The Middle Coming

Posted on by charliej373

St. Bernard

(In my last piece, I said, in exasperation, that there is no “middle coming.” That was hyperbole – and wrong. I meant that there is no middle coming in the sense of Jesus coming in his normal humanity. I was frustrated because some have tortured the Church’s authentic teaching on the middle coming to mean Jesus is coming again to rule directly before the end of time. That, of course, is millenarianism, which is condemned by the Church. To get around this, some others have made the very admirable precept of the Divine Will into a future mandatory system of governance and law, rather than a voluntary personal embrace of holiness that will be widespread in an era of peace. I don’t like to get too bogged down into intricate theology and eschatology, but some of these errors, uncorrected, can have devastating consequences if adopted widespread. For example, I heartily endorse and congratulate those who use their resources now to prepare refuges in case of need in the future. It is a notable act of charity. But I have utter contempt for those who teach that, as troubles mount, the angels are going to lead all the good little boys and girls into “refuges” where the deer will spontaneously fall dead whenever someone needs food. God calls us to be His arms and legs throughout the crisis, to do, to give ourselves in service and sacrifice to Him and His people. The perverted definition of refuge means we get to skip any trials and smugly watch those other poor slobs get whacked. Beyond that, it suggests that the angels, themselves, will be our waiters. It is perverse and sinful, triggering a sense of pride and vanity rather than of service and sacrifice. Perversions of the middle coming and the divine will are more likely to instill a sense of complacency and incipient pride than a determination to act, to take risks on behalf of others, to cast our bread upon the water in trust that God will uphold us. Jesus is truly with us in the Eucharist. But He only comes in His normal human form twice: when He walked the earth in the Incarnation and when He comes in glory at the end of time. 

At the Ascension, two angels told the witnesses, “This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)

To add clarity to this point, I submit three comments that Desmond Birch, one of the foremost living eschatologists in the world, has made here. It is not important that you fully understand the idea of a middle coming. It is critical that you not let it be perverted to unwittingly endorse millenarianism, either overtly or masked by another name. Some of you have seen part of what follows, but it is important to see it all.-CJ)

By Desmond Birch

The “sign of the beast” is a future phenomen associated with the reign of the Antichrist. ‘The’ Great Antichrist comes proximate to the end of time, the Final Judgment.

THAT CAN ONLY HAPPEN ‘AFTER’, ‘AFTER’, A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PUBLICLY PROPHESIED EVENTS HAVE OCCURRED. These include;

A. The Evangelization of the whole world
B. The fullness of the Gentiles
C The Great Apostasy to follow that “fullness”
D. The time of the Arrival of the foretold Great/Final Antichrist

WHY IT CANNOT HAPPEN NOW!

I. I recommend several recent Papal Documents – including the reading of Pope John Paul II’s Encyclical, ‘Redemptoris Missio’ – promulgated in 1990 – a document written on the current state of the World’s Evangelization.

Therein St. John Paul II states clearly that the Evangelization of the world is NOT complete – even “very far from over”. Listen to his opening paragraph – WHERE HE SPEAKS OF THE CHURCH’S MISSION OF “EVANGELIZATION”:

INTRODUCTION
1. THE MISSION of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, IS STILL VERY FAR FROM COMPLETION. AS THE SECOND MILLENNIUM AFTER CHRIST’S COMING DRAWS TO AN END, AN OVERALL VIEW OF THE HUMAN RACE SHOWS THAT THIS MISSION IS STILL ONLY BEGINNING and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service. It is the Spirit who impels us to proclaim the great works of God: “For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16)

II. I recommend the reading of Pope Benedict XVI’s teaching on the NEGATIVE EVENTS requisite prior to the coming of the very end time events – and where he states absolutely the there are entire “REGIONS” of the earth which have not yet received their INITIAL EVANGELIZATION. As Benedict taught on Sunday, 28 June 2010:

“It was for this reason that John Paul II wrote: “The mission of Christ the Redeemer, which is entrusted to the Church, is still very far from completion”, and he added: “an overall view of the human race shows that this mission is still only beginning and that we must commit ourselves wholeheartedly to its service” (Encyclical Redemptoris Missio, n. 1). There are regions of the world that are still awaiting a first evangelization.”
I’ve been teaching eschatology [the study of the last things] for many years. The basics have not changed. As Jesus Himself teaches in the Gospel, the very end time events cannot come until after the whole world has received its Initial Evangelization. As both JP II and Benedict XVI clearly state – THAT HASN’T HAPPENED YET.

THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO PRESENT THEMSELVES AS EXPERTS ON THIS SUBJECT – WHO DEMONSTRABLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE CHURCH’S TEACHINGS ABOUT IT.

We Catholics receive our understanding of Doctrine and Dogma from the Church – NOT private revelation.

*******

(One of our commenters asked a question to clarify what the Church teaches the middle coming is – and is not. Birch clarified that as follows:)

Someone wrote: “We can say that Jesus comes in the flesh (body, blood, soul and divinity) at the time of Consecration at Mass. This could be WHAT IS SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS THE MIDDLE COMING (or the first of two parts of the final coming of Jesus in Glory).

That idea was initially promoted some time ago by a man well known in certain circles. He claimed in a book, that he got that idea from St. Bernard of Clairvaux. That was and is patently false – as I demonstrated to him it was wrong – from both the writings of John Paul II and St. Bernard of Clairvaux himself.

This false idea/interpretation of the Middle Coming has been spreading over the last 20 years plus. I mean no offense, but that is NOT what the Church means when She refers to the ‘Middle Coming’ of Christ – as we will see below from St. Bernard of Clairvaux and Pope St. John Paul II.

Pope John Paul II in his book, ‘Prayers and Devotions from POPE JOHN PAUL II’ [commonly referred to as Pope John Paul II’s Daily Meditation throughout the Liturgical Year], he explains that the ‘Middle Coming’ spoken of in the Church – is the same one spoken of by the early Church Fathers, and later by St Bernard of Clairvaux.

I.e, JP II, St. Bernard, and the Church Fathers say the Middle Coming is the one wherein each day, IN EVERY AGE OF SALVATION HISTORY, Jesus’ “ELECT” see Him dwelling within themselves – and they must daily choose between Him and the world.

AS WE WILL SEE BELOW, THE MIDDLE COMING OF JESUS, FAITHFULLY SPOKEN OF IN THE CHURCH, IS NO SPECIAL TIME WITHIN SALVATION HISTORY. THAT IS A MYTH OR SOMETHING COMING FROM THE IMAGINATION OF SOMEONE IN THE LAST 25 YEARS.

Below are quotes From JP II’s, ‘Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II, pp. 31-32,’ It come from the sections Advent Mediations for Dec. 19th & 20″, &, then from St. Bernard’s Dissertation on this INTERIOR ADVENT, or Interior Spiritual Coming of Christ into the hearts of the faithful – which they can discover inside themselves each day.

These quotes begin with St. John Paul II’s words from his work, Prayers and Devotions from Pope John Paul II:
December 19

The Culmination of Advent

“We are now at the culmination of Advent! During these days of grace, the Church has made us reflect through her liturgy, on the mystery of THE TWOFOLD COMING OF CHRIST: in the lowliness of our human nature and in the final coming of his Paroiusia.

December 20

The Interior Advent
Before the manger at Bethlehem – as later before the cross on Golgotha – mankind makes a basic choice in regard to Golgotha – mankind makes a basic choice in regard to Jesus. In the last analysis, this is the choice which man is called upon to make unavoidably day after day, in regard to God, the Creator and Father. And THIS IS DONE, BEFORE ALL AND ABOVE ALL, WITHIN THE DEPTHS OF THE PERSONAL CONSCIENCE. It is there that the encounter between God and man takes place.

Below JP II continues this commentary,

THIS IS THE THIRD COMING OF WHICH THE FATHERS SPEAK. IT IS THE “INTERIOR ADVENT,” WHICH WAS ANALYZED THEOLOGICALLY AND ASCETICALLY BY ST. BERNARD.

Now JOHN PAUL II quotes St. Bernard of Clairvaux on this phenomenon of the Middle Coming. NOTE WELL that BERNARD SAYS IT IS A COMING OF A PURELY SPIRITUAL NATURE, which occurs in the hearts of “THE ELECT”, WHO SEE HIM “WITHIN THEMSELVES”.

“IN THE FIRST COMING the Word was seen on earth and mingled with mankind when, as He Himself affirmed, they saw Him and hated Him. IN THE LAST COMING every person shall see the salvation of God, and they shall look on him whom they pierced. BUT THE INTERMEDIATE COMING IS OCCULT, IN IT ONLY THE ELECT SEE HIM WITHIN THEMSELVES, and their souls are thereby saved.”
(De Medio Adventu et Triplici Innovationne, Bernardus de Clairvaux).

THIS INTERIOR ADVENT is brought to life through constant meditation on and assimilation of the Word of God. It is rendered fruitful and animated by prayer of adoration and praise of God. It is reinforced by constant reception of the Sacraments, those of Reconciliation and the in particular, for they cleanse and enrich us with the grace of Christ and make us “new” in accordance with Jesus’ pressing call: “Be coverted.” (cf. Mt 3:2; 4:17; Lk 5:32; Mk 1:15).

[Now JP II wraps up this discussion by both himself, and St. Bernard:

IN VIEW OF THIS, EVERY DAY CAN AND OUGHT BECOME ADVENT FOR US CHRISTIANS. It can and ought become Christmas! For, the more we purify our souls, the more shall we make room for God’s love in our hearts, the more Christ will be able to come and be born in us.

*******

(And finally, to differentiate between Eucharistic adoration from the authentic concept of the Middle Coming, Birch wrote this:)

First of all – since there are different understandings by many of us about the ‘Eucharistic Presence’ – one thing must be made absolutely clear at this time: THE MIDDLE COMING WHICH BERNARD AND THE CHURCH SPEAK OF IS NOT – NOT – THE EUCHARIST. Nor is the Eucharist a necessary part of it [which will be explained lower down.]

St. Bernard is quite clear about what it is, AND, what it is not. So, let us repeat the quotes from Bernard I gave above – and then continue his text. PLEASE PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE SCRIPTURE PASSAGE HE USES TO ADDRESS THIS SUBJECT OF THE ‘MIDDLE COMING’. We’ll begin with the quote already supplied above:

“IN THE FIRST COMING the Word was seen on earth and mingled with mankind when, as He Himself affirmed, they saw Him and hated Him. IN THE LAST COMING every person shall see the salvation of God, and they shall look on him whom they pierced. BUT THE INTERMEDIATE COMING IS OCCULT, IN IT ONLY THE ELECT SEE HIM WITHIN THEMSELVES, and their souls are thereby saved.”

[Now we continue Bernard’s teaching on this:]
“In case someone should think that what we say about this middle coming is sheer invention, listen to what our Lord himself says: ‘IF ANYONE LOVES ME, HE WILL KEEP MY WORD, AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME TO HIM.’ [JN 14:23] There is another passage of Scripture which reads: He who fears God will do good, BUT SOMETHING FURTHER HAS BEEN SAID ABOUT THE ONE WHO LOVES, THAT IS, THAT HE WILL KEEP GOD’S WORD. WHERE IS GOD’S WORD TO BE KEPT? OBVIOUSLY IN THE HEART, as the prophet says: I have hidden your words in my heart, so that I may not sin against you.”

DB: OK, SO WHERE DOES BERNARD LEAD US HERE??? THE MIDDLE COMING WHICH THE CHURCH TEACHES US ABOUT [not some alleged private revelation], IS THE INDWELLING OF JESUS AND THE FATHER [& HOLY SPIRIT] WITHIN THE HEART OF THOSE WHO LOVE HIM — BY KEEPING HIS COMMANDS.

Bernard now concludes:

“Keep God’s word in this way. Let it enter into your very being, let it take possession of your desires and your whole way of life. Feed on goodness, and your soul will delight in its richness. Remember to eat your bread, or your heart will wither away. Fill your soul with richness and strength.”

THAT IS THE END OF BERNARD’S TEXT.

WE MUST REMEMBER THIS VIS A VIS THE EUCHARIST IN RELATION TO THE ‘INDWELLING’ OF THE TRINITY: There were persecuted Christian peoples in Asia who for many centuries had no priests or Eucharist – their priesthood had been mass martyred. [Korea is an excellent example.] But they persisted in the Faith, baptizing their children, and keeping God’s Commandments for centuries without the Eucharist. They most assuredly possessed the Middle Coming of the Trinity in their hearts — without any Eucharist in their entire lives. That doesn’t mean the Eucharist is not important in being able to love Jesus and to Keep His Commandments. It simply means that it is historically proven as possible to do so WITHOUT the Eucharist.

We must remember the theological adage that:” God is the Creator of the Sacraments.” But, He isn’t limited to them for means of grace.

All my love in Christ

Desmond

297 thoughts on “The Middle Coming”

  1. Bravo, Desmond and Charlie! It is heartening to be blessed with the beauty, grace and truth of this clarification regarding Church Teaching. Thank you both. Deo Gratias.

    Liked by 6 people

  2. For those who have entered the Illuminative way of the interior life, this will make perfect sense because they have already experienced the beginnings of Christ’s holy Presence. I am still making my way and I have no doubt that many here are within those innermost mansions. How blessed we are when we undertake to enter into His courts. Who can fathom the depths of the soul united to Jesus? Duc in altum!

    Peace and blessings to you as we join with our Holy Saviour in the desert and enter into the holy season of Lent.

    Liked by 5 people

  4. I commonly teach ALL this and much more to the seminarians … for the same reason I teach it to laity.

    It WAS commonly understood in my youth that there are ONLY TWO PHYSICAL COMINGS OF CHRIST. BUT the role of the indwelling of the Trinity within the hearts of the Elect was not well understood – with the exception of some theologians with expertise in both Soteriology and Trinitarian theology.

    There was not one priest in 500 familiar with the expression [or its content] that: ‘The Holy Spirit is the mutual love of the Father and the Son’, or, ‘If the Father is the kiss, the Son receives the kiss, and the Holy Spirit IS the kiss.’

    But virtually everyone who had received a good Catholic education understood that ONLY those who keep Jesus Commandments truly love Him, and the Father and the Holy Spirit. THOSE WHO SO KEEP THEM, THEY ARE THE ONES WITHIN WHOM JESUS AND THE FULLNESS OF THE TRINITY DWELL BUT, they did understand the only the ELECT [who keep the Commandments] can upon sincere contemplation see Jesus [and the balance of the Trinity’ dwelling within their hearts.

    THEY ARE THE ONES, AND THE ONLY ONES WHO EXPERIENCE THE ‘MIDDLE COMING’.

