tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169780092024-03-12T23:40:01.172-05:00The Catholic Knight<i><b>Putting the sword to the "tyranny of relativism!"</b></i>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-19709725399097011602012-01-01T00:00:00.151-06:002012-01-01T00:00:03.659-06:00Our Lady of America - The Immaculate Conception - Mother of God<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXTabX42Povl9BZM9aLguzhPP0rMKnWMdlWzzasLgm-UXApwlU5tQJz-E1A6OEm5cBB94v6_MJbY5CnEPGSRMAn7J9NcKyUTEoBQrHgf2phUx4TEDKja8l_CNvoQwuf9Q4CL3/s1600/oloa3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNXTabX42Povl9BZM9aLguzhPP0rMKnWMdlWzzasLgm-UXApwlU5tQJz-E1A6OEm5cBB94v6_MJbY5CnEPGSRMAn7J9NcKyUTEoBQrHgf2phUx4TEDKja8l_CNvoQwuf9Q4CL3/s400/oloa3.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a><br />
The Immaculate Conception<br />
Mother of God</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On May 13 1846, (exactly seventy-one years, to the day, before the Fatima apparitions), the Catholic bishops of the United States, who were gathered for the Sixth Provincial Council of Baltimore, adopted a decree by which they chose the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as Patroness of the United States.<br />
<br />
This decree, translated from Latin into English, is as follows:<br />
<blockquote><i>With enthusiastic acclaim and with unanimous approval and consent, the Fathers </i>[of the Council]<i> have chosen the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as the Patroness of the United States of America; without, however, adding the obligation of hearing Mass and abstaining from servile work on the feast of the Conception of Blessed Mary. And, therefore, they decided that the Supreme Pontiff be humbly asked to transfer the solemnity, unless the feast fall on a Sunday, to the nearest Sunday, on which both private and solemn Masses may be celebrated of the feast thus transferred, and the vesper office of the same feast may be recited.</i></blockquote><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSCYDWRqm2ZN0cZlX6XUjQvG9Q6bzSzvY0XIF2EzexKiFfipVdXOHScM1_012wau8tyTsPD7c6fSZZ1zEP1uS6mu1O_jMaxvo3PnSUadiBDFvtth_tu8vvfC5eEH2ct3mOY_L/s1600/sister-aug-15-64.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSCYDWRqm2ZN0cZlX6XUjQvG9Q6bzSzvY0XIF2EzexKiFfipVdXOHScM1_012wau8tyTsPD7c6fSZZ1zEP1uS6mu1O_jMaxvo3PnSUadiBDFvtth_tu8vvfC5eEH2ct3mOY_L/s200/sister-aug-15-64.jpg" width="135" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil<br />
on August 15, 1964</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The choice of Our Lady, in her Immaculate Conception, as Patroness of the United States was approved by Pope Pius IX in an audience on Feb. 7, 1847; and this approval was announced in a decree of Propaganda dated July 2, the same year. Both of these decrees of Propaganda have the signature of Cardinal Fransoni.<br />
<br />
In 1956 the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared in a vision to Sister Mildred Mary Neuzil in Rome City, Indiana. She appeared as Our Lady of Lourdes, drawing Sister Mildred's attention to that 19th century apparition in France wherein Our Lady revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception. (The United States was dedicated to the patronage of the Immaculate Conception in 1847, a full eight years before that doctrine was defined as infallible Catholic dogma by Pope Pius IX). In Sister Mildred's vision Our Lady said...<br />
<blockquote><i>"I am pleased, my child, with the love and honor my children in America give to me, especially through my glorious and unique privilege of the Immaculate Conception. I promise to reward their love by working through the power of my Son's Heart and my Immaculate Heart miracles of grace among them. I do not promise miracles of the body, but of the soul. For it is mainly through these miracles of grace that the Holy Trinity is glorified among men and nations. Let America continue and grow in its love for me, and I in return, in union with the Heart of my Son, promise to work wonders in her. My child, I desire that this be known."</i></blockquote>Of course with any Marian apparition there is almost always a message. What does Our Lady want of us? Why did she come? What is the message she's carrying to us from God? For the people of the United States, for all Catholic Americans, and for all Christian Americans in general, her message is one that cannot be argued, as it is in perfect alignment with the gospels. Our Lady calls us to live lives of purity and trust. Sister Mildred related the message given to her for our benefit as follows....<br />
<blockquote><i>"I am <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a>. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives."<br />
<br />
“My child, I entrust you with this message that you must make known to my children in America. I wish it to be the country dedicated to my purity. The wonders I will work will be the wonders of the Soul. They must have faith and believe firmly in my love for them. I desire that they be the children of my Pure Heart. I desire, through my children of America, to further the cause of faith and purity among peoples and nations. Let them come to me with confidence and simplicity, and I, their Mother, will teach them to become pure like to my Heart that their own hearts may be more pleasing to the Heart of my Son.</i>"</blockquote>In this visitation the Blessed Virgin Mary asked for no shrines to be built in her honor as <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a>, but instead that a statue of her image be placed in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, where she may be venerated as<a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html"> Our Lady of America</a>, the Immaculate Virgin. As she told Sister Mildred...<br />
<blockquote><i>"I desire to make the whole of America my shrine by making every heart accessible to the love of my Son.</i>"</blockquote>She continued....<br />
<blockquote><i>"Behold, O my children, the tears of your Mother! Shall I weep in vain? Assuage the sorrow of my Heart over the ingratitude of sinful men by the love and chasteness of your lives. Will you do this for me, beloved children, or will you allow your Mother to weep in vain? I come to you, O children of America, as a last resort. I plead with you to listen to my voice. Cleanse your souls in the Precious Blood of My Son. Live in His Heart, and take me in that I may teach you to live in great purity of heart which is so pleasing to God. Be my army of chaste soldiers, ready to fight to the death to preserve the purity of your souls. I am the Immaculate One, Patroness of your land. Be my faithful children as I have been your faithful Mother."</i></blockquote>The United States of America has been dedicated to the patronage of St. Mary - The Immaculate Conception. For this our Land has enjoyed a special protection and blessing, but for this our nation shall also be held accountable for it's sins against purity and modesty. Through the intercession of Mary, this nation might be preserved, but not without our repentance.<br />
<br />
AMERICA IS WORTH SAVING<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNGiCImhJhMOVszKx_xplYqnAiBfpbr4nsd9YCrQ8zwRmd8mPoYkffWuY-FLJYu18N9Xk6VT4xDbNEl_iXBdhAKoFoOiFBFGSbOmTKZl_DnygXOrlHH4w9oQxlAELQuBiFVoV/s1600/Our%252BLady%252Bof%252Bthe%252BFlag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxNGiCImhJhMOVszKx_xplYqnAiBfpbr4nsd9YCrQ8zwRmd8mPoYkffWuY-FLJYu18N9Xk6VT4xDbNEl_iXBdhAKoFoOiFBFGSbOmTKZl_DnygXOrlHH4w9oQxlAELQuBiFVoV/s200/Our%252BLady%252Bof%252Bthe%252BFlag.jpg" width="123" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While not a perfect representation<br />
the original American flag<br />
makes a nice crown for Our Lady</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There is a difference between the people of the United States and the government of the United States. This is something we often get a little confused about. Perhaps this is because of our electoral process and the structural nature of our republic. Often the government is described as a government <i>of</i> the people, <i>by</i> the people and <i>for</i> the people. It's a nice thought to be sure, but in practical application, this is hardly the case. When we look back at the last 200 years of the American experience, it becomes clear that our government hasn't served us too well. It was our own federal government policies that preserved the institution of slavery, making it profitable to farmers in the south and bankers in the north, ultimately leading us into a Civil War. It was our own federal government policies that led us into multiple wars with our Native American neighbors, a crime our own Founding Fathers cited as one reason for secession from the British Empire. It was our own federal government policies that coddled segregation for a century, and then flipped virtually overnight, only to vilify the very people in the South who still backed the federal policy with their own state laws. It has been our own federal government policies that has kept African Americans on the proverbial "plantation" for the last 200 years. First literally with slavery, then effectively with segregation, then essentially with welfare and abortion. Now our federal government has amassed a debt so great that it can never be paid, and our national sovereignty is in danger as our economy implodes. This is just domestic issues, don't even get me started on foreign policy. When one looks at this on the surface, one might get the impression that America is a particularly bad place, and that Americans are particularly bad people.<br />
<br />
However, that is a very superficial way to look at things. In fact, when you really get down to America on a family by family basis, what you discover is something completely different. Americans remain the most religious people in the industrialized world. Per capita, more people still identify themselves as "Christian" in America than in any other industrialized nation. American families are for the most part a generous people. Charitable giving is higher among Americans, per capita, than any other industrialized nation. This is even reflected in government policies, believe it or not, wherein the United States exports more food to poverty stricken third-world nations than any other country on the planet. America literally feeds the world. When you talk to the average American family, you'll find a people who are generally very practical, balance their home budget, don't spend more than they can afford, believe in basic morality of right and wrong, good vs. evil, trust in God, go to religious services weekly and help their neighbors. Granted, there are always exceptions to this rule, and we can find plenty in the inner cities, but for the most part this is how it is. What a contrast! To imagine these generally good people are represented by such a selfish government is unthinkable, and yet this is how it is.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDjj58K5YnBkLQTsKLVm_eMar2whgLqOPXRBbdJxmUgqFwj37c75Bc2iO2qJ4jWSxL33CzB0q1H789e7Cn9In-qaIPD77tdNsGzPZcUjh5LPvuicbe-9D4sye1dq9L17qt9v2/s1600/America-Medal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="124" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdDjj58K5YnBkLQTsKLVm_eMar2whgLqOPXRBbdJxmUgqFwj37c75Bc2iO2qJ4jWSxL33CzB0q1H789e7Cn9In-qaIPD77tdNsGzPZcUjh5LPvuicbe-9D4sye1dq9L17qt9v2/s200/America-Medal.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of America Medal<br />
worn by those with special<br />
devotion to <i>Our Lady of America</i><br />
may be purchased <b><a href="http://www.ourladyofamerica.com/devotionals.php">here</a></b>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Yes, America is a good place, and Americans are (for the most part) good people. The American government, on the other hand, is another story. The United States of America has gone through literally four national governments since it's inception. The first was the Articles of Confederation. The first president of the United States was not George Washington. It was actually Samuel Huntington, but the term of the president was very short under this system of governance. He was followed by fifteen other men as president, until George Washington, who was in actuality the seventeenth president of the United States, but the first under the newly ratified Constitution. This Constitution of the United States served as America's second government until 1861 when the nation was torn by Civil War. From 1861 to 1865 America was governed by two constitutions; the Constitution of the <i>United</i> States governed the northern states, while the newly drafted Constitution of <i>Confederate</i> States governed the southern states. After the Civil War, the United States was unified once again under the Constitution of the <i>United</i> States, but with one major change that turned the whole thing on it's head -- the Fourteenth Amendment (adopted on July 9, 1868). The longest amendment ever passed, this article changed the entire reading of the Constitution, defining U.S. citizenship and giving considerable power to the federal courts. For better or worse, the fourteenth amendment remade the U.S. Constitution into a totally different form of government, which was far more centralized and powerful. This government has remained to this day, and from 1868 to present, has become our longest system of government so far. The point I'm making here is this. America has gone through four systems of government in it's 200+ year history. There is no reason why a fifth form of government cannot follow, and indeed history dictates that it will eventually. What form that government takes is entirely up to us for now. Yes, we do have a choice, and no, we don't have to do what the power brokers on Wall Street tell us, no matter how much pressure they put on us.<br />
<br />
America is worth saving and it can be saved. Indeed <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a> revealed to us that God actually <i><b>WANTS</b></i> to save America, and he wants America to lead the way of repentance for all the Americas (North, South and Central), thus paving the way for the rest of the world. It is not impossible, and it is within our reach, in spite of the massive economic downturn that awaits us in the very near future. This is what we can do...<br />
<ol><li>Turn to Mary as the patroness of our nation. <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a> is a wonderful family devotion for all of us, and it's message is more applicable now than when it was given. The Catholic Church in America honors the Immaculate Conception as our patroness. It's time we get back to basics and restore our national identity in <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a> -- the Immaculate Conception. Catholics are the ONLY ones who can lead the way in this. So let's start leading already. Begin doing family rosary time, even if it's just one chaplet a day, due to the attention span of small children. Ramp it up to two decades as they get older, then three, then four, and so on. Teach your family the message of <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a> and venerate her in your home.</li>
<li>Focus on teaching our children sexual purity in a real and adult way, guiding them in the Christian understanding of sex and marriage, and helping them reject the ways of Hollywood and Washington DC.</li>
<li>Embrace our Mexican neighbors to the south, by offering them citizenship in exchange for learning English and adopting an American identity. We must encourage them to be good Catholics, and introduce them to the devotion of <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a> -- the Immaculate Conception -- which complements their devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. (Remember, Mexican immigrants are the only thing that is saving America from having to import massive waves of Muslim immigrants like Europe has. Yes, Mexicans will help save America, that is <i><b>IF</b></i> indeed we will let them, and teach them how to be Americans in Jesus and Mary.)</li>
<li>Embrace our English language, and the heritage of English Catholicism! America is an English nation, plain and simple, regardless of our racial and ethnic diversity. We speak English (or at least we're supposed to), we are governed by English common law (or at least we're supposed to be), and our culture is primarily English in nature. This is where the pope's creation of a Personal Ordinariate for Anglicans can really help us here in America. It is a vehicle through which Americans can be reintroduced to their English Catholic roots. Hopefully, the U.S. ordinariate will become more than a niche group for Anglo-Catholics, but rather an evangelistic arm of the U.S. Catholic Church that can not only bring more Protestants into the Catholic Church, but also renew American Catholicism by rubbing off various elements of the English Patrimony into various diocese throughout the United States. </li>
<li>Pursue papal politics! Besides being a tongue twister, this is actually very good advice for Catholic Americans. The political rivalry between Republicans and Democrats has virtually destroyed this nation. Catholicism is more than just a religion. It is a comprehensive way of life, which is why Catholics cannot be defined as Republican or Democrat, Conservative or Liberal. Parties and ideologies are woefully ineffective as far as defining Catholic politics. One of the areas we Americans are sorely lacking in is following the teachings of our pope. Both popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have outlined a comprehensive political strategy that if followed, the United States would not be in the mess it's in today -- neither would Europe for that matter. What are papal politics? Well, an entire book could be written on it, and indeed some have, but to summarize, we should be...</li>
</ol><ul><li>Militantly Pro-Life, opposing abortion, euthanasia, human cloning and embryonic stem-cell research.</li>
<li>Opposed to any policy that hurts or redefines the traditional family.</li>
<li>Pursuing government policies that encourage traditional marriage and children. </li>
<li> Demanding school-choice initiatives in every state, county and city.</li>
<li>Opposed to all wars not directly related to self-defense.</li>
<li>Kind and generous to immigrants.</li>
<li>Conserving resources and pursuing alternate forms of energy with a passion.</li>
</ul>I think this is a good place to start, and we as Catholics can do this. It is within our reach. I firmly believe that while Protestants formed this nation, Catholics will ultimately save it. That will be America's future. I also believe that when Americans become a moral and virtuous people again, on a widespread level, we can begin to reign in the abuses of our federal government, but not until then. So to save America, we must turn to <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/06/our-lady-of-america-time-has-come.html">Our Lady of America</a>, and begin working on changing ourselves.<br />
<br />
What happens however, if we fail to do this. Well, your guess is as good as mine, but based on my study of cultural demographics I think it's pretty safe to say the United States will break up mostly among cultural lines. If America breaks up, nobody wins. The North American continent will have consigned itself to at least fifty years of economic and political stagnation, but that's the path we will have chosen. I believe it's best for us to turn to our Lord and our Lady for assistance in these trying times, lest our future look something like this...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREJ_Ly4w2VxZpCrM_ImyjDCt0ehLs7FadDypHb5Pqqtjs6SX-g4VTcax1sUg0onB-gVfgEq3apPuHOTVOJCN1GzzQYEnX2SBkj3oSZ16Cuby0tkeYCK02I1XonxeOzz35X0Xe/s1600/divided-states-of-america.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="261" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiREJ_Ly4w2VxZpCrM_ImyjDCt0ehLs7FadDypHb5Pqqtjs6SX-g4VTcax1sUg0onB-gVfgEq3apPuHOTVOJCN1GzzQYEnX2SBkj3oSZ16Cuby0tkeYCK02I1XonxeOzz35X0Xe/s400/divided-states-of-america.png" width="400" /></a></div><br />
The people of the United States of America are now at the final crossroads in our nation's history. We have a choice. The year 2012 will be the year America chooses her fate. For 2012 marks the year of the END of the American Empire. Our Superpower status ends this year. We may not see the final results of that for a couple of years to come, but the decision will be made this year. It comes down to this. The American Empire is going to end -- period. Nothing can stop that now. The choice is this. Shall our empire decline like the British Empire or the Roman Empire?<br />
<br />
That's it! That's the choice that faces us. It really is no more or less than that. We can either go the way of Britain or Rome. <br />
<br />
When the British Empire became unsustainable, the Brits got smart. They permitted their colonies to become independent nations (rather than risk a repeat of 1776). They downsized and focused on rebuilding their internal economic foundations. They scaled back their military to a more reasonable size that was commensurate with national defence alone. In the process they saved billions of pounds, and gave their nation new life. Today they are no longer an empire, but many of their former colonies have erected constitutional monarchies that still (voluntarily) name the Queen of England as their sovereign -- Canada, Australia, New Zealand, etc. Today you can go to Britain and still see British society. Their government remains intact. The queen still reigns from the throne. It's all still there! And in spite of their many national problems, there is no indication that it is going extinct any time soon. We here in the United States can choose this path. We can accept that our international superpower (empire) status is unsustainable. We can scale back, downsize, and save trillions of dollars! We can refocus our efforts toward rebuilding our economic and political integrity. We can turn back to the national Constitution, and start following it for a change! <br />
<br />
Or we can refuse to accept the unsustainable nature of our empire (superpower status), and ignore all the signs around us. We can move forward internationally in wars and conflicts, increasing our debts, just as the Roman Empire did, and in doing so, we can follow in their footsteps into oblivion. The map of the former United States above represents just one possibility of how North America will eventually be Balkanised should we refuse to accept reality. We can follow the example of Rome right into a fall so great that it results in the ripping apart of our nation into smaller nation-states in a European kind of fracture. Yes, there was once upon a time, some 1,500 years ago, when all of Europe was united under one government and one language. Today you can go to Rome and see what's left of that government, in the ruins of the Forum and Colosseum. Today Europe is still divided up into different governments, languages and cultures. Every attempt to reunify Europe in the past has failed, and it looks as if this most recent attempt to economically unify Europe (The European Union) will fail too. <br />
<br />
So there you have it. Americans can either choose a smart decline like Britain, or a stupid suicidal decline like Rome. One way or another, we will decline, and this year (2012) marks the year we make our choice.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-20808439055288312612011-12-06T22:37:00.001-06:002011-12-06T22:40:40.968-06:00U.S. Bishops Snookered By Obamacare<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTD3JpgJAnZvlN79QgrbIe82Gz7gBFaDoOYQVTOmLdAdSABhTzZ8C_kqOWLi2xZqBenzdL5KjDMuaRd_vbJCQH_cp3JE9lZFjFlC3hpLYx3VmJoQ27InIctbVcLVhJWL8ctWf/s1600/President%252BObama%252BSigns%252BHealth%252BCare%252BReform%252BBill%252B5pIX4ointf6l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMTD3JpgJAnZvlN79QgrbIe82Gz7gBFaDoOYQVTOmLdAdSABhTzZ8C_kqOWLi2xZqBenzdL5KjDMuaRd_vbJCQH_cp3JE9lZFjFlC3hpLYx3VmJoQ27InIctbVcLVhJWL8ctWf/s400/President%252BObama%252BSigns%252BHealth%252BCare%252BReform%252BBill%252B5pIX4ointf6l.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">President Obama Signed the Healthcare Bill on March 23, 2010</td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote>(EWTN News) — President Barack Obama has not kept his promises about conscience protections for abortion opponents, and those who trusted him to exclude abortion from the health-care bill seem to “have been played,” Archbishop Thomas Wenski of Miami said.<br />
<br />
“His administration is running roughshod over conscience-protection provisions’ long part of the law that find their justification in the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of religion, a foundational human right,” the archbishop wrote in a Dec. 2 essay in the Miami Herald.<br />
<br />
“It is one thing for an administration to support and promote an agenda; it is quite another to force those who disagree with it to violate their moral and religious principles.”<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/archbishop-wenski-speaks-out-for-catholic-conscience/#ixzz1fopCyPTC">read full story here</a></blockquote>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: You were warned your excellency. You and your brother bishops were all warned. We Catholic bloggers told you this day would come. We yelled it from the top of our lungs. YOU CANNOT TRUST PROGRESSIVE LIBERALS!!! YOU CANNOT TRUST BARACK OBAMA!!! YOU CANNOT TRUST THE LIKES OF NANCY PELOSI!!! <i>(My God! Is she still in the Church? Have you not excommunicated her yet!?! What does this woman have to do to be excommunicated???)</i> WE WARNED YOU. YOU DID NOT LISTEN. WHERE IT NOT FOR YOUR SUPPORT, OBAMACARE WOULD HAVE NEVER PASSED. BUT YOU DID SUPPORT IT, AND YOU TRUSTED THOSE WHOM YOU KNEW WERE NOT TRUSTWORTHY. NOW WE MUST ALL PAY THE PRICE!!!<br />
<br />
The first to pay will be Catholic healthcare workers. Doctors, nurses and technicians will become the first martyrs of your naivety. Next it will be you! I do hope your excellencies will lead us now by example in martyrdom. I do hope you would not permit your sheep to be fined and jailed before you. I do hope you have not left us, the laity, to fight for the faith in your place. You led us into this situation, and since you cannot now lead us out of it, we do hope you will at least lead us into martyrdom.<br />
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In HIS Majesty's Service,<br />
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The Catholic Knight<br />
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(PS - I work in healthcare. I am prepared to be martyred for this. If I'm lucky, I may only lose my job. If necessary however, I am prepared to face fines and a prison sentence for following my conscience. It's just too bad my kids will have to go into poverty should it come down to that. Maybe you could help them out when the time comes?)Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-73448546401074121582011-09-14T08:28:00.004-05:002011-09-14T21:26:50.127-05:00BREAKING: Pope Beatifies Nun Who Gave Serious Prophecies On Coming Chastisement<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBUoFDJIlqTu5QurmwPMdyctyYNXyQCcTxxysDpli5MlBhQiat9sHCO1aIydsHD_2TtaaWBM15sIj0wveouCI_Ce6EkfbEkbDkGTOy3HEw8oag4HrErlDWA2QumGYXVFqVB5m/s1600/Elena_Aiello.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaBUoFDJIlqTu5QurmwPMdyctyYNXyQCcTxxysDpli5MlBhQiat9sHCO1aIydsHD_2TtaaWBM15sIj0wveouCI_Ce6EkfbEkbDkGTOy3HEw8oag4HrErlDWA2QumGYXVFqVB5m/s320/Elena_Aiello.jpg" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blessed Elena Aiello</td></tr>
</tbody></table>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Today, September 14, 2011 the pope beatifies Sister Elena Aiello, a mystic and stigmatic, who reported visions of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prophecies concerning the coming Chastisement of God that will soon be poured out on the whole world. The prophecies she reported are closely related to the Third Secret of Fatima and concern many of the things <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/p/catholic-prophecy.html">reported on this blog</a>.<br />
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In this act it would appear the pope is making a clear statement that the prophecies of Sister Elena are "worthy of belief" and the timing of this beatification is worthy of note as well. It is the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the fourth anniversary of the effective date for Summorum Pontificum, and the date on which a grand gesture was made on behalf of the Vatican to the SSPX, effectively reinforcing the pope's teaching that Vatican II was merely a "pastoral" council. <br />
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The message of Sister Elena was one of repentance and parallels that of Fatima. A fairly complete synopsis of her life story can be read <a href="http://www.mysticsofthechurch.com/2011/09/blessed-elena-aiello-mystic-stigmatic.html">here</a>, while a fairly concise record of her prophecies, in relation to the prophecies of similar Church mystics, can be read <a href="http://www.summorumpontificum.net/2011/09/for-fourth-anniversary-of-summorum.html">here</a>.<br />
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<b>The Catholic Knight will provide some excerpts here....</b><br />
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<b>On the state of world governments...</b><br />
“Upon initiating the usual sufferings, about the hour of 1:00 p.m., Jesus appeared to me, covered with wounds and bleeding, saying to me: ‘Behold my child, see to what ends the sins of man have reduced me. The world has lowered itself in overflowing corruption. The governments of the people have risen like demons incarnated, and, while they speak of peace they prepare for war with the most devastating implements to destroy peoples and nations. Men have become ungrateful to My Sacred Heart, and abusing My Mercy, have transformed the earth into a scene of crime’. <i>- given on April 16, 1954</i><br />
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<b>On the state of families and youth...</b><br />
‘Numerous scandals are bringing souls to ruin particularly through the corruption of youth. Stirred up, and unrestrained in the enjoyment of the pleasures of the world, they have degraded their spirit in corruption and sin. The bad example of parents trains the family in scandal and infidelity, instead of virtue and prayer, which is almost dead on the lips of many. Stained and withered is the fountain of faith and sanctity the home’. <i>- given on April 16, 1954</i><br />
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“The times are grievous. The whole world is in turmoil, because IT HAS BECOME WORSE THAN AT THE TIME OF THE DELUGE!” “Everything is in suspense, like a thread; when this thread breaks, the justice of God will fall like a thunderbolt and will complete its terrible course of purification.”<i> - given on December 8, 1956</i><br />
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<b>On the state of the Church...</b><br />
‘The Church is opposed, and the priests are despised because of the bad ones who give scandal. Help Me, by suffering, to repair for so many offenses, and thus save AT LEAST IN PART, humanity precipitated in a slough of corruption and death’. <i>- given on April 16, 1954</i><br />
