…your merchants were the great men of the earth,
all nations were led astray by your magic potion. (Rev 18:23)
Greek for “magic potion” : φαρμακείᾳ (pharmakeia) —
the use of medicine, drugs or spellsContinue reading
SIGNS
Awakening to the Storm
I HAVE received numerous letters over the years from people saying, “My grandmother talked about these times decades ago.” But many of those grandmothers have long since passed on. And then there was the explosion of the prophetic in the 1990’s with the messages of Fr. Stefano Gobbi, Medjugorje, and other prominent seers. But as the turn of the millennium came and went and expectations of imminent apocalyptic changes never materialized, a certain sleepiness to the times, if not cynicism, set in. Prophecy in the Church became a point of suspicion; bishops were quick to marginalize private revelation; and those who did follow it seemed to be on the fringe of the Church’s life in shrinking Marian and Charismatic circles.Continue reading
A Prophetic Webcast…?
THE bulk of this writing apostolate has been relaying “the now word” that is being spoken through the popes, the Mass readings, Our Lady, or visionaries throughout the world. But it has also involved speaking the now word that has been put on my own heart. As Our Blessed Lady once said to St. Catherine Labouré:Continue reading
Science Will Not Save Us
‘Civilizations collapse slowly, just slowly enough
so you think it might not really happen.
And just fast enough so that
there’s little time to maneuver.’
—The Plague Journal, p. 160, a novel
by Michael D. O’Brien
WHO doesn’t love science? The discoveries of our universe, whether the intricacies of DNA or the passing of comets, continue to fascinate. How things work, why they work, where they come from—these are perennial questions from deep within the human heart. We want to know and understand our world. And at one time, we even wanted to know the One behind it, as Einstein himself stated:Continue reading
11:11
This writing from nine years ago came to mind a couple of days ago. I wasn’t going to republish it until I received a wild confirmation this morning (read to the end!) The following was first published on January 11th, 2011 at 13:33…
FOR some time now, I have spoken with the occasional reader who is befuddled as to why they are suddenly seeing the number 11:11 or 1:11, or 3:33, 4:44, etc. Whether glancing at a clock, a cellphone, television, page number, etc. they are suddenly seeing this number “everywhere.” For instance, they won’t look at the clock all day, but suddenly feel the urge to look up, and there it is again.
Spiraling Toward the Eye
SOLEMNITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY,
THE MOTHER OF GOD
The following is the “now word” on my heart on this Feast of the Mother of God. It is adapted from the Third Chapter of my book The Final Confrontation about how time is accelerating. Do you feel it? Perhaps this is why…
—————
But the hour is coming, and is now here…
(John 4:23)
IT may seem that to apply the words of the Old Testament prophets as well as the book of Revelation to our day is perhaps presumptuous or even fundamentalist. Yet, the words of the prophets such as Ezekiel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Malachi and St. John, to name but a few, are now burning in my heart in a way they did not in the past. Many people I have met in my travels say the same thing, that the readings of the Mass have taken on a powerful meaning and relevance that they never felt before.Continue reading
On Those Idols…
IT was to be a benign tree-planting ceremony, a consecration of the Amazonian Synod to St. Francis. The event was not organized by the Vatican but the Order of Friars Minor, the World Catholic Movement for Climate (GCCM) and REPAM (Pan-Amazonian Ecclesial Network). The Pope, flanked by other hierarchy, gathered in the Vatican Gardens along with indigenous folk from the Amazon. A canoe, a basket, wooden statues of pregnant women and other “artifacts” were set in front of the Holy Father. What happened next, however, sent shockwaves throughout Christendom: several people present suddenly bowed down before the “artifacts.” This no longer seemed to be a simple “visible sign of integral ecology,” as stated in the Vatican’s press release, but had all the appearances of a pagan ritual. The central question immediately became, “Who were the statues representing?”Continue reading
Newman’s Prophecy
St. John Henry Newman inset by Sir John Everett Millais (1829-1896)
Canonized on October 13th, 2019
FOR a number of years, whenever I spoke publicly about the times we are living in, I would have to carefully paint a picture through the words of the popes and saints. People were simply not ready to hear from a nobody-layman like me that we are about to face the greatest struggle the Church has ever gone through—what John Paul II called “the final confrontation” of this era. Nowadays, I barely have to say anything. Most people of faith can tell, despite the good that still exists, that something has gone terribly wrong with our world.Continue reading
The Spirit of Control
WHILE praying before the Blessed Sacrament in 2007, I had a sudden and strong impression of an angel in the mid-heavens hovering above the world and shouting,
“Control! Control!”
