Is The Veil Lifting?

  

WE are living in extraordinary days. There is no question. Even the secular world is caught up in the pregnant sense of change in the air.

What is different, perhaps, is that many people who often shrugged off the notion of any discussion of “end times,” or Divine purification, are taking a second look. A second hard look. 

It seems to me that a corner of the veil is lifting and we are understanding the Scriptures that deal with “end times” in newer lights and colors. There is no question the writings and words which I have shared here portend great changes on the horizon. I have, under the direction of my spiritual director, written and spoken of those things which the Lord has put in my heart, often with a sense of great weight or burning. But I too have asked the question, “Are these the times?” Indeed, at best, we are given just glimpses.

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Weekly Confession

 

Fork Lake, Alberta, Canada

 

(Reprinted here from August 1oth, 2006…) I felt on my heart today that we must not forget to return to the foundations time and again… especially in these days of urgency. I believe we should waste no time in availing ourselves of this Sacrament, which bestows great graces to overcome our faults, restores the gift of eternal life to the mortal sinner, and snaps the chains which the evil one binds us with. 

 

NEXT to the Eucharist, weekly Confession has provided the most powerful experience of God’s love and presence in my life.

Confession is to the soul, what a sunset is to the senses…

Confession, which is the purification of the soul, should be made no later than every eight days; I cannot bear to keep souls away from confession for more than eight days. —St. Pio of Pietrelcina

It would be an illusion to seek after holiness, according to the vocation one has received from God, without partaking frequently of this sacrament of conversion and reconciliation. Pope John Paul the Great; Vatican, Mar. 29 (CWNews.com)

 

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Objective Judgment


 

THE common mantra today is, “You have no right to judge me!”

This statement alone has driven many Christians into hiding, afraid to speak out, afraid to challenge or reason with others for fear of sounding “judgmental.” Because of this, the Church in many places has become impotent, and the silence of fear has allowed many to go astray

 

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By Our Wounds


From The Passion of the Christ

 

COMFORT. Where in the bible does it say that the Christian is to seek out comfort? Where even in the Catholic Church’s history of saints and mystics do we see that comfort is the goal of the soul?

Now, most of you are thinking material comfort. Certainly, that is a troubling locus of the modern mind. But there is something deeper…

 

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Forget The Past


St. Joseph with Christ Child, Michael D. O’Brien

 

SINCE Christmas is also a time in which we give gifts to one another as a sign of the perpetual giving of God, I want to share with you a letter I received yesterday. As I wrote recently in Ox and Ass, God wants us to let go of our pride which holds on to old sins and guilt.

Here is a powerful word a brother received which expounds on the Lord’s Mercy in this regard:

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The Hard Truth — Epilogue

 

 

AS I wrote the Hard Truths the past two weeks, like many of you, I openly wept—struck with a deep horror of not only what is happening in our world, but also the realization of my own silence.  If "perfect love casts out all fear" as the Apostle John writes, then perhaps perfect fear casts out all love.

Unholy silence is the sound of fear.

 

THE SENTENCE

I admit that when I wrote The Hard Truth letters, I had a very odd feeling later on that I was unwittingly writing out the charges against this generation—nay, the cumulative charges of a society which has, for several centuries now, fallen asleep. Our day is merely the fruit of a very old tree.

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O Christian Tree

 

 

YOU know, I don’t even know why there’s a Christmas tree in my living room. We’ve had one each year—it’s just what we do. But I like it… the smell of pine, the glow of the lights, the memories of mom decorating…  

Beyond an elaborate parking stall for gifts, meaning for our Christmas tree began to emerge while at Mass the other day….

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The One Hour Prison

 

IN my travels across North America, I have met many priests who tell me of the wrath they incur if Mass goes past one hour. I have witnessed many priests apologize profusely for having inconvenienced parishioners by a few minutes. As a result of this trepidation, many liturgies have taken on a robotic quality—a spiritual machine which never changes gears, pulsing to the clock with the efficiency of a factory.

And thus, we have created the one hour prison.

Because of this imaginary deadline, imposed primarily by the lay people, but acquiesced to by the clergy, we have in my opinion stifled the Holy Spirit.

