I've Got Song in My Heart....

In the Book of Psalms, there are 150 individual "songs of praise" of which the majority are attributed to King David whom Sacred Scripture refers to as the "sweet singer of Israel" (2 Kings 23:1).

The Book of Psalms is the most widely-read Book of the Bible and it is no wonder:  filled with intense cries to God, the Psalms express the vast horizon of human experience and emotions, from fear to joy, desolation to fulfillment, despair to hope, failure to success, wantonness to holiness, death to life. They were (and continue to be) used by The Church extensively in prayer and praise, as well as for instruction and understanding of The Lord.

Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms.  In fact, Scripture records that, of all of the Old Testament, it is the Psalms that Jesus quotes most often - 11 times (followed by Deuteronomy, Isaiah and Exodus, in that order); arguably, most notably and palpably from the Cross, He quotes (Douay Rheims) Psalm 21:1:  "My God, my God, why have Your forsaken me?"   It is the tradition of the Church that He cried out not only these words, but the entire Psalm as He endured His Most Sorrowful Passion. 

In those times, a rabbi was only as good as his teacher and as such, would refer to him when giving a lesson. It was never on his own authority that the teacher would speak.   However, when Jesus spoke the Word, He did so with such authority as had never been heard previously (see Luke 4:16-30 and Mark 1:21-28).  He referred to no other authority except His Father in Heaven. 

After all, Jesus is The Word Made Flesh. 

"In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God and the Word was God.

He was with God in the beginning.

Through Him, all things came into being; not one thing came into being except through Him.

What has come into being in Him was life, life that was the light of men,

And light shines in the darkness and darkness could not overpower it."  - John 1:1-5

It would do us well to meditate on the power and majesty of The Word Made Flesh reading/praying The Word!  It is no wonder the demons would tremble at the sight of Him; that the raging seas would calm; that the deaf would hear, the blind would see, the lame would walk.   

Of all of the Psalms, there is likely none more beloved than Psalm 22 (Douay-Rheims):

"The Lord is my Shepherd, there is nothing I shall want!

He makes me lie down in green meadows;

He leads be besides restful waters, He refreshes my soul.

He leads me along the path of righteousness for His name sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil

For you are beside me.

Your rod and staff comfort me.

You set a table before me in the sight of my foes,

You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows!

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life

And I shall dwell in the House of the Lord forever!"

It is no wonder why this Psalm is so beloved. Its rich and earthy imagery rises into a crescendo of faithful and trusting thanksgiving which both stirs and stills the soul...leading one to sing a song of praise!  Psalm 22 is often prayed in times of trouble for it reveals the saving Hand of God, The Good Shepherd who cares for His flock and will leave the 99 in search of the one lost sheep, the bounty of His love and intense interest and care for His little ones.

Though not recorded in Scripture, it is certain that our Lord prayed this Psalm.  Reflect for a moment on our Lord "singing" this Psalm during His Agony at Gethsemane...."You anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows"  or as He bore the Cross unto Calvary..."Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death.." or as He hung on the Cross..."You set a table before me in the sight of my foes..."   These very words written by Him and through Him as The Word, now prayed by Him as The Word Made Flesh, the God-man, both God and man....like us in every way, except sin and yet Divine, during His Passion.  Again, another point of contemplation and meditation.  

The reality of our Lord is beyond our comprehension and yet as the Baltimore Catechism tells us, we are given this wonderful gift of life "to "know, love and serve God."  To know Him is to love Him;  to love Him is to serve Him; to serve Him is to know and love Him.  In praying the prayers written by The Word, the songs of praise which He not only wrote but prayed and sang, we are given a most excellent way in coming to know Jesus Christ and when we pray, when we sing, we do so in unity as The Body of Christ, together in through and with Him and all who believe.  

Many inspired and lovely hymns have been written based upon the Psalms.  I include one selection here based on Psalm 22. 

The song of the lips is most lovely when it is first a song in the heart.  In praying the Psalms and hearing the Word of God, I pray that the music of your heart may be stirred, igniting the deep desire which has been placed within each of us for our Almighty and Eternal God. 

How awesome is it that the Creator of the human heart has also given us the words and means with which to stir and enflame it with love for Him, the Author of the human heart!

It just makes me want to sing!

The King of Love My Shepherd Is

I've Got My Head in the Clouds

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us, and persevere in the running the race that lies before us." - Hebrews 12:1

When the leaves change hue and the pumpkins abound, Catholics know that it will soon be November 1st, the day the Church celebrates all those tested and faithful men and women who have gone before us, the countless souls who "have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."   -  Revelation 7:9

These are the everyday people, those recognized officially by the Church as Saints and those countless people who have not been officially recognized but are known by God to have loved Him and served Him during their earthly lives. Coming from all walks of life, societal position, nationality and race, they lived lives of faith, hope and charity in spite of personal circumstances, sinfulness and human weakness.  

In our culture, we have extolled the accomplishments of those who succeed in the things of man. We have the business heroes such as Carnegie, Ford, Gates; the sports heroes like Thorpe, Ruth and Jordan; the heroes of music such as Mozart, Presley and Pavarotti; the heroes of the arts such as Michaelangelo, Picasso and Max; the heroes of innovation, such as Carver, Edison and Gates; the heroes of adventure such as Earhardt, Roosevelt (Teddy) and Branson; the heroes of liberty, such as Jefferson, Anthony and Parks.   The list goes on and on and it is right and good that we admire such accomplishment, for in doing so, we ultimately give praise to God for it is from Him that these abilities are granted.  We also recognize these men and women for using these gifts so effectively and in doing so have brought joy and inspired generations.