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“My heart bleeds for Italy also, which will be safe only in part for the Pope! Oh!, what grief to see the representative of Christ on earth hated, persecuted, outraged!” “He, who is the Spiritual Father of the people, the defender of the Faith and of truth, whose face, radiant with light, shines upon the world, is greatly hated.” “He, who personifies Christ on earth, doing good for all, becomes thus outraged with impunity!” “Many iniquitous and wicked leaders of the people, who live and drag along with them their people outside the laws of God, showing themselves in sheep’s’ clothing, while being rapacious wolves, have ruined society, stirring it up against God and His Church.” “How can the world be saved, from the disaster that is about to crash down upon the misleading nations, if man does not repent of his errors and failings? The only salvation is a complete repentance and return to God, and a true devotion to my Immaculate Heart, particularly in the daily recitation of my Rosary.” “Once there was the chastisement by water, but if there is not a returning to God, there will come the chastisement by fire, which will cover the streets of the world with blood.” <i>- given on March 23, 1961</i><br />
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<b>On the coming Chastisement of God... </b><br />
“In so saying Our Lord God disappeared. Then the Madonna appeared to me. She was dressed in black, with seven swords piercing Her Immaculate Heart. Coming closer, with an expression of profound sorrow, and with tears on her cheeks, she spoke to me, saying: ‘Listen attentively, and reveal to all: ‘My Heart is sad for so many sufferings in an impending world in ruin. The justice of Our Father is most offended. Men live in their obstinacy of sin. The wrath of God is near. Soon the world will be afflicted with great calamities, bloody revolutions, frightful hurricanes, and the overflowing of streams and the seas’. ‘Cry out until the priests of God lend their ears to my voice, to advise men that the time is near at hand, and if men do not return to God with prayers and penances, the world will be overturned in a new and more terrible war. Arms most deadly will destroy peoples and nations! The dictators of the earth, specimens infernal, will demolish the churches and desecrate the Holy Eucharist, and will destroy things most dear. In this impious war, much will be destroyed of that which has been built by the hands of man’. ‘CLOUDS WITH LIGHTNING FLASHES OF FIRE IN THE SKY AND A TEMPEST OF FIRE SHALL FALL UPON THE WORLD. THIS TERRIBLE SCOURGE, NEVER BEFORE SEEN IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANITY, WILL LAST SEVENTY HOURS. GODLESS PERSONS WILL BE CRUSHED AND WIPED OUT. MANY WILL BE LOST BECAUSE THEY REMAIN IN THEIR OBSTINACY OF SIN. THEN SHALL BE SEEN THE POWER OF LIGHT OVER THE POWER OF DARKNESS’. ‘Be not silent, my daughter, because the hours of darkness, of abandonment, are near. ‘I am bending over the world, holding in suspension the justice of God. OTHERWISE THESE THINGS WOULD ALREADY HAVE NOW COME TO PASS. Prayers and penances are necessary because men MUST RETURN TO GOD and to My Immaculate Heart—the Mediatrix of men to God, and thus THE WORLD WILL BE AT LEAST IN PART SAVED’. ‘Cry out these things to all, like the very echo of my voice. Let this be known to all, because it will help save many souls, and prevent much destruction in the Church and in the world’. <i>- given on April 16, 1954</i><br />
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‘If men do not amend their ways, a terrifying scourge of fire will come down from Heaven upon all the nations of the world, and men will be punished according to the debts contracted with Divine justice. There will be frightful moments for all, because Heaven will be joined with the earth, and all the un-Godly people will be destroyed, SOME NATIONS WILL BE PURIFIED, WHILE OTHERS WILL DISAPPEAR ENTIRELY’. You are to transmit these warnings to all, in order that the new generation will know that men had been warned in time to turn to God by doing penance, and thus could have avoided these punishments’. But when will all this come about?’ I asked Our Lady.” ‘My daughter,’ answered the Blessed Mother, ‘the time is not far off. When men least expect it, the course of Divine Justice will be accomplished’. <i>- given on April 8, 1955</i><br />
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Sister Elena Aiello asked Our Blessed Mother: “What will become of Italy? Will Rome be saved?” “The Madonna answered:” ‘In part, by the Pope! The Church will be in travail, but the forces of Hell cannot prevail! You must suffer for the Pope and Christ, and thus Christ will be safe on earth; and the Pope, with his redemptive word, will, in part, save the world.’ “The Madonna then came closer, and with a sad expression, showed me the flames of Hell. She said:” ‘Satan reigns and triumphs on earth! See how the souls are falling into Hell. See how high the flames are, and the souls who fall into them like flakes of snow look like transparent embers! How many sparks! How many cries of hate, and of despair! How much pain!’ ‘See how many priestly souls! Look at the sign of their consecration in their transparent hands! (In the palms of their hands the sign of the cross, in more vivid fire, could clearly be seen!) What torture, my daughter, in my maternal Heart! Great is my sorrow to see that men do not change! The justice of the Father requires reparation — otherwise many will be lost!’ “See how Russia will burn!” Before my eyes there extended an immense field covered with flames and smoke, in which souls were submerged as if in a sea of fire! “And all this fire,” concluded the Madonna, “is not that which will fall from the hands of men, but will be hurled directly from the Angels (at the time of the great chastisement or “housecleaning” that will come upon the earth). Therefore I ask prayers, penance and sacrifice, so I may act as Mediatrix for my Son in order to save souls.” <i>- given on April 7, 1950</i><br />
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<div>The Madonna speaks: “The hour of the justice of God is close, and will be terrible!” “Tremendous scourges are impending over the world, and various nations are struck by epidemics, famines, great earthquakes, terrific hurricanes, with overflowing rivers and seas, which bring ruin and death.” “If the people do not recognize in these scourges (of nature) the warnings of Divine Mercy, and do not return to God with truly Christian living, ANOTHER TERRIBLE WAR WILL COME FROM THE EAST TO THE WEST. RUSSIA WITH HER SECRET ARMIES WILL BATTLE AMERICA; WILL OVERRUN EUROPE. The river Rhine will be overflowing with corpses and blood. Italy, also, will be harassed by a great revolution, and the Pope will suffer terribly.” “Spread the devotion to my Immaculate Heart, in order that many souls maybe conquered by my love and that many sinners may return to my Maternal Heart. Do not fear, for I will accompany with my maternal protection my faithful ones, and all those who accept my urgent warnings, and they — especially by the recitations of my Rosary — will be saved.” “Satan goes furiously through this disordered world, and soon will show all his might. But, because of my Immaculate Heart, the triumph of Light will not delay in its triumph over the power of darkness, and the world, finally, will have tranquility and peace.” <i>- given on August 22, 1960</i></div>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-73544900302463368302011-07-25T09:41:00.001-05:002011-07-25T10:16:50.135-05:00BREAKING: Oslo Terrorist Denies Christian Faith<a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2011/07/breaking-oslo-terrorist-is-freemason.html"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">READ THE UPDATED STORY HERE</span></b></a>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-44960147483396191152011-07-23T15:32:00.028-05:002011-07-28T09:39:55.960-05:00BREAKING: Oslo Terrorist is a Freemason<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxwo34nMec-1ZmKrEhoZVlCmtDXj1HOrinsDN2aW7HsX2_CzHUxNMOzDD9khlyZ7fiDnzKY5nZExKX_1cTKSfC6JgfKexsWjQtgdtf66PdMFUCv2VGtYVPc_h3-FJDiAqWjWx/s1600/photo1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLxwo34nMec-1ZmKrEhoZVlCmtDXj1HOrinsDN2aW7HsX2_CzHUxNMOzDD9khlyZ7fiDnzKY5nZExKX_1cTKSfC6JgfKexsWjQtgdtf66PdMFUCv2VGtYVPc_h3-FJDiAqWjWx/s320/photo1.JPG" width="191" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Anders Behring Breivik</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="color: #990000;">DEVELOPING UPDATE (7-25-2011): Analysis of Breivik's manifesto reveals that Breivik denies a personal Christian faith, doubts the existence of God, and no longer prays. He does however consider himself a Darwinist, and asserts the primacy of Nordic Paganism alongside Europe's historic Judeo-Christian culture.<a href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=325765">read full story here</a><br />DEVELOPING UPDATE (7-26-2011): Breivik wrote on page 1307 of his online manifesto: <i>“If you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and God then you are a religious Christian. Myself and many more like me do not necessarily have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and God. We do however believe in Christianity as a cultural, social, identity and moral platform. This makes us Christian.”</i> What Breivik is describing here is something called "National Christianity" or "Christian Nationalism," meaning a belief in Christian identity in the same way one would adhere to a national, cultural or ethnic identity. It has nothing to do with practicing the religion of Christianity. By his own testimony here, Breivik is a "National Christian" or "Christian Nationalist" which by all definitions is the exact opposite of a "Christian Fundamentalist."</div><br />THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The confessed Oslo Terrorist - Anders Behring Breivik - is currently depicted by the mainstream news as a "Christian Fundamentalist." While this may, or may not, be true (more probably not) some new information is currently surfacing about the man. This picture to the right depicts Breivik wearing the traditional Masonic apron of the Norwegian Order of Freemasons. You can read more about this Masonic order <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Order_of_Freemasons" target="_blank">HERE</a>.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vltmG7ntnbi3f8WNICXnU34l4wu0hyrQ3VJQ-_jbh-HLXYWZQzTumiJccNs250bOwcEX3L4MREyEHwaO8YZpA96y5-ytStiQQqmRbrbvFkZ6DV1-TPSnfksdDAAIkadac5iL/s1600/photo2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3vltmG7ntnbi3f8WNICXnU34l4wu0hyrQ3VJQ-_jbh-HLXYWZQzTumiJccNs250bOwcEX3L4MREyEHwaO8YZpA96y5-ytStiQQqmRbrbvFkZ6DV1-TPSnfksdDAAIkadac5iL/s200/photo2.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Norwegian Masonic Apron<br />3rd Degree</td></tr></tbody></table>It should be pointed out here that about 80% of the people in Norway are officially registered by the state run church as "Christian," and one cannot be removed from that listing unless one submits a formal request to the government in writing. So nobody here is contesting that Breivik was listed as a "Christian," as about 80% of the Norwegian population is officially listed as such. (This in no way reflects the number of Norwegians who actually practice their registered faith, which is considerably lower.) Furthermore, it should be noted that many branches of Freemasonry have a historical connection to mainstream liberal Protestantism. So from the perspective of a liberal Protestant Christian, Freemasonry is perfectly compatible with the Christian religion. The issue explored in this blog has nothing to do with how Mr. Breivik identifies himself religiously. The issue concerning this blogger is how the ignorant mainstream news media has maliciously applied the term "Christian Fundamentalist" to describe him, when in fact all the evidence points to the contrary. Breivik may have had some beliefs that could be loosely described as socially conservative, but his Christianity (particularly his dogmatic theology) would have to be quite liberal to be compatible with his membership in the Masonic Lodge.<br /><br />Whatever comes out about this monster, one thing is certain. He is far more complex than a common "Christian Fundamentalist." As the average Christian Fundamentalist is usually anti-Masonic. Christian Fundamentalists are generally Protestants, and this is one issue Roman Catholics and Protestant Fundamentalists tend to agree on. Protestant Fundamentalists generally regard Freemasonry as occult and Pagan in nature, in essence very anti-Christian. The Catholic Church cites different reasons, but likewise forbids all it's members from becoming Freemasons under pain of excommunication. While the Catholic Church's position on this is firm, the Protestant Fundamentalist position is absolute and militant. They generally insist that "Christians cannot be Masons." Given the general position of Christian Fundamentalists on this issue, and given the fact that Breivik listed Freemasonry as an "interest" on his Facebook page up to the day of the massacre, it is virtually impossible for him to truly be a "Christian Fundamentalist." He is more likely a deranged lunatic who doesn't know enough about conservative Protestant Christianity to understand that his membership and interest in the Masonic Lodge contradicts everything "conservative Christianity" is supposed to stand for. <br /><br />In fact, Breivik was baptized into the state-run liberal Protestant Church (Lutheran Church of Norway) which he says he did <i>"by his own free will,"</i> but later became disillusioned with the way in which Liberal Protestantism has sacrificed much of it's historic Christian character. He once blogged... <i>"Today's Protestant church is a joke. Priests in jeans who march for Palestine and churches that look like minimalist shopping centres. I am a supporter of an indirect collective conversion of the Protestant church back to the Catholic.</i>" Breivik (a political Zionist) obviously had little knowledge of Catholicism, for if he did, he would have known that one of the biggest Christian supporters of a Palestinian State is none other than the Catholic Church. In light of his membership in the Masonic Lodge however, Breivik could not be a Catholic, for that would require breaking membership with the Lodge prior to reception into the Catholic Church. More likely, Breivik was lamenting the loss of historic Christian culture in this above quote, which according to his manifesto he saw on par with historic Nordic Pagan culture. The parallels between Anders Breivik and Timothy McVeigh (Oklahoma City Terrorist) are starting to surface in the most startling way. According to Breivik's manifesto he was originally a Liberal Protestant, but later lost his Christian faith, doubted the existence of God, and praised the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin. McVeigh in comparison, was raised a Roman Catholic, but later lost his Christian faith, believed in an impersonal and naturalistic deity, declaring that his "only god is science."<br /><br />A YouTube video posted by Breivik depicts himself as a Knight Templar and lone crusader against the failed multicultural experiment in Europe. (Note: "Knights Templar" are associated with Freemasons.) Muslims and Marxists are cited as the object of his contempt, but native Europeans are held responsible for their takeover of European society. (This may explain his rationale for the attack on youths of the liberal Norwegian Labor Party.) While some European and American conservatives might sympathize with his strong stand against multiculturalism, none would sympathize with the extreme he took it to. Having watched the video it reminded me of old Nazi propaganda. Though Breivik was apparently not a formal member of any Neo-Nazi groups, he was known to post messages on some of their Internet forum space.<br /><br />In truth, two crimes have been committed here. The first is the unspeakable terrorism of Anders Breivik, and the second is the eager (and nearly gleeful) way in which the mainstream news media depicts him as a "Christian Fundamentalist." A similar event happened in the United States back in 1995 when Timothy McVeigh used a similar fertilizer bomb to destroy the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. It was up to that time, the worst terrorist event in U.S. history. In the days leading up to the capture of McVeigh the mainstream news media characterized him as a "right-wing Christian Fundamentalist." In the end, we discovered that McVeigh was an agnostic and had abandoned his belief in the Christian God long ago. In his own words, McVeigh's "only god is science."<br /><br />What we see in these two events is very revealing. The mainstream news media obviously has an ax to grind against conservative Protestantism and traditional Catholicism. They have demonstrated a repeating pattern of seizing upon any opportunity to label a known terrorist as a "Christian Fundamentalist," when in fact the evidence consistently points in the opposite direction. If there was ever any doubt before, it should be dispelled now, the mainstream news media is ANTI-CHRISTIAN and CHRISTOPHOBIC in the most vial and bigoted way imaginable. They are desperately seeking to connect conservative Christians to acts of terrorism whenever possible. It amazes me that such seemingly professional people could be so ignorant and prejudiced.<br /><br />The underlying message of the mainstream news media is that Fundamentalism (of any type) causes terrorism. This is a farce! What causes terrorism is the carcinogenic belief that the ends justify the means. From this mindset comes everything from war to genocide. It also spawns terrorism. Those who believe in it have subscribed to the notion that human beings are expendable to various "causes." After all is said and done, regardless of the ramblings of the lunatic behind it, that was the cause of the Oslo Massacre. That is what motivated Anders Breivik to commit his terrorist acts and kill so many innocent people. In his mind, and in his moral code, the ends justified the means, and the lives of his victims were simply a means to accomplish his end. Whatever "end" he desired is irrelevant. What brought about the bloodshed was his Machiavellian morality. Yes, it really is that simple. <br /><br />Despite all the mystery surrounding this story right now, there is something we do know. Our Lord Jesus Christ instructed Pontius Pilate with the following words...<br /><blockquote><i>Jesus answered, "My kingship is not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my kingship is not from the world." </i><i><b> - John 18:36</b></i></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>There is no justification for this man's hideous act of terrorism. The fact that he did take matters to unprovoked physical violence demonstrates that he is NOT a servant of Christ. Our prayers go out to the victims in Norway, most especially to the parents and families of the murdered teens on Utoya island. May God comfort them in this horrible time of crisis.<br />Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-37177986625156676992011-07-12T13:20:00.003-05:002011-07-12T19:34:35.424-05:00The Cult of the Omnipotent State<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxomzrXEoZbOWSpzx6vOAlfCZfqROC4dEJC_GuUcVVT36ac6GnWqoNpqjRAoczvRZCZc2gmE5I5j81ywuiToYLfH4HqCdoyyC88NjrVEf8bQ7KveZsAK9_FrwiddDB4lRV6Ed/s1600/AthenaGilded.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxomzrXEoZbOWSpzx6vOAlfCZfqROC4dEJC_GuUcVVT36ac6GnWqoNpqjRAoczvRZCZc2gmE5I5j81ywuiToYLfH4HqCdoyyC88NjrVEf8bQ7KveZsAK9_FrwiddDB4lRV6Ed/s320/AthenaGilded.jpg" width="226" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">ATHENA<br />Greek Goddess of Government & Democracy</td></tr></tbody></table>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The state is their God. Not so much in their words, but in their actions, they demonstrate their belief that there is no power higher than the state, and all morality is based entirely on state law, which of course can be changed to suit their fancy. Outside of state law there is no morality, and outside of the state there is no god greater than the state. All gods, most especially the Christian God, must be subject to the state. Of course these people are a little timid about enforcing their state-god upon the Muslims, but make no mistake about it, they believe Allah is subject to the state as well, and the same goes for any follower of Mohamed.<br /><br />So who are these people? Are they the ancient Greeks or Romans? No. The ancient Greeks and Romans were more direct and honest about their intentions. They made no attempt to hide their state sponsored Paganism. Are they the modern Chinese Communists? Not exactly, though they have a lot in common with the Chi-coms, they are not the same people. So who are they?<br /><br />These are the modern Left-wing Liberals driving the state and cultural entertainment industry in Europe, Canada, the American Left-Coast and New England. Their goddess is the state, and they put all their cares and dreams at her feet. Anyone who puts the government in the place of God is part of this cult. No temples have been built to honor the "cult of the omnipotent state" but there need not be any. Every temple imaginable already exists -- in Washington DC -- the Mecca of Democratic Imperialism. We could say that various idols have been erected in cities across America, to the cult of omnipotent government, but that would be a stretch, for art means different things to different people. No, modern worship of Athen's goddess is embodied more in actions and attitude, than in wood and stone.<br /><br />We began to see the cult of the omnipotent state arise in New England and the Left Coast during the late 1960s through 1990s. These became the strongholds of modern Athenian worship. This of course was immediately adopted by Washington DC, which seized every opportunity to consolidate power and centralize bureaucracy. Washington DC however, was not the only place where the cult seized power. As I said, all of the West Coast states, along with New England became firmly entrenched in the cult, and now it is spreading into the Rust Belt states and even the Northern Midwestern states. The State of Florida has not escaped it's influence either. We have seen it's national imposition upon all the people of America through the United States Supreme Court with the issues of abortion, religion in public schools, and eminent domain. However, the states are now jumping on the cult's bandwagon concerning the issue of gay-marriage.<br /><br />THE LIE...<br /><br />State advocates of gay-marriage assure churches and synagogues that the creation of gay-marriage will have no effect whatsoever on the free exercise of religion. They promise that churches will continue to be allowed to not recognize gay-marriages and not be forced to perform them. They are also assured this will in no way have any effect on their private charitable institutions. THIS IS A LIE!!!! And SHAME ON YOU if you believe it! The evidence is plain for all the world to see. Catholic Charities have already been shut down in Massachusetts, California and Illinois over the gay-marriage issue. This is because these states were attempting to legally require Catholic adoption agencies to adopt children to gay couples, on the grounds that failure to comply amounted to discrimination and therefore a violation of state law. So you see, the cult of the omnipotent state requires that all bow the knee to Athena, including churches, synagogues and Catholic Charities. The next step is hate-crimes laws, wherein pastors will likely be prosecuted for preaching against the sin of homosexuality. Already, a bill has been passed in California, making it officially ILLEGAL to have a Bible on public school campuses. The cult of the omnipotent state marches on.<br /><br />ISLAMOPHOBIA<br /><br />Nowhere is the fear of Muslims more evident than among modern worshipers of Athena. Well, at least in America anyway. They're starting to get a little more courageous in Europe these days. American Athena worshipers do believe that Allah and Mohamed are subject to Athena, and they must submit to the state no matter how much state laws violate their religious beliefs. Muslims reading this should take note here. The cult of the omnipotent state makes no distinction between Allah and Jehovah, Mohamed and Jesus, Muslims and Christians. All are subject to Athena -- the omnipotent state -- who through democracy and kritocracy impose all forms of immorality upon the churches, mosques and synagogues. The only reason why the cult of the omnipotent state has not cracked down on mosques in America is because the established worshipers of Athena are still afraid of Muslims. As demonstrated in Europe however, their fear of Muslims will subside eventually, and when it does, Muslim institutions will be forced to recognize gay-marriage too.<br /><br />American Muslims should fight back (non-violently of course), and there is only one way to do it. Start organizing ritual worship for Muslims schoolchildren in public schools. Tell the school boards and superintendents that if they don't allow prayer rugs and hijabs on campus, than they are violating your religion and your rights. Fight them in the courts, and demonstrate, demonstrate, DEMONSTRATE! We Christians will probably join you since we've been fighting them on this for decades. If you know any Muslim Americans, please make sure they read this article.<br /><br />CHRISTOPHOBIA<br /><br />The cult of the omnipotent state has always feared Christianity, perhaps more so than any other religion. But in their fear of Christianity, the worshipers of Athena have lost all fear of Christians. They've been persecuting us for decades you see. They have banned us from praying in public schools, and if the Muslims begin to demonstrate against the state to defend their religious rights, than I'm afraid we have no choice but to join them now, for what the Athenian worshipers are now doing to them, they've been doing to us for decades.<br /><br />MODERN PAGANISM<br /><br />The cult of the omnipotent state is nothing new. Variations of it were put forward in ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece and Rome. The ancient Greek cult of Athena probably best represents modern Pagan Imperialism. This is because Athena was the Greek goddess of war, craftsmen and government. Democracy was born in ancient Athens -- named after the goddess Athena -- and America's founding fathers made sure to model our physical institutions of national government after the architecture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. In times past, America still had a strong Christian society, and so appeals to Greek Paganism in government were simply viewed as a harmless novelty. Indeed at one time they may have been, but today, the secular culture is such that the attitudes and actions of those running the government (both state and federal) are far more "Pagan" than America's Founding Fathers could have ever imagined. Ancient Paganism was far more obvious and honest about it's intentions, and worship of their deities often took on religious ceremonies as well as state laws. Modern Paganism is a different story. As the modern world is infested with notions of atheism and secular deism, the cult of the omnipotent state (Athena) is played out more in actions and laws exclusively, while physical representations of the deity are limited to subjective art.<br />Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-26541214646512450862011-06-08T16:33:00.000-05:002011-06-08T16:33:39.584-05:00Archbishop Condemns Schismatic "American Catholic Council"<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQDG5JLDxB0aeih56yfGpSYtyjhQIkkt3GSHlu9TxKGMgdeDN-rfjAlUEEA6kS9YojIratqU4KUsS0PrnugKyk8oamwOt3-0ZEK0fDbrpIwupzvfleHweiXPV7vW2Rkw8ZJOS/s1600/portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQDG5JLDxB0aeih56yfGpSYtyjhQIkkt3GSHlu9TxKGMgdeDN-rfjAlUEEA6kS9YojIratqU4KUsS0PrnugKyk8oamwOt3-0ZEK0fDbrpIwupzvfleHweiXPV7vW2Rkw8ZJOS/s1600/portrait.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a></div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQDG5JLDxB0aeih56yfGpSYtyjhQIkkt3GSHlu9TxKGMgdeDN-rfjAlUEEA6kS9YojIratqU4KUsS0PrnugKyk8oamwOt3-0ZEK0fDbrpIwupzvfleHweiXPV7vW2Rkw8ZJOS/s320/portrait.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="256" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron</td></tr>
</tbody></table>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The U.S. Catholic Church is in immediate peril! There is a significant threat of schism looming in Detroit. For some time now 'The Catholic Knight' blog has warned of a significant threat to Church unity in the United States. Those warnings can be read <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/06/great-modernist-schism-of-21st-century.html">here</a>, <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/01/liberal-catholicism-is-dying.html">here</a>, and <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2008/11/major-schism-in-us-catholic-church.html">here</a>. Now the Archbishop of Detroit has also seen the threat and acted accordingly.<br />
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The threat comes from Progressive Modernists within the U.S. Catholic Church. These are "Catholics" who view the Second Vatican Council as some kind of watershed event, a rupture with historic Catholicism, and a license to go forward with various "reforms" and innovations all in the name of the "Spirit of Vatican II." These people, both clergy and laity, have ruled over various parishes and dioceses in the United States like dictators. They've suppressed those who clamored for a return to tradition and promoted those who abused the liturgy and twisted Church doctrine. Their height of power was in the decades immediately following the Second Vatican Council (1970s - 1990s). Now that their influence is beginning to wane under the pontificate of Benedict XVI, these liberal dissenters of the historic Church have seen the writing on the wall. They know their days are numbered, and so in a desperate attempt to preserve what they have worked so long for, and re-energize a new generation with their heretical zeal, these people are now attempting to create a rival council to the pope and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. It's called the <a href="http://americancatholiccouncil.org/">American Catholic Council</a> (or ACC), and it's first meeting is scheduled for June 10-12 of 2011 at the Detroit Convention Center and Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center.<br />
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In response, Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron has issued the following statement condemning the <a href="http://americancatholiccouncil.org/">American Catholic Council</a>. Here are the highlights...<br />
<blockquote>(Archdiocese of Detroit) - ...Although their stated purpose is to "respond to the Spirit of Vatican II by summoning the Baptized together to demonstrate our re-commitment and the documents issued by the <b>American Catholic Council offer some valid aspirations for the Church, in fact, the goals proposed are largely in opposition to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council and the Holy Spirit, which inspired the Council.</b><br />
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The archdiocese wishes to commend and embrace all true efforts at Church renewal - the American Church Council's agenda is not such an effort. <b>Some of the advertised speakers and groups organizing the effort espouse positions which are clearly contrary to Catholic faith,</b> leading to alienation and estrangement from the Church. <b>The Archdiocese of Detroit cautions any Catholic against participating in the American Catholic Council local listening sessions and national gathering in June 2011.</b> Catholic parishes, schools, and institutions are not to host any meetings, gatherings, or "listening sessions" associated with the planning of the June 2011 American Catholic Council. <b>Priests, deacons, and ecclesial lay ministers will want to avoid lending support to such a misguided effort. On behalf of the archdiocese, Archbishop Vigneron has asked the organizers to cancel their plans for this national gathering that distorts the true Spirit of Vatican II.</b> He asks us all to pray for the guidance of the Holy Spirit so that we may embrace authentic development of faith and morals, and <b>shun efforts which threaten unity.</b><br />
