Signs and Wonders

Posted on by charliej373

By Charlie Johnston

Queens, New York – At times, when feeling playful in my research, I have gone on deep dives back decades, even over a century, looking at newspapers for general trends. It was on one of these forays that I discovered that if a president wanted to build a successful term, he would do well to follow the New York Times editorial page and do the opposite of whatever it recommends. It really is amazing. When, historically, bold action has been called for, the Times has almost always counseled restraint. When restraint was called for, the Times has ever been wildly hysteric. I followed that thread all the way back to 1850. Given its consistent bad judgment going back almost two centuries, it is astounding to me it decided to abandon what it once did well – straight news – to be all opinion and all advocacy all the time. At least it hasn’t lost consistency in its judgment.

I once got a bee in my bonnet to see what various literary critics had to say about classic books at the time they were released. Again, I was astounded. It led to a larger survey of literary critics through the ages. I concluded that literary critics, historically, have largely been frustrated, wannabe authors lacking wit, discernment, and wisdom. Routinely, they have trashed classic masterpieces shortly after publication as trite, pandering, and vulgar while waxing eloquent about pretentious period pieces that were out of print within a decade. Weird stuff. It does kind of confirm the old canard that those who can, do; while those who can’t, teach (or comment). Yeah, yeah, I know…it could be a dig at me – who has spent a huge chunk of my life as a commentator.

More pointedly, Kamala Harris had best start doing the opposite of what her instincts tell her to or prepare for life as a commentator. Ah well, Hillary Clinton could use the company. And better for the rest of us to have two kvetches hectoring us than either of them governing us.

*********

I am terribly naïve sometimes. I was foolishly optimistic as ultrasound technology entered its early stages. I fully believed it would reveal the fullness of the humanity of the unborn child – and then we would step back from the abyss of abortion, which was originally justified under the mantle that the fetus was an insensate “blob of tissue” – nothing more than that. By the early 80s, ultrasound was, indeed, proving incontrovertibly the humanity of the unborn child. Even Planned Parenthood (PP) took notice. Imagine my horror when, in 1983, instead of stepping back from the abyss, PP sent a memo out to its affiliates noting that the “blob of tissue” argument was no longer viable, so they would have to move to a “right to choose” argument. It was almost identical to Stephen Douglas’ argument in favor of “popular sovereignty” in the 1850s – that it should be left to each state to choose whether it would allow slavery. “Let the people decide!” – all while completely avoiding the question of the humanity of the enslaved at that time and the humanity of the unborn in our time. It was shocking to me.

For a very long time, at least into the 2010s, I prayed frequently that the Lord show everybody what I was seeing. If He did, surely we would step back from the abyss of terror we were storming towards. Now, in real time, we are actually experiencing a lot of it, if not yet the worst of it. And what do the acolytes of dysfunction do? They double down. I always knew the road to hell was paved with good intentions. I never dreamed it would be lined with crowds cheering on their own destruction – but that is where we are. Clearly, the Lord knows the potential depravity in the human heart far better than I can even dream of. Thankfully, I KNOW that everything He does is designed to draw the greatest number of people back to the safe harbor of His bosom.

God loves the ordinary – and so do I. I believe and publicly claim to have had myriad mystical experiences. For all the spectacle inherent in a genuinely mystical experience, it is in the ordinary where the most important work is accomplished.

God has forsworn Himself from interfering in our free will. How, then, to accomplish real reform and renewal? I know many are worked up over such prophesied miracles as the Warning and the Illumination of Conscience (among others) these days. Though he sometimes works in very stark, undeniable ways, those are extremely rare. Almost always God prefers to give us an out – a naturalist, materialistic explanation of His works, however contrived. In the attempted assassination of Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, if Trump had turned his head even a tenth of a second later, we would have a film as horrifying as the Zapruder Film. That’s a pretty stark intervention. The only thing that could have made it starker was for the Hand of God to visibly come out of the sky and turn Trump’s head. Yet still, God left room for people to scoff that it was a lucky coincidence – even with no margin for the slightest error in time or space.

One would think we would learn from the reality that most authenticated prophecies were accomplished in subtle ways we did not expect to be more subdued in our exuberant expectations of a big fireworks show. But we are a hard-hearted people that struggles to learn the most basic things. There is a vital reason why God so loves to work through the ordinary – and give scoffers an escape hatch. When you convert through intimidation and spectacle, you get a lower quality of recruit. You get people you can’t count on if another opportunity comes along for them to pretend they are their own God. When you act through the ordinary, the people who join you do so out of love; love for God and for neighbor. They may occasionally stumble out of temptation or fear, but you can pretty much count on them otherwise.

The truth is that signs and wonders are largely for unbelievers and doubters. Oh, God sometimes sends them to confirm a decree…and He often does them in little, intimate ways to encourage and hearten believers. But for the most part, they are for unbelievers – the many doubting Thomases among us. If you do what you do out of love for God and neighbor, you don’t need signs or wonders to sustain you. If you perpetually doubt – or fear that it is all just fantasy – you are more apt to cling to signs and wonders to hold the darkness at bay.

Now we are in the midst of great things unfolding. Most who are focused on the Warning, the Three Days of Darkness, or the Illumination of Conscience are just positing their idiosyncratic versions of how the fireworks show they imagine will unfold – to intimidate all into submission. I say that all are happening, right now, before our very eyes while none but a few wise men and shepherd boys notice.

I’ve gotten several dozen letters these last few years from people who were confronted with hard facts that registered with them – that completely destroyed their previous world view. Every single one describes going into an existential crisis. For three days they could not get their footing, caught between what they once believed and now know is not true and what truth can possibly be. Then, they set out building their worldview anew, bereft of false premises. Not one person in these independent accounts said they struggled for two days…or for four days. Every single one told me their mind was darkened, unable to process anything – for three days.

About 15 years ago we entered into a neo-pagan, post-Christian age. Our streets are no longer safe, the economy is tanking, despair is rampant as suicide soars, and we are flirting with global nuclear war – just for starters. We are reaping the consequences of our infidelity. We have been warned.

The Illumination of Conscience will show us the state of our own souls. Over the last decade the rot at the heart of both the hierarchy of the Churches and of our secular culture has been revealed. For several years now we have been choosing who and what we will serve. The lies are no longer hidden – yet many are choosing what they know to be lies, whether for influence, out of sheer vanity or whatever. We are still free to choose the lies, but when we stand before God, we cannot say we did not know what we were choosing. Our conscience stands revealed. God is separating the sheep from the goats.

In the end, we may get one or more of the fireworks shows we so eagerly anticipate. If so, it will only be so much confetti sprinkled over a cake that is already fully baked and frosted.

A lot of people get very upset when I say the fireworks show they so eagerly anticipate and insist is the ONLY way God could possibly fulfill an authentic prophecy they like is unlikely to happen the way they think. I don’t care. At this point, I don’t care whether we do or do not get a few fireworks shows of the type those of impoverished imaginations can perceive is the only way possible to fulfill prophecy – even though such events are extremely rare from the God who wants to give scoffers a way out. What I do care about is that people get so fixated on the spectacle of their impoverished imagination that they fail to see what is happening in real time all around them. It is pathetic to watch people eagerly searching for what has already been fulfilled or is being fulfilled before their very eyes. Far too many Christians have become Naaman (2 Kings 5:8-14). But Naaman ultimately repented of his insistence upon a spectacle – and was healed. Now, I worry less about convincing people that there will probably be no spectacle. I hope that when no spectacle comes, people will remember my words, let the scales fall from their eyes, see what is happening all around them in real time, and turn to the Lord with their whole hearts.

I know what a delight it is when God reveals Himself intimately in a way He usually doesn’t – and how it can bolster you for the journey, even for someone who otherwise has substantial mystical experiences. While attending a Noon Daily Mass at Our Lady of Peace Shrine in the Silicon Valley, I was utterly charmed by the vivid image of Our Lady of Tepeyac painted at the back of the Sanctuary, revealed when it was opened for distribution of the Eucharist. I later asked the Priest who hosted me whose idea it was to paint that. He looked at me baffled and eventually took me down to show me there was no such image. But for me, during Mass, it was there as bold as life. I cherish that little caress.