    All my love in Christ

    Desmond

    Liked by 7 people

    1. Desmond I am currently listening to your (the churches ) position on the Last Things with Collin Donavan. It will take me awhile as I’m on episode 1 in youtube, but it is QUITE FASCINATING… Who would’ve thought about the Kingdom or Eschaton already being here! How wonderful…thank you for teaching us all😇

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Yes, as you heard from Colin and I – the Church’s teaching is that “The Kingdom already exists ‘in mystery’ – in the Sacraments, etc.

        All my love in Christ

        Desmond

        Liked by 2 people

      2. Hi, Linda,

        This morning I’m finally getting a chance to look for a recorded set of the EWTN series which Colin dir for EWTN on Eschatology. Thanks. I didn’t know it existed on youtube.

        We prepared this series with two goals in mind, to cover the authentic eschatological teachings of the Church [the Last Things in Time and Eternity], & to present some of the basic theological tools which we use in the practice of Catholic theology.

        Thanks again for the heads up.

        All my love in Christ

        Desmond

        Liked by 2 people

    2. Roy Schoeman, Salvation is from the Jews, asked Mother Mary “who or what is the Holy Spirit”? Shoeman states Mother Mary looked Heaven ward and answered His gaze

      Liked by 4 people

    3. How do you respond to Fr Herman B. Kramer in the The Book Of Destiny who states it is his belief that the Anti-Christ will appear, be defeated. and be chained for 1000 years. In other words the anti-Christ will come in the middle.

      About the Author

      The Rev. Father Herman Bernard F. Leonard Kramer was born in 1884 at Petersburg, Iowa. After studying philosophy at Mt. Calvary for five years, and theology at Austria for one, he returned to America due to ill health and completed his studies at St. Paul Seminary. Subsequently ordained a priest, he served the Diocese of Sioux City for four decades before retiring to Oakland, California. After studying the Book of Revelations for thirty years, he released The Book of Destiny in 1955 through Buechler Publishing Company, Illinois. Father Kramer\’s work also received the Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur upon publication.

      Like

      1. That’s wonderful, Gary, but Birch is almost certainly the foremost living eschatologist in the world. He has been the invited guest speaker at seminaries across the world; his book on the subject is routinely assigned reading at seminaries, and he still helps teach there. Read that book, “Trial, Tribulation and Triumph” and you will have your answer – and in painstaking detail. Fr. Herman can believe what he wants, but he is contradicting St. Augustine, one of the greatest Doctors of the Church. Rather than what you ask, I would like to hear Fr. Herman explain where he believes St. Augustine – and all the foremost eschatologists since – have got it wrong. Your bio of him does not even suggest Fr. Herman specializes in eschatology or has studied what the Church has to say about it. I honestly hope Birch does not respond, because it is goofy to respond to outlier claims by people of questionable credentials in the area of which they advocate. You above many here should know that Priests are not experts in all fields – and to write of eschatology and not even tout any credentials in the subject makes it suspect.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Charlie, I’ll respond to ‘you’ by simply stating that Augustine is very far from the only Bishop-Doctor of the Church to condemn Millaeianism, and state that the very end of time comes shortly after the death of the Antichrist.

          One of the greatest examples of this is, St. Robert Bellarmine. He was a Bishop & Cardinal of the Church. He is also Doctor of the Church as is St. Augustine.

          Robert Bellarmine, was the last of the 35 Doctors of the Church to make such an indepth study of the written and oral Tradition of the Church on Her eschatological teachings [especially of the Church Fathers]. He was also a Papal Advisor on Doctrinal and Moral law of the Church.

          He was also the lead Catholic Theologian in demolishing the false theology of the Protestant Revolutionaries during the period of the Catholic Answersto Protestant arguments.

          St. Bellarmine states the obvious (obvious to anyone who has done serious ‘faithful’ study of the eschatological teachings of the Church). Bellarmine cryptically concludes on the subject of when the Antichrist will come:

          “Antichrist shall come a short time before the end of the world … after Antichrist at once comes the last judgement. … the future reign of Antichrist shall be of one thousand two hundred and ninety days duration. … Matt. 24. ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world, and then shall come the consummation (of the world)’ that is, a little after [Antichrist] shall come the end of the world.” (He repeated this on other occasions as well.)

          Here is the Latin Text of Bellarmine’s statement on this subject. I know the Latin is accurate because I translated it myself, and subsequently ran it by a number of my peers to get their feedback. They all agreed with its accuracy.:

          “CAPUT VI. Sexta demonstratio sumitur ex ultimo signo consequente Antichristum, quod erit mundi consummatio. Nam Antichristi adventus erit paulo ante finem mundi. … post Antichristum statim sequuturum ultimum judicium: … 12. Antichristi regnum duraturum diebus mille ducentis et nonaginta. … Matth. 24. Praedicabitur hoc evangelium regni in universo mundo in testimonium omnibus gentibus, et tunc erit consummatio, idest, paulo post erit finis mundi. p. 438

          There is my response to you, Charlie. Now if someone claiming to be Catholic doesn’t understand the difference in authority between great Doctors of the Church, and priestly or lay commentators – you can explain it to them. You won’t need any help from me.

          Again, Catholics take their understanding of Doctrine from the Magisterium. MIllenarianism of any stripe stands formally condemned by the Church since the 4th century A.D.

          Those who knowingly choose to ignore the constant teachings of the Church put their very salvation in jeopardy.

          Liked by 3 people

  5. Hello. I’ve checked the Prayers and Devotions: 356 Daily Meditations by Johh Paul II…

    ” THIS INTERIOR ADVENT is brought to life through constant meditation on and assimilation of the Word of God. It is rendered fruitful and animated by prayer of adoration and praise of God. It is reinforced by constant reception of the Sacraments, those of Reconciliation and the (Eucharist) in particular, for they cleanse and enrich us with the grace of Christ and make us “new” in accordance with Jesus’ pressing call: “Be coverted.” (cf. Mt 3:2; 4:17; Lk 5:32; Mk 1:15 ”

    The word Eucharist is missing on the texted posted. Also coverted… you mean “converted”.

    Peace and Blessings

    Liked by 2 people

      1. No worries about typos, Desmond. We all add typos here and there. Further, we light-heartedly call a typo a “bing” – I believe Doug got us going on this tradition – and many of us take the typo as a cue to offer a prayer for the holy souls. May all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

        Liked by 4 people

  6. Charlie, as I read your castigation of the perversions of millenarianism, it struck me these perversions also parallel developments in our secular society, as the Democrat party has been morphing into a Socialist Democrat party. Thus, your criticism of millenarianism applies well to Socialism:

    “The perverted definition of [life by Socialism] means we get to skip any trials and smugly watch those other poor slobs [living under Capitalism] get whacked. Beyond that, it suggests that the [bureaucrats], themselves, will be our waiters. It is perverse and sinful, triggering a sense of pride and vanity rather than of service and sacrifice. Perversions of [life’s purpose under Socialism] are more likely to instill a sense of complacency and incipient pride than a determination to act, to take risks on behalf of others, to cast our bread upon the water in trust that [the Government] will uphold us.”

    Liked by 4 people

  8. MTCL, additionally – we should understand that when JP II mentions the Sacraments, he is NOT referring to them as the source of the ‘MIDDLE COMING’. He is referring to them as “ASSISTS” in bringing the Middle Coming to life. He states earlier that he clearly agrees with St. Bernard’s assessment that it is in KEEPING CHRIST’S COMMANDS that the ELECT receive the Middle Coming.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Hey, Dez! 🙂

      Just to be sure, help us out here (especially me, but I figure if I ask for everyone, my own potential ignorance will be lost in the larger mass of putative questioners!): Exactly what are the commands Christ wishes us to keep? Let’s not leave this as QED or as an exercise for the student. Let’s just get it out there, no shortcuts, no confusing elements. As Joe Friday used to say when asking for information, “Just the fax, Man.”

      Liked by 9 people

        1. Sorry, am trying to do this on my cell phone: Commandments. Keep the Moral Law contained in the Ten Commandments. Love God with your whole mind, heart, and strength – and your neighbor as yourself. Jesus instructs us on this in thscSermon on the Mount – where He speaks about the aeparation oof the sheep and the goats at the Final Judgment.

          Liked by 3 people

          1. Thanks, Aquinas41. I just wanted to be sure I haven’t missed anything! Of course, so often, knowing isn’t the same as doing, but I work at it …

            Liked by 4 people

            1. You are welcome. I’m ‘working at it’ also. BTW, due to my lack of finesse on the Internet, I now appear to be posting under two ‘handles’; Desmond Birch & Aquinas41. We’re one and the same guy. 🙂

              All my love in Christ

              Desmond

              Liked by 7 people

              1. I figured that out after a bit. I suspect when you signed up for your WP account, you set your Display Name to Aquinas41, so that is what you became. Is that what you did?

                Liked by 2 people

  10. Thanks CJ. I think we’ll all be very surprised by what comes our way via the STORM. What I know for sure is the STORM will be sufficient to usher in Our Lady’s Triumph. Enough said…

    Liked by 6 people

  11. Only hours before reading this I was led to read. The new and divine holiness on Mark Malletts site. Must be something in the air!

    Liked by 2 people

  12. I’ve never heard of a “middle coming” until I read this post. And I don’t think I’ve seen any other posts on this site with so many ALL CAPS. The topic must have hit a nerve somewhere!! It’s a lovely concept tho, now that it has been explained. Thanks Charlie and Desmond.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Hey madkatmomma! WordPress is a wonderful platform in many ways. One thing that’s hard, though, is altering text for whatever good reason. I didn’t read Desmond’s use of caps as a result of having struck a nerve. He’s a professor of seminarians and a fountain of knowledge regarding Church teaching for all so blessed to listen. I thought the caps were simply a way to place emphasis on something important.

      Liked by 7 people

      1. Ha! Perhaps I should give Dez a tutorial on bolding. When he uses caps, he is NOT shouting, he is simply doing what is normally done by bolding. Dez is brilliant, but he is ols-school brilliant.

        Liked by 3 people

        1. I hesitate to correct you on your own web page, but Desmond is not brilliant. [Many of his students make the same mistaken conclusion about him year after year [that he is brilliant.]

          What makes him appear that way to some people, is in actuality more the result of dogged determination.

          To explain: Beginning at a very young age, he was taught to work at anything worthwhile till he had mastered it, to never give in to discouragement if some others learned something faster than he did.

          He became a ‘digger’ – someone who digs into something till he has found the true explanation for and understanding of it. He was taught to never ever say that something was beyond him — that with God’s help he could learn anything he had the time and desire to invest in such a learning process.

          In the course of such study — things which would go in one ear and some time thereafter out the other of some of the people whom he considered to be brilliant because they could learn some particular subject faster than he could — the material learned the hard way didn’t leave him like it did many others.

          What he fought for then in the learning process [and still applies to each day of his studies – two to three hours per day] doesn’t go away. It sticks to his skull by dint of hard work.

          All my love in Christ

          Desmond

          Liked by 5 people

          2. Seems to confirm the old addage that 99% of genius is sweat. (Edison) If however 99% of sweat resulted in genius then the world would be full of very clever people. Evidently that does not happen but maybe a life of sweat in the service of others brings another type of genious: the genious of love and the reward of heaven.

            Liked by 6 people

          3. Desmond, You are also an excellent Educational Psychologist by observing that,” the material learned the hard way didn’t leave him like it did many others. ” Extended effort and repetition is the key to skill and knowledge mastery and retention, with my research support for this proposition published in 1974 ( https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1974-28601-001 ). Easy material read lightly also fades away easily.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. How wonderful to discover another dimension of your life’s work, Jack! I began my teaching career as a student teacher in kindergarten and landed in first grade for my maiden year as a credentialed educator with the intent to move through the grades every few years for two reasons: 1. Simply to keep my interest and love of teaching ever fresh and alive. And 2. To have before me the previous year’s discoveries about how students were developing as I would – I thought – be better prepared to provide the best possible experience at their current grade level.

              Well, I couldn’t bear to leave first grade as I dug deeper and deeper into the realm of beginning reading for many young children. Your closing line struck a positive chord for me. I was determined that none of my wee readers would ever become simple word callers as I juggled to know each one’s individual reading level and potential so, together, we could ever challenge them to move forward and engage in activities and discussions which demanded and developed comprehension capabilities.

              Liked by 2 people

              1. Beckita, I too had the calling to teach, but decided to exit early on because of an incident. As a beginning Assist prof at S. Ill U, I handled the large sections for Ed Psych, and grading the generally low performance was distressful. But I also gave seminars on learning theories to our grad students, and attracted the high performers.

                Our Dean issued a policy statement that all classes were to be graded on the normal curve. My seminar at the time had all A level students, and they were performing very well, so I awarded 9 As and one B+. My Dep. Chair called me in to say that I was violating the Dean’s policy (I was also informed that his wife was in one of my Ed Psych sections and getting a C-, which did not make him very happy). I said that such a policy applied well to a large sample of students whose ability and motivation would be normally distributed, but did not fairly apply to a small group of select grad students. My Chair was a good guy, but had policy to enforce. My solution was that I would not reduce grades to please a stupid rule, but would leave at the end of the school year, which I did. Went from that job into full time research, but taught evening classes over the years.

                Liked by 6 people

                1. Love your integrity expressed in standing your ground to act in truth with fair grading, Jack, and I very much appreciate your contributions here.

                  I began my undergraduate work thinking social work was my calling. And, actually, in my high school aptitude test, becoming a member of the clergy was the ranking that soared above the others. 🙂 (Of course, Fr. Wang is my main congregation these days as he, often, hears my many sermons at dinner time.) After a year of study in the curriculum for the social work degree, I discerned I was too darned sensitive to actually work in the field. That’s when I veered into working for the degree in elementary education only to discover that I would integrate many disciplines in the work of teaching, such as social work, psychology and one of my favs: first grade opera composed in real time as we laughed and worked through the day.

                  Liked by 5 people

                    2. Oh, I would have loved that. I used to miss a lot of recess during first grade because I day dreamed and did not get my work done. I did not have a Miss Peach for a teacher. 😣 One morning I cried to my Mom that I did not want to go to school anymore. My mom consoled me and made me go anyway. She was (is) a good mom. In second grade, I had Miss Peach and then I really liked school after that. 😊

                      Liked by 4 people

                    4. Yes indeed Becks! Due to the baby boom population explosion, my 2nd grade class was in the basement of a congregational church (unlikely to see that today). The public schools had no more room to accommodate the influx of kids. This, I am sure, had a most profound impact on me as I remember reading a pamphlet left by the church on love and marriage. In 2nd grade! Go figure. There was so much peace there. I was not brought up in any church too. It was a great gift. Our dear Lord had his hand in me (he is a little sneak. He duped me.). My gift back to our Lord is my faithfulness to my dear Lambzie in marriage as she has been my companion for over 34 years. I am very excited as I now sit on my plane in Phoenix to fly to Sacramento to surprise her with my visit as she, my daughter and grand kids have no clue that I will be joining them in a few hours. I look forward to the expression on their faces when I show up at the door. God is gracious and merciful!

