One of the Family

Posted on by charliej373

nativity (1)

By Charlie Johnston

Things are starting to take shape. By the end of the week, CORAC will be formally registered as a non-profit. Sometime shortly thereafter, we will have a dedicated bank account that can accept donations and pay bills. The database is being mounted as we speak. At least a spreadsheet will go out to regional contacts by the end of next week – and I expect to have initial main contacts set up in each region by the end of this week. Meantime, a website is being built and should be launched in the next couple of weeks. The National Conference will be on the weekend of September 12 and 13 in Limon, Colorado. I will be setting up the program over the next week and a half. For information on hotels and such, contact Mary Lapchak at lapchakma@gmail.com. Limon is just 70 miles east of Denver International Airport directly off of I-70. It has abundant hotels because it is something of a crossroads, yet maintains a sort of plain, rural, western feel. There will be a professional videographer taping this one, so the quality of the video will be much higher than at my presentation a week ago.

A lot of people have been sending me suggestions on how to enhance security and keep everything private. Truthfully, I have mixed emotions about that. While I appreciate the thought involved and the reasonable concerns, I largely want to do this openly, right in front of God and everybody. If you want your voice to be heard loudly throughout the world – (and I want that for us and all the seriously faithful) – worrying about muzzles seems counter-productive to me. If anyone wants to shut us up, I want them to have to do it right out in the open, not behind a curtain of secrecy. I feel strongly about this. It is kind of like when I refused to take any defensive weapons on my pilgrimage or to filter the water I drank from streams: we are either on God’s side or we are not. If we are and are dedicated, He will use any efforts to thwart us to advance His intentions (which is NOT the same thing as saying we will never be thwarted). If we are not, we ought to be thwarted – and rethink and regroup. I want the dedicated enemies of faith to be forced to reveal themselves. So I am open to mild, prudent steps – but my basic attitude is that if you want to stop us, have at it and see how that works out for you.

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When all is said and done and this Covid scare is in the rearview mirror, I think it is going to be seen as the biggest case of gaslighting and public policy malfeasance in the history of the world. That is not to say it was not a serious matter. It is a very strange virus that barely affects most people under 40 at all, is roughly akin to the flu (though NOT as deadly) for people between 40 and 70, and is very dangerous (at least twice as dangerous as the flu) for people in their late 70’s and older. Actual medical studies show conflicting evidence on the efficacy of masks and physical distancing. Some show some real help in preventing spread of the infection, others show some genuine dangers, including some long-term damage. But the key is that, except for those in their late 70’s and older, this is more innocuous than the flu. If all these draconian measures imposed from government are justified, why aren’t the same measures justified for every flu season? That is going to become a MUCH more important question – because what all the draconian measures ARE good for is establishing social control and getting people accustomed to following orders that are not democratically adopted,  just imposed by ambitious bureaucrats and politicians. If that is the case, even the mildest risks can be used to justify vast usurpations of authority by a preening elite over the rest of us. I think that, in the end, after all the inflated stats are pulled from the Covid numbers in the U.S, the actual death toll will be well below 100,000. To worry about new infections, with what we now know, is an exercise in futility. You don’t hear much about Sweden anymore – because it is inconvenient to the narrative. Early on, when Sweden chose to forego shutting their economy down or enforcing strict rules on their citizens, the leftstream media and politicians predicted it would become a veritable Zombie Apocalypse. Sweden bet that it would quickly establish a herd immunity by counting on the good sense of its people to take sensible precautions and protect the most vulnerable. Now, both deaths and the infection rate are collapsing in Sweden. They were right – and our preening, incompetent, public health officials here – and the media who trumpet them, hate that.  If we institute contact tracing for Covid, we should institute it for the flu, too. It is not about public health anymore, but about getting a massive DNA database forced on the population. Covid has not just been the equivalent of a mosquito – an annoyance. It has been more like a wasp you are allergic, too. A vigorous approach was justified. But we have shot ourselves in the leg to get rid of it. I deeply respect science. I loathe its evil twin, #science. The pretense of expertise among our bureaucrats will not survive this fiasco.

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Following is the written formal transcript of my talk in Limon last week, entitled, “One of the Family”:

Jesus Christ is true God and true Man. The Eternal Son took on our humanity some 2,000 years ago. In doing so, He condescended to become a member of the family of man. After accomplishing His salvific sacrifice on our behalf, He rose into heaven to resume His place with the Father and the Holy Spirit. In doing so, He invited all who will follow Him to become part of the family of God.

I start with some home truths, some of them truths that have been lost by many of even the most pious among us. These truths are foundational to living the next right step well in communion with each other.

The first truth concerns resurrection. Many – probably most – modern Christians believe in a gauzy, ghostly afterlife. But they don’t really believe in resurrection (which is a specific type of afterlife) because they don’t understand the original meaning of the word. Most Jews believed in an afterlife – the same gauzy, ghostly one modern Christians believe in. So why did so many of them get so furiously angry at St. Paul for preaching resurrection? Because it is a very different type of afterlife than what they believed in. Paul taught not that our spirit will supplant our physical body in the afterlife, but that our spirit and body will be fully united – and for which our present bodies are the seed. This glorified body will be as different as an oak tree is from the acorn by which it was raised – but it will be a real, unique and identifiable body. Paul emphasizes this reality constantly, particularly in the 15th chapter of 1st Corinthians. It is a true body that, even so, is bound neither by space nor time. After the Resurrection, when Jesus called to His disciples from the shore at dawn, He ate fish with them to assure them He was not a ghost. Yet when He appeared to them in the upper room, neither the walls nor the locked door impeded His quiet entry. All faithful Christians know that Jesus was a man. I tell you from the Gospels that He is a man, His divinity and His humanity united in the perfect harmony in which He appeared to His followers and in which He will come again in glory at the end of time. He is Our Lord – and He is also our true Brother, constantly inviting us to become one of the family with Him.