Yet, achievements in the things of this world and those who achieved them will, in time, be forgotten and fade away, for all things of this world are passing away.

The saints whom we honor on the great Feast of All Saints, though many have been successful in the things of this world, excelled in the lasting things, the things of God.   And what are those things of God? 

Here are some ideas given to us by Jesus Himself:

"Repent!  The Kingdom of God is at hand."

"Go and sin no more."

"Your faith has saved you!"

"Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me." 

"Anyone who wishes to follow me must deny himself, pick up his cross daily and come after me." 

"Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a seed; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and these things will be given to you." 

"I desire mercy not sacrifice." 

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapters 6 & 7 detail the life of the disciple, the pathway of the saint.   As the Baltimore Catechism tells us, God made us to "know, love and serve Him in this life so that we can be happy with Him in Heaven."   That means that everyone of us has been created by God to become saints.  Not sure what you are doing here?  Let me say it again:   Our purpose, yours and mine,  in this life is to be saint.  A saintly woman of our times, Mother Angelica, advised us, "We are all called to be great saints.  Don't miss the opportunity!"

I know, I know...this all seems very highfalutin' and most difficult to attain...yet, if God made us to be so, well then it is something that must be possible for He is a loving God and wants our ultimate happiness and fullness of being.  As Jesus tells us, "Nothing is impossible for God."

I think many of us, both those who are in the Church and those who are not, are confused about being a disciple, a follower, a lover of Jesus Christ (aka a saint).  We think that we have to become someone else, that we have to walk around being miserable, not smiling, that we can't eat or smile or laugh.   I know when considering the Saints, I have often felt discouraged because I am not like them, at least the ones I have read about. However, I must remember that God Himself created me and is well-aware of everything I think and do, even before I am!  Don't believe me?  Read Psalm 138 (139 in non-Douay Rheims Bibles).   He knows the gifts and abilities He has given me.  He knows of the shortcomings and temptations that are mine, all mine.  He knows my temperament.  He even knows that I don't like lima beans and eggplant!  He KNOWS... and so He does not expect me to be Teresa or Francis or Anthony or Joan. He wants me to be me, but as He created me to be - free, living as a child of God!! As St. Irenaeus stated, "The glory of God is man full alive and the life of man is the vision of God."

I think we often look at the life of the faithful Christian in the wrong way.  It isn't about being bogged down and punished, all sad and miserable.  As St. Teresa of Avila prayed, "God save us from sour-faced saints!"  Rather, it is about being free - free from the weight of my own sinfulness, free from self-absorption, free from vain and empty desires that will not bring me lasting happiness, free from the opinions of fickle mankind, free from my own fears, free from the hurts others have caused, free from the desire to hurt others or seek revenge, free from believing that my worth as a human being is based upon how much money I have or how many letters I have after my name, free from all those things that trouble my mind and prevent me from living and loving as He created me to do!

The life of the saint, the path of discipleship, is about turning away from (repenting) the things that are heavy and burdensome (sin and disordered desires) and turning towards Life Itself: Jesus Christ, He Who came to set us free from our sins so that we may be like Him, to have fullness of life, to live in the Kingdom of God and to share in His Life!  No longer living "according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" which is the giver of life and peace, we are children of God, thereby heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we are willing to follow Him for love of Him. 

The life of the saint is not a walk in the park.  Jesus never promised us a rose garden. 

For, though we are redeemed by Christ, we are still living here in this broken world and suffer the effects of sin..."all of creation is groaning in labor pains even until now...and we await the redemption of our bodies." - Romans 8:22, 23.   There will still be labor, much labor, for the one who desires life with God. Yet, this labor will not be for things that will pass away, but rather, in cooperation with Jesus, for our own salvation and that of the world, so that we will be united with Him here in spirit and, after this life,  in Heaven eternally:  to see the Face of God and dwell with Him forever!  While Jesus is the Redeemer, in His incredible Love He desires that we share, take part  in His Plan for our salvation.  He doesn't need our help, but wants us to have a share in His joy.  A good way to help explain this is as follows:  Say a father has a heavy cart to push.  His child asks if he can help.  Now, Dad does not need his help...he is Dad, after all.  He's strong and he's got this, but he knows and loves his child; that in "helping" Dad push the cart, this will strengthen the child's character, sense of self-worth, give him a sense of accomplishment and self-sacrifice and nourish the bond of love between the two.   Well, if we who are wicked know how to give good things to those we love, how much more our Father in Heaven, who alone is good, will give to us!

People work long back-breaking hours to attain the goods of this earth.  Now, there is nothing wrong with using one's abilities and earning a good living.  This is admirable, but we must remember that trophies tarnish, monuments crumble, records are broken, memories fade and operating systems break down.  To place our life's worth and all of our time and energy into the attainment of life's pleasures will only bring temporary gratification for that is the way of this world.  Nothing lasts and we are doomed a life of frustration, constant striving and unrest and we say to ourselves, "is that all there is" if that is where our hearts lie.

The Saints we honor on All Saints Day knew this and they based their lives upon it.  They did not work to attain earthly accomplishments, but in their everyday lives, whether a housewife or a King, they "sought the Kingdom of God and His righteousness" for the love of God, for the good of others and for the hope of Heaven. They did not do this alone, but rather by placing their burdens upon the Lord as He so gently commanded: "Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, my burden light."- Matthew11:28-30.  In doing so, they faced challenges great and small, seen and unseen, overcoming themselves and the opposition of the "world and the flesh."  Many suffered terrible martyrdom, but most suffered the everyday disappointments and hurts that we can all relate to in our own lives.

