The Storm at Hand

 

WHEN this ministry first began, the Lord made it clear to me in a gentle but firm way that I was not to be shy in “blowing the trumpet.” This was confirmed by a Scripture:

The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man, speak to your people and tell them: When I bring the sword against a land… and the sentinel sees the sword coming against the land, he should blow the trumpet to warn the people… If, however, the sentinel sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet, so that the sword attacks and takes someone’s life, his life will be taken for his own sin, but I will hold the sentinel responsible for his blood. You, son of man — I have appointed you as a sentinel for the house of Israel; when you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them for me. (Ezekiel 33:1-7)

The young have shown themselves to be for Rome and for the Church a special gift of the Spirit of God… I did not hesitate to ask them to make a radical choice of faith and life and present them with a stupendous task: to become “morning watchmen” at the dawn of the new millennium. —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Novo Millennio Inuente, n.9

With the help of a holy spiritual director and much, much grace, I have been able to raise the instrument of warning to my lips and blow it according to the leading of the Holy Spirit. More recently, before Christmas, I met with my own shepherd, his Excellency, Bishop Don Bolen, to discuss my ministry and the prophetic aspect of my work. He told me that he did “not want to put any stumbling blocks in the way”, and that it was “good” that I was “sounding the warning.” Regarding more specific prophetic elements of my ministry, he expressed caution, as he should have. For how can we know if a prophecy is a prophecy until it comes true? His caution is my own in the spirit of St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians:

Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophetic utterances. Test everything; retain what is good. (1 Thess 5:19-21)

It is in this sense that discernment of charisms is always necessary. No charism is exempt from being referred and submitted to the Church’s shepherds. “Their office [is] not indeed to extinguish the Spirit, but to test all things and hold fast to what is good,” so that all the diverse and complementary charisms work together “for the common good.”Catechism of the Catholic Church, n. 801

Regarding discernment, I want to recommend Bishop Don’s own writing on the times, one that is refreshingly honest, accurate, and challenges the reader to become a vessel of hope (Giving An Account of Our Hope“, www.saskatoondiocese.com, May 2011).

 

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The Christmas Apocalypse

 

WITHIN the Christmas narrative lies the pattern of the end times. 2000 years after its first telling, the Church is able to peer into the Sacred Scripture with a deeper clarity and understanding as the Holy Spirit unveils Daniel’s book—a book that was to be sealed “until the end time” when the world would be in a state of rebellion—apostasy. [1]cf. Is the Veil Lifting?

As for you, Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the book until the end time; many shall fall away and evil shall increase. (Daniel 12:4)

It is not that there is something “new” being revealed, per se. Rather, our understanding of the unfolding “details” is becoming more clear:

Yet even if Revelation is already complete, it has not been made completely explicit; it remains for Christian faith gradually to grasp its full significance over the course of the centuries. —Catechism of the Catholic Church 66

By paralleling the Christmas narrative to our times, we may be given a greater understanding of what is here and coming…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
1 cf. Is the Veil Lifting?

Dynasty, Not Democracy – Part II


Artist Unknown

 

WITH the ongoing scandals coming to surface in the Catholic Church, many—including even clergy—are calling for the Church to reform her laws, if not her foundational faith and morals that belong to the deposit of faith.

The problem is, in our modern world of referendums and elections, many do not realize that Christ established a dynasty, not a democracy.

 

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The Great Earthquake

 

IT was Servant of God, Maria Esperanza (1928-2004), who said of our present generation:

The consciences of this beloved people must be violently shaken so that they may “put their house in order”… A great moment is approaching, a great day of light… it is the hour of decision for mankind.The Antichrist and the End Times, Rev. Joseph Iannuzzi, cf. P. 37 (Volumne 15-n.2, Featured Article from www.sign.org)

This “shaking” may in fact be both spiritual and physical. If you have not yet, I recommend watching or re-watching Great Shaking, Great Awakening, as I will not repeat some of the important information there that provides a backdrop for this writing…

 

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Great Shaking, Great Awakening

 

FOR several days now, the Lord has been preparing my heart to write about something that I have already spoken of to some extent: a coming “great shaking.” I strongly sensed tonight that the video Great Shaking, Great Awakening that I produced a year and a half ago needs to be watched again—that it is more relevant and important than ever. It is preparation for another writing on this subject that will follow shortly.