Early on in the first chapter of Genesis it is written that God created man in His own image; in the divine image He created them; male and female He created them. If, then, man is created in God’s own image, he must share in the fundamental active nature of God. What is God’s fundamental nature? Through the eternal procession of love between the persons of the Holy Trinity, He creates. This was the tragic error of Enlightenment thinkers: they painted man as fundamentally a consumer – a complicated animal, which, given food, shelter and companionship, would be content. But man can be neither content nor live with the dignity with which God endowed him without living his nature as a creator. Even the Enlightenment thinkers, the Marxists, Socialists and tyrants of all stripes know this implicitly: they reserve to themselves and a small cadre chosen by them the role of creators. It is only the vast multitude of little people of no account who must meekly and gratefully accept the largess of their betters. This is the second truth.

This reality, which all progressives deny, has unfortunately led many of the faithful to assert that all people are children of God. But this is NOT what the Bible says.  What it actually does say – in the first Chapter of John’s Gospel, is that, “to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave power to become children of God.”

The Church founded by Jesus Christ – God, Himself – was the first religion in history that had no ethnic or geographic barriers to membership. Anyone could become a Christian. But you cannot become one by being just what you have always been. To become one of the family and secure its benefits, you must embrace its duties, living in accord with Our Lord and Brother. Our faith is not a mere moral system; it is an intimate familial relationship in covenant with God. It is not hard. Jesus, Himself, says that His yoke is easy and His burden light. But it is the consummate and transforming work of a lifetime. It is not like joining a social club – it is being adopted into the very family of God. God gives you the power to become part of His family, but He does not force you. If you do not choose to exercise that power, though, you are NOT a child of God. You make that choice not so much by what you say as by what you do. The parable of the two sons in the 21st chapter of Matthew makes that very clear. The one son told his father he would obey but did not; the other said he would not but did. Jesus asks quite pointedly which of these did his father’s will. God imprints each of us with a knowledge of good and evil to start with – and then judges us by what we do with the knowledge we have. Thus, no one can justify actual evil by saying he didn’t know – for God gives us that knowledge in the starter package. And no one can get away with refusing to follow the knowledge he is given in order to refine his faith. What a glorious and amazing faith we have! It is devised so that the simplest among us can easily get to the heart of it – and the canniest among us can barely begin to plumb its depths.

The third truth is that God’s love is absolute – and absolutely unselfish. Surprisingly, many Christians are fuzzy on this point. They think that because our God is a jealous God and demands our exclusive devotion, He must be somewhat vain. To the contrary: He does this for our benefit, not His. We are family. You are jealous of your own kids’ devotion (at least you are if you are good parents). If you let them go traipsing off wherever and with whomever caught their fancy, you would expose them to grave (and perhaps mortal) danger.

If you owned the only fountain – the only source – of clean water in all of Colorado, one would say you had cornered the market. Though tempted to charge an exorbitant price for this vital commodity, you might well charge a reasonable price instead and be acknowledged as a profound benefactor of the people of the state. Either way, you would not be without gain for yourself.

God is the only source of living water in the universe. He is the only source of life in the universe. He invites us to drink freely from His fountain of living water solely because He wants us to have life – and have it abundantly. He gains nothing by it. He loves us and wants us to live with Him rather than die in outer darkness – which are the only two choices in the universe. He leaves the choice to us, though, all while longing passionately for our salvation rather than our destruction, solely because He loves us.

The fourth home truth concerns the mother of Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary. Many modern, otherwise faithful, Christians are, at best, indifferent to Mary and, at worst, downright hostile to her. This baffles me. It was not part of the Reformation and, in fact, has only arisen over the last 200-300 years. In his last sermon in 1546 Martin Luther, the founder of Protestants, said, “Is Christ only to be adored? Or is the Holy Mother of God rather not to be honored? This is the woman who crushed the serpent’s head. Hear us – for your Son denies you nothing.” Yes, Martin Luther called her the Mother of God, for there were plenty in that day who maintained that Jesus was not God at all, just a man born of a woman who grew to become a profound moral teacher. But serious Christians – both among the Catholics and the Reformers – knew that when the 2nd Person of the Trinity, the Eternal Son, chose to take on our humanity, He chose to be born of a human woman, a woman chosen from all eternity to become Mother of the Eternal Son – who took on our humanity without abdicating His divinity.

If the phrase, “Hail Mary, full of grace,” offends you, your quibble is not with Catholics, but with the Archangel Gabriel, for this is the salutation with which he greeted her at the Annunciation. If the phrase, “Mother of God,” offends you, you are offended not just at Catholics, but at Martin Luther, John Calvin, Ulrich Zwengli and the rest of the founders of the Protestant movement, who all referred to her under that title – often, admittedly, to emphasize Christ’s divinity rather than her maternity – but the three I mentioned by name were all serious Marian devotees.

In the first chapter of the Gospel of Luke, during her Canticle of Praise, Mary says, “Behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.” You cannot coherently claim to believe in the inerrancy of Scripture while simultaneously implicitly denying the truth of this passage.

The prejudice against Mary that has grown strong in some Christian circles once filled me, too, with dread at properly acknowledging her. Wanting neither to be deceived nor to offend God, I humbly told the Lord that I was going to pray the Rosary (which is not so much a paean to Mary as it is an extended contemplation of the life of Our Lord WITH Mary) for the next three weeks. I told no one else. I asked Him to show me, during this period, whether this was approved by or offensive to Him – and that I would abide by what He showed me. I have been a Marian devotee ever since, joyfully going with her to her Holy Son.

I strongly recommend this method to all serious Christians. I know that, for some men, Christianity is just the pretext they use to justify their efforts to impose their will on others. For these, my cry will fall on deaf ears. But for those who are serious, this method leaves the matter safely – and intimately – between you and God.

