Psalm 56
Have mercy on me, Oh God, have mercy
For in You my soul has taken refuge.
In the shadow of Your wings I take refuge
Till the storms of destruction pass by….
For those Catholic pilgrims who had the good fortune to participate in the Albertus Magnus Center for Scholastic Studies’ reading of St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews in Norcia last summer, the poignancy of the sermon delivered on the evening of our arrival could not now be more evident or more profound. For, as the seismic events of the last month have again made manifest, the Roman Church is being seriously shaken, and great turmoil engulfs her.
Fr. Basil Nixen, OSB, prophetically explained to those assembled in the crypt chapel of the Basilica of St. Benedict – the actual birthplace of Benedict and his sister Scholastica – that the post-modern world is beyond disarray, a maelstrom of confusion, its foundations literally collapsing in the face of a relativistic culture of indulgence that adamantly rejects those eternal truths that Christ and the prophets labored to reveal to mankind.
The literal and figurative earthquakes rocking the Church in the last several months (the recent Synod, Amoris Laetitia, our Pope’s visit to Lund, Sweden, the Dubia which remained unresolved) only serve to illustrate the truths first revealed to Abraham and Isaac, Moses and Elijah: we are strangers in a strange land, and only the home of our Heavenly Father will suffice to heal the heartbreak that setting our sights on the things of this world engenders. It is, of course, beyond presumptuous to suggest that any of us might know this better than the people of Norcia, Perugia, and all of central Italy. Indeed, even those who first set the example of living apart from the illusions of the world – the cloistered monks and nuns, the monastic communities of ascetical intentions whose chapels are now in ruins – are faced with renewed discernment as to the example that Benedict set for them at Monte Cassino 1,500 years ago. Our prayers and sentiments of well-being go out to all those who are dispossessed, or whose property is destroyed, yet something more is needed if the lessons of providence are to be applied to their utmost benefit.
The finite days of this life are hastening to their end. The coming of Christ to judge the living and the dead is not far off, for in this final epoch of the Church and the world, only the filling up of the number of the elect remains to be accomplished. It is, indeed, the twilight of the seventh day. As St. Paul writes to the Romans, “all creation groans and is in agony even until now (Rom. 8:22)”.
What then of La Salette? …Fatima? …Akita? …Wars and rumors of war? … Natural disasters? …the modern diaspora of Islam? …a Church with two popes? …Cardinal against cardinal? …the sun spinning in the sky?
In St. Peter’s second letter of exhortation he reminds us: “…We possess the prophetic message that is all together reliable. Keep your attention closely fixed upon it as you would upon a lamp shining in a dark place until the first streaks of dawn appear and the morning star rises in your hearts.”
If then this truly is the case, as Fr. Basil alluded, that our foundations are collapsing, let us not be shaken out of our minds by these events. St. Paul himself states to the Thessalonians that all of these things must come to pass before the consummation is complete.
Courage, steadfastness, equanimity, and unyielding faith in the eternal promises, truths, and traditions bequeathed to the bride of Christ must govern our hearts and wills in this time of great testing. Then, and only then, will the song of the just ring out in one accord as the perpetual cry for deliverance from this madness rises with that of all temporal creation…… Maranatha!
Stay true to Christ as the deception of the evil one attempts to deceive His children. Remember to hold fast to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Sacred Scripture and NEVER accept anything contrary even if you must endure martyrdom. His Remnant Church will ALWAYS REMAIN to the end! Alleluia!
In His Love,
Mary
THE
MANGER’S
FEAT
“O come, O come”
The waiting said
Where pink turns green
And purple red.
Where fasting turns
To festive feasts
And midnight whispers
Come from beasts.
Where slate-gray skies,
Tint-brown clouds glow
Full and fraught
To burst with snow
And burdened mules
Who trod the roads
Can finally rest
Take off their loads.
Where families cut
Down Balsam fir
To scent their homes
Like incensed myrrh.
And men once dark
Living in danger…
Shed tears and kneel
At the feat of the manger!
I ask, how can I believe in a Church where not only are Cardinals against Cardinals, but the Pope is against the other Popes, a Church where most of her leaders seem to do their best to destroy her or at the least are apathetic.