Indeed, the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants, the prophets… I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told you of them. (Amos 3:7; John 16:4)

I encourage you to watch this again, to pass it on, and stay tuned. Or as Jesus said, “Watch and pray.”

To watch Great Shaking, Great Awakening go to:

www.embracinghope.tv

 

Singularity

 

THE first day on this ministry tour, I woke up with the word "singularity" in my heart. The Father is calling the Church to something radical, and that is to go in the opposite direction of the world, and totally seek Him. Contrasting the Gospel with a scene from WalMart that took place this past week, Mark reflects with His daughters on the deep inner hunger of every human soul for God in the newest Embracing Hope – Road Edition.

To watch Singularity, go to www.embracinghope.tv

 

…the challenge posed by a mentality closed to transcendence obliges Christians themselves to return in a more decisive way to the centrality of God… How often, despite calling themselves Christians, do the faithful not in fact make God the central point of reference in their way of thinking and acting, in their fundamental decisions in life? The first response to the great challenge of our time is then the profound conversion of our heart, so that the Baptism that made us the light of the world and the salt of the earth might truly transform us. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Address to Pontifical Council for the Laity, November 29th, 2011

 

On the Thin Side

 

IN Message from the Road, I said it was "good news" that we are experiencing so many difficulties along the path to the Kingdom. But of course, the financial shortfall in our ministry is no small thing. With the growing economic turmoil in the world, more and more people are finding it difficult to make ends meet, or are holding on more tightly to their funds. As a result, this full-time ministry, which depends entirely upon the support of my readers, viewers, and those I meet on the road, has been experiencing a shortfall of thousands of dollars each month since the Spring. This has quickly piled up into debt as we’ve had to use credit just to pay the everyday bills.

My wife Lea and I trust in the Lord’s providence, He who time and again has provided for all our needs, often unexpectedly. You know that I rarely make appeals such as this for support, mostly because I don’t want to distract from the message that is freely given here. But there comes moments, such as now, where remaining silent means that I will also be prevented from being able to carry on my ministry for lack of needed resources in a world where "just living" costs a lot of money.

 

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A Beautiful Image…


Embracing Hope by Léa Mallett

 

FOR my 30th birthday 14 years ago, my bride Lea surprised me with the very first of a number of treasured pieces of artwork she managed to paint for me on the sly. I’ll never forget the day I saw for the first time her "Embracing Hope" painting of Jesus. I truly felt His presence in a remarkable way through this painting, and intensely so for months after… and many of those graces remain. Through six consecutive moves since that time, it has taken a prominent place in our living rooms, bedrooms, and now on the backdrop in my webcast studio here on our little farm.

When I launched EmbracingHope.tv over 3 years ago, it only seemed fitting to use this powerful image to become the "icon" of that show. Since then, we have have had many a request to have the painting duplicated for others to enjoy. Lea and I have talked off and on about having limited edition prints done… but the logistics and expense of that was always too prohibitive.

In a late night conversation recently where Lea and I were sharing our concerns about how we are going to make ends meet this winter, Lea said to me "Mark, it’s time to make the image available to people in a way that is affordable, practical, and faith-building." So here’s what we have decided to offer you, my faithful readers and supporters…

Starting today, for every minimum $50 donated or spent in our online store this pre-Christmas season, we will give you a complimentary Embracing Hope Desk Calendar (with Christian calendar dates and a monthly prayer beneath the image) & a beautiful Embracing Hope Fridge Magnet (5 1/2" x 4 1/4" on glossy vinyl—it’s really a wonderful centerpiece in the kitchen!) 

Thank you SO much in advance for supporting our ministry in this way. Your support is needed more than ever in these trying economic5 1/2" x 4 1/4" on glossy vinyl times. I hope that Lea’s "Embracing Hope" icon will bring as many graces into your soul as it has mine.


Click here to make a donation to support this ministry.

 
Click here to purchase books or music in my store.

(…and by the way, we are still offering a 50% coupon for any donation of $75 or more. That’s half price off of any order!)

Merciless!

 

IF the Illumination is to occur, an event comparable to the “awakening” of the Prodigal Son, then not only will humanity encounter the depravity of that lost son, the consequent mercy of the Father, but also the mercilessness of the elder brother.

It is interesting that in Christ’s parable, He does not tell us whether the elder son comes to accept the return of His little brother. In fact, the brother is angry.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. (Luke 15:25-28)

The remarkable truth is, not everyone in the world will accept the graces of the Illumination; some will refuse “to enter the house.” Is this not the case every day in our own lives? We are granted many moments for conversion, and yet, so often we choose our own misguided will over God’s, and harden our hearts a little bit more, at least in certain areas of our lives. Hell itself is full of people who willfully resisted saving grace in this life, and are thus without grace in the next. Human free will is at once an incredible gift while at the same time a serious responsibility, since it is the one thing that renders the omnipotent God helpless: He forces salvation upon no one even though He wills that all would be saved. [1]cf. 1 Tim 2:4

One of the dimensions of free will that restrains God’s ability to act within us is mercilessness…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
1 cf. 1 Tim 2:4

The Coming Revelation of the Father

 

ONE of the great graces of the Illumination is going to be the revelation of the Father’s love. For the great crisis of our time—the destruction of the family unit—is the loss of our identity as sons and daughters of God:

The crisis of fatherhood we are living today is an element, perhaps the most important, threatening man in his humanity. The dissolution of fatherhood and motherhood is linked to the dissolution of our being sons and daughters.  —POPE BENEDICT XVI (Cardinal Ratzinger), Palermo, March 15th, 2000 

At Paray-le-Monial, France, during the Sacred Heart Congress, I sensed the Lord saying that this moment of the prodigal son, the moment of the Father of Mercies is coming. Even though mystics speak of the Illumination as a moment of seeing the crucified Lamb or an illuminated cross, [1]cf. Revelation Illumination Jesus will reveal to us the Father’s love:

He who sees me sees the Father. (John 14:9)

It is “God, who is rich in mercy” whom Jesus Christ has revealed to us as Father: it is His very Son who, in Himself, has manifested Him and made Him known to us… It is especially for[sinners] that the Messiah becomes a particularly clear sign of God who is love, a sign of the Father. In this visible sign the people of our own time, just like the people then, can see the Father. —BLESSED JOHN PAUL II, Dives in misercordia, n. 1

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Footnotes

Missing the Message… of a Papal Prophet

 

THE Holy Father has been greatly misunderstood not only by the secular press, but by some of the flock as well. [1]cf. Benedict and the New World Order Some have written me suggesting that perhaps this pontiff is an “anti-pope” in kahootz with the Antichrist! [2]cf. A Black Pope? How quickly some run from the Garden!

Pope Benedict XVI is not calling for a central all-powerful “global government”—something he and popes before him have outright condemned (ie. Socialism) [3]For other quotes from popes on Socialism, cf. www.tfp.org and www.americaneedsfatima.org —but a global family that places the human person and their inviolable rights and dignity at the center of all human development in society. Let us be absolutely clear on this:

The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person—every person—needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3) – a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human. —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Encyclical Letter, Deus Caritas Est, n. 28, December 2005

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Footnotes

Footnotes
1 cf. Benedict and the New World Order
2 cf. A Black Pope?
3 For other quotes from popes on Socialism, cf. www.tfp.org and www.americaneedsfatima.org

Benedict and The New World Order

 

SINCE the world economy began to sway like a drunken sailor on the high seas, there have been calls from several world leaders for a “new world order” (see The Writing on The Wall). It has led to many Christians becoming suspicious, perhaps rightly so, of ripening conditions for a global totalitarian power, what some might even identify as the “beast” of Revelation 13.

Which is why some Catholics were horrified when Pope Benedict XVI released his new encyclical, Caritas in Veritate, that not only seemed to concede to a new world order, but even encourage it. It led to a flurry of articles from fundamentalist groups, waving “the smoking gun,” suggesting that Benedict is in collusion with the Antichrist. Likewise, even some Catholics appeared poised to abandon ship with a possible “apostate” pope at the helm.

And so, finally, I have taken a few weeks to carefully read the Encyclical—not just a few headlines or quotes taken out of context—in attempt to understand what is being said by the Holy Father.

 

The Great Revolution

 

AS promised, I want to share more words and thoughts that came to me during my time in Paray-le-Monial, France.

 

ON THE THRESHOLD… A GLOBAL REVOLUTION

I strongly sensed the Lord saying that we are upon the “threshold” of immense changes, changes that are both painful and good. The biblical imagery used over and over again is that of labor pains. As any mother knows, labor is a very turbulent time—contractions followed by rest followed by more intense contractions until finally the baby is born… and the pain quickly becomes a memory.

The labor pains of the Church have been occurring over centuries. Two large contractions occurred in the schism between Orthodox (East) and Catholics (West) at the turn of the first millennium, and then again in the Protestant Reformation 500 years later. These revolutions shook the foundations of the Church, cracking her very walls such that the “smoke of Satan” was able to slowly seep in.

…the smoke of Satan is seeping into the Church of God through the cracks in the walls. —POPE PAUL VI, first Homily during the Mass for Sts. Peter & Paul, June 29, 1972

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Surprised by Love


The Prodigal Son, the Return
by Tissot Jacques Joseph, 1862

 

THE Lord has been speaking non-stop since I arrived here in Paray-le-Monial. So much so, that he has been waking me up to converse in the night! Yes, I would think I was crazy too if it were not for my spiritual director ordering me to listen!

As we watch the world descend into unprecedented paganism, the gap between rich and poor continue to grow, and the innocence of children increasingly endangered by hedonistic ideologies, there is a cry rising from the Body of Christ for God to intervene. I hear more frequently these days Christians calling out for the fire of God to fall and purify this earth.

But God has always surprised His people with mercy when justice was deserving, both in the New and Old Testaments. I believe the Lord is preparing to surprise us again in a most unprecedented way. I hope to share more of these thoughts with you over the next few days as the World Congress of the Sacred Heart begins this evening here in this little French town where the Sacred Heart was revealed to St. Marguerite-Mary.

 

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The Song of God

 

 

I think we’ve got the whole "saint thing" wrong in our generation. Many think that becoming a Saint is this extraordinary ideal that only a handful of souls will ever be capable of achieving. That sanctity is a pious thought far out of reach. That as long as one avoids mortal sin and keeps his nose clean, he’ll still "make it" to Heaven—and that is good enough.

But in truth, friends, that is a terrible lie that keeps the children of God in bondage, that keeps souls in a state of unhappiness and dysfunction. It’s as big a lie as telling a goose that it cannot migrate.

 

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Straight Talk

YES, it is coming, but for many Christians it is already here: the Passion of the Church. As the priest raised the Holy Eucharist this morning during Mass here in Nova Scotia where I just arrived to give a men’s retreat, his words took on new meaning: This is My Body which will be given up for you.

We are His Body. United to Him mystically, we too were “given up” that Holy Thursday to share in the sufferings of Our Lord, and thus, to share also in His Resurrection. “Only through suffering can one enter Heaven,” said the priest in his sermon. Indeed, this was Christ’s teaching and thus remains the constant teaching of the Church.

‘No slave is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. (John 15:20)

Another retired priest is living out this Passion just up the coast line from here in the next province…

 

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Open Wide Your Heart

 

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20)

 

 
JESUS
addressed these words, not to pagans, but to the church in Laodicea. Yes, we the baptized need to open our hearts to Jesus.  And if we do, we can expect two things to happen.

 

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The Antidote

 

FEAST OF THE BIRTH OF MARY

 

LATELY, I have been in a near hand-to-hand combat with a terrible temptation that I don’t have time. Don’t have time to pray, to work, to get done what needs to be done, etc. So I want to share some words from prayer that really impacted me this week. For they address not only my situation, but the entire problem affecting, or rather, infecting the Church today.

 

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Be Strong!


Pick Up Your Cross
, by Melinda Velez

 

ARE you feeling the weariness of the battle? As my spiritual director often says (who is also a diocesan priest), “Anyone who is trying to be holy today is going through the fire.”

Yes, that is true at all times in all periods of the Christian Church. But there is something different about our day. It’s as if the very bowels of hell have been emptied, and the adversary is disturbing not only the nations, but most especially and implacably every soul consecrated to God. Let us be honest and plain, brothers and sisters: the spirit of antichrist is everywhere today, having seeped like smoke even into the cracks in the Church. But where Satan is strong, God is always stronger!

This is the spirit of the antichrist that, as you heard, is to come, but in fact is already in the world. You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them, for the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. (1 John 4:3-4)

This morning in prayer, the following thoughts came to me:

Take courage, child. To begin again is to be re-immersed in My Sacred Heart, a living flame that consumes all your sin and that which is not of Me. Remain in Me that I may purify and renew you. For to leave the Flames of Love is to enter into the cold of the flesh where every misdeed and evil is conceivable. Is it not simple, child? And yet it is also very difficult, because it demands your full attention; it demands that you resist your evil inclinations and tendencies. It demands a fight—a battle! And so, you must be willing to enter upon the way of the Cross… else you be swept away along the wide and easy road.

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Recalibrate Your Heart

 

THE heart is a finely tuned instrument. It is also delicate. The "narrow and rough" road of the Gospel, and all the bumps we encounter along the way, can throw the heart out of calibration. Temptations, trials, suffering… they can shake the heart such that we lose focus and direction. Understanding and recognizing this innate weakenss of the soul is half the battle: if you know your heart needs to be recalibrated, then you’re halfway there. But many, if not most professing Christians, don’t even realize their hearts are out of sync. Just as a pacemaker can recalibrate the physical heart, so too we need to apply a spiritual pacemaker to our own hearts, for every human being has "heart trouble" to one degree or another while walking in this world.

 

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The Power of the Cross


 

PERHAPS the reason many of us are not growing in holiness is because we misunderstand how the power of God is applied in our lives. Mark explains in this episode how the transforming power of God works in a Christian’s life, and how it’s not too late for anyone to become a saint…

To watch The Power of the Cross, go to www.embracinghope.tv

Landslide!

 

 

THOSE who have been following the prophetic pulse in the Church will likely not be surprised at the turn of world events unfolding by the hour. A Global Revolution is slowly picking up steam as the foundations of the post-modern world begin to give way to a “new order.” Hence, we have arrived at the epic hours of our time, a final confrontation between good and evil, between a culture of life and a culture of death. The wobbling economy, wars, and even environmental degradation are merely the fruits of a bad tree, planted through the lies of Satan through the Enlightenment period over 400 years ago. Today, we are merely reaping what has been sown, tended to by false shepherds, and guarded by wolves, even among Christ’s flock. For perhaps, one of the greatest signs of the times is the growing doubt in the existence of God. And it makes sense. As chaos continues to take the place of Christ, violence displacing peace, insecurity replacing stability, the human reaction is to blame God (instead of recognizing that free will has the capacity to destroy itself). How could God allow hunger? Suffering? Genocide? The answer is how could He not, without trampling upon our human dignity and free will. Indeed, Christ came to show us the way out of the valley of the shadow of death, which we created—not abolish it. Not yet, not until the plan of salvation has reached its fulfillment. [1]cf. 1 Cor 15:25-26

All of this, it seems, is preparing the world for a false christ, a false messiah to pull it out of a death plunge. And yet, this is nothing new: all of this has been foretold in the Scriptures, expounded on by the Church Fathers, and increasingly rolled into focus by the modern pontiffs. No one knows the timing, at least of the whole. But to suggest that it is not a possibility in our era, given all the signs, is woefully shortsighted. It was said best by Paul VI:

There is a great uneasiness at this time in the world and in the Church, and that which is in question is the faith. It so happens now that I repeat to myself the obscure phrase of Jesus in the Gospel of St. Luke: ‘When the Son of Man returns, will He still find faith on the earth?’…I sometimes read the Gospel passage of the end times and I attest that, at this time, some signs of this end are emerging. Are we close to the end? This we will never know. We must always hold ourselves in readiness, but everything could last a very long time yet.  —POPE PAUL VI, The Secret Paul VI, Jean Guitton, p. 152-153, Reference (7), p. ix.

It is with that, that I turn back to some words I sensed Heaven saying in 2008. Here, I also share some prophetic words from others that should be discerned, though I make no final claims on their authenticity. I also include here a recent word attributed to the Mother of God at a famous apparition site.

We are it seems, brothers and sisters, living in the times of the Great Landslide…

 

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Footnotes

Footnotes
1 cf. 1 Cor 15:25-26

Conquering Fear In Our Times

 

Fifth Joyful Mystery: The Finding in the Temple, by Michael D. O’Brien.

 

LAST week, the Holy Father sent 29 newly ordained priests into the world asking them to “proclaim and witness to joy.” Yes! We must all continue to witness to others the joy of knowing Jesus.

But many Christians do not even feel joy, let alone witness to it. In fact, many are full of stress, anxiety, fear, and a sense of abandonment as the pace of life quickens, the cost of living increases, and they watch the news headlines unfold around them. “How,” some ask, “can I be joyful?”

 

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A Woman and a Dragon

 

IT is one of the most remarkable ongoing miracles in modern times, and the majority of Catholics are likely unaware of it. Chapter Six in my book, The Final Confrontation, deals with the incredible miracle of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and how it relates to Chapter 12 in the Book of Revelation. Due to widespread myths that have been accepted as facts, however, my original version has been revised to reflect the verified scientific realities surrounding the tilma upon which the image remains as in inexplicable phenomenon. The miracle of the tilma needs no embellishment; it stands on its own as a great “sign of the times.”

I have published Chapter Six below for those who already have my book. The Third Printing is now available for those who would like to order additional copies, which includes the information below and any typographical corrections found.

Note: the footnotes below are numbered differently than the printed copy.Continue reading

World Congress and Book, CD

 

THIS coming October 6th-11th, I will be attending the First Sacred Heart World Congress in Paray-le-Monial, France, where the revelations of the Sacred Heart were given to St. Margaret Mary. This Congress is undoubtedly part of the final thrusts of "the last effort" to make known Christ’s Sacred Heart to the world, and the Divine Mercy that flows from it. 

Pray about joining me there for a time of prayer and reflection, and I believe, commissioning to become a part of God’s last effort toward mankind. For more information, go to:

www.sacredheartapostolate.org

 

 

 

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Of the Sabbath

 

SOLMENITY OF ST. PETER AND PAUL

 

THERE is a hidden side to this apostolate that from time to time makes its way to this column—the letter writing that goes back and forth between myself and atheists, unbelievers, doubters, skeptics, and of course, the Faithful. For the past two years, I have been dialoguing with a Seventh Day Adventist. The exchange has been peaceful and respectful, even though the gap between some of our beliefs remains. The following is a response I wrote to him last year regarding why the Sabbath is no longer practiced on Saturday in the Catholic Church and generally all of Christendom. His point? That the Catholic Church has broken the Fourth Commandment [1]the traditional Catechetical formula lists this commandment as Third by altering the day on which the Israelites “kept holy” the Sabbath. If this is the case, then there are grounds to suggest that the Catholic Church is not the true Church as she claims, and that the fullness of truth resides elsewhere.

We pick up our dialogue here about whether or not Christian Tradition is founded solely upon Scripture without the infallible interpretation of the Church…

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Footnotes

Footnotes
1 the traditional Catechetical formula lists this commandment as Third

Time, Time, Time…

 

 

WHERE does the time go? Is it just me, or are events and time itself seeming to whirl by at breakneck speed? It’s already the end of June. The days are getting shorter now in the Northern Hemisphere. There is a sense among many people that time has taken on an ungodly acceleration.

