Recently in Faith Category

The truth - prayer

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Signs and portents

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Mo's tomb is in Medina, not Mecca.  Also, the big black cube that is their holy temple was built by Bechtel in partnership with Bin Laden Construction.

Happy Easter

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Rebirth and Resurrection are sorely needed.  Not only in the USA but around the world.

Read this - Naomi Wolf

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Give it 15 minutes and you will understand a lot of what is happening in the world today.
This echoes a lot of what I have been saying and Dr. Wolf fills in a lot of the blanks.
Really thought-provoking - from Brownstone Institute:

Have the Ancient Gods Returned?
These days, to my surprise, people want to talk to me about evil.

In an essay last year, and in my book The Bodies of Others, I raised a question about existential, metaphysical darkness.

I concluded that I had looked at the events of the past three years using all of my classical education, my critical thinking skills, my knowledge of Western and global history and politics; and that, using these tools, I could not explain the years 2020-present.

Indeed I could not explain them in ordinary material, political or historical terms at all.

This is not how human history ordinarily operates.

I could not explain the way the Western world simply switched, from being based at least overtly on values of human rights and decency, to values of death, exclusion and hatred, overnight, en masse — without resorting to reference to some metaphysical evil that goes above and beyond fallible, blundering human agency.

A bit more:

What we have lived through since 2020 is so sophisticated, so massive, so evil, and executed in such inhumane unison, that it cannot be accounted for without venturing into metaphysics. Something else, something metaphysical, must have done that. And I speak as a devoted rationalist.

I concluded that I was starting to believe in God in more literal terms than I had before, because this evil was so impressive; so it must be directed at something at least as powerful that was all good.

And one more snippet:

The sheer amoral power of Baal, the destructive force of Moloch, the unrestrained seductiveness and sexual licentiousness of Astarte or Ashera — those are the primal forces that do indeed seem to me to have “returned.”

Or at least the energies that they represent — moral power over; death-worship; antagonism to the sexual orderliness of the intact family and faithful relationships — seem to have ‘returned,’ without restraint, since 2020.

Her thesis is dificult to excerpt - do yourself a favor and read the whole thing.  Very thoughtful.

By calling these forces by name, we allow them to enter our world and we give them strength. 
Once you start to see this, you see if everywhere.
There is a lot of work to be done...

A bit of a heads up

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From Busted Nuckles:
Things are getting really interesting really fast...

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An unexpected outbreak of faith

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Wonderful news - I am looking forward to seeing this happen more and more as people wake up.
From Religion News Service:

Why students at a Kentucky Christian school are praying and singing round the clock
Last Wednesday (Feb. 8), students at Asbury University gathered for their biweekly chapel service in the 1,500-seat Hughes Auditorium.

They sang. They listened to a sermon. They prayed.

Nearly a week later, many of them are still there.

“This has been an extraordinary time for us,” Asbury President Kevin Brown said during a gathering on Monday, more than 120 hours into what participants have referred to as a spiritual revival.

The revival has disrupted life and brought national attention to Asbury, an evangelical Christian school in Wilmore, Kentucky, about a half-hour outside of Lexington. Videos of students singing, weeping and praying have been posted on social media, leading to both criticism and praise from onlookers. News of the revival has also drawn students and other visitors to the campus to take part in the ongoing prayer and worship.

“We’ve been here in Hughes Auditorium for over a hundred hours — praying, crying, worshipping and uniting — because of Love,” wrote Alexandra Presta, editor of The Asbury Collegian, the school’s student newspaper, who has been chronicling the services on campus. “We’ve even expanded into Estes Chapel across the street at Asbury Theological Seminary and beyond. I can proclaim that Love boldly because God is Love.”

The ongoing meetings in the chapel — which have none of the flashing lights, fog machines or other trappings that accompany many modern worship services — have also brought back memories of a similar revival in the 1970s, which is recounted in a video produced by the university. The gatherings also come at a time when many young Americans have lost faith in organized religion — with a recent study finding that 43% of adults under 30 say they never attend service.

Wonderful and very much needed.  Our society has lost its moral backbone; been led astray by forces of evil.  My words may sound a bit black and white but the distinction is that clear and that simple. Evil is walking this land and needs to be rebuked and driven out. Bring people into the light again. Let them experience the joy of a simple life.

Got a book coming out.  From The Post Millenial:

Secret Pope Benedict book is published blasting progressive Pope Francis, reveals US Catholic seminaries are havens of 'gay clubs'
In a book by the late Pope Benedict XVI, published posthumously, the pontif wrote that homosexual clubs openly operate in Catholic seminaries, which prepare candidates to become priests. Much of this activity is specifically in the United States, he wrote.

Benedict's posthumous writings also heavily criticize current Pope Francis, who Benedict says is pushing a progressive agenda. Benedict, who died on December 31 at 95, wrote that the church was on the verge of "collapse" and said that priests and bishops were being permitted to watch porn at the seminaries.

More at the site.  This is being translated from the Italian by Twitter user @pope_head

Here is the series unrolled through Threadreader

@pope_head is promising more at their Substack page

As they say: Developing...

Looks like history is rhyming again.  From Life News:

Nancy Pelosi Defies Her Catholic Bishop, Receives Communion
In defiance of her own Archbishop’s decision to deny her communion because of her aggressive promotion of abortion, new reports indicate Nancy Pelosi received communion yesterday at a liberal Catholic church in Washington.