As man tries to banish Christ’s presence from the world, wherever they succeed, chaos takes His place. And with chaos, comes fear. And with fear, comes the opportunity to control. But the spirit of Control is not only in the world at large, it is operating in the Church as well… Continue reading
The Signs of Our Times
Notre Dame on Fire, Thomas Samson/Agence France-Presse
IT was the coldest day on our visit to Jerusalem last month. The breeze was merciless as the sun fought against the clouds for dominion. It was here on the Mount of Olives that Jesus wept over that ancient city. Our pilgrim group entered the chapel there, rising above the Garden of Gethsemane, to say Mass.Continue reading
The Power of Judgments
HUMAN relations—whether marital, familial, or international—have seemingly never been so strained. The rhetoric, anger, and division are moving communities and nations ever closer to violence. Why? One reason, for certain, is the power that lies in judgments. Continue reading
The Wrangling Over Words
WHILE couples, communities, and even nations become increasingly divided, perhaps there is one thing that we nearly all agree upon: civil discourse is rapidly disappearing.Continue reading
Challenging the Church
IF you are looking for someone to tell you that everything’s going to be okay, that the world is simply going to go on as it is, that the Church is not in a serious crisis, and that humanity is not facing a day of reckoning—or that Our Lady is simply going to appear out of the blue and rescue us all so that we won’t have to suffer, or that Christians will be “raptured” from the earth… then you have come to the wrong place.Continue reading
Mini Skirts and Mitres
“The Glitter Pope”, Getty Images
CHRISTIANS in the Western World are no stranger to mockery. But what happened this week in New York pushed new boundaries even for this generation.Continue reading
Calling Christ’s Prophets
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)
Of China
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.
The Relics and the Message
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
| ↑1 | Heb 12:1 |
|---|
The Late Consecration
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
When They Listened
WHY, does the world remain in pain? Because we have muzzled God. We have rejected His prophets and ignored His mother. In our pride, we have succumbed to Rationalism, and the Death of Mystery. And thus, today’s first reading cries out to a tone-deaf generation:Continue reading
The Great Liberation
MANY feel that Pope Francis’ announcement declaring a “Jubilee of Mercy” from Dec. 8th, 2015 to Nov. 20th, 2016 bore greater significance than may first have appeared. The reason being is that it is one of numerous signs converging all at once. That hit home for me also as I reflected on the Jubilee and a prophetic word I received at the end of 2008… [1]cf. The Year of the Unfolding
First published March 24th, 2015.
Footnotes
| ↑1 | cf. The Year of the Unfolding |
|---|
How to Know When Judgment is Near
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for October 17th, 2017
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
Opt. Memorial St. Ignatius of Antioch
Liturgical texts here
AFTER a warm cordial greeting to the Romans, St. Paul turns on a cold shower to awaken his readers:Continue reading
Debunking the Sun Miracle Skeptics
Scene from The 13th Day
THE rain pelted the ground and drenched the crowds. It must have seemed like an exclamation point to the ridicule that filled the secular newspapers for months prior. Three shepherd children near Fatima, Portugal claimed that a miracle would occur in the Cova da Ira fields at high noon that day. It was October 13, 1917. As many as 30, 000 to 100, 000 people had gathered to witness it.