                      Liked by 5 people

                  1. I taught there 1970. The campus at that time was rebuilt and grand. Walt Frazier’s successes were still in the air. The potential for the New Madrid fault to act up was a whispered issue. Moved to Los Alamitos, CA in time for the Feb, 1971 Sylmar quake which woke me by shaking me around my water bed.

                    Liked by 2 people

                    2. Ah… so you were there after my dad graduated. Too bad; he might have been one of your Ed Psych students (he was an English teacher).

                      Liked by 1 person

                    1. Nah, Kim; my dad grew up not too far from Champaign-Urbana. I’m not sure why he didn’t go to U of I instead of SIU; I’ll have to ask him that someday.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    3. Kim: Well, go figure! So did your dad study engineering or some such? As I mentioned, my dad was an English teacher; but he studied to be a journalist. Upon graduation, he was all set to take a journalism job with a newspaper in the Chicago area; but at the last minute, he opted to accept a teaching position in Indianapolis. Good thing, too… otherwise, he never would have met my mother. 🙂

                      Liked by 4 people

                    4. Yes, Daddy was a Civil Engineer. He had a great career. He was the president of a firm that worked internationally. There was a devastating earthquake in Rabat, Morocco in the 60’s and he was there for three months helping them rebuild. Mom sure missed him. She was pregnant with the 4th of their 7 children. He traveled all over the world and Mom went along when we were older and she could leave us. He wrote a little autobiography for us recounting his travels and experiences that is so cool to have.

                      Liked by 4 people

                    5. That’s really neat, Kim. 🙂

                      P.S. I also call my dad “Daddy.” It causes some hilarious confusion when we are visiting him: My daughter’s voice sounds just like mine, and if she hollers “Daddy!” from the other room, both my husband and my father will answer.

                      Liked by 2 people

                    6. Love it! Daddy was not Catholic when he married Mom and he had hesitation because of that, but he was crazy about her and married her. He was always supportive of our being raised Catholic and attending Catholic schools. When he became sick 6 months before he died, we talked to him– again– about converting to Catholicism. He said he wanted to but couldn’t attend RCIA. Our pastor came to the house and gave him instruction. Dad ended up in ICU before he entered the Church and a few days before he died. Our pastor came to ICU and heard his confession, confirmed him, and received the Holy Eucharist. His First Communion was his last Communion. It was amazingly beautiful and comforting to his family. It softened the blow of losing him.

                      Liked by 3 people

                    9. Oh, Kim… what a beautiful story! Your father sounds like such an amazing man, and I’m glad that he was received into the Church before he passed. My dad was raised Catholic but married my mom outside the Church. She became Catholic ten years before she died. I’m still praying that Daddy return to the Church; and I know that Mom is, too. Would you please say a prayer for my dad, and ask your dad to do the same?

                      Just as your father was crazy about your mother, my dad was completely smitten with my mom. They met at a party that neither one was supposed to be at. (Mom was there because her girlfriend was doing the catering, and they were going to hang out immediately after the catering was finished. Daddy was there because his sister had been invited but didn’t want to go without a date.) Daddy saw Mom across the room, walked up to her, and said, “I’m going to marry you.” Never even said, “Hello.” They got married three weeks later, and they were married for 41 years.

                      Liked by 2 people

                    10. Oh Mick– what a beautiful love story!❤ I will absolutely pray for your Dad, and ask mine to intercede for him. I would never have imagined Daddy would have entered the Church. Never in a million years! He never went to church with us. Miracles happen! Praying for one for y’all!!

                      Liked by 2 people

                3. Jack–are you still in IL? My cousin attended there when you were their teaching. I think her husband attended also, and was a star on the rugby team, But if SIU didn’t have a rugby team then he didn’t go there!

                  Liked by 1 person

                  1. My wife dragged me to live in Las Vegas for retirement. At the time, 2010, that was a good idea as the pricing was severely depressed. But, my existing house in Albuquerque did not sell for eight years, nearly bankrupting me as I paid two mortgages. With air conditioning working, Las Vegas is good for retirement–and, a happy wife makes for a happy life–she tells me all of the time.

                    Liked by 6 people

                4. Along the vein of Jack’s ethical predicament in academia, this one has a pro-life bent: Years ago, after a close relative received her doctorate in nursing science at Catholic Univ., she received a teaching offer from a nearby prestigious, (ahem, ‘catholic’) Univ. (hint-____ porgie, puddin and pie) Something told her to ask where she’d be taking her students for clinicals…discovered abortions took place at the facility. Needless to say, she accepted an offer from her alma mater instead.

                  Liked by 3 people

            3. Jack – If I may be so bold – do you have any quick advice on educating young children? My kids are ages 7 and under. We stick to older, more challenging literature. I would appreciate any other tidbits of wisdom you could share.

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Goldensun, Learning depends on motivation to learn and attention to the presentation or activity involved–but especially depends on facilitating the student’s active engagement, so the learning is incorporated. By contrast, a boring lecture where the topic has no interest and the student is allowed to be passive will not be attended to and will waste time. Boring, passive teaching also discourages the student about the “learning” activity.

                So, make sure your child knows why the education is being provided and becomes interested. Provide for anchorage of the memories to be formed by providing what are termed Instructional Objectives: a description of the lesson objectives and what the child will be learning about. Ensure lesson pacing is comfortable for the child. Have the child engage some how, such as by asking or answering meaningful questions, or imitating if a skilled motion is demonstrated.

                If knowledge is the lesson goal, ask questions that make use of the knowledge to ensure learning and retention. If a skill is to be learned–then practice, practice, practice, but make sure that bad habits are not also being practiced.

                If you are enthusiastic, that sure helps, but the bottom line is the child must be motivated and have the prerequisite skills and knowledge to build on.

                At my old age, I believe the place to start childhood education is really on morals and ethics, on getting along, so a Christian education is the foundation. Building self-confidence about the learning environment is also essential.

                Liked by 7 people

                2. Jack, thank you for this most excellent advice. I have been a homeschooling mother for just shy of 20 years, and this is the best and most succinct piece of educational advice I’ve ever heard. I also love what you said in the first sentence of your last paragraph.

                  Liked by 2 people

            1. Oh yes, HTTP. And their jaws are mightily strong, symbols of powerful expression. What can be more powerful than fluent expression of the fullness of Truth?! I hope you like this affectionately ascribed symbol for you, Dez. PS If not, that’s AOK too and easy to fix. 🙂

              Liked by 1 person

              2. Hahaha-yes, badgers hand out badges.(But, I am not sure what type of animal that badger is.-giggling)

                Like

      2. That’s right, Beckita. Both here and on Facebook, there is no method for emphasis outside of ALLCAPS, no italicization, no underlining, no color emphasis, etc. So Iuse the only method available, ALLCAPS.

        Liked by 2 people

  13. Like most Folks, I’d imagine?, I don’t have the time or inclination to get “wrapped around the axle” concerning the finer points of Theology or much else outside my calling or or particular interests …. especially at my age …..soooo … for Folks like Me …. I’ll stick, PRIMARILY, with ….. :

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 13 people

    1. And as becomes clear in Faustina’s Diary, that entails Jesus’ prescribed love of both God and neighbor. Jesus lays this necessity out in the sermon on the Mount.

      Liked by 5 people

    2. I think this part is easily understood by many protestants. As I was one at one time, it was the Holy Spirit that reached me in a most profound way and thus changed the course of my life forever. So much love was poured into my heart. I never looked back. Now, being Catholic, I get the whole smorgasbord.

      Liked by 3 people

    4. Sat out late in the desert last night enjoying the pure artistry of Chris Stapleton’s “Tennessee Whiskey.” Ahh, how many different genre’s of music to enjoy and appreciate, but I also find that timing counts with me. Chalk that up to personal tastes, but I do enjoy a very broad variety of music… and a broad variety of most things for that matter. Plenty of banal, uninspired stuff out there too, whether simple banjo pickin’ or complex orchestral arrangements. Uninspired, if it can get past mere technical proficiency to the deep heart and soul of artistry. Real mastery. A transcendent experience. We’ve got a lot of that here from all walks.

      You’ve got grit, CD, and heart. Just like ‘ole Stapleton with his well-creased Stetson, long beard, and cheap, battered acoustical guitar from his youth.

      Liked by 2 people

  14. To emphasize a point on blogs, CAPS is the go-to for most folks because they might not be aware of how to bold or italicize text. Here’s a little guide to help with that if you want to insert code as you type:

    This is italics.

    This is bold.

    When some here got their first taste of emoji’s, it got a little bonkers. Everything in moderation, folks.

    Liked by 2 people

    3. I’ll have to give that a try. In years past, if you all- capped something there was always someone out there to accuse you of shouting. Finally, in academic circles, people began aslking ‘When did that become onevof the Commandments. 🙂 so for the last ten years or so, writers covering difficult subjects have used anything available to them for emphasis.

      Liked by 2 people

    4. My aunt uses caps in all her texts and e-mails because she can’t see very well. If I tell her that modern etiquette considers her CAPS as electronic yelling, I’m pretty sure she’s going tell me that that’s everybody else’s problem and not hers.

      Liked by 8 people

      3. Your aunt… HA! You gotta love old(er) people… and aren’t we all old(er) to many… at the same time that were young(er) to many?! Last night I was walking through a bookstore with my daughter, chatting about her day, books and whatnot, when… “SHHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Some old(er) guy sitting in a recliner with a stack of books shushed us. My daughter gave me that preemptive look because she probably couldn’t read what was brewing behind my face. It was amusement, but there was a brief mo’ there where I was tempted to point out that we were in the bookstore, not the library.

        Seems like this thread is just a sidebar but it reminds me of some folks talking about ‘meat,’ at which point St. Paul gave this practical advice: “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up. Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.” (1Cor 10:23-24)

        Then this nugget: “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1Cor 10:31)

        Doesn’t that just about encompass everything? Master that, and we’d have it licked.

        Liked by 5 people

        2. Love and respect at its core. It is a joyful musing as I read this and sip a nice glass of chianté at the Phoenix airport. I am waiting for my flight to CA to surprise Lambzie, my daughter and the grand kids as they do not know I am coming. I will wave to
          You when I fly by your house MP 😎

          Liked by 3 people

        1. OK, That’s good. Now, how do I colorize. Usually in my electronic papers and instructions for students, I put all my caveats in RED. How do I redden text, rather than my face when a bunch of my typos give people ‘too much pause’? 😉

          All my love in Christ

          Desmond

          Liked by 2 people

          1. All Desmond’s questions – and the enthusiasm behind them – remind me when Snowy Owl first learned how to do emojis. Hey Snowy, if you are out there, check in with us.

            Liked by 5 people

        2. Quite often my patients with hearing deficit present not wearing their hearing aids. I have to shout to be heard. As when I performed in amature dramatic productions and found it hard to de-role I often find myself still shouting at the next patient whose hearing may be perfectly good. They sometimes look at me perplexed and somewhat alarmed and I am reminded that I no longer need to shout. A bit like my experience here!

          Liked by 4 people

      2. That’s a real beaut at 33 letters!

        Let me try one more snippet of html (if it works, you can use it to really emphasize a point):

        HOW QUICKLY DAFT JUMPING ZEBRAS VEX.

        We’ll see if it works….

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Nope, that didn’t work on this blog. Let me try one more thing and then I’ll give it a rest:

          PACK MY BOX WITH FIVE DOZEN LIQUOR JUGS.

          Let’s see….

          Liked by 2 people

          1. Nope, that didn’t work either. Probably a good thing that WordPress limits this comment section to CAPS, Bold, Italic and Emojis. I’ve been in some comments sections where some folks would throw an actual punch if they could.

            Liked by 2 people

            1. OK, but you might have to let me whiff at a couple of pitches to get there. Let’s try this:

              The red text challenge.

              And here’s the pitch….

              Liked by 1 person

                  1. The code I used was dead on, but your comments section might not allow it. Four-seam fastball, eh? I’m expecting another, but wouldn’t be surprised with the slider next.

                    Liked by 1 person

                  1. Ha-ha! This is just one of those long, looping scenic routes. The good news is that folks are now armed to the teeth to emphasize a point without seeming to yell.

                    Other good news:
                    – SteveBC is on a posting roll.
                    – Sean is officially part of Phil’s “Jack of All Trades” Club with his hidden talent for writing code snippets.
                    – Mick will get some laughs when she logs on later to catch up.
                    – Cubs are in town for Spring Training/Cactus League.
                    – They will probably beat the Rockies tomorrow, even without my bat.
                    – Charlie and Des can distill all this scenic loop into something of value.

                    Liked by 5 people

                    2. MP, I have been giggling my way through this entire thread; now I’m rolling on the floor laughing!

                      P.S. Funny that you should mention the Cubbies…. When you made your first baseball reference above, “Cubs” is where my mind immediately went.

                      Liked by 3 people

                    3. I can only assume that your prediction/prophecy(?) that the Rockies will be beaten tomorrow by the ‘Cubies’ – was presented in unironic motif, in charity and true convivium towards those of us who wish the ‘Rocks’ to vanquish the minions of the Windy City???

                      Liked by 1 person

                    9. Something is going on which I do not understand. Some of your red posts have no reply slot to them. The one you sent which included the word ‘Yelling’, has no reply button on it. Also – I’ve seen nothing which yet shows me how you are posting in red.

                      Liked by 2 people

                  1. MP, you are a sly prairie dog. Oooooh, that is slick, dude.

                    Interestingly, I can get the tags in and have WP allow them to stay in if I use the Reply box here. However, if I edit the comment in our site’s Admin area, WP will give you a short view of the result and then strip everything except the em tags.

                    Here’s how I did it, using asterisks instead of tag brackets so it won’t render (I don’t know how to make it not render if I use normal tags):

                    *p style=”text-align:center;”* *span style=”color:#ff0000;”* *em* Text */em* */span* */p* which will center the text, make it italic, and make it red.

                    Note that the p tag is a must.

                    Simplest is

                    *p* *span style=”color:#ff0000;”* Text */span* */p* which will just make the text red.

                    Liked by 2 people

                    4. That is the code I used to colorize the test text, but the added code is just getting overwritten/wiped out by the preset formatting/style sheets. It will take some simple stuff like ‘bold’ and ‘italics,’ but no more. You’ve probably also got the added benefit/access to the visual and text editors on the site. It would be nice to have access to that, but I’d be too tempted to update the theme to something more seasonal. Say…. a Cubbies theme.

                      Liked by 2 people

                    7. MP, I used the same Reply button you are using, but I’m beginning to suspect that WP allows HTML for admins but not for non-Admins. WP Support documents say that is not so, that these codes are all supposed to work in Comment text for everyone. Alas, I’m beginning to think they do not work as WP states.

