Proclaim to the Nations ( Mass version)

Slightly countrified for Mass!



Pax et bonum

Forever (Rock of Faith cover)

Pax et bonum

Rock of faith - God of Wonders 2016

Our cover of this song - I'm on acoustic guitar and one of the male vocals.

One of my goals this coming year is to record some original songs and covers.


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To Read in 2020?

I'm looking forward to this year - particularly if I do retire and have more time to read.

Of course, there are so many things to read. Some are on my list of books I should have read, but haven't. Some will be topical, Some will just be for fun.

The Bible tops the list. I need to read/reread more of that.

The current pile of other possibles includes:

Don Quixote - Cervantes
Brideshead Revisted - Waugh
My Name is Lazarus edited by Dale Ahlquist
Knight of the Holy Ghost - Dale Ahlquist
Life of Christ - Fulton Sheen

But I can see more getting on the list:

The Winter's Tale - Shakespeare
The Idiot - Dostoyevsky
The Great Heresies - Belloc
The Confessions - St. Augustine ( a reread; it's been nearly 40 years since I read it).

Assorted poetry - children's and adult.
Mysteries. Just for the fun of it.

Pax et bonum

Read in 2019

Today is the last day of 2019, and it is unlikely I'll finish another book before the ball drops tonight, so here is 2019's tally.

Twenty-six books. Down from last year's tally of 35.

As usual, some are school related - either because we are reading the book (the Chaucer one) or because they are related to books we read in class (the Twain books, for example, or The Horse and His Boy).

Some are Chesterton-related, either directly (Magic, Manalive, Tremendous Trifles) of Chestertonian friends like Pearce.

Some are books that's I've wanted to read, and finally got around to them (Saint Odd, the Oedipus plays, for example.

Some are topical and religious. And some are just for fun.

I wonder what I'll read next year? If I do retire in June, the count may go way up!

Edmund Campion: Hero of God's Underground by Harold C. Gardiner, S.J
The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek by Evelyn Sibley Lampman
Letter to a Suffering Church by Bishop Robert Barron
Flight Into Spring by Bianca Bradbury
Run That By Me Again by Father James V. Schall, SJ
You're Only Old Once by Dr. Seuss
Oedipus at Colonus by Sophocles
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles
Literature: What Every Catholic Should Know by Joseph Pearce
The Horse And His Boy by C.S. Lewis
The Potter's Field by Ellis Peters
Stages on the Road by Sigrid Undset
Saint Odd by Dean Koontz
Magic by G. K. Chesterton
Manalive by G. K, Chesterton
The Theft of America's Soul by Phil Robertson
Brief Candles: 101 Clerihews by Henry Taylor
Tremendous Trifles by G. K. Chesterton
Mark Twain by Geoffrey C. Ward and Dayton Duncan
Gmorning, Gnight! by Lin-Manuel Miranda
The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
23 Minutes by Vivian Vande Velde
Cloaked in Red by Vivian Vande Velde
So Far So Good - Final Poems: 2014-2018 by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King
The Chaucer Story Book by Eva March Tappan (and Geoffrey Chaucer)

Pax et bonum

St. Francis, Admonition 26 about respect for priests

Blessed is the servant of God who exhibits confidence in clerics who live uprightly according to the form of the holy Roman Church. And woe to those who despise them: for even though they [the clerics] may be sinners, nevertheless no one ought to judge them, because the Lord Himself reserves to Himself alone the right of judging them. For as the administration with which they are charged, to wit, of the most holy Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which they receive and which they alone administer to others—is greater than all others, even so the sin of those who offend against them is greater than any against all the other men in this world. - St. Francis, Admonition 26

Pax et bonum

Feast of the Holy Innocents - Stand Out for Life

On the day that we recall the massacre of the infants by Herod, some 200 of us gathered outside Rochester's Planned Parenthood to oppose the contemporary slaughter of the innocents through abortion.