We are each called according to the Plan God has for each one of our lives.  "For I know well the plans I have for you, plans for your welfare and not your woe, so that you may have a future of hope."  Jeremiah 29:11   The Saints, in trusting the Lord, knew that "all things work for the good for those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose." -  Romans 8:28   

This good is ultimately to share in the Life of God, both in part while here on Earth and then, in its fullness in Heaven.  "At present, we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face." - 1 Corinthians 13:12

As in Heaven as on Earth, the saint will receive recognition of his striving love.  Not a trophy or medal, but a new name inscribed in white stone chosen and known only by God  (see Revelation 2:17).

But even more so, he will receive the ultimate crown of victory:  eternal life with God in Heaven where "God Himself will always be with them (His people).  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order and passed away." - Revelation 21:3-4

All the Saints in Heaven, thank you for your witness and example. for you are the heroes of eternity. Pray for us that we may follow the path that our Lord has chosen for us to come to know, love and serve Him in this life so as to be happy with Him forever in the next.  Pray for the Exultation of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.  

Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I love you.  Save souls. 

St. Laura, pray for us.

St. Ann, pray for us.

St. Teresa, pray for us.

St. Mary Magdelene, pray for us.

All you Saints in Heaven, pray for us.

Now, for your enjoyment, a little Louis Armstrong and his band.....

When The Saints Go Marching In

The Four Marks of the Synodal Church

As Rome embarks on a "Synodal Church" it is worthwhile giving thought to what we can expect. The church has been known since the Council of Nicaea as "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church." How does this new Synodal Church stack up?

Not a Holy Church: We use the word “holy” quite a bit, often without giving it much thought.  But it splits the world into things set aside for God, “the Holy”, from everything else.  So, a Holy Church is one which is different from everything else, it is set aside for God’s purposes. But in the Synodal Church we are just one “faith tradition” amongst many. In the Synodal church it is not "Outside the Church there is no salvation", it is "Outside the Church makes no difference." 

Not a Catholic Church: Catholic means universal, over all the world.  This differentiates the Church from the religion of other nations at the time of Nicaea.  That is why one reads about the "the god of the Amorites", "god of the Philistines", "gods of Rome", etc.  Each locale would have its own religious beliefs and practices.  Nicaea said, "no local gods, no local truth" for us. The synodal church is defined by local synods. Meetings of local people to discuss local inspiration and arrive at local conclusions about a local faiths.  

Not an Apostolic Church: The Council of Nicaea stated clearly that none in the council were creating truth, they were simply preserving and defending the truth revealed by the Apostles. Truth came through Jesus Christ to the Apostles. The bishops, as successors of the Apostles, were only passing that truth on. The Council of Nicaea was about treasuring, protecting and preserving the precious revelation which was given to the Apostles. The Synodal Church seeks to listen, oddly enough to listen to essentially random people; most with no training in the Apostolic teaching and many with no reverence to Apostolic teaching. Proverbs gives us this warning, "There is a way which seems just to a man: but the ends thereof lead to death." (Prov 14:12). The Synodal church is a church of human preferences rather than reverence to the Apostolic faith.

Not One Church: If the Synodal Church is not Holy, not Catholic and not Apostolic, it will not be one. Local gatherings or random people deciding what "the spirit" is saying to them.

Pope Francis was wrong when he speculated, "It cannot be ruled out that I will go down in history as the one who divided the Catholic Church." The Catholic Church is not being divided. It is the Synodal Church which may take over buildings and staff which were once set aside as "holy" to God. It has none of the marks of the Church. In God's mercy, the Catholic Church lives on in those who continue to cling to the revelation transmitted to us by the Apostles, exiled to gymnasiums, basements and private homes, as their predecessors did during earlier persecutions, fervently praying for those who have fallen away into the Synodal Church.

Rolling in the Deep

We've all heard the expression, "Life is what happens while you are busy making other plans." I think it is attributed to John Lennon. Or was it, "We make plans and God laughs." Regardless, most of us go through our lives with a certain course charted, routines to follow, disciplines to maintain, jobs to do. And quite often, we go through the motions of our lives and often get so caught up in our routines that we could almost walk through the day blindfolded. Routines are not bad; they certainly serve a purpose and help to keep things in order. Yet so often, we keep doing the same things over and over again, that life can become like white noise; humming along, our awareness becomes dulled to possibilities.  I am sure it was no different for the disciples of Jesus Christ. 

Consider Peter and the others when Jesus came onto their boat and told them to try something different -  "Go cast your nets out into the deep."   Now, they were tired after having been out all day and probably not in the frame of mind to haul back out there onto the sea just to be disappointed. Let's not get our hopes up! The Scripture does not indicate it, but I imagine there was some pretty foul language  and grumbling coming out of Simon's mouth. After all, he was from Galilee (those from that region were not highly regarded) and a fisherman - a tired fisherman to boot! Think about how you feel at the end of a hard day. Do you really want to hear someone tell you that you did it wrong and need to go try it again, but this time, go out even farther? Do more?  Again? Poor Simon. I think he gets a bum rap. We hear that he is impetuous, impatient, arrogant and narrow-minded. Ok, that may be true, but despite this, he was open enought to feel that there was something to what Jesus said and he obeyed. Later in the Scripture, Simon  now Peter says, "Where else shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life!" Despite all of Peter's flaws, he was well aware of himself and that Jesus was the Christ, even if he didn't fully understand. And so he obeyed, in spite of all his fisherman's knowledge and experience and his exhaustion and disappointment.  And his fledgling faith was rewarded:  his nets overflowed with fish to the point of nearly breaking. Imagine the joy, the wonder and the fear that came over him! He sees all this fish and he can hardly believe it, being no fool, but a seasoned fisherman. He knew those waters...how could this be?

