By Charlie Johnston
The Russian Collusion Hoax is dead. A very hostile and partisan team of prosecutors was unable to find anything they were willing to put their necks on the line for in formal accusations against Pres. Donald Trump. Even so, Congressional Democrats and the establishment media are determined to play political alchemists, hoping to turn the lead of the Mueller Report into electoral gold. As I write this, I think House Democrats are ordering that Atty. Gen. William Barr stand on one leg and cluck like a chicken or they will demand his resignation. It has gotten that absurd.
It is not just because they are obsessively delusional that Democrats and the establishment media are determined to resurrect this dead horse in some new iteration. They are trying to provoke a fight. Quite bluntly, after a nearly three-year snipe hunt for which there was never any evidence or basis, the aggressors are deeply fearful that now the hunt turns on them – and there is profound evidence and basis that many top Democratic and some Republican officials committed desperately serious crimes that will land them substantial prison terms. They have decided that the best defense is to try to sow chaos in order to obscure and distract the general public from the men behind the curtain who orchestrated this attempted coup. That is why you have all the chaotic Congressional hearings and breathless news shows trying frantically to sound the refrain, “Orange Man Bad.”
The reality is the left knowingly attempted a coup. Though Trump took office as president, it was the Obama bureaucracy that has continued to hold sway over most of the levers of government at the federal level. Their vigorous effort to bring down the lawful government failed badly, up to this point, so now they are trying to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. If they don’t, prison looms for many, and the destruction of their dreams of authoritarian power over the folksies of the country looms for all the left.
At this stage, the left is signaling that they will have civil war rather than stand down from their criminally hostile aggression. The best-case scenario is that they are frantically trying to sow chaos to give them bargaining power to negotiate a stand-down that will not call any of their leaders to account. If that were to happen (it won’t) it would not avoid war but only delay it – and only for a very short time, for it would prove to the left that normal people no longer have the will to hold criminals in politics – even treasonous coup-plotters – to account. Then there will never be an end to such aggression until the people of the nation are forced to stand forth and stop it by force. This month is likely to be dispositive. Either the left will stand down and accept reality – or we will degenerate into a terrible strife of war with those who were once our brothers. Gird your loins.
*******
All the conservative media wrote that the California Supreme Court’s halting of the criminal prosecution of David Daleiden and Sandra Merritt until it could review the issues in the case, was a victory for pro-lifers. That is a reasonable interpretation, but an uninformed and, ultimately, incorrect one. The order to halt came on Good Friday, April 19, at about half-past three o’clock Pacific Time.
For the three weeks before Easter, depositions in the criminal case had been being taken by both sides. These depositions are taped and under oath. Without going into detail of what was said in the depositions, Daleiden had been telling me as it unfolded that it was an unmitigated disaster for Planned Parenthood (PP) and their business partners. The witnesses for PP were confirming, under oath, all the criminal behavior the Center for Medical Progress (CMP – Daleiden’s umbrella organization) had alleged – and more. Further, several of PP’s witnesses had previously testified before Congressional Committees – and some material in the depositions contradicted what they had said there. That means that they perjured themselves either before Congress or in their depositions.
It struck me that job one for PP would now be to keep these taped depositions out of the public record. The formal preliminary hearing was scheduled to begin on Monday, April 22. Once it began, it would be near impossible to keep these taped depositions out of the public record – and that would likely be the end of PP’s case and the beginning of federal criminal prosecution of PP. All through Holy Week, I was telling Daleiden I thought that the California legal system was going to come up with some surprise that would protect PP’s now badly exposed flanks. Sure enough, at about 3:30 on Good Friday, the proceedings were halted indefinitely by the California Supreme Court.
The reality is that, so long as the California legal system thought it could get Daleiden and Merritt, everything was full speed ahead. When it became clear that this was almost certainly going to be PP’s Waterloo, then the California Supreme Court put an indefinite halt to all state proceedings. This was not to finally give fairness to Daleiden and Merritt, but to protect PP and its allies.
It may not work out, though. The US Dept. of Justice has reportedly been quietly investigating PP and some of its allies. Certainly both Senate and House Committees have held investigative hearings. Either the Justice Dept. or the Senate Judiciary Committee (or both) could subpoena the depositions. If they do, it won’t be the end of the atrocity of abortion in this land, but it will be the beginning of the end of PP and many of its allies.
*******
I have always been terrified of “groupthink.” It is not just that I believe it leads you into some dangerous ruts and logical loops. Rather, I believe that opposition between honorable opponents creates a sort of dynamic tension that produces better results than if any one entity just got its way.
When I was doing politics I recognized I was primarily an ideologue. Even so, I often told my allies how important the contributions of establishment types were. Ideologues focus on issues, establishment types focus on the mechanism of getting legislation passed. I noted that if everyone were like me, nothing would ever get done because we ideologues all tend to be stubborn. If everyone was like the establishment, lots would get done but it would all be bland and meaningless. One of the compliments I valued most came from a member of a Republican Governor’s staff. We were good friends and working intensely on a particular project. When we broke for lunch he told me, with a teasing grin, “You know, Charlie, I have never been able to figure out whether you are the most pragmatic ideologue I have ever met or whether you are the most ideological pragmatist.” I chuckled and said that some mysteries, like the pyramids, will never be completely solved.
I first started contemplating this seriously when I was in grade school, fascinated by Abraham Lincoln and the prelude to the Civil War. I was shocked by the radical abolitionist John Brown’s use of murder, plain and simple, to advance his goals. In fact, his terrible raid set back the abolitionist cause. And yet, the radical nature of some of the abolitionists brought pressure to bear on Lincoln and others to stay steady for the cause – even though radical abolitionism could never have ended slavery, itself. Meantime, the concrete achievements Lincoln was slowly accomplishing restrained the radicals from blowing up their own cause. It was an intense and intensely divided time. I often think that Lincoln’s uniquely complex personality was a gift to all of us from God, for almost no other personality could have guided us safely through those shoals to peace on the other side. But Lincoln’s could not have, either, without the dynamic tension the Radical Republicans to the right of him and the loyal Democrats to the left of him provided.
If a car had a gas pedal and no brakes, it would get started easily enough only to end in a crash. If it had brakes and no gas pedal, it would never crash – but it would never get started either. Let us give thanks for the honorable people who serve as gas pedals to our inertia or as brakes to our irrational exuberance. God has a plan. It includes all people of good will. The problem in modern society is not that there is too much division, but that there is not enough honorable division. Make sure not to lump in those who honorably disagree with you with those who are just destructive, shrieking hysterics.
*******
Everybody in Catholic circles is talking about the Open Letter accusing Pope Francis of heresy, signed by some prominent scholars and clergy. Various factions seek to have his election declared invalid, his pronouncements declared heretical, or to assert that everything he does is altogether right and true, a secret plan that will ultimately act to the benefit of the Church and the faith.
While it is loud and divisive, I think there is a very healthy dynamic tension going on among the various groups of partisans. You all know that I accept the Papal election that chose Francis to be valid, even as I think Pope Francis has failed badly to defend the faith, spending way too much time on political matters outside the scope of his authority while speaking offensively in non-magisterial settings and ambiguously in formal such settings. He promotes known abusers and those who openly oppose the faith while suppressing those who hold fast to Scripture and the Magisterium. I am clearly not a fan of Pope Francis.
While I agree with all who say the Holy Spirit inspires those who elect a Pope, I firmly disagree with those who argue that the Holy Spirit actually chooses the Pope. This would be to deny the free will of the Cardinal electors. Some have thought that means I think most of the Cardinal electors, this last time, ignored the inspirations of the Holy Spirit. Honestly, I don’t believe that, either. Actually, I think the Holy Spirit was largely silent at this last election.
God writes straight with crooked lines. If we had had a holy Pope dedicated to the truth of Scripture and the Magisterium once more, like St. John Paul or Benedict XVI, all the bad actors would have remained carefully hidden and the cancer would continue to grow silently at the heart of our Church. Having a Pope who seems to share the bad actors’ priorities has drawn all those actors out into the open. We know who they are – and this was accomplished without violating anyone’s free will. The experiment with modernity has left the Church’s moral authority in tatters. For all the fur and feathers being torn inside, no one outside the Catholic Church much cares what the Church has to say about anything these days. It is no longer regarded as a serious moral guide by people or institutions outside the Church – just a deeply corrupt refuge for scoundrels and knaves. That was, most emphatically, not the case under the previous few Popes. This time I think it pleased God to reveal to us how deep the rot has gone – not for our destruction – but that we might see clearly to excise the rot.
Whether for good or ill, I regard Pope Francis as a genuine rarity – a “lame duck Pope.” The Church’s moral capital has been largely squandered. I don’t pay attention much to what he says at all these days…and I won’t unless he speaks directly and formally on a matter that affects the fundamentals of the faith. If he says something shocking or offensive, well, so what else is new? If he says something encouraging or orthodox, that aggravates me all the more, for it is almost always prelude to him doing something deeply challenging – such as naming someone from the Wuehrl-McCarrick axis to a high position of authority. God has already accomplished much through this Pope (even if most of it has been the revelation of ongoing scandal). I have no enthusiasm for attempting to depose him. While his actions are subject to accountability by the Bishops, I do believe his person is accountable only to God. So he will remain until he has accomplished all (whether negative or positive) intended by God. But he will not be the last Pope.
Some argue that he has stacked the College of Cardinals with men in his own image, naming a lot of unworthy second-raters in hopes of extending his modernist revolution beyond his tenure. I won’t argue with that – but I expect the orthodox Cardinals will be a bit more forceful in the next conclave than they were in the last. Even the second-raters are going to have to contemplate: do they really want to extend the irrelevance in the world and the internal degeneracy and division this period has wrought? I trust God knows what he is doing – and I appreciate, even when I disagree with, those who are calling the Vatican’s policies to account.
At the end of this era – and it will end – each of us will have to face whether we lived fidelity to Scripture and the Magisterium in our daily lives or not. Every generation faces its challenges of faith. This is ours. I will neither join those who want to declare Francis invalid, depose him, or argue that he is entirely right in all he does. I pray that he will live in harmony with God’s call before he dies, but I will just stick to the next right step under God in my daily life, knowing that I will have to account to God for all the choices I make.
*******
Late this month I will head out to visit areas and give some presentations. I will be on the road from late May until late July – all in areas east and south of Colorado. I will recuperate a little and then head back out west and south beginning in mid-September.
In presentations, I will speak of “A Pilgrim’s Lessons for the Pilgrimage Before Us.” As has been standard, I will talk for about an hour and then engage questions and conversation after that. Every place I go, I will spend a couple of days, so I can visit more closely with those who organize my visits and perhaps visit a few places of interests such as local religious orders, pregnancy crisis centers, or any place that is doing good work. I want to focus in our private meetings on some basic plans for upholding each other, communicating, and defending good people of faith if it gets seriously ugly – as it very well might.
If you want to host a presentation, contact my assistant, Mary Lapchak, at lapchakma@gmail.com. In some ways, scheduling will be a bit trickier this time. Some friends have provided a car for me to travel with instead of flying. I like that a lot. I can carry some things that are essential. On the other hand, putting together the schedule will be more like a jigsaw in determining the route.
To host a visit, you need to provide a $350 stipend for me while I am there and provide housing. If it is at a home, I need good internet access and a period of privacy each day. (I often take a nap – and almost always take a nap before a presentation). A hotel is fine, just keep it a basic or mid-level. I really don’t like super luxury hotels as I find them pretentious and usually inconvenient. (If I get up in the middle of the night and want a cup of coffee, I like there to be a machine that does not demand $15 from me for the privilege.) Comfort Inns, Ramadas, Best Westerns and such are very comfortable to me. The only thing I ask is NO Motel 6. I like homey places, and their sterile minimalist rooms have an institutional feel that annoys me – I never sleep well there.
We have gotten off to a good start. Just check in with Mary at lapchakma@gmail.com, then work out the details with her. I look forward to seeing you all. Together, we will see these times through and a resurrection of real Christian solidarity and communion with each other.
A Sign of Hope 
Whew! So much going on. My dream wish is for dialogue as a result of the Open Letter… however, that may well be the Pollyanna principle at work.
May PP be extinguished… and soon!
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Amen, Beckita—Abby Johnson is in Memphis right now–8 months pregnant no less– I was at a talk she gave last night–500 people were there. She is amazing–what a fantastic speaker she is–so funny and self deprecating. I will be with her tonight at a fundraising dinner. She is bringing an amazing facility to Memphis—the Guiding Star Project—a center that promotes a new norm for women’s healthcare. I think there are 8 locations in the US at this time–google Guiding Star Project—it is beyond amazing and makes me so full of hope. We are so honored that we will have a location in Memphis.
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Awesomeness, Kim!
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“ I trust God knows what he is doing – and I appreciate, even when I disagree with, those who are calling the Vatican’s policies to account.”
Perhaps nothing will come of the “Open Letter” but something had to be said, don’t you think? At least the laypeople can get a glimpse of the real truth so they can make good choices. Remember, many, many, many have been poorly catechised. That is why I struggle with all that I read!
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Absolutely. I was not criticizing anyone for putting out the open letter. I think most of it is on target. The theme of the post I put up here is dynamic tension. To speak what may be heresy off the cuff is not good, coming from a leader, but it does not bind the Church. I think if Pope Francis were gone tomorrow, his legacy would be that he revealed the rot in the hierarchy (even though that was not his intention) and that he prompted the faithful to live their duty well, not just imputing their moral agency to whatever the Pope says on any subject – to take a hard look at what Papal authority really is – and is not. People are learning that the hard way because they are responding to the substantial disorder coming from the Vatican and too much of the hierarchy. This will have been a consequential papacy, even if it is not at all what Pope Francis intended. I see almost everyone doing their part fairly well amidst the confusion. The Church will ultimately emerge from this chaos much leaner and much stronger. God writes straight with crooked lines.
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I recall that when Pope Benedict resigned one of his reasons was that he felt he was not capable of dealing with the internal (Corruption) problems – my word not his. It was all very vague but now I think we see more of what he was referring to. I think he hoped a younger, stronger Pope would be able to deal with it. If this is the case, then Pope Francis, warts and all, appears to be dealing with it or exposing it at some level. I hope the two pontiffs are supporting each other in the effort. These problems didn’t pop up over night – so Pope JPII has some responsibility as well as Paul VI etc. Fixing a bureaucracy the size of the Roman Catholic Church is like trying to run a slalom with an aircraft carrier. I have a lot of friends who are lapsed catholics or non catholics and they seem to like Francis – I suppose that is a mixed blessing.