Our Lord is offended by many things in the modern world. One of the things He is most offended by is the general contempt and indifference with which so many who call themselves Christians treat His mother.

I have said many times that God calls all faithful Christians – Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox – and all faithful Jews to act as full and equal partners in the work before us. And to treat all men of good will, whatever their faith, as true neighbors. I mean it. But this is urgent. God told Job’s seemingly pious friends that, “…you have not spoken rightly of me as has My servant, Job.” God told these men He would not hear their prayers; that they must go to Job and ask Job to pray that they be forgiven, for God would hear Job’s prayers. I tell you, if you call yourself Christian and hold Mary in contempt, your prayers will fall on deaf ears. Go with Mary to her Son and your prayers will be heard – and you will be re-connecting with the deepest roots of your faith, whether you be Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant.”

Now we are in the opening stages of a great cultural battle. A substantial portion of society would make war rather than let our Christian culture and heritage of liberty survive. Understanding the stark depredations that any such war would bring, we must strive mightily to avoid such a cataclysm. But we must firmly resolve to accept war rather than allow our Christian culture and heritage of freedom to perish.

Before discussing how to put our faith into effective action, a few home truths about the base political sloganeering that substitutes for philosophical thought in these times.

The social justice warriors propose to atone for past oppression based on skin color by mounting a new and opposite regime of oppression based on skin color. Our only legitimate choice is to oppress or not to oppress. If we choose to merely calibrate which classes of people will be oppressed and which favored, we just create a wheel in which every class of people will get their turn in the box of the oppressed on a slowly rotating basis. Once you internalize the reality that all are created in God’s own image, racism is impossible. Even now, the purported beneficiaries of the Black Lives Matter movement are disproportionately its victims. It is primarily black businesses, neighborhoods, and livelihoods being destroyed by the Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and Defund the Police movements. This is not a push for social justice, but a pretext for seizing power. Either all lives matter – or no lives matter.

We took a very wrong turn several decades ago when we defined some crimes as hate crimes. This opened the door for those covetous of power to redefine commonplace speech with which they disagree as “hate speech.” In a free republic, criminal law can only be based on what you do, not on what you think. The latter is reserved for dictatorships – and any free nation which adopts it has taken a big step towards tyranny. The only effective cure for offensive speech is more persuasive noble speech. The alternative to free speech is not unity; it is explosions of insurrection leading to civil war for, as a wise man said, convincing someone he must shut up is not the same thing as actually convincing him. This is a lesson that all dictatorships ultimately learn to their sorrow.

In its purest form, market capitalism is simply the conviction that a man is entitled to the bread he has earned by the sweat of his own brow. Socialism posits that a bureaucratic parasite class must be set up that owns all the bread created by everyone and decides exclusively how it is to be distributed. Both systems understand that government can give nothing to anyone without first taking it from someone else. But socialists consider this to be a great feature, for it allows them to mask their seizure of power as social justice. It is also why socialist societies always go broke. Turns out people are not willing to sweat near as much to support the parasite class as they are to support their own families.

Last Friday Chief Justice John Roberts joined the four Democratic appointees on the court in deciding that discrimination against religion is not discrimination at all. The court decided that it was fair for Nevada to rule that casinos, taverns, restaurants, theatres, brothels and just about everything else could operate at 50 percent of their normal capacity – but churches, no matter how large, could have no more than 50 people at a time. It made me think of a rueful comment a friend of mine – also a judge – made to me. He said that whenever someone equates the law with morality, he reminds them that the people who hid Anne Frank were breaking German law, while the people who killed her were following German law. Roberts is the most mendacious chief justice since Roger Taney, who decided the Dred Scott case. He thinks he is protecting the prestige of the courts by veering drunkenly between honest rulings and concessions to the leftist mob that are entirely untethered to the Constitution. He is destroying both the legitimacy of the courts and public confidence in them. The credibility of the entire justice system has become a parody of itself – just another tool in the revolutionary box to oppress Christians and others devoted to liberty and truth.

This is why I have joined with hundreds of people across the country to form CORAC – the Corps of Renewal and Charity. Our faith, our families, our freedom are all under assault from an ignorant pagan left who think they are doing something new – but who are so historically illiterate that they do not know they are summoning a very old and malignant destructor of humanity.

Christianity is not merely one among many competing systems of morality. We are the family of God. As part of the family, we are called to do our Father’s will. God calls all men to salvation. So first and foremost, we must proclaim the Kingdom. I am angered by the pagan leftist revolutionaries, but I also deeply pity them. They have lost the capacity for simple joy and can only harvest their own destruction. If they lose, their bitterness and misery will lead them to self-destruction. If they win, their prize is destruction – not only for themselves, but for many innocent victims as well, just as with Robespierre, Lenin, Stalin, Hitler, Mao and countless other pagan tyrants throughout history.

Our call is to defend the faith, hearten the faithful and defend the faithful. So, while proclaiming the Kingdom we are called to build up and support the faithful who are under assault. And should the pagan left take power and hold sway for a time, CORAC will act collectively to defend the faith and physically defend the faithful. We will not submit to any tyranny that denies God; not even a soft tyranny that says we do not have the same rights and privileges as looters and rioters – or even as gamblers, johns at brothels, and restaurant and theatre-goers.

While the question remains in dispute, we will organize Christians to support each other and to support those who, though they are not of us, fully support religious freedom, the Bill of Rights and the foundational principles of faith, family and freedom.

Our rights are not granted by government. They are endowed to us by God Almighty. The founders recognized this. They did NOT set up a government which granted us rights. They set up the Bill of Rights in acknowledgment of what God had endowed us and as a test of the legitimacy of any government. The first duty of any government is to secure and defend the natural rights of its citizens. When it ceases to do so, it abdicates its legitimacy and forfeits the loyalty of the people who occupy its boundaries.