Oh boy, now he was in trouble. Moments before he was cursing under his breath and giving Jesus a hard time,  and now he receives this gift, this generous underserved  and unexpected gift.  "Depart from me, Lord for I am a sinful man." Yes, albeit uneducated and narrow-minded, Simon got it right there and his fear was just for fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Simon knew who he was before the Lord and Jesus knew Simon - He knew that he would build His church on this rock. He also knew that this rock would betray Him at the moment of greatest need. By listening to Christ, by taking his boat out one more time to cast into the deep, Simon received his call: to be a disciple of Jesus, to be a fisher of men. Despite his knoweledge and experience, despite logic and commonsense telling him to end it for the day, despite his terribly tired body and weary mind, he listened and followed the word of Jesus and so the course of his life was completely altered. "I will make you fisher(s) of men." 

It makes me wonder how many calls I may have missed along the way. Caught up in what I know, my old familiar routines and time restrictions, have I missed opportunites to cast out into the deep and encounter the Living Christ? The spiritual life is replete with contradiction. It is when we have the least that we are expected to give. When we do this, we allow God's grace to flow through us to others. His strength is made perfect in our weakness.  Simon and the others were exhausted and I am certain, to say the least, incredulous. I imagine them saying in Aramaic "Who the heck does this guy thing he is?!" Yet they listened. There was something about Jesus. Was it the way He looked, the sound of His voice, the look in His eyes? I imagine it was all of those things: strong yet gentle; compelling yet comforting; commanding yet vulnerable. He was Love in the Flesh. Love is pretty hard to resist. Real Love, that is. This Love that went all the way to Calvary was present for all time, even before time and brought the world into being just by uttering the word. I imagine that Simon found it hard to resist this Jesus, but I think we need to point out that Simon saw something. He stopped and listened. He took a moment to observe and see what was going on. He slowed down for a moment to actually listen to this stranger was telling him what to do. That's the key. He stopped and listened. Impetuous, seasoned and tired Simon listened; he was open to allowing this man in, for some strange and wonderful reason. Jesus is the same today and tomorrow as He was yesterday and so if we are to know this man, our Savior, we must stop and listen; look for signs and direction particularly when we are at a less than best. Christ doesn't come when we are happy and on top of the world...He comes to the poor, the downtrodden, the tired and the lost for it is when we are empty that He comes to fill our nets and to bring us joy that is beyond that "on top of the world" feeling that we get every once in awhile. He meets us in the deepest, darkest places of our lives, of our hearts where we so rarely like to go. It is cold there and a bit scary. Yet that is where we meet Him....if we only stop and listen long enough.

The Antidote

This blog was originally written in 2020-2021, at the onset of the Covid hysteria, but not shared.  Upon review, we thought it worthwhile as a reminder of where we've been and what Heaven has to say about it all.  

Coronavirus is a compound word from two Latin words.  Corona means "a crown, garland" and virus, "poison;"  "potent juice."   This doesn't mean that it is the king of all diseases nor holds the crown for most deadly, though the impact it has had on our lives can lead some to think that way.  No, the name actually describes how the virus looks when viewed through a microscope, as it is "wearing" a pointed crown.  Yet, it seems this "crowned poison" is rather ruling our lives, by infecting some, restricting many and impacting all, through illness, death, loss of income, quarantine and a general sense of uncertainty and confusion.

As hopeless as it may seem, there is an antidote to this "crowned poison," another corona, a better and more worthy crown: The Corona del Rosario or more commonly known The Rosary. Through the sincere recitation of this devotional prayer, advancing armies of all kinds have been defeated and wars won.

It all began when the Mother of God, The Blessed Virgin Mary, appeared to a devout young man named Dominic in early 1200's.  He had a devotion to her and would weave a crown of roses to place on a statue of Our Lady.  He soon entered religious life and was unable to continue making the crowns.  She later appeared to him, telling him that his many Hail Marys were her crown of roses, her Corona del Rosario.  She then taught him how he was to pray her Corona del Rosario and told him, "One day through the Rosary (and the Scapular), I will save the world." 

Devotion grew and further developed over the years into a devotion par excellence, simple in its form so that even a child can pray it, yet deeply rooted in Scripture and the mysteries of The Life, Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. By reciting and meditating on it daily, we may come to know Him and grow in faith, hope and charity (love), overcome temptation, combat sin and defeat The Enemy.  

With each Hail Mary, we repeat the greeting of the Angel Gabriel to Mary as well as the that of her kinswoman Elizabeth.  "Hail Mary full of grace!  The Lord is with thee.  Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus." (Luke 1:28, 1:42)

We then ask for her prayers and help, just as we ask friends and loved ones to pray for us in time of need and crisis.  "Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.  Amen."

At the height of His Passion, her Son Jesus Christ gave her to us to be our Mother.  "Woman behold your son.  Behold your Mother."  (John 19:26-27)  There is no prayer as powerful as that of a mother on behalf of her suffering child.  Mary is both the Mother of Jesus (God) and our Mother and so we can be certain of the power and faithfulness of her intercession.

Over the centuries, Our Lady has appeared to tell us where we have been going wrong, warning us against our sins and imploring us to change and return to her Son.  In each apparition, she has encouraged us to don her Corona del Rosario as a powerful weapon against evil.  A great saint of the Church, Padre Pio, has called it "THE Weapon."

Here are some examples right out of the pages of history in which THE Weapon was employed and victory assured.

In 1213, the recitation of the Rosary helped to defeat the Albigensians, a heretical group gaining traction in France.