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Yes, Momma, on the challenges that were facing an aging Pope Benedict. In true wisdom and discernment, I think, he chose to resign. I perceive that deep in the core of all these things has been a lack of faith, giving rise to every kind of abuse, from clericalism, to sexual abuse (especially the infiltration of active homosexualality among the clergy) to problems in the bureaucracy. And these issues with our clergy reflect the pervasive breakdown of faith and commensurate immorality within the laity. We have been living in an age of disobedience with wisespread disregard to Magisterial Teaching. No one is free of blame.
While missteps were surely made by every preceding pontiff, I cannot ascribe blame to the previous popes for the rot now being revealed. We do not fully know what was known by Pope Emeritus Benedict and Sts. John Paul II and Paul VI. But we do know the character of these Popes… consider St. John Paul II standing up to the evil of the devil’s work in WWII and long after the war ended… and both St. Paul VI and Pope Benedict unceasingly proclaimed truth in the face of fierce opposition… There is no way a single man can know all that transpires under him and the nature of the perversion which grew as a cancer, hidden for so long, is that these things remained in darkness until the bad actors felt safe in coming into the light of day.
Not judging the lapsed and non-Catholics, simply noting that the many I know who like Pope Francis have had hopes that he would change the Church in all the ways that Modernism promotes. And that would become the perpetuation of disobedience. God bless us all.
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Exactly. “…a pervasive breakdown in faith” (Faith).
Came on this morning and thought Charlie had yet another new post up because the headline, sans glasses, looked like “sherpa up” instead of “shapes up.” Interesting sidebar on sherpa’ing, I see with the thaws that there has been a tremendous effort to clean up trash on the mountain:
“A special team has been tasked with cleaning up the world’s highest mountain, littered with garbage from decades of commercial mountaineering. Everest is sometimes described as the world’s highest rubbish dump…” How happy the sherpas must be that tonnage of garbage has already been removed and that this effort will be ongoing for now. Made me smile.
I watch and pray, but don’t expend a lot of energy on various symptoms of our plight. There has been a breakdown in faith and I tend to agree with CJ that some of the top wolves (and at all levels in the Clergy) really have no faith/Faith. In the great intellectual confusion that has been going on for some time, it should not be surprising that the weaker ones fallout to some degree.
It would be enough if the real mass of Faithful put more energy into strengthening faith and pursuing holiness.
It’s you and the mountain under the sun (The Son), whether or not He is visible.
What can I say but “sherpa up!”
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I’d be remiss if I didn’t add something. I always carry a couple of heavy duty garbage bags in my pack. The big reason for heading out to a quiet place (wilderness for me) is to first clear the week’s rubbish from myself. When I encounter litter, I do pick up trash and haul it out. A very small effort in terms of geography, but the Tonto Verde Ridge and favorite parts of the Lower Verde River are generally clean as a whistle.
The only time I really don’t get annoyed is when I happen upon a child’s stray shoe or sandal. That gets a grin, and gives me resolve.
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I think every piece of trash could be a prayer for a soul in purgatory with the right disposition. Hmmm. You could even say bing every time you pick up a piece. 😎
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Unfortunately, I think the lapsed Catholics like him because on the surface, he appears to be caving on doctrine. i.e. birth control, homosexuality, divorce, etc. I think it is this “perception” due to the press running with what he has said with loose lips. So I do not necessarily see lapsed Catholics liking him as a good sign. Frankly, why are the Catholics lapsed to begin with? Is it because of the churches teaching on Birth control, abortion, etc. is not to their liking?
One of the best homilies I heard is from an Eastern Rite priest who worked with teens via teen encounter. He always got questions from the guys, “how far can I go with my girl friend? Can I kiss her? Can we explore each other without going all the way?”. On the surface, these seem like good questions. How far can I go? He completely flipped this around. He said by virtue of what questions are being asked, it is a matter of selfishness. In other words, they are asking the wrong questions! The questions should be, “how can I make you more Holy? How can I honor your purity?”. See the difference? We should be asking ourselves and God the same questions, “how can I honor you Lord? How can I change my life for you and others?”. Blessings!
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Yes, I agree.
Made me think… aside from the Church, ever been a part of a business/organization that was taking on water? Sure, a bunch of rats bail. Then there’s that mass that is only out for the paycheck, holding the company to a measure they haven’t upheld in their own performances. Further, there’s the supposed company people who are looking to shake things up to their way of doing things, history and quantifiable facts be damned. Add to that the competition, who often seize the opportunity to muddy the waters to their own benefit. All troublesome because it’s at best a distraction, while the real work is looking at the thing to determine what’s viable, turn it around and save it. Of course that’s contingent on the right people agreeing on the right course of action and then acting in unity to accomplish it. It’s hard work! Heck, if it was leisure/play, they’d call it that.
In the case of the Church, I’m a tiny nobody, but I’ve been in the aforementioned position having been first brought in to consult, heading up marketing 60 days later, and running (trying to save) the company another 30 days later. It’s an incredibly challenging and often brutally difficult position to find yourself in. So I can cut Pope Francis a bit of slack.
Here’s the first thing I figured out. The brain trust in the organization was dammed up at topmost levels so the average hard-working people were parched, but it was tragically exacerbated by the stuff they did let trickle down. Nothing but a mishmash of dust!
Second, a drastic reorganization was in order. Top baggage… gone. Underperforming markets… history. Then, a tremendous refocusing on communication, purpose, working more efficiently, etc. It didn’t amount to a wild swinging of an ax, but there was A LOT of strategic ‘yard work.’
Turns out none of that was sufficient to keep the thing going in that form for much more than a year or so. Even so, many of us ever counted it a defeat, because the good stuff that came out of that situation far outweighed the trial.
Sound familiar?
Your last line sums it up nicely for me and I am in absolute agreement that each much take the necessary step to break the malaise. In the working world there’s this platitude which I add: Never mistake activity for accomplishment. Platitude or not, who can argue with the sensibility of it?
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Yup. One can work real hard, but if they are doing the wrong thing, what does that amount to?
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It comes down to being a font.
Once we decide to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do, Righteousness Itself pours out into the parched desert, one bereft of goodness without He who all goodness comes and accomplished His will by our will agreeing to do what is right. Of course, there is always that “selfish” part in us because of our fallen nature but even our vitues will be purified by fire in the end. But God, who’s nature is one of power, accomplishes His will despite the little we actually do right. It’s one of the reasons to hope. Despite every failure, obstacle, bad choose, mistake, accident, etc-His will will be done….period. He has so decreed it.
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Gird yur loins, hold the line, let them destroy themselves. Justice IS coming! What a time to be alive!
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I have nothing profound to add here . . . just in total agreement with your assessment on the Motel 6 rooms. I CAN’T GET A GOOD SLEEP THERE EITHER!!!
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When they did the big re-design, maybe a decade ago, I wondered what they were thinking. It is just hideous and uncomfortable. They have lovely, homey commercials…talk about bait and switch!
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I do like the idea that the Holy Spirit was largely silent at the previous conclave. That really fits.
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I don’t know Steve BC. It seems that whether He speaks in stillness or loudness, the actors before, during, and after the 2013 conclave (as with any conclave or anyone’s sovereign words, actions, or thoughts) are free to ignore Him
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I liked the idea too. I was wondering, though, if in fact the Holy Spirit was largely silent or was largely unheeded. Certainly could be both. If He was quiet during the election, is that a way of indirectly affecting outcome (implying motive) at this key moment in history….leaving man to his own devices? Well, it doesn’t matter now: Pope Francis is precisely where he is at this point in time…a wordy way of saying “There he is.”
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I took it as a totally tongue in cheek expression, Patrick. 2 Timothy 2:15 comes to mind: If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
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Ah, another perfect reply, Beckita. He cannot deny Himself. I thought I had slightly stepped over line with my comment….but actually KNEW someone would correct me if need be : )
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It’s all good, Patrick. We’re just sharing, reckoning, and pondering aloud, trying to make sense of these things.
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You know what I think my biggest hang-up is, B? It’s impossible to really articulate, but it relates to the age-old topic surrounding predestination versus free will.
God knows all things and all events that occur on earth at every moment in time, past and future. Then there lies this seeming chasm between Him and us; Man is inside time living with full autonomy, in that immeasurably small point called “the present.” Our minds can only know the past and grope for the future. Events in the river of time, as Charlie indicates, are NOT etched in stone but are in flux and conditional – by the prayers of men, for example. Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is ceaselessly and patiently working to guide us to God and accomplish God’s Will, both in us as individuals and collectively as a part of humanity, with full knowledge of all outcomes.
As humans, when we learn that something is futile, we tend to give up. But the Holy Spirit, who knows all things, does not? I think I’m trying to anthropomorphize the Holy Spirit believing he reasons as man does.
My trouble fathoming all this is probably why I routinely entertain faulty ideas about the Holy Spirit, like the ones regarding the papal election and the comment above. It also taints my perceptions of faith. Should I add Summa Theologica to my summer reading list?
I fear I will never be able to make sense of these things. But I sure do enjoy trying with the good folks here. I prefer correction and knowledge about such matters, Beckita, and fortunately suffer only mild embarrassment when I say stuff well off the mark. Of course, this is a VERY forgiving audience!
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Beautifully expressed, Patrick. Honestly, for all the ways we can and try to make sense of these things, we scratch the surface of great and gorgeous mysteries, for God operates in many ways. We see Him, at times, pressing to get from us what He wants. Still, He never ever overrides our free will response. We’re never puppets or slaves. He calls us His friends and we do co-create with Him in myriad ways.
In this community, I find that it’s the good will with which we hold each other that builds trust with the commensurate freedom to speak – and, sometimes, it’s a risk to do so – our inner thoughts and impressions. When it comes to discussing and pondering the mysteries of faith, I’m a believer that we do well to become as St. John and, figuratively, lay our heads upon the Lord’s Sacred Heart, adoring and loving Him while telling and asking Him about that which we wonder. He has so many ways of answering us and, I have found, He LOVES being asked, for it is the humble way and we build a truly intimate relationship with Him.
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It is fun to ponder all this Patrick. It can make may head spin. Its then that I just be still and revelle in knowing that he loves me.
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Patrick, I’ve been out of computer range but perhaps this ditty with pictures is parallel to your “There he is.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFI4eeJ7oTA There SHE Goes
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I agree with your take on Pope Francis, he certainly exposed the rot . He needs our prayerful support, I remember at the very beginning of his pontificate he asked everyone to offer three Hail Mary’s daily for him.
ChristusVinci
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I agree, A Scot. Yesterday I was at a meeting with some Catholic friends, and we were talking about the Open Letter to the Bishops. We had a very good discussion during which one of the people said, “I have prayed for Pope Francis; but I recently realized that I have not fasted for him, so I’ve started to do that.” Boy, that really hit me where I live. Time for me to add some fasting to my prayers for the Holy Father.
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Hear Hear, Mick and A Scot. Fasting for Pope Francis and the Church = Pure Love.
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AG Barr has all but said, without naming the names, that the conspirators are being criminally investigated now. When leaking classified info is thrown into the mix, then there may be Senators and Congressionals included for prosecution. Pelosi calling Barr a liar today revealed substantial fear.
Nadler’s attempt to create a circus and perjury trap for Barr also reveals their fright. It’s no longer just a Dim strategy to smear Trump, but a fight to stay out of jail as you have intuited Charlie.
In the meanwhile, the economy here, that ought to be suffering from too much debt as is going on worldwide, appears to be going strong.
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I think Rush Limbaugh summed it up pretty well here:
Democrats Scared to Death of an Investigation of the Investigation
https://www.rushlimbaugh.com/daily/2019/05/02/democrats-scared-to-death-of-an-investigation-of-the-investigation/
Beto O’rourke had a presidential campaign rally at UCLA last week, 35 people showed up.
Trump had a rally in Green Bay, WI last week. The Resh center where it was held holds 10,000 people, 69,000 people signed up online to go to the rally. There where people lined up for 2 days waiting to get in.
John
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Wow- thank you so much for clarifying this, Charlie. There seems to be much to be uncovered and many surprises. It is good that you have been helping us get used to surprises and paradigm shifts. There have been so many. There was a big wake-up call here after the Contraceptive mandate. It was shocking. The movie Agenda: Grinding America Down as well as A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing come to mind. Things are certainly not as they seem and after reading and noting today that there is a letter from the bishops in TX that encourages opposition to a bill that is meant to assist the dying, but the bishops are opposed to it and say that it actually harms a dying patient with unnecessary, painful procedures. A quote from St. John Paul 2 is used in the statement. But another pro-life website disagrees with the Texas bishops’ statement. When looking at the bottom of the bishops’ appeal, it states that Texas Alliance for Life is in agreement with the bishops’ stance, as well as some other groups. Doing research after the Texas Right to Life group was publicly shamed, it turns out that they are very pro-life but the bishops in Texas chose to stand with Texas Alliance for Life, which is pretty pro-life, except when the mother’s health is in danger, which surprised me to see that they stand for that over Texas Right to Life. Surprising, and another paradigm shift to see the public outcry from the bishops regarding illegal immigration, but not so much regarding things like letting a patient and his/her family decide whether a patient can have extra care after 10 days, same sex marriage, as well as the nature of classes in varying forms of sexual acts taught as young as first grade in elementary schools. Thank you for preparing us for a domino effect of paradigm shifts.
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I am intimately familiar with all of it, Thankful. Unfortunately, after watching things at close hand, I believe the main purpose of Texas Alliance for Life (TAL) is to give cover to some anti-life politicians who work constantly to kill good legislation for life. TAL is the most contemptible parody of an actual pro-life organization I have ever encountered. The Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops is corrupted on this – working mainly to hold influence with “moderate” legislators. They are going directly against the teaching of the Church in their position on this TADA law (which allows hospitals to withdraw treatment from critically ill patients AND refuse to allow them to seek treatment elsewhere. It is euthanasia, plain and simple, and the Texas Bishops support it – using verbal gymnastics to pretend they are only supporting a doctor’s right of conscience. Fine, you should force no doctor to treat someone he does not wish to – but you must not grant that doctor or hospital the power to keep the patient from getting care from another who will give that treatment. You do NOT need to give a doctor the power to issue an unappealable death sentence to a patient – but that is what the Texas Conference of Bishops has done – even as they fraudulently try to mangle St. John Paul’s words to give cover to the evil they ardently support). There are a few Texas Bishops I respect. Most though, seem like they would be far more at home in California or the Vatican. Ironically, many of California’s Bishops are noble men who seem like they would be much more at home in Texas.