<a href="http://www.aodonline.org/AODOnline/News%20%20%20Publications%202203/Press%20Releases%202303/2010%2017543/ACCStatement.htm"><br />
read full statement here</a></blockquote>The Catholic Knight wishes to publicly thank the good archbishop for this strong stand against the American Catholic Council. Indeed, he had to respond this way, as the event is being hosted in his own backyard. Anything less than what was mentioned above might have been viewed as cowardly acceptance of the "council's" mission. The good archbishop rose to the occasion and courageously defended his diocese from this threat. What is needed now is a nationwide response, from every Catholic bishop in the United States, to put down this schism before it has time to spread. <br />
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These people are the final result of a three-decade long experiment in leniency and innovation. The so-called "Spirit of Vatican II," which takes upon itself initiatives not called for by the Second Vatican Council, has reached it's ultimate conclusion - SCHISM! This schism however, does not come without a list of heresies to accompany it. It is a list that I dare say nearly half of all baptized Catholics in the United States, who's consciences having been dulled by three decades of poor catechesis and liturgical innovation, will most certainly find appealing. It is a list that I fear will soon hit mainstream, and reverberate throughout this nation, pealing one parish after another away from the magisterium of the Church.<br />
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What these people in the <a href="http://americancatholiccouncil.org/">American Catholic Council</a> want has already been invented. The structures they advocate already exist. It's called <b><a href="http://www.episcopalchurch.org/index.htm">The Episcopal Church</a></b>. Likewise, once the ACC gets off the ground, it will simply be reinventing the wheel, and the results of this wheel will be identical to those found in <a href="http://www.episcopalchurch.org/index.htm">The Episcopal Church</a> (or TEC), namely female clergy, gay clergy, gay marriages, acceptance of abortion and birth control, as well as the embrace of Socialism in the form of "Liberation Theology." Some form of unification between the ACC and the TEC will likewise be inevitable, especially after those adhering to the ACC have been excommunicated from the U.S. Catholic Church.<br />
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Sadly, there is virtually a 0% chance that the ACC meeting in June will be canceled. Though the good archbishop's stand against the organization was strong, there was not much he could do outside of banning his own people from being a part of it, and prohibiting diocesan property from being used for it. However, the ACC never intended to use diocesan property, and the good archbishop cannot restrict people outside his archdiocese from attending. That's another reason why we need a nationwide condemnation from all the U.S. Catholic Bishops before it's too late. Mark my words, these people will meet, and they will promote heresy. Likewise they will grow to lead others away from the magisterium of the Church. The only variable that exists is "how big" will their movement become. Strong nationwide action against it now will pull a lot of wind out of their sails. Failure to act now will only result in larger repercussions later. For the sake of unity and orthodoxy within the U.S. Catholic Church, let us pray our bishops act quickly.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-48360010593687461252011-06-07T19:10:00.000-05:002011-06-07T19:13:36.765-05:00The Chapel Veil Campaign<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGP3bDr7NW-hmwJJtiFMy3PKYfKXBuq5VUxtfO6eaWy_LzewNVlF1c3-qWNp23tSaY7lThvtoM8UV0xR_4VLop8Ahll6EK-OzwNdSP7CUf4fA8hR1WZBxNVbCEf062mlsWa07ig/s400/mantillas.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtGP3bDr7NW-hmwJJtiFMy3PKYfKXBuq5VUxtfO6eaWy_LzewNVlF1c3-qWNp23tSaY7lThvtoM8UV0xR_4VLop8Ahll6EK-OzwNdSP7CUf4fA8hR1WZBxNVbCEf062mlsWa07ig/s400/mantillas.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a><br />
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: <a href="http://www.ncregister.com/blog/new_mass_translation_given_romes_approval/" target="new">Starting in Advent 2011</a>, the U.S. Catholic Church is to begin its long awaited, and much anticipated, liturgical reforms of the English mass. The new translation, demanded by the Vatican, will reflect a much more accurate rendering of the official Latin version of the Novus Ordo liturgy issued by Rome nearly 40 years ago. (You can download a PDF of the new English mass <a href="http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/missalformation/OrdoMissaeWhiteBook.pdf"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">HERE</span></a>.) <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">This marks a major shift in the American Church toward </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">a more traditional and orthodox approach to the liturgy</span></span>. You can read more about the coming changes <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/11/official-current-english-mass-to-be.html">here</a></span>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjV3qjC636FhS5IACuc0g0RUBf4bN0p3tupnsWJrlR0pwHdqME0-VcSTM7ik5hQtutz8t7hyMkzQ3M8o-6uo33GY4_z2QRbkXXWIZc_c5G1NWSlgAlqkp1X1PcFm54RiQKjc7Xg/s200/latin2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKjV3qjC636FhS5IACuc0g0RUBf4bN0p3tupnsWJrlR0pwHdqME0-VcSTM7ik5hQtutz8t7hyMkzQ3M8o-6uo33GY4_z2QRbkXXWIZc_c5G1NWSlgAlqkp1X1PcFm54RiQKjc7Xg/s200/latin2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; width: 200px;" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Some women have expressed to 'The Catholic Knight' a desire to return to the time honored custom of wearing the chapel veil during mass, and see the coming liturgical changes as a perfect opportunity to do this.</span> Returning to this tradition will serve to further reinforce the message that the Catholic Church is the same today as it was yesterday, and the time honored customs of the Church have not died out, but on the contrary, live and breath through a new generation of Catholic women.<br />
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Sacred Scripture presents several reasons for wearing the chapel veil. St. Paul tells us in his first letter to the Corinthians (11:1-16) that Christian women must cover their heads because it is a Sacred Tradition commanded by our Lord Himself and entrusted to Paul: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"The things I am writing to you are the Lord's commandments"</span> (1 Cor. 14:37). <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"That is why a woman ought to have a veil on her head, because of the angels"</span> wrote St. Paul (1 Cor. 11:10). The invisible hierarchy should be respected because the angels are present at all Christian assemblies during worship, offering the Holy Sacrifice with us according to the honor due to God. St. John the Apostle wrote: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"And another angel came and stood before the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given to him much incense that he might offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which is before the throne."</span> (Rev. 8:3, see also Matt. 18:10). They are offended by a lack of reverence at mass. The women of Corinth, beset by modern sensibilities, started coming to church without their heads covered. When St. Paul heard of their neglect, he wrote and urged them to keep the veil. According to St. Jerome's commentary Bible, he finally settled the matter by saying the head covering was a custom of the primitive communities of Judea, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"the Churches of God"</span> (1 Thess. 2-14, 2 Thess. 1-4) which had received this Tradition from early times (2 Thess., 2:15, 3:6). The “veil” represented modesty in many religions and cultures, especially in Judaism which was the cradle of the early Christian Church. A veil or head covering, is both a symbol and a mystical sacrifice that invites the woman wearing it to ascend the ladder of sanctity. When a woman covers her head in the Catholic Church it symbolizes her dignity and humility before God. It should not surprise us why so many modern women have so easily abandoned the tradition of the chapel veil (head covering) when the greatest meaning of the veil is modesty. It is purely an anti-Catholic culture that frowns on modesty. Do not be deceived, it was Secular feminism (a militantly anti-Catholic movement), that shunned Catholic women for wearing the chapel veil, telling them that a male dominated Church seeks to repress them. Such lunacy was nothing more than a lie straight from hell. If it were true, women would have been instructed to veil in the presence of men, but that is not the case at all. Both Sacred Scripture and previous canon law instructed women to veil in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament (not men), and particularly during the public prayer of the holy mass. The veil is a sign of modesty before our Eucharistic Lord. It is NOT a sign of male dominance. You can learn more about the custom of the chapel veil and what it means <span style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/12/chapel-veil-veiling-or-head-covering.html">here</a></span>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6W49SPAv34LqZw7pDgN7myaLBxwAJ7MccYGtwovt2YmzO0gkQpZOKi5LULAuBpjY43_q3fd1ubmUI5SM_6_BJsgOOCXMd3htdhcgi4xUN5OXG6kb3qmpSIplwICe5OONUqpevA/s200/p_belief_woman.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR6W49SPAv34LqZw7pDgN7myaLBxwAJ7MccYGtwovt2YmzO0gkQpZOKi5LULAuBpjY43_q3fd1ubmUI5SM_6_BJsgOOCXMd3htdhcgi4xUN5OXG6kb3qmpSIplwICe5OONUqpevA/s200/p_belief_woman.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">'The Chapel Veil Campaign' is accompanied by a survey poll which can be viewed at the top of this blog.</span> 'The Catholic Knight' requests that all you Catholic ladies out there review this material and prayerfully consider it. Then cast your vote in the accompanying poll to express your support for The Chapel Veil Campaign. Your vote of support will help other Catholic women muster the courage to do the same. The idea is to encourage young Catholic women all over the English-speaking world to put away the rebellion of the 1970s "hippy" generation, and start wearing the chapel veil again. <br />
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</div><div>In the United States, the new English translation of the liturgy is currently scheduled to go into effect in Advent of 2011. That's because the US Catholic bishops <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2006/05/vatican-calls-american-liturgy.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">no longer have permission</span></a> from the Vatican to celebrate the "defective" English translation of the Novus Ordo mass we've been using since the 1970s. Since permission to celebrate it has been revoked, the US Catholic bishops will be unable to delay the transition anymore. <br />
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The return of the chapel veil, along with the liturgical renewal in the English translation of the mass, will send a clear and definite signal to the world that English-speaking Catholics have not lost the time-honored traditions of our sacred Catholic faith.<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">Please pass this message on by sending a Chapel Veil Campaign link to friends and family...<br />
<a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/12/chapel-veil-campaign.html">http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/12/chapel-veil-campaign.html</a></span><br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">'The Catholic Knight' welcomes your comments...</span><br />
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<b>Related Stories...</b><br />
<ul><li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2009/01/are-you-shy-about-wearing-chapel-veil.html">Are You Shy About Wearing The Chapel Veil?</a><br />
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<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2008/12/christian-dignity-of-women.html">Christian Dignity of Women</a></li>
<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/12/chapel-veil-campaign.html">The Chapel Veil Campaign</a></li>
<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2008/05/overwhelming-support-for-chapel-veil.html">Overwhelming Support for the Chapel Veil!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2008/05/feminist-bullies-in-catholic-church.html">Feminist Bullies In The Catholic Church</a><br />
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<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/12/chapel-veil-veiling-or-head-covering.html">The Chapel Veil - Veiling or Head Covering - Fully Explained</a></li>
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<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2006/09/wear-your-mantilla-with-pride.html">Wear Your Mantilla with Pride!</a></li>
<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2006/11/younger-nuns-are-getting-back-into.html">Younger Nuns Are Getting Back Into The Habit</a><br />
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<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2006/12/prayer-shawls-sign-of-class-beauty-and.html">Prayer Shawls - A Sign of Class, Beauty and Courage</a></li>
<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2008/02/does-veiling-bring-respect.html">Does Veiling Bring Respect?</a><br />
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<li><a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2008/01/chapel-veils.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Chapel Veil Retailers</a></li>
</ul></div></div></div>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-5604241209714775932011-03-16T12:01:00.277-05:002011-03-16T12:01:00.177-05:00Western Powers Are Behind Arab Revolutions<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1USdMUWbIdo?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="480"></iframe></center><br />
THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Hindsight being 20/20, it would appear that as we've had time to reflect on the events to 2011 thus far, patterns are emerging, and the truth is beginning to come out. Our suspicions are being confirmed. <br />
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Western Liberals, particularly in the United States, have for the past three years (at least) been working behind the scenes to create these riotous revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East. Now when I say "Liberals" I'm including Neoconservatives in the United States as well. I'm talking about everyone from the far Left (George Soros and company) to the libertarian centrist (George Bush and friends). I am not talking about the truly right wing (paleoconservative) groups, which have been disenfranchised in the United States and Europe for decades.<br />
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Information emerging from Wikileaks is starting to confirm many of the suspicions we had, but were hesitant to voice, while the riots were beginning to unfold weeks ago. What we have here is an elaborate strategy that has been executed with precision to elicit a certain response in the Arab world. The manipulation began under the George W. Bush administration and is now continuing under the administration of Barack Obama. While the United States seems to be the principle agent, European powers are likewise in collaboration. This helps to explain the United States' seeming "standoffish" posture while the riot-revolutions unfold. The United States has been intimately involved, but this has been behind the scenes and under the table. Moving in too fast in a public way would tip the world off as to what is really going on. <br />
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In dealing with the Arab world the United States us using a threefold strategy to get what it wants. Here's how it works...<br />
<ol><li>First, major corporations within the United States (and Europe) pitch business deals to Arab powers, promising money and prestige to any Arab leader that will cooperate.</li>
<li>Next, if the first step should fail, the CIA steps in and attempts to orchestrate a revolution from inside the nation, to change the regime and place people in power who will be more willing to make business deals with American (and European) companies. </li>
<li>Lastly, if the second step should fail, a pretense for war is manufactured resulting in military action from American and NATO powers, again attempting to produce a regime change.</li>
</ol>We saw this entire scenario unfold in Iraq and Afghanistan. We've been watching it unfold in Iran for about a decade now, and the plan has met considerable resistance from there with multiple failures in Step Two, and preparation being made for Step Three. In the last two months we have watched Step Two unfold all across the Arab world as more and more evidence continues to surface of deep American involvement. Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Bahrain, Oman, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria; are all experiencing unrest. So far the Saudis, Jordanians, Kuwaitis and Syrians have been able to pacify their people with financial aid to citizens and the promise of reform. Saudi Arabia has been having increasing trouble in the south and is now moving troops into Bahrain for a direct confrontation with protesters. Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak was not so lucky, and became the first leader to be ousted in this recent clandestine Euro-American venture. The fate of Libya's dictator Muammar Gaddafi remains uncertain, though it would appear he is winning at the moment. (You will notice the emerging Euro-American pretense for war starting to develop as the West mulls over a transition to Step Three above.) If Gaddafi prevails we can probably expect the accusation of "war crimes" and "ethnic cleansing" against him to come out of Europe and the United States as they attempt to coax their people to support a military "solution." <br />
<br />
Of coarse the logical question for anyone to ask is "WHY?" Why would the Western world do this? What is the purpose? What's the benefit? You might be surprised to learn is not about oil. There is plenty of oil all over the world, especially in North America. No, its about something a little more nuanced called "peak oil." What is "peak oil?" Here's is the definition from Wikipedia...<br />
<blockquote>(Wikipedia) - Peak oil is the point in time when the maximum rate of global petroleum extraction is reached, after which the rate of production enters terminal decline. This concept is based on the observed production rates of individual oil wells, and the combined production rate of a field of related oil wells. The aggregate production rate from an oil field over time usually grows exponentially until the rate peaks and then declines—sometimes rapidly—until the field is depleted. This concept is derived from the Hubbert curve, and has been shown to be applicable to the sum of a nation’s domestic production rate, and is similarly applied to the global rate of petroleum production. Peak oil is often confused with oil depletion; peak oil is the point of maximum production while depletion refers to a period of falling reserves and supply.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil">source</a></blockquote>Now to translate this into common English here is what it means. There is plenty of oil all over the earth. In fact, there is considerable evidence mounting that oil isn't even a "fossil fuel" and that it's actually produced as a byproduct of geological forces deep inside the earth. NASA believes that there is evidence of oil on other worlds with high volcanic activity, and so if that is the case, it can't be the result of decaying dinosaurs and plant life as previously thought. All that aside nobody is talking about oil depletion here, as it would appear that oil may very well be a renewable source of perpetual energy provided by geological-volcanic activity deep beneath the earth's surface. So if the modern science is right, the earth will never run out of oil. It just takes time for the oil to bubble up high enough in the earth's crust for us to drill down and get it. That being said we run into another problem. It's not about how much oil exists, or will exist in the future. It's about how much oil can be extracted at a time even if every country is using all of its resources to get at it. When you reach the maximum extraction rate possible, and the amount of oil consumption surpasses that, you have reached "peak oil." In other words, it's not about how much refined oil hits the market, but rather it's about how fast it's being consumed by the industrial world. Once you hit "peak oil" fuel prices go up, <i><b>way up</b></i>, and that slows down economies and threatens economic growth. Without economic growth a nation's political power and corporate hegemony begins to decline, and that spells bad news for the people in charge.<br />
<br />
Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 a new bipolar conflict has emerged between the United States and Russia. That conflict is over peak oil, and both the United States and Russia are trying to gain control of as much oil producing countries as possible to gain the upper hand when peak oil occurs. It's expected to occur sometime within the next few decades, so each superpower it vying for as much control as possible. The nation that has the most control over the most oil production suffers the least in a peak oil world economy. The Soviet Union lists as it's oil "producers" most of the <i>"stan"</i> states (Kazakh<i>stan</i>, Uzbeki<i>stan</i>, Turkmeni<i>stan</i>, Kyrgyz<i>stan</i>, Tajiki<i>stan</i>) along with Azerbaijan, Ukraine and Iran. Within these states exist vital pipelines and oil fields supplying the new Russian Federation. Recently, the United States attempted to cut a deal with the nation of Georgia, promising oil revenue from the West and military protection under NATO. This was considered a political "invasion" into the Russian sphere of influence and resulted in a Russian military counter-invasion of Georgia in 2008. Russia seized a northern province in Georgia that contained the coveted oil pipeline, and accused Georgia of "ethnic cleansing" to justify it. (This was a direct "thumb in the nose" to NATO allies which accused Serbia of the same thing in Kosovo to justify the NATO bombing of this Russian ally in the late 1990s.) It was a little case of what comes around goes around. <br />
<br />
Among America's allied oil producers are most South American nations and many nations within the Arab world. However, the United States has run into a problem lately. The Arab world has been getting "uppity" in recent decades, namely since the creation of OPEC and the tight control of oil production which dictates fuel prices. The United States took it's currency off the gold standard in 1971 and indirectly placed it on the "oil standard" in that oil is now traded in U.S. dollars. Thus as a result, when the price of oil goes up the dollar is weaker, and when the price of oil goes down the dollar is stronger.<br />
<br />
After the economic collapse of the United States and Europe in late 2008, the western economies were propped up artificially with various bailout "stimulus packages" created by Western governments. The United States of course led the way with the largest stimulus package and the printing of U.S. dollars to pay for it. With this massive injection of liquidity (money printing) of U.S. dollars into foreign markets, the price of food rapidly increased creating inflation. These increased food prices destabilized various economies that trade in U.S. dollars, particularly the Arab nations. Euro-American involvement in clandestine populace movements sponsored riots and revolutions in these nations. The idea here was to force Arab leaders to start pumping more oil to stabilize the U.S. dollar and give the Western world an upper hand in the emerging peak oil economy. Those leaders that don't comply face more protests, riots and revolutions to come. It's a nasty little game we're playing to maintain our political influence, economic prowess and corporate hegemony. We're doing it to keep the Russians from getting the upper hand and maintain our superpower status both domestically and internationally.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylBx7x1Z9-TXzSjRGqDocNnZ06yo4_wj7mwb6nsxYLaKA_4NSkwOt3mPbGPklaWSDPeIJP7i35O_t2i0wy1cv0PSfKF_4rVqRGqZ25hkxzi38t6I1LGgyYr_pPrqL9aUoIoog/s320/united-muslim-states-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br />
</a></div>The problem here is this is how we're treating our supposed "allies" in the Arab world. Granted, they haven't been treating us too nicely in recent decades, but nevertheless, we need their support to prevent Russia from gaining a peak oil advantage. Supporting and sponsoring riots and revolutions within the nations of your supposed "allies" is not very conducive to good relations. We're effectively acting more like a bully than a friend. The only way this pays off for the United States and Europe is if it's successful, and regime changes occur all throughout the Arab world, but even then it's risky business, because if those new regimes are taken over by radicals, we could be in a lot of trouble. Furthermore, if these riot-revolutions are not successful, we have just effectively pissed off our "allies" who give us the upper hand in a peak oil economy. On thing is for sure, if Gaddafi survives the attempted coupe in his nation of Libya, he'll never sell another drop of oil to Europe again. His oil will go to Russia instead.<br />
<br />
The problem with Western Liberals (both Leftist Socialists and Centrist Libertarians) is that they both believe their economic models will work just fine in the Arab world since they have proved to work so swimmingly well in the Western world. (Well, sort of.) So the Centrist Libertarians (otherwise known as the Neoconservatives of George W. Bush and company) have pushed to recreate the Arab world in the Western world's image, assuming that this will result in greater oil trading partners over time. While the Leftist Socialists (George Soros and company) also believe their models will work well in the Arab world and so they likewise work with the Centrist Libertarians to accomplish the same goal of regime change. In the end however, their final objectives are considerably different. The Centrist Libertarians (Neoconservatives) would like to create a world where the United States and Europe have the upper hand in a peak oil economy, while the Leftist Socialists envision a new order in which there is an "open society" whereby socialist nations trade oil on equal footing. Both groups are terribly mistaken.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylBx7x1Z9-TXzSjRGqDocNnZ06yo4_wj7mwb6nsxYLaKA_4NSkwOt3mPbGPklaWSDPeIJP7i35O_t2i0wy1cv0PSfKF_4rVqRGqZ25hkxzi38t6I1LGgyYr_pPrqL9aUoIoog/s320/united-muslim-states-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhylBx7x1Z9-TXzSjRGqDocNnZ06yo4_wj7mwb6nsxYLaKA_4NSkwOt3mPbGPklaWSDPeIJP7i35O_t2i0wy1cv0PSfKF_4rVqRGqZ25hkxzi38t6I1LGgyYr_pPrqL9aUoIoog/s320/united-muslim-states-3.jpg" /></a></div>The Arab world isn't going to fall for the Neoconservative or Socialist vision. The Arab world has it's own vision and that is Shariah law. Now there are various degrees of this vision, and a lot of it depends on what part of the Arab world we're talking about, but the basic premise of the vision is shared throughout. They envision Islamic Sharia, under Arab political prowess, with their own economic hegemony. The United States and Russia can just be dammed as far as their concerned. So long as their leaders continue to cooperate with both superpowers they will be vulnerable to uprisings. Right now the Islamic religious leaders in the Arab world are using the subversion of the CIA to their advantage. They know that once their leaders are overthrown there will be a period of vulnerability which they can use to seize power. It's happened before (Iran in 1979), and it will likely happen again. Both the United States and Russia are playing with fire here, but the United States is more deeply entangled, at least as far as we can tell for now. It is likely the whole thing will blow up in our faces in the not-too-distant future.<br />
<br />
Those of us familiar with Catholic prophecy concerning the Chastisement of God (which we are now in and will likely soon conclude) will result in the fall of Europe to Muslim and Marxist powers in an upheaval of anarchy. This may very well be payback for Euro-American subversion in the Arab world. We also know that Russia is involved in this somehow, and it would appear the United States is strangely silent, as if we are unable to do anything. We know this results in the fall of the Vatican in Rome, the assassination of our pope, and the rise of a new pope in exile who will crown a new French king that will eventually reestablish the Holy Roman Empire. We also know that nothing short of a direct intervention from God, a disaster of epic proportions and unrivaled in all of recorded history, will be the decisive blow to the powers of evil in this age. Before that happens however, the Church in Europe will be decimated, and European Christians will face the threshold of extinction. Exactly when and how this will all unfold is not known to us at this time, but with each passing month the emerging picture becomes a little more clear. Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-80316894819664085952011-03-08T08:00:00.026-06:002011-05-10T21:59:28.502-05:00Missouri Catholics CAN Support The Fair Tax<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOR88oi7RbNZeBM9kKA9YbuYhHePvP4E1zKQvpYBwLOsdehF8e4bK0MsHNAu_ShFCBi7Zn9h9zmJhZFUCq6uDdarVSWmMOJrgxT0NPBPnzsLdT1AmxTot169VsCI5zq6mluvs/s1600/John_of_god.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicOR88oi7RbNZeBM9kKA9YbuYhHePvP4E1zKQvpYBwLOsdehF8e4bK0MsHNAu_ShFCBi7Zn9h9zmJhZFUCq6uDdarVSWmMOJrgxT0NPBPnzsLdT1AmxTot169VsCI5zq6mluvs/s320/John_of_god.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>St. John of God, Patron of Publishers</b><br />
<i><b>Pray for us!</b></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: On <a href="http://www.mocatholic.org/Links/Messenger/MessengerJan2011.pdf">January 21st, 2011 the Missouri Catholic Conference Messenger</a> ran a number of articles outlining it's case against the Missouri Jobs Act, otherwise known as the "Missouri Fair Tax." This series of articles was very condemning of the measure, creating the illusion that the legislation harmed the poor and opposed the social teachings of the Catholic Church. Catholic Missourians reading the articles were likely to walk away with the notion that one cannot support the measure and still remain a Catholic in good standing with the Church. To make matters worse, the Missouri Catholic Conference (MCC) cites as it's board of directors the Catholic bishops of the State of Missouri (Archbishop Robert J. Carlson, Bishop Edward Rice, Bishop John R. Gaydos, Bishop James V. Johnston and Bishop Robert W. Finn). The "Messenger" claims to write on behalf of the MCC and as a voice for Missouri's Catholic bishops.<br />
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<div style="margin: 0px;">There were two things I found particularly disturbing about this. The first was the way the articles were written. They left the reader with the impression that there was no redeeming quality to the Missouri Jobs Act, thus giving the reader the false impression that one cannot support it and remain a good Catholic. The second was that the lead article was written by a person who may not necessarily have the best interests in mind for Missouri's Catholic bishops or the Catholic Church's social teaching in general.</div><br />
