Feed My Lambs

Posted on by charliej373
Trump-St-Johns-Church-Sara-Cook-Twitter-06012020-600x338
The most consequential moment of Trump’s presidency so far

By Charlie Johnston

During the Q & A session of a presentation I was giving in the spring of 2016, someone in the southwestern crowd rose to say that she thought Donald Trump was God’s plan for America. I was not a Never Trumper, but at the time I was decidedly skeptical about the Donald. I listened the woman out, then said, “Well, God can do anything, so that may be true. But I have to tell you, if that is God’s plan I think it is the dumbest plan God ever had.”

I have since apologized to God for my short-sightedness. I have also apologized to several people who are close to Trump. God willing, at some point, I hope to apologize to Trump, himself.

It is flabbergasting to see this combative billionaire, who spent much of his life as a playboy, become the most active pro-life president of my lifetime. He is the most consistent and passionate defender of religious liberty in the world right now. Lefties used to say illegal aliens are critical because they do the jobs Americans won’t do. Trump has become something like that. In his consistent, full-throated defense of religious liberty, he is doing the job that most of our Bishops refuse to do. God bless and keep him.

*********

A host of people sent me links to the news of Washington Archbishop Wilton Gregory’s reprehensible attack on Trump’s spirited public defense of religious liberty. Some were rueful, others gleeful, undoubtedly because of my publicly professed affection for Abp. Gregory some months back. He was my Bishop when we were both in Belleville, Illinois.

Of course, a notably and volubly orthodox Bishop could not be appointed to an important see under the administration of Pope Francis. I noted in my piece on Gregory that he looks, for all the world, to be a heterodox Bishop, just another scheming lefty. I’ll go further: he craves the approval of the cool kids. There are few things he aspires to more than to be chaplain to the reigning insider’s club. The 2002 American Bishop’s Conference in Dallas, when Gregory was President of the USCCB to address the sexual scandals in the Church was a disgrace. Christ was scarcely mentioned. It was all “zero tolerance” and administrative formulas – and one of the loudest voices promoting zero tolerance was then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Yes, even as McCarrick was preying on seminarians, he was playing at being a reformer. This is not the first time Gregory’s need for approval from the cool kids has led him to be played for a chump.

But Abp. Gregory has a problem. He can’t help but recall, at times, that he is an Apostle of the Living Christ. He did a solid job cleaning up the sexual mess in the Diocese of Belleville when he was appointed there. He has the most natural, engaging way with children (without condescension) of any Priest I have ever seen. He is one of only two Bishops I have ever known who candidly and humbly told me (in private) that he thought he had been badly wrong on something. There will be more episodes, I am sure, where Abp. Gregory’s instincts will lead him to join the trendy mob protesting western civilization and adding his voice to those shouting, “Crucify Him!”

But in the silence of the night, he sometimes recalls his duty to act as an Apostle of Christ. That is why he will, ultimately, be an unreliable ally to the leftist mob. I remain convinced that, at a critical moment, he will remember who he is called to be and, instead of tearing the faith down, will courageously build it up – whatever the mob demands. But don’t be surprised if we have more offenses ahead before reaching that moment.

*********

I decided at the beginning of all this that, for the spring, I was going to give all religious leaders a mulligan on how they handled all of this. That said, if their approach to the concerted assaults to come are the same as they have been during this trial run, they will find themselves irrelevant at best or completely run over by the cultural Marxists, at worst.

The first and foremost command of Our Lord to the shepherds He appointed was, “Feed my sheep.” (John 21:15-19) How in heaven’s name so many of our shepherds decided that locking the sheep out of the sheepfold, starving them, and giving them video of the shepherds feeding themselves fulfilled that command is beyond me.

When secular officials imposed much stricter rules on Churches than on liquor stores, big box stores, pot shops and abortion clinics our religious leaders should have been in the vanguard defending our rights and demanding, at least, equal treatment under law. But most religious leaders have actually imposed even more stringent restrictions on their flocks than the government. We have to look to William Barr and Donald Trump to defend our rights.

Now that it has been determined that Covid is NOT the black plague, is NOT the Spanish Flu, but is within the normal range of bad viral seasons, most Churches are still demanding face masks for all, social distancing, and forcing you to sign up in a first-come, first-served system that still excludes many of the faithful. The danger in this is that if you concede that government has the right to demand this for what is within the normal range of viruses (though at the outer edge), you concede that government has the right to do it at any time. No bona fide emergency is needed. If your definition of “feed my sheep” means managing who you are going to exclude from the Table of the Lord each week, you really just are not clear on the concept of “Feed My sheep.”

I do not demand that Churches do everything to suit the preferences of people like me at all times. The Church is there for all. Some people have co-morbidities which justify extra precautions. One of the great things about Catholic Churches is that they do not just have a service each week: most have three to five or more. It would not bother me a bit if in every flu season the Church had one or two Masses set aside for people who have such concerns and required masking and other talismanic precautions. Have the other Masses for whoever wants to come, without restrictions. For those who are seriously at risk, have a corps of ministers who will take the Eucharist to them each week. In my first Parish, I was head of the Ministers of Care – who did precisely that. In a Parish of 2,000 families, we had seven people, plus Deacons, who visited with the sick by appointment and made the rounds of all the local hospitals. The point is that the focus is to feed all who seek the Eucharist, rather than managing who to exclude – either directly or by imposing rules that are not related in any serious way to the problem at hand.

Religious authorities SHOULD be prickly in asserting their rights and prerogatives. To do otherwise too often leads them to become toadies of the state, betraying both their adherents and Christ. In China, if you want to go openly to a Catholic Church, you have to go to one governed by a Bishop who is first a communist and second (if at all) a Catholic. That this betrayal was facilitated by the Vatican I consider one of the greatest scandals in the history of the Church. After the Russian Revolution, the Russian Orthodox Church became a hotbed for collaboration with the Soviet intelligence, with many Priests becoming willing agents of the KGB and its forerunner. It infiltrated the World Council of Churches (WCC) in the 60’s and 70’s with KGB agents holding top positions in the organization. They successfully pushed the council to focus on racism and ignore human rights violations. In the 70’s, they pushed the council to agitate for unilateral western disarmament in Europe to facilitate Soviet aims at infiltrating, subverting, and ultimately subjugating these countries (read ‘The Sword and the Shield’ for a terrifying look at what the release of the Mitrokhin Archives after the fall of the Soviet Union revealed) .You do not have to always battle Mammon (which is not just money, but are the things of this world), but you cannot serve both God and Mammon.

Spiritually, you are not obligated to feed yourself. In fact, unless you are a Priest, you cannot do so, for you lack the faculties to consecrate the Host. If the clerics who are charged with this task refuse to do it or demand a “poll tax” of restrictions not related to any rational risk, Christ is still with you. It is the clerics He will hold to account. I do not begrudge anyone going to a masked Mass; each person has the right to determine their own level of vulnerability – and even if they exaggerate it, I respect their right to determine it for themselves. If a Parish only offers masked Masses or other significant restrictions, I will not go to that Parish. To do so is tacit assent to government and cultural control of the terms on which the faithful may worship – and the current cultural zeitgeist is to ultimately crush Christian worship altogether. Right now we are in the probing stage of finding out how vigorously faith leaders will defend the faithful. The great assault is on the way. I have not, for the last four weeks, missed Sunday Mass. I even received on the tongue last Sunday.

Many people fear we are losing the country. I have news for you: we have already lost the country. Almost all of our major institutions have succumbed to the Marxist madness. Revolutionaries who cannot prevail with the force of their arguments instead demand that all dissenting voices be silenced – and claim this as their natural right. For almost a decade, our cultural assumptions have been fundamentally pagan rather than Christian – something that had not happened in Western Civilization (except briefly in Germany) for over 1,600 years prior. Fortunately, we have a few institutions of real heft that are pressing for the restoration of the American system under God. First and foremost in America is the president. I am not a Trump supporter out of partisan preference, but because (contrary to my original expectations) he has been full-throated in his support for the traditional values of America, Christianity and of Western Civilization. So long as he continues on that course, he has my enthusiastic support. We also see a smattering of high clerics who seem to understand the stakes before us. I deeply admire the Rev. Franklin Graham and his consistent, unapologetic voice for Christian liberty and pre-eminence. Though he gets a little edgy at times, I deeply admire Abp. Carlo Maria Vigano, whose open letter to Pres. Trump last week is, I think, divinely inspired.