 

 

 

 

Pax et bonum

Woof

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Over there

For some reason, this old song I wrote during the neutron bomb era popped into my head. My views on unjust war go back a long way - along with my views on the death penalty, euthanasia, and other life issues.

I had to work at remembering the words. Now I gotta remember the chords!

Over there

We're all for a confrontation,
a little war in another nation,
BBut don't you touch our loved ones here at home.
We think a fight is a might fine notion
just keep it across the ocean,
and don't you touch our loved ones here at home.

Over there, over there
You must keep it over there
Over there, over there,
you must keep it over there.

We will send you guns and bullets,
tanks and planes and shoes that don't fit,
but don't you touched our loved one here at home.
We'll even send our sons and daughters,
just don't make us watch the slaughter,
and don't you touch our loved ones here at home.

Over there, over there
You must keep it over there
Over there, over there,
you must keep it over there.

Yes, wars are meant for foreign places
let those nations change their faces,
but don't you touch our loved ones here at home.
We don't want to start rebuilding
our factories and office buildings,
so don't you touch those loved ones here at home.,

Over there, over there
You must keep it over there
Over there, over there,
you must keep it over there.

Over there, over there
You must keep it over there
Over there, over there,
you must keep it over there.

Pax et bonum

Missing Mass is a "grave sin"

2180 The precept of the Church specifies the law of the Lord more precisely: "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass."¹¹⁷ "The precept of participating in the Mass is satisfied by assistance at a Mass which is celebrated anywhere in a Catholic rite either on the holy day or on the evening of the preceding day."¹¹⁸

 

2181 The Sunday Eucharist is the foundation and confirmation of all Christian practice. For this reason the faithful are obliged to participate in the Eucharist on days of obligation, unless excused for a serious reason (for example, illness, the care of infants) or dispensed by their own pastor.¹¹⁹ Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit a grave sin.

 

 - Catechism of the Catholic Church

Pax et bonum

Christmas Swag

This Christmas, I got an assortment of potables and edibles - a six-pack of caramel porter, a bottle of Irish cream, bottles of hot sauce, candies, shortbread, popcorn. Mmmm.

I also got a variety of print materials, dvds, and a radio drama.

The Old Farmer's Almanac
Studying the Life of Saint Clare of Assisi: A Beginner's Workbook by William Hugo, OFM Cap., and Joanne Schetzlein, OSF
History on Stage: G.K. Chesterton on Saints Francis and Thomas, performed by Chuck Chalberg
Celebrate Solanus
Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi from the Augustine Institute.

Ah.

Pax et bonum

Want to get to Heaven?

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE):

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral,(1)  nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,(2,3)   ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Footnotes:

1. 6.9 the immoral: Literally, “fornicators.”
2. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Two Greek words are rendered by this expression
3. 6.9 homosexuals: Greek has “effeminate nor sodomites.” The apostle condemns, not the inherent tendencies of such, but the indulgence of them.

Pax et bonum

Hey Democrats, here's a potential candidate ...

Given the party's stance on a number of issues - sexual morality, religious liberty, homosexual  actions, abortion, contraception, etc. - he's a potential dark horse candidate!

Pax et bonum

Santa Season 2019

Another season in the books. So much fun!

 

 

 

Pax et bonum

Reading down ...

Last year, I read 35 books. This year, it seems obvious I'll read fewer books. I don't know if the books got thicker and denser this year, or if I got caught up in other activities.

Some people read many times more books.

Not that it matters.

But it does make me wonder.

Perhaps if I do retire in June I can really up my total in 2020.

Not sure what to read now. Working through a collection of essays by Father Schall and I started Brideshead Revisited.

We'll see.

Pax et bonum

Shepherds and Magi

Pax et bonum

Adam Schiff Clerihew

Representative Adam Schiff
gets wide-eyed when he gets a whiff
of deceit and deception, though events have shown
he's oblivious to his own.