<div style="margin: 0px;"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUb8wIb7LxOnNeyProeVbCKanO3Dv76A9QWjo-Cz10TTjjYeo_4eybGhzNK8OPOytCCU8ULZZf9-ty8NUT1ppNZwUcQrQjXpcqy2tSKdSjuUuW5zlqiWiA4JAdDRlnovGvNT13/s1600/blouin.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUb8wIb7LxOnNeyProeVbCKanO3Dv76A9QWjo-Cz10TTjjYeo_4eybGhzNK8OPOytCCU8ULZZf9-ty8NUT1ppNZwUcQrQjXpcqy2tSKdSjuUuW5zlqiWiA4JAdDRlnovGvNT13/s1600/blouin.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Amy Blouin</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Amy Blouin is the Founder and Executive Director of the Missouri Budget Project which David Catanese of KY3 News in Springfield Missouri described as a "<a href="http://ky3.blogspot.com/2009/01/new-nixons-challenge-stokes-vs-blouin.html">liberal leaning</a>" organization. Ironically, she is the former Director of Advocacy for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis from 2001 to 2003. While she doesn't appear to be working within the internal structures of the Catholic Church anymore, she apparently still has connections with the MCC and the "Messenger." </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF0XmBCEMbSyew0iTxthEPdA-dcCpWuyWzyOPP602-Ss-Zas1sQ4S_WT_Y8zTzX5xsUMdgG4A0_3ShzGTs_1CHDfAZSAFzFRy3KXikIRnnY9TjceRmiIa5S0TBCO-Gnbgw9yb/s1600/Jeanette+Mott+Oxford+for+State+Representative+2010-JMO4Rep+Update+-+July+2006+%252820110308%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTF0XmBCEMbSyew0iTxthEPdA-dcCpWuyWzyOPP602-Ss-Zas1sQ4S_WT_Y8zTzX5xsUMdgG4A0_3ShzGTs_1CHDfAZSAFzFRy3KXikIRnnY9TjceRmiIa5S0TBCO-Gnbgw9yb/s320/Jeanette+Mott+Oxford+for+State+Representative+2010-JMO4Rep+Update+-+July+2006+%252820110308%2529.jpg" width="142" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A snapshot of Rep. Oxford's blog<br />
taken on 3/8/2011<br />
Click Image To Enlarge</td></tr>
</tbody></table>While it is difficult to discern Blouin's personal political leanings with a brief search on the Internet, we can learn a lot about somebody from the things she says and the people she associates with. Blouin's father, who was a Democratic Congressman in Iowa and ran for Governor in 2006, was listed as having a significant influence on her life in an <a href="http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/12/29/story10.html">interview with the St. Louis Business Journal in 2008</a>. Blouin also listed her husband, Joe Squillace who teaches as an adjunct professor at Saint Louis University School of Social Work, as a significant influence who encouraged her to start the Missouri Budget Project. Background aside, what is revealing about Amy Blouin and Joe Squillace is their apparent connection to Democratic Missouri Representative Jeanette Mott Oxford - the first open lesbian elected to the Missouri Legislature. Representative Oxford is pro-abortion, and in 2010 received a "Pro-Choice" grade from NARAL. Oxford also <a href="http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/jcitron/gGBzkl">appears to be a supporter of same-sex unions</a>. The connection between Oxford and Blouin comes from a post on Oxford's own Internet blog dated July 14, 2006 in which she claimed <a href="http://jmorep.blogspot.com/2006/07/jmo4rep-update-july-2006.html">a fundraising Party at Amy Blouin and Joe Squillace's home</a> for her reelection would be held on Thursday, July 27, 2006 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and would be co-hosted by "Amy and Joe." </div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Assuming this information from the State Congresswoman is accurate, and we have no reason to believe it isn't, it would appear that Amy Blouin has no problem actively supporting (even hosting fundraisers) for political candidates who oppose the Church's most basic social teachings against abortion and gay-marriage. This gives us some background context for Mrs. Blouin's article in the "Messenger."</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Before I dig into the article, and Mrs. Blouin's consistently left-wing bias on many issues she speaks to on behalf of the Missouri Budget Project, I would like to ask some questions. Why is this person writing articles for the Missouri Catholic Conference? Do the bishops on the MCC's Board of Directors approve of people writing opinion articles on their behalf, who think so little of the Church's teaching against gay-marriage and abortion, and doing so in a newspaper that reports to speak for them? If Amy Blouin demonstrated such egregious lack of judgment, as to support and fund raise for an open lesbian candidate who supports the murder of innocent unborn children, why would the bishops of the MCC trust her judgment on any lesser social issue? Let alone, why would they let her speak for them on it? Furthermore, what has become of the "Missouri Catholic Conference Messenger?" Is it nothing more than a soapbox for Left-wing activists promoting their agenda under the cloak of episcopal representation? Is this how Missouri's Catholic bishops want to be represented?</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Now while The Catholic Knight does not personally know the minds of the bishops of the MCC, I have been able to ascertain from their writings, statements and homilies that they are not men who would likely condone this. I am left with the impression that the bishops of the MCC may not know (or may not have been fully informed) of the issue at hand, and the type of representation they got in Amy Blouin's article. I suspect they may actually be misinformed by those running the MCC "Messenger." I admit this is just an opinion on my part, but based on the evidence I've just presented above, I think it's a fair assumption. In light of this, the bishops of the MCC may want to revisit this issue and perhaps investigate the way things are being run by the administrative staff of the MCC with particular attention to the kind of message that is being printed in the "Messenger." Furthermore, to address the damage that may have been done to the conscience of Missouri's Catholics, the bishops might want to consider some form of statement, or press release, that addresses the matter directly. These are just my humble suggestions, for as it stands right now, thanks to the January 21st edition of the Messenger, it would be fair to assume that a large number of Missouri Catholics are under the impression that they can't be good Catholics and support the Missouri Jobs Act at the same time. This impression almost appears to bear the seal of Missouri's Catholic bishops, or at least that's the notion that was created by the Messenger.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">Another notion created by the Messenger is the idea that matters of economics and taxation trump the Church's social message of abortion and same-sex marriage. This message was created by giving Amy Blouin such a prominent position in the newspaper. Her apparent support and fund raising for a pro-abortion lesbian candidate is scandalous to say the least, especially when she is placed in a position to speak for the bishops in their own newspaper. One can only wonder how many Missouri Catholics now think fiscal matters and taxation are more important than abortion and family. Again, this is another issue the bishops of the MCC may want to publicly address.</div><div style="margin: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin: 0px;">All that aside, let's get down to the nitty gritty of the topic at hand. The subject of the article written by Blouin was about the Missouri Jobs Act, sometimes referred to loosely as the "Missouri Fair Tax." Other articles written by different columnists followed - all of them negative. Now the MCC opposes the Missouri Jobs Act, and Amy Blouin's article was used to back their position. How much Blouin's article influenced the MCC is not clear, but it is certain the MCC is using articles written by this Left-leaning activist to bolster their position. </div><br />
With all of the pressing social issues that surround us today, one would think Catholic newspapers would be preoccupied with addressing the big three - Life, Family and School Choice. Certainly the Wisconsin bishops have wisely decided to stay neutral in the ongoing dispute between labor unions and state budget cuts. To clarify the Wisconsin bishops' stand on the ongoing labor/budget dispute, Bishop Morlino of the Diocese of Madison issued the following statement...<br />
<blockquote><i>...The teaching of the Church allows for persons of good will to disagree as to which horn of this dilemma should be chosen, because there would be reasonable justification available for either alternative. (This is unlike the case of abortion or euthanasia, for which reason can offer absolutely no justification in terms of the killing of an innocent victim.)...</i><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.madisoncatholicherald.org/bishopscolumns/2083-20110224-column.html">read full statement here</a></blockquote>This was a wise move indeed, as these bishops know full well that Catholics can hold to good-faith positions on both sides of the issue. Pope Benedict recently pointed out that the pressing issues facing modern civilization can be summarized as the...<br />
<blockquote><i>"protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception to natural death; recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family -- as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage -- and its defense from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its de-stabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role, and the protection of the right of parents to educate their children."</i> <br />
<div style="text-align: right;"><br />
- (Pope Benedict XVI, March 30, 2006). </div></blockquote>In a society where literally none of these big three necessities are met, one would think Catholic newspapers would focus on them with the full intensity of a red-hot laser beam, shuffling the other issues (such as budgets, taxes, government spending, etc.) to a secondary status.<br />
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Not so with the Missouri Catholic Conference Messenger, which for 2011 seems to have decided to put the issue of state taxes at the top of the list. Now Missouri is not like the West Coast or New England states with crushing state income and property taxes that burden families. In fact, Missouri ranks about middle of the road in income and property taxes in comparison to the rest of the country. The Missouri legislature is not contemplating a tax hike that threatens families either. No, what the Missouri state legislature is contemplating is a complete change in <i>THE WAY</i> it collects taxes. The Missouri Jobs Act is Missouri's version of the increasingly popular nationwide Fair Tax proposal. The measure is designed to attract jobs to the state of Missouri, which in the end is the greatest form of social justice and option for the poor in a depressed economy facing a "jobless recovery." Across the nation, economists of all stripes have pointed out that legislation of this kind would indeed attract business and grow the economy. <br />
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Here's how it works. All current state income, capital gains and sales taxes are completely eliminated. In exchange, the state implements a low state-wide sales tax on all <i><b>new</b> <b>retail</b></i> goods and services, gradually phased in over five years. There is no tax on the sale of used goods, income, investments or savings. The plan assures the changes will be revenue neutral for the state and local communities in each year of transition and allows revenue to grow as the state and local economies grow. Now before we go on let's review...<br />
<ol><li>All current state income, capital gains and sales taxes are completely eliminated.</li>
<li>These are replaced with a single state-wide retail sales tax, on<i> <b>new</b> <b>retail</b></i> goods and services that is phased in over five years.</li>
<li>No used goods, income, investments or savings are taxed.</li>
</ol>Now of course, any good Catholic should ask the question "what about the poor?" Yes, that's a good question. How are we to insure that the poor do not pay the same sales tax rate as the rich on the basic necessities they need to survive and thrive in Missouri's economy? This issue is specifically addressed with a sales tax <b><i>prebate</i></b> that is paid out to all Missouri citizens, compensating them fully for all taxes paid on basic retail necessities based on the poverty line. That means nobody in extreme poverty pays retail sales taxes, reducing the retail sales tax rate for the average Missourian in extreme poverty to zero percent (0%). This is because people in extreme poverty obviously can't buy as much retail goods to begin with. The prebate insures that when they do buy retail goods (or have to buy retail goods) they will pay no state sales tax on those goods. Those who buy more retail goods will obviously pay a slightly higher average percentage (1%, 2%, 3%, etc.) when averaged out with the prebate, depending on how much they spend. It is an established fact that people who make more money tend to spend more money. Those who make the most money, will obviously spend the most money, and those people will in turn pay the highest average percentage of retail sales tax. No income tracking mechanism is needed because the percentages average out on their own based on the prebate and how much you spend. If you spend below the poverty line you pay 0%. If you only spend a little above that, your average sales tax might be around 1% or less. If you spend a little more, it may go up to 2%, all by itself, based on averages, because everyone is reimbursed with a prebate based on the poverty line. What makes this system unique is that it requires considerably less money to operate, as the collection system is already in place at every cash register in the state. It's no different than collecting the state sales tax already collected at Missouri's cash registers....<br />
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<center><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/N1IlTXH_5XI?rel=0" title="YouTube video player" width="560"></iframe></center><br />
So now the most commonly asked questions follow...<br />
<ol><li><b>Is this system perfect?</b> The answer is no. That's because no system is perfect. </li>
<li><b>Is this system impossible to cheat?</b> Again, the answer is no. There are ways to cheat the system, but then there are even more ways to cheat the current income and sales tax system already in place in Missouri. Besides, this new system will eliminate far more cheating than that, in the sense that people who currently don't pay Missouri taxes (criminals, illegal aliens, people who are paid "under the table") will now pay Missouri taxes every time they buy something at the cash register.</li>
<li> <b>Is the system absolutely and perfectly fair?</b> No. That's because no system of taxation is absolutely and perfectly fair, but in many ways it's a lot more fair and reasonable than the current system. </li>
<li><b> Is this system better than the current system? </b> Now that's up for debate. A lot of it depends on how you look at at. The truth is nobody really knows the answer, because nothing like this has ever been implemented anywhere in the world before. It is truly a unique and different idea that has yet to be tried. Now this idea is growing in popularity, and in time somebody will try it. It may be another U.S. state, or it may be a completely different country, but somebody somewhere is going to try this eventually. When they do there is a very strong likelihood that state or country is going to experience some economic growth and an increase in jobs. So the question is should Missouri be the first to try it? That is the question before the Missouri state legislature now. It's a question that should get a fair hearing and does not deserve to be crushed prematurely by rogue episcopal newspapers leaving Missouri Catholics with the false impression that no good Catholic can support this.</li>
</ol>The Catholic Knight holds to the position that issues of taxes and economics are secondary compared to the far more pressing social issues of abortion and gay-marriage. I think I'm in good company, as the pope holds to a similar point of view. That being said, I am certain that good Catholics can hold good-faith positions on both sides of the Missouri Jobs Act. This is an issue that should be up for healthy debate in which Catholics are free to support or oppose without feeling bullied by rogue newspapers claiming episcopal representation. <br />
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Now there are a few issues that are of direct concern to Catholics, which I will attempt to address fairly here. The first has to do with the accusation that Catholic parents would be forced to pay sales tax on the tuition for Catholic schools. This accusation is completely false according to Carl Bearden, the Executive Director of United For Missouri, who points out that under the current legislation proposed no charitable organization will be made to collect the sales tax and no taxes will be collected on any level of education. Meanwhile, the Messenger painted a completely different picture, leading readers to believe churches and religious schools would be taxed. This is misleading.<br />
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The Messenger also leads readers to believe that the poor would be taxed disproportionately. As pointed out above, this is simply not the case, as the extremely poor would pay no tax at all, and those who spend at levels just above that would pay an extremely low average sales tax, compared to people with higher incomes and spending, once the prebate is factored in. Also as pointed out above, the legislation rewards thrift. So people who shop at second hand stores, garage sales, swap meets, flea markets, and so on will not pay any state sales tax whatsoever. The legislation encourages the poor to save their money by buying second hand items whenever possible. Once again, the Messenger gets it wrong and misleads readers into false information about the bill.<br />
<br />
As I pointed out above, churches and private charities will pay no taxes under the current form of the bill. In Tennessee, which has no state income tax, charitable giving is much higher than Missouri, even though Missouri has a specific income tax deduction for charitable giving. In other words, Tennessee Catholic parishes are collecting more tithes per family than Missouri parishes. Yet the Messenger would have you believe churches will lose money under the Missouri Jobs Act. Once again we have misleading information from the Messenger.<br />
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Finally, the Messenger paints the picture that Missouri's public services will suffer under the proposed legislation, that revenue will be cut, and there simply won't be enough money to go around anymore. Well, that's a pretty bold assumption when you consider that not even the State Auditor Tom Schweich could make such a claim. Schweich admitted that the cost or savings to the state could not be determined at this time. However, we can look at other nearby states that have eliminated their income tax in favor of a sales tax, and what we see is that indeed these states do have the necessary revenue to keep their public services operational and sufficiently funded. Proponents of the Missouri Jobs Act never claimed it was a panacea to solve all of Missouri's financial woes. What they claim is that the legislation will simplify the tax code, eliminate the need for Missourians to report their income to the state, attract more jobs to the state, and be just as fair to the poor as the current system if not more so.<br />
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Yes, Missouri Catholics <i><b>CAN </b></i>support the Fair Tax. They can also choose not to support it. It's a matter for an informed conscience and open debate. Catholics can hold good-faith positions on both sides of the issue, and still be good Catholics in good standing with the Church, and I dare say remain in good standing with the Catholic bishops of Missouri. Again, it would be helpful if Missouri's bishops would publicly address this issue themselves, since the MCC has already seen fit to address it for them in such a troubling and confusing way. Until then I want to encourage my fellow Catholic Missourians to get both sides of the story, look into this matter carefully, and not be bullied by rogue Catholic newspaper columnists who claim to be speaking for the bishops of Missouri. But you don't need to take my word for it. If you want to know what your bishop really thinks, write him a letter and just ask. <i>"Dear Bishop, Is it possible for a Catholic to hold a good faith position on either side of the debate surrounding the Missouri Jobs Act?"</i> The Catholic Knight says "yes," while the Messenger seems to say "no." Maybe it's time for Missouri's Catholic bishops to research <u><b>both sides</b></u> of the debate and speak for themselves on the matter.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-44394997788346169382010-12-08T22:07:00.097-06:002010-12-10T13:51:41.036-06:00OUR LADY OF GOOD HELP - The First Approved Marian Apparition In The U.S.A.<center><object height="340" width="560"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/EGtyzzXxtH0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/EGtyzzXxtH0?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><br /><object height="137" width="200"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8BPB7VlCleE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8BPB7VlCleE?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="200" height="137"></embed></object><object height="137" width="200"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rym_Rb_lsvY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Rym_Rb_lsvY?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="200" height="137"></embed></object><object height="137" width="200"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/YfKGNhd73zA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YfKGNhd73zA?fs=1&hl=en_US&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="200" height="137"></embed></object><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHen2L4FcRR4X8SjBoyKl6tJ7kwzCbxE54ZjANmVAusoc3cVqgT8-GKojAu3hqq9ITyBYmEZHfmFB_aK2-dwlspoVz-04mXWnPwIjf4t0aya5tbBktRSR_pBpv_4BhG0I6O8Ra/s1600/OurLadyOfGoodHelpChapel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHen2L4FcRR4X8SjBoyKl6tJ7kwzCbxE54ZjANmVAusoc3cVqgT8-GKojAu3hqq9ITyBYmEZHfmFB_aK2-dwlspoVz-04mXWnPwIjf4t0aya5tbBktRSR_pBpv_4BhG0I6O8Ra/s320/OurLadyOfGoodHelpChapel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our Lady of Good Help Shrine</td></tr></tbody></table></center>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: <b>It's official. Mary was HERE!</b> <b>On this continent and in this country - the United States of America. </b> She spoke in English. She visited one of our own - an American immigrant girl named Adele Brice in Champion Wisconsin, a small village just outside of Green Bay. There are many claims of Marian apparitions in the United States, but for now anyway, only one is approved and without dispute. It is "Our Lady of Good Help." Here is what we can learn from this. The Virgin Mary saw fit to visit the United States, and she did this in 1859, just one year after she appeared in France to Saint Bernadette Soubirous, in what has come to be known there as the apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes. In fact, the similarities between this visitation, and that at Lourdes, are quite remarkable. Clearly this apparition was part of a cascade of apparitions in the middle 19th century, in which Our Lady was trying to communicate a particular message to us. At Lourdes she identified herself as the Immaculate Conception, while at Champion she identified herself as the "Queen of Heaven." As wonderful and exciting as this is, we would be remiss to venerate the apparition without taking into account the message of Our Lady to Adele Brice. It was simple really. There is no complexity to it, no apocalyptic visions of the future, just an instruction and a promise....<br /><blockquote>"As they approached the hallowed spot, Adele could see the beautiful lady, clothed in dazzling white, with a yellow sash around her waist. Her dress fell to her feet in graceful folds. She had a crown of stars around her head, and her long, golden, wavy hair fell loosely around her shoulders. Such a heavenly light shone around her that Adele could hardly look back at her sweet face. Overcome by this heavenly light and the beauty of her amiable visitor, Adele fell on her knees.<br /><br />" <i>'In God’s name, who are you and what do you want of me?’ </i>asked Adele, as she had been directed.<br /><br />“ <i><b>‘I am the Queen of Heaven, who prays for the conversion of sinners, and I wish you to do the same. You received Holy Communion this morning, and that is well. But you must do more. Make a general confession, and offer Communion for the conversion of sinners. If they do not convert and do penance, my Son will be obliged to punish them’</b></i><br /><br />“ <i>'Adele, who is it?</i>'' said one of the women. <i>'O why can't we see her as you do?'</i> said another weeping.<br /><br />“ <i>‘Kneel,’</i> said Adele, <i>‘the Lady says she is the Queen of Heaven.’</i> Our Blessed Lady turned, looked kindly at them, and said, <i><b>‘Blessed are they that believe without seeing. What are you doing here in idleness…while your companions are working in the vineyard of my Son?’</b></i><br /><br />“ <i>‘What more can I do, dear Lady?’ </i>said Adele, weeping.<br /><br />“ <b><i>‘Gather the children in this wild country and teach them what they should know for salvation’</i></b><br /><br />“ <i>‘But how shall I teach them who know so little myself?’</i> replied Adele.<br /><br />“ <i><b>‘Teach them,’</b></i> replied her radiant visitor, <b><i>‘their catechism, how to sign themselves with the sign of the Cross, and how to approach the sacraments; that is what I wish you to do. Go and fear nothing. I will help you.’ </i></b>"<br /><br />The manifestation of Our Lady then lifted her hands, as though beseeching a blessing for those at her feet, and slowly vanished, leaving Adele overwhelmed and prostrate on the ground.</blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh2tLkjgaQjBRWGXrSWuYaFGGJQV7YqyVOttbbUI4A1OWSjNxB9gE5O8HaGaV1rB_G8_Hr3FOz5QK8_Y8iVHnrP5n2CI-3bNXfm5Y4BuNzKopy1bKTmuI_CJulCfvU0BP4AfI/s1600/olgh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkh2tLkjgaQjBRWGXrSWuYaFGGJQV7YqyVOttbbUI4A1OWSjNxB9gE5O8HaGaV1rB_G8_Hr3FOz5QK8_Y8iVHnrP5n2CI-3bNXfm5Y4BuNzKopy1bKTmuI_CJulCfvU0BP4AfI/s320/olgh.jpg" width="160" /></a></div>The message was simple enough, and it is an instruction that carries through with relevance to this day, now more than ever. That wasn't the end of it though. There is more. Our Lady demonstrated her presence with a miracle exactly twelve years after the initial apparition. By this time Adele had become a religious sister. In 1871 a raging wildfire swept through Wisconsin destroying many of the settlements in the area. It was one of the worst in U.S. history. Rather than flee for their lives, Sister Adele and the faithful rushed to the shrine of Our Lady of Good Help. The fire completely surrounded the shrine, but rather than panic in fear they turned toward Our Lady and prayed. The fire engulfed everything in all directions, singeing the fence around the shrine on all sides, but the shrine, and the small plot of land it stood on were left untouched. There is a message in this for all of us. If we will simply turn to the Lord, and follow the instruction of His mother at Champion Wisconsin, we (the American people) can escape the spiritual. economic and social firestorm that will soon engulf our nation.<br /><br />It all starts with the family. Parents, teach your children the Gospel and the Catechism. Parishes, do the same, at all costs, educate the children in the faith. It is our lack of sound traditionally orthodox education that has brought our national church, and this nation, to the brink of disaster. <br /><br />The Catholic Church in the United States names Mary as our nation's patroness - The Immaculate Conception. The Shrine of the Immaculate Conception is in Washington DC. In doing this the United States bishops have claimed this nation for Mary. Mary was claimed as the Patroness of America as far back as 1792 by Bishop John Carroll. Then in 1846, the Catholic Bishops of the United States assembled to officially proclaim "Mary Immaculate" as our nation's patroness...<br /><blockquote>"We take this occasion, brethren, to communicate to you the determination, unanimously adopted by us, to place ourselves and all entrusted to our charge throughout the United States, under the special patronage of the holy Mother of God, whose Immaculate Conception is venerated by the piety of the faithful throughout the Catholic Church. By the aid of her prayers, we entertain the confident hope that we will be strengthened to perform the arduous duties of our ministry, and that you will be enabled to practice the sublime virtues, of which her life presents the most perfect example."</blockquote>This was a full eight years before the dogmatic proclamation from Rome declaring Mary the Immaculate Conception. Yes, the United States not only has a strong Catholic history, but also a strong Marian history. Our Lady of Good Help is a message to us about help - God's help. The people of this nation are precious to God. He loves us, and he wants to heal our land. Turn back to our Lord and our Lady! Raise your children in the faith - strongly. This is our way out. This is our nation's only help. The fire is coming. What will you do?<br />Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-73893670242629416622010-06-26T10:30:00.001-05:002010-06-26T21:33:22.208-05:00Dispensationalism - A Religion of Fear & Bad Politics<center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/tPtaMgqOwL4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/tPtaMgqOwL4&hl=en_US&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" height="344" width="425"></embed></object></center><blockquote>(WND) - Is there a spiritual, biblical connection to the BP oil catastrophe?<br /><br />A new video on YouTube is suggesting a possible link to the disaster due to America's recent treatment of Israel, and at least one well-known Bible analyst, Hal Lindsey, thinks there's a valid correlation.<br /><br />The video was produced and posted today by Carl Gallups of the Hickory Hammock Baptist Church in Milton, Florida...<br /><br /><a target="new" href="http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=170373">read full story here</a></blockquote>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: <span style="font-style: italic;">Wow!</span> This is the reaction of some Dispensationalists to the oil catastrophe in the Gulf. I suppose <span style="font-weight: bold;">IF</span> it is a direct chastisement of God (which it probably is) it has nothing to do with our national crimes of abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research. I suppose it has nothing to do with our national immorality of rampant sexual license. I suppose it has nothing to do with our exploitation of cheap child labor in third-world countries to maintain our standard of living in the USA. I suppose it has nothing to do with our election of Marxists to the highest levels of government, nor our bloating national debt. I suppose it has nothing to do with banning prayer in public schools and persecuting Christians for street witnessing. I suppose it has nothing to do with the sad reality that most Americans care more about materialism than morality. I suppose it has nothing to do with the fact that we choose to exploit the natural resources of everybody else, rather than our own. I suppose it has nothing to do with us finally getting what's been coming to us for a VERY long time. <span style="font-style: italic;">Nooooo! </span> Because the catastrophe happened to coincide with a certain date, plus 1 day, on the Israeli calendar, it all has to do with our lack of unconditional support of Israel and the Zionist agenda that has turned the Middle East into a tinderbox.