Mark Mallett

MY sixteen year old recently wrote an essay on the improbability that the universe occurred by chance. At one point, she wrote:

[Secular scientists] have been working so hard for so long to come up with "logical" explanations for a universe without God that they have failed to truly look at the universe itself .—Tianna Mallett

Out of the mouths of babes. St. Paul put it more directly,

For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse; for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead, they became vain in their reasoning, and their senseless minds were darkened. While claiming to be wise, they became fools. (Rom 1:19-22)

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The Martyrdom of St. Thomas Becket, by Michael D. O’Brien

THERE is a strange new "virtue" which has appeared in our culture. It has crept in so subtly that few realize how it has become so highly practiced, even among high ranking clergy. That is, to make peace at all costs. It comes with its own set of prohibitions and proverbs:

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Philip Pullman; Photo: Phil Fisk for the Sunday Telegraph

I AWOKE at 5:30 this morning, the wind howling, snow blowing. A lovely spring storm. So I threw on a coat and a hat, and headed out into the blistering winds to save Nessa, our milk cow. With her safely in the barn, and my senses rather rudely awakened, I wandered into the house to find an interesting article by an atheist, Philip Pullman.

With the swagger of one who hands in an exam early while fellow students remain to sweat over their answers, Mr. Pullman briefly explains how he abandoned the myth of Christianity for the reasonableness of atheism. What caught my attention most, though, was his answer to how many will argue that Christ’s existence is evident, in part, through the good His Church has done:

However, the people who use that argument seem to imply that until the church existed no one ever knew how to be good, and no one could do good now unless they did it for reasons of faith. I simply don’t believe that. —Philip Pullman, Philip Pullman on the Good Man Jesus & The Scoundrel Christ, www.telegraph.co.uk, April 9th, 2010

But the essence of this statement is puzzling, and in fact, presents a serious question: can there be a ‘good’ atheist?

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Elijah in the Desert, by Michael D. O’Brien

PART of the struggle many Catholics have with private revelation is that there is an improper understanding of the calling of seers and visionaries. If these "prophets" aren’t shunned altogether as fringe misfits in the culture of the Church, they are often the objects of envy by others who feel the seer must be more special than themselves. Both views do much harm to the central role of these individuals: to carry a message or mission from Heaven.

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The Dream, by Michael D. O’Brien

Within the past two hundred years, there have been more reported private revelations that have received some form of ecclesiastical approval than in any other period of the Church’s history. —Dr. Mark Miravalle, Private Revelation: Discerning with the Church, p. 3

STILL, there seems to be a deficit among many when it comes to understanding the role of private revelation in the Church. Out of all of the emails I have received over the course of the past few years, it is this area of private revelation which has produced the most fearful, confused, and mean-spirited letters that I have ever received. Perhaps it is the modern mind, trained as it were to shun the supernatural and only accept those things which are tangible. On the other hand, it could be a skepticism generated by the proliferation of private revelations this past century. Or it could be the work of Satan to discredit genuine revelations by sowing lies, fear, and division.

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THERE is a matter which I believe is unsettling many souls. I pray, with Christ’s help, that you will find not only peace, but a renewed confidence through this meditation.

A BLACK POPE

There is talk, not only in evangelical circles, but also among some Catholics that there may appear a "black pope"—a pontiff who co-operates with a diabolical new world religion thereby leading millions astray. (Some, in fact, believe we’ve had false popes in place since Vatican II.)

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THERE is more coming on the Seven Year Trial series which I am continuing to write and pray about. In the meantime, more signs of the times…

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FEAST OF OUR LADY OF FATIMA & ST. MATTHIAS

SINCE writing Two Reasons to Become Catholic, I have received a number of emails, some from Catholics who aren’t sure how to answer their "evangelical" family members, and others from fundamentalists who are certain the Catholic Church is neither biblical nor Christian. Several letters contained long explanations why they feel this Scripture means this and why they think this quote means that. After reading these letters, and considering the hours it would take to respond to them, I thought I would address instead the fundamental problem: just who exactly has the authority to interpret Scripture?

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MY recent article called Dead End probably elicited the most email responses from anything I’ve ever written.

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WHAT about those who aren’t Catholic or Christian? Are they damned?

How often have I heard people say that some of the nicest folk they know are "atheists" or "don’t go to church." It’s true, there are many "good" people out there.

But no one is good enough to get to Heaven on his own.

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