There is a lawyer in Texas, Kassi Marks, who has done phenomenal work on this, cutting through all the double-speak coming from Bishops’ offices and phony pro-life groups. She wrote a solid article about the latest maneuvers herelatest maneuvers herelatest maneuvers here.
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Thanks, as always, Charlie. Things are getting pretty heated over here over SB 2089. Even I am surprised, but perhaps not all that shocked. Ironically, I just updated that blog post with the latest.
I humbly ask that everyone pray for the passage of this bill (it could be voted on as early as Monday; but will still need to be passed in the House and signed by the governor; there are only 24 days left in our legislative session so time is of the essence). But even more so, I ask for your prayers that the hearts and minds of those who consistently oppose our efforts to roll back euthanasia in Texas, including especially those that Charlie mentioned, be converted. It’s a complicated, even mysterious, situation in Texas as to why those who should be with us are against us. But, as they say, it is what it is.
Right now, another family is being victimized by this law. I cannot say more than that now, but please pray for the victims of it whose numbers grow daily.
Blessings to you all!
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Thank you, again, Kassi, for the magnificent work you have done on this subject. Hope to see you this fall in Houston!
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Very much hoping I can get there this year! Something comes up every year. But at least I can usually attend the one in Dallas (but don’t want to jinx it!).
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Thank you, Kassi for your hard work! Please excuse if this is a duplicate response- tech challenges. 🙂
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Prayers ascending for this intention, Kassi. Prayers for you, too, as you carry on with your good work.
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Kassi, been following your work intermittently for a couple of years. I am humbled by your courage & dedication to life. Thank God for your commitment. As the young folk say “You’re my hero.”
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What *you* said is very humbling. JustSayin392. Thank you. I truly don’t have a concept of how much my work reaches others, but I pray it helps spread the truth of what IS life-affirming here and what is not. I appreciate you all very much!
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Kassi, I will keep your intentions in my prayers. ❤
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Thank you! For whatever reason, I’m not able to “like” these comments, so I popped in to thank you all by comment. I will post an update on my blog when I know how the vote goes. Thanks!
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Kassi, to get some help in turning on the “Like” feature, please try the following: (1) Go to the ASOH homepage; (2) Click on the “Menu” box in the upper right-hand corner; (3) Click on the link entitled “Some Answers to Techie Questions; (4) Click on “A guide to help you activate the ‘Like’ button….” 🙂
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Once I logged in to comment, I was able to like. Haha. Thanks for your help!
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Glad to help, Kassi. 🙂
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❤
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Praying along with you, Kassi.
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Thank you again, Charlie. Your encouragement is very appreciated!
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Thank you for explaining this, Charlie. I truly appreciate it!
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Mr. Charlie, It’s been eons since I checked in and whaddya know, this place still feels like home. Your laser vision on Texas legislative struggle confirmed my suspicions. On everything else, well my head exploded awhile ago so can no longer comment😙. Thank you for keeping the home fires burning. God- willing we’ll say ‘Hi’ at Houston TRTL event.
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Good to see you again, Justsayin. 🙂
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Good analysis of the Pope. God is in control & God will decide how to manage Pope Francis in the end. Maybe Francis will be the last Pope (in a way) to conclude our troubled & turbulent times. It always bugged me how Francis seemed to support the globalist agendas.
I’ve been bothered lately about the immorality & evils of “carbon tax”. Yes, carbon tax does raise the cost of living & does absolutely nothing to fix the altered weather, but there’s a darker more sinister side to the issue that people may have not considered. Carbon is a molecule necessary for all life, by putting a price on carbon, you are also putting a price tag on life. Carbon tax could be used to justify the “culture of death policies” effectively putting topics like abortion & assisted suicide on social steroids by justifying the disabled, sick, & elderly as not worth the CO2 they are producing… I hope Canadians & especially our Bishops consider this potential danger and do a little more than talk & pray to remove the Liberals from power in the coming federal election. It’s a good bet our “climate change” is due to humanity’s sins & our earth’s magnetic field, carbon dioxide if anything is a symptom not the cause of our planet’s altered weather.
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Plant life thrives with extra carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This means more plants and healthy plants. The atmosphere will take care of itself. Besides, burning fossil fuel is returning it to its natural state. After all, where did fossil fuel come from? 😊
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Spot on, Doug. We need to burn as much fossil fuel as we can, so that we get the CO2 concentrations up around the average for the past few hundred million years of about 1,500 ppm. The Earth almost starved to death during the last ice age when CO2 got down to 252 ppm. All life ends below 150 ppm.
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Doug,
It has been shown that a healthy forest has a net zero o2, co2 output (think on how a plant in a sealed glass container can survive). Explained simply, the production of and use of these elements are neutral and balanced. Most people are unaware that plants PRODUCE co2 (at night when they USE 02 for respiration) along with the other living organisms in a forest : birds, herptiles, mammals, invertebrates, and decomposing organisms like molds, mildews and bacteria which release co2 contained in dead plant matter.
The balanced ecosystem uses the 02 produced by the plants and the plants use the co2 produced by the other inhabitants. Funny thing is most people don’t realize that the majority of the planet is covered by water-and a lot of 02 is produced (and used) by plankton!
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Neat info Phillip!
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Right. With more carbon dioxide, the better plants grow and the more food there will be to feed people and livestock. Plus, who doesn’t love warm weather?
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Not getting enough weather in the NE lately Patrick.
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Great point, Al. We are carbon-based life-forms. When carbon dioxide (essential to the flourishing of plant life) is declared a pollutant, basically life, itself, is being declared a pollutant. When that happened, I was convinced beyond certainty that the satan had now taken full control of the environmental movement, making it into an actual anti-environmental and anti-human movement.
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Al, that is a *very* interesting take on carbon taxation. Thanks for passing it on. Wow. I’ve followed this issue for a couple of decades, but even so, this subtle evil escaped me.
If true, that would be incredibly depraved. And given everything else happening in the world, I would have to accept that it could actually be true.
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Socialism has done it before with the horrors of National Socialism & Communism, we should not underestimate that justified murder can’t happen again under the disguise of helping the planet/environment, there’s lots of leftist zombies out there. The socialist “Liberals” our generation has worked hard to promote the “culture of death”, I see it as a possible move as one tries tries to predict a opponent’s chess moves, it’s up to us to see that possibility and thwart that sneak attack before it’s used on us. It’s already too late when they knocking on people’s doors.
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Already taking place with abortion Al.
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They bring about more disorder in creation with sin, loudly bemoan the disorder, then maniacally champion new and even more sinful ways to ‘fix’ it. Too bad there aren’t youtube videos to show them of the Fall in the Garden, The Flood, Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah… oh, wait, He’ll get to that in His own good time.
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Spot on, MP.
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Most video content is about people talking, not a visual presentation like mini movie.
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Hey Charlie
Great summary of where we are. I also like your position on Pope Francis, I.e., to just not pay attention any more. It’s so aggravating when he constantly comes out with several seemingly orthodox positions and then Whammo!, another dose of lefty claptrap! Plus the constant barrage of troubled clergy he surrounds himself with! It has gotten so tiring and predictable.
I still pray for him, as I know we should, and will continue to, but I’m so ready for this show to end.
For some time I’d been spending way too much time following all the political balony in the media. Could easily blow through an hour or more clicking thru various websites and getting various takes on the latest stories and angles of same. For Lent, I gave it all up and actually felt pangs of withdrawal, but I persisted.
I suspected the whole thing was like one giant soap opera, where even the good actors and commenters are also actively engaged in keeping us tuning in and clicking on the stories, all the while selling advertising.
Upon my return to some of it on Easter, I’ve found this assessment to be true. Many of the bad actors certainly are villains, but many of the good actors seem content to keep the whole thing going because it provides great fuel for their commentary that never seems to actually solve anything. It’s almost like I took 40 days off, and coming back, not a damn thing had changed.
So it’s good to read a summary by someone in the know as you’ve prepared here. I will continue to stay informed but mainly by reading headlines and only occasionally more in-depth. It’s just sooo easy to get sucked onto this vortex that never seems to end, and seems designed to keep us sucked in.
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Amen, Paul.
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It’s partly my job to keep abreast of these things – and at times they can distract me from the larger job of living the next right step well. I take it seriously because I know many find comfort in my little summaries and so perhaps I can help them from getting distracted by the noise by staying abreast enough to prepare these little summaries. But part of me, amusingly, more irritatedly looks at the scene these days and thinks, “Let’s end this soap opera and get on with things.”
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I used to watch / listen to news regularly but last January I have been pretty unplugged. I noticed I was getting angry listening to it and I found myself feeling relatively helpless to do anything to create a change. I sometimes would engage with people on my views and often didn’t have a good rebuttal to their counter arguments. That made me realize I was fairly uninformed on many subjects which lead me more to the conclusion that most news reports I listened to or watched were slanted one way or another and not unbiased and totally true.
Considering I didn’t want to spend tons of my own time researching these often complicated issues I decided to almost unplug.
I’ve been in a better state of mind since then. I’m not quite so angry and am more open minded on things because I’m aware that I really don’t know what is going on with a lot of issues. Not that no one should know these issues in depth but I’m not sure that I am supposed to be the guy that does.
I knew a long time ago where I stood as far as who I’m voting for. I doubt highly it will change. I am surprised anyone who is Catholic couldn’t vote for Trump based on his pro life stance. But I am sure some won’t. I try not to let that trouble me. We all have choices to make. And but for the grace of God there go I. I thank God I can see these things and pray for those who are making mistakes. I’m not better than them just blessed I can see things clearer.
So I’ll read headlines and occasionally the articles but can usually tell by the headline what sort of slant the story is geared toward. Basically Trump can do no right with many press outlets and others seem to defend him as if he can do no wrong. The truth probably lies somewhere more on the middle. Stories from the associated press I’ve noticed have seemed less biased than many outlets.
Your comment was helpful to show me I’m not the only one who seems to see things this way. So I thought I’d share my opinion on that.
Thanks Charlie for the article! You also help me stay somewhat informed on issues!
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I agree AR90. It seems like staying informed can be a full time job these days. I also look to Charlie, Steve BC and Beckita to filter much of what comes out. Blessings!
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I used to pray for Pope Francis intentions. Now, I pray he is guided by the Holy Spirit as he leads the church.
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Many seem to have a fundamental misunderstanding of what it means to pray for the “intentions of the pope”. We are definitely NOT praying for any personal intentions of Pope XYZ, neither really are we praying for the intentions that have come to be associated with the Apostleship of Prayer, as worthy as those intentions may be. As we are reminded by Dr. Ludwig Ott, the great dogmatic theologian of a generation ago, we are praying for the intentions of the Papal Office. What is the purpose / intent of the Papal Office – what is the pope SUPPOSED to be doing? This is what we pray for when we pray for the “intentions of the pope” – we are praying that the intent of the Papal Office be fulfilled in the modern world. I hope this helps and eases the conscience of some who are (understandably) nervous about praying for the intentions of the present occupant of the Chair of St. Peter.
PAX, Matthew
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Well said, Matthew, and this site gives greater detail about the process used in the preparation of the pope’s prayer intentions.
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Ok. Some noble prayer requests, but still am not there.
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You know what, Doug? When I think of your thought: “…it is difficult for me to conceive praying as stated for his intentions without thinking of the faux paws of the Holy Father.” and that you do this instead: “Now, I pray he is guided by the Holy Spirit as he leads the church.” I think you chose a beautiful and loving solution to the problem of being distracted when praying for the Pope’s intentions.
The only reason I can think of (maybe there are others) that a person would want to definitely pray for the Pope’s intentions is when fulfilling the conditions for gaining a plenary indulgence. Good Lord. There is so much and so many for whom to pray and I know you to be a man of prayer, blessing your family and friends, the communities in which you thrive and the entire Church and world. Amen!
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Yes. You articulate well Becks and you are very kind!
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Gosh, it’s just the truth, Doug.
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Thanks Matthew. I will look at Beckita’s reference. Given my understanding or perception of English, it is difficult for me to conceive praying as stated for his intentions without thinking of the faux paws of the Holy Father. Somehow, I think it can be worded differently. Anyway, your point is well taken.
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That has been my hang-up too, Doug. My morning offering became difficult when I came to the part about praying for “the intentions of the Holy Father.” Beckita’s link, though, did help me hear those words differently as I was unaware of the history of papal prayer intentions.
OK, maybe November is a little weird:
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.
We pray that the progress of robotics and artificial intelligence may always serve humankind.
Not exactly a priority to me, but…OK. Anyway, for historical perspective, the traditional Morning Offering to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was composed by French Jesuit Fr. François-Xavier Gautrelet in 1844. The practice of the pope announcing his monthly intentions began with the wonderful Pope Leo the XIII in the 1880’s. http://popesprayerusa.net/history/
Speaking of robots and AI, ever notice the names of the Terminator movies? Judgement Day (1991), Salvation (2009), and Genisys (2015). Hmmm….and the hero’s name is John Connor. (Initials “J.C.” in case you missed it.) Hollywood so often tries to capture the greatest story of love humanity has ever known that occurred 2000 years ago, but a bunch of robots in the future really failed to deliver.
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Yeah. When I saw robots, that just seemed weird. Interesting on the Terminator.
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Maybe I’m just too simple on this issue, but I phrase it as praying “for the appropriate intentions of the Holy Father” and leave it at that. Does that work?
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Hmmmm. Hard to say. This is a good one for YD. Maybe it is that praying for his intentions is like giving a donation to the church. It is possible that the donation could be misused, but does that nullify the donation given in faith?
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Doug, that’s a very good point. My meaning is that I trust God to use my prayer properly. I figure that’s about the best I can do in a difficult or confusing situation.
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Amen, Doug and Steve.
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Yes, yes Steve. It is making the best of a given situation. I think many of the great saints are shining examples of being obedient even when their superiors were grumpy.