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Wow!</span> I would like to say I'm surprised but sadly I am not. Dispensationalism has now become a religion of 100% international politics, and 100% Zionist agenda. In other words, if you don't support the Israeli government unconditionally, regardless of their anti-Christian decisions, than by the hand of God, your nation will be laid waste.<br /><br />Dispensationalism is a philosophy created by Freemasons in the middle 19th century and sold mainly to Protestants in the United Kingdom and the United States. Today it is primarily embraced by many Evangelicals, Pentecostals and some Baptists almost exclusively in the United States. Some US Catholics have even bought into this. The idea behind it is that the Church is not really the new Israel (as it says in the New Testament), but rather the land of Palestine is the "true Israel" only when it is occupied by people who call themselves Jews whether they practice Judaism or not. The political activity that promotes the return of Jews to the Palestinian area, and sponsors the policies of the Israeli government, is called Zionism. This was also a political ideology spawned by Freemasons in the middle 19th century. Since the creation of the State of Israel in 1948 a convergence has developed between Zionism and Dispensationalism. It has now reached the point where the majority of the world's Zionists are American Christians operating under the Dispensational mindset. Yes, there are now more Christian Zionists in America than Jewish Zionists in the whole world.<br /><br />As I stated in a <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/06/vatican-decries-recent-events-in-israel.html">previous blog entry</a>, it is high time for Western Christians to get back into the business of promoting CHRISTIANITY rather than the Masonic-Zionist pipe dream that is the current State of Israel. Western Christians need to start supporting Christians in the Holy Land, and the indigenous churches of the Middle East. Only by doing this can we fulfill our Christian calling overseas, and ever hope to bring peace to that part of the world.<br /><br />If you want to do your part to help Christians in the Middle East, it is possible. Yes, you really can. It's not hard. It's simple and safe. All you need do is<span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" target="new" href="http://www.cnewa.org/home-pm.aspx">CLICK HERE</a> and start by making a small donation to bring the Gospel to this war torn region. 'The Catholic Knight' is a regular contributor to this cause. Why won't you enlist in Christ's army of love and join me in the battle for souls? What's stopping you?<br /><br />Beyond that, it would help tremendously if we start practicing a little old fashioned gospel Christianity here at home too. Maybe if we did that, God wouldn't be so inclined to curse us with oil spills.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-19862486541780962782010-05-22T10:33:00.004-05:002010-06-17T21:54:25.053-05:00An Interview With Fr. Jeffery Fasching<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRoPBv021CdD3vSSei2X-fN0i_dxH-kJWahbBKfGX5UD35krfH44IWyrQOkjId0Wv6bNPJC6VZyj908WKUWxJ89RXaD1qDqO8w4mdZXFpuLZA9zZyRqe9S9YANGIeFq6-I1oG/s1600/mass-bishop.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCRoPBv021CdD3vSSei2X-fN0i_dxH-kJWahbBKfGX5UD35krfH44IWyrQOkjId0Wv6bNPJC6VZyj908WKUWxJ89RXaD1qDqO8w4mdZXFpuLZA9zZyRqe9S9YANGIeFq6-I1oG/s400/mass-bishop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5474312748055185938" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Bishop James V. Johnston assists Father Jeffery Fasching during<br />the Traditional Latin Mass at St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield Missouri.<br />Sunday, May 9th 2010<br /></span></div><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The following is an exclusive interview of Father Jeffery Fasching by The Catholic Knight (TCK). It is a followup to his article entitled </span><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/05/missouri-priest-discovers-renewal-in.html">Young Priest Discovers Renewal In Old Rite</a>.<span style="font-style: italic;"> Father Jeff Fasching serves as pastor for the Latin Mass Community at St. Agnes Cathedral in Springfield Missouri.</span><br /><br />--------------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TCK:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Father Fasching, first I want to thank you for your service to the Church and for granting this interview. It is a pleasure and an honor to share this time with you. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> You're very welcome for the interview. It is my pleasure to have the opportunity to address some questions regarding the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. I am truly humbled that you have taken an interest in the ministry God has bestowed upon me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TCK:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> In your article you indicated a general renewal in your approach to the liturgy and the eucharist by learning the traditional Latin mass, also known as the "Tridentine," Extraordinary Form and Usus Antiquior (or "ancient use") mass. Would you like to elaborate on this?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> I indicated in my previous article that I have experienced somewhat of a "spiritual renewal" in my approach to the Liturgy and the Eucharist through becoming familiar with the Traditional Latin Mass. Up until less than a year ago, all I had known for the thirteen years I have been ordained was the Novus Ordo mass. When a brother priest and some mutual friends introduced me to Summorum Pontificum in the fall of 2009, an excitement came over me I had not felt in quite some time. Part of this excitement was due to my first-hand experience of many priests taking unnecessary liberties with the liturgy. For example, I was once asked in an RCIA class by a priest to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass while simultaneously pausing to explain the various parts of the Mass to the class! This is common practice for many priests. I don't believe it is necessary here for me to explain why this is inappropriate. The point is that Summorum Pontificum made it clear to me that our Holy Father's desire is to restore a sense of the sacred to the Liturgy that has been sadly lost over the past few decades: "What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too...It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church's faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place."<br /><br />I was also thrilled because it occurred to me that so many saintly priests throughout the ages offered the Holy Sacrifice with the Traditional Latin Mass using exactly the same gestures and words that I would soon come to know myself. As soon as I began to learn the Traditional Latin Mass, I immediately experienced a growing bond toward my favorite saint, John Marie Vianney. Not only was our Holy Father encouraging priests to learn the Traditional Latin Mass, but he was also proclaiming John Vianney patron of all priests! God chose to manifest the dignity and essence of the priesthood of Jesus Christ in this humble priest. Saint John Marie Vianney exemplifies what every priest, whether diocesan or religious, should strive and aspire to be. Since I so often fall short of this ideal, I thought at least I could do one thing exactly the same way my favorite saint used to!<br /><br />I knew that other modern-day saints, such as Padre Pio and JoseMaria Escriva said the ancient Mass as well. There was obviously a reason for this. Despite what some see as a disfigured image of the priesthood today, the priesthood of Jesus Christ remains timeless and magnificent in its essence. In this age the priesthood is in dire need of reform and renewal. Summorum Pontificum is a large part of the answer to this renewal because it helps to restore unity to our Lex orandi (Law of prayer.)<br /><br />Learning the Traditional Latin Mass has also enriched my personal prayer life. For example, each day for me begins with at least one hour of Eucharistic adoration (praying before the Blessed Sacrament exposed.) When I anticipate offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the Extraordinary Form as I pray before our Lord, I experience an almost indescribable bond with the Tradition of Holy Mother the Church. I believe this bond comes from realizing that I will confect the Eucharist following the exact same rubrics that so many other saints much holier than myself have done before me. I feel an unmistakable unity with the Church Triumphant through the Liturgy and the Eucharist.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TCK:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> Some readers of TCK blog have requested clarification on your views of the Novus Ordo (new order) or Ordinary Form mass. They wish to know if you view the Ordinary Form, when properly celebrated, as somehow deficient or incapable of transmitting the same graces as the Extraordinary Form. How would you answer this?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> I appreciate the concern of many of your readers regarding the notion that the Novus Ordo Mass is in some way deficient when it comes to transmitting graces when compared to the Traditional Latin Mass. I don't believe this at all! We are speaking of two forms of the very same rite. Let's review the Church's teaching on this subject that dates way back to the fourth century.<br /><br />When a sacrament is celebrated according to the norms of the Church and in faith, the Church believes that it confers the grace it signifies. While a human being is the minister of the sacrament, Christ Himself is the one who is at work: Christ baptizes, Christ confirms, Christ absolves, Christ changes the bread and wine into His Body and Blood, etc. Acting in His sacraments, Christ communicates the grace-that sharing in the divine life and love of God-offered through each sacrament. (Catechism no. 1127-28.)<br /><br />Therefore, the Church has taught that the sacraments act ex opere operato that is "by the very fact of the action’s being performed." The efficacy of the sacrament does not depend upon the human minister- whether a bishop, priest, deacon or layperson. Nevertheless, priests must strive always to be worthy ministers of the sacraments they celebrate, acting in a state of grace and reflecting the Christ in whose person they act.<br /><br />The faithful need to pray for their priests that they will have the grace to lead holy lives and persevere in their sacred vocation. We must not forget the thousands upon thousands of priests and religious who have devoted their lives to the Lord and the Church, but never have received media attention for their good work.<br /><br />In many places, the image of the Catholic priesthood is in disarray. Many priests are discouraged by the failings of a few of their brother priests. Some are even afraid or ashamed to wear the clerical collar out of fear of what people will think or say. We live in the midst of troubled times. Our Holy Father is being persecuted and so are many of us. However, the Church will be purged and purified. As a result, we will have a stronger, holier Church in the end. Graces will flow from both forms of the same rite, but priests who put on the mind of our Holy Father and strive to lead holy lives will more quickly help the Church reach her destiny.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TCK:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> I know this may seem like a silly question, but as a "Traditional priest" do you accept the teachings of the Second Vatican Council as they were written?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> As a Traditional priest, I absolutely accept the teachings of the Second Vatican Council as they are written. I would like to take this opportunity to focus on one particular statement resulting from the Second Vatican Council:<br /><br />"And so I (Pope John Paul, II) desire that all of you should, with me, find in Mary the Mother of the priesthood which we have received from Christ...among the people of God which look to Mary with immense love and hope, you must look to her with exceptional love and hope. Indeed it is your task to proclaim Christ, her Son. And who can better communicate to you the truth about Him than His Mother? It is your task to nourish men's hearts with Christ. And who can make you more aware of what you are doing than she who nourished Him? Hail, true Body, born of the Virgin Mary. There is a wonderful dimension to our ministerial priesthood: it places us near the Mother of Christ." (Vol. 2, p. 360)<br /><br />Mary is the Mother and the Queen of Priests. It has been God's divine plan to will to become incarnate and to become a priest with and only with the previous consent and cooperation of His Blessed Mother. I, in turn, would not have become her child and a priest of God unless she willed it and chose to adopt me as her son. I am so happy and grateful to belong to the Blessed Virgin Mary by her personal choice and by an immutable and eternal decree of our Heavenly Father. Christ loves His Mother more than all other creatures together. I believe He wishes me, His other self, to love her even as He has loved her. This I strive to do.<br /><br />Although Christ is God, He willed while on earth to receive everything through His Blessed Mother. He made known all His needs to her and addressed to her all His requests. I try to do the same. God is infinitely good and powerful and Christ is ready to give me everything as His priest, but He will not do so without receiving a sign from His Immaculate Mother.<br /><br />Mary is the distributor and the Mediatrix of all graces. Since Christ willed to be entirely dependent upon His Mother as a tiny infant, I believe in order to please Christ I must also have that same humble and loving subjection. I try not to undertake anything without her or her council and I strive to always ask the Blessed Virgin Mary to enlighten me.<br /><br />Since Christ also willed to have her consent not only to receive human life, but also to lay it down on the Cross, I also try to pay her the homage of my entire priestly life, all my activity, my joys, and my suffering. The Blessed Virgin Mary gave Christ His human existence and offered Him to God as a holocaust at the foot of the Cross. She is invisibly present at every Mass I offer and she continues with me, her priestly son, to offer Christ as a Victim to God.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TCK:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> In your article you highlighted the connection between holy mass and Eucharistic adoration. In the Western Church today, it would seem there is not only a mental disconnect on this, but a casual approach toward the Eucharist in general. By this I mean communion in the hand while standing for example. The Holy Father has sought to restore the traditional custom of receiving the Eucharist while kneeling and on the tongue. This of course is standard practice in the traditional Latin mass, and has now become the standard practice in all papal liturgies as well. Do you believe this practice should be promoted in the modern vernacular mass too, and could you elaborate on this? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> I do believe that the practice of receiving Holy Communion kneeling and on the tongue should be promoted and practiced at all times because it better highlights the truth of the real presence in the Eucharist, helps the devotion of the faithful, and lends itself more easily to the sense of sacredness and mystery. The above are some of the ideas that have been lost over recent decades, particularly in the Novus Ordo Mass.<br /><br />As a former athlete who played football and basketball in college and an avid runner, I am well aware of the strength needed in one’s knees to perform certain tasks. Knees are symbolic of both strength and humility. What we do with our knees gives evidence of what we believe in our hearts. When we genuflect before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament, we express what matters most in our lives. In the Acts of the Apostles we are told that Saint Peter "knelt down and prayed" (9:40), and that Saint Paul "knelt down and prayed with them all" (20:36). One of my favorite scripture passages that gives the strongest theological foundation for kneeling is found in Saint Paul's Letter to the Philippians, 2:6-11, where Saint Paul writes: "…at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father".<br /><br />I believe that the most respectful manner of receiving the Eucharist is kneeling and on the tongue. When we enter a Eucharistic adoration chapel we kneel down to pray. Why would we not want to kneel when actually receiving the very flesh and blood of our Lord? We must recover the respect and reverence that the Eucharist deserves by our external actions because I believe our inward souls are at stake.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">TCK:</span><span style="font-style: italic;"> It seems there is a great deal of misunderstanding in the Church between contemporary and traditional Catholics. That misunderstanding sometimes leads to unnecessary hostility between them. Perhaps this comes from a misplaced fear of the unknown, or perhaps the false notion that all Traditional Catholics seek to "take the Church back in time." What do you think might eliminate some of this unnecessary hostility and misunderstanding?</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> There does seem to be a prevailing notion that Traditional Catholics want to "take the Church back in time." This is based on a common lack of understanding of the mind of our Holy Father. Pope Benedict has reminded us that the Ordinary Form of the Mass and the Extraordinary Form are two forms of the same rite and are co-equal:<br /><br />"The usus antiquior is not a museum piece but a living expression of Catholic worship...what earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred for us too...It is a treasure that belongs to the whole Catholic Church and which should be widely available to all of Christ's faithful...It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church's faith and prayer and to give them their proper place."<br /><br />Some common misunderstandings with respect to Vatican II include the following:<br /><br />The priest facing the people was not introduced by Vatican II. It became the unwritten practice in the Novus Ordo mass without any directives from Vatican II or by the Missal of 1969. Cardinal Ratzinger said in The Spirit of the Liturgy that the priest in facing the congregation is tempted “to be an actor.” The Mass is not a performance, therefore applause is inappropriate. The Mass is a sacrifice and must transcend the personality of the priest.<br /><br />The official language of the Novus Ordo is Latin and the Mass may be celebrated either in Latin or in English. The practice of receiving Communion in the hand was not called for by Vatican II. This sprang up as an abuse and was subsequently accepted by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1977 by a slim majority. This indult can be withdrawn at any time.<br /><br />The Motu Proprio of Pope Benedict making the Traditional Mass more available should be viewed as “reform of the reform,” a renewal of the Church began by liturgical renewal. The vast majority of the thousands of bishops at the Council neither wished for, nor mandated, a radical reform of the liturgy. It was never the intention to abandon the use of Latin or to require the celebrant to face the people. Nothing had been said about standing to receive Communion in the hand, or the use of altar girls. No mention had been made about the use of multiple Canons. In the Roman rite there had always been one Eucharistic prayer. The many changes in the liturgy were for the most part made after Vatican II. Interpretation of the Council’s intent was motivated by what became known as “the Spirit of Vatican II.”<br /><br />The most grievous change following Vatican II was the loss of reverence. As a result, consciousness of the Real Presence has diminished. The Traditional Latin Mass helps restore this loss of reverence and sense of the real presence due to its contemplative nature. It is surrounded by silence. There is clear emphasis on the Mass as the same sacrifice Christ offered on Calvary, although in a bloodless manner. Every gesture by the priest, the signs of the cross, the genuflections, are strictly controlled by the rubrics. There is nothing spontaneous. In fact our Holy Father has said that the greatness of the liturgy depends on its lack of spontaneity. The Mass is designed to be an elaborate ritual of “time outside of time.”<br /><br />The Holy Father has emphasized that through the Motu Proprio he wishes to enrich the liturgy of the whole of the Church and not merely to protect the right of those who prefer the ancient form. Pope Benedict’s point in making the Traditional Latin Mass more widely available is neither nostalgic nor “taking us back.” Rather, by encouraging the more widespread celebration of this classic form of Roman rite, he intends to create a kind of liturgical magnet, drawing ‘the reform of the reform’ in the direction of greater solemnity and reverence in the Catholic Church’s worship.”<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">TCK:</span> Once again I would like to thank you for the privilege of speaking with you, and for granting us this interview. May God bless you in the work you are doing for the Diocese of Springfield - Cape Girardeau.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Fasching:</span> Thank you Catholic Knight for granting me this interview and for all you do in the battle against relativism in the Church. I hope to speak with you in the near future.<span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-41685622769976315802010-05-18T14:00:00.014-05:002010-06-17T21:55:04.967-05:00Young Priest Discovers Renewal In Old Rite<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt5PeKws3y0VEWIJqiIpSJEENsAjzl7Zu2ZNhtvEySrOXBebnfmQ3LmHIIRtMfqHx_XCgMlPGsJ-nR0U0qJOfezgNp0yd9uPGiMVn3Diy-7zWZkFPqQMNzKkwrnNYcmPOLzmD/s1600/Fasching-Mass.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSt5PeKws3y0VEWIJqiIpSJEENsAjzl7Zu2ZNhtvEySrOXBebnfmQ3LmHIIRtMfqHx_XCgMlPGsJ-nR0U0qJOfezgNp0yd9uPGiMVn3Diy-7zWZkFPqQMNzKkwrnNYcmPOLzmD/s400/Fasching-Mass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472773557030895714" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">Father Jeffery Fasching Elevates the Eucharist at</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">the Traditional Latin Mass in St. Agnes Cathedral - Springfield, Missouri</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">May 9th. 2010</span><br /></div><blockquote><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV12GbNE5wTfwR5utrVeFzLqP83zwvFl2hwHcoc5G4JNCkMmOq9ed-hNPcfPNV5zIzKksYjMIr-CijWt693c5Szc4P3agiV4rbEW8klJoHY1cip6oqyj4tHMZ8dkrUqFn6JZ2m/s1600/Fr.+Jeff.jpg"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 112px; height: 147px;" title="Fr. Jeffery A. Fasching" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV12GbNE5wTfwR5utrVeFzLqP83zwvFl2hwHcoc5G4JNCkMmOq9ed-hNPcfPNV5zIzKksYjMIr-CijWt693c5Szc4P3agiV4rbEW8klJoHY1cip6oqyj4tHMZ8dkrUqFn6JZ2m/s400/Fr.+Jeff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5472605878317484994" border="0" /></a>A Catholic Priest is first and foremost a man of prayer. Prayer alone with our Lord is the single most important activity that I engage in each and every day. If any priest tells you otherwise, he does not have his priorities in order. A significant number of seminarians and priests attribute their vocations to Eucharistic adoration. I am one of them. Being alone with the Lord with no distractions each day makes for a very personal visit through which I am able to listen to the Lord speak to me.<br /><br />The Eucharist is a priceless treasure. I first began to learn this in my home parish of Saint Francis of Assisi in Wichita, KS when I was in my early twenties. As I began to discern my vocation, I felt a powerful attraction toward regularly visiting our Lord in the perpetual adoration chapel in the parish. Our Lord spoke to me in my heart with an overwhelming invitation to confect the Eucharist and bring Christ to the world. From that time on I realized that among the many possibilities that life offered me at that point, nothing could begin to compare with working for the salvation of souls as a Catholic priest.<br /><br />Over the years I have truly experienced first hand how the words of Pope Benedict XVI ring true regarding the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and adoration: “Only within the breathing space of adoration can the Eucharistic celebration indeed be alive…Communion and adoration do not stand side by side, or even in opposition, but are indivisibly one.”<br /><br />Less than a year ago I learned of our Holy Father’s milestone document “Summorum Pontificum,” which restored to priests the freedom to celebrate the “extraordinary form” of the Roman rite. With the help of an on-line tutorial, I trained myself to offer Mass in the extraordinary form. The reason for my attraction toward the Latin Mass is twofold: my traditional upbringing and my experience of an unwillingness on the part of many priests to follow the rubrics of the mass.<br /><br />Since I have been offering the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass in the extraordinary form I have experienced both a strengthening of my faith and great consolation as a Traditional priest who has experienced tremendous support from a Traditional, like-minded bishop. I have experienced a deeper union with the Church and our Holy Father through the classical Roman Liturgy because so many saints throughout the ages have offered the Holy Sacrifice precisely the same way that I am able to do right now.<br /><br />As children of God our relationship with God is by far the most important relationship we can have. This relationship is intimately united with the presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. It is through the Mass alone that we are able to receive our Lord in Holy Communion and thereby nourish our personal relationship with Him. My experience has been that in any human relationship the words we use and the actions we perform play a significant role in the success of that particular relationship. Since our salvation depends upon our relationship with God, we should take extreme care with the words and actions of the Sacred Liturgy.<br /><br />The documents of Vatican II clearly state that no individual, not even a priest, has the right to change the rubrics of the Sacred Liturgy. Nevertheless, this practice is common-place in many parishes. When a priest changes the words and gestures of the Sacred Liturgy he endangers the faith of those for whom he celebrates and thereby becomes responsible for diminishing the integrity of their belief. In learning to offer the Traditional Latin Mass that has grown under the influence of the Holy Ghost for so many centuries, I have experienced tremendous peace in the midst of casual behavior and gratuitous changes of words and gestures so prevalent in many parishes around me.<br /><br />The Catholic Faith and the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass are the greatest gifts God has bestowed upon us. Therefore we must nourish our faith, grow in it, and never take what God has given us for granted. The Sacred Liturgy has been given to us by God to remain in contact with Him. As a priest, it is therefore incumbent upon me to help others to see how important the Liturgy is for our daily lives. The vestments, chalice, and all other items used during the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass should show that we want to give back to God the most beautiful things that we have when we are in communion with Him.<br /><br />The principle aim of the Church is to bring people into communion with the Lord through the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The Mass is the source and summit of our lives as Catholic Christians. Consequently, Liturgical matters have always been of the utmost importance with respect to Holy Mother Church. Despite this, many pastors do not even care to take charge of how liturgies are performed in their own parishes! As a result, I have experienced a tremendous lack of knowledge among the lay faithful with respect to Catholic doctrine.<br /><br />This is precisely where I believe my mission as a priest sympathetic to the extraordinary form of the Mass begins. Recently appointed pastor of a growing Latin Mass community, I am thrilled to have the opportunity to share my God-given faith with others who have it their aim to draw nourishment from the Sacred Liturgy that has nourished countless others throughout the centuries in the life of Holy Mother the Church.<br /><br /><span>Written by the Rev. Jeffery A. Fasching</span><br /><span>Diocese of Springfield - Cape Girardeau</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">For more read The Catholic Knight's exclusive interview with Father Jeff Fasching <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/05/interview-with-fr-jeffery-fasching.html">HERE</a>. </span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span></blockquote><span>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Frequently The Catholic Knight is privileged to make the acquaintance of some remarkable people in the Catholic Church who have been inspired by the liturgical renewal of Pope Benedict XVI. The above article was written by one such person. Father Jeffrey Fasching is a new Traditional Latin Mass priest in Springfield Missouri. He is currently serving at St. Agnes Cathedral. Having just discovered historic Catholic tradition less than a year ago, he has been transformed and energized by the spiritual depth of the <span style="font-style: italic;">Usus Antiquior</span>. Father Fasching is meeting the desperate need of faithful Catholics in a diocese where many people are struggling to understand the intentions of our Holy Father. The Catholic Knight is pleased to present this exclusive article written by Father Fasching, and hopes to bring you more from him in the near future.</span>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-50751489215630970442010-04-08T09:41:00.004-05:002010-04-09T08:59:36.461-05:00Why Every Catholic Should Detest The New York Times<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXl1nr78Vx4NFg-1eCJTSZCvk4DfgUVuZVdCGAxm9y8UomlwYNcgRFRNVECqSwix7ivjiotI754nLqWY3vAkwcth4cXq8WDaykfY9U66e-bpbxNWdjhSF-oYhbhk2JDxLETWr/s1600/new-york-times-building.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPXl1nr78Vx4NFg-1eCJTSZCvk4DfgUVuZVdCGAxm9y8UomlwYNcgRFRNVECqSwix7ivjiotI754nLqWY3vAkwcth4cXq8WDaykfY9U66e-bpbxNWdjhSF-oYhbhk2JDxLETWr/s320/new-york-times-building.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457783158024014498" border="0" /></a><br />THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: If you read no other article this weekend, read this one...<blockquote><span>(The American Spectator) - The children of Diderot at the <em>New York Times</em> understand the secularist Enlightenment project very well. Its executive editor, Bill Keller, <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/04/opinion/is-the-pope-catholic.html?sec=&spon=&pagewanted=2" target="_blank"> telegraphed</a> this in a 2002 column.