Unfortunately, since World War I, most Christians, including leaders have defined themselves as relentless pacifists, often making them willing dupes and enablers of tyrants. It was not always so. In the Middle Ages, Islam launched a war of extermination against Christianity. The Muslims had taken all of the Iberian Peninsula and big chunks of France and Italy – determined to wipe Christians from the face of the earth. The faithful mounted the Crusades as the Christian counter-attack against this vast Muslim aggression. Our schools largely paint the Crusades as an instance of an unprovoked Christian attack on “peaceful” Muslims – yet another of the many things leftists know that just aren’t so. Christianity defended itself and prevailed.

St. Joan of Arc went to war in the early 1400’s to rescue France from annihilation. Christians are not – and have never been – required to sit and accept their destruction while impotently wringing their hands over it. At times we have lacked the power to defend ourselves effectively. We do not just have the option of defending other Christians under assault; we have the positive duty to physically defend our brothers and sisters when they are under assault.  We pray by doing and do by praying. Neglect nothing.

So, we will act as the family of God. We will proclaim the Kingdom to all. We will not initiate any conflict. But we will stand boldly for the family. When our leaders stand boldly, we will gather with and support them in solidarity. If they neglect their solemn duty under God, we will stand anyway. When our brothers and sisters are assaulted, we will defend them. If they are physically assaulted, we will imitate the Crusaders, St. Joan of Arc, and St. George and will physically defend them.

We want no quarrel with anyone. Above all, we would that all men would exercise the power God has given them to become children of God, drinking freely from the living waters that lead to eternal life and joy. But we will defend the faith, hearten the faithful and defend the faithful. That is the least that members of a family can do for each other.

128 thoughts on “One of the Family”

  1. Thank you for your diligent work, Charlie, and thanks to all those who have stepped forward to be part of getting CORAC up and running.

    How desperate are the Dems who continue to play Covid games for political advantage. Back in 2015, when we were discussing that many of the elderly may die before the Storm crested, who could have guessed that the lethal policies of some democratic mayors and governors during the Covid lock down would be the cause of so many elderly ones dying… and without the love of family surrounding them at their death beds… and with beloved family and friends denied the privilege and honor of praying the deceased home, in solidarity, at their funerals. Inhumane… at several levels. I appeal to these elderly victims of crass mismanagement to pray for us as we carry on in the Storm.

    Liked by 19 people

  4. Starting with “On Friday, Chief Justice” Is, I feel, exactly what I will share with those who I think would be interested in being a part of CORAC. Thanks Charlie!!

    Liked by 8 people

  6. We’re at WAR! Not the conventional type of war like what was fought in the past, but a ideological war that eats away at a person’s & society’s mind, heart, & soul. The left including Liberals, communists, globalists, & socialists have used Covid 19 to gain a measure of control.

    If communist China really did breed & use Covid 19 against the world, then it’s not that morally different than using bombs in terrorism.

    Liked by 12 people

  8. How will people “join” CORAC? Will there be a registration website? Will CORAC have its’ own email distribution list that is different from asignofhope379?

    Liked by 6 people

  9. Bravo, Charlie. I love all of it, but some really stands out. One instance is the quote from Luther about Mama. I pasted into an email to myself to keep it. My husband is a Lutheran convert and doesn’t say anything outright, but may not fully understand my strong Marian devotion. However, after over 50 yrs. of marriage, I have seen him grow spiritually; so proud of him!

    The other portion I read and said AMEN! about is your comment on “hate crimes”. Every time I hear that on the news, I shout to the TV that they’re crimes, period. Yes, if it doesn’t turn around, we are on the road to tyranny for sure, and have been heading that way, telling us what we can think and say out loud. Oy vey!

    Liked by 9 people

  11. Re the Nevada casinos vs.religious gatherings: perhaps those churches can advertise bingo starts at !0:00 a.m. Sunday; and after a few games the number caller announces, “G -1, for the Gospel of John-Chapter 1 and reads a few paragraphs….and then returns to calling numbers, so forth and so on 🙂

    As Justice Gorsuch wrote in his ruling on the matter: ‘But there is no world in which the Constitution permits Nevada to favor Ceasars Palace over Calvary Chapel.’

    Commemoration of the miracle of Our Lady of the Snows Mary, health of the (spiritually n physically) sick, comforter of the afflicted, ora pro nobis.

    Liked by 8 people

  12. I totally support CORAC plans.
    I want to attend in Sept with my husband, but I wonder if it is 100% necessary since there will be a video and communications that we can plug into.
    I guess what I’m trying to ascertain–what is the importance of attending in person?

    Liked by 8 people

    1. San San, when I can, I love to be there, in person, for these kinds of events. I find the Holy Spirit is alive and active in a special way when people gather in solidarity for good. I think of it as a prelude to the Mt. Meeker gathering in being able to meet, face to face, the wonderful, talented, dedicated people in this community.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Agree completely about trying to carry on in secrecy, Charlie. Whispering through the air vents and tapping on the walls in Morse code is how prisoners and slaves live. Not my (our) style.

    Liked by 7 people

  15. Seems the Ammonium Nitrate
    that caused the explosion was being used for some nefarious purposes.
    This event is reminiscent of the munitions depot in Russia that blew up which helped precipitate the fall of the USSR.
    I feel for those who where killed/hurt by this event but if it helps end the world violence from terrorism, the effect is welcomed. I just wish we could do these things on our own with love instead of it eventually blowing up in our face!!

    “In September 2018 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned global leaders at the United Nations that Hezbollaw was producing guided missiles near the location where the explosion occurred on Tuesday.”
    https://www.citizenfreepress.com/breaking/netanyahu-warned-global-leaders-iranian-terror-weapons-were-being-produced-at-beirut-factory/

    Liked by 9 people

      1. An amazing theory, Beckita! It sounds plausible, though I am no scientist. The first reports of an accident didn’t really make any sense.