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I guess I tend to take the simple and general approach and automatically leave it up to God to give my intent proper interpretation. I have always when gaining indulgences just saying I pray these prayers for the intentions of our Holy Father the Pope without being concerned that I need to tell God who the legitimate pope is(not that I have any concerns about who the real pope is) or feel a need to know what those intentions specifically are or need to agree with them. I don’t often get concerned with just how many angels can fit on the head of a pin from that famous ancient controversy. I agree with Charlie’s admonition just to keep things simple. May God bless all here and the Holy Spirit continue to guide and protect us, lead us to all holiness and truth, to inspire us to treat each other with humility and truth, charity and well wishes. Let us not be concerned with whether the wisdom portrayed by others and even ourselves comes from our own exaltedness or the Holy Spirit who inspires us for after all this is not intended to be a mutual admiration society. Let no one waste their time trying to impress me. I am more concerned with absorbing and being enriched by the truth that each of you bring to the table. Most here ascribe to that lofty goal. I love you all in the Love of Christ. JAS
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Wise advice JAS
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So in essence I’ve been praying both. 😉
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Way to go, Jen! Now… if only you could bilocate, you could attend both at once. 😊🙃🤗
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😉
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“Supreme Court”. I scoff at the term. They are naked evil. Yet, the patient reclaiming of those institutions is a work that has taken me by suprise. I am deeply impressed by God’s slow work. It is a lesson He is teaching me. You political types are doing very good work.
“The reality is the left knowingly attempted a coup”
Two points.
First, a year ago this was fringe-conspiracy talk of “paranoid, delusional far right extremists” unfit for civil discourse by peiple who should have no place in ‘our’ national discourse. Now it is acknowledged fact and politics is, as you write, revolving around that fact. Keep this in mind when the next conspiracies pop up. My own suspucion that the satnic forces that murdered the csar and his family are at work right now within Christendom. They are integrated into our civeis, but hate our logos, our risen Christ and it is He and only He that sustains the civilisations he has given us.
Second, the corruption is bi-partisan. The stench of McCain in this and other matters us documented. there will be others.and I think it will go far back to last century and involve people we not just trusted, but worked for.
Finally, did everybody catch “the remnant(?)” video where the cock on top of tge spire of Notre Dame toppled, pierced the roof and destroyed the norvos ordo alter? “Can you here Me now?” yep!
God bless
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Nice insights, Timothy, in your two points. I must acknowledge that for all the liturgical abuses that have abounded since Vatican II, the Novus Ordo Mass – offered as prescribed by the Church’s liturgical norms as stated in the GIRM – is as good and holy as a Mass offered in the Traditional Latin Mass form. Both are officially sanctioned in the Church. Wish you all could attend a Novus Ordo Mass offered with great reverence and beauty by a priest like Fr. Wang and some of the priests in my own diocese.
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Beckita:
With all due respect many fail to make some basic distinctions when discussing the present reform of the Liturgy. First off there is NO QUESTION of validity or even liceity when discussing the differences between the Mass of Paul VI and the Mass of John XXIII. Both are valid and real, true re-presentations of Christ’s Sacrifice on Calvary. When celebrated according to the prescribed rubrics they are both licit expressions of that One Sacrifice. The fundamental question one needs to ask actually prescinds from any question of ‘ars celebrandi”. Since we are not Donatists, we ought not to be relying on the holiness of a particular priest and his manner of offering the Holy Sacrifice.
Thus having removed the issues of validity, liceity and style, we are left with the prayers themselves. Thus the fundamental question is which rite, considered in it’s texts, does a better job of incarnating the Catholic theology of the Mass as the propitiatory Sacrifice offered by the Eternal Son to the Eternal Father by sinful men who participate in this offering in fear and trembling before the Lord. Read the Offertory Prayers of both Masses and tell me which one better incarnates the Catholic theology of the Mass. This is one example of many.
Perhaps a simple analogy from a human meal would be useful. I can gain all the protein, calories, and nutrition I need by eating a cold, mushy concoction created by experts in a lab somewhere. Or I can have a real feast that meets not just my basic needs but addresses every aspect of my appetite. (I presume you have seen the film “Babette’s Feast.”) This analogy is, as all analogies are, imperfect but hopefully it helps.
PAX, Matthew
PS: In the interest of full disclosure: For about a decade I was MC for the EF community in Detroit and have taught at least a half dozen priest how to say the EF. Due to present circumstances I attend an OF parish in suburban Minneapolis in which the celebration of the OF is far from the ideal of the norms in a church whose architecture would lose out in comparison to an airplane hangar – but it IS the Mass.
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The reverence and beauty to which I spoke, Matthew, has to do with priestly obedience in following the GIRM (General Instruction of the Roman Missal). I think great care must be taken when comparing both forms as this can easily turn into making a judgement that one form is better than the other. In the Teaching of the Church neither is above or below the other. The theological essence of both forms of the Mass is the same and I remain grateful that the Church sanctions both. How blessed are we!
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Almost as soon as Pope Francis was elected it became clear to me that his mission was to change the psyche of Catholicism. As part of the direction in which he was moved I could see from the start (and wrote about my vision) that he would allow the darnel to grow so it could be better differentiated from the wheat. Cataracts need to be allowed to grow to a critical stage for optimal removal – just so with darnel. And as soon as they are removed the vision is improved. I believe that the silence of Francis is a mark both of his Trust in God and of his humility before God. He invites God to make his moves in and through him. In and through his papacy. For me, the courage and wisdom he displays in the exercise of silence is exemplary. It allows God full access to all that requires human cooperation for change to be effected in The Divine Plan and to prepare us for the end of this age and the start of another. We all know that free will in all its scope and range is essential to authentic love. It may be Charlie that this non- research and non academic and non intellectual focus will be dismissed as a contribution of little or no worth. But Gods ways are not our ways and His ways will be made clear in His time. Meantime when I read the words of Pope Francis I hear the voice of Christ calling us to love Him and our neighbour more and more and in a way that is more real and genuine and authentic. “Prepare to be martyrs” he tells us and that journey has only just begin. Francis speaks from the heart to the heart but with a good and gifted mind whose workings are often hidden from the highly educated, the clever and the powerful. Simple down to earth people love Pope Francis and they speak and understand his language. They do not challenge him or demand an open debate with him or justification of his course. One such simple soul is Conchita of Garabandal who has in the course of her life entered into discourse with Jesus and His Mother. She is a model of silence and humility. From a contact of mine in the village I am assured that Bastiano (see below) is sound and reliable. He is a good friend of Conchita and in regular contact with her.
April 2019
Latest news from Conchita of Garabandal via Bastiano’s blog :
This is what Conchita asked me after having revealed to me by mail her illness contracted five years ago.
Yesterday, after talking on the phone as we do from time to time, she wrote me and said that she had skin cancer.
Her letter, which she asks me to propose to sick people is the fruit of her meditation after her miraculous healing.
This is for everyone, her reflection is a help and understanding that All is Grace.
The written content of her testimony, although accurately describing what happened to her, can be read, and applied to many situations of everyday life, because, by her humility, her fears shows that people chosen as Conchita, by Heaven, are not immune to all sorts of trials, which makes us see their fragility and strengthens ours.
As St. Teresa of Avila said: God alone suffices, let us trust in the love of our Lord, despite the crosses.
To spread widely around you for the Glory of God
From Conchita to Bastiano (translated from French to English by Aviso)
I send you this letter that I wrote a few days ago, in case it might help a sick person :
ANYTHING COMING FROM GOD IS GOOD FOR US.
Even illness is a gift of God in our life.
I had and I experienced that illness and healing are the same thing, a mysterious gift of God.
More than five years ago, while playing at sea with one of my granddaughters, the sun burned my face.
When my skin was burned, a dark freckle appeared. I felt it was a melanoma, a cancer. During all these years, I hid it so no one would comment. Day after day and year after year, seeing how the freckle continued to grow, increased in me the certainty and fear of cancer. But I had the feeling that my soul was being cleaned as everything that bothered me. To be happy with true happiness, which is to live focused on one goal, going to Heaven. Until three weeks ago, the freckle continued to grow and a tumor formed under the freckle, so difficult to hide anymore. So I decided to put a bandage so that nobody would tell me anything .. Meanwhile, I was praying to God for my health, so that he will take away this freckle, but inside me, I felt that it was what I needed, for my good.
My daughter, a nurse seeing how it grew up, went to see the doctor. the same afternoon, I changed the dressing to a smaller one because I was going to a basketball game of my nephews.
Removing the bandage, the freckle with the tumor opened as if someone had cut it all around, some blood came out. I showed it to my daughter and told her:
Cancel the consultation with the doctor, at that time I knew that I was cured, I put the bandage and I went to the match. The next day, when I woke up, the bandage had fallen and my face showed no trace of the tumor. I thanked God, I felt in my soul that he said: Give me Thanks also for the Cross. I realized that years with fear of cancer suffering were as good and miraculous as healing. I wanted to write this experience in case someone reads it and is sick, so that he also thinks that it’s good for him. Although he does not want to accept it, one day he will feel the need to give a kiss to God, in thanks.
Conchita”
So perhaps we can take the lesson of Conchita to heart: All is grace and when the cancer of The Church is given over to God it will fall away at the point of critical growth and the face of the earth will be renewed.
I am typing all this up on my phone and have not checked it before posting so please forgive any errors and any offence it may cause. I do not insist on my way but only share it in the hope it may benefit someone. I do not wish to hi jack this space and thank you for it.
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Source in French : http://www.lavoieducielgarabandal.fr/archives/2019/04/27/37291799.html
In case anyone would like to translate the above for his/her self.
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Respectfully written, Joe, and respectfully received.
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Thank you for your tolerance Beckie and for your brevity, your silence.
Thank you for your response.
“He will be a refiner or a fuller. He will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver. So Yahweh will have priests who will present the offering as it should be.”
“Then you can distinguish the good from the bad, those who obey God from those who disobey him.”
“He will reconcile the parents to their children, and the children with their parents…”
Malachi 3:3, 3:18, 4:24
In general I read the words and observe the works of Francis in the light of Malachi. The elective and selective silence of Francis allows the work that matters to be done. His silence speaks with authority and is pregnant with preparation and readiness to encounter the God of Surprises.
Francis prepares us for the soon-to-come Warning, our private correction of conscience. There is a good chance that Francis knows just how soon.
In 1969 the popes secretary asked Conchita to privately reveal the date of The Great Miracle. That pope was Paul VI, now a saint. Where private revelation is concerned, obedience to The Church is essential to verification and authentication.
Enough from me on this.
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Joe, may I be a devil’s advocate? You compliment Beckita specifically on her silence toward your post. Why?
You also compliment the pope about his courageous silence, but you did not mention about what. The Holy Father always seems to have plenty to say, especially things outside his purview. What is the pope choosing to be silent about?
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It seems that “socialism” is a evil infernal religion that denies & blasphemes God & Christ. Socialism promotes atheist ideology that has infiltrated the Church and has made our faith & “body of Christ” sick & weak.
Socialism is a abomination that seeks to drag many souls to hell. Any person who dares to oppose socialism is villainized societally (destroying career & livelihood), thrown in prison, or killed.
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I heard it said recently that socialism begins with ballots and ends with bullets. Very scary. Being Canadian, I see almost everyone I know eating up socialist ideology (although no one would identify as socialist). I don’t know personally a single person who would give up their mediocre universal tax-funded health care. I would. Don’t tell my family and friends please! 😆
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I know… Many people are upset over all the cutbacks in Ontario. It is said that the interest payments for Ontario’s debts alone could fund all of Ontario’s health care system. Liberals here in Canada tried to bankrupt provinces probably trying todo a “Venezuela” up here, but many people got scared and started voting in conservative governments.
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My question re: PP/Daleiden court decision – Can the CMP 12 PP videos be released and no longer be suppressed?
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All things are pending. The original videos that are in the public domain remain there. The ones that are suppressed are the National Abortion Federation (NAF) videos which you have never seen, except for perhaps a three-minute excerpt which was promptly shut down by San Francisco Federal Judge William Orrick – a judge with substantial ties to PP. I have not seen those videos, though David has told me they have very toxic material on them – which is why PP desperately does not want anyone to see them.
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http://www.lavoieduciel-garabandal.fr/archives/2019/04/27/37291799.html
Sorry that last link did not seem to work.
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NEWS & MILINET: Articles for Christians – 3 May
====================================
HeartLight Dailty Verse
Romans 12:12
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Thoughts on today’s verse:
Sometimes the key to survival is simply “setting our jaw” and going on faithfully trusting that God is there helping us, despite the outward circumstances. Choosing joy through hope rather than despair, choosing patient endurance in times of affliction, and choosing faithfulness in prayer are all decisions of the will. We trust that God, who raised Jesus from the dead, can also change our circumstances because he hears our voice.
Prayer:
Create in me, O Mighty God, a resolute and steadfast heart so that I might persevere with joy no matter what the difficulty. This I ask through your faithful Son. Amen.
Visit heartlight.org for more
Joseph and Jesus the Builders
https://buildingcatholicculture.com/joseph-and-jesus-the-builders/
‘Prayer Works Miracles and Prayer Saves Lives’: Trump Cites Power of Prayer, Announces Conscience Protections
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2019/may/prayer-works-miracles-and-prayer-saves-lives-trump-cites-power-of-prayer-in-rose-garden-service
President Trump Issues New Pro-Life Rules Protecting Doctors and Nurses From Having to Do Abortions
https://www.lifenews.com/2019/05/02/president-trump-issues-new-pro-life-rules-protecting-doctors-and-nurses-from-having-to-do-abortions/
Pope Francis should visit Argentina to meet cleric abuse victims, rights groups say
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-argentina-church/pope-francis-should-visit-argentina-to-meet-cleric-abuse-victims-rights-groups-say-idUSKCN1S822I
What Exactly Is the ‘Problem’ with Evangelicals and Politics?
https://stream.org/problem-evangelicals-and-politics/
The Woke Church is More Informed by Leftist Cliches than Gospel Truth
https://stream.org/the-woke-church/
An “Ultra-Conservative Crusade” Against Pope Francis?
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/an-ultra-conservative-crusade-against-pope-francis
……. and just who gets to define Far-Right!!??? …….. Far-Left godless Loons who worship at the Altar of Abortion, Perversion and Socialism …. Eh!!???
