By
Mark Mallett
FR. Gabriel was a few minutes late for his Saturday morning brunch with Bill and Kevin. Marg Tomey had just returned from a pilgrimage to Lourdes and Fatima with a fist full of rosaries and holy medals that she wanted blessed after Mass. She came prepared with a pre-Vatican II book of blessings that included exorcism rites. “For good measure,” she said, winking at Fr. Gabriel, who was half the age of the weathered prayer-book.
…as the Church’s one and only indivisible magisterium, the pope and the bishops in union with him carry the gravest responsibility that no ambiguous sign or unclear teaching comes from them, confusing the faithful or lulling them into a false sense of security.
—Gerhard Ludwig Cardinal Müller, former prefect of the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; First Things, April 20th, 2018
THE Pope can be confusing, his words ambiguous, his thoughts incomplete. There are many rumours, suspicions, and accusations that the current Pontiff is trying to change Catholic teaching. So, for the record, here is Pope Francis…Continue reading
A comprehensive response to many questions directed my way regarding the turbulent pontificate of Pope Francis. I apologize that this is a bit lengthier than usual. But thankfully, it is answering several readers’ questions….
FROM a reader:
I pray for conversion and for the intentions of Pope Francis everyday. I am one who initially fell in love with the Holy Father when he was first elected, but over the years of his Pontificate, he has confused me and made me very concerned that his liberal Jesuit spirituality was almost goose-stepping with the left-leaning world view and liberal times. I am a Secular Franciscan so my profession binds me to obedience to him. But I must admit that he scares me… How do we know he is not an anti-pope? Is the media twisting his words? Are we to blindly follow and pray for him all the more? This is what I have been doing, but my heart is conflicted.
Love for the Roman Pontiff must be in us a delightful passion, for in him we see Christ. If we deal with the Lord in prayer, we will go forward with a clear gaze that will permit us to perceive the action of the Holy Spirit, even in the face of events we do not understand or which produce sighs or sorrow.
—St. José Escriva, In Love with the Church, n. 13
AS Catholics, our duty is not to look for perfection in our bishops, but to listen for the voice of the Good Shepherd in theirs.
Obey your leaders and defer to them, for they keep watch over you and will have to give an account, that they may fulfill their task with joy and not with sorrow, for that would be of no advantage to you. (Hebrews 13:17)
WHY are you sad? Is it because you have blown it again? Is it because you have many faults? Is it because you don’t meet “the standard”?Continue reading
Never Forsaken by Abraham Hunter
It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.
(John 6:17)
THERE can be no denying that darkness has folded over our world and strange clouds swirl above the Church. And in this present night, many Christians are wondering, “How long, Lord? How long before the dawn?” Continue reading
BEFORE Easter, I published two writings addressed particularly to men: On Becoming a Real Man and The Hunted. There are hundreds of other writings here to help men and women to become authentic lights in the world. It is especially crucial that men start to become men again in this hour…Continue reading
In 2008, I sensed the Lord begin to speak about “China.” That culminated in this writing from 2011. As I read the headlines today, it seems timely to republish it tonight. It also seems to me that many of the “chess” pieces that I’ve been writing about for years are now moving into place. While the purpose of this apostolate is mainly helping readers to keep their feet on the ground, our Lord also said to “watch and pray.” And so, we continue to prayerfully watch…
The following was first published in 2011.
POPE Benedict warned before Christmas that the “eclipse of reason” in the West was putting “the very future of the world” at stake. He alluded to the collapse of the Roman Empire, drawing a parallel between it and our times (see On the Eve).
All the while, there is another power rising in our time: Communist China. While it does not presently bare the same teeth that the Soviet Union did, there is much to be concerned about the ascent of this soaring superpower.
AFTER publishing The Shaking of the Church on Holy Thursday, it was only hours later that a spiritual earthquake, centered in Rome, shook all of Christendom. As chunks of plaster reportedly rained down from the ceiling of St. Peter’s Basilica, headlines across the world rattled with Pope Francis allegedly having said: “Hell Does Not Exist.”Continue reading
Many forces have tried, and still do, to destroy the Church,
from without as well as within,
but they themselves are destroyed and the Church
remains alive and fruitful…Continue reading