</span><br /><br /><span>Since he wrote the column before he was promoted to editor, he didn't bother to hide his anti-Catholic bigotry with circumspect throat-clearing. He described himself as a "collapsed Catholic" -- "well beyond lapsed." He affected a false modesty about this, saying that for this reason he claims "no voice in whom the church ordains or how it prays or what it chooses to call a sin." But of course he does claim that voice -- and thinks all should obey it.</span><br /><br /><span>He made it clear that he was rooting for "reforms" that would reduce Catholicism to a captive of modern liberalism: "…the struggle within the church is interesting as part of a larger struggle within the human race, between the forces of tolerance and absolutism....</span><br /><br /><span><a href="http://spectator.org/archives/2010/04/08/the-end-of-history-and-the-las">read full story here</a></span></blockquote>The New York Times campaign against the pope (and the Catholic Church in general) is well documented <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/04/passion-of-pope.html">here</a>, <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/03/is-new-york-times-anti-catholic.html">here</a> and <a href="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2007/01/new-york-times-caught-lying-again.html">here</a>.<br /><br />There is no justifiable reason for anyone claiming the name "Catholic" to subscribe to this blatantly anti-Catholic rag of intolerance and hate toward the Catholic Church and anyone who loves their Catholic Christian faith. I've never had a subscription to The New York Times, but if I did I would cancel it immediately, and publicly burn every paper I continued to receive until the deliveries are finally stopped. I would also tell every Catholic soul I know to do the same. <br /><br />Catholics ought to cancel their subscriptions to local newspapers as well, if they reprint New York Times articles. <br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Please pass this message on to every Catholic you know. Here is the link: <a HREF="http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-every-catholic-should-detest-new.html">http://catholicknight.blogspot.com/2010/04/why-every-catholic-should-detest-new.html</a></span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span><br /><br /><br />Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-80805254259529097862010-02-18T09:41:00.007-06:002010-02-18T10:18:02.898-06:00When Can A Priest Say The Traditional Latin Mass?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhval03QFoShuMf14B6RiWP54o9hyoMFWzFBfhJG5ZwTkyFGrPMlywxR8ynobdi3Z11ttcGg7broxD-j_lQ2gsR4EOPqIkIxYUc73Qktvu6q4OK6D4ACtd9LpsoMW8h5BJUIYi0/s1600-h/modern-tlm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhval03QFoShuMf14B6RiWP54o9hyoMFWzFBfhJG5ZwTkyFGrPMlywxR8ynobdi3Z11ttcGg7broxD-j_lQ2gsR4EOPqIkIxYUc73Qktvu6q4OK6D4ACtd9LpsoMW8h5BJUIYi0/s400/modern-tlm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439616552339385106" /></a><blockquote>(Telegraph) - Good news from Rome: the Vatican has further underlined the freedom of priests to celebrate Mass in the Extraordinary Form whenever they choose. Two important points have been clarified by Ecclesia Dei, which will make it more difficult for the English, Welsh and above all Scottish bishops to stall the implementation of Summorum Pontificum:<br /><br />1. A priest does NOT have to be approached by a “stable group” of the faithful in order to schedule a PUBLIC celebration of the Extraordinary Form – he may choose to do so, for example, in order to introduce his parishioners to this ancient form of the Roman Rite. Or because it’s his aunt’s birthday. Any reason, really.<br /><br />2. A Mass in the Extraordinary Form may replace a regularly scheduled Mass in the Ordinary Form.<br /><br />You can find more details of the <a target="new" href="http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2010/02/important-clarifications-from-ecclesia.html">Ecclesia Dei ruling here</a>, on the excellent New Liturgical Movement blog....<br /><br /><a target="new" href="http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/damianthompson/100026178/vatican-confirms-freedom-of-priests-to-celebrate-extraordinary-form-whenever-they-like-%E2%80%93-no-need-for-stable-group/">read full story here</a></blockquote>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Rome has spoken again. While rebel priests and bishops from all over the western world seek new ways to twist canon law and thwart the pope's will, the Vatican has now ruled the following. Any Roman Rite Catholic priest may celebrate the Traditional Latin Mass (Tridentine mass, Extraordinary Form or <span style="font-style:italic;">Usus Antiquior</span>) or "Ancient Use" at any time, whenever he wants, for any reason, or no particular reason at all. It can be done privately (with or without guests), or publicly, and it may replace any ordinary mass at any time. The one and only requirement is that the priest be competent to celebrate it, and there are many means through which a priest may attain competency, either through training videos or short workshops.<br /><br />Pope Benedict XVI has effectively given the <span style="font-style:italic;">Usus Antiquior</span> ("Ancient Use") just as much freedom in the modern Church as the ordinary modern mass. This freedom will prove essential to younger priests, just coming out of the seminaries, who tend to be more traditional in their liturgical practices, and will immediately be confronted by retro-1970s priests serving as rectors, chancellors and bishops. The retro-1970s clergy tend to express an open hostility toward the <span style="font-style:italic;">Usus Antiquior</span> and/or anything having to do with traditional liturgical practices. For years now, young priests have found themselves immediately immersed in a culture of intimidation if they should display any traditional tendencies in diocesan parishes. "When you're fresh out of the seminary, and trying to please your superiors, there is tremendous pressure to just go along with the flow and maintain the status quo" said one newly ordained priest to 'The Catholic Knight' under condition of anonymity.<br /><br />That "pressure" may still be there, but the "power" of these retro-1970s throwbacks to do any harm has now been significantly diminished. Young priests, fresh out of the seminaries, can now offer the <span style="font-style:italic;">Usus Antiquior</span> whenever they want, and while they may incur the frowns and glares of their superiors, there is nothing they can lawfully do to stop them anymore. This most recent act by the Vatican signifies that the retro-1970s post-conciliar neopriests are now finally being put out to pasture.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-7312783652176846702010-02-15T13:15:00.000-06:002010-02-15T13:19:18.111-06:00Married Christians Less Likely To Divorce If They Practice Catholicism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVyrXPi4hjOQaCced2Yfu7mxQRxRWPhfk0odPH8ViwL4SIzwurq_hsaXVK5JLixUNJDdry7u1dbM4SDv0wElo2NzfRA1uf0Mbv_VZ_OmD0GRKmuTJVefEptN5g-CPS60qZRim/s1600-h/marriage-stats.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 346px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJVyrXPi4hjOQaCced2Yfu7mxQRxRWPhfk0odPH8ViwL4SIzwurq_hsaXVK5JLixUNJDdry7u1dbM4SDv0wElo2NzfRA1uf0Mbv_VZ_OmD0GRKmuTJVefEptN5g-CPS60qZRim/s400/marriage-stats.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438494636721683458" border="0" /></a><br />THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Most statistics indicate that the overall divorce rate in the United States, among all people, religious or non-religious, is about 40% to 60%. The range is based on an average between first marriages, second marriages and third marriages. A first marriage has about a 50% chance at survival in the United States. Chances of survival go down with each consecutive marriage. <br /><br />Now based on this information, and the statistical graph above, we can instantly see that the practice of any Christian religion does significantly help the survival chances for a marriage. Case in point; if the married Christian couple practices Catholic or Lutheran Christianity, the divorce rate is about 21%, which indicates the marriage has about a 79% chance at survival. If the married Christian couple practices Baptist Christianity, the divorce rate is about 29%, which indicates the marriage has about a 71% chance at survival. If the married Christian couple practices one of the new trendy "nondenominational" forms of Christianity, the divorce rate is about 34%, which indicates the marriage has about a 66% chance at survival. <br /><br />What I find interesting about these statistics is that the more "ancient" and "traditional" the form of Christianity, the more likely a marriage is to survive. Granted, these are statistics, and based on an overall picture. We cannot apply them to each and every individual couple, and of course, there are always exceptions to every statistical rule. However, when we're looking at odds alone, we find that the best chance a marriage has at survival, in our incredibly decadent culture, is for the couple to practice some form of Christianity. However, of all the different forms of Christianity, Catholicism is one of two that is MOST LIKELY to increase the chances of a marriage survival. The only Protestant form of Christianity that compares is Lutheranism.<br />Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-72600154948768552892010-02-12T21:50:00.004-06:002011-04-19T13:01:45.923-05:00Catholic Prophecy - Last Days - End Times - Eschatology<center><object height="344" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/HaPz7p-1-bk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/HaPz7p-1-bk&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;">Disclaimer: 'The Catholic Knight' does not endorse<br />
Pat Robertson or his television ministry. This YouTube video<br />
is provided strictly for the news report contained therein.</span></center><br />
<blockquote>(FrontPageMag.Com) - When the US-led coalition invaded Iraq in March 2003, few would have imagined that the move might lead to the formation of an alliance between the radical Left and hard-line Islamists in Western Europe. But this is precisely what happened.<br />
<br />
In this month's election for a new European Parliament, voters in several European Union countries, notably France and Britain, are offered common lists of Islamist and leftist candidates, often hidden under bland labels.<br />
<br />
Europe's moribund extreme Left has found a new lease on life thanks to hundreds of young Muslim militants recruited from the poor suburbs of Paris and the Islamic ghettos of northern England.<br />
<br />
The Islamist groups, for their part, are learning many tricks from the Left about how to exploit the inevitable weaknesses of an open society...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://97.74.65.51/readArticle.aspx?ARTID=12242" target="new">read full story here</a></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhCD2UcFiCgTwPZya9Rg2Atn8hq5UoHfEG2KAqufc5JnaCbRp2jIPwL6ORQ43ie55dlOsq457OL70yWO-NPts-gYv9ad46xcEGYJlKvUaeSyV0qGaIIOVDcXbV-LGvE8gttuw/s1600/eu-islam-flag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="158" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivhCD2UcFiCgTwPZya9Rg2Atn8hq5UoHfEG2KAqufc5JnaCbRp2jIPwL6ORQ43ie55dlOsq457OL70yWO-NPts-gYv9ad46xcEGYJlKvUaeSyV0qGaIIOVDcXbV-LGvE8gttuw/s200/eu-islam-flag.png" width="200" /></a></div>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: We are all familiar of the Islamic <span style="font-style: italic;">"enemy of my enemy is my friend"</span> ideology. What you may not be familiar with is how well the Marxist world has adopted this ideology as it's own. Russian friendliness with radical Islamic regimes (such as Iran for example) is an old story going all the way back to the days of the Soviet Union. While this remains a continual threat today, the real danger at this time has little to do with the old communist state. The real danger is rising in Europe.<br />
<br />
European Marxists, often called "Leftists" by many in the mainstream news media, are forging an alliance with Europe's rising Muslim population. The demonstrations (i.e. "riots") seen in the video above are just a small snapshot of what's going on all across Europe right now. Throughout the European Union, demonstrations can be witnessed in which typical Marxist anarchists can be seen rioting alongside Muslims in traditional Islamic attire.<br />
<br />
Multiple demographic studies indicate that Muslims will become the European majority by 2050. In some European nations, this will happen much sooner, and Sweden is one of them. The possibility of a purely Islamic takeover of Europe is at least a couple decades away. However, when coupled with a Leftist alliance, a Muslim-Marxist revolution could happen much faster, perhaps even within a decade. Marxists (i.e. Leftists or Socialists) make up a much larger portion of European politics than typically seen in North America. In fact, most major political parties in Europe have to adopt socialist policies in order to appease the powerful Marxist influence over European politics. An alliance between radical Muslims and Marxists could (and probably will) prove fatal for Europe, and if given enough time, will probably present a significant security threat to North America as well.<br />
<br />
This is where we are now. However, if you would like to know what the future holds, we need look no further than the sages and mystics of our Christian past. It turns out God has been warning us about our specific times since at least the early middle ages. There were many prophecies from Christian Saints and mystics that deal specifically with our time, and even more specifically with the Muslim-Marxist threat we now face. Yes, according to them, we are in the end times, but not yet in the last days. We have at least a few more generations to go before the final consummation of the age, the coming of Antichrist and the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.<br />
<br />
In the mean time, this is what we can expect to happen in our generation....<br />
<ol><li>The Muslim-Marxist Alliance in Europe will grow and be highly successful. It will also enjoy success in other parts of the world as well. Marxists heretics within the Church will also prevail, driving the Church into chaos.</li>
<li style="font-style: italic;">The European Muslim-Marxist Alliance will eventually culminate in a violent revolution that will span the entire European continent. The prophesied "<span style="font-weight: bold;">Chastisement</span>" begins.<br />
</li>
<li style="font-style: italic;">The Vatican will be violently overrun by heretics, and the pope will be forced to flee Rome. He will eventually die in exile - assassinated! Some prophecies indicate a false pope (anti-pope) may be installed during his absence. One prophecy identifies this anti-pope as a Greek.</li>
<li style="font-style: italic;">God will intervene in the situation, with a supernatural disaster of some type.</li>
<li style="font-style: italic;">A new (and true) pope will be elected in exile, and he will revive the old French monarchy by crowning a Christian king against the will of the people of France. (Yes, the French royal family still exists, but it is unclear at this time who has right to the throne. Currently there are two valid pretenders. Though some prophets maintain that the line of succession will be unknown until the time comes.)</li>
<li><span style="font-style: italic;">The Muslim-Marxist revolution will be short lived, as this new Christian monarch fights back, and conquers Europe by military conquest, establishing a Christian Empire spanning from Madrid to Jerusalem - perhaps even larger - some say he will conquer the whole world. The prophesied "</span><span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">Chastisement</span><span style="font-style: italic;">" comes to conclusion. As much as 2/3 to 3/4 of the world population is dead.</span><br />
</li>
<li>Russia will be converted back to Christianity en mass, and the Orthodox churches will be reunited with the Roman Catholic Church, and all non-Catholic (protestant, reformed, evangelical and fundamentalist) churches will cease to exist.</li>
</ol>In the distant future, the following is foretold...<br />
<ol><li>A period of peace will follow (perhaps two or more centuries depending conditionally upon the faithfulness of the people), in which Christianity will have it's last great era of orthodoxy and evangelism before the rise of Antichrist and the Last Days. The world will be ruled by Christian monarchies, and great waves of evangelism will cover the earth, converting most of the world, as Pope John Paul II alluded to with his prophetic utterance "springtime of evangelism."</li>
<li>Some time after the great French monarch dies, and perhaps after his successors die as well, the world will reach a point where things will be thrown into chaos once again. The world will eventually be divided among multiple (ten) kings. Antichrist will come, and he will assume world power. He will be Jewish, and rise to power in the Middle East. He will be hailed as the Jewish messiah, rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem, and establish his throne there. He will subdue the world, and teach that all religions are false, except Judaism and perhaps <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noahidism">Noahidism</a> as it's extension.</li>
<li>Then after ruling mildly for some time, and rebuilding Jerusalem into a thriving metropolis, and capitol of the world, he shall persecute Christians severely, and then demand to be worshiped as God.</li>
<li>At that point God will send Enoch and Elijah back to reason with the Jewish people, and they will reject him and convert to Christianity en masse. Eventually the Antichrist will be killed, and a very short time (unknown exactly how long) after that Jesus Christ will supernaturally return in the flesh. He will come in the clouds, to raise the dead, judge the nations, and bring our world to it's end. Thus begins ETERNITY!</li>
</ol>What astounds me is how well the Saints and seers of ages past predicted the exact circumstances of our time, which they insisted would eventually result in the fall of our Secular world, followed by the revival of the Holy Roman Empire - and a new Christian Europe! The rise of Secular democratic republics in Europe (from 1789 until now) will prove to be an absolute failure as Muslims and Marxists slowly take them over, while liberal heretics attempt to take over the Church. Only the intervention of God, the election of a holy pope, and the rise of a Christian king, will be able to save Europe and the world.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Based on the foretold 75 to 100 year period of increased freedom and power granted to Satan by Christ, as reported by Pope Leo XIII, the message and timing of the Fatima visions, in conjunction with the prophecies of Anne Catherine Emmerich and many other approved Catholic mystics, I have come to the PERSONAL presumption that the period of the Chastisement will most likely occur between the years 2013 at the earliest, to 2038 at the latest. The time span between 2013 and 2038 (a period of 25 years) is borrowed time - a period when the Chastisement is imminent. That is my PERSONAL OPINION and should not be taken as anything more than that.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">After this will come Peter the Roman, that great pontiff who will give us the Great Monarch, and the period of peace to follow.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Now I want to stress here that this is merely an assumption based on the information given, and my flawed human ability to process it. I am not a prophet, nor am I a mystic. I'm just a Catholic laymen with an interest in this topic. Based on the information given however, and my ability to process it, I am convinced that the time of the Chastisement is at hand. We have a 25 year window (between AD 2013 - 2038) in which it will most likely occur. Watch, Pray, Trust Christ, and Pursue Holiness; this is our best hope and our ONLY MEANS of survival.</span><br />
<br />
These prophecies come predominantly from canonized Saints, who are approved for veneration by the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox churches. So we're not talking about any questionable predictions arising from occult sources. These were holy men and women of God, who saw images of the future through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. These prophecies have been compiled and recorded by multiple authors. Their works can be found stored electronically on the Internet and in books at your local public libraries. The following is a tiny sampling of what I'm talking about....<br />
<blockquote>After the year 1900, toward the middle of the 20th century, the people of that time will become unrecognisable. When the time for the Advent of the Antichrist approaches, peoples minds will grow cloudy from carnal passions, and dishonour and lawlessness will grow stronger. Then the world will become unrecognisable. Peoples appearances will change, and it will be impossible to distinguish men from women due to there shamelessness in dress and style of hair. These people will be cruel and will be like wild animals because of the temptations of the Antichrist. There will be no respect for parents or elders, love will disappear, and Christian pastors, bishops, and priests will become vain men, completely failing to distinguish the right hand way from the left. At that time the morals and traditions of Christians and the Church will change. People will abandon modesty, and dissipation will reign. Falsehood and greed will attain great proportions, and woe to those who pile up treasures. Lust, adultery, homosexuality, secret deeds and murder will rule in society. - St. Nilus, AD 430</blockquote><blockquote>"This prince shall extend his dominion over the entire universe. At the same time there will be a Great Pope, who will be the most eminent in sanctity and most perfect in every quality. This Pope shall have with him the Great Monarch, a most virtuous man, who shall be a scion of the holy race of the French kings. This Great Monarch will assist the Pope in the reformation of the whole earth. Many princes and nations that are living in error and impiety shall be converted, and an admirable peace shall reign among men during many years because the wrath of God shall be appeased through repentance, penance and good works. There will be one common law, one only faith, one baptism, one religion. All nations shall recognize the Holy See of Rome, and shall pay homage to the Pope. But after some considerable time fervor shall cool, iniquity shall abound, and moral corruption shall become worse than ever, which shall bring upon mankind the last and worst persecution of Antichrist and the end of the world" - St. Caesar of Arles (Caesarius), AD 470-543</blockquote><blockquote>"There will be a great prodigy which will fill the world with awe. But this prodigy will be preceded by the triumph of a revolution during which the Church will go through ordeals that are beyond description." - Pope Pius IX, AD 1846-1878<br />
<br />
"God will punish the world when men have devised marvelous inventions that will lead them to forget God. They will have horseless carriages; they will fly like birds." - Blessed Bernardt Rembordt, AD 1689-1793<br />
<br />
I saw one of my successors taking to flight over the bodies of his brethren. He will take refuge in disguise somewhere, and after a short retirement he will die a cruel death. The present wickedness of the world is only the beginning of sorrows which must take place before the end of the world. - St. Pius X, AD 1903-1914<br />
<br />
"The Pope will be forced to flee, followed by four cardinals. He will find refuge in Cologne." - Sister Helena Walraff, AD 1790<br />
<br />
In the Holy Place itself, where has been set up the See of the most holy Peter and the Chair of Truth for the light of the world, they have raised the throne of their abominable impiety, with the iniquitous design that when the Pastor has been struck, the sheep may be scattered. - Pope Leo XIII, AD 1903</blockquote><blockquote>"After the two parts which I have already explained, at the left of Our Lady and a little above, we saw an Angel with a flaming sword in his left hand; flashing, it gave out flames that looked as though they would set the world on fire; but they died out in contact with the splendour that Our Lady radiated towards him from her right hand: pointing to the earth with his right hand, the Angel cried out in a loud voice: ‘Penance, Penance, Penance!'. And we saw in an immense light that is God: ‘something similar to how people appear in a mirror when they pass in front of it' a Bishop dressed in White ‘we had the impression that it was the Holy Father'. Other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious going up a steep mountain, at the top of which there was a big Cross of rough-hewn trunks as of a cork-tree with the bark; before reaching there the Holy Father passed through a big city half in ruins and half trembling with halting step, afflicted with pain and sorrow, he prayed for the souls of the corpses he met on his way; having reached the top of the mountain, on his knees at the foot of the big Cross he was killed by a group of soldiers who fired bullets and arrows at him, and in the same way there died one after another the other Bishops, Priests, men and women Religious, and various lay people of different ranks and positions. Beneath the two arms of the Cross there were two Angels each with a crystal aspersorium in his hand, in which they gathered up the blood of the Martyrs and with it sprinkled the souls that were making their way to God." - The Children of Fatima, AD 1917 </blockquote><blockquote>"Europe will be afflicted by horrable punishments, when the papal chair is empty. Wickedness, spitefulness and slandering will provoke a small nation, that will set on the fire by killing a prince. Seven realms will rise against the bird with two heads and the bird with one head."......"In east and west a large struggle will be, which destroys many humans." ......"Powerless humans will watch this. Four years and five months the riot will take. famine, epidemics and plague will cause more victims than the war." ..."The time will come, when you neither can buy nor sell. Bread will be assigned and marked. The seas will color themselves with blood. ...The carriages will drive without horses, fiery dragons will fly through the air and belch fire and sulfur, destroy cities and villages." ....."The winner carries a cross on the breast; and between the seven cities with the seven towers the decision takes place. There is a crucifix between two lime trees. The war will begin, when the ears fully lean, but reaching his highest point, when the cherry trees flower for the second time." - Saint Padre Pio, AD 1918<br />
<br />
Watch the sun and moon and the stars of Heaven - when they appear to be unduly disturbed and restless, know that the day is not far away.......The Divine Judgment shall strike them like a thunderbolt!......'Hurricanes of fire will pour forth from the clouds and spread over the entire earth! Storms, bad weather, thunderbolts and earthquakes will cover the earth for two days. An uninterrupted rain of fire will take place! It will begin during a very cold night.........This catastrophe shall come upon the earth like a flash of lightning at which moment the light of the morning sun shall be replaced by black darkness! No one shall leave the house or look out of a window from that moment on. I Myself shall come amidst thunder and lightning.......'On that day, as soon as complete darkness has set in, no one shall leave the house or look out of the window. The darkness shall last a day and a night, followed by another day and a night, and another day - but on the night following, the stars will shine again, and on the next morning the sun shall rise again, and it will be springtime… - Saint Padre Pio, AD 1918<br />
<br />
"Before I come as the just judge, I am coming first as the King of Mercy. Before the day of justice arrives, there will be given to people a sign in the heavens of this sort: "All light in the heavens will be extinguished, and there will be great darkness over the whole earth. Then the sign of the cross will be seen in the sky, and from the openings where the hands and the feet of the Savior were nailed will come forth great lights which will light up the earth for a period of time. This will take place shortly before the last day. " - Saint Faustina, AD 1937</blockquote><blockquote>“Pray….pray much, especially for the conversion of sinners” Humanity has not heeded my Blessed Mother who appeared at Fatima, to exhort everyone to pentience. Now I have come, in this last hour to admonish the world. The times are grave. Men should do penance for their sins…I am near. The earth will tremble and will suffer. It will be terrific. A minor judgement. For those who are not in a state of grace it will be frightful. The angels of my justice are now scattered across the world. Men do not listen to my calls. They close their ears, resist my graces and refuse my mercy, my love and my merits. They will agonize in the blindness of their faults. Hatred and greed fills the hearts of men. All this is the work of Satan. The world sleeps in a dense darkness. This generation deserves to be annihalated ut I desire to show myself as merciful. Great and terrible things are being prepared. That which is about to happen will be terrible, like nothing ever since the beginning of the world. All those who have suffered in those last times are my martyrs and they prepare the newly converted of my church. That which will shortly happen, will greatly surpass everything that has ever happened until now. The Mother of God and the angels will intervene. Hell will believe that victory is theirs, but I will seize it from them. Many blaspheme Me and, because of this, I shall allow all kinds of misfortunes to rain upon the earth for, through this, many will be saved. Blessed are those who suffer everything in reparation for those who offend me. My beloved children the hour is near. Pray incessantly and you will not be confounded. I unite My elect. They will come together, at the same time, from all parts of the world and they will glorify Me.I come. Blessed are those who will be prepared. Blessed are those who hear me." - The Children of Heede, AD 1937<br />
<br />
"Countless legions of demons shall overrun the earth - the instrument of divine justice - and causing terrible calamities and disasters. Nothing on earth shall be spared. After the frightful punishment I saw a great light appear upon the earth which was the sign of reconciliation of God with men. All men shall become Catholics, and they shall acknowledge the Pope as Vicar of Jesus Christ." - Ven. Isabel Canori Moor, AD 1803-1825<br />
<br />