If is nice to have signs and wonders from time to time, but if you need them to prop up your faith, then that faith will be too fragile to endure the journey across this valley of death we must now traverse. Faith is an act of the will. The only thing strong enough to sustain it through great and extended trial is love – for God and for neighbor. The time will come (and right soon, I might add) when no sign will be given except to those who need no sign to sustain them in their resolve to take the next right step in God’s service. When I say, “Gird your loins,” I mean to gird them with the resolve that only such love can sustain. It is the only thing you must have for your journey. Get this and all else shall be added as you need it. Omit it and be forever mired in the shoals of doubt and disbelief.

*********

I was shocked when Kamala Harris told people who said, “Jesus is Lord,” at her event in La Crosse, Wisconsin, that they must be at the wrong rally and had them kicked out. Could it be any clearer what is now at stake?

Up through 2004, whenever I voted in a presidential election, whatever I thought about the candidates, I was just voting for a candidate. Though we did not know it at the time, in 2008 those who voted for Barack Obama were voting to replace the Judeo-Christian ethos of the last 1,600 years of Western Civilization with a fundamental transformation into a neo-pagan ethos. Now we know – and we are voting whether to sustain this neo-pagan ethos or begin to return to a Judeo-Christian ethos.

Do not be deceived. A vote to return to the Judeo-Christian ethos that sustained and nurtured us for so very long is not the end of the journey, but merely the beginning. Gird your loins and set your jaw like flint.

*********

I will speak at 7 p.m. in Goffstown, New Hampshire, on Saturday, October 26. Doors will open at five and we will have a potluck dinner at six after saying the Rosary together. Call Doug at 603-858-4966 for the address and to secure a spot. Hope to see you there. (It is fall in New England – and it is starting to look like it.)

Manhattan from my hotel window

If communication goes out for any length of time, meet outside your local Church at 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings. Tell friends at Church now in case you can’t then. CORAC teams will be out looking for people to gather in and work with.

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86 thoughts on “Signs and Wonders”

  1. WOW on the NYT and literary critics research!

    Ha!! You are not only commentator, you are a teacher as well, Charlie.

    Indeed: “What I do care about is that people get so fixated on the spectacle of their impoverished imagination that they fail to see what is happening in real time all around them.”

    And this, too, comprises what it looks like to make a stand with God: “Faith is an act of the will. The only thing strong enough to sustain it through great and extended trial is love – for God and for neighbor. The time will come (and right soon, I might add) when no sign will be given except to those who need no sign to sustain them in their resolve to take the next right step in God’s service. When I say, “Gird your loins,” I mean to gird them with the resolve that only such love can sustain. It is the only thing you must have for your journey. Get this and all else shall be added as you need it. Omit it and be forever mired in the shoals of doubt and disbelief.”

    Liked by 3 people

  2. Sad to say I am one, for decades, who has waited for the fireworks. Slowly, I have to remind myself….. Have mercy on me, O’ Lord!

    As always, thank you, Charlie!

    Liked by 5 people

  3. Wow, Charlie! So many great insights in this blog! Thank you for elucidating on your idea of the “illumination”–I can look back at my own life and see many times how God “illuminated” my conscience based on your description.

    Interestingly, when Obama was running, my skin crawled every time I heard him speak and I felt as if I was looking at/hearing the evil one…which, now we pretty much know was true. I could not understand those who supported him (including some family members–and faithful at that!) and no matter what I said about him, they wouldn’t listen. It was as if they had become possessed by him. The opposite is now happening with Trump–anyone but Trump, is their rally cry. Makes me want to scream.

    In the end, as with all things, I can only pray, trust and not worry. My final destination is not here.

    Liked by 6 people

  4. Hello Charlie,

    I have enjoyed your writings for many years. I have taken in so much information. Some of which caused me to pray on and think about from a different angle. There is so much going on in the world, that I agree it has been like an on going illumination of conscience. But some people are still waiting for a single event.
    I pray for the many varieties of Catholics that are in my parish each week. I am sadden by the many who for whatever reason do not come to Mass, anymore. You and everyone here are in my prayers. God Bless!
    -A priest form Massachusetts

    Liked by 7 people

    2. Prayers for you and your flock, Father. Thank you for yours.

      I just sense that – sooner rather than later – you’ll be overwhelmed with confessions galore. The expression that there are no atheists in foxholes comes to mind and I imagine that when things are at their very toughest in this Storm, the whole world will be a foxhole of varying sorts. I remember that suffering speaks a language like no other and it often brings a person to reach for God.

      Liked by 4 people

      1. Thank you. I believe you are right regarding confession. I believe they will be increasing in the near future.

        Liked by 3 people

      2. I used the “There are no atheists in foxholes” the other day to some twenty-somethings. “What’s a foxhole?” When I explained further about during the wars, they really looked askance at me!

        Lord have mercy on us all!

        Liked by 3 people

  6. Beautiful reflection Charlie. Much needed. I had been hearing a lot about the Warning/ Illumination of Conscience lately and was starting to get a bit ‘antsy’ about it. Your reflection makes a lot of sense. I particularly liked “The truth is that signs and wonders are largely for unbelievers and doubters.” and again, “If you do what you do out of love for God and neighbor, you don’t need signs or wonders to sustain you.” Absolutely true.

    Thank you and God bless!

    Liked by 4 people

  8. But…I really want the bells and whistles! I want my non-believing children to see them. Maybe I want them to see them because maybe then they will quit poo-fooing me, and believe in me??? Wait, don’t I want them to believe in GOD? Yes. But a little bit of me, the selfish bit, I guess, wants them to believe me like they did as kids.

    Liked by 8 people

    1. I have to agree with you, Nance–I really want my family members who have left the Church to have a wake-up call and return. I want to be there with open arms to welcome them back and give any guidance that I can, while there’s still time!

      Liked by 6 people

    2. Yep, Nance! You’re not alone! 🙂 Just seems like other hard core people will need that kick in the pants, even if we don’t.

      Liked by 5 people

  10. “…when no sign will be given except to those who need no sign to sustain them in their resolve to take the next right step in God’s service.” CJ

    The signs we hope for are truly for the doubtful and unbelievers. Jesus even makes that clear when He says a “wicked and adulterous generation ” (Matt 16) looks for a sign. Is it that they are scoffers who use the LACK of a sign as proof there is no God? So for them, a sign would be just another road block to the faith they have already refused their whole lives. The Bible has such people all through it such as when the voice of God called Jesus His son and some said it was thunder. (John 12:29). So they HEARD His voice but hardened their hearts. Sounds familiar. I think Charlie’s main point here is once the Warning is upon us most will have already chosen. Clearly the angels didn’t need a miracle from God to either accept or deny Him. They were given a test and a third of them failed…on purpose! They were shown Gods plan in undeniable clarity and just said no, we will not serve that plan. God’s been showing humanity that plan for thousands of years now and a multitude have said no. If you count up all the miracles and happenings during that time you can see that miraculous fireworks just don’t work like WE hope they would. At least on a grand scale. Even Lucia from Fatima complained that the message was being ignored even after that great miracle of the sun.

    We are truly creatures of the mundane and normal. Even after such great events as the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses’, Jesus’ and the Apostles miracles, we have drifted back into our “former way of life” and for some, it is a wicked and evil generational way.

    Liked by 6 people

  11. I really wish all those signs would pop up, just for few family members who love world and it’s pleasure. They love world so much that no Amount of prayers or sacrifices make them see Lord. It’s so sad..

    Liked by 3 people

    1. It seems to me that praying for the conversion of those, in and out of our families, is something to continue with great hope as Our Lady of Fatima, in July 2017, said: “Sacrifice yourselves for sinners and say many times, especially when you make a sacrifice, ‘O Jesus, this is for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.’” She also said: ““Pray, pray much, and sacrifice for sinners, for many souls go to hell because there is no one to sacrifice and pray for them.” It is a tremendous thing to know that when we sacrifice and pray for our dear one, we are praying in God’s Perfect Will. And it is another mighty thing to know that even one prayer from the heart has great value.

      Liked by 4 people

  13. Always good food for thought, Charlie. I sent my kids a screenshot of your last 3 paragraphs, the “Jesus is Lord” comments. Such a pithy comment on the transition in 2008! We could never have imagined what it would be like now!

    (I thank God that our grown kids are great, conservative, hard working people, but some of them need to come back to the Church! I know they will some day, because they are “chained” to Mama with each day’s rosary, as she told Father Gobbi we should do.)