        Liked by 2 people

  16. Charlie, yes, we the silent majority can be silent no more! President Trump must have known I needed a new bumper sticker and sent me one; I told him about my sign at the local voting locations. Maybe someone here can come up with a good statement in a few words that I can use; in 2016 it was H. Clinton favors partial birth abortion. I will be happy to join CORAC in Dallas and can find a few friends to join also; a friend told me about your blog and I share it with others.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Hi Mary Ann, What about A vote for a democrat is a vote for communism. Or Democrat=Communism
      A vote for a republican is a vote for freedom…Republican = Freedom

      I don’t know if that helps or not.

      Like

  19. Spirit Daily linked to a NY Times story about covid treatments.
    You guessed it – once again denies Hydroxy.
    However, I scrolled thru the 179 comments. Only about three condemn the article’s findings.
    Here is one of the best: by Fourteen14 Boston…”The negative studies on HCQ were primarily due to not also dosing with Zinc – which is the active ingredient – it is the anti-viral. HCQ is an ionophore that transports zinc through the lipid cell membrane to where it disable the Virus. Doesn’t do much good without Zinc. Negative studies also used crazy 2,400 mg doses that 65 years on WHO’s list of essential medicines say is toxic. Any minor tachycardia can be managed with magnesium. Doctors using MATH+ have attained under 5% C19 mortality rates. The non-scientific hysteria against HCQ has killed many thousands.”

    and fromJOSEPHTexas: HQC was available over the counter in France until January. Coincidence? It is over the counter in a lot of the world. Researchers & front line physicians play an equally important role, but Dr’s on the front lines in a pandemic with a new virus actually see first hand what works. Luckily I live in a State that hasn’t banned HQC, and if I get infected I will go that route. Not because of what Trump said, but because of what Dr’s are saying. To be honest there is no reason for a shutdown, or any of this nonsense. It’s purely political. Banning therapeutics and taking Covid to nursing homes is a crime against humanity. All to drive the numbers up. It’s evil, sick, and twisted. Once this charade is over, a lot of people will pay a big price for their deception.

    Liked by 12 people

    1. For the Sake of the Sorrowful Passion:

      I hope that you are correct in saying that the perpetrators of the deceptions will pay a price. Under the present reality not many are called to account for their actions. We must pray for God’s justice.

      JT

      Liked by 9 people

  22. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2020/08/the-real-damien-of-molokai

    https://www.churchmilitant.com/video/episode/vortex-she-will-crush-your-head?mc_cid=077e872ce5&mc_eid=2a0b6c7ef6

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/against-integralism-a-thomists-case-for-limited-government

    https://www.catholicleague.org/defense-dept-must-ensure-religious-liberty/

    https://justthenews.com/government/congress/democrats-planted-false-stories-effort-derail-biden-investigations-grassley

    https://thefederalist.com/2020/08/05/teachers-unions-are-attempting-political-blackmail-its-time-to-break-them-up/

    https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/08/book-review-gun-control-myths-handbook-useful-numbers/

    https://townhall.com/columnists/victordavishanson/2020/08/06/our-annual-august-debate-over-the-bombs-n2573760

    https://stream.org/category/us/
    http://www.frontpagemag.com/
    https://pjmedia.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 7 people

    2. Praying for all of us stuck under her thumb, Bob.

      I really do not like that woman. I pray for her eternal salvation, but I also pray that she and her ilk experience temporal justice for what they have done to this country.

      Liked by 9 people

  24. Hello, Charlie, everyone … I’ve been a follower of this site for a few years, although German (married to a retired American Army officer) and living in Germany … REALLY wished we had sth. like CORAC here, … don’t know what will be in store for us here in Germany in the months/years to come (the mood in the country is glum, MOST Catholics don’t even bother attending Holy Mass anymore, despite being allowed back in reduced numbers) … but I take courage from all the posts on Charlie’s website. My prayers of support for all of you in the wonderful USA, and asking for yours, too. GOD BLESS!!!

    Liked by 16 people

    1. Welcome to commenting, Margit. It may well be that you, in Germany, will be able to adapt – for your country – whatever templates are developed and shared here in the US. My maternal grandmother’s parents immigrated to America from Germany. Definitely praying for you all in your country as well as those all over the world. This Storm comes to all of us who will eventually be one flock under one shepherd. God’s Blessings

      Liked by 12 people

    4. Willkommen Margit Coffman! 🙂

      Ich bete mit dir für Deutschland …

      Gegrüßet seist du Maria, voll der Gnade. Der Herr ist mit Dir. Du bist gebenedeit unter den Frauen und gebenedeit ist die Frucht Deines Leibes Jesu. Heilige Maria, Mutter Gottes, bitte für uns Sünder jetzt und in der Stunde unseres Todes. Amen

      Liked by 6 people

  25. A fb friend of mine just sent me this and I think it’s very powerful. Hopefully I’m not duplicating what’s up already, but really excellent Homily given our situation! Wish we had lots and lots more of these homilies!

    Liked by 10 people

    3. Yes, Linda,
      Fr. Altman is a regular contributor to Fr. Heilman’s US Grace Force. I had never heard him speak although I read his essays on the USGF website.
      Thanks for this!
      God bless,
      Katey in OR

      Liked by 6 people

  26. Just joined NRA because dems trying to dissolve it. Maybe I’ll even get a gun! Hoping to marshall the troops to do some major public displays of prayer. Gotta get out there and be visible.

    Liked by 9 people

    1. Kim, I joined the NRA during my college days. I used to regularly wear my NRA baseball cap to class at my extremely liberal school. I’m pretty sure it ticked some people off, but nobody ever said anything. 🙂

      Seriously, though, if you want a gun, you need to get the ball rolling ASAP because there’s such a backlog on many firearms (and ammo) right now.

      Liked by 8 people

      1. Mick–Already been looking! My brother and his buddies have been advising and looking for me too. I’m getting an NRA cup that I will proudly use and display out and about. I want it to be clear where I stand.