As LifeNews reported, Cordileone said he formally notified U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi this week that she can no longer be allowed communion because she is no longer in communion with the Catholic Church by virtue of her repeatedly promoting abortion. Cordileone, who serves Pelosi’s home district of San Francisco, said he informed the congresswoman of his decision Thursday after repeated attempts to speak with her about the “grave evil” that she is supporting.

Just days later, Pelosi is already in violation of the communion restriction.

A good article - lots more at the site.  Pelosi is truly evil - case in point:

Among other things, Pelosi  wants to force taxpayers to pay for elective abortions and force nuns who serve the poor and elderly to cover contraception that may cause abortions in their employee health plans. Once, she even called late-term abortions “sacred ground.”

Title? Here: Turbulent priest  It will be interesting to see if Archbishop Gregory is called to task.

Standing up to evil - good news

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This will hopefully wake her up out of her alcoholic stupor:

Wonderful words from Archbishop Vigano

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I had posted about him before - a great interview and his wonderful Christmas Message among others.

A passing

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From Plum Village:

Thich Nhat Hanh, 11.10.1926-22.01.2022
This morning, the 22 of January 2022 Thay, Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, has passed away peacefully at Từ Hiếu Temple in Huế, Vietnam, at 00:00hrs, at the age of 95.

There is an online ceremony tomorrow at 7:00PM   Ceremony on the Transition of Thich Nhat Hanh

Overdue on this one

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A true Christmas message

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From Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò

MESSAGE TO THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
DEAR AMERICAN PEOPLE, DEAR FRIENDS, for two years now, a global coup has been carried out all over the world, planned for some time by an elite group of conspirators enslaved to the interests of international high finance. This coup was made possible by an emergency pandemic that is based on the premise of a virus that has a mortality rate almost analogous to that of any other seasonal flu virus, on the delegitimization and prohibition of effective treatments, and on the distribution of an experimental gene serum which is obviously ineffective, and which also clearly carries with it the danger of serious and even lethal side effects. We all know how much the mainstream media has contributed to supporting the insane pandemic narrative, the interests that are at stake, and the goals of these groups of power: reducing the world population, making those who survive chronically ill, and imposing forms of control that violate the fundamental rights and natural liberties of citizens. And yet, two years after this grotesque farce started, which has claimed more victims than a war and destroyed the social fabric, national economies, and the very foundations of the rule of law, nothing has changed in the policies of Nations and their response to the so-called pandemic.

Last year, when many still had not yet understood the gravity of the looming threat, I was among the first to denounce this coup, and I was promptly singled out as a conspiracy theorist. Today more and more people are opening their eyes and beginning to understand that the emergency pandemic and the “ecological emergency” are part of a criminal plan hatched by the World Economic Forum, the UN, the WHO, and a galaxy of organizations and foundations that are ideologically characterized as clearly anti-human and – this needs to be said clearly – anti-Christian.

One of the elements that unequivocally confirms the criminal nature of the Great Reset is the perfect synchrony with which all the different Nations are acting, demonstrating the existence of a single script under a single direction. And it is disconcerting to see how the lack of treatment, the deliberately wrong treatments that have been given in order to cause more deaths, the decision to impose lockdowns and masks, the conspiratorial silence about the adverse effects of the so-called “vaccines” that are in fact gene serums, and the continuous repetition of culpable errors have all been possible thanks to the complicity of those who govern and the institutions. Political and religious leaders, representatives of the people, scientists and doctors, journalists and those who work in the media have literally betrayed their people, their laws,their Constitutions, and the most basic ethical principles.

The electoral fraud of the 2020 presidential election against President Trump has shown itself to be organic to this global operation, because in order to impose illegitimate restrictions in violation of the principles of law it was necessary to be able to make use of an American President who would support the psycho-pandemic and support its narrative. The Democratic Party, part of the deep state, is carrying out its task as an accomplice of the system, just as the deep church finds in Bergoglio its own propagandist. The recent rulings of the Supreme Court and the autonomous action of some American states – where the vaccination obligation has been declared unconstitutional – give us hope that this criminal plan can collapse and that those responsible will be identified and tried: both in America as well as in the whole world.

How was it possible to arrive at such a betrayal? How have we come to beconsidered enemies by those who govern us, not in support of the common good, but rather to feed a hellish machine of death and slavery?

The answer is now clear: throughout the world, in the name of a perverted concept of freedom, we have progressively erased God from society and laws. We have denied that there is an eternal and transcendent principle, valid for all men of all times, to which the laws of States must conform. We have replaced this absolute principle with the arbitrariness of individuals, with the principle that everyone is his own legislator. In the name of this insane freedom – which is license and libertinage – we have allowed the Law of God and the law of nature to be violated, legitimizing the killing of children in the womb, even up to the very moment of birth; the killing of the sick and the elderly in hospital wards; the destruction of the natural family and of Marriage; we have recognized rights to vice and sin, putting the deviations of individuals before the good of society. In short, we have subverted the entire moral order that constitutes the indispensable basis of the laws and social life of a people. Already in the fourth century B.C., Plato wrote these things in his last work the Laws and identified the cause of the Athenian political crisis precisely in the breaking of the divine order – the cosmos – between these eternal principles and human laws.

These natural moral principles of the Greco-Roman world found their fulfillment in Christianity, which built Western civilization by giving them a supernatural impetus. Christianity is the strongest defense against injustice, the strongest garrison against the oppression of the powerful over the weak, the violent over the peaceful, and the wicked over the good, because Christian morality makes each of us accountable to God and our neighbor for our actions, both as citizens and as rulers. The Son of God, whose Birth we will celebrate in a few days, became Incarnate in time and in history in order to heal an ancient wound, and to restore by Grace the order broken by disobedience. His social Kingship was the generating principle of the ordo Christianus that for two centuries now has been fiercely fought against by Freemasonry: because the Revolution it promotes is chaos; it is disorder; it is infernal rebellion against the divine order so as to impose Satan’s tyranny.

Now, as we see what is happening around us, we understand how mendacious were the promises of progress and freedom made by those who destroyed Christian society, and how deceptive was the prospect of a new Tower of Babel, built not only without regard for God but even in direct opposition to Him. The infernal challenge of the Enemy is repeated over the centuries unchanged, but it is doomed to inexorable failure. Behind this millennial conspiracy, the adversary is always the same, and the only thing that changes are the particular individuals who cooperate with him.

Dear American brothers and sisters! Dear Patriots! this is a crucial moment for the future of the United States of America and of the whole of humanity. But the pandemic emergency, the farce of global warming and the green economy, and the economic crisis deliberately induced by the Great Reset with the complicity of the deep state, are all only the consequence of a much more serious problem, and it is essential to understand it in depth if we want to defeat it. This problem is essentially moral; indeed, it is religious. We must put God back in the first place not only in our personal lives, but also in the life of our society. We must restore to Our Lord Jesus Christ the Crown that the Revolution has torn from Him, and in order for this to happen a true and profound conversion of individuals and of society is necessary. For it is absolutely impossible to hope for the end of this global tyranny if we continue to remove from the Kingdom of Christ the nations that belong to Him and must belong to Him. For this reason, the movement to overturn Roe v. Wade also acquires a very important meaning, since respect for the sacredness of unborn life must be sanctioned by positive law if it is to be a mirror of the Eternal Law.

You are animated by a yearning for justice, and this is a legitimate and good desire. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” says the Lord (Mt 5:6). But this Justice must be based on the awareness that this is a spiritual battle in which it is necessary to take sides without equivocation and without compromise, holding transcendent and eternal references that even the pagan philosophers glimpsed, and that have found fulfillment in the Revelation of the Son of God, the Divine Master.

My appeal for an Anti-Globalist Alliance – which I renew today – aims precisely to constitute a movement of moral and spiritual rebirth which will inspire the civil, social and political action of those who do not want to be enslaved as slaves to the New World Order. A movement that at the national and local level will be able to find a way to oppose the Great Reset and that coordinates the denunciation of the coup that is currently in progress. Because in the awareness of who our adversary is and what his aims and purposes are, we can disrupt the criminal action he intends to pursue and force him to retreat. In this, the opposition to the pandemic farce and the vaccination obligation must be determined and courageous on the part of each of you.

Yours must therefore be a work of truth, bringing to light the lies and deceptions of the New World Order and their anti-human and antichristic matrix. And in this it is mainly the laity and all people of good will – each in the professional and civil role he holds – who must coordinate and organize together to make a firm but peaceful resistance, so as not to legitimize its violent repression by those who today hold power.

Be proud of your identity as American patriots and of the Faith that must animate your life. Do not allow anyone to make you feel inferior just becauseyou love your homeland, because you are honest at work, because you want to protect your family and raise your children with healthy values, because you respect the elderly, because you protect life from conception to its natural end. Do not be intimidated or seduced by those who propagate a dystopian world in which a faceless power imposes on you contempt for the Law of God, presents sin and vice as licit and desirable, despises righteousness and Morality, destroys the natural family and promotes the worst perversions, plans the death of defenseless and weak creatures, and exploits humanity for its own profit or to preserve power.

Be worthy heirs of the great Archbishop Fulton Sheen, and do not follow those of your Pastors who have betrayed the mandate they have received from Our Lord, who impose iniquitous orders on you or who remain silent before the evidence of an unheard of crime against God and humanity.

May this Holy Christmas illuminate your minds and inflame your hearts before the Infant King who lays in the manger. And just as the choirs of the Angels and the homage of the Magi united with the simple adoration of the Shepherds, so also today your commitment to the moral rebirth of the United States of America –one Nation under God – will have the blessing of Our Lord and will gather those who govern you around you. Amen.

May God bless you, and may God bless the United States of America.

Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
18 December 2021

Excellent words from a couragous man:

APPEAL FOR AN ANTI-GLOBALIST ALLIANCE
FOR TWO YEARS NOW we have been witnessing a global coup d’état, in which a financial and ideological elite has succeeded in seizing control of part of national governments, public and private institutions, the media, the judiciary, politicians and religious leaders. All of these, without distinction, have become enslaved to these new masters who ensure power,money and social affirmation to their accomplices. Fundamental rights, which up until yesterday were presented as inviolable, have been trampled underfoot in the name of an emergency: today a health emergency, tomorrow an ecological emergency, and after that an internet emergency.

This global coup d’état deprives citizens of any possibility of defense, since the legislative, executive, and judicial powers are complicit in the violation of law, justice, and the purpose for which they exist. It is a global coup d’état because this criminal attack against citizens extends to the whole world, with very rare exceptions. It is a world war, where the enemies are all of us, even those who unwittingly have not yet understood the significance of what is happening. It is a war fought not with weapons but with illegitimate rules, wicked economic policies, and intolerable limitations of natural rights.

Supranational organizations, financed in large measure by the conspirators of this coup d’état, are interfering in the government of individual nations and in the lives, relationships, and health of billions of people. They are doing it for money, certainly, but even more so in order to centralize power so as to establish a planetary dictatorship. It is the Great Reset of the World Economic Forum, the Agenda 2030 of the United Nations. It is the plan of the New World Order, in which a Universal Republic enslaves everyone and a Religion of Humanity cancels Faith in Christ.

In the face of this global coup d’état, it is necessary to form an international Anti-Globalist Alliance, which gathers all those who want to oppose the dictatorship, who have no intention of becoming slaves to a faceless power, who are not willing to cancel their own identity, their own individuality, their own religious faith. If the attack is global, the defense must also be global.

I call upon rulers, political and religious leaders, intellectuals and all people of good will, inviting them to unite in an Alliance that launches an anti-globalist manifesto, refuting point-by-point the errors and deviations of the dystopia of the New World Order and proposing concrete alternatives for a political program inspired by the common good, the moral principles of Christianity, traditional values, the protection of life and the natural family, the protection of business and work, the promotion of education and research, and respect for Creation.

This Anti-Globalist Alliance will have to bring together the Nations that intend to escape the infernal yoke of tyranny and affirm their own sovereignty, forming agreements of mutual collaboration with Nations and peoples who share their principles and the common yearning for freedom, justice, and goodness. It will have to denounce the crimes of the elite, identify those responsible, denounce them to international tribunals, and limit their excessive power and harmful influence. It will have to prevent the action of the lobbies,above all by fighting against the corruption of state officials and those who work in the information industry, and by freezing the capital used to destabilize the social order.

In Nations where governments are subservient to the elite, they will be able to establish popular resistance movements and committees of national liberation, including representatives of all sectors of society who propose a radical reform of politics, inspired by the common good and firmly opposed to the neo-malthusian project of the globalist agenda.

I invite all those who want to defend traditional Christian society to meet together in an international forum, to be held as soon as possible, in which representatives of various nations come together to present a serious, concrete,and clear proposal. My appeal is made to political leaders and to rulers who care about the good of their citizens, leaving aside the old systems of political parties and the logic imposed by a system enslaved to power and money. I call the Christian nations together, from east to west, inviting Heads of State and the healthy forces of institutions, the economy, labor, universities, health care and information to join a common project, disrupting the old systems and putting aside the hostilities that are desired by the enemies of humanity in the name of divide et impera. We do not accept our adversary’s rules, because they are made precisely to prevent us from reacting and organizing an effective and incisive opposition.

I call upon Nations and their citizens to ally themselves under the Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the only King and Savior, the Prince of Peace. In hoc signo vinces.

Let us found this Anti-Globalist Alliance, let us give it a simple and clear program, and let us free humanity from a totalitarian regime that brings together in itself the horrors of the worst dictatorships of all time. If we continue to delay, if we do not understand the threat that looms over us all, if we do not react by organizing ourselves into a firm and courageous resistance, this infernal regime that is establishing itself everywhere will not be able to be stopped. And may Almighty God assist us and protect us.

Carlo Maria Viganò, Archbishop
Former Apostolic Nuncio to the United States of America
16 November 2021

More here - source document and video

Wonder how this will hit Pelosi and Biden

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She is the very model of a very Faithful Catholic after all - from American Magazine:

Archbishop Cordileone on Biden, Pelosi, abortion and Pope Francis
In this wide-ranging conversation on “The Gloria Purvis Podcast,” host Gloria Purvis speaks with Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of San Francisco about some of the most contested issues in the Catholic Church today. Gloria asks the archbishop about President Biden’s meeting with Pope Francis, his relationship with Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the ongoing debate over Communion for pro-choice Catholic politicians and more.

A few excerpts from the transcript:

Bishop Salvatore Cordileone: You brought up that [Mr. Biden is] personally opposed [to abortion]. That was his position at one time. It’s not what it is now. He seems to be more guided by the Democratic Party than his Catholic faith on the issues where we’re not in harmony. He recently said that he no longer believes that life begins at conception, which is a problem for a couple of reasons. One is, it’s not a matter of religious belief when life begins. Science tells us life begins at conception. The church affirms that. So he is explicitly dissenting not only from church teaching but from sound science.

And the 3,000 pound elephant in the room:  The Eucharist

Bishop Salvatore Cordileone: The media certainly has been politicizing it. They keep bringing up [President] Biden and [Speaker] Pelosi. And the bishops were making the point that it’s not going to mention anyone by name, but it’s going to be a teaching document to clearly spell out these issues. Although, I have to admit with all honesty that it was the election of President Biden that really spurred this.  I have to admit with all honesty that it was the election of President Biden that really spurred this.

But it was way overdue. And now [having a] Catholic president who is so aggressive for abortion makes it very urgent. But it’s not going to be focused just on that. It’s going to be a teaching document about the Eucharist as a gift to be celebrated and to be received and to be lived.

Give him three stars for excellent diplomacy.  It will be interesting to see the document when it has been written.  More at the site - a good interview.

504 years ago (yesterday)

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Blew it by one day.  Martin Luther nails his 95 theses to the door of the Castle Church.
This triggers the Protestant Reformation - a major undertaking. 

Christianity was not a nice religion at that time - sort of where Islam is today. The Muslims need to take note.

This caught my eye:
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Missing something?

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*Resident Biden issued this - from The White House:

A Proclamation on National Day Of Prayer
Throughout our history, Americans of many religions and belief systems have turned to prayer for strength, hope, and guidance.  Prayer has nourished countless souls and powered moral movements — including essential fights against racial injustice, child labor, and infringement on the rights of disabled Americans.  Prayer is also a daily practice for many, whether it is to ask for help or strength, or to give thanks over blessings bestowed.

Seven paragraphs and not one mention of God. Curious.

Pants on fire - Joe Biden in church

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Look at the dates - conveniently circled to draw your attention:

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No clue as to whom Mr. Jackson is but they like to play fast and loose with the truth. 
But wait.  It advances the narrative so it's OK.
Hat tip to My Pensieve

So true - great way to express it:

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Been feeling this way about the Episcopal Church - they used to have morals and standards.  From My Pensieve:

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Quite the letter. From the Most Rev. Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco:

Archbishop Cordileone’s Response to Speaker Pelosi’s Comments About Pro-Life Voters
On Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi criticized prolife voters who voted for Donald Trump on the abortion issue, saying their votes cause her “great grief as a Catholic” and accusing them of “being willing to sell the whole democracy down the river for that one issue.”

Most Reverend Salvatore J. Cordileone, Archbishop of San Francisco, issued the following statement in response:

“To begin with the obvious: Nancy Pelosi does not speak for the Catholic Church.  She speaks as a high-level important government leader, and as a private citizen.  And on the question of the equal dignity of human life in the womb, she also speaks in direct contradiction to a fundamental human right that Catholic teaching has consistently championed for 2,000 years.

“Christians have always understood that the commandment, ‘Thou shall not kill,’ applies to all life, including life in the womb.  Around the end of the first century the Letter of Barnabas states: “You shall not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shall you destroy it after it is born’ (#19).  One thousand, eight hundred and sixty-five years later, the Second Vatican Council affirmed: ‘Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes’ (Gaudium et spes, n. 51).  

“Pope Francis continues this unbroken teaching.  Addressing participants in the conference, ‘Yes to Life! - Taking Care of the Precious Gift of Life in Its Frailty’ on May 25, 2019, he condemned abortion in the strongest possible terms: ‘is it licit to eliminate a human life to solve a problem? ...  It is not licit.  Never, never eliminate a human life … to solve a problem.  Abortion is never the answer that women and families are looking for.’  And just yesterday (January 20, 2021) Archbishop Gomez, President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, reiterated the declaration of the U.S. bishops that abortion is for Catholics the ‘preeminent priority.’  In doing so, he acted rightly and collaboratively in his role as USCCB President, and I am grateful to him for doing so.

No means no.  No matter how you try to work it. You can either be true in your faith to God or you can follow the progressive narrative and worship Mammon.  I get it.  Being faithful takes courage and conviction - something rare in politics. But still... You could at least try...

I bet there is quite the odor of sulfur and brimstone in the miasma of San Francisco and District of Columbia these days. Satan and his minions are walking the Earth quite openly. Harvesting souls. Open season 'ya know. No tag limit.

From The White House - a Proclamation

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Taking the long view - the very very very long view. From The White House:

Proclamation on 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket
Today is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170. Thomas Becket was a statesman, a scholar, a chancellor, a priest, an archbishop, and a lion of religious liberty.

Before the Magna Carta was drafted, before the right to free exercise of religion was enshrined as America’s first freedom in our glorious Constitution, Thomas gave his life so that, as he said, “the Church will attain liberty and peace.”

The son of a London sheriff and once described as “a low‑born clerk” by the King who had him killed, Thomas Becket rose to become the leader of the church in England. When the crown attempted to encroach upon the affairs of the house of God through the Constitutions of Clarendon, Thomas refused to sign the offending document. When the furious King Henry II threatened to hold him in contempt of royal authority and questioned why this “poor and humble” priest would dare defy him, Archbishop Becket responded “God is the supreme ruler, above Kings” and “we ought to obey God rather than men.”

The aftermath of St. Becket's murder:

Thomas Becket’s martyrdom changed the course of history. It eventually brought about numerous constitutional limitations on the power of the state over the Church across the West. In England, Becket’s murder led to the Magna Carta’s declaration 45 years later that: “[T]he English church shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished and its liberties unimpaired.”

Much more at the site.  Just go there and read the whole thing.  This is a very timely and powerfully written piece.

One more taste:

To honor Thomas Becket’s memory, the crimes against people of faith must stop, prisoners of conscience must be released, laws restricting freedom of religion and belief must be repealed, and the vulnerable, the defenseless, and the oppressed must be protected. The tyranny and murder that shocked the conscience of the Middle Ages must never be allowed to happen again. As long as America stands, we will always defend religious liberty.

Speaking truth to tyranny (masquerading as power).

From Summit News:

Top Catholic Cardinal Warns COVID-19 Being Used to Usher in “Evil” Great Reset
A top ranking Catholic Cardinal has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic is being exploited by proponents of “The Great Reset” to “advance their evil agenda.”

Cardinal Raymond Burke, one of the most powerful Catholics in the United States, gave a homily in which he savaged “secular forces” who want to “make us slaves to their godless and murderous agenda.”

“Then there is the mysterious Wuhan virus about whose nature and prevention the mass media daily give us conflicting information,” said Burke. “What is clear, however, is that it has been used by certain forces, inimical to families and to the freedom of nations, to advance their evil agenda. These forces tell us that we are now the subjects of the so-called ‘Great Reset,’ the ‘new normal,’ which is dictated to us by their manipulation of citizens and nations through ignorance and fear.”

He also addressed our subservience to China

“To attain economic gains, we as a nation have permitted ourselves to become dependent upon the Chinese Communist Party, an ideology totally opposed to the Christian foundations upon which families and our nation remain safe and prosper,”

See the whole thing here: (17:27)

Quite the letter - Reverend Warnock

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He is the Democratic Senate candidate from Georgia - he is an advocate of Critical Race Theory and an anti-Semitic bigot. Far far left. His mentor was Jeramiah Wright - that says it all. From The Daily Wire:

‘Scandal To The Faith’: Group Of Black Pastors Rebuke Warnock For ‘Open Advocacy Of Abortion’
A group of black pastors penned a letter rebuking Democratic Georgia Senate candidate Raphael Warnock for what they describe as his “open advocacy of abortion,” and urge Warnock “to fight against the systemic racism of abortion.”

Twenty-eight black leaders in the Christian community pushed back against Warnock’s hardline abortion views in the letter, including evangelist Alveda King, who is the niece of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Warnock presently pastors Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, a congregation which King also once pastored.

Warnock, whose runoff Senate race in Georgia is under intense national attention for the potential it has to swing the upper chamber to the Democratic Party, has before raised eyebrows among some Christians for comments he has made about Christianity, such as when he described Jesus Christ as “a poor Palestinian prophet” and a “Palestinian peasant.”

The text of the letter is there.  Wow!  Just one paragraph:

Couching abortion in the language of “reproductive justice” may be savvy marketing, but killing an innocent human life has nothing to do either with reproduction or with justice. Do American adults really need another public voice urging them to put their own short-term desires ahead of the needs of their children? As a pastor who speaks for the Christian community, we implore you to speak the plain truth about a practice as barbaric and destructive as abortion.

That will leave a mark. The fact that the authors are 100% correct makes it even more devistating.

Some good perspective on the election

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From Archbishop Carlo Maria Viganò - November 4th, 2020 - The Remnant:

MESSAGE OF ARCHBISHOP CARLO MARIA VIGANÒ TO AMERICAN CATHOLICS AND TO ALL AMERICANS OF GOOD WILL
Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As devout Christians and faithful citizens of the United States of America, you have intense and heartfelt concern for the fate of your beloved country while the final results of the Presidential election are still uncertain.

News of electoral fraud is multiplying, despite the shameful attempts of the mainstream media to censor the truth of the facts in order to give their candidate the advantage. There are states in which the number of votes is greater than the number of voters; others in which the mail-in vote seems to be exclusively in favor of Joe Biden; others in which the counting of ballots has been suspended for no reason or where sensational tampering has been discovered: always and only against President Donald J. Trump, always and only in favor of Biden.

In truth, for months now we have been witnessing a continuous trickle of staggered news, of manipulated or censored information, of crimes that have been silenced or covered up in the face of striking evidence and irrefutable testimony. We have seen the deep state organize itself, well in advance, to carry out the most colossal electoral fraud in history, in order to ensure the defeat of the man who has strenuously opposed the establishment of the New World Order that is wanted by the children of darkness. In this battle, you have not failed, as is your sacred duty, to make your own contribution by taking the side of the Good. Others, enslaved by vices or blinded by infernal hatred against Our Lord, have taken the side of Evil.

Do not think that the children of darkness act with honesty, and do not be scandalized if they operate with deception. Do you perhaps believe that Satan’s followers are honest, sincere, and loyal? The Lord has warned us against the Devil: “He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44).

Much more at the site - I quoted a bit less than half of the letter.  Now this is speaking truth to power.
This really is a battle between good and evil.

From the Archbishop of Philladelphia - a very smart cookie -  Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. writing at First Things:

MR. BIDEN AND THE MATTER OF SCANDAL
Readers may recall that during the 2004 presidential campaign, Sen. John Kerry led the Democratic ticket. As a Catholic, Kerry held certain policy views that conflicted with the moral beliefs of his Church. This led to internal tensions among U.S. bishops about how to handle the matter of Holy Communion for Catholic public officials who publicly and persistently diverge from Catholic teaching on issues like abortion. At the time, Washington’s then-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, along with Pittsburgh’s Bishop Donald Wuerl, had very different views from my own regarding how to proceed.  

I believed then, and believe now, that publicly denying Communion to public officials is not always wise or the best pastoral course. Doing so in a loud and forceful manner may cause more harm than good by inviting the official to bask in the media glow of victimhood. What I opposed in 2004, however, was any seeming indifference to the issue, any hint in a national bishops’ statement or policy that would give bishops permission to turn their heads away from the gravity of a very serious issue. At the time, fortunately, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith resolved any confusion about correct practice in these matters with its July 2004 memorandum to then-Cardinal McCarrick, Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles. It includes the following passage:

5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

Much much more at the site - Chaput is always thoughtful and good to read. I doubt that Biden would be aware of what this would be about - the guy is drugged to the gills and is serving as a meat puppet for the communist wing of the democratic party. Still, this would be interesting if he tried.

Interesting - an opinion from The Vatican

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From CNS News:

Catholic Cardinal: 'It's Better to Vote for a Good Protestant Than a Bad Catholic'
When asked about the group "Catholics for Biden" and whether a Catholic can vote for someone who is pro-abortion and anti-family, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, the former doctrinal chief at the Vatican, said Catholics must have "the right understanding of life" and human rights and that it is "better to vote for a good Protestant than a bad Catholic."

A bit more - his reasoning:

“I think as we are citizens in a pluralistic state with religious freedom. And, I don’t support a candidate in Germany because he is Catholic but because he has the right understanding of life and the basics for human rights."

"And it’s better to vote for a good Protestant than for a bad Catholic," said Muller. "We must judge according to what they are doing and not only [according] to their words. That is biblical criteria. Look to the fruits.”

Solid logic - looks like a landslide for President Trump.

Got a good point - crosses

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We can all be gods

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Great philosophical musing from Eaton Rapids Joe this morning - short so here it is in full:

Marxist Jesus
Marxists will sometimes argue that Jesus was against private property. After all, the flipped the money-changer's tables in the Temple yard.

The most famous Christian prayer is the Our Father, also known as The Lord's Prayer.

His disciples asked him, "Teach us how to pray."

One line in the Our Father reads "..and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..."

A literal reading of that translation is that we sin when we trespass or "infringe upon another's property". In fact, the prayer suggests that is the ONLY way we sin.

My body is my "property".

My reputation is my "property".

My land, my tools, my food are all my "property".

If you infringe on them then you harmed me and committed a sin.

The next line seems to anticipate Marxists. It reads "...and lead us not into temptation..." or in some translations "...and save us from temptation..."

Envy is the engine that drives Marxism. To engage in envy is to wallow in temptation. Marxists marinate their followers in envy.

The next line is "...but deliver us from evil..." The juxtaposition implies the two items "temptation" and "evil" are connected.

Earlier I wrote that the Bible seems to anticipate Marxism. Rather, it recognizes unchanging, human frailties. In the Garden of Eden, Satan promised Eve what God have if she ate from the Tree of Knowledge. He relentlessly stoked her envy and she weakened and then sinned.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Marxism is just the latest incarnation of Satan's empty promises that we can all be gods.

I am reminded of that wonderful scene between Loki and Bruce Banner - Puny god indeed.

A fantastic endorsement - Catholic Church

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They usually stay away from politics but not this time around - from CNS News:

Catholic Bishop Agrees: Repent From Supporting Democrat Party or 'Face the Fires of Hell'
Catholic Bishop Joseph Strickland, who heads the Diocese of Tyler, Texas, endorsed a video message by Rev. James Altman, who said that Catholics cannot be Democrats and that such "pretenders" must "repent" of their support for the party and its platform or they will "face the fires of Hell."

"As the Bishop of Tyler I endorse Fr Altman’s statement in this video," said Bishop Strickland in a Sept. 5 tweet. "My shame is that it has taken me so long. Thank you Fr Altman for your COURAGE. If you love Jesus & His Church & this nation...pleases HEED THIS MESSAGE."

And his reasoning:

In the 10-minute message posted on YouTube, Fr. Altman, pastor of St. James the Less Catholic Church in LaCrosse, Wisc., explains that the church is not a political power but is a "moral power," in the words of emeritus Pope Benedict XVI. And because "politics fundamentally should be a moral enterprise," the church "has something to say about politics."

Therefore, when politics and politicians act in immoral ways, we have a duty to speak up about it, says Fr. Altman.

"Here's a memo to clueless, baptized Catholics out there: You cannot be Catholic and a Democrat," says Fr. Altman. "Their party platform is absolutely against everything the Catholic Church teaches."

So true. I love that they are not afraid to call a spade a spade. Now, if only the other faiths would show similar backbone.

From Billlls Idle Mind:

And President Trump Lifted Up His Eyes And Prayed:
Oh Lord, I Thank Thee That Thou Hast Made Mine Enemies the Sorriest Collection
of Incompetent Boobs and Ass-Clowns That Could Ever Be Imagined.
Thou Couldst Not Possibly Make Them More Weak, Foolish, and Corrupt.

And The Lord God Saith Unto President Trump, Holdest Thou My Beer

Just say Non.  Wonderful news - from Breitbart:

No Glass Spire or Swimming Pool: Notre Dame Cathedral to be Rebuilt Properly Without Modernist Vandalism
Paris’s Notre Dame Cathedral, which was nearly totally lost to fire in April 2019, will be rebuilt as it was, the French government says, defying the calls of modernist architects to seize the opportunity to give the medieval masterpiece a glass and steel overhaul.

The French government has condoned a 3,000-page report by the National Commission for Heritage and Architecture calling for a full and faithful rebuild of Notre Dame cathedral, in a move which French newspaper Le Monde notes will annoy “the concrete lobby and iron lovers”.

Within days of the enormous fire that engulfed the landmark Paris building, architects were vying to release audacious design concepts for a potential modernist redesign of the cathedral, given its roof and interior had been totally stripped out by the blaze. The possibility that this insult could be added to the injury of the fire was made greater when French president Emmanuel Macron — himself given to grandiose and even absurd ideas — said he wanted the cathedral to have an “inventive reconstruction” with a “contemporary architectural gesture”.

The level of craftsmanship from 1,000 years ago needs to be honored and preserved. This is a monument for the ages, not a token of passing fancy. 

Christus vincit

With Lee Greenwood - a wonderful rendition of a Lee's great song:

True words - hymns

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The great hymns of the church are on the way out. They are not gone entirely, but they are going and in their place have come trite jingles that have more in common with contemporary advertising ditties than the psalms. The problem here is not so much the style of the music, though trite words fit best with trite tunes and harmonies. Rather it is with the content of the songs. The old hymns expressed the theology of the Bible in profound and perceptive ways and with winsome memorable language. Today’s songs are focused on ourselves. They reflect our shallow or nonexistent theology and do almost nothing to elevate our thoughts about God. Worst of all are songs that merely repeat a trite idea, word, or phrase over and over again. Songs like this are not worship, though they may give the church-goer a religious feeling. They are mantras, which belong more in a gathering of New Agers than among the worshiping people of God.
— James Montgomery Boice

So true - the Church is being dumbed down and stripped of its backbone. The people doing this do not see the increasingly empty pews as the consequence of their meddling.

Here is one that never fails to inspire me:

Once to ev'ry man and nation
Comes the moment to decide,
In the strife of truth and falsehood,
For the good or evil side;
Some great cause, some great decision,
Off'ring each the bloom or blight,
And the choice goes by forever
'Twixt that darkness and that light.

The final verse is chilling in light of recent events:

Tho' the cause of evil prosper,
Yet the truth alone is strong;
Tho' her portion be the scaffold,
And upon the throne be wrong:
Yet that scaffold sways the future,
And, behind the dim unknown,
Standeth God within the shadow,
Keeping watch above His own.

God is not always visible in the light. Sometimes, God stands in the shadow but is still keeping watch.

Let them try to arrest everyone

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Looks like civil disobedience is a thing. From Faithwire:

‘Not Asking for Permission’: Hundreds of California Churches Plan to Open May 31
Nearly 500 California pastors are preparing to open their doors on Sunday, May 31st — whether or not they have guidance from the state. 

“The churches are not asking for permission,” said Bob Tyler, a religious freedom attorney advising the pastors. “The governor is sitting here as a dictator, trumping the Constitution and is kind of hanging on to this state of emergency for as long as he can hold it.”

Good - let these tyrant wanna-be's understand that they may control the police but they do not control We The People. The Constitution spells out our liberties in very plain English.

Some great news at the end. From Louisville, Kentucky station WDRB:

Kentucky State Police record churchgoers' license plates at Hillview in-person Easter service
Troopers with Kentucky State Police arrived at Maryville Baptist Church on Easter Sunday morning to record license plate information of churchgoers who attended a mass gathering during the coronarivus pandemic. 

Dozens of families attended Easter service at the Bullitt County church despite an executive order from Gov. Andy Beshear that prohibits mass gatherings in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19. Beshear said Friday that anyone who participates in mass gatherings of any type during Easter weekend will be required to self-quarantine for two weeks

The troopers also placed notices under cars' windshield wipers that say, "This vehicle's presence at this location indicates that its occupants are present at a mass gathering prohibited by Orders of the Governor and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services. As a result, this vehicle's occupants, and anyone they come into contact with, are at risk of contracting COVID-19, a respiratory illness that can be severe and lead to death, particularly for older adults and those with underlying heart, lung, kidney and immunity issues."

Freedom of assembly? Whatever happened to this line?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

It is the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and the cornerstone to our own Bill of Rights.

Great News: From PJ Media

DOJ: 'Expect Action' to Protect Churches From Tyrannical Local 'Social Distancing' Orders
On Saturday, Department of Justice (DOJ) spokeswoman Kerri Kupec announced that Attorney General William Barr would take action to protect churches from tyrannical local government orders that destroy their religious freedom.

"During this sacred week for many Americans, AG Barr is monitoring govt regulation of religious services," Kupec tweeted. "While social distancing policies are appropriate during this emergency, they must be applied evenhandedly & not single out religious orgs. Expect action from DOJ next week!"

The position of Governor is an elected one. Same for Police Chief.

Door. Ass. Bang.

In Christ Alone

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Just wow - 48 singers from 14 nations:

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands.
Rev 7:9 KJV

Home page here

Looks like the dogma of Papal infallibility is null and void. Time for a new Pope. From Breitbart:

Pope Francis Says Pandemic Is ‘Nature’s Response’ to Human Inaction over Climate Change
Pope Francis said he believes the Chinese coronavirus pandemic is “certainly nature’s response” to humanity’s failure to address the “partial catastrophes” wrought by human-induced climate change.

Asked by British journalist Austen Ivereigh whether the COVID-19 crisis is an opportunity for an “ecological conversion,” the pontiff reasserted his belief that humanity has provoked nature by not responding adequately to the climate crisis.

“There is an expression in Spanish: ‘God always forgives, we forgive sometimes, but nature never forgives,’” Francis said in the interview published Wednesday. “We did not respond to the partial catastrophes. Who now speaks of the fires in Australia, or remembers that a year and a half ago a boat could cross the North Pole because the glaciers had all melted? Who speaks now of the floods?”

“I don’t know if it is nature’s revenge, but it is certainly nature’s response,” he added.

The Pope does not know whereof he speaks. He does not know that history has far greater fires in Australia (and that last year's fires were caused by stupid forest management practices). The North Pole has been recorded as ice free many times - this is a factor of winds and currents, not temperature.

I was raised in the Episcopal Church back when they had a moral compass and backbone. Now, they are just a pale shade and the churches are emptying. I was looking at Catholicism and decided against it just because of crap like this. A central authority who does not stay informed really grinds my gears. A willful lack of responsibility to ones constituents.

Hard to get motivated

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Thinking about getting back to work but sitting here looking out the window at the ocean and the Olympic Mountains in the distance peeking through the diaphanous clouds.

This two hour+ YouTube (audio only) has been my soundtrack for today. Music like this is why the word "Sublime" was coined:

Uplifting - Sunday Service

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Yesterday, I wrote about some tranny who got their whatever out of joint because the theater in Paris where xe was supposed to be performing cancelled their show in favor of bringing in Kanye West for one of his Sunday Services. Oh yeah, there were only 98 seats sold for the tranny's performance.

Here is a video of one of the hymns - crank the sound up, it is joyous and wonderful:

Looks like a pretty full house too - a lot more than 98 seats filled. Nice to see people coming around to conservative values.

Great quote from Albert Einstein

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The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no longer marvel, is as good as dead, and his eyes are dimmed. It was the experience of mystery -- even if mixed with fear -- that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, our perceptions of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which only in their most primitive forms are accessible to our minds: it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute true religiosity. In this sense, and only this sense, I am a deeply religious man... I am satisfied with the mystery of life's eternity and with a knowledge, a sense, of the marvelous structure of existence -- as well as the humble attempt to understand even a tiny portion of the Reason that manifests itself in nature.

This is from a longer essay printed here: The World As I See It

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