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3 Cities… and a Warning for Canada


Ottawa, Canada

 

First published April 14th, 2006. 
 

If the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet so that the people are not warned, and the sword comes, and takes any one of them; that man is taken away in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at the watchman’s hand. (Ezekiel 33:6)

 
I AM
not one to go looking for supernatural experiences. But what happened last week as I entered Ottawa, Canada seemed an unmistakable visitation of the Lord. A confirmation of a powerful word and warning.

As my concert tour took my family and I through the United States this Lent, I had a sense of expectation from the beginning… that God was going to show us “something.”

 

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The Hard Truth — Part IV


Unborn baby at five months 

I HAVE never sat down, inspired to address a subject, and yet had nothing to say. Today, I am speechless.

I thought after all these years, that I heard everything there was to hear about abortion. But I was wrong. I thought the horror of "partial birth abortion" would be the limit to our "free and democratic" society’s permissiveness of exterminating unborn life (partial birth abortion explained here). But I was wrong. There is another method called "live birth abortion" practiced in the USA. I will simply let former nurse, Jill Stanek, tell you her *story:

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The Hard Truth

Unborn Baby at Eleven Weeks

 

WHEN U.S. pro-life activist Gregg Cunningham presented graphic photos of aborted babies at some Canadian high schools a few years back, abortion "champion" Henry Morgentaler was quick to denounce the presentation as "propaganda that is completely repulsive."

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The "Time of Grace"… Expiring?


 


I OPENED
the scriptures recently to a word which quickened my spirit. 

Actually, it was November 8th, the day the Democrats took power in the American House and Senate. Now, I’m a Canadian, so I don’t follow their politics much… but I do follow their trends. And that day, it was clear to many who defend the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, that powers had just shifted out of their favor.

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Even From Sin

WE can also turn the suffering caused by our sinfulness into prayer. All suffering is, after all, the fruit of the fall of Adam. Whether it is the mental anguish caused by sin or its life-long consequences, these too can be united to the suffering of Christ, who does not will that we sin, but who desires that…

…all things work for good for those who love God. (Rom 8:28)

There is nothing left untouched by the Cross. All suffering, if endured patiently and united to Christ’s sacrifice, has the power to move mountains. 

Stars of Holiness

 

 

WORDS which have been circling my heart…

As the darkness gets darker, the Stars get brighter. 

 

OPEN DOORS 

I believe Jesus is empowering those who are humble and open to His Holy Spirit to grow rapidly in holiness. Yes, the doors of Heaven are open. Pope John Paul II’s Jubilee celebration of 2000, in which he pushed open the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica, is symbolic of this. Heaven has literally opened its doors to us.

But the reception of these graces is dependent upon this:  that we open the doors of our hearts.  Those were the first words of JPII when he was elected… 

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What Have I…?


"Passion of the Christ"

 

I HAD thirty minutes before my meeting with the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at the Shrine of the Blessed Sacrament in Hanceville, Alabama. These are the nuns founded by Mother Angelica (EWTN) who lives with them there at the Shrine.

After spending time in prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, I wandered outside to get some evening air. I came across a life-size crucifix which was very graphic, portraying the wounds of Christ as they would have been. I knelt before the cross… and suddenly felt myself drawn into a deep place of sorrow.

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Now is the Hour


Sun setting on "Apparition Hill" –— Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina


IT
was my fourth, and last day in Medjugorje—that little village in the war-torn mountains of Bosnia-Herzegovina where the Blessed Mother has allegedly been appearing to six children (now, grown adults).

I had heard of this place for years, yet never felt the need to go there. But when I was asked to sing in Rome, something within me said, "Now, now you must go to Medjugorje."

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That Medjugorje


St. James Parish, Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina

 

SHORTLY before my flight from Rome to Bosnia, I caught a news story quoting Archbishop Harry Flynn of Minnesota, USA on his recent trip to Medjugorje. The Archbishop was speaking of a luncheon he had with Pope John Paul II and other American bishops in 1988:

Soup was being served.  Bishop Stanley Ott of Baton Rouge, LA., who has since gone to God, asked the Holy Father: “Holy Father, what do you think of Medjugorje?”