I have said several times before that I think the willing and knowing acceptance of the traditional offering to the pagan goddess, Pachamama, on the altar of Christ at the Amazon Synod was the foreshadowing of the “abomination which makes desolate” and has caused a fundamental breach in the hierarchy unlike anytime in Church history. You would do well to read Jesus’ words on that abomination (Matthew 24:15-28), for He says it would lead quickly to the greatest tribulation in world history up to that point. This does not mean we are excused from our duty of obedience to lawful orders from lawful authority. I do not obey the lawful authority of the hierarchy because I admire the men who currently hold the offices Christ established. I obey their lawful orders because Christ, Himself, established the hierarchy and told me to. Even though the gears are stripped, even though those lawful orders come surrounded by frivolous fluff, raw ambition for social standing, and unlawful pretenses, I obey the lawful orders – those things that are legitimately within their purview and do not contradict the plain words of Christ. I would obey a lawful order even from Pierre Couchon, the corrupt, evil Bishop who engineered the judicial murder of St. Joan of Arc.

It looks like we have entered a great battle. In reality, we have all entered Christ’s winnowing fan and are giving direct witness to Him of who we are and where we stand. It is a knife’s edge we walk, with God commanding that we form and exercise our moral agency in the midst of terrible chaos. We will not be excused for doing what is wrong by citing what some faithless cleric said. We will not be excused for a failure of obedience to a lawful order because we disagreed with our Bishop. It is why I have put so much emphasis on acting with great deliberation every step of the way. There is no place of neutrality. We must make our stand and accept the consequences. I do not seek to tell you exactly what will happen or what you must do. Since I started this, my consistent message is that Christ is close at hand to you. You will be held to account for each decision you make and each action you take. This is why I so emphasize the message, “Acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to those around you.” When you do that, you focus on your relationship with Christ. If we live that with fidelity God, Himself, will repair the hierarchy and renew the faith of the world. But we must do the little right before us with great fidelity.

I do not seek so much anymore to persuade the mob that the only peace to be found is through Christ (though I would be gratified if some in the mob took that message to heart). We are in thrall to identity politics. Identity politics IS racism. The only way for a Christian to properly view his neighbor is as created uniquely in God’s own Image. Racism is not possible if you live that command. Tyrannical revolutions are almost never achieved with majority support. Often, they succeed with as little as three percent of the population determinedly imposing their will on others. They succeed because those who know better are too timid or cowed to defend their culture. I do not look to persuade the revolutionaries among us. I seek to call those who are willing to make their stand and refuse to bend the knee to anyone but Christ.

The hierarchy is called to accommodate the world to Christ. Many, perhaps the majority, instead seek to accommodate the Church to the world, regardless of how they must pervert even Christ’s clearest commands. We must now choose who we will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. And I pray the hierarchy decides its top priority is to feed the Lord’s sheep.

497 thoughts on “Feed My Lambs”

    4. How did you copy that picture into your comment, FTSOSP? I’ve tried copying an image before (ie. by right clicking and copying it), but when I attempt to paste it in, the picture never appears. Only a problem here on WordPress. Does it take training classes? If so, I’m game …. Dave

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      1. Dave, we’ve got you covered. Just go to the MENU bar and click on: Answers to Techie Questions where you’ll find directions for posting images and videos on WordPress. Here‘s the link to the page you’re seeking.

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        1. Thank you so much, Beckita! It sounds as if it’s quite straightforward. Will experiment with it when I think of something else to say …. don’t hold you’re breath, please!

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  2. Littleone, I was gently hit from behind when I was stopped at a red light by a group of several young guys. I am afraid of what can happen so I removed my bumper sticker. The last early voting a Dem. acted nice and wanted to borrow my phone; He took a picture of the numbers voting to show he was there so he could get paid and stayed there telling people to vote for his candidate so I called him back saying he couldn’t talk to people at the door going in to vote; Dems. don’t care about rules!

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  3. Please pray for the soul of my friend, and brother fireman, John. He took his own life after years of mental and physical suffering. His spiral began with an on the job injury which occurred during a forcible entry at a working dwelling fire a number of years ago.

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    3. I am so sorry, such a horrific way to die, so extra-terrible and complicated for those left behind. I will pray for John and all who love him. Especially for God’s consolations and healing peace for John and all.

      WW, we lost our 18 y.o.son to this. We had no idea. But we’ve since learned he suffered tremendously and silently for at least a few years. He careful hid it.
      .
      Charlie and Beckita both comforted me saying “Never, ever, doubt God’s merciful love”

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        1. Beckita, I treasure what you shared with me about Maria Esperanza and her words of hope for those mourning such losses in those first days when we were in complete shock-shutdown. Would it be too forward of me to ask you to repeat them here? I hung on those words, they carried me many times. Maybe they can help others silently reading here, too.

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          1. God bless you, Littlelight. I don’t precisely recall what I wrote to you but I’m thinking it involved two dimensions of life after death which Maria beautifully addressed. Both sprung from her gift of the ability to see beyond the veil.

            On numerous occasions, Maria would describe someone to the individual with whom she was communicating. That individual would say it sounds like my “mother” – or another relative or friend – who passed away a few months – or years – ago. Maria would respond that the person being described was following the individual (speaking with Maria) wherever s/he would go, always interceding, always assisting with prayer.

            For those who approached Maria with angst due to the suicide of a family member or a friend, on several occasions when this happened, I heard Maria tell the one before her how much God loves the dear one who tragically took his/her life. Further, she assured the person with whom she was speaking that God alone knows all the whys which led to the death, all the mitigating factors involved which were factored into judgement. Maria, then, who also was gifted with seeing into Heaven, assured the surviving family member or friend that she could see that dear one in Heaven.

            The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “From the beginning the Church has honored the memory of the dead and offered prayers in suffrage for them, above all the Eucharistic Sacrifice, so that, thus purified, they may attain the beatific vision of God” (1032). For the relationship which changes but never ends, it’s the deepest act of love to have Masses offered for our deceased dear ones.

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            1. I’m adding a link to Direction for our Times where there is an online library of messages which Anne, a lay apostle, received in the past. These words carry the local Bishop’s Imprimatur and are from Jesus and Mary as well as from Saints and Angels. The link takes you to words of consolation for those in the midst of experiencing tragedy: https://directionforourtimes.com/wp-content/uploads/Tragedy-d.pdf
              May they bless all who are processing intense grief.

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              1. Yess, that’s what you told me! Thank you! Powerful words of hope that are so desperately needed now. Thank you! I pray Maria Esperanza be a canonized Saint soon and can/will intercede for us all, especially those struggling with Hope.

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              2. Wow, that booklet is stunning. It is something to be read and reread.

                I can give my testimony, as a mother who held her dead son, in shock, under a full moon, on the pavement, surrounded by my husband and emt’s and st police officers (some angry and hostile and judging us), I give my testimony to the truth of those words. Yes, Jesus, Hope, Heaven and our dear loved ones, who have tragically died, are close.

                One wonderful thing that has happened as a result of my son’s tragic death, is I have a devotion to The Holy Souls I never would have had. They are my buddies. I can feel them working powerfully in my life situations and in those of people I love and beg for. Early in our grief, one of my kids had a dream. She saw her brother with a headlamp walking up our driveway. Following him was a long line of friends. They were walking up our driveway and around our house at night. It puzzled me and kinda alarmed me. I have come to believe this represents the Holy Souls. I feel as if my son was like, come ‘on with me, come over to my house, my mom will help you!

                Of course, this could just all be wishful thinking on my part. But I cultivate it as I need Hope and this gives me both purpose and Hope. And it is a holy thing to pray for our beloved dead. My voice will never cease, until He tells me I’m done 🙂

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                1. Beautiful reflection! You’ve been through a lot, Dear Littlelight. A LOT. You might find much solace in all the Volumes. The words are so hope-filled. They encourage us to live the exhortation from Philippians: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things.” I discovered the Volumes shortly after my husband had passed away. I knew our relationship had not ended, just changed dramatically. I also came to know, in that place beyond words, that part of his joy from his eternal perspective would be to see me carry on in this life by living joy amidst the grieving and loss.

                  These thoughts bring me to pondering loss of another kind… we see so many small deaths all around us in the loss of life as we’ve previously lived it in this country and world. Not directing the following at anyone in particular, but all of us – including me. We can see what is happening around us and there comes a time when it’s wise to let a lot of the details of every incident or developing story go. Let them go… and shift to dwelling on and dreaming of possibilities for the counter activity. The enemy has been sowing bitter, ugly seeds. We see them and we can become nearly addicted to reading and researching more about the difficulties. I know. I’ve fallen into this sometimes. In self-monitoring, when we recognize we’re stuck in the negativity, we can turn to acknowledging God with questions that take us to the pondering zone. I keep asking Him how He wants us to respond. What is the Beauty, Good, Truth and Grace we can bring to our wee corner of the world with which we can bless others? Right now, we can actually live in the freedom of acting as we will after the Rescue. In this way, we’ve already entered the New Beginning which is dawning even as we carry on in this Storm.

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                  1. Thank you for your kind words. I’m still struggling with the acceptance part. It’s very tough to “let go” Every day, a bit better.