                      Oh, when I use the internal editor you mention, all the HTML coding gets stripped out, even for me.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    1. Nah, just worked from home today, 84 degrees out, going to see the Cubbies play the Rockies tomorrow at their Spring field here. Just a big kid…

                      “You know we don’t recognize the most significant moments of our lives while they’re happening. Back then I thought, well, there’ll be other days. I didn’t realize that that was the only day.” — Dr. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham (Burt Lancaster/FIeld of Dreams)

                      “This field, this game: it’s a part of our past, Ray, It reminds us of all that once was good and that could be again. Oh… people will come Ray. People will most definitely come.” — Terence Mann (James Earl Jones/Field of Dreams)

                      Liked by 6 people

                    2. When doing a presentation in Iowa, I visited the field of dreams. They have baseball games there – and it literally is a beautiful baseball field…in the middle of nowhere.

                      Liked by 5 people

                    4. Oh, Charlie, that’s me home state. Sorry I missed your talk, must have been before I came on board. Guess it takes ‘the middle of nowhere’ to be beautiful enough to warrant the infamous quip from the movie, “Is this Heaven?, No, it’s Iowa” Not to mention the celestial aura emanating from the nearby monastery which makes the Trappists Caskets. If you ever end up marching east to D.C, why don’t you ask your angel to allow you to bi-locate back up here for an encore. I’d ask if you’ve already had that experience, but you’d probably plead the fifth…

                      Liked by 2 people

              2. Holy cow, MP, apparently Steve BC was sent up to pinch-hit for you…and he hit it out of the park. Yelling in all-caps bold red italics?! As my favorite baseball announcer, Jack Brickhouse used to say when I was a kid, “That’s pretty well hit…that’s way back there…HEY HEY…that’s outta here.”

                Liked by 5 people

                1. Holy cow is right! Kids are still chasing it down Sheffield. I’m delighted by the pinch hitter and consoled by the fact that most at bats are unsuccessful. Really, it just get you jazzed for the next at bat.

                  Liked by 3 people

                1. Well, it is a little unstable. Under certain circumstances, WP will strip out everything but the em tag. Let me try one more experiment here and then see how to fill you in.




                  My Text

                  Liked by 1 person

                  2. OK, Dez. I’ve had to use MP’s little trick to get the code out there for you. Otherwise, WP tries to render something and it all gets trashed.

                    Now if you want not to have the text be centered, take the ” style=”text-…;” ” portion out of the p tag. The p tag then will have only three characters in it, the first and second characters in that first line and the last character of that line.

                    If you want not to have the text be colored red, take out the second and eighth lines, the span lines.

                    If you want not to have the text be bolded, take out the third and seventh lines, the strong lines.

                    If you want the text not to be italicized, take out the fourth and sixth lines, the em lines.

                    If you want to have only a few words in a sentence be red, or bolded, or italicized, put the text that goes before the affected text as words in between lines 1 and 2, and put the text that goes after the affected text as words in between lines 8 and 9. In other words, the prior text goes in between the initial “p” and “span” lines and the succeeding text in between the final “span” and final “p” lines.

                    One caution I would mention is that it is possible that WP handles a comment from an administrator differently from a comment from someone who is not an administrator. If you put the code above in *exactly* as it is written and it does not render properly, then we will have to see if we can loosen up WP’s editor to allow a little HTML into people’s comments.

                    Anyway, give it a try with this code, and we will see if it renders for you as it would for me.

                    Liked by 1 person

                    1. Thank you very very much. I will give this the good old seminary try tomorrow. Right now, I’m too tires and I’ll just make little mistakes which will mess it all up.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    5. I retired from a job that had me on the computer all day. I also worked a second job on the computer at home in the evening. When I fully retired from both jobs and we were preparing to move, I decided to try to live without a computer. That was two and a half years ago. What a freedom! I do have my phone which I use like a computer so can’t claim total freedom. At any rate, I struggle to use this tiny screen as it is. I can’t see myself jumping through the hoops necessary to use italics or bold print so I apologize in advance for my occasional not-meant-as-shouting capitalization. 😊 I also admit I’m too lazy to put out the extra effort tho I REALLY appreciate how smart you all are. 👍
                      Thanks for teaching me something new.
                      What a fun family we have here at ASOH.

                      Liked by 3 people

                    6. Ha, Kris! I’ll be right there with you, using all-caps while not shouting. SteveBC and MP lost me way back; and I readily admit that I’ll never be able to type in italics, bold, or red. Anyway, I just LOVE our TNRS-ASOH family! 🙂

                      Liked by 4 people

                    8. Mick, I wanted to place this comment directly below yours but there was no reply button. I’m glad I won’t be alone in my “SHOUTING”. I didn’t need one more thing to go OCD over. 😏

                      Liked by 3 people

              1. No go, Steve BC. I looked at the source code of the page, your specific comments in red, and noticed I forgot the p tag. Cut and pasted but it didn’t take.

                Liked by 1 person

  15. I am more and more appreciative of the basic and sound Catholic teachings I received from my parents in my childhood. As a little girl I would ask my questions and they would offer answers. I specifically remember asking about the Holy Spirit and being told “the Holy Spirit is the (mutual) love of the Father and Son”. So nice to see it verified here along with so many other things. Dad also taught that since the satan does not know when the end will come, only the Father, the satan prepares an antichrist each generation. I thought about that one a lot. Thank you Charlie and Desmond, for giving us sound guidance and teachings.

    Liked by 6 people

  16. Does the revelations to St Faustina have anything to do with the middle coming that is under discussion here?

    “Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice, I am sending the Day of Mercy. … I am prolonging the time of mercy for the sake of [sinners]. But woe to them if they do not recognize this time of My visitation (Diary, 1588 and 1160).

    In His messages to St. Faustina, Jesus elaborated on another prophecy He had made in the Gospels about the end times: the prophecy about the “sign” that would appear in the heavens just prior to His return (Mt 24:30). Jesus told her it would be a final sign of mercy for the world, a final call to repentance and forgiveness before the Day of Judgment:

    Write this: Before I come as the just Judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort:

    All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day (Diary, 83).

    Further, all of this should be considered in the broader scriptural context of how we will be judged on the Last Day, based on how we have shown mercy to others out of love for Jesus (see Mt 25:31-46). As Jesus told St. Faustina, “I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for Me” (Diary, 742).

    Father Sopocko was most amazed, however, by one of our Lord’s messages to Sr. Faustina above all the others. Consequently, he made it the final testing-ground of the authenticity of all her revelations. This testing-ground was the claim that “mercy is the greatest attribute of God.” Jesus had actually said this to Faustina several times, but one time he said it in a message that was intended directly for Fr. Sopocko — which certainly made him pay close attention! Jesus said to her:

    I desire that the first Sunday after Easter be the Feast of Mercy. Ask of my faithful servant [Fr. Sopocko] that on this day, he tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. … My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy. Proclaim that mercy is the greatest attribute of God. All the works of My hands are crowned with mercy (Diary, 300).”

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Doctrine is never based on private revelation. The faithful are not obliged to believe as an article of faith any private revelation, including those that are approved. Whether it conforms to defined doctrine is one of the tests for whether a particular private revelation can even be considered. Approved private revelation is only to help guide people through a particular time or place in salvation history – and never becomes part of the general revelation which was completed with the coming of Christ. Doctrine is based on sound theology proclaimed by the Church. The Fathers, Doctors and great theologians of the Church play the biggest role in the formal development of doctrine.

      Liked by 5 people

  18. Well, to me it is obvious. The middle coming is for middle earth (just kidding in case anyone from California reads this) 😎

    Liked by 3 people

    1. “We Catholics receive our understanding of Doctrine and Dogma from the Church – NOT private revelation.”

      I had read the above quote in your article and was already clear on the roles of private revelation vis a vis public revelation in our Faith. There is so much of private revelation that has attracted formal recognition as already included in public revelation e.g. the Immaculate Conception. It was always there in public revelation. Being ignorant about the “middle coming” In my question I was simply wondering if the private revelation to St Faustina dealt with the same subject matter as middle coming albeit not defined doctrine. I wonder how much more private revelation will, in the fullness of time, come to be seen as already concealed and contained in public revelation. In any case with Divine Mercy Sunday not so far away it was a good reminder for me to do the novena. The discipline of academia is obviously not my weapon of choice but I hope I remain always open to instruction. My love of scripture was destroyed by academia for a while but after a break from such studies it returned and has remained. I remember reading an exhortation from one of the popes to theologians to take care not to harm the common faith of ordinary folks. Thank God for the option of faith in approved private revelation. Thank God for The Church’s approval.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. The Middle Coming has been recognized as contained in Public Revelation since the very Infancy of the Church.

        Ergo, St. Bernard’s direct reference to the Scriptural text in John 14:23. Bernard (and the Fathers of the Church before him) simply pointed out that Middle Coming for the Elect is described with great clarity by John the Apostle. People left to their own devices often thought that was merely some kind of poetic language – signifying something different than it sounded like. The Fathers of the Church taught from the great Oral Tradition that, “No, John inspired by the Holy Spirit means it quite literally”.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. Aquinas41
          I suggest that not one in a thousand Catholics has heard of the “middle coming.” I, almost certainly, had not. That, however, is neither here nor there in relation to my enquiry. I had heard of an intermediate coming (not a middle coming) but I cannot recollect where or when I heard this. I think it was in relation to the revelation to St Faustina that Jesus would first come as the Merciful King (middle coming?) before His second coming as the Just Judge on the last day. I was simply curious to discover if anyone here knew if St Faustina’s private revelation from Jesus was generally regarded as that refferred to in the public revelation of the Middle Coming by St John as discussed here. Sadly know one has been able to answer that. I will not ask it again but I have done a little after dinner research and discovered an excellent article on The Divine Mercy web site entitled “Toward a New Doctor of the Church: St Maria Faustina Kowalska” which I found very informative. Thank you.

          Liked by 2 people

          1. Dear All,

            It was stated:

            “I was simply curious to discover if anyone here knew if St Faustina’s private revelation from Jesus was generally regarded as that refferred to in the public revelation of the Middle Coming by St John as discussed here. Sadly know one has been able to answer that.”

            Au Contraire. The question was clearly answered.
            Given St. John Paul II’s & St. Benedict’s [and much less worthy, Desmond’s] previous answers that the Middle Coming deals with;

            1.The Indwelling of the Father & the Son [& the Holy Spirit] in the hearts of all the Elect – and only the Elect – throughout the History of the Church, &&&

            2. Since Jesus’ prophecies to St. Faustina, deal with the evils of her era within which Faustina was living, &&&

            3. The prophecies within them which spoke about what would happen if man in large part did not repent,

            4. Those prophecies to St. Faustina dealt with a particular era in Church History – & not with its entirety.

            5. ERGO, it should be quite clear to anyone that – as St. JP II & St. Bernard made clear – the Middle Coming happens at all times of Church History …
            while the Prophecies associated with St. Faustina deal with only a particular era of that History —
            it should I would hope be painfully obvious to anyone who gave the matter serious thought that; they are not related to each other.

            If anyone successively were to claim they could not comprehend that – it would be tempting to question rather whether they simply refused to do so?

            Liked by 5 people

            1. I think because many here have been readers of various messages given in more recent private revelation (and along with the messages, some may have been exposed to downright incorrect or just plain speculative interpretation), there has been a kind of thinking earthquake experience going on here – aftershocks included – while people consider and ponder the Middle Coming as taught by the Church. Therefore, what is obvious to one fluent in Church teachings, may not so easily be internalized by a neophyte who’s reading and considering this particular teaching for the first time.

              I would suggest for those, like me, who benefit from rereading: take some time to not only reread but, perhaps, use the three quotes from Desmond printed in this piece – and any clarification he’s provided in the comments – and go before the Blessed Sacrament and, with St. John the Evangelist, lay your head upon Christ’s Heart to ask for His Guidance as we think deeply about this treasure of our Faith: the Middle Coming.

              Liked by 2 people

    2. Hi Doug

      “Middle-earth is the north continent of Earth (Arda) in an imaginary period of the Earth’s past[2][3][4] (Tolkien placed the end of the Third Age at about 6,000 years before his own time),[5][6][7] in the sense of a “secondary or sub-creational reality”.[8] Its general position is reminiscent of Europe, with the environs of the Shire intended to be reminiscent of England (more specifically, the West Midlands, with Hobbiton set at the same latitude as Oxford).[9] wiki”

      Writing as one who lives close to Hobbiton (Matamata) I feel emminently qualified to respond to your comment Doug. But there again I suppose feelings aren’t facts! Suffice to say that my intellectual/academic abilities are not “set at the same latitude as Oxford.” That having been said my uncle Jack was chaplain to Oxford University and had studied Duns Scotus in depth. He lost me too! My grand uncle Willie (SJ) was a professor of logic. Funny enough, he made everything clear. Perhaps that is why I understand Pope Francis. For now I will stay with Jesus returning as he went as per the description given by the angel.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Joe, no doubt that you, being from the country of hobbiton, would know much about middle earth. Looks like the middle coming came and went. On a more serious note, it is difficult to imagine, given the state of our culture, that there would not be some form of correction or chastisement to bring us back to sanity. However, that means, we are in for some tribulation. What exact form that takes remains to be seen by all. I do not think God acts without giving us fair warning. I think the uptick in the blessed mothers appearances is because time is close and the Blessed Mother, with God’s blessing, is allowed to reach out to us as she, and God, wants to save all of us. Something big is coming down the pike. It will be obvious when it comes. So I endeaver to prepare spiritually more than anything. God bless you in the land of Hobbiton!

        Liked by 2 people

          1. When the real Tribulation gets underway that will be our clear warning that the prophesied Aviso follows but the onset of real tribulation itself as described in the revelations of Garabandal will be sudden and unexpected – after The Pope returns from Moscow to the Vatican and Russia overuns Europe. Only then can we say we are in the run up to our education from God: our day in the headmasters office. The dufference being that we can be sure He is a good Master. Its gonna be a bumpy ride for many and for most the lesson will be brutal. I accept that this vision is not accepted by all before I get accused of insisting that everyone sees it my way. (Not by you Doug )

            Like

            1. Joe, you would do well to dial back the passive aggressiveness. It is getting on my nerves. This is NOT Joe Crozier’s website. And the Church’s teaching is not determined by Garabandal, much as I respect that site. Rather, the verisimilitude of Garabandal is to be judged according to how it comports with formal Church teaching.

              Liked by 3 people

              1. And so it goes on from Charlie and Co. I leave it to the forum to decide who is being aggressive although some have already been swayed by your bent and your portrayal of my contribution and my character. I have never tried to control your website. I have never suggested that Garabandal determines Church teaching. And Garabandal has already been informally judged by many admirable souls including saints and popes to comport well with Church teaching. St Pope Paul VI has even said its story must be made known to the whole world. In my presence here I try to play a small part in compliance with that wish. My freedom to respond to any thread here has been curtailed because of you Charlie. My response to Doug had absolutely no aggression. It was simply an exchange between friends. I hope he agrees. And I ended with a disclaimer aimed at precluding the very type of response you have made. It obviously missed the mark and flew right over your head. Or perhaps you just closed your eyes and stopped your ears. For the sake of truth and justicec Jesus bravely challenged the soldier who hit him. I will leave it to Jesus to challenge you. The good people on your forum are worth all the pain you have caused me and I thought you were worth one more try. Seems I was wrong. The last time I spared you the task of actually evicting me. This time you can do your own dirty work.