    Liked by 3 people


  14. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21033/christians-slaughtered-in-nigeria

    https://www.hallindsey.com/ww-10-20-2024/

    https://jimbovard.com/blog/2024/10/20/the-democrats-three-decade-war-on-honest-voting/

    https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2024/10/how_to_beat_the_cheat.html

    TIME TO OVERWHELM THEM WITH THOUGHT CRIMES

    https://www.newsmax.com/amp/reagan/chinese-pentagon-ufo/2024/10/18/id/1184625/

    https://dailycaller.com/2024/10/20/election-litigation-could-shape-2024-race-battleground-states/

    https://www.wnd.com/category/front-page/

    https://floppingaces.net/2024/10/20/sunday-funnies-817/

    SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Liked by 2 people

  15. Has anyone been listening to Michael Matt on Remnant TV? I have to tell you, when Trump changed his stance on Life and same-sex marriage, I took pause. Then when Melania came out full throated about women’s right to choose……that did it for me. I will not be voting for Trump or Kamala. I can not and will not support sin. Before you jump on me, listen to Michael Matt’s reasoning. There are many recent youtube videos to watch. I think Trump would be a better President for the country, but if it means aborting LIFE for any reason or supporting Sodom……I will not.

    I have put up two signs, one says “God is America’s Only Hope” and the other says, ” Respect Life from conception until natural death”.

    If our country goes down, its because we are godless.

    God save Our Souls.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I know that you are a very principled woman, SanSan, and I respect that. Everyone has their line.

      As for me, I do not want to explain to God that I chose to punish someone for not being pure enough by helping to elect the most voracious, soulless babykiller in our entire history.

      We are not there yet on convincing people of the humanity of the unborn – and I would that we were. I continue to do things behind the scenes to get us closer to that goal. Meantime, I will continue to support the most prolife candidate available.

      Liked by 8 people

      1. It’s such a struggle for me Charlie. I KNOW that Trump is better for our country in so many ways. Yes, the lesser of two evils.

        It’s just that since the 60’s Catholics have been compromising with the devil in the “hopes” that souls would choose the good, the true and the beautiful…..Our Lord Jesus and the sacredness of the unborn. You say “We are not there yet on convincing people of the humanity of the unborn”, why is that? Because we are a selfish lot. Godless. God’s commandments are not suggestions.

        It’s been a compromise of “rare” to the slippery slope of all out murder of the unborn. A compromise that so called same sex marriage would be “rare” to Love is Love. Children are bought and sold because we compromised.

        Contraception isn’t evil…..its between the man and the woman.

        God’s commandments and the teachings of Christ Himself have been ignored.

        When do we, as people of God say enough! I will not compromise with the devil anymore. When will the virtue of “Charity” prevail. Loving other for the sake of other?

        Yes, I will stand before the just judge, because I “choose” Him above anything else.

        Liked by 1 person

        1. I’m with you on this 100% SanSan. Obedience to God above all else, and then watch how His faithfulness will rescue you. I have experienced this first-hand with the whole vaccine situation. God has blessed my family and me a thousand times over for staying true to His precepts.

          I urge those who may read this to have faith. God is taking you to the edge of the precipice and asking, “Do you trust Me?” It is not inaction to refrain from voting for two compromised candidates.

          Liked by 1 person

          1. Sorry, LFrancis, but it IS a choice to help install the most prolific, enthusiastic babykiller ever to show your displeasure that the man who got Roe v Wade overturned is not as pure as you. I think it is pure vanity – and I will NOT stand before God with that on my conscience.

            Abraham Lincoln’s most bitter enemies were not the Democrats, but the radical Republican abolitionists who hated him because he was not near as pure as they were on slavery. But he did something they never could: he actually ended slavery. If you want to make this a vanity contest to show who is the purest of them all, have at it. But I intend to win – and I HAVE moved the chains in significant ways on this issue for the entire country. And I work constantly behind the scenes to move the chains for ultimate full victory. I’ll take my chances with my dirty hands and ugly victories. You take yours with your spotless hands that stayed spotless by letting more babies get killed, but taking great care that others should shoulder the blame for your inaction.

            I’m sorry for coming on so hot, but seriously?! Tell me a way where your plan is going to make things better. Tell me a single victory you have won for babies. Hopefully you have, at least, as a sidewalk counselor, convinced a few women not to have an abortion. But if you are NOT going to do the hard, dirty work of moving the chains, please do not make it harder for those of us who are. And do NOT pretend to moral superiority over those of us who fight because you chose to be comfortably clinical when the time for action came. And don’t insinuate that I am not obedient to God. God does NOT tell me to preen about how pure I am, but to get the job done in the real world.

            I am perfectly content that you live your conscience as best you can – and even publicly say so. But to pretend to moral superiority over people like me because you will do nothing except get more babies killed ticks me right off.

            Liked by 3 people

            1. Forgive me for coming across so angrily. I was angry – not at your position, but at the morally superior tone you took.

              Before Joan of Arc took command of the French army, theologians examined her and asked her, if God wanted to save France, why did He need her. Why didn’t He just save France? Her reply was that, “It is ours to fight the battle – and God’s to grant the victory.” By refusing to engage in the battle, it seems to me you want God to do his job – and yours, as well.

              Again, I do not mind a contradictory opinion. But if you want to sell an opinion as morally superior to others, you should come better armed.

              Liked by 4 people

              1. When I see a leader like Donald Trump, I can not help but think of King David and some of the things he did as a leader. Can we not allow room for President Trump, and others, including ourselves, to grow in our Faith. When we read through the Old Testament we will come across a number of characters who were very far from perfect, yet became an ancestor of Christ. Imagine a woman who served in the temple of a pagan deity being the predecessor of Our Lord. (I’m being polite here) There is room for growth here and let’s hope for the best. God has often worked through very flawed individuals and that gives me hope on a personal level.

                Wish I was going to be in Goffstown as I lived in Antrim, NH for 4 years in the mid 80s. It’s a beautiful area with a great many salt of the earth people.

                Liked by 2 people

              2. My deepest apologies, LFrancis. I am sure you did not intend to come across as superior or smug, but I reacted. I have played a much bigger role in events of the last five years than anyone knows – or will know until the judgment. Just in the last month there are some very difficult, sometimes delicate issues being done, with many more ahead, one of which is very major and will go a long way to getting us where we need to be. If we do it right, no one will even know anything has happened until it is accomplished. I have been in the trenches on this for 30 years – and intensely so for the last 10. I reacted badly in the moment. I know frustration hits and hits hard. The sort of brinksmanship you suggested can be, at times, a legitimate choice – and one I have occasionally (if very rarely) used. But it carries with it the danger of setting things back years and even decades. The biggest loss Planned Parenthood took before the overturning of Roe v Wade was on partial birth abortion – and they took it because their absolutists carried the day – and disgusted a public that was not ready to go that far. It set them back badly for a generation. I fear that if the absolutists on our side get their way, it will set us back badly and extend abortion for a generation or two longer than it has to be. We have to get the bulk of people to the point where they really see and feel the humanity of the unborn. That is brutally hard and requires constant work and activity. If we get frustrated before we have reached that critical mass and try to use naked law or brinksmanship, it does not move things forward, but blows everything up that we have already accomplished. Maybe you are right that now is the time for brinksmanship with our 80 percent allies, but I don’t think so. And I am painfully aware of how brutally hard it has been to get where we are.

                If I am right, and you are successful in your plan, I will not live long enough to see the end of the mass execution of babies. If I am right and you are not successful, I think we will see the sudden end of it within a decade, based on things that have already been put in place and set in motion. I am touchy, in part, because after Roe was overturned, I think most of the national pro-life leadership made ridiculously bad decisions for a year and a half – and have just begun to get serious again in the last six months.

                One thing I NEVER think is that trust in God means quitting the battle and just waiting for Him to fix it. I think God has a role He keeps for Himself and a role He insists we play. Trust, for me, is doing the little right in front of me I can and never giving up just because I don’t see the results when and how I want. Ours IS to fight the battle.

                I know we get frustrated because of our terrible myopia. Whatever we say, for 999 out of a thousand, the only good they can see is what happens in this life. I know that this life is mere prelude to the life we will live – almost entirely in eternity. It will only be a brief wink in comparison. It is vitally important, if terribly brief – because how we live this life determines where we will spend all eternity. I worry terribly for the babies in this life and have nightmares over their final agonies, but I also know they spend eternity in heaven, bathed in the baptism of both desire and blood. And I know they intercede constantly for their mothers to repent that they might join them. I worry about the eternal life of the abortion advocates, for they are damned if they do not repent – and neither God nor their babies want that to be the case…so it is critical that we end this in ways that compellingly acknowledge the humanity of those babies that as many as possible of the advocates of abortion come to repentance and be saved.