                    Yesss! During the lockdown, we were struggling with motivation, so we read and read some more. Watched news releases ad nauseum. It’s all coming out of my pores right now, I’m saturated. I see not in a good way. Time to pull back and focus on the doings of joy. So much good healthy work to do. I’m trying to get my feet under me again. Every day a bit better.

                    I want to read those volumes. Beckita, I had a dream before Christmas time of LiamXOXO that reminds me of what you wrote. He was little and he said to me: “I will never lose you” In my dream I knew that was a reference to the Ligouri novena for the Holy Souls, this part:

                    “Blessed Souls, I have prayed for thee; I entreat thee, who are so dear to God, and who are secure of never losing Him, to pray for me a miserable sinner, who is in danger of being damned, and of losing God forever.”
                    Amen.

                    I thought that was an odd way to put it, but I accepted it has him telling me he’s really praying hard for me and us all. In the dream it was distorted. It was as if he had to work hard to get this “message” to me, as if evil was making his words intelligible—he tried to say more, but I couldn’t understand him, because of the distortion. Only “I’ll never lose you!” Letting me know he’s with us and wants me to live joy. It’s tough. I’m not quite there yet.

                    But I do have the opportunity, a bit unexpected, to go to God’s Country, the Northern Cascades and Rainer, so I thought I should seize it. Where we live in the east, everything is beautiful, but small, closed-in. Except the ocean. The ocean is of course not like this. Out where you are, it is vast! Everything is vast. It takes your breathe away. Gives an entirely different perspective to life. I wish everyone could see these things.

                    You mentioned how we can all start living the rescue now. I see that happening in the communities we are all finding and traveling to for spiritual food. I am hopeful that those less restrictive will blossom and thrive, while the super restrictive/fearful ones will wither. This could be a gentle way to lead all back to Hope and Faith and to remove the distortions. The contrast between joy and fear will become more and more obvious–it will help any of good will who can’t see. I’m hoping, anyway.

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                    1. How beautiful, Littlelight. That’s a mighty Light, being reassured that your precious son will never leave you. Mourning is a process, isn’t it? Step by blessed step, God leads us to full healing and the ability to reconcile ourselves with what is. I think the greatest gift of faith is the ability to renew our minds in Christ so that our very thinking leads our feelings into acceptance of the toughest trials in ways that bring peace and joy. And it is possible to feel both sorrow and joy at the death of one so dear. Ultimately we ARE together and WILL be face to face for eternity. Prayers for you anew on the journey, Dear Littlelight! ♥️🔥🙏

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                  2. Well Beckita,

                    After Mick posted that she was praying to help me discern and I read her today at lunchtime, shortly after lunch I received a phone call which had to do with a squirrel! And it also had to do with the neighboring diocese I visited two days ago (but not with the church)! And it was completely unexpected!

                    It’s also an example that there are still some decent, honest people in this world … Only as I was telling Mick, I really can’t share many details on a public website.

                    But yes there’s still Truth, Beauty, Goodness, and Grace … and it can even happen to you when you’re not looking for it.

                    Samwise Gamgee’s song when it was tempting to think all was lost for Middle Earth, when he was at the Tower of Cirith Ungol searching for Frodo:

                    “Though here at journey’s end I lie
                    in darkness buried deep,
                    beyond all towers strong and high,
                    beyond all mountains steep,
                    above all shadows rides the Sun
                    and Stars for ever dwell:
                    I will not say the Day is done,
                    nor bid the Stars farewell. ”

                    ~~ J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings

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                  3. Amen, Beckita! I was focusing on that in prayer today, and need the Lord to help me continue looking ahead. It’s so hard, wondering what the children and grandchildren will do, what they will face. One daughter-in-law just lost her job. I find it hard to wait for whatever good things are coming from the Lord. I want Mama’s Triumph! Thank you for your encouraging words.

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                2. I’m so sorry littlelight!😫 Gosh that has to be a hard thing to go through…God’s blessings to you and yours 🤗😘❤️🙏😇🌹

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          2. Offered divine mercy prayers last night for all those who took their own life.  Lord have mercy on all of us!—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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      1. Doug,

        John was from South Jersey. Which is where I have been living most of my life. Hometown is my father’s hometown, Newport, RI. His family has been there from the start. Mom was a Jersey Girl, hence my living here. I went to college during the early 80s in NH.

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        1. Sounds like you and I are similar age.  I live in NH and saw you mention NH in a post.  So was wondering.  My wife and i love NH.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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          1. I’m a Nathaniel Hawthorne College graduate. Lived in Antrim from 1982-86. Great memories. Truly God’s Country.

            My wife is from where we both went to high school here in South Jersey, though born in South Philly. She is 2 years younger, but we started dating while I was home on summer break. She would visit campus once in a while. Her maiden name was Smart and when the Pamela Smart murder trial started we used to joke about it being her family. Well a few years ago we discovered her father’s family came down here from NH in 1860 and was married to a Moulton. They were from Moultonborough, NH. Seems she may have been related to Greg Smart after all. Small world.

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            1. Ha.  I’m from Philly; German Town.  I know where Antrim is.  It is about 40 min from my house.  Beautiful place.  My wife and I met at U-Lowell in Massachusetts.  We were both 18 in 1980.  Been married 35 years now.  We have been in NH for 25 years now.  Not as warm as Jersy, but I like the snow and skiing.  Glad you are here.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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                  1. I think he started there in 1984 or 1985 (I’m a little hazy because, I’m embarrassed to say, I’m not sure exactly how old he is!). He’s a mechanical engineer.

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                    1. Ok.  I most likely would not have known him.  I was there from 1979 to 1983 for EE.  I did coop for a year during that time and left in Dec, 83 to work full time and finished up nights for my last few classes.  My official graduation was 1985 which is the year Lambzie and I got married.  Lambzie changed from accounting to computer science and graduated in 1985.  We got married in January.  So she thought it was the coolest thing to still be full time on campus and married.  As an aside, its still cool to be married.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

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    9. Thank you all very much for the prayers for John’s soul. I’m sure they will be most effective.

      LittleLight, I am praying for the soul of your son. I can only imagine the pain that goes with that. They say that the Blessed Mother is close to those who lose a child, as she herself did. God Bless.

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    11. William, I am so sorry about your friend, John. I will say a chaplet of Divine Mercy for John’s soul. I am familiar with the pain of suicide. God bless you and all who love John.

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    14. William, I included your friend John in my Chaplet off Divine Mercy alone with those tempted to harm themselves.

      Sorry for your loss!

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  4. More good news on the Coronovirus front.
    “It is unclear why rising case numbers would be met with not just a flat death rate but a falling one. It could indicate that treatments for the disease are growing more refined and effective; it could also be that, as some doctors have posited, the coronavirus itself is weakening, mutating to a less-lethal form as part of its natural evolutionary path. ”
    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/fears-mount-over-covid-spikes-data-continue-show-positive-downward

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    1. Excellent news, PF. Thank you for these articles.

      I recently learned that since the SARS-CoV-2 virus is so large, it actually has a poor chance of creating follow-on viruses that are capable of infecting people (learn something new every day, yes?). That makes a lot of sense. If people are able to slow or stop viral replication at population levels, the virus will simply fade. It also means that the virus can’t last very long on surfaces. If there are now reservoirs in the environment though, then we will need to isolate “blooms” quickly over the next few years to get rid of it completely.

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  9. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://thewandererpress.com/catholic/news/featured-today/honoring-two-hearts-in-the-month-of-june/

    https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/civil-war

    https://stream.org/destabilization-of-america/

    https://townhall.com/columnists/louholtz/2020/06/14/president-trump-is-a-champion-of-the-catholic-faith-n2570567?

    https://townhall.com/columnists/myrakahnadams/2020/06/14/a-quick-compelling-bible-study-vol-14–christians-lead-by-example-n2570555?

    https://cnsnews.com/index.php/commentary/allen-west/great-society-has-failed

    http://www.floppingaces.net/2020/06/15/stupid-stupid-stupid/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/14/obama-era-political-surveillance-were-black-files-created/

    My, MY! ….. another corrupt Taxpayer funded Alphabet Agency ;-( … but Get Your Mask ON!!
    https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2020/06/fifty-four-scientists-have-lost-their-jobs-result-nih-probe-foreign-ties

    https://justthenews.com/accountability/russia-and-ukraine-scandals/evidence-puts-obama-intelligence-assessment-russia

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

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  10. You are definitely sounding the alarm, Charlie. Your take is refreshing and insightful. I’m quickly tiring of conservative eggheads who don’t confront the practicial realities of this crisis.

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    1. The swamp runs deep, doesn’t it? The article is quite disingenuous, as are the comments about it not being effective after studies that were designed poorly and sandbagged it. A Dr Zelenko has been on Twitter with his own experience, and it is excellent. Another doctor in Texas made waves online for the same reasons.