                Like

                1. Yeah, Joe, I’m the dumb one who is not supposed to recognize passive aggression – and you are poor Joe the martyr, always put upon by me. Look, I don’t think you and this website are a good fit. When you come back, you are always testing the limits of how far you can push before starting a food fight. Yes, everyone can judge – and I will take responsibility. You get a timeout for the rest of Lent. If you want to come back after that and think you can contribute without the nearly constant sly sneers and innuendoes, welcome. But enough is enough.

                  Liked by 3 people

                  1. JoeCro I appreciate your contributions but methinks you need a better mirror or at least a cleaner one. Sorry to see you have such thin skin and are so adverse to justifiable correction and self reflections. You do have a lot to contribute. Dare I say once again, “you can be “somewhat” too extreme and passive aggressive. Peace be with you and may God bless you and yours.

                    Liked by 1 person

  19. “…the Kingdom of God means Christ himself, whom we daily desire to come, and whose coming we wish to be manifested quickly to us. For as he is our resurrection, since in him we rise, so he can also be understood as the Kingdom of God, for in him we shall reign. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2816)

    “And this prayer, while it is not directly focused on the end of the world, is nevertheless a real prayer for his coming; it contains the full breadth of the prayer that he himself taught us: “Your kingdom come!” Come, Lord Jesus!…every day in the prayer of the Our Father we ask the Lord: “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt 6:10)…. we recognize that “heaven” is where the will of God is done, and that “earth” becomes “heaven” —i.e., the place of the presence of love, of goodness, of truth and of divine beauty—only if on earth the will of God is done. (POPE BENEDICT XVI)

    Liked by 2 people

    2. 2nd Observation, Benedict XVI is much too good a theologian to make a mistake in such a matter. He knows the difference between the ‘Heaven’ which exists in the fullness of the Kingdom, that the respective heaven on earth he speaks of – is never the fullness thereof in time. Why? Because in time, the will of God is never perfectly/fully done by sinners. So Benedict is in a certain measure speaking anagogically here, and not eschatologically.

      All my love in Christ

      Desmond

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Amen, Desmond. And while we know the complete fullness of the Kingdom awaits us in Heaven, we still strive with all our hearts and souls to be useful servants in bringing the Kingdom more fully to earth.

        Liked by 4 people

      2. Desmond,
        The Pope’s last sentence above –“only if on earth the will of God is done” was a corroboration of your point about following His commandments which, of course, is God’s will for us.

        Liked by 2 people

  20. Fwiw, I had to verify in a dictionary that ‘occult’ is a neutral word. The American popular connotation always implies evil. Its a shame that connotation exists.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. ANSWERS TO WHYTHE ‘OCCULT’:

      1. The Latin Adjective used to describe ‘OCCULT’ is ‘OCCULTUS’. ‘Occultus’ is a perfect passive participle of the Latin Verb, ‘Occulo’ – which means “to cover over [something] for the purpose of hiding it.” It can also mean concealed or hidden. But JP II’s source text as translated both another to English, simply chose [undoubtedly with the approval of JP II] to use the English equivalent OCCULT.

      I went to my Websters Dictionary, 1978 printing of the 2nd Edition [copyright 1955]. It gives the following definition for ‘Occult’ “concealed, to cover over”. Below that it gives;
      1. hidden; concealed.
      2. secret; esoteric.
      3. beyond human understanding; mysterious.
      4. designating or of certain mystic arts or studies, etc.

      EVEN IN 1955 [ my freshman year in High School] “occult’s primary meaning in English simply meant, hidden, concealed, or secret. Obviously it still did so in 1978 -according the Miriam Webster’s dictiony anyway.

      All my love in Christ

      Desmond

      Liked by 3 people

      1. In my practice I often discover occult spina bifida in adult patients. Had these people been screened in the womb they would have been aborted and the world deprived of their talents. Invariably, among my patients, they had led full and successful lives in blissful ignorance of their condition. This coming weekend we have the March for Life in Hamilton. Sadly I won’t be able to attend as I will be in Rotorua at CPD. As you drive into CPD the smell of sulphur is the first thing that hits you. It is the most active area of New Zealand in everywhere there are signs and sounds of seismic activity. This weekend also brings the feast of Scotsman St John Ogilvie SJ after whom my preparatory school was named and whose canonisation I attended in my kilt! On the scaffold he addressed the crowd telling the hetertics therein that he was only interested in the prayers of true Catholics, not those who had rebelled and forsaken The Faith saying “The prayers of heretics I will not have.” Talk about having the courage of one’s convictions.

        Liked by 4 people

      2. Isn’t it amazing how we lose perfectly wonderful words?

        Occult.
        Perverted (another neutral word)
        Gay (a wonderful word…I was humming the Flinstone’s song for some reason this morning while making my coffee and “Gay Old Time” sounds so innocent and fun)

        I am praying about resisting this and re-introducing these words into my everyday speech with their correct meaning.

        Thank you for your reply.

        Grace and Peace

        Liked by 6 people

        1. Man, ain’t it the truth, Timothy? I love old movies…yet I, too, have been so conditioned that it is a bit jarring to me when they use “gay” in its proper sense. I want my language back!

          Liked by 6 people

          1. Here’s a favorite word from childhood that needs rehabilitating: faggot.

            Decades ago, my twin and I would go out into the forest with our grandfather pushing his wheelbarrow to gather faggots, which make excellent, hot, long-lasting firewood.

            Great finds!

            Faggots are found in old logs (mainly ponderosa pine in our forest) that have been decomposing for years. They are the dense, knotty, pitchy parts of the tree where branches meet trunk. I still find them often in the forest where I live and forage for stove wood. 🙂

            Take back the word!

            Liked by 6 people

        2. I refuse to submit to this type of linguistic theft. I use the word ‘gay purposefully for just that reason. We need to take these stolen words back. When someone challenges my use of the word gay, I suggest to them that its use for other purposes is simply to cover a reality of sadness.

          Liked by 6 people

        5. I totally agree, Timothy. Those wonderful words were stolen, hijacked by the libs. I was thinking of doing the same thing by returning such words to my vernacular, though….there might be some confusion at first:

          “Hey, Tim! How ya doing?”

          “Great, Patrick. I’m feeling gay as a warm spring day! How’s by you?”

          “Awesome, Tim. I imbibed a bit too much last night, but it sure was a gay party.” 🙂

          * * *
          The homosexual folks have also stolen the rainbow, and I want that back too. 🌈 It belongs to everyone.

          So you libs say LGBTQ, I say homosexual. If you are a man and want to be called Nancy, fine, I’ll call you Nancy, but in my clinic you are a male and will be medically treated as such. You libs say choice, I say abortion. You say Native American, I say Indian or Lakota. (You cannot and will not take my nationality away). You libs say undocumented migrant, I say illegal alien.

          Ah, the manipulation of language is an insidious and powerful weapon. It really comes down to the packaging of ideas with words in order to promote them, and words are being used to hide or confound truth, reality, and especially morality. Which novel covered this topic best: 1984? Brave New World? Animal Farm?

          Ooo, got one more:

          You libs say assault rifle, and I say cool! Let’s go shooting at the range and have some fun.

          Liked by 3 people

          2. Excellent points, Patrick. My favorite one was, “You libs say assault rifle….” I was so expecting you to say “AR” or “AK.” “Cool” was just plain funny. 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

  21. Thanks, Desmond for this informative tutorial. (With Beckita’s return to moderating with her insightful and encouraging comments, all is well again in our little ASOH corner of the world.) 🙂

    Liked by 5 people

    1. From CNA: “Prison officials in Victoria declined to speak about Pell directly, but they did tell CNA that no prisoner, including an incarcerated priest, is permitted to possess wine, which would be needed to celebrate Mass privately, adding that “a prisoner cannot lead religious services in a Victorian prison.”

      Some online reports that he’s kept in his cell 23 hours a day because of potential harm from fellow prisoners.

      Liked by 6 people

      1. I WANT Cardinal Pell to be freed. I DO believe he has been incarcerated unjustly. That said, even as I pray for him, I consider the potent prayers which are rising from him in this white martyrdom. Praying for his strengthening and Our Lady’s intervention for Cardinal Pell.

        Liked by 12 people

    2. God bless you, Kind Maggie. It’s SO good to be back home again with the Spirit’s Fire softly burning and Christ’s Light in each one’s words, bringing warmth to our community while we seek His Truth and deeper knowledge of His Teachings for our foundation as we participate in bringing the coming of His Kingdom, more fully, to earth.

      Praying this Ash Wednesday, as our beloved Mother Church launches another season of Lent, that each one of us experiences a deeper awareness of Abba’s Love – not simply intellectually, but also deep down in our hearts and souls – for while we strive to follow the Master more faithfully, we can recall that He came to reveal to us His Father. When we do all we can to become more like Jesus and draw closer to Him (with a key to that doing: the asking for God’s Grace via the Mediatrix), we can experience the epitome of coming Home on this side of the veil by entering into the Power of Silence and nestling into Abba’s embrace like the little child each of us truly is.

      Liked by 2 people

  22. The ’kingdom’ exists ‘in mystery’ till the coming of its fullness – after the Final Judgment. The ‘heaven spoken of above is only a mysterious shadow of its fullness.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. But the “mystery” of that shadow produces some absolute delights. One is the incorruptible saints who lived a transformative life and thier bodies took on the heavenly nature of the New Jerusalem- some before death (like those who only ate the Eucharist and still remained heathy) and some after death (who’s bodies did not decay even after many centuries in the tomb).

      Liked by 3 people

        1. I did not wish to seem argumentative in the comment above. It is easy for me to personally forget that even in the presence of great saints [I have personally experienced this also] there is imperfection, there is sin. Then when the citation from Scripture occurs to me, “Even the just man falls seven times a day”, at that point I wake from my reverie about earthly sanctity – to the memory that I still have to fight and face temptation like a man every day of my earthly life. I need to remember that even in a land which contains living saints, there is still daily sin in them, and in others [even if not mortal, and even if only a hundred times a day] and I am certainly no exception to that reality. So then I think and speak and write out loud about the reality – which I deeply share.

          Liked by 5 people

          1. Desmond,
            Your comment reminds me of a story from (I think) St John Vianney.
            One time a young priest or monk came up to him and admonished him by saying “why you?” The saint asked him what he ment so the man proceeded to tell him how unremarkable he was and how anybody so lowly could not possibly be so gifted.
            Upon this complaint, the Saint fell to his knees in prayer. After a long time the St praised God that what the young man said was true- that no one would possibly consider the works of the Almighty’s his by mistake as he was of no account and unable to accomplish such lofty ends on his own.
            St Pio made a similar statement by saying he was an enigma to himself. Of course, we have St Paul and his thorn to remind us that sin is ever with us no matter how powerfully God wields Himself through our frailty.

            Liked by 9 people

  23. The Quest for Good-News continues …………………………. ;-(

    NEWS & MILINET: Articles for Christians – 06 March
    ===========================
    China takes a hammer and sickle to the cross
    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/china-takes-a-hammer-and-sickle-to-the-cross

    Will Gene Editing Allow for Human Perfectibility?
    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/will-gene-editing-allow-for-human-perfectibility

    Abortion Was the Leading Cause of Death Worldwide in 2018, Killing 42 Million People
    https://www.lifenews.com/2018/12/31/abortion-was-the-leading-cause-of-death-worldwide-in-2018-killing-42-million-people/

    California First of 22 States to Challenge Trump Rule Blocking Funds to Planned Parenthood
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/05/california-first-of-22-states-to-challenge-trump-rule-blocking-funds-to-planned-parenthood/

    Christian university rejects Christian, pro-life speaker’s appearance because her views are too radical
    https://www.theblaze.com/news/christian-university-rejects-christian-speaker

    Colorado drops lawsuit against Christian who refused to bake cake celebrating gender transition
    https://www.theblaze.com/news/colorado-drops-lawsuit-against-christian-who-refused-to-bake-cake-celebrating-gender-transition

    National Border Patrol Council President: There is a national emergency on our border — Here’s proof
    https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/national-border-patrol-council-pres-the-facts-prove-there-is-a-national-emergency-on-our-border

    Record Immigration Surge at the Border
    https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-migrant-families-arrested-at-border-in-five-months-than-any-previous-full-year-11551810657

    Anti-Semitism Rebuke Threatens Rift Among House Democrats
    https://news.yahoo.com/anti-semitism-rebuke-threatens-rift-090000290.html

    Somali Gangs Battle in Minneapolis; Somalis Demand That Cops Do Something
    https://pjmedia.com/michaelwalsh/somali-gangs-battle-in-minneapolis-somalis-demand-that-cops-do-something/

    Portland gives atheists civil rights protections against discrimination
    https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/portland-gives-atheists-civil-rights-protections-against-discrimination

    Teachers’ Union President, Transgender Advocate Push LGBTQ Agenda on Kindergartners
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/05/teachers-union-president-transgender-advocate-push-lgbtq-agenda-to-kindergartners/

    Democrats Need Stupid Voters–John Leonard
    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/03/democrats_need_stupid_voters.html

    Arizona Republicans ask state AG to investigate school for allegedly punishing Trump-supporting students
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/arizona-republicans-ask-state-ag-to-investigate-school-for-allegedly-punishing-trump-supporting-students

    South Carolina Mayor Charges Racism After Car Defaced, Then Police Find the Facts
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/04/south-carolina-mayor-charges-racism-after-car-defaced-then-police-find-the-facts/

    Hollywood Hypocrisy Unyielding Even While Immorality Takes The Spotlight
    https://townhall.com/columnists/kayajones/2019/03/05/hollywood-hypocrisy-unyielding-even-while-immorality-takes-the-spotlight-n2542602

    Fox Is Biased? Then How Do You Explain These Networks…
    https://townhall.com/columnists/brentbozellandtimgraham/2019/03/06/there-was-never-media-bias-before-fox-news-n2542658

    CNN MOCKS TRUMP FOR HUGGING AMERICAN FLAG AT CPAC
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/06/trump-cnn-cpac-american-flag-hug/

    ‘For the People’ Legislation is Really ‘For the Government’
    https://townhall.com/columnists/bobbarr/2019/03/06/for-the-people-legislation-is-really-for-the-government-n2542600

    TWITTER CEO DORSEY: ‘WE WERE TOO AGGRESSIVE’ IN BANNING CONSERVATIVES
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/05/dorsey-twitter-ceo-aggressive-conservatives/

    Headlines:
    This Lent, don’t give Catholic bishops a dime–Marc A. Thiessen

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 5 people

  25. Latest message from Luz de Maria on this Lent. Original in Spanish, translated to English via google translate.

    As I read the entire message, I immediately thought of ‘the warning’ and our need to visit daily our consciences to ascertain if we are in relation to Jesus.

