President Trump’s Critics on Praying in the White House: “We Are So Screwed!”
Comment:
Why would anyone complain about a Government offering of a prayer to God, seeking guidance at a time of national / global trouble?
What’s the problem?
21Mar
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Comments (55)
If Sodom had but a few righteous men like Mike Pence, then God would have spared the city. It is because of Pence that the Americans might look to the supernatural and come out of it quicker than if they just relied on science.
I wish the Catholic Monarchs and leaders of Europe would imitate the Mayor of Venice’s example and implore the intercession of Our Lady and consecrate their nations to Her.
CC,
I agree. I am just amazed at how the powers-that-be at these press conferences and in news interviews, solemnly say: “the science tell us…” as if “science” were infallible.
When Pence first came to international prominence as Trump’s running mate, I seem to recall being told by a (usually reliable) American friend that he was formerly a Catholic. If so, I wonder what happened.
They mocked Lot ,they mocked Noah. They Mocked Moses and of course they Mocked and still do Mock Our Lord Jesus Christ. Mike Pence is in good company. I was listening to the latest Remnant Video early this morning as I couldn’t sleep. It also gave me the chance to start saying the Sorrowful Mysterys of The Holy Rosary with Our Lady of Guadalupe which I must confess I had stopped saying. Anyhow Michael Matt was on about Holy Mass which was said in The White House on Ash Wednesday. Then tongue in cheek he said ” I wonder if Holy Mass was ever said in The White House when the Obamas were there.” [Editor: personal remark and unsubstantiated allegation removed.] President Trump never had the White House exorcised for nothing after it was vacated by… the Obamas.
God Bless Mike Pence and God Bless President Trump. One things for certain that…Joe Biden won’t be praying in The White House. With all that’s going on in the World with this terrible virus I seen on Life Site News that they still had National Abortion Day . Where are Our Catholic leaders to condemn this Abomination. The bottom line is . They HATE us, They always HAVE and always WILL . Mike Pence is just another man of God that they wish to Persecute.
Editor: FOOF, I have only now properly read this comment following Pedro’s criticism which was followed by an email from a reader who pointed me to this thread. I am really taken aback at the way you have spoken about people like the Obamas and Joe Biden. I have no time for their politics either, but I am rather tired of having to keep repeating the House Rule about the need to avoid all nasty personal remarks. Please remember that you make very good, insightful comments and we value your contributions. Making unnecessary derogatory personal remarks about anyone only serves to minimise the impact of what you are saying. In some cases, people will write off what you say, and you will have achieved nothing more than letting off steam. Please comply with our House Rules – all of them. Thank you.
Well, don’t forget, Ol’ Sleepy Joe prays the Rosary, hears Mass and receives Communion from the Pope, you know….
CC
We can only hope then that they will one day convert to Catholicism!
FOOF,
Your mention of abortion reminded me of the following superb letter, sent by our in-house pro-life activist, Wendy Walker, to the Health Secretary, Matt Hancock…
Dear Sir
I am writing to you most deeply concerned.
All over the country people are being told stay in and away from others …Medical Centres, Drs Surgeries, Dentists,……Tooth extractions and Appts are cancelled ….and non urgent Hospital Appts also cancelled, YET it would seem Abortion so called Clinics [mills] are being allowed a total free for all against what the Government is saying……
They always have totally crowded waiting rooms often described as cattle market both with the clients and their companions…..then all the delivery people of blood, oxygen, food, etc…then the ambulances…very frequent visitors to these mills, then the peripatetic staff commuting between mills and of course the taxis who bring and collect …imagine in just a day how many people are meeting one another
Then on the hospital side where whole wards are designated to abortions… here’s The NHS complaining about shortage of WARDS …..and creating crisis requests yet the constant flow of abortions continue.
Surely all abortions should be …terminated …at this very scary and uncertain time ….and if as many people pass away as predicted, in a few years time a larger population may be required
Thanking you
Yours Truly
Wendy walker Mrs
E -MAIL ….MATT.HANCOCK.MP@PARLIAMENT.UK
What the atheistic critics are blind to is that people who don’t pray go to Hell, simple as that. They have their short materialistic existence here on earth and then it’s eternity in perdition. They are really more to be pitied than scorned.