Pax et bonum

Santa Season

 

The Gates Town Tree Lighting 2019

Pax et bonum

"Pro-lifers don't care about babies/people after they are born"

Delivering supplies for immigrants



Clothes for the poor












Catholic Charities Drug Rehab Program (free)






Pax et bonum

Welcome to Gubbio

On Tuesday night, Gubbio joined our family.

 

We discovered him last Saturday when, just by happenstance, we'd stopped at a store to get some supplies for our bird feeder, and a German Shepherd rescue group was on site with some available dogs. The Good Looking One fell in love with Gubbio.

The name comes from the story of "St. Francis and the Wolf of Gubbio." The wolf had been attacking people and farm animals around the town of Gubbio, and St. Francis worked out an arrangements between the wolf and the townspeople. If they feed the wolf it won't attack them or their animals. Apparently the wolf eventually became almost like a pet to the town, and its remains are still preserved there.

 We had been looking for a a new dog after the loss of our beloved Ruby in September. We hadn't expected it to be a puppy - Gubbio is only about 12-weeks-old.

Ahh, housebreaking.

He's still not old enough to take for walks, or even to have all of his shots yet. I look forward to those walks.

Pax et bonum

A Game of Chicken? (Chick-fil-A)

Chick-fil-A
still honors the Sabbath day.
Alas, though, it caused its fans to sicken
when in the face of LGBT pressure the company turned chicken.

Pax et bonum

Mother Teresa - Be Faithful

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Oh, those Democrats

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You never know ...

 

DNA tests show

amid European roots

non-human traces

Pax et bonum

The Tau Is Our Habit

Saturday night I was at my school for the middle school play (I was the director). As I walked out from backstage before the play, a couple approached me and asked if I was a Secular Franciscan. I was wearing my Tau Cross in plain sight. They had Tau Crosses as well, and it turned out they were from a fraternity in Syracuse. We chatted for a while about our respective fraternities, and about the Secular Franciscan Order. Then I had to get back to getting ready for the performance (though we did talk briefly after the play as well; their granddaughter was in the cast.)

The moment was possible only because we were visibly wearing our habits - the Tau. That is exactly what the Tau is in the United States under the revised Rule of 1978.

Our habit.

As Secular Franciscans, we are supposed to wear the Tau wherever we are. At work. Shopping. While at plays or sports events or concerts, and so on. It is not just something we put on for fraternity gatherings.

Again, it is our habit..

As in the above situation, it allows Secular Franciscans to recognize each other. I have been in other situations in which the Tau has elicited questions from people, providing an opportunity to proselytize.

There may be some situations where we are not allowed to wear the Tau on a cord for safety reasons, such as when working with machinery. There may be work situations where (sadly) we are not allowed to openly display religious symbols. I used to work at a fundamentalist Christian school where such "Catholic" symbols were not allowed, for example. That's why I got in the habit of wearing a Tau lapel pin. I had it on, but it was just not visible.

But those are the exceptions. Anyone who is a Secular Franciscan should have a visible Tau. If a Franciscan is in situations where he or she could wear one, but do not do so, then one has to wonder why. Did the person lose his or her Tau and can't afford another? Forgetfulness? Bad habit? Ignorance? Not taking his or her vocation seriously?

As for me, I would feel naked without my Tau. I want all the world to know I am a Secular Franciscan.

Pax et bonum

All those years

All those years searching
for how it came to be led
him to sense a Who.

Pax et bonum

Some Recent Scifaiku And Horrorku

He felt odd eating
the creature that had eaten
fellow colonists.

That first, long winter
survivors were grateful for
cryo tube contents

In her last moment
she suddenly recognized
the werewolf's cologne.

through the rubble
a three-legged dog carries
a humerus

Pax et bonum

Weather Forecast

Weather Forecast

Watching
the clouds racing
across the sky like wild
stallions fleeing what they know is
coming

Pax et bonum

The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek

Just for the fun of it, I'm reading a book I used to love as a child - The Shy Stegosaurus of Cricket Creek by Evelyn Sibley Lampman.