Their ranks included believers and non-believers, pious old ladies and scoffing young men. —Fr. John De Marchi, Italian priest and researcher; The Immaculate Heart, 1952
The Worst Chastisement
Mass Shooting, Las Vegas, Nevada, October 1, 2017; David Becker/Getty Images
My older daughter sees many beings good and bad [angels] in battle. She has spoken many times about how its an all out war and its only getting bigger and the different kinds of beings. Our Lady appeared to her in a dream last year as our Lady of Guadalupe. She told her that the demon coming is larger and fiercer than all the others. That she is not to engage this demon nor listen to it. It was going to try to take over the world. This is a demon of fear. It was a fear that my daughter said was going to envelop everyone and everything. Staying close to the Sacraments and Jesus and Mary are of the utmost importance. —A letter from a reader, September, 2013
TERROR in Canada. Terror in France. Terror in the United States. That’s just the headlines of the past few days. Terror is the footprint of Satan, whose chief weapon in these times is fear. For fear keeps us from becoming vulnerable, from trusting, from entering into relationship… whether it is between spouses, family members, friends, neighbours, neighbouring nations, or God. Fear, then, leads us to control or give up control, to restrict, build walls, burn bridges, and repel. St. John wrote that “perfect love drives out all fear.” [1]1 John 4:18 As such, one could also say that perfect fear drives out all love.Continue reading
Footnotes
| ↑1 | 1 John 4:18 |
|---|
Can We Exhaust God’s Mercy?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for September 24th, 2017
Sunday of the Twenty-Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Liturgical texts here
I am on my way back from the “Flame of Love” conference in Philadelphia. It was beautiful. Around 500 people packed a hotel room that was filled with the Holy Spirit from the first minute. All of us are leaving with renewed hope and strength in the Lord. I have some long layovers in airports on my way back to Canada, and so am taking this time to reflect with you on today’s readings….Continue reading
Revolution… in Real Time
Vandalized Statue of St. Junípero Serra, Courtesy KCAL9.com
SEVERAL years ago when I wrote about a coming Global Revolution, particularly in America, one man scoffed: “There is no revolution in America, and there won’t be!” But as violence, anarchy and hatred are beginning to reach a feverish pitch in the United States and elsewhere in the world, we are seeing the first signs of that violent persecution that has been brewing beneath the surface that Our Lady of Fatima predicted, and which will bring about the “passion” of the Church, but also her “resurrection.”Continue reading
The Ocean of Mercy
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for August 7th, 2017
Monday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Opt. Memorial of St. Sixtus II and Companions
Liturgical texts here
Photo taken on October 30th, 2011 in Casa San Pablo, Sto. Dgo. Dominican Republic
I JUST returned from Arcātheos, back to the mortal realm. It was an incredible and powerful week for all of us at this father/son camp situated at the base of the Canadian Rockies. In the days ahead, I will share with you the thoughts and words which came to me there, as well as an incredible encounter all of us had with “Our Lady”.Continue reading
The Blessed Peacemakers
As I prayed with today’s Mass readings, I thought about those words of Peter after he and John were warned not to speak of the name of Jesus:
The Winds of Change
“Mary’s Pope”; photo by Gabriel Bouys/Getty Images
First published May 10th, 2007… It’s interesting to note what is said at the end of this—the sense of a “pause” coming before the “Storm” would begin to swirl in greater and greater chaos as we begin to approach the “Eye.” I believe we are entering that chaos now, which also serves a purpose. More on that tomorrow…
IN our last few concert tours of the United States and Canada, [1]My wife and our children at that time we have noticed that no matter where we go, strong sustained winds have followed us. At home now, these winds have barely taken a break. Others I have spoken to have also noticed an increase of winds.