Instagram and Facebook Ban Far-Right Extremists
https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2019/05/instagram-and-facebook-ban-far-right-extremists/156711/?oref=d-channeltop
MUSLIM FEDERATION FACEBOOK MANAGER CALLS JEWS ‘DEMONIC’ AND US ‘WORLD’S #1 TERRORIST’
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273634/muslim-federation-facebook-manager-calls-jews-joe-kaufman
Faith Leaders in Washington Underscore Plight of Oppressed Peoples Worldwide
https://stream.org/day-prayer-religious-persecution/
Sri Lanka mass cancelled over ‘specific attack threat’
https://www.france24.com/en/20190502-sri-lanka-mass-cancelled-over-specific-attack-threat
Muslim Tells Christians: ‘We Tried Warning You,’ It’s Time to ‘Wake Up’ about Threat of Radical Islam
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2019/may/muslim-tells-christians-we-tried-warning-you-its-time-to-wake-up-about-threat-of-radical-islam
New Study: 80 Percent of Persecuted Religious Believers Are Christians
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/new-study-80-percent-persecuted-religious-believers-are-christians
Is St. Joseph Church’s fire connected to 2 nearby vandalism incidents on the same night?
https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix-breaking/2019/05/02/st-joseph-churchs-fire-connected-to-two-nearby-phoenix-vandalism-incidents/3655448002/
The Moral Confusion of Avengers: Endgame
https:/www.crisismagazine.com/2019/the-moral-confusion-of-avengers-endgame
USA Today tries to explain why many Catholics are hitting the exits, but finds only one reason
https://www.getreligion.org/getreligion/2019/4/29/usa-today-tries-to-explain-why-many-catholics-are-hitting-the-exits-but-finds-only-one-reason
AMERICA’S MOST ANTI-CHRISTIAN PRESIDENT
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273643/americas-most-anti-christian-president-david-horowitz
Obama took Clinton’s 2016 loss personally, told an aide Pres. Trump ‘peddles in bulls***’, book reveals
https://www.theblaze.com/news/obama-took-clintons-2016-loss-personally-told-an-aide-pres-trump-peddles-in-bulls-new-book-says
CNN Poll: Overwhelming Majority Want Investigation into Obama DOJ Spying on Trump
https://pjmedia.com/trending/cnn-poll-overwhelming-majority-want-investigation-into-obama-doj-spying-of-trump/
FOR FEAR OF WILLIAM BARR
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/05/for-fear-of-william-barr.php
WHY I STICK MY NECK OUT FOR TRUMP
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273663/why-i-stick-my-neck-out-trump-david-makovsky
Pentagon Warns Of China’s Rise in the Arctic, Missile Subs, Influence Operations
https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2019/05/pentagon-report-warns-chinas-rise-arctic-missile-subs-influence-operations/156726/?oref=d-channeltop
Here Are the Questions Republican Lawmakers Should Ask Robert Mueller During His Testimony Before Congress
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/here-are-the-questions-republican-lawmakers-should-ask-robert-mueller-during-his-testimony-before-congress/
Explaining Ukrainegate
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/05/explaining_ukrainegate.html
North Korea cuts rations to record low after bad harvest, U.N. says
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-food-un/north-korea-cuts-rations-to-record-low-after-bad-harvest-u-n-says-idUSKCN1S90LC
State Rep. Rogers: Donald Trump Jr. Is Proof Mothers Should Have The Right To An Abortion
https://hotair.com/archives/2019/05/02/state-rep-rogers-donald-trump-jr-proof-mothers-right-abortion/
Pelosi accused AG Barr of committing a crime — but she won’t like CNN’s fact-check on that claim
https://www.theblaze.com/news/pelosi-says-barr-lied
Founding Fathers under attack: Students demand Thomas Jefferson statue removal
https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=12043
Ten Things That Are Now More Popular than Pitiful CNN
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/rich-noyes/2019/05/03/ten-things-are-more-popular-pitiful-cnn
GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
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This website has a few great articles, namely reiterating Charlies talking points. https://spectator.org/listen-to-joe-digenova/
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Truly disturbing headlines…
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Yikes…. Sounds like things are about to get pretty ugly.
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So Trump endured 3 years of crushing investigations into his life, his family’s life, his associates lives, his businesses.., by a highly skilled teams of actual devil’s advocates, which were unable to unearth any real dirt. Does this bring him to the 2nd leg on the road to legal-sainthood – Venerable Leader? 🙂
It seems to me that, like Washington, Trump stands unwavering as bullets and arrows fly about him, confident that God keeps him until his job is done. He also seems keenly aware that any move he makes to avoid the danger undermines His Providence.
Yes, he’s just a man, but perhaps like Francis, a man doing a part for these times.
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I was thinking that, while we had hoped that Russia would become more of an ally for the US, that with Putin supporting evil leadership in Venesuela, we are sadly, becoming further apart. Perhaps Maria Esperanza who has been submitted for sainthood and is now considered “Servant of God” can gain her miracles by obtaining from God freedom for her people!! May God so will it.
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All I can say is thank you & God bless you & yours❣️❣️❣️
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The prophecy of St. Malachy comes to mind here. I do not think it coincidence that there were 7 counts of heresy claimed either. The 20 pages by the 19 theologians had brief but compelling witness. I know many people are ignoring or blowing off the open letter. But I think there is no way to do so. The Church divided between people wanting the true faith and people who want to change it. God does not change. He is the God who “was, who is, and who is to come”.
Why do you say Pope Francis will not be the last Pope?
The children are being neglected, abused, mislead, and killed. How long will be too long? It is and always will be Christ’s Church. We are now to a time when we all have to say “Jesus, I Trust in You.”.
It is not coincidence that Pope Benedict spoke up about homosexuality and sexual morality only a few days back. It was written with authority and clarity even if the world was not listening.
Many saints have said that sins against purity drag so many to hell. The truth is good to hear out of someone. Truth will set us free. Dear Jesus, have Mercy on us and on the whole world.
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The prophecy of St. Malachy was never approved by the Church and is almost certainly a forgery done some 400 years after his death. Rather than go through extensive discussion on the research on the matter, I direct you to Jimmy Akin’s short and gentle treatment of it. I say Pope Francis will not be the last Pope because this is NOT the end (as was emphasized to me from early childhood) and when a Pope dies a new one is elected. I say he will not be the last Pope for the same reason I say this is not the last day of life on earth. We have great troubles right now. The fact is, every time the world faces great troubles, many go to apocalyptic interpretations…been happening steadily for almost 2000 years. Though you may go that route, that is not what this site is about, for I say most emphatically this is NOT the end – and we are called to live our duty simply each day, to acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around us. We are to contribute to the renewal of the Church and the world, not prepare for the end.
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Amen. And our way forward is clear: chop, chop, chop that wood ‘n carry, carry, carry that water.
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Not that my opinion carries much weight Charlie but I totally agree with you at least on this: Pope Francis is not the last pope. He is however the first pope of this age. The end of time and the end of times are two completely different things.
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I have deleted most of the above post. You are perfectly free, Joe, to make your case that Pope Francis is altogether right and true, but when you start using your pejorative and incomplete, fractured interpretations of canon law to tell me the perdition I will go into for not agreeing with you, you step over the line. I hope you don’t start all that up again, because the next suspension will be the last.
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I’ll go even further than that because it’s a bit painful to watch at this point.
Bro JoeCro, I think you mean well and are a clever guy, but would best serve all to pick a more fruitful topic. Hard to keep track of how many ways you’ve approached this and continue to circle back. I deeply appreciate persistence in the right circumstances, but this is just getting manipulative, so I think a bit more emotional intelligence is advisable.
None of us are without faults, but we’re all certainly capable of watching, discerning and developing informed insights. Whether we converge on those points is not really the thing. Staying docile and nimble so we can converge in the Truth, even if it’s a complete surprise to us, is more important IMO.
To not only survive but thrive in these times requires that we all get comfortable with surprises.
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You are a good man Michael. Perhaps rather than be comfortable with surprises it would be better for all to be at right with the God of surprises.
Cheers Michael
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Ah, Joe, I thought it might be surprising enough that I was so overt, rather than my usual subtlety. And why call me good? Only God is good. To get right with God necessarily entails instances of becoming painfully self-aware. I reckon all struggle with their blind spots, but I stand by what I said without the need for some sort of one-upmanship. Read it again. Or don’t.
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Michael
Why would I be surprised at your comment? I have never thought of you as particularly ‘subtle’ but captivating in your comments. Of course we all know that in absolute terms only God is good. In human terms the adjective has many usages and applications. I think you know what I meant. As for “awareness” I have been given great direction all my life with all its growing pains. I presume you have experienced the same. The whole world will soon know the fullness of painful awareness in The Warning as prophesied at Garabandal. Rather than overt I thought your tone was somewhat condescending and presumptuous. As for a need to indulge in “one upmanship” I wonder what motivated that thought of yours. Certainly not subtlety. Sometimes it is essential to stand up for yourself and truth and justice as I am doing here after the fashion of Jesus when he was unjustly struck by the soldier when addressing the High Priest. My comment was motivated by the new assault on Pope Francis by the new aspersions cast by the 13 scholars. As such it was not a rehash of old matter. It seems on this forum it is ok to circle round on its perceived defects of the pope but not on his defence. Just as with the prosecution of Cardinal Pell I feel that the jury here has been thoroughly preconditioned by a campaign of misdirection and censorship. This is a Catholic forum and I will continue to defend our Pope whenever it is necessary. It has been deemed by management that I am not qualified of my own resources to make such a defence so I will quote other respected sources. Management can do what it likes and as you so bluntly say “read it or don’t.”
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PS Michael I did read your comment again and much of what you intended makes sense IMO.
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It may surprise you, Joe, that you are not the only one at this site who speaks of the virtues of Pope Francis. You ARE, however, the only one who wants to start a food fight every time anyone disagrees with you on the subject. MP was gentle with you, you who are almost always condescending to those with whom you disagree, you who routinely throw what you think are sly aspersions at those who do not meet your standards of rectitude – and then scream about how you are being abused and persecuted if those you defame defend themselves. You rarely argue the particulars any more on specific issues that arise with Pope Francis: you just assert that he is holy in all he does and that it is an abominable sin to notice anything otherwise. I partially understand that: a lot of those specifics are awfully hard to defend. Then, you like to switch ground when you are cornered and start talking about how deeply pious you are and how some ancestor of yours carried the cross in some procession centuries ago or that other ancestors were as brilliant and holy as St. Augustine or St. Thomas Aquinas, as if that ended the matter.
I have said you are free to defend Pope Francis here, but without the sly and nasty attacks on those who disagree. You are even free to speak as if all doctrine comes from (your interpretation of) Garabandal. You are not free to keep trying to start food fights on the subjects – however brave and noble it may make you feel to do so. We have very serious matters before us right now – and you constantly want to distract from that. You like to quote things without understanding. So I tell you, I have told the rest of the staff that no one is to clear your comments but me. You took some sly – and some overt – swipes at MP, who is always gentle and refined. It ticks me off. You are one of the least self-aware people I know, constantly insulting and smearing those around you and then acting like the puzzled innocent when you are called on it (though usually getting a few sly swipes in, in the process). I now have a zero-tolerance policy of nonsense from you. I have given you WAY too much latitude and that ends now. Defend Pope Francis without defaming anyone else. Preach Joe’s Gospel according to Garabandal to your heart’s content. But the nonsense ends now.
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Joecro-you said you “feel that the jury here has been thoroughly preconditioned by a campaign of misdirection and censorship.” If by the jury you mean we here who read and comment, I disagree. My disappointment and discouragement about the Pope’s words and actions are all my own. No one here has preconditioned me. I have come to my conclusions on my own. Not because anyone here or anywhere else has influenced me. I can read what he has said and done and much of it scandalizes me. These things have not been manipulated by others who don’t like him. AL and his appointments speak for themselves.
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Well said, Kim. Joecro and Kim, I come back to this line from MP as it captures so well what we ‘re about when we do disagree: “… we’re all certainly capable of watching, discerning and developing informed insights. Whether we converge on those points is not really the thing. Staying docile and nimble so we can converge in the Truth, even if it’s a complete surprise to us, is more important IMO.”
Another important note to remember: When many were criticizing Pope Francis from the inception of his papacy, look at how Charlie wrote to defend this Pope. Charlie had a link on the side of the page at TNRS to Peter Bannister’s book, No False Prophet: Pope Francis and his not-so-cultured despisers: a theme and four variations (FQI Collection (Fides quaerens intellectum) Book 1. It wasn’t until five years after Pope Francis was elected and Charlie had observed the problems that had been emerging that he wrote about them, using concrete examples of what was disturbing and Charlie, also, gave an example of how to spiritually respond to the troubling elements in this papacy:
I pray an intricate private Rosary. One of the things I do is offer each decade of a mystery for a specific, fixed intention. My literal intention for the third decade of each mystery is, “…to the honor of and seeking the intercession of St. John Paul the Great, whom I claim as patron; for the intentions, person, and immortal soul of our Holy Father, Francis: may he be strengthened to accomplish all God has appointed him and may his papacy bear great fruit; and for the intentions, person, and immortal soul of our Holy Pope Emeritus Benedict: may he be strengthened to accomplish all God has appointed him and may his life bear great fruit.” (From the piece, Is the Pope Catholic?)
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There is an irony here. Not more than about a month ago, there was a discussion and thoughts that Pope Francis was not a valid pope and there was much defense towards his legitimacy. Of course we owe Pope Francis utmost respect as the legitimate pope, but that does not mean we have to agree with him or that he flawlessly exercises his duties. He is still human and subject to human failings like the rest of us. I still pray he is guided by and remains docile to the Holy Spirit. I think I will even go back to pray for his intentions now after what I learned here and having a discussion with Beckita. I trust that the Holy Spirit guide those intentions to be noble and good. Blessings!
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Yes, Beckita! Agree 100% I was confused by Pope Francis from early on, but gave him the benefit of the doubt and defended him, trying to smoosh his words into a form that made sense in the context of Church teaching. I was so spoiled by Pope St. John Paul and Pope Benedict!
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JOECRO I finished your angels novena last week and am working on Joe Biden’s angels this week. May the Holy Spirit continue to protect and guide us all in this blessed community and give us the discernment to get the messages clearly.
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Thank you for your prayers JAS.
