For today a repost from six years ago. . .
The following post is simply a bit of housekeeping to clarify items that keep coming up in correspondence. Once again, I regret that I am unable to respond to each of you personally. Thank you for your patience about this.
There seems to be a growing testiness among internet writers lately, even Catholic ones. Father Malachi Martin once wrote that his views on self defense changed over time and he came to believe that if he were attacked, he would not kill in self defense because the criminal may not have time to repent and would therefore spend eternity in hell. My own views are similar. In time, I have come to believe that defense of the truth does not always require extermination of the transgressor.
None of us who write for blogs are Bishops or Cardinals. Our Lord designed the Church and the world in a hierarchical manner and I am on the bottom, the base. There’s a need for a base. Somebody’s got to be the lowest after all! Although I do my best to always speak the truth, readers must discern for themselves, and my readers have taught me more than I have given them.
Comfort?
A reader remarked to me recently that he finds little comfort today, and that it seems to be most lacking in the Church. As we commiserated over the situation, I recalled a post from long ago, “Cold Comfort at Calvary”. I looked up it up, it was from Fall, 2014 when we were all stunned nearly speechless under the blows of this Most Merciful® Pope and reread:
“There is simply no way that this can be happening if the Pope and his Prelates practiced the Faith. If they prayed the Rosary daily as Our Lady asked, even only a 5 decade rosary …
“It is impossible to pray those mysteries and not grow in the love of Jesus, impossible not to grasp His suffering at our sins, especially at our indifference to His sweet and merciful love for us. It is impossible to avoid feeling a deep contrition for our sins and a deep commitment to reforming our lives and making reparation for our sins and the sins of others. …
“All of this miserable mess of Pope Francis’ making could have been averted had only Our Lady of Fatima’s commands been heeded. And this will not end until we do, one way or another, learn to obey and turn from our complacency to repentance.”
Reality?
What we were only just discovering in 2014 has by 2017 becomes a dreary litany of sleazy tributes to fornicators, adulterers, sodomites, abortionists, terrorists and heretics. This man who picks his nose in public, speaks of coprophagia, and never misses an opportunity to attack faithful Catholics has no discernible faith. What shall we do? We do as all true Catholics have always done. Hold fast the faith, and now, at this time, we look to the Immaculata, the Woman who stands unwavering at the foot of His Cross.
NOTE: Since this was written (in 2014 and 2017), the tragedy has progressed to honoring the “pachamama” in the Vatican, approving a Mayan Rite of Mass, complete with pagan “gods” while at the same time attempting to extinguish the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.
Now we can, and mostly do, rage at this pope who seems utterly determined to eradicate all faithful Catholics, replacing them with debauched neopagans, virulent atheists and every manner of enemy of Our Lord Jesus Christ. And so we see how productive that has been. Perhaps we might consider a different approach, even, perhaps consider following His Mother, who was after all, His first follower.
Today, she walks the bloody stones of Calvary’s path, never taking her eyes off Him, except to gaze pleadingly at her children, “Come, abide with Us, here is true mercy. This is what mercy really looks like. Come, be still, and know.”
Dry Wood
And so, we see Him; He struggles painfully to regain His footing. See, He has fallen again. The women weep and watch. His blood-dimmed eyes meet theirs; He says,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not over me; but weep for yourselves, and for your children. For behold, the days shall come, wherein they will say: Blessed are the barren, and the wombs that have not borne, and the paps that have not given suck. Then shall they begin to say to the mountains: Fall upon us; and to the hills: Cover us. For if in the green wood they do these things, what shall be done in the dry?” (Luke 23, 28-31)
Indeed, what shall be done in this time of utterly dead, dry wood? We look to the Apocalypse, when the stars fall from heaven and the winter figs are shaken from the tree, “they say to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us, and hide us from the face of Him that sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of their wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?” (Apoc. 6)
Where are we to seek comfort at this time, the time of the dry wood? There is no other place – although He falls, and we fall with Him, we must be here, now, in this place, struggling to stand with this cross. At times, we must first regain our footing by kneeling.
It is in the Rosary that we draw strength from the Immaculate. The entire grace, strength and life of the most Holy Trinity pours forth from her Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart, through this Rosary. Here. Now. We are so blessed to realize we have no words, we are mute in this roaring silence that ‘whelms us over, washes us in this most pure and perfect tide. “Full of grace … the Lord … with thee … blessed art thou … blessed is the fruit …. Jesus … pray for us …. at the hour … death“.
Death and Life
Here is Death. A death like no other. We thought we knew life, thought we knew death. Yet in this profound Death, Life pours forth. As Eve was born from Adam’s side, the bride of Christ is born from the opening in Love’s side. And Love begets Love. He Who gives His Life for His Bride is begetting Her anew., even as it appears to the world that They both have been vanquished at last. For, “In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.”
We are here, witnesses to the the sacrilege, witnesses to the outrage. Witnesses to the Love which surpasses all others. We will not turn aside.
Abide in His love. Return to Fatima.
Previously posted August 4, 2017.
Open your hearts to the Lord and serve Him only: and He will free you from the hands of your enemies. With all your heart return to Him, and take away from your midst any strange gods” (I Kings 7:3)
Pray the Rosary and confound Satan and all who serve him!
~ by evensong at returntofatima.org for love of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Vouchsafe that I may praise thee, O Sacred Virgin! Give me strength against thine enemies!