The book was published the year I was born. I bought an original edition of it at a library book sale back in 1984, and it's been sitting on my bookcase since. The copy is a little worn, torn and stained, but that's okay.

I don't recall exactly when I first read it - somewhere around when I was 8-10 sounds about right. I was fascinated by dinosaurs back then, and I remember really liking the book.

I wonder what other books of my youth should I read next? How about Beautiful Joe by Margaret Marshall Saunders? That's also on the shelf!

Pax et bonum

A Note to Our Parish Deacon

(Our parish has an African priest as the administrator. He's a good man, but the parish is slowly losing people, collections are down, and so on. On Monday, because school was out, I was able to make it to morning Mass. Father talked about some of the problems in the parish. I responded with the following note to our parish Deacon.)

I went to Mass this morning, and Father F*** was lamenting the decreasing attendance and collections, and asking if people care about the parish surviving. He wondered if he was the problem, and what he could do.

This wasn’t the group to preach to – given their daily commitment, and their involvement in the parish already.

After Mass, I said he needed to share this on Sunday, repeatedly. But I also said I could sit down with him and share enough observations to fill an hour. (Of course, we were unable to do so, so that was more rhetorical than realistic.)

I’ve chosen instead to share with you. Aren’t you lucky? You can do with it whatever you will. Delete comes to mind!

There are a number of outside circumstances. The demographics in G**** are changing, so we are not the only parish suffering. There are fewer practicing Catholics to draw from. There’s “competition” from other denominations that have livelier services, fewer rules about some things, etc.

The population is aging, and fewer younger people are going to church in general.

There are a lot of people angry at the diocese and the Church because of all the scandals. There are others who are angry about church rules concerning divorce and remarriage, birth control, cohabitation, and so on.

The culture is very anti-Church, anti-faith, anti-traditional morality, anti-institutional. People are far more secular, and don’t feel the need to pretend to be religious any more.

In looking at the parish, there are positives, but also issues affecting
attendance/commitment.

Among the positives: Father F*** is clearly a devout man. Returning the Tabernacle to the altar was a plus. Inserting the “Hail Mary” into the Mass was a good idea. Calling for greater reverence (and quiet) is good.

But then there are problems.

Quiet and reverence needs to be spoken about again and again to break the bad habits – and it needs to be modelled by parish ministers and staff. I don’t know how many times I’ve seen ushers, choir members, staff members talking loudly, laughing, glad handing in church while people are trying to pray and get ready for Mass.

Reverence includes how people dress. Yes, I know the old argument, “Hey, at least they are at Mass” – but would they go to a wedding or a business meeting dressed in gym shorts, sweat pants, tee-shirts promoting businesses or sports teams? Notes in the bulletin, or reminders from the pulpit, might help.

Reverence includes following the rubrics. People at the parish have gotten into habits that could be broken. The parish leadership finally got them to stop standing during the consecration, for example, and ended lay preaching, but I think that was compelled by the diocese. But it can be done if there is the will. Leaving Mass early? Absolutely not, unless there is a really good reason like illness. At the school where I teach, and the parish where we go to Mass, people stay until AFTER the last verse of the final hymn, and then everyone ALL kneel for a moment of prayer before leaving. It’s a growing parish, by the way. We could do that here.

How about the people assuming the Orans position during the “Our Father” – something that only the priest should be doing? It’s a lesser thing, rooted in the Charismatic movement, I believe, but still helps to undermine the reverent atmosphere.

I go to the men’s group at St. P*** – a group with which you are familiar. Why do they get 20-30 guys each meeting? What are they doing that we could be doing here? (I can’t go to men’s group at St. T********* because it’s at the same time as band practice. That St. P*** group surveyed men to find out what would be a good time to meet. But even if I were free, I would not likely go given what I’ve seen and heard of the content here. I like what the St. P*** group offers - a consistent program with videos/topics/speakers that challenge me or help me to grow.)

