THE “Illumination” will be an incredible gift to the world. This “Eye of the Storm“—this opening in the storm—is the penultimate “door of mercy” that will be open to all of humanity before the “door of justice” is the only door left open. Both St. John in his Apocalypse and St. Faustina have written of these doors…
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
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 |
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
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…
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.
UPCOMING CONFERENCES
This fall, I will be leading two conferences, one in Canada and the other in the United States:
SPIRITUAL RENEWAL AND HEALING CONFERENCE
September 16-17th, 2011
St. Lambert Parish, Sioux Falls, South Daktoa, U.S.
For more information on registration, contact:
Kevin Lehan
605-413-9492
Email: [email protected]
Brochure: click here
A TIME FOR MERCY
5th Men’s Annual Retreat
September 23-25th, 2011
Annapolis Basin Conference Centre
Cornwallis Park, Nova Scotia, Canada
For more info:
Phone:
(902) 678-3303
Email:
[email protected]
NEW ALBUM
This past weekend, we wrapped up the "bed sessions" for my next album. I am absolutely thrilled with where this is going and am looking forward to releasing this new CD early next year. It’s a gentle blend of story and love songs, as well as some spiritual tunes on Mary and of course Jesus. While that may seem like a strange mix, I don’t think so at all. The ballads on the album deal with the common themes of loss, remembering, love, suffering… and give an answer to it all: Jesus.
We have 11 songs left that can be sponsored by individuals, families, etc. In sponsoring a song, you can help me raise more funds to finish this album. Your name, if you wish, and a short message of dedication, will appear in the CD insert. You can sponsor a song for $1000. If you are interested, contact Colette:
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…
Footnotes
| ↑1 | the traditional Catechetical formula lists this commandment as Third |
|---|
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
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…
JESUS said that His followers are the "light of the world." But often, we feel inadequate—that we could not possibly be an "evangelist" for Him. Mark explains in Can I Be Light? how we can more effectively let the light of Jesus shine through us…
To watch Can I Be Light? go to embracinghope.tv
Thanks for your financial support of this blog and webcast.
Blessings.