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JOECRO I appreciate your thanks but I can’t help but wonder if you understand that these are not just prayers but through this novena of nine consecutive communions offered up to Jesus King of all Nations, I sent you an angel from each of the nine courts of angels to assist you own guardian angel for the rest of your life. As I have said before, in my exercise of this devotion since 1995 that by sending a set of angels at least weekly to those who I am inspired to do so, I have been aware of the great help this has been to those who have been blessed by these angels and I encourage all to make good use of these angels by praying to them as you pray to your own guardian angels as I do every day. I make this comment for the benefit of all. JAS
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Thank you JAS
Let me assure you- I did and do understand. Thank you again
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With regard to prophecies & Popes, it’s all over the map. There’s even predictions that say the Church will be Pope-less for a time and we’ll get a new holy Pope after things settle down. I can’t sort out what is real, possible, or fake. We’ll just have to do the best we can until the storm is over.
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NEWS & MILINET: Articles for Christians – 6 May
======================================
The Primacy of Peter and of Love
http://www.thesacredpage.com/2019/05/the-primacy-of-peter-and-of-love.html
Thank God for Our President’s Prayers: Hope for Life from Womb to Tomb
https://www.newsmax.com/dralvedacking/president-trump-national-day-of-prayer-prolife/2019/05/03/id/914421/
Echoing Jesus, This Black Pastor Forgave the White Supremacist Who Murdered His Wife in Charleston Church Shooting
https://pjmedia.com/faith/echoing-jesus-this-black-pastor-forgave-the-white-supremacist-who-murdered-his-wife/
Pro-life group to project live, 4-D ultrasound in Times Square: ‘It’s a child and we want everyone to see it’
https://www.foxnews.com/faith-values/focus-on-the-family-to-project-live-4-d-ultrasound-in-times-square-its-a-child-and-we-want-everyone-to-see-it
The Christian origin of the Star Wars phrase “May the Force be with you”
https://voyagecomics.com/2019/05/03/the-christian-origin-of-the-star-wars-phrase-may-the-force-be-with-you/
When Will the Extremist Pro-Abortion Democratic Party Be Held to Proper Standards of Decency?
https://townhall.com/columnists/rebeccadowns/2019/05/03/when-will-the-extremist-proabortion-democratic-party-be-held-to-proper-standards-of-decency-n2545818
Texas-San Antonio Students Vandalize Pro-life Display
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/briannaheldt/2019/05/03/texassan-antonio-students-vandalize-prolife-display-n2545836
CHICAGO’S NEXT MAYOR ACCUSED CATHOLIC PRIEST OF ‘HATE’
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/chicagos-next-mayor-accused-priest-of-hate
ISIS will target Christians in annual Ramadan offensive, think tank predicts
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/isis-will-target-christians-in-annual-ramadan-offensive-think-tank-predicts
BUTTIGIEG’S RELIGION PROBLEM
https://www.catholicleague.org/buttigiegs-religion-problem/
Why Time Magazine and the Left Love Pete Buttigieg
https://stream.org/time-magazine-left-love-pete-buttigieg/
Christian persecution ‘near genocide levels’
https://catholicherald.co.uk/news/2019/05/03/christian-persecution-near-genocide-levels/
A “Gift” that keeps “Giving” ;-(
Pope Francis calls for new ‘supranational’ authorities to enforce UN goals
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/pope-francis-calls-for-new-supranational-authorities-to-enforce-UN-goals
US REPORT BLASTS VATICAN-CHINA DEAL
https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/us-report-blasts-vatican-china-deal
Joe Biden Dismisses China Threat….
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/05/02/joe-biden-dismisses-china-threat/
Is the Pope a heretic? The danger of asking the wrong question
https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/otn.cfm?id=1344
Pride on Full Display in ‘Hesburgh’ Documentary
http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/pride-on-full-display-in-hesburgh-documentary
Shock Video: Muslim Children in Philadelphia Perform Anti-Israel School Play: ‘We Will Chop Off Their Heads’ to Liberate Al Aqsa Mosque and Jerusalem
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/shock-video-muslim-children-in-philadelphia-perform-anti-israel-school-play-we-will-chop-off-their-heads-to-liberate-al-aqsa-mosque-and-jerusalem/
Reforming Politics
https://freebeacon.com/culture/reforming-politics-review-liberty-in-the-things-of-god-robert-louis-wilken/
Why Would the NYT Break This Story on FBI Spying?
https://stream.org/why-would-the-nyt-break-this-story-on-fbi-spying/
Serious Civil War will ensue when ATIFA and other Lefty Rent-a-Mobs invade Producer Class neighborhoods and business districts in cities/areas not totally controlled by Lefty Lunatics!! Cops have been ordered to Stand-Down in many (All?) Democrat Party controlled Urban Paradises. The same areas where Producer Class Citizens used to live …. and fled because ……………………………………. ;-(
WATCH: Portland Antifa Commits Violence, Blocks Route To Hospital, Police Do Nothing
https://www.redstate.com/brandon_morse/2019/05/02/watch-portland-antifa-commits-violence-blocks-route-hospital-police-nothing/
Total Insanity: Failed GA Gov Candidate Stacey Abrams Declares ‘We Don’t Have to Concede Elections Anymore’
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2019/05/03/stacey-abrams-n2545839
SICK: Rapper Calls on God to Take Trump’s Life
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/geoffrey-dickens/2019/05/03/sick-rapper-calls-god-take-trumps-life
SICK AND EVIL: Watch Far Left Media Hacks CELEBRATE Facebook Eliminating Conservative Voices
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/sick-and-evil-watch-far-left-media-hacks-celebrate-facebook-eliminating-conservative-voices-video/
Orwellian: It Is Now a Facebook Violation to Speak Positively ANYWHERE About People Facebook Doesn’t Like
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/orwellian-it-is-now-a-facebook-violation-to-speak-positively-anywhere-about-people-facebook-doesnt-like/
Mike Huckabee: More Dangerous Censorship from Google and Facebook
https://www.westernjournal.com/mike-huckabee-dangerous-censorship-google-facebook/
Google Doubles Down, Making Trump Reddit Fan Club Even Harder to Find
https://www.theepochtimes.com/google-doubles-down-making-trump-reddit-fan-club-even-harder-to-find_2905658.html
Trump Fires Off Tweetstorm on Social Media Censorship of Conservatives – Names James Woods and Paul Joseph Watson – “Monitoring Closely”
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/trump-fires-off-tweetstorm-on-social-media-censorship-of-conservatives-names-james-woods-and-paul-joseph-watson-monitoring-closely/
Bunker Ranting From the Senate’s Democrats
https://outline.com/ACHRSk
MSNBC Host Openly Strategize with Liberal Democrat: How Do ‘We’ Go After Bill Barr?
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/mark-finkelstein/2019/05/03/msnbcs-vossoughian-strategizes-dem-rep-how-do-we-go-after-barr
HERE WE GO – House Dems Ask DC, Virginia Bar Associations to Investigate Bill Barr
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/here-we-go-house-dems-ask-dc-virginia-bar-associations-to-investigate-bill-barr/
Bozell & Graham Column: The Clintons and the Kowtowing Comedians
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/tim-graham/2019/05/04/bozell-graham-column-clintons-and-kowtowing-comedians
‘ACT OF MORAL ILLITERACY’: CODE PINK SLAMMED FOR DEFENDING VENEZUELA’S MADURO
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/03/code-pink-slammed-defending-venezuelas-maduro/
Let us Pray! …… but Cornered, Powerful & Moneyed Rats are very dangerous:
Winter is here, liberals
http://www.floppingaces.net/2019/05/03/winter-is-here-liberals/
The LEFT Are Poised To Eat Their Own
https://www.galganov.com/current-editorial/#.XMzzhDBKios
BOOM! The White House Strikes Back.
https://dbdailyupdate.com/index.php/2019/05/03/boom-the-white-house-strikes-back/
Folks In de Know have been warning about the threat to our Electric Grid for 15+ years. Books have been written, Congress has held “Hearings” and ….. Zip, Zero, Nada…. $$$ Trillions have been squandered by Feds/States on any number of Pork Barrel “Projects” and Union Featherbedding but The Grid is STILL totally vulnerable. Madness, Satanic Blinding …. What!!!??? ;-(
General: America’s Power Grid Vulnerable to Electronic Attack
https://freebeacon.com/national-security/general-americas-power-grid-vulnerable-to-electronic-attack/
The Canadian Government Is Now a Dangerous Big Brother
https://townhall.com/columnists/michaelbrown/2019/05/04/the-canadian-government-is-now-a-dangerous-big-brother-n2545822
GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
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Pope Francis’ Behind the Vatican Walls Secret Deal with China Condemned by U.S. Religious Freedom Report.. Time for the faithful to breakout the sackcloth, prostrate ourselves in ashes and plead God’s mercy upon the Pope, the Church, and the People of God.
https://www.breitbart.com/asia/2019/05/04/yore-u-s-religious-freedom-report-condemns-vatican-china-deal/
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“The Holy Spirit works.”
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Beautiful video, Patrick. The Holy Spirit truly has been preparing hearts in China, both underground and above, and the intensity of persecution varies regionally. Currently, in our Chinese evangelization project, there are two leaders – one a Catholic, the other a Protestant – who are traveling throughout the entire country and wherever they go they are making contacts and introducing Fr. Wang’s catechetical books. Oh yes, the Holy Spirit works. 🙂
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Great video Patrick.
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When we plead God’s infinite mercy, our Trust in Jesus Christ will be all the greater if we believe what He revealed to St. Faustina in her Diary.
PROMISES OF OUR LORD JESUS TO ST. FAUSTINA, DIARY
p172 #379 Jesus: With souls that have recourse to My mercy and with those that glorify and proclaim My great mercy to others, I will deal according to my infinite mercy at the hour of their death.
p316 #796 By this novena I [Jesus] will grant every possible grace to souls
p435 #1209 Jesus: I desire that during these nine days you bring souls to the fountain of My mercy, that they may draw there from strength and refreshment and whatever grace they need in the hardships of life, and especially at the hour of death. On each day you will bring to my Heart a different group of souls, and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy, and I will bring these souls into the house of My Father. You will do this in this life and in the next. I will deny nothing to any soul whom you will bring to the fount of My mercy. On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My Passion, for graces for these souls.
p611-612 #1731 There was a great storm coming and Jesus said to St. Faustina, “Say the chaplet I have taught you, and the storm will cease.” The storm ceased before St. Faustina finished the chaplet. Jesus said, “Through the chaplet you will obtain everything, if what you ask for is compatible with My Will.
p633 #1791 As a great storm was approaching St. Faustina began to say the chaplet and an angel could not approach in the storm because of the light which came from her mouth. This prayer of the chaplet was most pleasing to God and is most powerful.
p547 #1540 Jesus: All those souls who will glorify My mercy and spread its worship, encouraging others to trust in My mercy, will not experience terror at the hour of death. My mercy will shield them in that final hour.
p547 #1541 Jesus: My daughter [St.Faustina], encourage souls to say this chaplet which I have given you. It pleases me to grant everything they ask of Me by saying the chaplet. Where hardened sinners say it, I will fill their souls with peace, and the hour of their death will be a happy one.
P548 #1541 Jesus: Write that when they say this chaplet in the presence of the dying, I will stand between My Father and the dying person, not as the Just Judge, but as the merciful Savior.
p558 #1572 Jesus: I remind you my daughter that as often as you hear the clock strike the third hour, immerse yourself completely in My mercy, adoring it and glorifying it; invoke its omnipotence for the whole world and particularly for poor sinners; for at that moment mercy was opened wide for every soul. In this hour [3 o’clock] you can obtain everything for yourself and for others for the asking; it was the hour [3 o’clock]of grace for the whole world, mercy triumphed over Justice.
p474 #1320 Jesus: At three o’clock, implore My mercy, especially for sinners. And, if only for a brief moment, immerse yourself in my Passion, particularly in my abandonment at the moment of agony. This is the hour of great mercy for the whole world. I will allow you to enter into my mortal sorrow. In this hour, I will refuse nothing to the soul that makes a request of me in virtue of My Passion.
p473 #1317 Jesus: Yet spiritual mercy, which requires neither permissions nor storehouses, is much more meritorious and is within the grasp of every soul. If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain My mercy on the day of judgement. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather eternal treasures for themselves, they would not be judged, for they would forestall My judgement with their mercy.
p24 #48 Jesus: I promise that the soul that will venerate this image will not perish. I also promise victory over its enemies already here on earth, especially at the hour of death, I Myself will defend it as My own glory.
p417 There was no rain and when I [St. Faustina] prayed the chaplet without stopping for three hours, heavy rain came. And the Lord let me know that everything can be obtained by means of this prayer.
p172 #378 Jesus: Those who will proclaim My great mercy, I shall protect them Myself at the hour of death, as my own glory. And even if the sins of souls were as dark as night, when the sinner turns to My mercy, he gives Me the greatest praise and is the glory of My Passion. When a soul extols My goodness, satan trembles before it and flees to the very bottom of hell.
p148 #327 Jesus: I am offering people a vessel with which to keep coming for graces to the fountain of mercy. That vessel is this image with the signature, “Jesus, I trust in You”
p102 #186 Jesus: Call upon My mercy on behalf of sinners. I desire their salvation. When you say this prayer with a contrite heart and with faith on behalf of some sinner, I will give him the grace of conversion. This is the prayer: “O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in You.”
p142 #309 O Blood and Water which gushed forth from the Heart of Jesus as a fount of mercy for us, I trust in you.
p139 #300 Jesus on Feast of Mercy: Ask of My faithful servant [Father Sopoko] on this day, he will tell the world of great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day [Sunday after Easter] will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment.
p332 #848 Jesus: O what great graces I will grant to souls who say this chaplet.
p320 #811 Jesus: At the hour of death, I defend as my own glory every soul that will say this chaplet; or when others say it for a dying person, the indulgence is the same.
p316 #796 Jesus: By this novena, I will grant every possible grace to souls.
p302 #754 The Lord’s promise: The souls that say this chaplet will be embraced by My mercy during their lifetime and especially at the hour of their death.
p286 #699 Jesus: Feast of Mercy, Sunday after Easter. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the Fount of My Mercy. The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment..
p282 #687 Jesus: Say unceasingly the chaplet that I have taught you. Whoever will recite it will receive great mercy at the hour of death…..I desire to grant unimaginable graces to those souls who trust in Mercy…..