I know of one prominent family in the parish whose children were taking part in the youth program at another parish. Why? What does that parish offer? (My sense is more orthodoxy, with a Steubenville influence – but it would be good to know if that is indeed the case). How many youth groups do things like take part in prolife events as a group – the March for Life for example. NCYC is fine – but what about going as a group to the March or 40 Days or Stand Out, or the Steubenville conferences? At the school where I teach, a substantial part of the middle school and most of the high school go to the March (we fill a bus) – and the students in K -12 who don’t go to Washington take part in a pro-life march in East Rochester. Will the Youth group be at the Love Will End Abortion session next Sunday? (For that matter, will the staff, the Knights, the Parish Council, etc.? I know when we had that special Mass for the Transitus of St., Francis on October 3, even though it was promoted in the bulletin, only a few parishioners came, only one staff member did – she had to serve as sacristan – and no one representing any parish groups came.)

A couple of years ago, one of the Hands of Christ recipients was already openly living with her boyfriend when she received the award. I know of music ministry people who were living in such situations. I had a conversation with one person whom I see active in parish ministry who admitted he slept with his girlfriend. I know of parishioners who were active in parish ministries who were allowing their children’s boyfriends/girlfriends to live with their children, or stay overnight, in their own homes. I recall a discussion with some parish ministers who said they don’t bother going to Holy Day Masses because they’re inconvenient. How many other ministers are living in ways incompatible with the teachings of the Church, or are picking and choosing the rules they follow, yet are presented to the parish as good Catholics? I’m not talking about mounting any kinds of investigations/inquisitions, but when it is openly known? At the school where I teach, we take an oath of loyalty to the Church and its teachings every year. Can’t parish ministers do the same?

If you look around the diocese, the parishes that are growing are either in areas that are growing in population or, offer more orthodox expressions of the faith (O** L*** of V******, St. J*******, etc.). At St. T********* we offer basically just what the other dying parishes offer – nothing stands out, nothing sets us apart as more spiritual/orthodox/inspiring in some way.

Another factor, and this is not meant as an insult, I really like him as a person. is that Father F*** is simply hard to understand. People have left, or have tuned him out, because no matter how good his message is, they can’t understand what he is saying.

Any thoughts about all this?

(No response so far from the Deacon. This morning, one of the other Deacons - not officially assigned to us, but who is in the preaching rotation - tried to boost the parish in his homily. He cited some of the good things at the parish, though it was interesting the number of good things he left out. And he referred to a religious sister being one of the folks at the parish who gives "homilies." Sigh.)

Pax et bonum

Robert Forster, RIP

Robert Forster, a Rochester native who went on to star in movies (even earning an Academy Award nomination) and on television, passed away October 11. Cancer took him at age 78.

I saw him most recently in role a recurring as Bud Baxter on Last Man Standing.

Rest in Peace.

Pax et bonum

Monarch Butterfly

Monarch butterfly
alights on autumn flowers
that like it face south

Pax et bonum

West of Brooklyn

Old Western



Brooklyn cowboy
defeats Brooklyn Mexican -
cue the theme music



Pax et bonum

slug, not snail

Pax et bonum

Carp flopping on the fire

 

Even

then, I knew when

my father said the carp

flopping on the fire felt no pain,

he lied.

Pax et bonum

A limax inter zizania

Years ago when I was a reporter at a Catholic newspaper we received a copy of a book by a Rochester spiritual writer, Father Thomas Green, SJ. (God rest his soul.)

 

The book was Weeds Among the Wheat.

 

Being a wise guy - and not intending any slight against Father or his book - I quipped that if I ever wrote an autobiography it would be called A Slug Among Weeds.