        Liked by 8 people

      2. And please, if you plan to purchase a firearm or if you already own one, practice using it!
        In an emergency, the adrenaline can overwhelm your cognitive ability.
        With practice, handling your firearm becomes more natural and even an unconscious act, like driving your car is.
        To a hunter, buck fever is a common symptom of an adrenaline overload. There are all kinds of hilarious stories about buck fever, but if these same examples of cognitive loss had happened during a self-defense act, they would not be so funny.
        When I hunt, I do not even remember the use of my firearm when shooting as it has become so much a part of me because of the years I have used it. It has become second nature for me to shoulder a rifle, click off the safety, aim at the kill zone and pull the trigger, then rack in another shell while assessing if the first shot was adequate or not.
        All this happens within a few short seconds, but my focus is on the target and it’s behavior, not on how I handle the gun.
        I have chased wild hogs through palmetto patches with a revolver and this is not the time to have to think about how to use a pistol!
        Reversing this scenario and me being the one chased by the hog raises the adrenaline rush to a more real-life defence condition I could expect if I encountered an attack by a human aggressor!
        A safer real life scenario you can experience is playing paintball. There is plenty of adrenaline doing this and the practical use of a weapon against or by an aggressor. There are also firearm competitions that will give you simulations which can sharpen your skill and confidence with your weapon, but here, no one will be shooting back at you like in paintball.
        Bottom line is, don’t expect to be able to apply any self-defence if you have no idea how to use self-defence properly and safely for you and those around you that you love who may be injured if you become clumsy or absent-minded by an adrenaline rush during a situation.

        Liked by 8 people

          2. I heard Wasp Spray shoots farther and will blind the attacker temporarily until they get to a hospital for an antidote! Has anyone else heard this? God Bless!

            Like

            1. Yes, Turtle– I had heard that and then just saw it had been used by someone! Good for home use, but pepper spray would be easier to carry when out and about.

              Liked by 1 person

        3. My son plays paintball. He says that they are now making the “bullets” with pepper spray. In addition, those things must really pack a punch all by themselves. He wears highly protective gear when he plays. Unless there are actual bullets being sprayed at a person, these paintball guns could probably throw off a person who is showing aggression….. I am not sure I could shoot a person to save myself. But I could do it to save my son or my daughter-in-law. However, I have no training. And my upper body strength is not good….My son has the paintball gun as well as a rifle and something else. He knows how to use them and he is a good shot. I bought them; I told him we may have to hunt for food one day.

          Liked by 3 people

  27. A wee clarification about the National Conference in September. It will actually start Friday evening Sept 11th thru Sunday afternoon Sept 13th. We are currently trying to negotiate hotel prices for the hotels in Limon. 🐿🐿🐿

    Liked by 8 people

    1. Hi Farm Girl,
      Is there a schedule as far as times/dates go for the September meeting? Your post was the first I read about meeting Friday evening. We are planning on traveling down with our camper again and looking at reservations. Is the KOA going to be included your planning?
      ________
      This is how God works-since our oldest is getting married the following weekend in Colorado, I had made my mind up that we would skip the September CoRaC meeting. I said to God, if You want us there it will have to come through my husband. Guess what my husband said this morning after rereading the 1st Limon meeting transcript.“We have to go to Colorado.”
      _________
      I am smiling as I type this and my heart is filled with Joy, Joy, Joy.

      Liked by 1 person

  29. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://www.bluearmy.com/august-is-dedicated-to-the-immaculate-heart-of-mary-heres-how-we-can-be-dedicated-to-her/

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/08/perils-pretending-war-something-else-david-horowitz/

    https://www.theamericanconservative.com/dreher/letter-from-an-angry-middle-american-veteran-civil-war/

    https://stream.org/first-they-came-for-the-nra/

    https://www.nationalreview.com/2020/08/new-yorks-lawless-nra-lawsuit/

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/chris-bedford-america-closer-mob-rule

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2020/08/06/exclusive-cotton-google-suppression-of-political-news-critical-of-democrats-is-election-interference/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/sharyl-attkisson-facebooks-fact-check-board-gets-lot-likes-soros/

    https://www.defenseone.com/threats/2020/08/top-dod-spox-no-conclusions-yet-cause-beirut-explosion/167514/

    https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/3-iranian-planes-landed-in-beirut-after-explosion-what-did-they-bring-637691

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 4 people

  30. Lest we forget… Firearm control. Unloaded guns kill or maim.

    “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”

    Liked by 3 people

      1. Yes, Axios is a far left reporting source, Littlelight, and this is why I think the interview with Swan is so extraordinary. He (Swan) fought to keep the lies alive during the interview and then wrote his retraction when he discovered his error. The salient point was expressed well by Gottschalk: “As Democrats are spared hard questions from corporate media in the run-up to November, they’ve gotten away with passing a range of outlandish election plans that are hugely unpopular with the American public, without almost anyone knowing about them.”

        My beef with “Q” is this: for the last three years, I’ve read and heard people who follow “Q” say things like, “buckle up” and “grab your popcorn,” to watch the show. And week after week, month after month, the promised show never materializes. I do believe there must be a LOT of people working behind the scenes to support the great good which President Trump and his team are doing. And I still pray that if all that is alleged in the “Q” drops is still in the works, that God protect those involved – and all who may involved in others ways as well – to bring about a win of good over evil. Maybe all the promised “Q” stuff WILL come to pass IF it is in God’s Greater Plan for these times. But truth be told, ONLY God knows how all these things will unfold. I want what He wants because His ultimate focus is on reclaiming as many people as possible.

        If God’s Way, at this point, is to allow this government to crumble while saving the most souls in that kind of scenario, then Blessed be God! If He deems that our government can be saved, resurrected and renewed while saving the most souls, then Blessed be God!