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Thank you, Joseph. 🙂
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I was reading wikipedia about St. Joan of Arc and information about her trial reminded me about your comments about the California Courts and their antics. It took 25 years after St. Joan’s death before they uncovered the truth. God does seem to run on long time frames. But truth did prevail. It is said that St. Joan, an illiterate peasant girl, has more information about her than many or most people of the middle ages. Interesting.
Does anyone recommend a good book on this Saint? I find reading about the saints inspiring and uplifting. Good wins over evil.
Thank you!
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Mark Twain’s book about Joan of Arc is fabulous!
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Yes it is. It does not cover all the territory, but that it does is accurate. I like to urge people to read that as an introduction to this wonderful saint.
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Charlie– what’s a good follow up book on Joan of Arc?
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Regine Pernod wrote several excellent books focusing on aspects of St. Joan’s life and mission – including one about the retrial and reformation of her. There are others that get into important things, but after the Twain introduction I really think you should read Pernod’s stuff to get well-grounded in the subject. Sven Stolpe wrote a nice one focusing on the mystical life of St. Joan – and that would be perfectly fine before finishing the Pernod books.
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Thanks, Charlie!
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It was specifically BECAUSE of the trial and other examinations that her life is so well documented. Amazing irony, eh? By trying to destroy her they unwittingly confirmed and left a detailed record of her sanctity.
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I.
I have a friend whose husband wrote a very good book about Joan of Arc. He has been leading yearly pilgrimages for several years to France with my friend. The book is:
JOAN OF ARC AND THE GOD OF THE BIBLE Review
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_god_bible_snidow.asp.pilgrimwitnesses.com/
Pilgrimwitnesses Welcome Page.
https://www.pilgrimwitnesses.com/
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JOAN OF ARC AND THE GOD OF THE BIBLE Review
http://www.maidofheaven.com/joanofarc_god_bible_snidow.asp
Correction for site! 😊
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NEWS & MILINET Articles for Christians – 5 May
======================================
The Last Days of Father Schall–STEPHEN WU
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/remembering-father-james-schall-last-days/
Pope visits Bulgaria, a poor EU nation hostile to migrants
https://www.apnews.com/b5145e8a400d4f18ba47c3161364addc
To invest in the future, invest in young people, Pope Francis says in Bulgaria
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/to-invest-in-the-future-invest-in-young-people-pope-francis-says-in-bulgaria-20794
Pope Francis urges Swiss Guard to witness to the joy of faith
https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-francis-urges-swiss-guard-to-witness-to-the-joy-of-faith-71235
First Minister: Anti-Catholic Discrimation A ‘Scourge On Society’
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17614192.first-minister-anti-catholic-discrimination-a-scourge-on-society/
Two Teens Certain ‘God Is Real’ After Being Rescued at Sea
https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2019/05/05/two-teens-certain-god-is-real-after-being-rescued-at-sea/
Open Borders, Not the Wall, Would Be the True Immorality
https://stream.org/open-borders-not-the-wall-would-be-the-true-immorality/
Glenn K. Beaton: Should Notre Dame include a mosque?
https://www.aspentimes.com/opinion/should-notre-dame-include-a-mosque/
Native American Christians Set to Meet in Conjunction with Annual Southern Baptist Convention
https://pjmedia.com/faith/native-american-christians-set-to-meet-in-conjunction-with-annual-southern-baptist-convention/
Libel, Demonize, Censor, Legislate Against, Dispossess, Disenfranchise and Exterminate …….. that is how Tyranny has destroyed countless millions over the Centuries …. Nothing is New Here! We here are the Targets and the fuse has been lit!!
Big Tech vs Free Speech: Breitbart Exposed the Masters of the Universe in 2018 Townhall
https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/05/05/flashback-breitbart-news-town-hall-exposed-the-silicon-valley-masters-of-the-universe/
The Fight For Free Speech
https://townhall.com/columnists/jeffcrouere/2019/05/05/the-fight-for-free-speech-n2545861
Conservatives Wrestle Over How to Wallop Big Tech as Facebook Conducts Major Content Purge
https://stream.org/conservatives-wrestle-wallop-big-tech-facebook-conducts-major-content-purge/
Tucker Carlson Outlines Big Tech’s Moves To Control Political Speech…
https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2019/05/04/tucker-carlson-outlines-big-techs-moves-to-control-political-speech/
Defending freedom of the press in an era of ‘fake news’
https://cruxnow.com/news-analysis/2019/05/05/defending-freedom-of-the-press-in-an-era-of-fake-news/
Journalist Sharyl Attkisson Goes Off on Tech Giant Authoritarians Who Control Speech and Decide What Is Best for You
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/journalist-sharyl-attkisson-goes-off-on-tech-giant-authoritarians-who-control-speech-and-decide-what-is-best-for-you/
Will Artificial Intelligence Teach Us to Love Big Brother?
https://stream.org/will-ai-teach-us-love-big-brother/
The Administrative State’s Threat to the American Constitution
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/05/the_administrative_states_threat_to_the_american_constitution.html
The Big Lie That Barr Lied
https://www.nationalreview.com/2019/05/the-big-lie-that-barr-lied/
Democrats Accuse AG Barr of Doing Exactly What Eric Holder and Loretta Lynch Did for Obama
https://pjmedia.com/trending/democrats-accuse-attorney-general-barr-of-being-eric-holder-and-loretta-lynch/
If I am Trump I put heavy security around Bill Barr
http://www.floppingaces.net/2019/05/05/if-i-am-trump-i-put-heavy-security-around-bill-barr/
None Dare Call It Spying (But It Was Obviously Spying)
https://townhall.com/columnists/derekhunter/2019/05/05/none-dare-call-it-spying-but-it-was-obviously-spying-n2545854
How Convenient. FBI ‘lost Notes’ From August 2015 Meeting with IC Inspector General Regarding Hillary Clinton’s Private Server
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/how-convenient-fbi-lost-notes-from-august-2015-meeting-with-ic-inspector-general-regarding-hillary-clintons-private-server/
HUGE! MUELLER LIED! Nunes Drops BOMB and Reveals State Dept. Met with Joseph Mifsud in 2017 in Washington DC! (VIDEO)
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/huge-mueller-lied-nunes-drops-bomb-and-reveals-state-dept-met-with-joseph-mifsud-in-2017-in-washington-dc-video/
HERE THEY ARE: The 10 Biggest Lies in the Mueller Report
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/here-they-are-the-10-biggest-lies-in-the-mueller-report/
Palestinian Islamic Terrorists Fire 430 Rockets into Israel – Strike Kindergarten – Kill Pregnant Woman
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/palestinian-islamic-terrorists-fire-430-rockets-into-israel-strike-kindergarten-kill-pregnant-woman/
What Did People Eat and Drink in Roman Palestine?
https://www.biblicalarchaeology.org/daily/ancient-cultures/daily-life-and-practice/what-did-people-eat-and-drink-in-roman-palestine/
HEADLINES:
Sri Lanka Catholics celebrate Mass via TV amid new warnings
GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
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Thank you all very much for your prayers. I passed all coursework for the nurse practitioner program I’m in. Praise God! I have a couple more months of clinicals and a certification exam, and then this 51-year-old will embark on his career. The sky is the limit!
Please enjoy this beautiful video of the sea and the breathtaking colors of the sky and our galaxy. What a planet!
Kinda makes you forget the troubles of our world.
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Congratulations, Patrick! Prayers for great results on the certification exam. And thanks for the gorgeous video.
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Patrick Daniel, you’ve been accomplished on many levels in the past few years. You are an inspiration of perseverance and fortitude. ❤ Well done.
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Thank you, Jen!
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Hear, hear! I second that Jen!
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Wat to go, Patrick!
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Awesome Patrick!
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Congratulations Patrick! I’m very happy for you, that is an amazing achievement. May a God bless you in your work and all you do.
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Thank you, Sheralyn. Still in a little bit of disbelief myself!
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Yippee!!! I knew you could do it, Patrick! 🙂
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Way to go Patrick! We’re proud of you here!!!!
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Congratulations, PD! Just keep in mind that if you think the sky really is your limit, you’ll never be able to join Doug and the rest of us in his universe-traveling Red Wagon! 🙂
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Yes. The Universe is the limit (and maybe beyond that too)!
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I wouldnt want to miss that! Sorry, just a platitude from commencement speeches, but it gave me a segue for the video. 🙄 I’ll stay grounded, I promise. I’m considering even a job at Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, SD. It’s so bad there that they routinely make national news, even this year. Not exactly lofty goals, but my heart is whispering to me. Curious to see where I land.
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And we are also curious where you will go. Please keep us all up to date!
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Congrats, Patrick! So happy for you. God bless you!
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Charlie I like your description of Pope Francis as a lame-duck pope. I hadn’t thought of it like that, but that’s exactly what I’ve been doing too–not paying much attention to what he does or says. I do read his more major documents, like the recent one on the youth synod. But I’ve realized that he is a very liberal pope who is trying to change the Church to be more liberal in every way. I’ve thought it fortunate that non-Catholics don’t pay much attention to him either, especially with the way he favors socialism, etc. I pray for him every day and somehow God will bring good out of the confusion.
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It be gettin’ Scary-n-Crazy Out-There …. Keep Your Powder Dry!
NEWS & MILINET: Articles for Christians – 6 May
======================================
Did Democratic State Rep. Brian Sims Break The Law Videotaping A Pro-Life Protester?
https://townhall.com/tipsheet/timothymeads/2019/05/05/democratic-state-rep-brian-sims-may-have-broken-the-law-video-taping-prolife-protester-n2545878
ALIVE From New York: The Day Abortion Died
https://townhall.com/columnists/kevinmccullough/2019/05/05/alive-from-new-york-the-day-abortion-died-n2545863
Here’s How Planned Parenthood Is Ruining My State
https://townhall.com/columnists/bernadettetasy/2019/05/06/heres-how-planned-parenthood-is-ruining-my-state-n2545730
‘TRUTH BOMBS’
https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-truth-bombs?mc_cid=c52c204bea&mc_eid=2a0b6c7ef6
Saving Fallen Away Catholics with Luke Skywalker’s Help
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/saving-fallen-away-catholics-with-luke-skywalkers-help
Orthodox Church Snubs Pope Francis on Bulgaria Visit
https://www.breitbart.com/faith/2019/05/05/orthodox-church-snubs-pope-francis-on-bulgaria-visit/
PALESTINIAN ROCKET TERROR AGAINST ISRAEL
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273678/palestinian-rocket-terror-against-israel-joseph-klein
CEASEFIRE REACHED AFTER HAMAS, ISLAMIC JIHAD FIRE 700 ROCKETS AT ISRAEL
https://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/Hundreds-of-Gaza-rockets-rain-down-on-Israel-continuous-coverage-588811
Bolton Warns Iran: Carrier Strike Group, Bombers on Way to Middle East
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/bolton-warns-iran-carrier-strike-group-bombers-way-middle-east
Deadly Rocket Barrage: Tlaib Says ‘Our Palestinian People Who Just Want to be Free’ Are Being Dehumanized
https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/patrick-goodenough/deadly-rocket-barrage-tlaib-says-our-palestinian-people-who-just
Two U.S. warships sail in disputed South China Sea
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-military/two-u-s-warships-sail-in-disputed-south-china-sea-idUSKCN1SC085
China says urges U.S. to stop provocative acts in South China Sea
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-military-southchinasea/china-says-urges-u-s-to-stop-provocative-acts-in-south-china-sea-idUSKCN1SC0IL
Japanese warships off Okinawa could soon carry ground troops as Tokyo keeps eyes on Beijing
https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3009006/japanese-warships-okinawa-could-soon-carry-ground-troops-tokyo
Those Men of Faith
https://townhall.com/columnists/gilgutknecht/2019/05/05/those-men-of-faith-n2545864
Kamala Harris Dislikes Religious Liberty — Because She’s Religious
https://stream.org/kamala-harris-dislikes-religious-liberty-shes-religious/
Hijab Jihad
https://www.crisismagazine.com/2019/hijab-jihad
An Academic Umbrella for Bigots
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/05/an_academic_umbrella_for_bigots_.html
The Ascendancy of Shariah in the UK
https://gatesofvienna.net/2019/05/the-ascendancy-of-shariah-in-the-uk/
Dan Crenshaw and Ilhan Omar: a tale of two House freshmen
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/05/dan_crenshaw_and_ilhan_omar_a_tale_of_two_house_freshmen.html
When Will Trump Finally Drop the Hammer on the Deep State?–John Scotto
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/05/when_will_trump_finally_drop_the_hammer_on_the_deep_state_.html#ixzz5n8ItnXls
IT’S HAPPENING: President Trump Warned Obama Back in November Something Big Is About to Drop that “I Will Never Forgive Him For” (VIDEO)
https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/its-happening-president-trump-warned-obama-back-in-november-something-big-is-about-to-drop-that-i-will-never-forgive-him-for-video/
There Is Only One Solution To Social Media Deplatforming, And The Sooner We All Get There, The Better
https://townhall.com/columnists/scottmorefield/2019/05/06/there-is-only-one-solution-to-social-media-deplatforming-and-the-sooner-we-all-get-there-the-better-n2545883
Trump’s Policies Toward the Islamic World Are a Triumph
https://stream.org/trumps-policies-toward-islamica-world-are-a-triumph/
Trump halts outrageous looting of Medicaid payments to skim money for unions
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/05/trump_halts_outrageous_looting_of_medicaid_payments_to_skim_money_for_unions.html
THE BRAINWASHING OF A NATION
https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/273635/brainwashing-nation-daniel-greenfield
The Increasingly Narrow, Parochial Prism of Journalism
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/14176/narrow-parochial-journalism
Should Journalists Go to Jail for Spreading Russia Lies?
https://pjmedia.com/rogerlsimon/should-journalists-go-to-jail-for-spreading-russia-lies/
Our Lying Garbage Media Is Lying Garbage, But You Knew That
https://townhall.com/columnists/kurtschlichter/2019/05/06/our-lying-garbage-media-is-lying-garbage-but-you-knew-that-n2545860
How Media Narratives Became More Important Than Facts
https://www.theepochtimes.com/what-my-leaving-cbs-news-revealed-about-the-news-industry_2901934.html
Speaking of Lyin’ Liars:
DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATES SAY OBAMA IS THE REASON THE ECONOMY IS SO GOOD
https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/05/klobuchar-booker-obama-credit-economy/
Tune Out the Table Pounding
https://stream.org/tune-out-the-table-pounding/
Stuck Pigs
https://spectator.org/stuck-pigs/
Scarborough Comes Unglued on Pompeo: ‘Absolute Fool, Disgraceful, Beneath Contempt’
https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/mark-finkelstein/2019/05/06/scarboroughs-repellent-rant-against-pompeo-absolute-fool
Yep!! PeggyBabe too …. Get thee to a Nunnery, Peg!!
