.mca-marines.org/gazette/christmas-eve-khe-sanh

    A General Mattis Christmas Story
    http://www.txdevildog.com/a-general-mattis-christmas-story/

    and other articles:

    The Angelic Message: Hang in There
    https://townhall.com/columnists/billmurchison/2018/12/25/the-angelic-message-hang-in-there-n2538003

    This Christmas, Even in This Dark Time, Enjoy the Light
    https://townhall.com/columnists/arthurschaper/2018/12/25/untitled-n2538033

    Trump’s Christmas Echoes the One in 1776
    https://townhall.com/columnists/johnandandyschlafly/2018/12/25/draft-n2538034

    My personal war on Christmas
    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/my-personal-war-on-christmas

    Home for Christmas
    https://freebeacon.com/culture/home-for-christmas/

    A MERRY CHRISTMAS DAY AND GOD BLESS US, EVERYONE!!

    Liked by 4 people

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Published by charliej373

Charlie Johnston is a former newspaper editor, radio talk show host and political consultant. From Feb. 11, 2011 to Aug. 21, 2012, he walked 3,200 miles across the country, sleeping in the woods, meeting people and praying as he went. He writes on cultural, global and political issues from an orthodox Catholic perspective. He emphasizes that we find God most surely through the ordinary, doing the little things we should with faith and fidelity. His constant refrain is that, to live real joy, we must acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. He lives in the Archdiocese of Denver in the United States.