 

The Slug part is a given. Slug suggests a slothful, lazy person, an idler. That's me.

 

It's also a lowly creature. Also me. Some wags might even call me slimy.

 

I think of St. Francis calling his own body Brother Ass. At least he was worthy of being a mammal.

 

When it comes to Weeds - I have an affection for them (as my neighbors might attest). I'm not one of those herbicidal maniacs out to massacre every non-grass plant on my lawn. I like dandelions, chicory, Queen Anne's Lace.

 

From a theological point of view, there are many folks who have been (and are) considered "weeds" by others - lepers, prostitutes, drunks, tax collectors, fishermen, shepherds, pro-lifers, and so on. So A Slug Among Weeds makes sense.

 

As for the sluggy haiku, well, I think many purists would not consider my 17-syllable scribbles proper haiku, although a few of my creations might flirt with the literary boundaries. I certainly would not submit them to haiku journals.

 

I'm simply playing with the words and images, having a grand old time, nurturing my Dada side and my inner slug.

 

And besides, it's better than sitting around obsessing over the perceived sins and faults of others.

 

I'm a slug, after all.

Pax et bonum

Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar
Allan Poe seemed
a very troubled soul.
But the tales he left us trouble
our dreams.

Pax et bonum

Peter and Judas

Peter

and Judas both
regretted betraying
Jesus, but Peter trusted God's
mercy.

Pax et bonum

A Coming Chastisement?

Normally I don't heed these dated doomsday type messages. But this one was sent to me by a priest I respect, so I found it worth reading and thinking about. At the very least, it raises issues worth discussing.

Will the pope and bishops save us from a coming chastisement?

Posted on August 13, 2019 by Fr. Regis Scanlon

Prologue:

Fifty years ago, if you told Catholics that “cardinals would oppose cardinals and bishops would oppose bishops” in the Catholic Church, few would believe it. Now is has come  true.  Bishops and cardinals questioning teachings held since the beginning of the Church. What’s even harder to believe, it was all predicted in two separate Marian apparitions. One is the famous Fatima apparition to the three shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta,  in 1917 at Fatima, Portugal and  the other an apparition to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa at Akita, Japan in 1973. Here is more background about Fatima and Akita

We can trust both apparitions. All the popes since Pius XII have accepted the message of Our Lady of Fatima. And the message to Sr. Agnes is the same as that which was told to the three children of Fatima. This was verified by Cardinal Ratzinger, the head of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith, when he met with Bishop John Ito, the ordinary of Sr. Agnes. While Cardinal Ratzinger did not officially approve of the messages of Our Lady at Akita (it would have taken years to do so), “he did not object to the pastoral letter which  Bishop Ito  wrote in 1984” which stated about Akita that “It is the message of Fatima.” This is very important since Cardinal Ratzinger, the future Benedict XVI, knew the contents of the Fatima Message, including the famous Third Secret. If the Akita message was not the same as that of Fatima, the Cardinal would have objected to Bishop Ito’s publication of it as such.

Our Lady Fatima said that Catholics must pray the daily Rosary and do penance so that people will stop offending God.  Our Lady told little Jacinta that   “the sins of the flesh” were the most frequent sins committed by people leading them to eternal punishment. If God was offended by these sins in 1917, how much more is He offended today? In 1917, it’s fair to say that “the sins of the flesh” were considered deviant behavior, but today the situation is far worse, because those sins, including  pornography, masturbation, contraception, fornication, adultery and sodomy, are considered normal behavior. And, abortion, which is often done to cover up the “sins of the flesh,” was considered rare in 1917, but just from 1980 until today the global number of babies that have been aborted is 1.5 billion. The point here is that mankind has not only refused to repent of its “sins of the flesh,” it has even doubled down by expanding these sins in both kind and number exponentially.