        Liked by 6 people

        1. Bingo, Beckita! Yes, yes, yes! I find myself angry about the erosion of the the great nation our forefathers conceived, and the apparent blindness of so many who should be noticing. But, like you say, if that’s God’s plan for the greatest good— I’m good with it. Whatever is His will is certainly what’s best for us. It is a challenge to keep that focus– need loads of prayer time.

          Liked by 6 people

            1. Me too, Beckita. I want to be at peace no matter what happens, and to be ready to act at all times. I’m trying to stir up interest in doing a large Eucharistic procession and rosary here. Seems a long shot at the moment but….maybe!

              Liked by 6 people

        2. Excellent, thank you! Yes, Swan did retract, good for him. It’s hard to take any reporter that works with/for Axios seriously, after reading the very unapologetic Q smear piece re-blogged on SD. Your assessment is a good one about Q. I too, find myself wishing it could be as promised, popcorn, show and all. God’s will is easy when it meshes with my own. Other times, His will has been a very difficult mystery. +God help us, everyone, to accept your most holy will!+

          Liked by 4 people

    1. Read this disgusting piece when it was published, Dorothy. The former satanist Zachary King has traveled far and wide to deliver this message as well. Oh how the satanists need our prayers. (Just a brief reminder to all that our comment policy includes adding a line or two to convey why a link is being shared… although I admit, this speaks for itself.)

      Liked by 3 people

  33. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! – PM 😉

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2020/08/evangelicals-trump-holds-event-las-vegas-casino-amid-nevada-ban-gatherings-50-people-houses-worship-video/

    https://disrn.com/news/the-satanic-temple-argues-their-abortion-ritual-is-protected-by-religious-freedom-laws

    https://www.christianpost.com/news/cdc-director-agrees-that-hospitals-have-monetary-incentive-to-inflate-covid-19-data.html

    https://www.westernjournal.com/exclusive-gen-flynn-letter-america/

    http://www.floppingaces.net/2020/08/07/the-week-in-radical-leftism-8-07-2020/

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/mike-pence-john-roberts-scotus-severino

    No Cops = No Insurance Companies.
    https://www.ntd.com/jkc-trucking-stops-deliveries-to-cities-pushing-to-defund-or-disband-police-departments_493058.html

    https://freebeacon.com/national-security/protests-preceded-biggest-chicago-murder-wave-in-decades/

    https://www.foxbusiness.com/real-estate/nyc-relocations-rise-substantial-rate

    https://hotair.com/archives/ed-morrissey/2020/08/07/final-mail-primary-failure-rate-new-york-city-20-8/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 4 people

  35. Friendly PSA

    The St.Muchael Prayer sound really good and is a pleasure to recite when spoken in the manner of Elrond at the Council od Elrond.

    (:

    Grace and Peace

    Liked by 3 people

      1. The commas confuse me, so I have been vocalizing it ; I recite it after the daily rosary. This morning, the last two stanzas came out in the manner of Elrond to my suprise.

        I greatly admire the craftsmanship if those shakespearean(?) trained voices; I am mulling reciting the peayers in that manner…probably after I learn them in Latin

        Liked by 3 people

        1. Its a short vid, watch to the end where Elrond speaks again, then imagine reciting the St. Michael Prayer’s clising stabzas in that manner

          Like

  36. Thanks for the update, Charlie! One thing though is that Sweden is *not* doing well containing Covid. I double checked National Review (in case what I was reading was too biased) and there are several articles about how their number of cases and deaths are far higher than their Scandinavian neighbors and their leadership is saying they would do it differently next time.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Hey Mentor. Sweden IS doing well. All the media, including much of National Review, were rooting for a long time for Sweden to fail because it did not follow the conventional wisdom. The media failed to explain the heart of what Sweden’s fundamental goal was – which was to establish a herd immunity strong enough to protect them from a second season this fall, betting that establishing that immunity would result in fewer deaths overall while frontloading the infection rate heavily. Thus it was baked into the cake that they would have a heavier load of infections early on than most. They did have an infection rate much higher than their immediate neighbors and a death rate that was higher, too. Even so, their death rate never got to as high as even a third of what the death rate in New York and New Jersey are – where draconian lockdowns have been harsh. The ONLY regret top Swedish public health officials have expressed is that they did not act quickly enough to protect and segregate the elderly, particularly in nursing homes. Unlike New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Michigan, though, Sweden quickly identified the mistake and corrected it rather than mulishly refusing to admit any error. Their bet IS paying off now, as the death rate has plummeted and the infection rate has flattened out dramatically, too. The real test will come as flu season begins again this fall. If Sweden was right, it will have one of the least problems in the world – while all those who adapted draconian measures will simply have kicked the can down the road without establishing any effective immunity. I should note that all should be careful of conflating death and infection rates. Infection rates can be sky high and are not a problem if the death rate is low and/or you have effective palliative measures.

      Anders Tegnell, Sweden’s chief epidemiologist, remains contemptuous of the rest of the world’s counter-productive panicked response and is unapologetic except for not acting on the nursing home and elderly issue more quickly. For what it’s worth, I have been staying on top of this, checking raw numbers and rates every few days. If Sweden’s bet does not, ultimately,pay off you will hear it here early – but almost all the media has egg on their face if they would actually report it because, thus far, the progression to truly flat infection and death rates is almost precisely how Sweden originally modeled it and how it has happened there. Here is a balanced, solid piece from a few days ago that gives the latest overview of the whole situation – with both actual numbers, potential risks, and current experience. At this point, Sweden IS doing quite well – and the new flu season coming up will largely tell whether they got it right or miscalculated.

      Liked by 10 people

      1. Hi Charlie

        You wrote, “For what it’s worth, I have been staying on top of this, checking raw numbers and rates every few days”

        Why? What prompted you to do this?