In 1571, despite being greatly outnumbered , the Ottoman Turks were defeated after Pope Saint Pius V called on the Catholic powers of Europe to unite in the battle and asked everyone in the Christian world to pray the Rosary.  Muslim chroniclers of the battle reported seeing in the sky a woman dressed in armor holding a child, with a terrible gaze upon her face.   This terrified the Turks who began to lose control of the fleet.  The Christian fleet declared victory at The Battle of Lepanto on October 7th, which is now know as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary.

In 1628, the Huguenots was soundly defeated by France, led by King Louis XIII, an unlikely victory attributed to the recitation of The Rosary each Saturday from May 20 - November 1, 1628 by the faithful.

In 1717, the Turks were once again defeated after having waged a violent slaughter on land across Europe while The Rosary was once again employed.  The battle standards captured from the Turks were sent to Rome and were placed on the altar of the Blessed Virgin in the Basilica of Saint Mary Major.

During the French Revolution, the only people to take up arms against the bloody anti-Christian, anti-authority, anti-God campaign were the Vendeans who were dedicated to The Rosary as taught to them by St. Louis de Monfort.

In 1615, only 66 years after St. Francis Xavier brought The Faith to Japan, there were 400,000 Catholics there, but thereafter, the priests and missionaries were expelled and the people thereby lost the sacraments.  Two hundred years later when missionaries were allowed to return, the remnant inquired of the new missionaries about whether they had with them The Rosary. It was only when the new missionaries could produce it and pray it that the faithful would trust them.   The recitation of The Rosary preserved the faith for all that time in spite of the absence of the sacraments.   This is a powerful testimony to give us hope during this time when we are being denied the sacraments.

In 1926, Bartolo Longo, a former Satanist priest, died peacefully while praying The Rosary.  He had been raised a Catholic, but later joined the Freemasons and was "ordained" a priest of Satan.  He was converted through the prayers of a friend named Dominic who was devoted to Our Lady and The Rosary.  Longo went on to establish The Rosary Confraternity and over 1 million people each year visit the shrine he established for Our Lady in 1876.  His last words were, "My only desire is to see Mary, who has saved me from and will save me from the clutches of Satan."

Perhaps most well know is Our Lady's appearance in Fatima, Portugal.  In May 1917, Our Lady first appeared to three children, imploring the children to "Pray the Rosary every day, in order to obtain peace for the world, and the end of the war (WW1)."  On July 13, 1917, she, who revealed her identity as Our Lady of the Rosary, implored the children to make known her desire that The Rosary be prayed by everyone every day for peace in the world and for the conversion of Russia.  She also stated that Russia was to be consecrated to Her Immaculate Heart and that the faithful were to do penance and pray for poor sinners.   If these things were not done, she warned, a greater war would follow, Russia would spread its errors, the Church would suffer greatly, nations would be annihilated, and a diabolical disorientation would come over The Church. 

However, She promised that in the end, Her Immaculate Heart would triumph.

What is it about Russia?

Russia has been the exporter of the greatest organized evil since the 20th Century.   Since the rise of the Bolsheviks in Russia in 1917, Communism has spread its tentacles throughout the world and has been responsible for the deaths of over 100 million people at the hands of Lenin, Stalin, Mao and others, just for starters.

Despite the break up of the USSR, Communism is still an active force in much of the world and nowhere is this more apparent than in The People's Republic of China.  From the persecution of religions to the use of prisoners for live experimentation, not to mention its policy of forced abortion, China maintains its dubious distinction of being the greatest violator of human rights.  Meanwhile, she manufactures much of the world's goods so she has largely remained unchecked as she has declared her desire to "rule the world."

That brings us to now.

There are many coronavirus strains out there and it is likely that most of us have been exposed to some of them.  The strain which appears to be "plaguing" the world is said to have originated in Wuhan, China and there is much evidence indicating that its origins were not organic, but that it actually originated from a biolab located there.  How or why it was released and exactly who is responsible, no one can credibly say at this time, but it believed by many that Covid-19 is a weaponized form of coronavirus.  Interesting to note, there are reports that the Chinese originally stole a coronavirus from Canada in 2017, 100 years after Our Lady warned us and gave us her peace plan at Fatima.  The errors of Russia - Communism - continue to plague and weary the world.

Errors abound  in what is known as the "free world" as well.   Here in the United States, we find that this current "crisis" is not being wasted.  Many are utilizing it for political gain and the advancement of ideology and technological "innovations" which will vastly impact the way we live, work, play and, most ground-shakingly, worship.   Meanwhile, politicians pad coronavirus relief bills to support agendas which have nothing to do with what the nation faces in this time of crisis and play hardball with the lives of many in order to secure their positions and proliferate pet projects.  The powers-that-be are enacting laws and ordinances which are literally stealing the livelihoods of its citizens while  keeping loved ones from the sick and dying and the healthy from living, all based on ever-changing scientific opinions and computer models.  Some might say that the coronavirus situation has been "weaponized" and that the "solution" will be deadlier than the virus itself.

Coronavirus as just a virus.
Coronavirus as a bio-weapon.
Coronavirus as being weaponized for political gain and tyrannical control.
Which is it?  Take your pick.
Regardless, we can know something by its fruits and whatever it is, we can all agree that coronavirus is aptly named.  It is a crown of poison ruling the life of literally billions of people on this planet and we need help.

It is time to take up THE Weapon.  The Crown of Our Lady needs to be used against an enemy, however microscopic and tyrannical.

Pray The Rosary to combat this latest putrid fruit of Russia's errors and mankind's folly.  Its fruits are triumph over evil and the peace of Heaven.

Don The Corona del Rosario and we shall know victory once again.