Our Lady warned of horrible events if people didn’t repent of these sins. Bishops opposing bishops and cardinals opposing cardinals is only the beginning. At both Fatima and Akita the warning is:   If the chief rulers of the world and of the Church will not oppose these evils, God will allow a punishment in which “millions upon millions will die from one hour to another” and “wipe out a great part of humanity.”   This may seem harsh and extreme but it is merely the modern application of Scripture where St. Paul teaches in Rm. 1:18-32 and Eph. 5:3-6 that “the wrath of God” is being poured out upon those who practice “unnatural sexual relations” and “impurity.”

So, what’s coming for the world and the Church?

The Signs of the Times

While we should not recklessly seek signs from God, when convoking Vatican II in Humanae Salutis,   Pope St. John XXIII referred to Sacred Scripture by asserting that it is wise to be able to read the “signs of the times” (Mt. 16:3). After all, if God does offer a sign to us, there could be serious consequences if we do not recognize and heed it. So, what are the “signs of the times” for us in this second decade of the third millennium?

The day of the year, Oct. 13, mysteriously connects several events of the past and future.

First of all, on Oct. 13 1884 Pope Leo XIII received a locution after Holy Communion. He overheard in this locution a dialogue between God and Satan reminiscent of the dialogue between God and Satan found in the book of Job 1:6-12. During this dialogue, Pope Leo XIII heard what he believed to be the voice of Satan challenging God by saying that he can destroy the Church if he had 100 years and the power. God permitted Satan the 100 years and the power probably to manifest His own power and glory. Following this Pope Leo XIII composed the famous prayer to St. Michael the Archangel to defeat Satan.

Satan began his assault on Oct. 13, 1917 with the Bolshevik Revolution and atheistic Communism. We can pinpoint this date because years later, Leon Trotsky opened his “Prinkipo Letter” by saying that “The still isolated October Revolution now completes its fifteenth year” and he dated this Letter Oct. 13, 1932.

However, on the same day as the beginning of the Bolshevik Revolution, Oct. 13, 1917, Our Lady appeared at Fatima to warn the Church of Satan’s plan. She said that if the Church and leaders of nations did not oppose the sins of the flesh and the evils being spread by Russia, many nations would be annihilated and many souls would go to eternal punishment.  To convince people that her message could be trusted, God worked a sign at Fatima, the famous  the miracle of the sun.

Then, on Oct. 13, 1973, Our Lady appeared to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa. In the 1970’s, the rejection of traditional morality was rapidly becoming the norm. In 1973, abortion was approved as a constitutional “right” in the United States. Clearly, the warning of Fatima was being ignored by mankind. So once again Our Lady intervened to emphasize once again the necessity that God must be obeyed or there would be a punishment for the world. At this apparition the statue in the chapel, where Sr. Agnes prayed, shed tears  101 times  because of the great number of souls going to eternal punishment.  The message was to pray the rosary and do penance to prevent souls from going to eternal punishment.

The question is, why is the hierarchy of the Church not responding more forcefully to these clear warnings from God through our Lady especially since the number of people doing abortions and sins of the flesh is far from shrinking. 

Another question: if these “Oct. 13” markers are important, then shouldn’t the end of the 100-year period given to Satan to destroy the Church have occurred on Oct. 13, 2018?

I would answer that question this way. While this is speculative, I think it’s important to note that one of those years during this 100-year period was an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy . This was a Roman Catholic period of prayer held from 8 December 2015, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, to 20 November 2016, the Feast of Christ the King to obtain God’s Mercy.   Pope Francis hoped that during this “extraordinary time of grace” “We will entrust the life of the Church, all humanity, and the entire cosmos to the Lordship of Christ, asking him to pour out his mercy upon us like the morning dew.”  In fact, while every Holy Year of Jubilee is related to obtaining God’s Mercy in some way or another, this was the only Holy Year which was explicitly labeled as an “Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy” since  Pope Boniface VIII inaugurated the Holy Years of Jubilee in the 1300’s. Clearly,  “it is ‘innovative’ in that there has never before been a Jubilee Year dedicated to ‘mercy.’ So, it is unprecedented.”

