By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes.
– Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 4, Scene 1
Is there a part of you that aches when you feel a storm coming? An old injury, a creaking joint, maybe your sinuses? For me, it was always my left arm. Could be a bright, sunny, cloudless day, but if it started throbbing in just that certain way, I knew: before too long, the dark clouds would be rolling in.
I don’t know if it’s possible for our souls to feel something similar, but I’ve talked to a number of people who have serious spiritual aches.
There’s just this feeling that something bad is coming. Nobody can put their finger on it. It could be spiritual, or temporal, or possibly even both. All I can say is that it’s as if we’re watching the world stage, and the house lights have gone down, and we can just barely make out that the scenery is being rearranged by people dressed all in black. We can’t see them with any clarity. There’s just the sense of deliberate and hasty movement, as pieces are being put into place for a big scene.
I’ve never been given to apocalyptic fantasies, but it’s hard not to wonder if when the curtain comes up, we will be witnessing the beginning of the final act.
In this essay, I hope to try to stitch together some of the disparate factors I see coalescing, and others I merely suspect. I have no special gift for divining the course of the future; I receive no private revelations. But I have a sense that something is very much not right in the world, and I am trying to address that for myself. I have chosen to also share my attempt to make these connections with you.
I apologize in advance for the length, but I didn’t see any way to break this up and keep all of the moving pieces in context.
So get comfortable. Maybe grab a stiff drink. If you’re feeling like it, it might be a good time for some music to set the mood.
Inauspicious Portents: Fears, Dreams, and Apparitions
The feeling I mentioned has been building for a while, but it’s grown stronger in the past year.
A friend of mine who has always been blessed (if you can call it that) with a strong, almost tangible, spiritual awareness called me some time last fall. He was driving back from an evening appointment, and it was dark out. He told me, “I don’t know what’s going on, but something is up. They’re very…active tonight. I just want to get home.” (Whenever he says “they” in that way, I know what he means. It’s always a reference to demonic activity, something with which he was very familiar before his conversion.)
I’ve been having more conversations with people lately who are having terrifying dreams. Not typical nightmares. Dreams of soldiers, attacks, persecution of the faithful, ominous warnings about evil. I had one just the other night. I woke up, heart pounding, and I had to pray for the better part of an hour before I could calm down enough to get back to sleep. One woman I know has been having them every night, for weeks on end. She is not easily intimidated, but she confessed to me that she is terrified for her children. “They’re so vivid.” She says. “They feel so real.” Of course, it’s dangerous to read too much into dreams, but we know that they can sometimes serve a spiritual purpose. In other instances, they can be a subconscious manifestation of what our minds are picking up on in our waking hours.
The world is obviously in turmoil. Among the many geopolitical and economic dangers we face, the situation with Russia right now is particularly foreboding. I have never taken a side on the question of the Blessed Mother’s urgent request for the consecration of Russia, but it grows more apparent by the day that the fruits of that consecration are not in evidence. In the apparition of Our Lady of Fatima on July 13, 1917, Mary warned of what might come:
Then Our Lady opened Her hands, as during the previous apparitions, and the light that was God streamed forth. In this light they were given, on this occasion, a vision of Hell so horrible and gruesome that the children shrieked aloud with fear. After showing them Hell Our Lady said to the children: “You have seen Hell where the souls of poor sinners go. To save them, God wishes to establish in the world devotion to My Immaculate Heart. If what I say to you is done, many souls will be saved and there will be peace. The war is going to end; if people do not cease offending God, a worse one will beak out during the pontificate of Pius XI. When you see a night illumined by an unknown light, know that this is the great sign given you by God that He is about to punish the world for its crimes, by means of war, famine, and persecutions of the Church and of the Holy Father. “To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.
Can anyone seriously suggest that Russia converted? That there has been peace? That the errors of Marxism have not been spreading?
And of course Our Lady has appeared in various ways to various people to warn us of things to come. Apparitions approved by the Church filled with grave prophecy of future terrors — not just in the world, but within the Church:
As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests.
The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres…churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord.
“The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them.
Our Lady of Akita, October 13, 1973
How can anyone read these words and not see a reflection of our current Church? Fatima and Akita are more recent apparitions, but warnings about our present age are hardly new. In the 16th century, Our Lady of Good Success described our times with frightening accuracy:
“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing….
“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations.”
“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.
“The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church…and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”
“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground.”
Notice that again and again, the warnings intermingle the threats existent in the world with those which will attempt to destroy the faith from within. Our Lady leaves little doubt that there will be a conspiracy within the Church that will allow heterodoxy the upper hand, at least for a time.
Though the veracity of the text has been (inconclusively) disputed, in the 1879 message of Our Lady of LaSalette the future is put in absolutely succinct and candid terms:
“Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist.”
Impossible? Doesn’t either proposition in this statement work against the indefectibility of the Church? I don’t think so on either count.
The Antichrist and the Loss of Catholic Faith
The reason I think that the preceding line is quite possible indeed is that scripture also tells us of certain specifics regarding the coming of the Antichrist:
Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of his mouth and destroy him by his appearing and his coming. The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
– 2 Thessalonians 2:2-12, RSV (Emphasis mine)
In the highlighted passage above, we see certain assertions that are critical for us to understand:
- Christ will not come again until “rebellion” comes (in some versions, this is translated as “apostasy”).
- Christ will not come again until the Antichrist comes.
- The Antichrist will take his seat in the temple of God, claiming this very title of “god” for his own.
Whether or not the 1879 vision of Our Lady of LaSalette is real, or a product of the visionary’s imagination (she was said to have been reading some pretty apocalyptic stuff after the original and fully approved visions) is something we may never know. But scripture is telling us that the statement, “Rome will lose the Faith and become the seat of the Antichrist” has some real merit. In fact, this seems to be exactly what is being predicted in 2 Thessalonians.
Time Out. This is Getting Morbid. Why Write About This?
Apostasy. Antichrist. A liar, a divine impostor reigning from the “temple of God”, which we can only take to mean the Church that Christ established: the Catholic Church. Why am I waxing apocalyptic?
Well, I didn’t mean to wind up here. This is something that has been itching at the back of my mind for some time, and I wanted to try to understand it. As I sat down to start writing, I found these themes coming to the surface, and I felt compelled to explore them. It was as if I was seeing pieces to a jigsaw puzzle spread out over a large table. I wasn’t sure what the picture was supposed to look like, but as more pieces made their entrance, I was getting a better sense of the picture.
I’m not writing this today because I have some reason to believe that the Antichrist is among us (although it wouldn’t surprise me at this point). In fact, it’s not because I believe he’ll be here next week, next month, or next year. It’s because I believe, as a matter of faith, that he will come, and when he does come, the only way he will be able to deceive those who call themselves Catholics will be because they no longer know what it is that a Catholic is supposed to believe.
And one of the big picture elements coming into focus is exactly that: Catholics, by and large, don’t know what the Church teaches anymore. They would have no way of resisting an imposter who chooses to reign from the Temple of God if they were unable to identify his false doctrines. We are coming closer and closer to that level of desolation in the faith.
And I don’t think that’s an accident.
“Holy Mother Church has the Power to Overcome any Enemy. But they have Her Drugged and Tied Up in the Back Room.”
– Father Joseph (Name Changed), Diocesan Priest; February 17, 2014 (Personal conversation)
There was a time, not long ago, when Catholicism was synonymous with clear, unequivocal teaching. Like her or hate her, people knew where the Church stood on every important issue. The Baltimore Catechism, the precepts of the Church, Denzinger’s Sources of Catholic Dogma, the Code of Canon Law, the various papal teachings that upheld truth and condemned error in no uncertain terms…people who had never darkened the doorstep of a Catholic Church were not ignorant of her most basic teachings. Catholic schoolchildren, on the other hand, could recite many of these core beliefs from memory.
Over the course of the 20th century, however, that began to change. Particularly in the latter part. It would appear that the forces of hell made a play for the Catholic faith unlike any attempt before.
There is a popular story that at the end of the 19th century, Pope Leo XIII had an apparition at Mass whereupon God allowed Satan a hundred years to do his worst to the Church, which terrified the holy father and in turn resulted in his composition of the Prayer to St. Michael. In 1886, he made this invocation a part of the Leonine prayers said at the conclusion of every low Mass. Pope Leo also composed prayers of exorcism that could be said by clergy or by the faithful, so concerned was he about the intrusion of the demonic into the life of the faith.
In his 1907 encyclical against modernism (the “synthesis of all heresies”), Pascendi Dominici Gregis, Pope St. Pius X warned of another evil he saw arising — an attack on truth from within the Church herself:
“That We should act without delay in this matter is made imperative especially by the fact that the partisans of error are to be sought not only among the Church’s open enemies; but, what is to be most dreaded and deplored, in her very bosom, and are the more mischievous the less they keep in the open. We allude, Venerable Brethren, to many who belong to the Catholic laity, and, what is much more sad, to the ranks of the priesthood itself, who, animated by a false zeal for the Church, lacking the solid safeguards of philosophy and theology, nay more, thoroughly imbued with the poisonous doctrines taught by the enemies of the Church, and lost to all sense of modesty, put themselves forward as reformers of the Church; and, forming more boldly into line of attack, assail all that is most sacred in the work of Christ, not sparing even the Person of the Divine Redeemer, whom, with sacrilegious audacity, they degrade to the condition of a simple and ordinary man.
[…]
[A]s We have said, they put into operation their designs for her undoing, not from without but from within. Hence, the danger is present almost in the very veins and heart of the Church, whose injury is the more certain from the very fact that their knowledge of her is more intimate. Moreover, they lay the ax not to the branches and shoots, but to the very root, that is, to the faith and its deepest fibers. And once having struck at this root of immortality, they proceed to diffuse poison through the whole tree, so that there is no part of Catholic truth which they leave untouched, none that they do not strive to corrupt. Further, none is more skillful, none more astute than they, in the employment of a thousand noxious devices; for they play the double part of rationalist and Catholic, and this so craftily that they easily lead the unwary into error; and as audacity is their chief characteristic, there is no conclusion of any kind from which they shrink or which they do not thrust forward with pertinacity and assurance. To this must be added the fact, which indeed is well calculated to deceive souls, that they lead a life of the greatest activity, of assiduous and ardent application to every branch of learning, and that they possess, as a rule, a reputation for irreproachable morality. Finally, there is the fact which is all but fatal to the hope of cure that their very doctrines have given such a bent to their minds, that they disdain all authority and brook no restraint; and relying upon a false conscience, they attempt to ascribe to a love of truth that which is in reality the result of pride and obstinacy. (emphasis mine)
Nor was Pope St. Pius the only one to warn about what was on the horizon. The encyclicals Mortalium Animos and Mediator Dei, by popes Pius XI and XII, respectively, proscribed certain nascent developments in the Church (these regarding liturgy and ecumenical prayer) that were contrary to authentic Catholicism. Nonetheless, many of these things would come to pass, almost as if to specifically adopt what had earlier been forbidden, and then were treated as perfectly orthodox manifestations of Catholicism in the wake of the Second Vatican Council.
In the 1950s, Bella Dodd, the leader of the Communist Party America in the 1930s and 1940s, testified before Congress about the planned infiltration by communist agents of Catholic seminaries.
“In the 1930s we put eleven hundred men into the priesthood in order to destroy the Church from within.” The idea was for these men to be ordained and progress to positions of influence and authority as Monsignors and Bishops. A dozen years before Vatican II she stated that: “Right now they are in the highest places in the Church” – where they were working to bring about change in order to weaken the Church’s effectiveness against Communism. She also said that these changes would be so drastic that “you will not recognise the Catholic Church.”
Mrs Dodd, who converted to the Faith at the end of her life, was personally acquainted with this diabolic project since, as a Communist agent, part of her brief was to encourage young radicals (not always card-carrying Communists) to enter Catholic seminaries. She alone had encouraged nearly 1,000 such youngsters to infiltrate the seminaries and religious orders! One monk who attended a Bella Dodd lecture in the early 1950s recalled:
“I listened to that woman for four hours and she had my hair standing on end. Everything she said has been fulfilled to the letter. You would think she was the world’s greatest prophet, but she was no prophet. She was merely exposing the step-by-step battle plan of Communist subversion of the Catholic Church. She explained that of all the world’s religions, the Catholic Church was the only one feared by the Communists, for it was its only effective opponent. The whole idea was to destroy, not the institution of the Church, but rather the Faith of the people, and even use the institution of the Church, if possible, to destroy the Faith through the promotion of a pseudo-religion: something that resembled Catholicism but was not the real thing. Once the Faith was destroyed, she explained that there would be a guilt complex introduced into the Church…. to label the ‘Church of the past’ as being oppressive, authoritarian, full of prejudices, arrogant in claiming to be the sole possessor of truth, and responsible for the divisions of religious bodies throughout the centuries. This would be necessary in order to shame Church leaders into an ‘openness to the world,’ and to a more flexible attitude toward all religions and philosophies. The Communists would then exploit this openness in order to undermine the Church.”
This conspiracy has been confirmed time and again by Soviet defectors. Ex-KGB officer Anatoliy Golitsyn, who defected in 1961 and in 1984 forecast with 94% accuracy all the astonishing developments in the Communist Bloc since that time, confirmed several years ago that this “penetration of the Catholic and other churches” is part of the Party’s “general line [i.e. unchanged policy] in the struggle against religion.”
Similar infiltrations were suspected by the Freemasons, which our lady specifically warned about. (Archbishop Annibale Bugnini, who was the principal author of the preparatory schema of the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy at Vatican II, Sacrosanctum Concilium, as well as its interpreter as composer of the Novus Ordo Missae, was suspected of being a possible Freemason, and ended his tenure in virtual exile as nuncio to Tehran.)
We can see by these premonitions and attempts to pull down Catholicism from within that serious problems in the Church had already asserted themselves before Vatican II. But it was through the council that they came to a head. Catechesis was faltering. Theological and liturgical revolution was fomenting. The same zeitgeist that was bringing us growing moral relativism, the sexual revolution and the hippie drug culture that went with it was the one that blew in when Pope John XXIII decided it was time to “open the windows of the Church and let in some fresh air.” The Church decided to have a dialogue with the world at the precise moment when the world had decided it had nothing worth saying.
There are histories of the council that could give much greater detail on the agendas that were made manifest there than I have space or time for here. (I recommend Michael Davies’ Liturgical Timebombs in Vatican II; I hear that Fr. Fritz Wiltgen’s The Rhine Flows Into the Tiber is even better, though I haven’t read it yet.) It is certainly true that many of the council fathers came to Rome in 1963 with the intention of substantially transforming the Catholic faith. It is manifestly true that they got their way.
The 1969 promulgation of the Novus Ordo Missae was the crowning accomplishment of the progressive council fathers, and a masterwork of modernist genius. On an objective theological level, there was no compelling argument against its validity, though questions of liceity when it came to simply making up a new liturgy out of whole cloth and supplanting one in existence for over a thousand years were certainly on the table. The subsequent suppression of the vetus ordo was illegal, but it happened nonetheless (a fact that wouldn’t be remedied until Pope Benedict XVI’s motu proprio, Summorum Pontificum, in 2007) and a wholesale change in ecclesiology and the anthropology of worship drastically altered the relationship of not only Catholics, but non-Catholics, with the teachings and understanding of the True Faith. The liturgical destruction that was wrought following the council would need volumes (and many have been filled on the topic) to fully explain. For many years, good and faithful priests and theologians have tried to make sense of the liturgical revolt that suddenly and unceremoniously deconstructed the Church’s ancient liturgy and replaced it with something inferior and, in fact, “a fabrication, a banal on-the-spot product”, as Cardinal Ratzinger once referred to it. Even pioneers in the “reform of the reform” movement have recently reached the conclusion that the liturgical shipwreck is unsalvageable; one went so far as to say that in the development between the two liturgies there “are significant ruptures in content and form that cannot be remedied” through even the most substantive alterations.
The abuses that have followed in the wake of the Novus Ordo — some of which, like altar girls and communion in the hand (which I will speak more of later) — have Vatican approval, and these continue to erode at priestly vocations and belief in the Real Presence.
Echoing the vision of Leo XIII, Pope Paul VI stated, somewhat mysteriously, in his homily of June 29, 1972, “From some fissure the smoke of Satan has entered the temple of God.” It is hard not to wonder at reasoning behind the decision made 8 years earlier in 1964, in which the Sacred Congregation of Rites promulgated the instruction Inter Oecumenici, which suppressed the Leonine prayers after Mass — including the prayer to St. Michael and the prayer for the “Liberty and exultation” of the Church. On this matter, the instruction simply says: “[T]he Leonine Prayers are suppressed.” (This applied to the 1962 Missal, since the Novus Ordo had not yet been slapped together.)
The ‘Brake’ has Failed: Humanae Vitae and a Half Century of Dissent
If Paul VI unleashed a great deal of turmoil in the Church by capitulating to the liturgical revolutionaries, he made a tremendous stand — perhaps the one example in his papacy of real courage — with the promulgation of Humanae Vitae. When John XXIII called the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control, I don’t know if anyone expected a particular outcome. I think many people’s expectations, regardless what side of the issue they were on, were very much not met. In a grumbling 2011 essay in the National Catholic Reporter, Gerald Slevin describes the controversy within the commission and the unexpected move by Pope Paul to oppose them:
The commission, called by Pope John XXIII in 1963 and later working on the aegis of Paul VI, eventually ended its tenure with a report asking that the church’s ban on all forms of artificial birth control be lifted.
Immediately, a second report, objecting to the commission’s final report, was called for by Cardinal Alfredo Ottaviani, then head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith and a powerful church conservative at the time. [Steve’s note – Ottaviani also intervened two years later in an attempt to stop the promulgation of the Novus Ordo. Sadly, in that instance, he failed.]
The commission’s final report was leaked to and published in the National Catholic Reporter and appeared in other publications in 1967. A year later, after widespread expectations Paul VI would take the commission’s report to heart, he issued the encyclical Humanae Vitae, affirming the church’s official ban on all forms of artificial contraception.
That last part is important: “leaked to and published”. Though Humanae Vitae served as a bulwark against the crushing tide of sexual licentiousness to follow, the poison of the misinformation let loose in the world during the intervening time between the commission’s report and the encyclical’s publication would create a chronic infection in the life of the faith. The dissent of the majority of the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control was widely publicized, creating anticipation that the Church was about to change course and allow Catholics to practice artificial contraception. When Humanae Vitae arrived, it met strong opposition from Catholics — priests, bishops, and laity alike — who had already made up their mind that artificial contraception was just fine.
With the watered-down (and at times outright sacrilegious) liturgical experience, the softening of both Church discipline and teaching that came after the council, the “dialogue as ecumenism” approach to non-Catholics (as opposed to evangelization in pursuit of conversion), a number of syncretistic actions during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II, and the absolute lack of discipline for wayward bishops, the faith was already taking heavy damage. But the division over the Church’s sexual teachings that had gained a beachhead in 1967 was where the the wounds that would diminish the Church’s strength really started to fester.
In 2003, 35 years after Humanae Vitae, Kenneth C. Jones published a book entitled: Index of Leading Catholic Indicators: The Church Since Vatican II. In an article for Latin Mass Magazine, the author summarized his many disturbing findings. Among these, the numbers on sacramental life are telling:
In 1965 there were 1.3 million infant baptisms, in 2002 there were 1 million. (In 1965 there were 287 infant baptisms for every 10,000 Catholics, in 2002 there were 154 — a decline of 46 percent.) In 1965 there were 126,000 adult baptisms in 2002 there were 80,000. In 1965 there were 352,000 Catholic marriages, in 2002 there were 256,000. In 1968 there were 338 annulments, in 2002 there were 50,000.
Mass attendance: A 1958 Gallup poll reported that 74 percent of Catholics went to Sunday Mass in 1958. A 1994 University of Notre Dame study found that the attendance rate was 26.6 percent. A more recent study by Fordham University professor James Lothian concluded that 65 percent of Catholics went to Sunday Mass in 1965, while the rate dropped to 25 percent in 2000.
The decline in Mass attendance highlights another significant fact — fewer and fewer people who call themselves Catholic actually follow Church rules or accept Church doctrine. For example, a 1999 poll by the National Catholic Reporter shows that 77 percent believe a person can be a good Catholic without going to Mass every Sunday, 65 percent believe good Catholics can divorce and remarry, and 53 percent believe Catholics can have abortions and remain in good standing. Only 10 percent of lay religion teachers accept Church teaching on artificial birth control, according to a 2000 University of Notre Dame poll. And a New York Times poll revealed that 70 percent of Catholics age 18-44 believe the Eucharist is merely a “symbolic reminder” of Jesus.
Over a decade later, the early results are back from the Vatican questionnaire in preparation for the Synod on Marriage and Family this coming October. And they show continued erosion of core beliefs.
In an unusually blunt report to the Vatican, Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Fla., said that even most regular churchgoing Catholics in his diocese find the church’s teaching on artificial contraception no longer relevant.
“On the matter of artificial contraception, the responses might be characterized by saying, ‘That train left the station long ago,’ ” he wrote in a Feb. 7 blog about his report. “Catholics have made up their minds and the sensus fidelium [the sense of the faithful] suggests the rejection of church teaching on this subject.”
[T]he German dioceses reported that “‘pre-marital unions’ are not only a relevant pastoral reality, but one which is almost universal,” since between 90 percent and 100 percent of couples who seek a Catholic wedding are already living together, despite church teaching that sex outside of marriage is sinful.
“Many, in fact, consider it irresponsible to marry without living together beforehand,” the report said.
“Many … expressed particular difficulties with the teachings on extra-marital sex and cohabitation by unmarried couples, divorce and remarriage, family planning, assisted human reproduction, homosexuality. The church’s teaching in these sensitive areas is often not experienced as realistic, compassionate, or life-enhancing.”
“Belgian Catholics expect the Church to welcome everyone, regardless of differences or mistakes made. This especially true when it comes to gay people and remarried divorcees,” SIR says.
“Belgian Catholics, inspired by Francis, are calling for a mother Church that embraces all: hence the need to grow in the faith and form lively communities,” SIR highlights. The questionnaires also placed an emphasis on the essential role women can play in Church life: “It is they who pass on the faith to children and guide them,” Belgian Catholics point out.
[…]
According to Luxembourg’s Catholics, the Church does not offer a suitable solution to problematic family situations. “The doctrine on marriage, responsible fatherhood and the family is rejected in non-ecclesial circles (sometimes even in ecclesial ones),” because the Church is seen as a stranger and as not competent in these areas. In their answers Luxembourg’s Catholics refer to “the suffering caused by the exclusion from the sacraments, particularly in terms of reconciliation.” The rule the Church has regarding access to the sacraments appears inadequate. They urge the Church “to put the pastoral mission of mercy into practice and create environments where it can be introduced and experienced.” But Luxembourg didn’t express any precise position or offer any concrete indications as to the issue of gay couples. There was simply an appeal to the Church to “accept reality as it is and not try to change it with moral models” and to be welcoming and merciful.
The Religious Information Service also highlights the difference in viewpoint between the German Church and its faithful on issues such as couples living together before marriage, birth control and contraception. The exclusion of remarried divorcees from the sacraments is seen as unjustified and cruel discrimination. German Catholics also ask for same-sex unions to be legally recognised and seen on equal terms as marriage “as a commandment of justice”.
The number one request Swiss faithful made was for remarried divorcees to be granted the right to receive communion. Although Swiss Catholics fully agree on the importance of sacramental marriage and the Christian education of children, they say it is “difficult to accept the Church’s doctrine on the family, marriage and homosexuality.” “An approximately 60% majority is in favour of the Church recognizing and blessing gay couples.” There is also “strongly disagreement over with the [Church’s] rejection of artificial contraception methods.”
Pope Francis recently said of Paul VI’s and Humanae Vitae:
“His genius proved prophetic: he had the courage to stand against the majority, to defend moral discipline, to exercise a ‘brake’ on the culture, to oppose [both] present and future neo-Malthusianism. The question is not that of changing doctrine, but to go into the depths, and ensuring that pastoral [efforts] take into account people’s situations, and that, which it is possible for people to do.”
The idea that Humanae Vitae slowed the cultural descent is, I think, appropriate. But it is now indisputable that this ‘brake’ has failed, and the world’s Catholics have careened at high speed off the cliff of mass apostasy. They no longer believe what the Church believes, or even that the Church has any right to believe it.
The pope says “the question is not that of changing doctrine,” which is the kind of thing one might say when one is readying to make the appearance of doing exactly that.
Anti-John the Baptist(s)? Making the Path Crooked
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.”– Matthew 3:1-3, RSV
Up until this point, I have endeavored to validate my feeling of something ominous on the horizon by summarizing a brief history of the drastic, rapid progression of the Church down a path that has lead us to the present moment of crisis.
But I believe that things are about to get much worse.
I have already mentioned that over the past year the feeling that something is coming has grown stronger. I can’t say for certain that this feeling is tied to the present pontificate, but since Pope Francis first stepped out on the loggia I have been deeply unsettled.
While it is far from the only issue in play, the “change in tone” coming from Pope Francis is the lightning rod in this storm. Multiple camps of faithful Catholics, all interpreting the things he says in different, opposing ways.
Critics point out that some things — like stating, “Christ became sin for me! And my sins are there in his body, in his soul!” seem openly heretical. Similarly, when referencing the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, “This is the miracle: rather than a multiplication it is a sharing” — this is not an orthodox interpretation. On the latter interrpetation, Fr. Dwight Longnecker recently wrote (making no reference to the pope):
“This familiar story of the feeding of the five thousand is full of extra meaning, but first we need to ask whether it really happened. Those who doubt miracles like to give anodyne explanations like, ‘The real miracle was that everyone shared their lunch.’ What nonsense! If that is all it was why would Mark have bothered to record it?”
The statements about homosexual civil unions, the “who am I to judge” comments about homosexual Christians and/or priests (echoed endlessly by gay marriage advocates), the concern that Catholics are obsessed with sexual teachings that come across as little more than a “disjointed multitude of doctrines” (echoed by pro-abortion advocates), the endless string of papal insults of otherwise faithful Christians, the suggestion of Atheists getting to heaven through primacy of conscience and his own intention not to convert them (an interview the pope read and agreed with, despite the spin), the welcoming of known Marxist groups in the Vatican despite government protest…the list goes on and on. There always seems to be some fresh outrage that needs to be reinterpreted by someone telling everyone to “calm down” that everything is “completely orthodox” or maybe even that it’s all “lost in translation.”
It’s a mess. I have mentioned that in order for the Antichrist to one day find a seat in the “Temple of God,” there must be no substantive resistence to his false doctrines. If the confusion and misunderstanding of doctrine that plagues the majority of the world’s Catholics continues to deepen, this will make the process of transition that much easier. In a sense, this pope, and those in the Church who would further muddy the waters of established teaching, are acting as anti-John the Baptists. By creating confusion where there was clarity, they are not making the way straight for the Lord, but crooked. Which only helps His enemies.
The fighting that has set in among faithful, obedient Catholics is deeply troubling, and is evidence enough of the problem. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” The hallmark of the current pontificate is division — not between those on one end of the ideological spectrum or the other, but between the kind of folks who should be running in the same circles. Pro-life, pro-family, pro-Church teaching, rosary-praying, Catechism-reading, politically conservative Catholics. In the ever-shrinking group of the faithful who should be on the same team, fault lines are busting out all over.
Those who are deeply concerned about what the pope and his inner circle are saying put the blame on the shepherds of the Church who are saying these things for being irresponsible stewards of Catholic teaching (and at the very best, poor communicators). They are also wary of those Catholics who reflexively support the pope and his cohorts uncritically. They see their fellow Catholics as little more than papolaters; blind “ultramontanists” and defenders of the defenseless.
On the other side, the full-throated supporters of everything coming out of the Vatican (regardless of its incongruence with Church teaching) have taken to using scare quotes around the word “faithful” when referencing those who have become openly critical of the current pontificate or the direction in which the Church seems to be heading. They do mental gymnastics to show how all of the confusion is in the fault of the hearer. They build up false doctrines that forbid the faithful from criticizing error if it comes from the pope. They also treat non-Catholics with far greater charity than their own fellow Catholics who — even if they turn out to be wrong — are in good conscience questioning what they see as the dangerous situation in the Church. (I will most certainly be vilified for what I’ve written here today. As a general rule, I won’t stoop to their level and question the sincerity of their faith just because they disagree with me. If they didn’t care about the Church, they wouldn’t be confused and afraid. If they weren’t confused and afraid, they wouldn’t be angry.)
Whatever the cause, the fighting is real, and it is damaging the Church in ways that will have long repercussions. Catholic against Catholic, brother against brother. People who profess the same creed — and mean it — at total odds over the meaning of the events and statements that are unfolding almost every day.
While our internecine squabbles continue, the world is largely under the impression that either the Church is changing what is unchangeable, or that it is simply more irrelevant than ever before. Many are taking a positive view of Catholicism insofar as they think it is becoming more like their vision for the world, but in reality, souls are not being won. Francis is not effecting conversions. The Body of Christ is rapidly becoming a house divided. We squabble over doctrine which should be clear but has instead become anything but. This looks a lot less like a “New Springtime” and a lot more like neverending winter.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
Over the six months since I wrote my first (and now infamous) post about Francis’s first moment on the loggia and my subsequent concerns, I have been scorned and ridiculed by some noteworthy Catholic figures. Fortunately, I have been validated by many more than have attacked me.
I have heard from people who work at Catholic institutions of all stripes: lay people, school teachers, writers, diocesan staff, diocesan priests, editors, and college faculty. The messages are typically variations on this theme: “Glad you’re saying what I can’t. Keep it up. People are worried. It’s too risky still for me to speak openly about this. Watching carefully all that is going on.”
In one particularly reassuring episode, I recently received a phone call from a professor of theology at a Catholic college of solid reputation. This individual confirmed me not only in the concerns I have expressed about this pontificate, but in the feelings of terror I experienced at the moment of his announcement. (I have now heard from far too many people who felt what I felt that day to allow myself to discount it as a mere feeling.) This professor assured me that there are others in the world of Catholic theological academia who are also deeply concerned, and many are at work to try to understand how to best counter the errors — whether real or perceived — that seem to be issuing forth from this papacy, and from the prelates whom Pope Francis has surrounded himself with.
The most problematic of these would seem on the surface to be Cardinal Maradiaga, and he is certainly not to be underestimated. But I believe he is a distraction. The real danger comes instead from Cardinal Walter Kasper.
Cardinal Kasper — hand-picked by Pope Francis as an advisor after the holy father called him “a superb theologian” known for “serene theology” — is known for anything but superb theology:
“[D]uring a five-day visit to the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, Cardinal Kasper was interviewed by Denis O’Hayer of WABE 90.1 FM, the local PBS radio station.
O’Hayer: Again, as I recall, at the beginning [of the ecumenical movement], the idea was that the other denominations would accept or somehow come to realize that the Church was the One True Church — the Catholic Church was. Is that accurate? … First of all is that perception accurate, and secondly, is that still the premise for the Catholic Church’s approach to ecumenism?
Kasper: Well, we have given up this ecumenism of return.”
And more:
“They’ve attacked me as a heretic,” he said with a smile.
Asked why the ultra-traditionalists opposed ecumenical dialogue so strongly, he said: “Some people feel threatened in their Catholic identity when we speak with Protestants.
“We need to have a Catholic identity,” he said. “But we need an open and mature identity, not a closed one. That’s not a mature identity.”
But then, when it comes to internal Church dialogue:
“The main problem with them [the SSPX] is not the Mass in Latin,” he said, referring to the SSPX’s insistence on the pre-Council liturgy, “but the concept of tradition. Do we want a living tradition or a petrified one?”
“I’m for a dialogue, but on our conditions, not on the traditionalists’ conditions,”
And one of my old favorites:
“The only thing I wish to say is that the Document Dominus Iesus does not state that everybody needs to become a Catholic in order to be saved by God. On the contrary, it declares that God’s grace, which is the grace of Jesus Christ according to our faith, is available to all. Therefore, the Church believes that Judaism, i.e. the faithful response of the Jewish people to God’s irrevocable covenant, is salvific for them, because God is faithful to his promises.
This touches the problem of mission towards Jews, a painful question with regard to forced conversion in the past. Dominus Iesus, as other official documents, raised this question again saying that dialogue is a part of evangelisation. This stirred Jewish suspicion. But this is a language problem, since the term evangelisation, in official Church documents, cannot be understood in the same way it is commonly interpreted in everyday’s speech. In strict theological language, evangelisation is a very complex and overall term, and reality. It implies presence and witness, prayer and liturgy, proclamation and catechesis, dialogue and social work . . . which do not have the goal of increasing the number of Catholics. Thus evangelisation, if understood in its proper and theological meaning, does not imply any attempt of proselytism whatsoever. “
There’s that word again. Proselytism. Used interchangeably by Kasper with the concept of an evangelization that seeks converts, it is the same word that Pope Francis, the theological admirer of Kasper, described as “Solemn nonsense.”
Cardinal Kasper is a man who has a problem with the central truths of the Catholic faith and her most venerable traditions, but not the errors one finds outside of the Mystical Body of Christ. He disputes her claims of exclusivity, and the necessity of her sacraments for salvation.
More to the point: his current, ongoing push to find pastoral solutions to provide communion to the divorced and remarried is, I submit, not about marriage at all.
It is about the final destruction of the remaining belief in the Real Presence and the authority of the Magisterium. It is about treating all religions as equally and sufficiently efficacious for eternal salvation and denying the doctrine of Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus.
This, at last, is the coup de grâce in the century-long onslaught against the Catholic faith that has been waged from within the Church. It is about modernism’s final, momentous triumph.
What the Pontifical Commission on Birth Control could not accomplish in 1967 appeared to be a great victory for the Church. But I have come to believe that Satan and his co-conspirators, so actively at work in the Church, accepted what seemed to be a crushing defeat at the time, knowing that the seeds for a much greater victory had been planted. Dissent blossomed in the Church, with no few bishops leading the charge. Contraception destroyed marriage. Worldwide, it has irrevocably separated the sexual act from procreation, and thus has ushered in the age of virtually ubiquitous extra-marital sex, abortion, pornography, and now same-sex marriage. As the institution of marriage has weakened, the frequency of divorce has increased exponentially. The apparent victory that was Humanae Vitae was not enforced from the pulpits. The faithful were not sufficiently catechized. And now the state of marriage — including Catholic marriage — is in such a bad way that it’s impossible to know how many marriages within the Church were ever valid in the first place. (Ask anyone going through required diocesan marriage prep how many of their classmates are already sleeping together. They’re not shy about it.)
The pastoral situation that the bishops are now facing as they consider the question of communion for the divorced and remarried is of their own making. And I submit for your consideration the idea that this happened not by accident, but by design. With marriage all but destroyed, finding a “pastoral” solution is necessary. It just so happens that this pastoral solution razes the infallible teaching of the Church on the Eucharist as it is implemented.
Fr. Brian Harrison writes:
The German bishops have devised a pastoral plan to admit divorced and remarried Catholics to Communion, whether or not a Church tribunal has granted a decree of nullity of their first marriage. Cardinal-elect Müller, as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, has not only published a strong article in L’Osservatore Romano reaffirming the perennial Catholic doctrine confirmed by John Paul II in Familiaris Consortio; he has also written officially to the German Bishops’ Conference telling them to rectify their heterodox pastoral plan. But the bishops, led by their conference president and by Cardinal Kasper, are openly defying the head of the CDF, and predicting that the existing doctrine and discipline will soon be changed!
Think of the appalling ramifications of this. If German Catholics don’t need decrees of nullity, neither will any Catholics anywhere. Won’t the world’s Catholic marriage tribunals then become basically irrelevant? (Will they eventually just close down?) And won’t this reversal of bimillennial Catholic doctrine mean that the Protestants and Orthodox, who have allowed divorce and remarriage for century after century, have been more docile to the Holy Spirit on this issue than the true Church of Christ? Indeed, how credible, now, will be her claim to be the true Church? On what other controverted issues, perhaps, has the Catholic Church been wrong, and the separated brethren right?
And what of Jesus’ teaching that those who remarry after divorce commit adultery? Admitting them to Communion without a commitment to continence will lead logically to one of three faith-breaking conclusions: (a) our Lord was mistaken in calling this relationship adulterous – in which case He can scarcely have been the Son of God; (b) adultery is not intrinsically and gravely sinful – in which case the Church’s universal and ordinary magisterium has always been wrong; or (c) Communion can be given to some who are living in objectively grave sin – in which case not only has the magisterium also erred monumentally by always teaching the opposite, but the way will also be opened to Communion for fornicators, practicing homosexuals, pederasts, and who knows who else? (And, please, spare us the sophistry that Jesus’ teaching was correct “in his own historical and cultural context”, but that since about Martin Luther’s time that has all changed.)
Let us make no mistake: Satan is right now shaking the Church to her very foundations over this divorce issue. If anything, the confusion is becoming even graver than that over contraception between 1965 and 1968, when Paul VI’s seeming vacillation allowed Catholics round the world to anticipate a reversal of perennial Church teaching. If the present Successor of Peter now keeps silent about divorce and remarriage, thereby tacitly telling the Church and the world that the teaching of Jesus Christ will be up for open debate at a forthcoming Synod of Bishops, one fears a terrible price will soon have to be paid.
The stakes of this issue cannot be overstated.
Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich, herself a German Catholic, envisioned something terrible befalling the Church:
“I saw also the relationship between two popes … I saw how baleful would be the consequences of this false church. I saw it increase in size; heretics of every kind came into the city of Rome. The local clergy grew lukewarm, and I saw a great darkness…
“I had another vision of the great tribulation. It seems to me that a concession was demanded from the clergy which could not be granted. I saw many older priests, especially one, who wept bitterly. A few younger ones were also weeping. But others, and the lukewarm among them, readily did what was demanded. It was as if people were splitting into two camps.”
…
“I see the Holy Father in great anguish. He lives in a palace other than before and he admits only a limited number of friends near him. I fear that the Holy Father will suffer many more trials before he dies.
“I see that the false Church of darkness is making progress and I see the dreadful influence it has on the people. The Holy Father and the Church are verily in so great a distress that one must implore God night and day…”
Let us return now to Cardinal Kasper’s speech to the consistory on the family in February with this idea in mind:
He claimed that in the early Church, when someone entered a new relationship even though their spouse was still alive, “after a period of penance had available … a life raft through admission to Communion.”
Suggesting a “way of conversion” involving the sacrament of confession, he asked, “is it also the path that we could follow in the present question?”
When someone who is divorced and remarried “repents of his failure in the first marriage”; if he cannot return to the first marriage; if he “cannot abandon without further harm” the responsibilities of his second marriage; if “he is doing the best he can to live out the possibilities of the second marriage on the basis of the faith and to raise his children in the faith”; and if “he has a desire for the sacraments as a source of strength in his situation,” Cardinal Kasper said, then “should we or can we deny him, after a period of time of a new orientation (metanoia), the sacrament of penance, and then of Communion?”
[…]
“Life is not just black or white; there are, in fact, many nuances.”
Cardinal Kasper emphasized the need for “discretion, spiritual discernment, sagacity, and pastoral wisdom” in these cases. “This discretion is not an easy compromise between the extremes of rigorism and laxity, but, as is every virtue, a perfection between these extremes.” (emphasis mine)
The serpent is a creature who moves with careful tact. Eve was not coerced, she was…seduced. It was the slow, slippery insinuation of ideas that led her to The Fall. The devil is in the nuances:
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked… (Genesis 3:1-7, RSV)
Although we know that Pope Francis found Kasper’s presentation “beautiful and profound”, we now hear the opposition. Cardinals and theologians are turning on Kasper. They oppose his solution.
While we may be tempted to see in this a sign of hope, it would not be the first time that the Church has followed this process to change a long-standing matter of essential discipline. The “pastoral” circumstance that led to the widespread practice of communion in the hand — an abuse — came about in much the same way:
The practice of receiving Holy Communion in the hand first began to spread in Catholic circles during the early 1960s, primarily in Holland. Shortly after Vatican II, due to the escalating abuses in certain non-English speaking countries (Holland, Belgium, France and Germany), Pope Paul VI took a survey of the world’s bishops to ascertain their opinions on the subject. On May 28, 1969 the Congregation for Divine Worship issued Memoriale Domini, which concluded: “From the responses received, it is thus clear that by far the greater number of bishops feel that the present discipline [i.e., Holy Communion on the tongue] should not be changed at all, indeed that if it were changed, this would be offensive to the sensibility and spiritual appreciation of these bishops and of most of the faithful.” After he had considered the observation and the counsel of the bishops, the Supreme Pontiff judged that the long-received manner of ministering Holy Communion to the faithful should not be changed. The Apostolic See then strongly urged bishops, priests and the laity to zealously observe this law out of concern for the common good of the Church.
Despite the vote, in 1969 Pope Paul VI decided to strike a compromise with his disobedient bishops on the continent. Given “the gravity of the matter,” the pope would not authorize Communion in the hand. He was, however, open to bestowing an indult – an exception to the law – under certain conditions: first, an indult could not be given to a country in which Communion in the hand was not an already established practice; second, the bishops in countries where it was established must approve of the practice “by a secret vote and with a two-thirds majority.” Beyond this, the Holy See set down seven regulations concerning communion in the hand; failure to maintain these regulations could result in the loss of the indult. The first three regulations concerned: 1) respecting the laity who continue the traditional practice (of receiving kneeling and on the tongue), 2) maintaining the laity’s proper respect of the Eucharist, and 3) strengthening the laity’s faith in the real presence. (emphasis mine)
Communion in the hand began as an abuse opposed by the world’s bishops and the pope himself. But insofar as it was rampant (in the Germanic countries, again, which seems to be a fountainhead of heterodoxy for the Church) it was allowed, by indult, in the hope of containment. Those who failed to honor the mentioned conditions were supposed to lose the indult. But they didn’t.
Communion in the hand is now the dominant practice of the entire Church. It has spread like wildfire.
Do we really doubt that if the German bishops forge ahead with their plan for communion for the divorced and remarried — even if, by some chance, Pope Francis does not find some way to acquiesce to it — that they will not be given a similar allowance?
Do we really believe that the abuse could be contained?
Concluding Thoughts
There are many troubling signs in the Church today. The damage stemming from the theological confusion and division which are hallmarks of this papacy is not to be underestimated. The recent attacks on the Traditional Latin Mass and those who are devoted to it seem like trial balloons for further suppression.
But it is the desire to allow communion for the divorced and remarried that will set the stage for what follows.
If the October synod allows this — and the pope affirms it, or the German bishops proceed regardless and are granted an indult — we are in grave danger. Fr. Brian Harrison is correct. It would call everything that Catholics believe about Christ, about the Eucharist, and about the Church’s infallible authority on faith and morals into question. The interconnectedness of all the essential truths of the Church comes tumbling down if the most central truth — the truth of the Eucharistic Christ — can be undermined.
An October synod with such an outcome would mean a November Schism. Could this be the “concession … which could not be granted”, that will nonetheless “readily” be acquiesced to by many of the clergy? Will the Church split “into two camps”? Is this what so many of us have been sensing amidst the turmoil?
Would this loss of belief in the Real Presence and magisterial authority thus pave the way for the reign of the Antichrist, if Rome indeed becomes the seat of apostasy?
Only God knows. But we must be alert.
At the time of the conclave that elected Francis, Robert Moynihan, founder and editor-in-chief of Inside the Vatican, ran into a cardinal he knew on the streets of Rome. Moynihan felt compelled to talk to him about what was happening:
“Your eminence,” I said.
In his eyes he was saying to me that he could not answer any questions.
But he was not excluding all conversation. And so I ventured…
“I only wanted to tell you one thing,” I said. “That I loved Pope Benedict.”
He stood still.
“I did too, and I do love him,” the cardinal said.
“And so I have been troubled and a bit off balance since February 11,” I said.
And then, as if filled with a sudden emotion, I saw the cardinal’s face grow dark and sad, and he said, forcefully: “I love him, but this should never have happened. He never should have left his office.”
I was silent.
“It is like a man and a woman, a husband and wife, a mother and father in relation to their children,” he said. “What do they say?” It seemed he was asking me the question.
I was silent.
“They say, ‘until death do us part!’ They stay together always.”
So I understood him to be saying that he felt a Successor of Peter should not step down from the throne, no matter how weary and tired, but continue until death.
I felt the words he was speaking were the words of an argument that may have been used even among the cardinals, but of course, that may not be the case.
But I felt that I was catching a glimpse of how at least one cardinal was thinking about the Pope’s renunciation.
“Your eminence,” I said, “I’ve forgotten. Are you already above age 80, or not?
“I am not yet 80,” he told me.
“So you will be voting tomorrow.”
He nodded, and a look passed over his eyes which seemed filled with shadows and concerns. I was surprised at his intensity. I was surprised by the whole conversation.
He squeezed my hand. “Is there anything else I can do?” I asked.
“Pray for us,” he said. “Pray for us.”
He turned as if he needed to go.
“I have to go.”
He took a step away from me, then turned again.
“It is a dangerous time. Pray for us.”
I think we should do as he asked.
Pray. Pray more than you’re used to. It’s hard. I’m bad at it. Ask God for wisdom, for discernment, for guidance. Ask Him to help you see the truth of what is going on, and what you must do. Try your hardest to stay in a state of grace. Live your vocation. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
This is my own advice for myself. I am not a prophet, but I am trying to read the signs. I hope that you also find my thoughts here worth your consideration.
UPDATE: 3/31/14
In the comments, CJ says: “The broad patristic consensus on the Antichrist is that the “Temple” refers not to the church but to the synagogue.”
And indeed, as I’ve done some additional reading in Fr. Vincent Miceli’s book, The Antichrist, that does seem to be the favored interpretation. He cites Ireneaus, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others in support of this. As I said at the outset of this post, “I have no special gift for divining the course of the future; I receive no private revelations.” I should add that I’m no scripture scholar, either. I’m just a guy trying to piece this together. There does seem to be evidence that apostasy in Rome to some degree is certainly within the realm of possibility. I know that Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich’s visions of a syncretistic Church that does great damage to the faith has Rome at the center. I’m sure there’s probably a great deal more out there. Researching this isn’t my full-time job, though, so I have to find what I can in the time I can scrape up.
If I didn’t make it clear enough before, I’ll say it with more force here: THIS IS ALL MY OWN INTERPRETATION AND THINKING AND NOTHING MORE. It could all very well be wrong. Take it with a big grain of salt. Do your own homework. I’m not an authority of any kind on the matters discussed herein.
Bullseye.
It felt like one, but I can never be sure. I really do appreciate you verifying my aim. 😉
We’ve been reading the same things — and drawing the same conclusions.
Infallible Teaching of Vatican 1:
And indeed, all the venerable Fathers have embraced, and the holy orthodox Doctors have venerated and followed, their Apostolic doctrine; knowing most fully that this See of holy Peter remains ever free from all blemish of error, according to the Divine promise that the Lord our Savior made to the Prince of His disciples: “But I have prayed for you, so that your faith may not fail, and so that you, once converted, may confirm your brothers.” (Lk 22:32). [21]
This gift, then, of truth and never-failing faith was conferred by heaven upon Peter and his successors in this Chair, that they might perform their high office for the salvation of all; that the whole flock of Christ, kept away from the poisonous food of error by them, might be nourished with the pasture of heavenly doctrine; that the occasion of schism being removed, the whole Church might be kept one, and, resting on its foundation, might stand firm against the gates of Hell.
++++++++++++ end of quote +++++++++++++
Dear Mr. Skojec. My Uncle was a LaSalette Priest who labored in the fields of New Hampster and died with his harness on.
He laughed the first time I told him about the putative LaSalette Prophecy about Rome losing the Faith and becoming the seat of the Antichrist.
That has been condemned he told me
The promises of Jesus vis a vis His Church are believable and were the false, condemned, LaSalette prophecy to become true, that would mean that Jesus, and the Church that teaches infallibly in his name, are liars.
I am not trying to discount whatever it is you are feeling; I am trying to address those fears with the balm of infallible truth
If this Pope contradicts the former teaching of the Church, you have to explain what does infallibility mean.
I just finished reading this, and I concur–Bullseye. My heart is overflowing with tears, and yes, I will increase my prayers and devotions.
By the sign of the Holy Cross, deliver us from our enemies, O our God!
Eye of the bullseye. Thank you.
I’ll comment more later, perhaps, but I’m thankful that we got Pope Francis in 2013 instead of 2005. I’m more prepared.
“The Holy Father and the Church are verily in so great a distress that one must implore God night and day…”
In this post, you have cut open my heart and catalogued much of what it contains. This wins Lent. As my wife keeps saying, “It’s a good time to be a Catholic.” Good times. Good times. Our Lady of Sorrows, Pray for us! Thank you and God bless you, Steve.
In Jesus and Mary,
Mike
Thank you, Mike. Sincerely.
The broad patristic consensus on the Antichrist is that the “Temple” refers not to the church but to the synagogue.
As I’ve read further, I’ve come across that interpretation. But I don’t know that this is definitive, is it? It seems either could be valid.
I could forget what “CJ” said.
I did a little reasearch and it seems definitive. The antichrist will take his seat in the Jewish temple.
Only one quote:
Further, St. Paul says that Antichrist should “sit in the Temple of God;” that is, according to the earlier Fathers, in the Jewish Temple.
http://www.newmanreader.org/works/arguments/antichrist/lecture2.html
A week ago my son told me that he had read on a Spanish Catholic website that the Jews are preparing priests for the rebuilding of the temple. I googled and found that the internet is full of this (old) plan to rebuild the temple which had gained much more approval among the Jews in the last year.
This is the news about the priests:
Israeli institute prepares priests for Jerusalem’s third temple
http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2014/04/third-temple-jerusalem-priest-offering-rituals-al-aqsa.html#ixzz31cnCVgZO
As I understand it, a certain „Maimonides” who lived long ago is very important for the rebuilding of the temple.
Quote:
“At the same time, we also understand that in the event Israel has not yet built the Temple by the time the messiah arrives, one of his duties will be to instruct them to do so. It is to this scenario that Maimonides refers when he states in his “Laws of Kings:”
https://www.templeinstitute.org/messiah_temple.htm
When I read this it reminded me instantly of a post about Cardinal Bergoglio who received in 2008 the “Maimonides award for inter-religious dialogue”.
http://callmejorgebergoglio.blogspot.de/2014/03/maimonides-award-for-inter-religious.html
I have the strange feeling that we are being prepared for the arrival of a “Messiah” who then shall be accepted by all “world-religions”.
Aaaaannnd, you just won the “Creep Steve Out More Than Anything On The Internet This Week” award!
I first had to google what “creep out” means;-)
Let´s wait what happens when Pope Francis visits “Israel” with his two friends from Argentina, Rabbi Abraham Skorka, and Sheikh Omar Abboud.
BTW you can yet see some of the already made devices which the Jews will need for their third temple in the internet. For example a menorah which contains approximately 95 pounds of pure gold.
http://holyland-sites.blogspot.de/2013/08/jerusalem-golden-menorah.html
Thank you for writing this, Mr. Skojec. Lately I feel as if I am not only losing my Catholic mind but my faith as well. I feel as if I am being spun around and I do not know where to go or what to do. Who is right? Who is wrong? It truly is enough to knock you off balance so that it is almost impossible, sans a miracle of grace, to recover it.
The worst is that there is no one to talk to. Everyone is afraid. Those who see the truth are afraid to acknowledge it, so they keep looking to see where they may be off in their thinking. But there is nothing wrong in their thinking at all.
Pray for me, and I will add you to my prayers as well.
I got in an argument with a sedevacantist the other night. I told him, quite frankly, that it makes more sense to me to give up on the whole thing than to follow him down his dead-end rabbit hole.
It’s a tough spot to be in, feeling as though you have to choose between the Church as it is and the faith as you know it to be. Take heart. Don’t give up. As you can see in the comments here, there are more people thinking the same way you are than you thought. Not bad people. Faithful people who are afraid.
We need to pray for the Church, for each other, and for those who don’t yet see.
Thank you for your prayers. I will add all of you to mine.
Its been coming for a long time. The devil knew the only way to destroy the Church was from within, and how eagerly those within serve him. Yes, pray, pray pray. One cannot say enough prayers nor do enough sacrifices.
I’m terrible at sacrifice. That one is going to take me some time.
Which is probably why sacrifice is so valuable… I think most of us stink at it!
You have written well, Steve. I share all your concerns. Oremus…
Thank you.
An interesting article by Mr.Kojec. As a practising Catholic, I’ve felt my faith increase over the past five years or so. I have recently joined our parish Eucharistic Adoration group, and coupled with regular Mass and attendance at Confession and regular daily prayer, I feel emboldened. Perhaps I am naive but I see great positivity among my fellow Catholics in my parish.
It’s not contradictory, Paul. Times of persecution create saints. And they don’t get there magically. They have to already be so inclined.
Thank you, everyone. I stayed up very late finishing this (with more revisions this morning, after a few hours’ sleep) and I admit, I had a moment of panic when I thought: “Should I be publishing this at all?”
But as some of you have said, people are thinking this, but are afraid to say it. I decided I’d take the fall and get the ball rolling, because for me, there’s less at stake than for those whose livelihoods depend on the Church.
Thank you, all of you, for your support. I wasn’t expecting to hear this echoed. It means a great deal, but it’s also terrifying. I kind of wish more of you were telling me, “Um, it’s just you, dude. Everything is fine.” 😉
My head spins, and my heart sorrows as does yours, Steve. Thank you and God bless you.
Thanks so much, Mary. God bless you too.
I’m gobsmacked. It is a comfort of a sort to know that I’m not alone. MAGNIFICENT piece; masterfully expressed…thank you!
You’re too kind. I know all too well the relief of realizing that you are not alone. I first experienced that when I was involved in the Legionaries of Christ, and I started to see the rampant corruption. Rather than keeping silent, I started talking about it with my friends, and suddenly everyone was talking about how they were seeing the same things, but they all thought it was just them. It’s a lesson I’ve brought with me: if you see something, say something.
It’s empowering to know that your fears are not just empty worry. But that’s only the first step.
I sincerely hope and pray that Our Lord gives us the guidance to know what to do with this knowledge. Because right now, it’s just making me really uneasy.
Very well put, Steve. Things are very wrong in the Church, as they are everywhere else, and it seems to be accelerating at an alarming pace.
I’m not good at praying. I’m a pretty crappy Catholic, if I can even be called one anymore. Like another blogger said recently, these decadent times, the End of Days produces both heroes and saints. Not enough.
Martyrs, too. Maybe many. But I fear my own end in all this, if it spirals to that point, will come while clutching a rifle instead of a Rosary.
Perhaps we could be like the soldiers of the Vendee, and carry both?
All I know is that I fear most for my children. They are innocent, and I want to spare them the things that may come.
I think you greatly exaggerated and mischaracterized Pope Francis and many others. The ideas that Cardinal Kasper said were only held by very few Cardinals and certainly not the Holy Father. Take a breath and keeping praying and reading. When the Holy Father spoke about civil unions it does NOT mean gay marriage. he is referring to the common practice of couples living together. (man and women). the “who am i to judge” read IN Context What Francis said was, “IF someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?” I could go on and on but you need to be more careful and less afraid. The Holy Father is not the enemy. the Apostles and even St. Paul found the words of Jesus very difficult to understand too. Love is the key. I cor 13 . paraphrase. if you have not love no matter if you have great faith, or sacrifices etc. you are just a noisy gong. Jesus eat and spoke with SINNERS frequently too. You can trust the Holy Spirit and the Holy Father.
Yes the world and the Church are in a terrible shape in many places but the Pope is not the problem. the Latin Mass and Communion in the hand are not the answer either they are just symptoms not the cure. Only prayer and repentance can change this world.
You’re kind of making my point for me. The pope is confusing people, and I believe he knows it. He hired a former Fox News journalist and a top-shelf PR firm (Ernst & Young). I used to work for a top-notch DC-area boutique PR firm. We got paid very well to help huge clients with deep pockets.
Something that never happens when a PR firm is working your messaging is ignorance of the response. Media is analyzed. Response is measured. Engagement is planned. The whole purpose of PR is to get the stories in the media you want so they can outperform the ones you don’t, and ultimately change perception.
With the exception of the two very problematic statements (from a theological perspecitve) that I called out specifically, I didn’t say he has been changing doctrine. But I’m not backing off my assertion that he’s giving the impression that he’s changing doctrine, and doing it knowingly. The public and most Catholics are so ill-informed, they’re never going to dig deeper. I talked to the New York Times. They were taken aback when I told them, “Yeah, sorry, the pope doesn’t have the authority to change Church teaching.”
Give people enough reason to believe that everything is different and they’ll believe it’s different — especially when it’s what they already want to hear. The genius of this papacy is changing little but effecting a lot.
And frankly, nobody who is orthodox would give Kasper (or Mariadaga) an ounce of power. These men have records. They are known quantities. Nobody who cares about the Church would give to Wuerl what they take from Burke.
We’re grownups, and I’m going to ask that we all act like grownups. If you’re awake, educated, and paying attention to what’s going on in the Church, there’s no excusing what’s coming out of this papacy short of ignorance (willful or otherwise).
I don’t aim to offend, but my cards are on the table, and I don’t see any benefit in treading lightly.
“And frankly, nobody who is orthodox would give Kasper (or Mariadaga) an ounce of power. These men have records. They are known quantities. Nobody who cares about the Church would give to Wuerl what they take from Burke.”
And Kasper. And Ricci. These men are known quantities and they are not known for orthodoxy. And the Pope embraces them. Very disturbing. No one wants to criticize the Pope but the confusion he is sowing is most upsetting and errors need to be pointed out to the few Catholics left that can understand.
Steve
How about his comment about approval for civil unions between a man and woman so they can have benefits like health insurance. Well at least these people will go to hell with health insurance anyway. How did you miss that?
“And frankly, nobody who is orthodox would give Kasper (or Mariadaga) an ounce of power.”
What about St. John Paul II? I ask that in all seriousness.
Not an easy question to answer.
Whatever the Pope’s intentions, the effect is becoming clearer and clearer by the day. This is only one of many hundreds of examples at the local level:
~
Sister Jane Dominic Laurel, a Dominican nun based in Nashville, Tenn., addressed a student assembly on March 21. Days later, some students launched an online petition that called her comments “offensive and unnecessarily derogatory.”
A record of the comments was not available. But students attending told their parents she criticized gays and lesbians and made inflammatory remarks about single and divorced parents.
The petition, which has drawn more than 2,000 supporters, listed 10 objections to her remarks, including this: “We resent the fact that a schoolwide assembly became a stage to blast the issue of homosexuality after Pope Francis said in an interview this past fall that ‘we can not insist only on issues related to abortion, gay marriage and the use of contraceptive methods.’ We are angry that someone decided they knew better than our Holy Father and invited (this) speaker.”
~
…and proper practice, i.e. respect for the Body of Christ, by both clergy and laity.
Alex, With all due respect, when Pope Francis speaks about “civil unions” your suggestion that those comments refer only to men and women living together is wrong, not to say that isn’t just as problematic. In fact, when he suggested that sometimes there are reasons why civil unions are necessary for legal purposes of for benefits, etc. he was referring to cases like this one from his home country of Argentina, referenced in Rorate last week. This is his legacy, and the direction he is taking us in: http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2014/03/married-lesbian-couple-to-have-daughter.html
Cognitive Dissonance or Normalcy Bias. It is the stark denial of what is blatantly obvious because the implications disturb, nay destroy, our concept of reality, or personal narrative. It is easier to think a spouse cheated once than every week with a different person. That a child was abused once then every day for five years. That a prelate makes a sincere mistake in adopting certain disciplines then is in league with satanists to systematically disassemble The Church brick by brick. When The HOLY TRINITY decided that the SECOND PERSON OF THE HOLY TRINITY, OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR, JESUS CHRIST, would be butchered as HE was, making DEICIDE, not just the dreams of devils, but a REDEMPTIVE reality, then that day, the worst thing that can happened, did. Ipso facto, all other horrible nightmares, were nothing in comparison. So, the evil that is manifest, and I would suggest, the evil that is not manifest, and most likely far greater than that we can observe, should never surprise us. The courage to hate and denounce every hellish schema, while staying faithful to Heaven, is the contemporary pearl of great price in these contemptible days. The rarest of treasures, prompting us to work toward a culture, within The Church and without, that allows us to buy the land we need for that pearl to return our investment in it. These are the treasures that surprise..really. Salve Regina Mater Misericordia Ora Pro Nobis! VIVO CHRISTO REY!!!
I also wake every day with a dread sense, waiting, waiting for “it” to happen, but not knowing exactly what “it” will be. But the sense is unmistakable. It hangs in the very air we breathe.
A little over a year ago, on a Sunday morning–as has happened to me several times–I awoke early with a very clear thought in my head to go back and look up information on the origen of the St. Michael prayer. I took a book off the shelf and read that Pope Leo XIII ‘s vision took place on an October 13th. I was thunderstruck as pieces of the puzzle all seemed to come together at once. Everything seems to tie in to Fatima and Mary’s promise of her eventual triumph. Was the 100 years given to satan the 20th century (as in starting with the year 1900), or did it begin at another time? After all, the year 2000 (100 years after 1900) passed us 14 years ago. Would God really give satan MORE than 100 years? And isn’t what we’re experiencing in the world actually the advancement of the red dragon–Communism? Fatima took place in the year 1917, the same year as the Bolshivek Revolution, and it culminated in the Miracle of the Sun, on October 13th–the same date as Leo XIII’s vision. Perhaps satan’s 100 years actually started in the critical year 1917. Which would mean that we have a few very rough years ahead, but could Mary have left us a few clues as to when we could look forward to her great triumph? I’m not stating this as certain, but there is some food for thought here. And, as she told us at Fatima, we MUST stay close to her with the Rosary–it will literally be our lifeline in the dark days ahead.
I wish I had answers. I guess we’re going to have to learn to live with suspense.
Congratulations on a balanced and calm piece on an emotional and fearsome topic. The Church–as you say, the solid Catholics–are definitely falling into two camps, and Francis is the continental divide.
Thank you, Terrye.
Keep in mind, the Synod on the Family is scheduled for October 5-19. Auspiciously enough, there will be a blood moon on October 8.
The prayer to St. Michael was added to the Leonine prayers, the prayers that Pope Leo XIII added to be recited at the end of every low mass, in 1886. That would make the “hundred years” over almost forty years ago. But I suppose it is notable that nearly every cultural and philosophical (underpinning of culture) change was already well established by 1986.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prayer_to_Saint_Michael
Therese, your comment reminds me of something Pope Benedict XVI said not so long before he retired. He said something to the effect that we have no reason not to believe that the promises made to us by Our Lady of Fatima in 1917 may not come to pass by 2017. I have thought of that statement many times. Anyone else remember it?
I’m not sure if I should thank you for confirming my fears or tell you I wish I’d never read this. But you did your homework very well and put to words the fears many of us Catholics have felt for a while now.
Just a few weeks ago I was pondering the possible meaning of the bolt of lightening above St. Peter’s when Pope Benedict resigned. Lightening striking is generally not a good sign , and then a thought hit me that this jagged sign in the sky represented the coming schism in the Church.
I completely agree with every word you have written and share the anxiety of those who also see it but are grieved to think it could be true.We do not want to be disloyal to our Holy Father yet I know that the confusion his words are causing is not what God would want. I cannot recall even once of being confused by anything Pope Benedict said.I thank God for those faithful shepherds, like Cardinal Burke, who refuse to back down from clearly reminding us of what our Holy Catholic Church really teaches.
St. Michael, the Archangel, defend us in this battle!
Steve, thank you for your article, I along with many of my friends have been very uneasy since Pope Francis has been in the Chair of Peter. One of our concerns is should there be a schism where do we go! Do we stick with Rome even if they’ve made bad decisions or leave. We don’t want to jeopardize our souls. It’s a scary time!
Please investigate the SSPX whose priests are recognized as valid priests by Rome but this order is split from Rome because they do not agree with the errors of Vatican II whose rotten fruit we are now experiencing. Pope Benedict in February before he resigned, tried to get them back into Rome and no, it wasn’t just the SSPX’s refusal to recognize the novus ordo mass(they only say mass in Latin) but the SSPX believes in all the dogma and doctrine of pre-Vatican II Church. (If it was true then it is true now. ) They believe in trying to get people converted to the Catholic Faith; Francis believes in evangelism that lets everyone follow their religion. Remember him telling the muslins to cherish, or something like that their beliefs. “I don’t believe in a Catholic God.” Tells Catholic not assume that they(Catholics) have all the right answers. lList goes on ad nauseum.
They believe in a pope, but believe the Chair of St. Peter has been empty since Pope Pius X11.
I am still investigating. Only problem is I live in NYS and the nearest chapel is in Richfield, Connecticut. And no, contrary to what is commonly understood, they are not in schism, but not in full communion with Rome.
No, the SSPX do not believe there is currently no Pope. That is why they were in talks with Pope Benedict.
Excellent work, Steve. One thing you wrote is particularly devastating to me. It’s been going on since Vatican II but is rapidly accelerating under Pope Francis:
“The fighting that has set in among faithful, obedient Catholics is deeply troubling, and is evidence enough of the problem. “By their fruits ye shall know them.” The hallmark of the current pontificate is division — not between those on one end of the ideological spectrum or the other, but between the kind of folks who should be running in the same circles. Pro-life, pro-family, pro-Church teaching, rosary-praying, Catechism-reading, politically conservative Catholics. In the ever-shrinking group of the faithful who should be on the same team, fault lines are busting out all over.”
We (meaning all of us) really need to work and pray to put a stop to this. I’m sure I’ve contributed to the problem over the years. But good Catholics didn’t create this crisis. Let’s go easier on those who have responded a little differently according to their own lights. Besides, to abuse a metaphor, if “we’re in the same boat” today, we’ll be in the same squalid refugee camp tomorrow. Might as well learn to get along!
On Monday of Holy Week in 2012, I saw a false sun appear in the sky as I was driving back from a hike. It was of the exact same size as the true sun, was along the same plane, but had a slightly cold, silver appearance rather than the warm gold of the sun. For several minutes the false sun steadily, ominously moved across the sky as if to cover up the true sun. None of the other drivers around me saw this stunning event in the sky–imagine your shock if you saw another sun appear in the sky from one moment to the next. When the false sun finally reached the true sun, the true sun serenely absorbed it.
Once the spectacle ended I noticed the moon was in the other side of the sky, and checked the news for an eclipse or any other kind of anomaly. There was nothing. Then two days later, Christ spoke, “Won’t you share my passion?” My spiritual director and I both independently came to the same interpretation: the false sun is the spirit of anti-christ, and that spirit will continue to be ascendant. There will be no New Springtime (except the springtime of martyrs), and the passion that Christ spoke of was the passion of his mystical body on earth, the Church.
It’s just a private revelation, and there’s no obvious timeline or indication of when the spirit of antichrist will finally spit up the real Anti-christ, so take it for what it’s worth.
i had a very intense two suns dream many years ago. i have always interpreted it the way you have. in my dream, you couldn’t tell which was the real sun.
I am a recent (2006) revert who had her marriage convalidated in 2008, after waiting to receive Jesus in the Holy Eucharist for two years while my husband’s previous marriage to a chronic adulterer was annulled. Imagine my shock when almost immediately this husband left me and our six children after 14 years for a “catholic” Wiccan divorcee. He immediately fell into drug abuse and domestic violence and is now in prison while his woman has just been charged with felonies for giving the two teenage boys I am now raising alone drugs and alcohol. Something wicked already forcefully came my way. And I know the author of it was Satan.
I thank God every day that my miraculous, grace-given belief in the Real Presence, received while veiled and kneeling (even if the priest looks at me with disdain) and on the tongue, has kept me from even considering getting into any new relationship with a man.
My father died (2011) back in the arms of a Church that he no longer understood after 40 years of living in the liberal confusing aftermath of VII. His own wife, my mother, abandoned him in 1972 to play house with many men.
I am only now beginning to understand the multi-generational havoc that Satan is wreaking in the body of Christ due to the wrecking of the doctrine of the indissolubility of marriage which began as a desire on the part of many Catholics to pursue the easy way. We, as a body, are reaping what many began sowing back in the 70’s as Catholics ditched all the beauty of Tradition and obedience to hard Truth for the cheap pursuit of hedonism. It is all of our faults and we must make reparation.
But God gives the grace of repentance every day and I am now in the school of Jacinta and Francisco learning to (very poorly) pray for poor sinners and I beg God every day, as did St. Rita when her two sons wanted to commit the mortal sin of murder to avenge their dead father, to PLEASE SAVE MY SONS from Hell. I hope that my perhaps pitiful, but principled, commitment to remain true to my marriage vows in the face of all the forces arrayed against me will be used of God to witness to other Catholics to fight in prayer and by our lives’ testimonies.
Nothing can convince me to give up Christ in the Eucharist and it is inconceivable to me that remarried persons could be told that it would be acceptable for them to approach this divine Sacrament.
Divorced/abandoned but faithful Catholics (I call myself a consecrated divorcee now) must start speaking up against this “pastoral solution” that might be put as a curse on us all next fall. It is the Truth of the Real Presence and the absolute necessity of not committing the sin of sacrilege by receiving Him unworthily that should have people quaking in their boots for fear of losing their salvation. Faith cometh by hearing…
God bless you Alexandra, my experience and the graces are so amazingly similar. I thank God for the wake up call and pray unceasingly for my surviving sons and this whole generation. All of this reminds me of the essays of Mark Mallet and one of his “tour de force” pieces, “Mystery Babylon.” read it please.
Thank you for this.
Cardinal Biffi said some years ago that the antiChrist was alive today, and I don’t think he meant it as a metaphorical comment. You can google it for more information.
Great article. Maybe we should be all giving all Catholics coming out of mass a copy of this, with a leaflet saying “The Rosary is no long an option”.
What do you think Steve?
Anne
Sorry,
I meant to say,
“THE ROSARY IS NO LONGER AN OPTION.”
Anne
Very thorough article. The ground work for destruction was laid long ago and the clerics in charge have willingly ushered it in. Its called phenomenology and Ratzinger was one of its earliest proponents. I personally believe all his handouts to the traditionalists were made because he knew he had caused such an incredible loss of faith. Bergoglio is just fulfilling what they wanted from the beginning. There are two churches in reality, which is an impossibility. But one is True and the other an Imposter. Our souls are at stake. Those who remain in the new church of Novus Order will lose their faith. Very few actually make it out unscathed. But Christ told us this would happen. Only a remnant will remain. Priests, bishops. Cardinals, and popes can no longer be trusted. One must study the true Catholic faith, find a true priest where one can receive the Sacraments, pray the Rosary, and wear your scapular. Let Christ sort the rest out.
Cindy, I respectfully but STRONGLY disagree with your opinion of Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI. Have you read his writing on the Church? Also, if you leave the Church of the Novus Ordo, which is the Catholic Church, you have left THE Church. But you can find the Traditional Mass within the Catholic Church. It is this Church, as bruised and bleeding as it is, against which Christ said the gates of hell would not prevail. Leaders can be wrong, but the Church never is.
I wish I could disagree and post something consoling, but I can’t. I have felt this all along and notice that the tone or theme, if you will, in my prayers have changed dramatically. As a religion teacher, I feel like the lone “voice of one crying in the wilderness” and fear for this generation. The profound acceptance of sin that dominates the culture as an acceptance of being non-judgmental or “kind” is destroying us all.
Conversion, prayer, penance, fasting
Messages of Our Lady of Sorrows in Kibeho, Rwanda
These Apparitions have been officially recognized by the Church in 2001
In Kibeho, Our Lady had precited, in 1984, the horrible war of 1994
One knows that the present situation in schools worldwide is awful, because God has been chased out, because His law is no longer taught. It is even forbidden to pray to Him in schools! Every morning, when we go to Mass, our heart breaks when we see school buses arriving to school, loaded with children. Poor little ones, who are taught that God does not exist! Mary came to Kibeho in a school, to set the example to the whole world, and to show how students can be transformed when God’s law is taught in schools.
One must meditate on the Passion of Jesus, and on the deep sorrows of His Mother. One must recite the Rosary every day, and also the Rosary of the Seven Sorrows of Mary, to obtain the favour of repentance
The Virgin Mary said that the purpose of Her coming was to communicate a message of conversion (through a life of prayer and confession, a life renewed by the Word of God, and by works of charity and justice).
She insisted on the same message of rejection of sin, and recommended the practice of unceasing prayer that keeps us in communion with the Holy Trinity. This is how the devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Virgin Mary was discovered.
“I have absolutely no doubt that something supernatural took place in Kibeho. The message is true; people must feel concerned.”
a river of blood, people who were killing each other, abandoned corpses with no one to bury them, a tree all in flames, bodies without their heads
Thank you for putting into perspective what our church leaders in the US are either incapable of doing, or unwilling to do. It is as if the Sunday homilies are cover stories for what is visibly taking place around us.
But the warnings of the Blessed Virgin Mary were not just for Africa. “When I tell you this, I am not addressing myself strictly to you, child, but I am making this appeal to the world,” the Virgin told the seer Marie-Clare Mukangango – who was later killed in the war. She said the Virgin described the world as in revolt against God, the world “is on the edge of catastrophe.”
It seems many are running around the Barque of Peter wondering why Christ sleeps while the storm rages. Christ promised to be with His Church. No matter what heretical popes, bishops, religious or lay people do the Church will survive.
Amen
I saw what you have pointed out coming in 2007 and this is why I moved my family from the usa. I can not see us being untouched anywhere we live, but at least we are not in the bulls eye, and it gives us the chance to offer a haven to other Catholics a kind of ark.
Where have you moved to??
Hi Jim, My husband was asking where this haven is. We may join you and maybe many others. Here is our email address
Great, great post. Wonderfully put. Very necessary for these difficult times.
I only object to your idea of Marxism or Communism as a thing alive and well.
I know this idea comes from Fatima, but I’ve been thinking it over and have come to an alternate idea: Russia did indeed “spread her errors” for 70 years. But that has come to an end. So, what part does Russia play in these days? Well, I surmise that she could be the instrument of divine punishment, but that doesn’t involve Communism or anything like it.
It involves SS20 IBMs., it involves a nuclear war.
So, yeah, Steve, you’re spot on: something wicked is on its way.
Jack Tollers (from Argentina).
Steve, I have witnessed the struggles of trad Catholics with the life of the Church. I attend a TLM parish. I will say two things. First, this leads, for many, to schism and the SSPX. Second, and most importantly: holiness is in the will. No amount of consumption of books, history or apologetics will ever make you Holy. I say this having read vast quantities, including much which you have referenced. Take great care, not because you are wrong, but because you are scratching itchy ears. If you are a prophet, great, show us a sign. If you are more Catholic than the pope, I am afraid.
I am more afraid you need ANOTHER sign. Not from Steve, just a sign of the times.
I get really tired of people warning of the dangers of being in a “TLM parish” all the while the novus ordo catastraphy continues unabated and the church in the west continues to crumble as a result. How many souls need to be lost?
I, too, am a member of a “TLM parish” and have been fortunate enough to have that available for me for the last 12 years. I have not seen one, not one, fellow parishioner revert to “schism” and the SSPX. So for you to say involvement in the TLM parish leads “for many” to schism and the SSPX, well I will refrain from using the word I would like to and simply say that you are incorrect.
Secondly, you link schism with the SSPX with the word “and.” Do your homework. The SSPX are NOT in schism.
Wow! Beats drinking coffee in the a.m. The site Audio Sancto has a homily where Fr. speaks to this. If you are on a ship, during a gale storm and they are having a fist fight in the cabin,would you jump overboard? You put into words the reasons I have been reading Saints like: St. Catherine of Senia (opps),St.Bridget of Sweden. Fr. Willie Doyle, Bishop Baraga .Anyway Rosary and Eucaristic Adoration,seems to be the pillow and blanket of the Saints.
You speak Truth but Our Lord “never left us orphans”
MINE
MARCEL
We’ve hit the bottom
“Passed Lucifer’s waist”
The writing on the wall,
It must be faced.
Archbishop Lefebvre,
Christ raised up this saint-
After fifty years
No sign of sin’s taint.
Catholic Seminaries
Full of young men
Drinking death daily
Again and again.
And as He promised
No orphans are we –
“I Am the True Shepherd…
Mine Marcel, merci!!”
Fr. Joseph de Sainte Marie, a Carmelite theologian and expert on Fatima, has pointed out that in the last five centuries of the Church her greatest enemies have emerged in years ending in ’17’. Thus, Luther revolted in 1517, the Freemasons were founded in 1717 and the Bolsheviks in 1917. Apparently there were other events as well, but Fr. didn’t mention them in the talk. God gives us these kind of patterns so that those who have eyes to see can discern His ways. So we should be wary of the year 2017.
Moreover, many have seen Fatima–the greatest public miracle since Biblical times–as a type of the Noah’s warning (see the May 2012 talks on Fatima on the site http://www.romans10seventeen.org–talks moved from AudioSancto.org by the priest’s request). If so, then Mary’s pleas for repentance and the angel with the flaming sword in 1917 were a 100 year warning–expiring of course in 2017. Just something to keep in the back of your mind…
Good point about 2017 – remember in 2017 for the first time the Holy Catholic Church will be “celebrating” the heretic Martin Luther with the Lutheran denomination. Pure heretical blasphemy in my opinion.
Just wanted to add the link to the “Reformation Celebration” that the Holy Catholic Church will be celebrating in 2017.
http://www.religionnews.com/2013/06/18/lutherans-and-catholics-bury-the-hatchet-for-reformations-500th/
I feel the foreboding also, and our family has had particular signs or supernatural hints, if you will. Actually the concrete signs started the day of the first presidential election victory of President Obama. And as for Pope Francis, it is difficult to listen to him and to see his image. I have a feeling of revulsion. I cannot listen to what distorts the truth, truth that is crucial to the salvation of souls.
It seems to me that Russia has been converted or is being so. Perhaps the Russians and Crimeans do not want any part of the EU and its diabolical doctrines which member countries are forced to abide by. Perhaps that is one motivation, as they see the moral disintegration of the West proceeding, not to mention that the new government in Ukraine was produced by coup and not by vote.
I just read your article.
Below is an email message I sent my Archbishop earlier this week:
——————————————
I was shocked by the homily I heard today at St……. 7:30 am Mass. The visiting Priest equated our reluctance to accepting “gay marriage” with sin. Basically, his homily sanctioned sodomy and equated our unacceptance of these arrangements with “prejudice”. He also quoted Pope Francis “Who am I to judge” in this context.
For the first time in my life I walked out of Mass. It’s hard enough to be bombarded by these lies in the media and workplace. However, I refuse to sit in Church and hear them promoted from the pulpit. Especially with young families present. The Church’s teaching on this subject can be found here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality_and_Roman_Catholicism
Regardless of the Church’s teachings, I know in my gut what is right. I have homosexual friends and treat them with respect. I also pray for them. To raise their relationship to the level of Sacrament is a moral insult to those of us who have lived faithfully and raised our children within the Holy Sacrament of Marriage. The Bible is pretty clear on this. If Pope Francis, as stated in today’s homily, leads the church in this sinful yet popular direction, it will be a catalyst for schism. So be it.
———————————————
I await his response.
To say the least, I felt affirmed by your very insightful overview of the big picture. We in the trenches thank you for this. Keep up the good work.
Some afterthoughts.
It’s possible, that the Celebrant mentioned did not intend to place Gay Marriages at the Holy Sacramental level. He did clearly state that opposition to these “marriages” was a sin. Prejudice towards Hispanics was his corollary example.
In fairness, he may have been preaching only in terms civil unions. I know this isn’t good either, however, I want to be clear. This is a challenge to share because I didn’t hear him make this distinction in his homily. I pray for him.
Whenever someone invokes the Fatima “prophecies”, we can be sure there is nothing to fear. None of those prophecies ever came true, nor will they.
http://skellmeyer.blogspot.com/2013/03/problems-with-fatima.html
Bill, that all sounds fine, but please tell me for I would really like to know, how I am suppose to tolerate my parish and maintain my faith and not come home week after week angry? Please don’t tell me to seek out another. They are all, more or less, the same in my diocese. As for our bishop, he thinks Francis is the greatest thing since Vatican II. I am not joking about this. So, I can assure you that our diocese will be in the vanguard with all that is new and exciting. We are already being told to open our hearts to change. That makes my blood run cold. I heard that in the sixties as well, and I am aware what that means.
Week after week I witness gross sacrilege of the Blessed Sacrament. Last week it was so bad it kept me awake for two nights. The thought of going back to that place tomorrow morning is more than I can bear.
So, please tell me what to do, as I would really loved to know
I was once in your shoes. I was graced to find a diocesan parish that offered a Sunday TLM (our pastor actually refers to it as Gregorian since the Mass predates the Council of Trent). The Holy Ghost saved me and my (at the time) fledgling, reverted faith through that beautiful liturgy. Seek it out, even if you have to drive. I go about 35 miles round trip which is nothing. I would go much farther. Sunday Mass went from being a source of dread, misery, and anguish as it is now for you, to being the highlight of my week.
I will pray for you Lorra.
Been there, too. Would occasionally get relief by attending Mass at two local monasteries. They were, at least, reverential and the homilies were ‘meaty’ and about the Mass readings.
Also, used to make a habit of saying the Rosary during Mass (on the advice of a priest) when shennanigans were going on.
Have also driven 1 1/2 hours to a TLM parish. Although I have not attended an SSPX Mass, I would not hesitate to do so in future.
Is there a Byzantine parish in commuting distance? If so, go.
Be very, very careful. Do not be Pharisaical in your thoughts, prayers, or ideas. “Trust in God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding”, holy Scripture says.
If you are concerned pray to the Holy Spirit very earnestly. Pray to the Blessed Mother. Do these things before making any more public statements or writings casting doubts about the Holy Father. You are not God. Be humble. There is protection in humility.
God’s ways are far above man’s ways.
We cannot understand everything in these times we live in but we can rely on the obedience to Holy Mother Church.
Yes, our Church is going to walk the path of the passion of Christ, Her head.
If you are concerned about wickedness coming, then consecrate yourself and your family to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. Her heart is the ark, the safe refuge.
Everyone was startled and apprehensive when Pope Benedict stepped down from his pontificate. He says he was led by the Holy Spirit to do so. But that does not mean Pope Francis is not the chosen instrument for leading us into a new era that is coming.
Our Lord Jesus was also the “lightening rod” for the change that was coming to the world in His days – The New Covenant. Christ’s words were rocking the Jewish leaders world and their understanding of God’s laws so they couldn’t discern the Spirit of God in Jesus words, all they could hear was blasphemy.
Remember, no matter how bad it gets, in the end, Mary’s Immaculate Heart will triumph! Pray to her and you will know the way. Pope Francis loves her and is devoted to her. Pope Benedict and Pope Francis love each other.
Be careful not to be a cause of division yourself by what you write.
Read Mark Mallet. Read Msgr. Charles Pope, and Fr. Robert Barron – very faithful, wise, prayerful men of God.
Try not to be more Catholic than the Pope.
God love you and keep you.
“If you are concerned pray to the Holy Spirit very earnestly. Pray to the Blessed Mother. Do these things before making any more public statements or writings casting doubts about the Holy Father.”
What makes you think I haven’t been doing exactly that?
Steve, this response about praying to the Holy Spirit regarding Pope Francis is exactly the answer I receive when I state my concerns about him. I think the Holy Spirit brings freedom of thought, not human assumptions which enforce a point of view by threat of causing division.
Doesn’t Fr. Barron doubt that there are souls in hell? You might seek better counsel.
That is not the teaching of the Church.
Fr. Robert Barron? Really?
Mark Mallet made an astute observation. He says the February 11 lightening strike on the Vatican occurred precisely at 6:00 PM…the start of evening and just hours after Pope Benedict’s resignation. In other words, the beginning of darkness. I now see this as a warning for the darkness we are experiencing in the Church right now.
I would never try to be more Catholic than the Pope. However, I’m concerned that many of us will become that way by default and not through any efforts of our own. I’ve lived under the pontificates of 7 popes and this is the first time in my life that I see this as a possibility. I admit that I’ve been “spoiled” to have lived under the leadership of John Paul the Great and Benedict the XV!.
When I read the Old Testament, I find that the Jewish people went through periods of both faithfulness and unfaithfulness to God. Both good and bad leadership. The Jewish people flourished and suffered. Such has been true of the Catholic Church.
We Catholics can be proud of the fact that, even under the bad popes, the underling doctrines and truth remained intact. Christ promised that it would be that way and I trust this will always be the case. The bad popes were not necessarily heretics, however, they were bad leaders that brought scandal and probably led many to perdition. This is something we need to be aware of, and pray about, for the eternal salvation and protection of our families.
I love your message.
Just want to add that anyone that has any words of wisdom for me will be genuinely appreciated as I am on the verge of attending Mass at a sedevacantist chapel tomorrow morning just so I can have some peace and the Faith and a Mass that will lift me up and out of myself instead of dragging me through the mire.
I am sorry. I know your pain. I pulled up my family’s roots and moved to be near an fssp church. We are called to suffer. I pray for you.
I also had to move from a CINO parish and diocese. There was a price to pay but it was worth it.
But one must endure if such a change cannot be made. I did for a long time.
Sedevacantism is a sterile dead end. Remain in the Barque at all costs. I personally think it would be a greater sin to support a sede chapel by your presence than just to remain at home, praying the readings, perhaps even watching Mass on EWTN and making Spiritual Communion.
Unfortunately, Terreye, you don’t have your morality and principles straight. The fact is, a pope can become a heretic and automatically cease being pope. The Church said so. St. Bernard believed the final Antichrist would be a false pope whom the majority of the Catholics in the world would think was a true pope. St. Athanasius said that even if the faithful are reduced to a handful, they would be the true Church. Scripture itself says the Church in the latter days will be reduced to a remnant that will be capable for years in hiding from the Antichrist. Christ said that when he comes at the end, he will hardly find Faith on earth. Put is all together and get the clear message!
Shoo, sede. Ubi Petrus, ibi ecclesiam. Even when Petrus is wicked.
And y’all were saying the same thing about the last two popes, including the irreproachable Benedict.
You are effectively saying “shoo” to the Holy Scriptures, to the Church and to her Saint & Doctors who support what you just denied.
Have we blurred the boundaries between the ex-cathedra arena and the human maunderings that are rightly open to discussion, debate and clarification? The former is steadfast, the latter fluid, provided it is constructive / supportive of the former. Let’s not fear argumentation … See also St. Augustine.
Not at all. As someone posted this morning, if sedevacantism can exist, then Catholicism cannot.
In other words, Terrye, you would rather follow the ignorant and uneducated than follow what the Church and Her Saints and Doctors have clearly taught on this subject.
Follow St Paul. Make up for what is lacking in Christ’s sufferings. Join your suffering to Christ and offer it up for your priest and parish. That is holiness. Your anger will abate and your love for sinners will grow.
Lorra, perhaps you can consider the possibility of attend Mass at an Eastern Rite parish (Byzantine, Ukrainian, Coptic, etc…). They are Catholic and under the Pope, and their liturgies are very traditional and beautiful. It can be a bit of a culture shock at first, but you can come to love the liturgies and not worry about being assaulted with bad music, weak theology, and irreverence. There is also no need to become an actual Eastern Rite Catholic if you don’t desire to do so, which really only means that you will still be bound under the obligations that Latin Rite Catholics have (our Holy Days of Obligation, etc…) The Eastern Rite can be a viable refuge for you, perhaps while you continue to keep your eyes and ears open for a holy priest with a reverent Mass back at home in the Latin Rite.
Sir, I’m not one for superlatives, or acclamations of the same sort (a character flaw, I’m sure), but this is the finest essay I have ever read by far! I have, the past 22 years, argued the points of every one of your paragraphs with souls in person, in public, and on various blogs. I am familiar with all of Our Lady’s (CHURCH-APPROVED) prophecy and most of the canonized Saint-mystics who foresaw the end-times. So a couple observations for your consideration. There are those who propose the Apocalypse is a history lesson and not prophecy. For those who espouse this heresy, move along nothing to see here. There was a mystic who saw the Seven Churches of The Apocalypse as being seven eras of the only Church that matters, Catholicism. We might be in the fifth epoch, The Church at Sardis: “To the angel[a] of the church in Sardis write:
These are the words of him who holds the seven spirits[b] of God and the seven stars. I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of my God. 3 Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; hold it fast, and repent. But if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what time I will come to you.
4 Yet you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me, dressed in white, for they are worthy. 5 The one who is victorious will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out the name of that person from the book of life, but will acknowledge that name before my Father and his angels. 6 Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches.
A decision by Rome to rationalize some institutional form of sacrilege could be the moment where Our Lady moves her delicate, restraining hand from the arm of The Most High, which precipitates the worst chastisement the world has ever known. An event where perhaps billions die in minutes. Pole shifts happen every 60, 000 years. A pole shift can happen in about 30 minutes. Imagine, what remains of the US, with a equatorial climate (Daniel’s “King of The South”?) and most of Russia/China in the arctic (Daniel’s “King of The North”). A pole shift would also remove, for a time, the geo-magnetic force-field protecting us from the sun and various celestial bodies like meteorites, according to science. Imagine fiery bodies like the fig-tree shakings St. John describes in Revelation, inundating the earth. It would make man’s nuclear arsenals look like fireworks! (Are the 10 Kings of The Apocalypse the leaders of the only 10 places on earth, post chastisement, than can sustain life? Of a new geography, unknown till after the event occurs? Hmmm?) Don’t need a supernatural event, just THE MOST HIGH shaking the earth like a cheap snow-globe. (Unexplained upsurges in frequency of moderate to minimal earthquakes everywhere, sinkholes, odd noises, etc..hmmm?)
Our Lady promises the Reign-of-The-Immaculate-Heart, after the distress of those (Sardisian) days which ends with the Son-of-God, JESUS CHRIST, sending his angels to destroy his enemies, there being the CRUCIFIX Miracle in the sky everyone can see, and the greatest time to be CATHOLIC EVER in the history of The Church. Resurrection of Saints, visible angels, and other never-before-seen Heavenly helps to rebuild and restore. The only religion, after the Great French Monarch mops up a bit, will be the One, Holy, Catholic, And Apostolic One, This perhaps is the Sixth Epoch. It only lasts some 35 years or so however, when nature’s excrement is born of a false virgin, Hebrew nun and an apostate Bishop, this would usher in the last Church, the last epoch. Civilization slowly descends again until the excrement comes to power at 30, aping Christ. We should pray for our children and grandchildren because as bad as the chastisements are, they will be a walk-in-the-park compared to the 42 months of hell the antichrist will unleash.
So my brother, I believe we will see the promised chastisement in our lifetimes. Prophecy will be fulfilled, but prayer, fasting, sacrifices can mediate the damages. A nuclear exchange involving a 100 missiles is better than a 1000, an earthquake lasting 10 minutes is better than one lasting 30 minutes, and a comet/meteor hitting the Atlantic that is 300 feet wide is better than one that is 3 miles wide. Revelation uses types, forms, repetitive familiar cycles, and holds prophetic knowledge back till a particular historical time to prepare, teach, and facilitate us all. God Bless you! Great job! VIVO CHRISTO REY! SALVE REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIA, ORA PRO NOBIS! =+)
I am so glad you published this essay which puts into words what has been going on inside me especially since March 2013…
I understand you very well Lorra – you are not alone – absolutely not….
Thank you Mr. Skojec!
God bless all!
Barbara
Steve, cannot thank you enough for the succinct and informative article. I will be sharing it with many. You are a man of courage, and I ask God to bless and protect you–He will. Indeed, let us pray for Holy Mother Church. Barbara Jensen
I have something I wanted to share with you. I am truly speechless right now. Especially after reading your post. A year ago, while I was doing my consecration to Jesus through the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the first time, I had a private revelation from Our Lady. It was quite powerful and I have never forgotten it. This was before I knew anything that was happening in the Church. Her words are still on my mind today as I read your post. I hope it’s ok to share…
“The day is dark. Eyes are covered. I need your help to unveil the truth of Grace. Do not be afraid. I am your protector. I need help in spreading the message of peace. Too many are blind, unveil the TRUTH. I am building my army. The war has started and we need to come together. Go to receive the Eucharist today and everyday. It is your strength from anything dark. The Eucharist is your protector and power. Do not be afraid.”
And within the same week so many graces happened… I found the only flyer in my parish for a Spiritual Warefare conference. That conference opened my eyes. I went from being a lukewarm Catholic, to being a orthodox, devout Catholic that stands up for Truth. Discovered Latin Mass that same week and never left. Discovered St. Ignatius spiritual exercises that same week as well. Started doing holy hour more often, and going to confession more frequently. It was definitely all by the grace of God through the immaculate heart of Mary. Why am I telling you all this? Not because it’s all about me, but a testimonial of something greater is happening right now. God is building his army. There is definitely something dark going on, but we also need to remember God, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, St. Michael and all the angels and saints are working twice as hard or even more to protect His Bride, Church and children.
Lucia, you are very fortunate that your diocese allows such things as Spiritual Warfare conferences. My diocese is very controlled and only allows what they want in (Remi de Roo and others of that nature).
I must say that when I have prayed earnestly to Our Lady, as I always do, I seem to hear Her tell me “I need you there. Stay at St. XYZ!”
Thank you for confirming in part Her own words to me. I’m very slowly beginning to know Her voice – very quiet and still – almost a whisper in the soul. I don’t know how to describe it correctly.
Maybe I should begin to attend daily Mass to strengthen me for the battle.
The Greatest Francis (Assisi) had a death-bed premonition just before he died. Why did THE MOST HOLY TRINITY choose the Greatest Francis of all time for such a task? Hmmm?
Shortly before he died, St. Francis of Assisi called together his followers and warned them of the coming troubles, saying:
“1. The time is fast approaching in which there will be great trials and afflictions; perplexities and dissensions, both spiritual and temporal, will abound; the charity of many will grow cold, and the malice of the wicked will increase.
“2. The devils will have unusual power, the immaculate purity of our Order, and of others, will be so much obscured that there will be very few Christians who will obey the true Sovereign Pontiff and the Roman Church with loyal hearts and perfect charity. At the time of this tribulation a man, not canonically elected, will be raised to the Pontificate, who, by his cunning, will endeavour to draw many into error and death.
“3. Then scandals will be multiplied, our Order will be divided, and many others will be entirely destroyed, because they will consent to error instead of opposing it.
“4. There will be such diversity of opinions and schisms among the people, the religious and the clergy, that, except those days were shortened, according to the words of the Gospel, even the elect would be led into error, were they not specially guided, amid such great confusion, by the immense mercy of God.
“5. Then our Rule and manner of life will be violently opposed by some, and terrible trials will come upon us. Those who are found faithful will receive the crown of life; but woe to those who, trusting solely in their Order, shall fall into tepidity, for they will not be able to support the temptations permitted for the proving of the elect.
“6. Those who preserve their fervour and adhere to virtue with love and zeal for the truth, will suffer injuries and, persecutions as rebels and schismatics; for their persecutors, urged on by the evil spirits, will say they are rendering a great service to God by destroying such pestilent men from the face of the earth. but the Lord will be the refuge of the afflicted, and will save all who trust in Him. And in order to be like their Head, [Christ] these, the elect, will act with confidence, and by their death will purchase for themselves eternal life; choosing to obey God rather than man, they will fear nothing, and they will prefer to perish rather than consent to falsehood and perfidy.
“7. Some preachers will keep silence about the truth, and others will trample it under foot and deny it. Sanctity of life will be held in derision even by those who outwardly profess it, for in those days Jesus Christ will send them not a true Pastor, but a destroyer.” ( Except for breaking up the narrative into numbered paragraphs and adding bold print for emphasis, the prophecy is presented without any alteration, as given in the Works of the Seraphic Father St. Francis Of Assisi, Washbourne, 1882, pp. 248-250)
The Franciscans of the Immaculate, a most holy and orthodox Institute that had been also embracing the TLM, has been squashed. There are NO charges of heresy or schism or disobedience at all. But the present atmosphere in the Vatican does NOT want such a holy Order growing and helping souls to love the fullness of the beautiful TLM and the true teachings of the Church.
Yes, the failure of Pope Francis to put a stop to the egregious suppression and persecution of the FFI is a great scandal. It corroborates the failure to act against apostate bishops, priests, religious orders, theologians, etc. blessed Michael, the Archangel, protect us in battle …
Yes, there are many of us suffering what is happening in the Church. And, as you point out, it has been happening for quite a while. But please allow me to point out two things that I try to remind myself of often: First, Our Lord is permitting this. There is no reason to fear. This is His Church, and while I may not understand what is happening, and I may find it troubling, I have to place my trust in His Will. Secondly; what we are experiencing is a cross. We should recognize it as such, and carry it like we would an illness, a loss of a job, etc. It is something we can offer for loved ones, for those outside the Church, or for the Church itself.
Thanks for this website. I’m very glad to have found it. God Bless you; savor each and every day with Him, and be at peace.
Michael
Brothers and sisters,
Don’t worry! Let’s love God and become saints and all is well.Let’s leave these things to God.May He bless each and everyone of you.
The only thing “wicked” is the West, which recently funded the NAZI uprising in Ukraine where we saw the legitimate President, Yanukovych, violently and unconstitutionally deposed and replaced by much more corrupt, much more dangerous group of convicted criminals, NAZIs, Chechen terrorists, and other anonymous Mercenaries.
Ukraine is of course only the latest act of Unjust Warmongering by the Wicked West. I guess the warmongers weren’t content with Iraq, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, and Syria. Everywhere the Wicked West touches with its decrepit bloody finger of War, we see nothing but the torture, murder and displacement of some of the oldest Christian communities in the World and the stoking of regional divisions that were on the verge of healing.
Thank God that the Consecration of Russia was done in 1984 (yes, it WAS done in 1984 contrary to what certain disobedient Catholics would like to believe) and that Russia has now reclaimed her Orthodox roots and is now standing up to oppose the demonic plans of the Godless Freemasons that are in control of virtually every Western Government and Western Institution.
I’m with you on the satan-worshipping occultists ruining the West, but the problem we may have is there are no real good-guys on the world stage. We have to give up the idea that there’s an equally powerful, temporal force for good somewhere. We have the Satanist-West, Schismatic Russia, and Godless China all vying for world hegemony. It’s like feeling in a dark room for friends and coming upon horns you naturally repel, but after feeling something soft, you bring it into the light and find all you have is a fuzzy-feeling demon! I’m sick of having to choose between demons! Russia was not consecrated properly. The average Russian Woman still has seven abortions! Even though Putin gives bonuses for babies, Russia’s demography says in 50 years their population will be inescapably halved from today’s 150 million to 75 million. Also, Putin closed all Catholic Churches in Crimea, giving them to The Russian Orthodox. We’re glad Czar Vlad has taken a stand against the grooming of the young for sodomites, but this is not exactly what Our Lady’s Peace Plan at Fatima looks like, is it? The masons who founded the Unites States wanted to choose the Phoenix as the national emblem. A creature (U.S.) that would have to burn (when enemies attacks go unreturned) so that a new creature (The New World Order) could rise from the ashes (And after getting remaining Americans to accept Martial Law, unleash weapons, honed with the complete mastery of natural sciences all angels have, even fallen ones, that are centuries ahead of what is known and completely obliterate what appeared to be the victors in WW3.), Their hellish work done, population at a more manageable, 500 million, they then will institute the new gods, ways, etc..I think THE MOST HIGH obliterates them soon when the WRATH OF THE LAMB makes them curse themselves by hoping, even in their underground bunkers/cities, that “hiils hide us and mountains cover us!” I think America is the Apocalyptic Babylon. What other country fits that description? The richest, most militarily powerful (don’t forget “black budgets”) country that has ever existed, founded on masonic (satanic) principles, expressly anti-Catholic, with capitol architecture, and currency awash with occult (satanic) symbolism. Read what Franklin, Jefferson, Payne, and even Washington, until his death-bed conversion to Catholicism, had to say about JESUS CHRIST and The Catholic Church. May God have Mercy on US! The Lord, in Revelation, does call out a remnant from Babylon. May we all hear HIS VOICE! PAX CHRISTI! VIVO CHRISTO REY!
There are most certainly good and bad actors on the world stage. It is a fluid situation, but I judge a world actor by their actions not only their words.
The actions of Vladimir Putin on the world stage lead me to conclude that he is in fact a good guy. This is a difficult conclusion for me to embrace since, after all, I am an American and love my Country and what it originally stood for. But, as a Catholic and one who must take an impartial view of the factual actions (not to be confused with hearsay and allegations) of Vladimir Putin, I must conclude that he is in fact a world leader who is unafraid to defend the traditional Christian values that once made Russia great.
I can’t think of one other Western leader that has defended Christianity in public like Vladimir Putin has. Not one. Certainly not the muslim imposter that currently sits in the White House and who is as cool with having the brains sucked out of the unborn as he is with funding “Syrian Rebels” and other demoniacs that have mercilessly tortured, slaughtered and displaced Syria’s Catholics and every other Christian community touched by the “Arab” “Spring.”
Now, as to the Consecration of Russia, I have no legitimate reason to think it was not done in 1984. To say otherwise is to call the proper Vatican officials who have spoken on the matter liars. I refuse to call Cardinal Bertone a liar simply because Father Gruner and other disobedient Catholics have taken a disliking to him. I take Cardinal Bertone at his word and I also remember exactly what Our Lady of Fatima said. She said:
“To prevent this, I shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If My requests are heeded, Russia will be converted, and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, various nations will be annihilated. In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph. The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to Me, and she will be converted, and a period of peace will be granted to the world.”
Our Lady of Fatima made two requests in connection with the Era of Peace:
1. Consecration of Russia
2. Reparation of the First Saturdays
She also stated that Russia would be converted. She never said how long this conversion would take. I believe the process of Russia’s conversion started in 1984 and will eventually be completed. How long that will take no one knows, but I do remember very clearly the chain of events that took place in Russia in the late 1980’s and 1990’s. I remember watching in real time how quickly the Soviet Union fell. I remember in 1993 when Boris Yeltsin ordered Russian tanks to open fire on the Russian Parliament (also known as the Russian White House) where the last remnant of genuine Soviets, Bolsheviks and Communists were making their last stand against the changes that had begun taking place in Russia. I remember thinking in 1993 that what I was witnessing demanded a supernatural explanation. The events that have transpired since then, most notably recently, in Russia have only strengthened that conviction.
“Now, as to the Consecration of Russia, I have no legitimate reason to think it was not done in 1984. To say otherwise is to call the proper Vatican officials who have spoken on the matter liars.”
The Vatican officials who have spoken on this matter are liars.
Feel better?
Wrong, you freemason imposter.
You are the liar and are in league with the father of lies.
Repent! Repent! Repent!
Okay, let’s settle down, please.
Steve, thank you so much for your excellent piece, full of invaluable information and discernment. I’ve also had many apocalyptic dreams and feel every single day the same thing you felt when the new pope was elected, since I felt it myself as well. There is no doubt in my mind and heart that this man is the False Prophet. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us; Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!
False Prophet? Pope Francis? What a shameful, scandalous thing to say.
Richard Dawkins would make a good candidate for the False Prophet. So would some of the Freemason Protestants that lead Mega-Church services on TV every Sunday. False Seers like the ones at Medjugorje or any other fake, disobedient Catholics – like the Sedvecantists – would also make good candidates for the False Prophet.
But Pope Franics? Never.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there have been corrupt Popes thru the centuries. But the Pope is the Vicar of Christ and cannot be the False Prophet or the Antichrist BY DEFINITION.
Ha, calling Kasper’s theology of giving remarried people communion ‘serene theology’ and praising it…yeah that’s a false prophet. That’s only one out of a millions horrible things this Pope has said.
You are lying about the Holy Father.
That’s a serious offence.
She is not lying. Pope Francis did in fact praise Kasper’s heresy.
That is a fact which anyone can track down to verify.
Prove it!
Bravo
Thanks Be To God, we still have someone courageous enough to speak the truth.
It’s so disconcerting to try and bring up concerns about the run-away-changes in the culture (church) and have “good, faithful” catholics look at you and say, “what?”