                I know that, at the Judgment, God will give me credit for every soul I gave effective witness to. I know also that I will be held to account for every soul I could have given effective witness to but did not out of anger or pique. If I had the means to stop abortion forcefully for our whole culture I would – and would take the time for evangelization later…just as the Europeans did with the Aztecs and the Mayans to stop human sacrifice over five centuries ago. But I do not. Imposing your will is always a secondary way – and one that can just as easily spark resentment and revolt as conversion…but an unsuccessful effort to impose righteousness only succeeds in setting off reprisals and spreading even greater evil.

                And so, my apologies for taking the worst possible construction for the motives you brought to your comment.

                Liked by 5 people

                1. Thank you for all your responses Charlie and no apologies needed. I truly respect all you have done and continue to do in this battle (from the little I’ve learned from your blog). As well, I deeply appreciate your humility in apologizing for your initial response. That tells me a lot about you.

                  I owe you an apology! I had absolutely NO intention of coming across as smug / lazy/ passive. I am sorry. All I hoped to share through my response was God’s goodness to me when I lost pretty much everything 3 years ago. I am sorry I was not able to express it better! It cost me a lot when I decided not to take the vaccine due to its connection to aborted fetal cells and it was a terrifying time for me, but He came through and blessed my family in ways I could not have imagined. It was life changing for me to realize that when we are faithful to His precepts, He somehow sees us through.

                  And so, that was the message I wanted to convey. With regard to this election, if one is convinced that neither candidate deserves a vote on moral grounds, take that step forward “off the cliff” and God’s hand will hold you and see you through. Surrender the battle to God. My thought is that sometimes, by thinking we know best, or that it’s up to us, we get in the way of letting Him who is all powerful, act. Again, this is just my view and I know the issue is a complicated one, but just wanted to share my experience. I hope and pray that you and your readers make the decision they know in their hearts is the right one. God bless!

                  Liked by 2 people

                  1. When I was all of 20 years old I was running in a hotly contested race for a unit district school board (it was an unusually important political post because it covered five different communities – and gave victors influence in all of them.) My Mom’s religious convictions were to not vote. While I disagreed with them, they were entirely sincere and I respected her for it. My Dad and some other relatives started pushing her that she had to vote for me. Poor Mom was weepy about it, so I got her aside and told her I knew she was absolutely sincere – and I preferred that she stick to her principles…and that I would tell everybody I had told her not to vote. She was still weepy until I told her that if I had run such a weak campaign that I had to have her vote to go over the top, I was a weak stick who didn’t deserve it. She laughed at that – and all was well. I won…and Mom’s principles did NOT prevent her from celebrating the victory…and she did.

                    Thank you for your gracious response.

                    Liked by 2 people

              3. Everyone needs to vote for trump! I get so irritated when people won’t vote for him because he isn’t perfect. Many babies are in the stake here!!!😬

                Like

        1. Hahaha…I know your husband, and I know he knows he will need more than that to get you to do something you don’t want to. I wouldn’t mind a little time as a fly on the wall at your house the next few weeks…would make for a great show!

          (For those who don’t know, SanSan and her hubby are wonderfully kind people who have counseled many and opened their home to a few troubled younger people. They live their faith well.)

          Liked by 4 people

    2. I did some calendar math:

      1973: Roe v. Wade (Republican President Richard M. Nixon in office 1969-1974)

      1974-1977: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Republican President Gerald R. Ford in office)

      1977-1981: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Democratic President Jimmy Carter in office)

      1981-1989: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Republican President Ronald Reagan in office)

      1989-1993: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Republican President George H. W. Bush in office)

      1993-2001: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Democratic President William J. Clinton in office)

      2001-2009: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Republican Present George W. Bush in office)

      2009-2017: Roe v. Wade still in effect (Democratic President Barack Obama in office)

      2017-2021: Roe v. Wade overturned 2022 (Republican Present Donald J. Trump in office)

      2021-present: Abortion a state issue (Democratic President Joseph R. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris seeking to re-legalize abortion nationwide)

      Republican Presidents with Roe v. Wade in effect at end of term: 5

      Democratic Presidents with Roe v. Wade in effect at end of term: 3

      Republican President with Roe v. Wade overturned at end of term: 1

      You-all can do more detailed analyses of how long Presidents were in office, how many Supreme Court appointments were available, who was nominated, how they were vetted, etc. The bottom line, though, is that President Donald J. Trump and six Supreme Court justices (three of whom he nominated) got it done after nearly 50 years and returned the abortion issue to the states, where it had been before Roe v. Wade.

      God bless,

      Sister Bear

      Liked by 4 people

    3. Please listen to this US Grace Force video. Fr. Ripperger says that we must vote to “preserve the good”!

      I truly believe that God saved Trump from that bullet. We must pray for him and Melania for a change of heart! I have no doubt that they are both under daily attacks by the evil one.

      Liked by 6 people

      1. Thanks for bringing this forward, Jewelsword. I have appreciated Fr. Ripperger’s short clip with his point that when we vote for the lesser evil, we are actually preserving the good that is.

        It seems to me that in a real dimension, to not vote is a form of quietism, even if unintended, a sitting on one’s hands rather than partnering with the Lord in co-creating a New Beginning.

        Liked by 6 people

    4. sansan,

      The decision to choose the lesser of two evils is a personal choice between us and God. But to judge righteous judgement takes a properly formed conscience.

      I think it important to remember Jesus did not council anyone to change their vocation but not to sin– “Go and sin no more”

      There are many examples.

      He told the Roman soldiers not to extort the people and to be satisfied with their wages and for the tax collectors not to charge more than they should. (Luke 3). He did not tell them to leave the evil Romans and become His followers but He gave them the out to follow Him while remaining a soldier or tax collector in the service of Rome. Jesus told Ananiast to help Paul because he was His chosen instrument to proclaim His name to the Gentiles, despite his known reputation as a persecutor of Christians. (Acts 9). After driving out Legion Jesus told the demoniac to go home to his family, and tell them everything the Lord had done for him and how merciful he had been so the man remained and also went to the Ten Towns of that region to evangelize. Jesus did this despite the townspeople asking Jesus to leave because He drove the demons into the swine herd which were then destroyed. (Mark 5) Jesus gave Pilot a pass to judge Him as power to do so had been given him from “above” despite Jesus referring to it as a “lesser sin”. This was necessary to redeem the world from the “greater sin” — the fall of Adam and Eve.

      Jesus allows us to remain where we are because it is important to one’s vocation to do it well and without sinning and to “bloom where we are planted”. Jesus uses sinful humanity, still in our fallen state, to do his will towards our reclamation.

      Liked by 2 people

  16. Charlie, Thank you for these calming words. I really needed to read your post tonight. It is very difficult lately not to get caught up in looking for the “great sign”. Time to notice the simple signs already there.

    Liked by 1 person

  17. Charlie, I am wondering if term Judeo-Christian is not contradictory in itself. Jews who rejected Christ, and their contemporary descendants are strongly rejecting Christianity, deeming it as a false belief. Christ was and is a fraud to them. Even muslims have some regard for Jesus, they regard Christ as a prophet and recently it was the Turkish president Erdogan who pressured pope Francis to condemn the mocking of Jesus at the Olympics in Paris. I understand Jesus Himself was a jew, Christianity evolved from Judaism, yet the current Judaism rejects Christianity and Christ.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. To use a sports analogy, Pawel, you could compare Jews and Christians to fans of, say, the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears. However animated their disagreements, they are fans of football. Muslims are fans of soccer – an utterly different sport.

      All seriously religious Jews I have seen treat Christians with respect and affection – disagreeing with us that Jesus is the Messiah. St. John Paul said that Jews are our elder brothers in the faith. The Apostle Paul said that, in His mysterious way, it pleased God to maintain a remnant of Jews denying that Christ is Messiah – and that it would remain that way until the fullness of the Gentiles had been completely evangelized – and then the remaining Jews would be brought into the Church, as well.

      I am neither interested in trying to amend God’s plan as described by the first Apostle to the Gentiles nor to launch a Jihad against fellow faithful people who disagree substantially with me, but treat me with respect and affection.