      Fortunately, the actual effect of this order is the exact opposite of what the naysayers want. The order releases federal stockpiles of HCQ that had been held for use in trials and tests into the general distribution channels where doctors who are using it successfully can now get access to greater supplies.

      Here’s what you need to know: The role of HCQ is not to cure the illness but to transport zinc into the cells so the zinc can shut down viral replication. Any zinc transporter or “zinc ionophore” should work. I recommend the “Quercetin Phytosome” supplement by Thorne Research as a non-toxic alternative to the HCQ. Take the Quercetin with zinc, not on its own. It’s the zinc that does the work. The key is to use the HCQ or Quercetin Phytosome with zinc at the *very*first*symptoms* of illness. So if you think you have Covid-19, use the antibiotic, too, in conjunction with your doctor. If you think it might be a flu or a cold, use just the Quercetin Phytosome and zinc. You should start getting better within hours and be mostly better in 2-3 days.

      Remember, though, that the real key to preventing or minimizing a Covid-19 infection is to get your Vitamin D3 blood level up over 40, preferably to the 60-80 range. If you need to supplement with D3 capsules, be sure to also take at least 150 micrograms of Vitamin K2 and as much magnesium as you can tolerate (not magnesium oxide). I use magnesium malate.

      Liked by 3 people

  12. Here is a surprise gift to me and others, yesterday, on the Feast of Corpus Christi:

    I learned of it from a post by a Facebook friend. This has been one of my favorites for a very long time, with many associated stories. ❤

    Liked by 6 people

      1. I know, Mick! It’s so encouraging to hear the words of a faithful shepherd. The admonition to pray pray pray is the reminder I need to hear constantly!

        Liked by 3 people

    3. This was very helpful; thank you.

      It is interesting, that he is stating the core of what protestanTs assert, Christ and Christ alone, making me wonder exactly why the prots ditched catholicism.

      Like

  14. Completely off topic, but file this one under Oddities & Eerie Things (right up there with the James Brown action figure). So I was on the horn setting up an important meeting and the gal says to confirm, “so you’ll be meeting with Dr. Johnston at such and such a time…” Then after asking me if I knew where they were located (“yes,” says I) goes on to give me directions anyway. “So to confirm, we’re right there at the corner of such and such and Joan De Arc Ave. Joan De Arc (she repeats it). Right next to the seminary.” Well, I rarely get a chill, but was thinking that if she went for the 3-peat… oh, sure enough, she says Joan De Arc again as if I didn’t get it the first couple of times. Cue the goosebumps.

    Liked by 6 people

        1. Oh that got me laughing a hearty laugh.  Yes.  I have to admit, I do have a lot of passion for what I do and it oft shows when I work with folks in my industry.  I am of Scottish decent on my mom’s side.  So that might explain my career choice.  Now, about that red shirt, I only wear it during pentecost.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

          Liked by 3 people

            1. “No.  But, it is interesting.”  That was the best part.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

              Like

              2. By the way, I actually *can* give you that look. I just don’t have the impressive eyebrows or the pointy ears. 😀

                Liked by 1 person

                  1. LOL—-I grew up on Star Trek!

                    One of the highlights of my young life was seeing the original model of the Starship Enterprise @ Smithsonian. Aaaargh, but the intro is so cheesy today, you can even imagine the strings holding the starship as it flies through space, haha. In this age of advanced cgi effects, that intro is positively primordial, LOL.

                    Liked by 2 people

                    1. Littlelight… I know, right? It’s as cheesy as all get out, but it’s still the best! Maybe it’s just because I grew up watching it, but it’s still the only science fiction that I even like (even though I laugh my head off at the lame special effects).

                      Liked by 2 people

                    3. I had a buddy way back in the 6th grade who set the bar for future generations of Trekkies. Back then I got a call one night from him where he blurts out, “guess who’s at my house?” Uh, I didn’t know… the milkman? Turns out it was Gene Roddenberry, visiting his dad who was a Prof. at UND. So, I left a trail of bike tire smoke and grit as I furiously pedaled my way over there, walked into the kitchen and immediately clammed up when I saw my bud with his Enterprise blueprints already spread out on the kitchen table. He was grilling him with all sorts of techie questions… something about propulsion systems and whatnot. Would have made SBC proud. I, on the other hand, couldn’t work up so much as a squeak, so did a lot of listening. Stayed until Roddenberry was heading for the door, then somehow managed to spit out some silly question about Kirk. Lest he think I was a complete nitwit, and since I had his attention, I managed to follow that one up with something that really made him laugh. Moral of the story: timing is everything.

                      Liked by 3 people

                    5. Doug, when compared to the fuzzy little black and white tv’s of our childhood, I think that today’s enormous hi-def digital beasts are completely overrated. As for grossly underrated, how ’bout crewman #12 in episode 14. As part of a landing party, poor guy got wiped out 23 seconds after beaming down. One and done! Not much of a line item on his IMDb profile, though I suspect most of us can relate.

                      Liked by 1 person

                    7. He must have been a red shirt. Iirc, all the minor red shirts die. I seem to recall us joking about that. Come to think of it, all the minor no-name characters died, period. Especially any of the main character’s love-interests. I have to find the series somewhere so I can watch it again with my kids. This has inspired me.

                      Liked by 1 person

  15. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    http://blog.adw.org/2020/06/of-hidden-manna-and-a-shining-stone-a-meditation-on-a-text-from-revelation/

    https://www.catholicleague.org/blue-and-red-states-vary-on-covid-19-policies/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/15/covid-madness-chicago-ministry-of-covid-compliance-introduces-social-distancing-ambassadors/

    https://www.thecity.nyc/coronavirus/2020/6/14/21290963/nyc-covid-19-trackers-skipping-floyd-protest-questions-even-amid-fears-of-new-wave

    Creeping Gun Control & loss of 2nd Amendment….. the Lefties on our “Not Political” SCOTUS can’t wait for a Trump loss/ Radical Dem Take-Over ;-(
    https://www.breitbart.com/news/supreme-court-rejects-several-gun-rights-cases-for-next-term/

    https://saraacarter.com/catholic-priests-orthodox-jews-sue-gov-cuomo-de-blasio-for-alleged-selective-lockdowns/

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/15/dont-forget-the-party-that-wants-to-defund-the-police-also-wants-to-disarm-you/

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/12/welcome-to-your-new-world-order-a-rundown-of-woke-insanity-amid-the-newest-cultural-revolution/

    https://thehill.com/latino/502737-supreme-court-denies-petition-to-hear-sanctuary-case

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/06/association-american-physicians-surgeons-sues-fda-irrational-interference-access-life-saving-hydroxychloroquine/

    https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2020/06/14/liberals-still-think-obama-was-the-best-president-ever-here-are-14-reasons-thats-ridiculous-n527544

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 6 people

  17. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! …. PM 😉

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/how-might-we-heal-our-nation

    Are we living in The Time of the Final Confrontation or just a major skirmish … & how can we tell!??

    https://www.breitbart.com/radio/2020/06/15/carrie-severino-scotus-lgbt-decision-tsunami-litigation-religious-groups/

    https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/06/supreme-court-redefines-sex-bostock-v-clayton-county-case/

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/06/the_supreme_court_confuses_mental_illness_with_sex.html

    https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/fake-blm-bullies-target-john-paul-ii-scholar

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/15/domestic-terrorists-three-new-york-police-officers-poisoned-by-shake-shack-employees/

    https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/ex-top-fbi-lawyer-who-took-steele-dossier-seriously-joins-twitter

    SanFran Nanny getting all “religious” again:
    https://cnsnews.com/article/washington/cnsnewscom-staff/nancy-pelosi-isaiah-says-lord-will-have-day-reckoningwoe-those

    We are already in a CW! Trump’s Election was the “Ft Sumter Event”.
    https://cnsnews.com/blog/craig-bannister/poll-one-three-voters-say-second-civil-war-likely

    https://www.annistonstar.com/the_daily_home/free/walter-williams-the-true-plight-of-black-americans-column/article_0e3a81e0-a9f1-11ea-b29c-c79b576984e4.html

    https://saraacarter.com/sara-carter-whos-actually-going-to-be-running-the-country-if-biden-wins/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 5 people

  18. Monday I felt a deep sadness all day long….not related to anything in my personal life, so I assumed it was a type of “word of knowledge” to pray for someone else who is suffering. Not on-line all day and saw no news until 5pm, little did I know that my spirit was actually in mourning for our country and what it is now…and will be going through. I shared this experience with some on-fire Catholic women friends, one had experienced the same quiet grief all day.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. It is sobering, Hopenjoy. Praying for your strengthening and consolation. All manner of sorrows are around us and will increase. I continue to frame these as labor pains and declare that, in the Lord’s Name, Holy Spirit pours new measures of His fruits in each one of us: charity, generosity, joy, gentleness, peace, faithfulness, patience, modesty, kindness, self-control, goodness, chastity.