Traditional Catholic Rosary

      

Cereal and Your Heart's Desire

Several  years ago while doing grocery shopping,  I was suddenly dumbstruck as I turned down the aisle to pick out some cereal.  I stood and looked gapingly at the massive selection of all different kinds of cereals, hot and cold, healthy and unhealthy, name-brand and non-name brand and everything in between.    “How am I supposed to choose,” I cried aloud.  “ I just want cereal…”

We here in the US are blessed with tremendous largesse of well, nearly everything.  From Super Walmarts to the Internet, it is all out there and available.   Lush largesse looms largely in our lives indeed.

Lush, largesse…it gets me thinking about the beginning again.  Adam and Eve in Paradise.    What could be more lush than Paradise, the Garden of Eden?   The Garden of Eden brings to mind a host of images, smells, tastes, sounds-- an extravaganza for the senses.   Picture Adam and Eve before The Fall, walking around and surrounded by, well everything-- every form of life, every color, every sound.    The magnitude of this sensuality is nearly beyond imagination.  Put yourself there.   They had everything.  And yet….

Think about our lives today in the US.   The sights, sounds, tastes, smells, every form of life, every color , every sound.  The magnitude of this sensuality is nearly beyond imagination.   We have everything.  And yet….

It is largely believed that the first sin was pride.  Satan tempted Eve, telling her that God did not want them to be like Himself; to be gods.   We presume that sounded good to her ears because she went ahead and took that bite, with Adam following along right after her.  (Adam didn’t even put a fight!  And after all God did for him, you would think Adam would have a least tried to resist.)   Even though they were living in Paradise,  there is a hint that they wanted more than what had been was bestowed upon them.  Satan knew this or at least had some sense of it.  Perhaps while slithering around, he saw and sensed the longing.  They somehow opened the door to his malicious trick.  Remember:  Satan cannot come in where he isn’t welcomed.    Apparently, it didn’t take much to convince them that the grass was greener on God’s side of the street.

The temptation was that if they ate of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they would be like God.   They liked that idea, huh?   So if they wanted to be like God, well why didn’t they ask Him? It wasn’t like they didn’t know Him…Adam would take walks with God in the Garden.  They knew God.  Why didn’t they ask?  Why did they just take? 

Somehow, something occurred within them.  I wonder if part of the problem with Adam and Eve was having all of that lushness around them.   I wonder if they got caught up in it all and in each other.   They were having fun and enjoying all that was around them and yet they obviously wanted more of… something.   They wanted more.  They were not satisfied with all they had which was Paradise.  Had they been satisfied,  Satan would not have had a chance.  Yet, it seems that they yearned for more than what was around them, more than even each other.  

Reflect on that for a time.     They had this desire and instead of going to the One who brought it all into being, they listened to a snake and tried to take it for themselves.  They wanted to selfishly take from the One Who Freely Gives.  Sound familiar?

It makes me wonder if perhaps while tending the Garden and caring for each other, that they lost sight of God.   Perhaps the walks through the Garden had diminished.  Perhaps Adam was spending too much time alone with Eve.  Perhaps they were so engrossed with what they had, that they forgot Who gave it to them  and somehow, because they were working the land, they began to feel ownership of it.   They began to think it was theirs  and could do what they liked with it - even choosing to take the word of a snake.  They listened to one of the creatures over which they had been given dominion instead of God. 

Much like we do today. 

We have so much from food to technology to entertainment to adventure, etc.  I often say that in today’s world, we don’t “need” God.  Now, I don’t mean that.  I know that I am in desperate need of His Mercy and Love.  Yet, our world goes on like it doesn’t need Him.  We have forgotten from where it all has come and have this notion that somehow the answer lies within creation.  We therefore chase after more of the same, wanting more and more, but to no avail. 

I think that the moment of this awakening in Adam and Eve, when they realized they wanted more, could have been a tremendous moment for humankind, for had they turned to the Father and told Him of the inner desires of their hearts, they would have entered into a new kind of being with God.  He loves us like nobody’s business and well He knows what is good for us.  He would have given them His Life, Life in the Father.   

Reflect awhile on the Garden of Eden – both the one of our first parents and your own Garden of Eden. 

Are you still taking walks with God there in the garden?   Or are you perhaps spending too much time with work, leisure and even family?

What are your desire, the desires of your heart?   Have you told Him about them?  Or are you talking to snakes?

Have you thanked Him lately for the blessings in your life? For life itself?    Or do you believe that you deserve all of your success because of how smart, talented and hard-working you are?

"Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O God." – St. Augustine.

There may be all kinds of cereal out there, but there is only one God.

Lord, may I exclaim, “All I want is You.” 

"I came that they might have life and have it abundantly."

Declaration of Catholic Women on the “Synod on Synodality”

Our Lord Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church to be the “light of the world”, that through the successors of the Apostles we might hear His voice and all nations be led to eternal salvation.

Yet in recent times the moral authority of the Catholic Church appears to have been co-opted by the spirit of the world, and her voice silenced on matters that threaten the lives and eternal salvation especially of the young. In some Western nations today, children and adolescents are being physically mutilated by gender reassignment surgery, puberty-blocking drugs, and chemical castration, while confusion is sown in their minds and hearts by the spirit of impurity and the culture of death. And yet, many of those entrusted with the preservation and propagation of the deposit of faith are more preoccupied with ‘non-judgmental’ acceptance of those who indulge in and promote these practices than with protecting the innocent from the predators who seek to corrupt and destroy.

This surrender to the world is reaching its climax with the forthcoming gathering in Rome called the “Synod on Synodality.” In the preparations for this gathering, much has been made of the “role of women” in the Church. Suggestions have even been made that the “structures” of the Church be “reformed” so that women might participate in “governance” and that “women’s inclusion in the diaconate” be considered.