      Liked by 4 people

      2. Thank you, Charlie. True, example of Sweden and what is going on in Europe prove how Islam aims at subjogating other religions using brute force on a daily basis. Bombs explode in Sweden every other day after 800 000 Islam migrants moved there. Recently Sweden offered each illegal immigrant over $30K if they move back to their countries, yet almost nobody took that offer (initially only 4 immigrants agreed). On the other hand,from my Polish perspective, it is sad that contemporary Jews are blaming Poland as much as they find Germans guilty of holocaust. Historically, Jews moved to Poland in medieval times because they found most freedom there, they coexisted peacefully yet whenever an invasion occured against Poland they sided with the invader (example: Swedish deluge, Bolschevik invasion in 1920, also even the first year of WWII Jews in Poland complained that Poles (to save themselves) pretended to be Jews. Even the first Auschwitz prisoners were Poles, not a single Jew). Then KGB officials killing Polish soldiers after WWII were Jews. Currently it is taught in American schools that Poles in town of Jedwabne burnt Jews alive in a barn and robbed them of all precious belongings, while the witnesses and the exhumation that started there years ago proved it was Germans and when the facts were coming out, (and the soil doesn’t lie – German bullets, precious belongings still there, etc.), the Jews from USA pressured Polish government to stop the exhumation… And now again it is propagated by Jews that stopping that exhumation by Poles is another proof of our guilt. In reality thousands of Polish families were executed in the later years of WWII for sheltering Jews, including the Ulma family canonized not so long ago by pope Francis.

        Liked by 1 person

  18. Speaking of three days – many years ago, I denied the Church’s absolute prohibition of contraception – what happened next, and almost immediately a chain reaction started – I denied that the Church was founded by Christ – then I denied the divinity of Christ – then I denied the Trinity – then I denied the existence of God – everything fell in quick succession, like dominoes – that state of unbelief lasted three days — at first I felt tremendous relief, “being freed from religion” – then it began to rot out and turn to despair – on the third day I felt myself being pulled into a black hole – I then cried out: “help me Jesus – I believe” – instantly I was rescued.

    Liked by 4 people

  19. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … Happy Day …..  😉

    https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/18/premature-twins-small-enough-to-fit-in-the-palm-of-your-hand-head-home-from-hospital/

    https://catholicexchange.com/three-misunderstood-sins-explained-by-our-lady-of-la-salette-part-i/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/an-emperor-for-the-modern-world

    https://catholicexchange.com/the-ten-cs-of-a-good-confession/

    https://aleteia.org/2024/10/19/satanic-spectacle-in-france-leads-to-consecration-to-sacred-heart

    https://sharylattkisson.com/2024/10/undeclared-toxic-elements-found-in-covid-vaccines/

    https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/three-things-must-do-keep-america-first-nation-cease

    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/texas/article-13947303/venezuelan-gang-tren-aragua-american-cities-crime.html

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/oct/20/trump-is-not-real-threat-to-democracy

    https://www.thefp.com/p/debanking-america-melania-barron-trump-january-6-muslims

    https://stream.org/category/us/

    https://amgreatness.com/

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://townhall.com/

    https://thefederalist.com/

    https://www.zerohedge.com

    https://justthenews.com/

    https://mrctv.org/cnsnews

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    https://hotair.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  20. Thank you for this post. Like the Jews in Jesus’ time who were expecting the Messiah to be a warrior-king, we except God to show up in loud and bold ways. It’s more flashy than the still whisper where He always is found.

    I know that I have desired the Warning to shake those who have chosen evil over good. I have wanted the pomp and circumstance of a great illumination to vindicate a generation of children who have been destroyed by the evil affecting their parents. The enemy has seduced so many to his side. I do not know if those who have been seduced know the truth and choose to double down, or if they are so blinded that they believe that their actions and motives are virtuous. Your post is a calling to me to surrender to God. I must continue to trust Him, even when I see evil rising. Time to pull out my surrender novena!

    Liked by 4 people

  21. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    https://catholicexchange.com/how-to-become-saints/

    https://billmuehlenberg.com/2017/10/31/tragic-reality-christian-illiteracy/

    https://canadafreepress.com/article/kamala-tells-catholics-there-is-no-room-in-the-inn

    Naughty Word Guy ….. Let’s Pray he is correct that the Usual Suspect Militia won’t be successful with a “Mostly Peaceful” Fall of Rage Campaign!? … https://jameshowardkunstler.substack.com/p/surprise-surprise-a4d

    https://www.declassified.live/p/the-cheney-family-rule-of-lawlessness

    My Goodness! Need more Proof on which States NOT to live in? Check-Out MN & Guv StolenValor: ….. https://bostontimes.org/2024/10/21/top-states-for-fiscal-responsibility-the-cato-institutes-latest-report-on-americas-governors/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/miacathell/2024/10/21/nathan-wade-transcript-n2646512

    https://reclaimthenet.org/who-chief-doubles-down-on-free-speech-crackdown

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/

    https://humanevents.com/

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258m4bd3.1qnh/8d137f2b

    https://patriotpost.us/digests/111255-mid-day-digest-2024-10-21

    https://patriotpost.us/humor/111249-preaching-facts-2024-10-21

    https://www.wnd.com/category/front-page/

    SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Like

  22. These ideas of the Warning, Illumination of Conscience, 3 days of darkness, etc. are all based on private revelation, correct?

    Like

  23. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … Happy St JPII Day …..  😉

    https://catholicexchange.com/our-submission-to-the-papacy-a-reflection-for-the-feast-of-pope-saint-jpii/

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/pope-saint-john-paul-ii-713

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/church/archives-was-john-paul-ii-a-mystic

    https://theologyofhome.com/blogs/in-place-in-person/thank-god-for-the-hillbilly-thomists

    https://catholicexchange.com/facing-the-challenges-of-divine-love/

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259953/islamic-terrorists-massacre-150-in-burkina-faso

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/solipsism-and-the-synod

    https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/21/heres-exactly-how-tim-walz-denied-medical-care-to-babies-who-survive-abortions/  …….  https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/21/doctors-files-lawsuit-against-biden-and-harris-challenging-their-pro-abortion-regulations/

    https://www.catholicleague.org/new-catholic-film-conclave-to-debut/

    https://nypost.com/2024/10/21/us-news/kamala-harris-town-hall-host-maria-shriver-shuts-down-michigan-voter-hoping-to-ask-the-vp-a-question-we-have-some-pre-determined-questions/

    https://www.westernjournal.com/students-booted-kamala-harris-rally-saying-jesus-lord-set-record-straight/

    https://www.propublica.org/article/church-no-affiliation-catholic-tribune-metric-media

    https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/catholic-hospitals-must-witness-to-the-truth/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/answering-protestant-objections-to-pope-francis

    Made in China weaponized Robots &, YES, VAXXs … What Else!!!???? ….  https://www.malwarebytes.com/blog/news/2024/10/robot-vacuum-cleaners-hacked-to-spy-on-insult-owners

    https://www.city-journal.org/article/no-youre-not-imagining-a-migrant-crime-spree?

    https://catholicvote.org/read

    https://stream.org/category/us/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  25. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    https://www.markmallett.com/blog/the-coming-counterfeit

    https://slaynews.com/news/top-archbishop-endorses-trump-warns-catholics-dont-vote-allying-enemy/

    https://steadfastandloyal.com/us-politics/kamala-harris-hypocrisy-church-pandering/

    https://theacru.org/2024/10/22/the-fall-of-barack-hussein-obama/

    https://reclaimthenet.org/the-british-operatives-determined-to-kill-elon-musks-free-speech-platform-x

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258m4mnl.1p3x/75c8f1fc

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com//

    SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Like

  26. Today, Cardinal Burke beautifully weighed in on the challenges concerning voting:

    Moral Questions regarding Voting

    As Election Day approaches, many have raised serious moral questions regarding how to vote. Sadly, in our great nation, we confront a situation in which both major political parties espouse certain agenda which are flagrantly contrary to the most fundamental tenets of the moral law, agenda against the inviolable dignity of innocent and defenseless human life, agenda against the integrity of marriage and its fruit, the family, and agenda against the free exercise of the virtue of religion. As Catholics, we should be clear that the moral law is certainly binding for us, but it is, likewise, binding for all men and women because it is written upon the human heart by God. For Catholics, as for all men and women of good will, the question is: In fulfilling our civic duty to vote, how can we be obedient to the law of God written upon our hearts in the present situation of deplorable moral and therefore cultural decline and decay.