In other words, God has delayed the punishment for sins to extend His mercy. One interpretation is that the faithful were given a Year of Mercy added on to the 100 in which to repent of their sins before God will send a chastisement to stop the evil in the world. But this also means that Satan will have one more year – 101 years– to try to destroy the Church before God brings his challenge to a halt. 

That brings us to a new deadline for Satan’s 100 year of power — the approaching date of October 13, 2019.

While there are other good explanations of the 101 times that Our Lady’s statue shed tears which do not contradict the above interpretation, the above interpretation seems to be the most  probable meaning relating to Oct. 13 of why the statue of Our Lady in Akita shed tears 101 times during her apparitions to Sr. Agnes Sasagawa. Could it be that Our Lady shed tears for each year that sin would reign, and so many souls would go to eternal punishment?

According to this interpretation, if the leaders of the Church and nations have not opposed these “sins of the flesh” by Oct. 13, 2019, sometime after October 13, 2019, God will stop Satan with a chastisement which will bring mankind to its knees.  This is both good and bad news.  Even though our Lady’s message says that many will not survive the chastisement, those who do so will once again worship God as He intended and Our Lady’s Immaculate Heart will triumph and there will be peace. 

For now, we must pray the rosary and do penance so that the Pope and bishops will publicly and forcefully oppose these “sins of the flesh” by name which are so rampant throughout our society. If they do so, perhaps mankind will wake up and repent, and we will all escape a severe chastisement. 

 

Pax et bonum

Ugh

I don't feel at all well.

Pax et bonum

It's been a rough week

I'm still grieving over the death of Ruby.

It was so sudden - though looking back there were warnings. Still, we went from seemingly "normal" on Wednesday" to dead on Sunday.

I've lost pets before. I'd been there for their deaths. But this one hit home. It felt for a few days that something in me died.

I miss our walks. I miss her waiting for me to come home. I miss her lying down at my feet as I work or read. I miss her watching as I cook, anticipating a few samples. I miss taking her for rides, and maybe stopping for ice cream. I miss her looks letting me know she needed to go out. I miss seeing her bound through the yard. I miss wrestling with her over some toy. I miss her coming into our bedroom and lying next to the bed when I go to bed.

There was a harvest moon tonight. Because of clouds, we could not see it. But without her to walk one more time for the night, I wouldn't have seen it anyway.

I know I will get over it.

But right now I'm raw.

Harvest moon
obscured by the clouds
and my grief.

Pax et bonum

The Charlottesville Lie

Pax et bonum

Ruby, 9/8/19

My beloved dog Ruby had to be put to sleep today due to cancer. I will miss her.

She was my companion for daily walks, my playmate, and a source of joy and love.

a dog
is one way
God reminds us
we are loved



Pax et bonum

Abortion Fact Check Blog

I've started another blog - Abortion Fact Check.

The goal of the blog is to compile information related to abortion. Some of that information will be about the effects of abortion - mental, physical, social, and so on. It will also deal with legal issues and laws connected with abortion.

But another major purpose of it is to compile stories and information about pro-choice violence. Too often pro-lifers are painted by the media and pro-choice advocates as being violent. While that are individuals who commit violent acts or make threats claiming to be pro-life, they are almost immediately criticized or condemned by the vast majority of true pro-lifers. Moreover, statistics, police records, and reports show that pro-choicers are far more likely to commit acts of violence against pro-lifers.

My hope is this new blog will provide information to help defeat the Culture of Death.

There are only a few posts at this point. I will keep adding more. I hope people will point me to more information I can put there.

But I also hope always to act with charity when it comes to those who promote, provide, or procure abortions. They are our brothers and sisters, they are often hurting and need healing. The ideal result of pro-life efforts is to convert them.

I do believe "Love will end abortion." 

Pax et bonum