The Holy Father kept eating his soup and responded: “Medjugorje? Medjugorje? Medjugorje? Only good things are happening at Medjugorje.  People are praying there.  People are going to Confession. People are adoring the Eucharist, and people are turning to God.  And, only good things seem to be happening at Medjugorje.” www.spiritdaily.com, October 24th, 2006

Indeed, that’s what I’d heard coming from that Medjugorje… miracles, especially miracles of the heart. I’d had a number of family members experience profound conversions and healings after visiting this place.

 

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Homeward…

 

AS I embark on the last leg of my pilgrimage homeward bound (standing here at a computer terminal in Germany), I want to tell you that each day I have prayed for all of you my readers and those whom I promised to carry in my heart. No… I have stormed heaven for you, lifting you up at Masses and praying countless Rosaries. In many ways, I feel this journey was also for you. God is doing and speaking much in my heart. I have many things bubbling up in my heart to write you!

I pray to God that this day also, you will give your whole heart to Him. What does this mean to give Him your whole heart, to "open wide your heart"? It means to give over to God every detail of your life, even the smallest. Our day is not just one big glob of time—it is made up of each moment. Can you not see then that in order to have a blessed day, a holy day, a "good" day, then each moment must be consecrated (given over) to Him?

It is as though each day we sit down to make a white garment. But if we neglect each stitch, choosing this color or that, it will not be a white shirt. Or if the whole shirt is white, but one thread runs through that is black, then it stands out. See then how each moment counts as we weave through each event of the day.

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So, have you?

 

THROUGH a series of divine interchanges, I was to play a concert tonight in a war refugee camp near Mostar, Bosnia-Hercegovina. These are families that, because they were driven from their villages by ethnic cleansing, have had nothing to live in but little tin shacks with curtains for doors (more on that soon).

Sr. Josephine Walsh—an indominable Irish nun who has been helping the refugees—was my contact. I was to meet her at 3:30pm outside her residence. But she didn’t show up. I sat there on the sidewalk beside my guitar until 4:00. She was not coming.

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The Sin of the Century


The Roman Coliseum

DEAR friends,

I write you tonight from Bosnia-Hercegovina, formerly Yugoslavia. But I still carry with me thoughts from Rome…

 

THE COLISEUM

I knelt down and prayed, asking for their intercession: the prayers of the martyrs who shed their blood in this very place centuries ago. The Roman Coliseum, Flavius Ampitheatre, soil of the seed of the Church.

It was another powerful moment, standing in this place where popes have prayed and little layman have aroused their courage. But as the tourists whisked by, cameras clicking and tour guides chattering, other thoughts came to mind…

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The Road to Rome


Road to St. Pietro "St. Peters Basilica",  Rome, Italy

I AM off to Rome. In just a few days, I will have the honor of singing in front of some of Pope John Paul II’s closest friends… if not Pope Benedict himself. And yet, I feel this pilgrimage has a deeper purpose, an expanded mission… 

I have been pondering about all that has unfolded in writing here the past year… The Petals, The Trumpets of Warning, the invitation to those in mortal sin, the encouragement to overcome fear in these times, and lastly, the summons to "the rock" and refuge of Peter in the coming storm.

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The Unfolding Splendour of Truth


Photo by Declan McCullagh

 

TRADITION is like a flower. 

With each generation, it further unfolds; new petals of understanding appear, and the splendor of truth spills forth new fragrances of freedom. 

The Pope is like a guardian, or rather gardener—and the bishops co-gardeners with him. They tend to this flower which sprung in the womb of Mary, stretched heavenward through the ministry of Christ, sprouted thorns upon the Cross, became a bud in the tomb, and opened in the Upper Room of Pentecost.

And it has been blossoming ever since. 

 

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A Personal Testimony


Rembrandt van Rinj, 1631,  Apostle Peter Kneeling 

MEMORIAL OF ST. BRUNO 


ABOUT
thirteen years ago, my wife and I, both cradle-Catholics, were invited to a Baptist church by a friend of ours who was once a Catholic.

We took in the Sunday morning service. When we arrived, we were immediately struck by all the young couples. It dawned on us suddenly how few young people there were back in our own Catholic parish.

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Mountains, Foothills, and Plains


Photo by Michael Buehler


MEMORIAL OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
 


I HAVE
 many Protestant readers. One of them wrote me regarding the recent article My Sheep Will Know My Voice in the Storm, and asked:

Where does this leave me as a Protestant?

 

AN ANALOGY 

Jesus said He would build His Church on “rock”—that is, Peter—or in Christ’s Aramaic language: “Cephas”, which means “rock”. So, think of the Church then as a Mountain.

Foothills precede a mountain, and so I think of them as “Baptism”. One passes through the Foothills to reach the Mountain.

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My Sheep Will Know My Voice in the Storm

 

 

 

Vast sectors of society are confused about what is right and what is wrong, and are at the mercy of those with the power to “create” opinion and impose it on others.  —POPE JOHN PAUL II, Cherry Creek State Park Homily, Denver, Colorado, 1993


AS
I wrote in Trumpets of Warning! – Part V, there is a great storm coming, and it is already here. A massive storm of confusion. As Jesus said, 

…the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered… (John 16:31) 

 

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Evaporation: A Sign of the Times

 

 MEMORIAL OF THE GUARDIAN ANGELS

 

80 countries now have water shortages that threaten health and economies while 40 percent of the world — more than 2 billion people — have no access to clean water or sanitation. —The World Bank; Arizona Water Source, Nov-Dec 1999

 
WHY is our water evaporating? Part of the reason is consumption, the other part is dramatic changes in climate. Whatever the reasons are, I believe it is a sign of the times…
 

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This Generation?


 

 

BILLIONS of people have come and gone in the past two millennium. Those who were Christians awaited and hoped to see the Second Coming of Christ… but instead, passed through the doorway of death to see Him face to face.

It is estimated that some 155 000 people die each day, and slightly more than that are born. The world is a revolving door of souls.

Have you ever wondered why Christ’s promise of His return has been delayed? Why billions have come and gone in the period since His Incarnation, this 2000-year-long “final hour” of waiting? And what makes this generation any more likely to see His coming before it passes away?

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Paralyzed by Fear — Part III


Artist Unknown 

FEAST OF THE ARCHANGELS MICHAEL, GABRIEL, AND RAPHAEL

 

THE CHILD OF FEAR

FEAR comes in many forms: feelings of inadequacy, insecurity in one’s gifts, procrastination, lack of faith, loss of hope, and erosion of love. This fear, when married to the mind, begets a child. It’s name is Complacency.

I want to share a profound letter I received the other day:

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Paralyzed by Fear — Part II

 
Transfiguration of Christ — St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome

 

And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. (Luke 9:30-31)

 

WHERE TO FIX YOUR EYES

JESUS’s transfiguration on the mountain was preparation for His coming passion, death, resurrection, and ascension into Heaven. Or as the two prophets Moses and Elijah called it, "his exodus".

So too, it seems as though God is sending our generation prophets once again to prepare us for the coming trials of the Church. This has many a soul rattled; others prefer to ignore the signs around them and pretend nothing is coming at all. 

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PROLOGUE (How To Know When a Chastisement is Near)

Jesus Mocked, by Gustave Doré,  1832-1883

MEMORIAL OF
SAINTS COSMAS AND DAMIAN, MARTYRS

 

Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42) 

 
WE
would do well to let these words of Christ sink into our collective minds—especially given a worldwide trend gaining momentum.

Graphic sex-education programs and materials are finding their way into many schools across the globe. Brazil, Scotland, Mexico, the United States, and several provinces in Canada are among them. The most recent example…

 

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On the Mark

 
POPE BENEDICT XVI 

 

“If I get hold of the pope, I will hang him,” Hafiz Hussain Ahmed, a senior MMA leader, told protesters in Islamabad, who carried placards reading “Terrorist, extremist Pope be hanged!” and “Down with Muslims’ enemies!”  AP News, Sept 22, 2006

“The violent reactions in many parts of the Islamic world justified one of Pope Benedict’s main fears . . . They show the link for many Islamists between religion and violence, their refusal to respond to criticism with rational arguments, but only with demonstrations, threats, and actual violence.” Cardinal George Pell, Archbishop of Sydney; www.timesonline.co.uk, September 19, 2006


TODAY’S
Sunday Mass readings remarkably call to mind Pope Benedict XVI and the events of this past week:

 

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Praise to Freedom

MEMORIAL OF ST. PIO OF PIETRELCIAN

 

ONE of the most tragic elements in the modern Catholic Church, particularly in the West, is the loss of worship. It seems today as though singing (one form of praise) in Church is optional, rather than an integral part of the liturgical prayer.