      Blessedly we have words from Heaven to encourage us. Words from the Cloud of Witnesses who took up the cross in every age, in every time. I have found myself re-visitig the Volumes from Anne a lay apostle. There’s such encouragement and consolation in them, such as this message from St. Therese, given July 5, 2004:

      Jesus, in His merciful goodness, has willed that many saints in heaven will come to the assistance of souls on earth. Dear holy souls, you are approaching difficult days. You know this, of course, if the Spirit is active within you. Your world is in darkness and must be cleansed. All of this has been said. What Our Lord wills at this time is that we, your heavenly brothers and sisters, provide you with specific information and guidelines. Pray for discernment and you will see that there is no other path than the path that leads to heaven and to Jesus Christ. The time of darkness nears. The world has not converted, despite the efforts of many, both in heaven and on earth. Souls cling rebelliously to sinful ways and do not even fear God’s justice.They have embraced evil. Brothers and sisters, this world is no longer an appropriate place for God’s children. It is neither safe nor conducive to the school of holiness that each soul must attend to graduate to heaven. Little souls cannot do this here in your world because they are surrounded, literally, by the opposite of holiness. I do not wish to tell you about the sins of humanity because there was sin in my day also. I understand that sin exists and that there will always be those who choose the enemy. What I
      am trying to convey to you is that your world has begun to co-exist with sin in such a way that few object anymore. You are asleep, children of the world! Where are God’s warriors? Too few have taken up God’s cause in the past, but many will now in these times. Praise God with me, souls of earth, even as He prepares to renew your world. In the days of confusion to come, rumors will swirl. Holy souls will be tempted to doubt authentic sites of apparition where graces flow without pause. Children, you must remain true to your calls. Jesus has placed you carefully. Serve Him. You will find yourself struggling with temptations against your missions. You will find yourself mocked. The world is going to go even further in the direction of anti-God and you will stand out even more starkly against the Godless landscape. This will not be comfortable for you but you will have complete heavenly assistance and support. Brothers and sisters, I, Therese, am only one of countless saints who has been commissioned to assist you. You will find us always near and always willing to instruct and console. We will petition the Spirit and obtain the most sublime gifts of wisdom and discernment for you. My dear fellow servants, we are entering the storm, but not without Jesus, our rudder. Children of God should not fear God’s intervention. Given my heavenly knowledge, I assure you that the only fearful thing for this world would be a decision by God to leave it to itself. Welcome, brothers and sisters, to the legion of heavenly soldiers who fight for Christ. You will earn your place in heaven.

      Liked by 8 people

      1. This is beautiful and comforting.

        “Jesus has placed you carefully.” That is something to contemplate. I’m looking forward to reading the volumes. Thank you for telling us about them.

        Liked by 4 people

      2. Very comforting; my deepest prayer is that I remain faithful.

        I just got a nagging thought typing that; God may allow the devil to tempt me with worldly success, like Boromir at the council of Elrod.

        Just asked my angel to kick my ass should that happen.

        Eh, God has His ways if getting my attention; I have already , literally, walked away from wealth into poverty , so I could remain true.

        Ok, feel better! Thx for listening!

        Liked by 3 people

        2. My prayer too Timothy!

          Asking my angel to kick mt butt too should I wander from the Lord. Heaven help me it has happened twice+ before ( even whilst attending church “faithfully” )and I never want to offend the Lord ever again!!!

          I would rather die than do it yet again!

          I am weak Lord, give me strength and perseverance…and for all here the same!

          Liked by 5 people

      3. Beckita,

        Your eloquence is sublime.

        Your words are so uplifting and comforting. Just what I needed!

        I am copying your post so I can read it over and over.

        Thank you so much and may God bless you abundantly!

        Liked by 4 people

      4. Honestly Beckita last week I was so full of anger. I was immersed in it. I had to drag myself out of it but only through whispered personal prayer. I had recovered. Surrendered myself back to Jesus’s will. But after Crew Dogs link to the LBGQ+ Supreme Court win and how the church will be attacked because of the decision, I sunk into despondency. So St Therese’s words help so much. Clinging to my Bible, Rosary and Mass, I don’t own a gun.

        Liked by 4 people

        1. I so get the anger, Joanne. I get it. The diocesan apostolate which Anne founded, of course with the full approval, oversight and collaboration of her Bishop, is running an adult ed course which captured my attention. I jumped in and am delighted with the ways the people in this apostolate are not stuck on clinging to the prophetic details of what’s to come as described in the messages. Rather, they are bringing the exhortations in the message to life by mentoring people to grow spiritually via integrating principles of healthy human development with theology and spirituality themes. Dynamo! What brings this to mind is a phrase coined by the catechesis materials: “silence deprivation.” The psychologist involved noted there is a decrease in anxiety, anger, depression etc. when people regularly (recommendation is daily) spend time in silence with God… loving, listening, and contemplating. Cardinal Sarah’s fantastic book comes to mind: The Power of Silence. God bless you, Joanne, and all of us.

          Liked by 2 people

    2. Hopejoy,

      You describe perfectly how I feel most days. It is a mourning.

      I understand that the rosary, prayer, Chaplet help to heal these wounds so we can carry on.

      Thank you for expressing your thoughts. It is good to know others feel the same way about that which is going on right now.

      This blog has been a life saver for me.

      Liked by 3 people

  19. I’m pretty excited!!! I went to confession Sunday (blew it already a few times😩😩😩) But this is what Fr uri told me!

    First off…I Told Father I was scared of 3 days of darkness and he got really mad at me and told me ,” of course it’s coming…so is our death!!! So!!! That’s what all people go through so why are you scared if you love Jesus!!! Why am I here!!” I just burst out laughing and said you know what father!!! You are RIGHT!!! Since then I’ve had such unbelievable peace! It’s just wonderful!! I swear he kicked an anxiety demon out of me!!! He held up his hands like he meant business!!! He probably getting inundated with us and fear!!! Lol. Everybody knows it’s coming! Lol oh my gosh btw I listened to that Fr michael scanlin prophesy today!!! That was AMAZING!!! I hadn’t heard that one b4!!!! Mike said he’s gonna make me go to confession every time I get scared again cuz it drives him nuts 😂😂😂

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Hi Linda.  If the 3 days of darkness comes, it will most likely be at the end of the trials and it may be the last cleansing prior to the era of peace.  I think that things will be so bad that we will actually look forward to the 3 days of darkness because that marks the end of the storm.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

      Liked by 5 people

      1. I think you’re right doug! Lol! I think Desmond says like 2 – 4 years after Italy and France go into civil war simultaneously! I’m cool now though…I think Fr Uri kicked a bad anxiety demon outta me!!! He was really stern with me and usually he’s not. Also, I’m thinking about me and 1000 other penitents are going to him in confession and saying darn close to the same thing!😂😂😂 Hes probably gotta get us right!!! I just love Fr Uri!!! Oh how Christ’s power comes through in our Holy priests!!! I know sooooo many Holy Priests!!! Thank you Jesus for your holy priests!!!!🤗❤️🙏

        Liked by 3 people

        1. Hi Linda, I think there are two good scriptures to read.  First, read Matthew chapter 10 about 3 times.  After that, read Matthew chapter 6:24-34 three times.  I find great encouragement in both.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

          Liked by 3 people

          1. Oh he’s my FAVORITE confessor…he’s really quite mystical in my opinion. Priest at sorrowful Mother Shrine in Bellevue Ohio. Very beautiful place. They have lots of woods there with stations of the Cross , huge crucifix you can climb up to and kiss Jesus’ feet, Lourdes grotto, so much more and wonderful gift shop! Lots of miracles have happened there and inside little church are crutches left behind! Fr Uri is from Medjugorje region or somewhere near that region. He often knows things during confessions. Very mysterious! When he preaches a homily, he keeps his eyes closed. Very good and holy priest in my opinion!🤗

            Liked by 1 person

  20. Alright, fellow tnrs’s, following Beckita’s gentle recommendation, I started reading Anne, A Lay Apostle.

    I highly encourage all tnrs’s to have a look-see. The words are powerful with love, forgiveness and hope. Wowee, a treasure trove. Much thanks, Beckita.