Female participants whom Pope Francis has appointed and given a vote equal to a bishop or cardinal have advocated heretical doctrines and espouse views contrary to the Catholic Faith. In the preparatory documents themselves, poisonous error is insinuated to the effect that unrepentant notorious public sinners should be “welcomed” into the Church without repentance as a precondition of sacramental Communion. Such a “welcome” would only ensure more terrible torments for these individuals in the world to come, as anyone who professed the Catholic Faith would know.

We have also witnessed Church leaders and lower clergy who are willing to revise the Church’s teaching on homosexuality and endorse the blessing of unnatural unions. Regrettably, Pope Francis has appointed some of these individuals to key organizational positions or as voting members of the October assembly.

As Catholic women who practice the faith and believe all that Holy Mother Church teaches, we wish to be represented only by bishops, to whom Christ entrusted the governance and leadership of His Church, and only insofar as they believe and profess the Church’s Faith. Those who come in by another way are “thieves and robbers who come only to steal, to kill, and to destroy” (Jn 10:10). We and our families, and indeed all Catholic laity, have a right to orthodox doctrine and faithful preaching from the pastors of the Church.

Therefore, to those bishops, the actual successors of the Apostles, mingled among the mixed assembly of laypersons and ecclesiastics purporting to be a ‘Synod of Bishops’ and soon to be assembled in Rome, we the undersigned Catholic laywomen demand evidence that you do in fact continue to profess the Catholic Faith.

Specifically, we ask the following:

Do you share the unbroken faith of the Church that certain actions can be qualified as morally evil based on their nature, regardless of the intention behind them or their consequences for everyone involved? (Veritatis Splendor, n.79 and 82)

Do you hold to the absolute primacy of the objective moral order that by itself surpasses and fittingly coordinates all other spheres of human affairs? (Vatican II, Inter mirifica)

Do you profess with the Council of Nicaea, St John Paul II, and all the Church’s tradition that, by divine law, only baptized men may receive the imposition of hands necessary for sacred ordination so that baptized women are always and necessarily in all respects to be numbered among the non-ordained faithful? (19th Canon of Nicaea, Ordinatio Sacerdotalis)

Do you uphold the unbroken teaching of Sacred Scripture and Holy Tradition that homosexual acts are acts of grave depravity, objectively disordered and contrary to the natural law which under no circumstances can be approved? (Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2357)

Do you uphold the doctrine that the Holy Spirit was promised to the successors of Peter not so that they might, by His revelation, make known some new doctrine, but that, by His assistance, they might religiously guard and faithfully expound the revelation or deposit of faith transmitted by the apostles? (Vatican I, Pastor Aeternus)

Do you uphold the faith of the Church that faith alone is an insufficient preparation for receiving the sacrament of the most Holy Eucharist, but that sacramental confession must necessarily be made beforehand by those whose conscience is burdened with mortal sin, however contrite they may consider themselves? (Council of Trent, Decree on the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, canon 11)

Do you uphold the doctrine that the charism of truth, which certainly is, was, and always will be in the succession of the episcopacy from the apostles, was given not that dogma may be tailored according to what seems better and more suited to the culture of each age but so that the absolute and immutable truth preached by the apostles from the beginning may never be believed to be different and may never be understood in any other way? (Pius X, Sacrorum antistitum)

Because if you do not believe with the Church on each of these points, then you are false shepherds whom Christ’s sheep—who hear His voice and follow Him—cannot follow.

September 30, 2023 — Feast of St Jerome, Doctor of the Church and the dies natalis of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, Doctor of the Church

From Restoretradition.com (I tried to link the page but it did not work so I have copied it here since I consider it an excellent piece and worthy of wide circulation.  I recommend adding your name to the declaration on restoretradtion.com.)

The Meaning of Life - Basics (Part I)

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.
When you read you begin with "A-B-C"
When you sing you begin with "Do-Re-Mi" (Sound of Music)

When you live you begin with "T-E-N"
That is, the Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments was given by God to Moses on Mount Sinai after He led the Hebrews out of Egypt, the place of slavery.  Yet, despite their new-found freedom, they were still very much in bondage, a bondage which is the source of all bondage and slavery and that is sin.

Sin is as old as, well, sin.  It has been around since almost the beginning.

We know from the Book of Genesis that on the seventh day, God rested from work.  The final item on His list that week was to create Woman from the side of Adam whom Adam called "Eve" which means "mother of all the living." Prior to the creation of Eve, God gave to man the fruit of all of the trees of the garden - except one - and He warned man that he would die should he eat of it.  How many days, weeks, months, years went by, we do not know, but we do know that at some point, Eve fell prey to the half-truths of Satan.  Taking the form of a serpent, he tempted Eve into eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She ate of the fruit of which they were forbade.   Then Adam ate... and the rest is history, a very dubious and painful history.

From the moment they ate of that fruit, they began to fall into a place where they were no longer free. Why?  Well, the One who had created everything out of nothing, the One who knows the purpose and meaning of each and every part of creation for He made it, had given them clear direction and warning.  "Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest you die."  Whenever we purchase a new appliance, cellphone or automobile, there comes with it a set of instructions put together by the manufacturer for use - how to use to its optimum performance (that is, to use it for its intended purpose ) and how not to use it in to prevent breakage, injury or even death.  The freedom lies in the fulfillment of purpose.   Well, God did the same thing with us, with Creation.  He gave Adam and Eve (us) life and placed all of creation in our care, providing instruction on how to care for it and prevent harm.  Yet, they had rejected what the Creator told them. They did not heed His warning, but instead listened to a creature like themselves with whom they really had no relationship.  Consider that for a moment.  In the Scripture, we are told that in the afternoon God would walk in the Garden with Adam and Eve.  Imagine that.  God would walk with them.  Can you imagine walking with God?  Literally?  No, you cannot; nor can I because we are so far from the incredible place that Adam and Eve were in.  I imagine He would tell them all kinds of things - He shared His  Knowledge and taught them.  He shared everything with them.  He would laugh with them.  Compare notes with them as they learned about all of the creatures for which they were caring.  They had friendship.  A relationship.  God loved them and they loved God.  There was unity and peace.  Yet, in spite of this, they did not heed His warning and by doing so, they rejected Him.   They were so enamored with God, so wanting to be like Him since He is so awesome.  Yet, instead of waiting for Him to grant them His divine life, they snatched it.  They forgot about Him, His love, His generosity, their friendship.