There is an alternative you know. There is an organization in this world that has total cohesion. They are diverse, come from all walks of life, all income groups, all fighting for something a little different, and they work together continuously in lock step. This organization offers pleasures and beauty and respect and admiration. Perhaps you are tempted to join this organization.
Satan, the leader of this well run machine, offers all of this to us, like he did to Jesus, he offers us the world and its pleasures. But what he builds always collapses in short order, as with the Russian communist killing machine, the unending guillotine of the French Revolution, greedy selfish industrialists and their empires, the national socialism of the Nazis, Pol Pots killing fields, all of them short lived. They self destruct in their own worldly desires. It’s adherents continue to self destruct, dying from drug overdoses, sexual diseases, depression, anger, and unhappiness.
Yet, this Catholic Church with its internal wars, run by sinful men, yet supported by the saintly, despite Satan’s continuous unstopping efforts, he can not bring it down. For almost 2000 years he has fought against it, knowing that in the end he can’t win, but these little battles are worth the effort for him. He wins these little battles, but despite winning these little battles, he still hasn’t been successful, for the Church is supported by God. Behind the scenes there is always the Holy Spirit moving things to stop those who would destroy her.
Jesus said that only the few would get through the narrow gate. Did we expect this to be easy, did we expect everyone would pat us on the back and tell us how wonderful we are. We seem to think that the Church used to be so perfect, but as Jesus said, you will know them by their works. There have always been evil ones in the Church, even St Paul warns about them in his Epistles. Many Catholics were some of the strongest supporters of Hitler, France was a Catholic nation when the French revolution took over with all its bloodshed, the great majority of English bishops followed the Murderer in Chief, King Henry VIII right out of the Church, and lead the nations Catholics with them. Catholic have always been but humans, all sinners, imperfect. But that is why Jesus came, the Jews proved that just following the rules was not possible, we are just too sinful. We had to have Jesus Christ to show us the way, to give us the Church where we can receive his grace through the sacraments.
But all these current pains in the Church buffet us with worries and sorrows. We must know that God allows these things to cleans us, to make us stronger, to make us better Catholic Christians. Will we tire from the journey through this desert and give up, as one lost in the desert gives up within a few feet of water. We must have endurance and remember that when the French government gave in to Hilter, there was always the few in the French resistance that believed that they could win, outnumbered, surrounded by apathy in the populous, they fought on, many to the death. But in the end, after many years of struggle, Hitler and his Nazi empire was overcome. Likewise, no matter how few our number, though it seems our leaders have given up the fight against the world and its standards, we must fight on, for God will come through and his Church will live on, imperfect as it may be, offering salvation to the world.
When Jesus was on that cross people left him, now he resides in the Eucharist in the Only one true church he founded, I will not abandon him just because of the bad. Satan would love that. He needs us more than ever.
God help us!
That is quite a powerful assessment.
8% of the first crop of Bishops was “a devil” and that’s not calumny…that’s the word of Jesus Himself!
Michael, If you reed the comments on your blog, I’d like to write you an e-mail message. With Mary’s Advocates, I uphold marriage against no-fault divorce and the Church is experiencing what millions of families experience when one chooses to harden his heart and break apart a family in unilateral no-fault divorce. You might be able to help us find those who are standing for marriage amidst “the post-modern world is beyond disarray, a maelstrom of confusion, its foundations literally collapsing in the face of a relativistic culture of indulgence that adamantly rejects those eternal truths that Christ and the prophets labored to reveal to mankind.”
“It is indeed the twilight of the seventh day.”
Whilst I acknowledge that no saint was infallible, it is nevertheless interesting to note that when Padre Pio was asked if there was long to go before the end of the world, he replied “If we begin with the creation of the world, we are not half way yet.”
No, I will not leave my Catholic church. After all, I’m a ‘Revert’ to the Catholic faith and it was the Holy Spirit that brought me home and not by my own accord. I know have great zeal for the Roman Catholic faith. We must stay strong, committed to the “Truth” and not waiver to the end….. Lord Jesus Christ, please come quickly!!
Yes. But don’t forget Our Lady of Quito, a very important prophecy also for our time.