It is a sign, I believe, of the presence of our Blessed Mother and her Spouse, the Holy Spirit. From the story of Our Lady of Fatima:
Footnotes
| ↑1 | My wife and our children at that time |
|---|
This Revolutionary Spirit
Photo by John Blanding courtesy of The Boston Globe/Getty Images
This wasn’t an election. It was a revolution… Midnight has passed. A new day has come. And everything is about to change.
—Daniel Greenfield from “America Rising”, November 9th, 2016; Israelrisiing.com
OR is it about to change, and for the better?
Many Christians in the United States are celebrating today, celebrating as if the “midnight has passed” and a new day has come. I pray with all my heart that, in America at least, this would be true. That the Christian roots of that nation would have a chance to flourish once again. That all women will be respected, including those in the womb. That religious freedom will be restored, and that peace will fill her borders.
But without Jesus Christ and His Gospel as the source of the country’s liberty, it will be but a false peace and a false security.
On the Eve
One of the central functions of this writing apostolate is to show how Our Lady and the Church are truly mirrors of one another—that is, how authentic so-called “private revelation” mirrors the prophetic voice of the Church, most especially that of the popes. In fact, it has been a great eye-opener for me to see how the pontiffs, for over a century, have been paralleling the Blessed Mother’s message such that her more personalized warnings are essentially the “other side of the coin” of the institutional warnings of the Church. This is most evident in my writing Why Aren’t the Popes Shouting?
The Collapse of Civil Discourse
Photo by Mike Christy/Arizona, Daily Star, AP
IF “the restrainer” is being lifted at this time, such that lawlessness is spreading throughout society, governments, and the courts, it is no surprise, then, to see what amounts to a collapse in civil discourse. For what is under attack at this hour is the very dignity of the human person, made in the image of God.
The Death of Logic – Part II
WE are witnessing one of the greatest collapses of logic in human history—in real time. Having watched for and warned about this coming Spiritual Tsunami for several years now, seeing it arrive on humanity’s shores does not diminish the stunning nature of this “eclipse of reason”, as Pope Benedict called it. [1]Address to the Roman Curia, December 20th, 2010; cf. On the Eve In The Death of Logic – Part I, I examined some of the mind-bending actions of governments and courts that break away from logic and reason. The wave of delusion continues…
Footnotes
| ↑1 | Address to the Roman Curia, December 20th, 2010; cf. On the Eve |
|---|
More on Our Trials and Triumphs
“Two Deaths”, by Michael D. O’Brien
IN a response to my article Fear, Fire, and a “Rescue”?, Charlie Johnston wrote At Sea with his perspective on future events, thereby sharing with readers more of the private dialogues we’ve had in the past. This provides, I think, a crucial opportunity to underscore some of the most important aspects of my own mission and calling that newer readers may not be aware of.
Fear, Fire, and a “Rescue”?
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for May 6th, 2016
Liturgical texts here
Wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta (photo CBC)
SEVERAL of you have written asking if our family is okay, given the huge wildfire in northern Canada in and around Fort McMurray, Alberta. The fire is about 800km away… but the smoke darkening our skies here and turning the sun into a reddish burning ember, is a reminder that our world is much smaller than we think it is. It’s also a reminder of a what a man from there said to us several years ago…
So I leave you this weekend with a few random thoughts on the fire, Charlie Johnston, and fear, closing with a reflection on today’s powerful Mass readings.
Madness!
by Shawn Van Deale
THERE is no other word to describe what is happening in our world today: madness. Sheer madness. Let us call a spade a spade, or as St. Paul says,
Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness; rather expose them… (Eph 5:11)
…or as St. John Paul II bluntly stated:
Going to the Extremes
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for December 11th, 2015
Friday of the Second Week of Advent
Liturgical texts here
THE real danger at this hour in the world is not that there is so much confusion, but that we would get caught up in it ourselves. In fact, panic, fear, and compulsive reactions are part of the Great Deception. It removes the soul from its center, which is Christ. Peace leaves, and with it, wisdom and the ability to see clearly. This is the real danger.
