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Pope Francis On…

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…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 →

Papal Puzzlery

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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.

Continue reading →

Calling Christ’s Prophets

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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)

Continue reading →

It is I

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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 →

Rise

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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 →

Of China

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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.

 

Continue reading →

Why Are You Troubled?

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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 →

The Shaking of the Church

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FOR two weeks after the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, a warning continually rose in my heart that the Church was now entering into “dangerous days” and a time of “great confusion.” [1]Cf. How Do You Hide a Tree Those words greatly impacted how I would approach this writing apostolate, knowing that it would be necessary to prepare you, my readers, for the Storm winds that were coming.Continue reading →

Footnotes

The Hunted

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HE would never walk into a peep show. He would never pick through the racy section of the magazine rack. He would never rent an x-rated video.

But he’s addicted to internet porn…

Continue reading →

A Flame of Her Heart

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Anthony Mullen (1956 – 2018)
The late National Coordinator 
for the International Movement of the Flame of Love
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

 

“HOW can you help me spread the message of Our Lady?”

Those were among the first words Anthony (“Tony”) Mullen spoke to me over some eight years ago. I thought his question was a little bold since I’d never heard of the Hungarian seer Elizabeth Kindelmann. Moreover, I frequently received requests to promote a certain devotion, or some particular apparition. But unless the Holy Spirit put it on my heart, I wouldn’t write about it.Continue reading →

Barbarians at the Gates

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“Lock ’em in and burn it down.”
—protesters at Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, against a transgender debate
with Dr. Jordan B. Peterson, March 6th, 2018; washingtontimes.com

Barbarians at the gate… It was absolutely surreal… 
The mob neglected to bring torches and pitchforks,
but the sentiment was there: “Lock them in and burn it down”… 
— Jordan B Peterson (@jordanbpeterson), Twitter posts, March 6, 2018

When you speak all these words to them,
they will not listen to you either;
when you call to them, they will not answer you…
This is the nation that does not listen
to the voice of the Lord, its God,
or take correction.
Faithfulness has disappeared;
the word itself is banished from their speech.

(Today’s first Mass reading; Jeremiah 7:27-28)

 

THREE years ago, I wrote of a new “sign of the times” emerging (see The Growing Mob).  Like a wave reaching the shore that grows and grows until it becomes a huge tsunami, so too, there is a growing mob mentality toward the Church and freedom of speech. The zeitgeist has shifted; there are a swelling boldness and intolerance sweeping through the courts, flooding the media, and spilling out onto the streets. Yes, the time is right to silence the Church—especially as the sexual sins of priests continue to emerge, and the hierarchy becomes increasingly divided on pastoral issues.Continue reading →

Christian Prayer, or Mental Illness?

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It’s one thing to talk to Jesus. It’s another thing when Jesus talks to you. That’s called mental illness, if I’m not correct, hearing voices… —Joyce Behar, The View; foxnews.com

 

THAT was television host Joyce Behar’s conclusion to the assertion by a former White House staffer that U.S. Vice President Mike Pence claims that “Jesus tells him to say things.” Continue reading →

Our Resources

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The Mallett Clan, 2018
Nicole, Denise with husband Nick, Tianna with husband Michael and our grand baby Clara, Moi with my bride Lea and our son Brad, Gregory with Kevin, Levi, and Ryan

 

WE want to thank those who responded to our appeal for donations for this full-time writing apostolate. About 3% of our readership has contributed, which will help us to cover the salary of our staff. But, of course, we need to raise funds for other ministry expenses and our own bread and butter. If you are able to support this work as part of your Lenten almsgiving, just click the Donate button at the bottom.Continue reading →

Called to the Wall

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Mark’s testimony concludes with Part V today. To read Parts I-IV, click on My Testimony. 

 

NOT only did the Lord want me to unequivocally know the value of one soul, but also how much I was going to need to trust in Him. For my ministry was about to be called in a direction I did not anticipate, though He had already “forwarned” me years before that music is a doorway to evangelize… to the Now Word. Continue reading →

The Refiner’s Fire

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The following is a continuation of Mark’s testimony. To read Parts I and II, go to “My Testimony”.

 

WHEN it comes to Christian community, a fatal mistake is to think that it can be heaven on earth all the time. The reality is that, until we reach our eternal abode, human nature in all its weakness and vulnerabilities demands a love without end, a continual dying to oneself for the other. Without that, the enemy finds room to sow the seeds of division. Whether it is the community of marriage, family, or followers of Christ, the Cross must always be the heart of its life. Otherwise, community will eventually collapse under the weight and dysfunction of self-love.Continue reading →

Music is a Doorway…

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Leading a youth retreat in Alberta, Canada

 

This is a continuation of Mark’s testimony. You can read Part I here: “Stay, and Be Light”.

 

AT the same time that the Lord was setting my heart on fire again for His Church, another man was calling us youth into a “new evangelization.” Pope John Paul II made this a central theme of his pontificate, boldly stating that a “re-evangelization” of once Christian nations was now necessary. “Whole countries and nations where religion and the Christian life were formerly flourishing,” he said, were now, “lived ‘as if God did not exist’.”[1]Christifideles Laici, n. 34; vatican.vaContinue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Christifideles Laici, n. 34; vatican.va

Stay, and Be Light…

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This week, I want to share my testimony with readers, beginning with my calling into ministry…

 

THE homilies were dry. The music was dreadful. And the congregation was distant and disconnected. Whenever I left Mass from my parish some 25 years ago, I often felt more isolated and cold than when I came in. Moreover, in my early twenties then, I saw that my generation was completely gone. My wife and I were one of the few couples that still went to Mass.Continue reading →

Forward in Christ

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Mark and Lea Mallett

 

TO be honest, I really don’t have any plans. No, really. My plans many years ago were to record my music, travel around singing, and continue to make albums until my voice croaked. But here I am, sitting in a chair, writing to people all over the world because my spiritual director told me to “go where the people are.” And here you are. Not that this is a total surprise to me, though. When I began my music ministry over a quarter century ago, the Lord gave me a word: “Music is a doorway to evangelize.” The music was never meant to be “the thing”, but a doorway.Continue reading →

Our Lady of the Storm

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The Breezy Point Madonna, Mark Lennihan/Associated Press

 

“NOTHING good ever happens after midnight,” my wife says. After nearly 27 years of marriage, this maxim has proven itself true: don’t try to sort out your difficulties when you should be sleeping.Continue reading →

The Storm of Our Desires

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Peace Be Still, by Arnold Friberg

 

FROM time to time, I receive letters like these:

Please pray for me. I am so weak and my sins of the flesh, especially alcohol, strangle me. 

You could simply replace alcohol with “pornography”, “lust”, “anger” or a number of other things. The fact is that many Christians today feel swamped by the desires of the flesh, and helpless to change.Continue reading →

Becoming an Ark of God

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The Church, which comprises the elect,
is fittingly styled daybreak or dawn…
It will be fully day for her when she shines
with the perfect brilliance of interior light.
—St. Gregory the Great, Pope; Liturgy of the Hours, Vol III, p. 308 (see also The Smoldering Candle and Wedding Preparations to understand the coming corporate mystical union, which will be preceded by a “dark night of the soul” for the Church.)

 

BEFORE Christmas, I asked the question: Is the Eastern Gate Opening? That is, are we beginning to see signs of the ultimate fulfillment of the Triumph of the Immaculate Heart coming in to view? If so, what signs should we see? I would recommend reading that exciting writing if you have not yet.Continue reading →

Finding True Peace in Our Times

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Peace is not merely the absence of war…
Peace is “the tranquillity of order.”
—Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 2304

 

EVEN now, even as time spins faster and faster and the pace of life demands more; even now as tensions between spouses and families increase; even now as cordial dialogue between individuals disintegrates and nations careen toward war… even now we can find true peace. Continue reading →

Striking God’s Anointed One

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Saul attacking David, Guercino (1591-1666)

 

Regarding my article on The Anti-Mercy, someone felt that I was not critical enough of Pope Francis. “Confusion is not from God,” they wrote. No, confusion is not from God. But God can use confusion to sift and purify His Church. I think this is precisely what is happening at this hour. Francis’ pontificate is bringing into full light those clergymen and laymen who seemed as though waiting in the wings to promote a heterodox version of Catholic teaching (cf. When the Weeds Begin to Head). But it is also bringing to light those who have been bound up in legalism hiding behind a wall of orthodoxy. It is revealing those whose faith is genuinely in Christ, and those whose faith is in themselves; those who are humble and loyal, and those who aren’t. 

So how do we approach this “Pope of surprises”, who seems to startle nearly everyone these days? The following was published on January 22nd, 2016 and has been updated today… The answer, most certainly, is not with the irreverent and crude criticism that has become a staple of this generation. Here, David’s example is most relevant…

Continue reading →

The Anti-Mercy

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A woman asked today if I’ve written anything to clarify the confusion over the Pope’s post-Synodal document, Amoris Laetitia. She said,

I love the Church and always plan to be a Catholic. Yet, I am confused about Pope Francis’ last Exhortation. I know the true teachings on marriage. Sadly I am a divorced Catholic. My husband started another family while still married to me. It still hurts very much. As the Church can’t change its teachings, why hasn’t this been made clear or professed?

She is correct: the teachings on marriage are clear and immutable. The present confusion is really a sad reflection of the Church’s sinfulness within her individual members. This woman’s pain is for her a double-edged sword. For she is cut to the heart by her husband’s infidelity and then, at the same time, cut by those bishops who are now suggesting that her husband might be able to receive the Sacraments, even while in a state of objective adultery. 

The following was published on March 4th, 2017 regarding a novel re-interpretation of marriage and the sacraments by some bishop’s conferences, and the emerging “anti-mercy” in our times…Continue reading →

Getting Ahead of God

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FOR over three years, my wife and I have been trying to sell our farm. We’ve felt this “call” that we should move here, or move there. We’ve prayed about it and surmised that we had many valid reasons and even felt a certain “peace” about it. But still, we’ve never found a buyer (actually the buyers that have come along have been inexplicably blocked time and again) and the door of opportunity has repeatedly closed. At first, we were tempted to say, “God, why aren’t you blessing this?” But recently, we’ve realized that we’ve been asking the wrong question. It shouldn’t be, “God, please bless our discernment,” but rather, “God, what is Your will?” And then, we need to pray, listen, and above all, wait for both clarity and peace. We haven’t waited for both. And as my spiritual director has told me many times over the years, “If you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything.”Continue reading →

The Cross of Loving

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TO pick up one’s Cross means to empty oneself out completely for love of the other. Jesus put it another way:

This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:12-13)

We are to love as Jesus loved us. In His personal mission, which was a mission for the entire world, it involved death upon a cross. But how are we who are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, priests and nuns, to love when we are not called to such a literal martyrdom? Jesus revealed this too, not only on Calvary, but each and every day as He walked among us. As St. Paul said, “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave…” [1](Philippians 2:5-8 How?Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 (Philippians 2:5-8

The Cross, the Cross!

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ONE of the greatest questions I’ve faced in my personal walk with God is why I seem to change so little? “Lord, I pray every day, say the Rosary, go to Mass, have regular confession, and pour myself out in this ministry. Why, then, do I seem stuck in the same old patterns and faults that hurt me and the ones I love the most?” The answer came to me so clearly:

The Cross, the Cross!

But what is “the Cross”?Continue reading →

You Be Noah

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IF I could collect the tears of all the parents who have shared their heartbreak and grief of how their children have left the Faith, I’d have a small ocean. But that ocean would be but a droplet compared to the Ocean of Mercy that flows from the Heart of Christ. There is no One more interested, more invested, or burning with more desire for the salvation of your family members than Jesus Christ who suffered and died for them. Nonetheless, what can you do when, despite your prayers and best efforts, your children continue to reject their Christian faith creating all kinds of internal problems, divisions, and angst in your family or their lives? Moreover, as you pay attention to the “signs of the times” and how God is preparing to purify the world once again, you ask, “What about my children?”Continue reading →

The Relics and the Message

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A Voice Crying Out in the Desert

 

ST. PAUL taught that we are “surrounded by a cloud of witnesses.” [1]Heb 12:1 As this new year begins, I wish to share with readers the “little cloud” that surrounds this apostolate through the relics of the Saints that I have received over the years—and how they speak to the mission and vision that guides this ministry…Continue reading →

Footnotes

Footnotes
↑1 Heb 12:1

God Has a Face

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AGAINST all arguments that God is a wrathful, cruel, tyrant; an unjust, distant and disinterested cosmic force; an unforgiving and harsh egoist… enters the God-man, Jesus Christ. He comes, not with a retinue of guards nor a legion of angels; not with power and might nor with a sword—but with the poverty and helplessness of a newborn infant.Continue reading →

The Late Consecration

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 23rd, 2017
Saturday of the Third Week of Advent

Liturgical texts here

Moscow at dawn…

 

Now more than ever it is crucial that you be “watchers of the dawn”, the lookouts who announce the light of dawn and the new springtime of the Gospel
of which the buds can already be seen.
—POPE JOHN PAUL II, 18th World Youth Day, April 13th, 2003; vatican.va

 

FOR a couple of weeks, I have sensed that I should share with my readers a parable of sorts that has been unfolding recently in my family. I do so with my son’s permission. When we both read yesterday’s and today’s Mass readings, we knew it was time to share this story based on the following two passages:Continue reading →

The Coming Effect of Grace

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THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 20th, 2017
Thursday of the Third Week of Advent

Liturgical texts here

 

IN the remarkable approved revelations to Elizabeth Kindelmann, a Hungarian woman who was widowed at the age of thirty-two with six children, Our Lord reveals an aspect of the “Triumph of the Immaculate Heart” that is coming.Continue reading →

Justin the Just

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Justin Trudeau at Gay Pride Parade, Vancouver, 2016; Ben Nelms/Reuters

 

HISTORY shows that when men or women aspire to the leadership of a country, they almost always come with an ideology—and aspire to leave with a legacy. Few are just mere managers. Whether they are Vladimir Lenin, Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Margaret Thatcher, Ronald Reagan, Adolf Hitler, Mao Zedong, Donald Trump, Kim Yong-un, or Angela Merkel; whether they are on the left or the right, an atheist or a Christian, brutal or passive—they intend to leave their mark in the history books, for better or worse (always thinking it is “for the better”, of course). Ambition can be a blessing or a curse.Continue reading →

Mother Calls

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A month ago, for no particular reason, I felt a deep urgency to write a series of articles on Medjugorje to counter long-standing falsehoods, distortions, and outright lies (see Related Reading below). The response has been remarkable, including hostility and derision from “good Catholics” who continue to call anyone who follows Medjugorje deceived, naive, unstable, and my favourite: “apparition chasers.”Continue reading →