Peggy Noonan still doesn’t get it
https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2019/05/peggy_noonan_still_doesnt_get_it.html
HEADLINES:
Gore’s activist group demands broadcasters push ‘climate crisis’ in their coverage
FBI’s spying campaign against Trump yet another reason to probe Comey
FBI admits notes from meeting with IG in Hillary email case went missing, evidence on damaged CD couldn’t be copied
Hillary Clinton Claims 2016 Election Was ´Stolen´ From Her
An Evening With The Clintons’ Tour,Ends, Ticket Prices Plummet To $2.00
Bud Light launches rainbow pride bottles in partnership with LGBTQ organization
Denver voters to decide whether to allow homeless to set up camp in public places
GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!
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Here’s something that is attention getting and thought provoking, from more of an “operational” perspective.
I’ll simply preface it by saying that folks doing their jobs (in this case flight attendants) often unfairly get a bad wrap.
“Forty-one reported killed after Russian passenger plane crash-lands in Moscow”
http://news.trust.org/item/20190505212859-65qsd
37 survived.
“…hero stewardess pushed people out of jet which bounced down runway before bursting into flames, killing 41 people”
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6996559/Heroic-stewardess-pushed-passengers-safety-reveals-terror-Russian-plane-crash.html
“As the fire raged, hero stewardess Tatyana Kasatkina, 34, had kicked open an exit door and grabbed passengers by their collars to push them to safety.
However another flight attendant, Maxim Moissev, died in the flames as he tried desperately to open a door at the rear of the plane”
That some survivors are pictured walking away toting baggage is difficult for me to fathom.
God bless these truly heroic flight attendants doing their jobs at the cost of their earthly lives.
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Now that’s dying with your boots on!
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If I never had another mental image to sustain me but Tatyana Kasatkina NRS’n in the flaming wreckage, kicking open the exit door and grabbing passengers by their collars to push them to safety, it would be more than enough.
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Amen, MP.
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Planes’ overhead bins should auto-lock during emergencies; or else those with luggage are the last to slide down the evacuation slide. Keep your Rx’s in fanny packs-whether fashionable or not 🙂
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A beautiful story of a newborn, family and of a few moments in time.
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2019/05/she.html
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Hi Charlie,
Just finished “The Recollections of Joan of Arc by Mark Twain.
Fabulous! I cried and laughed and was utterly amazed! Haven’t read such a wee crafted piece of literature in such a long time! I felt I knew Joan.
The politicalness , the Church corruption, treachery remind of story lines I see today. Surely her fine example teaches the Next Right Step!
You say she is the patroness of this site? She was amazing! I see a parallel of sorts. Has she ever visited you?
Thank you!
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All, as an update, the senate in Texas seems to be stalling on SB 2089 and a Texas woman is in the current law’s crosshairs. This is the incident I mentioned above but could not go into detail about. I can now. Included in my blog post is a link to Texas Right to Life’s post about it, Mr. Jones’ testimony before the legislature on SB 2089, and a form to contact your senator if you’re in Texas.
Please keep praying for all involved. Time is running out for Mrs. Jones and this session of the legislature.
https://kassiblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/texas-woman-in-crosshairs-of-tada-sb.html
Appreciate you.
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Thanks for the information, Kassi. Ugly stuff. Praying…
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Again, thank you for the great work you do, Kassi. I have been a fan for a long time. Everyone, please look at this link. It is gut-wrenching to have conscious people begging to live, to be given basic care…AND HAVE CATHOLIC BISHOPS telling them it is their duty to die. I know it is hard to believe that a so-called pro-life organization AND the Texas Conference of Catholic Bishops would support forcing euthanasia on people. It took me some time to wrap my head around it. I kept looking and looking to see what I was missing. But these people lie through their teeth – and why they support forced euthanasia (and have the hubris to call it Catholic Doctrine) I cannot fathom. I know, personally, several people in Texas who have left the Catholic Church because of this. I would that they had stayed to fight for sound doctrine, but I can’t blame them. All of us are going to have to stand before God some day and account for ourselves. Kassi will be fine…but I have no confidence about phony pro-life groups or the Bishops of Texas. The blood of those innocents will cry out against them. At least Bishop Pierre Cauchon (the Bishop who orchestrated the phony case against St. Joan of Arc) will have the company of some colleagues.
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Thank you again! I just updated that link with the Life News article about it, among other things. https://kassiblog.blogspot.com/2019/05/texas-woman-in-crosshairs-of-tada-sb.html
Understand that THREE facilities will take Mrs. Jones – they just need more time for funding to come through. The hospital is set to pull her plug Monday anyway. This is the law that TAL and the TCCB support and it is euthanasia. They oppose SB 2089 which would give more than 10 days and require treatment until transfer.
I don’t think I’ve written about this publicly in so many words, but it not only took me time to wrap my head around this, I lost nearly all of my North Texas Catholic “pro-life” friends over it in 2013. “The bishops said…. so that must be the right thing,” I was told. Repeatedly. “Who are you to question them?” I was asked. Repeatedly. Harshly. That one would think independently and try to privately and fraternally correct others was not allowed. And, yes, I tried a number of times – privately – to correct Joe Pojman, Executive Director of TAL, as well as others, including the Catholic Pro-Life Committee of North Texas. I used to participate in events with him and the CPLC. Then I went public.
I grieved deeply over all of this and I was exceedingly troubled over the hierarchy and that “pro-life” groups could have gone so far astray, but I proceeded forward knowing that I was right, even if for a while I felt mostly alone. (I had a solid Catholic or two quietly supporting me, including a spiritual director, but the vocal active pro-life ones in the Dallas Diocese, except for my husband, followed the TCCB or said nothing.) That was not hubris or arrogance on my part. It was (and is) a desperate need to do my little part to fix this law and stem the tide of euthanasia. I tried hard to follow the Catholic doctrine on these matters and not fall into clericalism. I carefully analyzed teaching and parsed legislation. It all lead to only one conclusion: current Texas law is incompatible with Catholic doctrine and any morality or ethics even approaching what we’d call “pro-life.”
Eventually I made new real pro-life friends, including Catholics and especially Bishop Gracida, who were as motivated as I was – and even more so – to fix this mess. Pretty much all of them had been involved in this fight for a long time and I have learned much from them about a lot of things. Texas Right to Life contacted me and I learned of their great work, efforts for families and the rest of Texans, and I met them. They are some of the most solid people – not just pro-lifers – but people – I know. Meanwhile, TAL, the TCCB, and others have dug in even further each session (and even in between when they attack TRTL) and more families are victimized.
And, yes, I did leave the Catholic Church and I am now Russian Orthodox. In part, it was over this, but it was not entirely, as you have covered here. I wrote about it a bit on my blog. I was unaware that others had left over this, actually. That saddens me. I hope they did not despair of Jesus entirely and found a place for healing and spiritual growth.
And, you are very correct about another thing: We’re all going to have to give an accounting. One thing that my Orthodox priests insist upon – whoever we have an issue with we must love them and pray for them. Daily. Even if through gritted teeth. If we do not, our sins will not be forgiven. I try to do that. I confess I am not always successful for a variety of reasons (read: sloth!). But when I do, I pray that everyone is converted to life and that they love their neighbors enough to care for them even when old, ill, disabled, etc.
Thanks for letting me go on. If my writing seems a bit personal at times on my blog, that’s because it is. I take this very personally. I am a homeschooling mother and part time lawyer. Once in a while, I get the call to go into the belly of the beast – the hospital ethics committee hearing. I will go every time I possibly can as hard as it is. These families need help. It’s as spiritually demanding (and trying) as praying in front of an abortion clinic, but just as necessary. I cannot get out to work on these things as much as I might in a different time of life. But I can follow and write about it, make calls, spread the word, and pray. Please join me in all of this.
This is a beautiful community. Thank you.
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Wow,Kassi– God bless you and thank you for you faithful work. This is a scandalous nightmare. Praying for you!
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Thank you. It is a scandal of monumental proportions and consequences.
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Thanks for your service. In tough times, it comes in handy to recall inspiring folks who are very much ordinary in the world’s eyes. A litany of sorts. Or, probably could just be hummed in ballad form. Just added Kassi Marks and Tatyana Kasatkina among others in the past day. God bless.
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That is very kind. I ask that you all pray very hard for Texas right now. We have 18 days left in this session and Texas Alliance for Life, the Bishops, and others are working hard against our bill. TAL is outright lying about what it does and blocking anyone who questions them from doing so on social media all the while saying their position on this is pro-life and protects patients. Many people simply rely on what they are told by their favorite group and do not read more about these matters independently. I have always tried to give people all the information they need so they can reach their own well-formed conclusions even as I do favor Texas Right to Life. Nevertheless, I’m certain that some grassroots are calling their legislators asking them to oppose this bill and thinking they are doing the pro-life thing.
So far SB 2089 has NOT been scheduled for the necessary floor vote in our state Senate. This is very concerning to me and many others.
And, I confess, this morning, with Mrs. Jones’ situation ongoing and the lack of movement on this bill, I am becoming angry. I know my obligation to pray for all involved but I am struggling to do so in the right frame of mind.
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May the Lord have mercy on Texans and bring SB 2089 to the floor! Our Lady of Tepeyac, Mother of Conversion, come to our rescue!
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Amen.
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I did a quick search on EWTN News Nightly’s and Raymond Arroyo’s twitter accounts and didn’t see any mention of SB 2089, (although in haste, may have missed it). Hopefully some with twitter accounts will inform them so they can possibly mention it on their respective tv programs. May Terri Schiavo intercede for this cause.
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Thank you, Kassi, for opening up and sharing with us. In the “About” section of the TCCB website, one of their stated four purposes:
2. serve as the public policy arm of the Conference’s Board of Directors, the Bishops of Texas, before the Texas legislature, the Texas delegation in Congress, and state agencies. The public policy issues addressed by the Conference include institutional concerns of the Catholic Church as well as issues related to Catholic moral and social teaching”
Jaw dropping to read, Kassi, how you describe both prelates and laity pretending to be pro-life. Mind-boggling.
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God bless you, Kassi, and thank you for all that you are doing. Keep fighting the good fight.
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Dear Friends, would you be so kind as to whisper a prayer for me? I was just diagnosed with bladder cancer yesterday. Surgery and possible chemo to follow. Thank you and God Bless You All.
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Oh Diane, surely will be praying for you and your healing beginning with a PMT while sending St. Raphael to remain with you, tending to your every need. Praying, too, for your husband and whole family.
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Thank you so much dear Beckita. I greatly appreciate your prayers.
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Praying for you, Dianebelvs. So sorry. 🙏
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Thank you so much for your prayers Cheri!
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Diane–so sorry to hear this–will be praying for you!
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Thank you Kim. I appreciate your prayers.
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Diane, I will ask St. Peregrine to intercede on your behalf.
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Thank you Audiemarie….we happen to have a small statue of St. Peregrine here in our house. Believe me….I have been talking to him today! Thank you for your prayers!
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Diane, Praying for your quick healing and comfort and I sent your intention to the Lourdes website.There is a place online that sends out a free bottle of (authentic) L. water.
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Oh that’s so nice Maggie….Thank You so much for your kindness!
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I have offered a prayer for healing for you our dear dianebelvs. ❤
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You’re so sweet Jen….thank you so much!
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The Monks of Mount Tabor are praying for you intention, Diane.
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Diane, I visited the site for the Monks and found their message at the bottom of the opening page so apropos for you: “Enter into the silence. Release your pain. Return whole. We will accompany you on this walk…in this place.” Of course, they offer retreats at the Monastery. Still, their prayers and love know no distance and it really brought goosebumps to read that message and think about how they’re praying for you. Your head and heart must be so full of thoughts and emotions, Diane. In the midst of it all may Christ’s Peace rule in your heart.
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❤
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I always text Bro Gideon the intention direct too. As an aside, he gets ordained Deacon back in Chicago in about a month, then on to UND to study for the Priesthood.
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How wonderful, MP! I looked for a while at the photo of the Monastery’s inhabitants for as long as one could in the images rotating on the home page. Given your Gravatar, I think I identified your dear, the Church’s dear Brother Gideon. Prayers anew for him and his next right steps in priestly formation.
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He’s the bearded fella pictured first on the left here:
Those heavenly icons are the handiwork of Fr. Damian. If anyone ever has the inclination and opportunity to take a retreat at a Monastery, I highly recommend it. To gather with monks for the Divine Office is even more of Heaven. Thanks for pointing out that quote from their site. If anyone has prayer intentions, they can be (remotely) added here. https://www.monksofmttabor.com/prayer
Each day these intentions are printed out by the Monks, prayed for and offered up all day. I’m sure you can also access the sites of other Monasteries and accomplish the same.
God bless all in need of prayers.
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Br. Gideon has such a kind countenance!
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Giddyap Gideon!
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Yay for Bro. Gideon! Thanks for the update, MP..
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that’s so beautiful! Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Beckita and MP!
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That’s wonderful MP. I appreciate that so much!
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Oh gosh Diane. Prayers for you! May our Lord cover you with his Holy Spirit and the Blessed Mother cover you with her mantle!
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Thank you Doug. I am so blessed by all the good people here and all your prayers!
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I will also ask St. Panteleimon for his intercession for you healing. https://orthodoxwiki.org/Panteleimon
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That’s so kind of you. Thank you Kassi!
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I’m so sorry, Diane. I will keep you, your family, and your medical team in my prayers.
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Thank you Mick. Your prayers mean so much to me!
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Praying for you in Medjugorje Diane
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Oh Thank you Carmel. Your prayers mean so much in one of my favorite places!
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Praying for you Diane. There’s no doubt you are surrounded by love and in a special way the Holy Spirit. Have courage. God never abandons his people. TNRS.
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Ed!
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