We are heading towards the end of time. Now the more we approach the end of time, the more quickly we proceed—this is what’s extraordinary. There is, as it were, a very significant acceleration in time; there’s an acceleration in time just as there’s an acceleration in speed. And we go faster and faster. We must be very attentive to this to understand what is happening in today’s world. —Fr. Marie-Dominique Philippe, O.P., The Catholic Church at the End of an Age, Ralph Martin, p. 15-16

I’ve already written about this in The Shortening of Days and The Spiral of Time. And what is it with the reoccurrence of 1:11 or 11:11? Not everyone sees it, but many do, and it always seems to carry a word… time is short… it’s the eleventh hour… the scales of justice are tipping (see my writing 11:11). What’s funny is that you can’t believe how difficult it has been to find time to write this meditation!

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When Cedars Fall

 

Wail, you cypress trees, for the cedars are fallen,
the mighty have been despoiled. Wail, you oaks of Bashan,
for the impenetrable forest is cut down!
Hark! the wailing of the shepherds,
their glory has been ruined. (Zech 11:2-3)

 

THEY have fallen, one by one, bishop after bishop, priest after priest, ministry after ministry (not to mention, father after father and family after family). And not just little trees—major leaders in the Catholic Faith have fallen like great cedars in a forest.

In a glance over just the past three years, we have seen a stunning collapse of some of the tallest figures in the Church today. The answer for some Catholics has been to hang up their crosses and “quit” the Church; others have taken to the blogosphere to vigorously raze the fallen, while others have engaged in haughty and heated debates in the plethora of religious forums. And then there are those who are quietly weeping or merely sitting in stunned silence as they listen to the echo of these sorrows reverberating throughout the world.

For months now, the words of Our Lady of Akita—given official recognition by no less than the present Pope when he was still Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—have been faintly repeating themselves in the back of my mind:

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A Priest In My Own Home – Part II

 

I AM the spiritual head of my wife and children. When I said, “I do,” I entered into a Sacrament in which I promised to love and honor my wife until death. That I would raise the children God may give us according to the Faith. This is my role, it is my duty. It is the first matter upon which I will be judged at the end of my life, after whether or not I have loved the Lord my God with all my heart, soul, and strength.Continue reading

A Priest In My Own Home

 

I remember a young man coming to my house several years ago with marital problems. He wanted my advice, or so he said. “She won’t listen to me!” he complained. “Isn’t she supposed to submit to me? Don’t the Scriptures say that I am the head of my wife? What’s her problem!?” I knew the relationship well enough to know that his view of himself was seriously skewed. So I replied, “Well, what does St. Paul say again?”:Continue reading

Sowing Seeds

 

FOR the first time in my life, I seeded a pasture this past weekend. Once again, I experienced in my soul the tremendous dance of the creature with His Creator to the rhythm of creation. It is an incredible thing to co-operate with God to foster new life. All the lessons of the Gospels came pouring back to me… about the seed falling into weeds, rocky, or good soil. As we we wait patiently for rain to water our parched fields, even St. Iraenaeus had something to say yesterday on the feast of Pentecost:

… like parched ground, which yields no harvest unless it receives moisture, we who were once like a waterless tree could never have lived and borne fruit without this abundant rainfall from above [the Holy Spirit]. —Liturgy of the Hours, Vol II, p. 1026

It has not only been my fields, but my heart that has been dry these past few weeks. Prayer has been difficult, temptations have been relentless, and at times, I have even doubted my calling. And then the rains came—your letters. To be honest, they often move me to tears, because when I write to you or produce a webcast, I remain behind a veil of poverty; I don’t know what God is doing, if anything… and then letters such as these come along:

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Catholic Fundamentalist?

 

FROM a reader:

I have been reading your “deluge of false prophets” series, and to tell you the truth, I am a little concerned. Let me explain… I am a recent convert to the Church. I was once a fundamentalist Protestant Pastor of the “meanest kind”—I was a bigot! Then someone gave me a book by Pope John Paul II— and I fell in love with this man’s writing. I resigned as Pastor in 1995 and in 2005 I came into the Church. I went to Franciscan University (Steubenville) and got a Masters in Theology.