The Beast Beyond Compare
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for November 23rd-28th, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THE Mass readings this week that address the signs of the “end times” will no doubt evoke the familiar, if not easy dismissal that “everyone thinks their times are the end times.” Right? We’ve all heard that repeated again and again. That was certainly true of the early Church, until Sts. Peter and Paul began to temper expectations:
Revolution Now!
A poster image cut from a magazine published after the French Revolution
SIGNS of this Global Revolution underway are everywhere, spreading like a black canopy over the entire globe. Taking all things into consideration, from the unprecedented apparitions of Mary throughout the world to the prophetic statements of the popes in the past century (see Why Aren’t the Popes Shouting?), it appears to be the beginning of the final labor pains of this era, of what Pope Pius XI called “one convulsion following upon another” throughout the centuries.
Wormwood
This writing was first published March 24th, 2009.
“the smoke of Satan is seeping into the Church of God through the cracks in the walls.” —POPE PAUL VI, first quote: Homily during the Mass for Sts. Peter & Paul, June 29, 1972
THERE is an elephant in the living room. But few want to talk about it. Most choose to ignore it. The problem is that the elephant is trampling all of the furniture and soiling the carpet. And the elephant is this: the Church is polluted with apostasy—the falling away from the faith—and it has a name: “Wormwood”.
Sorrow of Sorrows
THE past few weeks, two crucifixes and a statue of Mary in our home have had their hands broken off—at least two of them inexplicably. In fact, just about every statue in our home has a missing hand. It reminded me of a writing I did on this on February 13th, 2007. I think it is no coincidence, especially in light of the continuing controversies surrounded the extraordinary Synod on the Family currently taking place in Rome. For it seems that we are watching—in real time—at least the first beginnings of part of the Storm that many of us have been warning for years would come: an emerging schism…
The Jeremiah Watch
WELL, I should be used to this by now. Whenever the Lord lays strong words on my heart, I am in for a battle—spiritually and materially. For days now, whenever I want to write, it is as though my radar is jammed, and forming a single sentence is nearly impossible. Sometimes it’s because the “word” is not ready to speak yet; other times—and I think this is one of them—it seems as though there is an all out war on my time.
Back To Eden?
Expulsion from the Garden of Eden, Thomas Cole, c.1827-1828.
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, MA, USA
First published March 4th, 2009…
SINCE mankind was barred from the Garden of Eden, he has longed for both communion with God and harmony with nature—whether man knows it or not. Through His Son, God has promised both. But through a lie, so has the ancient serpent.
St. Raphael's Little Healing
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Friday, June 5th, 2015
Memorial of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr
Liturgical texts here
St. Raphael, “Medicine of God”
IT was late dusk, and a blood moon was rising. I was entranced by its deep color as I wandered through the horses. I had just layed out their hay and they were quietly munching. The full moon, the fresh snow, the peaceful murmur of satisfied animals … it was a tranquil moment.
Until what felt like a bolt of lightning shot through my knee.
The Paris Miracle
I thought the traffic in Rome was wild. But I think Paris is crazier. We arrived in the center of the French capital with two full cars for a dinner with a member of the American Embassy. Parking spaces that night were as rare as snow in October, so myself and the other driver dropped off our human cargo, and began to drive around the block hoping for a space to open up. That’s when it happened. I lost site of the other car, took a wrong turn, and all of a sudden I was lost. Like an astronaut untethered in space, I began to be sucked away into the orbit of constant, unending, chaotic streams of Parisian traffic.
Mercy for a People in Darkness
THE NOW WORD ON MASS READINGS
for Monday of the Second Week of Lent, March 2nd, 2015
Liturgical texts here
THERE is a line from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings that, among others, jumped out at me when the character Frodo wishes for the death of his adversary, Gollum. The wise wizard Gandalf responds: