31 January 2014

Jaroslav Vajda

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You may be familiar, dear reader, with Jaroslav Vajda's hymn text "Now the Silence".  Less well known is a second text that Vajda wrote for the same tune by Carl Schalk.  His words capture well the substance of my last visit to the Blessed Sacrament Chapel this week to spend time with Our Lord:

Then the glory
Then the rest
Then the Sabbath peace unbroken
Then the garden
Then the throne
Then the crystal river flowing
Then the splendor
Then the life
Then the new creation singing
Then the marriage
Then the love
Then the feast of joy unending
Then the knowing
Then the light
Then the ultimate adventure
Then the Spirit’s harvest gathered
Then the Lamb in majesty
Then the Father’s Amen
Then
Then
Then
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Notre-Dame d'Espérance de Pontmain

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Be sure to read a beautiful post by the Prior of Silverstream Priory, Ireland regarding Our Most Beautiful Mother who appeared at Pontmain as Our Lady of Hope.  

The anniversary of her apparition occurred earlier in January, but there is something about this apparition of the Blessed Mother, Our Lady of Hope, that always speaks to me of the full message of Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the TempleI hope that with prayer and some rumination it may likewise speak to you.  

So I post this link here to the Prior's article here for your contemplation in anticipation of the great feast of Candlemas which we celebrate this Sunday, 2 February 2014.

Be sure to support the monks of Silverstream Priory, Stamullen, Ireland.

Très douce Vierge Marie,
Tu as dans ton apparition à Pontmain,
rappelé l’importance de la prière,
fortifié en nos cœurs l’Espérance
et apporté la Paix.
Daigne accueillir favorablement aujourd’hui
la prière ardente que nous t’adressons
pour que s’établisse dans nos cœurs, nos familles,
notre Nation et toutes les Nations,
la PAIX, 
fruit de la justice, de la vérité, de la charité.

Augmente en nos âmes le désir de vivre pleinement notre foi,
sans aucune compromission, dans toutes les circonstances de notre vie.
Aide-nous à toujours comprendre les autres
et à les aimer profondément en Dieu. Amen.


Ave, dulcissima Maria!+

30 January 2014

Son of God - The Movie

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Immaculee reflects upon the feature film 'Son of God':

 
Immaculee Ilibagiza from Motive Entertainment on Vimeo.


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The Holy Name of Jesus

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A brief but beautiful little book on the Holy Name of Jesus is available for reading on the internet at the Cukierski Family website.  The book entitled The Wonders of the Holy Name by Fr. Paul O'Sullivan, O.P. is well worth a read as we approach Candlemas this Sunday.

Contemplating the Holy Name of Jesus saves lives ... and souls.

Candlemas is the closing of a liturgical cycle that began with Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, and it is the feast when the Child Jesus was presented in the Temple in Jerusalem and the Blessed Virgin Mary accomplished her Purification after Childbirth.

By the way — be sure to have your priest bless your devotional candles this Sunday on Candlemas!

Most Holy Name of Jesus, defend and protect us.
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Scientists claim to locate 'conscience'

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Click here for the story: link to the IndependentUK

Sorry, dears, but it is a wee bit more complicated than that.
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29 January 2014

Suicide in Thailand: Tata Motors Boss

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The reported (and supposed) suicide of Karl Slym in Bangkok, Thailand seems to be going unnoticed in most news sources.  The number of recent suicides in the banking and business sectors have been noticed by many as a most unnerving trend.

If you want to learn about the suicide of Tata Motors Karl Slym, click here.

Whether or not he took his life, may God have mercy on his soul.

And may the powers be unmasked.
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A Book Worth Reading

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I do not recommend most recently written books on this subject, but I find this book deeply moving because it illumines within the life of the Christian reader the reality that we western Christians are so comfy and cosy that we are not willing to die daily for the sake of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  We do not wish to give offence, so we do not proclaim the Gospel.  The revelation is that the one we should fear offending is God in Christ Himself!

Yes, the book is about conversion from Islam to faith in Jesus.  But I think many a lukewarm Christian (who may be unaware how lukewarm they are) will find their faith rekindled that they may shine their light before all and give up everything for life in Christ Jesus.

Click here for Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus 
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Shepherd of Hermas: The Third Command

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COMMANDMENT THIRD
ON AVOIDING FALSEHOOD, 
AND ON THE REPENTANCE OF HERMAS 
FOR HIS DISSIMULATION. 

 Again [the Shepherd, the angel of repentance] said to me,

Love the truth, and let nothing but truth proceed from your mouth, that the spirit which God has placed in your flesh may be found truthful before all men; and the Lord, who dwelleth in you, will be glorified, because the Lord is truthful in every word, and in Him is no falsehood. 

They therefore who lie deny the Lord, and rob Him, not giving back to Him the deposit which they have received. For they received from Him a spirit free from falsehood. 

"If they give Him back this spirit untruthful, they pollute the commandment of the Lord, and become robbers.

On hearing these words, I wept most violently.

When he saw me weeping, he said to me, “Why do you weep?

And I said, “Because, sir, I know not if I can be saved.”

Why?” said he.

And I said, “Because, sir, I never spake a true word in my life, but have ever spoken cunningly to all, and have affirmed a lie for the truth to all; and no one ever contradicted me, but credit was given to my word. How then can I live, since I have acted thus?”

And he said to me, “Your feelings are indeed right and sound, for you ought as a servant of God to have walked in truth, and not to have joined an evil conscience with the spirit of truth, nor to have caused sadness to the holy and true Spirit.

And I said to him, “Never, sir, did I listen to these words with so much attention.”

And he said to me, “Now you hear them, and keep them, that even the falsehoods which you formerly told in your transactions may come to be believed through the truthfulness of your present statements. 

For even they can become worthy of credit. If you keep these precepts, and from this time forward you speak nothing but the truth, it will be possible for you to obtain life. 

And whosoever shall hear this commandment, and depart from that great wickedness falsehood, shall live to God.

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Inspiration & A Worthy Cause

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Alternatives to the Imperial Presidency

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Since the Democrats have shed all appearances of supporting the U.S. Constitution and now fully endorse the Imperial power-grab of Barack Obama, the question is what are the alternatives to this Imperial Presidency since the Democrats are all for it and the Boehner-McConnell Republicans do nothing but grouse, look grim, and do nothing.

Some are pointing to Rand Paul or Ted Cruz.   Others mentioned are Mike Huckabee (it is his 15 minutes of fame right now), Jeb Bush (please God, no.), and Marco Rubio. We expect the Democrats to run the heiress-presumptive Mrs. Clinton as their candidate who would be more than happy to be the next Imperial President.

So ... is it as it appears that this is Rand Paul's moment as a Libertarian/Limitarian wearing a Republican cape loosely?  

If you have not seen Rand Paul's response to Barack Obama's State of the Union address of 2014 -- which was most the most painful SOTU I have watched to date -- you may wish to watch Paul's address.  He is definitely looking Presidential.  

The official Republican response was very poor. If that is how the Republican Establishment elite intend to campaign, then they should give up now and throw in the towel.

The Tea Party response had the remarkable Sen. Mike Lee, but it lacked a great deal and the production values of the filming and broadcast were pathetic.  Enter Rand Paul: click here.

Also, Sen. Ted Cruz has given us a whale of piece in the Wall Street Journal that is worth reading: The Imperial Presidency of Barack Obama.  But it does seem to be Sen. Rand Paul's moment.

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28 January 2014

Suicides: Pray Attention

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"Nothing to see here, folks.  Just move along now.  That's it.  Just keep moving..."

Two top American bankers commit suicide in London as one jumps 500ft to his death from JP Morgan skyscraper and another hangs himself in luxury home:

 Gabriel Magee, a 39-year-old JP Morgan bank executive, died this morning after he threw himself off the top of the bank's European headquarters 
 • On Sunday, former Deutsche Bank senior manager, William 'Bill' Broeksmit, 58, was found hanging in his home in South Kensington 
 • Both deaths have been ruled non-suspicious by the Metropolitan Police (!)
 • Magee had lived in London for seven years after transferring from the Unites States with JP Morgan  
• Broeksmit had been in London many years but still owned an apartment in an exclusive Central Park building in New York 

May God have mercy upon their souls.
More information at DailyMailOnline
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Hope Finds A Way

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It may not be Christmas, but I need to share this song right now.  The text was written by an English vicar named Vaughan Roberts and the music was penned by his son Jonathan Roberts.


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27 January 2014

"Have an exit plan"

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Over the weekend newshound Matt Drudge posted a rather dire tweet which follows:


I could not have said it better myself.  I suppose if you have money and means you are being encouraged to have a plan to get out of the USA.  Or perhaps you are being encouraged to abandon the U.S. and world stock markets ... ?  A friend named Charles says both are true as he has relocated himself, his extended family and friends to very fertile farmland in South America. They have also renounced their U.S. citizenship having procured passports from another nation.  Now that I call an Exit Plan.

But for those of us who have few or no means and fewer resources... it still speaks if you speak the language of survivalists and 'preppers'.  Find a cave, an old stand of trees far from the cities..... or simply get as far away from the cities as you can get, etc.

Some call this sort of thing "doom porn".  They prefer to say they need not prepare for disasters as Jesus will take care of everything.  That reminds me of the joke about the man who refused the boat, and the helicopter only to drown because he was waiting for God to provide!

The smartest thing is to at least own some currency that will still be worth something (like Norwegian crowns) after it all falls to pieces, says my friend Peter.  Others would state that owning gold, silver, or copper is the way to go, says my other friend named Peter.  Friend Martha says it is all about having water purifiers, solar generators and food put away.

Whatever your exit plan may be, be sure you have the only exit plan that works in the long run, and that is a saving relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son.  With Jesus we can wisely face anything even as we can wisely plan to protect ourselves and our loved ones.  Maranatha!
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Right before our eyes

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If you have eyes to see, the signs of the times are all around us from Katy Perry summoning Satan at the Grammys to this unbelievable event in St. Peter's Square.

"Quick! Quick! Get thee to a Confessional!"

Precious Blood of Jesus, I adore thee.
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24 January 2014

A Version of the Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester

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THANKS be to thee, O Lord Jesus Christ, 
For all the cruel pains and insults Thou hast borne for me; 
For all the many blessings Thou hast won for me. 
O Holy Jesus, 
most merciful Redeemer, Friend and Brother, 
May I know thee more clearly, 
Love thee more dearly, 
And follow thee more nearly 
day by day.  
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Today's homily by Pope Francis

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Although I do not have the complete text of Pope Francis' homily yet, I wanted to share with you, dear reader, an appreciation of the homily that appears today on the Catholic World Report website:

In his daily homily, Pope Francis spoke of the importance of being humble in order to dialogue with others, and emphasized that we should not build “walls” that can foster resentment with others.

Humility, meekness, becoming all things to everyone and also – but this is not written in the Bible – all of us know that to do these things you have to swallow so many toads. But, we must do it,” the Pope explained in his Jan. 24 daily Mass.

Pope Francis centered his homily, addressed to those present in the Vatican’s Saint Martha guesthouse, on the day’s first reading, which was a continuation of yesterday’s conflict between David and King Saul taken from the Frist Letter to Samuel.

The Pope began by referring to a certain kind of wisdom that encourages one to break but not bend, explaining that the Christian wisdom is one that bends rather than breaks.
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Pope to Über-rich: Stop thinking only of yourselves

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In other places you may have seen or heard of this story regarding Pope Francis' verbal frontal assault on the ears, eyes, hearts, and minds of the über-rich meeting in Davos -- folks who live like kings and act like they are gods over the rest of us (to put it gently).  

What follows is part of the article in the Los Angeles paper regarding the Holy Father's missive to Davos:


Never let it be said that Pope Francis doesn't know how to bring the battle to the battleground. In an address to the CEOs and assorted financial hangers-on gathered this week in Davos, Switzerland, for the annual World Economic Forum, he admonished that "modern business activity," for all its virtues, often has led to "a widespread social exclusion."


He continued, "Indeed, the majority of the men and women of our time still continue to experience daily insecurity."

In the speech read by a proxy, he observed that the business community often fails to take into "the dignity of every human person and the common good. I am referring to a concern that ought to shape every political and economic decision, but which at times seems to be little more than an afterthought." 


The pontiff's words largely replicate the critique of capitalism in his apostolic exhortation last November. ("Today everything comes under the laws of competition and the survival of the fittest, where the powerful feed upon the powerless.") What was special this time around was the audience and its setting, the faintly ridiculous yearly financial glamorfest of Davos. 

Please do read the entire article here: http://www.latimes.com/business/hiltzik/la-fi-mh-pope-francis-20140122,0,3908066.story#ixzz2rLZicUvU

[Although I disagree with some particulars of Pope Francis' economic critique (in particular, his understanding of taxation and governmental structure and purpose), it is gratifying to see the Holy Father sticking to his guns and underlining the main thrust of his argument regarding human dignity and our common accountability for our fellow man.]

Stop and pray for Pope Francis if you have not done so today.  As the leading voice among all Christians on this planet, he deserves our prayers for divine guidance and holy protection over his person and the Living Message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.





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22 January 2014

Anglican Patrimony: Baptism of the Lord

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He needed it not. Needed it not? Nay, take Him so, Jordan had more need to come to Him, than he to Jordan to be cleansed. 'The waters were baptized by Him, they baptized Him not;' He went into them, it is Epiphanius, 'that they who should cleanse us, might by Him first be cleansed.' It is certain; so He received no cleanness, no virtue, but virtue He gave to Jordan, to the waters, to the Sacrament itself.
Lancelot Andrewes, Whitsunday sermon 1615 

For so he would needs be baptised by his servant: and though he was of purity sufficient to do it, and did actually by his baptism purify the purifier, and sanctify that and other streams to a holy ministry and effect; yet he went in, bowing his head like a sinner, unclothing himself like an imperfect person, and craving to be washed, as if he had been crusted with an impure leprosy.
 Jeremy Taylor, The Great Exemplar 
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St. Vincent, Deacon and Martyr

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ALMIGHTY God, whose deacon Vincent, upheld by thee, was not terrified by threats nor overcome by torments: Strengthen us, we beseech thee, to endure all adversity with invincible and steadfast faith; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.




ALMIGHTY God, by whose grace and power thy holy Deacon and martyr Vincent triumphed over suffering and despised death: Grant, we beseech thee, that enduring hardness, and waxing valiant in fight, we may with the noble army of martyrs receive the crown of everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. 



The Revelation to St. John 22:12-17 
Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (DRA) 
BEHOLD, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to render to every man according to his works. 13 I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. 14 Blessed are they that wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb: that they may have a right to the tree of life, and may enter in by the gates into the city. 15 Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and unchaste, and murderers, and servers of idols, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. 16 I Jesus have sent my angel, to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the root and stock of David, the bright and morning star. 17 And the spirit and the bride say: Come. And he that heareth, let him say: Come. And he that thirsteth, let him come: and he that will, let him take the water of life, freely.

Deo gratias.
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Requiescat in Pace, Penny Lord

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May she rest in peace in the arms of the Lord Jesus Christ
and rise the glory of His Resurrection.


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21 January 2014

Filipino setting of "Pater Noster"

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Below you will hear two of the great choirs of the world singing together in Pamplona.  KUP Aldea from the Basque Country and MADZ (The University of Philippines Madrigal Singers) lend their voices to sing a setting of Pater Noster by the great Filipino composer John Pamintuan.  (MADZ singing this setting alone can be heard here.)  This is music from Heaven.



Alleluia.
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Izar ederrak

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"Izar ederrak" (Beautiful Star) by Josu Elberdin
Sung by University of the Philippines Madrigal Singers
at Mont St. Michel
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Blessed John Paul II on 'Life'

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1. The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture.

At the dawn of salvation, it is the Birth of a Child which is proclaimed as joyful news: "I bring you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:10-11). The source of this "great joy" is the Birth of the Saviour; but Christmas also reveals the full meaning of every human birth, and the joy which accompanies the Birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation and fulfilment of joy at every child born into the world (cf. Jn 16:21).

When he presents the heart of his redemptive mission, Jesus says: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10). In truth, he is referring to that "new" and "eternal" life which consists in communion with the Father, to which every person is freely called in the Son by the power of the Sanctifying Spirit. It is precisely in this "life" that all the aspects and stages of human life achieve their full significance.

The incomparable worth of the human person

2. Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal phase. Life in time, in fact, is the fundamental condition, the initial stage and an integral part of the entire unified process of human existence. It is a process which, unexpectedly and undeservedly, is enlightened by the promise and renewed by the gift of divine life, which will reach its full realization in eternity (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-2). At the same time, it is precisely this supernatural calling which highlights the relative character of each individual's earthly life. After all, life on earth is not an "ultimate" but a "penultimate" reality; even so, it remains a sacred reality entrusted to us, to be preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in love and in the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and sisters.

The Church knows that this Gospel of life, which she has received from her Lord,  has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of every person-believer and non-believer alike-because it marvellously fulfils all the heart's expectations while infinitely surpassing them. Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the recognition of this right, every human community and the political community itself are founded.

In a special way, believers in Christ must defend and promote this right, aware as they are of the wonderful truth recalled by the Second Vatican Council: "By his incarnation the Son of God has united himself in some fashion with every human being". This saving event reveals to humanity not only the boundless love of God who "so loved the world that he gave his only Son" (Jn 3:16), but also the incomparable value of every human person.

The Church, faithfully contemplating the mystery of the Redemption, acknowledges this value with ever new wonder. She feels called to proclaim to the people of all times this "Gospel", the source of invincible hope and true joy for every period of history. The Gospel of God's love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel.

For this reason, man-living man-represents the primary and fundamental way for the Church.

Evangelium Vitae
Pope John Paul II
25 March 1995

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I AM PRO-LIFE

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AM 

PRO-LIFE


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20 January 2014

Invoking a goddess from Hell

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Recently I took part in a discussion regarding the degeneration of modern culture in North America.  Much was made of Mylie Cyrus and her various 'performances'.  None of the well-intentioned individuals in this discussion actually understood what they were seeing in Mylie Cyrus' 'performances'.  Yes, in a generalised way they could sense the evil underneath the grossly sexualised displays, but not one of the experts brought in for the discussion really grasped what is at work in this young woman's life and work.

But seeing the displays of Hannah Montana turned 'sexbot' most ordinary Christian Americans know something is deeply, deeply wrong with the culture.  Yet most lack the education or even the curiosity to discover what is going on.  (They are not even aware how they themselves have become mind-control subjects through the events of the Kennedy Assassination and the 9/11 horrors.  Here in January 2014, many are beginning to shake off opportunistic governmental programming from 9/11. Many are waking up.)

So good reader, perhaps you too wonder just 'what in the blue blazes' is going on in the USA.  As a minor note perhaps you wonder about Mylie Cyrus.  At the least maybe you wonder why she sticks out her tongue as she does.  Ah, perhaps that is how to broach the subject...

We are talking about women used by unseen forces to conduct very public religious invocations through their songs and appearances.  Religion?  Yes.  Invocations?  Yes. That is a great deal to take in, but keep breathing.

Do the women know they are being used for such purposes?  Most likely the answer is an emphatic "No".  It is far more likely that they have been traumatised and are simply mind-controlled 'properties' doing what they have been programmed to do.  Sometimes the programming breaks down -- Britney shaving off her hair comes to mind -- but then they are either 'adjusted', terminated, or they vanish from public view.

How are they programmed?  Usually it is an evil brew of pedophilia, psychodelics, and torture -- usually under the auspices of some department of the U.S. government like the CIA -- and with the young persons' personalities shattered they are easily programmed to suit those who deal in such black satanic arts.

It may be somewhat difficult to believe, but you can go back and read the historical record of the late Senator Frank Church and his Committee's work to investigate the horrendous and illegal mind control experiments of the CIA. And it is common knowledge -- and very easily demonstrated -- that Hollywood and the entertainment industry in the States willingly cooperates with the US government's intelligence agencies just as Google and others have been cooperating with the NSA to spy on you.

As far as the occult invocations in which these young women act as a kind of priestess ... these invocations are not part of a religion you know or recognise.  Lady Gaga engaging in a blood ritual via television probably disgusts you, but it is just as likely that you haven't a clue what is really going on in all that.  What is going on arises in part from an ancient religion that the Abrahamic faiths did their best to crush, and in part it arise from that ancient religion as transmuted through occult secret societies that have been able to thrive underground everywhere.

The shocker for you, dear reader, is probably this:  Mylie Cyrus sticking out her tongue in performances and appearances is part of an identification with and an elaborate invocation of a goddess from Hell named Kali — not precisely the Hindu goddess Kali in all respects but signifying the same goddess Kali albeit transmuted through an occult organisation about which you have never heard in all likelihood.

Why would one wish to invoke a goddess from Hell?  Why would this 'Kali' be invoked through Mylie Cyrus while millions of impressionable young former Hannah Montana fans watch?  Why would an occult ritual be carried out in broad daylight and on television?

I must admit it is a brilliant strategy for the powers of darkness.  Very, very few know the ancient rituals or even the nouveau occult versions, and packaging such within a rock/pop music performance gives the whole thing a certain 'cool' factor that easily eclipses anything happening at any church anywhere in the nation at any time.

Rock/pop, sexualised behaviours, and invoking a demon goddess from Hell...  must admit it is genius... especially since most of us are asleep or simply aren't educated enough to know how we and our children are being manipulated to open the door and release the chains that bind an ancient evil.  (One even imagine some Hollywood agent pitching to Billy Ray Cyrus and Mylie Cyrus' handlers the idea and value of using the powerful archetype of Kali with an eye toward Miley starring in a film about Kali repackaged as a 'dark heroine' just like 'Batman the Dark Knight'...  *gag*)

Yet even if you know nothing of these things -- or the attempt to liberate demonic things imprisoned long, long ago -- you do have the power and the ability to anchor yourself and your family in safety through the person, the Name, and the Blood of Jesus of Nazareth, God in the flesh.

Life in Jesus is what is most important of all in this life. Jesus is the rock upon which my life is built. Only through Jesus can I weather any storm, withstand any invasion of things spiritual, actual, or holographic ... and only by living in the Heart of the Lord Jesus can I overcome all in order to behold with joy the Day of Jesus Christ.

So live your life, and stop watching others living their lives on television or the internet.

Live your life IN Christ.

Your Redeemer is alive, and if you have done all to stand in His Name, you will stand with Him on the last day in His triumph.
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Revolution in Ukraine

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The Soviet style ethnic Russian dominated government of the Ukraine has been busy trying to turn the country into Belarus.  The ethnic Ukrainians are not sitting down and taking the new Soviet-style laws, and -- instead of rolling over and playing dead like US Americans -- they have poured out into the streets to risk their lives and challenge the police thugs of the current government.

If you click on the link below, you will see a very confusing scene.  What you are seeing is ordinary folk armed with nothing more than rocks and sticks swarming and taking down armed police thugs.  This is what the fight for liberty and freedom looks like: click here for the YouTube video.
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19 January 2014

St. George

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This blog is on the side of the guy on the white horse.  


Saint George, pray to the Lord for us. +

The Shepherd of Hermas: Vision IV: Chapter II

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VISION FOURTH. 
CONCERNING THE TRIAL AND TRIBULATION 
THAT ARE TO COME UPON MEN. 
CHAP. II. 

Now after I had passed by the wild beast, and had moved forward about thirty feet, lo! a virgin meets me, adorned as if she were proceeding from the bridal chamber, clothed entirely in white, and with white sandals, and veiled up to her forehead, and her head was covered by a hood. And she had white hair. 

I knew from my former visions that this was the Church, and I became more joyful. She saluted me, and said, “Hail, O man!” And I returned her salutation, and said, “Lady, hail!” And she answered, and said to me, “Has nothing crossed your path?” 

I say, “I was met by a beast of such a size that it could destroy peoples, but through the power of the Lord and His great mercy I escaped from it.” 

“Well did you escape from it,” says she, “because you cast your care on God, and opened your heart to the Lord, believing that you can be saved by no other than by His great and glorious name. On this account the Lord has sent His angel, who has rule over the beasts, and whose name is Thegri, and has shut up its mouth, so that it cannot tear you. You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. 

"Go, therefore, and tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and say to them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly. 

"Cast your cares upon the Lord, and He will direct them. Trust the Lord, ye who doubt, for He is all-powerful, and can turn His anger away from you, and send scourges on the doubters. Woe to those who hear these words, and despise them: better were it for them not to have been born.”  
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Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh on Death

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The following is from the conclusion to the printed text of a lecture given by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh which may be found on the internet at this location:

The seeds we sow


Death is never the end. The good we have done continues after us and bears fruit in the lives of others. Unfortunately, the corollary is also true: we can also leave a legacy of evil.

On the positive side, consider the effect of the Gospels. There are countless people who have been converted and transformed by reading even a small passage from them. This they gain from what someone, many centuries ago, formulated and wrote down for the sake of Christ. I myself owe my faith to St Mark. If there is anything good that has come out of my life it is because one day, when I was fifteen years of age, I read St Mark's Gospel and Christ revealed himself and entered into my life.

By contrast, I think of quite other people who have written books, such as the French nineteenth century writer Gobineau. Gobineau wrote some remarkable short stories, but also a miserable little treatise on the inequality of races. It is a treatise that would now be altogether and deservedly forgotten, except for one thing: it was read by Hitler. It is difficult to suppose that Gobineau shares no responsibility before God for all that resulted from his book. He was a theoretician. But his theories became practice, and they were to cost millions of innocent lives.

In this connection, I remember a fable by Krylov. Two individuals were sentenced to hell and placed in neighbouring cauldrons. One was a murderer, the other had merely written some trashy novels. The author took a quick look over the rim of his cauldron to see how the murderer was faring. He himself was being boiled so fiercely that he could not imagine how his neighbour might be treated. To his indignation he saw the murderer basking in tepid water. He summoned the devil on duty and expressed his dissatisfaction: 'I merely wrote some novels, and yet you give me such a violent boiling. Whereas this man committed murder and he is relaxing as if that were his bath'. 'True', said the devil, 'but that's no accident, it's deliberate.' 'How so?' 'Well', said the devil, 'this man murdered someone in a fit of rage. So we give him a hard boiling every now and again because that's how his rage flared up, then we give him a rest because it subsided. As for you, whenever anyone buys one of your books we stoke up the fire under your cauldron and add extra fuel'.

There is a theological point here. Our life does not end conveniently when we die, even on earth. It continues over the centuries through heredity and through the by-products of our existence; and we continue to carry a responsibility for its repercussions. Thus, we have met today; I have spoken; I shall be answerable for anything that you will have received and for the way in which it may affect your life.
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18 January 2014

Facing East

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I am familiar with many former Anglicans who have continued on their journey through the Catholic Church and right on out the eastern door into the Russian Orthodox Church or other branches of Eastern Orthodoxy. Fr. Aidan (Alvin) Kimel is now a priest of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, and he has returned to blogging with a heart-rending story to tell of his journey. 

A few have found there way to the Coptic Church and the Syrian Orthodox Church.  Some I know have migrated to the Melkite Catholics or Ukrainian Catholics, and others have sought out the Maronites so as to remain in the Catholic Church... somehow.

Others have given up and returned to Anglicanism in its many splintered form, and others have given up on any sort of church beyond the oratory or chapel of their own dwelling-place.

But most of those I know who made the sacrifices and entered the Catholic Church have remained and are working as hard as they know to preach the Gospel, serve the liturgy, make available the sacraments, and preserve what parts of Anglican tradition they can.

May God bless all who leave their home to follow Jesus wherever His Spirit may lead them, and resting in His bosom and kept safe within His Heart may they all have peace at the end.
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17 January 2014

The Uncontemplated Nuclear Nightmare

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Few people contemplate the number of nuclear and atomic detonations on Planet Earth and what those have done to living things through bio-accumulation of radioactive materials.  

In fact it is difficult to grasp the threat to living things (like human beings) until one finds a way to contemplate the total number of detonations:


Prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting for generations yet unborn.
Kyrie eleison imas. +

Aurora in Norway

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Contemporary Western folk have a hard time letting the natural order speak to them of God the Creator and Maker of all.  It is easier to imagine computers, holograms, and unseen matrices of numbers spinning in infinity.

However, the Aurora borealis can still inspire us Western folk to think beyond the mundane and scientifically neutered spirituality of modern man and contemplate God the Artist, God the Maker of All Wonder, reminding us ... even in our fallen broken world .... that there are more things in Creation than are to be thought up in our philosophies.

Enjoy the video below or click here to see it:



God bless you and may His Holy Angels attend you.
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16 January 2014

Farming Vertical 'Pinkhouses'

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Click here for an interesting read on how vertical farming can reduce electrical lighting expense by bathing crops in just the right shade of magenta to cause the crops to grow.
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13 January 2014

Ann Bressington on Agenda 21

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Australia's Ann Bressington Exposes Agenda 21
Club of Rome, Sustainable Development, 
at the Lord Monckton Launch 2 Feb 2013 
at the Adelaide Convention Centre.
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11 January 2014

Prayer Concern: West Virginia

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I sincerely ask your prayer intentions for those harmed by a chemical spill in West Virginia.  This has harmed members of a friend's family, and I beseech you for your prayers to the Lord for their safe passage through this time of suffering to a restoration of health for all: click here for the news story.

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09 January 2014

Seismic Activity Monitor

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Interested in seismic activity as a 'sign of the times'?  Perhaps simply interested in seismic activity?  Then click here for the IRIS Seismic Monitor and view a multiframe .GIF file that shows recent earthquake activity.


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08 January 2014

US Bishops announce 'Novena'

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The Catholic Bishops of the USCCB have announced 'Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage' to take place January 18th through 26 Jan. 2014.  

The 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade is the proximate cause for the novena:  over 55 million human beings have been murdered through abortion in the USA, countless numbers of women have died through the 'legal procedure', and the lives of mothers and fathers have been destroyed through it. 

Here is what no one tells you:  All of society around you is completely unreal. At least 55 million human beings who should be here are not here.  What was supposed to take place has not taken place. These murdered human beings are not the only one's missing. Their children are missing as well. The generations that should have arisen from them will never be. The lives of the living are not what they were meant to be. The damage and destruction is so vast -- contemplate it for a moment -- that all of it is a monument to satan's purpose in tricking us to destroy ourselves in every generation since the Garden.

The depth of the evil committed by the USA is something to which US citizens are blind.  They cannot be blamed entirely.  They have been taught lies for generations.  They do not know much of anything when it comes to God and the moral order, and that is how the masters of greed would have it.  

If 'it' is legal, they think God approves. "After all, God is on America's side. USA! USA! USA!" ... Kyrie eleison.

Remember that God could pull down the Soviet Union overnight.  God can likewise pull down the whole world in the twinkling of an eye.

Before we stand before that awful moment of judgement... let us take up this novena offered by the Catholic Bishops of the USA  regardless of the nation we call home.  Nine days of prayer, penance, and pilgrimage are surely things all believers in God can find a way to do.  Who knows.... it may be the very catalyst at this moment in time when the slaughter house of 'legal' abortion is 'razed to the ground'.

"Nine Days of Prayer, Penance and Pilgrimage" 
will take place January 18-26, 2014.

Lord Jesus, hear us and send help from heaven.
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07 January 2014

Radiation scare: California beaches

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Is it Fukushima's radiation wave?  If so, what is the situation in Hawaii and along the Alaskan coast?  Many questions...

CLICK HERE to learn more about the situation in California.  

(Click here to learn about radiation levels in snow in Missouri.)

Both links above are to articles posted on Infowars; links were obtained from the Drudge Report.

Sr. Agnes Sasagawa, pray for us to the Lord.

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04 January 2014

Why are the people asleep ...

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"Most everyone you meet is asleep, but those who are awake look up to the skies in constant and utter amazement but they also look around them in unrestrained disgust."

If you are awake, disgust is not enough.  You need to get to the root and yank it out of the ground … with your bare hands if you must.  The root of evil must be cut off and cast out. Understand that government, money, warfare, science, religion and culture are all blossoms of the root of evil when they grow without God.




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03 January 2014

Vertical Farming: That Everyone Gets Fed

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There are many unused multi-story buildings in the large and medium size cities in the world.  The Church and other Christian communities own underused building and even closed churches. Imagine them being repurposed for vertical farming and an abundance of organic food coming from what would have been a rather small plot of land to farm:



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02 January 2014

Constitution-free zone inside USA

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Incroyable!

A judge has affirmed the Obama government's premise that there is a Constitution-free zone 100 miles within the USA around its borders.... CLICK HERE to learn more.

In other USA news, I am glad to see that Justice Sotomayor gave the Little Sisters of the Poor a stay regarding the anti-Catholic, anti-ProLife provisions of Obamacare.  But I am not hopeful as long as the NSA holds daggers over the heads of all of the Supreme Court justices.  Ah! The Land of the Free...

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Read and Watch Please

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The Syrian jihadists backed by the USA and Saudi Arabia are guilty of the most horrendous atrocities. Just when one thinks it could not get worse, then the news of a new horror comes. Please watch and listen to a nun who knows what is happening in Syria and how Christians are suffering:


O Triune God, have mercy upon your suffering Church and awaken to service all Christians who do not see, pray, or act to relieve the sufferings of their brothers and sisters in the holy Faith.
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