Athanasius,
Your words seem harsh, but essentially you are right. Having turned away from the God of revelation, we have come to re-create God, as it were, in our own miserable image and likeness. And the result is a ‘god’ which just confirms us in our sin and so is useless.
We forget that this life is given to us precisely in order that we might earn eternal life. Yet many prefer the prevailing universalism – spouted, alas, by not a few Christians, including Roman Catholics — according to which we will fall into heaven as easily as we fall out of bed in the morning.
Is it any wonder that the world has no time for us? But Our Lord told us this in the Gospel: ‘You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot’ (Matthew 5:13).
When will we understand that all roads leading away from Christ lead in one direction only?
Prognosticum
I think I could have worded my comment a little better to make appear less harsh and more realistic. Sinners of all persuasions have hope so long as they pray, but if they don’t even pray then there’s no hope for them outside of individual miracles of grace, which are relatively rare.
The worst thing that can happen to any human being is that they either never pray or have stopped praying. And by prayer I mean more than lip service. It’s like taking off the battle armour and walking straight on to the field of battle expecting to survive.
When Obama promised to “fundamentally transform America” in 2008, what he had in mind was completely the opposite of the enlightened peace and prosperity PR impression he conveyed. In other words, a typical Communist ploy: use words that have meanings other than the common understanding, and that in fact usually mean precisely the opposite of that understanding.
When this slick-talking stooge was elected, all the media were falling over themselves about what a wonderful historic event this was: a black man become president! I was writing my old newsletter at the time, and I published a different take on this allegedly historic event. I wrote:
“This election is historical all right: America as we know it will soon be history.”
Sure enough, eight years of his Communist-in-disguise regime have resulted in America being thoroughly seeded by subversives and traitors – other than those in the Democrat Party, that is, who have been around for decades – all funded by evil men like George Soros, who was, incidentally, Obama’s “controller.”
So whenever some trace of Americanism or Christianity (but not Islam) rears its head, like praying for God’s help with a crisis, there are countless groups, including “journalists,” academics, social networkers, Hollywood narcissists, social scientists, environmentalists, judges, big tech and many others – even Catholic bishops! – ready to pounce and denounce.
They are all either useful idiots for Satan, or Satanists themselves. The globalist left, in other words, is saturated with the occult…and flush with cash…
RCA Victor,
I find myself saying it all the time: “useful idiots” – they’re everywhere. Examples abound…
I’ve seen a few people in our local shopping centre wearing face masks, and one person at Mass this morning and that despite the fact that they are about as much use as a chocolate teapot – cough… according to the (infallible) science. Laugh? I thought I’d never start 😀
Editor
Not too many people in Scotland can say that they were at Mass today.
When was the last time that the only Masses in Scotland were in Latin?
Frankier,
Prior to Vatican II, I believe.
Our little church was full and so was the queue for Confession. No ambulances called, no “continuous cough” from any quarter; the only difference was that there were no teas/coffees/biscuits/crisps on sale in the hall afterwards. Just as well it’s Lent or I’d have been complaining… which is not like me, as you will know 😀
After Mass, I heard about a priest in the USA (forget location) who listed “dangerous Masses” to avoid while the diocesan parishes were in lockdown and top of the list, was the SSPX. Their priests are in mortal sin, their bishops are in mortal sin and the Archbishop (Lefebvre, RIP) was in mortal sin. So, now we know. One observer said there were quite a few young people in the congregation. If only they’d know that the priest preaching about the Rosary and St Joseph and other Catholic bits and pieces was in a state of mortal sin. Goodness, just as well we don’t know the half of it 😀
Editor,
Not sure this will post as an image, but:
https://secureservercdn.net/45.40.145.151/712.743.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/image008-31.jpg
RCA Victor,
If that had been my telly, I’d have been jumping out of the window after it! If you think I’m sacrificing my Columbo repeats for any virus, Corona or otherwise, you’ve another think coming.
http://www.glasbergen.com/wp-content/gallery/net/net21.gif
Editor,
My old parish (SSPX) is doing the Mass sign-up thing:
https://www.assumptionchurch.net/
RCA Victor,
That’s disappointing – I thought the SSPX would be leading the way in a spiritual sense, reminding us that the great saints would not have balked at the thought of risking a virus in order to attend Holy Mass. Not that I believe we would really be risking sickness at all, if we trust in Divine Providence more than government scientists, I’m sure we’d survive. I don’t mean being foolhardy but things are over the top now, for sure.
PS | a friend told me this afternoon that the priest who is the prior in Scotland isn’t going in for draconian measures, so that’s good news. That link led to an American site, so I don’t think it is necessarily the position of the SSPX everywhere else. I hope not.
Lily,
While I have a great deal of sympathy with what you say (I remain not wholly convinced that the scientists are right – but then I’m no expert), we need to remember that we are bound to obey the legitimate commands of the Government, not least in a situation where there may be a genuine threat to public health. This may well be a case where the old adage comes into its own: Better safe than sorry.
Boris Johnson is clearly reluctant to impose undue restrictions – he’s being heavily criticised by journalists for being so much slower than other countries to introduce a “stay home” policy – ditto Donald Trump. They appear to be genuinely trying to see if self-regulation will work but if it turns out that this virus is as deadly/fast spreading as it is claimed then we may find ourselves in “lockdown”.
I know of one pensioner who would love to continue attending Masses no matter what – but, he says, sadly he can’t afford to pay the £1,000 fine which is likely to be imposed on those who break the “lockdown” rules. Not many of us would be able to cough 😀 up that much money to give to the Government if we’re caught attending Mass – some of us can barely scrape together the offering for the collection! What I donate would be just about sufficient to buy one of our priests a McDonald’s Happy Meal, which won’t make the other one too happy when he reads this 😀
So, I think we need to do all we can to co-operate with the Government measures, bearing in mind Our Lord’s exhortation to “Give unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and unto God the things that are God’s”
At the same time, we must do whatever we can to keep holy the Sabbath Day – if we are unable to get to Mass, we might pray our rosary, engage in spiritual reading etc.
I hope this makes sense – if not, I’m in self-isolation already so go away! 😀
Editor,
I couldn’t agree more with every single word you have written.
Petrus,
I can’t argue with that… 😀
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/95/39/d8/9539d8c106fa9159e0a1446c5d736ff9.gif
Editor
Typical female?
Editor/Lily
All Catholics worthy of the name and in good health should be attending Mass on Sundays and all bishops should be ensuring that Mass is made available to all at this time. The only way this should change for individuals or the collective is if someone contracts the virus or if the government orders a shut down of all congregational gatherings, in which case we’d have no choice in the matter.
On the subject of shutdowns, here’s the reality if they go down that road of insanity:
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/steve-hilton-flatten-coronavirus-curve-but-not-the-economy
Athanasius,
Does an over-70 in good health count as a “Catholic not worthy of the name” if he/she can’t afford to pay a huge fine for breaking the prohibition which we’re told is coming on over 70’s going outdoors?
Josephine
No. But I’m not aware of any fine right now. Should such a fine be threatened then of course that would be a factor.
Athanasius,
With all due respect, just as none of us has the competence to decide on the “true/false/anti-Christ” status of Pope Francis, for which sincere gratitude to you for unfailingly pointing this out, so, too, none of us has the competency to decide who is or is not “worthy of the name Catholic” – unless referring to some kind of dissenter or heretic who has publicly attacked Catholic dogma or morals.
I think in this unprecedented situation, it behoves us all to do whatever we can in our own lives to keep the Faith, while making no judgement on anyone else. According to the notice posted in the SSPX church, which I skimmed on Sunday, we are dispensed from the Sunday obligation. This means that nobody who misses Mass through the measures introduced to combat the Coronavirus is guilty of any sin, let alone a mortal sin, and so it is simply not permitted to any of us to criticise those who comply with the Government measures, or, conversely, to attribute virtue to those who choose to flout the law and attend Mass anyway.
I am frequently told, by very kind people, that I have a very strong Faith [if they only knew!] I’d certainly say the same about your good self.
However, Our Lord left us, for the record, the following caution:: “These three remain – faith, hope and charity. But the greatest of these is charity” Charity is not something of which I’ve ever been accused, but I’m working on it!
Reference “fines” – the Prime Minister has, indeed, announced that the police have now been given powers to enforce the “stay at home” policy which includes the power to impose fines. And, in any case, the churches have been ordered to close, so the question is now, in fact, irrelevant.
And just as well because enforcing stay at home policy is one thing, but charity is quite another… I imagine that, just as you feel annoyed at the fact that the churches will be closed, thus no Masses, so there will be others who complain because the social distancing measures were not enforced last week. As you will recall, our wee church was jam packed last Sunday – it would have been impossible to keep the suggested distance but there will no doubt be numpties out there who would fuss and frown at the idea that we all sat next to each other. So, my advice to one and all is to be aware that the Devil is working very hard to sow anger, discontent, lack of charity and the rest. Don’t fall for it.
Wouldn’t it be much better if, not being able to get to Mass, we all resolved to pray, not just a decade of the rosary but all fifteen on Sundays, devoted a lengthy period of time to spiritual reading and made some “big” sacrifice (no Columbo for me!) etc.
It’s called “positive thinking”! Father Mike on the other thread will be very proud of me 😀
Editor
At the time I posted the response to Lily the government had not declared that fines would be issued or that churches would be closed. This has obviously changed today and of course these disgraceful measures alter everything.
I agree that those over a certain age were already dispensed from the obligation of attending Mass before the police state moved in to take it from all of us. The point I was trying to make is that, assuming good health, our faith and trust in God should, in practice, override our human fear, although we are all weak in our own individual ways. God rewards confidence in Him and will never permit those who trust in Him to suffer loss. But I agree that it is no mortal sin for those concerned about their bodily health to miss Mass. And now that fines or worse are threatened, of course we have to be prudent.
Personally speaking, prior to this iniquitous move today by government, wild horses wouldn’t have kept me from Holy Mass, much less the fear of catching a Flu virus with a mortality rate of 22 per 1 million of the population.
Of course charity would prevent me from going if I had the virus, which I think I may actually have contracted, though I don’t have the high temperature, just the wretched cough, runny nose and sneezing. Oh well, it’s Lent!
As it happens, I’ve actually been pleasantly surprised by the numbers of elderly people who have been going to Mass regardless, such as my own mother of 82 years. These are an example to the young of faith and trust in God in times of great timidity.
Ultimately, though, there was no sin prior to the blanket lockdown for any older person who took advantage of the dispensation to stay home and offer rosaries or whatever.
“if we are unable to get to Mass, we might pray our rosary, engage in spiritual reading etc.” But this is exactly what the V2 Bishops asked us to do last week? At the time we all dismissed and ignored the Coronavirus advice from the Novus Ordo Vatican but now we are obediently jumping to order as soon as the secular State demands it? If going to our Traditional Mass was an act of true faith for us last week (despite what the conciliar Bishops and Francis said) then why should God no longer will that we go to Mass now that Boris has said so? Some of us traditional Catholics in this country have compared ourselves to the early saints and martyrs of Rome. But did the saints and martyrs ignore the orders of their Pope but then do what Nero asked because they were worried about getting in trouble with the Police? I feel that we have made a fools of ourselves slightly.
Pedro Mendes
I think you are viewing the situation incorrectly. Of course it was right for Catholics to ignore the faithless bishops when they suspended Masses even before governments mandated it. These are supposed to be men of God, shepherds of souls, and yet they were acting out of self preservation and/or a false understanding of charity.
Our governments are not in the same category, they’re largely non-Christian and they’re banning all public gatherings of any kind for a short period of time for what they consider to be the public good. They are not targeting Catholics for persecution and we are therefore obliged, as Our Lord instructs us, to obey the lawful authorities and show good example.
We are Catholics, not revolutionaries. Today’s situation is entirely different from that of the early Christians or Catholics during the Reformation, who were singled out for persecution. If the law of the land is now dictating that all citizens must refrain from congregational gatherings of all kinds for public health reasons, even though we think it an overreaction on their part, we must be seen to obey.
Imagine the secular media, always looking for new dirt to throw at the Church, got wind of Catholics still congregating for Mass when everyone else was obeying the emergency law. We would not be viewed as faithful children of God but as criminals putting people’s lives at risk. It’s all about example and prudence.
This pragmatic and sensible approach to public health was not what we were saying just few days ago. We thought we were the ones keeping the faith, we spoke about how we must always let people come to Mass no matter what.
How can the modernist Bishops and the Vatican be misguided, worldly and lacking in faith just a few days a go, yet now SSPX does the exact same thing and closes Churches? We’ve made ourselves look very foolish indeed.
Pedro Mendes
The answer to your question is very simple. A few days ago the bishops were closing the churches without order of the government, which was a dereliction of their duty as priests. The SSPX is now forced to close the doors of the churches by order of the government, compliance with which order is their (and our) duty.
The country is now in lockdown by order of the authorities. Hence, free choice is no longer open to us and it is therefore unlawful for priests or anyone else to disobey. Rebellion in the matter would give rise to grave public scandal since lives are at risk. The Church is ever prudent and ever obedient to the lawfull authorities in such matters as public health. However distressing this lockdown may be for us, we are not being singled out for persecution. This is a national lockdown now, not the utterly cowardly episcopal one of last week.
Pedro,
With whatever respect is due to you, you remind me of the (insert adjective) journalists whom I described some days ago who badgered Mike Pence US VP because he had said this virus is now a “serious risk” whereas previously he’d said it was a “low risk”. They would not accept the VPs explanation that when the advice from the experts change, so does their advice to the rest of us. Mike Pence did not make a fool of himself, however slightly, and neither have we, if you would but reflect on the truth of the matter for a couple of seconds.
When there appeared to be no good reason to close churches, we objected. Now that there appears to be some serious risk since this virus spreads faster and is, they tell us, more deadly than the flu for certain groups, then we accept the reality.
But hey, as I once said to a man who was complaining (after Vatican II) about the relaxing of the fast from midnight before receiving Holy Communion, there ain’t nothing to stop you, I said, fasting from midnight.
So, if you, Pedro, can find a priest to open his church, you go ahead. We’ll pray for your well-being, both temporal and spiritual – and anyway, the fines here seem to be a lot less than previously suggested. £30 is about what you pay for exceeding the speed limit, if you pay it within fourteen days… Or so I’m told 😀
PS your analogy with the early martyrs doesn’t fit. If they’d been told they may cause others unnecessary pain and suffering and perhaps a premature death for some, I think they may have given those lions a body swerve. If the day comes (and it might) when we are forbidden to attend Mass because the powers that be think they got it right at the Reformation and Mass should have remained outlawed, then you can call us cowards if we accept that new law. Which we won’t. This situation is a result of temporary, emergency legislation, for public health reasons. No comparison.
A final friendly word of warning – we must all beware of falling into the error and sin of spiritual pride at this time, as I’m sure you will agree.
Editor,
It was the same in Edinburgh, the church was packed. Unfortunately the café has had to close till further notice. Fortunately, the person due to be on duty was informed on Friday so hadn’t made gallons of soup. The cakes were given away for folk to take home.
In France, like many other countries, large gatherings are forbidden and someone told me that at St Nicholas du Chardonnet a Mass was being celebrated one day last week. A policeman entered and loudly told people they had to leave immediately. The people attending just turned round and went SHHHHH. At this point the policeman blessed himself and knelt down for the rest of the Mass.
Vianney,
Priceless! That “policeman” story is a classic!
Editor,
I saw one of those masked men yesterday at the grocery store, and he wasn’t the Lone Ranger…
Chocolate teapot? Might go with chocolate rabbits, for Easter…
Hi Pat,
I just heard that Alexander Tschugguel, the fearless young Austrian who threw the Pachamama idols into the River Tiber, has been in hospital with the virus. He is 27. Was wondering if you could ask your bloggers to say a wee prayer.
Thank you Pauline, I meant to post that news when it was first published and I’m ashamed to say, it went right out of my head thereafter, following the example of my New Year Resolutions!
I also keep meaning to post the news that, while there IS a Saint Corona, she has nothing to with fighting viruses…
https://www.lifesitenews.com/blogs/yes-theres-a-st-corona-but-she-has-nothing-to-do-with-fighting-viruses
Aquinas,
Fantastic video! It’s incredible to think that pro-life, pro-God, pro-family Donald Trump is castigated by this pope and pro-population control Jeffrey Sachs is given a place of status in the Vatican. It’s mind boggling.
Aquinas,
That’s one of Michael Matt’s best, ever, in my humiliated opinion 😀
The quotes from Sachs are damning and thus show this pontiff up for the scandal that he is – a walking, talking scandal.