    In attempting to answer the question of how to vote in good conscience, I refer to the Pastoral Letter, “On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good,” which, as Archbishop of Saint Louis, I published on October 1, 2004. A PDF version of the Pastoral Letter is accessible at the following link: On Our Civic Responsibility for the Common Good.

    While I recommend the study of the Pastoral Letter, I offer the following indications for the question of how to vote with moral integrity.

    1. First and foremost, let us pray and fast for our nation that it will once again serve the good of all its citizens, especially of those who are threatened by the present prevalent anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion agenda, by obedience to the moral law. Let us pray for the conversion of our national culture from violence and death to peace and life.

    If you are not already participating in the Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe – Mary Immaculate, Mother of God and Mother of America – , “Return to Our Lady,” invoking her intercession for the conversion of countless souls in our homes and in our nation to faith in God and obedience to His law, I invite you to join now, especially as we approach Election Day. The prayer of the Nine-Month Novena and spiritual reflections regarding our response to the current moral crisis in our nation can be found at the following site: Nine-Month Novena to Our Lady of Guadalupe.

    2. Secondly, we must be abundantly clear and tirelessly steadfast in our opposition to the anti-life, anti-family, and anti-religion agenda which are destroying families, communities, and our nation. No candidate for public office should confuse a vote for him or her as support of the policies and programs of these iniquitous agenda.

    Today, there is an urgent need for individuals and associations of individuals to raise the consciousness of the citizens of our nation to the manner in which these agenda threaten the common good, the good of individuals, of families, of local communities, of the nation. We must use all the means of communication at hand to speak to the hearts of our fellow citizens, for God has written on every human heart his law which serves human life, marriage and the family, and the practice of religion.

    3. We must study carefully the agenda of each candidate to see whether a candidate, even though he or she espouses morally objectionable programs and policies, will, in some way, limit the evil. If a candidate will, at least, limit the evil, we must support the limitation while insisting on the need to eradicate the evil altogether.

    4. We must further consider whether it is reasonable to hope that a candidate in question will, at least, hear the voice of a rightly-formed conscience on questions like procured abortion, sexual reassignment, and religious persecution, that is, whether there is hope that our opposition, as indicated in no. 2, will receive any hearing at all.

    While the agenda of both major political parties is so fundamentally objectionable, we must ask ourselves whether there may be some ray of hope to advance the transformation of our national politics in accord with the moral law by voting for a particular candidate.

    5. Before the desperate situation of our national politics today, some have concluded that they cannot vote for any candidate, but, if there is even the smallest ray of hope to effect some change in view of effecting ever greater change for the common good, it is not right for us to fail in responding to the ray of hope. Only if no candidate provides any ray of hope of serving, at least in some part, the common good, especially in what pertains to human life, marriage and the family, and the practice of religion, are we justified in not voting at all.

    Yes, the present situation of national politics is morally disgusting, but we are a people of hope and can never excuse ourselves from continuing the daily work of seeking the conversion of our personal lives and the transformation of our national culture.

    It is my hope that the above indications will help you in fulfilling your duty as a citizen to vote for the candidates who will most support the common good. Be assured of my prayers for you and your homes.

    Raymond Leo Cardinal BURKE

    October 22, 2024 – Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II

    Like

  27. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … Happy Day! …..  😉

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/church/our-church-our-future

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/260009/an-atheist-for-35-years-she-reencountered-god-at-the-tomb-of-st-john-paul-ii

    https://catholicexchange.com/woe-to-those-who-call-evil-good/

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/where-are-the-grown-ups

    HullyGee!! I wonder who got the “Short End” in this “Deal”!??  ….  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259997/vatican-renews-china-bishop-appointment-deal-for-four-more-years  ….  https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259983/persecution-of-10-catholic-bishops-in-china-intensified-after-vatican-china-deal-report-says

    https://www.liveaction.org/news/judge-denies-legal-request-convicted-pro-life-activist/

    https://angelusnews.com/arts-culture/conclave-movie-review/

    https://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=63702

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/lies-lies-and-damned-lies

    https://catholicexchange.com/do-careers-harden-women/

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259995/jerusalem-cardinal-two-state-solution-to-end-israel-hamas-war-is-now-unrealistic

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/oct/22/christians-should-follow-biblical-doctrine-not-shy/

    https://andmagazine.substack.com/p/joe-and-kamala-have-crushed-local

    https://catholicvote.org/

    https://stream.org/category/us/

    https://townhall.com/

    https://hotair.com/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  28. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    https://aleteia.org/2024/10/21/the-joy-of-child-with-down-syndrome-as-he-becomes-altar-boy

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/249377/5-ways-saint-john-paul-ii-changed-the-catholic-church-forever

    One day after Trump McDonalds Gig!? … Just a coincidence …. Right? …. Hello!!? …. https://www.investors.com/news/mcdonalds-stock-plunges-cdc-links-e-coli-outbreak-quarter-pounders/

    https://www.wnd.com/2024/10/kamala-was-admitted-to-law-school-through-adverse-experiences-program/

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2024/10/23/no-but-seriously-did-kamala-harris-really-ever-work-at-a-mcdonalds-n2646572

    TinFoil Hat Stuff!? …. These-Days!!????  ….. https://karenkingston.substack.com/p/the-fda-is-attempting-to-control

    New & Old Bill Whittle Videos worth a watch ……. https://theconservativetreehouse.com/?s=whittle

    https://patriotpost.us/alexander/111329-about-kamalas-catchy-campaign-slogan-2024-10-23

    https://babylonbee.com

    https://www.frontpagemag.com/

    https://www.wnd.com/category/front-page/

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258m4y2x.1gmd/c65d8f86

    https://floppingaces.net/

    https://newsbusters.org/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    https://www.lucianne.com/

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!

    Like

  29. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … Happy Day! …..  😉

    https://catholicexchange.com/auxiliary-bishop-athanasius-schneider-a-catholic-conscience-and-credo/

    https://www.ncregister.com/commentaries/meditation-on-a-roman-pizza

    https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/a-jacobin-synodality

    https://catholicexchange.com/looking-east-reclaiming-the-western-churchs-supernatural-vision/

    THEY are falling back on Trump/Deplorables = Hitler/Nazis in THEIR last ditch hope to incite riot & assassination!  ….  https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/nazis-make-bad-catholics

    Get a load of The View from The “Catholic” Left …… https://www.ncronline.org/news/liz-cheney-and-sr-joan-chittister-discuss-election-politics-and-future

    https://www.ncregister.com/news/progressive-disappointment-at-synod-2024

    https://www.catholicleague.org/laughing-at-abortion/

    https://www.deseret.com/politics/2024/10/22/kamala-harris-abortion-religious-freedom-nbc-interview/

    https://catholicfamilynews.com/blog/2024/10/23/vigano-letter-open-letter-to-american-catholics/

    https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/259983/persecution-of-10-catholic-bishops-in-china-intensified-after-vatican-china-deal-report-says

    https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/23/kamala-harris-admits-she-wants-to-force-christians-to-fund-abortions/ ……  https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/23/tim-walz-welcomed-chinese-communist-party-officials-into-his-classroom-investigation-finds/

    https://x.com/CitizenFreePres/status/1849247394233270653

    https://tennesseestar.com/politics/vivek-ramaswamy-accuses-kamala-harris-of-fanning-flames-of-political-violence-demands-apology-for-insane-anti-trump-speech/tpappert/2024/10/23/

    https://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2024/10/23/what-is-cbs-news-hiding-n2646523

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/oct/23/dhs-approved-tren-de-aragua-gang-members-refugees/

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2024/oct/23/migrants-rushing-north-hoping-kamala-harris-wins-e/

    https://catholicvote.org/read

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  30. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … PS 😉

    https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/24/jd-vance-kamala-harris-is-part-of-the-most-anti-christian-administration-in-american-history/

    I ain’t  the onlyist one who thinks so! …..  https://thefederalist.com/2024/10/24/the-atlantic-hit-piece-on-trump-is-a-psy-op-to-justify-post-election-violence-if-harris-loses/  ……  https://thefederalist.com/2024/10/24/here-are-all-the-people-on-record-debunking-the-atlantics-latest-trump-hoax/

    https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2024/10/23/tom-fitton-warns-deep-state-danger-escalating-they-would-tear-down-the-temple-to-protect-themselves/

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-kellys-history-of-anti-trump-activism-and-smears

    https://theconservativetreehouse.com/blog/2024/10/24/general-mccrystals-group-are-likely-behind-the-john-kelly-psy-op-hitler-narrative/

    https://reclaimthenet.org/black-ops-how-a-us-uk-censorship-group-targeted-rfk-jr-to-stifle-dissent

    Let US Pray that this is just the beginning of the Evil being exposed and a Global Reckoning! ….  https://www.pennymarie.nz/p/breaking-news-bill-gates-loses-lawsuit

    https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/21041/iran-assassinations-europe

    https://patriotpost.us/digests/111362-mid-day-digest-2024-10-24

    https://babylonbee.com/news/9-ways-trump-is-exactly-like-hitler

    https://www.spiritdaily.com/

    https://www.wnd.com/category/front-page/

    https://links.glennbeck.com/view/55d278157d0973635efe6258m5awp.1s70/9be98fce

    https://justthenews.com/

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    GOD SAVE ALL HERE!!