But as I read your blog—I saw something I did not like—an image of myself 15 years ago. I am wondering, because I swore when I left Fundamentalist Protestantism that I would not substitute one fundamentalism for another. My thoughts: be careful you do not become so negative that you lose sight of the mission.

Is it possible that there is such an entity as “Fundamentalist Catholic?” I worry about the heteronomic element in your message.

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More on False Prophets

 

WHEN my spiritual director asked me to write further about “false prophets,” I pondered on how they are often defined in our day. Usually, people view “false prophets” as those who predict the future incorrectly. But when Jesus or the Apostles spoke of false prophets, they were usually speaking about those within the Church who led others astray by either failing to speak the truth, watering it down, or preaching a different gospel altogether…

Beloved, do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1)

 

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Deluge of False Prophets – Part II

 

First published April 10th, 2008. 

 

WHEN I heard several months ago about Oprah Winfrey’s aggressive promotion of New Age spirituality, an image of a deep sea angler came to mind. The fish suspends a self-illuminated light in front of its mouth, which attracts prey. Then, when the prey takes enough interest to get close…

Several years ago, the words kept coming to me, “The gospel according to Oprah.” Now we see why.  

 

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The Ark for All Nations

 

 

THE Ark God has provided to ride out not only the storms of past centuries, but most especially the Storm at the end of this age, is not a barque of self-preservation, but a ship of salvation intended for the world. That is, our mentality must not be “saving our own behinds” while the rest of the world drifts away into a sea of destruction.

We cannot calmly accept the rest of humanity falling back again into paganism. —Cardinal Ratzinger (POPE BENEDICT XVI), The New Evangelization, Building the Civilization of Love; Address to Catechists and Religion Teachers, December 12, 2000

It’s not about “me an’ Jesus,” but Jesus, me, and my neighbour.

How could the idea have developed that Jesus’ message is narrowly individualistic and aimed only at each person singly? How did we arrive at this interpretation of the “salvation of the soul” as a flight from responsibility for the whole, and how did we come to conceive the Christian project as a selfish search for salvation which rejects the idea of serving others? —POPE BENEDICT XVI, Spe Salvi (Saved In Hope), n. 16

So too, we have to avoid the temptation to run and hide somewhere in the wilderness until the Storm passes (unless the Lord is saying one should do so). This is “the time of mercy,” and more than ever, souls need to “taste and see” in us the life and presence of Jesus. We need to become signs of hope to others. In a word, each of our hearts needs to become an “ark” for our neighbour.

 

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Benedict, and the End of the World

PopePlane.jpg

 

 

 

It’s May 21, 2011, and the mainstream media, as usual, are more than ready to pay attention to those who brandish the name “Christian,” but espouse heretical, if not crazy ideas (see articles here and here. My apologies to those readers in Europe for whom the world ended eight hours ago. I should have sent this earlier). 

 Is the world ending today, or in 2012? This meditation was first published December 18th, 2008…

 

 

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The Ark and Non-Catholics

 

SO, what about non-Catholics? If the Great Ark is the Catholic Church, what does this mean for those who reject Catholicism, if not Christianity itself?

Before we look at these questions, it is necessary to address the protruding issue of credibility in the Church, which today, is in tatters…

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Will I Run Too?

 


Crucifixion, by Michael D. O’Brien

 

AS I watched again the powerful movie The Passion of the Christ, I was struck by Peter’s pledge that he would go to prison, and even die for Jesus! But only hours later, Peter vehemently denied Him three times. At that moment, I sensed my own poverty: “Lord, without your grace, I will betray you too…”

How can we be faithful to Jesus in these days of confusion, scandal, and apostasy? [1]cf. The Pope, a Condom, and the Purification of the Church How can we be assured that we too will not flee the Cross? Because it’s happening all around us already. Since the beginning of this writing apostolate, I have sensed the Lord speaking of a Great Sifting of the “weeds from among the wheat.” [2]cf. Weeds Among the Wheat That in fact a schism is already forming in the Church, though not yet fully in the open. [3]cf. Sorrow of Sorrows This week, the Holy Father spoke of this sifting at Holy Thursday Mass.

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