Only one criticism. When addressing the other scandal of the “two popes”, Michael failed to point out that those who are insisting that Benedict is still the pope, have very short memories. They forget that Benedict was not a good pope. He caused scandal, too, in his writings/book length interviews, where he failed to unequivocally uphold the moral law. Maybe in a future talk, Michael will point that out. The key difference between the “two popes” is that at least Benedict looked the part! Francis is a gauche character, lacking all dignity, certainly that expected of the holder of the papal office. So, for “cat walk” performance, Benedict wins hands down every time…
But what was extremely revealing in the video, is the part being played by the Vatican in promoting the New World Order and the identifying, by Sachs and the clown prelate beside him, of the one person holding back their plans – President Donald Trump!
I’d love to extract those frames from the video and post them separately, so if any technophile out there can do that, well… how can I put it…
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-L9bqtVpvcqM/UHTb4cow5oI/AAAAAAAAAD4/E_dlXx_PYWc/s1600/imagesCA6HXWK6.jpg
Aquinas
Excellent video, cuts straight to the chase. The Masonic New World Order has infiltrated the Vatican right up to the highest levels. Questions as to whether or not Francis is an AntiPope are not within our competence to answer. What we can say is that Francis is definitely a Socialist and that runs against every condemnation of Socialism by his predecessors, who called the ideology evil and declared that one cannot be at the same time a Socialist and a Catholic. This Pope is unprecedented in the history of Catholicism, a man who appears to befriend the most immoral politicians of these godless times.
Athanasius,
Well said. A shocking pontiff, by any imaginable standard.
Pope Saint Pius X, pray for us!
Just wondering when/if the Pope might think it a good Idea to address Catholics directly at this time and call for prayer. .. you would kind of expect it…
Elizabeth,
You would expect it but I doubt very much if that will happen. Pope Francis doesn’t seem to “do” Catholic things. He’ll be more interested in the politics of the Coronavirus, IMHO.
Elizabeth
In Rome the quarantined Romans are going out on their balconies at a certain time of night to sing Nessun Dorma in honour of health service workers. Not a single soul is interested in the Salus Populi Romana, that miraculous icon of Our Lady, which has saved Rome (and Italy) so many times from disaster. The Pope and bishops should be processing through the streets while the people on their balconies look down in prayer and hymn singing. But no, the hierarchy is silent, the miraculous icon remains locked away in the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore and the people go out to sing their meaningless little secular song, Nessun Dorma. Perhaps this is why Italy has been the worst hit with this virus, because it is the centre of Catholicism from whence the apostasy has spread all over the globe.
I beg to disagree. The prevailing apostasy comes not from Rome (although I will grant you she could have been far more vigorous in her response to it), but from the north. It was ever thus, because this state of affairs has its roots in the Protestant Reformation which sewed the seeds of ubelief more than is generally realised.
I was in Rome once for the Corpus Domini procession which Pope John Paul II would lead from St. John Lateran to St. Mary Major. Only a tiny percentage of Romans participated and many more seemed to be downright hostile. If God himself moving through their streets did so little to soften their hearts, I doubt that an icon of the Blessed Virgin, however venerable, would do so.
Prognosticum
One of the great miracles associated with Our Lady is precisely her prerogative to soften hearts towards her Divine Son where before only hardness resided. It makes sense really when you think that throughout history, in natural terms, mothers have always had the ability to soften a son’s heart towards his father in cases of estrangement. That’s why the saints, and particularly the Marian saints, have preached that even if all seems lost, turn to Mary and she will reconcile us with God.
The classic example for me is that of Blessed Barto Longo. Now he was raised a Catholic by devout parents and had a devotion to Our Lady instilled in him from childhood. Notwithstanding this Catholic devotional upbringing, however, Barto went right off the rails falling into ever-greater sins until eventually he renounced his Catholic religion and became a Satanist priest. It really doesn’t get any worse than this!
Happily for Barto, he never stopped his daily habit of reciting a certain prayer to Our Lady, though I can’t remember which prayer, and it was this one thread of devotion that allowed Our Lady to touch his heart and completely convert him back to God and the true religion. He went on of course to found the great basilica of Our Lady of the Rosary in Pompeii, wherein resides the miraculous image of Our Lady.
The story of the marriage feast of Cana stands forever as the testimony of how Our Lady can gain for souls what direct petition to God cannot. You will recall that Our Lady said to her Divine Son that they had no wine (read grace), to which He responded “Woman, what is that to thee and to me, my time has not yet come”. Despite this response, and without further need for words, she simply said to the steward “whatever He tells you to do, do ye”, the example of how we should respond when Our Lord does have mercy on us through His Blessed Mother’s intercession. At any rate, she simply put the case to Our Lord and left it at that, knowing He would not refuse her.