        Is it because yoy expected the suvsequent lies?
        .thanjs in advance

        Like

        1. When I was doing radio, Timothy, a local controversy erupted. A Forest Preserve Commissioner accused a businessman of wiping out an “ancient oak savannah” to cut a drive to his plant. The commissioner told how many ancient oaks the man destroyed to get this drive cut. For days, the local papers went back and forth with the wildly contradictory stories of the businessman and the commissioner. It had become the hottest local story. I got irritated with all the “he said-he said” stuff and just went over to the site to measure. This was easily verifiable and I thought it pure laziness not to find out who was telling the truth. What I found was that, for the commissioner’s charges to be true, you would have to define an “ancient oak” as no more than 10 inches in circumference and spaced no more than 10 inches apart – and even then, you would have had to stack them five deep for the charges to be true. My last very sarcastic line in my commentary on it was, “I suppose it could be true. After all, those trees were never so well fertilized as when B—- started talking about them.”

          It’s just my way. When obvious agendas are in play on what can be easily verified, I just go to the raw numbers and data. I don’t like being played – and I don’t like to play my readers. My credibility means something to me.

          Liked by 8 people

          1. “When obvious agendas are in play..”

            That is the key, thank you!

            I was worried you were a suoer-nerd who knew and followed the minutia of every issue.

            Good to know that you are human like me.

            The tells for something stinks are…”studies show”, “a majority of scientists say”,
            “Science!” exclaimed in place of an argument, scientists, like climate schyster Michael Mann who will not publish their source data for open source review, “Appeals to title” such as “xyz, direcrltor of Some agency”

            Notice that the above is an example of Reason enlightened by Faith,as is your example of “obvious agendas in play”

            Veil of Veronica had a post some months back about learning to rely on the other members of the Body of Christ instead of thinking we had to do it all ourselves, an impossibility, btw.

            tl;dr, I will focus on the things I can do right in front of me and leave the things I cannot, or “are not meabt for me” to people I trust and not worry about walking into the woods to measure trail widths ti compare against the average diameter of an ancient oak’s trunk.

            The covid zinczy, c-zy, hydro-whatnot stuff is a perfect example of this; SteveBC obviously enjoys pouring over periodic tables and reading footnotes in medical journals …etc

            Grace and Peace and thank you for your work and reply

            Liked by 5 people

      2. Well thanks for that thorough reply! Before I read this I asked my husband, “Am I supposed to go to Sweden’s health dept’s website and track the data myself to find the actual truth? What has happened to journalism??” I keep hearing our modern time referred to as a post-truth world and it sends shivers up my spine.

        Liked by 2 people

        1. It is a horrible thing, Mamma. People SHOULD be able to have some trust in institutions. Most people should NOT have to become serious researchers in order to find out basic information. It is a failure of our elite classes. It has just become downright insane.

          Liked by 4 people

    2. Great to hear from you again, MammaBook. As far as I can tell, those National Review articles you mention were from May and June. The Townhall piece – published just a week ago – to which Charlie links is the most recent update I’ve been able to find on the data concerning the approach which the Swedes took.

      Liked by 3 people

      1. Oops, Charlie and MommaB. I missed that Charlie had already responded with this clarification as I was back at the “moderation station” reading, responding to and clearing comments.

        Liked by 1 person

  37. Fellow Patriots!!! Watch our President in CoRaC action last night!!! Ha!!! Who told him?!?!?! Watch at 38 minute mark especially!!!🤗❤️🙏📿✝️

    Liked by 4 people

    1. Wow and more wow! I went to David J. Harris fb page that shows on this video. He’s a pro Trump black man with a lot to say! He’s amazing and fantastic! I highly recommend his fb site to see videos he’s made. I don’t use fb, but it let me see it all.

      Liked by 3 people

  40. JESUS = GOOD NEWS! 😉

    https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/remedies-for-discouragement/

    https://www.crisismagazine.com/2020/the-white-supremacist-roots-of-the-abortion-industry

    https://www.westernjournal.com/obamas-legacy-165-pages-records-surface-detail-cash-fetal-tissue-scandal/

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/conservative-catholics-biden-silence-anti-catholic-vandalism-arson

    https://www.foxnews.com/media/nasa-eskimo-nebula-siamese-galaxy-harmful-terms

    Ya can Bet de Farm that in ALL Blue States and Urban Areas you will see blatant Voter Fraud and Cover-Up of same. “Get Trump at All Costs” should be Biden’s Motto.
    https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/virginia-absentee-ballot-applications-sent-dead-people-and-wrong
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/over-80000-mail-in-ballots-disqualified-in-nyc-primary-mess

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/mattvespa/2020/08/07/new-york-ag-could-soon-discover-that-to-attack-the-nra-only-makes-them-stronger-oh-itll-help-trumps-reelection-n2573948

    Trumps quote, “You may not see me for awhile.” has created a stir?
    https://operationdisclosure1.blogspot.com/2020/08/hal-turner-white-house-staff-gathers-to.html

    https://ifapray.org/blog/president-trumps-ominous-statement-at-speech-in-ohio-what-does-it-mean/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!

    Liked by 3 people

    1. Yes, Trump’s statement has created a stir. There are multitudes of people on the ifapray.org site that are praying for him, and the rest of us also in many places. What could he have meant? As he says there are so many who hate him. And then they all gathered to watch him take off from the WH.

      Liked by 8 people

  43. My guess is this is too long for our moderators to put up on our site since it is well over an hour, so if you don’t put it up that’s ok. I’m finding this revisit to I’m sure “blessed” Tony Mullin Flame 🔥of ❤️ love quite heartening these days as the clouds ☁️ thicken and the. satans assaults are becoming more focused on those of us trying to help Our Lord and Lady save souls (and maybe ours as well?!?!). 🤷🏻‍♀️

    Very inspirational!

    Liked by 1 person

  44. Pingback: On Our Own, But Not Alone – A Sign of Hope

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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.