    I found this about parents worrying about kids. I know this to be true, through too many signal graces to deny. I post this here for any troubled parents out there:

    Click to access Parents-childrens-salvation-d.pdf

    Blessed Mother
    My dear parent, how my heart hurts for you. I
    understand the pain of worrying over a child. I
    know that you worry because you seek to prevent
    additional pain for your child, regardless of their
    age. I know you see their path and you fear trouble
    ahead for them. I also see this and I will help you
    to call your child back to God’s path. We do this
    in great love and gentleness. This is the best way.
    I will give you my gentleness and with it you will
    melt your child’s heart and create in him or her
    a longing for goodness. There is no circumstance
    that should cause you to give up hope. I will
    not allow you to give up hope. Even as you read
    these words I am obtaining fresh hope for you,
    and with this hope I am also obtaining a spirit of
    calm which will enable you to serve in peace. We
    will surround this child for you. We will protect
    this child. If your child has died and you worry
    for their salvation, I ask you today to stop. God
    is all-merciful. Trust in his goodness. The good
    God could not face a parent who trusted him and
    disappoint that parent. Your greatest weapon in
    the battle to save your children is trust in God.
    Use this weapon and be at peace because I am
    your mother and I read your heart effortlessly. I
    20
    will help you. Your battle is also my battle.

    Liked by 6 people

    1. That is beautiful Littlelight.  With my son, who has strayed into the transgender culture, I was praying an Ignatius contemplation and lamenting our son’s alienation of us and loss of faith.   I was crying to God about the spiritual loss of our son and heard an almost audible reply from what I perceive was the Holy Spirit, “he is my son too.”  This brought great comfort and healing to me and allowed me to further detach myself from him and let God work on him.  For me, it was letting go of control.  Hearing this also helped me realize that God will work in his life to do what is needed for his salvation.  Lambzie and I still pray for him every day while fully trusting in God.  God bless you!—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

      Liked by 8 people

      1. Doug–Yes! Wonderful! God Bless you, too!

        I don’t know about you, but I went to a parochial grammar school—I think I’ve mentioned this before. Anyways the emphasis was on punishment/sin/hell—not mercy, unconditional love and Trust. If you read the booklets/volumes, there a patient love there that transcends all evil, it rings true. It really is a different kind of spirituality all together. I wonder how our teachers and so many of us got it so very wrong for so long? Aah. Much to ponder.

        I am going to try to focus on reading these volumes and booklets again and again, especially that passage.

        What I’ve always wanted the most since we began this crazy big family, is us all to be together here, in this world and then in Heaven.

        In another of the booklets, Jesus speaks to unforeseen, sudden incidents that take one completely on a different course in some lives. I NEVER thought that would be my/our life! Hah. I’m guessing no one really ever thinks that mean them! That would be weird, right? But TYG, He is helping me/us all accept this, and bringing radical good out of it. That is an encouraging thought. God is good, all the time!

        The booklets are like real medicine. They will be part of an arsenal I have to go-to when the darkness blocks thinking. 😉

        God Bless us, everyone!

        Liked by 7 people

        1. So happy for you, Littlelight, that the booklets and Volumes are having an impact. The enemy is infamous for sending fiery darts to our thoughts and we are the gatekeepers who have the opportunity to dwell on life-giving thoughts… or not. 😦 That’s not to say we diminish our feelings, but we can let them pass like clouds on a windy day and/or harness them for good.

          Liked by 7 people

          1. Re: errant, odd, fiery darts of thoughts. One spiritual warfare book I read said that as soon as one of those thoughts comes into your mind, say firmly out loud “That is NOT my thought”, even if you have to say it over and over. I have struggles with recurring thoughts when I am stressed or worried or spiritually attacked about something, and last month worked on the idea of REBUKING the thought (as mentioned), REDIRECTING that thought and saying “I place all thoughts captive to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5) then REPLACING that thought “with whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things” (Philippians 4:8) then reciting the Fruits of the Spirit: “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, self-control”. Sometimes I find I have to do it over and over again for 20-30 minutes until the errant thoughts finally go away. It is especially a struggle for me when someone is attacking me verbally or via email or social media…I tend to continue to dwell on those errant thoughts, which just gives the enemy more space to work. But the RRR strategy is working well!

            Liked by 3 people

              1. The book on spiritual warfare that suggests rebuking errant thoughts with the statement “That is not my thought!” is A Message of Hope, Confessions of an Ex-Satanist: How to Protect Yourself from Evil, by Deborah Lipsky (page 223). She is devout Catholic and the book intro has a “I have not found anything that would be contrary to the Catholic faith” statement by a priest. Note, I only read this book when I have recently received confession and the Eucharist, so that I am “all prayed up!”. This is because years ago, the Lord gave me the word “Don’t focus on the enemy, you focus on Me” so I limit my reading about the demonic.

                Liked by 1 person

            2. Awesome Hopenjoy. Sounds like a great strategy. Reminds me of some of the UNBOUND stuff. One exorcist commented that, particularly in these times, the mind is a major target of the enemy.

              Liked by 3 people

        2. Little light, your statement, “What I’ve always wanted the most since we began this crazy big family, is us all to be together here, in this world and then in Heaven” gets to the crux to the matter.  I heard recently the statement, “Jesus made suffering Holy.”  Thus, we endeavor to align our suffering with his in gentle love and therefore, make our suffering Holy.  This has always been a great mystery to me that I cannot truly explain but, for some reason, when I read that statement, it just made sense and gave me great comfort.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

          Liked by 8 people

    2. Thank you so much Littlelight and Beckita for posting “Anne, A Lay Apostle”. It has helped me and my children very much. I have 17 grandchildren, and the oldest 7 fall into several of the catagories written about here bringing much heartache to me and there parents. My daughter who lost one a little over a yr. ago as he died bleeding on the sidewalk, wasn’t able to hold him and comfort him but did receive a letter from a stranger who said he didn’t die alone, as she held him and comforted him. But reading all of your stories and kind words has brought much healing and comfort, and guidance in our battle also.
      I’m running out of hours in a day to pray for all of them. But like all of you I pray, trust and love.

      God bless our little family here, which is always there to help one another.

      Liked by 6 people

      1. God bless you, dolordee. SO good to hear from you! Praying for your deceased grandchild, for your daughter and her family as well as you and all your family.

        Liked by 5 people

      2. Oh that’s so heartbreaking, Dolordee. I’m so sorry, I’ll add my prayers to those here.

        It’s heartening to hear how Anne’s writings are helping you all carry these terrible trials.

        I am looking very forward to that day “when every tear shall be wiped away, and all things shall be made new again” as I ‘m certain we all are. What will we do when we see wholeness and joy instead of brokenness and sorrow? I think I will explode into a million pieces, it will be too much to comprehend. The closest I can think of are the Christmas Mornings we were blessed to share with each other when my children were young, or the time we were all able to go on a camping vacation. Wonderful memories!

        Liked by 3 people

      3. Dolordee, you and your family are in my prayers. Anne’s booklets are such a blessing. I am so sorry about your grandson. I hope to be like the stranger who was with your grandchild. We might not be angles, but we can act like them. God bless you. XO

        Liked by 3 people

  21. And the importance of a family as the basic unit of society:
    “Bill Galston, who served as President Clinton’s domestic policy advisor and is a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, explains in crisp language, “It is no exaggeration to say that a stable, two-parent family is an American child’s best protection against poverty.” He explains that to avoid living in poverty in the United States, one has to meet just three primary requirements:

    Finish high school.
    Marry before having children.
    Marry after the age of 20.

    Only 8 percent of people who fulfill these three criteria are poor, while 79 percent of those who fail to do so will be impoverished, regardless of their race.”
    https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/16/how-black-lives-matters-antagonism-to-marriage-and-family-hurts-black-americans/

    Liked by 4 people

    2. Great stats! Bill Galston might have missed some critical factors, FTSOSP, although the three that he mentions are highly significant. Unfortunately, the three that I’d add to the list are mostly out of one’s control;

      4. Avoid being born with either; a serious chronic illness, or the disposition to develop the same later on in life (physical or psychological).
      5. Work a full-time job.
      6. Avoid being born into a family where the above 5 preconditions are absent.

      Dave

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Dave,
        Scientific studies are interesting but I think these kinds of results are more because of the action of grace than a mere causation of condition.
        Scripture says sin only comes out of us and we are not defiled from the outside. If this were so, God allowing the demons to come to earth and be a part of our experience would be cruel. That along with all the conditions of the Fall of man and the concupicence we are living with would make it practically impossible for anyone to be saved. Jesus even said it WAS impossible…without God.
        The reality is, none of us are saved without God’s intervention no matter what life we are stuck in. I think the statistics are the opposite: we are granted the abundant life BECAUSE of grace and not graced by the abundant life!
        Another “scientific” study showed that the happiest people were the saints no matter what kind of life/suffering they experienced. This refutes these statistics since the saints came from every walk of life imaginable.
        The common denominator here is God.
        Life is the testing ground of who we are and how we will answer this.
        All sin is the the result of three major faults in us:
        Pride
        Disobedience
        Selfishness
        Every sin has one or more of these three in them.
        When we sin we discover our weaknesses and, interestingly, (as Charlie eluded to) our strengths too. Then we have the choice to change ourselves for the better and align ourselves with the right, or choose to ignore it as the; “I can’t help who I am” or “God made me this way” or “it’s someone else’s fault” or “I’m so much better than this…” excuses.
        We are God’s hands and feet, not His peer.
        We are told to “seek first His Kingdom and then everything else we be added unto you.”
        The “added” is the fruit from our God to show us His power and Word are true.
        Jesus, I Trust In YOU.