Now the Italians, being very mother oriented, are much more likely to respond to the Blessed Virgin’s prompting and aid than to God’s, hence the great history of the Salus Populi Romani in Rome and the great devotion to her. It takes only the Pope and the bishops to remind these people of her assistance and they will respond. It is their failure to do this, their duty, that sees the situation in Italy deteriorate.
As for the north being the origin of the present apostasy, I disagree profoundly. The Church has been attacked from every direction throughout her sacred history, north, south, east and west, with dangerous heresies equal to, if not greater than, Protestantism. While Rome remained an impregnable fortress, however, these threats were always geographically restricted and eventually eradicated.
Prior to Vatican II Protestantism was on the verge of utter collapse everywhere, it was Vatican II that breathed new life into it while welcoming its destructive spirit right into the heart of our holy religion, along with the false spirit of so many other false religions. St. Pius X knew that Modernism is about much more than just being influenced by a particular heretical religion, it is to open oneself up to the errors of all false religions, because Modernism is “the synthesis of all heresies”, to quote the saintly Pontiff.
And did not the same holy Pope warn us that the danger to the integrity of the Catholic religion through Modernism is not external but rather internal, right at the heart of the Church (Rome) where those who know her more intimately are therefore better placed to inject the poison straight into her very veins? So while Protestantism played a part in leading certain parts of the world more easily onto the apostasy, the universal tragedy itself has its root in Modernist Rome and in a global Catholic hierarchy that continues to reject the Blessed Mother’s Fatima Counsel and request with obvious apocalyptic consequences.
Heresies are born of spiritual Pride and Modernism is the mother of them all, the greatest weapon in the Communist arsenal, the weapon of mass (and Mass) destruction.
Prognosticum,
I am astounded that you could even begin to argue that the apostasy does not come from Rome. I may be misinterpreting because you appear to be referring to the laity participating in processions (and I’ve not read all the comments carefully, having been hard at work catching up with loads of housework in the spirit of “it’s an ill wind” etc) but I wish to throw the following brief comment into the mix…
Cardinal Ciappi has been quoted many times across the world, as admitting that “In the Third Secret it is revealed that the crisis in the Church [i.e. the worldwide apostasy] begins at the top.” That is, at the top of the Church. Pope.
It’s highly unlikely that God would have sent Our Lady to earth in the 20th century to warn us of the diabolical disorientation to come, and all the rest, were it not gravely consequential for the entire world.
And Athanasius is right in that, at the beginning of this health crisis the Pope should have led the way by instituting some public spiritual and religious events to seek the intercession of Our Lady and St Joseph, both very powerful before the throne of God. That is, if he really believes in the supernatural. I’m thinking of the preface to George Bernard Shaw’s play “St Joan” where we read: “If Joan was mad, all Christendom was mad, too; for the people who believe devoutly in the existence of celestial personages are every whit as mad in that sense as the people who think they see them.”
What the hierarchy did, instead,reduced the Church to being an arm of the State, nothing more. The Church in Italy has added nothing, whatsoever, to resolving the crisis. Other organisations are placing their work at the service of the community – e.g. hotels here are offering rooms for the homeless and NHS staff to save the latter commuting. That sort of thing across industry. Yet the Church acted as if she is nothing more than a place for people to congregate and so must prepare to go into hiding. Imagine the possible through to likely reaction of hope-filled participation if there had been such processions of intercession, prior to lockdown. The disease might have been defeated or at least reduced. Who knows. And now, sadly, we’ll never know. Pope Francis is praised to the skies by the politicians across the planet. God help him at his judgment.
As one commentator said in the comments underneath YouTube video I’ve just posted on the new thread (Vatican & New World Order), if only we had Our Lord here now, turning over the tables of those money-changers.
And as one fellow Mass attendee asked me on Sunday, “Is this Pope even remotely Catholic?”
Foof, as a busy mother of an ever growing family I only skim this blog. However, I always read your contributions which are both insightful and priceless. Thank you for that.
What’s the problem?
The problem is that the dominant secular liberalism detests with every fibre of its being any public manifestation of religious belief. It still, for the moment, tolerates belief in the private sphere, in much the same way as the Christian generations tolerated pornography, but I am of the opinion that even that is fast changing. I wonder how long it will be before attempts are made to eradicate this vice so subversive of our brave new world.