Immediately, a heaviness came over them. They were frightened, saw that they were naked and were ashamed of it.  They began to point fingers at each other and blame each other for "The Fall."   That was the beginning of the man's penchant for corruption and weakness, culminating in death.  In Scripture, we first see death in the murder of Abel by his jealous brother Cain.

And so it goes.

Since that time, mankind has been quite adept at falling over and over again.  It is as if he walks wearing a blindfold and with ankles tied together.  Stumbling and bumbling he goes.  It is as if sin comes so easily, so naturally....

And so it does.

Many years later, when God had called His chosen people out of the land of Egypt and gave them the Ten Commandments, He did so, not only so that they would be physically free of the weight of slavery that was upon them, but that they would be truly free - of sin, from death and to know, love and serve God, to one day, share in His divine life.

This divine life, this relationship, which was broken in The Fall, had to be restored and renewed.  There was much that had occurred between The Fall and Exodus - so much sin, so much degradation, covenants made and broken.  Sodom and Gommorah.  The Flood.  Abram called by God to have ancestors as "numerous as the stars in the sky." Abraham and Isaac.   Jacob and Esau.  Joseph and Egypt.  Along the way, as God called individuals, He led them higher to a place where He could one day call a people His chosen to be a light to all the nations and people of the world.  An unlikely and disliked people to be a city on a hill.  It is to them, the Hebrews, that God first revealed Himself as "I Am" and gave the foundation of freedom and stepping stones to Divine Life - The Ten Commandments.

The Ten Commandments are a summary of what we are to do and what we aren't to do.  Pure and simple, the basics of happiness and freedom.

The first three are about God and our relationship with Him.  They are primary and essential for it is only fitting that we should first love Him, Creator and Father:

I am the Lord your God: you shall not have strange Gods before me.
You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
Keep holy the Lord's Day

The next seven are about how to behave towards others:

Honor your mother and your father.
You shall not murder.
You shall not commit adultery.
You shall not steal.
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
You shall not covet another's wife/husband.
You shall not covet another's goods.

These commandments, given by God, written by His own finger, outline what, if left to our own devices and design, we would do naturally.  He ought to know.  After all, He is the Creator and knows us from within and without.  Psalm 139 (1-7): 

LORD, you have probed me, you know me:

you know when I sit and stand;

you understand my thoughts from afar.

You sift through my travels and my rest;

with all my ways you are familiar.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

LORD, you know it all.

Behind and before you encircle me

and rest your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

far too lofty for me to reach.

Where can I go from your spirit?

Once Adam and Eve chose equality with God over love by eating the fruit, all of creation was placed under the weight of rebellion,  not wanting to know God's design but one's own. "My Way" became humanity's theme song and all of creation under us groans as we stumble and plunder our way through.

When left to my own design, when doing it "My Way" I will lie or cheat or steal or covet or commit adultery, even murder... and I will not honor my parents...if anything stands in the way of my way.

If I do not wish to be humiliated, I will lie or cheat in order to protect myself.  If I really want something and I don't have the money for it, I may steal or at least covet it.  If I am feeling lonely in my marriage, I may desire to have the spouse of another.   If I feel that someone has done me wrong or threatens my preferred way of living, I may outright murder him.

These behaviors, when we are challenged, have a likelihood of being exhibited if there isn't any "restriction" or boundary set and the end result of each of them is, to varying degrees, negative - even to the point of death.  There isn't anyone who is reading this post who hasn't done one of these things, with the possible exception of murder - the intentional taking of another's life.  Our desires, our way can become the very center of our lives.  What I want/think/feel becomes, well, god.  This can be a momentary occurrence or a tapestry woven over a lifetime which I will come to justify or become hardened to, alienating others and distancing myself from the very One who fashioned me in my mother's womb. "You formed my inmost being.  You knit me in my mother's womb." (Psalm 139:13) In the moment or over a long series of moments, we can and will resort to our way; we who are not the manufacturers, write our own manual.   This is the very thing that the Ten Commandments tells us we will do, warns us against.

So, when I see the list of the do's and don't's of the Ten Commandments, I see very much myself, focused on myself and what I want need/desire regardless of the other.  It's all about me.   I see what I will do without God and concern for my neighbor.  Each time I ignore the warning, as my first parents did, I become more distanced from the Creator who made me with a design and purpose and those around me whom He has given me to love.   I become more bound to me, pointing fingers at those around me and I hide myself from view.  I become less able to enjoy relationship with God and realize His divine life which was what He intended for Adam and Eve - for all of us - from the beginning.  I become less able to relate to my loved ones and fellow human beings.  I become less caring of creation which He placed in my care.  I become something that I wasn't designed to be, something for which the user manual doesn't exist.   I re-enact The Fall over and over again.

Our Lord, being a generous God Who cannot be outdone in generosity, in the Ten Commandments gives us the truth and the remedy, the do's and the don't's and if we follow, we come out of hiding and begin to learn the basics in living a life of happiness and freedom.  We go back to the beginning - a very good place to start.