Hold on tight to your Faith, The Truth, because we are in store for the ride of our lives.
Thanks Be To God, in the end The Truth will prevail!
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us.
Remember brothers and sisters we MUST stay true to the magisterium of the church where there is no error. That’s how we will know when we are being lead astray.
We must stay true to the PERENNIAL Magisterium of the Church. This means what has always been taught, always been handed down through the centuries as compared to merely what has been (erroniously) taught the last 50 years. When the current magisterium teaches something that is in direct conflict with what has always been taught by the perennial magisterium, which has happened, we don’t follow the new.
I agree with you 100 percent.
Very interesting article. We live in very distressing times. Lately my prayer life and spiritual practices have been ramped up. It’s no coincidence. God has been calling me (and all of us). Pray, pray, pray.
I am sooooo confused. I am trying to accept our Pope, which is what I thought we were suppose to do, and I can’t keep anything straight anymore. My poor 75 year old mom has been attending an SSPX church and I have been doing everything I can to bring her back. I don’t know what to do, who to believe. We are suppose to talk bad about our priests or Popes, right? Just pray for them????
If your Mom wants to go to the SSPX what is wrong with that?? They are not in schism, the Church says going to their mass counts for the sunday obligation. Leave her alone.
We AREN’T suppose to talk bad about our priests, bishops, popes, … mistype..
Steve, you’re piece was well written and thought out. I have been studying these and other prophesies for years, and watching with great sorrow and consternation the disintegration of the institutional Church. I have been awakened often at night at between 2 and 3 in the morning, often with a feeling of panic. I sleep with my rosary in my hand and often use holy water to ward off the demons. I’ve had dreams in the past that seemed to be warnings of terrible events, including one in the early 1990’s that seemed to protend an invasion by China and mass executions.
The prophesies you list, and others (e.g.by Anna Maria Taigi) seem to indicate that we are living in the times foretold by the prophets and in scripture. My own solution to the heterodoxy in my local parish and the lack of reverence for our Lord that was present there was to find a place in the Romanian Catholic Church where the liturgy has not yet been modernized, and to cling tenaciously to the teachings of the Church prior to Vatican II. I teach my children from the first 20 Councils of the Church, and from the Encyclicals of the Popes prior to John XXIII. Our Lady is our only hope, but she is a sure refuge in these tremendous times. We fight! We have St. Athanasius as our model. God has promised us victory if we are faithful, so, as scripture tells us, “Let us lay aside every encumbrance of sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies ahead. Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who inspires and perfects our faith…”, so let us do as St. Louis de Montfort exhorts us, “Live Jesus”.
There is a woman in Ireland who receives private revelations that confirm, in detail, everything you said, and more. http://www.thewarningsecondcoming.com/
Nita9: I believe that site belongs to Maria Divine Mercy (Roma Downey) who has connections to occult and New Age practices. The Church has warned the faithful not to place credence in her.
There are plenty of approved private revelations. We don’t need to pursue unapproved ones.
She is not Roma Downey. She was recently identified as Mary Mc-something (just read it the other day and don’t remember).
Other than that, you are correct. She is a charlatan and a fraud.
Nobody here has the authority or jurisdiction to judge or make claims that the only authority (the Archbishop of Dublin) with jurisdiction to do so, hasn’t. Please refrain from making such harsh statements about something that even has the possibility of being the words of Jesus and Our Lady.
I had the name wrong. It’s Mary Carberry. I think we have to apply Ignatian principles of discernment to any supposed supernatural phenomenon. When we see fear, agitation, practical Gnosticism, or other negativity, we can be sure we are not dealing with the Holy Spirit.
Dr. Mark Miravalle offers an analysis here: http://blog.newadvent.org/2013/03/a-closer-look-at-false-prophecies-of.html?m=1
Terrye, your information is incorrect. Maria Divine Mercy is not Roma Downey. I urge you to take the time to read the Messages and pray for discernment. They are from the Book of Truth, foretold in Daniel and Revelation. The Truth will always be persecuted, as Jesus was in His time, so His Word will be in these end times.
Sarah
You have the TRUTH, Thanks Be to God!
Let us pray that the people of God, and the Lord Jesus Christ come into the fold lead by The Holy Spirit. Amen!
Sarah, that website is MDM, and whoever is behind it, the messages are disapproved.
Terrye, the messages are disapproved only by anyone who has no eyes to see or ears to hear, because in them”pope” Francis is referred to as the False Prophet, which he in fact is. How is it possible after all the diabolic disorientation this man has caused by statements that come out of his own mouth and the things he does to show the world how “humble” he is that people are still deluding themselves into thinking he is the real deal? We need to pray for the countless souls this man and his cohorts are leading into error and ultimately to their own perdition. Once the Illumination of Conscience takes place (also spoke about by Our Lady in Garabandal as well as the MDM messages) people will realize the great peril their souls are in and hopefully will listen to the voice of God, whose only objective is granting them the Gift of Eternal Life with Him, after they have sincerely repented from their sins and returned to Him.
Terrye, With all due respect and charity, the messages of MDM have in fact not been disapproved by the only church authority with the jurisdiction to do so, the Archbishop of Dublin. And she certainly is NOT the New Age actress, Roma Downey.
Thanks for stopping short of concluding that Pope Francis is the antichrist. Many wouldn’t.
The truth is, I have no reason to believe that he is. I simply think that he is making it possible for the confusion among Catholics about what the Church teaches to get so much worse, that when the real Antichrist comes, in a year or in a hundred, there will be so few people left who know the faith that he’ll be very convincing to many, possibly even most Catholics.
Safeguarding the deposit of faith is a terrible responsibility. I wouldn’t want it. And if I did have his job, once I got wind that I was confusing people about what they should believe, my top priority would be finding a way to fix that, even if it meant I had to become a recluse so my mouth wouldn’t get me in any more trouble.
That he is not doing so is reckless. Whether from carelessness or malice is not mine to say.
Yes, safeguarding the deposit of faith is a terrible responsibility, but I’m not sure that the Pope is aware that this is part of his job description. He appeared to tell Cardinal Meisner that he should refer to the CDF for doctrinal questions.
I also found his criticism of those who sought “excessive doctrinal security” to be quite inexplicable. How can one have too much doctrinal security? Which vice does certainty of doctrine feed? What virtue or advantage can be gained by having doctrinal insecurity or uncertainty? Do you think perhaps that he may perceive doctrinal security as stifling creativity, and hence he sees greater advantage to be had from “making a mess”?
The way I see it, there are only two options: either his significant lack of formation leads him to believe that doctrinal security leads to “rigorism” or “neo-Pelagianism” rather than being the bedrock from which one begins their witness to the Gospel, OR he is intentionally eroding these underpinnings in an attempt to subjectivize the truths of the Faith for malicious reasons.
I don’t know which of these it is, but when you consider that he wants to delegate his authority to local bishops conferences — which have always lacked real authority and make some pretty terrible decisions — the end result is a factionalized Catholicism made up of regional churches with differing interpretations. (You see this in Evangelii Gaudium, “The bishops of X say this, the bishops of Y have said this.”) It’s perhaps analogous on an ecclesiastical level to what God did to those building the tower of Babel.
If you look at the way Pope St. Pius V struck at the regionalizing of the faith through a codified, universal missal, it’s as if he’s trying to go in the opposite direction.
He’s also done a fantastic job of eroding the authority of the papacy already. He not an inherently authoritative figure, he speaks often without invoking the teaching authority of his office, he delegates important decisions, and he has sewn so much confusion that faithful Catholics have gone from calling themselves “papists” to using “ultramontanist” as a pejorative. If another pope were to come after him who wants to continue to scatter the flock, he will merely need to maintain momentum.
If, on the other hand, a reformer pope comes, he will have a greatly diminished office.
We can see the effects; it’s harder to understand the causes.
I don’t know how quite to say this as I mean no disrespect to the Vicar of Christ, but am I alone in often wondering if he even knows the basics of Catholicism? How can someone who spent years training as a Jesuit be so seemingly unaware? I often get the impression that someone just grabbed him off the street and talked him into being pope.
Again, please believe me when I say I do not mean any disrespect.
You’re not alone in wondering that.
Jesuit … now THERE is the rub.
Deacon Augustine, he is not the Antichrist, but he is paving the way for him; he is the False Prophet.
You covered it all quite eloquently and for what it’s worth I could’nt agree with you more. God Bless you , these are truly trying times ……rosary, scapular, daily consecration to Our Lady, and the TLM whenever possible.
Yes, because the Latin mass and chapel veils are the answer.
Don’t underestimate the power of the Church’s ancient liturgy vs. the fabricated, banal replacement we have now. Remember, if there’s a saint you venerate, chances are they grew up on the TLM. There are virtually none you can say that about with the NO.
Thanks everyone for your comments. Too many now for me to respond to everyone, but I’m reading them all, and I appreciate the overwhelming support.
It’s important to note that I am not advocating becoming paralyzed by fear, which is a real temptation. This will play out the way God wants it to, and there’s no saying how much of this I’m even right about. Time will tell.
My goal is for people to be awake, to be thoughtful, to be prayerful, and to be ready. It’s all we can do.
Memento mori. No matter what comes, the only thing nobody can take from you is your soul. This is an age that desperately needs the leadership and example of saints. Somehow, we have to find a way to answer that call.
Steve,
Your article made my day. Now I will struggle to get the courage to share it !!!
“Suppose we have dreamed, or made up, all those things — trees and grass and sun and moon and stars and Aslan himself. Suppose we have. Then all I can say is that, in that case, the made-up things seem a good deal more important than the real ones. Suppose this black pit of a kingdom of yours is the only world. Well, it strikes me as a pretty poor one. And that’s a funny thing, when you come to think of it. We’re just babies making up a game, if you’re right. But four babies playing a game can make a play-world which licks your real world hollow. That’s why I’m going to stand by the play world. I’m on Aslan’s side even if there isn’t any Aslan to lead it. I’m going to live as like a Narnian even if there isn’t any Narnia.”
^Winning.
That was from me, ~~~~~~~~~~~~. For some reason WordPress is not allowing me to leave my name.
I think I just fixed it.
Here’s another from the same book (The Silver Chair):
“I give you a warning. Here on the mountain I have spoken to you clearly: I will not often do so down in Narnia. Here on the mountain, the air is clear and your mind is clear; as you drop down into Narnia, the air will thicken. Take great care that it does not confuse your mind. And the Signs which you have learned here will not look at all as you expect them to look, when you meet them there. That is why it is so important to know them by heart and pay no attention to appearances. Remember the signs and believe the Signs. Nothing else matters.”
Well, add one for forced humility.
The Pope did praise Cardinal Kasper’s presentation. His level of assent to it might still be in question, but he certainly seemed to like it fine during the Consistory.
http://www.romereports.com/pg155863-pope-francis-expresses-support-for-cardinal-kasper-s-serene-theology-on-the-family–en
I just put an update on this post, but for those of you subscribed to the comments, I’ll put it here as well:
UPDATE: 3/31/14
In the comments, CJ says: “The broad patristic consensus on the Antichrist is that the “Temple” refers not to the church but to the synagogue.”
And indeed, as I’ve done some additional reading in Fr. Vincent Miceli’s book, The Antichrist, that does seem to be the favored interpretation. He cites Ireneaus, Cyril of Jerusalem, and others in support of this. As I said at the outset of this post, “I have no special gift for divining the course of the future; I receive no private revelations.” I should add that I’m no scripture scholar, either. I’m just a guy trying to piece this together. There does seem to be evidence that apostasy in Rome to some degree is certainly within the realm of possibility. I know that Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerich’s visions of a syncretistic Church that does great damage to the faith has Rome at the center. I’m sure there’s probably a great deal more out there. Researching this isn’t my full-time job, though, so I have to find what I can in the time I can scrape up.
If I didn’t make it clear enough before, I’ll say it with more force here: THIS IS ALL MY OWN INTERPRETATION AND THINKING AND NOTHING MORE. It could all very well be wrong. Take it with a big grain of salt. Do your own homework. I’m not an authority of any kind on the matters discussed herein.
The other thing I have noticed too. Again, I mean no disrespect; I am throwing these things out on here to see if I am alone. Or not.
When I watch video clips of Pope Francis, he just doesn’t appear, at least to me, to have the dignity that other popes have had. There’s something missing.
The approved apparitions of LSalette indicate the antichrist will sit in Rome. There is considerable evidence also that the full third secret of Fatima, says that the great apostasy in the Catholic Church will ‘begin at the top’ These are the words of Cardinal Ciappi who read the third secret. He was the spiritual advisor to three popes. Malachi Martin, who also read the third secret, affirmed a radio caller on the Art Bell Show who said that an old Jesuit priest, who had read the third secret, told him that Our Lady had said that the final pope (of the end times–not of the end of the world) will be under the control of the devil. There are other approved apparitons which indicate the same. We are not talking about there being ‘no pope’, but one’s obedience is to the Faith, not to any prelate. If a pope preaches error, it is disobedience to follow the error. Deitrich von Hildebrand, 20th century orthodox theologian, states that when a priest, bishop–or pope–preaches heresy, he loses his authority. We are here. Do not follow what is false, no matter who is saying it. One needs to know the Catholic Faith and stay very close to the Holy Eucharist. The confusion is just beginning. Remember, wherever the Holy Eucharist is, there is the Church.
Malachi Martin never read the Third Secret. He was not a Vatican insider. He was never an exorcist. He had no priestly faculties after being dismissed from the Jesuits in the 1960s.
He was a talented spinner of yarns, both in books and out.
If anyone is really serious about Fatima, this is essential reading:
http://fatimapriest.com/pdf/newfatimapriest_2013.pdf
Steve J.
You are quite wrong, Madame. Three Jesuits are, ironically, required reading for all Catholics today. Fr. Vincent Micelli; Fr. John Hardon, and Father Malachi Martin. All with God, If you want to know why The Jesuits slandered him, read Fr. Martin’s, “The Jesuits” and also read, “Windswept House”, his last book that probably got him killed. They hated Fr. Micelli and disowned Fr. Hardon. No Jesuit showed up at Fr. Hardon’s 50th anniversary of his priesthood. Go read about the history of Jesuit superiors the past 50 years and you are guaranteed to wretch! (Really, considering how much damage Jesuit Universities have done to the world and The Faith the past 50 years, the order should be suppressed. Or in other words, The Jesuits should be FFMI’d..(poor souls, we love you, stay strong and courageous!) VIVO CHRISTO REY!!!
What I wrote is accurate. Martin was expelled from the Jesuits shortly after Vatican II and never had priestly faculties again. He He was a pathological liar, which served him well as a fiction writer. Windswept House was pure fabrication, of the Dan Brown variety. He wasn’t killed; he died after a long life with his housemate/girlfriend (the last of many) at his side.
If you can find the long interview on the Art Bell Show, listen to it. It’s several hours long. He makes predictions that never came true, such as a sign in the sky visible to the entire world that would happen shortly (this was in the 90s). By far the most bizarre thing, however, was his statement that pagan gods, such as those worshipped by American Indians, are benevolent spiritual entities. This would come as a surprise to the Lord God as well as Church Fathers.
The one thing you cannot do is take Martin at his word.
Terrye Newkirk
Fr. Martin was not perfect ( Discernment about Garabandal and other notorious apparitions), but you slander and malign based on one libelous book from a psychopath, and the continued assault from establishment Jesuits, who are nothing but a disgrace. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malachi_MartinAt least this is a fair accounting of his life. I’ve listened to Fr. Martin for years and have never heard him say paganism was fine, but I have heard Jesuits, like Teilhard de Chardin teach exactly that. In fact, de Chardin was the Jesuit who introduced ALL the new age nonsense into contemporary neo-Catholicism. With respect to Fr. Martin’s death, his body was found at the bottom of stairs he climbed for nearly 35 years, contorted rather unnaturally. He feared for his life and was working on another book describing the effects/plans the NWO/Illuminati/masons had for the Church. 20 years before Francis he spoke about the plan to diminish the papacy, neuter it, so through novel v-2 notions like “collegiality”, Popes would be restricted from exercising their FULL AUTHORITY to discipline as they see fit, thus rescuing the Church from future malevolent and subtly demonic schemes. If you pay attention, you will find, like the bankers today, important, dangerous people to the diabolical establishment are often “suicided” and “accidented”. That list includes scientists, investigators, or anyone who would upset the preternatural apple cart. Jesuits continue to say Fr, Martin was sleeping with his housekeeper. So, I guess every rectory cleaning woman is a whore, too, then! Disgraceful! Yet, fornication, for these joy boys, would at least be the lesser evil to the rampant sodomite bacchanalia described in a lot of places including Fr. Martin’s, “The Jesuits” and “Windswept House”. SALVE REGINA, MATER MISERICORDIA, ORA PRO NOBIS!
A lot of what Steve says I’ve read in fiction form, written by the renowned Spanish exorcist, Fr. José Antonio Fortea. He’s written a serial fiction on the end times and given them away freely on the web.
And I do tend to agree with the “something wicked this way comes” assessment. I confirm the feeling toxicity surrounding us, if not his long interpretation.
Sadly, Steve lost me when he started criticizing Pope Francis, virtually making him an unwitting accomplice, or facilitator, of apostasy and Antichrist.
I don’t accept that. The Church is the Church, and the powers of hell shall not prevail against her. To cast aspersions against the Pope and against the core of the Mass of Paul VI has always seem to me excessive and unnecessary. Following this kind of reasoning to its obvious conclusion results in the recognition that the Church is corrupt – but for a faithful, “traditional remnant” that still holds to the “ageless faith.” If one wishes to be fiercely consistent, the drift probably started when Pope Gregory the Great sanctioned the Mass in Latin, breaking away from the original Greek – unlike Latin, a truly scriptural language. The only Latin mentioned in Scripture was written upon the titulus hanging from the Cross).