I have never been a television addict, but the coronavirus emergency has done nothing to improve my rather strained relationship with this medium which has been enthroned like a god in every living room and by worshiping at whose feet not a few have lost their faith. (As Our Lord says in Matthew 6:21: ‘For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’.) I cannot stand to hear the mincing tones of television journalists who believe in nothing and consequently can only shrug their shoulders verbally in the face of so much suffering and death, beyond which they affirm there is nothing. But if there is nothing beyond death, can life really be worth living? This emergency is shaking the tenets of secular liberalism to their core, but where are the prophets ready to point to its feet of clay and accuse it for the illusion that it is?
Prognosticum
Your observations are absolutely spot on. Through this Covid 19 virus the godless liberal world is suddenly confronted with its own mortality and it doesn’t know how to respond. “Let’s stop the globe from spinning and all take refuge in our houses until the virus passes”, they say. Silly blind people! By acting thus they crash their own economies and clear the way for a complete conquest of the world by totalitarian Communism.
Donald Trump offered the alternative when he declared a national day of prayer in the U.S. to ask God’s mercy and help. The rest of the world mocked him and decided upon their own plan of action. Their folly will result in Russia and China emerging as the twin superpowers ruling over a morally and financially banktupt West. It’s exactly as Our Lady predicted at Fatima and it indicates a future that makes Covid 19 look like a walk on the park.
This looks interesting…
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/03/reflections_on_a_century_of_junk_science.html
This is a very long and troubling analysis of the sinister forces behind this “crisis.” Dr Jones agrees, ultimately, with the thesis that this is the end of globalization as practiced by Soros and his ilk, but also thinks it is the end of the American empire.
https://culturewars.com/news/the-coronavirus-and-the-culture-war?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_campaign_id=5e7aa19e95f5383a7ffc0083&ss_email_id=5e7aa3d31788cc3e153cbbf6&ss_campaign_name=The+Coronavirus+and+the+Culture+War&ss_campaign_sent_date=2020-03-25T00%3A21%3A10Z
There are numerous theories speeding around the internet about all this, including Chinese and American involvement in bio-warfare, globalist profiteering from a stock market/economy crash, forced universal vaccination (with embedded microdata chips) to speed up population “culling” and further destroy privacy, the use of pornography to control people, hastening of a cashless society to increase control, etc.
My head is spinning with it all, but the only recourse to the return of sanity is through our Faith. It will also be very, VERY interesting to note what happens to this virus in Portugal and Spain after tomorrow’s Consecration to the Immaculate Heart…
RCA Victor,
Your final paragraph is very interesting indeed. We must keep watch.
I have to say that while the situation in politics here in the UK is that by and large the parties are working together, reports from the USA are not so good. The President is being blamed for the Coronavirus, can you believe. In the following link, one commentator is asking the TV outlets not to run his daily briefings live… in other words, we don’t want the people hearing what he actually says… “you can run a tape if he says anything that is true…” she remarks. Brass neck.
https://www.lifenews.com/2020/03/26/msnbc-blames-trump-for-coronavirus-more-people-are-dead-because-donald-trump-is-president/
As it happens, just before lockdown, I’d been telling people to NOT watch the edited reports on the news but to make a point of watching and hearing the President in his live broadcasts. I know of some who have said that did make a huge difference. It’s to put an end to such open-mindedness that this commentator said: “If it were up to me and it’s not, I would stop putting those briefings on live TV. Not out of spite but because ‘misinformation, if the President does end up saying anything true, you can run it as tape, but if he keeps lying like he has been every day on stuff this important, we should — all of us should stop broadcasting it. Honestly, it’s going to cost lives.”
— Host Rachel Maddow on MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show, March 20.
She’s what we, Scots, call “sleekit” (sly, cunning).
Editor,
Rachel Maddow is a lesbian with a long history of telling devious lies to smear President Trump in order to bump up her own ratings. The most famous of her lies was to wave Trump’s “tax returns” on camera while claiming that she had the goods on him to bring him down.
Turns out she had nothing of the sort, and only made a complete fool of herself.
Meanwhile, this hot air bag is also famous for stating that everything wrong with the world can be blamed on “white males.” To which one wag replied,
“If white males are to blame for everything, then why are you trying to look like one?”
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