    Like

  31. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … Happy Day! …..  😉

    https://catholicexchange.com/saint-carlo-acutis-sanctify-our-digital-lives/

    https://catholicexchange.com/a-martyr-for-the-eucharist-st-anne-line/

    https://tmattingly.substack.com/p/a-few-moments-with-sir-anthony-hopkins

    https://life-craft.org/what-is-glory-and-why-it-matters/

    https://www.catholicleague.org/catholic-churches-targeted-in-nyc/

    https://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/cardinal-designate-radcliffe-objects/

    https://mailchi.mp/jkmi/summer-campaign-4304694?e=b654649ef1

    https://victorhanson.com/america-grows-tired-of-the-lecturers/

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2024/10/24/dark_money_federal_takeover_of_elections_151829.html

    Doom driven by Demonic Forces methinks. Jesus, I Trust in You! ….  https://www.theburningplatform.com/2024/10/24/doom-psychology-gripping-the-nation/#more-352222

    Yep! .. Seb Gorka i9s correct!  ……  https://1a-1791.com/video/s8/2/1/U/p/b/1Upbu.caa.mp4?b=1&u=ummtf

    https://x.com/i/status/1849222273045082314

    https://www.liveaction.org/news/right-life-satanic-abortion-clinic-opens-virginia/

    https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-kellys-history-of-anti-trump-activism-and-smears

    Serpent Head – In-Action! I truly Hope-n-Pray that my fears for The Republic are unfounded come 20 Jan 25! ….  https://leohohmann.com/2024/10/23/dangerous-post-election-narrative-james-carville-calls-on-democrats-to-take-up-arms-against-trump-regime-if-kamala-loses/

    https://chadnagle.substack.com/p/how-to-steal-an-election

    https://floppingaces.net/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com

    https://dailycaller.com/

    https://mrctv.org/cnsnews

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  33. I think Charlie is spot on in this piece!!! I’m beginning to see some people be illuminated! My little brother Hank dreamt of Jesus! He never talks to me because I talk about Jesus so much he said it made him turn the other way😂😂😂. But now he seems to want to hang out! Just amazing! I’m being very quiet and letting Jesus do His work! Took Jaxy poo to the sorrowful Mother shrine a few days ago and we walked around the grounds with his wagon! What a sight to behold a child of 3 loving Jesus, Mary and all the Saints! Oh that our whole poor bleeding world would come to know the love of God! Great piece, Charlie!!!

    Liked by 2 people

  34. I don’t get in the weeds of politics much since it can become such a distraction for some, but I’ve definitely become concerned by Donald Trump’s continued progress into near complete self-centeredness and lack of really any guiding principles or foundations.

    The seemingly growing, huge chip on his shoulder he seems to be living out of is also quite concerning as living out of a sense of revenge and self-centeredness, rather than self-sacrifice and charity seems to make for a horrid leader.

    I know the Lord will use us in all our brokenness for His will, but goodness, it may be a year where I place a protest vote for those at the top of the ticket….

    Like

    1. Each one’s opinion concerning another who is in the limelight is formed by the sources we listen to and read. Based on my own reading and viewing, I couldn’t disagree more with you Philip. I see Donald Trump as an imperfect human – as each of us is – AND he is one with incredible virtues, such as fortitude, selflessness, generosity, kindness with love for others, very knowledgeable about the many topics a president should be, wielding some incredible diplomacy skills, and he is on a conversion path leading to a deep faith. No doubt in my mind that God’s Hand has been upon DT for such a time as this. He is not the dude on a white horse many may have longed for; he is not and can never be our savior; he cannot make things turn around alone.

      I have heard Trump’s ardent desire to launch policies which would route out corruption and turn the governance of this country over to the people again. I have heard him sincerely convey that we need Jesus Christ and he has also expressed his intent to be an America which supports other countries in their quest to be who they are called to be. I see an entire world leaning on Donald Trump to lead the way to reclaiming the God-given freedoms for one and all. I’m looking forward to voting for him again. God bless Donald Trump, his family, his honest collaborators of good will, and God bless us, one and all.

      Liked by 4 people

      2. Hi Beckita!

        That is so true that we need to be self-aware enough to know that it is so easy to “color our vision” in a certain way when we don’t have the full picture. Which, of course, none of us has to full picture since only the Lord has that view, and He does love to humble us when we think we have it all together!

        And like you said, everyone has a right their opinion and it is always the tough job of trying to form our opinion and conscience in light of the truth of reality. There are many who see former president Trump as this white knight, pseudo-savior figure. And maybe the Lord will use Him to do that. And praise God for that! But including those traits I listed above, his willingness to do what he decides he wants to do, no matter the questionability of its legal or moral status makes it hard for me to trust him.

        But hey, as I mentioned above, I’d love to be humbled that I’ve got it completely 180* wrong!

        Like

        1. Well, Philip, certainly each one is entitled to his/her opinion. With respect for that, I posit that you have gathered intentionally promoted incorrect information about Trump. Since he first campaigned for office back in 2016, there has been a plethora of propaganda filled with lies and disinformation about who Donald Trump is peddled vigorously.

          I failed to address in my previous comment to you that it is not revenge to lock up someone who is deserving of that action. There is widespread corruption among our leaders and well known members of our country in other areas of prominence. Thus far we have suffered under a two-tired justice system, so there remains criminals of the worst sort riddled throughout our country. They MUST and they WILL be held to account. And (edit out “while”) in the anger we the oppressed feel, as Charlie has written, may the accounting be justly administered without bloodshed or becoming a mirror of the left in any fashion. May we be a people who judge with righteous judgement.

          As to your understanding expressed here: “But including those traits I listed above, his willingness to do what he decides he wants to do, no matter the questionability of its legal or moral status makes it hard for me to trust him.” Baloney! I believe it’s an outright lie that Donald Trump would intentionally act “no matter the questionability of its legal or moral status.” It cannot be proven in his history of behavior as he has interacted with others in and out of business. Now, if you’re referring to, perhaps, a sin of lust or having likely lived the playboy status in his younger years, I say that in our disordered times, the majority of humanity has struggled in some ways with chastity and purity. No one but those closest to Trump and God Himself knows how Donald Trump may have repented and amended his life long ago. For that, I stand with the Our Father and remember that the ways I forgive another reflects how God forgives me.

          And beyond the personal things, I look to Trump’s policies and compare them to his opponent and I certainly don’t want to revert to living in the ways of the Old Testament before humans were enlightened and redeemed by Christ.

          Glad you’re here commenting, Philip. God bless and keep you even as we totally disagree on every negative point you’ve made about Donald Trump.

          Liked by 2 people

          2. I agree that taking down certain people or organizations is justice, not vengeance (or maybe both, but never pure vengeance).

            Along such a line, what would you like Trump and RFK Jr to do with the people running Big Pharma, the AMA, the various other professional medical organizations, big hospitals, big NGOs funded by big billionaires like Gates, and the CDC, FDA and NIH?

            Do you see normal corporate/government corruption that needs to be weeded out without systemic change, or should the people involved be imprisoned or executed and their entities taken apart and largely destroyed?

            How does your opinion change if I tell you – can prove to you – that that nexus of entities and people over the past few decades have deliberately killed more people than Hitler and Stalin and Mao combined, for money, for power, … for entertainment?

            Would you get angry and seek immediate revenge, or would you get cold and seek justice? Would you act rashly, or would you spend almost a decade winning the support and loyalty of the American citizenry in a careful, step by step plan before you *and they* judge righteous judgment against such great evil?