        Liked by 3 people

  22. So much here in Charlie’s recent posts and the comments that follow. Back when Charlie pointed out that many of us are not ready for serious trials and the time of choosing is at hand, I had a couple small, but important, lessons that brought those words to my attention again. A visit from a brother of mine showed me both, that he and I had both chosen alright, but that I didn’t handle the conversation well. We all knew where we were all heading, but the choices have been made. I am sad, but there is nothing I can say to change anyone’s mind now. What truly made me sad was that he had left the church because of the abuse scandal, yet I feel there is more to why he left and it now looks like a form of pride because he, and a couple other brothers, “know” more than people like me and are much better educated, etc. His elderly mother-in-law is still trapped in her assisted-living apt., and I’ve seen how this has affected others in her position. She is sharp and a good Catholic, but this is wearing on her. She had some nightmares and also strange happenings that she attributes to being attacked by the satan. My brother refers to this belief as “biblical mythology”. I was shocked at how he’s made a 180 in a short period of time. All’s I could say was that I believed as she does. I’ve been observing subtle changes in the past ten years that are now so obvious to us all and I wish I had been more vocal, but didn’t understand what was happening. What opened my eyes to the truth was coming back to our Catholic faith. It breaks my heart to see those I love leave the church and pick up pagan or whatever beliefs. That’s where I came from, those beliefs and practices. It really has changed them from kind and humble to arrogant and worldly. Fact check: I also struggle with pride.

    And then there are the “coincidences”. Through all the wonderful gifts given to us by our magnificent and loving God, help from the angels and saints, scripture, and more, we can see Him working for us and guiding us. I’m sure you all experience these things. The more we open our hearts and minds to Him, the more we “see”. And we are connected with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I think of a friend of this site years ago in the beginning by the screen name of BevMM (I think that’s right). She had some beautiful insights and there was one in particular about how we are all connected by a beautiful, sparkling web; wish I could remember the rest of the quote, but I get it now. I miss her comments.

    Here’s one of the most current affirmations I received. After Charlie reminded us, again, of what is important in this chaos and confusion, acknowledge God, take the next right step, and be a sign of hope to others, I read this at Mass last Friday from the Collect:

    O God, from whom all good things come, grant that we, who call on you in our need, may at your prompting discern what is right, and by your guidance do it. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

    Anyway, that is a smidgen of my small life and what’s been on my mind and in my heart. If I continued, I’d be babbling…tee hee. The battle lines are definitely hardening. God bless you all.

    Liked by 10 people

    1. Thank you for sharing your beautiful heart with us, Audiemarie. There is paradox here. Yes, indeed, the battle lines are hardening and, still, we carry in our hearts and prayers – including that prayer of doing – God’s Plan which is, ultimately, to call His children back to the sanity, beauty and life-giving power of the Covenant. His endgame is to save souls while renewing the face of the earth… everything He created… and His last act of creation, in the Beginning of this world, was us… created in His Own Image. HE wants us back even more than some of us want to return to Him… like your brother and my brother(s) and sister(s). So often, here, we have discussed that the very purpose of this Storm is to bring people back. For many years, I’ve remarked that the old cliché “There are no atheists in foxholes.” is about to get new meaning when the whole world becomes a foxhole: a worldwide civil war fought on cultural lines. I sense a great harvest is coming, a harvest of those who have bought the lies of the enemy are going to cry out for mercy when the going gets the toughest. Prayers continue for your siblings, audiemarie, and for all the members of this community, our families and, really, all the peoples of the world to make a return to the Lord.

      Liked by 7 people

    2. Well stated Anne! Pride; yes, but it appears to me your heart has a beautiful interior yearning for God which is a great grace. I trust God will honor your yearning and many of your prayers will be brought to fruition over time. Psalm 37:3, “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” I think as you delight in the Lord, the desires of your payers will be God’s desire also. So you will see your prayers answered in a marvelous way. It will happen in God’s time and we just need to be faithful and patient as the rest of Psalm 37 outlines. God bless you!

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Doug, thank you. Your words are so reassuring. I appreciate you and all here so much. I just love all the personalities and wisdom, the sharing and caring. God bless you, Lambzie and your family. 🙂

        Liked by 5 people

        1. Thank you for the kind words Anne.  We are a family here.  It is a gift to be part of this online community.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

          Liked by 2 people

    3. I would wonder Audiemarie , God forbid, if your brother was scandalised personally by the church. Or if he knows a victim personally.

      Praying for for the conversion of sinners.

      Liked by 7 people

      1. Littleone, I’ve thought about that, especially an older brother who was in seminary when he was young, but the older one said he had been treated very well back then. Thank God. Mom, rest her soul, always blamed the university for the older one’s change of heart. Btw, that is my daily prayer, for the conversion of souls, starting with my own. God bless you, Littleone.

        Liked by 6 people

  23. I am not much into slogans as they feed emotional reactions but I thought of onw worth considering. It is “Support free speech, oppose the leftist Taliban”.

    Liked by 5 people

        2. That was too funny.
          Here we are reading all these spiritual deep thoughts one after another.
          When suddenly God brings us back to reality.
          Thanks SusanLittleLight for making the angels smile.

          Liked by 1 person

  24. I campaigned so much at early voting in late January that I got frostbite on my gloved fingers even though I wore gloves; I have idiopathic Raynaud’s so didn’t realize it. A girl was there who was paid to help make sure voting was going smoothly; she said she was neutral and then said she had answered a questionaire showing she was very liberal.

    Charlie, yes, Donald Trump is our chosen one to represent all Christians; Thanks be to God that he is so strong; God has a plan and may his Divine love and protection be with him and those who work with him along with the police! Catholics who vote Democrat are not Catholic!

    Liked by 9 people

        1. If it’s a picture, Linda, the key from the directions in the “Answers to Techie” section is this: URLs for pictures have many variants. The easiest ones for our purposes here end in “.jpg”. Many end with gobbledygook letters and numbers. You can sometimes edit the URL so that it ends with .jpg or a similar acronym.

          Liked by 2 people

          1. Thanks Beckita…honestly I can’t even remember what it was?!?! Lol 😂 I think it was the link on fb about the black man asking medical blm if black lives matter in the womb. It was surreal! They cheered him on until he asked if they defend blm in the womb then SILENCE! We have been so duped in our country!😩

            Liked by 2 people

  26. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/an-identity-crisis-in-the-priesthood

    https://cnsnews.com/article/national/john-jakubisin/sen-josh-hawley-urges-religious-conservatives-take-lead-after

    … & anti-Semites too.
    https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vort-blm-is-anti-catholic?mc_cid=566306adb7&mc_eid=2a0b6c7ef6

    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/coronavirus/erosion-trust-10-things-public-health-establishment-got-wrong-about

    Nobody knows who the CTH Mystery Man is but he must be “Connected”.
    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/17/jerry-nadler-lawfare-planning-to-impeach-ag-bill-barr/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/17/senator-josh-hawley-takes-on-the-gop-political-establishment-the-fraud-of-the-conservative-bargain/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/16/tucker-carlson-highlights-googles-ideological-control-and-congressional-inaction/

    https://www.lifenews.com/2020/06/17/actor-kevin-bacon-old-white-guys-should-just-shut-up-quit-talking-about-politics/

    Lots of “good” stuff in the below today … Unhinged Left On-Parade … Something gotta give soon?:
    https://townhall.com/
    https://newsbusters.org/
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/
    http://www.frontpagemag.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 5 people

  27. “I’m going to sign an executive order today,” Cuomo said, “recognizing Juneteenth as a holiday for state employees and I’m going to propose legislation for next year making it an official state holiday.”

    “Juneteenth, a combination of the words June and nineteenth, commemorates the end of slavery in the United States, which occurred on June 19, 1865 when slaves learned of their emancipation. ”

    https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/17/cuomo-to-propose-making-juneteenth-a-new-york-state-holiday.html

    Cuomo announces a State holiday for officially freeing the American slaves rather than honoring the Sacred Heart of Jesus for freeing all of humanity from the very real slavery of Sin.

    What a nut job!

    Btw, I find it ironic, all the nuts screaming they don’t want police are now crying over the cops calling in sick for a blue flu. You get what you want. good luck.

    Liked by 6 people

    2. Sean, you’re right: Cuomo is a nut job. He is also mistaken that Juneteenth commemorates the “emancipation of slavery.” Lincoln emancipated individuals, not an institution or condition. It may just be a matter or semantics, or maybe Cuomo is simply historically illiterate.