Might as well become Eastern Orthodox again (as I was once before)
No can do. The Spirit who sustains the Church can do more than any cataclysmic apostasy.
Be not afraid!
~Theo
Estimado Sr. Teófilo,
I’m not necessarily agreeing with all that was said in this article (I haven’t even read it yet!), but I just want to respond to your point about criticizing the pope and the liturgical reform of the 1960s. We Catholics believe that in the infallibility of the pope, not in his impeccability. Likewise, we believe in the indefectibility of the Church, not in her lack of defects in human terms. There are bad laymen, bad priests, and bad bishops out there who do damage to the Church. There have also been bad popes in history who have done damage to the Church – or that have failed in their duties.
The same easily extends to the liturgical reform of the 1960s. Just because the Novus Ordo Missae was imposed – I looked for a more neutral word, but I couldn’t find it – on the Church by her prelates, does not mean that it is superior to what came before. Indeed it only makes it more suspicious, as it wasn’t an “organic development” to use then-Cardinal Ratzinger’s words.
There have been other times of confusion in the Church, notably the Arian crisis in the fourth century. It is striking to read the stories of the saints of those times, such as Saint Athanasius, a bishop who lived in exile for 17 years for the defending the Faith; but as a former Eastern Orthodox Christian perhaps you already know about it.
There is nothing in Scripture or Tradition that tells us that the Church is always getting better. It is not out of the question at all that there will be darker times in the future. Precisely because we love the Church we have to examine her current situation soberly; and that might mean pointing fingers at people or things we would rather not; because really we are all to blame.
We must have hope and we must stay in the Church Christ founded and whose visible head at the moment is Pope Francis. But remember that our hope is in Christ, not in the pope.
Hola Meilin,
¿Eres de Puerto Rico? Anyway.
I appreciate the Theology 101 refresher. I don’t mean to be sarcastic, I’ve found myself many times in need of one. We are not as far away as you might think.
I am acutely aware of the presence of bad laymen, clerics, and religious in the history of our Church, even of the bad popes. But that works into my argument, as I’ll state later.
When the Church, through her legitimate authorities, *adopted* (not “imposed”) the Mass of Paul VI she did it following a liturgical renewal that was over 100 years in operation and which had already affected the usus antiquor.
I’ve attended many a Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Yes, I like them. I’ve been to many in the Eastern Rite. Absolutely beautiful. And I’ve been to many celebrations in the Ordinary Form *in Latin*. What are we really decrying about the reform?
– That we now get double the Scripture readings and an expanded lectionary? More Scripture is good.
– That we now respond what the altar servers used to say alone? As the ancient liturgies show, the responses belong to the faithful themselves.
– That the peace greeting was restored to the people? This has been controversial, I admit, but IT IS THE PEACE OF CHRIST and an opportunity to reconcile with each other before we dare to receive Him in communion. A “last chance” so-to-speak, before we dare to receive His body and blood, soul and divinity without examination.
– That priests now can concelebrate instead of sitting down on a pew as spectators? Concelebration is in fact an ancient practice restored to the rite, not an innovation.
– That one too many “ostia sanctam, ostia inmaculatam” was dropped from the canon because it was applied to the still unconsecrated form? Sounds good to me!
– That the phrase “mysterium fidei” was restored to its rightful place at the end of the consecration prayer and not in the middle of it where it broke the flow of the prayer? Well done, I say!
– That we now have a clearer epiclesis or invocation of the Holy Spirit over the gifts? Welcome back to an ancient practice, I say.
– That we refer to the Mass not only as a Sacrifice, but also as a Supper? Alleluia, I say, for it is the Supper of our Pascha, of our liberation from bondage.
All these “innovations” are not innovations at all, but restoration of ancient practice or re-burnishing of details whose meaning may have been obscured – but never lost – from the collective consciousness of the Church. Are these what you reject?
I’m going to guess that you don’t, but that which you object to are the liturgical abuses that have crept into the celebration of the Mass of Paul VI. I grant you that. I have seen them myself and a few years ago I was forced to put self-taught innovators in their place after their liturgical blunder became known well beyond their confines of their parish in Caguas, Puerto Rico. I got a lot of flack from that one, from angry people who thought they knew better, but didn’t.
Yes, there has been egregious abuses, confusion, and hubris in the liturgical implementation of the Council’s directives, and of many other things. I’m right there with you. But in the process many of us have romanticized the past to the level of caricature. Remember this: strict adherence to the old rite and discipline did not stop 400 years of European wars down to World War II, or worse still, the Shoah. A solemn baptism with all the minor exorcisms in accordance to the extraordinary form didn’t stop Hitler to grow up and become a type of Antichrist. And about half of the pederast priests surveyed in the John Jay Report were formed prior to the Second Vatican Council.
Before we embrace apocalytic views about where the Church is and ought to be, or question Pope Francis’ status as Successor of Peter and anointed of God to guide the Church now, we should get some broader perspective here.
While granting the general assertion that “something wicked this way comes” Steve is making, I am resistant to the concatenation of private revelations and prophecy he makes because it creates a theology of despondency, one confirming the open dissent and rebellion of many. To his credit, Steve admits the limits and fallibility of his own opinion, but read what many are saying. You yourself, Meilin, realize the logical consequences of what you are saying. Look around the comments here, and you’ll see I’m right.
I stand convicted because I believe firmly and joyfully in Matthew 16:17ff. Here I take my stand. I can’t do no other.
+JMJ,
Teófilo de Jesús, Blogmaster
http://www.vivificat.org
Sí, de ahí soy, y como buena puertorriqueña contesto esto tarde, mis disculpas. 🙂
I’ve read the article now, and indeed, we have to be careful about adopting an apocalyptic attitude – we have to keep hope. Nobody knows the day and the hour. Personally, I think it’s more likely that we’ll have a long tedious period of societal decline, instead of some big event; but of course, nobody can know.
This does not mean that there are no problems with the Mass of Paul VI. (Or that Pope Francis is a great pope, etc.)
I don’t know if you realize the magnitude and swiftness of the changes made in the late 1960s. I mean no disrespect by that; I’m still learning about it myself. But it really wasn’t just restoring a few nice practices that had fallen out of use. Nor even the more questionable end of changing a couple of things in the liturgy so that they would be more like their original forms – implying that their later forms were somehow corrupted.
There’s been whole books written on this. My own knowledge about it wouldn’t fill a book, but I will probably go on and on at considerable length if I get started. . . I’ll let other people do the talking.
Fr. Thomas Kocik, who edited a book on the “Reform on the Reform”, in an article linked above:
«the material discontinuity between the two forms of the Roman rite presently in use is much broader and much deeper than I had first imagined [. . .] the whole liturgical edifice of the Latin Church [was affected]: the Mass; the Divine Office; the rites of the sacraments, sacramentals, blessings and other services of the Roman Ritual; and so forth [. . . Speaking of the Mass itself,] the propers of the Mass; the replacement of the Offertory prayers with modern compositions; the abandonment of the very ancient annual Roman cycle of Sunday Epistles and Gospels; the radical recasting of the calendar of saints; the abolition of the ancient Octave of Pentecost, the pre-Lenten season of Septuagesima and the Sundays after Epiphany and Pentecost; the dissolution of the centuries-old structure of the Hours; and so much more»
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2014/02/reforming-irreformable.html
Father Z has written about how the prayers in the modern “Book of Blessings” are weaker than the ones in the “Rituale Romanum”. Here’s the first article I could find about it; it explains that the prayer for Holy Water no longer exorcises it: http://wdtprs.com/blog/2012/06/quaeritur-is-water-blessed-with-the-newer-rites-really-holy-water/
Here’s an article on what happened to the Octave of Epiphany, our famous Octavitas. The Octave as an octave was abolished in the 1950s, but the skeleton, that is, the three feasts contained within the Octave (called “the three Epiphanies”), remained; after the 1960s reform these feasts were moved, erasing the traditional connection between the three feasts: http://newtheologicalmovement.blogspot.com/2011/01/what-happened-to-epiphanytide-or.html
Finally, Michael Davies explains how some of the changes were not things asked by the Council – and I’m not talking about the abuses, but changes to the Missal itself, such as replacing kneeling down during Creed with bowing down. Starting at about 20 minutes in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bmiAex-FFQ
God bless you!
We have 2 Popes, we are witnessing the destruction of all we know to be true. The TRADITIONS and TEACHINGS of the Holy Fathers before 1969 must lead us to Heaven and the new teachings lead us to Hell, period. Gay marriage..what? There is no such thing, it is a secular evil forced on the 99% who are not gay. 2 men or women married? Really? No such thing in God’s Eyes, it is an evil and an abomination, period. If you say it is not, then you are an anti-christ, as Christ Jesus says it is an evil. Divorce, is not really a divorce in God’s Eye, i is an evil to destroy the family.
The Novos Ordo Mass, created in the 1960’s by Non -Catholics and Catholic Infiltrators to destroy the Church from within, it worked, hands down. Abortion, the fruit of infidelity and loose behaviors, all are evils, killing the offspring of sinful adults, making the baby suffer death. How horrible are we to allow anyone this..right……it is not a right, it is a choice and and evil one at that.
You name the sin, the Church now coddles it, Euthanasia, killing of the infirmed or elderly as useless and well, dispensable..all evil…..Hospice, not a kind and sweet way to die, it is euthanasia.
Saw it, hate it. They purposefully overdose the victim with morphine and comfort drugs until the stop breathing…….they kill the already dying, need the beds, it’s all about money.
Sadly, we are on a precipice, about to plunge into the hell shown to the 3 Fatima Children.
Worse, we are at the helm, going down with the ship, without a whimper.
I for one think Pope Benedict is still our LEGITIMATE Pope. Pope Francis was PUT there to make sure the reforms Pope Benedict was doing was NOT GONNA HAPPEN any further. He is now on Vatican land, in a convent they built for him, alone and told to be QUIET, and so he does just that.
Suffers, prays and slowly dies. Without a whimper they switched Popes on the world, as the changes were going back to TRADITION and boy, none of that!
I am a Traditional Catholic, I attend the Latin Mass only, for 16 yrs… I will never go back the the
Novos Ordo, I find it offensive in both manor and style, the people are so liberal it freaks a conservative out, keeping us away, just like Pope Benedict, buried in a Church no one talks about or calls heretical………The Tridentine (Latin) Mass is BEAUTIFUL, longest lasting, proven HOLY MASS and the ONLY MASS PADRE PIO WOULD PRAY…he never said the new mass, never once.
My heart is broken for our Church and our children, what do they have to look to if most Parents are with the new movement, the Charismatic’s and Anglicans now coming in with all sorts of oddities that are not Catholic. Well, just Sorrow is all Our Lady talks about. That is our plight, sorrow and suffering for the good ole’ days when most people were good and few were bad, now it is the opposite, bad is good and good is a joke………I’ll take the hard road and go to my Latin Mass and suffer here so I will not be sorry to Jesus for participating in the destruction of His Church..I refuse to partake.
God Bless Us All and God Bless Pope Benedict!
Ave’ Maria.+++
Great. I was baptized and received into the Church in 2012, despite strong opposition from family who are of another religion. I tried to help them understand the continuity of the Church and how it has handed down to us through the centuries the deposit of faith given by Christ to his apostles. And then a year later we have all kinds of noise coming from the Vatican that at the very least suggests that the Church is “a-changing”, as they say, even more than it already has since Vatican II. I’m honestly scared of what may happen this October at the synod. This apparent confusion on basic teachings and moral issues has made the conversion of my wife and family less likely now because it undermines a fundamental argument for Catholicism (although the Holy Spirit can always work a miracle).
Its hard not to feel on some days that I have jumped onto a sinking ship or that Eastern Orthodoxy would have been a better option. I can only put my trust in Jesus that he will save his Church and not allow the boat to sink.
Be not afraid, Phillip! You have not jumped on a sinking ship, but have joined the one Church that the darker elements see fit to harass to ever increasing degrees. (I joined it 30 years ago; same opposition from family, same initial anxiety when facing watered-down application in many quarters.)
1. The darker elements don’t see fit to harass the Mormons, the Methodists, or the Muslims — they’re doing fine with their creeds that lead souls away from Rome.
2. When you don’t like what your local Church of Christ minister says, to what authority can you turn? Holy Scripture? That’s what he’s using, and it’s one opinion on interpretation against another. In our Church, there is a Catechism, centuries of witness, and reams of eloquent saints. The Church Triumphant are card-carrying members of the flock — get to know them.
3. You have joined at an exciting time. Don’t you imagine many families fought with those headed to martyrdom in many arenas, myriad settings? Even Thomas More’s wife begged him to submit to Henry for the sake of their children. There is a great sifting taking place, and fear is no necessary — only faith!
Its all been prophesied, right down to the “two Popes” Fatima, and even among modern day prophets that have yet to gain church approval, which will never happen, given how critical they are of modern day church. Believe if you want to, but they are starkly accurate.
For those of us who were born during the reign of Pius XII and remember a different Church, there is nothing exciting about living during this fiasco. In fact, it is starting to wear very thin. The worst is that Benedict XVI gave me hope that finally there was a very bright light at the end of the tunnel, and that light was getting brighter every day. The present setback is almost intolerable and very demoralizing.
Should clarify…Two Popes, by Anne Catherine Emmerich
It was a thorough summation of the pernicious state and nefarious machinations of the betrayers of the true gospel. It is clearly seen by your excellent article and heartfelt thanks for encouraging us to prayer and the harsh reality we face as true sons of the the Church. It is a sad and troubled time but Jesus will not abandon us as we share in His agony
Steve – One qualm with something you said… the line that Jesus “became sin” comes straight from 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” Death = sin. Christ’s death, even though he never sinned, was atonement for all the sins of the world. The crucified Christ is, literally, sin itself. Christ took on our sins to redeem us.
OK, let’s compare:
“For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.” 2nd Cor 5:21
Vs.
“What is reconciliation? Taking one from this side, taking another one for that side and uniting them: no, that’s part of it but it’s not it … True reconciliation means that God in Christ took on our sins and He became the sin for us. When we go to confession, for example, it isn’t that we say our sin and God forgives us. No, not that! We look for Jesus Christ and say: ‘This is your sin, and I will sin again’. And Jesus likes that, because it was his mission: to become the sin for us, to liberate us. …
“Christ became sin for me! And my sins are there in his body, in his soul! This – says the Pope – it’s crazy, but it’s beautiful, it’s true! This is the scandal of the Cross!”
– Pope Francis
We don’t believe that Christ literally became sin. He couldn’t. He’s God. He’s sinless. He is all good. But He metaphorically became sin insofar as He took the guilt of our sins upon Himself so that they could be crucified with Him and the just punishment for them exacted upon the blameless victim.
This idea that Christ likes our repetitive sinning, that we give it to Him as though it is a gift, that our sins are “in his body, in his soul” is deeply troubling. I would be very surprised if you can find a single saint or doctor of the Church who would formulate a comparable expression.
I’m late to the party, I know. But I, too, want to thank you for sharing these thoughts. It’s interesting to read through the comments too, as nearly everyone is level-headed, trying his best to follow the teachings of the Church, but is feeling overwhelmed by the confusion of it all. It helps to know we are not alone.
You have clearly, succinctly, and respectfully pointed out just a handful of Pope Francis’ terrifying statements and actions. We have to be honest about what is going on as painful as that is. It is not an act of disobedience to point out that the Holy Father is creating some very serious problems by what he says (and sometimes what he fails to say.)
God bless you and your family. And thanks for being a level-headed, if somewhat reluctant, voice telling it like it is.
Thank you. It’s not exactly “unbridled hysteria”, is it? 😉
Hysteria. Ha! That is why you are so interesting to read. You seem like a skeptic, and the last guy who would believe crazy apocalyptic ramblings. But the world is such a very strange place these days.
Have you ever read “Trial, Tribulation & Triumph: Before, During and After Antichrist” by Desmond A. Birch? Interesting read. Using scripture, Church teaching, approved prophecy, and personal revelation, Birch makes the case that we are not in the time of Antichrist, but in the time leading up to the Minor Chastisement. It was written (I think in the late 1990s.) I recommend it. I don’t know where we are at on he apocalyptic time line, but he makes a great case for the Minor Chastisement.
One more question — somewhere in one of your recent posts (or in comments, I forget) you compared the Novus Ordo Mass to tainted water, and how it nourishes and poisons us simultaneously. (Sorry to mangle your quote.) Can you point me in the direction of that quote? I have to keep it in my notes. It describes exactly my feelings. I have to go to N. O. Mass most Sundays, but I leave it feeling so angry, sad etc. I am torn about going. If I didn’t have seven young children for whom I am trying to set an example, I don’t know if I could continue to go. Sometimes I don’t know if I should be taking my children to such a shoddy example of the Catholic Mass. But they have it instilled in them that to miss Sunday Mass is a mortal sin… The closest TLM is 1 1/2 hours away, and we have to get up at 5:30 a.m. to get there in time. We do manage that once a month.
Sorry for the novel. Keep up the great work!
I have not read that book, but you’re one of two people I’ve seen recommend it today. Perhaps I should take the hint.
As for the Novus Ordo quote, it was this:
Thank you for writing this blog post. It’s the first time I’ve read that someone other than myself had a overwhelming sense that something bad had just happened when Pope Francis was introduced to the world. I actually felt guilty for a time for not trusting more fully in The Lord.