            The latter path takes not only very careful planning and execution but also immense self-discipline, never doing anything that could rush the people too fast or expose the plan in order to feed one’s ego.

            You use a Power Curve plan, where nothing, or almost nothing, seems to happen for almost the entire term of the plan, and then, very near the end, everything comes together in what seems like a great rush appearing out of nowhere. But the first 98% of the build is required to obtain that massive final response. It takes incredible patience and discipline. Nobody just doing “whatever they want” could possibly create the soaring end of the power curve we are now seeing.

            Liked by 1 person

            1. I have to disagree with you strongly on one point – your last sentence – Steve. It happens frequently and repeatedly throughout history.

              It could not happen in physics, where specific inputs lead to precise, predictable results. That is because the inputs are stable, largely unchanging materials.

              In human affairs, things are more like a kaleidoscope than a schematic. Everything done to a person – and the processes by which it are done – create significant changes in that person. You are not working with stable inputs (and I mean “stable” in the materialist sense). In human affairs, even the tools you use are constantly changing. A screw reacts to a screwdriver being applied by becoming a nail, then a hinge, and eventually even a mallet to defend itself.

              You can coerce human behavior for a time with force, but it comes at the cost of provoking resentment…which eventually leads to fantasies of revenge…which, when critical mass is reached, leads to actual revenge and revolt. At times, it may take centuries if the coercion is livable enough AND if the culture involved has made it traditional…but it ends in revolt.

              When dealing with human affairs, you have to be reading the room constantly and watching the shifts. A good salesman’s gifts are more useful in this context than a scientist’s.

              I’m glad of this post, though. I have long been baffled by the usual struggle even the most brilliant scientists and engineers have with political analysis. I think the problem is with the paradigm they use – constantly trying to fit human behavior into some predictable schematic form.

              I do not believe, for a moment, that there is some mastermind – or group thereof – manipulating everything where the subjects (us) react precisely as the masterminds have assessed they will to various stimuli. In fact, there is only one major political thinker I can think of offhand who based his entire theory on fitting people into a predictable schematic. That was Karl Marx. It didn’t work out as he imagined it would.

              You can see broad trends and currents in human behavior, but you constantly have to be shifting to the shifting reality you deal with. A schematic does not allow for that.

              Liked by 1 person

              1. Hahahahaha, Charlie, I am rolling on the floor. I totally agree with you that any campaign plan has a near-infinite number of possible twists and turns in it. Nothing is certain, though someone with savvy about such things can certainly make plans and seek to guide the electorate to give their candidate the win. I’m using “Power Curve” as an analogy here, indicating what happens at the most abstract level, not forgetting that the reality behind the shape of the curve of support is much more variable or even at times chaotic.

                I’m laughing because you are the quintessential Power Curve campaign manager, starting at 1% and ending with a surge of support in the last week or even day of a campaign sufficient to win the race at the very last moment, leaving the other campaign wondering how the heck you pulled a victory out of a hat when your candidate started at 1%, was way behind for most of the campaign period, and ended up surging right at the end to beat them handily.

                If that isn’t a Power Curve campaign plan, I don’t know what is. Were you so involved in your campaigns that you never realized they were power curve plans? Hahahahaha!

                Oh, and by the way, CORAC is pretty much a power curve plan as well. There is absolutely no assurance that it will actually go that way, but under the right circumstances and if you have prepared CORAC properly, CORAC will come into its own in a. great surge when it is most needed – and not blow apart under the stress.

                Seriously, dude, your whole life seems to be all about power curves, human-based though they may be.

                Liked by 1 person

                    1. Love it!! And what’s not to love about this insight:

                      “Oh, and by the way, CORAC is pretty much a power curve plan as well. There is absolutely no assurance that it will actually go that way, but under the right circumstances and if you have prepared CORAC properly, CORAC will come into its own in a. great surge when it is most needed – and not blow apart under the stress.”

                      And the never to be forgotten: “Seriously, dude, your whole life seems to be all about power curves, human-based though they may be.” However, I would add that there’s a dynamic synergy between the natural and the mystical. A right fine demo for us all which is ever summed up in a lifestyle of acknowledging God, taking next right steps and, thus, becoming a sign of hope to those around us.

                      Rock on, PCCJ!!

                      Like

                2. Touche, Steve. I can’t much argue with that…except on the timing, perhaps. In my successful power curve campaigns, we actually won much earlier than most anyone knew…usually at three to five weeks out. But it seemed so improbable that they did not credit it until it was undeniable. Most did not know until election day…almost no one ever figured it out more than a week ahead of time.

                  But you made a fabulous point there. My primary campaign style is the power curve. It is a tough way to go and the timing must be precise, it is very labor intensive, and requires the discipline to get your supporters not to give the game away.

                  I once had a downstate county chairman call me very concerned because our opponent was coming into town. This chairman was ours – but the opponent thought he was his. The chairman worried that I might be upset if he didn’t tell the opponent the truth – but the opponent controlled most patronage in his county…and he didn’t want his own people fired or harassed. I laughed and told him to put on the dog and pony show for the guy, and then when he left, get back to work. He was surprised, until I told him I did NOT want anyone letting our opponent know how much trouble he was in. Keep his complacency alive!

                  So yeah, you got me on this one.

                  Liked by 2 people

                  1. Allow me a minute or two to savor this moment. 🙂

                    I don’t have your skills in doing this, but I have paid attention to your stories about campaigning and have learned a lot from them. It’s not a common skillset. My hat’s off to you for being able to do it.

                    Liked by 1 person

          3. Thank you again, Beckita, for taking the time to expand upon your thoughts, I really appreciate it!

            I will say, several years ago my thoughts would have been much closer to what you propose, but as time has gone on and evidence has grown, it began to undermine some of those beliefs I once held.

            And it isn’t the case that he hasn’t done any good, he certainly has. And even if one does the right thing for the wrong reasons, God can and will still use that.

            And frankly, if Donald Trump does win the election next week, I really hope he does prove some of my more recent beliefs wrong! If he is truly speaking and acting in a certain way to get elected, but then how he governs will be quite different, wonderful.

            (And just to be clear, I have no tolerance for the distortions of truth that I am seeing in modern leftist thought, especially when it comes to the nature of the human person, sexuality, gender, and the family. Yes, there are many that are simply misguided in thinking these beliefs are compassionate, and I can relate as I to having held beliefs that appeared to be compassionate on the surface. And what I needed at that time was simply a loving person to journey with me, which is what I try and do with each person I encounter, including those that vehemently disagree with me.)

            Cheers!

            Like

  35. JESUS, I TRUST IN YOU! … Happy Day! …..  😉

    https://mexicanmadonnas.com/2023/10/

    https://spiritdailyblog.com/angels/angels-at-the-ready-always

    https://www.themedjugorjewitness.org/shorts-13

    https://onepeterfive.com/trad-womens-conference-transcends-generations/

    https://www.thomasmoresociety.org/news/decoding-missouri-amendment-3

    https://onepeterfive.com/master-catechism-revealed-the-ai-for-catholic-restoration/

    https://onepeterfive.com/the-importance-of-the-heart-pope-franciss-new-encyclical/

    HullyGee!! Perhaps The Holy Ghost has returned to The Vatican!??  … https://www.ncregister.com/news/progressive-disappointment-at-synod-2024

    https://www.catholicleague.org/kamala-cant-stop-talking-about-abortion/

    https://www.pillarcatholic.com/p/can-the-vatican-china-deal-move-forward

    https://www.ucanews.com/news/the-many-problems-with-the-vaticans-china-deal/106800

    https://catholicfamilynews.com/blog/2024/10/25/christopher-columbus-true-son-of-st-christopher-part-2/

    https://www.lifenews.com/2024/10/25/catholics-for-harris-claims-its-okay-to-vote-for-a-pro-abortion-extremist/

    https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1850122021323116766.html

    https://www.americanthinker.com/

    https://amgreatness.com/

    https://catholicvote.org/read

    https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/

    https://www.breitbart.com/

    https://thedailybs.com/news/

    https://www.zerohedge.com

    https://hotair.com/

    GOD SAVE THE REPUBLIC & ALL HERE!!

    Like

  36. “I expect to die in bed, my successor will die in prison and his successor will die a martyr in the public square. His successor will pick up the shards of a ruined society and slowly help rebuild civilization, as the church has done so often in human history.” Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago/ San Bartolomeo all’Isola

    Like

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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.