"My dear daughter, listen well to what I have to say to you. You will inform your superior." "As I told you, if men do not repent and better themselves, the Father will inflict a terrible punishment on all humanity. It will be a punishment greater than the deluge, such as one will never seen before. Fire will fall from the sky and will wipe out a great part of humanity, the good as well as the bad, sparing neither priests nor faithful. The survivors will find themselves so desolate that they will envy the dead. The only arms which will remain for you will be the Rosary and the Sign left by My Son. Each day recite the prayers of the Rosary. With the Rosary, pray for the Pope, the bishops and priests. The work of the devil will infiltrate even into the Church in such a way that one will see cardinals opposing cardinals, bishops against bishops. The priests who venerate me will be scorned and opposed by their confreres...churches and altars sacked; the Church will be full of those who accept compromises and the demon will press many priests and consecrated souls to leave the service of the Lord. The demon will be especially implacable against souls consecrated to God. The thought of the loss of so many souls is the cause of my sadness. If sins increase in number and gravity, there will be no longer pardon for them. With courage, speak to your superior. He will know how to encourage each one of you to pray and to accomplish works of reparation. It is Bishop Ito, who directs your community. You have still something to ask? Today is the last time that I will speak to you in living voice. From now on you will obey the one sent to you and your superior. Pray very much the prayers of the Rosary. I alone am able still to save you from the calamites which approach. Those who place their confidence in me will be saved." - Sister Agnes Sasagawa (The Seeress of Akita), AD 1973</blockquote><blockquote>"A Frankish King will one day rule over the entire Roman Empire... He shall give up the ghost at Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives." - Saint Augustine of Hippo, AD 430 </blockquote><blockquote>"The great Monarch and the great Pope will precede Antichrist. The nations will be at war for four years and a great part of the world will be destroyed. The Pope will go over the sea carrying the sign of Redemption on his forehead. The great Monarch will come to restore peace and the Pope will share in the victory." - Werdin D’Otrante, 13th Century AD<br />
<br />
But God shall save all like a sign of the last judgement. God will come to help. The return of the king shall be announced. This will re-establish peace and prosperity. Religion shall fourish again better than ever before . "This shall re-establish a peace and prosperity without precedent."…"The good people will triumph when the return of the King is announced." - St Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney, AD 1818-1859<br />
<br />
A great prince of the north with a most powerful army will traverse all Europe, uproot all the republics, and defeat all the rebels. His sword moved by divine power will most valiantly defend the Church of Jesus Christ. He shall subdue to his dominion the Mohammedan Empire. - Rudolph Gekner, 17th Century AD<br />
<br />
A knight shall come from the west. He shall capture Milan, Lombardy, and the three crowns. He shall then sail to Cyprus and Famagoste and land at Joffa, and reach Christ's grave where he will fight. Wars and wonders shall befall till the people believe Christ toward the end of the world. - St. Thomas Becket, AD 1118-1170</blockquote><blockquote>"After a fightful war a great king will arise and his reign will by marked by a wonderful peace and great religious revival - Melania Calvat (The Seeress of La Salette), AD 1846<br />
<br />
The great king will wage war until the age of forty. He will assemble great armies, and hurl back the tyrants out of his empire. - St. Cataldus, 7th Century AD<br />
<br />
Some of our teachers say that a king of the Franks will prossess the entire Roman Empire. He will be the greatest and the last of all monarchs. After having wisely governed his kingdom, he will go in the end to Jerusalem and will lay down his sceptre and his crown upon the Mount of Olives. Immediately afterwards, Antichrist will come. - Monk Adso, 10th Century AD</blockquote><blockquote>In the latter days of the world, Christians will become ungrateful for the great favours they will receive through the coming of the great Monarch, by reason of the long period of peace and prosperity on earth which they will enjoy under his reign. Many man will then begin to doubt if the Christian faith is the only really santifying faith and will think perhaps the Jews are right because they are awaiting the Messiah.... <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Book Antiqua';">"In those days, the Antichrist will bring about many tribulation; but God will not allow those redeemed by the divine blood to be deceived. For that reason, he will send his two servants, Enoch and Elias, who will declare the prodigies of the Antichrist to be false, and will denounce him as an impostor. After the death and ruin of many, he will leave the Temple in confusion; and many of his followers will forsake him to join the company of the righteous. The seducer, upon seeing himself reproached and scorned, will become enraged and will put to death those saints of God. It is then that there will appear the sign of the Son of Man, and he will come upon the clouds of heaven." - St. Methodius of Olympus, AD 311</span><br />
<br />
<iframe align="left" frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=thecatholicci-20&o=1&p=8&l=bpl&asins=1882972732&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 245px; padding-right: 10px; padding-top: 5px; width: 131px;"></iframe>"Antichrist will be possessed by Satan and be the illegitimate son of a Jewish woman from the East." - St. John Chrysostom, AD 407<br />
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"At the time of his reign antichrist will command that Jerusalem be rebuilt in its splendour and will make it a great and populous city, second to none in the world and will order his palace to be built there." - St. Irenaeus, AD 177</blockquote><blockquote>"We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has gone through. I do not think that wide circles of American society or wide circles of the Christian community realize this fully. We are now facing the final confrontation between the Church and the anti-Church, of the Gospel versus the anti-Gospel." - Pope John Paul II, AD 1976-2005<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">All of the above quotes are from approved visionaries of the Church.<br />
You can read a more complete account of these visions <a href="http://www.essan.org/Prophecy/Catholic%20Prophecy/" target="new">HERE</a>.</span></blockquote>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-35590823639632847742010-02-01T10:25:00.002-06:002010-02-01T10:31:59.098-06:00Our Lady of Good Success<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXMklI6ifdVIPU4wqclKsf2lWrm4B4hfsx7Dv2k2u5LOYdRJ2XiNzot4L5Cm7zSVdcRiOH4h_SCFr6drnk7-bUnrv3Uw8-tJQUW2rhWESMGrTPshJDdzfy94u5tUaFlBKj7L2/s1600-h/Ologs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrXMklI6ifdVIPU4wqclKsf2lWrm4B4hfsx7Dv2k2u5LOYdRJ2XiNzot4L5Cm7zSVdcRiOH4h_SCFr6drnk7-bUnrv3Uw8-tJQUW2rhWESMGrTPshJDdzfy94u5tUaFlBKj7L2/s320/Ologs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5433313559133912994" border="0" /></a><br /><span class="Bold"><span class="tfpartsubtitle"><span style="font-size:10pt;"><span style="font-family:arial,helvetica,sans-serif;"><strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Our Lady’s Prophecies About the Twentieth Century</span></span><br /></strong></span></span></span></span><span class="tfpMain"><br />During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Our Lady of Good Success appeared</span><span class="tfpMain"> in Quito, Ecuador to a Spanish nun whose little-known but extraordinary life has a direct connection with our days.<br /></span><span class="Bold"><span class="tfpartsubtitle"><br /></span></span>The Pope’s...<br /><blockquote>“...infallibility will be declared a dogma of Faith by the same Pope chosen to proclaim the dogma of the mystery of my Immaculate Conception. He will be persecuted and imprisoned in the Vatican through the usurpation of the Pontifical States and through the malice, envy, and avarice of an earthly monarch.”<br /><br />“Unbridled passions will give way to a total corruption of customs because Satan will reign through the Masonic sects, targeting the children in particular to insure general corruption.<br /><br />Unhappy, the children of those times! Seldom will they receive the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. As for the sacrament of Penance, they will confess only while attending Catholic schools, which the devil will do his utmost to destroy by means of persons in authority.<br /><br />“The same will occur with Holy Communion. Oh, how it hurts me to tell you that there will be many and enormous public and hidden sacrileges!<br /><br />“In those times, the sacrament of Extreme Unction will be largely ignored.… Many will die without receiving it, being thereby deprived of innumerable graces, consolation, and strength in the great leap from time to eternity.<br /><br />“The sacrament of Matrimony, which symbolizes the union of Christ with the Church, will be thoroughly attacked and profaned. Masonry, then reigning, will implement iniquitous laws aimed at extinguishing this sacrament. They will make it easy for all to live in sin, thus multiplying the birth of illegitimate children without the Church’s blessing…<br /><br />“Secular education will contribute to a scarcity of priestly and religious vocations."<br /><br />“The holy sacrament of Holy Orders will be ridiculed, oppressed, and despised, for in this both the Church and God Himself are oppressed and reviled, since He is represented by His priests.<br /><br />The devil will work to persecute the ministers of the Lord in every way, working with baneful cunning to destroy the spirit of their vocation and corrupting many. Those who will thus scandalize the Christian flock will bring upon all priests the hatred of bad Christians and the enemies of the One, Holy, Roman Catholic, and Apostolic Church. This apparent triumph of Satan will cause enormous suffering to the good pastors of the Church...and to the Supreme Pastor and Vicar of Christ on earth who, a prisoner in the Vatican, will shed secret and bitter tears in the presence of God Our Lord, asking for light, sanctity, and perfection for all the clergy of the world, to whom he is King and Father.”<br /><br />“Unhappy times will come wherein those who should fearlessly defend the rights of the Church will instead, blinded despite the light, give their hand to the Church’s enemies and do their bidding. But when [evil] seems triumphant and when authority abuses its power, committing all manner of injustice and oppressing the weak, their ruin shall be near. They will fall and crash to the ground.<br /><br />“Then will the Church, joyful and triumphant like a young girl, reawaken and be comfortably cradled in the arms of my most dear and elect son of those times. If he lends an ear to the inspirations of grace – one of which will be the reading of these great mercies that my Son and I have had toward you – we shall fill him with graces and very special gifts and will make him great on earth and much greater in Heaven. There we have reserved a precious seat for him because, heedless of men, he will have fought for truth and ceaselessly defended the rights of the Church, deserving to be called ‘martyr.’”<br /><br />“At the end of the nineteenth century and throughout a great part of the twentieth, many heresies will be propagated in these lands.…<br /><br />“The small number of souls who will secretly safeguard the treasure of Faith and virtues will suffer a cruel, unspeakable, and long martyrdom. Many will descend to their graves through the violence of suffering and will be counted among the martyrs who sacrificed themselves for the country and the Church.<br /><br />“To be delivered from the slavery of these heresies, those whom the merciful love of my Son has destined for this restoration will need great will-power, perseverance, courage, and confidence in God. To try the faith and trust of these just ones, there will be times when all will seem lost and paralyzed. It will then be the happy beginning of the complete restoration….<br /><br />“In those times the atmosphere will be saturated with the spirit of impurity which, like a filthy sea, will engulf the streets and public places with incredible license…Innocence will scarcely be found in children, or modesty in women.<br /><br />“He who should speak seasonably will remain silent.<br /><br />“There shall be scarcely any virgin souls in the world. The delicate flower of virginity will seek refuge in the cloisters.…Without virginity, fire from heaven will be needed to purify these lands.…<br /><br />“Sects, having permeated all social classes, will find ways of introducing themselves into the very heart of homes to corrupt the innocence of children. The children’s hearts will be dainty morsels to regale the devil.…<br /><br />“Religious communities will remain to sustain the Church and work with courage for the salvation of souls.… The secular clergy will fall far short of what is expected of them because they will not pursue their sacred duty. Losing the divine compass, they will stray from the way of priestly ministry mapped out for them by God and will become devoted to money, seeking it too earnestly.<span class="tfpMain"><br /><br />“Pray constantly, implore tirelessly, and weep bitter tears in the seclusion of your heart, beseeching the Eucharistic Heart of my most holy Son to take pity on His ministers and to end as soon as possible these unhappy times by sending to His Church the Prelate who shall restore the spirit of her priests”</span></blockquote><span class="tfpMain"></span>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-2719978672433414602010-01-29T17:00:00.001-06:002010-01-30T10:07:41.840-06:00Sola Scriptura Leads To Moral Relativism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L-ZFVao1B2MjeBhgUH1Mwg3fE1qH02dUI4lSKxi42aFy4DgNbKHsPQTTpugBhyphenhyphenI8f8qcSKvQypUamBZGzotAHgBI576LQmZDnyby2HTQN_uE-5gcg4NYv_tD4_HiNtH4xE6S/s1600-h/sola-scriptura.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 207px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9L-ZFVao1B2MjeBhgUH1Mwg3fE1qH02dUI4lSKxi42aFy4DgNbKHsPQTTpugBhyphenhyphenI8f8qcSKvQypUamBZGzotAHgBI576LQmZDnyby2HTQN_uE-5gcg4NYv_tD4_HiNtH4xE6S/s320/sola-scriptura.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432380084339061266" /></a><br />THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: Okay it's time for "The Catholic Knight" to stir the pot again, so here it goes. I'm going to make the assertion that Martin Luther's heretical doctrine of Sola Scriptura is largely responsible for the moral relativism we see in the secular world today.<br /><br />Here is the problem. Go to any Protestant church, particularly one of the newer Evangelical nondenominational types. There you will be taught that there is no religious authority outside of the Bible. Now aside from the fact that this assertion is not only unscriptural, but also illogical, it is nevertheless the foundation of most Protestant organizations in the world today. Now the premise that there is no religious authority outside of the Bible inevitably leads people to believe that the Holy Spirit of God is directly responsible for their own interpretation of the Bible. Talk to a good number of Evangelicals and that is exactly what they'll tell you. They'll say they don't need the Catholic Church, or any church organization, to tell them what the Scriptures mean, because they can read the Scriptures for themselves, and the Holy Spirit will automatically lead them to the right interpretation. If we go through Protestant history, we will see that this kind of attitude has been present since the very beginning - even with Martin Luther himself.<br /><br />Now as we span the panorama of Protestant history, we quickly see where this attitude has led. It's led to division after division after division. What happens is this. Two Protestant pastors come up with mutually contradiction interpretations of some Scripture passage(s). Both believe they are inspired by the Holy Spirit to the correct interpretation and the other is wrong. They can't both be right, and because they both believe there is no religious authority outside the Bible, there is no one to judge between them. So they end up going their separate ways, each taking part of their congregation with them. This is how denominations and affiliations are created. In the 16th century, there were only a few Protestant denominations which could be counted on one hand. Today there are literally thousands. Some say tens of thousands.<br /><br />Now once we have accepted the notion that the Holy Spirit leads people to contradicting theology because there is no religious authority outside the Bible, it's only a small step to say that the Holy Spirit leads people to contradicting morality for the same reason. Indeed, this is EXACTLY what has happened. In the early 20th century, all Christian denominations agreed that artificial contraception (birth control) was morally wrong and sinful. That changed in 1930 when the Protestant Anglican Communion challenged this Christian moral standard. That was the first major crack in the dam. It wasn't long before others developed. By the end of the 20th century, less than 500 years after Luther's Sola Scriptura revolution, nearly all Christian denominations accepted artificial contraception as morally licit. That's not all though. Many of them accepted divorce too. It gets worse. Some even accepted homosexuality as "part of God's plan" even going to the point of celebrating homosexuality, blessing gay-marriages and ordaining homosexuals to the clergy. Though it seems inconceivable, some of these Protestant denominations even went so far as to say that abortion (a type of infanticide) was morally acceptable under certain circumstances.<br /><br />Western Christianity had long been divided on theological issues, but now for the first time in modern history, it was divided on moral issues as well. This opened the door of Pandora's Box. With Western Christianity divided on moral issues, it became increasingly easy for morally destructive groups (militant feminists and homosexuals) to begin taking over society, each one insisting that morality is relative, and some of them using Sola Scriptura is their religious excuse.<br /><br />Catholics need to understand this. One thing really does lead to another, even if it takes centuries. Luther's heresy has played a huge role in bringing Western civilization to its present point of moral decay. Protestants are stuck in a quandary. Those who are honest with themselves will have to reexamine Sola Scriptura in light of what's happened over these last 500 years, and in context with the ancient Christian tradition of episcopal authority. Sadly, most will not. Most will ignore the last 500 years of history, and the moral disaster that has resulted from it. Most will continue to repeat the mantra that there is no religious authority outside the Bible. They will treat Sola Scriptura as the highest authority. There is of course a small problem with that. Sola Scriptura is not found in the Bible. Nowhere in the Bible does it actually say the Bible is the only religious authority. Therefore Sola Scriptura is itself an extra-Biblical tradition! Which means that when Protestants fall back on it, they are falling back on a man-made tradition that is not found in the Bible. So when they say there is no authority outside the Bible, that very notion itself is an authority outside of the Bible. It's a contradiction and an oxymoron. Sadly, few of them will ever see that.<br /><br />As we approach the 500th anniversary of Sola Scriptura (2020), let us reflect on the doctrinal chaos and moral relativism it has made a significant contribution toward. Granted, I will concede that a large portion of our moral decay has been the product of Godless atheism and Marxism. Some of it has been the result of Humanism, both secular and religious. Nevertheless, Sola Scriptura has taken it's toll and made it's contribution - a significant contribution I might add. <br />Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-5185810413164679272010-01-18T08:33:00.009-06:002010-01-18T23:58:15.344-06:00Liberal Catholicism is Dying<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3bAmE_jyUUh21cdZ9QpGDqKBSh-xxZ_xnKGvBE_NPI-rD68xzbj2_HSn5GgLoJo9Ydday-sqVtKOugz9qAk9UGS5Gxx7KeUVeG9IPUP3ZsRJ7ukDMrcmjakPXyrigBO1yJGm/s1600-h/folk-mass.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu3bAmE_jyUUh21cdZ9QpGDqKBSh-xxZ_xnKGvBE_NPI-rD68xzbj2_HSn5GgLoJo9Ydday-sqVtKOugz9qAk9UGS5Gxx7KeUVeG9IPUP3ZsRJ7ukDMrcmjakPXyrigBO1yJGm/s320/folk-mass.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5428137848692023442" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;">1970s Folk Mass<br />Precursor to the Modern Contemporary Mass</span><br /></div><blockquote>(WSJ) - Mary Daly, a retired professor at Boston College who was probably the most outré of all the dissident theologians who came to the fore of Catholic intellectual life in the years right after the Second Vatican Council, died on Jan. 3 at age 81. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, which might be called the golden age of Catholic dissidence, theologians who took positions challenging traditional church teachings—ranging from the authority of the pope to bans on birth control, premarital sex, and women's ordination—dominated Catholic intellectual life in America and Europe. They seemed to represent a tide that would overwhelm the old restrictions and their hidebound adherents.<br /><br />Now, 45 years after Vatican II concluded in 1965, most of those bright lights of dissident Catholicism—from the theologian Hans Küng of the University of Tübingen to Charles Curran, the priest dismissed from the Catholic University of America's theology faculty in 1987 for his advocacy of contraception and acceptance of homosexual relationships—seem dimmed with advanced age, if not extinguished. They have left no coherent second generation of dissident Catholic intellectuals to follow them....<br /><br /><a target="new" href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704586504574654282563939764.html?mod=googlenews_wsj">read full story here</a></blockquote>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: What we're seeing here is the realignment of the 21st century beginning to take shape. After the turbulent cultural chaos of the late 20th century, the dust is finally beginning to settle, and what we see emerging is a very different world.<br /><br />Here is how it breaks down. The cultural upheaval of the late 20th century (1960s - 1990s) was society wide. It effected just about every aspect of western civilization, and had a minimal influence on eastern civilization (Russia & Eastern Europe). Some say it was actually planned this way, as a communist plot to undermine the moral foundation of the Western allies during the Cold War. Perhaps there is some truth to this. If that were the case however, it seems to have backfired at least to some degree, as Russia and Eastern Europe are now having to deal with some of the same cultural rot our Western civilization has been dealing with for decades. Regardless of the cause, the ultimate blame lies squarely at our own feet. Nobody put a gun to the head of western civilization. We collectively embraced this garbage with open arms back during the 1960s and 70s. Now we pay the price for it on a social level and in the realm of government.<br /><br />As for Christianity, the social upheaval of the late 20th century marked the beginning of the realignment of Western denominations, and the beginning of the collapse of Protestantism in general. What we are seeing in our time is the failure of the Reformation experiment, as Protestant denominations slowly work their way into the ash heap of history. It began in the late 1960s and continued throughout the 1990s. This was the rise of nondenominational and unaffiliated mega-churches. Their emergence marked a massive cultural shift in the Protestant world, which was the result of disaffected Protestants leaving their traditional mainline denominations behind. Why? The main reason for this was the influence of liberal Modernism. As Modernism crept into the mainline denominations, causing many of them to adopt more socially liberal views toward contraception, abortion, homosexuality and gay-marriage, a good portion of traditional Protestants just did what Protestants do best. They left their churches and started new ones. Some recreated their previous Christian traditions, as is evidenced by the emergence of the continuing Anglican bodies, and the International Churches of Christ. Some of them broke free of all denominational connections whatsoever, creating new loose affiliations, or else maintaining complete autonomy as individual free congregations. This largely become known as the "evangelical movement" and today popularly falls under the designation of <span style="font-style: italic;">Evangelicalism</span>. These are essentially "spiritual refugees" from the old mainline Protestant denominations, made up of Protestants who refused to cave into the liberal Modernist trends permeating the culture and invading the mainline Protestant churches.<br /><br />So now as the dust settles from the cultural chaos of the late 20th century, what we see on the Protestant side of Western Christianity as the fall of mainline Protestant denominations. The more heavily the denomination was infected by liberal Modernism, the more it struggles to survive as memberships dwindle. Liberal Protestant denominations have found a way to keep their influence over government and culture for a short time, by engaging in a false sort of ecumenism, which allows them to combine their churches together without dissolving their structure. This will work for a while, but in time their numbers will dwindle still more and within a decade we will begin to see the selling of properties just to pay the bills. If the Evangelicals can just hang in there long enough, they may soon be able to buy back their old church buildings.<br /><br />On the Catholic side the dust is only beginning to settle. Catholicism suffered it's wake up call in 2003 with the clergy sex-abuse and cover-up scandal in the United States. Since then similar scandals have been emerging in the Catholic Church within other Western nations. All of this marking the fruit of liberal Modernism's influence on the Catholic clergy and institutions. Once again, Liberal Modernism within religion has proved to be a colossal failure of epic proportions. The difference between the Catholic world and the Protestant world is the way it's handled. Within the Protestant world we saw a mass exodus, from the 1960s through 1990s, away from the mainline denominations and into unaffiliated nondenominational mega-churches. In other words, the conservatives bolted. In the Catholic world however, we see a quiet behind-the-scenes cleanup detail which involves the early retirement of some Catholic bishops, the inquisition of various religious orders, and the emergence of new traditionally orthodox Catholic orders. Some examples of the latter include the Priestly Fraternity of Saint Peter (FSSP), the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest (ICKSP), Latin mass societies of all sorts, Opus Dei, accompanied by new socially conservative orders and societies backed by the pope and high ranking officials within the Church. The emergence of the Anglican Use Pastoral Provision in 1980 illustrated one way in which the rejection of liberal Modernism in the Protestant world resulted in convergence with those who rejected liberal Modernism within the Catholic Church. Pope Benedict XVI's creation of the Anglican ordinariates (<span style="font-style: italic;">Anglicanorum Coetibus</span>) within the Catholic Church in November of 2009 solidified this trend. Ordinariates operate a lot like diocese with their own ordinary bishop, and function in parallel to a regular Catholic diocese. In effect, the ordinariates create a kind of friendly competition with regular Catholic diocese, squeezing out the influence of liberal Modernist clergy. This combined with the pope's freeing of the old Latin Mass through his motu proprio entitled <span style="font-style: italic;">Summorum Pontificum</span>, effectively creates a tectonic shift in the direction of the Catholic Church. Momentum is slow, but the course correction is unstoppable.<br /><br />Now as we enter the second decade of the third millennium, the dust begins to settle from the cultural upheaval of the second half of the 20th century. The Western world that emerges looks something like this....<br /><ol><li>The government institutions of Western republics and parliamentary democracies have been irreparably damaged, twisted, and have become the strongholds of liberal Modernism.</li><li>Western entertainment and institutes of education have also been damaged beyond recognition.</li><li>Mainline Protestant denominations are disintegrating, slowly, but with increasing intensity.</li><li>The liberal Protestant solution to disintegration is more liberalism, proving they are unable to learn from historical mistakes, but are slowly attracting liberal Catholics disaffected by the traditional orthodox trends emerging in the Catholic Church.<br /></li><li>Evangelical mega-churches have emerged as spiritual refugee camps for disaffected Protestants, but promise little in the way of long-term spiritual development.</li><li>Many Protestants are beginning to rethink the Reformation as new doors open up for reconciliation with the Catholic Church.</li></ol>The death of key post-conciliar dissenters, coupled by their inability to regenerate themselves in the next generation, and the emergence traditional trends in the Catholic Church, signals the relegation to obscurity that awaits liberal Catholicism in the not-too-distant future. The majority of seminarians today are socially conservative. Many are outright traditionalists! As <span style="font-style: italic;">Summorum Pontificum</span> is implemented throughout the world, many seminaries will begin teaching the extraordinary form Latin mass as part of their formation process. Along with this will come a greater emphasis toward traditional orthodoxy. This coupled with the emergence of the Anglican ordinariates creates a similar brand of English traditional orthodoxy emerging in the western Church. Liberal Catholics have already seen the writing on the wall, and have organized their own "councils" to circle their wagons and hold the line for as long as they can. One such example of this is the <a target="new" href="http://americancatholiccouncil.org/">American Catholic Council</a>, which according to their own website, seeks <span style="font-style: italic;">"reform of the governing structures in our Church so that they reflect the better aspects of the American experience: a democratic spirit..."</span> This is the trademark of liberal Catholicism, because they know that only through a democratic process can they get the Church away from the moorings of apostolic leadership, and steer the Church toward total Modernist corruption. That's how they did it in the Protestant world, which is why they want to do the same in the Catholic Church. Their website goes on to quote the Late Archbishop Oscar Romero, a vocal advocate of <span style="font-style: italic;">Liberation Theology</span> (i.e. Theocratic Marxism).<br /><br />In actually, what we really have with these "councils" is the emergence of a schismatic movement, which will eventually find preservation of their liberal ideology impossible in the rising Catholic orthodoxy. When this happens, they will follow the Protestant model and break away. In other words, in the Catholic Church it is the liberals who will soon bolt. When (not if) this happens, we can expect to see the creation of some kind of "Progressive Catholic Church" which will stand in contrast to the Roman Catholic Church, and quickly absorb what remains of liberal Protestantism, or else be absorbed by some larger liberal Protestant coalition, depending on whatever group is larger at the time.<br /><br />Within another ten years, as the dust of the late 20th century cultural revolution settles completely, what we will see will be much more clear....<br /><ol><li>A revived Catholic Church that is traditionally orthodox, reunifying with the eastern Orthodox churches, and reviving the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church of the early the middle ages.<br /></li><li>The emergence of a schismatic and heretical counter "catholic church" spearheaded by American and European liberals.