    Today’s Homily spoke about “Sin breaks the relation” with Jesus and we must all strive to maintain this state of grace. My Pastor (I am paraphrasing here) reflected on this time of Lent for a greater understanding of our selves in relation to God.

    Now, in my opinion of the “middle coming” is it not already here? My reflection on the Eucharist. We have the availability of receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus each day and incorporate ourselves directly in relation to Him.

    The Church allows us to participate in freeing others suffering through fasting, prayer and Indulgences. Each day, we have the opportunity of gaining a Plenary Indulgence (PI) for us or a Soul in Purgatory.

    I post Luz de Maria’s message (the first few paragraphs) as she touches on our relationship with God. Are we in communion (relation) with Him and are we bringing others to Him?

    For me, it is a struggle to overcome (self doubts) and rest assured:
    – Be in a state of grace, free of attachment to sin {I pray for it}
    – Reconciliation,
    – Eucharist,
    – Stations of the Cross is the easiest way to gain a (PI).

    {BREAK}

    https://www.revelacionesmarianas.com/index.htm

    MESSAGE FROM OUR LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST
    TO HIS BELOVED DAUGHTER LUZ DE MARÍA
    MARCH 4, 2019

    “My Beloved People:

    I call you to meditate on My Words, although the lack of awareness in some of My children, opaque My Calls. THEREFORE I ARRIVE WITH MY LOVE, MY MERCY AND MY JUSTICE BEFORE HUMANITY.

    To a repentant son with a firm purpose of amendment, My Mercy looks at him as if he were looking at him for the first time, giving him the best of My House. My Mercy overflows before a son truly repentant and willing not to offend me more. I am clement and just at the same time

    I DO NOT WISH TO CONFUSE MY MERCY WITH IMPUNITY …

    I WILL ARRIVE AND ALL MY CHILDREN WILL HAVE JUDGMENT, EVERYONE.

    At the beginning of the Lenten season, My People are facing My Mercy and if repentance is due, I will place you in My Sacred Heart, where you will like the strength to support what comes to humanity, in the midst of foolishness of those who cause the shudder of My Church.

    Pray and entrust yourself to My Most Holy Mother who, as the Door of Heaven, intercedes constantly for each of My children, calls them, sustains them again and again so that they do not get lost”
    …
    *******

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Re-reading my comments and above article, the phrase “Interior Advent” struck home and this is what I have been feeling. Today, I awoke to the ‘Gloria’ being sung in my head. I figured I had better shrug off sleep (0430hrs) and get outta bed before the “other” images develop.
      So far, I have had a blissful, heart warming day.

      Liked by 5 people

    2. We are told that where our heart dwells there we will find our treasure. Surely the heart surrendered to God is that which facilitates and locates the Middle Coming.

      Liked by 1 person

  26. In contemplating the middle coming I was led into contemplating my shortcomings and came across these 10 pointers attributed to Padre Pio which reminded me what really matters in our Lenten preparation for a closer encounter with Jesus.

    1. First of all–the need for spiritual warfare: Let us always keep before our eyes the fact that here on earth we are on a battlefield and that in paradise we shall receive the crown of victory; that this is a testing-ground and the prize will be awarded up above; that we are now in a land of exile while our true homeland is Heaven to which we must continually aspire. Satan is a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour and we should keep this always in mind during Lent.

    2. The rosary is the recommended weapon for battle. – Hold on tightly to the Rosary. Be very grateful to the Madonna because it was she who gave us Jesus. Love our Lady and make her loved; always recite the Rosary and recite it as often as possible.

    3. Don’t be afraid of humility. Humility is endless. Purity is power. Envision purity and pursue it. These also are weapons in the battle – Humility and purity are the wings which carry us to God and make us almost divine.

    4. Don’t expect instant success. The spiritual life is a long journey. It is the work of a lifetime. Take one day at a time and one step at a time. If you stumble and fall, get up immediately and keep going. Never give up. – In the spiritual life, you must take one step forward each day in a vertical line, from the bottom up.

    5. Your unhappiness is not everything. Your happiness is not everything. Don’t allow your feelings to determine whether you think you are making spiritual progress or not. The world’s standards of happiness and “success” are completely different from spiritual progress. Keep your eyes fixed on Him who is your guide to the heavenly country, where He is leading you. What does it matter to you whether Jesus wishes to guide you to Heaven by way of the desert or by the meadow, so long as He is always with you and you arrive at the possession of a blessed eternity?

    6. Turn off the screens for Lent. Stop the TV. Cut back on Facebook and computer stuff. Read some good books. Feed the soul – Don’t consider me too demanding if I ask you once again to set great store by holy books and read them as much as you can. This spiritual reading is as necessary to you as the air you breathe.

    7. Pay attention to Mass. The Lord is present. It is not just a “family meal” or a pep talk where we decide how we’re going to make the world a better place. It is the threshold of heaven and the one full, final sacrifice brought into the present moment with its benefits applied to our needs. – Renew your faith by attending Holy Mass. Keep your mind focused on the mystery that is unfolding before your eyes. In your mind’s eye transport yourself to Calvary and meditate on the Victim who offers Himself to Divine Justice, paying the price of your redemption…If we only knew how God regards this Sacrifice, we would risk our lives to be present at a single Mass.

    8. Your discipline during Lent is a step towards proper detachment from the distorted love of created things so that you can love properly the things that are eternal. Therefore don’t be discouraged. Make little sacrifices, but make them matter. He who attaches himself to the earth remains attached to it. It is by violence that we must leave it. It is better to detach oneself a little at a time, rather than all at once. Let us always think of Heaven.

    9. Don’t be discouraged. You think you are doing a good work, but God is doing it within you. When you realize this you will strive even harder to co operate with God’s will and this will take you further on the path with speed. – Let us humble ourselves and confess that if God were not our armor and shield, we would be pierced by all kinds of sins. That is why we must live in God by persevering in our practices, and learn to serve Him at our own expense.

    10. Be totally committed to the Lord and he will not fail you. Remember the Bible verse: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path.” Let us try to serve the Lord with all our heart and will. He will always give us more than we deserve.

    Liked by 13 people

    1. Amen. (With a whispered, under the breath, internal alleluia until the Great Vigil of Easter when Lights and Bells resoundingly accompany all manner of Alleluias!)

      Liked by 4 people

      2. Thanks Sean, not only for the quotes but there is an Easter tradition/recipe on page 7 that St Pio’s mother would make on Good Friday “Pupa cu l’ova” which is new to me and might give it a go.

        Liked by 2 people

      3. Hi Sean
        I am pleased to see that my comparative lack of perception led you this identically worded list in which the actual words of Padre Pio are italicised. Let me assure you there was no intentention in my post to obfuscate. The source that I found had indeed no italics. Thank you for the laughter it gave me in retrospect imagining Padre Pio at a computer!

        Liked by 2 people

    4. JoeCro, I am saving this one. Your contemplation has touched on my musing today. Therefore, I suspect that God has had something to do with your posting it. 😉

      Liked by 3 people

  27. Seems like all a overreach to me…

    People do the same with Genesis too, inserting ideologies & assumptions that don’t belong like: God created the universe on the fourth day, it only says God created the lights in the sky which is very vague & unspecific, God chose not share information on events outside the creation of our world.

    The first half of Revelations 20 only mentions the devil is thrown in the lake of fire 1000 years after the beast & false prophet were thrown in there. This makes people pause wonder what happens for the period in between, there’s little to no information on that. A vague mention of Christ reigning I take to mean from Heaven not a physical presence on earth, as Armageddon didn’t happen yet. There’s nothing mentioned for world events other than Gog & Magog near the end.

    If we’re not living post Revelations 12 events, it’s a very realistic & convincing dress rehearsal.

    Like

    1. No, it’s not an over-reach, Al. Unless you think the Fathers, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Augustine, et al were over-reaching when they parsed precisely and contemplated profoundly the implications of Scripture. I came from a blue-collar family – and would often get chided and teased for “over-reaching” when studying deeply and considering larger implications. Thankfully, it stopped about the time I hit high school and my parents were unabashedly proud of me – and my constant “over-reaching.” Even so, this will not become a website focused on intricate theology.

      And yet, when I was still little more than a tyke (seven or eight years old), I told my angel I would not go forth unless I had an authority on earth I could submit to with my whole heart – and obey it. He was delighted at my insistence (I thought he would be mad). I found the Catholic Church…and love her with my whole heart. But it is critical to know what she says about these things. It prevents error. In fact, around the turn of the millennium I was warned that the satan would attempt to send me false visions. He did. My refuge was that, no matter how sweet and wonderful they sounded, if they contradicted defined Church teaching, I rejected them as from him. This stuff is brutally hard, harder than most will ever know. Having the safety net of the Church Christ founded and submitting to her fully on defined doctrine has been critical to me.

      I have never had use for the intellectually snobbery of dismissing or mocking someone because they are not profound intellects. Nor do I care for the blue-collar snobbery that dismisses serious intellectual inquiry as rubbish. The heart of evangelization is to take what is objectively true and then present it in a vivid way that ignites hearts to hope and act. Most theologians cannot do the latter. But an evangelist who omits the former is just a megaphone for error and destruction, no matter how honeyed his words sound. We will continue to have both here – and respect both.

      Liked by 7 people

      2. Given what you have just written above, Charlie, I’ll share the nicest thing my students say to me about the way I teach theology. Their label [I guess] for it is, “Desmond, you can translate theologese into English.” That I take as a compliment – which I cherish.

        Liked by 7 people

      3. It’s tough times, lots of questions, not enough answers, and some confusion…

        I’m the type of person who would comment on the elephant in the middle of room everyone is ignoring. When something doesn’t look right or make sense I comment on it, but sometimes I get flack for it because people think I’m trying to cause trouble.

        I wonder if we’ll experience a desert of purification for some years (like the Exodus), after the rescue is completed?

        Liked by 3 people

        1. Al, here you have stumbled onto the answers you are seeking, perhaps without realizing. Yes, there are questions. Yes, sometimes the answers seem hidden. To seek easy answers to complex questions – questions which we don’t fully understand ourselves even as we ask them – is a dive into religious fundamentalism and I trust you don’t want to go there. God is mystery especially because He is love and love is a mystery, too. You can never quanitfy or qualify love among flawed humans so to try to do the same for Divine Love is also pointless. So many visionaries, locutionists, etc., were only given parts of the answers, never the totality. Christ Himself knows all and is the answer to all. He promised His Holy Spirit would LEAD US to all the truth and my personal understanding of this is that He never promised to REVEAL the whole truth. The reason for complete trust and confidence in Him and His plan for Creation is that He said that HE is the truth.

          I don’t think you’re trying to cause trouble, just seeking a greater understanding of your faith. You are standing in the desert now as we all are during the Lenten season. Christ has traversed it first. I think I can get through if I follow in His shadow. Peace and blessings.

          Liked by 4 people

          1. I was just generalizing in the previous comment, it’s just me being me.

            God the Father has infinite knowledge & power we cannot possibly hope to comprehend, although we try to find the patterns & logic behind his designs. Jesus helps us navigate creation through a “path” (meek & humble way) without having to know every detail.

            Seeking the simple path is a more practical for the average person. I’m a facts oriented person, I can grasp ideas, but ideology often comes at the expense of practicality; there has to be balance between the two without sacrificing the core truth & goal(s). (I’m generalrising again.)

            Liked by 5 people

            1. That is it, Al. We are to love God with our whole mind, heart and soul. Most will emphasize one over other in their own, personal approach, but we will not reject any so long as it is directed to loving God and neighbor.

              Liked by 6 people

            2. Humility is the mother of all virtues, humility is the most practical & efficient path towards Heaven, which is why evil attacks humility so viciously in our generation and those role model humility like Our Lady.

              Pride is a cancer that is
              spreading & consuming our world.

              Liked by 8 people

                1. All sins are rooted in “pride” which is why I focus on it, otherwise you’re just dealing with the branches of greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath and sloth which all easily grow back like weeds.

                  Liked by 1 person

                    7. Someone should probably add a paragraph to the comments policy forewarning of the frequent use of puns, dry humor and whatnot in the replies section. Maybe a disclaimer too.

                      Liked by 5 people

                  2. I remember Fr. Groeschel (of happy EWTN and CFR memory, may God rest him) saying once, “The thing about humility…As soon as someone says they have it you know that they don’t.” I loved his common sense humor.

                    Liked by 2 people

                    1. That’s right, it’s a ongoing work until the day we die. In fact we all fall into pride every now and then, the important thing to to is admit & repent of our foolishness and get back on that narrow path that leads to Heaven.

                      Liked by 2 people

  30. Isn’t the “middle coming” related to the Terrible Warning aka The Illumination of all Consciouses?? Or does it relate to The Flame of Love under Elizabeth Kindelmann? Or none of the above?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. From Conchita seer of Garabandal given on Sept 14 1965. This may help answer your question,Bob. There are no exceptions to The Warning: it is an Act of Mercy for everyone not just the elect. From what I have read here the middle coming is for the elect.

      “Q. What will occur on the day of the Warning?
      A. The most important thing about that day is that everyone in the whole world will see a sign, a grace, or a punishment within themselves — in other words a Warning. They will find themselves all alone in the world no matter where they are at the time, alone with their conscience right before God . They will then see all their sins and what their sins have caused.”

      Liked by 2 people

  31. Also I disagree in reference to this isn’t the time for the anti Christ…the B.E.A.S.T system is already set up and will be universally accessible via 5G …this is common knowledge…digital angel was back in the early 2000s and now we have reality of the introduction of the Anti Christ..in my humble opinion I believe this “Man” will come onto to the World Stage AFTER the Merciful WARNING…..of course prophecy is fluid and intertwines with Mercy & Justice

    Like

    1. My only problem with the Beast & False Problem being harbingers of of the great apostasy is God already judged them and thrown them into the lake of fire, that is the end of the line! The devil wasn’t thrown in the lake of fire, but was in the Abyss instead, which is why he comes back later to test mankind again in a great apostasy, Revelations 20 makes this point clearly, I can see people miss this point if they don’t read Revelations 20 or just dismiss it without considering what it says about sequence of events.

      Liked by 1 person

  32. After the Minor Tribulation(which won’t seem so minor to those of use who will live through it), we should see the Triumph of Mary’s Immaculate Heart as per Fatima and Medjugorje and St. Pope John Paul II’s “…spring time of the Church…” Our Lady says that after Medjugorje is fulfilled(think 10 secrets) it will no longer be necessary for Our Lady to appear anywhere. The spiritual life of humanity will have been renewed.
    There is a organization within the Church named “Direction For Our Times.” I say within the Church because its writings have an Imprimatur, Nihil Obstat and its movement called “Lay Apostles of Jesus Christ the Returning King” has received canonical status as of December, 2018. Legally, canonical status puts it on a par with the Legion of Mary, St. Vincent De Paul Society and Opus Dei. Yes the movement also states that Jesus is returning to this world in a powerful spiritual way-not a corporal way. Of course, Jesus never left, but the world doesn’t acknowledge Him much. This will change. For more information try directionforourtimes.org

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Longtime reader of the writings of “Anne a lay apostle,” Vyto. I particularly love how Direction for Our Times has focused on developing holiness in people via contemplation and sounding the call that we all have a place in evangelizing and in rebuilding the Church which has suffered so in this, Her passion time.

      Liked by 4 people

  33. Still looks like lots of Civil War II “Stuff” goin’ on Out-There … in & out of Our Church ….. its lookin’ and feelin’ like the months prior to Ft Sumter or that Phony War period from 9/39 to 5/40! ;-(

    NEWS & MILINET: Articles for Christians – 7 March
    ===============================
    VACUOUS REPORT ON ABUSE ISSUED
    https://www.catholicleague.org/vacuous-report-on-abuse-issued/

    Opening archives won’t settle debate over Pius XII and the Holocaust
    https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/03/05/opening-archives-wont-settle-debate-over-pius-xii-and-the-holocaust/

    Openly “Gay” Priest’s Dissent Scandalizes Tennessee Parish
    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/openly-gay-priests-dissent-scandalizes-tennessee-parish

    The Pro-Life Tortoises and the Pro-Abortion Hares
    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/the-pro-life-tortoises-and-the-pro-abortion-hares

    French cardinal found guilty of failing to act on sex abuse allegations
    https://www.reuters.com/article/us-church-abuse-france/french-cardinal-found-guilty-of-failing-to-act-on-sex-abuse-allegations-idUSKCN1QO0YZ

    Cardinal Pell: Our Dreyfus Case
    https://denvercatholic.org/cardinal-pell-our-dreyfus-case/

    With new twist on one giallo, Vatican doesn’t need another on McCarrick
    https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/03/05/with-new-twist-on-one-giallo-vatican-doesnt-need-another-on-mccarrick/

    Girl Scouts Gives Its Highest Award to Teen Who Organized Campaign Promoting Abortion
    https://www.lifenews.com/2019/03/05/girl-scouts-gives-its-highest-award-to-teen-who-organized-campaign-promoting-abortion/#.XH7LwF07mBA.twitter

    Alabama judge allows teen to sue on behalf of aborted fetus
    https://www.foxnews.com/us/alabama-teen-sues-abortion-clinic-on-behalf-of-aborted-child-alarming-pro-choice-leaders

    Scammers Have a New Scheme And This One Involves ICE
    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/bethbaumann/2019/03/06/scammers-have-a-new-scheme-and-this-one-involves-ice-n2542625

    Backlog of Calif. Criminals with Guns Grows While AG Focuses on Trump Suits
    https://freebeacon.com/issues/backlog-of-calif-criminals-with-guns-grows-while-ag-focuses-on-trump-suits/

    Victor Davis Hanson on Trump: ‘Chemotherapy’ to Kill ‘Cancer’ of ‘Permanent Political Class’
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/06/victor-davis-hanson-on-trump-chemotherapy-to-kill-cancer-of-permanent-political-class/

    DNC bars Fox News from hosting primary debates
    https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/03/07/DNC-bars-Fox-News-from-hosting-primary-debates/2711551943924/?sl=4

    CNN’S STELTER SAYS DEMS ARE ‘DEHUMANIZED’ ON FOX NEWS AFTER DNC BLACKLISTS NETWORK
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/06/cnn-stelter-dems-dnc-fox-news/

    Donald Trump Threatens to Block ‘Fake News’ from Presidential Debates
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/06/donald-trump-threatens-to-block-fake-news-from-presidential-debates/

    Rank-and-file Dems revolt against Pelosi over resolution to condemn anti-Semitism
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/rank-and-file-dems-revolt-against-pelosi-over-resolution-to-condemn-anti-semitism

    Members of Congress Read Pro-Transgender ‘Kids’ Book on House Floor
    https://www.cnsnews.com/blog/michael-w-chapman/congress-members-read-transgender-propaganda-book-us-house-floor

    Pelosi: ‘When You Leave This Earth and Go to Heaven and Meet Our Founders, Are You Going to Say to Them…’
    https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/cnsnewscom-staff/pelosi-when-you-leave-earth-and-go-heaven-and-meet-our-founders-are

    Pollak: ‘Legitimate Criticism’ of Israel is Democrats’ Phony Excuse for Ilhan Omar’s Antisemitism
    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/03/06/democrats-phony-excuse-for-ilhan-omar-antisemitism-protect-legitimate-criticism-of-israel/

    TRUMP IS RIGHT ― THE LATEST INVESTIGATION AGAINST HIM IS ANOTHER ‘WITCH HUNT’
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/06/democrats-investigate-trump-orbit/

    ‘It gets real personal, real fast’: Dems fear targeting Trump kids could backfire
    https://www.politico.com/story/2019/03/06/trump-children-democrats-investigations-1207640

    Washington Post fact-checks Hillary Clinton on voter-suppression claims
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/washington-post-fact-checks-hillary-clinton-on-voter-suppression-claims

    Hiring the Right Plumber: Blacks and the Democrats–Rick Hayes
    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/03/hiring_the_right_plumber_blacks_and_the_democrats.html#ixzz5hTiFnI2E

    Headlines:
    Maryland House to vote Thursday on allowing lethal dose of drugs for terminal patients
    Keeping collusion hope alive–WT Editorial
    At the Border: Crisis or No Crisis? A reader finds a contradiction between what an editorial and a front-page story say about whether there is an immigration crisis–NYT
    Democrats dismiss border officials’ security pleas: ‘You have no feelings, no compassion’

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 6 people

  34. In reading through the comments on this topic of the “middle coming,” I see, again and again, how we humans – me included – can fall prey to misinterpreting prophecy. It is of paramount importance to get some basic principles firmly rooted in our understandings of these things for we have been mightily blessed with a profusion of private revelation (PR) in these times, yet, even when messages have been approved by the Church, the best of the best interpreters have made mistakes in interpretation.

    Our personal opinions based on our own or a favored one’s interpretations of PR perhaps printed in articles and/or books or given via talks cannot and will never supersede Magisterial Teaching. And how can our personal opinion measure up against the erudite learning of one who “almost certainly (is) the foremost living eschatologist in the world?” Not placing Desmond on a pedestal, just saying he is who he is with the expertise that he has honed

    Authentic PR will always, always, always harmonize with Church teaching. The CCC says it best: “Throughout the ages, there have been so-called “private” revelations, some of which have been recognized by the authority of the Church. They do not belong, however, to the deposit of faith. It is not their role to improve or complete Christ’s definitive Revelation, but to help live more fully by it in a certain period of history. Guided by the Magisterium of the Church, the sensus fidelium knows how to discern and welcome in these revelations whatever constitutes an authentic call of Christ or his saints to the Church.”

    How many pieces at the old TNRS site did Charlie prepare for us to teach us about the intricacies and pitfalls of interpreting prophecy? A LOT. There were 82 articles which came up in the category search with the word, “prophecy.”

    A few gems from one of Charlie’s previous posts:
    “When I was a teenager it struck me once, after listening to about a dozen people speak of what the Holy Spirit had ‘told’ them, that either the Holy Spirit was the author of confusion or many were deceiving themselves, for many of these sol…emn proclamations were mutually contradictory. We all have a desire to appeal to authority – and what better authority to appeal to than God, Himself? Yet when we attribute to God what we merely want to believe ourselves, it is the worst form of bearing false witness – bearing false witness against God, which is a form of blasphemy.

    When I was just a little tyke and first became aware of how odd my locutions and visitations were, it was a lot of fun. My angel would tell me something that was going to happen and happen it would. How cool is that? But he warned me that this would involve a lifetime of training. Soon enough he began telling me things that would happen – and when I looked back I would see the words were precisely accurate, but it was not at all what I had expected. At one point, in tearful anger I demanded to know why my angel bothered to tell me anything if I wasn’t going to understand it until after it had already happened. He let me sweat for many months before he explained that the primary purpose of these things was not to share in God’s secret plan, but so I would see the heavenly reality behind certain earthly events…they were a kind of milestone alerting me to pay attention. I learned very early to make a clear distinction to the substance of a message and my interpretation of it, particularly when the language or imagery involved was enigmatic.

    Even the best, most pious people err on this, because our minds are so limited and short-sighted. We so love a show that we are always looking for God in the thunder when He most often appears in a little whisper. Even Jesus’ disciples asked how He could be the Messiah when it was written that Elijah must come again first as the Messiah’s harbinger. (Matt. 17:10) The Jews of the time were expecting Elijah to appear in the sky, fiery chariot and all, then point to the Messiah and say, “This is the Guy!” What they were not expecting was that a prophet would rise in the form of Elijah, unyielding in his courage, integrity, and boldness in service to the truth – and that John the Baptist was the fulfillment of this prophecy. The Jews of the time, knowing that the Messiah would establish the Kingdom, expected a political and military man, who would overthrow the Romans and re-establish Israel as a great kingdom. Even the Baptist had this expectation, which is why he sent from prison to ask Jesus, “Are you he is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Matt 11:3 – if you read this, make sure to read Jesus’ beautiful reply, which I know gave John much comfort in his last days).”…

    The sum of all the training has been to fill me with great confidence in what God says, both in Scripture and in my personal encounters. But I ever question my interpretation of what it means, for unless it is given in very plain, unmistakable terms, it usually turns out different than I expected. I have always been careful with my priests to carefully separate what is what I am told from what I merely interpret it to mean. All this is part of why I insist that the key, for myself as for everyone else, is, acknowledging God, to just take the next right step and be a sign of hope to those around you. For God is always startling, fresh and new – and whenever I start to think I know His mind, He wastes no time in correcting me, sometimes embarrassingly so. Trust me, He will be glad to do you the same favor if you think you know His mind.”

    All of this is to say, no matter the PR interpretations to which we may cling, it’s wise to hold them lightly, not tightly, with hands wide open, ready to release such interpretations if they prove, in the end, to be errant and, thus, we remain ready to receive what God IS doing. Free from potential disappointment due to failed expectations, we become free to BE God’s willing servants, ready to do what it is He wants us to do.

    (PS Edit: The bold text is comprised of my own highlighting.)

    Liked by 11 people

  35. I don’t know if this guy said this, but I agree!

    The mayor of Livermore California explains Trump’s popularity and success. This is perhaps the best explanation for Trump’s popularity ….

    Marshall Kamena is a registered Democrat and was elected mayor of Livermore, CA.. He ran on the democratic ticket as he knew a Bay Area city would never vote for a Republican. He is as conservative as they come. He wrote the following:

    Trump’s ‘lack of decorum, dignity, and statesmanship’ By Marshall Kamena, Mayor of Livermore, CA.

    My Leftist friends (as well as many ardent #NeverTrumpers) constantly ask me if I’m not bothered by Donald Trump’s lack of decorum. They ask if I don’t think his tweets are “beneath the dignity of the office.”

    Here’s my answer: We Right-thinking people have tried dignity. There could not have been a man of more quiet dignity than George W. Bush as he suffered the outrageous lies and politically motivated hatreds that undermined his presidency.

    We tried statesmanship.

    Could there be another human being on this earth who so desperately prized “collegiality” as John McCain?

    We tried propriety – has there been a nicer human being ever than Mitt Romney?

    And the results were always the same. This is because, while we were playing by the rules of dignity, collegiality and propriety, the Left has been, for the past 60 years, engaged in a knife fight where the only rules are those of Saul Alinsky and the Chicago mob.

    I don’t find anything “dignified,” “collegial” or “proper” about Barack Obama’s lying about what went down on the streets of Ferguson in order to ramp up racial hatreds because racial hatreds serve the Democratic Party.

    I don’t see anything “dignified” in lying about the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi and imprisoning an innocent filmmaker to cover your tracks.

    I don’t see anything “statesman-like” in weaponizing the IRS to be used to destroy your political opponents and any dissent.

    Yes, Obama was “articulate” and “polished” but in no way was he in the least bit “dignified,” “collegial” or “proper.”

    The Left has been engaged in a war against America since the rise of the Children of the ‘60s. To them, it has been an all-out war where nothing is held sacred and nothing is seen as beyond the pale.. It has been a war they’ve fought with violence, the threat of violence, demagoguery and lies from day one – the violent take-over of the universities – till today.

    The problem is that, through these years, the Left has been the only side fighting this war. While the Left has been taking a knife to anyone who stands in their way, the Right has continued to act with dignity, collegiality and propriety.

    With Donald Trump, this all has come to an end. Donald Trump is America ’s first wartime president in the Culture War.

    During wartime, things like “dignity” and “collegiality” simply aren’t the most essential qualities one looks for in their warriors. Ulysses Grant was a drunk whose behavior in peacetime might well have seen him drummed out of the Army for conduct unbecoming.

    Had Abraham Lincoln applied the peacetime rules of propriety and booted Grant, the Democrats might well still be holding their slaves today.

    Lincoln rightly recognized that, “I cannot spare this man. He fights.”

    General George Patton was a vulgar-talking.. In peacetime, this might have seen him stripped of rank. But, had Franklin Roosevelt applied the normal rules of decorum then, Hitler and the Socialists would barely be five decades into their thousand-year Reich.

    Trump is fighting. And what’s particularly delicious is that, like Patton standing over the battlefield as his tanks obliterated Rommel’s, he’s shouting, “You magnificent bastard, I read your book!”

    That is just the icing on the cake, but it’s wonderful to see that not only is Trump fighting, he’s defeating the Left using their own tactics. That book is Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals – a book so essential to the Liberals’ war against America that it is and was the playbook for the entire Obama administration and the subject of Hillary Clinton’s senior thesis.

    It is a book of such pure evil, that, just as the rest of us would dedicate our book to those we most love or those to whom we are most indebted, Alinsky dedicated his book to Lucifer.

    Trump’s tweets may seem rash and unconsidered but, in reality, he is doing exactly what Alinsky suggested his followers do. First, instead of going after “the fake media” — and they are so fake that they have literally gotten every single significant story of the past 60 years not just wrong, but diametrically opposed to the truth, from the Tet Offensive to Benghazi, to what really happened on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri — Trump isolated CNN.. He made it personal.

    Then, just as Alinsky suggests, he employs ridicule which Alinsky described as “the most powerful weapon of all.”… Most importantly, Trump’s tweets have put CNN in an untenable and unwinnable position. … They need to respond.

    This leaves them with only two choices. They can either “go high” (as Hillary would disingenuously declare of herself and the fake news would disingenuously report as the truth) and begin to honestly and accurately report the news or they can double-down on their usual tactics and hope to defeat Trump with twice their usual hysteria and demagoguery. The problem for CNN (et al.) with the former is that, if they were to start honestly reporting the news, that would be the end of the Democratic Party they serve. It is nothing but the incessant use of fake news (read: propaganda) that keeps the Left alive.

    Imagine, for example, if CNN had honestly and accurately reported then-candidate Barack Obama’s close ties to foreign terrorists (Rashid Khalidi), domestic terrorists (William Ayers & Bernardine Dohrn), the mafia (Tony Rezko) or the true evils of his spiritual mentor, Jeremiah Wright’s church.

    Imagine if they had honestly and accurately conveyed the evils of the Obama administration’s weaponizing of the IRS to be used against their political opponents or his running of guns to the Mexican cartels or the truth about the murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the Obama administration’s cover-up.

    So, to my friends on the Left — and the #NeverTrumpers as well — do I wish we lived in a time when our president could be “collegial” and “dignified” and “proper”? Of course I do.

    These aren’t those times. This is war. And it’s a war that the Left has been fighting without opposition for the past 50 years.

    So, say anything you want about this president – I get it – he can be vulgar, he can be crude, he can be undignified at times. I don’t care. I can’t spare this man. He fights for America!

    Liked by 9 people

      1. Actually, I have seen it attributed to four or five persons over the last year…once to a Canadian official and once to Ben Stein, who puckishly said he did not write it, though he did not disagree with the sentiments in it.

        Liked by 4 people

  38. The Interior Advent – What a beautiful concept to meditate upon. I’ve started meditating on finding parallels within various mysteries of the rosary, so this is a wonderful and timely insight. Thank you! I recently listened to an episode of Bishop Fulton Sheen’s show on YouTube related to discerning the signs of the times. He said that every country experiences three stages: times of blessing, blindness, and justice. That struck me as relevant to what the church and our country are going through now. God’s hand in moving us from blindness to justice in an outward, public way may very well coincide with an outpouring of necessary interior graces to souls disposed to receive them. I say this because the message that kept me intrigued by Charlie’s work other than taking the next right step was “they must choose or perish.”

    Liked by 6 people

  39. Heartlight Daily Verse – 8 March

    2 Corinthians 1:3-4
    Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

    Thoughts on today’s verse:
    We are comforted to comfort others. God doesn’t bless us because we are somehow uniquely better than everyone else, but specifically to equip, empower, and encourage us to comfort others. God has human hands only when I use mine to his glory and for his purposes!

    Prayer:
    Tender Shepherd, there have been times when I was so broken I could not go on. I know the strength to continue came from your rich grace and mercy. Please use me this week to offer your comfort and love to others so they may feel your warm embrace and come to yearn more for the day we see you face to face in heaven. Through my brother Jesus, I pray. Amen.’
    Visit heartlight.org for more

    NEWS & MILINET: Articles for Christians
    ===================
    How the Smart Set was Wrong about Trump and the Unborn
    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/how-the-smart-set-was-wrong-about-trump-and-the-unborn

    Nebraska AG Issues 400 Subpoenas for Church Records
    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/nebraska-ag-issues-400-subpoenas-for-church-records

    I’m glad I got to visit Canada and hang out with old time RCAF Guys “Back in the Day” before the madness set in … there, here and Christendom!!

    THE LIE GETS BIGGER – Cardinal Collins — time to speak up.
    https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-the-lie-gets-bigger?mc_cid=700696b19b&mc_eid=2a0b6c7ef6

    Absurd ‘Anti-Hate’ Resolution Is a Disgrace
    https://townhall.com/columnists/markdavis/2019/03/08/absurd-antihate-resolution-is-a-disgrace-n2542814

    YUP! …. and The Resolution should be called the Protect Democrat Party Victim Groups and lets blame White People and Cops for all of our ills Resolution. It always amazes me that Democrats can, with a straight face, speak of the KKK when that organization was the militant/enforcer arm of the Democrat Party….. just as ANTIFA, BLM and Union Thugs are Democrat militant/enforcer arm now. Christians were just mentioned in passing as if, like evil White People, they are the Perps and bigotry, violence and libel are never sent their direction … Right!!?? like there is NO such thing as reverse discrimination or bigotry … and besides! …. Even if there is such a thing They deserve it!! …… the average ill Public “Educated” idiot is unaware that Lincoln was Republican, Republicans freed the slaves, passed, with much Democrat Party opposition all the Amendments, laws that abolished slavery and insured the rights of Blacks … Oh!! and that evil NRA was founded by former Union, Slave Freeing, Army Officers who went out of there way to promote the idea that Freed Men had the Right to Bear Arms too … Civil War II is NOW!!! ;-(

    It took me awhile to find the text of this ’cause I’m thinking The Media dosen’t really want anybody to read it. I found it @ “The Tiems of Isreal”!:

    Full text of House Resolution against hate, including anti-Semitism
    https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-of-house-resolution-against-hate-including-anti-semitism/

    Utah teacher forced student to wash off Ash Wednesday cross on forehead, family says
    https://www.foxnews.com/us/utah-teacher-forced-student-to-wash-off-ash-wednesday-cross-on-forehead-family-says

    PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS LIKELY TO RISE IN 2019, REPORT WARNS
    https://www.jpost.com/International/Persecution-of-Christians-likely-to-rise-in-2019-report-warns-582829

    Sen. Menendez Claims Democrats ‘Are the Party of Life’ During Introduction of ‘Reproductive Rights Are Human Rights Act’
    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/laurettabrown/2019/03/07/alongside-planned-parenthood-democrats-introduce-bill-demanding-state-dept-bring-back-reproductive-rights-section-in-human-rights-report-n2542792

    When I first read about the stealth and lethality of the new drones and how widespread they are now (Amazon Delivery!), a chill went down my spine as I realized these things in the wrong hands ……. considering the past three years; Lightspeed Lurch Left of the Democrats, ANTIFA, “Media” Beyond Bias-n-Cover-up of all things that might reflect badly on the Left Agenda/”Leadership”/Victim Group Members, Trump Derangement Syndrome, violence perpetrated upon Trump Deplorables, Facebook, Google, Yahoo and ABORTION anytime/anywhere ….. it is not an insane thought to think that these Humanoids would gladly use drones, night vision gear and/or listening devices to track down and kill those who oppose them! Revelation and ancient prophecy is starting to make a lot more sense now.
    In the 1907 book “Lord of the World”, the Church/Faithful are hunted down and attacked by armed Volors (planes before that term invented).

    How a secretive special ops unit of killer drones decimated ISIS
    https://news.yahoo.com/how-a-secretive-special-ops-unit-of-killer-drones-decimated-isis-100000657.html

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 5 people

  40. This from an exorcist. The whole video is good abut about the 31st minute on he discusses some of the problems in our culture with some demonic influences:

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Good to see this link again, Bob. It was posted frequently after it was first uploaded to FB and You Tube. Some writings and presentations are worthy of review.

      Liked by 2 people

  41. Well I just heard that House Democrats have voted to allow illegal immigrants the right to vote. I hope our dear Lord will help me to trust in Him more and more, through all these difficult and scary times. The news gets worse on a daily basis, it seems. Praying daily for our country, our church, our world and everyone here.

    Liked by 5 people

    1. Prayer is needed. I went to a pro life rally in West L.A. a few days ago. It was to let Senator Kamala Harris know that we were not happy about her, and the other Democrats, not voting for the “Born Alive Legislation.” In, essence, they were voting for infanticide. A great evil. Murder of these precious babies that survive an abortion. There were about 20 of us gathered in front of Senator Harris’ office. We held pro life signs for about one hour, and some people driving by in cars, gave thumbs up for approval, and honked their horns. A few women walked by giving scolding, disapproving comments. We were trying to be a witness for Christ about the value of human life. The value is, there, whether baby is unborn or born. A dozen of us made our way up to Senator Harris’ office. We were buzzed, in, and welcomed by a representative at the desk, which was shielded by a clear lucite wall. We each signed the guest book, some stating their e-mails, others not. I wrote my name, and in place of my e-mail, I simply wrote, “pro-life, against infanticide.” Another representative came through a door to the area where we were, and greeted us. He had a clipboard in his hand to take notes. He explained that Senator Harris was not in the office, but that he wanted to hear what we had to say. He appeared cordial. Our leader, a college age young lady from “Students for Life,” explained why we had come. And those of us that wanted to share, did. I spoke up, and said that infanticide was not just a religious or a conservative issue, but that it was a MORAL issue. And one of the nurses across from me verbally and enthusiastically agreed. I don’t know if our comments will ever be truly heard by Senator Harris, but I felt that our PRESENCE spoke the message. I felt the Holy Spirit with, us, in our visit. It felt right, and good, to let this Senator know what we were thinking and feeling, and to speak for those little ones that have no voice. Let’s keep praying for more conservative Justices to be assigned by President Trump, to the Supreme Court, and for the reversal of Roe v Wade. 🚼✝

      Liked by 5 people

  42. NEWS & MILINET Articles for Christians – 9 Mar
    ===============================
    I’m thinking that the Catholic Church USA/Canada/EU has a Radical Politicization Problem too!

    The Radical Politicization of American Protestantism
    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/03/the_radical_politicization_of_the_american_church.html

    Christian Basilica in Paris No-Go Suburbs Heavily Vandalised
    https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2019/03/09/basilica-paris-no-go-suburbs-heavily-vandalised/

    Pope Francis: ‘Women Make the World Beautiful’
    https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2019/03/08/pope-francis-women-make-world-beautiful/

    Pope Francis Stumps for U.N.’s ‘Sustainable Development Goals’
    https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2019/03/08/pope-francis-stumps-u-n-s-sustainable-development-goals/

    YUP!!??
    https://www.lepantoinstitute.org/sustainable-development-goals/vatican-pushing-communist-goals/

    Moms Challenge Actress Insisting Abortion Is ‘My Choice’
    https://townhall.com/columnists/katieyoder/2019/03/09/moms-challenge-actress-insisting-abortion-is-my-choice-n2542823

    Bozell & Graham Column: Hearing The Mothers Who Can’t Speak on the Record
    https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2019/03/07/bozell-graham-column-hearing-mothers-who-cant-speak-record

    On International Women’s Day Here’s a Look at the Rights of Women in Socialist Countries Bernie Sanders Once Praised
    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/laurettabrown/2019/03/08/on-international-womens-day-heres-a-look-at-the-rights-of-women-in-the-socialist-country-of-venezuela-n2542840

    The Left’s Hate-Crime Hoax Machine
    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/03/the_lefts_hatecrime_hoax_machine.html

    ‘At least 50’ hospital employees fired over Jussie Smollett medical records access https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/03/at_least_50_hospital_employees_fired_over_jussie_smollett_medical_records_access.html

    Socialists Don’t Really Believe in Socialism
    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/03/socialists_dont_really_believe_in_socialism.html

    Leftists Can’t Do Math or Milk Cows
    https://townhall.com/columnists/stevesheldon/2019/03/08/leftists-cant-do-math-or-milk-cows-n2542860

    THE LIST: More than 100 Times the FBI, DOJ and/or Mueller Gang “Deviated from Standard Practice” or Committed Crimes in Effort to Exonerate Hillary and Indict Trump
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/03/the-list-more-than-100-times-the-fbi-doj-and-or-mueller-gang-deviated-from-standard-practice-or-committed-crimes-in-effort-to-exonerate-hilary-and-indict-trump/

    Time for Republicans to ‘Resist’
    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/03/time_for_republicans_to_resist.html

    Republicans Release Transcript, Push Back on Trump Probes
    https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/us-trump-russia-probe-congress/2019/03/08/id/906157/

    Embracing the American’s Creed
    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/03/embracing_the_americans_creed.html

    CNBC: Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Gives Us ‘No Reason’ to Believe Privacy Plans
    https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/03/08/cnbc-facebooks-mark-zuckerberg-gives-us-no-reason-to-believe-privacy-plans/

    Sadly the Catholic Church/Christendom does not have clean hands when it comes to antisemitism but, at least, St JP admitted to it and did his best to rectify it. If you’re my age, Pre Vatican II, you are well aware that it was not just a Nazi Thang. EU/USA pre- 1950 was antisemitic ,.. period! ;-( Sadly it still exists and now …. like the 1930s has become “fashionable” with certain groups and holdovers!

    CUNY PROFESSOR ALLEGEDLY TARGETED BY ‘UNENDING CAMPAIGN’ OF ANTI-SEMITIC HARASSMENT
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/08/cuny-professor-targeted-anti-semitic-harassment/

    OMAR HAS GOTTEN IN HOT WATER WITH FREQUENT COMMENTS ABOUT ISRAEL
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/09/ilhan-omar-israel-anti-semitism/

    FARRAKHAN RESEARCH GROUP DOUBLES DOWN ON OMAR, SAYS HER ‘TROPES ARE TRUE’
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/07/farrakhan-research-group-doubles-down-omar/

    Anybody want to bet that the vast majority of Californians plannin’ on leavin’ and/or buyin’ guns are NOT members of The Producer Class? ……. Shades of Civil War II ;-(

    More Than Half of Californians Say They Plan to Leave as State Leads U.S. in Outmigration
    tps://freebeacon.com/issues/more-than-half-of-californians-say-they-plan-to-leave-as-state-leads-u-s-in-outmigration/

    Report: California Saw Huge Increase in Gun Ownership Over Last Decade Despite Strict Gun Laws
    https://freebeacon.com/issues/report-california-saw-huge-increase-in-gun-ownership-over-last-decade-despite-strict-gun-laws/

    HEADLINES:
    Catholic Archbishop, on His Hands and Knees, Begged for Forgiveness Over Abuse-NYT
    Federal judge allows Trump administration’s restrictions on transgender troops
    How bad is Venezuela’s economy? Even the criminals are struggling to get by.
    House votes in favor of illegal immigrant voting

    Don’t Forget!!! Daylight Savings Time ….. Spring Forward 😉

    SINCE THE US IS SPRINGING FORWARD, HERE’S THE HISTORY BEHIND DAYLIGHT SAVING TIME
    https://dailycaller.com/2019/03/09/daylight-saving-time-2019/

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 4 people

  43. Since we received an email at the answering service requesting to know which volume of St. Bernard of Clairvaux was recommended by Desmond, I contacted him and, at his request, I’m passing along this suggestion. The actual text from which Desmond quoted comes from St. Bernard’s Sermon #5. (Here’s a link to the excerpt from Sermon 5 which can find can be found in the Roman Breviary, in “The Office of Readings,” for Wednesday in the First Week of Advent.) For anyone who wishes to read the quote within additional text, Desmond recommends ordering an English translation of the Sermons of St. Bernard. Thank you, Desmond!

    Liked by 1 person

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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.