      And the author of the article to which you linked is certainly historically illiterate: the Emancipation Proclamation did not “end… slavery in the United States,” as the author claimed. Rather, it freed only those slaves in the Confederacy. Slavery remained legal in those slave states which remained (in the case of Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland, and Delaware) or became (in the case of West Virginia) part of the United States.

      Liked by 7 people

  28. Here we go again, media circus is now claiming if you have type A blood you’re a vulnerable population with a increased risk of dying from Covid 19. I guess the left has to restoke the flames of fear before it goes out…

    Liked by 5 people

  29. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! …. PM 😉

    https://www.jkmi.com/the-most-sacred-heart-of-jesus

    http://blog.adw.org/2020/06/seven-teachings-on-hell-from-st-thomas-aquinas/

    https://www.catholicleague.org/gorsuchs-flawed-anthropology/

    https://amgreatness.com/2020/06/17/gorsuch-takes-a-knee/

    https://www.lifenews.com/2020/06/18/planned-parenthood-president-we-have-to-do-everything-we-can-to-get-trump-out-of-office/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/17/devin-nunes-discusses-big-tech-targeting-of-on-line-conservative-content-there-is-not-a-more-important-issue-than-this-issue/

    I expect that Bill is essentially correct in the below. There is little doubt that BLM & ANTIFA have become the militant/violent arm of Democrat Party USA …. just as the KKK was the militant/violent arm of the Democrats from 1867-1963. ;-(

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/18/reports-internal-messages-organizing-saturday-july-4th-as-police-strike-day/

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/18/americans-should-never-again-comply-with-pandemic-lockdown-orders/

    …. & “Doctor of the church of ………”? – Billary Rodham Clinton:
    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/06/hillary-clinton-president-trump-tried-hijack-christianity-bible/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 5 people

  30. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    Is it my imagination? ….. or are the Bad Guys (Church & State) exposing themselves in This Time for Choosing?
    https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/bishop-releases-pride-month-video-lamenting-white-privilege-apologizing-to-gays

    https://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/us-catholic-bishops-praise-supreme-court-daca-decision

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/2020/06/18/the-big-con-the-heritage-foundation-and-the-federalist-society-are-being-funded-by-google/

    https://abcnews.go.com/US/federal-court-backs-california-gov-gavin-newsoms-orders/story?id=70856597

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/06/18/anthony-fauci-americans-dont-believe-science-and-they-dont-believe-authority/

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/commentary/the-trap-of-worldliness

    https://www.wnd.com/2020/06/newt-gingrich-generations-brainwashing-paying-off-left/

    https://videos.whatfinger.com/2020/06/19/tucker-there-are-two-versions-of-the-law-something-is-happening-in-america-and-you-are-the-victim

    https://pjmedia.com/columns/stephen-kruiser/2020/06/18/the-second-american-civil-war-has-already-been-fought-and-academia-won-n544759

    Yep … Ol’ Andy won’t let Trump have a rally but had no problem ordering China Plague carriers into Nursing Homes killing thousands, turning NY into a “Sanctuary State” where tens of thousands of Illegal Aliens gather without vetting for disease or criminal record …. and Trashing Cops that’s become a major “plank” in Democrat Party politics. … What a Country ;-(.
    https://www.breitbart.com/clips/2020/06/18/cuomo-i-wouldnt-allow-a-large-political-rally-in-new-york/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 4 people

  32. If you have an android device, Google installed a COVID-19 tracking “thing” . Go to settings->google-> you should see it there.

    Congratulations, your phone is your “mark” of compliance with the beast..

    God bless.

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Please tell me how to find it. I looked in settings, but where? It’s not shown on the apps. I keep location turned off and data also. Maybe that makes a difference. I don’t use the phone that way very much at all. If I’m out, I can briefly turn data on to check one email. Can one of you tell me where it is in the settings? Thanks in advance.

        Like

        1. Annie, I have an iPhone and have disabled automatic updates of the operating system (IOS) for now. IOS 13.5 is the version that introduced these features. If you have updated to the latest IOS, and you go to Settings->Privacy->Health you would see something about COVID-19. Fr. Richard Heilman had a post on Facebook with screen shots (from a friend) that showed what it looks like. As I said, I have disabled the auto updates, but I have had to do it everyday. It seems like it gets re-enabled everyday.

          Liked by 1 person

    2. You still have options. Leave phone at home or in car. Or if you can’t, there are these bags called faraday bags. They block all signals to your phone. So, if you had to take it with you, try not to use it and keep it in the bag except for emergencies. That would limit the tracing 😉

      I resisted the cell phone craze ’cause I’m contrary like that. I have one, but try to use it as little as possible. The google maps driving app is so nice, ah. But it is possible to wean yourself from it. That might do us all a ton of good.

      Liked by 3 people

        1. Yw! Not my idea, I asked my engr. kid for options.

          My phone is old and has a removable battery—that also works, but it would annoying to do. Newer phones you can’t easily remove the battery. So a bag is easier and would fix both these problems.

          But yeah, we should all develop the habit of sticking the phone in a faraday bag, to mess with the “new normal” plans. It will be awkward at first, a painful weaning from instant text alerts and all, but easily become second nature.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Littlelight, there are so many Faraday bags on the market. Can you recommend a good one that one break the bank (there are 5 cell phones at our house)?

            Like

            1. I wish I could Mick, but I don’t know anything of it, ‘cept what I’ve written. Maybe someone who has purchased one will chime in.

              It’s good to know a cookie tin works, but a soft-side sleeve would be very useful. I once saw a line of ladies handbags that had this shielding built into the bag, to prevent credit card theft, mainly.

              Liked by 1 person

                1. Funny, immediately after I posted this, Lambzie walked up to me, without knowing anything about this discussion, and handed me a Faraday pouch as an early father’s day present.  Here is the info:  http://www.edecdf.com, FBSNW, #X000HEXGX3—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

                  Like

                  1. Haha, that’s pretty cool. Whatta coincidence, eh?! That link also looks like a great choice. You’ll have to report to us how you like it.

                    Like

                    1. Works great.  I put my cell phone in it, dialed it from another phone and it did not ring because the signal could not get in or out.  —- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

                      Liked by 3 people

      2. Used Cookie tins make excellent Faraday cages.  So save the tin from those Christmas butter cookies.—- Sent from Doug’s Back Pack

        Liked by 2 people

  33. I am sure others already know this but something has come to my attention: a sort of “confluence” of prayerful celebration of the two hearts of Jesus and Mary and the need for intercession against great evil:
    https://www.ncregister.com/blog/joseph-pronechen/dont-miss-these-two-big-feasts-this-week
    and
    https://usgraceforce.com/spiritual-warfare-weekend-against-witches-disciples-of-lucifer/
    Seems to me that as things get worse, we become more knowledgeable about how the battle is being fought (the people of the Kingdom and the people of Heaven vs the ruler of the world).

    Liked by 6 people

    1. Praying, Joyful, that people with courage to evangelize will hit the streets – like Todd White in this video footage – and interact with the lost and forsaken who are wandering with an orphan spirit.

      Liked by 4 people

  35. Desmond will you put your piece on here that you put up on fb yesterday? Or may I or Beckita? It’s sooooooo 🍖 meaty!!!! 🥩

    Like

  36. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! ….. PM 😉

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/sacred-heart-of-jesus-thy-kingdom-come

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/06/in_a_world_of_sheeplike_conformity_hillsdale_college_takes_a_stand.html#ixzz6Pnk6mYkg

    https://stream.org/trump-uyghur-human-rights-policy-act/

    I don’t need more info to convince me that Something is Rotten in The State of Vatican but ….. Perhaps the perfumed Vatican princes should watch something besides CNN International or BBC World News?
    https://www.churchmilitant.com/news/article/vatican-hails-non-violent-black-lives-matter

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/defund-the-usccb

    https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/06/free_speech_is_under_full_assault.html#ixzz6Pnix9ezD ;

    http://forliberty.news/2020/06/15/punishing-wrongthink-rs-nl/

    https://townhall.com/columnists/ryanbomberger/2020/06/19/juneteenth-and-modern-day-slavery-n2570935

    Meanwhile in Civil War II News …. ;-(
    https://stream.org/this-is-why-we-cannot-put-our-trust-in-the-supreme-court/

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/06/19/the-anti-police-rioters-finally-got-me-to-buy-my-first-gun/

    https://noqreport.com/2020/06/18/cultural-marxism-hits-peak-insanity-as-master-bedroom-removed-by-mls-advisory-board/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 4 people

  38. Saw this online today and I can’t help but note two conspicuous elements. According to the site, it was taken in Spain by a Jesuit Priest at the end of March 2020. According the the Priest, the Apparition appeared at exactly the same time as Pope Francis was lifting up the Blessed Sacrament during Mass.

    Then there’s that foot path bending to the left.

    Don’t we just want to sprint across that field to the tree?

    Liked by 4 people

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Published by charliej373

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