</li><li>The disintegration of mainline Protestant denominations and absorption of these remnants into the heretical and schismatic counter "catholic church," or else vice versa, depending on the size of the schismatic group coming out of the Roman Catholic Church.<br /></li><li>The stagnation and early signs of decay in the spiritual refugee camps of Evangelical nondenominational mega-churches, causing many Evangelicals to rethink the entire Protestant Reformation.<br /></li><li>Persecution of traditionally orthodox Christians by liberal government establishments as a last dying gasp of liberal Modernism in the western world.</li><li>The rise of Islam in Europe and Canada as a result of Liberal Modernist influences, marking the epic catastrophic failure of Liberal Modernism in the Western world.</li></ol>In the distant future, perhaps within 20 to 50 years, we can expect a final conflict between the forces of Islam within the Western world, and what remains of Liberal secular government establishments. This will mark the fall of Secular Western civilization, leaving the recovery and rebuilding up to traditionally orthodox Catholics.<br /><br />In the mean time, let us enjoy the revival of traditionally orthodox Catholicism under the reign of Pope Benedict XVI and do everything we can to expedite the process of traditional orthodox renewal in our Catholic parishes and dioceses.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-1151338143462327672009-11-18T13:00:00.000-06:002009-11-18T13:44:47.659-06:00More African-Americans Are Turning To Eastern Orthodoxy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7043/1625/1600/bilde.0.jpg" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7043/1625/400/bilde.0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Many black Christians join move to Orthodox traditions</span><br /><br />After a lifetime in traditional black churches, Robert Aaron Mitchell discovered the sights, smells, sounds and ancient traditions of the Orthodox church.<br /><br />"I discovered Orthodoxy while I was on the Internet one day back in 2001, and I was so drawn to it that I had to go attend a liturgy," Mitchell says. "I had no frame of reference for these traditions, but suddenly, I felt like this void was filling in my life. I felt like I was finally coming home."<br /><br />Mitchell, 48, a project manager for AT&T in Detroit, is among a small but growing number of black Americans, many of them professionals, who are joining Orthodox churches. That's the branch of Christianity that split with Rome about 1,000 years ago and is known for colorful icons and the ethnic traditions it preserves in religious customs.<br /><br />The attraction, Mitchell says, lies in discovering that for thousands of years, Africans played a vital role in the Orthodox world.<br /><br />The Rev. Moses Berry, an Orthodox priest and pastor of Theotokos "Unexpected Joy" Orthodox Mission, Ash Grove, Mo., began his career as a Protestant preacher, a family tradition reaching back into the 1800s. Then, in 1983, he visited an Orthodox church in Atlanta and was so moved that he retrained to become a priest in the Orthodox Church in America. He also helped to organize the coalition of clergy, scholars and lay leaders coming to Detroit.<br /><br />"Reconnecting with the Orthodox tradition connects us with the earliest Christian traditions," Berry says. "It means that, when our ancestors were brought here as slaves, they didn't arrive here with just a collection of tribal religions. They didn't all discover Christianity here. In fact, many Africans already were part of the ancient Christian church."<br /><br />That was especially true for Africans with roots in the eastern part of the continent, Laike-Mariam Misikir, 50, says. An automotive engineer from Ann Arbor, Mich., Misikir is from a family of Orthodox priests that extends back many centuries in Ethiopia. In Detroit, Misikir serves as a subdeacon, assisting priests during liturgies...<br /><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060624/LIFESTYLE/606240305/1024">read full story here</a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: </span>Talk about getting in touch with your roots -- wow! This is really good news, because ancient African Christianity is so rich in tradition and culture. It makes sense that African-Americans would be attracted to this. It makes a lot more sense than the 'black Muslim' movement we saw back in the 1960s. Africans were Orthodox Christian long before Islam came along. The first black Christians were baptized way back in the middle first century. (It's actually recorded in the Bible -- Acts 8:26-39.) While the first black Muslims didn't come along until six-hundred years later. In fact, many Africans were worshipping the one true God, with dignity and beauty, while northern Europeans were still worshipping the sun, moon and trees. That's just a matter of historical fact. Northern Europe wasn't evangelized by Christianity until the middle 5th century. So there is a lot of cultural recovery to be gained by African-Americans returning to their Christian roots in Africa. The dignity and beauty of the Eastern Orthodox liturgy is second to none. Only the traditional Latin mass of Catholicism comes close, and even then there is some debate. I sincerely hope this movement takes off. It would be a wonderful thing.<br /><blockquote><a style="font-weight: bold;" target="new" href="http://www.mosestheblack.org/">The Brotherhood of St Moses the Black</a> is a pan-Orthodox nonprofit organization. Its mission is to minister to Americans the gift of Orthodoxy. In an effort to be good stewards of the manifold grace of God (I Peter 4:10), the organization presents an annual conference that targets those who have little exposure to Orthodoxy <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">as well as the African roots of Orthodoxy</span>. Its vision is to bring Americans closer to Jesus Christ.<b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><br /></span></b></blockquote><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Links to Orthodox Churches in the United States:</span><br /></div><a style="font-weight: bold;" target="new" href="http://www.oca.org/">http://www.oca.org/</a><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" target="new" href="http://www.goarch.org/">http://www.goarch.org/</a><br /><a style="font-weight: bold;" target="new" href="http://www.copticchurch.net/">http://www.copticchurch.net/</a>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-30155879227086460342009-10-26T11:30:00.004-05:002009-10-26T12:05:29.684-05:00America Is A Masonic Nation<center><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/VC-IpwmwbW4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/VC-IpwmwbW4&hl=en&fs=1&rel=0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object></center><br />THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: I always get a chuckle when I hear Evangelicals tell me that the United States of America was founded as a "Christian nation." No, I tell them, that's what it was BEFORE the American Revolution, when the colonies were ruled by a Protestant Christian king. After the Revolution, the colonies ceased to be Christian, and became the world's first Masonic nation! Granted, America's founding fathers were cooperative with Christians, mainly because they had to be, but don't think for one second that those same founding fathers had any intention of America keeping any trace of a Christian form of government. The founding fathers agreed that the moral foundations of religion were useful in building the country, but they kept it strictly to a <b>moral</b> understanding of the Christian religion, as all good Masons do. The idea of American government actually recognizing the real authority of any particular Church was repugnant to them. Of course, most repugnant to them was the Catholic Church, which the founding fathers were determined to keep in it's place. Need I remind my readers that following the American Revolution, Catholics suffered some of their greatest indignities at the hands of those who claimed the highest loyalty to the U.S. Constitution and the American Revolution.<br /><br />Freemasons don't rule America in the literal sense, like a king might rule his subjects, but they do rule America in principle. In fact, the United States was founded on Freemasonry, and thus it is the world's first Masonic Nation. The idea being that Freemasons rule America through it's system of government, designed and ordered through Masonic principles. The idea of democratic republicanism (popularly and incorrectly referred to simply as "democracy") is Masonic in origin, a product of the Enlightenment era, which opposes Christian monarchy, the foundation of western civilization.<br /><br />I want to make this very clear. Western civilization was founded on Christian monarchy. Kings and queens were subject to the ecclesiastical authority of the Catholic Church, which had both the power to coronate them and excommunicate them. By coronating them, the Church gave them power. By excommunicating them, the Church diminished their power, and sometimes dethroned them entirely. Thus western civilization was ruled by a Christian system of government during the middle ages. It was only after the Protestant Reformation that we start to see significant problems with these monarchies, which of course gave birth to the Enlightenment era and the rise of the Freemasons. The Freemasons in turn toppled the monarchies, or at the very least diminished their authority, thus giving us democratic republicanism.<br /><br />The problem with democratic republicanism, besides it being an unChristian form of government derived from ancient Pagan principles, is that it always leads to socialism. We can see this in various degrees in democracies throughout the world, and even here in the United States, which continually slides deeper into socialist rule.<br /><br />Many Catholic Americans don't understand the intrinsically anti-Catholic nature of Freemasonry. You have to understand that in America, Freemasonry has already accomplished most of it's goals. The government is totally Freemason. The democratic road to socialism is well underway, and nothing less than a total collapse of Washington DC can change this. Therefore, there is no need for Freemasons to work so hard in the United States. Most of their work is already finished. The primary function of most American Freemasons is now mainly fundraising, to help spread Masonic ideas around the world. In Europe Freemasonry takes on a much more openly anti-Catholic role, as it continually tries to undermine the influence of the Catholic Church there.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-42075502377967426822009-10-26T11:00:00.020-05:002011-01-05T13:46:20.138-06:00Married Priests In The Catholic Church<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5396981948944015554" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJonU2W0K8bYyO38M3XJ90nrZCxJrfm9SIJ2HKEfOxjv6LZcx3eFqmGivKS-RMJIvzxvJPZJsXN-htsHCi2pmeHKWa4oSHjSRxpdDrFJ98nI3OSKSAV2Tfwq5MrTwNT42rdgH/s400/married-priest.jpg" style="display: block; height: 300px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>A Married Priest With His Wife And Children</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvJonU2W0K8bYyO38M3XJ90nrZCxJrfm9SIJ2HKEfOxjv6LZcx3eFqmGivKS-RMJIvzxvJPZJsXN-htsHCi2pmeHKWa4oSHjSRxpdDrFJ98nI3OSKSAV2Tfwq5MrTwNT42rdgH/s1600-h/married-priest.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><br />
<blockquote>(Rorate Caeli) - Very interesting answers in this lengthy interview granted by the leader of the Traditional Anglican Communion, Primate John Hepworth, to The Australian Inquirer...</blockquote><blockquote><br />
<span style="font-weight: bold;">Married Priests:</span><br />
<blockquote><span style="font-weight: bold;">Inquirer:</span> How do the Pope's proposals mesh the Latin celibate discipline for all clergy with Anglicanism's longstanding acceptance of married priests and bishops?<br />
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<span style="font-weight: bold;">JH:</span> Bishops in the new Anglican structure will be unmarried. This is out of respect for the tradition of Eastern and Western Christianity. But priests who come from Anglicanism will be able to serve as priests in the new structure, whether married or not, after satisfying certain requirements. The truly radical element is that married men will be able to be ordained priests in the Anglican structure indefinitely into the future...<br />
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<a href="http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2009/10/liturgy-structure-and-other-matters-of.html" target="new">read full story here</a></blockquote></blockquote>THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: The concept of married Catholic priests (under the Anglican Ordinariates) poses no threat to my Traditional Catholic sensibilities whatsoever, and here is the reason why. The Catholic Church has had married priests in the United States for literally DECADES! The first class come from former protestant ministers, usually Anglican, already married who seek to become Catholic priests. In most cases, the Church has granted this. The second class is this...<br />
<blockquote>(PG News) - Saturday, October 02, 1999<br />
By Ann Rodgers-Melnick, Post-Gazette Staff Writer<br />
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The Vatican has cautiously opened the door to the ordination of married men as Byzantine Catholic priests in the United States.<br />
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The change comes as the Metropolitan Byzantine Archdiocese of Pittsburgh prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversary tomorrow at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, Downtown. But the new law is not a full return to the church's practice of 75 years ago, when Rome's permission was not needed.<br />
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A set of newly approved canon laws for the archdiocese permits bishops to submit the names of married candidates to Rome for approval on a case-by-case basis....<br />
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<a href="http://www.post-gazette.com/regionstate/19991002byzantine4.asp" target="new">read full story here</a></blockquote>Here we see that Rome has allowed married men in the United States to become Byzantine Catholic priests for exactly ten years now. All of this comes with no shock or disruption to the Catholic Church in North America. The key here is rites. By that I mean liturgical rites. In the western world we are most familiar with the Roman Rite, however the Catholic Church actually consists of many rites. There are four primary rites in the Catholic Church, all of them recognizing the Bishop of Rome as the sovereign pontiff. Each primary rite has other rites that may have sprang forth from it, but primary rites form the main groups. These four primaries are the Roman Rite, Antiochian Rite, Alexandrian Rite and Byzantine Rite. All of them are 100% Catholic. All of them are in full apostolic communion with the pope (who is head of the Roman Rite). All of them make up the Catholic Church. Yet only one of them has mandated celibacy of all it's clerics, and that is the Roman Rite.<br />
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Celibacy has always been practiced in Christianity by those who were able to practice it. Jesus Christ himself was celibate, as was the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Paul, the apostle who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament. St. Paul encouraged celibacy among all those clergy who were able to practice it. However, the first pope, St. Peter, was married, as were a number of bishops in the early Catholic Church. Christianity has always placed high value on both marriage and celibacy as two different ways of practicing chastity. Though celibacy was preferred among the clergy as a way of fostering total devotion to care of the Christian flock. As St. Paul put it, the married man strives to please God and his wife, while the celibate man strives only to please God. It wasn't until the early second millennium (1100's) that celibacy was mandated of all clerics exclusively in the Roman Rite. This mandate did not apply to other rites within the Catholic Church. Any charge that the Catholic Church banned marriage from all clergy is spurious to say the least, as married Catholic men have always been allowed to become priests in the other Catholic rites. However, it had been the custom within all rites for some time to restrict the office of bishop to celibate men alone. This is not to say that a married man couldn't be a bishop. It's just that it hasn't been the custom of any Catholic rite to allow this for some time, and that is not likely to change.<br />
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The crisis that erupted in the Protestant Anglican Communion during the late 1970s led some Anglican clergy to seek refuge in the Catholic Church, and among them were married Anglican priests. So in the early 1980s, Pope John Paul II created a "Pastoral Provision" in the Roman Rite that would allow married Anglican priests to be ordained as Roman Catholic priests and continue to practice their Anglican customs. This was essentially an experiment to see if married clergy (operating under an "Anglican Use" pastoral provision) would coexist well among a predominately celibate priesthood within the Roman Rite. The experiment proved to be a success, in that these married priests proved to be just as faithful and devoted as celibate priests within their limited capacity as married men. Ironically, they often proved to be more conservative, more orthodox, and more traditional than the average number of celibate priests throughout the United States. This is not to say that marriage makes one more conservative, orthodox or traditional, but rather demonstrates that marriage does not in any way detract from these things. In other words, married men make just as good priests as celibate men, thought admittedly, married men do not have as much time for their priestly duties. So if you're looking for quantity of ministry, celibacy is definitely the way to go, but if you're looking for quality of ministry, there really is no measurable difference between married and celibate.<br />
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As the Anglican Ordinariates are organized and grow, we can expect a larger number of married Catholic priests operating under this pastoral provision of the Roman Rite. What does that mean? Well in essence, it means the Catholic priesthood will be much more accessible to married men in the years ahead. Granted, it's always been available through the eastern rites, but this is the first time in a thousand years when it will be widely available to Catholic men in the Roman Rite (under Anglican Ordinariates). In practical application however, I wouldn't expect a flood of married men applying to the priesthood. There are still many strictures that make the priesthood difficult for married men even under an Anglican Ordinariate. For starters, probably the biggest obstacle is money. Married men tend to need a lot more of it then celebrate men, and the Church is not likely to provide a higher salary to married priests at risk of discrimination against celibate priests. So married priests will have to work on the side to bring home the bacon, now splitting his obligation three ways between ministry, family and job. Either that, or his wife is going to have to go out and work. However, a married priest would be just as obligated to obey the Church's teachings on contraception, so he is likely to have at least a few children and possibly more. That being the case, we're talking about more money and less time for ministry. All and all, the Church is getting less bang for it's buck with married priests, and I'm sure that played a role in the Church's initial decision to mandate celibacy in the Roman Rite nearly a thousand years ago.<br />
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I should point out that this is just one pastoral provision within the Roman Rite. It is not the entire Roman Rite itself. In many ways, the whole Anglophone world has just become a laboratory. It's a repeat of the experiment done with Anglican Use priests in the United States thirty years ago, but this time on a much grander scale. It doesn't apply to the Spanish-speaking world on the same level, nor the French-speaking world, etc. It mainly applies to the English-speaking (Anglophone) world and who knows where it will lead? One thing is certain. English speaking Catholics have been clamoring for married priests for decades. Now they're going to get it, though perhaps not the way they expected, and certainly with no hint of sacrificing traditional Catholic orthodoxy. If anything, they should expect incoming married priests to be more traditional and conservative than many of their celibate counterparts. At least that's what the trend has been so far.Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16978009.post-38696335579049946912009-10-14T10:11:00.007-05:002009-10-14T10:47:11.213-05:00The Weakness of Democracy<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAmRY2zLygSIc37DmljyoZjmXf6BykSwzuKolL90262XPnac2xU4HE1ZIVOp5YnNuK8Yt27Gj499f6wjN41Smgsoqp40PwfGOGgbE_FrShI_HgzE6drc0aiZG7ienY0VRLIly/s1600-h/trojan-horse.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 235px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixAmRY2zLygSIc37DmljyoZjmXf6BykSwzuKolL90262XPnac2xU4HE1ZIVOp5YnNuK8Yt27Gj499f6wjN41Smgsoqp40PwfGOGgbE_FrShI_HgzE6drc0aiZG7ienY0VRLIly/s400/trojan-horse.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392475847173723314" /></a><br />THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: "It is the natural progression of all representative government to inch toward socialism and tyranny." Yes, you can quote me on that. Indeed there are short periods of time when things move too fast, and the people temporarily return to their traditional sensibilities, but this is only a setback. It doesn't last. In time the steady march toward socialism and tyranny will continue. This is the lesson of the last 100 years.<blockquote>(Screwtape Proposes a Toast, 1959) - Hidden in the heart of this striving for Liberty there was also a deep hatred of personal freedom. That invaluable man Rousseau first revealed it. In his perfect democracy, you remember, only the state religion is permitted, slavery is restored, and the individual is told that he has really willed (though he didn’t know it) whatever the Government tells him to do. From that starting point, via Hegel (another indispensable propagandist on our side) we easily contrived both the Nazi and the Communist state….<br /><br />Democracy is the word with which you must lead them by the nose…. [T]hey should never be allowed to give this word a clear and definable meaning. They won’t. It will never occur to them that democracy is properly the name of a political system, even a system of voting, and that this has only the most remote and tenuous connection with what you are trying to sell them. Nor of course must they ever be allowed to raise Aristotle’s question: whether “democratic behaviour” means the behaviour that democracies like or the behaviour that will preserve a democracy. For if they did, it could hardly fail to occur to them that these need not be the same.<br /><br />You are to use the word purely as an incantation; if you like, purely for its selling power. It is a name they venerate. And of course it is connected with the political ideal that men should be equally treated. You then make a stealthy transition in their minds from this political ideal to a factual belief that all men are equal…. As a result you can use the word democracy to sanction in his thought the most degrading (and also the least enjoyable) of human feelings. You can get him to practise, not only without shame but with a positive glow of self-approval, conduct which, if undefended by the magic word, would be universally derided.<br /><br />The feeling I mean is of course that which prompts a man to say I’m as good as you….<br /><br />No man who says I’m as good as you believes it. He would not say it if he did. The St. Bernard never says it to the toy dog, nor the scholar to the dunce, nor the employable to the bum, nor the pretty woman to the plain. The claim to equality, outside the strictly political field, is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior. What it expresses is precisely the itching, smarting, writhing awareness of an inferiority which the patient refuses to accept.<br /><br />And therefore resents. Yes, and therefore resents every kind of superiority in others; denigrates it; wishes its annihilation. Presently he suspects every mere difference of being a claim to superiority…. “They’ve no business to be different. It’s undemocratic.”<br /><br />Now, this useful phenomenon is in itself by no means new. Under the name of Envy it has been known to humans for thousands of years. But hitherto they always regarded it as the most odious, and also the most comical, of vices. Those who were aware of feeling it felt it with shame; those who were not gave it no quarter in others. The delightful novelty of the present situation is that you can sanction it — make it respectable and even laudable — by the incantatory use of the word democratic.<br /><br />Under the influence of this incantation those who are in any or every way inferior can labour more wholeheartedly and successfully than ever before to pull down everyone else to their own level. But that is not all. Under the same influence, those who come, or could come, nearer to a full humanity, actually draw back from fear of being undemocratic…. They might (horror of horrors!) become individuals….<br /><br />Meanwhile, as a delightful by-product, the few (fewer every day) who will not be made Normal or Regular and Like Folks and Integrated increasingly become in reality the prigs and cranks which the rabble would in any case have believed them to be. For suspicion often creates what it expects…. As a result we now have an intelligentsia which, though very small, is very useful to the cause of Hell.<br /><br />But that is a mere by-product. What I want to fix your attention on is the vast, overall movement towards the discrediting, and finally the elimination, of every kind of human excellence – moral, cultural, social, or intellectual. And is it not pretty to notice how “democracy” (in the incantatory sense) is now doing for us the work that was once done by the most ancient Dictatorships, and by the same methods?…<br /><br />Once you have grasped the tendency, you can easily predict its future developments; especially as we ourselves will play our part in the developing. The basic principle of the new education is to be that dunces and idlers must not be made to feel inferior to intelligent and industrious pupils. That would be “undemocratic.” These differences between pupils – for they are obviously and nakedly individual differences – must be disguised. This can be done at various levels. At universities, examinations must be framed so that nearly all the students get good marks. Entrance examinations must be framed so that all, or nearly all, citizens can go to universities, whether they have any power (or wish) to profit by higher education or not. At schools, the children who are too stupid or lazy to learn languages and mathematics and elementary science can be set to doing things that children used to do in their spare time…. Whatever nonsense they are engaged in must have – I believe the English already use the phrase – “parity of esteem”…. Children who are fit to proceed to a higher class may be artificially kept back, because the others would get a trauma…by being left behind. The bright pupil thus remains democratically fettered to his own age group throughout his school career….<br /><br />In a word, we may reasonably hope for the virtual abolition of education when I’m as good as you has fully had its way. All incentives to learn and all penalties for not learning will be prevented; who are they to overtop their fellows? And anyway the teachers – or should I say, nurses? – will be far too busy reassuring the dunces and patting them on the back to waste any time on real teaching. We shall no longer have to plan and toil to spread imperturbable conceit and incurable ignorance among men. The little vermin themselves will do it for us.<br /><br />Of course, this would not follow unless all education became state education. But it will. That is part of the same movement. Penal taxes, designed for that purpose, are liquidating the Middle Class, the class who were prepared to save and spend and make sacrifices in order to have their children privately educated. The removal of this class, besides linking up with the abolition of education, is, fortunately, an inevitable effect of the spirit that says I’m as good as you. This was, after all, the social group which gave to the humans the overwhelming majority of their scientists, physicians, philosophers, theologians, poets, artists, composers, architects, jurists, and administrators. If ever there were a bunch of stalks that needed their tops knocked off, it was surely they. As an English politician remarked not long ago, “A democracy does not want great men.”<br /><br />We, in Hell, would welcome the disappearance of democracy in the strict sense of that word, the political arrangement so called. Like all forms of government, it often works to our advantage, but on the whole less often than other forms. And what we must realize is that “democracy” in the diabolical sense (I’m as good as you, Being Like Folks, Togetherness) is the fittest instrument we could possibly have for extirpating political democracies from the face of the earth.<br /><br />For “democracy” or the “democratic spirit” (diabolical sense) leads to a nation without great men, a nation mainly of subliterates, full of the cocksureness which flattery breeds on ignorance, and quick to snarl or whimper at the first sign of criticism. And that is what Hell wishes every democratic people to be. For when such a nation meets in conflict a nation where children have been made to work at school, where talent is placed in high posts, and where the ignorant mass are allowed no say at all in public affairs, only one result is possible….<br /><br />It is our function to encourage the behaviour, the manners, the whole attitude of mind, which democracies naturally like and enjoy, because these are the very things which, if unchecked, will destroy democracy. You would almost wonder that even humans don’t see it themselves. Even if they don’t read Aristotle (that would be undemocratic) you would have thought the French Revolution would have taught them that the behaviour aristocrats naturally like is not the behaviour that preserves aristocracy. They might then have applied the same principle to all forms of government….<br /><br />The overthrow of free peoples and the multiplication of slave states are for us a means (besides, of course, being fun); but the real end is the destruction of individuals. For only individuals can be saved or damned, can become sons of the Enemy or food for us. The ultimate value, for us, of any revolution, war, or famine lies in the individual anguish, treachery, hatred, rage, and despair which it may produce. I’m as good as you is a useful means for the destruction of democratic societies. But it has a far deeper value as an end in itself, as a state of mind which, necessarily excluding humility, charity, contentment, and all the pleasures of gratitude or admiration, turns a human being away from almost every road which might finally lead him to Heaven.<br /><br /><a target="new" href="http://conservativecolloquium.wordpress.com/2008/12/29/c-s-lewis-on-diabolical-democracy-socialism-and-public-education/">source</a></blockquote>Catholic Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11482669385245533138noreply@blogger.com