When the Lord poured out His Holy Spirit on the Catholic Church in the late sixties in what became known as the “charismatic renewal”, worship and praise of God exploded! I witnessed over the decades how so many souls were transformed as they went beyond their comfort zones and began to worship God from the heart (I will share my own testimony below). I even witnessed physical healings just through simple praise!

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A Footnote to "Wars and Rumors of War"

Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

"We shall break the cross and spill the wine. … God will (help) Muslims to conquer Rome. …God enable us to slit their throats, and make their money and descendants the bounty of the mujahideen."  —Mujahideen Shura Council, an umbrella group led by Iraq’s branch of al Qaeda, in a statement on the Pope’s recent speech; CNN Online, Sept. 22, 2006 

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Fasting for Family

 

 

HEAVEN has given us such practical means to enter the battle for souls. I’ve mentioned two thus far, the Rosary and the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

For when we’re talking about family members who are caught in mortal sin, spouses who are battling addictions, or relationships bound in bitterness, anger, and division, we are most often dealing with a battle against strongholds:

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Hour of Rescue

 

FEAST OF ST. MATTHEW, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST


EVERYDAY, soup kitchens, whether in tents or in inner city buildings, whether in Africa or New York, open up to offer edible salvation:  soup, bread, and sometimes a little dessert.

Few people realize, however, that everyday at 3pm, a "divine soup kitchen" opens from which pours forth heavenly graces to feed the spiritually poor in our world.

So many of us have family members wandering about the inner streets of their hearts, hungry, tired, and cold—freezing from the winter of sin. In fact, that describes most of us. But, there is a place to go…

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Wars and Rumors of Wars


 

THE explosion of division, divorce, and violence this past year is striking. 

The letters I’ve received of Christian marriages disintegrating, children abandoning their moral roots, family members falling away from the faith, spouses and siblings caught in addictions, and startling outbursts of anger and divisiveness among relatives is grievous.

And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. (Mark 13:7)

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Courage!

 

MEMORIAL OF THE MARTYRDOM OF SAINTS CYPRIAN AND POPE CORNELIUS

 

From the Office Readings for today:

Divine providence has now prepared us. God’s merciful design has warned us that the day of our own struggle, our own contest, is at hand. By that shared love which binds us closely together, we are doing all we can to exhort our congregation, to give ourselves unceasingly to fastings, vigils, and prayers in common. These are the heavenly weapons which give us the strength to stand firm and endure; they are the spiritual defenses, the God-given armaments that protect us.  —St. Cyprian, Letter to Pope Cornelius; The Liturgy of the Hours, Vol IV, p. 1407

 The Readings continue with the account of St. Cyprian’s martyrdom:

“It is decided that Thascius Cyprian should die by the sword.” Cyprian responded:  “Thanks be to God!”

After the sentence was passed, a crowd of his fellow Christians said:  “We should also be killed with him!” There arose an uproar among the Christians, and a great mob followed after him.

May a great mob of Christians follow after Pope Benedict this day, with prayers, fasting, and support for a man who, with the courage of Cyprian, has been unafraid to speak the truth. 

Why So Long?

St. James Parish, Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina

 
AS
the controversy surrounding the alleged apparitions of the Blesssed Virgin Mary at Medjugorje began to heat up again earlier this year, I asked the Lord, "If the apparitions are really authentic, why is it taking so long for prophesied "things" to happen?"

The answer was as swift as the question:

Because you’re taking so long.  

There are many arguments surrounding the phenomenon of Medjugorje (which is currently under Church investigation). But there’s no arguing the answer I received that day.